Hidden Hope (Hidden Saga Book 3) (7 page)

My eyes followed Vancia as she left the room. This was my mother’s best hope? A girl I wasn’t altogether sure I trusted who might just hate me. And I had to rely on her. On my own, I could do nothing to help Mom.

When I thought of her there, wherever she was with Davis, far from home, probably confused, I had to swipe away helpless tears. Embarrassed and angry they’d dared to make an appearance in front of Lad, I turned my back to him. I’d sworn never to cry in front of him again.

“Hey.” His large hand came to rest on the nape of my neck. “She’ll be okay. We’ll find her and bring her home.”

And now the tears did flow, overriding my ability to control them. “I know.” The words were garbled by sobs. I swished my hands in front of my face, embarrassed. “Sorry.”

“Oh Ryann.
I’m
sorry.” Lad moved closer and wrapped both arms around me, pulling me close until my wet face pressed against his neck. “Don’t be ashamed to cry.”

He smelled amazing, as he always had. Though we were no longer a couple, the fresh, woodsy fragrance of his skin had been burned into my nervous system long ago. It would always remind me of safety. And pleasure. And first kisses. I wanted to bury my face in that heavenly scent and stay like that, letting the old feelings of childlike trust cover and comfort me.

I didn’t. Pulling away, I took a step toward the door. “I should go now. I need to talk to Nox.”

Lad’s expression instantly morphed from tenderness to a careful blank.

I hadn’t meant it as an insult. I just needed some distance from him. Too much closeness muddled my brain. Though I didn’t have to explain myself, I did anyway for some reason.

“He’s spent a lot of time around Davis lately. Maybe he knows something that would help. He hasn’t wanted to talk to me about the Dark Elves and their plan, but I need to know whatever he knows now. He’s been so worried about protecting me. I just hope he’s watching his own back.”

I shivered at the thought of Nox putting himself in harm’s way. I hated that he was out there in the middle of the Dark Elven landscape with no one to help him.

Lad must have noticed it and guessed my fears. He stepped closer but made no move to touch me again.

“He’ll be all right. Nox is a big boy. He can take care of himself. He always has.”

I bristled at his tone, feeling suddenly defensive of Nox. “Because he
had
to. He was all alone in the world.”

“No. He had my parents. He had
me.
What did he tell you? Because I loved him like a brother. I would have done anything for him until...”

He stopped right there, but I finished his sentence. “Until he tried to take
me
away.”

His brow furrowed and he let out a tired sigh. “He didn’t
take
you. I don’t blame him for what happened between you and me. I have only myself to blame for that. Come on, I’ll walk you home.”

We parted at the edge of Grandma’s yard where the woods ended. Though I’d assured Lad I’d be fine to walk home on my own, he’d insisted on escorting me. What he didn’t know was, as far as I was concerned, the most dangerous thing in this forest was him. Because he still had the power to confuse me.

It wasn’t that I doubted my feelings for Nox. He deserved my loyalty, and he had it. And there was something so alluring and addictive about Nox it made my head spin. But that didn’t mean the feelings I’d had for Lad had magically disappeared.

I’d thought a lot about it—why he still affected me. Maybe it was our childhood connection, or all the time we’d shared this past spring, or maybe it was that my love for him had come first, but it felt like he’d been tattooed onto my heart. No—not a tattoo—a brand. Tattoos could be removed. Brands went deeper. They couldn’t be erased short of amputating a body part. Unfortunately, I couldn’t survive without my heart, so I was kind of stuck with this crazy mixed-up mess inside.

Ugh. Why had I thought I could handle being around Lad again? What I needed was to spend some time with Nox.

I stepped through the back door into the kitchen, thinking of him.
Where are you? I miss you. I need you.

The phone in my pocket rang before the thought was finished.

Heart thundering, I whipped it out of my pocket and up to my ear. “I was just thinking of you. Could you feel it?” He couldn’t possibly have heard me all the way out in California, could he? If he had, that really
meant
something.

There was silence on the line followed by a voice that did
not
belong to my long-distance boyfriend.

“Hello Ryann. That was a rather interesting question. Who did you think you were speaking to? Not your mother, I think.”

My heart froze. It was Davis.

I pulled the phone away from my ear and looked at the screen in horror. He was calling me from her number.

My voice shook with adrenaline when I responded. “Where is Mom? Why are you using her phone? Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. I felt she’d be... happier here with me. You two are quite close. And as you are not completely in support of our wedding, I didn’t want her to catch cold feet.”

Anger burned in my gut. “What kind of man has to brainwash a woman into being with him?”

“What kind of daughter would talk her mother out of being with her eternal bond-mate?” Davis snickered. “I told you I always regain what’s mine sooner or later. You won’t cross me if you want your mother to
stay
safe and happy.”

“Don’t you dare threaten her.”

“Do I seem like the kind of man who would hurt a woman—a
mother
?”

The sneer in his voice reminded me of what had happened to Vancia’s parents. And made me fear for Nox’s mother. She’d disappeared after dropping him off with her sister Mya in Altum. Nox had always assumed she was dead. Had she fallen into Davis’s hands? I shuddered to think of the ways he might have tortured her before killing her, trying to get information about her missing son.

“You had better not, if you value your eternal life,” I growled.

“There’s that family temper again. Don’t worry, little girl. I have no desire to harm the mother of my child. And there will be no need to… as long as you behave.”

“What is it that you want from me?”

“Well, since you’ve asked, I’d like for you to join us. Then we can all be together—one happy family.”

I didn’t say anything, struck mute by the battle between what I wanted to say—“go to hell”—or whatever the Elven equivalent of hell was—and the thought that maybe I
should
join him. At least I’d be near my mom and could try to figure out how to get her away from him.

Before I could answer either way, Davis chuckled. “No? Well, let me know when you’re ready.”

And he hung up the phone.

I started shaking all over, berating myself. I should have said yes immediately. I should have asked where they were and volunteered to fly there tonight. Anger and fear had paralyzed me when I should have taken action. I hit the call-back button and listened as the call went directly to Mom’s voice mail.

And then I knew. There was no decision to make. I was involved now in the battle against the Dark Elves, like it or not, capable or not. It didn’t matter whether my Elven abilities were up to the task. I had to do something. Mom’s life might depend on my actions right now.

Nox would just have to understand. After all, his life might depend on it, too. And the fate of the human race wasn’t looking real good either at this point. I would have to work with Lad and Vancia, no matter how hard it might be. No matter how thick the awkward got.

Though darkness had fallen already, I had no time to waste. I turned off the lights in the log cabin, shut the door behind me, and headed back into the woods. Back to Altum.

This time when I entered the underground kingdom, the bodyguards didn’t even blink or wait for me to explain why I was there. They led me right to the doors of the royal residence and opened them. Lad met me just inside the entryway.

“Ryann—I didn’t expect to see you again so soon. You didn’t walk through the woods alone, did you?”

“I’m not a six year old. I don’t get lost anymore,” I quipped, referring to the way we’d met a decade ago.

“I still don’t like you being alone out there.” His expression was grim, but I saw him making an effort to control his displeasure. “Come in. Why did you return? Tell me what’s happened.”

“Davis called me—on my mom’s phone. He wouldn’t let me talk to her. I think you were right. He took her to keep her away from my influence. Or maybe as bait.”

“Bait?”

“To get me to join him.”

Lad’s nostrils flared as he straightened to his full height. “I’m even more convinced now that you should stay here while Vancia and I—”

“No. I’m going. Don’t even try to talk me out of it. I’m going to get her back and figure out what his plan is—how he intends to install Dark Elven rule over the world. If I’m the bait, then so be it.”

Lad exhaled slowly. “Let’s find Vancia.”

His fiancée was in her own private quarters within the royal residence. Far, I noted with some perverse satisfaction, from his room. She invited us into the sitting area and sent a servant to get some food and drinks for us.

Like the studio where she’d been working earlier, this room was filled with gorgeous paintings, each one seeming to come to life on the canvas, almost glowing from within. They were like nothing I’d ever seen.

I gestured to the nearest one. “Your glamour?”

She nodded. “Yes—artistic glamour—isn’t that laughable?”

“What do you mean? Your work is beautiful.”

“It drove my ‘Pappa’ crazy—he wanted me to have a more ‘useful’ glamour, like music or acting—something that would attract a fan pod. All I ever wanted was to roam the world and find new subjects for my art, then sit in a room for days and let my imagination flow through a paintbrush.”

“So, why does he want
me
? I don’t have a useful glamour like that. And I know he doesn’t actually...” I shuddered as I said it. “... love me.”

“I’m not sure. But it must have something to do with his plan. He never does anything without a reason. Here’s what I’ve been able to put together so far—I think we all realize by now the fan pods are the first step toward the goal of complete human domination by the Dark Elves. When Pappa—Davis—first informed me of my betrothal, he told me my role would be persuading my new husband...” She stopped and glanced over at Lad. “... to join the cause. Davis said the Dark Elves didn’t have the numbers needed to accomplish the plan on our—their own.”

So she didn’t consider herself one of them anymore. Interesting. Maybe she’d already adopted the Light Elves as her people in preparation for her marriage.

Lad engaged her in direct eye contact, and I watched the two of them as they presumably communicated mind-to-mind. They leaned in close, their foreheads almost touching. Any lingering questions about theirs being a fake engagement dissipated. They’d only known each other since the Assemblage, but they obviously had formed a great rapport in a short amount of time. Maybe it happened quickly when you were two of a kind.

I worked to keep my mind focused on Mom and not my own crazy confused emotions. “How much does technology have to do with the plan?” I asked Vancia.

“What? What did you say?” She instantly broke mental communion with Lad and turned to me with wide eyes and an expression that looked almost terrified.

“Technology. TV, internet, radio waves, satellites. When I was in Reggie’s fan pod, I noticed the girls were always watching recordings of his games and interviews. There were TV’s everywhere, even out by the pool. And of course they were constantly reminding us to post on social media about him. Nox’s house manager encouraged us to do the same thing. The girls in both houses were totally glamoured, even though I know at Nox’s house, they were hardly ever with him in person.”
Because he was with me as much as possible.

Vancia’s skin blanched as white as the beautiful Elven-made dress she was wearing. “That’s it. That’s why.”

Lad touched her hand. “What is it?”

“Whenever Pappa met with the Council, their conversations were always about the latest advances in communications technology. I never could figure out why they were so obsessed with it—well except that Pappa is the Chairman of the Senate Science and Technology Committee.”

“What legislation was the committee working on? Do you know?” I asked.

“I’m trying to remember. I know it was something about increasing the pace and volume of cell tower construction. Some kind of eminent domain thing, so the government could basically mandate building them anywhere it wants to and the residents of the area can’t stop it.”

“I remember a few years ago, someone wanted to build one near the elementary school in Deep River. There was a big petition and the people of the town were able to get them to change their plans,” I said.

“Right. It happens often,” she said. “Everyone wants their mobile devices, but no one wants a tower in their own back yard. This bill would essentially ensure total signal coverage, no matter where you look on the map.”

I pictured one of those wireless company ads with the red dots clustered in areas of “good” coverage and spread out more sparsely in areas where it was weaker. Davis’s bill could lead to a solid red map. Great for business. Bad for the world overall.

“With most of us carrying smart phones everywhere we go now, there’s more opportunity for us all to watch videos and listen to music,” I said.

Vancia nodded. “And more opportunity for the Dark Elven celebrities to spread their glamour.”

“Do you think it might be more than that? More than increased opportunity? Maybe the electronic signals actually enhance the glamour,” Lad suggested.

Vancia bounced and shifted to tuck one leg under her, waving enthusiastically. “Yes. That makes sense. That would explain why fan pods are growing so much faster now than ever before. My agent Alfred came up with the fan pod system. He started representing Dark Elven clients in the fifties, when TV first got going. He must have figured out what the signals do.”

“Great. So what do we do—go around knocking down cell towers with bulldozers? That’s not very practical. And what about the satellites? We can’t exactly shoot them out of the sky,” I said.

Lad and Vancia sighed at the same time.

“Maybe we could somehow stop the bill from passing?” Lad suggested.

Vancia shook her head. “Doubtful. I was there when Davis
persuaded
two of its biggest opponents to vote for it. By the end of the evening, they were practically ready to campaign for the thing. Besides, even if it doesn’t pass, the signal coverage and device usage will continue to increase. It’ll get to total coverage eventually. People don’t want to go backward and give up the technology they’ve grown attached to. They only want more and better and faster. It’ll happen sooner or later.”

“You’re right,” I said, running my hand over my own phone in my pocket. It was my lifeline to Nox. To Mom. To all my friends. I couldn’t imagine living without it. “Everyone I know is completely addicted to their phone. Me included. So... how do we stop this?”

“I’m not sure,” Vancia said. “But I think we all agree the first thing we have to do is get your mother away from Davis. I spoke with him briefly and found out they’re in D.C.”

“Did he mention her?”

“Not by name, but he did say it wouldn’t be a good time for me to join him. He said he had a companion who was under the weather and not up for company.” 

I sat forward in my chair. “Do you think she’s really sick? She didn’t look that great the other night. The longer she’s with him, the more willpower of her own she seems to lose—I’ve watched it eroding day by day.” And then a terrible thought occurred to me. “Do you think the Sway can cause permanent damage?”

Vancia looked off to the side, appearing to consider it. “That’s a good question. I’ve always been reluctant to use mine because it weirds me out to see humans with those vacant eyes and acting so subservient. It is possible if it’s changing their brain function or chemistry that someone who’s subjected to it long-term could suffer brain damage.”

“There was a girl from Deep River who joined a fan pod. She was gone for three years. She died, and the people at the funeral home said there were no signs of injury or foul play. Maybe that’s what happened to her. Maybe she didn’t like being there, and someone had to influence her repeatedly to keep her there and keep her quiet.” Reflecting on my mom’s tired face at dinner, I felt an increased sense of urgency. “So when do we leave?”

“I scheduled a flight for tomorrow on one of my father’s planes. He’s given me use of it so I can fly back and forth between my work in California and my fiancé here. We can all take off from the airport in Oxford at noon.”

I turned to Lad. “You don’t have to go. I know you have a lot of responsibilities here.” As little as I looked forward to spending girl time with Vancia, I had to say it. I knew what his people meant to him. I had come between him and his duty to them too many times already.

He looked me directly in the eye. His gaze didn’t waver. “I want to go. You’re not alone in this.”

When I’d asked for his help to find Emmy, he’d told me I was on my own. Now, he was insisting on helping me save my mom. What had caused such a drastic change in his attitude? Maybe he’d finally realized what a threat Davis and the Dark Elves were.

“Okay then. I guess I’ll see you both tomorrow.” I got up to leave, and Lad stood to join me.

After we left Vancia’s quarters, I assumed Lad would offer to escort me home again, but he didn’t. He stopped in the hallway, right in front of his room, and turned to face me. “Stay here tonight.”

“What?”

“Your mother is gone. Your grandmother is here with her family. Stay here. I don’t think it would be good for you to be alone tonight. I’d offer my room, but you’d probably be more comfortable in your family’s quarters.”

“Um, yeah, okay. You’re right. It’s so late now anyway. Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.” I started to walk away, assuming he’d open the door and go into his room for the night, but he fell into step beside me.

“I’ll go with you. The hallways here can be a bit of a maze.”

We walked together in silence. I wasn’t sure if he felt awkward, but I certainly did. “So, when’s the wedding?” I finally asked to fill the quiet space between us.

He blinked several times and cleared his throat before answering. “We haven’t set a new date.”

“Oh.” He didn’t explain further, and I didn’t ask. Obviously he felt uncomfortable discussing the topic with me, and really, their relationship was not my business.

Arriving at the entrance of Grandma Neena’s family home, I grabbed the door knob and glanced back over my shoulder to tell Lad goodnight. Before I could get the words out, he put a hand on my upper arm, turning me around to face him.

He said nothing, just stared at me, glanced away, and then caught my eyes again. His chest was rising and falling rapidly as if he’d been for a jog instead of walking slowly through Altum with me. He was even sweating a bit, his forehead glistening with a light sheen of moisture.

“Lad… what’s…”

“Ryann.” He took one of my hands in his. My gaze dropped to our fingers in surprise and then flew back up to meet his eyes. They looked strained.

“You haven’t...” He stopped and appeared to be searching for the right words. “Have you... did you bond? With Nox? When you two were in California?”

My heartbeat instantly accelerated from cruise control to hyperspeed. I gasped and extracted my hand, which had broken out in a sweat. “
That
is none of your business.”

“I know. But if you haven’t... I mean... I hope you haven’t. Please don’t, Ryann.”

My astonishment at the fact he’d dare to even talk to me about the subject, much less make such a request of me, made me stutter. “For one thing, you…
you
don’t get to weigh in on that decision. For another—he’s a
good
person, Lad. The things you think you know about him aren’t true. I know the
real
Nox.”

He nodded tightly. “I know. He is. That’s not why I said it.”

“So... why...”

“I...” He stopped, looked down, let out a sharp breath, then met my gaze again. “I’m just asking you to wait. Please.” And that’s where he stopped.

I huffed a laugh. “Well, the Abstinence Council would be very pleased with you, I’m sure, but I don’t need your advice on my love life. Goodnight Lad.”

I stepped inside and shut the door firmly behind me, leaving him standing in the hallway. Leaning against the interior of the heavy door, I let out a shaky breath. All of me was shaking as a matter of fact. How exactly was I supposed to face my extended Elven family after
that
conversation?