Dark Matter (27 page)

His grip lightened. “This must be quite
a shock for you. Forgive me for waking you.” He released me and
stood. The bed sprang into its usual uncomfortable
state.

“
Roger?” I asked. His
footsteps stopped. He was still breathing rapidly. I probably
should have waited to ask, but I needed to know. “Is my
family…okay?”

His voice was soft when he spoke.
“Alive, well, and accounted for.”

My body relaxed slightly. “Can I see
them?”

He hesitated before he answered me.
“They are no longer on the island.”

My stomach clenched, and I felt as
though I would vomit. “Where are they?”

“
You don’t need to know that
right now. Tell you what, Rayla. You be a good girl and do as you
are asked, and I will make sure that you see your
family.”

“
When?”

“
After.”

That was no answer. “After
what?”

He opened the door. The light from the
hallway gilded half of his face in a blue light while the other
half remained in shadow. It emphasized the duality I had
experienced with this man. His tone was rock solid when he spoke.
“You and I are married.”

I wasn’t sure if he saw shock claim my
face, but I gasped out a no he definitely heard. His slight cringe
was his only reply. He shut the door, and I was left to the
darkness.

How is it when you think things
couldn’t get any worse, they always do. Roger didn’t even ask me to
marry him. Not that I would have said yes, by any means, but it
would have been a little less jarring if he had. I lay in bed for
hours wondering what else could possibly happen. With my powers on
vacation, I was going to have to figure out how to escape by
ordinary human means. My only problem was I hadn’t exactly been
trained for this type of thing.

That thought led to others about Heath.
He’d said he was going to train me. I hadn’t even asked for what. I
had been so stupid and naïve thinking I could come here on my own.
It hadn’t really been my intention, but that didn’t change the
result of my foolishness. I should have stayed and bonded with him.
I should have…I wasn’t going there.

My door burst open. Ainessa stood in
the hallway with another woman at her side. Complete terror sent a
shockwave over my skin. I jumped off the bed and retreated to the
farthest corner away from her. Curling myself into a ball, I
grabbed the spindly leg of the sink. I watched her heel clad feet
walk over to me. All the while feeling like a caged rabbit that was
well aware it was taking its final breaths.

She bent down and studied me. “I had
hoped there was more to you.”

I bristled at her words and stood up.
My entire frame was shaking, but I willed myself to be
strong.

“
Follow me,” she said. She
started to walk away but faced me again. “Don’t bother trying to
run. You would not like to see what would happen if you
did.”

Why wasn’t she just compelling me? I
had never seen someone so adept at the art.

They led me down the hallway and up
some stairs. My brain was trying to make sense of what they could
possibly want with me, but I tried my hardest not to freak myself
out.

The woman Ainessa had
brought with her stopped in front of a solid wooden door. A small
sign was hung at eye level that warned:
Caution: Hazardous Materials. Authorized Personnel
Only.

That inspired a high level of
confidence. The other woman opened the door and Ainessa ushered me
into the large room. Everything from the walls to the floors was
sterile white.

Ainessa turned toward the woman. “Where
would you like her, Sophia?”

“
On the table is fine. Put
her in a gown, please. I will only be a minute.”

I tried to see what Sophia was doing,
but Ainessa pushed me over to the flat table in the middle of the
room. A variety of medical equipment lined the walls. I recognized
the heart monitor and shiny IV stand from when Cassie had been in
the hospital.

Ainessa shoved a folded gown into my
hands and said, “Put that on.”

I stared at her defiantly, my shoulders
rigid in anger. “No.”

“
I will do it myself then.”
She reached for the hem of my shirt, but I swatted her hand away.
She raised her delicate brows in question.

I bent toward the laces of my shoes.
Apparently satisfied that I was going to be compliant, she walked
over to Sophia. They started conversing, but I couldn’t hear what
they were saying. I didn’t try too hard to eavesdrop because I
didn’t really want to know what they were planning to do to me. I
peered up at them through my lashed just to make sure they wouldn’t
notice and took my chance. I sprinted for the door, flinging it
open only to see Roger’s two flunkies standing guard. The one
closest to me got the oddest look on his face as if I’d just made
his day. The instant he moved toward me, I ran back into the room
and ducked behind the table.

He followed me into the room, the other
one close on his heels. He gave me a once over before he asked, “Do
you ladies need help?”

I shuddered at the look in his eyes. I
imagined that was how a grizzly bear would look just before it
ripped out my throat. When he took another step toward me, I kicked
off my shoes.

Ainessa glanced at the men and then
over at me. “That will not be necessary.” She turned her attention
back to the colorful vials on the counter. When they didn’t leave
right away, she turned toward them with a scowl on her face. “I
will let you know if we require your assistance. Do not let anyone
else into this room.”

“
Yes, your Highness,” they
said in unison as if they shared one brain. The way they talked she
was the queen of the world. She probably was in their
book.

I changed quickly and started fastening
the ties at my waist when Ainessa’s voice stopped me.

“
Keep it open.” She came
closer and I had the distinct impression she was testing me. If I
didn’t watch it I was going to find myself being mauled by a couple
of meatheads.

Sophia motioned for me to get on the
table. It was difficult to climb up there while clutching the edges
of my gown together. “Sit down, please.”

I did what she asked, my mind racing
with the possibilities of what they were about to do. I decided to
just ask.

Ainessa chuckled, placing a hand on my
knee. “Sophia is going to examine you before we can determine how
to proceed.”

I caught her gaze. “Why are you doing
this?”

Her face stayed relaxed. “I gave you an
opportunity to come to me on your own. You had to know I would not
let the lords have you.”

Had she hired Gibbit then? The only
reason I was here was because he had helped me. “What do you hope
to accomplish with this? You’re people will never forgive you for
aiding the Order.”

She smirked. “You know nothing about
the whims of my people. Besides, the mortals have been most useful
to me lately. I am merely trying to repay a debt.” I found it odd
that she had avoided my real question.

Sophia stood beside me, taking my wrist
between her bony fingers. She pressed lightly until I could feel my
pulse pushing back. She had me sit up then took my blood pressure.
After that she methodically examined every part of my body
except...

She changed her gloves. “Lie back. I
just need to check one more thing.”

I had hoped she’d forgotten that part
of me existed. I lowered to the pillow trying to drift out of here
again. As before when it didn’t work, I was left feeling
disoriented.

Ainessa bent toward my face. Anger
contorted her features. “Answer her, Rayla.”

I hadn’t even heard the question. “What
was that again?”

“
How old were you when you
started your menses?”

“
Twelve.”

“
Are they
regular?”

I grimaced. I didn’t want to talk about
this stuff. “I haven’t had one in a while.” I wasn’t complaining. I
found it rather convenient, especially considering what had been
happening lately. I didn’t even worry about keeping tampons with me
now.

“
When was the last time you
remember having one?”

“
I think it was the end of
July, right before my birthday.”

“
Hmm,” she said. “When is
your birthday?”

“
August first.”

Both women looked sharply at me before
they shared a glance. Sophia began pressing on my stomach. She was
strong for such a frail looking woman. After that she rolled her
chair to the end of the table and lifted my gown. I promptly pinned
my knees together.

“
Have you ever had
intercourse, Rayla?” the doctor asked.

I gritted my teeth. “How is that any of
your business?”

“
I need to know what size
speculum to use.”

“
No,” I said softly. These
people were probing into every facet of my life, and I didn’t like
it one bit.

She nodded. “Ainessa would you please
hand me that speculum. No that one on the far end. Yes, thank you.”
Ainessa had grabbed the largest one on purpose.

The doctor pried my knees apart without
as much effort as it should have taken her. “Okay, Rayla, you are
going to feel my finger on your thigh…”

I stopped listening after that. I tried
my best not to notice what she was doing, but when Ainessa started
prepping a needle the length of my forearm, I had to say something.
“What is that for?”

Sophia peeked around my knees and
removed her gloves. “You needn’t concern yourself. You won’t feel a
thing.”

The room started spinning. I covered my
mouth, but it was too late. I barfed. I tried to aim for Ainessa,
but she jumped out of the way with lightning speed. It smelled
horrible and some of it even got in my hair.

Not to be detoured, Sophia came around
and stood by my arm. When she saw the expression in my eyes, her
own softened. “You will be out for a few hours. You may experience
some pain upon waking, but it shouldn’t be severe. Make sure I am
called if it is.”

She lowered a mask to my face. The
smell of peppermint hit my nostrils. I struggled, but everything
went black.

Chapter
Nineteen

I opened my eyes to bright light that
stabbed at my skull. My head felt fuzzy and my legs wouldn’t
respond when I told them to move. I wasn’t in my prison cell
anymore.

This room had a row of high windows
that a giant might be able to gaze out of, but the rest of us were
out of luck. I groaned, sitting up. My vision darkened around the
edges and the little construction workers pounding away at my brain
took that moment to kick it up a notch. I fell back against the
pillows, clutching my head between my hands. I heard the door open,
but I wasn’t about to open my eyes again.

“
How are you feeling, my
dear?” It was Nigel Lambert and he was insane if he thought he was
getting a word out of me.

I rolled away from him, but my lower
half stayed where it was. I didn’t have the strength to do anything
about it.

He touched my shoulder. “I did not
authorize the procedure, Rayla. I wasn’t even informed they were
doing it until you were in recovery.”

“
I don’t care who authorized
this. You have violated me in every respect, even if it wasn’t your
hands that did it.” I turned toward him and leveled my gaze at him
to make sure he knew how serious I was. “I want you to
leave.”

He didn’t even flinch. “I understand
why you are angry, but you have to listen to me. We are so close to
being able to shift the tides. With your help, I think we might
just do it.”

“
Help implies consent. I did
not agree to any of this.”

He pulled a chair over to the side of
my bed before he sat and folded his hands across his lap. His salt
and pepper hair was slicked back and his hazel eyes studied me. “If
you had all the facts, you would feel differently.”

“
I highly doubt
that.”

He gave me a clinical perusal then
stood up. “I am pleased that you came through the operation without
any complications.”

“
What operation? They
wouldn’t even tell me what they were doing.”

“
We had to see if your eggs
could be fertilized.”

I blinked a couple of times. I was even
tempted to pinch myself to make sure this was real. “Hearing those
words come from your lips is just flat-out gross. Get.
Out!”

He gave me a half nod and began walking
away. Before he made it completely out the door, he said. “Get some
rest. You have a busy day ahead of you.”

Ainessa passed him as he was leaving.
She gave him a civil nod, but barely. She filled the chair he’d
just emptied. “We have great news. It seems you are fertile, after
all.”

I faked a startled expression, covering
my mouth with daintily set fingers. “I’m sure you can see the joy
dripping from me.” I clamped my eyes closed because I couldn’t
stand to look at her anymore. “What does that have to do with
anything? And why are you helping these people?”