Jude Stephens (27 page)

“
A Kylan is evolved from a type of
unicorn.” Dr. Satou replied.

“
A unicorn?” I repeated stupidly.
Sometimes this new odd world that I found myself thrown into would
overwhelm me. It was nothing less than surreal.

I looked at Alex who was smirking. I raised my
eyebrows in question, but he shook his head. I made a mental note
to ask him later what that smirk was all about?

“
I apologize at my lack of evolved
knowledge, Dr. Satou, and my reaction. It’s just that unicorns and
dragons and vampires were, until a few months ago, the stuff of
fairytales and legends. I’m still finding my bearings in all of
this.”

A kind smile lit his features, “Please do not
apologize, Ms. Sherman, and please call me Kai. I understand your
skepticism at learning of beings you never knew existed. Your
friend Janel was in the same predicament when she first came here,
but in no time at all you’ll open yourself up to the infinite
wonders the world holds. Janel was quick to embrace the
unfamiliar.”

He looked at Janel with eyes that held a promise and
I had to wonder just what was going on between the good doctor and
Janel.

I smiled back at him. I got a good vibe from him.
“Well, I hope you’re right. I’ve been trying to see past the
unfamiliar to see the common thread we all have.”

The doctor looked intrigued. “And what is the common
thread in your opinion?”

“
The strong desire to
survive.”

“
Very well put Ms. Sherman. As a
physician I know the value that each life holds.” Nodding he said,
“I better get back to my patients. We have a full house tonight. It
was nice meeting you Ms Sherman. I hope we see each other again. I
would love to do some studies on a Sensay.”

I wasn’t thrilled at that but said, “Sure and you
can call me Wren.”

Janel walked away with the doctor and I leaned over
to Alex, “Why did you make that face when he said he was a
Kylan?”

“
A Kylan has some special
attributes that are unrivaled among The Evolved.” He
chuckled.

I didn’t like his little laugh. “And what is
that?”

“
I’d rather not say here. I’ll
tell you later when we get back to the hotel. Let’s just say that
should Janel decide to taste of his unique talents she will be
thoroughly pleased in everyway”

I scowled at him. I really didn’t think that it was
appropriate to be delving into Janel’s sex life, at least with
Alex. I intended to corner Janel the first chance I got.

Janel came back holding a piece of paper. “I got
Draco’s number. Are you sure you want me to do this, Wren?”

She looked worried. I was worried too. I’m not
delusional. I know that I’m not at the top of my game yet. I still
had lots to learn, but I knew if I didn’t do this the likelihood of
Roberto seeing his son again would be slim. To Janel I said
stoically, “Call him. Let’s turn me over to the enemy.”

Chapter 27

Janel called Draco and told him she had some more
white fungus for him and that she’d be glad to deliver it. Draco
seemed reluctant at first, but Janel could be very persuasive. She
arranged to meet him the next evening at ten p.m. to deliver the
fungus.

What Draco didn’t know was that Cheve would be along
and he would make the offer of an exchange of me for Roberto. I
knew the plan was risky. Once the exchange was made, I would have
to wait to see what they were planning to do with me and then use
my abilities to plan my escape.

I hoped I wouldn’t have to walk between the two
planes in the shadow world at all. Cheve was correct that it was
difficult for me to return. I looked at everyone’s worried faces
and said, “Let’s go back to the hotel and get some rest. Tomorrow
will be here soon enough and we should all be on the top of our
game.”

When we got back to the hotel, no one was in the
mood for chit chat and everyone went to their rooms. Alex and I
rode the elevator to our room in silence. Alex was going to collect
some things and go stay in Mark’s room as planned.

As soon as we entered the room Alex pulled me into
his arms. “Wren, I can’t let you do this. If something happens to
you I will not survive.”

I held him tight. “Alex, don’t worry. I may not be a
fully trained Sensay yet, but I’m not without some power. You saw
me tonight when I walked in the spirit world. Have some faith.”

“
I have faith in you. I know you
are strong and brave, but there are too many things that can go
wrong. We don’t know much about this Draco guy. I don’t remember
much about Seamus except that he liked to shag a lot. It was London
in the sixties.” He shrugged his shoulders.

A plan began forming in my mind. “I may just be able
to use that to my advantage.”

“
Uh Wren, I don’t like the sound
of that. What are you planning?”

Looking him in the eye I said, “Alex, if it came to
my survival wouldn’t you want me to use any and all means
necessary?”

With no hesitation he answered, “Yes. You are
nothing short of a warrior though you may not carry a sword and
shield. I may not like your fighting style, but I do understand it
and will always stand by your side.”

“
You are a miracle, Alex. I want
you to know no matter what I have to do, it doesn’t change the way
I feel about you. I give my heart and soul only to you.”

Alex held me tighter in his arms “Baby, I love you.
You are my heart and soul. I will be at your side for eternity,
loving you and supporting you.”

We held each other and the most amazing sense of
wholeness surrounded us. We seemed to be attuned to not only each
other’s bodies but to our thoughts and feelings too. It was at the
same time sexual and spiritual.

How long we stayed in each others arms like that I
don’t know as we were interrupted by a knocking at the door. I
pulled away and simply said, “Damn.”

Alex looked as stunned as I felt. “That was the
single most amazing thing that ever happened to me. What do you
think it was?”

“
I’m not sure but it felt like we
might have connected on another plane. What plane I’m not sure.
I’ll have to talk to Cheve about it.”

I opened the door to let Mark and Bullet enter.

Alex pulled me into his arms and
kissed me sweet and soft. “Be careful Baby and sleep
well.”

“
Goodnight Alex. I’ll miss
sleeping beside you.”

With one last look he went out the door. I turned to
look at Mark, but he had thoughtfully turned his back to us as he
made a bed on the floor.

“
Thanks Mark and thanks for taking
such good care of Bullet.” I went over and began to stroke Bullet’s
soft silver fur.

Mark replied, “I think he takes care of me more than
I take care of him. That wolf always knows his way around.”

I went in the bathroom and got ready for bed. I had
to smile when I came out and saw that Mark had made his bed on one
side of my bed and Bullet on the other. Surely I would be safe with
two sentries guarding me. I crawled into bed, and though I knew the
day would most likely bring danger, I couldn’t help but feel safe
and protected surrounded by those that I loved. I closed my eyes
and drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

I was awakened by a knocking on the door. I looked
at the clock and it was only three pm. It was too early to be Janel
or Cheve as we planned to meet in the restaurant.

Mark got to the door before I did and said, “Stay
back.” Bullet was by his side. Mark slowly opened the door to show
an oriental man dressed impeccably in a dark suit standing
there.

He said, “My name is Sein Tun, and I am the owner of
this hotel.”

I quickly put on a robe and said, “Please come in
Mr. Tun.”

He bowed and said, “I apologize for waking you. I
wanted to speak to you in regards to yesterday’s incident. I pride
myself on the safety and security of my hotels around the world.
For such a thing to happen here is unforgivable. I would like to
speak to you about the incident in order to get as much information
as possible. I would also like you to view the security tapes.”

“
Of course, I will just get
dressed and meet you downstairs Mr. Tun.”

“
Thank you Ms. Sherman. I assure
you that everything possible will be done to catch the
perpetrators.”

“
Thank you Mr. Tun. I appreciate
your diligence in this matter. I will be down in a half an
hour.”

Mr. Tun left with a slight bow. I turned to Mark,
“You don’t have to come with me. Why don’t you try and get some
rest? God knows what this night will bring us.”

“
I’m not sure that’s a good idea.
I don’t like you going off by yourself.”

“
Mark, I’m not even leaving the
hotel. You’ve seen the security inside this place. I will be fine.
I should only be gone for a little while.”

Mark looked like he wanted to argue.

“
I’m going to insist on this Mark.
I’m not a baby. My intuition didn’t pick up on any bad vibes from
Mr. Tun. I’m pretty sure that he just wants to help us.”

Mark reluctantly said, “Okay, but promise to come
right back here after your meeting.”

I laughed “Yes Dad, I promise.”

I took a quick shower and dressed in khaki’s and a
white blouse. For some reason I felt that jeans were inappropriate
to meet with a man like Mr. Tun. When I came out of the bathroom it
appeared that Mark was sleeping. Bullet looked to have settled back
down too. I slipped quietly from the room and went down to meet
with Mr. Tun.

The lobby had maybe a dozen people mulling around
which led me to believe that there were more than vampires staying
here. I looked at some of the hotel guests. I wish I had time to
sit here and open my senses to see if I could figure out what
species the guests were.

I was about to ask the concierge where Mr. Tun’s
office was when a repulsive feeling washed over me. I turned to see
Myaing headed in my direction. I moaned out loud, “Oh God… not this
woman again.” I fixed a polite smile on my face “Hello Myaing. How
are you today?”

Myaing smiled back, but the smile did not reach her
cold eyes “I’m fine. How are you?” Without waiting for an answer
she rushed, “I heard that you’re meeting with my father. I can show
you to his office.”

I smiled politely and replied, “Sure, thanks. That
would be great.” Even though the last thing I wanted to do was
spend any more time than was necessary with this vile woman.

Myaing led me through a door that at first glance
looked to be just a wall. We were in a service hallway. Myaing
smiled at me, “The employee entrance is quicker.”

We navigated several turns when Myaing stopped in
front of a plain door. “This is it.”

This didn’t look like a door to an
office
, I thought, even as loud alarms
bells began ringing inside my head. Before I could turn to flee,
the door before me was yanked open and I was pulled roughly inside.
I struggled against my captor and was slammed up against a wall
face first. I felt pain explode behind my right eye. I quickly
concentrated on blocking the pain.

As Cheve taught me, I calmed myself. I needed to
assess the situation. I reached out with my senses. There were
three men in the room. One of the men’s scent was familiar. I had
smelled it before. It was the smell of damp and rotted leaves. I
had a moment of elation as recognition hit me. The man was a troll.
I had an encounter with a troll once before when one had kidnapped
me from Roberto’s hotel in Atlantic City.

Trolls were vicious mean things that had an uncanny
ability to track people. The other two men I wasn’t able to
identify except I knew they were of the same species. Both smelled
of the desert, a salty, acrid smell. One of the desert men said
something in a language I did not recognize.

The troll said, “I told you two, speak in English. I
don’t understand Turkish.”

Turkish? Who the hell were these guys?

One of the Turkish guys replied in a thick accent,
“I will speak in your tongue when it is necessary for you to
understand something.”

The toll replied, “I don’t like your type. I will be
glad when this one is delivered.”

Delivered? So they weren’t going to kill me here at
least. I needed to weigh my options. I could probably take the guy
who was holding me against the wall, but that left two others to
deal with.

“
Give me the bottle.” I heard the
troll say. Then a cloth was placed over my nose and mouth and
everything went black.

Chapter 28

I awoke to blinding pain. I tried
to ease my eyes open, but the effort caused jackhammers to begin
pounding my skull.

I began a slow and concentrated effort on my
breathing to still my mind. Concentrating on every nerve ending in
my body, I put up a brick wall between my nerve receptors and the
pain. As soon as the pain disappeared I realized I was being held
in someone’s arms. I jumped up and was in a position of defense
before my brain registered the familiar touch.

“
Roberto!?”

“
Hello Piccolina. I’m glad to see
you’re all right. I was worried when it took you so long to wake
up.”

I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was Roberto. The man
I had loved so deeply, the man who had touched my body in every
imaginable way.

“
Where are we? The last thing I
remembered was being pulled into a room with a troll and two other
men.”

Roberto reached up and lightly swept his fingers
over my bruised eye. I tried not to shiver.

“
The men are Manticoras. They are
one of the most vicious, brutal species on the earth. They are
evolved from Caspian tigers. They were thought to be extinct, but
it seems that there are a few of them left. They and the troll are
the ones who took me also. They’ve been using white fungus on me.
It makes me weak. I’ve been unable to overpower them and escape.”
Roberto fixed me with his intense stare, “How are you Piccolina?
Are things well with you? Despite your bruised eye, you look
amazing. If it’s possible, you are even more beautiful than the
last time I saw you.”