The Forbidden Trilogy (66 page)

I broke into a sprint, fear filling me as I slammed open the
door to my room and flicked on the light.

She should've cried, squealed with indignation at the bright
light that woke her, but she didn't make a sound. I reached into her crib,
pulled out the bundle inside, and held a pile of blankets shaped to look like a
child.

I shook my head, staring at the blankets in my hands, now stained
with Mrs. Beaumont's blood. "No. No. No!" My frantic search of the
room revealed two things: her diaper bag was missing, and someone had turned
off the baby monitor in her room.

"Susie! Darren!" My screams filled the mansion. I
tore through the minds of everyone in the building, searching for guilt, for
answers. "Where is Ana?"

I fell to my knees, sobbing, realization hitting me in the
gut. Ana's kidnapping had been planned. Mrs. Beaumont had tried to tell me.
She'd heard them talking. They took Tommy so I would leave the mansion, so I
would leave Ana.

And now, my daughter's life was in danger.

The emptiness in Drake grew as he realized what his life was
about to become. Steele had his daughter.
How did that happen? Where was
Sam?

"Your daughter is safe, for now, but only if you do
what I ask. Are we clear?" Steele's lips peeled back in a wicked smile.
"As a token of my generosity, I'm still going to give you the other things
you want. You'll get the drugs and your freedom—I'll even let you have Toby—but
you have to break into that quarantine and free any paranormals who are healthy
and showing signs of powers. Free them, and nothing will happen to your baby...
for a while."

Drake nodded. What else could he do? He couldn't let Steele
hurt Ana, and he couldn't stop the bastard if he was stuck in jail. Maybe if he
played along he could get close enough to Steele to find a way to defeat him.

"How do I know you're telling the truth? That could be
a picture of
any
baby." Drake clung to this last line of hope,
knowing it would likely drown him in the end. Steele didn't seem the type to
use false threats.

The two vials of drugs, one blue, one purple, still sat in
the center of the table. Steele nodded. "Take one. Connect with Sam. Find
out for yourself if what I say is true."

Sam. Oh God, she has to be going crazy. Why didn't Steele
take her too?
Drake grabbed the purple vial and hoped Steele hadn't lied
when he said it wouldn't make him high. He needed to stay in control right now.

He poured the liquid down his throat and waited. Within
moments, fire raced through his muscles. The room brightened and dimmed, and
awareness exploded in his head. He felt the base of his power grow—all his
strength and abilities.

He drew on his mind control and pushed into Steele's mind
with every ounce of strength, but an impenetrable wall blocked him.

"Of course, your powers won't work on me. Only a fool
would come here and make himself vulnerable in that way. But rest assured, they
do work."

Drake searched for the familiar imprint of Sam's mind,
scared of what he would find when he did.

'Sam?'

Her grief slammed into him through the connection—Steele
hadn't lied.

"Drake, it was you before, wasn't it? This is real?
How?"

'A drug. It's a long story. What's happened?'

"He has her. My father somehow got to Ana. I'm so
sorry. I thought she was safe. Oh, Drake, what are we going to do?"

'He's using the baby against me, Sam. I'm the one who's
sorry. I abandoned you because I was weak. But I swear, I will get her back and
I will destroy this man once and for all.'

"I need you, Drake. I need to get Ana back."

'I'll find a way to get to you, Sam. Wait for me. I'm
coming.'

The connection faded, and Drake looked at Steele.
"Fine. I'm in. But first, get me the hell out of here."

Steele grinned, shaking his head just a fraction.

Drake hoped the man couldn't read minds like his daughter.

"Lucy, wake up! Lucy!"

That voice. She knew that voice.

"Lucy!"

The same voice had warned her when Luke was in danger. Her
eyes popped open and the voice stopped. Sunlight blinded her briefly, and as
her vision returned, she wiggled and stretched each body part to assess the
damage, surprised even to be alive. Her entire body ached as though a truck had
run into her—repeatedly—but everything seemed to work as it should. She pulled
herself up, abs screaming at the effort, and blinked to clear her vision.

Maybe I
have
died and gone to paradise.
Lush
green trees dipped into a crystal blue lake. Flowers like she'd never seen grew
around the edge, absorbing the water and sun. She plucked one and examined it—a
bright, bluish-purple blossom shaped like a star, with silver glitter in its
petals. It smelled like rain. Another flower transitioned through all the
colors of the rainbow and was shaped like a heart. If she hadn't been in so
much pain, she'd have thought she was dreaming.

A white mist drifted over the water and revealed that the
same flowers that grew next to the lake also floated on the surface, as if
growing from the water.

Then she remembered her brother and Hunter.
Oh God!
She dropped the flower and looked around frantically. Hunter lay washed up by a
boulder. She ran to him.

"Hunter! Hunter, wake up!" His face was pale, but
his chest moved at a steady rhythm. "Hunter!" She caressed his face
and fought the tears that choked her throat.

A hand reached up and grabbed hers. Hunter's eyes peeled
open. "I knew you cared."

She exhaled the breath she'd held in and punched his chest.

"Ow! What was that for?" He sat up, but didn't let
go of her hand.

"You scared me. That's what." A renegade tear slid
down her cheek, and Hunter used his free hand to wipe it off.

"Don't cry. I'm okay. Are you?"

She nodded, angry at her vulnerability. "Luke! We have
to find him."

Hunter stood and helped her up. He still didn't release her
hand, and she didn't pull away.

He's alive.
She didn't want to let go in case he
somehow disappeared again. The physical contact gave her strength and made her
feel less alone in this crazy, messed up situation. Having to be the strong one
all the time had worn her out. It was a relief to have someone else to share
the burden.

They found Luke on the other side of the boulder. He'd
already sat up and was picking sticks and twigs out of his hair and off of his
clothes.

Seeing the state he was in, Lucy imagined how unattractive
she must have looked at that moment. In a total girl freak-out, she would have
given anything for a bathroom, clean clothes and a proper shower. She didn't
even want to think about how she smelled.

She knelt next to Luke, and Hunter joined her, still
attached to her hand. "You okay?"

"Yeah, sure." Luke glared at Hunter, but if Hunter
noticed, he didn't let it bother him.

When Luke tried to stand, he groaned and leaned on Lucy.
"My ankle is sprained or something."

Lucy helped him to the boulder so he could sit.

Hunter examined his leg. "Don't take the shoe off. The
swelling will get worse and you won't be able to get it back on." He
pulled a bottle of pills from his pack. "Here's some ibuprofen. Should
help with the pain and swelling."

Lucy found a large, sturdy branch and used her knife to
create a walking stick for him. Fortunately, the waterproof backpacks strapped
to their backs meant that they still had all their gear. They would have been
screwed had they lost their supplies.

After Luke downed the pills, Lucy handed him the walking
stick. "Your ankle isn't too bad. You should be better soon."

"It shouldn't have happened at all! Jump off the log?
Are you crazy? Did you even think?" Luke shot his words at her like
bullets.

She stepped back, into Hunter, who once again grabbed her
hand. "What other choice did we have? I saved us. You should've slowed us
down more. You did before."

"Well, I couldn't. I've only done that once. Why would
you even think...?" Luke took a deep breath. "Forget it. What were
those things, anyway? They looked like Hercules beetles, but—"

"Huge?" Lucy offered helpfully.

"Yeah. What's going on here?" Luke stood and
tested his ankle with the walking stick.

Lucy grinned up at Hunter. "Told you they were
Hercules."

Luke cut her gloating short. "Your plan wouldn't have
worked, anyway. In case you don't remember, Hercules beetles, if that's what
they were, can fly. Crossing the log wouldn't have helped."

Lucy ignored him. They'd had no other options, and neither
of them had offered any better ideas.
He can stuff it!
"I wonder if
Rent-A-Kid's been experimenting here. This isn't normal."

Luke shook his head and limped away. "Damn, I don't
need this shit."

Whatever.
They had to get moving anyway, and figure
out where they were and how to find their team. Lucy reluctantly let go of
Hunter's hand and pulled some water from her pack. She drank her fill, refilled
her bottle in the river, and returned it to its place.

The guys did the same, though Luke had moved away from them
to do it.

Weeping willow trees lined the lake and filled the valley.
I
didn't know they could grow in the jungle.
She loved weeping willows, and
walked deeper into the valley through the long branches, feeling as though
caught in a dream or a fairy world.

Hunter caught up to her. "You just couldn't resist
staring at the big shiny bug, could you?"

"Shut up." This was no time for arguing, even
though she could tell he was just teasing. At least he hadn't given her a hard
time in front of Luke.
Still, it's not like either of them has stepped up to
make a decision.

"Okay. It's just that I've heard that women are
attracted to shiny objects. It was interesting to see it in reality."

Lucy's lips twitched, but she refused to smile. "You're
horrible."

"Thank you. I try to be. It's one of my best
traits."

"I thought that was modesty."

"That too. I have many."

Lucy climbed over a rock, and she and Hunter waited for Luke
to catch up. She had a hard time staying still. Something deep in the jungle
pulled at her, as if leading her somewhere. Her sphere pulsed, stronger than
ever.

She distracted herself with the banter. "If this is
your best trait, I don't want to know what your bad traits are."

Hunter nudged her shoulder and pierced her with his eyes.
"You never know, you might like my bad side." He winked, and she
stuck out her tongue. "You are entirely unpredictable sometimes. I love that."
He laughed. "So, fearless leader, where are we going?"

How could she explain something she didn't understand?
"Just... trust me."

"You know, my father always used to ask, if your friend
jumped off a log... excuse me, I mean a bridge... would you jump too? I always
answered no, naturally. So I think what happened back there demonstrated my
trust in you. I'm no lemming."

Lucy thought about how many times he'd followed her without
question, never hesitating when she ran into danger—or put them in danger. Even
when he questioned her choice, he didn't let her go it alone.
Wow
. She'd
just met him, but they'd already built a basis for trust. It made sense, from a
psychological standpoint. In life-and-death situations, bonds could form much
faster and deeper than in the context of everyday life. That's why soldiers
formed such tight-knit friendships—and why in storybooks two people who'd just
met could fall in love in impossible situations. The chemicals that these kinds
of circumstances released in the brain lent themselves to intimacy and trust.

Lucy just hoped that whatever was developing between them
could withstand real life too, not just crazy-stuck-in-a-jungle life.
"Thank you for trusting me and standing by me."

Hunter pulled her close. Her chest pressed into the hard
muscles of his torso, her body conforming to his. Would he kiss her? She'd
exchanged her share of sloppy kisses behind the bleachers at school, had played
at having a boyfriend from time to time, but none of them had made her pulse
race and heat explode in her like this.

With his face just a few inches from hers, Hunter spoke in a
husky voice. "I'll always stand by you. You're not alone here. I swear
it."

His declaration stole her breath away. He was only referring
to their assignment—all bets were off once they got out of the jungle—and she
wasn't naive enough to believe he'd made some grand, life-long vow, but her
heart fluttered all the same.

He cupped her face with his hand and traced a line down her
jaw with his finger. "You're an amazing woman, Lucy. I've never met anyone
like you."

She didn't know what to say to that, so she just stared deep
into his green eyes.

Luke crashed through the bushes with all the subtly of an
ox.

Hunter pulled away, and Lucy sighed in disappointment.

They started to walk again, but the shrubs thickened the
deeper into the jungle they went. Hunter pulled out a large knife and grabbed a
branch.

"No!" Lucy put her hand on his arm to stop him,
but it was too late.

The knife sliced into branch, and a loud groan filled the
jungle.

All three of them froze.

"Well that wasn't freaky at all," Hunter said.

Lucy pushed down his arm. "Don't cut anything. This
place... it's alive."

Reluctantly, Hunter put away his knife and continued
walking. "Can I step on anything then?"