Lauren (Keegan's Chronicles Spin Off) (17 page)

She was in trouble. Big time.

She yanked her t-shirt over her head, counting her options. Could she even try to run? Four against one didn’t make very good odds. Her only saving grace was that Keegan and Anna had to know something was up, especially when Lauren didn’t return right away. If she could just stall the guys long enough for her friends to realize she needed help, maybe everything would be okay.

How could she have been such a fool? She’d been too stubborn to take Calvron’s advice, and she’d completely ignored the fears of her best friends. And now look at what had happened.

They were all right.

Hot tears pricked her eyes as she stuffed her feet into her tennis shoes. She had really loved Tristen. She hadn’t wanted to believe the worst in him. He sure pulled the wool over her eyes.

“Hurry up,” Garret snarled from just outside the bathroom door.

Lauren shot a look over her shoulder, but didn’t see him. She stepped towards the bathroom counter, using her body to block his view as she connected with her cell phone. If she could just get out a quick text or call…

Lauren hesitated. She couldn’t remember who she had last called, using her gift she mentally hit the redial button.

Maybe she would get lucky.

Almost simultaneously, Tristen’s phone rang in the bedroom, and she groaned. Of course it had been him. Her luck just kept getting better and better.

Lauren watched as Tristen appeared in her line of vision, crossing the floor to his bedside table. He looked down at his phone, then fixed his pale green eyes on her. His face turned an ugly shade of red—never a good sign.

He stalked toward her, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. Lauren froze in the doorway of the bathroom; she had nowhere to go. Involuntarily, she took a step back, and his goons moved in to surround her.

“Calling for help?” Tristen asked through gritted teeth.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lauren spat back.

“If you weren’t such a self-righteous bitch, we wouldn’t have to deal with this,” Tristen barked, grabbing her roughly by the bicep and shaking her until her teeth rattled. “I could go on screwing you and using your rare gift, but no… Miss Goody Two-shoes refuses to break even the smallest of laws.”

“Tristen, why are you doing this?” Lauren pleaded, the tears falling freely now. “I don’t understand. I thought you loved me?” She knew in her heart that all the tears and begging in the world would not affect him. He never cared about her. It was all a big lie.

“Love you? Give me a break.” He let go of her so hard she stumbled backwards. He laughed, a harsh, discordant sound. “Look at you. I could never love someone as weak as you.”

Lauren inhaled sharply as if she had been punched in the stomach. “I mean nothing to you? Nothing at all?”

Tristen took a step closer and ran his finger down the side of her face. His face utterly impassive, he went on in a lowered voice. “On the contrary, you mean everything to me. You and I will do great things together.”

For the first time, she could see the madness in his eyes.

Play along
, she told herself.
Drag this out
. She had to keep him talking long enough for Keegan and Anna to come after her. “What kind of things?”

“You don’t need to know the details. I just need you to do as I say.” He stepped away and glanced over her appraisingly. “I don’t want to hurt you, Lauren, but I will if I have to. We’re counting on you. You
must
join us for the cause.”

“Why should I?” she said disgustedly.

He inclined his head, and Lauren recognized a glimmer of fear in his eyes. “You don’t know my father. If I fail him…who knows what he will do.”

“I think I should know what you want to use me for,” Lauren’s voice shook, betraying how scared she was.
Come on, Keegan
. “What cause?”

“I can’t trust you with that information.”

“Maybe I’ll agree with you and help willingly,” she told him sweetly, though inwardly she knew that would never happen.

A wicked grin crossed Tristen’s face. “Ridding the world of humans so magick can take its rightful place once again.”

Lauren froze, her skin crawling at the mania in his voice.
Genocide?
It was worse than she could have ever imagined.

“Why?” she gasped out, one hand absently reaching for the doorframe as her vision dipped and twirled. She couldn’t pass out, not now. She needed answers.

“As you know, magick users once ruled the world,” Tristen started, turning his back to her as he paced. “But an abundance of weak offspring, born without gifts, formed the human race. Now magick loses dominance more and more by the day. If we don’t wipe out the humans, they will wipe us out. It’s purely survival.” Excitement lit his eyes as he paused in his pacing, long enough to catch her gaze. “Don’t you see, Lauren? This is for all of us. All the creatures of the light and dark. We could finally show our true forms and not have to hide. Why can’t you see how perfect it will be?”

Lauren swallowed hard and forced herself to speak. “Killing innocent people is not the answer.”

“It’s the only way,” Tristen said quietly, turning to gaze out the bedroom window. “We’ve lived in the shadow of the human race for too long now.”

Oh my gods, he is completely off his rocker
. “Why now, Tristen?”

“We’ve been working on this ever since the humans took over. Generations of dark fairies.” He put a hand on the window frame and leaned forward, but didn’t turn around. “Our elementals have masterminded some powerful ‘natural disasters.’ But we’ve never come across someone as strong as you, Lauren. Your power is incredible.”

“My power is weak,” Lauren argued.

He ignored her. “The humans rely on technology for everything. With you on our side, we could bring them to their knees. Those fools can’t survive a day without the internet. They’re so reliant on technology that if we remove it, they will fall into chaos. They will end up killing each other, and doing our work for us.”

Lauren shook her head. “You’re nuts.”

“But imagine,” Tristen said over her. “Everything runs with the use of electricity now. Just the simple act of turning off all the traffic lights at rush hour will cause accidents; people would be killed. We could make planes fall from the sky. We could coordinate train wrecks. There is nothing we wouldn’t be able to do.”

Lauren felt her blood run cold. Anna’s vision. She said she had seen a plane falling and trains colliding. Lauren hadn’t wanted to believe her, but there was no denying the fact after this.

Lauren squared her shoulders, glaring across the room at Tristen’s back. To her left and right, Connor, Garret, and Galen looked on wordlessly. There was no way she would be a part of killing innocent people.

She would take her own life first.

She could not let any of this happen. She needed to find out what he had planned so she could try to thwart it. “What is so important that you have to go to these extremes?” she asked.

“I told you. You messed up our timeline.” Tristen glared at her, expressing his disapproval. “This Friday is the Bacchanalia. Every year, we offer a sacrifice to Bacchus to show our commitment to the cause. Last year, the results of our weather disaster were embarrassing. This year, we need to make up for the disgrace. Something that will make the gods take notice.”

Lauren searched her mind, trying to recall what she knew about the god. “I thought Bacchus was nothing more than a partier and lover? Wouldn’t you anger him with human sacrifices?”

“You don’t know anything,” Tristen spat, slamming his hand to the wall. “The light fairies have altered history in order to keep you in line. You’re so naive. Don’t believe everything you hear or read, Lauren. The gods would rejoice if we took over the human realm.”

Lauren just stared at him, wondering who
really
altered history, because it wasn’t the light. How could she reason with a madman?

“Leave us,” Tristen barked.

The three guys turned and left without a word, like loyal soldiers, obedient lackeys.
Pathetic
.

“Lauren, please.” Tristen hurried over to where she still stood in the doorway. He wrapped his arms around her and let his chin rest on her head. “I know you love me. Can’t you just do this for me? I don’t want to hurt you. I’m sorry about what I said earlier. I love you. I need you.”

Lauren wanted to shake him off; she had nothing left for him. Not after this. But she held out, waiting. Maybe she could convince him to change his mind another way.

“My father gave me a timeline,” Tristen said gently as he rocked her. “And if I couldn’t convince you to change your mind, we agreed that we would have to resort to force. The time ends this week. Your idiotic trip with your friends has moved up the deadline, much quicker than I wanted. So, if you will stand by my side and fight the humans with me…” He pulled away, giving her a sad smile.

Lauren searched his face. He sounded so sincere. “Tristen, I don’t understand any of this. Did you know about my gift before we met? Has this been planned the whole time?”

“Yes,” he said, but then shook his head quickly. “I mean no. My feelings for you weren’t planned.”

He couldn’t take it back fast enough; the damage was done. Devastation hit her like a wrecking ball. Lauren doubled over, turning her back to him as she clutched her stomach. “You knew all along?” she screamed through her sobs. “You targeted me for my power? Our whole relationship was a lie?”

“Please, Lauren.” He gripped her shoulders, but she scrambled away from him on all fours, her hands slipping on the cold porcelain tile of the bathroom floor. “Come on, love. Hear me out. You don’t understand what it’s like to try to live up to my father’s expectations. I didn’t know I would fall in love with you. I didn’t know you would be so amazing. Yes, I planned on using you for your gift.” His heavy footsteps came near, and she felt herself jerked to her feet as he forced her to face him.

“You have to believe me,” he whispered, his face blurred through her tears. “I never wanted you to get hurt. I planned to use my gift of illusion to trick you into doing things so you wouldn’t even know. But now that’s ruined. Lauren, if you don’t help us willingly, you will be forced to by unimaginable methods.”

Just being in the same room with him repulsed Lauren. “If you really loved me, you would never consider controlling me like that.”

“That’s not true—”

“I will
not
help you commit mass murder,” Lauren snapped, cutting off his statement. “You’re insane. All of you. Do you really think genocide is the answer?”

“It’s the only way.” Tristen’s face became as hard as a stone mask. “Last chance, Lauren. Are you in or are you out?” She could hear the barely contained rage in his voice.

She paused for effect, crossing her arms over her chest. “Go to hell.”

Tristen backhanded her so hard that her ears rang. White-hot colors exploded in her vision as she hit the bathroom counter hard, her body bending over the marble. She fell into the mirror, but barely felt it. Through the haze of pain, she realized her hand had gone through the glass. She was bleeding. Lauren’s other hand flew to the side of her face as she gasped for air. A coopery taste filled her mouth.

“You ungrateful bitch,” Tristen bit out. “I just gave you a way out, but you think you’re so above the rest of us. You make me sick.”

This man had made love to her, pledged his devotion to her. She had given him all of her time, even at the expense of her best friends. And he hurt her, mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Fueled by rage, Lauren spat at him. Bloody bile dripped down his white shirt.

He stared down at his stained shirt, and his wild eyes turned back to her. “You made me do this, Lauren! You made me! This is all your fault!” He didn’t even look like himself anymore as he grabbed her by the arm and pushed her into the bedroom. His three thugs stood waiting.

Tristen shoved her forward, and she fell to her knees. She cried out.

“Take her to the safe room,” he yelled, and his minions hurried in to collect her.

Chapter 20

G
arret wrapped a hand around her arm, yanking to her to her feet. She yelped as pain tore through her shoulder. Her head still felt light from Tristen’s blow. She couldn’t focus on her captors as she blindly struggled against their hands.

Stubbornness welled up inside of her—she would not help them. She would make it as hard as possible. As Connor and Garret dragged her down the hallway, she struggled the whole way, kicking and screaming at the top of her lungs. She caught sight of Galen’s face as he trailed behind them, and she could have sworn he looked amused.

Lauren got a few good kicks in on each of the two men, earning a sense of satisfaction from the pained grunts she heard when her foot connected. They managed to get her into one of the guest rooms, and Connor and Garret hung on to her arms as Galen moved towards the wall.

Lauren watched in surprise as he pushed aside an abstract watercolor painting, revealing a small pad of numbers inset in the wall. He punched a code into the keypad, the beeps of the keys loud and final.