Enigma:What Lies Beneath (Enigma Series Book 1) (23 page)

Chapter Forty

Abbie pushed herself up higher on her pillows, stunned by what she’d just heard. “So the person at the lab that bit me had this same mutated strain?”

Tony nodded. “And as of date, you are the only living survivor of it. How is that possible?”

“My baby saved my life, Uncle Tony. I didn’t understand how it was possible until now. The venom in his barbs contains the Bracadyte bacteria, which was subtle enough that my body could fight against it. And the strain used by the CDC must have been one I had been previously vaccinated for.”

“If they have a vaccine, then why is this virus claiming so many lives?” Tony’s question had entered her mind also.

“I’m only guessing here,” Abbie pointed out, “but most folks wouldn’t have received the same vaccinations as the ones handling the bacteria. As a doctor, I was given many vaccines since I manipulated and tested numerous forms of bacteria. In this case it appears that mixing the manmade bacteria with the Bracadytes’ caused a mutation that neither humans or Bracadytes are able to survive.”

Tony glanced at her swollen belly. “Your child is an anomaly, Abbigail. An enigma.”

Hauke ran a hand through his hair. “This is why the human doctors want our child. He alone holds the secret to the cure they seek.”

The blood drained from Abbie’s face. “I won’t let them get their filthy hands on my son. They would kill him for their research.”

“Rest easy, my mate.” Hauke moved to sit next to her on the bed. “Nothing or no one will come near our child while he is in Aukrabah.”

Tony leaned forward, tentatively touching Abbie’s hand. “I’m with Hauke on this. I will fight to the death to protect you both.”

A flicker of emotion shone from Tony’s eyes—something Abbie hadn’t seen there since she’d been a child.

Hauke suddenly turned to his sister. “How did you know Abbie’s uncle had breached Aukrabah?”

She blushed, but held her brother’s gaze. “I am able to feel his thoughts.”

Tony’s eyebrows shot up. “Since when?”

Naura folded her hands in her lap and lowered her head. “I have had the ability to feel some of your thoughts since you gave me your blood in that bunker.”

No one spoke for long moments. Tension grew thick enough Abbie could almost touch it. She decided to change the subject. “Are you hungry, Uncle Tony?”

The grateful look Naura shot her didn’t go unnoticed.

Tony stood. “I appreciate the offer, but I have to get back before daylight. If the boat is spotted and it’s empty, the coast guard will be called in.” He leaned in and shook Hauke’s hand. “Take care of them.”

“With my life,” Hauke vowed, returning the handshake.

Naura quickly got to her feet also. “I will see him safely to his boat. Get some sleep, Abbie. We will talk on the morrow.”

Abbie watched them go with a heavy heart. What if she never saw her uncle again? “I love you, Uncle Tony,” she called out but was met with silence.

Hauke placed a kiss on the top of her head. “He knows how you feel about him, my mate. I sent your message to Naura. She will relay your words to him.”

Tears sprang to Abbie’s eyes, and she briskly wiped them away with the back of her hand. “I will be so glad when my body isn’t raging with pregnancy hormones.”

Pulling back the covers, Hauke lifted her sleep shirt and softly kissed her belly. “I rather enjoy you being with child. Even with your many mood swings.”

Abbie laughed, playfully slapping him on the arm. “That’s a good thing since I plan on giving you many sons.”

* * * *

A scream rose to Abbie’s lips with the pain of her next contraction. She gripped Hauke’s hand in an effort to keep from bearing down.

“I need to push,” she panted, biting her lip to hold back a cry.

Zaureth lifted the sheet that hung over her knees to examine her. “This will be uncomfortable, but I want you to relax as much as you can.”

The feel of his fingers pressing inside her already tortured body nearly crossed Abbie’s eyes. “I can’t relax,” she gasped, squeezing Hauke’s hand tighter. “It hurts.”

The healer straightened and washed his hands in a bowl of water that sat on the bedside table. “A word with you?” He motioned for Hauke to follow him into the other room.

“Whatever you have to say, you can say right here.” Abbie wasn’t about to lie here and worry about what was being said about her baby.

“Very well,” Zaureth relented. “The child you carry is not in the proper position. He is also larger than your body can expel without help.”

Abbie’s vision blurred with the next jolt of pain that slid through her abdomen. She breathed her way through it before once again locking gazes with the healer. “What kind of help? Tell me my options.”

“I need to turn the child so that he is able to leave the birth canal without breaking his and your bones.”

“Then turn him and do it quick before he becomes distressed.”

“It is not that simple, mate of Hauke. The child is very large, and you are smaller than our females. The pain of turning him will be greater than you can bear.”

Her face grew hot with fear, and her heart felt as if it would burst from her chest at any moment. Another contraction gripped her, graying her vision so great was the pain.

“What else can you do?” But she knew. As a doctor, she understood what he attempted to tell her. He had no choice but to reach inside of her body and physically turn her breeched baby. If he didn’t, she and her unborn son would surely die.

“I am afraid there is nothing else that can be done.”

“Then do it and please hurry.”

Zaureth glanced at Hauke. “Perhaps you should leave the room. This may be too distressing for you to watch.”

Hauke shook his head. “I will not leave her.”

“Then I will ask that you hold her down, for she will be in great pain.”

“Look into my eyes, soul of my soul,” Hauke choked out. “It will be over soon.” He nodded for the healer to proceed.

Zaureth climbed onto the bed and knelt between Abbie’s knees, pushing them farther apart. “I am sorry, Abbie.”

The feel of his fingers once again entering her body didn’t hold a candle to the white-hot agony that ripped through her frame as he pressed deeper, his large hand pushing through the birth canal to attempt turning the baby.

“Hauke!” she screamed, her back bowing off the bed in excruciating torment.

A lone tear slipped from his eye to drip onto her face. “Forgive me, my love,” he whispered, tightening his hold on her shoulders.

Abbie’s body began to shake uncontrollably, fighting the torturous pain that ripped her apart. Her mouth opened on a silent scream that never came.

Soft, warm hands cupped her face, pulling her back from the brink of hell. The pain became almost tolerable. She rolled her head to the side in time to see Naura hovering above her, her lips peeled back over her teeth and tears sparkling in her jade-green eyes.

Abbie wanted to thank Hauke’s sister for removing some of her pain, but her breath became trapped in her lungs.

“Push, Abbie,” a distant voice commanded.

A shudder passed through Naura’s frame as she broke the connection she had with Abbie and her hands slipped away.

The voice came again. “Push, now.”

Abbie realized the healer’s hand had left her body, and the need to push overtook her. She bore down with every ounce of strength she had left.

“One more time,” Zaureth barked again.

With Hauke holding her bent knee in his hand and one arm behind her neck for support, Abbie pushed one last time, sobbing in relief as the baby slipped from her body, taking the rest of her pain with him.

“He is beautiful,” Hauke breathed in wonder, leaning down to press his lips to hers.

A small cry rent the air, bringing Abbie out of her exhausted state. Tears spilled from her eyes to slide down her cheeks.

“Where is he?” She lifted her head in time to see Zaureth hand the baby to Hauke.

Abbie watched in wonder as her mate brought their newborn son close to his face to speak something softly in Latin. He bent and gently laid the baby on her chest. “Our son, soul of my soul.”

The crying stopped the second her arms went around the baby’s tiny frame. She gazed into her son’s jade-green eyes and more tears began to flow.

“What name will you give him?” Naura asked in an exhausted voice.

Abbie brushed her lips across his tiny mouth and looked up at Hauke. “His name is Arcanum. It’s the Latin word for— ”

“Enigma,” he finished for her.

Hauke crawled in bed next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. “You have given me the greatest gift a mate can give. I love you, Abbie…until the end of time.”

Abbigail Sutherland gazed around the room at the faces she’d come to know as family. She had never felt as whole as she did in this moment. She was home…

Epilogue

Six Months Later

Abbie laid her head back on the side of the pool situated in the center of the bathhouse. She never grew tired of the warm, calming effect it had on her body.

Several Bracadyte women lounged around the edge, taking turns holding Arcanum.

“I believe he is becoming hungry,” Rauneca murmured with a chuckle.

“He stays hungry. I’m beginning to wonder if I’m making enough milk for him.” Abbie glanced down at her full breasts in concern.

“You have plenty of milk, Hauke’s mate. It is merely a growth spurt. All Bracadyte children experience this.”

Naura stepped into the room, slipping her robe off as she walked. She dropped it on the side of the pool and eased her body into the water’s depths. “May I have a word?”

Abbie studied her serious expression, never taking her gaze from Naura’s face as she spoke to Rauneca. “Would you mind taking Arcanum back to my room and dressing him? I will be along shortly.”

“Of course,” Rauneca responded, signaling for the other females to follow.

Hauke’s sister stopped next to Abbie and took a seat beside to her on the bench.

“What is it, Naura?”

“I have news of Tony.”

Abbie’s heart began to race. “How is he? Did he make it to Mexico?”

“He is fine. He is in Cuba with Miguel.”

A smile split Abbie’s lips. “That’s wonderful news, Naura. Does he know that you have been back inside his head?”

“He entered mine this time.”

“What?” Abbie gaped at her. “That’s surprising.”

“Yes, well, he wanted me to let you know that your father has news of the CDC conspiracy and is working on proving it without their knowledge.”

“That could be dangerous for Henry. I must find Hauke and give him this information.” She moved to get up.

“There is something else.” Naura paused, her gaze boring into Abbie’s. “Tony needs our help. Vaulcron is heading to the surface tonight…and I am going with him.”

Abbie paled. “But Hauke— ”

“Must not know,” Naura interrupted. “At least not until after we have gone.”

“But I can’t lie to him, Naura. He is my mate. And besides, he can read me like a book.”

“Stay in the bath for as long as you can. Give us time to reach the surface before you seek him out.”

“Please,” Naura pleaded when Abbie continued to stare at her as if she’d grown two heads.

“You have one hour,” Abbie conceded.

Naura gave her a quick hug. “Thank you, my sister.” She rose from the pool, donned her robe, and rushed from the room.

Abbie stared after Hauke’s sister with a heavy heart. Naura following Vaulcron to the surface was a bad idea.

With the deadly virus continuing to sweep through the south, Henry working behind the Government’s back, and Tony being the most wanted man in America, something was bound to go wrong.

Climbing from the water, Abbie grabbed a towel and quickly dried herself while debating on whether or not to sound the alarm to Hauke. He would be livid with Naura for endangering herself by returning to the surface.

Naura’s feelings for Tony had been obvious to Abbie for months. She understood the other woman’s need to help the man she loved. There was nothing Abbie wouldn’t do for Hauke and Arcanum.

She sighed and pulled on her robe before turning to seek out her mate.

Godspeed, Naura…

Coming soon

Naura

The next book in the Enigma Series!

The Seeker

A Five Book Box Set

By Ditter Kellen

Angelo Dimitrov was not a man to trifle with. Technically, he wasn’t a man at all, and Ember would do well to remember that. He had sensed her deception the moment she opened her mouth and released a lie right to his face.
Going home to shower and eat, my ass. What are you up to, Miss Burns?

His pet name for her had never felt more right than it did in that moment. She would understand the true meaning of
burns
when he finished spanking her ass.

He sat on the edge of the bed they’d just made love in, listening for the shower to turn on in Ember’s condo. Being neighbors afforded him the luxury of keeping an eye on her, or an ear in this case.

His hearing was acute enough to let him know she didn’t step into the shower she’d just started. It was easy for him to track her movements as she ventured from room to room. At any other time, her attempt at walking softly would have amused him. Not tonight.

Angel dressed in record time, concentrating on the sounds coming from next door. The all-black attire he wore would aid him in slipping around unnoticed while investigating the little hellion who’d just left his bed.

He opened the top drawer of his dresser and snagged a small velvet bag of lock-picking tools before catching sight of his reflection in the mirror. His fangs were still slightly elongated from recently sinking them into Ember, and his hair had a disheveled look to it. He plucked a rubber band from a glass catchall and pulled the strands back into a ponytail.

The sound of Ember’s front door opening confirmed Angel’s suspicions that she was up to something. Not that he doubted himself. He’d hoped there would be a logical explanation for her dishonesty, such as wanting to call her friend and talk about the sex she’d just had…or shave her legs. Anything other than seducing him and then sneaking out at midnight like Catwoman attempting to best Batman.

With a speed borne of a vampire, Angel was on her balcony and had the lock picked before she had time to reach the stairs. He slid the glass door open and blurred through every room that her essence still lingered in before coming to a stop in the kitchen.

Ember’s purse lay on the bar next to a white envelope with her name scrawled across the front. He picked the piece of mail up by the corner and brought it to his nose. It fairly reeked of her fear.

He opened it without apology and dumped the contents onto the counter. A picture of a dark-haired girl along with a small piece of paper spilled out before him. Rage washed through him as he read the handwritten words.
Be at the Miller farm off Highway 17 at midnight tomorrow night. Come alone or Donna dies.

Angel retrieved his cell from the pocket of his jeans and dialed Ember’s number. Perhaps if he informed her he was coming to take a bubble bath with her, she would discard whatever insane plan she had up her sleeve for fear of him catching her.

A buzzing noise immediately sounded from the depths of her abandoned purse, and Angel ground his teeth. She’d left without her phone. He was definitely going to wring her pretty neck when he got ahold of her.

The purr of Ember’s SUV brought him out of his murderous contemplation. With a quickness that surprised even him, he sped back the way he came, slid the door shut behind him, and sailed off the balcony to the ground below. He waited until her taillights disappeared from view before jumping into his car to follow her.

Angel drove with his headlights off, staying as close to Ember’s car as he could without being seen. The white-knuckled grip he had on the steering wheel made a poor substitute for Ember’s neck. After everything he’d told her about the numerous murders involving the Seeker, she’d run off in the middle of the night, playing superhero without a cape. “Damn you, sweet cheeks, what are you thinking?”

He figured the only good that could possibly come out of her foolish stunt tonight was his chance to get the drop on whoever sent her the note. If Ember had trusted Angel with it to begin with, he might have been able to pick up a scent from the envelope before she’d contaminated it.

After ten minutes of tailing his spitfire photojournalist, her brake lights lit up. He slowed to a stop as she pulled off the side of the road and exited her vehicle.

Angel parked his car near the tree line a short distance from Ember’s and crept through the woods parallel to her. He watched her climb the steps of an old abandoned house and disappear inside. She had to be the bravest woman he’d ever known…or the craziest. The jury was still out on that one.

* * * *

Ember’s heart pounded so loud it drowned out the whimpering she’d heard upon entering the house. The half-open bedroom door a few feet ahead represented one of her biggest fears. She’d always been afraid of windows at night and dark closets. Definitely abandoned structures resembling
A Nightmare on Elm Street
, she thought, staring at the shadowed entrance. But an innocent girl’s life was at stake, leaving Ember no choice but to swallow her terror and pray her trembling legs didn’t collapse beneath her.

She somehow fought the urge to run and slowly crept closer. The whimpering had stopped, and the silence became deafening, enhancing the sound of her choppy breathing. Her muscles tensed for flight as she arrived at the doorway to her doom. It took everything she had to inch her head forward enough to see into the dreaded nightmare beyond.

Her gaze flew around the room, touching on everything from a broken chair barely standing, to a set of old bunk beds without mattresses before coming to rest on a face she would know anywhere.

“Hello, Ember.”

Shock rendered her speechless. She barely had time to register the unbelievable truth she stared at before a shadow blew by her with the force of a tornado, spinning her in a circle. She ended up on her ass as something crashed into the wall with enough power to rock the house.

What the hell?

Ember scrambled to her feet in time to see two forms racing around the room faster than her eyes could track. Dust clouds kicked up, and debris from random pieces of furniture shattered the remaining glass adorning the windows. It took her a second to register what was happening, and another to spring into action.

“Angel, no.” Ember was surprised by the strength of her voice. She didn’t need a visual on her sexy vampire, who was currently pulling a Tasmanian devil in the room, to know it was him. She could
sense
him.

The fighting came to a sudden halt with the big Bulgarian straddling his victim. Angel snapped his head up, his glittering red gaze locked on Ember. With his fangs elongated and his eyes glowing in the moonlit room, her vampire held no hint of humanity.

The softness of his voice was chilling and deadly. “He dies.”

Angel was suddenly heaved up and tossed across the room to crash through a window onto the porch beyond. The rotted boards splintered apart on impact, leaving the ground beneath to break his fall. A gasp barely escaped Ember before he exploded back inside in full-on kill mode.

The loud crack of bone breaking ricocheted off the walls as Angel slammed into his target, blasting the guy with enough power to shatter the bunk bed frame he smashed into.

Angel was on him again before Ember could take a breath. She rushed forward, stumbling over what was left of the furniture as her beloved Bulgarian jerked up a piece of jagged wood and lifted it over his head.

A scream burst from her lungs, and she sailed through air to land on his back. Her breath left in a whoosh as she connected with an unforgiving wall of vampire muscle.