Before any of us could blink, a fourth woman burst from the shadows, surprising us. Her expression wild, she stabbed Ghost in the thigh with a retractable knife. He groaned, the sound blending with the woman’s screech as she raced away. I bolted after her and tackled her, knocking her to the plush carpet. The moment our bodies hit, she fought like a caged tigress. She scratched, bit, kicked, and clawed. I landed a solid punch to her chin, knocking her witless for a few seconds. Those seconds were all that I needed. I steadied my gun and fired. As the stunned woman lay motionless, I pushed to my feet.

Jaxon, Ghost, and Kittie all watched me expectantly. Lilla appeared distraught, as if I might attack her next, and Kyrin was shaking his head in exasperation.

“Can you not go one day without using your fists?” he asked.

I ignored him. “Playtime is over, kiddies. Follow me.”

We worked our way through without further incident. Ghost dragged at the rear. There were several rooms, but only one was occupied. A lone man reclined upon a soft, decadent bed. Fat silk pillows of every color enveloped him. Wispy lace hung from the ceiling, cascading around X-rated portraits of couples having sex. The man was completely naked and reading a magazine. Erotic Encounters. His long, muscular legs consumed every inch of space, and his dark hair and dark eyes glowed with boredom. I didn’t recognize him from the missing persons portfolio.

When he spotted me, he set his magazine aside with a sigh. “How do you want it?” he asked. Resignation dripped from his voice.

“Ssshhh,” I hissed, scanning the room to make sure we were alone. Once I was satisfied that no other ears were listening, I crossed the room and positioned myself at the foot of the bed. “What’s your name?”

“Terrence Ford.”

“Are you here willingly?” Jaxon asked.

“No,” Ford said. He kept his gaze directed at me. “Do you want to be on top?”

Behind me, Kittie chuckled. “Yeah, Mia. Do you want on top?”

“I’m here to save you,” I told the victim. “Not screw you. Idiot,” I muttered under my breath. “See this man here?” I motioned to Ghost. “He’s going to take you to safety.”

Ford stood so quickly, the sheet atop the bed whipped to the floor. His knees were wobbly, and he would have tumbled to the ground if Jaxon hadn’t grabbed him by the forearm.

“Steady,” Jaxon said.

I draped the comforter around the man’s nakedness.

“Thank you,” he gushed. “Thank you so much.”

Ghost helped the poor, practically-screwed-to-death man from the chamber. I noticed Ghost was limping, and with every step the limp worsened. In fact, a trail of blood now followed him.

“Guard Ford, and wait in the car,” I told him.

Ghost didn’t argue. He nodded, for the first time looking like his name.

I turned to Kyrin. “All right. I’m ready to face Atlanna.” Ready to face my mother.

CHAPTER 24

We entered several upstairs bedrooms. Like the rooms below, these were empty. We kept moving until we spotted a gathering of Arcadians huddled together in the middle of a hallway, laughing and talking. The carpeted flooring was congested with females, probably breeders, I realized.

Our guns were already set to stun, so we discharged a round of lasers. Blue lit the air like a midnight bonfire, and suddenly their bodies looked frozen by time, some standing, some sitting. Some were even poised with hands upraised, mouths open.

This almost seemed too easy.

Shaking my head, I studied the forked hallway ahead of me. Two choices. Left or right.

“Lilla,” I said, “stay here. Detour anyone who comes this way.”

She gulped and clasped a pyre-gun as if it were a precious diamond. “I will.”

“Jaxon, Kittie. You take the right. Kyrin and I will take the left.”

Everyone nodded, and we split.

Kyrin and I entered a large sitting room, making sure to stay in the shadows. A fireplace decorated the far wall, the only spot not covered by mirrors. A black velvet couch and two matching chairs flanked the center.

I sucked in a breath. There, in the second chair, lounged Atlanna. She wore a sheer lavender gown, mere wisps of fabric, and her snow-white hair hung down her body in erotic curls. A man was seated directly across from her, talking about their progress with the halflings.

I couldn’t make out his features, but I knew from his short, inky hair that he was human. I inched a step toward them, my pyre-gun aimed at Atlanna’s heart. Stun. I’d only stun her, I thought, squeezing the trigger. Blue lights erupted. Then fizzled. I watched, my heartbeat suspended. My mouth formed a small O. Shit, shit. Something was wrong. Atlanna remained completely unaffected. In fact, neither she nor the human had ceased their conversation.

Kyrin fired off a round of his own.

Nothing.

Atlanna shifted her body and faced me directly, as if she’d known I was there the entire time. “I’m so glad you decided to join me, Mia. Sorry I had to destroy your weapon.” She waved her fingers in the man’s direction. “Leave us,” she said.

He instantly obeyed and disappeared behind a mirrored door. Before I could receive a clear look at his features, a sharp pain lanced through my hand. With a gasp, I dropped my gun, and the metal fell limply from my fingers and thudded on the carpet. Kyrin’s features were contorted with pain, I noticed, and he too dropped his gun.

“Much better,” Atlanna said, and the pain stopped.

“Our battle will end here and now, Atlanna,” I told her, straightening to my full height.

“You disappoint me,” she said. “I thought you’d kill Kyrin and help me. Instead, you do the opposite. Foolish girl.”

A swarm of Arcadians burst into the room from the mirrored door, surrounding us. The air circling Kyrin thickened, and I knew he was about to use his lightning-fast reflexes. I closed my eyes, willing myself to do the same, damn the consequences. Instantly, my powers sprang free. When my eyelids snapped open, I saw Kyrin fighting three Arcadians at once. They moved slowly, barely an inch per second, while he waltzed around them, punching and kicking.

I turned my attention to Atlanna. Her eyes were narrowed, and she was watching me. She strode a step in my direction, yet even her actions were slowed. It was as if she could see me, but couldn’t force herself to move as quickly. Something deadly gleamed in her gaze.

Fighting my way toward her, I landed a quick kick to one man’s neck and a hard jab to another’s midsection. But my head began to ache, my muscles going lax, and I slowed the closer I came to her. I knew, knew, Atlanna was the source of my pain, just as before. The more the ache intensified, the more energy I lost, until finally I was jolted back into normal speed. Lethargy seeped into my every pore.

She grinned.

Before I could gather the strength to protest, four male aliens latched onto my arms and legs. They gripped me, and I used what little strength I had to try and jerk myself free. I failed. Where was Kyrin? Was he safe? I could no longer see him, but I knew he was there, knew he fought for my freedom. Two of my guards flew back against the wall, making me fly forward. Before the other two were felled, a mass of them converged around me and managed to apprehend Kyrin. Slowly, his image appeared.

My strength completely gone now, I sagged against my captors.

“My people have already gathered the rest of your team,” Atlanna said. “How silly to think you could best me.” She positioned herself directly in front of me.

“If you harm them, I will make your death as painful as possible.”

Her hands came up, the nails long and clean, polished, and she caressed my jawbone. “I want a thousand more just like you. Think of the profit they would bring.” Eager to brag, she said, “For years I thought the answer lay in science, but all along I was the answer. Me. My blood, like Kyrin’s, has healing qualities that aid in the creation of halfling offspring. After I infused my women with my blood, they were able to produce healthy babies with Earth men.”

“Where are they? Where are the children?”

“I’ll never tell.”

“You disgust me.”

Fury flashed in her brilliant lavender eyes. “Whip him,” she said, motioning to Kyrin. “And if you fight it,” she told him, “I will punish Mia. I might anyway. She’s proving to be quite a disappointment.”

His expression dark and dangerous, he nodded. A guard stripped away his shirt and bared his back.

“I will be fine,” he assured me with a strained smile.

That smile was almost my undoing. He thought to keep me calm, to assure me everything would be okay. We both knew it wouldn’t be.

“He is able to heal quickly,” Atlanna growled, “unless he is whipped until there is none of his precious blood left. Or…unless the whip is laced with poison. Which this one is. You see, the poison binds with the healing properties of his blood, and the more his body tries to recover, the more the poison destroys him.”

A mixture of panic, dread, and helplessness uncurled in my stomach, giving me a jolt of energy. I twisted and lunged; free for a moment, I raced toward him, but was quickly grabbed again and subdued. “Leave him the hell alone,” I screamed.

“Continue,” Atlanna said to the whip wielder.

The first blow landed on his back, and Kyrin flinched. Then the next and the next were delivered in rapid succession. Sweat dripped from his temples, and blood flowed like a crimson river down his back. Again, the long, thick length of the whip cracked through the air. He moaned.

“Let him go,” I shouted, kicking and jerking. I just didn’t have the physical strength to fight my way free. “I’ll kill you. Do you hear me? I’ll kill you.”

Atlanna’s eyes narrowed menacingly. “No, you will not. You will help me breed more.”

I stilled. “I’m your daughter, and you would do that to me?”

“Absolutely. I hoped to gain your willingness, but if you will not give it, I will take it by force. Lock her up,” she snarled to the guards who held me. “Perhaps some time alone will help her adjust to her new fate.”

I fought for my life, Lilla’s, my agents’, and most importantly Kyrin’s, as six Arcadian warriors dragged me into a cold, dank cell. A cot lined the far wall, the only piece of furniture. No blankets, no toilet. This prison was nothing like Terrence Ford’s. His had been meant for seduction. Mine was meant for punishment. Perhaps death.

The door slammed closed. A lock clicked in place, and red lasers formed bars, illuminating the small area with an eerie cerise glow. Alone now, I felt terror slice through my mind. Escape. I had to escape. The walls were closing in, faster, faster. Darkness all around. I heard a woman’s screams, and realized moments later that they were mine. My throat was raw, my hands aching from clawing at the walls.

To my surprise, I felt a comforting presence enter my mind. I knew instantly that Kyrin was reaching out to me. He was alive.

“I’m here,” he said inside my head.

Peace settled over me, as warm and welcoming as a winter coat. I am a fighter, I reminded myself. Atlanna would not defeat me. She would not break me. I patted down my body. The weapons I’d strapped to my thighs and waist were gone, taken during the trek here. I traced my palm over the edge of my boot, and a relieved sigh slipped from my lips. I still had one blade, small but just as deadly as any other.

With only one knife, how was I going to win this war?

The answer came to me like a gift from the God I’d thought I had forgotten. I straightened my shoulders, determination working through me. I knew what I had to do.

Hours passed, and still I remained calm. When I felt my energy had returned sufficiently, I stood directly in front of the door, the glow of the lasers nearly blinding me. They produced no heat, but I knew they’d burn the skin from my bones if I touched them.

I closed my eyes and allowed my powers to flood me. Stronger. Stronger still. I became saturated with it, and my lids flew open. I saw the blink of the lasers, realizing they vanished every other second. One, two, I counted, then shot out my hands and worked the blade into the lock. One, two. I jerked back, barely missing the flash of lights. One, two. I repeated the action many times before disabling the metal barrier.

I felt a flash of victory. Waiting until the lasers had disappeared again, I shoved past the thick doors and leaped into the waiting hallway. Just as I steadied myself, the lasers returned.

I zoomed through the house in search of Atlanna. I found her moments later. Too self-assured to require a guard, she stretched atop the black velvet couch in the same mirrored room she’d occupied before, her eyes closed. For one prolonged moment, I remained at the threshold. My God. She needed time to recuperate. After using her powers, she became weakened, just as I did.

My movements still quickened, I quietly shut and bolted the main door, as well as the mirrored door, then rushed at her. I struck her with my fists, toppling her to the floor before she had even opened her eyes. Then I sprang on top of her and hit her again and again. She kicked, hit, bit, and scratched, unable to concentrate long enough to gather her powers.

I drew back to punch her, and by luck or precision, she landed a kick to my stomach. Air burst from my lungs in a mighty heave as I was propelled backward. My arm hit a marble vanity table, and I would have cried out if I’d had the breath. A vase crashed onto the floor, shattering into a thousand tiny pieces.

“Where is Kyrin? Where are the others?” I gasped, laboring for every molecule of oxygen.

“Dead,” she shouted, jumping up. “Dead.”

From a mirror panel, a man rushed into the chamber.

The moment I saw his features, I forgot about everything else in the room. My mouth floundered open and closed, and I was unable to stop the motions. Dare. My beloved brother was alive. Not Kane, as I’d assumed, but Dare. It was like looking into the past. He was tall and strong and possessed the same dark curly locks and wide-spaced blue eyes as he had at eighteen. The same high cheekbones and straight nose. The same innocence.