Dangerous Lovers (180 page)

It opened its mouth and its teeth elongated, dripping saliva as it unfolded its large bat-like wings. Liasare looked into its eyes and saw her image reflected in them. Her feet became mired in concrete, unable to move. Her mind screamed at her to run, but she stood there, staring into the black creature’s eyes, unable to look away. It stepped toward her and enfolded her within its large leathery wings and took off running.

Its arms hung at her sides, not holding her, as if it were afraid to touch her. Liasare tried to move her hands, to wiggle her fingers, but nothing. She was frozen, like a block of ice.

Her eyes stung from the cool air as the creature sped through the night. She wanted to see where it was taking her, but it was so large, her view was obscured. If only she could get to her weapons, but her body was in some kind of mind-lock.

It finally released its hold on her, dropping her is if she burned it. It crouched over her growling, its saliva running down her face and arms. She still was trying to break loose of its hold on her mind, but she couldn’t budge, when all of a sudden, it flew backwards and slammed into a wall, howling.

“That’s enough. Release her,” another voice hissed.

Liasare moved her arms and legs and quickly sat up, moving into a squatted position. She reached for her weapons to find all of them missing.

“Do you take me for a fool?” the voice said harshly. A figure moved partially out of the darkness, yet she still couldn’t see his face, as his head was covered by a black hooded cloak that he wore. She looked around and she found herself in a room that looked like a dungeon. She cringed when she saw there were men and women hanging from chains in cages along the wall. It was exactly like Jurek’s memory. In the center of the room was a table. At each end were shackles and chains. She knew exactly who the table was intended for.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“I was about to ask you the same question. Matter of fact, we want to know who you are working with and what information you have on us.” With every word he said he inched closer and closer to Liasare. She sensed something very disturbing about this man. Something she couldn’t explain, but she was becoming intensely nauseated and her head was beginning to pound, unmercifully. She still couldn’t see his face, but his eyes were glowing red, causing her body to break out in a mass of chills. Ice ran through her veins and her head continued to pound with a piercing pain behind her eyes.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“I think you do.” He waved his hands and she found her body stretched across the table with her wrists and ankles in steel shackles and chains. She wasn’t sure how he did it, but she was on the floor one minute and the next, she was on her back upon the table, nearly naked except for her bra and panties.

“I’ll ask you again, what do you know of us?”

“Nothing. I swear.”

He snapped his fingers and three of those horrid black creatures appeared around her, growling and hissing, claws bared, teeth snapping.

“We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. The choice is yours.”

“I don’t know anything, I swear!” she screamed.

The hooded man looked at the creatures and nodded, but when they went to claw her, a strange blue light appeared around her body, jolting them as they tried to touch her. They screeched in pain.

The man narrowed his eyes and asked, “What
are
you?”

“I’m human,” Liasare cried. “Let me go! I don’t know anything.”

“Oh no. And you’re no human. I’ve been around for eons little girl and I’ve never seen any kind of reaction like that. Use the chains on her!” he ordered.

One of the creatures picked up a heavy chain and swung it at her, its thick links cutting across her hips and abdomen. Liasare screamed.

“What are you?”

“I don’t know!” she cried.

The man nodded to the creature and he swung the chain at her again, only this time it landed across her shoulders and chest, tearing into her flesh. She screamed again.

“What are you?” he asked again.

Her throat became so raw from her screams, she could barely answer. The torture worsened when the dark creature began beating the bottoms of her feet. Eventually she passed out.

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been unconscious, but the hooded man was there when she woke.

“I’m a very patient man, young lady. We can play this game for hours and hours. I won’t tire of it, but I know you will. I can already see how it has affected you. Your mind is slipping, but this is nothing compared to when I let them rape you. You’ll be left with half of your mind, and believe me, you’ll wish you didn’t even have that. So tell me. What are you and what do you know of us?” he growled.

“Go to hell you motherfucker!”

“I’m already there, and it seems you’re getting ready to join me.”

He clicked his fingers and one of the creatures was between her legs. He ripped her panties off and spread her legs apart, but Liasare’s mind snapped into place, reaching for something she knew was there, yet now knowing how to access it. He grabbed himself, intending to force himself into her when a blinding light erupted from her and threw him back, frying him in the process.

“Well, well, well. Aren’t you the interesting one? What other tricks might you have for us tonight?” He slashed his hand toward another of the creatures and he began to whip her with the chain again. She didn’t last long before everything went to black.

***

“You were supposed to keep watch over her Tak. I gave you strict orders dammit!” Jurek screamed. His face was a mask of fury as he stormed through the headquarters.

“She said she wanted to walk around the block to stretch her legs. I didn’t think anything of it!”

“You know damn well trouble follows her around like a magnet. I want all of Team One down here NOW!” Jurek yelled as he made his way to his quarters.

Moments later, twenty Praestani showed up, ready to search for Liasare.

“Jurek, do you not sense her anywhere?” Naroo asked, as she was part of Team One.

Jurek paced and ran his hand through his hair. “I sense her, yes, I feel her energy, but I can’t find her source. It’s unusual, almost as if there’s a shield blocking it. I know that’s not possible, but that’s how I’m reading it.” The room was vibrating with Jurek’s power.

His nerves were shot. He couldn’t ever remember feeling like this. Raw. Everything was intensified. His senses were his enemy now. They pained him, physically, in every way. He felt like he’d just been flayed and left bloodied and broken. His emotions were unstable and his men looked at him like he was losing it. That’s exactly what was happening to him. He was losing control of himself and only Liasare could bring that control back. He had to find her; there was no other option for him.

“How do you want to work this?” Ludo asked.

“I’m going out now, and I’ll search the area, sector by sector. I’ll take Naroo and Marik. Divide the team up into three’s and each team will do the same. We start here and work our way out, increasing our spread as we go. As soon as I feel something, anything, I’ll let you know and you come to me. Clear?”

***

Liasare awakened and found herself hanging by her shackled wrists from the ceiling. Her arms were stretched so tightly the shackles bit into her with even so much as the slightest of movement. She looked around her, trying to get the attention of someone nearby. No one was talking; the ones who were awake all had a dazed look about them and the others looked to be unconscious.

“Pssst. Hey, anyone. Can any of you hear me?” she whispered.

One girl looked her way and then looked around to make sure no one was near.

“If you talk, they’ll beat you harder and longer. So shut up,” she said harshly.

“How long have you been here?”

No one answered and everyone ignored her. Liasare lost track of time. Her arms had gone numb long ago and the ache in her shoulders had become almost unbearable. She tried to move them to relieve her pain, but it only made it worse. Her mind drifted to Jurek. She wondered if he could feel her or sense she was in pain. Her stomach, chest and shoulders throbbed incessantly. The only consolation was the fact that she was hanging took some of the pressure off her feet. Otherwise, she was sure she wouldn’t have been able to bear that pain.

Something startled her, and she jerked herself awake. She must’ve dozed off, but when she realized what had awakened her, she started shaking. The creatures came for her. Pulling the chains, she left the floor and thought her arms were being torn from their sockets. They dragged her back to the table of torture, where they chained her again.

The hooded man was there waiting for her, his red eyes glowing. Piercing pain gripped her head and she screamed, thrashing it back and forth.

“I thought that might get your attention. That was a mere demonstration of what I have in store for you today. Now, I’m going to be generous first. I’ll ask you again. What are you and what do you know of us?”

“I don’t know anything, I swear. I’m human and I don’t know what you’re talking about. Please, you have to believe me,” she begged. “If I knew anything, I’d tell you, I swear it!”

He looked at her and her head suddenly felt like it was bursting in a million pieces. She screamed and that was when he gave his creatures the order to feast. They fell upon her and began tearing into her flesh on her arms, shoulders, abdomen, thighs and Liasare screamed until she had a voice no longer.

“That’s enough. I said feast, not kill!” The creatures immediately stopped and left her writhing in agony. Liasare wanted to die, more than anything. She’d experienced pain, more than her fair share, in her life, but nothing came close to the horrific things she was dealing with now. Her sanity was slipping away, an inch at a time; she recognized if she didn’t get out of here fast, she would go insane or die. She hoped for death first.

“Are you ready to talk now or are you ready for more fun?”

Liasare opened her mouth to speak but only blood and air came out in a whistling hiss. Swallowing was impossible; talking out of the question. Her stomach felt like it was split wide open; her arms felt like acid had been poured on them. Her vision was fading. Is this what it felt like to die, she wondered? She always heard death wasn’t painful, so maybe her pain would end soon.

“No? Not ready then I see.”

The creatures were back again, ripping her to shreds. Her arms and legs, everywhere on her body was open season. They didn’t touch her neck though, so a small part of her mind recognized that they weren’t going to kill her yet. Thankfully, darkness claimed her mind again, bringing her temporary peace.

Liasare was hanging from the chains again, only this time, her head lolled for she didn’t have the strength to hold it up. Blood was dripping everywhere from her torn and shredded flesh. Muscles and bones were visible on her arms and legs, but she didn’t dare look at her stomach for fear of what she would see. Even if she had been able to, she doubted she could have withstood touching herself. She wondered if she would survive another trip to that table. She doubted it.

Jurek, where are you? If you can hear me, please come and get me out of here. I can’t live through another day of this.

***

Jurek’s energy form streaked throughout the city for the next two days without stopping. He could feel her; he knew she was near, yet he couldn’t pinpoint her location. By this time, Team One had ruled out half of the city with Jurek’s directives. He knew where she wasn’t. He could feel her pulse of energy, but he began to become frantic as it started to weaken on the third day.

“We don’t have much time left. She’s becoming very weak.”

“Jurek, I have an idea,” Naroo said. “Can we link our power together and send out a beam, using your sense to guide it? Maybe with the increase in strength, it can hone in on her source better.”

“I’ll try anything at this point.” His weariness was taking over his ability to think clearly, but he knew if they didn’t find her within the next few hours, she would not survive.

Jurek summoned the team to their headquarters and that’s exactly what they did. He felt her presence shortly after that and gave the command to follow him.

Ten Praestani arrived at an old mansion about thirty miles south of Center City. In the basement of the house, they found Liasare, chained to a table, naked and barely alive. Jurek’s power erupted from him and almost singlehandedly destroyed everything in the place before Naroo could get him calm enough to go to Liasare.

His heart cracked into a million pieces when he saw her shackled to that table. He screamed in agony when he saw the ragged and torn flesh of her beautiful body. His body was betraying him by becoming physically ill as he looked at her. Knowing he had no time for that, he forced his nausea back and swallowed the acid that was threatening to explode from his stomach. Suddenly his cheeks began to feel cold and he moved his hand to touch his face. He was surprised when his fingers touched moisture, for he never realized tears were raining from his eyes. Forcing himself to remain steady, he reined in his anguish and approached her with tenderness.