The Claimed (33 page)

Alexander rose and motioned to Maya with a crook of his finger. “Come here, Maya. Share yourself with Ryan. Show him what he will be missing.”

“Alexander?” she said, confusion in her voice.

In more curt tones, he instructed, “Give him your energy, Maya. Awaken him.”

He then motioned to the four other men within the barrier, who came over and picked up the chair, holding it in midair.

Ryan knew then what he planned, as did Maya. She surprised him with a momentary sputter of protest before she did as Alexander had instructed.

She laid her trembling hand on his thigh. Her gaze locked on his, surprisingly filled with regret, but knowing the punishment for failing to obey.

Death or torture.

If the positions had been reversed, he would have chosen death, but Maya had always been all about her. Today was no different, and yet she took her time rousing him, slowly releasing her power, so slowly that he was able to gather some of it to strengthen his failing energy.

“Do not defy me, Maya,” Alexander warned, seemingly aware of her ploy. “Finish it or I will finish you.”

She finally released the full force of her sexual power and his cock and balls responded, coming alive with need. He shook from the force of the pleasure and awareness of the pain that would follow.

As Maya stepped away, Alexander took her place and leaned forward. He sent another little blast of power to up the need in Ryan. To increase the pain that would follow because Alexander was a sadist who delighted in the distress of others.

“Perfect,” he said, and when he stepped back, Scott immediately took Alexander’s place. The Zero Point Reaver smiled gleefully as he transformed his hand into that deadly blade once more. He dropped the blade of energy beneath the edge of the chair the men were holding aloft.

“It’s not too late to tell me, Ryan. All I need to know is where I can find Adam Bruno,” Alexander said, his tone cajoling.

Funny thing was, Ryan didn’t really know. He had his suspicions, but he wouldn’t reveal those. He would not do anything to jeopardize Christopher or his newfound friends.

“I seem to be having trouble with my memory,” he replied, and braced himself for the Reaver’s blow.

Nothing could have prepared him for the pain as Scott drove upward, piercing his genitals from below.

His scream rebounded inside the shield Alexander had created and echoed in his brain, chasing him into the oblivion that claimed him.

A
fter their bonding, Victoria and Christopher had almost immediately returned to their people, helping them with their Equinox-amplified power. The sun was up by the time they finished tending to all the injured and arranging for the handling of the dead.

Thanks to Alexander’s shield and the distance between homes along this stretch of the shore, none of the neighbors were aware that a battle had been fought. If anything, the volley of blasts that had not been disguised by the shield had probably sounded like a fireworks display to those in the distance.

But it had been a battle and it had drained all of them, including Adam and his parents. Their healing talents had been invaluable, and Bobbie’s military experience had helped with the logistics of moving the wounded and securing the compound once again. Her compassion had been felt as well into the early morning as she had gone around checking on the injured. Now they were all safely
resting in spare bedrooms in the compound, guarded by the Desert clan cadre they had summoned to help.

Although Christopher had put on a good face as he took care of his people and thanked hers, the weight of his upset registered within her. He was worried for his people and concerned for his missing friend.

They had just finished up with the last group, securing the Shadows who had been captured, when she stumbled from exhaustion, feeling more tired than she ever had in her life. Of course, she had never had to expend so much energy in so short a time.

Christopher eased his arm around her waist and steadied her. “You should go get some rest. I’ll take you to my room.”

She shook her head. What she needed to do was to recharge. “I need to go into the water and hunt. Besides, I don’t think you plan on heading to bed any time soon.”

“I need to find Ryan.”

“You need to strengthen yourself first. You won’t do Ryan any good if you are too weak to help him,” she urged, placing her hand on his chest and feeling the fragility of his vitality. He had taxed himself with his exertions since their bonding.

He looked away from her, toward the horizon where the sun glared brightly in a clear cerulean sky. “The sun is Ryan’s affinity. Even if he was hurt, just being outdoors will help him.”

“I’m sure he’s fine. Alexander wants him for a reason.”

“He wants information, but Ryan would rather die than help him. That’s what worries me,” Christopher said, and she wrapped her arms around him. As he returned
her embrace, her core vibrated as it recognized his energy and rejoiced.

“We must be ready. For Ryan’s sake,” she said, knowing that was the only way she would get Christopher to take the time he needed to restore himself.

Christopher nodded and passed his hand along her hair, his touch gentle. Then he took hold of her hand and led her to his office. He stood in front of the map of the area, which was marked up with an assortment of pins that had no meaning for her. All his attention was on the map.

She understood. There was only one priority right now: Find Ryan.

The scream stopped Sammie in the middle of her morning jog.

She pulled up, breathing hard. She cocked one hand on her hip as she ripped out her headphones and listened more carefully. The only sounds were the susurrus of the ocean and the echo of another runner’s footsteps as they plodded through the shell of the derelict casino in Asbury Park.

Had she imagined it? she thought, but then another scream came, curdling her blood as she imagined the pain that must have prompted it.

She raced in the direction of the casino wall, just a shell of artfully painted plywood tacked up over a mishmash of old rusted girders and new aluminum support beams. An observation hole was cut into the plywood so visitors could track the renovations underway. Sammie stopped often to check in, enjoying even the slightest progress being made on the project as it signaled the rebirth of Asbury Park.

As she stared through the hole, weak rays of sunlight illuminated the interior of the space and the group of people in the center. Four men held up a chair in which a bound man sagged downward. A woman wearing an oversized man’s shirt and an attractive older gentleman stood before the chair, speaking in low tones to their captive.

The man barely moved, just gave one weak shake of a strawberry-blond head. The color was familiar, as was the general shape of the well-built man.

The older gentleman, clearly the leader, barked out a command to a very tall and scary-looking man who had been standing off to the side.

“Not much going on, is there?” someone said from beside her, tearing her away from the sight of the group within the space.

“Excuse me?” she said to another jogger, who stood at a different peephole about two feet away. Sweat dotted his face and arms and he swiped at his face as one bead trailed down his temple.

Motioning to the hole, he said, “You seemed so involved, I thought something might be going on inside.”

Was she crazy or was he? Sammie wondered as she stared back through the hole and watched as the large man suddenly seemed to be holding a bright shard of light in his hand. Before she could ask the jogger if he saw it, the man thrust the light into the other man’s abdomen.

The strawberry-blond man threw his head back and howled in agony. She recognized him then even though his face was contorted with pain. The sound echoed through the walls of the space. She pulled back and asked the jogger, “Don’t you see that? Hear it?”

The jogger squinted into the peephole and then back at her, clearly thinking she was delusional. “Gotta run,” the man said and raced away, his footsteps loud in the empty framework of the casino building. No sooner had he left than a bicyclist rode in and the tires whirred on the broken terrazzo floor. The sound barely covered up the low, guttural moan from Ryan.

She didn’t understand what was going on, but she knew she had to get help for Christopher’s friend. Alone she was no match for the group within the renovated space, especially the weird energy man with the deadly looking hand.

She had to call Victoria, but before she did so, she stared back through the peephole, wanting to confirm just how many people were in the space. This time she was able to see another four men guarding the perimeter. Big, brawny, and powerful-looking men.

They were going to need a lot of help, she thought as she raced down the boardwalk to her T-shirt shop to make the call.

V
ictoria’s cell phone rang, but she hit “Ignore,” her attention on Christopher and his second-in-command as they discussed how to safeguard the compound for the short term while also going in search of Ryan.

But the phone immediately chirped again. She was about to ignore it once more when she realized it was Sammie calling. Sammie would never be repeat-dialing like this if it wasn’t urgent.

She answered.

Winded, Sammie said, “Christopher’s friend. Ryan. He’s in trouble.”

Victoria popped up from her chair and waved at Christopher. Hitting the speakerphone key, she said, “I’m with Christopher. You say Ryan’s in trouble?”

“A guy with some kind of laser thing on his hand is hurting him. Ryan’s in a lot of pain.”

“How many other people are with him?” Christopher asked, leaning toward the desktop where Victoria had placed the phone.

“An older man and a dark-haired woman. At least another eight men.”

Maya, Christopher mouthed, and Victoria nodded, then asked, “Where?”

“In the old casino building along the beach in Asbury Park,” Sammie said, her breath slowing to normal.

“We’ll be there soon. Stay away from them, Sammie. They’re dangerous,” Victoria replied, worried that her ever impulsive friend would take matters into her own hands.

“I will, but I’m heading back to make sure they don’t leave,” Sammie advised and hung up before Victoria could repeat her warning.

“Damn, Christopher. We need to get there before Sammie does something stupid,” Victoria said, snagging her cell phone in case another call came from her friend. She took a step toward the door, but Christopher grasped her arm.

“A laser thing on his hand, Victoria. Do you know what that could mean?” he pressed, refusing to release her arm even when she tried to yank it free. But then his words finally registered.

“A Zero Point Reaver.”

“A Reaver,” Christopher repeated, in a tone that was part awe and part dread. He turned and looked at his cadre member. “How much of the team do we have left that are fit for a fight, Matt?”

His man shook his head. “Not enough, Añaru.”

Victoria jumped into the discussion. “I’ll go and ask my cadre.”

Christopher shot a look at Matt. “Please give us a moment in private.”

Matt saluted and walked out of the office, closing the door behind them.

Victoria held up her hand as Christopher approached. “I know what you’re going to say—”

“Then why fight me? You and your cadre have already given a great deal in exchange for little,” he said as he eased his hand onto her waist and drew her close.

She leaned into him. Into the comforting weight of his arms, well aware he was right in many ways and yet unwilling to allow him to fight this battle alone. Especially if a Zero Point Reaver was involved. She couldn’t imagine what one could do to a Hunter, much less what was happening to Ryan. That thought only strengthened her resolve.

“With each second that passes, Ryan suffers, so do not argue with me. I will go and set up a shield. At this time of day there will be too many prying human eyes at that location.”

“Which begs the question of why Alexander didn’t do the same,” Christopher said.

“Or maybe he did and Sammie somehow saw through it. We’ve both sensed power in her before, so maybe Sammie is not what I’ve thought all along,” Victoria said, finally voicing the niggling doubt that had been with her too often lately.

“Maybe. We will leave in a few minutes, as soon as I’ve selected my cadre members. If we go in a small group and take them out one by one, we may be able to surprise my father and gain the upper hand,” Christopher said, and wasted no time in heading for the door.

Victoria remained in the room and closed her eyes, taking careful note of the power at her core. Still low, but
if they swam the short distance to the old casino building, all of them could recharge their energy during the journey. She prayed she could hunt enough power to create the kind of shield they would need to keep their activities secret. For centuries her people had lived in this area, hiding in plain sight. They could not risk another incident such as the one that had happened last night that might reveal their existence. As it was, they had been lucky that no one had been the wiser about the battle.