Authors: Megan White
Chapter Nin
eteen
There wasn’t much for me to do other than wait, and waiting left the door open for my thoughts to run wild, something I never enjoyed. Never would I tell Declan of my flight with my mother. I had died, but death would never again frighten me, I
wanted
it. It was the peace I had craved my entire life.
When you lived in a world full of darkness, greed and hate, a moment of peace is all you wished for, something you would
die
for. I had seen enough death, enough killing. I was ready to let it all go and just be…
free
. It was beauty in the highest sense of the word. There was no pain or torment. Declan would never have understood, and I loved him enough to save him from the thought of me no longer being with him, but when the time came, I would be ready.
I no longer feared death. I welcomed it with open arms. I would fight on earth for as long as I needed to, for as long as I had a purpose. Tarant would come for me, but I no longer feared him either.
I could hear Declan muttering orders from the kitchen, no doubt to another one of his Keepers, maybe even Kellan. The anger lacing his tone was evident, he was frustrated, but he had all right to be. His father’s wife was dead in his living room and the longer she remained, the more our danger grew. There were only a few Declan could trust, if word got to Tarant that his wife was dead, anyone that knew of it would die along with her.
We needed a plan.
Pulling myself from the couch, I tested my legs to find that for the most part, other than a little dizziness, I was perfectly fine. I followed Declan’s exasperated voice into the kitchen, smiling when I saw him hunched over the island, his hands tangling into his hair, “So what’s the plan?”
He turned from the island, the movement so quick it almost knocked me back, “I thought I told you to stay on the couch!”
I hopped onto the counter and wrapped my legs around him, “I heal quickly remember?” I chided, caressing his lips with my own, “What are we going to do with mommy dearest?”
“
We
aren’t going to do anything.” He powered off his phone, “I have a crew coming to get her.
We
are going on a little trip.”
“A trip?” I squeaked, “Are we running?” That was the last thing I ever thought I would hear coming out of his mouth. Declan didn’t run from things, he ran
to
things. He didn’t know fear, all he knew was passion. He worked hard to become what he was, to hold the powerful position he did. How could he suggest running?
“No.” He tilted his head back on a loud laugh, “Not running, but I have a place that you need to see.”
“Oh, do tell.”
“Nope,” His eyes twinkled in mischief, “It is a surprise. Dress comfortably, jeans and sneakers.”
“So we’re just going to leave her there?” I pointed in the direction of Corina’s body.
“She will be gone before we get back. I told you not to worry about her.”
“Then what has you so upset?”
“Let’s just say getting in where I am going to take you…” He paused, leaning down to kiss my neck, “Takes a little work.” He nipped my lower lip playfully, “Get dressed.”
“Actually,” I looked down at my bloodstained clothes, “I’d like to take a quick shower first.”
His jaw tightened as he looked over me, “Fine, but make it quick and
don’t
get your arm wet.”
Rolling my eyes at him, I jumped from the counter and made my way to the washroom. How he could have expected me to agree with getting dressed while still covered in not only
my
blood but also his and the spawn of Satan baffled me.
Something had him riled, something that he was not telling me. I shouldn’t have been surprised, Declan never told me anything.
I knew no amount of soap and water would remove the ick that covered my body, but I dialed the temperature to as hot as I could stand it, stepped inside, and held my right arm out of the stall. It seemed silly to have to worry about the stitches, I felt completely fine, but I did it for him because he worried about me, and also because I knew he would soon interrupt my showering to rush me along.
All men are the same.
Wanting every ounce of that woman off me, I scrubbed my skin until it felt like a blistered shell, and not caring how bad it hurt to make that happen. My fingers were still tender from the glass, and I watched as the scabs sloughed off, trickling new blood down my hands. I laughed at the sound of the door creaking open, signaling Declan’s entrance, “
Come on
, I have only been in for ten minutes.”
“That’s five minutes too long,” He griped, pulling the shower curtain back, and freezing when he saw my hands, “What did you
do
?”
“Nothing,” I smiled, bringing my fingers to his lips, “They’re just not fully healed yet.” My core tightened when his lips enclosed around my bloodied digits. His eyes sparked as he lightly sucked, drawing lightly on the tips. “It’s time to get out of the shower.” He crooned, pulling my hand away from his mouth, “We have company arriving soon and I’d rather be out of the house before they arrive.”
“Any reason for that?”
He held out the silken robe to me, jiggling it impatiently. “Is it wrong that I don’t want to share you?”
Smiling as he wrapped the silk around my shoulders, I brushed my lips down his neck, “Nope.”
He guided me to the bedroom, flipping on the light once we entered, “You have jeans in the closet and t-shirts in the dresser.” He pointed to his watch, “Dress as quick as you can.”
“Ok, ok!” I rolled my eyes at his retreating back, “
Sheesh
.”
“I heard that.” He yelled from the hallway.
“Heard what?”
“Your eyes roll.”
Laughing at his seemingly playful attitude, I went to the dresser and found some suitable underwear and a blue t-shirt, followed by a dark pair of jeans. I was dressed as ‘comfortably’ as possible without being in sweats, but what shocked me most of all was that he did not expect me to put on a uniform. Any commoner seen without their issued garbs would immediately be arrested. It wasn’t safe for me to dress that way. If we were leaving his home, a uniform should have been what I wore. I searched the closet, looking for anything that resembled a commoner’s uniform, there were none.
I found Declan pacing in the living room, periodically staring out the window, “If we are leaving, why am I not in uniform?” I asked once I made it into the hallway.
He stopped his pacing once he heard my entry, “Because no one will see you.”
“How is that even possible?”
“Because we are going under,” He flashed a grin, “Not over.”
He leaped at me, grabbed me in his iron tight hold, and pressed his lips almost painfully to mine. His fervor knocked me back, but all too soon, I found myself yielding to his passion. I opened to him, allowed him to explore my mouth with his tongue, tasting me as he lapped inside. A moan left his lips as his fingers pressed into the small of my back, pulling me closer to his chest, “We need to go.” He pulled away panting, leaving me reeling.
Unable to think, I just nodded, allowing him to pull me down the hall and through a series of doors.
We ran deeper into his home, my mind unable to grasp how large it really was. Pushing through a set of double doors, hundreds of books greeted my eyes. Declan had a library that could have rivaled The Supremacy’s ‘Public’ archive.
We stopped at a large bookcase, my eyes shooting to his as I wondered if he had lost his mind, “It’s a book case.”
He said nothing as he pulled a copy of ‘War and Peace’ from the shelf, causing the case to rumble at our feet. My jaw plunged to my feet as I watched the towering wall of books swivel, opening to a dimly lit tunnel.
“Are you ready?” He whispered, pulling my hand in his and intertwining our fingers.
I remained paralyzed as I peered down the darkened passageway, “For what?”
“For everything.” He pulled me passed the wall of books and into the channel. My heart stopped when the rumble came again, telling of the case closing behind us, “Do you trust me?” Declan whispered close to my ear.
“With my own life.” I answered without hesitation.
We walked in silence down the twisting channel, our fingers laced together in an unspoken display of fusion.
Intermittent lights flickered from overhead, illuminating the tunnel just enough for any one person to see. There was no end in sight as I followed him through the underground. “We don’t have much further to go,” He pointed ahead of us, pointing at nothing.
The tunnels seemed to go on for miles, twisting and turning under the teeming populous that was our Zone, “Is this how Keepers make it around undetected?” I asked, looking around me, seeing no other way out other than the way we came.
“No Keepers under Tarant know about these tunnels.” His fingers tightened around mine, “You have nothing to be afraid of.”
“I’m not afraid.” And I could actually say that was the truth. I had Declan beside me, a towering force of power and will; with him, nothing scared me.
“We’re here.” He stopped in front of a barren wall. I knew from before not to state the obvious and just wait until it magically opened into someone else’s giant library.
The ground rumbled under our feet as the dirt from above rained down on our heads. Mystified, I watched the wall magically swing open, revealing the two cloaked Keepers from the Farm standing on the other side. One being the Keeper that ushered me off the bus that first day, the one that nearly crushed my skull into the rocky ground in front of the lectern where my best friend laid lifeless at the hand of the Keeper that held me tight to his side.
My hand fell from Declan’s as the two neared us. The feeling of betrayal gripped my chest as I looked to him for answers, “It’s not what you think.” They trapped me in the tunnel, Declan at my back and the two at my front. “These two are our escorts.”
“Escorts where?” I bit out, clenching my teeth as I tried to stave off the stinging tears my body wanted released.
“To the compound.”
“We won’t hurt you, Erin.” One spoke softly, leading the way down the darkened path. It didn’t surprise me that they knew my name; nothing was a secret in the world of The Supremacy.
“You said you trusted me.” Declan’s hurt voice rang clear in my ear.
Following the two cloaked Keepers in front of us, I sighed, “I want to.”
“Then
trust
me!”
“We’re here.” One spoke, pushing a steel door open, revealing a high-class office.
I stepped through the door, my eye catching on the dark wooden desk that dominated the room, and a black leather couch that rested just parallel to it. Tapestries, like the ones Declan had hanging in his home covered dark painted walls, giving off a warm, even welcoming ambiance.
Bright light illuminated the large space, but there were no windows in sight.
I turned to Declan for answers. “We are still underground,” He answered my unspoken question
“Under our Zone?”
“No.” His voice was clipped as he shut the door behind us, locking it in finality.
“Why am I here?”
“Because it is time for you to see the truth,” A cloaked Keeper walked through the room, appearing out of thin air. He slowly lowered his hood, but I didn’t need to see his face to know who he was. It was the voice of a man that I had heard every day, a voice that I would have ran to if given the change. A voice that I thought was dead, gone forever by the hands of the Keeper that stood behind me.
“
John
” I cried out, drinking him in, “
You’re alive.
”
A grin took over his solemn expression as he opened his arms to me, “Perfectly healthy, Rin.” I was frozen, unable to move an inch as I felt Declan’s fingers intertwine with mine, squeezing softly in reassurance, “You knew.” The air rushed from my lungs as I turned to him, “You knew the entire time.” I cried out in loss, “You let me suffer thinking he was dead.” I peered into his clear blue eyes, “and you said
nothing
.”
“It wasn’t the time yet.”
Tears streamed down my face as I looked at the two standing before of me, the feeling of betrayal almost tangible in the air.
“Don’t you get it?” Declan’s fingers brushed down the side of my wet cheek, “You were never alone.”
“
Never
.” My heart dropped into my stomach the moment my father’s voice sounded from the corner of the room. “We never left you alone for a second.” I didn’t know whether to run into his arms or run
from
him. I wasn’t sure if I loved him or despised him. So many years had gone by with me thinking he was dead, just to find out he was living the life of a free man, “I know you have lots of questions, Rinny.” He spoke quietly as he took calculated steps toward me, “But I would like you to meet a few people before we begin.” He brought his hand to my cheek only to allow it to fall at his side when I stepped away. “Can you bring her in?” He asked to a glass door, “I would like you to meet someone.” He smiled down at me, “Someone that you loved the instant you saw her.”
A tiny brown haired girl floated through the glass door, her twinkling green eyes lighting up once she saw me, “Rin!” She screamed, barreling into my chest.
“F-faith.” My hand mechanically went into her hair, rubbing it down her back.
“
Erin
,” My father breathed in slowly, “I would like you to meet your sister.”