Through The Veil Read Free

She glanced down
to hide the glow, an instinct from years of hiding her Other status. It was way
too late for that now.
    She
needed to take advantage of their shock and fear, but her muscles refused to
cooperate. Dammit . Her eyes filled with tears.
Weak.
She couldn’t even fight
back. She scanned the bed, desperately searching for a weapon as her fingers
began to tingle. Feeling slowly crept back into her limbs. Frantic, she had to
move before they realized how truly helpless she was right now.
    “What’s
the hold-up in here?” a voice she recognized growled from the doorway.
    She
raised her gaze and looked directly to the man who’d made her day miserable—Detective
Morris. Fuck.
    His
scowl quickly morphed to a smile full of evil intent that had nothing to do
with happiness. “Ms. Renshaw ,” he cooed. “Now, isn’t
this a surprise. What goes around comes around, eh? We didn’t get Mr. Dupree,
but I think I can be okay with that since we have now contained a dangerous
Other. We will so enjoy having you in our custody.”
    Terror
liquefied her stomach and she tried to stifle the pure panic running through
her. She had to stay in control if she had any hope of getting out of this
alive.
    “You
have thirty seconds to get her dressed and downstairs,” the detective
instructed. “Let’s make this a good show for the magistrate.”
    They
dressed her, dragged her into the hallway, and hauled her down the outside
stairs of her apartment building. Blue, red, and yellow flashed in pulses of
light in front of her as they dragged her into the onslaught of people gawking
on the street.
    In
the middle of it all stood Teddy looking toward the crowd and photographers as
they surged forward. For a brief moment, she nurtured a trickle of hope, but
when that oily politician’s smile lit up his expression as he faced the crowd,
her stomach sank. He didn’t even man-up enough to meet her eyes.
    “Rest
assured.” His voice carried out over the melee. “The government in the ES will
do everything in our power to eradicate threats to your safety.” He waved a
hand at her.
    Shock
stunned her. What kind of threat could she possibly pose? She designed and
manufactured clothing for their people. He’d always praised the fact that she
worked in such a necessary part of their new society. They all needed clothes
and she’d taken the reins to get one of the largest manufacturing plants up and
running again. In the years after the Veil fell, their society as they knew it
had to readjust. Everyone was scared, but she’d stepped up and helped
re-establish a vital part of their supply line.
    “Whatever
it takes,” he droned on. “I am the man to lead our society into the next era. I
am willing to make the hard decisions.”
    The
man who had shown the sliver of compassion in her apartment held her right arm.
“He’s a cold bastard, ain’t he? Fuck, you were his
girlfriend, weren’t you?”
    “Fiancée
actually.” Tears choked her throat. This was a nightmare. “Please, help me,”
she implored the man, searching for some shred of compassion to aid her.
    For
a moment, their eyes met and her hope surged. He pressed his lips together and
glanced away. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled under his breath.
    They
shoved her into a detention van while Teddy continued to lecture on in the
background, pontificating about the wonderful ES government.
    She’d
been so stupid. Weak. Her chest seized with the ache of betrayal, but the anger
at her own naivety took front and center. Her need to believe in Teddy’s
commitment to her had outweighed the knowledge that she could be making a grave
mistake.
    And
now she’d paid for it with her life.
    Betrayed
by someone who’d vowed to love her forever.
    If
she got her freedom back, she would never be this trusting again.
     
     

     
     

 
     
    Marcus – Western States
     
    Marcus Hughes watched Audra walk toward him, her long, red
hair swaying in time with her lush hips. The moss green wings