Fascism

Chapter 1

The world of Vesperia was dying.

It was all due to one man.

Bray Wyatt.

From the time Abigail met Bray, she knew her life would never the same, even at the tender age of 10. Fostered at age 5, Abigail was silent for 5 years. She knew how to talk, but the horrific events of what she’d witnessed haunted her…stopped her from speaking a word to anyone. They called her a mute, the foster care people. The kids all made fun of her for it, almost to the point of crucifying her on a daily basis verbally and sometimes physically. One day, a small boy with dark hair and kind blue eyes came up to her, asking if he could watch television with her. Abigail didn’t know what possessed her to do it, but she wound up speaking for the first time in 5 years…to Bray. He was kind, sweet and had a powerful spirit about him. They shook hands, introduced themselves and went on with watching cartoons together, while the foster people looked on in awe and disbelief. How could one simple boy have such a profound effect on a girl who hadn’t spoken in 5 years?

The foster people were heavily into religion, Catholicism, and they were convinced Bray was some kind of demon sent to bring destruction to their world. It was insane, but the poor boy was punished on a daily basis. Abigail could do nothing for him except help tend to his wounds late at night, after sneaking out of bed to check on him. They’d put him in the highest room of the building, which was also the coldest at winter time and never tended to his room. The blood pouring out of him was evil and he had to be cleansed of it, they said. Abigail cried every night over Bray, wishing they could somehow escape their misery and it finally happened…when they turned 17.

Bray had snuck them out, ordering Abigail to follow his every move or they would be done for. It worked, they were free, and it was freezing outside, with nowhere to go. At least they were free. Bray had scars all across his backs from the constant whippings he’d received, but Abigail just saw them as survival. She loved him, truly, he was her only friend and the only one she trusted in the world of Vesperia. Somehow, they’d found a way to survive after that escape and Bray vowed, that night, to create a world of peace, a world where only one religion existed. His religion. DOV – Dominion of Vesperia. Slowly but surely, he began recruiting members to his religion, traveling town to town, with Abigail by his side always, preaching his word of DOV. Abigail was on his side completely…until she realized the horrors that were truly within Bray’s mind as well as what the members were doing.

Women were captured and forced to have sex with one of his followers to produce children, to grow his Dominion. His religion. His world. If the women did not produce boys, they were punished, and the boys were taken away from them instantly to be raised by their father. If the women produced girls, the girls stayed with their mother until the proper age where they could be bedded to produce more for Bray’s army. That was all women were used for was baby making and cooking. The men were not loyal to their women either, raping sometimes 4 a night, depending on their sexual appetite and hunger. If the woman could not produce within a 3-month span, after having sex sometimes 4 times daily, she was executed and thrown away like yesterday’s garbage.

Abigail was the only woman untouched and it was at Bray’s decree because she was his. She belonged to him. They hadn’t had sex, but she knew it was inevitable when the time would come where Bray would force her into it. He was no longer the sweet boy who made her talk again after 5 years at age 10. He was a monster, hell bent on warping the world to his satisfaction, to what he wanted, and Abigail’s heart crumbled along with the world of Vesperia. If one did not follow the DOV, they were executed on the spot. It was kill or be killed with Bray at the charge, leading his followers down the path of destruction.

And Abigail saw no hope for escape from this horrendous life she now lived.

Bray, if anyone had bothered to ask, would have been very thorough in his explanation of why things were being done this way. No great revolution, be it a country, or a religion, occurred without casualties. It was a sad fact of life. In order to make things better, things always had to get worse first. The women being used… well, the ones who birthed sons, would one day be exonerated and praised in new history books, tracts and materials. They would be known as brave pioneers, volunteers for a righteous crusade. As with any revolution, some of the more… horrible details would be glossed over. One just couldn’t make an omelet without breaking several eggs. He cared for Abigail; out of all these women, she was precious, special, and she was meant for more than just being a vessel for more followers.

When they first began this crusade 10 years ago, Abigail never imagined Bray would turn into the monster he was today. The babies produced by the women had grown incredibly fast, too fast. The babies were also born too fast, not needing to wait for the full 9 months before being birthed. Abigail had done some snooping around and discovered Bray had a sorcerer by the name of Malcolm. He had produced a serum that was injected into the mothers, once they were with child. There was no way of knowing if the baby would be a boy or girl, which was why the women were punished severely if the baby came out a girl. It was a waste of the precious serum that allowed Bray to grow his army at an alarming rate.

Within a year’s time, they were full-grown men and women. Throughout the course of the year, the father’s job was to teach their son everything about the world, about DOV and instill Bray’s beliefs in them wholeheartedly. The women taught the girls how to cook, clean and told them about sex, because on their first birthday, technically, they would be chosen to breed and produce. Once full-grown, the men – boys – carried on the tradition of breeding with women to create their own offspring, mostly with the women born the same time as them from different father’s. Before Abigail knew it, Bray had over 200 followers within a one-year span. They now lived in a castle, built by the followers, with plenty of room for everyone. Whenever they began running out of room, the women who could no longer breed were executed, either hung or shot in the head. It was sickening…so much death and bloodshed.

When would it end?

He was working with his sorcerer on a new serum. Women, as a whole, might be worthless, but individually, some of them eventually would show merit. Bray wanted them ALL to be worth something and, in order for that to happen, they needed to birth boys. He needed a ratio. For every 20 boys, he wanted only a single girl. Malcolm’s original serum was great; it helped immensely, but women were birthing more babies than their bodies could tolerate. Doing it at accelerated rates, however, meant higher burn out. If that was going to be the case, then they were officially resources and Bray wanted to get everything he could out of them before they became expendable. Not to mention, execution was a waste of resource as well.

“Give me a list of what you need, and I’ll see to it.” He ordered in his deep, gravelly voice. “This is to be a top priority.” Wars were won with soldiers, not women.

“My liege, these ingredients can only be found in…” Malcolm hesitated to say it, frowning because he knew Bray would not like hearing this. “The main ingredients we need are found in…the town of Wonderful.” It was one of the ONLY towns Bray had not acquired for his own due to the place littered with Revolutionists against the DOV religion. It was led by one of the most dangerous men in all of Vesperia and Bray had made it a point not to venture in that area…at all. “Mythril will not be easily obtained, My Lord. I fear it is the only ingredient that will be proficient enough to produce only soldiers for your cause…” However, Mythril was in the jurisdiction of the Undertaker. “Perhaps we can find another way. Give me some time, I promise to make this my top priority.”

The town of Wonderful…who was this Undertaker Malcolm spoke of? Abigail hid in the shadows and barely breathed while eavesdropping on Bray and Malcolm’s conversation. If this town known as Wonderful was as he said…could that be her ticket out of here?

Eventually, Bray would deal with the Undertaker. They would have their showdown and it would be glorious indeed, legendary, but for now… discretion was the better part of valor and he wasn’t a fool. He wouldn’t risk his precious soldiers against the Undertaker, not just yet.

“See that you do,” He ordered after a moment, eyes flashing ice. “I’ll… look into alternatives.” Perhaps a spy of sorts, someone who could slip in and out without being noticed, or at least without being suspicious. Frowning, Bray turned to walk out of the room.

Abigail had not stuck around and moved swiftly back up the stairs from the sorcerer’s chambers to the sitting hall, seated in her pure white dress. Bray was adamant about all of her clothes being white – it showed she was pure. Personally, Abigail wanted her color back, but knew better than to defy Bray and just went along with what he wanted. The last thing she wanted to do was upset him and they’d been together for 17 years now, just not in an actual relationship. Any man who even LOOKED in her direction, Bray made sure they regretted it. It was a sin, as far as he was concerned, to admire what was his. Abigail looked up when Bray walked into the room, her midnight blues locking on icy blues and her black hair was down, brushed neatly and hanging down her back in gentle waves.

“You look distressed, Bray.” One thing Abigail NEVER did was call him ‘My Lord’, ‘my liege’ or anything like that because, to her, he was simply Bray and she supposed he let it slide because of how long they knew each other. “Is everything alright?”

At the sight of his childhood friend, his love, the only thing pristine in this cold, cruel world, Bray’s face lit up in a smile. All the anger, the coldness, it melted at the sight of her and his face changed into what it had been once, or perhaps could’ve been. “Abbie…” He sighed, walking over to sit in front of his chair, his back to her legs and he leaned his head backwards, feeling her hands coming down to caress his head. “I have a problem, Abbie…”

He had several problems, but Abigail knew better than to say that aloud and simply acted as if she hadn’t overheard him and Malcolm talking. He had sat down, looking stressed and her hands instinctively began rubbing his head and shoulders, trying to ease some of his tension. As sick and twisted as his ideals were for DOV, she couldn’t deny she did love him, at least part of her did. He had saved her from the foster home, the abuse, because he hadn’t been the only one to be scarred by those wretched people. She had too, a deep scar two inches deep across her abdomen from a whip…it was a reminder to her just how cruel the world was they lived in and what they’d had to do in order to survive.

“What is it, Bray?” She asked softly, not stopping the massage and caressing because at least he was calm for the moment. “Maybe I can help…”

“As much as I know you want too, I don’t think…” Bray trailed off, staring off into space thoughtfully, his hands moving to caress the white gown she wore.

He adored Abigail in white. She was the most kind, gentle soul he had ever known, even after everything they had been through, she had remained pure of heart and spirit. White was the color he preferred her in, it represented how he saw her. One day, he would take her properly, for his own, but first… first Bray would give her a world where she could live without fear.

“Maybe…” He amended, frowning as the thoughts continued to form. Above almost everything, he cherished her the most, but she was also the only person he truly trusted.

Could he trust her with this?

Never once had Bray tried making a move on her or touched in an intimate way. Not even a butt squeeze, only soft pliant kisses and rubbing arms and back. His hands never went lower, though Abigail could tell, now that she had matured and grown into a woman, from the child she’d been, the lust for her had increased. She could see it his eyes whenever he looked at her, touched her, smelled her. There were nights Bray would sneak into her bed and simply hold her against him, and she could feel his desire poking and prodding her. He’d kiss her neck, rub her arms and then roll her over on her back to kiss her lips, but never touched her breasts or lower extremities. It was weird, strange, because by the time he finished, she’d feel as if she was on fire and wouldn’t be able to sleep the remainder of the night. Luckily, it only happened twice a week, so she was able to catch up on rest the nights he didn’t come to visit her in her chambers.

“Whatever it is, you know you can talk to me about it. I don’t know if I can help, but I can at least try or maybe ease your mind a little.” She caressed his face before being pulled against him, another soft kiss brushing her lips. “You know I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s going through your mind and what troubles you.”

At the very least, it wouldn’t hurt to tell her what was troubling him. Abigail knew the worst of him and the best, and she was still here, offering to hear his troubles. Taking a deep breath, Bray told her about the serum, what it could do for them, and how some of the ingredients were hard to find and one… one was going to be near impossible, due to where it was.

Chapter 2

“Malcolm is looking for a way to… well, another place to find it, but it may be a long time until he does, and we NEED this, Abbie.”

It was very difficult to hide the disgust she felt rolling through her body at his explanation, still not believing how undervalued women were to Bray. Breeding machines and nothing more. He had killed so many women in the span of 10 years, it was treacherous, and Abigail couldn’t believe she still felt love and feeling for him. He was a cold-blooded killer, in her eyes, and yet, she remained because there was nowhere else for her to go. This serum would only do more harm than good and speed up the process of building his army, nothing more. It was selfish, inconsiderate and downright evil. Somehow, she kept the soft smile on her face and hid how she truly felt from him, a master at this after so many years.

“You will find a way. Going after the Undertaker, of all people, isn’t wise, Bray. I know you already know this, but…I don’t want you getting hurt. Or anyone else for that matter. There must be another place to find the Mythril. Give Malcolm some time to look for it, like he asked. That’s my advice to you.” What she REALLY wanted to say was forget the serum, forget the DOV and release these poor, defenseless women that were ripped away from their loving homes to become breeding slaves! “You will find your answer, as you always do.”

“If I could send someone in… just in and out, someone who wouldn’t be noticed…”

He disregarded her advice because they were so close… so close Bray could almost taste it. However, he couldn’t send in one of his precious men either; they were needed, essential, necessary. And the women… no, he didn’t trust his little breeding machines. Not to mention, he needed his human incubators here, busy with their one job.

“No… I need someone I trust, someone who can get in and find out where the Mythril is… how to get it.” He was now staring into her face, wondering if he was willing to risk her.

“M-Me?”

This was too good to be true! Was he joking or was he serious? No, Bray rarely joked and the amount of conviction in his eyes spoke volumes. Her voice had come out soft and shocked, her eyes filled with perplexity.

“You want to send me, don’t you?” It was more of a statement than an actual question. “You wish to send me as a spy to infiltrate and find out where the Mythril is.”

Given she was the only one he fully trusted out of everyone in the DOV, Abigail still didn’t think he valued her over men. Then again, she had witnessed, firsthand, what happened to those who dared defy his wishes to keep their hands off her. Case in point, a man named Zack Ryder though he’d get handsy with her one day and Bray sliced his head off in front of her. Abigail had screamed, his blood coating the front of her chest and, needless to say, it was the only warning Bray ever had to give to his men to keep their hands off her.

“I will do whatever you wish of me, Bray. You know that.”

“I know.” Bray groaned, moving so he was on his knees before her; the only person in this world or the next he would ever put himself in this position for. “I know, Abbie, and that’s my problem.” He reached up, cupping her face tenderly in both hands. “You know how much you mean to me… so asking this of you,” Bray stared into her face, his eyes searching hers. “I know it’s a lot, and it could be dangerous,” Frowning, he wondered just how much danger. “But with planning… and precautions…”

Pressing her finger to his lips, Abigail merely smiled while he held onto her, his hands moving from her face to her hips. This was her chance – her ONE opportunity to get out of the castle and find help. Bray wanted her to infiltrate the Wonderful, the Undertaker’s domain, and she planned on doing it, just not the way he wanted her to. The Mythril was not her concern. She wanted to liberate all the women who had been forced to come here and hopefully save them, before they were executed for ‘not meeting expectations’.

“If you think I’m scared, I’m not. If this is for the good of DOV, some sacrifices must be made. I’m not saying I’m a sacrifice, but…if I’m the only one who can do this task, then you should let me do it. You’ve always put the Dominion above everything else and, it sounds like this is very important to get our hands on. So, let me help you.” This time, she brushed her mouth against his and felt his arms snake around her, kissing her a little deeper than before. “I’ll be safe and careful, I promise, if you send me out to do this. I’ll feel like I’ve achieved something other than standing around in white gowns all day. Let me actually CONTRIBUTE to your cause and help you pave the way.” If he wanted to take her here and now, she would let him if he meant getting out of this castle and far away from him and the DOV.

“Abbie, my sweet Abigail,” Bray whispered against her lips, breaking the kiss before he did something he would regret, the need for her growing with each passing day. “I don’t know what I would do, who I would be, without you.”

She was his best friend, his most cherished, and one of the main driving forces behind what he was doing. The DOV would ensure she would never suffer what she had suffered before, and he knew some of the things he did were wrong, but they were NECESSARY. Sometimes, the ends justified the means. Bray would ensure it, he had too, because if Abigail ever looked at him without that light in her eyes, he would know he had failed and then… then he didn’t know what would happen. She was the only thing holding back the total darkness that consumed him, his one ray of light.

“What if I lost you because of this mission? I can’t…” But he had too, and he knew it as Bray began raining kisses over her face.

“You won’t lose me. We’ll plan it out to where I’m not in danger and I’m inconspicuous.” Abigail crooned soothingly, seeing she was getting through to him and convincing him this was the right thing to do.

Good. Sometimes, she could work her manipulative magic on him, but she didn’t do it often. No, better to play her cards when the moment counted instead of squandering her opportunities. Abigail kissed him again, this time harder and moaned in his mouth when his tongue touched hers for the briefest of moments.

“Please let me do this for you, for us, Bray. For the DOV. Trust in me and my ability to get this done.”

Caving, his hands moved to rest on her waist, no lower. He wanted too. Bless the Dominion, Bray wanted too; the times he had gone to bed with blue balls were considered penance half the time, suffering for the sake of her purity, suffering for all the sinful things he knew he was eventually going to do to Abigail, when the time was right. When they were both ready, and that moment was on the horizon.

“Fine… Abbie, we’ll do this. We’ll plan everything out to make it as safe as we can. I can’t lose you.”

“Thank you, Bray.” Abigail hugged him tightly, stroking the back of his neck and narrowed her eyes, feeling his face bury in her neck. “Thank you for letting me do this for us and for DOV.”

Just as she said that, a woman that couldn’t have been more than 17 was dragged down the hallway by the back of her neck, tears streaming down her face. She was crying out, pleading with the man not to take her to his room, but he wasn’t listening. Was this really the world Bray wanted Vesperia to be? Her eyes closed as she heard a scream followed by the door slamming shut, feeling Bray’s body tense along with hers. After all this time, Abigail should’ve been used to it by now, but…she wasn’t.

“I’ll speak with Malcolm.” Bray assured her, after a long silence, the woman’s screams fading finally. He pulled away from Abigail, standing up and stretched his arms over his head, staring down at her. “We’ll plan all of it, Abbie, ever last bit of this. I won’t risk you.” He was completely oblivious to the hypocrisy of what he had just said, after a woman had just been dragged into a room to be raped and bred with. Bray pulled her up, bestowing one of his rare, gentle smiles. “Go rest, all right? I’ll work this out. I’ll see you at dinner.”

“S-Sure, see you then.”

Abigail watched him walk away and couldn’t get the disbelieving expression off her face. What the HELL was wrong with him?! Did he not just see a woman be dragged, against her will, into a room on the second floor to be raped?! Bray’s soul was tainted, if he even had one. Abigail couldn’t stand to think about all the cruel things that woman was going through and went to her chambers, shutting the door with authority behind her.

“I have to get out of here.” She whispered, clasping her hands tightly to rest over her lips and walked over to stare out the window, tears sliding down her cheeks.

The ONLY good thing Bray ever did was make a decree that, any sexual activity, was to be done behind closed doors. There was to be no fornicating or showcasing activities of that nature for everyone to see. He had punished a few of his soldiers for not listening and obeying that rule, which pleased Abigail immensely. She had been the one to put the bug in his ear about how unpleasant it was to watch women being taken and pointed out it should’ve been a one-on-one affair instead of having an audience. He agreed with her and the ruling was made.

If only Abigail knew how much influence she could have had over him… she was his weakness. But when she was out of sight, the smile was gone, and the ice was back in his eyes, all warmth leaving with her. Bray spared a glance at a guard standing at the wall. His personal guards were all mute; they had voluntarily had their tongues removed, so they couldn’t tell the things they heard in the castle, the things he said or planned. Frowning, he went to go see Malcolm again, he had an escapade to plan.

“My liege, I’m sorry, but you wish to do what?”

When Bray repeated himself, Malcolm felt faint and had to sit down, blinking. This man wanted to send his most prized possession, his one true love, his precious innocent Sister Abigail, into the lion’s den?! To infiltrate and gather information for them regarding Mythril?? Although it wasn’t a bad idea, or a bad plan for that matter, Malcolm was having hard time believing Bray would willingly sacrifice Abigail for the ‘greater good’ of DOV.

“How do you plan on having her infiltrate the Undertaker’s domain, My Lord?” There was only say many things a woman could do without being caught and she had to be inconspicuous. No, this was not a good idea at all.

“I’m working on it.” Bray studied Malcolm intently, seeing the disapproval written all over the other man’s face. If not for the fact that Malcolm was a rare breed, sorcerers were not exactly easy to come by, Bray would have reminded him that he was in charge and he wasn’t overly fond of having his decisions questioned, silently be damned. “I’m thinking as a low-level person, someone who isn’t noticed easily, or perhaps… perhaps ignored…” He was sometimes a genius and began smiling. “No one will give a servant another look.” They didn’t, not usually.

That was…a brilliant idea, actually. Malcolm felt ashamed for ever doubting his Lord and lowered his head, clasping his hands in front of him. “I do believe that would work perfectly, yes, my liege. You never cease to amaze me, your intuition knows no bounds, you…” He gasped when Bray wrapped his hand around his throat, squeezing threateningly.

“Do not think for a minute I don’t know what you’re doing, Malcolm. Trying to get on my good side, after blatantly defying me…” Bray gritted his teeth, squeezing harder. “I shouldn’t have to remind you that your granddaughter, Susan, is turning of age in a couple days. And it would be MOST upsetting if she were to wind up in…let’s say…Luke Harper hands, hmm?”

“N-No! P-Please, m-my liege!” Malcolm begged, coughing when Bray released his throat and gasped for air, clutching his throat. “I-I’m sorry…I’ll n-never doubt you again! Just please…please not my Susan…you know what he’ll do to her like all the others!”

“Of course, I do. He’ll rip her apart, piece by piece, and take great pleasure in taking her BY FORCE.” Luke was one of his trusted guards, with his tongue still intact, that enjoyed hearing a woman’s scream as he took her for his own, filling her with his seed in the most violent of ways. “Doubt me again, and I will make sure she winds up in HIS hands…”

“I won’t, my liege, you have my word. I’m sorry…”

“Good.” Bray stepped back and clasped his hands behind him, a congenial smile spreading over his face. The venomous air about him gone almost as quickly as it had come on. “Remember Malcolm, if you are good to me, I can be good to you and to yours.” Which meant he would find someone suitable for Susan, someone who would be gentle. If Malcolm decided to be a pissant… he would ensure Susan begged for a bullet to her forehead. “Now,” He rubbed his hands together eagerly, boyishly. “Let’s get to work. What do we know about the Undertaker and his little town?”

Unfortunately, Malcolm didn’t have much information regarding Undertaker, his people or the town of Wonderful. He’d never made it that far east, especially since he was forcefully taken out of his home to live and work for Bray Wyatt. It was all against his will, Bray did not take well to people not bending to his whims and will. His daughter had paid for it, but luckily, his sons were nowhere near this lunatic and hopefully never would be in their lifetime. By the time Bray left, it was past dinnertime and Malcolm slumped against the wall in his chair, hoping the monster kept his word about choosing one of his kinder, gentler soldiers for her to mate with.

Chapter 3

Later that night, Abigail was visited by Bray and knew it the moment she felt a warm body slide into bed with her. She didn’t even have to turn over to know who was in bed with her or the lips that kissed her neck, the hand that stroked her stomach through the white nightgown she had on. The moon streamed through her window, the only light given to them and she turned to look at him, stare into his eyes that were only warm for her. Abigail did not know how sex felt, she was a virgin, a 26-year-old virgin, thanks to Bray and the fact he wouldn’t let any other men near her or have her. He was the only one who would have her in the end and it pained her to know that, to know she wouldn’t have a say in when that time came.

“Is everything okay?” She asked quietly, in a whisper, sighing when his mouth merely claimed hers in a passionate kiss. It was the same thing she asked him every night he came into her bed and all he did was respond with kissing and touching.

Everything was not all right. He was sending the purest creature he had ever known, HIS Abigail, into the relative unknown. The only thing he did know for sure was that, at the end of her road, lie the Undertaker. Bray knew the man by reputation, but he knew the soldiers at the Undertaker’s command, because they were fierce, and both men AND women. He mentally snorted at that, his lips moving along her jawline, hands caressing her through her nightgown. Torturing them both, Bray knew it, but damned if he couldn’t help himself.

Having this man touch her so intimately and lovingly confused the hell out of Abigail. She hated how Bray ran so hot and cold, one minute he was perfectly content and HER Bray, the Bray she remembered, and the next he was this vile, cruel creature she didn’t recognize. It broke her heart to kiss him and touch him because she never wanted him to bed her. As much as she loved him, she wasn’t in love with him the way he was her. Or maybe it was obsessed. She didn’t know anymore. Abigail felt him roll them both to where she was on top, his mouth claiming hers again and she began grinding against him. It was out of pure instinct since her body felt like it was encased in fire. Bray sat upright slowly, breaking the kiss to look into her eyes and Abigail flushed from head to toe at the way he stared at her.

“Talk to me. Tell me what’s on your mind.” She coaxed in a soft voice, knowing better than to use any other tone with him and caressed his bare shoulders.

He had come to bed with her naked from the waist up, which wasn’t out of the ordinary. Bray had a crazy dilemma on his hands. He knew what he made others do, got the basic principles of how it worked, but he and Abigail were different, still pure. They had been raised in the traditional Catholic lifestyle, including the flagellation beatings, thrashing the sin out of him. That hadn’t worked he supposed, instead it had backfired greatly. He went with what felt good, what felt right, and knew where the lines were drawn. Abigail was just too precious, too special, and he wanted their first time, both their first time, to be the same.

“I love you, Abigail, you know that, right?” He moaned against her mouth, swiping his tongue along her bottom lip.

If only Bray did, if only she could believe him when he said those beautiful words. They fell on deaf ears with her because of everything he did, everything he’d forced poor, innocents to do in the name of his religion. Still, Abigail knew better than to not respond the correct way and nodded against his lips, burying her fingers in his hair.

“I know you do, Bray. I love you too.” That left a bittersweet taste in her mouth because, she did love him in her own way.

Not the Bray he was now, but the Bray back then when they first escaped the horrid foster home. Damned if he couldn’t kiss the breath out of her though and make her panties dampen in the process. It was a physical reaction, which was normal for the human body, but…mentally and emotionally, Abigail had shut down long ago and put on a splendid performance. Luckily, Bray couldn’t detect the trickery in her, the deceit, the absence of what he craved most from her. She was responding, lighting his blood on fire and he knew he was sending her out into the unknown, which only pressed him on. His mouth roamed the column of her throat, his hands moving to find hers, lacing their fingers together and squeezing briefly before letting go. His hands moved to her waist and then slowly, almost hesitantly, down further, fingertips skimming her backside. His darkened blue eyes searched for hers in the moonlight.

“I want you, Abigail.”

She merely smiled at him, though inside Abigail was panicking and hoped he stopped like usual…that tonight wasn’t the night he wanted to take her for his own. Abigail was almost free of him, she just had to hold out a little longer until this plan of his came to fruition and then she could find the help she needed to bring down the DOV, to bring Bray down. There was no way she would egg him on further, though it didn’t feel good to be touched on her backside because it was a change from the usual song and dance they did together.

“Why me?” That question escaped her before she could stop it, her eyes widening just a fraction and quickly pushed aside the surprise. “There are…other women here, countless women, you could take to your bed and breed with. So, what makes me so important to you, so special, from the others, Bray?”

Bray stared at her in surprise, hurt blossoming through his blue eyes. “That you should ask me that,” His voice came out in a harsh whisper, his upper body pulling away from her, though his hands moved back to her waist. “You’re MY Abigail.” He kissed her forehead, a wetness in his eyes that he blinked away. “What we’ve been through together, what we’ve suffered,” Bray gnashed his teeth, guiding her arms around him until he felt her palms on his back, skimming the scars they both knew too well. “You saved me, Abbie, you saved me so many times.” His forehead rolled against hers, his mouth pressing against hers again. “And I, and the Dominion, will deliver this world, renewed and reborn, to you.”

Tears filled her eyes, even though she’d heard it plenty of times before, how he was doing this all for her. That meant every woman that was raped and forced to breed, every woman that was ripped from their homes, was her fault. “You saved me too.” That was the complete, honest truth.

If Bray hadn’t gotten her out of the foster home when he did, Abigail shuddered to think what might have happened with him gone. However, that didn’t excuse what Bray was doing. There were other ways to build an army, other ways to change the world in a positive way. Everything he did was negative, and he did it for her, which made her sick to her stomach.

“I-I’m sorry, I just…I haven’t asked you that question before and it’s been weighing on me. I didn’t want you to get mad at me, so…I didn’t ask it, but…it kind of slipped out. Please don’t be angry with me…”

“I’m never truly angry with you, Abbie, you know this.” He sounded almost sullen, more offended and hurt than anything.

She knew what she meant to him, hadn’t Bray told her enough? Hadn’t he proved it? He had raised an army; he was changing the world. They would be able to grow old under the Dominion of Vesperia, knowing what they had suffered would never happen again. If he had to destroy a few hundred lives to deliver Abigail and himself a perfect world, so be it. He would be forgiven all trespasses, he knew it. He FELT it.

“Hey, look at me, please.” Abigail had to make this right somehow and pressed her forehead against his while stroking his back, the scars not bothering her. “Sometimes I feel like…I’m not good enough for you, Bray. You plucked me from obscurity and you didn’t have to. You could’ve escaped the foster home without me and never looked back and built this all on your own.” She stroked his face, seeing her words were getting through to him and smiled softly. “I just wanted to make sure I’m what you truly want. I know you’ve said it and you’ve more than proven to me how much you love me, but love can also die…and I never want that to happen between us.” She kissed him soundly, passionately, not pulling back until they both needed air. “I won’t ever ask you that again because I have my answer and I know how you feel, without any doubts. Thank you for telling me.”

Just like that, all was right again, and he didn’t feel hurt or offended, the smile back on his face. “Lay with me.” Bray whispered, laying down on the bed and pulled her with him into his arms. Sighing in contentment, he ran his fingers up her arm, feeling her nestling into his side. “This is how I want it to always be between us, Abbie.” He rumbled softly. “Always like this, all right? You and me, promise?”

If only she could actually promise him that, if only he knew how much this hurt her. “You and me forever, Bray. I promise.” Abigail whispered, not having a choice in the matter except to say what he wanted and needed to hear.

Luckily, she was a master at deceiving him and felt his arms wrap around her tighter, spooning up against her back. Once again, she could feel his erection digging into her backside, but Abigail didn’t move and simply lay there. Staring out the window, she didn’t let the tears fall until she heard his deep snoring and even breathing.

~!~

“All right,” Luke Harper was one of Bray’s most trusted and, while he was a bit sick in the head, was also a brilliant strategist and planner. “So…” It was bright and early with him and Bray were in the war room, a map spread out as they drank their morning coffee and munched on fresh fruit. “You want her to go in as a servant, so she’s going to need to look the part.” Bray was great coming up with plans, Luke got to help with all the minute details because that was his thing. “So, we’ll need to get her some used, but serviceable clothing and not in white.”

Seeing Abigail in something besides white… his mind took him back years ago, when she had worn nothing except dark colored frocks.

Of course, Abigail was there for the meeting since it revolved around her and the infiltration. She couldn’t go in blind, Bray wouldn’t allow it. Currently, she wore another white gown with silver etchings throughout it, her hair done and makeup on, looking like the pristine, queen of purity Bray wanted. It sickened her. Abigail could feel Bray’s trepidation and slid her hand up his arm, soothing him the best way she knew how.

“Hey, it’s okay if I wear color for this. He’s right, you don’t want me sticking out and he’s already been to Wonderful, if I recall correctly. So, he knows what he’s talking about.” She despised and loathed Luke Harper, but Abigail had to play her cards right. Play the game as it were and play to win. “It would be even better if we could actually GET a set of servant’s clothing from Wonderful to pass it off better, hmm?”

“Yeah sure, except I’m the only one who has been and, when I was there, I didn’t think about grabbing some crone’s clothing.” Luke argued, frowning and exchanged looks with Bray. “It’s not that much different from some of the stuff the women here wear. We could find one who might know how to sew, and I can draw up a sketch of what the outfits looked like.”

“Good idea.” Bray wasn’t sending someone in just to steal an outfit. It would be risky, especially if anyone noticed the theft.

“Why don’t I ask Valerie? She was a women’s clothing designer before joining us.” That was a very nice way of putting it.

The poor woman had been taken from her home, beaten and raped for weeks before she finally surrendered to the DOV way. It was despicable, but luckily Luke hadn’t been the one who had the pleasure of having her. Abigail was to thank for that and she’d told the woman such, which was why they were good friends.

“I will talk to her about it and see what she can come up with. She’s a good judge of character and knows the style.”

Luke stared at Bray with a raised eyebrow.

“Luke has been to Wonderful, Abigail.” He said patiently, his eyes icing over as he returned Luke’s look. Bray already knew how this looked and would have to dismiss her from the planning if she didn’t keep quiet for a bit. “He already knows the style and knows what we have on hand, and he can give this woman, this Valerie, a description. Why don’t you go find something to do while we work out the details?”

Considering he doubted Valerie had seen any ‘style’ in years and her judgement of character meant dick… good call.

Did he actually just talk down to her in front of this peon?! Abigail had never been so insulted in her life and felt like punching Bray in the nose, knowing that would be grounds for immediate punishment. “You asked me to come to the meeting, Bray.” There was no way she would allow him to get away with this. “Why am I here if you’re dismissing me so suddenly?” When he just raised a brow at her, Abigail folded her arms in front of her chest and knew he was saving face in front of Luke. She didn’t defend herself often, not needing to, but this time he had crossed a line. “Next time, don’t invite me to your meeting. Just come and tell me what’s going on. Excuse me.” Storming out of the room, Abigail closed the door behind her and went to her chambers to scream in a pillow.

Bray held up a hand when Luke started to open his mouth, his own a thinly compressed grim line. Abigail had been placed on a pedestal, by him, but as a general rule, women were not overly valued for their intellect. It was their baby making abilities and that was about it.

“Draw your sketches, get with whatever seamstresses you can find.”

Nodding, Luke left Bray to his thoughts.

Chapter 4

Still not overly happy, Bray went to find Abigail, easily locating her in her room. He threw open the door, rewarded with her shooting upright from her pillow. “You were invited as a courtesy, Abbie.” He said flatly, leaning in the doorway. “You’re… offer is appreciated, but not practical. This woman had probably been down in the camps for months, or even years,” Providing she was one of the women who birthed more sons than daughters. “We need people who actually know what they are doing, who have actually seen. You need to learn to critically think if you’re going to do this.” Her outburst had him reassessing this because Bray couldn’t afford her getting offended over baubles.

Calm down, cool your jets or you’re never going to get out of here, Abigail had to mentally coach herself, swallowing down her anger, her pride, and took a deep, fortifying breath. “You are right. I was out of line and…I apologize, Bray.” That left a bitter, sour taste in her mouth to say those words. “I was honestly trying to help, but I overstepped my boundaries and…you were gracious enough to invite me to the meeting.” All women were to Bray were babymakers, breeders, nothing more and it sickened Abigail to no end. “I-I will take whatever punishment you deem fit to give me…My Lord.” VERY rarely did she call him that, but she had to warm up to Bray again and this was the best way to do it. “Please forgive my insolence, it will not happen again.” Just to make sure he believed her, Abigail lowered to her knees in front of him on the bed and bowed her head, clasping her hands together in front of her.

Seeing Abigail in that position, kneeling before him and hearing her calling him ‘my Lord’, Bray wasn’t sure what to make of it. On one hand, this was his Abbie, his best friend and his most true companion throughout these long years. Then again, she was a woman who had challenged him in front of a trusted adviser. She had put him in a stupid spot. He treated her differently from everyone else, and in the DOV, it was complicated. During the many sermons, many teachings, women were told that the trials and tribulations they were suffering were holy and righteous. Abigail would be their holy Mother, a new Madonna as it were. In the end, she would be their salvation and he had every intention of being hers. But that moment wasn’t here just yet, soon… very soon. And until then… He ran a hand down his face.

“You know better, Abbie.” He said finally, his gravelly voice serious and stern.

“There’s no excuse for my actions, My Lord. Please forgive me.”

Abigail felt lower than dirt begging to be forgiven, for merely speaking her mind and trying to help. This was ridiculous! The sooner she was out of this castle, the better, but first she had to get on Bray’s good side again. When he moved forward and raised his hand, she did her best not to flinch and breathed out silently when it merely rested on her head. Looking up at him with tear-filled eyes, Abigail once again apologized for no reason and leaned into Bray’s touch, her hand raising to clasp his against her cheek. A single tear trickled down her cheek and it wasn’t because she was sorry, it was because she was terrified of this monster.

“Bray, I’m so sorry…”

She had looked like she was terrified that he would strike her, which Bray had never done before, so why would she think he would now? He had been there, seen the abuse Abigail had suffered, just as she had seen the horrors inflicted upon him. He needed air and there were other matters to attend too.

“You’re forgiven.” It came out brusque than he had intended, but there it was. “I will see you at dinner.” Bray pulled his hand away and walked out of the room, his eyes icing over. He wasn’t surprised when Erick Rowan, another most loyal, fell into step behind him. “I want a review of the women, those who have birthed males. I want our serum to go on them.” He wasn’t about to waste it on female babies.

Good heavens, that was close! Abigail swallowed hard, wiping her tears away and knew she had to tread VERY carefully from now on until it was time to infiltrate the Undertaker’s domain. Walking over to the window, Abigail leaned against the ledge and looked out at the long stretch of land they lived in, taking another deep breath.

“Undertaker…you better be ready for what I have to offer. You’re my last hope to end this once and for all.” She whispered, eyebrows furrowing together and hoped she was doing the right thing, hoping this didn’t backfire on her.

~!~

“Do we have any intel on this Undertaker?”

“He’s big, tall… that’s about it.” Luke answered as they walked the camps, Bray’s ice blue eyes not missing anything as he took inventory of the women scurrying around, while men trained. “When he goes out of Wonderful, he’s… disguised.” None of them really knew what he looked like. “A lot of his men are built the same though. You could have fought him already and you would never know.”

“What kind of disguises?”

“You would need to talk to Malcolm. His theory is that the Undertaker has a talisman that allows him to change his appearance.”

This had been bothering Luke for a while and it was high time he brought the subject up, clearing his throat. “My liege, there is something that troubles me…about your relationship with Sister Abigail.” Nobody called her anything except that, due to the religious nature. Or M’lady…some even called her Queen Abigail, though Luke never had. When Bray’s icy blues met his, Luke hesitated, but decided to speak his mind. “Sire, I know Abigail is…special to you and whatnot, but don’t you think it’s time to have her start breeding? You need heirs to the DOV, to carry on your legacy when you eventually perish. She’s 26-years-old and…not getting any younger, My Lord. And I am not the only one who fears this happening. A lot of us believe it’s time you breed with her and have her do what a woman does best…” Open her legs and allow the seeds of DOV to flow through her.

“I’ve been thinking of that as well.” Bray confessed, running his fingers through his long brown hair, ruffling it, his brow creasing in a frown. He knew it was hypocritical, other women breeding and he kept one for his own ‘pleasure’ as it were, without touching her, without producing an heir. “I want to ensure she’ll produce sons first.” It would look quite bad if his Queen bore him a daughter as his first child. “After this mission is complete, after we have the Mythril, then I will bed her.”

That made sense and Luke felt marginally better about the situation, thankful his Lord hadn’t cut him down for asking about Sister Abigail. “Do you believe the Mythril will ensure she bores you a son?”

At Bray’s nod, Luke smiled and clapped him on the shoulder, already knowing his Lord hadn’t bedded any woman in his lifetime, which was a damn shame. Bray was a handsome, strong man and any woman would’ve been lucky to breed with him. However, he had remained steadfast in his belief that Abigail was his one and only, no other man would touch her. As much as Luke longed to have Abigail, even for a night, or long enough to breed with her, he knew it would never happen and instead took the other women they brought into the DOV to bed…even if they weren’t willing. He wondered what it would be like to hear Abigail scream while penetrating her, a sick smile crossing his face at the thought.

“Will you go talk to Malcolm then about this talisman theory?”

“Yes, a lead is a lead and we need all the intel we can before sending her.”

He was glad Luke hadn’t pressed anymore issues; it would pain him to beat the life out of a man he considered his friend. Bray would not, however, be taking Abigail with him. She had already cost him a little pride today and he didn’t need any more questions concerning her status.

“Go speak with the seamstress, tell her what you want and have her get to work.” He watched as Luke got a sick smirk on his face, his own lips spreading upwards in amusement. “And Luke? She will need her fingers for this task…”

“Oh, I know that…” Luke got an even sicker smirk, his eyes gleaming with pure wicked intentions. “She’ll be able to use her fingers…doesn’t mean I can’t bend her over the table while she’s performing the task though, does it?” At Bray’s headshake, he laughed and walked off to find Valerie, a woman he had bedded and bred with on more than several occasions. She was used to his volatile nature and ways, always doing whatever asked of her like a good little, obedient breeder.

Malcolm was not surprised when Bray came back to visit him, not surprised by Abigail’s absence. She had overstepped her boundaries this morning; she was lucky she was in her position; any other woman would have been strangled to death. He had seen Bray, in a fit of rage, choke the life out a woman who had given birth to nothing except daughters.

“I want to know about the Undertaker, and how you think he disguises himself. Luke said you had theories.”

Heaving a sigh, Malcolm did not want to upset his liege with false data, trying to think of the right way to say what he wanted. “There’s…a rumor, a theory, mind you, so I don’t know how accurate it is, about the Undertaker. He…goes around disguising himself…and he has a special talisman that was passed down through his family. I don’t know how true this is, it seems pretty far-fetched since I am the only magical entity in existence. But there ARE relics out in Vesperia that do hold magical abilities, but they are very rare and hard to find.” If Undertaker had one of those relics, a talisman…it would explain why his domain was impenetrable.

Bray stared at Malcolm, drumming his fingers on the table beside him. “What exactly do you think this talisman does? Allows him to change his appearance?”

“Well, I think it does more than that. I think it is also what keeps us from being able to invade. A protective bubble, if you will.”

Interesting, but odd. “So… you are the only sorcerer in Vesperia, but there is a magical talisman out there that defies all natural and magical laws and properties?” One eyebrow was raising. His sorcerer was approaching the endangered species list.

“My liege…as I said, it’s a theory and I don’t know if it’s true or not. I DO know one thing for certain: Many have tried to face the Undertaker, to invade Wonderful and NONE have succeeded. They’ve either been killed or shown mercy and let into his ranks. He’s…strong, My Lord…and the only explanation is he has magic on his side somehow, someway.” For all they knew, the bastard could be inside their domain now and they would never know it because of his disguises. “Instead of focusing on the Mythril, why not have Sister Abigail put her focus into finding out what exactly makes the Undertaker as powerful as he is? If we could somehow get the talisman from him, or whatever magical relic he possesses, you would surely be able to invade and take Wonderful as your own as you’ve done the rest of the towns.”

Casually, Bray picked up a nearby candle and crooked a finger at Malcolm.

“My Lord?”

His eyes were on the flame, swallowing hard. Malcolm had probably crossed a few too many lines today, on top of Abigail’s own transgressions. When those eyes just narrowed into slits, he reluctantly walked to his liege. He took Malcolm’s hand and moved it over the flame, watching his sorcerer intently.

“The Mythril is my priority, Malcolm.” Bray said in a friendly manner, feeling Malcolm’s hand trembling violently as he held it over that flame, knowing the damage it would cause. “She is going in as a servant. Getting anywhere near the Undertaker isn’t going to happen right away, not if he’s as clever as you all seem to think. It’s a secondary priority, do you understand?”

When Bray had his mind set on a particular task, there was no swaying him from it. Malcolm had learned that the hard way. “Y-Yes, my liege, understood!!” He shouted out, the fire burning his hand and knew better than to pull away.

This was his punishment for speaking his mind without permission. Malcolm was a fool and it hadn’t been the first time since he’d been punished. What was he thinking advising Bray to do anything? He should’ve just told him what he knew and kept his mouth shut about the rest!

“I-I will help however you see fit, my liege, I swear it!! PLEASE!!”

“Damn right you will.” Bray pushed the flame up until it smothered against Malcolm’s palm, aggravating the burn he had made by the hot, melting wax now adhering to Malcolm’s skin. He refused to let go, even as his sorcerer trembled from fear and pain. “There is a reason tactical thinking is left to others, Malcolm. You have no sense for it.”

“Y-yes my Lord, of course, Sire, you’re r-right.”

Smiling, Bray let go of the other man and watched as Malcolm cradled his hand to his chest, snorting. Pathetic. He had taken horrific beatings as a child, suffered near starvation, countless horrors and he bore his scars proudly. He had survived, and he had a purpose.

“Good. Now, about this talisman, what exactly should she keep an eye out for, if she’s lucky enough to even get that close? Same for the Mythril.” Abigail had never seen Mythril, it was that rare. He hadn’t either, not in its raw form.

The first chance presented to him, Malcolm was leaving the Dominion, or escaping rather, and taking his granddaughter with him. Her mother had been killed, after having three daughters in a row – HIS own daughter – had been taken and ripped from him because of this fiend. Malcolm couldn’t handle the punishments and disgrace anymore. He’d been taken from his loving home, his wife killed before his eyes and forced to serve Bray Wyatt and the DOV.

“I-I don’t know, m-my l-liege…” Of course, Malcolm had information, but he wasn’t about to give it up now that his hand was severely burnt, blisters already forming. “I-I’ve never s-seen M-Mythril up-close b-before or this t-talisman…I-I have no other i-information, I-I’m sorry…” He was in so much pain, tears stinging his eyes.

Bray stared down into Malcolm’s eyes, finally nodding. “Of course, of course Malcolm, I believe you.” He lied very openly, his tone dripping with venom. “I do think, however, that I’ll have Luke Harper ask your granddaughter, Susan, a few things, just to be on the safe side, hmm?” When Malcolm began sputtering and stammering, he grabbed the smaller man by the throat. “Lie to me again and I will cut out your filthy tongue and make your precious Susan EAT IT!” If Malcolm was smart, he’d start telling the truth immediately.

“I DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ELSE!!” Malcolm screamed bloody murder, tears pouring down his face as he clutched his hand against his chest, knowing it was infected already.

Upstairs – hell, she was pretty sure the entire castle heard the screaming – Abigail went about her business as usual, which was…walking around and being bored out of her mind. She couldn’t wait to get out of this castle. Torturing was a form of punishment in the DOV, when one wasn’t being truthful, and Bray could somehow sense when someone was lying to him…except Abigail. She was the only one who could snow him and make him believe what she wanted. When she heard another scream, she couldn’t handle it anymore and stood up from the table to go outside for some much-needed fresh air. Bray would steer clear of her after what happened that morning and she was grateful for it, not wanting to be near him.

Chapter 5

In the end, Bray commuted Malcolm’s punishment because the sorcerer was lying. When all was said and done, Malcolm told him exactly what he knew, what signs to look for, and what Mythril in its raw form looked like. Bray made sketches and took notes, not about to send his beloved Abigail out into the unknown unprepared. He would not do it and he would not brook disobedience or defiance. There would be no lying.

“Luke… remove Susan’s tongue.”

“But… I told you everything!”

“You did. After I had to punish you. I shouldn’t need to do that, Malcolm.” Bray argued patiently. “I’m afraid you’ve been pampered; you’re used to my leniency. We’ll correct that.” He spoke gently, like a parent to a child.

One the females, a child still not near breeding age, who had been put to work as a servant in the castle, since cooking, cleaning and breeding was all females were good for, had heard that and finished her job, cleaning out embers from the fireplace. She hefted her heavy bucket and walked out, head down and quiet as always. She needed to find Sister Abigail.

~!~

“What?!” Abigail glanced over at the beautiful brown-haired girl, that wasn’t even a year old yet, chasing a butterfly.

Her heart pounded vigorously in her chest as she watched Luke Harper come toward the girl, not surprised when Susan began to resist. Right there, in the courtyard, in front of everyone, including her, he proceeded to hold her down by straddling her, whipped a knife out and proceeded to cut her tongue out. The gagging noises, the blood spurting out of the poor girl’s mouth…Abigail had to look away and then watched as Susan was raped. Luke had broken one of the main rules of the DOV by raping a woman in front of an audience, instead of doing the deed behind closed doors. Abigail rushed off inside the castle to go tell Bray what one of his most trusted had done and couldn’t wait to watch the bastard be punished for insubordination.

“I’m sorry, Abigail, that it upset you.” Bray said when she found him and told him what she had seen, reaching out to cup her face gently. Sighing, he bent down to kiss her forehead, wishing he could have shielded her from that sight. “But… an example had to be made. People are getting too lax, forgetting the driving force of the Dominion and what we are trying to accomplish. Before this hour ends, what happened out there will be known to every last follower and they will know the reason why it was allowed.”

No exceptions were that message and he would strike down with a holy and just punishment. This was just another reason why she had to get away from here, out of this castle, and out of the DOV. This was madness. He allowed one of his right-hands to break the rules by raping that poor, defenseless girl, AFTER cutting her tongue out!

“I-If you don’t mind, I-I’m going to my room. I-I need to be alone right now…and I’m not feeling good.”

Pulling back, his hands left her face and she’d only done it because they were alone at the moment. She knew better than to do it in front of people because it ‘cut him down’. Ridiculous! Abigail let the tears fall and let him SEE her tears before she backed away from him, not recognizing this monster anymore.

“I won’t be down for dinner, I-I hope you understand why. Good night, Bray.” Bowing her head, she walked out of the room and ran to her own, throwing up as soon as she was completely alone in her private bathroom.

Bray let her go, knowing he had to go out and be seen, preach the word of the DOV, so they knew that this breech in protocol had been for a valid reason. If their leaders, if his most trusted, couldn’t be trusted, then there was sin afoot and it had to be stamped out. They had to all remember their place, their reasons, and he would remind them. Luke, because he was just that kind of person, when he was done with Susan and had sent her packing to be tended too, had taken her tongue. He had taken it down to the cooks.

~!~

Over the next few weeks, Bray strategized with Abigail on what to do, how to act, and instructed one of the women, who had drifted from Wonderful, to coach her on how to portray herself. Bray looked disturbed as Lily told her all about Wonderful and how equally everyone was treated, the women were just as important as the men. Abigail assured him that Lily was fully with the DOV and appreciated breeding to help build their cause, their DOV empire. That seemed to settle Bray down some and Abigail continued listening, deciding once Bray was out of the room, she would warn Lily NOT to upset Bray by talking about how ‘great’ Wonderful was.

Before she knew it, the night had arrived where she would depart the castle and Abigail would’ve lied, if she said she wasn’t nervous. Bray assured her everything would be alright, raining kisses on her face and then allowed her to change into the black skirt and soft lavender long-sleeved top. It was such a change, a difference from the pure white she was always forced to wear. Bray had a car brought around for her and once again, they went over her story for when she infiltrated Wonderful.

“My name is Abbie, I’m from Salny and I’m seeking a new beginning and refuge from the Dominion of Vesperia.” She reiterated, a bag packed in her hand.

They had decided she wouldn’t be coming back until she had surefire proof of where the Mythril was located and if it was even in the Undertaker’s domain, along with some kind of talisman. Bray hadn’t gone into details, just told her what to look and watch out for. Putting her bag in the trunk, he turned her around again and kissed her, keeping hold of her face tightly. He didn’t realize it, but this would be the last time he saw Abigail for a long time…until she came back with reinforcements to bring him down or…in a body bag from the Undertaker killing her.

“Is it wise,” Luke watched the car drive off, knowing it would drop her a few miles from the borders of Wonderful. She had been given a map to memorize and then destroy, but it would look awfully suspicious for a servant woman to arrive seeking appropriate employment in a vehicle. “To not require her to check in every few weeks?”

No, it wasn’t, he thought, eyes narrowing as his head tipped to the side. “What’s done is done.”

“Of course.”

Checking in was too risky. Bray had been the one to tell her the plans had slightly changed, slightly altered. He wanted her to get close enough to the Undertaker to be able to find out the location of the Mythril as well as if the talisman theory was the truth. Not to mention, if she was going in claiming to seek employment, a new beginning, as a servant girl, after leaving her ‘home’, why would she need to check in with them? It would be too suspicious, and Abigail was thankful to be rid of Bray Wyatt and the DOV for the time being.

It was a solid plan, but that meant she would not be checking in, only coming back, according to Bray, when she had the information he needed. That wasn’t going to happen, however. Once the car stopped, a few miles from Wonderful, Abigail stepped out, grabbed her bag and watched it race off before her eyes moved to the stretch of road before her. It was a couple miles north and Abigail breathed in the night air, letting a few happy tears slide down her cheeks because she was finally free. Now, it was time to liberate everyone from the DOV, but that would take a lot of time and effort.

“One step at a time.” She murmured, hoping what Lily said about Wonderful was the truth because she couldn’t handle watching women being raped, beaten and tortured on a daily basis anymore.

A woman traveling at night, by herself, was just poor common sense. “Oi, you see that?”

“No…” That was because he wasn’t the one looking through the night vision binoculars. “Gimme a turn.” He raised them, looking for a few moments and then frowned. “That a woman?”

“Aye, poor gal… she’s likely to be picked up by them roving bastards.”

“Probably. We’ll keep an eye on her from time to time.” They had to stand watch, keeping their eyes to the south.

“I wonder what the hell she’s doing out there all alone…”

Her black hair was braided, currently hanging over her shoulder. It was waist length, Bray refused to let her cut it after begging with her to leave it alone. Just another choice taken away from her. White shoes were on her feet, a little scuffed to give the illusion she had come a long way. The bag in her hand was a little heavy, but nothing Abigail couldn’t handle and, again, gave the illusion she had left home to pursue a new beginning elsewhere. It was a believable enough story, she hoped anyway.

Bray had, personally, taken an additional step in her disguise. Abigail was meant to have been walking quite some distance and a servant… he had rubbed her face in embers and then washed only a bit of it off, doing the same with her hands. Making sure the black remained in the lines, giving her the impression of someone who actually served.

“Why don’t we send someone out to get her?”

“Because after dark, that’s against the rules?”

“I’ll send out a runner, it’ll be quick.”

“Don’t let Steve catch ya, he’ll have your balls…”

About a mile from Wonderful’s gates, Abigail was stopped by a man with kind dark eyes, long black hair and a smile. At first, she didn’t think he was coming for her, but that quickly changed when he stopped in front of her. Abigail swallowed hard, keeping her distance and hesitantly sized him up. This man was HUGE, muscular and built like a brickhouse.

“I-I don’t want any trouble, sir. I’m just trying to get to the next town…” She spoke up in a low, quiet voice, hoping the men in Wonderful weren’t rapist pigs like back at the DOV. “Please…”

“You ain’t gonna get none either, ma’am. I’m here to escort you into the city walls for the night.” He saluted her with two fingers, chuckling at the look on her scummy face. “Lady, it ain’t safe out here and the big boss, he don’t like folks out wandering.” Which was true, but they were usually not supposed to go out and bring strangers in after dark. Wonderful had some serious bleeding hearts. “Come on now, let’s go. You can stay in the common house for the night and get back to your business in the morning.”

Everyone who walked through the gates to the city had to go through the scanner, something powered by the big boss himself, and nobody got in with a weapon of any kind. Nail files wound up setting off an alert. Austin had cracked a lot of jokes about that the first time it happened. This man worked for the ‘big boss’, which had to be Undertaker. Was this one of Undertaker’s men? It had to be! Fate was on her side, apparently.

“O-Okay…thank you…”

She had no idea what to call him and he hadn’t bothered giving her a name, just guided her, with his hand on the small of her back, the rest of the way into Wonderful. He stood well over 6 feet, muscular and had long black hair, along with a matching goatee, dressed all in black. The moment she stepped inside, it was like a whole new world full of life, laughter and spirit. Abigail wiped some of the soot off her cheeks, trying to make herself look somewhat presentable and felt eyes on her with every step she took. The man lead her to a place called the common house, just as he said and left her there, wishing her well. He assured her they would take care of her and then went back to his post for the evening. She had thanked him before venturing inside, feeling as though her heart would leap from her chest from how hard it pounded.

“Jesus Chris look at you, you’re so damn scummy!” A brown-haired woman with kind blue eyes laughed when she spotted the woman coming in. “Fuck… hey Amy, get some hot water and a bar of that soap, the scented!”

She ran the common house and, those who couldn’t pay her fees, they had to sign their name and whatever else on the ledger for the big boss to review and pay for out of the community funds. It all circulated within Wonderful and, since money had kind of gone the way of proper civilization, they tended to use valuable goods as currency. Since Wonderful was one of the last bastions of actual freedom, they had been cut off from the majority of Vesperia, actual currency, like paper money, was hard to come by.

“Come here honey, let’s do a lice check really quick. I’m Stephanie, by the way.”

Lice?! She didn’t have lice! This woman was out of her mind! Abigail suddenly remembered what she was doing here in the first place, having forgotten, momentarily, her past life with Bray and the DOV, nodding hesitantly.

“T-Thank you.” She stammered, a little taken aback by how…free the women were here.

If the women back at the castle spoke the way Stephanie just did, she would’ve been severely punished. Abigail was waiting for a man to come and do the punishing, but none came. This was very strange to her. All Abigail could do was allow Stephanie to lead her to sit down on a nearby bed and lowered her head for the lice check.

“So, this is our little getting to know you room and most people hate it.” Stephanie explained, chewing her gum noisily. “But we do lice checks in here and you’ll have to strip, just down to your underwear. Gotta make sure you don’t have any open sores, or wounds, or anything, you know? We’ve got a decent stock of medical supplies, but if you have something contagious… you were vaccinated, right? Before all this shit went down with those fucking Dominion assholes?”

“Yes, I’m up-to-date on my shots.”

Without Bray’s knowledge, she had asked Malcolm to administer the shots to her, not wanting to take any chances with diseases. Bray was against any type of vaccination and had destroyed the neighboring towns that had any kind of medicine to be injected in the human body. Just another reason she knew he was insane and out of his mind.

“My name is Abigail.” She answered when Stephanie asked, slowly removing her clothes to reveal pale, unblemished skin all the way around.

“Good, good, now I have to ask you something personal. Any STDs or…?”

Chapter 6

Her cheeks burned a bright red. “No. I’m…um…I’m a virgin…” Couldn’t get an STD without having sex, after all.

“Oh shit, that don’t mean nothin’, sweetie. You could get an STD just from swapping bodily fluids.” Stephanie laughed, shaking her head at the pink cheeks that Abigail sported. “Yeah, so… we’ll take your word for it though. You don’t look like the kissing type.” No offense meant, Abigail just looked too virginal. After they were done with the physical exam, Stephanie noted the details down in the ledger, turning to give the other woman some privacy to redress. “Okay, Abigail, where are you from and what brings you our way?” Obviously, she was unarmed because she had gotten through the gates without them going off.

“Salny. And I’m here to…well, I left home after my Mom died. There was nothing left for me there. I’m just hoping I can find a job and start making my own way. I’ve been traveling from town to town, searching for a job, but so far, I’ve come up empty…and I’m running low on funds.” Bray had given her enough money to get her started here and then her job as a servant, hopefully, would pay her way until she could go back to the castle. “I can pay for the services here, how much do I owe you for your hospitality, Stephanie?”

“Wait, what? Traveling from town to town?” Stephanie was staring at Abigail like she was out of her mind. “You do know the world is at war, right? Towns aren’t exactly, um… they don’t really exist.” Salny was a pretty far off distance and her eyes dropped down to the scuffed white shoes, cocking an eyebrow. “How’d you manage to avoid the DOV?” Obviously, she had because Abigail didn’t look battered, abused or pregnant and everyone knew what happened to women in the DOV. They were cattle, brood mothers.

Abigail had to tread carefully with what she said next, swallowing hard and clasped her hands in her lap, already redressed. “I…stayed away from them. I used the woods and shelters in various towns on my way here. Truthfully, it wasn’t easy and…I didn’t think I would actually make it to Wonderful. My Mom…she told me all about this place and how great it was. She told me on her deathbed to come here, that I’d be safe from the DOV.” Wrapping her arms around herself, Abigail let out a shuddering breath and wiped a stray tear away from her still dirty face. “I didn’t realize it until that man brought me through the gates that this was my actual destination. My Mom was right. I just hope I can…start over here and make her proud of me, somehow.” In every way, she meant that with her whole heart. “I don’t blame you if you don’t believe me. I know it’s a pretty outrageous story, huh?”

Amy’s heart went out to the poor thing, hearing and feeling the sadness radiating from her and could tell Stephanie was touched as well.

“Nope, you’re not special sweetie.” Stephanie reassured her. “We get those stories quite a bit, well… from the ones that make it this far.”

“I’ll go see what’s left from supper and get her a dish.” Amy strolled out into the main room, which was lit up, tables and chairs everywhere as people wound down their night. “Hey, get your hand outta there, save some for others.”

“Rude much, Red?”

“Eat me, Austin.” Amy laughed.

“So, work huh? What kind of work?” Stephanie asked, tossing her hair over her shoulder and led the way out of the small room and into the main. “Trish, get off the table, someone cut her off.”

Women could drink alcohol? Since when? Women in the DOV were not allowed to drink a drop of alcohol due to constantly getting pregnant. It wasn’t good for the babies growing inside of them. Abigail watched in awe as a busty, petite blonde sauntered over to the bald-headed man Stephanie called Austin and tossed her arms around his neck, kissing him passionately. What the HELL? Public affection was allowed too? What kind of world had she stepped into? This was the polar opposite of the DOV, of Bray’s world!

“I-I’m not sure…I haven’t really thought about it and figured tomorrow, I would go around to the local businesses here.” There were quite a few too. “See what I can find unless you have a suggestion?” Abigail had to avert her gaze from the sloppy making out couple and walked over to the table Stephanie gestured to, sitting down while the redhead set a bowl of what looked to be chili in front of her. It smelled delicious and even had cornbread to go with it. “Thank you…Amy, right?” The redhead nodded, and Abigail immediately dug in, suddenly starving.

“Hey, you said you had money, right?”

“That’s rude, Steph…” Amy scowled, dropping down a large mug of milk next in front of Abigail.

“Well come on, when was the last time you seen… holy shit,” Abigail had pulled out old paper money and some silver pieces. “Are you kidding me? Some people still use this?”

“Sorry sweetie, that stuff is no good here.”

“It is when we’re out of toilet paper…”

“Shut up, Steve. Don’t you have to go check in?”

“Soon enough, Red, go get me a plate for the big guy.”

“His ass still holed up in the old tower?” Amy shook her head when Steve just shrugged, pushing herself up again and disappeared back into the kitchen.

“Wait…” Now Abigail was confused, frowning as she looked from Stephanie to Amy’s retreating form and then back down at the money she had. “What exactly do you use for currency around here?” She tilted her head, not understanding why they wouldn’t take her money, especially silver pieces. Didn’t those go for a nice chunk of change? Apparently not in Wonderful. “I’m sorry…that’s all I have on me…”

She frowned, hating that Bray had given her money that was no good in this place. Abigail overheard what Amy said about the big guy being holed up in his tower. Was that the huge tower she’d seen as she passed through the gates? It had to be. That was where the Undertaker resided…and something told her he didn’t leave his tower often. This was going to be a lot more difficult than she thought.

Steve was paying attention to Abigail now, bringing over his beer to sit down across from her and examined the money, feeling the thin paper between his fingers. “We use things that are necessary, honey.” He raised curious blue eyes up to study her. “Money ain’t good to anyone anymore, what the hell are we going to use it for? Lines for trading with other towns have been cut off systematically as the DOV grows, so we have to trade for services, or food, or medicine. Some people may want something pretty and shiny… so keep your coins.”

“O-Okay, but…I don’t have a way to pay for the services here…”

“No sweat honey, we have a contingency for people such as yourself.” Stephanie informed her with a smile, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Abigail shook her head, refusing to be made out as a charity case and stood up from the table. “Let me…help out around here, just for tonight until my bill is paid. I can cook and clean, do dishes, whatever you need.” She offered, hoping to show off some of her skills that would push her in the direction of the Undertaker. “I won’t let you down. You’ve been kind to me and…I want to repay you for your generosity.”

Steve held his hands up, not knowing what to say to that and drained the rest of his beer. “Hell, let the little lady help.” He was going to tell Taker about the newcomer, his curiosity burning about her for some reason he couldn’t explain. It was an…unsettling feeling being around her.

“Send her with Taker’s tray, take her up.” Stephanie had seen the speculating look on Steve’s face, her own baby blues mirroring it.

“Good idea.” Steve tapped his knuckles on the table, staring at Abigail. “You can bring a tray up, and I’ll fill you in on how the town works while we walk.” He had to get back to work anyway. “Red, where’s that food?”

“Up your ass!” She shouted, carrying a very large, laden supper tray. “I’ll spill this on you, Austin.”

“Mm.” He gestured to Abigail. “You wanted to be useful, honey.” Steve went to the counter near the door, reaching underneath it to retrieve his guns and a large crate filled with packed meals for his boys on watch. “Let’s go.”

“Yes, sir.” She blinked when he froze, midnight blues widening.

“Steve, honey, just Steve. We’re not formal ‘round here.”

Abigail cracked a small smile, holding the tray perfectly still and nodded to show she understood. “Alright, Steve, lead the way.”

This was it. She was about to go meet the Undertaker and could feel her heart thundering powerfully in her chest. Abigail couldn’t come right out and ask for his help, that would be suicide. No, she would have to bide her time and figure out a way to get close to him without being suspicious. Bray wasn’t a patient man and would expect her back in a few months, at the latest, so Abigail had to act fast, but be careful while doing it.

Steve led the way out into the town, noting residents were heading home. Vendors had long cleared and the streetlamps were on, for a little while longer, then it would be power off across Wonderland. He guided her to a stone wall, pushing through a heavy door and then started climbing the stairs. The tower, they would get to it, but he took her the long way, dropping off meals to the men on watch and gave her basic information about Wonderful. Eventually, they reached the entrance to the tower and he rang a bell, waiting patiently until the steel door opened.

Abigail soaked in as much knowledge as she could about Wonderful, not asking questions right out the gate because that would be suspicious. Hell, she didn’t even care about the Mythril anyway. As far as she was concerned, Bray could stick that up his backside because she wasn’t here for him. She was here for herself and to liberate the poor people, mostly women, from the DOV. When that steel door opened, Abigail came face to face with a giant, swallowing nervously as he leaned in the doorway.

“Evenin’ Taker, came to bring yer food and figure you’d wanna know the latest newcomer. Say hi, honey.”

Midnight blues met acidic green and she felt her breath stolen for a few seconds, pretty sure her heart also skipped a beat. “H-Hi…” It was a soft, timid tone, barely audible and somehow, she’d kept the tray perfectly still.

Acidic green was about all she could see because it was dark behind him. Snorting, he flicked on the light to reveal a pale purple, hard material mask over his eyes. His gaze moved from Steve to the woman and back to Steve.

“Her arms are trembling.” He said finally, turning and gestured for them to follow.

Taker wore simple black jeans and a long sleeved, black thermal top, his shortly cropped, auburn hair gleaming under the lights as he moved. Steve eyeballed Abigail. Taker was right, her arms were shaking pretty badly, and bowls and silverware were clattering on that heavy tray. He took it from her and turned, following after Taker.

“Why is she here, Austin?” He asked, settling himself behind an old, dark stained wooden table, papers and maps scattered around. Taker shifted things aside, making room for the tray.

“She wanted to work off debt to Steph.”

“Hm.” He reached up to remove the mask.

Steve flinched because, a week ago, Taker had been out patrolling and had a skirmish with the DOV. He had taken an iron bar to his left eye, broken orbital bone. Taker wore the mask to protect it from any further damage while it healed and probably to spare people the ugly sight.

The giant spared Abigail a look, eyes raking over her, appraising her. “Who are you and why are you here?”

“My name is Abigail, Undertaker.”

She remembered what Steve told her about the formality and didn’t break eye contact with the giant. That would be a big mistake. No wonder Bray was afraid of him, the size of this man was incredible.

“Abigail Waters. I come from Salny.”

With precision and a surprisingly steady voice, Abigail reiterated her story about being from Salny and her mother dying, not changing a single thing. That was crucial to any lie. She had learned over the past 10 years being stuck with a sociopath, after all. Since she kept her story straight with no changes, the skepticism from Steve vanished a little, though he still felt uneasy for some odd reason. Maybe it was too much beer, or those bitches had drugged him at the bar.

“I’m not looking for any trouble, I just wanted a fresh start after losing my Mom and she told me to come here for that new beginning. Unfortunately, the money she gave me is…outdated and I didn’t realize it. Some other places I’ve been to still take silver coins and regular paper money…” Abigail took the tray from Steve with a smile and set it down on the nearby table in front of Taker. “If you don’t have room for me here, I’ll understand and be on my way in the morning…”

“And just where the hell are ya gonna go? The DOV?”

Her eyes hardened slightly. “No. Never.” Again, she added in thought, keeping the smile on her face.

“We got plenty of room here for ya, little lady. No need to leave when yer ass is safe here, right Taker?”

“Steve has an unfortunate flaw. He trusts too easily.” Taker said without emotion in his tone. “In fact, most people do when they hear a sob story like yours. It makes you seem vulnerable, and sad, and people are naturally going to like you because of it.”

“You’re such an ass.” Steve said it quietly.

“I’m honest.” He had no time for sugar coating or lies; a lot of people had trusted him with their safety. “There is room, however, providing you’re useful.”

Everyone had to help. It was honest work, but hard on occasion. Taker never sent people out on suicide runs; he didn’t demand anything he wasn’t willing to do himself. Except the elderly, pregnant women and children under a certain age. The older children generally helped out with menial chores, but they also had plenty of time for education and play.

“What do you know how to do?”

It was understanding why he was cautious and a tad cold with his words, not mincing them, but Abigail admired that. He watched out for his people and did what was necessary to ensure their safety. Yes, it would take a lot of time and effort on her part to gain his trust, and then she could ask for his help, come clean to him about who she truly was. Hopefully, by then, he wouldn’t rip her head off her shoulders, which looked to be very possible.

“I can cook and clean, for sure. It depends on what jobs need done around here. I will tell you if I’m unable to do a task assigned, if you wish?” Bray hadn’t really taught her how to do those things and often berated her for helping around the castle, but Abigail felt an obligation and duty to help with their home.

“Come to me.” He ordered, now surveying his food and reached for the chunk of bread Amy had sent, tearing it in two while he stared at her. “Now, Abigail.” His tone clearly indicated he expected to be obeyed.

“Go on, honey. His bark is worse than his bite.” Austin encouraged gently, softly.

Taker watched as Abigail slowly approached him. He had noticed when she had been carrying that tray that everything on it had shook. Her arms had been visibly trembling under the weight and what likely had been a long walk here.

“Hold out your hands.” He dipped his bread into the stew, watching as she extended her arms. “Palms up.”

It took Steve a moment to realize what Taker was doing and now he realized what Stephanie had been speculating on. He moved closer.

“You have never worked a day in your life…” He said quietly. “Or, if you have, it was a very, very long time ago.” He traced a finger along the length of her palm. “Soft. No callouses. No scratches.” His own, rough fingers ran down her palm again, feeling the very noticeable differences between them.

Chapter 7

It was true. Bray didn’t allow her to do much around the castle chore-wise because she was considered his Queen. Royalty in the Dominion. He didn’t take that into account when sending her here, but Abigail was flexible. Also, in the foster home, she was forced to do menial tasks such as cleaning, dishes, taking out the trash and scrubbing the floors with a toothbrush if she got out of line.

“You are right, I haven’t. My mother is the one who worked and supported us. I cooked and cleaned the house, but that was about it. I’ve never had an honest working experience and, when she died, I had to learn how to survive on my own. It’s been…difficult without her and makes me realize how much I took her for granted.” Pulling her hands away from him, Abigail started thinking this was a big mistake coming here, to Wonderful, because everyone was skeptical of her, something she hadn’t expected. Still, he was her only hope – her LAST hope and chance – to bring Bray Wyatt down and the DOV, once and for all. “If you give me a chance, I won’t disappoint you, Undertaker.”

“Stephanie will be able to help find you something to do. You may have a bed at the common house for now.”

They had proper housing, but that was usually reserved for people who had been here awhile, with families. Building onto Wonderful was something he and Steve had been discussing, but that would require expanding the wall. Taker was still thinking on how to do that without overtaxing himself.

“You coming out tonight, boss or…”

He shook his head, more focused on eating, though he was observing Abigail thoughtfully. Finally, he raised a hand, dismissing them.

“Come on, honey, let’s go get you bunked for the night.”

“Thank you.”

Abigail followed Steve out of the room and down the stairs back outside, the night air crisp and cool against her skin. Nobody was allowed outside at night at the castle, mostly due to the fact that’s when the breeding would take place. Abigail looked down at her hands, soft and barely touched. She didn’t know what true hard work was. She didn’t know what hardship was because she’d been pampered by Bray, for the most part, since age 16. The walk back was made in silence and Abigail walked back into the common house, seeing the mess the hall/bar was in. Dishes, garbage…did people really not know how to throw their trash away? Apparently not.

“Gather the dishes and put them in the back. Do you know how to do dishes?”

A few times she’d done them at the castle, but Bray had put a stop to it. “I will learn, no matter how long it takes.” She started the water and looked at the huge bottle of soap on the counter, pouring some in as the bubbles began to form.

“That’s good, but next time, don’t use that much. Otherwise, you’ll have a sink full of suds and won’t be able to find the dishes.”

“Okay.”

“Sorry,” Stephanie said after realizing she probably sounded like a total ass. “I’m tired, it’s been a long fucking day. And… you don’t want to slop bubbles all over the floor.” She looked down at the floor, sighing. “Mind you, it probably needs it. Steve, send in some help please, I want these tables moved. This floor is filthy…”

“I’ll send in Shaw and John. I got to get back to patrols.” Steve said, nodding at her and then winked at Abigail before heading out.

A few minutes later, John came bouncing in, laughing when he seen Stephanie trying to lift a table by herself. “M’lady ring for some muscles?” He teased.

“Abbie, this is John and he’s a shameless flirt. He’s only any good BECAUSE of his muscles, ain’t a damn thing between his ears.”

“Harsh, homie girl.”

Another John…only this one was built MORE than the previous one, shorter, but definitely more muscular. He had bright blue eyes, kind, and an army crewcut for hair. Abigail bit her bottom lip, trying not to laugh at the ‘homie girl’ line and failed, not remembering the last time she laughed.

“I can mop the floors for you after I do the dishes, Stephanie, if you want.” Since she would be staying here for the foreseeable future, Abigail would work day and night or night and day to ensure she paid her way.

“Are you sure? You look dead on your feet, no offense…”

Honestly, Abigail had gotten plenty of rest at the castle, to last her a lifetime, and she never felt more alive now that she was free. “I’m sure. I’ll go to sleep after the dishes and floors are mopped, I promise.”

“She new?”

“Brand spanking.”

“Go on, Steph, I’ll sit with her.” John said after a moment, surveying Stephanie thoughtfully. “Go on to bed, I’ll be there shortly.” He winked at her.

“Oh, go on!” She laughed, cheeks red and nodded. “I’ll see you in the morning, Abbie, we’ll work something out then.”

Bradshaw walked in next and the men began moving the tables and chairs, stacking them out of the way and chatting quietly as they did so. When they were finished, Shaw went to get Abigail some hot water and lye for the floors while John retrieved the mop. Neither of them were aware that their behavior was anything atypical for her.

“Need me for anythin’ else, ma’am?”

Men being ordered around by women…men calling her ma’am instead of the other way around with ‘sir’. Abigail had really entered the twilight zone and shook her head at him with a soft smile. “No, John and…John.” That was confusing as hell. “Okay, since both of you have the same first name, do you mind if I call one of you by your last or something different. Or maybe I can call the army guy here Johnny to separate the two of you?”

“Fine by me.”

“Now hold on a minute!”

The blue-eyed John looked more like a Johnny anyway and Abigail grinned before beginning to mop the floors with the lye, dipping it in the bucket of water while the dishes soaked in the sink. The tables would have to be moved back to where they were once she finished mopping, but Abigail knew the real reason why Johnny was sticking around. He was her babysitter, to make sure she wasn’t up to no good.

Just because he was a technical babysitter didn’t mean anything. She was new. She was an unknown and it was just how things were. Unfortunately, the world was at war, thanks to Bray Wyatt and his Dominion of Vesperia, what an asshat. Johnny was eyeballing her, sure, but he wasn’t a jerk about it. When Bradshaw finally left, he began walking after Abigail, old rags under his feet and skated along, drying the floor in her wake, so he could put the tables and chairs back. When she gave him a look, he grinned with a shrug.

“Hey, I’m tired and I bet you are too. Quicker we get this done, quicker we can hit the bricks, right? Did Stephanie show you where you’d be sleeping?” She shook her head and he nodded; Stephanie had been really tired. “You’ll get either one of the bunks or a cot, just depends who took what tonight.” Common houses meant shared housing. There were only a handful of tiny ass bedrooms and Stephanie had one. There were the ‘checkup when check-in’ room and then a larger bedroom, where sick people were usually quarantined. Everyone else got to share the open floor plan style room up, accessible via a ladder. Cots and bunk beds, pallets on the floor, it was clean, warm and better than the ground.

“Thank you for the help. Nice moves, by the way.”

While he wiped up the floor, drying it with the towels, Johnny was dancing, and it was amusing to witness while she continued mopping. Granted, she wasn’t planning on drying the floor at all, just letting it air-dry, but perhaps what he was doing was safer. Once she finished, Abigail wiped her forehead and set the mop aside in the bucket, after dumping the dirty water out in the other sink that wasn’t soaking with the dishes. Johnny was right, she was extremely tired and dead on her feet, but Abigail needed to finish her task, which was a stack of dishes. So, this was what hard work and labor felt like…and it felt great to be able to do things for other people for a change.

This woman was incredibly slow… she had to be tired. John made himself useful, rinsing and drying for her while she washed. He then showed her where everything went and, by the time they were done, he was ready to go crawl in Stephanie’s bed and cuddle. It had been a long day.

“Okay, so women’s restroom and showers are over there,” He pointed across the room. “Men have behind the kitchen and up here,” He began climbing a ladder to the upper room. “Is where people who don’t have their own housing sleep.” His voice had dropped to a whisper. “Just find an empty bed and call it yours. Nobody will bother you.”

Slow was due to the fact she wasn’t experienced, but the more she did it, the faster and easier it became. “Thank you. Good night, Johnny.” She whispered back, shaking his hand and walked over to where an empty bed lay near the window, the moon streaming into it.

This spot was perfect and reminded her of the castle as well as the foster home. Silently, she sat on the bedding, which was comfortable enough and set her bag beside her, pulling the covers up to snuggle with. Abigail was out before her head fully hit the pillow, every part of her body aching from cleaning, but she also felt liberated.

~!~

“This shit sucks… I miss the good old days when you could call a contractor to come do this shit and have your insurance pay for it.”

“Shut up and get back to work, it’s too hot out here for this shit.”

“Agreed. Austin, shut up.”

Repairing houses was not high on his list of fun, but… it had to be done. Recent storms had done some mild damage to infrastructure. Steve, Bradshaw and himself were up on the roof of one of the houses, relaying the shingles.

“So says the dickbag who is wearing long hair today.” Steve snorted, moving carefully across a weak spot and then looked up into his own face. “I’m pretty sure… that’s an abuse of your powers.”

~!~

Abigail was up just as the sun rose over the horizon and helped Stephanie, Amy and Trish, the drunken blonde she’d saw making out with Steve the previous night, with breakfast. The common house made three meals daily for people that didn’t have homes, herself included. Today’s menu was biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs and bacon. Abigail wore an old apron Stephanie let her borrow and her hair was once again braided over her shoulder, after she’d had a rather cool shower. The hot water had been taken, but that was fine by her since it was a whopping 90 degrees today. Her clothes were shorts -Stephanie lent them to her-, blue jean, along with a red tank top. Stephanie had shown her how to knead the dough, making biscuits from scratch while she did the bacon and gravy since it required the grease from the bacon.

“You know, it’s mostly just me and Ames running this place, and cooking for all these hungry folk, on top of cleaning and everything else.” Stephanie explained, knowing Abigail would need to be trained, which was fine. “The guys come help out when we need some muscle or just another hand, but it’d be nice to have another full-timer around here. What do you think?” Before Abigail could answer, the bell over the door sounded and she looked over her shoulder. “Shit, they’re going to be starving. They were up at the asscrack of dawn working on houses. Who the fuck you supposed to be today, boss?”

“Dealer’s choice.” He smirked, his hair hanging down to the middle of his back, jet black, a goatee and mustache combo adorning his pale face. Like Steve and John, he was in only working jeans and boots, bare from the waist up, revealing a multitude of tattoos across his upper body. His eyes today were a gray green, less acid.

“You should’ve seen him and Steve, two of them, it was disgusting.”

“I – um – yeah, that sounds good, Stephanie…”

Abigail couldn’t believe the difference from the previous night, the change and suddenly remembered what Bray warned her about. The disguises. Was this the Undertaker’s true form? His face was completely healed too, the mask gone and…Abigail had to turn away, hearing the oven go off and pulled the biscuits out. She pulled the oven mitt on, sliding them out and set them on the rack to cool for a minute or two while Trish finished with the eggs. The gravy was done, a huge pot of it, and there were at least 60 biscuits done so far. She immediately popped the next batch in, turned the timer on and took the oven mitt off before turning around, only to slam right into Mr. Disguise himself.

“Oh shit, sorry!”

“Accepted.” He grunted, without looking at her, busy reaching up to pull down a stack of large plates. If she knew who he was, it was because Stephanie had called him ‘boss’. “Watch it.” Taker grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the stove, pushing the gravy off the still hot burner. “It goes off when you’re done.”

“Oh shit, please don’t get a third-degree burn… those cast-iron pots and pans will mess you up!” Stephanie yelped, wishing she had remembered to tell the new worker. “Boss, are you still planning on going outside the walls today?”

He nodded. “You have the lists?”

“Yes, everyone made one and I pooled them together and cut down to the essentials. Non-essentials are on the back, I’ll go grab it.”

This truly was the Undertaker. The same man with the mask and disfigured eye…the short cropped auburn hair…it was as if it never existed. He was completely different, and Abigail could only nod at his warning along with Stephanie’s. What the hell was going on here? Did he truly have magical powers that allowed him to change form? Bray had said something about a talisman. Could he use that talisman to liberate the people of the DOV and destroy it? Abigail busied herself with the biscuits, trying to clear her mind, so she didn’t make a mistake and put another set of biscuits in. Stephanie ordered her to start serving the food, bringing it out to the people pouring in and made sure to give each person the exact amount. The men, Undertaker’s men, were the first to be served along with the man himself. She set their plates down and tried to hide her surprise when they thanked her.

“You’re welcome, enjoy.” Then she hightailed it back into the kitchen to start filling her serving tray up again.

The gates and surrounding areas of Wonderful were open during the day, so long as the Undertaker was in residence. People were able to come and go freely, always through the arches, which served as weapon detectors. When he left, and this was a secret only he knew, the magical protection went with him. That was why there were soldiers patrolling the walls and the borders in shifts. Taker wasn’t leaving anything to chance. The DOV had tried a few times to push through, and each time, they had been sent packing. There were too many women and children housed in Wonderful; if the DOV actually made it through… his eyes turned acid briefly.

Chapter 8

By the time 10 AM rolled around, everyone within the town, who came to the common house to eat, was served and fed. Abigail was finally able to sit down and eat some breakfast along with Stephanie, Trish and Amy, the women all sharing a table. The food was delicious and the biscuits…she had done a fine job on them, after two burnt batches, which Stephanie had laughed about and showed her the proper way to make them. One thing about Abigail was she learned fast and absorbed information like a sponge.

“I just don’t understand why that damn DOV insists on bothering us.” Trish grunted, stabbing her biscuits and gravy like it personally did her wrong. “They have more than enough people and…from what I heard, Wyatt is building a huge army at alarming rates.”

“Really?” That was worrisome, though Stephanie had to wonder how he did it. “Does anyone know how or where he’s getting people from?”

“Nope, unfortunately not. I mean, a woman is pregnant for 9 months, right? They can’t possibly have that many babies to make a 200 men army and counting.” Steve did great pillow talk after Trish rocked his world and now she was discussing things with the girls, like always.

“Maybe he has magic on his side.” Amy suggested, shrugging when Stephanie and Trish stared at her wide-eyed. “What? You don’t think it’s a possibility, given WHO our leader is?”

That was a good point. “What about you, newbie?” Stephanie asked, wanting Abigail to contribute to the conversation. “What do you think about the DOV?”

“They’re sick bastards and deserve to burn for what they’ve done and what they continue to do.” Abigail meant every word that came out of her mouth and hoped it happened one day.

“Amen to that.” Stephanie laughed, then sighed as she took a long drink from her coffee cup. “It’s a beautiful day outside… I wish Taker would use his magic to give us a hand for cleaning.”

“Steve says it doesn’t work like that.” Trish said absentmindedly, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she used her biscuit to sop up more gravy from her plate. She frowned when she realized Stephanie and Amy were staring at her, eyes widening. “Forget I said that.”

“Oh no, no… Steve knows how it works?”

“No… not really. No one does and let’s change the subject.”

Magic…so the theory Bray found out from Malcolm was true. “Magic?” Abigail sounded a little disbelieving, looking from one woman to the other and could tell they were uncomfortable with this subject. “That’s how he changed his appearance, right? I wouldn’t have recognized him if Stephanie hadn’t called him ‘boss’ earlier. Last night, he had a mask on his face and his face was all cut up and bruised heavily. His hair was short too. So, he’s the same guy, right?”

There was no point hiding the truth from Abigail, not after Trish opened her big mouth. “Yeah…you have to keep it hush-hush though because not everyone in Wonderful knows.”

“Only a select few.”

Amy looked pointedly at Trish, who had lowered her head and busied herself with her food. She’d just spilled Taker’s secret to an outsider. And so had Stephanie, now that she thought about it, because of the whole ‘helping clean with magic’ line. These women were out of their minds sometimes.

“I won’t say anything. I’ll forget about it. Look see, forgotten already.” Not likely, but Abigail had to ease their minds somehow and continued eating her food. “What time do we serve lunch?”

“One o’clock.”

“What are we making for that today?”

“Sandwiches with chips. People can come in and make their own, so we’ll get a small break and be able to clean up from breakfast.”

Stephanie had breathed a silent sigh of relief, cursing herself mentally for opening her own big mouth around this stranger. Trish hadn’t exactly helped with that either. Sometimes they just got carried away, but at the same time… they were usually by themselves, Abigail had just sort of been forgotten.

“I got to go run some errands around town, you want to come Abigail? Got to do some ‘shopping’, and what clothes did you bring with you from Salny?” Amy asked, studying those white shoes with a frown. “You walked and hitched from Salny? Those heels and soles must be run clear through.”

“They’re actually not bad, but sure, I’ll join you…if it’s alright with Stephanie.” Abigail didn’t want to flake out on her obligations to the common house, glancing at the brunette and watched her nod. “I have a couple shirts, pants and shorts, socks and undergarments…” She listed off the items that were in her bag, being completely truthful.

Abigail couldn’t afford anything since Wonderful didn’t accept regular currency, so she had no idea why Amy wanted to drag her along. Maybe to get to know her better or snoop, either way, Abigail didn’t mind the heat radiating off her as she looked around the town. It was bustling with life, everyone looked happy – tired, but happy. She’d never seen so many smiling faces in her life and it did her heart good. Whatever Undertaker did to make his people this happy, she hoped he continued to do it for a long time to come.

“Hey Red, what you need?” Ron asked when he spotted Amy coming up his walk, cocking an eyebrow at the woman trailing behind him “Shoes?” His eyes dropped down to both women’s feet, taking in Amy’s old red high-tops and the scuffed white shoes on the other woman’s feet.

“Well this one here walked and hitched her way here from Salny.” Amy explained. “I figured that distance, on that terrain, she might need her shoes either resoled or replaced.”

“What’cha paying with today, Red?”

“She’s got old money coins, remember what quarters look like?”

“No shit?”

“Y-Yeah…” Abigail pulled the coins out of her pocket, not leaving them in her bag for fear of thievery and showed the dark-skinned man the paper money she also had too. “They’re silver coins, actually…” She dropped one in his hand and watched him survey the coin before popping it in the air, catching it with ease.

“I haven’t seen these in a dog’s age!” Ron hooted with a grin, knowing how valuable a single silver coin used to be back in the day…before the DOV took over most of Vesperia. “I’ll take them, help yourself to whatever you want in the shop and, if I need another one for payment, I’ll let you know.”

“I don’t really need…”

Before she could get the sentence out, Amy yanked her inside the shop to get her a new pair of shoes. Honestly, her shoes were fine, just a bit scuffed, but still comfortable. While Abigail was trying on new shoes, Amy and Ron were studying her white pair.

“Heels are…”

“Maybe she hiked barefoot?”

“Maybe. Just weird is all.”

“What’s weird?”

“Boss man, what you doing here?”

“Checking your roof, Ron.” Taker took the shoes they were studying, recognizing them. “What’s wrong with these?”

“Not a thing.” That was the problem.

He raised a slow brow. “Ron… buff them out.” His eyes moved around the room, finally landing on Abigail. “Red, take her out today, when we go on the errands. I want you and the new girl out there with us.”

“Abbie, can you ride a crotch rocket?”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“A crotch rocket, honey.” Ron raised a brow when she looked completely perplexed, slowly looking up at the boss. “I don’t think she knows what they are.”

“You been on a motorcycle before, Abbie?” Amy asked patiently, not surprised the new girl shook her head and rubbed her temples. “She can ride bitch then with me. And Taker, the new girl has a name.” It was rude of him to keep referring to her as ‘the new girl’ instead of using her name.

Ron smirked, knowing Amy didn’t beat around the bush or put up with anyone’s crap in Wonderful, not even Taker.

“I know what a motorcycle is, Amy. Is that the same thing as a crotch rocket? Or are they different?”

“Don’t worry about it, you’ll just ride with me.”

“Okay, where are we going?”

“Out. Don’t worry, you’ll enjoy it. Now, did you pick out a new pair of shoes?”

“Yeah.” She held a pair of plain black tennis shoes that looked comfortable and held them out. “You can go ahead and throw the white ones out or keep them and resell them, if you want. I don’t like white…” Never again would Abigail wear the color, already planning on making her wardrobe as colorful as possible.

“Umm…okay? Sure, thanks…”

Ron wasn’t throwing them away; they were in pretty good condition and he didn’t like having to re-sole or repair shoes when there were perfectly good ones laying around.

“Your name is Abigail.”

“Don’t mind him, he’s weird.” Amy rolled her eyes, then scowled when an overly large hand came down on her head, mussing her hair up.

“Your name is New Girl, until otherwise.”

“Now you’re just doing it to irritate me.” Amy watched as he walked out with Ron, shaking her head. “He pulled me outta a bad spot years ago, so… he’s not so bad, not really, just… weird. And stern, sometimes. Sometimes I think he changes his mood as often as he changes his looks.”

The way he said her name sent a shiver down her spine, though Abigail didn’t show it. She knew better. His deep, burly, somewhat dark voice was sexy, and she could listen to him talk all day and night. There was no way that man wasn’t taken already. If he wasn’t, he either liked men only or wanted to be alone.

“Why does he do that anyway?” She asked curiously, slipping the black tennis shoes on over her white socks. The only white thing she’d keep. “I mean, I guess it’s genius to switch up your appearance, so your enemies don’t know exactly what you look like, but…it’s still weird. You’re right, he is weird.”

“Come on, let’s run those errands for Stephanie before we have to go out this afternoon on the run.” Amy made sure they were squared up with Ron before walking out, a basket on her arm to hold items she had to deliver and pick up. “Now… one of the reasons he changes his looks every day is because… well, when he goes out, nobody ever really knows who he is. I mean, here in Wonderful, he usually sticks to something familiar, but out there… he looks like anyone else. Keeps the DOV from realizing he’s in charge, because if they know, they’ll take him out. What’s the Resistance without its leader?” That’s what they were known as to others outside of Wonderful’s walls – Undertaker’s Resistance. She stopped at a stall, handing over a bottle of pills to an older woman before continuing on. “And the other… is well… this is what I heard, I mean, it’s from a good source, but still… rumor. He had a brother, a younger brother. His brother died in those early years, after the Dominion happened. They set fire to the house Taker and his brother were in. Taker was…. burnt, pretty badly. So, I think that’s why he changes up his appearance all the time, hiding those scars.”

He was eavesdropping. Sort of. Taker was also holding a conversation with a few children, who were on their way to school. Boys and girls; children were precious here, not a resource or a means to an end like the DOV. Amy was mostly right. There was more to the story then what she knew… about his younger brother, who had died, and thinking about Glen made a valuable part of him throb in response, a hand nearly convulsing as he fought the urge to feel the spot. It had been Glen who’d had magic, something rare, something scientists back when had tried to study, but all that had been lost in the war. Glen had saved him, the younger brother had given his life, his magical essence, to ensure he would survive. Now, he carried not only scars from that day, but… a little something extra. Taker was carrying a piece of Glen with him, or… his lips twitched slightly at his own musings, within him.

Destruction was all Bray had caused all of these people, even the leader of Wonderful. Everywhere he went, he caused chaos and shed so much innocent blood. It had to stop before the world of Vesperia was lost forever. Abigail didn’t know what to say to Amy’s explanation regarding Undertaker changing his appearance. Were the scars really that bad? Her heart went out to him and his entire family, hating the man she used to love, the man she had followed for a decade, who had caused so much agony.

“That’s awful. Nobody deserves that kind of pain. Nobody deserves to be…tortured and ripped from their homes and forced to endure what the DOV is doing! To lose loved ones and homes and memories and…Innocent people are dying and being killed on a daily basis, all for the sake of a goddamn religion one man created!” Abigail blinked, tears sliding down her cheeks and wiped them away angrily, gritting her teeth against her own pain she’d suffered at the hands of the DOV. It wasn’t physical so much as mental and emotional.

“Abbie…”

“Sorry…just talking about the DOV boils my blood and it makes me so angry that innocent people are being slaughtered all for the sake of religion. Why can’t we just…believe in what we want and live our lives the way we want? Why does it have to be this way?”

“I-I don’t know…”

That was honestly the million-dollar question. Why did the DOV feel the need to invade towns and villages, pillage them and take their women to treat them like cattle? They were nothing except breeders.

“My family…they were killed by the DOV.” She spoke quietly while they continued walking and talking, after Abbie’s slight outburst. Nobody blamed her, everyone here hated the DOV with a passion and wanted them gone, wiped out, forever. It was easier said than done though. “My parents…my brother…everyone I loved and cared about was wiped out because they refused to bow down to the DOV. They refused to join them. My Mom had sent me away during the scourge and I barely made it out alive. Taker is the one who found me in the woods near Wonderful and saved my life. I owe him for that. We all do because we’ve all been saved by that wonderful man. That’s why the community here dubbed this town as Wonderful because it truly is the best place to be right now, especially in these times.”

“Amy…” Abigail wrapped her arms around the woman, hugging her close and vowed once again, silently, to make the DOV pay for every single person they hurt and destroyed. “I’m so sorry…”

Chapter 9

“Jesus Christ you two, what the hell took you so damn long?” Stephanie demanded when Amy and Abigail finally made it back. “We got to get lunch on before the run this afternoon, and Cena was sent out to help work the fields.”

The man was insanely strong, and Bradshaw thought it was hilarious to ‘yoke him like cattle’ and see if John’s dumb ass could drag a plow. And he could. Scary strong. Lunch was sandwiches, chips and people would make their own plates, but putting out that amount of food was a pain in itself.

“Abbie’s going on the run with me.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake!”

“Don’t mind her, she’s normally not so… colorful. She’s pregnant, just out of the 12-week phase, so… hormones, I guess.”

“Stephanie,” A grinning kid with bright green and purple hair had come running in. “Hey, so, I got the prenatals.”

“Thank the stars… thanks Jeff.”

Stephanie really hoped Taker was able to hit the old town on the other side of the river. They had been scoping it for months, but the DOV had always been in the way. There was a pharmacy there or had been. From her understanding, the DOV didn’t believe in medicine.

“Let’s get the rest of the food on the table and get some lunch too. You can get a nap after if you need too since I know you’re not used to this.”

“Oh wow, really?!” Abigail grinned at Stephanie, noticing the slight glow she had going on now that Amy spilled the beans. “Congratulations!” Going out with Amy and Undertaker was a test, otherwise Abigail would’ve remained here to help Stephanie. “I promise, I’ll help out as much as I can with dinner, if we return in time.” She had no idea how long they’d be gone for.

“Don’t count on it, not with Taker in charge.” Amy stage-whispered with a grin, patting Abigail on the back and went to grab some sandwiches and chips for the road.

“Umm what exactly are we doing again?” Abigail was going on some trip with Amy, but didn’t know the details and wanted to be prepared. “Should I change?”

“Put pants on.” Amy didn’t want her legs getting burned on her crotch rocket. “And put a bandana on too.” She tossed one to Abigail, smirking when she merely looked at it questioningly. “Wrap it around your head to prevent the sun from frying you up. We’ll be gone a while and we’re going to the neighboring towns to scavenge and pick up supplies. We might run into the DOV, do you know how to use a gun?”

“N-No I don’t…” That made her nervous, so Amy handed her a dagger instead, which was inside a holster.

“For protection. Now go get ready, make sure to strap that around your thigh and then meet me out front in 10 minutes. Don’t be late.”

~!~

“You sure you want to take the new woman?”

“There’s something off with her.”

“We all got our secrets, now don’t we?”

Steve gave his old friend a pointed look, watching as Taker stepped out from behind the curtains that usually blocked his bedroom, trying not to flinch at the sight of the real face. He was the only person who knew what this man really looked like because he was the poor son of a bitch who pulled Taker’s burning backside out of that fire. Steve had been passing through, thinking he could outrun what was happening. He had heard screams, a house had been on fire, and now… now he was the right-hand of the Undertaker. Snorting, he picked up the mask and put it on, hissing slightly. The bone was on the mend, thankfully. Taker didn’t think it would be necessary to wear this thing much longer and, a second later, his face was… normal.

“Shit, you look like the male version of Red.” Steve nodded his approval; Taker had even made himself appear shorter, more in line with normal-sized men. “Amy is taken with Abigail.”

“She sees suffering.” And Amy knew suffering. “Let’s go.”

Until Abigail knew, without a shadow of a doubt, she could trust the Undertaker, she would continue lying. It was the only way to survive in this world nowadays and, what these people didn’t know, wouldn’t hurt them. She wasn’t here to hurt them anyway, only for help with the DOV to liberate the innocent and stop the madness. Hopefully, when the truth came out, everyone would understand. Sliding the dagger out of the holster, Abigail ran her fingertips over the blackish blue metal and swallowed hard as it glinted in the sunlight. She slipped it back into the holster, strapped it to her jean covered thigh and headed out, meeting Amy exactly 10 minutes later.

“All right everyone,” Steve announced, when they were all outside the gates, motorcycles and crotch rockets as the smaller, yet faster and usually easier to handle cycles were called, lined up and ready to go. “You all got your weapons?” At the nods, he nodded too. “Saddlebags are empty, everyone has a flask and a satchel waiting on their bike. Water and dried rations incase we’re out late. We’re going to try crossing the old bridge again, about 2 hours out.”

“The boss coming?”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m yer boss. Get ready, we’re leavin’.”

When Amy glanced at him, and then did a double take, Taker winked.

Abigail had to wonder if Taker wasn’t joining them on this journey today after all, figuring he probably had other pressing matters to attend to. She sat against Amy on the crotch rocket and blinked when the woman told her to hold on as she took off with everyone else. The wind whipped over her and Abigail was never more thankful to have her long black tresses pulled back in a braid, understanding the need for the bandana now. She couldn’t wipe the smile from her face, the scenery bypassing her in the blink of an eye and glanced over at the long red-haired man, wondering who he was. She didn’t recognize him at all. Everyone else she had met, except him. Interesting.

Technically, she had only met these people because she hadn’t had a day off yet. There was a lot more in Wonderful, but he wasn’t about to ask mothers of young ones, kids or old people to come out. Usually, only those Taker trusted and who could handle themselves were brought out, because this got dangerous. In his absence, Wonderful’s wall and border security had been tightened, knowing he had to trust his men to take care of the town. Those were the worst moments, the worst thoughts, wondering ‘what if’, whenever he ventured out.

As long as he was within the walls, nothing he didn’t want there could get in. When he was gone, a whole new ballgame, not that anybody but a few knew that. They had come this way many times over the last year and, every time, the DOV had been in the territory. Taker was hoping today would be different because they needed that pharmacy. Canned goods would be nice too. Just items they could use and, if there was still room left in the bags and backpacks, things people had brought to carry what they could, then they’d move onto the other side, Stephanie’s ‘wish list’ from the people.

Two and half hours later, they arrived at the town of Chestine and it seemed as though it was completely abandoned. Everyone halted their bikes at the entrance and had their weapons drawn, including Abigail. She had zero fighting abilities, so all she could hope for was having a lucky shot if they were attacked. Or someone to protect her. Following Amy, Steve, the red-haired guy, along with the others inside, their first priority was scanning the area to make sure no enemies, the DOV, and animals were around.

Animals had become more ferocious ever since the DOV had come to power, Abigail learned, which was just another reason she hated them added to the long list. When Steve ordered her and Amy to ransack the pharmacy, they went off carefully while the men started looking for food, canned goods, anything that was viable to bring back to cook and eat. There was also an abandoned gas station with actual gas, so they would fill up their bikes that way before leaving.

“Something’s on your mind, Abbie.” Amy pointed out the obvious. “What is it?”

Abigail sighed, hating how easily Amy could read her sometimes. “I was just curious who the redhaired man is since I haven’t met him yet. Not a big deal, are these the prenatal vitamins Stephanie wants?” She waved a bottle at Amy, grinning when the redhead nodded and began stuffing them into the satchels.

“Grab all you can.” Amy eyeballed the old gate that had been pulled down to block the pharmacy counter, looking around for the door. “We’ve been trying to get into his place for months; this is the first time we’ve been able too. And those saddlebags would hold a lot, on top of the backpacks everyone had.”

She finally found the door and began kicking at it. A long time had passed, it hadn’t been maintained, and it soon enough gave. All this medicine was outdated by at least a decade, but it would still -mostly- work. A lot of medicines got more potent as they sat, so they’d have to let the local doctor cut some things up for proper doses.

“Antibiotics… more pills… INSULIN.” They had a few diabetics; this stuff was liquid gold for those people. “Abbie, grab all the medicines you can off the OTC shelves, we’ll take all of this first and then come back for bandages and stuff.” The redheaded man was such an ass.

Nodding, Abigail began filling her knapsack and backpack with all different kinds of medicines, not paying attention to the labels. She just swiped them all in the bag with her arm, going as fast as she possibly could. While she did as Amy instructed, Abigail suddenly had an idea and looked over at the redhead, wondering if she would be up for it.

“Hey Amy?”

“Hmm?”

“Since you guys have to use weapons and whatnot…I don’t have any experience with fighting and…I was wondering if you’d help me with that. Maybe…teach me how to fight with my dagger? Just in case I need to defend myself if I’m gonna be venturing out like this in the future.” Abigail felt stupid for asking, but the last thing she wanted was to have her head knocked or sliced off by one of the DOV. She didn’t know if Bray had informed everyone in the castle and the DOV about her mission. “If you don’t want to do it, I’ll understand…”

“Who is learning how to use a gun?”

“Wear bells! What are you doing in here?”

“Steve said we’re to empty this place out, medicine and wound dressings are becoming a bit too scarce.” The redheaded man held up a few bags, grinning broadly as Amy took in his hair, same exact shade as hers. “Also, feminine hygiene products.” Because, as Stephanie had informed him, ‘that shit ain’t wish list, it’s a necessity unless you want us to eat you alive’. He was good and would listen to one of his most trusted.

“Abbie, this is Chet. Chet, this is Abbie, she’s new.” Amy could play along, knowing well Taker didn’t go out in what was considered one of his ‘normal’ forms. “Chet, mind raiding the tampons, pads and Midol for us?”

He shook his head, not minding at all. “Amy… we need to see what’s left in the baby aisles.”

They were screwed on baby formula; that stuff had gone bad a long, long time ago. Milk was also something rare, though they sometimes found the powdered substance, stored in tubs, which meant it was alright to use. They were trying to raise cows, pregnant woman and babies needed milk. He wanted to kill Bray Wyatt, his face turning red at all the needless pain and hardship these people were suffering because that man had issues.

“Hi.” Abigail looked at him for a second before taking a bag he handed her and began filling them up with the rest of the medicine in the cabinets. “I’ve got the baby aisle.” Being around women that were breeders, she knew exactly what to search for and took off, not realizing ‘Chet’ was following her. “Diapers, need diapers. Baby powder – oh, I wonder if they’ve got cornstarch here…”

That was a necessity for babies because of rashes and sometimes, baby powder didn’t cut the mustard. She knew that after helping a few of the women with their babies before Bray, once again, intervened and kept her away from the ‘breeders’. Sickening. Now her face was turning red as she swiped as many packs of diapers in the bag as she could. It was a huge trash bag, far bigger than regular ones and…she hoped they could strap it somewhere on the bike to bring back to Wonderful.

“Did you need something, Chet?” She asked, finally spotting him and raised a brow when he merely stared at her, wondering what kind of issues he had. “I think we’re pretty much cleared out for the baby stuff…”

“Two things,” ‘Chet’ held up two stubby fingers, staring at her. “First, take the diapers out of their packaging, we can fit more that way.” He watched as Abigail began dumping the diapers, crouching down to help her open them and replace them back into the bag. “Second,” He smiled impishly. “Grab all the baby toys you can and smuggle them in. Not a necessity, but…” Happy, content babies meant less stressed mothers. “Teething rings, especially. I’ll go finish up in the hygiene products, and then hit the food aisle.” Most old places like this had kept an aisle or two for groceries. “When you’re done, come help me and I’ll show you what’s safe to take.”

Slick bastard, Amy thought, knowing the boss could teach Abigail and get to know her, see how she did, gauge her this way. “Chet, Midol!”

Abigail giggled at Amy’s insistence for him to grab the Midol, shaking her head. “She’s quite a character, isn’t she?”

At his nod, she smiled at him and then grabbed the baby boys, teething rings, anything that would make a baby content and happy, like he ordered. Something felt…oddly familiar about Chet, but Abigail couldn’t put her finger on what it was. Pushing those thoughts out of her head, she continued with her task while Amy finished up with the medicine aisle. Once she’d cleared the shelves of all that out, stuffing them in the bag with the diapers, Abigail made her way to where Chet was in the food aisle and approached him, seeing all the canned goods on the shelf.

“I really hope there’s enough for all the babies in Wonderful, I grabbed everything I possibly could.”

Chapter 10

“You can bet your ass Amy grabbed all the condoms and birth control she can find.” While precious and welcomed, there were those who didn’t want babies and… even without protection, were still dumb enough to have sex. He didn’t want to dictate personal lives, not really, but if they had a baby boom, they were going to be in trouble. “So… anything in a box is probably no good.” ‘Chet’ tapped a very old box of pancake mix, the box itself was faded. “Anything in a tin… as long as it’s not bulging anywhere or rusted, is fine.” He watched as she immediately started checking out the cornstarch, frowning. “What are you doing, Abbie?” He asked curiously.

“Cornstarch is excellent for rashes on babies. I’m hoping we can bring some back because baby powder, a lot of times, doesn’t work as well.” Abigail explained, picking up the box and checked to make sure it hadn’t been tampered with or anything. “It’s an old home remedy and it’ll work, so as long as you think the stuff will be okay, we should take some for emergencies.” Handing him a box, she waited to see if he approved and once again, that odd familiar feeling washed over her. “So, even canned goods can go bad if the can is bulged out or rusted?”

Since they usually had to rely on environmentally friendly, washcloth diapers, diaper rash wasn’t a thing. But… this was handy, and he bet like hell it would also work on the adults who would break out in heat rashes during the summer. Even an old dog could learn new tricks.

“Yes, canned food usually has an indefinite shelf life.” He explained, beginning to drop said canned goods into his open, reinforced bag. No trash bags for this shit.

“Hey Chet, don’t forget to find the lollies, you know how Taker is about those.” Amy called, having finished with the pharmacy and was lugging all their loot to the doors to be collected. She winked at Abigail. “Big boss likes to pass them out to the kids as a treat.”

Big boss was going to wring his pretty friend’s neck.

“Lollipops, you mean? That’s sweet…weird, but sweet.”

Abigail didn’t think lollipops were necessities, but whatever the boss wanted, he got. She began putting all the cornstarch in his bag, after asking permission, along with the canned goods and other supplies he wanted to grab. He handed her another reinforced bag to continue putting canned goods in and when she tried lifting it, there was no way to do it.

“Wow, this is really heavy…” She grunted, blinking when he picked it up with ease and smiled sheepishly at him. “Thanks. Is there anything else we should grab or anything else you want to show me to look out for?”

“We’ll have to see what else has been grabbed.”

Others were ransacking old public buildings currently, so this was too good an opportunity to pass up. Taker wished they had come earlier in the day; they’d have been able to make a few trips. As it was, he would go talk to Steve since they had a few good hours left. They could pick a place, pile the extras there in bags, and try to come back for it tomorrow or the day after. Clothing was something they were going to need, bedding and pillows, what might have survived… Taker groaned, rubbing his temples.

He gestured Abigail to go on with Amy, turning and headed for the ‘children’ section, eyeballing the school supplies. Unlike Wyatt, he believed in educating these kids, boys and girls, at least the basics. Reading and math, history didn’t seem to matter so much anymore… sighing again, his mind wandered to the new woman. She had said the lollies were weird… why? Why was it weird?

They were only supposed to grab the necessities, things people needed to survive, but in the process, that had been tossed out the window. And yes, it was weird for that giant to hand out lollipops to children. She couldn’t picture it in her head and figured Amy was yanking her chain or something. Undertaker was…not who she thought, that was for sure. He was the complete opposite of Bray in every way, which was a good thing. She remembered when Bray would give the shirt off his back to anyone in need, herself included, but now…now he had warped into a monster…and there was no fixing him.

Abigail knew he had to be destroyed, by any means necessary. Following Amy out of the first store, they went into the second one to start gathering up pillows, blankets and stuffing them in bags. How the hell were they supposed to bring all of this stuff back without a trailer of some kind? Abigail decided that wasn’t her problem and they’d been doing this a long time, so they knew what they were doing obviously.

“All right, you jackasses, unload your shit.” Steve ordered, once everyone had brought their ‘loot’ outside by the bikes.

He watched as those with proper motorcycle began opening their saddlebags – many of the bikes were equipped with luggage racks on the backend and, repaired many times yet still serviceable, empty luggage cases – already strapped on. Cans were loaded by size and weight first across the saddlebags. Diapers and feminine products were stashed in the luggage compartments attached to the backend of every bike except Amy’s, only because she had a passenger. Everyone had brought old school backpacks, and most could manage two at a time: medicines, tools, and things of that sort were divided into them, based on who could carry what. Within a decent time, everyone was ready to go, and Steve grinned. They had this routine down. During those early years, they had really screwed up via trial and error, but now… now was different.

“Fuckin’ lollipops…” Amy pointed at ‘Chet’, shaking her head when he stuffed a bag of the sweets into his jacket, betting anything that bastard had some really big pockets.

“Hey, if it makes kids happy, I’d rather them be happy than miserable and whiny.”

Amy concurred to that and they laughed, finishing up strapping their belongings and goods to the bike. Abigail had a feeling Amy didn’t have nearly as much on hers as she should’ve due to her, guilt consuming her. Oh well, what was done was done. It was weird, and interesting, how the DOV hadn’t attacked them at all. This was technically their territory, but they had stayed back and allowed Taker’s team to do what needed to be done. As Abigail looked around, she could tell everyone was waiting for an ambush attack, herself included, but…nobody came. Nobody showed up, not even one soldier.

“Where’s the DOV, Austin? They gotta know we’re here by now…”

“I know…” Steve shared a look with ‘Chet’, seeing the confusion written all over the man’s face. “Maybe it’s a miracle…” He snorted, not buying that for a second and glanced over at Abigail and Amy before straddling his bike.

That was worrisome. For a year now, they had been trying to make it here, and the fact that they had so easily, didn’t set well with him. His eyes raked over his crew again, finally resting on Amy and Abigail before glancing back at Steve. Wonderful was relying on only the men patrolling right now… his teeth gnashed.

“Top off your tanks people, we’re leaving!” Steve read Taker’s mind, knowing if the DOV wasn’t attacking them here, they could be trying to breech the town again. And Taker wasn’t there to keep them from actually doing it this time.

Bray, don’t do anything reckless, Abigail thought, having a feeling she knew why they were rushing back to Wonderful. The ride back was full of tension. From head to toe, she could feel Amy’s body rigid and not relaxed like it was on the way here. By the time they arrived at the gates of Wonderful, all was…quiet and peaceful. Abigail hopped off the bike with Amy while Steve looked positively flabbergasted.

“What the fuck is goin’ on here? Why didn’t they attack us like all the other times?”

“Maybe your miracle theory is right, baldy.”

No, something wasn’t right, and Steve could feel it, shaking his head. He knew Taker could feel it too. Where was the damn DOV? Why had they suddenly tucked tail and stayed away? Abigail helped carry the supplies inside with Amy, their eyes peeled for any sudden movements and…nothing. Absolutely nothing happened or was out of the ordinary. She overheard ‘Chet’ talking to Bradshaw to ask about the patrolling and he’d said the same thing they were all thinking. Something wasn’t right.

After checking in with the corner towers and watches, Taker was feeling left… unsettled. Nothing and nobody had been sighted since they had left, hours ago. He had shifted to one of his ‘normal’ forms: heavily tattooed, long jet-black hair and a black beard, his green eyes acidic as they narrowed in thought. Wyatt was constantly pressing them, trying to get to the hundreds of people under his protection. Frowning, he moved to stare over the short, stone wall to stare down into his town.

It had housed thousands back in the day, and now they only used the main square and blocks outside of that. A lot of buildings had been destroyed in the war and, what they couldn’t save, they had scavenged. The walls had been built over the years until they were what they were now, and land had been cleared for growing their own food and raising what animals they could. All that technology was becoming useless as the years went by; they were unable to maintain factories that put out power and he had yet to meet an engineer since the great Revolution.

“Something is wrong…” He hissed, his eyes landing on Abigail and Amy, who were among others unloading the supplies and he could see people milling about, waiting to collect a share of the goods. Taker couldn’t afford to relax, not when something was afoot.

“Oh thank goodness, you two are back! We could really use the help here to serve dinner! Abbie, here.” Stephanie shoved the tray, the same tray she had last night, and pointed to the tower out of the window. “Go deliver the boss his food and then come right back, okay? Please?” Being pregnant made her a tad pushy, but she was exhausted and dead on her feet due to all the energy the little beast inside of her sucked out of her.

“O-Okay, I won’t take long!”

Abigail could tell Stephanie was ready to drop and would be in for another long night of cooking and cleaning, rushing over to the tower as fast as she could without tipping the tray any. Swallowing hard, she was tempted to just leave the tray outside the door and had to force herself to move forward, to actually knock the same way Steve had. Only, it was just her this time around as her midnight blue eyes looked up at the giant once the door opened. Once again, he was blanketed in darkness and she could only see his eyes.

“Good evening, Undertaker. Stephanie sent this for you.”

He stepped back, flipping on a low-level light and gestured at the desk where he took his meals, turning away from her. “Why did they send you?” Taker asked, wondering what Stephanie’s damage was to send the new girl up after a long day. He looked back, noting she was rubbing her arms, betting that heavy tray and long walk wasn’t doing her any favors. She needed to build some upper body strength. “Amy sent word you want to learn how to use a gun.”

“Stephanie is running on fumes and I don’t mind.” Abigail set the tray down on the table, like she did the previous night, only they hadn’t gone upstairs. “And yes I do. I need to protect myself from the DOV and anyone else who tries to hurt me or people I care about. I’ll be honest, I have no fighting experience at all, but I’m a fast runner and learner. I’m sure shooting a gun won’t be that difficult.” As long as it wasn’t a machine gun, which was some of the weaponry the patrol men used. “I asked Amy for help, and I’m sorry if that was out of line, sir…I mean Undertaker.” Damn it, she slipped up and lowered her eyes from him.

He eyed her doubtfully, wondering if she’d be able to handle the kickback, the recoil, from a gun, even a compact, semi-light Beretta. Taker didn’t know what the hell she was apologizing for and moved so he was in her space, grabbing her wrists and pulling her arms up, watching her face intently. “You need to get some arm strength, woman.” He advised flatly, letting go and blinked when her arms came down like deadweight, rubbing the tip of his rather blunt nose, both amused and irritated. “Bullets are pretty precious around here,” Sort of, Mythril bullets were damn handy, but… he preferred using Mythril for things that weren’t going to be lost in a body or just lost in general. Daggers and swords, awesome. Bullets… could wind up somewhere besides the target and then they had to hunt that stuff down to melt and recast it. “BB gun pellets…” She could learn using those.

“Whatever you think is best. Amy gave me this dagger, but I don’t know if I’ll be any good with it…” She gestured to the holster around her thigh and shrugged at his raised brow. “I guess she didn’t want me going with her and the others unarmed…” Abigail stepped back tentatively, putting some space between them. This was day 2, it would take far more than that to convinced herself he was trustworthy. “Oh…this guy named Chet came with us today and…he said you wanted lollipops for the children. Amy took them to the common house if you want to go grab them when you’re done eating. I’d better get back and help out, unless…you needed something else from me?”

“Are you…” He raised a slow black eyebrow, having noticed how she put distance between them and didn’t care. She was probably not used to strange men just raising her arms like that. “Tattling on Chet?” That was what it sounded like. She could have easily said ‘we got your lollies’ and called it a day. Taker couldn’t keep the amusement from his tone as he studied her. “And give me that dagger.” He held out a hand for it, wondering what the hell Amy was thinking passing out a Mythril dagger to someone he hadn’t given his seal of approval on. “I’ll find you something more suitable.” He promised, turning to set it down.

Judging by the way he took that dagger from her, Abigail surmised it WAS made of Mythril. So that was Mythril, a bluish black stone forged into weaponry. Bray couldn’t get his hands on it; she could feel the immense power generating from the dagger while having it on her person throughout the day.

Chapter 11

“You should give Chet a raise…or however you guys praise each other around here. He was very helpful today and taught me quite a bit. And I’m not tattling on him, I just figured you’d want to know where they were at.”

“Mmmhmm…”

He dropped down behind his desk, eyeing the tray. Taker really hoped Stephanie took a damn breather. The woman had been kept on light detail during her first 12 weeks, due to the chance of miscarriage, now she was busting her backside like she had to play catch up or something.

“Sit down, Abigail.” He gestured to the chair opposite him, watching as she studied the dagger, noting the thoughtful expression on her face. “What is it?”

“I really should get BACK…” With a wave of his hand, he planted her in the chair and Abigail felt as if she couldn’t move for a few seconds, blinking. Her voice had risen against her will because of the shock of magic being used on her with that last word. “What the hell was that?!” She exclaimed, once she could move her limbs again and saw the devious smirk on Undertaker’s face, her own turning crimson. “Right, the magic thing. Stephanie and the girls told me about it, somewhat.” That was extremely powerful; it felt like she’d been immobilized without the pain. “I’ve never seen a dagger like that before and was curious what it’s made out of. The material is bluish black, it’s…interesting and beautiful.” The moment she had touched the dagger, Abigail had felt a surge of energy course through her.

He wouldn’t be doing that again, though usually a show of magical force once was enough. It drained the hell out of him. When in Wonderful, Taker was consciously exerting energy on his appearance, as well as maintaining the protective boundaries. Expending extra just to put her backside in a chair… he was sometimes a dip.

“A metal that is specially forged.” He answered simply, flashing her a smile and then handed over a bowl of what looked like… soup. “Eat. Tell me what you learned today.”

He wanted her to eat with him? Did he do this with all of the newcomers? Something told Abigail no. So, what made her the exception? The soup did smell delicious and her stomach rumbled, not eating since…this morning, actually. There was no time to stop and eat when they were outside of the gates in potential mortal danger.

“Well, the cans for one. If they’re bulged out or rusted, don’t touch them. Diapers need to be ripped open, the packaging, because you fit more in a bag than if they are packaged. Medicine, although outdated, can still be used, though the doses need to be calculated beforehand.” Amy had told her that one while they put the medicine in the backpacks and knapsacks. “Chet told me to grab teething rings and toys for the babies because it helps them not be cranky. Good call, by the way, on that one. Oh, this is something Chet didn’t know, I don’t think anyway. I told him about how you can use cornstarch for diaper rash. It works a lot better, generally, than baby powder, so I grabbed all the boxes of that for the babies. Umm…” While she spoke, she took a couple sips of soup and paused in between telling him all that she’d learned. “Oh, I also learned that if you roll clothing, including blankets, it saves room and you can fit more into a bag.” That was a trick from Amy. She learned a lot from the redhead, but Chet was a major help too. “I think that’s it…” Without realizing it, she finished half the soup and felt marginally better.

“Cornstarch, huh? Would it help with general rashes? Like heat?” When she nodded, he did too, taking a bite of the potato Stephanie had sent up, with plenty of pepper and not much else, which was the way he liked it. “Good. In the summer, it’s blazing hot…” Summer was nice though, it meant they could run less electric. They had been toying with solar energy, something that had been making a big splash before the war, something renewable. “You book smart, Abigail?”

“Yeah, I love to read. I’m a book nerd. Before I left home, I had a whole bookshelf full of them and my Mom said I was crazy.” Abigail chuckled, the lie flying out of her mouth, though it was only partial. Bray had been the one to call her crazy with all the books she read instead of her Mom, who she didn’t know. “Any type of rash you have, cornstarch is the answer, but you’ll have to try it out and see for yourself. It’s not for everyone.” Her eyes lit up at the possibility that just struck her. “Undertaker, is there a…library or some kind in Wonderful? Or maybe a bookshop?”

“Don’t I wish…” He sighed wistfully, propping his elbow on the desk, chin in palm, looking reflective. “Before this war started, this DOV, when I was a boy, I lived a few blocks from a city library and it was huge.” His eyes softened for a moment. “So many books…” But… that was the past and he cleared his throat, returning to his meal. “What books we did have… sadly, have been used in the absence of toilet paper, or for rolling cigarettes for those that smoke, as firestarter… you get the picture.” He caught the disappointed look on her face and felt a bit… saddened too.

“I’m sorry…” Abigail whispered, not meaning to bring up a sore subject and felt her heart break into pieces over the fact they had no books here.

The apology was on behalf of the DOV for being so heartless and forcing people to the extremes they’d gone. To actually destroy precious books with information that should’ve lasted centuries…it was all gone. She understood they had to be used for other things, like wiping people’s backsides and a firestarter, but the fact of the matter was, books were precious. There was a whole slew of them at the DOV castle, and she vowed to get every single one of them once the DOV was taken down to bring back to Wonderful.

“I have a few books in my bag that I brought with me. I’ve read them countless times, but if you need them for…kindle and whatnot, I’ll give them up.” Hiding those from him was pointless.

Green eyes widened, and he lowered his fork, staring at her. “No. You keep them. As long as you make it clear they’re yours, no one will touch them and besides,” He hid a smirk, taking a drink of his water. “Plenty of leaves, Abigail, people will make do.” He was curious what sort of books she read, if they were novels, or textbooks… she had been travelling fairly light, maybe paperback. Standing, he put their bowls back on the chair, gesturing her up. “Now, show me where these lollipops are… there’s to be a bonfire tonight, celebrating our good fortune on the run. The kids expect a few presents…”

“A bonfire, really?” Abigail wondered if she would be able to finish her chores in time to attend and stood up from the chair, doing it slowly just in case his magic hadn’t worn off yet. “You didn’t have to give me your soup, you know…” He pressed a finger to her lips and she merely smiled at him, understanding what he’d done. If he was eating, he wouldn’t do it in front of her without her having something as well. “Thanks for making me eat and…rest for a few. Come on, I’ll show you where the lollipops are, so you can spoil the kiddies.” She really wished she had a camera, this was too good to be true.

When Abigail returned, with the Undertaker in tow, Stephanie smiled at the sight of the giant. He was wearing her favorite ‘appearance’, the black beard, long black hair… it was gorgeous. If she wasn’t happy with her Johnny… well no, actually, Taker hadn’t had a woman in years, not that she was keeping track of who may have slipped into his bed a time or two because a man did have his needs. His last steady woman had been murdered and he had sworn off relationships then, which was understandable. Being in charge, opening up and then losing someone, but still having to go on because of all that weight on his shoulders, would suck. They had already cleared the evening meal and the rest of the work, so she was happy. “Bradshaw, Ron, Johnny and the rest came in. Jeff’s finishing up the dishes, and Matt’s been helping Chris haul wood.” She said by way of explanation when Abigail looked surprised. Everything was done. The floors were mopped, the dishes were finished and the place looked spic and span!

“I’m so sorry, Stephanie. I know I promised to come right back, but…” The last thing Abigail wanted to do was tattle on the Undertaker, of all people, and swallowed hard. “I – um – got held up…”

She glanced up at the boss and then went behind the bar, where she knew Amy kept the lollipops and grabbed the huge bag of them. There had to be at least a couple months’ worth in that damn bag! It was somewhat heavy, but she managed to bring it over to him.

“As requested, Amy outdid herself.” Then her eyes looked toward Stephanie, feeling terribly guilty for not helping out. “I will work twice as hard tomorrow, I promise.”

Stephanie was staring at Abigail like she had lost her mind. “Honey, on nights like these, the boys usually come in and help out, so we can all go celebrate.” She said gently, waving a dismissive hand. “Don’t feel bad, I should have reminded you. Why don’t you go freshen up? In a little bit, we’ll have that bonfire and then Santa Claus over there will be handing out things that we brought back.” Because it had to be rationed.

“Santa Claus…” Abigail snickered, covering her mouth with her hand when he shot her a glare and hightailed it out of the eating area to the ladder that lead to her bed.

“Hey, maybe he can use his powers to change into Jolly Ol’ Saint Nick like he did last year. Do you remember that?”

“Oh my god, yes! The kids were ecstatic and had no idea!”

Stephanie beamed brightly, placing a hand on her protruding stomach. The leader, along with his men, had gone to a toy store that was 3 hours from Wonderful in a town called Selmi. They raided the toys, bringing them all back and one of the storage houses in Wonderful now had toys upon toys for the kids during the holidays.

“He’s such a softie…”

Amy snorted with a snicker of her own. “What was your first clue? The lollipops, the toys or letting them beat him up whenever the mothers are at their wits ends?”

“All of the above.” The women laughed.

“Hell, he actually ATE with the new girl too. That NEVER happens.”

“Yeah…that is fishy.” Stephanie eyeballed Taker, folding her arms in front of her chest and watched him walk out, wondering what was going through his mind.

“Well, no, I guess not…” Amy shrugged, not really caring one way or another. “We don’t get many women coming in… mostly men.” They shared a meaningful look, both knowing why many women didn’t make it. They were caught by the DOV for breeding purposes, or killed if they were physically disabled, or old. “He does it with the men who come in; it’s how he starts feeling them out. I guess it just seems weird because… she’s a vagina.”

“How’d she do today?”

“Not too bad actually.”

Cleaning up consisted of changing her jeans into shorts because it was in the middle of summer, leaving her tank top on and washing her face. The women didn’t wear makeup because it wasn’t a necessity, so they’re natural beauty was all the men received. Bray didn’t allow her to wear makeup either, so Abigail was used to it. The celebration commenced with Abigail sitting near the back, watching the children dance around Undertaker, all of them squealing at the lollipops he had. The babies were content with their teething rings, the ones that were teething anyway, while some of the others had rattles and whatnot.

There was so much life here, so much happiness and peace. These people had suffered, but nothing compared to what they could’ve at the hands of the DOV. The men toasted each other with beer while holding onto their women. Most of them were taken, though Abigail noticed Taker wasn’t one of them. Taker was really good with the kids, picking a couple of them up, girls, so they could kiss his cheek and thank him for the candy. Now she understood why he did it, why he wanted to make the children happy and smiled. It felt foreign to smile as much as she had the past 2 days because there wasn’t anything to smile about in the DOV.

It was darkness and Wonderful was light.

As far as they were concerned, they had plenty to be happy over. It was summer, it was warm, they had restocked some of the food stores, and Taker had announced that they would try returning within a day to fetch the stuff that wasn’t necessarily an essential at the moment. Come winter, however, any additional clothing or blankets they could find would be wanted and needed. Hell, they ought to dig out one of the old trailers and try salvaging materials too, if only it wasn’t so damn far away. His eyes moved to Abigail, taking note of the way she was just observing everything, some confusion, some joy on her face. What kind of life had she left behind?

It was a bittersweet feeling to be here in Wonderful because, as much joy and happiness flowed through this place, she wanted that for everyone. She wanted her people liberated, feeling a responsibility to them to free them from Bray’s tyranny. Sighing, Abigail became lost in thought while staring into the fire, not realizing someone sat down beside her, until she felt a finger tap her shoulder.

“Santa Claus done with his duty for the night?” She joked with a smile, laughing as he rolled his eyes and shook a closed fist at her playfully. “Hey, you can thank Stephanie for that one. But I do have a question. Does Santa Claus receive gifts because…” Pulling something out of her back pocket, Abigail placed the small paperback book in his hand. “I know this story inside and out, so I don’t need it anymore and I want you to have it. It’s my way of saying thank you for letting me stay here. But you have to promise me you won’t destroy it. This is one book you keep and read it when you want to since you like to read as much as me. Will you do that for me?”

Chapter 12

He stared down at the book, frowning. “I don’t have time to read.” Taker grunted, pushing the book back at her. It’d be his luck he would get lost in the story and forget what he was supposed to be doing. At her somewhat crestfallen look, he rolled his eyes and sighed loudly, mocking exasperation. “Fine, just put those big puppy eyes away.” He took the book, eyeing it before slipping it into the inside pocket of his vest. “Thank you, and… here.” He held up his fingers, nothing. Snapped them, and a lollipop was there. That was just good old-fashioned, sleight of hand trickery, something his Dad had taught him a long time ago. “Go enjoy yourself.” He had to go relieve the watch, have them get down here and would man the walls alone tonight.

She took the lollipop from him and twirled it around, not remembering the last time she had one. “You do know, it’s okay to have fun once in a while yourself, right?” Abigail nudged him playfully, looking back down at the lollipop and then into the fire. “And I am having fun. I’m content to sit here and watch.” Hell, she didn’t even know HOW to have fun anymore because being in the DOV sucked it all out of her. Stephanie, pregnant and glowing, was dancing with Johnny by the fire along the other couples and singles mingling as well.

Taker stared down at her, frowning and stepped back. Why was she touching him? He felt annoyed. This woman was new. She wasn’t trusted yet and, as if someone were pulling his strings, he seemed to seek her out whether he wanted to or not.

“I have plenty of fun.” He informed her and then turned away, eyes scanning for his second in command. “Austin, I’m going to go send the boys down.”

“You take too long, and we’ll open up the whiskey without you, and it’s your favorite kind, boss.”

“And what a shame that’d be.”

“Not kiddin’, Taker.”

He was considering coming back down as Steve… naked. Smirking, he disappeared into the darkness. That would be hilarious.

Sure enough, everyone began roaring with laughter and woman turning red at the sight of Steve Austin…naked, an hour later. What the HELL? Abigail immediately averted her gaze, covering her mouth with her hand and then did a doubletake.

“TAKER, YOU SUMBITCH!”

Undertaker was NAKED as STEVE?! Abigail chanced a look, moving from the clothed Steve to the naked one and immediately averted her gaze again.

“NOBODY LOOK! THAT’S MY STEVIE!!” Petite Trish, standing around 5 feet tall, maybe a little taller, tried to shield Steve’s genitals from all the eyes of Wonderful, or eyes that had joined the celebration. “This is a dirty play, Calaway!”

Calaway? So Undertaker DID have an actual name. Abigail figured that much, sipping her water, since she refused to drink, and watched now that Trish had somewhat covered naked Steve up.

“Good lawd, I didn’t realize how hung you are, Stevie!”

“Damn it! Trish, you didn’t tell us you go to bed with THAT every night!”

Trish turned three shades of red.

“What, this?” Taker gestured to the goods Trish was shielding. “Now ladies, don’t get your hopes up. I gave him a few good extra inches because I felt sorry for the tiny bastard.”

“HEY! THAT’S NOT TRUE, I’M HUNG LIKE A GODDAMN HORSE!”

Laughing, Taker shifted back to the long black hair and black beard look, smirking when people started to see if he was going to remain naked. Not happening. He was topless however. Steve was still not amused, telling anyone who would listen about the size of his appendage. Taker was an asshole.

Thank the stars the kids had been sent to bed…

Never in her life had Abigail laughed so hard. Tears – actual tears of happiness and joy – slid down her cheeks from how hard she was laughing, having keeled over on the ground, holding her stomach. Everyone was pretty much doing the same thing besides a few gawking single women, who couldn’t stop staring at him. When he returned to his original form, or one of them, with the long black hair and beard, shirtless, Abigail had to learn how to breathe again for an entirely different reason.

Taker was a beautiful man, sculpted to perfection and chiseled out of stone. Or in this case, Mythril. Without a shadow of a doubt, she knew that dagger he’d taken from her was made from Mythril, even though he hadn’t told her. She knew because of Bray and Malcolm’s intel. Abigail had to get her head in the game, knowing this wasn’t the time to have fun. She had to stay focused and, starting tomorrow, she would begin preparing for the inevitable battle with the DOV. They would come for her, eventually, and she had to be ready for them. First order of business was building her upper body strength and then…she would learn how to shoot a gun, even if it was a BB gun.

“Hey, you sexy thing, Stephanie said you’re to stop looking so glum.” Johnny said, dancing in front of Abigail playfully, swinging his hips in wide circles. Stephanie was taking a breather; she had been watching Abigail go from laughing to serious and ordered him to come play cheer-up crew. “Come on,” He took Abigail’s hand and led her to the area where people were dancing. “Can you dance?”

Taker had gone to get himself a drink, standing and talking quietly with Bradshaw, watching with a raised brow as John Cena made a fool of himself. Stephanie had weird taste in men.

“No, I don’t.” Abigail was suddenly twirled and dipped before set back on her feet by Johnny, bringing a small smile to her face.

“Time to learn, watch me, homie girl.”

Abigail raised a brow, watching his feet work and tried picking it up, but ended up tripping over her own feet. Luckily, he caught her before she’d gone into the fire. “I really don’t have a clue how to dance…” Bray didn’t allow celebrations and functions to happen at the DOV, due to the women being…preoccupied.

“Come on, just feel the beat!” Johnny stood behind her, placing his hands on her hips and began moving her from side to side, deciding to take baby steps. “Just close your eyes and feet the beat, let the music flow through you.” He was a huge fan of music and made sure Wonderful had a band, which was currently playing for the celebration.

“You’re crazy. I don’t-” Abigail sighed when he continued swaying with her and decided to go along with it, getting the motion of her body on track before moving her feet from one to the other. “Okay, that’s not so bad, I guess…” Another trip happened seconds later. “Then again…”

“How the hell do you not know how to dance?!”

“Not a big priority where I come from, Cena. Thanks for the lesson, but dancing’s not for me. Sorry…homie boy.”

“Oh no, you’re going to learn!” Amy appeared, grabbing Abigail’s hands and raised them up over their heads. “Come on!” She started just dancing in place, grinning. “You don’t get to leave until you learn!”

Ron watched in amusement as Abigail tried mimicking, then spotted ‘Chet’ coming, sparing a glance over to where Taker had last been. He spotted long black hair over that way, and then back to ‘Chet’. That was just sneaky.

That was sly, and Amy smirked. “Hey Chet! Come teach Abbie to dance!”

So much for just blending in and getting close without being noticed.

Where’d he been hiding all this time? Abigail smiled at him while continuing to wave her hands in the air like Amy, laughing. This was ridiculous and fun…she was having fun! It still worried her the DOV would attack, but maybe for one night, she could let her hair down and have some fun.

“Okay – okay!”

She laughed when Chet stepped up to her and lifted her arms the same way Amy had, waving them along with his. Now they were doing some kind of dancing where they held their nose and dipped down. Something called the swim. What the hell? When they demanded her to do it, she followed suit and couldn’t help laughing.

“Come on Chet, you know any dance moves you wanna show me?” Once again, that odd familiar feeling washed over her, but Abigail couldn’t pinpoint why.

“Nah, I leave all that crazy shit to Amy.” He laughed, dancing with them.

It was easier, dancing as Chet, because Chet was not a near seven-foot giant. That looked awkward, at least for him. Not to mention, Taker wanted to see how Abigail interacted with others more her… station, he guessed, he wasn’t sure how else to word it.

“Watch it, new girl!”

He caught Abbie before she could go flying, turning his head to watch as Melina Bautista made her way to the alcohol, frowning. She had lost her husband not too long ago and had been… well, a bit of a mean drunk ever since.

“S-Sorry…” Frowning, Abigail looked up at Chet and then back at Melina, seeing she was pouring liquor down her throat like it was going out of style. It wasn’t a surprise when he excused himself to go talk to her and her eyes grew wide when she actually splashed the whiskey in his face.

“Oh shit, the party’s over.” Amy mumbled, watching as ‘Chet’ transformed back into a PISSED off Undertaker and swallowed hard, seeing the shock on Abigail’s face.

Chet was…Abigail couldn’t believe this!! She’d been deceived and then he forced her to not only eat with him, but to tell him what she’d learned, to basically reiterated what he taught her! She watched as he also transformed, muscles rippling, black hair hanging down his back and he had what looked to be a devil’s beard, his eyes a dangerous acidic, though she couldn’t see them at the moment due to getting a side shot. Melina’s husband had been Dave Bautista, a brave soldier that had been taken by the DOV, tortured for days before being executed. His head had been sent to the gates of Wonderful in a square pine box.

Well, so much for the ‘Chet’ look, though Stephanie had a feeling Taker would simply come up with another one.

“WHY WEREN’T YOU THERE TO STOP THEM?” Melina screamed, not caring who saw her abusing their leader as she began hitting him in the chest with closed fists. “HOW WAS THE MIGHTY FUCKING UNDERTAKER NOT ABLE TO STOP THEM?!”

The acid died, being replaced by sadness as he let her vent her grief and anger out on him. Simply put: he wasn’t as mighty as they all hoped. Magic wore him out, more than he had known it would, and sometimes… things just happened.

That wasn’t tolerated in DOV, at all. Melina would’ve been executed on the spot and, yet, here Undertaker was just taking her abuse. Letting her vent her anger and frustration out on him, her heartache and pain over losing her husband. Abigail had literally stepped into another dimension, she was sure of it. Women actually got away with hitting men here? With voicing their opinions and not being punished for it? They weren’t used simply to have unnaturally born babies? This was…normal. Abigail wanted to stop this, seeing the pain and anguish on Taker’s face and, for some reason, her heart broke for him. Hell, her heart had been breaking for the entire town of Wonderful.

“THEY TOOK MY DAVID!! THEY TOOK HIM FROM ME AND YOU LET IT HAPPEN!! YOU’RE SPINELESS AND YOUR MAGIC IS BULLSHIT!! EVERYONE SHOULD JUST LEAVE!! EVERYONE SHOULD JUST GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE BECAUSE ALL YOU’LL DO IS LEAD THEM TO THEIR DOOM LIKE MY DAVID!!”

“Then leave.”

That jolted Melina out of her rage temporarily, her eyes narrowing in on the new girl. “Excuse me? What did you just say?”

“I said then leave. Do you need your ears cleaned out or do you have selective hearing? See those gates behind me? Go for it, leave and see how far you get. Because I guarantee you, sweetheart, the pain you feel now will be NOTHING compared to the pain the DOV will put you through.”

“H-How dare you…”

“How dare I what? Speak the truth? Tell you what an asshole you’re being to this man, who has the weight of the world on his shoulders trying to protect this entire town? Trying to protect YOU, so the same thing doesn’t happen to you or anyone else? Because let me tell you something, once the DOV is through with breeding their women, they kill them. They slaughter them and burn the bodies. Is that what you want?” When Melina just shook her head, Abigail took a deep breath and placed a hand on her shoulder. “So instead of drowning your sorrows in a bottle of whiskey and screaming at the man NOT responsible for your husband’s death, how about you stand up and fight in his honor instead?”

“W-Who are you?” Melina felt powerless against this woman, sniffling and could feel herself sobering up because of what the new girl said to her.

“I’m nobody. Just an outsider looking in, hoping one day to be welcomed in this beautiful place. And I realize we’re at war, so now isn’t the time to fall apart. Are you going to let them win?”

“No.” Melina gritted her teeth, wiping her tears away and looked at the bottle in her hand, dropping it to the ground. “I will make every single one of those bastards pay for taking my David away from me!”

“Good.”

Abigail watched as Melina apologized to the Undertaker, crying as she did so, and the man simply consoled her. It was still amazing to witness, no matter how many times she saw it happen. Men and women were truly equal here. Abigail knew Taker would be angry with her for speaking on his behalf, but…she couldn’t stand to see him verbally castrated the way he was. Knowing she wasn’t welcome at the bonfire anymore, Abigail made her way through the crowd and into the common house to her bed, staring up at the full lit moon while laying down, eventually falling asleep. Tomorrow, her training would begin, and she vowed to stop the DOV and Bray, no matter what.

“I want to know who she really is and where she really comes from.”

“You don’t believe her?”

“Anyone who speaks like that to a total stranger, while being new in a strange town, is used to being in a… protected position.” Taker argued flatly. “She’s only been here 2 days.” And apparently decided that insulting and belittling a grieving woman, a now single mother, was a good idea… “First, she is quiet and meek, and now… no, she’s used to being protected, and it is showing.”

“Well, Salny wasn’t all that bad a place last I knew…”

“Melina did need to hear that though.”

“Perhaps,” Taker allowed, nodding in agreement. “But I still want her watched.”

“You seem to do plenty of watchin’ for all of us, boss.”

That was also true, and he frowned, wanting to know what it was about Abigail drawing him in.

Chapter 13

A week passed, then another, as Abigail became more familiar with Wonderful. Undertaker was snooping around, and she’d cut him off at every turn, doing it with a smile. Her story had never changed, not once, and nobody knew anything about her, not really. The day after the bonfire incident, she began training and pushing herself, focusing on her upper body strength. Of course, she didn’t neglect her job at the common house, so around 4 AM every morning she would get up to start training.

There was a workout facility with weights that were saved, mostly for men, and Abigail knew that’s where she had to go in order to build upper body strength. She started out with a measly 20 pounds, doing reps, remembering how the soldiers did it in the DOV. Then, she added more weights after a week passed by, lifting 50 pounds now. Every morning it was the same routine along with every night. Amy had gotten her a long stick of sorts and began teaching her something called martial arts. It was an old-school style of self-defense and worked in a woman’s favor. Abigail had nothing else to do, nobody to spend time with besides the girls and focused all of her strength and energy on training.

By week three, Amy was impressed with how fast Abigail’s ability to pick this up was and they began sparring with the sticks, crashing them together. “Watch your footwork!”

“I am!” Abigail went down as soon as she spoke, her focus still not at 100% and landed on her back, breathing heavily. She had on just a black sports bra – Stephanie’s idea for training – and black tight shorts with her black tennis shoes on.

“Again?”

Abigail nodded, a smirk curving her lips. “Yeah, again.”

“I’ll take over.” He had been amused, watching, and she did not have the footwork down at all. Abigail was applying herself, that was for sure, but… this art wasn’t something one just ‘picked up’, even Amy was still training to reach the next skill level. Taker took Amy’s bo-staff, eyeing it and then ran his hands over it, lengthening it for his size. “Your staff is a bo-staff.” He informed Abigail, today sporting auburn hair and a mustache/goatee combo, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans and his boots. “And what she’s been teaching you is a martial art known as Bojutsu.”

Why did he want to train with her? Taker had kept his distance, mostly, for the past week, after she reiterated the same story to him about her arrival the previous week. He didn’t believe her, she could see and sense it.

“Bojutsu, okay…” Abigail gripped her own staff, stick, whatever it was called, and they began circling each other. “You’re going to hand me my ass, I already know that, Undertaker.” But she wouldn’t go down without a fight as their staffs began to clash and she hit the ground again. “Damn it, why can’t I get the footwork down?” He extended his hand and she took it, feeling him pull her up with ease. Her body was already coated in a fine sheen of sweat, her black hair pulled up in a messy bun on top of her head instead of in its usual braid.

He had stayed away from her for several reasons. One, he was a busy man and a single woman wasn’t more important than the collective whole. Two, she was hiding something from him, from them. While that wasn’t unusual, because a lot of people had their secrets, their demons, it was annoying the piss out of him because she wasn’t… like others; she intrigued him. Taker wasn’t really alright with that.

“You really don’t know why you can’t get the footwork down?” He asked curiously, raising his bo-staff again. When she shook her head, he was suddenly in her space and she went down again. “You’re relying too much on your staff to keep people away.”

“Okay…”

When he ordered her to go again, Abigail obliged and tried taking his advice, allowing her body to control the way the staff moved. This was also spiritual, according to Amy, though Abigail didn’t know if she believed that. To her, there was no god, not with the way Vesperia was these days. Down she went again, groaning while staring up at the slightly cloudy sky. Taker reached down to take her hand, pulling her up again to her feet.

“Thanks. By the way, I did what you said, or advised, I guess. Worked on my upper body strength and I think I’m getting stronger.” Maybe. Hopefully.

“You are.” She was starting to develop muscles actually and he hoped she knew when to stop or else she would have very grotesque looking arms. He rather liked her arms the way they were, his emerald green eyes raking over her thoughtfully before snapping back to attention. His distraction cost him when Abigail lunged forward and knocked her bo-staff against his knees. Taker started to buckle, stepping back a few paces and managed to keep himself up. Knees on a big man, smart woman. He would also not be checking her out again, while she was holding a weapon, and flashed her a grin.

“All right again, darlin’.” Staff was up.

While he checked her out, she gave him a scan of her own, though she wasn’t as blatant as him. Abigail didn’t know how to feel about that; she had noticed a twinkle in his eyes and it made her smile, butterflies erupting in her stomach. Why did she feel a strong connection with him? She felt like a magnet being sucked in by his forcefield and she was powerless to stop it. Her distraction cost her a shot to the arm, making her drop her staff before being tripped as she landed on her back again.

“Will you teach me the footwork?”

Amy wasn’t able to do it, but maybe Taker could as he helped her up again, midnight blue on emerald green. Abigail didn’t realize she’d rested her hand against his sweaty bare chest, holding her staff with the other or how close they were now. What were these sensations she felt, this heat? Abigail hadn’t felt remotely anything close to this with Bray in all their make out sessions.

Taker wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing, or what he was feeling himself. He had been in love, once, and she had… well, she had been murdered. DOV, of course, same story as many others, like Melina, which was why he had empathized with her so much. Except he didn’t have any children, they had talked about it of course, but… they hadn’t. She had gone down fighting, refusing to be taken for breeding, and he had been fighting to get to her. It had been in the early days before he knew the extent of his magical abilities. He would never make that mistake again.

“Yes.” He answered quietly, not moving because then she might pull away and he was rather enjoying this.

Why did it suddenly feel like an inferno had sparked inside of her? It was hot outside, but she felt as if she’d been doused in fire. Did a simple touch really cause this much intensity? Apparently so. Did he feel the same way she did at that moment, like his entire body had been engulfed in flames? Abigail sincerely hoped so and felt her heart rate kick up a notch at the color his eyes gave.

Suddenly, she wondered if he’d use magic on her the same way he had a few weeks ago to eat with him. Was he forcing her to feel this way or was this all of her? Would he be that sneaky? The Chet thing came to mind. Instead of pulling her hand away, she took a chance and slid it a little more to her right – his left – over his heart. Sure enough, it was pounding like a beating drum against his chest and it made her brows furrow in wonder.

“Hey, you two, enough with the fuckin’ goo-goo eyes, we got work!”

Steve was still holding a grudge, all these weeks later, over the penis thing… sighing, Taker pulled away from her. “Tomorrow, you’re coming with me on a run outside the gates.” He informed her, reaching down to brush a strand of her ebony hair out of her face. “Bright and early, I will clear it for you with Stephanie.” And then he realized, he probably should have asked and not told, clearing his throat. “If… you want too.” A little better.

“Will it be you or…Chet?” Abigail remarked softly, smiling when he rolled his eyes and giggled, nodding. “Just us?” He affirmed with a nod. “Alright, I suppose I can keep you company for a while, Taker.”

Winking, she walked past him and jogged off to go help with dinner, knowing she was late because of Undertaker…again. Damn him and his distractions! Or being a distraction! Why did he want to spend the day with her alone? The thought both alarmed and excited her all at the same time.

“I’m here, I’m here!”

“Geez, cutting it a little close, don’t you think, Abbie?”

“Get in the kitchen and get started. You already know what we’re having tonight.” Each day was a designated set menu, so they knew exactly what rations they had and what they needed on the excursions.

“Sorry.” Abigail mumbled, rushing past Stephanie and began cooking.

~!~

“Thought you didn’t trust her?”

“How am I supposed to trust her if I don’t know her?”

“Since when do you care?”

“Man, can’t we just use magic?”

Johnny didn’t give a fuck who or what Taker was doing or trusted, he just wanted to get the job done. They had been experimenting with that solar power stuff since Spring, and so far, it was working. It was Jeff and Matt’s design, these storage things for winter and, since those weirdos were also kind of brainy, they were trying it. But that also meant installing more of these damn solar panels.

“Hard work is good for you, man!” Jeff laughed wholeheartedly. “I like Abbie, she’s pretty neat.” He also thought she’d be good for Taker. Jeff was an eccentric, sometimes kooky, sometimes overly romantic, brainiac.

~!~

“So, why did Amy come back from training early, but you didn’t?” Stephanie asked, observing Abigail kneading the dough she had spent a great deal of time on for the rolls for dinner. Amy already told her why, but she wanted to see if Abigail would tell her the truth.

“Undertaker intervened and wanted to take over for her.” Abigail couldn’t stop the smile stretching across her face whenever she said his name – or at least, that’s what he called himself around everyone. “What is that look for?”

“You like him, don’t you?”

“No, of course not!” That was a big fat lie and it was horribly done. “I mean…”

“Don’t try denying it, girl. I know that look, believe me.” Stephanie assured her with a smile, though it faded a little. “Abbie, he’s had it rough. I know you have too, we all have, but…just be careful. Don’t hurt him. He means a lot to us.”

“Have you seen that man? There’s no way I’d ever be able to…” Then she stopped, understanding what Stephanie was actually saying and felt her cheeks flare up. “He doesn’t think of me that way, so you have no worries. He wants to take me out with him tomorrow, just us, but…” Oh god, was this a date?! “Oh shit…”

“Yeah, oh shit. Look, we like you, but we love him, and we need him. For as big a bastard as he can be, and as weird as he is, we really need him.” Stephanie’s hands dropped to her stomach, which was beginning to show. “Of course, if he messes you around, we’ll beat the magic right out of him.” She added with a smile, letting Abigail know if Taker screwed up, they had her back. If Abigail screwed up though, they were going to have to bake her into meat pies. “So… you need a special outfit?”

“N-No…no I’m not going.”

Stephanie was absolutely right. What the hell was she thinking?! This was no time to go on a date or have any kind of romance! They were at WAR and Bray would be here before she knew it. Abigail still hadn’t told Undertaker who she really was and why she was here either.

“It’s stupid and I’m stupid for even considering it. I’ll tell him when I bring him his dinner tonight.”

Bad idea, such a bad idea! She was a VIRGIN for fuck’s sake and he’d lost the love of his life because of the DOV! That cemented her decision not to go; he would have to understand and if he didn’t, well…better safe than sorry.

“First batch in!”

“You’re not taking him his supper anymore, Abbie.” Stephanie said, shaking her head when Abigail looked at her. “Nope. One, we have a new guy who wandered in, and Taker likes to rotate out the people coming in with his meal.”

Anybody who was out to kill him might try poisoning him. Not only was he getting to know the new person, but he was also seeing if they were trustworthy. He had been poisoned two times so far.

“And two… if you’re bailing on him, when he goes out tomorrow on a run, after he specifically invited you, you have no business being in that tower.” Cause… why torture the guy?

“Okay, sounds good.”

Less contact with Taker, the better. Abigail could not get distracted right now and continued cooking, alongside Stephanie and Amy. She had a feeling Stephanie was upset with her, but she’d have to get over it. It hurt her to make this decision, but at the same time, it was for the best. Once dinner was done and served to everyone, Abigail began doing dishes, trying to keep herself busy. Usually, she would stop and take a break to eat dinner, but not tonight.

Her stomach was in knots because she knew Bray wouldn’t wait much longer and she had to act soon. Not tonight, but soon. Hell, Bray hadn’t given her a time limit and, ever since she’d been here, there wasn’t ONE problem or altercation with the DOV. It was because of her, because he didn’t want her to get hurt and he was protecting her. Then her thoughts turned to the new guy that came into town…Abigail hoped Bray hadn’t sent another one of his men in here or she was screwed.

Taker survived the night, no poison or poison attempt, which was great because the last two times had sucked. They had been fast acting poisons and he was pretty sure the only reason he was still alive was because of his brother’s magic. He really did owe everything to his deceased little brother and, hopefully, one day in the far future, he’d be able to thank him properly in the beyond.

Chapter 14

Bright and early the next morning, he stood in the common house, listening as Abigail tried to explain away why she was unable to go, frowning. “Get off the apron, woman, you’re coming.”

Amy ever so helpfully untied it and danced away, giggling.

“I’m gonna kick your ass in training later, Red.”

“Looking forward to it, sweetheart.” Amy blew her a kiss, laughing and bumped her hip against Abigail’s. “Now get outta here before Stephanie unleashes her pregnancy temper on you.”

“I-It’s not pretty either, homie girl.”

Groaning, Abigail knew she was outnumbered and reluctantly followed Taker out of the common house, wearing an orange tank top and blue jeans since they would be on his bike. She thought her excuse of not wanting to leave Stephanie to do the majority of the cooking and cleaning would’ve gotten her off the hook. Nope. Not one bit. Taker did not like hearing the word and something told her very vaguely did he not get what he wanted. She’d braided her hair to hang over her shoulder again, hating to leave it down because it was so damn long.

“Alright Mr. Disguise, where are you taking me at 6 AM?” She broke the silence once they were outside of the gates, the sun already rising over the horizon.

“It’s a surprise.”

He wasn’t disguised right now, figuring since it was just the two of them, out in the open, they’d be fine. With everyone a bit paranoid about the absent DOV, which had happened around the same time, disguises really weren’t needed at the moment. Taker slid a pair of sunglasses on, his Harley ready to go, and led her over to it.

“You’re riding bitch again.” She still hadn’t learned to drive one on her own, not that he minded. “Or… you can sit in front of me… and I’ll keep an arm around you.” His eyes flashed behind the lens.

His arm around her the whole time they rode together sounded heavenly and Abigail found herself wanting to experience what it was like to ride in the front. “I’ve never rode in the front before, so…front.”

If he was surprised, his sunglasses hid it well as she mounted the bike after him, her back pressed against his chest. Instead of holding onto the handlebars, the only other option was his thighs that also surrounded her. Oh man, this was a bad idea because now she was burning up. The injury he’d had was gone and fully healed with just a slight yellowish tint around his eye. Abigail felt his arm snake around her, the Harley firing up beneath her and the vibration, combined with being held by him, put her senses on overdrive. When he murmured in her ear if she was ready, she nodded and a few seconds later, they were off.

It was an hour or so, the way he drove anyway, later when they arrived at their destination. Being one lone motorcycle meant he could take shortcuts and paths that weren’t usually feasible when all of them went out. That required more road and easy access to get out of bad situations. His hair today was an odd shade, it was a darkish red/brown with hints of black in certain light, a neatly trimmed mustache and goatee combo, his skin a little paler than he usually kept it and his normally green eyes were sporting flecks of gray in them.

Abigail had taken rather well to his constant changes, it was… odd, actually. Refreshing, but odd. He cut the engine once they were in what had once been the center of a small town, looking around. Taker hadn’t seen anything besides a few animals on their way and hardly anybody came here now. Everything of value had been stripped away. Dismounting, he helped her off the motorcycle before taking Abigail by the hand and navigated the ruins of what used to be an entrance. Finally ducking under a toppled column, they stepped into the large rotunda of the town’s library. Other than the entrance, the building was in great shape considering its age and the years of neglect.

“Here we are.”

His appearance didn’t bother her because she’d already expected the different disguises. She just didn’t know it was done by magic…until Stephanie and Trish spilled the beans. It had shocked her to find out he was Chet, but that hadn’t bothered her either, for some reason.

“Oh my god…” Abigail’s jaw dropped at the sight of the inside, covering her mouth with her free hand. It was a library. He brought her to an actual library! “I-I didn’t think these existed anymore…” She admitted, suddenly feeling excitement surge through her and beamed, eyes taking in everything surrounding them. Aisle upon aisles of books that didn’t look too damaged and in fairly good condition stared back at her. “This is amazing! Shakespeare, I have to see if they have Shakespeare here…oh and Edgar Allan Poe! Hemingway, Stephen King, Twain and Dickens and…” She looked up at him, seeing he was trying so hard not to laugh at her and felt her cheeks burn. “Sorry, I love books…”

“Me too.” He said, though not quite as excitedly as she had.

Taker came here several times a year and usually took a few back home with him, passing them out, hoping to at least start a little library for those who might want to read. However, during the winter, books were not as revered as they should’ve been. “Go on, have a look. Take what you can carry and comfortably hide.” He winked at her. “I only ever take a few myself… feels wrong to take too many, you know?” How old was she? He wondered, eyeing her thoughtfully. “You ever have a library card? Not many people remember those…”

“No, I’ve never been to an actual library. My…Mom would bring books home for me on occasion from the local bookstore down the street.”

Swap that for Bray and it was the truth, only it wasn’t from a local bookstore, it was a library he’d gone to three times a year. For her. They didn’t want to educate the women since they were killed after breeding anyway and the men cared more about fighting and growing their muscles than actually learning about reading, writing, math – the basics. Abigail released his hand and headed down the aisle, reading the faded signs hanging from the ceiling. She found what she was looking for, deciding she would bring back one book from each of her favorite authors.

He and Glen had gone to the library every week. They would get books of all kinds, fiction and non-fiction. They had grown up in a small town, without much outside prospects, so books had been his world and his best education. Glen had loved renting old videos off the small shelf with it’s even smaller selection. He had lost count of how many times they had watched an old VHS of Bambi.

“I’ll be over in the ‘How To’ section, darlin’.” Taker called after her before turning. Jeff and Matt would appreciate some new material and he idly wondered if he would find something about solar power here.

“Okay, holler if you need me!” Abigail called back, sifting through the books and plucked out a couple, making sure they were paperback.

Hardcover was great and all, but not when she had to ride on a motorcycle for an hour. In the foster home, she would read to Bray at night, while treating his wounds, to help get his mind off the pain he was in. Then, once he created the DOV and they’d found, and took over, the castle, that type of intimacy had gone away, and Bray didn’t want to be read to. All he did want was to make out with her and he’d even gotten angry with her one night when she asked if he wanted her to read to him. Sighing, Abigail headed into the next aisle, picking another one while running her fingertips over the rest, as if personally marking them. She would be back here again, especially since Taker enjoyed the library. Once she had 5 books, Abigail figured that was enough and went to find Taker, seeing the was still in the ‘How To’ section.

“Find what you were looking for?”

“Sort of.” Taker flashed her the cover of a textbook he was browsing through. “I’m a fairly smart guy, but this way above my pay grade. Pretty sure Matt and Jeff will get some use out of it.” He tucked it in the leather satchel he was wearing and then smiled slightly. “I also found this for Stephanie.” He held up a paperback ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’. “We used to have a copy, years ago, but it got left out one day and we never seen it again. Figured she might find something in here to… I don’t know… help her?” Helping birth a baby was one thing, no problem, he had done that several times, but helping a woman with questions about pregnancy, not so much. He just knew how babies were made. “What’d you find, darlin’?”

He really did care about his people and never took the time to make himself happy. Abigail had noticed that over the past month she’d been in Wonderful. “She’ll love it and appreciate it, I’m sure. Same with the brainiacs.” Jeff was a riot to be around and made her laugh. Matt was a creep, but a smart creep, so she supposed he was safe enough to be around. “That’s pretty incredible, you putting everyone else before yourself. You really do care about every single person in Wonderful, don’t you?” When he muttered good-naturedly ‘not Steve’, she laughed and shook her head, not believing that for a second. “Thank you for bringing me here. This is the…nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me. I mean it.”

He knew what she thought, Taker didn’t take enough time for himself, and she was only partially correct. He had his tower, his retreat, but doing for others who couldn’t, especially in these times, was what drove him every day. It wasn’t because he was into self-sacrifice, he wasn’t, he could be the most ruthless son of a bitch there was, but…. someone had to step up. “You’re welcome, darlin’.” He smiled down at her, reaching out to push yet another flyaway strand of hair out of her eyes.

Her cheeks flushed again as she looked away from him, clearing her throat and had her own satchel he’d given her prior to coming. “Okay mister, we’re not leaving here until we find YOU something you like. You’ve looked for others, now it’s time to look for you.” Abigail had no idea how much time he wanted to spend here and knew they had to be back fairly soon, but not before Taker treated himself. She grabbed his hand, not minding when he laced their fingers together and guided him away from the ‘How To’ section. “Alright, you take the lead because I have no idea what kind of books you’re into. What kind of books DO you like anyway?”

He promptly turned her right back around, grinning when Abigail sighed in exasperation. “Abbie, you might as well get used to it because this is what I do, it’s what I like to do. And also…” He plucked a book right off the shelf, holding it out to her. Hardback, filled with pictures of motorcycles and information on how to fix and tinker with them. “That right there is porn.” Now that he thought about it… he hadn’t seen actual porn in years…eyed her, trying not to smile. She would slap him silly if she knew how his thoughts had just rambled away.

“Porn?”

Abigail didn’t know what that was due to how sheltered she’d been throughout her life – first in the foster home and then Bray. Her world had revolved around Bray and the DOV for years. When he just gaped at her, she cleared her throat awkwardly and rubbed the back of her neck, having a feeling it was something she probably should’ve known at age 26.

“As long as it’s something YOU enjoy, that’s all that matters.” She could not meet his eyes because he kept staring at her in shock. “Okay, why are you gawking at me like that? I don’t know what porn is, there I said it, happy?”

“You… really?” Taker couldn’t believe that, frowning. She had to be younger than him, but not by that much, right? He was only in his early 30’s, she… his frowned deepened. “You are over 21, right?” When she nodded, he felt marginally better. “Sheltered life?” Another nod. He began to grin, feeling a little… devilish. “Porn, darlin’, used to be a big thing. Old videos, or shit on the Internet, or magazines, even books… all about sex and naked people.” Now Abigail knew, and he seen her blush. “Consenting, all done in fun. Not… not that DOV shit.” Well, that had gone wrong.

“So, porn is sex…” Abigail said it thoughtfully, knowing the question was burning on Taker’s tongue and decided to save him the trouble. “I’m 26, Undertaker.” That sounded really lame because what 26-year-old didn’t know about porn?

She knew about sex, somewhat, only what Bray had shown her though. Abigail hadn’t been allowed to touch him below the belt, only caressing his shoulders, chest, arms and back, along with kissing. She felt his eyes on her, burning into her and she shifted uncomfortably, shouldering the satchel since it felt loose.

“I know, shocking right?” How the hell was a book about motorcycles porn though? “Wait, you called that porn, but there’s no sex in that book. Isn’t that what porn is based on or…never mind, forget it.” Wow, she sounded like a dipshit.

Taker could only gape at her again, wondering just what kind of life she had lived in Salny. Abigail had survived the war; she would’ve been a kid back then though… a child. How did he explain the joke?

“It’s… a joke.” He said, knowing he sounded like an idiot. “You know, porn was tailored to people… like…” Taker stopped, not about to talk to her about the different types of porn. “Just, forget it, darlin’.” Wow… he sounded like a pervert!

A joke…he thought calling a book about motorcycles was a joke? Then Abigail realized what he’d done – it was a metaphor, something she DID know about. “Sorry.” She mumbled, feeling incredibly embarrassed and figured she might as well come clean to him about something else regarding herself. “You’re going to find this out eventually, so I’ll just tell you now. I’m…umm…I’ve never had sex before. I’m a virgin. That’s why I don’t, or didn’t, know what porn was. I’ve…done the kissing and touching making out stuff, but…never anything more than that.” Abigail let out a shaky breath, feeling somewhat of a weight lifted from her shoulders. “And I know it’s pathetic because I’m 26, so I’d appreciate it if we could keep this between us. I don’t…need anyone else knowing about this in Wonderful. Will you do that for me?”

She always said way too much when she could have just shortened it too she didn’t know much about sex. Would have said the same thing with less words and why the hell was she telling him this? “If you don’t want people knowing you’re a virgin, then why are you telling me? What does that have to do with anything?”

He was genuinely confused because, before he had had his first sexual encounter, he had still known quite a bit about sex. People talked and joked; sex was just one of those topics a lot of people learned about early on. And why was Abigail telling him about what she had done? This woman made absolutely no sense at all and Taker found himself grinning at her.

Chapter 15

Taker was right.

Why WAS she telling him her personal information?!

“I…” There was no answer, rhyme or reason for telling him she was a virgin. At all. Abigail blamed him because he made her flustered and she wasn’t able to think straight around him. “I don’t know.” She finally muttered, feeling mortified and rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. Yes, this was very awkward and humiliating and the fact he was grinning at her like a fool just made things worse. “Okay new subject, anything…and to answer your question earlier, yes, I found 5 books I’ve been wanting to read from my favorite authors. Did you wanna look for something else?”

He actually came here on a mission. Not only had she expressed a love of books, so he had wanted to surprise her, but Taker had combined that with them actually needing some books. “Solar power for the boys, motorcycles for me, probably grab something else, if anything catches my eye… and I want to check out the kid’s section.” At Abbie’s confused look, he smiled slightly. “The kids, darlin’. I don’t know how things are done in Salny, but… we know what happens to those poor kids in the DOV, their turned into… into freaks. We’re trying to raise these ones with… some education.” A bit of happiness too, he supposed. “Want me to see about finding you a book on sex?” His grin had turned decidedly wicked and he was rewarded with roses in her cheeks.

“No – no – no, that’s quite alright. I’m good, I know the…mechanics of it with the penis in the…you know what? I’m just gonna shut up now, okay? Okay!” Abigail rambled when she was nervous, which didn’t happen often in the DOV because she’d learned to channel that nervousness due to Bray’s bipolar tendencies. Kids section…kids section…Abigail found it in no time and began sifting through the books, holding out one to Mark with a serene smile. It was on potty training. “That will definitely come in handy.”

“Put it back.” He rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “They have that down; you know how many kids we’ve had over the years?” Hell, quite a bit. Not as much as the DOV, but they weren’t doing whatever the hell it was the DOV was to mutate those poor bastards. “Learning books, darlin’, like math shit, that would be those write in books, you know? Where the kids could work out problems and shit here, but I took them all years ago and they ran out.”

Potty training had never been an issue. However, panicky women, who had no idea what was going on with their bodies, was a problem. They didn’t have a woman doctor on staff, just people who had learned medical knowledge over time. Doing as she was told, Abigail began looking through the books again and didn’t pick one out for fear of being rejected again. Hell, it was a potty-training book for kids. She figured the kids would want to know WHY they had to go potty on a toilet as opposed to in a diaper, but that was just her. It would definitely be beneficial for Stephanie and a few of the other women who had toddlers around the age of 2. Taker knew best though, he was the boss, so she had to do as instructed. They found a small section with math learning books, some of the pages written on, but for the most part they were clean. There was also one for spelling, which was a huge plus, so they grabbed all of them to put in each of their satchels.

At least the awkwardness was over with between them, for now. Abigail still couldn’t believe she had told him about being a virgin. What the hell was she thinking?! This man didn’t want her sexually! Hell, she would probably be a virgin until the day she died because, once Bray came for her, she planned on killing herself before letting him get his hands on her again…if Undertaker refused to help liberate her and the victims of DOV.

Abigail seemed miffed about his rejection of the potty training book and he hadn’t honestly known what to tell her. They had been doing this for over a decade, potty training came as easily as teaching kids to eat. It was natural. Taker didn’t want to waste space on something that was just so easily picked up. Once they found learning books, she seemed to relax more, which was good. He had to wonder about her though. She was so damn weird. Sheltered. Awkward. It was hilarious and endearing, in a way he probably shouldn’t be thinking.

“Here, catch.”

Tossing her a book, Taker smirked when Abigail took in the cover and watched as she read the title before opening it and promptly dropped it. Kama Sutra. Abigail turned five shades of red, kicking the ridiculous book to the side and shook her head at a grinning Undertaker. He had that damn grin on his face again! This man infuriated her and lit her on fire like no other! It was a very weird combination, and she didn’t know how to feel about it.

“I’m not reading about sex. It’s not necessary. But now I know where YOUR mind is at.” Right in the gutter, typical male.

Snorting when he laughed at her, Abigail continued looking through the books, not really finding anything else teaching wise. There were books that were fun, but she didn’t think Taker would bring those back, so she left them alone. She was wrong; Taker walked over to a beet red Abbie and eyed the stack she had set aside, cocking an eyebrow.

“What’re these?” He asked, hearing her muttering something about recreational reading and shrugged. “If you want.” Taker had turned her down on the other book, then harassed her a bit, so he owed her. “Anything else you want to look at, darlin’? The town itself was picked clean years ago; not that there was much to begin with.”

“No, I’m good and, like you said, we only need to bring back what can be useful. You’re right.”

The kids would survive without fun books, especially since libraries were no more besides this one, apparently. Maybe next time Abigail came here, if there was one, she would grab them if they were still here. This place was completely abandoned, so she doubted anyone would come here to ransack a bunch of kid-friendly books.

“Did you wanna go somewhere else besides here or head back to Wonderful?”

“We can head back. Coming here for the solar books was pretty much the point; everything else was just a bonus.” When Abigail turned, he swiped all the books she had set out in his satchel, not bothering to acknowledge that stupid potty training book he had also tossed in when she wasn’t looking. “I don’t like being away for too long, they might miss me.” Not necessarily the truth but… close enough he supposed. “You want to take the long way or short way back, darlin’?”

Now that her cheeks weren’t burning anymore, Abigail felt more at ease and smiled softly, stopping to wait for him to join her before they began walking together. “I don’t mind the long way.” She felt him grab her hand again and looked up at him, once again feeling the butterflies erupting in her stomach. Whenever they were alone, which hadn’t happened often, except the past 2 days lately, they always formed, and Abigail could feel the heat engulf her all over again. “Thank you for bringing me with you today. This was a really nice surprise, and I’ll never forget it, Taker. And if you come back here in the future, I want to come with you again.”

“I only come a couple times a year, darlin’, but you’re more than welcome to join when I do.”

He never came during the winter; they all preferred to stay behind the walls then. Traveling in snow with motorcycles wasn’t exactly the brightest thing to do. Leading the way out, Taker guided her under the broken columns until they were outside, blinking. When they had come in, it had been bright and sunny. It was looking a little overcast now.

“Shit.”

“What’s wrong?”

Abigail looked up at the sky, frowning as well. The sun was gone, and the clouds were moving in awfully fast. She jumped when a streak of lightning lit up the sky, followed by a rumble of thunder that shook the foundation of the town they stood in. A few seconds later, rain began pouring in gallons from the sky and Taker quickly scooped Abigail up to rush back into the library. It didn’t matter, in that short time frame, her top had been soaked along with the top of her jeans, the material clinging to her body and curves. Her braided hair was also soaked…and she was being held against an equally soaked Taker, though her body had shielded some of him from getting the brunt of the rain.

“Maybe it’ll be a quick system and we can leave afterwards?”

“Probably,” He agreed, though his tone was doubtful. It was summer, and usually pretty dry. When they got storms, those damn things lasted ages it seemed. Taker groaned, running a hand through his wet hair after he had set her down. “Fuck all…” He snorted when thunder boomed, sparing her a glance. “Get out of those clothes, you’ll catch sick.” He stepped away from Abigail to start shedding his own as well, eyeing the material around them. Metal trashcan, desk… he could make them a contained fire to dry things quicker.

“Wait, what? Come again?” Taker wanted her to shed her clothes in front of him?! Abigail didn’t know what to think or say, just standing there with her arms wrapped around herself while Taker had no problem shedding his clothes in front of her. “O-Oh god…”

She immediately turned her back to him because the man had NOTHING on under those jeans. The front of them had gotten wet along with the bottoms, so he felt the need to get them dry by taking them off. How the HELL was she supposed to look at him for the duration of the time they were here without turning into a tomato?! Another crack resonated outside, echoing through the library and Abigail suddenly felt warmth against her wet back. Taker was standing right behind her and she absolutely refused to turn around to face him, feeling her cheeks burning again. She was terrified, hadn’t she ever seen a man naked before? Besides Steve, though Taker supposed that didn’t count. It was just a matter of being practical. He wasn’t about to get sick because of false modesty and he didn’t see any reason for her to do so either.

“Here.” He thought about it and then grinned. “Okay darlin’, I’m decent.” When she shook her head, he walked around to stand in front of her. He was fully dressed, and he watched as she looked at his clothes on the ground and then at him. “Uh… don’t… touch me.” He informed her when it looked like she might try. “Illusion, Abbie, I’ll feel a lot different than I look.” For example, she’d feel his naked junk.

Could magic really do that? Then why couldn’t he dry them with it? Maybe it was a different kind of magic to where he could only do disguises and illusions. She didn’t know, and it was confusing as hell.

“Sorry, I’ve never…I’ve never seen a man naked before.”

Sure, the shock of him coming out as a naked Steve had been hilarious, but Abigail had keeled over to where the fire had blocked him. She’d only looked for a couple seconds…and a lot of other people were around. It was just the two of them, alone, in an abandoned old library with a storm raging outside.

“I don’t think…this is a good idea…” A second later, her tank top was pulled up and over her head, leaving her clad in a simple black bra. “W-What are you doing?” Abigail stammered, watching him lower to one knee and felt the button to her jeans unsnap, his fingers hooking in the waistband to push them down her legs, stepping out of them. “I’m NOT taking these off.” She referred to her bra and panties; those were NOT an option.

Rolling his eyes, Taker simply nodded, draping her clothes out over an empty shelf before doing the same with his clothes. While she shivered in her bra and panties, and he was trying not to look – really, he was – he began breaking down the desk. Time hadn’t been kind to it, so… it was fairly easy. He dragged the metal trashcan into the center of the room, away from the books and began tossing the wood into it.

“Bring me my satchel, darlin’.”

Move, she had to move and stop standing around or else she would end up freezing, even though it was summertime. The rain had been chilly and chilled her to the bone. If Taker wanted to build a fire, she was all for it and brought him his satchel before helping him break the smaller parts of the desk down. Blood pumping, she had to keep moving and took one of the longer wooden pieces that resembled a pole, setting it aside. Once all the pieces were in the trashcan, she let Taker handle the fire part and took the pole before standing in the hallway, beginning to swing it around like Amy taught her.

Training would keep her mind focused and body warm, so she didn’t freeze. It was also a great time to work on her footing. She’d shucked her shoes off when he removed her jeans along with her socks, so she was barefoot in just her undergarments. Luckily, they weren’t a see-through color or Taker would’ve gotten an eyeful of bra-covered nipples since they were currently erect.

He carried matches everywhere, and luckily, they weren’t wet or else they would have had to rely on the old school methods. Or, Taker could have probably used magic, but he was pretty sure he had abused it enough today. Once the fire was going, he turned to watch Abigail, dropping down onto the old marble floor and winced. His ass was bare… and the floor was cold. His balls were probably tucked safely up in his body, where it was warm.

“Mind the puddle, darlin’.” He could just imagine that, her slipping and going splat. When she turned, his eyes narrowed in on her breasts. That bra might not have been see-through, but it was definitely clinging to her ample curves.

“Thanks…” Abigail smiled at him, not noticing the issues Taker was having and could tell he was cold, so she walked over to him, after finding another pole that was almost as long as hers. “You said you’d help me with my footwork and this is the best way to keep warm, by moving. So, come on, train with me, please?”

She extended the pole to him, not seeing where hers was until she wound up tripping over it accidently and landed right in his lap. His NAKED lap, straddling him, and her chest was pressed against his. The clothing really was JUST an illusion, he hadn’t been lying about that.

“Shit, sorry, damn pole!”

“That’s not a pole, darlin’.” He rumbled, in a bit of shock.

Chapter 16

He was chilling by a fire, getting warm, and she – supposed virgin that she was – had come sashaying over in those bits of hers… there was no way she was as innocent as she claimed. That or… stupid. His hands had automatically gone to her waist and adjusted her because he was now sporting an erection and he wasn’t letting her crush that. His eyes darkened slightly when he felt her panty clad sex rub against him.

“I-I’m aware…” Abigail muttered, her eyes widening at what she brushed up against and her hands had gone to his shoulders.

She did NOT sashay over to him, she had walked and went to extend the makeshift pole to him, only to trip herself up on her OWN pole! Her coordination wasn’t that great, though she had gotten better, or so Abigail thought. Not so much now. Instead of getting off him like she should’ve, she made the crucial mistake of meeting his eyes and her body was no longer cold. It was heated through from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, the sparks surging through every vein of her body. Her cheeks were red hot, her body flushed, and she began to tremble slightly from nervous energy, trying like hell to stay calm.

“S-Sorry…” What else was she supposed to say?

Nope, in his very male mind, she had sashayed. With a pole. In lingerie. It had been a long time since he had really desired a woman. Taker had taken a few to bed for sex because he liked sex, but true desire, not so much. He was feeling it now, and she probably was too because… he was naked. For all intents and purposes, he was naked, and fate needed to intervene because he was starting to think of a lot of ‘metaphors’ for her.

“You feel that electricity, darlin’?” He could feel it coursing through his veins and he bet she was too, by the way her eyes were beginning to darken.

Electricity and fire…she felt both intensely and swallowed past the lump that formed in her throat, her hands moving of their own as she caressed his chest. “Y-Yes…” His eyes had darkened along with hers, the emeralds turning into forest green orbs with a hint of smoky grey in them. There was a storm brewing between them and it was stronger than the one currently raging outside. “I-It scares me…” Abigail admitted, needing to be honest with him and felt him pull her closer to where her arms draped around his neck. “A-And excites me…at the same time…” Never once did her eyes leave his, only blinking every few seconds normally, but she couldn’t break eye contact. “I-Is it supposed to feel like this? I-I feel like I’m fire and I can’t stop it…”

Now that was what he wanted to hear, and Taker practically purred his approval. “Yes, darlin’, it’s supposed to feel like that.” He whispered, his face moving ever so slowly near hers, not wanting to startle her. “Wild… fiery… passionate,” His lips brushed hers. “Uncontrollable…” If she wanted to stop him, now would be a good time, but Abigail seemed to be… a bit dazed. Taker moved in for the kill, kissing her gently but firmly, letting her feel his mustache and goatee tickle at her skin as he tasted her lips.

It wasn’t her first kiss, so she knew what she was doing and moaned softly against his mouth, the goatee he sported causing a whirlwind of sensations to flow through her. Abigail tightened her arms around his neck slightly, their chests pressed tightly together now and felt those sparks turn into a raging inferno. Never had she experienced something so exquisite as she did with Taker. With Bray, she had to force herself to enjoy being with him, though he was a good kisser and made all the right moves. Taker, it was pure unbridled, unadulterated passion, something so explosive, she was afraid they’d both erupt like a volcano.

However, as wonderful as this felt, as addicting as his lips were, Abigail couldn’t ignore the alarm bells ringing in her head. Stephanie’s words came back to her full force – We need him. Fate was a really cruel bitch because she needed him too, in several ways apparently. Tears swelled in her eyes as Abigail came back to reality in a screeching halt as the kiss broke and a single tear slid down her cheek. Taker felt something for her and it was now or never to tell him the truth. She would not have sex with him, to let him take her virginity, without him knowing who she truly was.

“T-Taker…I…have to tell you something…and you’re not going to like it…” Another tear fell.

“Darlin’, you already told me you were a virgin.” He reminded quietly, reaching out to brush away the tear, frowning as he studied her face.

Now – now Taker was quite glad she had blurted out that piece of information because…. he was very tempted to relieve her of that burden. He watched as Abigail shook her head, capturing another tear on his thumb. She had said he wouldn’t like it and felt something heavy settle in the pit of his stomach.

“What is it, Abbie?”

Deep breaths, she mentally coached, feeling every part of her tense and was afraid she’d completely fall apart. “I-I need your help, Taker. T-That’s why I came to you…to Wonderful. I-I’m not who you think I am…and I know you’ve had suspicions about me…”

Another deep breath, Abigail was afraid her heart would explode out of her chest at any given moment. She had to continue. There was no turning back now. Pushing herself off him, Abigail had to put some space between them and began pacing back and forth, chewing her thumbnail.

“I am originally from Salny, that part I didn’t…lie to you about. And my mother did die, but…she died a long time ago…a lot longer than I told you. I was fostered at age 5 and…the place was cruel. They were harsh when it came to religion. Catholics. My Mom…I saw her death, Taker. I saw my Mom die before my eyes and…I didn’t speak for 5 years. When I was 10, that all changed. Everything changed. Everything changed the day I met…the leader of the Dominion of Vesperia…Bray Wyatt. My name is Abigail Waters, that wasn’t a lie either. But most know me as the Queen Mother of the DOV…and you’re my last hope. You’re OUR last hope. I need your help…to put a stop to the DOV and to end this war, once and for all. Or we’re all doomed. Vesperia as a whole will fall and be destroyed! Bray is out of his mind with what he’s doing and…I can’t take it anymore.” Her voice cracked, more tears falling. “You can hate me all you want, but I need you to help me liberate my people. Women are being killed on a daily basis because they can’t…breed like they’re supposed to. There’s been so much innocent blood spilled, so much death, so much darkness…I found a way out, but I won’t let those people continue to suffer. And I didn’t lie to you about being a virgin either. I am…though, not by choice.”

As she kept talking, his face had gotten grimmer and grimmer. Taker was now leaning back, his hands palm down on the marble floor as he stared at her. Damn right he had had suspicions about her, and he hadn’t been the only one. Good to know he, Steve and Stephanie had all been right.

“I am… upset, Abigail.” He informed her, his voice low and stern. He watched as she opened her mouth and raised up a finger, gesturing for silence. “I need a minute.” Taker had to sort out why he was angry, deal with it and they could continue from there. “Why not just tell me outright?” He guessed that was his problem. She must have known she would be safe here.

“B-Because I thought you’d…kick me out of Wonderful. I didn’t think you’d believe me, much less anyone else. But they’re not the ones I’m worried about anyway. I didn’t know you from a hole in the ground, I didn’t know what kind of man you were, and I had to be able to trust you first.” Abigail didn’t blame him for being upset, wiping her tears away and grabbed her clothes, beginning to pull them back on. “I don’t trust men easily…and you can reach your own conclusions on why.” Sighing, she didn’t care if her clothes were still damp and sank down on the opposite side of the fire, trying to warm herself up again. All she felt was bitter cold. “I’m not here for me. And I will tell you anything you wish to know about Bray Wyatt. I know him inside and out…I know what he’s planning to do, and I will tell you why he sent me to Wonderful in the first place undercover. That was my way out, when he offered me the chance to go, I took it and eventually, he will come for me. He will want me back, so we need to strike him first if you’re going to help me and my people.” That meant taking the fight to the DOV directly and going to the castle to do it, so Wonderful was out of harm’s way.

Taker stared at her, considering her, and he couldn’t lie… the Queen Mother or whatever the hell she was to Wyatt… they had known Wyatt kept a consort, a private woman, but her… Abigail? “How do you know Wyatt?” He asked, getting up to add more wood to the fire, the anger fading as pragmatism started kicking in. “What is your connection to him?” Because the more they knew about the colossal bag of dicks, the better. It did cross his mind she would be great bait. He would sit on that one for a while.

Abigail expected that question next and was prepared for it, or so she thought, the memories flowing through her not necessarily good. “When I met Bray at age 10 in the foster home, he was the first person I spoke to in 5 years. We instantly had a connection and…because I talked to him and nobody else, the people at the foster home that was supposed to take care of us thought he was the devil. They whipped him every day and night, kept him in the attic and refused to tend to his wounds, so I did it for him. After 6 years of the abuse, Bray couldn’t take it anymore and we snuck out at age 16. Bray hated religion and vowed to…start up his own. H-He promised me…he promised me nobody would be harmed. He promised me that it would be a religion that everybody would believe in and trust and love. But as time went on and he started building the DOV, and doing all the horrible things he did, such as breeding women, I saw the monster he became. He dubbed me the Queen Mother, but kept me away from the women, from everyone, isolated me to where I only could rely on him. And he told me…that when the time was right, he would…breed with me. He actually used those words. He said once he could make the world completely safe for me, to where I would never have to worry about a single thing again and he had a strong enough army to take care of us, he would breed with me and make an heir. That was my breaking point. I REFUSE to be bred like some fucking animal the way those women are. And the worst part of all this is…he has a sorcerer, Undertaker. The only sorcerer in Vesperia. His name is Malcolm and…he was captured by the DOV and forced to help Bray figure out a way to make the babies that are born grow faster to build his army. They injected the mothers with some kind of serum, directly in the womb, and when the babies are born, within a year’s time, they are full-grown men and women. At age one, the grown women are forced to breed, and the new men are the ones that do it. I don’t know what kind of serum it is, but…the women have been birthing more girls than boys. He’s slaughtered women who have had 3 consecutive girls and sometimes even kills the babies themselves.” Now she was crying, the horrors she’d been forced to see almost too much for her to take. “He’s not the same Bray I once knew. He’s someone I don’t even recognize anymore, and he needs to be stopped, even if that means putting a bullet in his head. I’d rather him die instead of people dealing with his tyranny and horrible so-called religion.” Sniffling, Abigail had to take several deep breaths and took the bottled water he handed to her, taking a long swig of it. “That’s why he sent me to Wonderful. He wants to use something called Mythril to enhance the serum to make it to where the women have boys instead of girls. He heard that Wonderful has a supply of it from Malcolm and…they also know about your disguises. Malcolm told Bray everything he knew, and they kept me in the dark about most of it, regarding your…powers.”

All he could do was stare at her, his mouth slightly ajar. They had known magic had to be involved. There was just no way Wyatt had bred that number of soldiers and then waited for them to grow up. It just wasn’t happening. Forcing women to breed for the sake of soldiers… and all this had stemmed from an abusive religion. Taker felt like laughing and crying all at the same time.

“Mythril.” It made sense why she was here, why she had come to Wonderful. “You were to find it and report back.” He wasn’t about to tell her anything about his powers, not just yet. There was still that layer of caution that had come down. He had heard the name Malcolm a couple times fall from her lips, frowning. How many magic users were there? He knew it was rare, a genetic anomaly.

Chapter 17

“Yes. He said he didn’t trust anyone else to get the intel for the Mythril and…your powers. I knew it was my chance to escape the castle, to get help for all of us, so I accepted the task. He didn’t know my true intentions, I made sure of it, but…Undertaker, he’s going to come for me.” Now her eyes rose to meet his, fear and uncertainty swirling through them. “That’s why you have to strike him first.” Now her voice had taken on a darker tone as Abigail got to her feet, letting the fire’s warmth wash over her. “I know all of his weaknesses, I know how he thinks and I know all the secret passages inside and out of the castle. I can get you and your men in and you can take them all out. If this happens at Wonderful, if Bray comes for me…he won’t stop until he has me unless he’s dead. He’s…obsessed with me and the fact he hasn’t bred with me yet…it just makes him even more dangerous. I want nothing to do with him or the DOV. I don’t want to be a Queen Mother of anyone. I don’t want to rule over an entire world with a cruel monster like him! A monster who allows a barely one-year old girl to be raped, after her tongue is ripped out, all to teach his sorcerer a lesson! I’d rather be dead than ever go back to him.”

That info of hers would prove useful, though he didn’t see them attacking straight away. However, the knowledge, that Wyatt was likely to come for her, made him uneasy because Wonderful was only impenetrable when he was within its walls. Taker wasn’t within the walls right now; he didn’t like that, especially after hearing what she had just said.

“He did what?” He asked finally, listening as she repeated about the sorcerer, Malcolm, frowning. That was just barbaric. “When is he likely to come, do you know?” Taker would eventually discuss more about Malcolm with her, but for now… that would have to sit on the back burner. He needed to know if there was immediate danger to Wonderful.

“It’s only been a month and I told him I would need a couple months to get the intel and whatnot. I told him I’d have to get close to the leader, which is you, in order to learn about your powers. Those were the two things he wanted, so I’m thinking by 3 months and he hasn’t heard from me, he’ll come for me.” Abigail had 2 months…2 months to prepare, train and get ready to take Bray down, refusing to let anyone else get hurt. “What sickens me is he claims this is all for me. I never wanted this. I never wanted ANY of this! I never asked him to torture women and force them to breed for the sake of building an army! I never asked for people to lose their homes, to be ripped away from their families and be treated like animals! I just wanted to live peacefully without conflict, but his hatred for that foster home, and religion in general, drove him and warped him into a monster. And yet, he claims it’s all for me.” Shaking her head sadly, Abigail jumped when a loud BOOM echoed outside and knew the storm had grown slightly stronger outside. “Their blood…is on my hands…everyone that’s been killed, all the babies that have been…enhanced, it’s all because of me…”

Would Bray have done all of this, created the DOV, if she never existed? Sighing, Taker gestured for her to come over to him, guiding her down until she was settled between his outstretched legs. The floor was hard, but warm now, and he rubbed her arms with his hands, feeling the goosebumps erupting under his palms. “Don’t blame yourself, Abigail.” He said gently but firmly. “You are his EXCUSE, not his reason.” At her confused look, he sighed. “It sounds like what happened to him… warped him.” Obviously, Taker would bet money that there had been something wrong with Wyatt in the head to begin with. Something that had been pushed out by what he had suffered. “He’s not doing this for you, darlin’, you’re not his reason. You’re just the excuse he uses to justify it.”

Any man who could do what Wyatt had done didn’t need a reason, besides the fact that he had suffered. However, if he was in love, or whatever he felt for Abigail, or if he needed a way to help him sleep at night, she was his justification. Either way, it was wrong and it would stop.

“You’re our last hope, Undertaker. You’re the only one who can stop him…and I don’t care what happens to me.” Abigail was willing to accept the consequences of Bray’s actions, to be executed, if that’s what this man wanted to do. “Use me however you see fit against him. Just please end the destruction, end the suffering and destroy the DOV. Save Vesperia.”

This wasn’t about her, it was about the people trapped and tortured in the DOV and saving their world from the DOV. Taker’s hands continued rubbing her arms, trying to warm her back up, but all Abigail could do was cry, covering her face with her hands as shame and guilt coursed through her. She may have been Bray’s justification, but she did nothing to stop the torturing and breeding from happening either. This was all she could do, and it was pathetic. Her entire body screamed out guilt; Taker knew how that went because he had suffered his fair share in his younger years, after his brother died.

“Abbie…”

He had let her cry for a good spell and now gripped her chin, bringing her face up to meet his. The fact that she had offered to be used for whatever he saw fit told him this woman was way too used to a life hanging on a precarious thread, of having to submit to survive. That was not how it was meant to be. Not all men were created equal, and that was a fact, but all people should still be treated equally with respect.

“You are the bravest woman I’ve ever met.” He informed her honestly, and it was true. Taking this chance, this risk, and banking it on him and his, took courage.

“I’m sorry I lied to you, Taker. I wasn’t trying to deceive you or anyone, but…I had to protect myself and see if you treated your people differently than Bray or if you were just another monster. I saw on day 2 that wasn’t the case at all. I was scared…and I was fool because I’ve wasted a month. Every day, every hour, every minute, every second is precious right now and could be used to devise a plan to bring the DOV and Bray down.” Abigail couldn’t believe he was being this gentle with her when he should’ve been raging at her for being a deceitful liar. It just proved to her how different he was from Bray, from the DOV, in general. “And I’m not brave. I’m merely doing what needs to be done in order to stop the DOV…” She was far from brave – if anyone was brave, it was the man she was currently being consoled by.

“Are you scared shit less, Abbie?” At her nod, he hid a smile. “And knowing what you were about to do, that make you feel like throwing up and running?” Another nod. “And you still did it anyway?” Yet another nod. “Darlin’, nobody ever said being brave was easy because it’s not. Easier roads are easy for a reason.” Nothing worth doing was ever easy. “You’re brave, it took guts to do what you’ve done, don’t you forget it.”

They’d sort out all of this when they got back to Wonderful. Wait until she had to repeat this in front of the crew. Because Taker wasn’t just a one man show, his men needed to know. He wanted input on how they’d take advantage.

“W-Why are you being so nice to me?” Abigail didn’t understand it and it made her feel…cautious and more scared than ever. “I mean, I know we kissed and we feel something for each other, but I just told you I’ve been lying to you and everyone in Wonderful for a month…and you’re calling me brave. I just don’t understand…” If this was Bray, he would’ve beheaded her by now or seriously punished her, shuddering at either possibility happening. “Y-You should be yelling at me and tying me up and punish me and…and why the hell are you laughing at me?!” This man was out of his mind! He was LAUGHING at her, not comprehending what she could’ve said to set him off. “You make no damn sense!”

“Compared to what you’re used to, darlin’, probably not.” He agreed, wiping tears out of his eyes as he watched her get up to start pacing again. Then raised his closed fist, slowly dragging it. She came with the motions, until she was right back down again in front of him. “That right there is the most you’ll get from me, now sit still and take some deep breaths, Abbie.” Taker watched her, green eyes thoughtful. “I’m not Wyatt and I don’t do things the way the DOV does. You haven’t learned that by now?”

“To be honest, I’m still trying to get used to it.” Abigail murmured softly, taking another deep breath and then another, closing her eyes as she did.

Taker gently pulled her back until her head was against his chest, his hand rubbing her arm up and down soothingly to try to calm her further. He was right; he was nothing like Bray. He was kind, compassionate and would give the shirt off his back to anyone in need, even someone like her. He was still technically naked through the clothes illusion, but Abigail didn’t care at the moment and soaked in his warmth as much as she could.

“It wasn’t that…I didn’t want to have sex with you earlier, you know.” Abigail spoke after a long stretch of silence fell between them, the crackling of the fire being the only sound besides their breathing. “I just…didn’t want to take that step until you knew the truth about me and why I came to Wonderful. Until you knew the real me.” Now he did, and the ball was in his court.

“You didn’t want to go to bed with me carrying a bunch of lies, I get that.” Not to mention, she would be giving him her virginity, not that Taker was exactly as eager to be diving into all that at the moment, not like he had been earlier. He could see why she wouldn’t want to go into that situation with all those secrets. “You don’t trust me all the way yet, do you?” He was pretty sure she didn’t, not if she was panicking about his lack of a brute reaction.

Looking up into his eyes, Abigail reached up to caress his face tenderly and cracked a hesitant smile. “No, I do trust you. I wouldn’t have told you everything and confessed if I didn’t. I just…I’m not used to being treated this way, like an equal. Bray never hurt me, but…he didn’t treat me very well either. Constantly telling me not to do this or that, keeping me isolated to where only it was him surrounding me and nobody else. He…executed several of his men for talking to me.” She shuddered at the memory of watching one of the soldier’s heads decapitated and swallowed hard. “My trust for him died a long time ago, and it’s hard for me to trust these days, but with you, it was surprisingly easy. Maybe it’s because I’ve been lonely for so long, with only Bray, I…I put my own hope and faith in believing you were going to help me and the people suffering. I put my hope and faith in you, period.”

“Betting all your chips on me, huh?” She didn’t get that, it was a gambling joke, sort of. So much had been lost to them and she had been a kid, a little girl when the wars began. “Myself, and the rest of Wonderful, won’t let you down, darlin’.” Hell, it wasn’t even just her; there was a whole world out there depending on them. She had just given them the keys to the kingdom so to speak.

She believed him when he said that. He wouldn’t let Vesperia down, which included her. “I won’t let you or Wonderful down either, Undertaker. I promise.”

Then, Abigail took a chance and softly brushed her lips against his, knowing they would have to get to know each other better before anything besides kissing, touching and cuddling happened. It would though. Unlike Bray, she wouldn’t be ‘saved’ for breeding at the ‘right time’.

“T-That wasn’t out of line, was it?” She felt stupid for asking and lowered her eyes, letting out a shaky breath.

“All things considered? No.” He laughed, wrapping his strong arms around her and pulled her flush against him, knowing she could feel his erection prodding at her again. Their clothes might’ve been dry by now… maybe. “Darlin’, up…” With the way the storm was raging on out there, they were going to have to bunker down for the night and he wasn’t planning on sleeping on marble floor. “Let’s… look around for shit, something relatively soft to lay down on.” Hell, she could use his shirt as a blanket, she was tiny.

Abigail followed his instructions and started tearing the curtains from the windows, which were quite heavy and surprisingly useful. Mark had managed to find some cushions from an old sitting chair near the back of the library, so they used those for pillows. He added more wood to the fire to keep them warm, after they spread the curtains down on the floor to make a palette of sorts. Abigail slipped her jeans off, since they were still somewhat damp, but luckily her top was dry along with her bra. Panties were somewhat damp, but they were doable to sleep in.

“This is another first for me. I’ve never…slept with a man in bed before.”

Bray had always gone back to his chambers once she fell asleep, after one of their make out sessions, or so he would think. Abigail wound up crying herself to sleep almost every night in the castle. With Taker, she knew it would be different and slid under the curtain blanket to get comfortable while he finished stoking the fire. His jeans were still a bit on the damp side and he wasn’t chafing his balls for her comfort. Not happening. Besides that, Taker preferred to sleep in the nude anyway. He did, for the sake of false modesty and her delicate sensibilities, keep up the illusion as he crouched down by the fire, extending his hands. Taker hadn’t slept outside of Wonderful in years and he wasn’t overly keen on it now, not after what she had told him.

Chapter 18

The following morning, Abigail woke up to a surprise as beams of light shone through the windows of the library. The surprise being Taker spooned up against her completely naked. He had tried to keep up the illusion, but once he’d fallen asleep, it had disappeared and now it was just him against her with his nose buried in her hair. She smiled, enjoying being pressed against him like this and felt his arm tighten around her when she shifted slightly. Abigail turned in his arm to face him, caressing his face tenderly with her fingers and etching him in her memory. What would happen once they returned to Wonderful? She didn’t want to think about that right now and soaked in as much of this as she could, softly kissing him.

Her kisses didn’t wake him up, not right away. He hadn’t slept this heavily in years. There was a warm, pliable body curled into his and one massive, bare thigh moved, insinuating itself between her legs as he arched into her. Taker began responding to her kisses, growling softly as he moved to roll her onto her back, his hazy eyes opening to meet hers. She had a hell of a way waking a man up and Taker kissed her soundly, feeling her hands caressing the sides of his face, then frowned, pulling away. She was tracing the faint burn scars. Burn scars. However, from the way Abigail was studying him, he realized they didn’t bother her. Hell, they probably weren’t all that bad. It had been well over a decade, longer than that since the fire… most of the scars on his body were faded as well or covered with tattoos.

The scars didn’t bother her at all. They were part of him and Abigail knew this was his true form, not another disguise. Taker was a beautiful man, inside and out, and besides that, Abigail had some scars of her own. One across her lower back was from the foster home, the only punishment she’d ever received…and it hadn’t been pleasant. Bray had been the one to doctor her up…and it was also the night they had decided to escape, which was after she healed. He didn’t want her traveling wounded. Everyone had scars, both visible and inside, of some kind they tried hiding from the world. Amy had caught a glimpse of it during one of their training sessions, but apparently, Taker hadn’t noticed. It was barely visible after all these years, much like the ones on his face. She returned the kiss with equal vigor, fire, passion and opened her mouth for him to taste her, moaning softly. Her fingers buried in his hair as the kiss grew more heated, neither able to pull away or break it first and honestly, Abigail didn’t want to.

There was no way Taker could break this kiss. The only way it was happening was when he HAD to breathe, and he could hold his breath for quite a while. Reaching down, he pulled her leg up to rest against his hip, palming her smooth skin as he slowly moved against her, letting his erection glide up and down her panty covered slit. He could feel heat, and the way her hips were starting to rock, he gathered she was enjoying the new sensations.

She more than enjoyed, she craved and knew all she had to do was remove her panties to make this official. What better place or way to lose her virginity than to this man, in a library, with just the two of them? Now may have been the only time for them to do this before all hell came raining down on them in the form of the DOV. It was obvious he wanted her, and she wanted him, badly, the fire inside of her begging to be quenched.

“Take me…” She mumbled against his lips, her voice quaking from the intensity of their making out. “Here and now, Taker, please…” It was said against his lips with conviction, not an ounce of worry or hesitation in her tone, just pure lust and need.

Admittedly, there were warning bells going off in his head. She had just dropped the mother of all bombshells on him. Abigail had been Bray Wyatt’s childhood friend, and for all intents and purposes, was the intended Queen of whatever the hell the psychopath was trying to create. And she was lying beneath him, of all people, after spilling what amounted to state secrets. If ever there was a perfect time to ambush Wonderful, now would be it and he groaned, brushing his lips against hers. Did Taker trust her enough to risk the lives of all those people?

It was him hesitating now, she could feel it and tried not to feel rejected because, honestly, they had to get back to Wonderful. She had to face the music with everyone, tell the truth and they had to start coming up with a plan to take down the DOV for good. Abigail pulled back to stare into his eyes, knowing he didn’t fully trust her the way she did him. Again, for good reason. She had lied to him about who she truly was. It wasn’t rejection because Taker did want her, but they really had to get back to Wonderful, just in case Bray decided to strike. She’d asked him for a couple months, but Abigail also knew how impatient he could be. Hell, Bray was unpredictable these days, she didn’t know him from a hole in the ground anymore.

“Ohhhhh you vixen,” Taker growled, catching her bottom lip between his teeth and nipped gently before reluctantly pushing himself away from her. “We have to get back.” He could practically feel the rejection radiating from Abigail and bent down to help her climb to her feet, wrapping an arm around her waist to draw her against him. “We WILL finish this, Abbie.” He vowed, but… he had to get back. If something happened to Wonderful in his absence, because he was busy getting his rocks off, he couldn’t live with himself.

Gliding the pad of her thumb across his lips, Abigail kissed him one last time and nodded, letting him know she understood. “We’d better.” She murmured against his lips, seeing all the promises swirling through his eyes and pulled away to slip back into her jeans, giving them some space.

Her lips were swollen, and her braid had hair pulled out in all different directions. Abigail pulled the hair band out and unraveled her hair before pulling out a brush from her bag, glad she’d thought to bring it with. Once the knots were out, she redid the braid just as Taker finished getting ready. Together, they headed out with their knapsacks in hand and jumped on the bike, with her in front, speeding back to Wonderful.

She had brought a hairbrush… for what was meant to originally be a few hours at max outing… women. Taker had learned a long time ago not to question some of the insane things they did. He liked his balls where they were. Taking the direct route today, once they were clear of the trees that had shielded them, he was in ‘Chet’ form, just in case. Today was a lot different from last night and he had gotten more knowledge then he had bargained for. He just prayed there was time to put it to use.

When they rolled in just a little less than 2 hours later, Abigail breathed a sigh of relief that Wonderful was just as they’d left it. The guys waved to ‘Chet’ as he rolled inside through the gates and Abigail could feel Taker relax against her physically. He’d been worried the entire ride back and there was nothing she could do to ease his mind. He parked the bike and dismounted, helping her off next by the hand.

“Well, well, took ya long enough to get back here, boss.”

“Did ya guys get caught up in that hellacious storm?”

Abigail let Taker do the talking, explaining to his men what happened and why he hadn’t come back until this morning, wondering when he wanted to let the cat out of the bag about her true identity. He would not be letting any ‘cats’ out of any bag just yet. It seemed like everyone in Wonderful had congregated to welcome them back and that was several hundred people.

“I want the council in my tower tonight.” He informed Steve in a whisper, feeling Steve’s bald head nodding before giving his attention back over to the people.

“Jesus, we thought you guys might’ve got washed away or something by the river,” Stephanie said when she was able to get close enough to Abigail. “We had some minor flooding, but it’s already sinking. Ground was thirsty.” The town’s water supply had been refilled. Jeff and Matt would make sure the purifier was up and running and they’d be set. Rain and the storms had been a blessing.

“No, we just bunkered down and waited the storm out. It was pretty bad, but luckily the building we were in didn’t come crashing down.” Abigail was thankful everybody was fine and Wonderful hadn’t suffered while they were gone. “Do you need help getting breakfast around?”

“Aren’t you tired from your trip?” Stephanie noticed something was different about Abigail, unable to put her finger on it. “We already had breakfast, actually, but there’s plenty left over for you and the boss.”

Abigail was too nervous to eat and shook her head, cracking the barest hint of a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “No, I’m fine. He’s probably starving though. I’m gonna go workout for a bit unless you need me to do something in the common house.” Working out would get her mind off what she’d told Taker, at least for a little while.

“Just be back by noon, so we can start lunch…” Stephanie watched her walk away and frowned, rubbing her protruding belly while Taker finished talking to Steve. “Hey boss, come get something to eat.” That was her code for she wanted to talk to him privately.

Eventually, Stephanie was going to have to start using a different code. That was just an open invitation for people to follow him and he shot her an exasperated look. “Darlin’, you really-” He groaned when she gave him a look, eyeing her stomach and then threw his hands up into the air. “Women…”

“Sorry folks, boss wants to eat solo.” Stephanie began shooing people out of the common house and closed the doors once it was just them. “Get your own damn breakfast, Taker. I just put the last of it away.”

“Rude much, my pregnant beauty?” He laughed, ducking a cup that came flying his way and headed for the kitchen to raid what was left, Stephanie right behind him. “What do you want, Steph?”

“Oh, you know what I want, so why do you even bother asking? Something happened between you and Abbie and I wanna know what it is.” Stephanie never beat around the bush and her bluntness had gotten worse the further she progressed into her pregnancy. “She’s not hungry, she looks nervous as hell and she went to work out as a distraction. I’m not stupid, I can read people well, including you, even with your disguises. I also know she’s hiding something, Steve does too, so did she finally come clean about what’s really going on?” While he fixed his plate, his eyes had lowered, and Stephanie could see the hesitation written all over his face. “Boss, what happened? Is it really that bad? Is…Wonderful in trouble?”

“Not as long as I’m here, it’s not.” He said after a moment, looking up at her, his green eyes thoughtful. “Darlin’, you’ll just have to wait until tonight along with the others. I’m not doing this multiple times and I’m tired.” Which was weird because he had actually slept pretty well, but… marble floor. When she gave him a look, he raised a hand. “Stephanie, I said I’d talk to you about it tonight with everyone there.” Everyone being the people who gave him counsel, advice, and helped in the planning. “And don’t you go badgering Abbie either,” His eyes narrowed at her. “You hold your horses, or I’ll have your activities restricted throughout your pregnancy.” Because Stephanie was naturally a bossy, pushy woman, pregnancy seemed to be making it worse. “I’m not kidding, darlin’. You’ll wait.”

Sighing, Stephanie could only nod and decided to tell him what happened while he was gone. “We got a newcomer while you were gone…” She informed him quietly, setting a mug of coffee in front of him and finally sat down, swallowing hard. “She’s a refuge from the DOV, Taker…and they hurt her…badly.” Tears swelled in her eyes at the memory of the poor girl that collapsed outside of the gates of Wonderful the previous night. With a dirty, tear-streaked face, Steve had been the one to bring her inside and she refused to speak to anyone. “She’s sleeping right now in the medical wing, but when she wakes up, I’ll introduce you to her. Her name is Susan.”

“And why,” He asked sternly. “Was this not the first thing you said to me?” Nosy women. Priorities were all wrong. “Where is she now?”

“Asleep, in the medical wing off the back tower.”

“And who is the unfortunate soul who is tending to her?” They had no actual doctors, just different people with varying degrees of medical experience, which meant a lot of trial and error.

“Melina is right now. She had some… other damage. Jeff got the x-ray machine to work, he thinks she was given a forced um… hysterectomy.”

That made no sense, at all. Women who couldn’t breed were shot, not… rendered sterile. Not unless it wasn’t the woman being punished. Melina had heard the Undertaker returned from his journey and wasn’t surprised to see him come to the medical wing. She had sterile gloves on and an apron, one of the few in Wonderful to have a stomach for this kind of horrific scene.

“She’ll survive, but it’s going to take time, Undertaker. There was no…damage done to her insides with the hysterectomy, as I’m sure Stephanie has already told you. She’s…a little over one years old, which I don’t believe, but that’s what she claims.” It didn’t make sense to her at all, but then again, this was a refuge from the DOV. “Her name is Susan.”

She stepped aside when he came forward to look down at the girl, who looked to be around 18-19 years of age, but in all reality, she was only a little over one. Melina watched as the Undertaker bent down over the cot, bracing his hands on either side of the unconscious girl’s head. It was… weird, disconcerting, to realize he was running his nose against her face, inhaling. He was sniffing her and moved lower, finally pulling away.

“She reeks of magic.” He said finally, his nose wrinkling. “We’ve known for a while the DOV has SOMETHING to breed these soldiers as fast as they do…”

“Magic…so are you saying her hysterectomy was done…magically?”

How was that even possible? Granted, there had been rumors of Bray Wyatt and the DOV having a sorcerer of some kind. To her knowledge, however, that had been false. Perhaps not…and if that was the case, Undertaker wasn’t the only one who had magic on his side in Vesperia. That was a very troubling, frightening thought.

“I-I don’t even know what to say…” Truthfully, Melina was a little unnerved by magic and looked at Susan, wondering if she was also magical. “That would explain why there’s no stitches or anything inside of her, according to the x-ray.” She handed the shots over to Taker for him to look at.

“I didn’t say that.” He growled, shooting her a dark look, about through with women today. They either weren’t sharing pertinent information first, due to being nosy, or they were assuming. “Go get Abigail, bring her to me.” He ordered, taking the images from her and waved a hand dismissively. This woman reeked of magic in a different way, not this… magical hysterectomy. And the fact that someone could do that defied all magic laws and theories. No, her blood was infected with magic, it was part of her DNA. He closed his eyes. These children went from infant to toddler to full adult within the course of a year. His eyes opened. And Abbie had come for Mythril on Bray Wyatt’s orders.

“Potions…” Something he didn’t bother with because he’d never been properly trained.

What the hell did Abigail have to do with this? Melina didn’t question it and went to do as the boss demanded.

Chapter 19

“Taker wants to see you immediately. He’s in the medical wing. You should…prepare yourself.” That was all Melina said, before taking off to check on a few other patients that were at home resting, instead of in the medical wing.

Raising a slow brow, Abigail racked the bar and stood up from the bench, wiping sweat from her neck and face with a towel. Why would Taker want to see her in the medical wing? Shrugging, she draped the towel around her neck and headed out of the workout room, trying to remember where exactly the medical wing was. It took a bit, but she found it and walked inside, seeing Taker looming over a body.

“You wanted to see me, Undertaker?” His huge body was blocking the one on the table, so she couldn’t see who it was right away.

He was still staring down at the woman, finally stepping away to reveal her to Abigail. The surprised gasp and she said the woman’s name, she knew this woman. “She stumbled in here while we were gone, Abbie.” He informed her in a monotone voice, trying not to think of just how damn convenient that was. Abigail told him about why she was really in Wonderful and then, while he was outside of its walls, another person from the DOV wandered in. He did not like these feelings of doubt, not used to them. “Who is she?”

Flashbacks of that horrific day pulsed through Abigail as she covered her mouth with her hand, tears swelling in her eyes. This poor girl’s tongue had been removed by force and then she was raped afterwards, nearly choking to death on her own blood. Abigail shook herself mentally, swallowing hard at Taker staring down at her hardening and wondered how the hell Susan managed to escape the castle. Had Malcolm helped her?

“T-This is Malcolm’s granddaughter, Susan. The sorcerer I told you about.” She spoke quietly, sounding haunted and slid fingers through her hair when Taker demanded her to elaborate. “Her mother, Malcolm’s daughter, Lily, was…killed shortly after Susan was born. If she says she’s one years old, she is. Lily was injected with the serum I told you about that makes the babies grow at an astronomical rate. The serum Bray wants to enhance to ensure the women breed boys instead of girls by using Mythril. She…she shouldn’t be able to talk to anyone because…her tongue was cut out…”

“Lily?” He echoed, frowning and brought his hands up, pressing his forehead against his palms. Malcolm, a sorcerer, that was something he could overlook as a very rare coincidence. “Curly brown hair and green eyes?” When Abigail muttered a yes, he shook his head. “Leave us, Abbie.” He ordered, his voice dropping. “Please…”

Lily had been a baby, well, not a literal baby, but the youngest of the three. She had two older brothers. When things had started going south… she had been taken away for safe-keeping. Malcolm was supposed to come back for them, but they had been boys and were supposedly a lot safer than their sister. Malcolm had never come back. Then the fire happened…

Knowing better than to push him right now, Abigail simply nodded and walked out of the medical wing, no longer in the mood to work out and train. She walked around Wonderful, trying to keep the tears in her eyes and failed, a few sliding down her cheeks. Finding a corner of the town, in a small alley, Abigail pressed her back against the building and slid down it, burying her face in her hands crying.

She would never, ever forget that day as long as she lived, or when she went to Bray telling him what Luke had done to Susan. He hadn’t shown an OUNCE of remorse and simply said a message had to be sent, proving to her further the monster he had become. Had Malcolm somehow gotten her out of the castle? And yet, Bray was doing all of this ‘for her’. No, Taker was right. He was using her as an excuse to justify his actions and she was done with it, vowing to make him pay for everything he’d done since the day the DOV had been created.

“Taker?”

Amy was probably the only person who could get away with being near him right now and that was only due to the fact that they had a bond. He had saved her early on, brought her with him, and she had been loyal ever since. Steve may have been his right-hand man and Stephanie his left-hand woman, but Amy was… just another wandering soul with damage that he had bonded with. “Do you trust her?”

“Abigail?” Amy considered it. “Yeah, I do. I think she’s hiding something from us, but I don’t think it’s necessarily something that’s… you know, going to put us in danger.”

He nodded, reaching back to pat her hand as she had put it on his shoulder. “Go let Steve know I want outside patrols 5 miles from the wall and sweep in. If people are escaping the DOV, I want to know why.” And HOW. There was no way this woman had been given a chance like Abigail had. Not unless the sorcerer had intervened. “And I want them to be prepared for an ambush.” His woman gone and another woman escaping, he’d bet that would spur Wyatt into doing something irrational.

“Will do.” Amy placed a hand on his arm, his eyes turning to meet hers and she could see the tears in them. “I’m here if you need to talk. About anything.” She wanted to make sure he understood that before walking out to go let Steve know what Taker wanted done.

The only reason Susan had escaped was because Bray thought she was dead. Malcolm had given her a potion that temporarily stopped her heart – they ruled it suicide and tossed her body with the others. Once enough bodies piled up, they burned them all at once instead of one at a time. It cut back on the stench of burnt human flesh. Malcolm had gone out, taken his granddaughter off the pile and brought her to his chambers to wait for her to awaken.

While asleep – dead – he performed a magical hysterectomy on her, not taking any chances she was pregnant with Luke Harper’s demon spawn. Then, he waited for her to wake up and sent her on her way, ordering her to go straight to Wonderful…where he knew Abigail was. He knew she would care for Susan and had to take the risk, refusing to subject her to the cruelties of the DOV. As far as Bray and anyone in the DOV was concerned, Susan was nothing more than a corpse.

Her name was Susan and she resembled his mother, her grandmother… quite a bit. This was his niece and she wasn’t all that much younger than him, really. Only a decade in physical appearance, which made the niece bit impossible since Lily hadn’t been much younger than Glen. Magic. That was why he smelled it IN her instead of ON her. She had been, her growth, accelerated with magic. Sighing, Taker reached out to slowly take her hand, watching as she stirred but didn’t waken.

“How much did you give her?”

“She’ll sleep until morning.” Jeff said, having been summoned when Susan hadn’t woken up by early evening. “She was in a state of shock, Taker. I’m honestly surprised she managed to make it here. Whatever she was running from, whatever happened, it was… traumatizing.”

“I want someone with her around the clock, when she does wake up, send word immediately.” As much as he wanted to stay, he had business to attend too. He had learned early on one couldn’t be put before the many. It ended badly.

~!~

As promised, Abigail walked into the common house a little before noon and began her task of cooking, helping Stephanie, Trish and Amy. The redhead kept glancing at her and she ignored it, trying to focus on what she was doing. Susan would recognize her, no doubt, whenever she woke up. Abigail had a feeling she wouldn’t be seeing much of Undertaker, especially after the meeting tonight, where everything would be revealed. Once lunch was done and served, the cleaning done, Abigail ate her lunch since she skipped breakfast and went upstairs to lay down in her bed. She was not feeling good at all and didn’t want to talk to anyone, hoping this nightmare ended soon.

“Amy, go get Abbie, we have to start dinner.”

It was nearing 4 PM, she’d been sleeping for the past 3 hours and they really needed her help. She wanted to tell Stephanie to leave Abigail alone, but also didn’t want to flare the woman’s pregnancy hormones up, or her temper. Obeying, Amy climbed the ladder to the upper floor and walked over to where Abigail slept, gently shaking her awake.

“Hey sweetie, I’m sorry, but it’s time to get dinner started…” The red-rimmed, swollen eyes staring back at her broke Amy’s heart. It was obvious something tormented Abigail and had since she came to Wonderful. Did she know who the new girl was? If that was the case…

“Okay, give me a few minutes to clean myself up and then I’ll be down.” Abigail murmured quietly, slowly sitting up in bed and rubbed her eyes before heading to the bathroom to wash her face. She looked in the mirror and groaned, hoping the swelling of her eyes went down a little. Crying herself to sleep was not a smart idea. “Fuck.” Tossing the towel to the side, Abigail walked out to head downstairs to help with dinner.

Stephanie took one look at Abbie and steeled herself. She had already been told not to be nosy and not ask questions, so… she bit her lip at the questions she did want to ask and pushed aside the desire to send Abigail back to bed. The girl looked ragged. But everyone else was pitching in as usual, regardless of their issues, nobody got slack. Abigail really did look like crap though and she sighed.

“Want a cup of coco?” She offered with a gentle smile.

Abigail cracked a small smile back at her and nodded, not wanting to be rude to the woman who had done so much for her. “Thanks, that’d be great.” She watched Stephanie pour her a mug of it and took a slow sip, the warmth doing nothing to soothe her, but she smiled anyway. “Before we get busy with dinner, I just wanted to say thank you. You’ve helped me out a lot and I’ll never forget it.”

Stephanie blinked, not expecting that and didn’t know how to respond, especially since she didn’t trust Abigail fully. “Okay…”

Taking another sip, Abigail set her mug down and began getting to work on dinner, having pulled her hair up on top of her head in a messy bun to keep out of the food. She snapped her gloves on, like always, and began kneading the dough Stephanie had left out to rise for a few hours.

She kind of felt like she was being set up or something, or maybe Abigail was trying to weasel herself into remaining in Stephanie’s good graces. Her blue eyes narrowed thoughtfully, wondering just what DID happen between Abigail and the Undertaker while they were out for the night.

“Need help?”

She jumped. “WEAR BELLS, TAKER!”

“Do you want to know how you’ll look at 9 months?” He asked, his eyes flashing blue for a moment.

~!~

“Find Abigail, find her and she’ll take care of you. I’m sorry I can’t go with you, sweetheart.” Malcolm hugged his granddaughter close, seeing the tears in her eyes along with the confusion. She didn’t understand what was going on or what happened to her, but there was no time to explain. “I fixed your mouth, so your tongue is back.” He didn’t bother mentioning the hysterectomy. “I love you, Suzie. Now run. Get out of here and head to Wonderful. When you make it there, don’t trust anyone and find Abigail. She’s there – the Queen Mother and she will take care of you. Now GO!”

Her eyes snapped open with a startle as Susan slowly looked around the place she lay in, swallowing hard at the sterile smell. It took a few minutes to get her equilibrium on track and to where she could slowly sit up, looking down at the dark blue dress she had on. She could hear her grandfather’s voice in her head, reminding her of who she had to find in Wonderful and hoped she’d made it. The last thing she remembered was collapsing outside of the gates of a town, but she didn’t know where it was. There were fuzzy flashbacks of a conversation she had with a woman, but…Susan didn’t know if that was a dream or not.

“Well hello there, sunshine!” Melina smiled, walking inside and knew she had to inform Taker of the new girl’s awakening. “How are you feeling? Do you remember me? I’m Melina, we spoke earlier…before you passed out again.”

“Melina…” Susan tested out her new magically reattached tongue, surprised she could still talk without a problem and felt her eyes widen. “Melina…”

“Yes, that’s right. Let me check your vitals and then…”

Susan shook her head, slowly standing from the bedding and swallowed hard, remembering her grandfather’s warning not to trust anyone. “Abigail…I have to find Abigail…do you know if she’s here?” She knew better than to call the woman Queen Mother since she was undercover for the DOV currently.

“You know who Abbie is? Abigail Waters?”

Susan nodded, lowering her eyes from Melina and clasped her hands in front of her. “I-I need to find her…”

“O-Okay…we’ll find her, but let’s get you checked out first…”

~!~

Taker was good at sneaking up on people, which in turn made the girls laugh at Stephanie’s squeal. All except Abigail, who was deep in thought kneading the dough with a hint of flour streaked across her cheek. She didn’t hear him come in or his voice, though she was in the back while Stephanie remained in the front. Amy and Trish were insistent on it since she’d taken care of breakfast and wanted her to rest her feet, which were really swollen. They actually wanted her to take the night off, but Stephanie was stubborn and refused.

The next person to walk through the door had everyone stop in their tracks, including Undertaker, as Susan looked around before her eyes landed on Stephanie. “I-I’m looking for Abigail Waters. I-I was told I could find her here…” She looked scared to death, but also determined and swallowed hard at the giant staring at her.

“Stephanie, I think we…”

“Abigail!”

All Abigail could do was catch the girl that cried out her name running toward her, eyes wide and felt her arms wrap tightly around her, feeling her heart break all over again. “Susan…Susan, it’s okay…” She soothed, ignoring everyone staring at them and closed her eyes, not believing the girl was actually speaking. How did she regain her tongue?! “Ssshhh…”

Chapter 20

Without a second thought he brought his hands together in a loud, resounding clap and then parted them slowly, forcing the women apart and everyone else out via one door or the other.

“NOT OKAY, YOU KNOW BETTER!”

“HEY!”

“WHAT THE HELL TAKER?”

Just keeping Abigail and Susan in the room while making the others leave was a chore, he ignored the others. When the doors shut behind the last person, Taker let his arms drop. Probably shouldn’t have done that… he had to sit down.

“W-What’s going on?!” NOW Susan was really frightened, especially since she couldn’t move toward Abigail and vice versa. “A-Abigail?”

What the hell was Taker thinking doing something like that?! The poor girl was scared out of her mind as it was! “It’s alright, Susan. Just breathe, okay? This is…Undertaker. He’s the leader of Wonderful and…you can trust him.”

“W-Why can’t I move?”

That was a damn good question because Abigail was wondering the same thing, seeing that abuse of power he inflicted had sucked energy out of him. “I’m not sure, but everything’s gonna be fine. Tell me how you escaped the castle. How did you find this place?” Keeping Susan talking would calm her down and get her mind off the fact they were both frozen besides their mouths.

“P-Papa…he got me out. Told me to look for you in Wonderful and not to trust anyone else. He gave me a map on how to get here, but I don’t know where it is.” Susan explained, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice and sniffled, tears sliding down her cheeks. “I-I’m scared, Abigail…”

Damn it Malcolm, she thought, not believing the old man had relied on her to take care of his granddaughter and took a deep breath, nodding. “Okay…”

He watched them go back and forth, a black eyebrow slowly raising. When his arms had dropped, so had the magic. They were holding themselves back, that was amusing. Mind over matter, he supposed.

“Abigail, tell me again about her mother.” He ordered, his emerald green eyes locked on Susan.

This would be hard for Susan to hear because she hadn’t been…developed enough, or out of her baby phase, when Lily was killed. “Lily. Lily Calaway is the daughter of the sorcerer, Malcolm Calaway…and Lily was…”

“My Mom.” Susan was afraid to go toward Abigail for fear of this giant using his powers again. “I-I thought Papa was the only one who had magic in Vesperia…”

“Lily was…killed, right after Susan was born because she…had too many girls in a row.” Abigail could not believe he was forcing her to say all of this in front of Susan, not when the girl was traumatized enough as it was. “I’m sorry, Susan…”

“It’s not your fault, Sister Abigail…”

“Please don’t call me that.” Now her voice was filled with pain as she shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself. “I’m not Sister, Queen or Queen Mother of anything or anyone here. I’m just Abigail and you can call me Abbie, alright?”

“O-Okay, Abbie…Abbie…” Susan tested it out with a small, sheepish smile. “I like that better.”

“Me too, kid.” Her eyes moved back to Undertaker, who looked thoughtful. “What else do you wish to know about Lily? I’ll be honest, Bray kept me away from the women and children a lot, so I don’t know a great deal about her…”

“Lily had daughters.” He echoed, a faraway look on his face as he stared into the fire. She’d been murdered because of it. “Lily was the youngest of 3 children, she had 2 older brothers.” Taker admitted in a quiet timbre. “Glen… and Mark. She was born before the great uprisings and war, but she was only a little girl when it happened… when her father took her away to hide her.” He finally looked at Abbie and Susan, mostly Susan. “Even back then, girls were targeted. But in those early years, there was no serum to force the pregnancies to accelerate, or the babies to grow within the span of a year. It was all done… the old-fashioned way.” His mouth twisted into a dark, bitter smile.

“Wait a minute, what? You…knew Lily? You knew her brothers? So that means, you know Malcolm, too?” Abigail had to sit down, her head beginning to spin and felt Susan grab her hand, joining her at the table. Lily had been taken away to be hidden, but that hadn’t done any good. “Malcolm and Lily were…captured and brought to the castle. Lily was…16, I think, somewhere around that age. When the women turn 16, they are immediately bred with someone in the DOV. It was taking too long, so that’s why Bray tracked down the only remaining sorcerer in Vesperia, captured him and has used him ever since to come up with the serum that forced Lily to birth 3 daughters before her death.” Her eyes moved to Susan, the last of Lily’s bloodline. “Your sisters…”

“Dead.” Susan sniffled, squeezing Abigail’s hand and didn’t bother holding her tears back. “They were killed…when they couldn’t produce. That’s what Papa told me.”

Abigail shut her eyes, afraid of hearing that, but already knew it was the truth. “Heartless bastards…” She hissed out, the anger overtaking the pain over everything Bray had done and caused.

He realized right then and there, their family, their blood, and the magic, it would die with him. Glen was dead. Malcolm wasn’t likely to have any more children, given the state of things. Susan was fixed. Lily dead. He had never naturally possessed magic, so Taker couldn’t pass it on. He felt both a strange combination of relief and sadness, closing his eyes.

“Abigail, excuse us, please.” He ordered somberly. “I wish to speak with Susan, alone.”

“N-No, please!! I-I don’t know him and…”

Abigail pressed a finger to her lips and smiled sadly, looking back at Undertaker, before her eyes locked with Susan again. “You can trust him. If you trust me, which I have no idea why you would, other than Malcolm instructing you to, you can definitely trust him. He won’t hurt you. He just wants to talk to you, ask a few questions. If you need me, I’ll be just outside, alright?” She spoke in a quiet, soothing voice, squeezing the girl’s shoulder.

“O-Okay…” Swallowing hard, Susan watched Abigail walk out of the building and slowly moved her eyes to the giant, keeping her distance in case she had to make a run for it.

Breathing in the fresh now night air, Abigail had a hard time breathing and looked up at the night sky, the stars glittering back at her. Why were they going through this? Why was this happening to these innocent people? Why couldn’t Bray see the error of his ways?! Abigail wanted to scream and rage, ripping the hairband out of her hair to let it tumble down her back and over her shoulders, gripping it between her fingers.

Taker watched Susan put distance between them, not overly blaming her. She had come from a place where women weren’t even valued as much as cattle. They were simply objects to be used and then discarded. And then his own magical show of force, which had just been a bad idea all the way around, didn’t help matters any with her trepidation.

“You resemble your grandmother very much. Did Malcolm ever tell you that?” He asked conversationally, taking in the curly auburn hair. She was the spitting image of his mother.

Papa had told her that quite a few times. She resembled her mother and grandmother, both of them having the curly auburn hair and green eyes. “Y-Yes…”

Her head tilted slightly, seeing his own green eyes and wondered how he knew her Papa, her family. It was very rude to ask a stranger a personal question like that, not mention he was a man and he was a woman. Women were not allowed to question men and had to do as they were told. Susan was scared, not bothering to hide it and wiped a few more tears that fell from her eyes, not wanting to be punished. She had no idea this place was the polar opposite of the DOV.

“Come sit with me.” He requested softly, aware thanks to Abigail just how fucked the women in the DOV had it.

They couldn’t disobey, never question. They basically had to sit there and take it, literally. He extended a hand, frowning when she slowly, grudgingly moved towards him. Scooting, he gave her space on the bench, watching her sit down cautiously.

“I told you your mother had two older brothers.” She nodded in acknowledgment. “Glen… he died, in a fire.” He said slowly, not wanting to delve into that too much because it stirred way too much grief. “And Mark, who survived the fire.” Another slow nod. “They had been left behind that day by Malcolm, because boys were safe back then. They were recruited, but they lived. Girls, not so much. So, Malcolm thought the brothers would be safe until he was able to return, except he never did.” Now that puzzle piece had been filled for him. Slowly, Taker let his illusion drop, revealing his actual face, which wasn’t much different from the ‘disguises’ he wore on a day-to-day basis, minus the faded burn scars. “Glen died, saving me. And until you came… I never knew what happened to my father, or my sister.”

Susan’s eyes widened at the face staring back at her, her jaw dropping. This was Mark? Papa had told her stories about his sons, her Uncles, but never did she think she’d meet either of them. Glen had died in a fire, she knew that, but Papa had been under the impression Mark joined him.

“Y-You’re supposed to be dead…” She whispered finally, swallowing hard at the sadness in his eyes that mirrored her own. This was her Uncle…the Undertaker…the leader of Wonderful. “P-Papa told me you and Glen died…he gave me a family history one night, after sneaking me out of my chambers to bring me down to his.” She’d been 6 months old at the time. “So…that makes you my Uncle then, right? We’re family?”

At his nod, Susan hesitantly reached out to touch the scars on his face, which were very faint and didn’t take away from his ruggedly handsome features at all. Even though Papa told her to only trust Abigail, he had no idea who the Undertaker was or else he would’ve retracted that statement. She was sure of it – family over everyone else, no matter the circumstances.

“W-We have to save Papa…he’s in trouble, Mark…”

“We’re going to save everyone, Susan.” He promised, reaching up to capture her hand in his. Taker had a niece, who physically was too old to be his actual niece. He had missed out on her short life and she’d had a very, very horrible life at that. He was going to tear Bray Wyatt to pieces, with his bare hands and his eyes flashed acid at the thought. It hit him, as he stared into her very familiar, yet unfamiliar, face. He still had family left. His father was still alive. Knowing she was probably going to freak out but unable to help himself anyway, Taker pulled her against him and buried his face in her hair.

Trembling at first, Susan had to fight the urge not to push him away and slowly relaxed, wrapping her arms around his neck to hug him tightly. The big man was shaking against her as well and she had no idea why, still very new to not being struck down for speaking out of turn or…anything, really. It didn’t take much for the women in DOV to be abused by the men, no matter how true and good their intentions were.

“Thank you, Mark.” She whispered in his ear, sniffling as fresh tears slid down her cheeks, but they weren’t tears of sadness. They were full of happiness and relief that she had family besides Papa to rely on.

It seemed like they had sat there for hours, and eventually, Mark pulled away from his niece. Only a year… that was all Susan was, but she was physically so much older. “You will never have to go back to those bastards, Susan.” He vowed darkly. “And if I can save Malcolm, I will.” However, it wasn’t Malcolm as a single entity that was a priority, it was all of them – everyone trapped in the DOV. Though… if they pulled Malcolm from there, he would bet Wyatt’s super army stopped growing, providing they didn’t have stores of that serum.

“I-I understand, Uncle Mark.” Susan smiled somewhat sheepishly at him, the innocence radiating off her due to her age. “I won’t be mad if…if you can’t save him. But other people are hurting. They need help.” He nodded to show he understood what she was saying and hugged him again, this time without hesitation, feeling as though she could trust him. It went against what Papa said, but…they were family.

“COME ON, TAKER, PEOPLE ARE STARVING OUT HERE, HOMIE!”

“Homie?” Susan began laughing, in spite of the situation, and saw her Uncle roll his eyes, her own green orbs sparkling. “You’re in trouble, aren’t you?” Her tone was full of mirth and life, the fear evaporating into thin air.

“No darlin’, I’m usually the trouble.”

Taker chuckled, standing up and walked over to open the doors, immediately being swamped as people rushed in for the evening meal. Including Stephanie, who looked ready to scold him. She just gave him a once over, sniffed and headed towards the kitchen. Because Susan might feel a bit overwhelmed by all the men coming in with the women, he stepped back to offer his silent support, watching as she edged closer to him.

“I AM STAR- Hello.” Jeff stopped, blinked and eyeballed his part-time patient.

“H-Hi…”

Abigail came in next and headed straight for the kitchen to resume cooking, trying to get back into the swing of things. She had no idea the revelation that just took place and was glad Susan seemed to be a tad more comfortable around Taker. The man had the uncanny ability to make anyone calm and soothed around him; she wondered if that was a magical ability or just…him. Popping the rolls in the oven, which was the last batch to go in, Stephanie bustled about along with Trish and Amy. She’d had a very small breakdown, cried and then proceeded to push it in the back of her mind for the time being. People were going to hate her, even more so now that Susan was here.

Just focus and get it over with, she thought, mentally coaching herself, and proceeded to help with whatever Stephanie needed.

“Jeff, not right now.”

“I just had some questions…”

“Jeff, not right now.”

Jeff was torn between medical and personal questions, staring at Susan intently, taking in her auburn curls with a smile. “I-”

“Jeff. Not. Now.”

“Hardy, help set those damn tables.” Melina ordered, coming through with her toddler on her hip, a little boy named after his Daddy.

Ever since Abigail had shocked her out of her grief, she had thrown herself into living with a new vigor. She took turns with Jeff, and a few others, manning the medical area. Apparently, she was a great nurse.

Chapter 21

Abigail walked out with several baskets of biscuits, setting them on the table in the middle like usual before beginning to make plates. Tonight’s menu was greens, meatloaf and mashed potatoes with rolls. While Amy sliced the meatloaf up, Abigail began cutting up plates for the toddlers to eat off of and smiled at Melina, setting a plate down for her and little Davey.

“Thank you.”

Nodding, Abigail went to serve other people with plates of food from her tray, finally arriving at the table Undertaker and Susan sat at.

“This looks so good!”

“It is, now eat up. Gotta put some meat on those bones.”

She winked at the girl, setting Taker’s food in front of him, since he was eating in the common house, for a change, instead of up in his tower. Abigail wanted to ask him if he was alright, but that was a stupid question, so she kept her mouth shut and went back to the kitchen to grab another tray full to hand out.

“Good to see you up, girl.” Steve had joined Taker at the table, a bit surprised the man was down here tonight as he usually dined alone and in private. “Your face is showin’, boss.” He pointed out, a bit more surprised, watching as the look instantly changed.

It occurred to him, then, that he could show Susan what her mother had looked like, what he remembered her looking like, and Malcolm… and Glen… she hadn’t known anyone except Malcolm. “Abbie, when you’re done, join us.” He ordered when she passed by again.

That request surprised her, and she nodded, another tray empty and blinked when Amy informed her everyone was eating. They really did make one hell of a team, despite the slight pause, thanks to Taker. She took her plate of food and did as Taker instructed, joining them at the table. Steve scooted over, so she could sit beside him since Susan had the spot beside Taker occupied. Something told her there was a major connection between the two of them, though she knew it wasn’t anything romantic or sexual. She began to eat quietly, trying not to think about the upcoming meeting after dinner that would forever change everyone’s perception of her. Hell, she also didn’t know Susan would be announced as Taker’s family too.

“Scoot over, Steve. Where’s your woman?”

Steve looked around as Melina took his other side, spotting Trish sitting with Stephanie and John. “I think she’s talking to Stephanie about something personal… you know, chicky things.”

Melina hadn’t done a very good job of keeping friends. She and Trish used to be best friends… before her grief had turned her into a raging alcoholic bitch. “You’re looking so much better, Susan.” She smiled at the woman besides Taker. “I’m Melina, by the way, I don’t know if you remember me.”

“Yeah, I do. Thank you for taking care of me Miss Melina.” When all eyes turned to stare at her that sat at the table, besides Abigail, Susan began feeling very self-conscious. “Sorry…”

“Just Melina sweetie, you don’t need to be formal around here. We’re all friends and family.” Melina kissed the top of her son’s head while he devoured his food. “I still wanna do another exam on you since you kinda ran out on me.”

“Okay…Melina.” Susan had to pause before calling her ‘Miss’ again, looking across the table at Abigail. “Abigail, do you like it here?”

Now all eyes were on her. “Yeah sweetheart, I do. Every person in this town has welcomed me with open arms, and they didn’t have to.” Though, she didn’t know how much longer that would last. “Hell Steve, she might be asking Stephanie tips on how to get pregnant.”

Steve promptly choked on his meatloaf.

“Oops?”

Taker snorted into the glass of water he had been raising to take a sip from, instantly setting it down and began shaking his head.

“Shut the hell up, Deadman.”

“Oh, that’s hilarious, Austin! Your woman is asking for tips on how to get pregnant. Let me ask you something, you ever try the plain old-fashioned way?”

“You’re hilarious…”

“We have some old fertility pills, herbal of course, but-”

“I am quite capable of knockin’ her up!”

Abigail tried, really hard, not to laugh and covered her mouth with her hand to keep the giggles inside, her eyes refusing to meet the bald man’s. “Not according to her.” She tightened her lips together when those blue eyes were SEARING through her now.

“What the hell you mean?!”

“Women talk, Austin, or didn’t you get the memo? She’s been trying to get pregnant for a while and…well, she thinks you might have some…issues…in that department…”

“WHAT?!” Steve exploded, standing up from the table and tossed his hands in the air. “THAT IS THE MOST GODDAMN RIDICULOUS THING I’VE-”

“Um Steve?” Trish had walked over, looking incredibly nervous and had no idea what had set him off, but this announcement couldn’t wait until later.

“I’m – uh – I’m pregnant…”

Steve gaped at his woman for all of 3 seconds before doing a fist-pump in the air. “I TOLD YOU BASTARDS I COULD DO IT!”

Everyone busted out laughing.

Trish had asked for Abigail’s help to ‘break the ice’ about pregnancy to Steve, to gauge his reaction and they had a secret hand motion for her to come over when Abigail felt the time was right to tell him.

‘Thank you.’ Trish mouthed, crying while Steve held her close.

Abigail winked at her before resuming eating.

Steve wasn’t as amused so much as relieved that he wasn’t shooting blanks. When it hit, eventually, that they were having a baby, he was going to have a full out panic attack because they had never talked about kids. Raising kids in this time was scarier than anything he had ever contemplated. Taker was just watching, not wanting to know just what kind of female trickery had just happened here. If the women of the world banned together, he had a feeling they would take over within days.

After dinner was finished, Abigail began cleaning up and carried plates to the kitchen, starting the water for the dishes. She was exhausted after the emotionally straining day they’d all had, but Taker was adamant about having the meeting. Stephanie looked dead on her feet, so Amy ordered John to take her home and put her to bed. It wasn’t good for her to be on her feet for extended periods of time, especially so far into her pregnancy. Trish, Amy and Abigail all banded together to do the cleanup and they were shocked when Susan asked if she could help with anything. They nodded, putting her to work on clearing the tables and bringing the dirty dishes to the sink, stacking them neatly. Taker and the men had ventured outside to talk amongst themselves until the cleanup was completed. Then, they would go to Taker’s tower, which had a long round table inside of it where everyone in his council could convene and sit comfortably. Stephanie and John would be there, providing the woman didn’t fall asleep from exhaustion.

“You sure you really wanna do this? Tell them all?” Steve asked, having taken a ‘perimeter’ walk with Taker to get the story.

It was a HELL of a tale, one he could both believe and at the same time… there were niggles. That just couldn’t be helped in this day and age, though. Taker said he trusted Abigail, and he trusted the boss.

“The timing though, with Susan… that’s-”

“Overly coincidental, I agree.” That did trouble Taker, the timing. “Send everyone up to the tower when they’re ready.”

He walked off, needing to think about the past 24 hours and all the revelations. How all this was going to play out was beyond him. He did know they definitely needed to get Malcolm out of Bray’s grasp, one way or another because it was the magic that was enabling him to have that army and more added every day.

When the cleaning was done, an hour later, Abigail had to stop herself from having a panic attack and breathe, folding what was left of the now clean towels. Trish and Amy went ahead of her to the tower since she needed a minute to herself. Susan had stayed behind and looked just as nervous as Abigail did, for obvious reasons.

Time to face the music, she thought, swallowing hard and walked out of the common house with Susan, who had grabbed her hand.

They arrived at the tower far faster than Abigail would’ve liked and the door was already ajar, allowing people inside instead of having to knock. They descended the winding staircase, which was dark except for the torches lit on either side to give them a path. Abigail had never been past the first 2 rooms of this place, so when it opened up into a room with a huge round table and chairs, along with a bar, she was…flabbergasted, to put it mildly. Everyone else was here and had waited for her along with Susan, who immediately went to Taker’s side. Taker gestured for everyone to take a seat and Abigail did so, clasping her hands in her lap, wishing her heart would stop pounding a beating drum in her chest.

Taker had considered giving Abigail the floor, but… all things considered, he figured his people would take it better hearing it from him first off. Then they could question her all they wanted. Also, Abigail looked ready to hurl all over his table and that would be gross. Taking a deep breath and staring at the faces assembled, he began recounting what Abigail had told him in the library, taking note that Steve was observing everyone’s reactions. There was a reason Steve was his right-hand man. When he was finished, he leaned back in his chair, giving everyone a moment to digest and hoped Abbie was ready for the onslaught about to come her way.

“Oh my god…”

“Jesus Christ…”

Amy immediately stood up from the table and walked over to Abigail, seeing the tears in the woman’s eyes. What she must have endured and witnessed…nobody deserved that kind of pain, that agony, that heartbreak. She pulled the woman up out of her chair and hugged her tightly, showing she wasn’t alone in this, ever. Sure, she had lied when she first came to Wonderful, but Amy didn’t blame her for that. Who the hell would crucify her after the horrific details Taker had given them about her life and she’d suffered? Being called a Queen Mother and being forced to watch innocent women dragged out of their homes, away from their own families, all to become breeders and eventually slaughtered and burned…her arms tightened around Abigail’s neck, not letting her go because it was obvious the woman needed comfort at the moment.

“Do you still…I can’t believe I’m asking this, but do you still have feelings for Bray Wyatt?” Trish had to know, rubbing her flat stomach and felt Steve take her hand, lacing their fingers together.

“No.” Abigail gently but firmly extracted Amy from her and held her hand up, letting her know silently she was fine, but she needed a minute. “So much innocent blood has been spilled in Vesperia. Our world is in shambles because of the DOV. It has to be stopped, all of it. Women are dying on a daily basis because they can’t perform to standards. Innocent blood is coating his hands…his body…his soul…and he’s never going to be the same man I once loved and followed. He did save me, and the only way I see saving him is by putting him out of his misery.” Abigail gripped the chair in front of her so tightly, her knuckles turned white. “I already told Taker I will do whatever it takes – WHATEVER IT TAKES – to put an end to this, even if it ends with my death.” Again, she held her hand up to Amy and smiled sadly at her. “I’m not afraid of dying. But I will fight, I will not succumb and surrender to him a second longer. That’s why I left the castle in the first place, to come here ‘undercover’. I came here to see if there was hope in this world, if there was someone to stop Bray…and there is.” She pointed at Undertaker across the table, tears sliding down her cheeks. “He’s…our hope. He’s the only one who can stop this. If he can’t, the DOV wins and I’d rather be dead than watch that come to fruition, as I’m sure all of you feel the same way.”

“So why deceive us?”

“If you were in my shoes, Stephanie, what would you have done? I couldn’t just come walking in here and say, ‘oh hi, my name is Abigail Waters and I’m from the DOV, undercover mind you, and I need to speak with your leader, master, whatever’. No, I don’t think that would’ve gone over well. I had to play it safe, close to the chest, and when I went on that trip with Taker yesterday, I found my chance to tell him everything, to come clean.”

“Good point.” Stephanie couldn’t argue with that, feeling John’s arm wrap around her shoulders.

“This isn’t about me. I didn’t come here to save myself. The only people I want to save, truly, are the ones that are suffering at the hands of the DOV, at the hands of Bray Wyatt. Girls like Susan, who have no idea what the world is truly about and haven’t had a chance to live, who are being FORCED to grow up too fast because of a damn serum that should never be used in the first place! She was lucky, she got out, but there are many more that need to be liberated.”

“Okay, honey, that’s all well and fine,” Steve said gently, after the women had gotten the feelings and pretty speeches out of the way, clearing his throat. “But it sounds like you two share, or did share, a special bond.” He held up his hands when he got a few looks. “Now I’m not tryin’ to paint you as a bad guy. I’m pretty sure all of us would’ve been the same way, growin’ up in those conditions. But when the time actually comes, words and actions are two different things.”

“Then when the time comes, when Bray does come for me, and he will, use me as leverage. However you see fit, I accepted my fate long ago that I may not survive this. If you have to threaten my life or kill me in order to gain an advantage over him, I’m ready. I will pay the price for my people, if it means they are saved.” Abigail did not blame Steve for his trepidation, but she had nothing left to hide and had bared her soul to everyone surrounding the table.

“It won’t come to that…”

“It may very well, Amy. And you need to come to terms with that. If it’s me or the liberation and destruction of the DOV, my life is not worth hundreds, possibly thousands.” She placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder, smiling softly, resignedly, knowing her fate the moment she stepped foot inside Wonderful.

“So, why would Bray Wyatt come for you? I mean, I get you’re the Queen Mother or whatever they call you in the DOV, but what makes YOU, specifically, so special to him that he would come strictly for you?”

This was a difficult subject for Abigail to talk about, but she had to be completely honest with everyone here. “To breed with me, to make an heir, or heirs, to the DOV. Bray has never…” She shut her eyes, feeling her cheeks burn a deep crimson and took a deep breath. “He’s never went to bed with another woman…and the same goes for me. He thinks by taking each other’s virginity, we’ll create some kind of powerful heir that will carry the DOV into the next generation…and I made him believe that’s what I want and waited for my chance to escape. He said, ‘when the time is right, we would be one’, and I think he planned on using the serum on me, laced with Mythril, to ensure I birthed him a son instead of a daughter.” She looked positively disgusted, wrapping her arms around herself tightly. “I’m the only one he wants to breed with, so therefore, he will come for me, along with the Mythril.”

“I don’t know about that…” Matt Hardy said thoughtfully, having been silent as he listened to the chatter. Jeff wasn’t present; he tended to be a bit more on the emotional side. Matt was the brother one went to when they needed pragmatism. “If, when,” He corrected himself. “He finds out about your betrayal, he’s going to… well, pride damages people. If someone is already damaged to begin with…”

“He’s going to rape you and then probably put your head on a pike.”

“Yeah, that.”

“And no martyrs, honey, we don’t deal in that bullshit. You’re just fine alive.”

“This is not me being a martyr, Steve. This is me accepting what is and what needs to be done, should it come to that. My betrayal will wound him, possibly destroy him mentally, emotionally…” Her eyes flashed, darkening slightly. “He’ll be scarred, vulnerable and not think clearly. Again, IF you need to use me against him, I’ll go willingly without a fight. If he gets his hands on me, then it is what it is. As long as he goes down with me and the DOV, that’s all I really care about in the end. I’m done watching him kill our world, innocent people and using magic as a means to an end to build his army. Fuck religion and fuck the DOV.” This all started with religion, because of what happened to them in the foster home and it warped Bray into the monster he was now. “I’m sorry I lied to all of you. It wasn’t easy to do, whether you believe that or not.”

It ate her up inside, actually.

Chapter 22

“She has a hard time getting’ past the fact that we’re not overly upset, doesn’t she?”

“Well, look where she comes from, Steve…”

“Yeah, no shit.” Amy snorted, drumming her fingers on the table top. “Look, don’t be in such a hurry to throw your life away. We don’t like head-on confrontations, so chances are-”

“We’re going to sneak in.” Taker cut her off abruptly.

“Okay, how?”

“Abbie is going to describe the layout of the castle, and I will go, to provide some… cover.”

“But that leaves Wonderful without guaranteed protection, Taker.” Steve pointed out.

“Then we probably shouldn’t lose this fight. First target will have to be the sorcerer, I want him out alive, if possible.” Taker wasn’t going up against his own father for one, and two, he wasn’t a natural magic user, so… he liked living.

“That won’t work, Undertaker.”

“I’m in agreement with her, for once.”

“She’s right…” Susan had to stop herself from calling him Uncle Mark in the presence of everyone since they didn’t know his true identity. He’d made that crystal clear to her and she promised not to blurt his secret or their connection. “The castle is enormous with a lot of hidden passageways. Papa sent me through one of them, but that’s one of many.”

“Thank you, Susan.” Abigail smiled at her, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “It’s best to wait and let them come here. That way, Wonderful will still be protected by your magic. Now, if you wanted to do a rescue mission, secretively, to get Malcolm out of there…”

“Malcolm?”

“The sorcerer Taker referred to. He’s the one who’s been concocting the serum for Bray. If it’s stopped and brought here, without Bray and the DOV knowing, that would be a HUGE disadvantage for the DOV.”

“Makes sense, but…I’m sensin’ this isn’t gonna be as easy as it sounds…”

“I can’t simply explain to you the passageways. I have to BE there in order to direct you on where to go. Is there some kind of…invisibility spell or something we could use?”

“The invisibility cloak…but it is said to be hidden in a cave far east of here…and it’s full of monsters.”

“If we can’t do a spell to make us invisible long enough to get in and get out with Malcolm, we may have to consider going that route. But, it’s up to Undertaker. However, I cannot possibly give you the layout of the castle, it’s too massive.”

“If we don’t go there, then eventually, he’s going to come here because he’s got it in his head that there is only one… woman,” ‘Taker’s eyes narrowed because that was not the word that came to mind. “For him and apparently she is his Queen.” Bray Wyatt sounded stupid; zealots usually were. Obviously, he was stupid and had built himself a ridiculous religion that enslaved women. “And Wyatt has tried to breech our walls several times, which is why Abigail is now here. Unless he is dumb enough to come up and be shot from our towers, we’ll be at a stalemate.”

“It’s not like we can’t go out and… oh.” Steve shut the hell up at the dark look he had received. “You can’t go because, if you go, all these people die.”

“And we apparently can’t try gettin’ in THERE undetected.”

That would have worked better, as nobody outside of Wonderful knew what he looked like. Here in Wonderful, Taker had to hide while that idiot camped outside his walls, knowing if he died, they died immediately after. If he went out in disguise, Wyatt would never know.

“Everyone is dismissed.” He was too tired for this tonight. “We’ll discuss it further tomorrow.”

Nobody argued with him and filed out, Abigail behind everyone else heading for the exit. She was stopped by a hand on her shoulder and looked up at Undertaker, wondering what he wanted, figuring he just wanted to speak with her alone. Stephanie gestured Susan to come with her, having set up a nice bed in the common house for her that was right next to Abigail.

“What is it?” She asked softly, figuring he’d want to be alone after everything that happened tonight and furrowed her brows together.

If Taker was trying to convince her to give him a complete layout of the castle, he was out of luck since Bray didn’t allow her to go many places within it. The only passageway she knew of was Malcolm’s and, even then, that had been discovered accidentally one day. All he needed was a way in, information that she DID know. But, it was what it was, and Abigail had made it clear she didn’t know anything useful, at least nothing he immediately considered advantageous.

“I want to talk to you about Susan.” He said quietly, not about to talk strategy with her, again. “Her mother, Lily, and her… papa, the sorcerer Malcolm. Lily is my sister and Malcolm is my father.” Taker let that sink in, letting go of her to walk over to pour himself a drink. Tonight definitely was a drinking night, a drinking and passing out night.

It took SEVERAL minutes for that information to sink into her brain, due to the shock and Abigail could only gape at him, suddenly understanding why Susan and Taker had been close so quickly. They were FAMILY! Swallowing incredibly hard, when Taker walked back over to hand her a tumbler of whiskey, she took it and downed the whole thing, the burning sensation jolting her out of her shock.

“Okay…” Did Malcolm know the Undertaker was his SON? No, he couldn’t or else he would’ve told Susan to go straight to him instead of Abigail. “Susan is your…niece then, right?” She spoke somewhat cautiously, watching him nod as he downed his own tumbler and felt as if her brain just imploded. “I-I had no idea, Taker…”

“Why would or should you?” He asked, sending her a confused look before leading the way down to his main rooms, where more whiskey awaited, and comfortable furniture.

Taker hadn’t known Malcolm was still alive, much less Lily, or any children. He imagined it was the same for Malcolm, assuming his sons were dead. Filling his tumbler again, from his private stash not meant for war councils and the like, Taker dropped down on the edge of his bed, the lighting automatically adjusting to his presence.

“Help yourself if you want another drink.”

That was a good point, but she’d said it in case he thought she knew that information already. She was from the enemy camp, after all. The second thing she noticed was how HUGE that bed was. Abigail wasn’t a big drinker, but tonight she felt the need to get a refill, pouring a healthy dose of whiskey in her tumbler. Then, she walked over to stare out the window down at Wonderful, everyone nestling in for the night as the lights began turning off one by one. She took a sip from the tumbler, feeling the warmth from the alcohol flowing through her veins and finally looked over at Taker, her heart breaking for him. Walking over, she stood in front of him and slid her fingers through his hair, trying to comfort him the best way she could.

Like a giant panther, his head tipped into her palm, feeling her caressing his hair and his scalp, wondering how she’d feel if he purred. That brought a faint smile to his lips and he drained his tumbler, setting it aside on the floor as the bed was fairly low to the ground and looped an arm around Abigail’s waist. Drawing her down onto the bed, he lay back, pulling her so she lay sprawled on top of him.

“It has been a long day, darlin’.” He rumbled, placing her hands back to his head.

“It has.” Abigail agreed softly, noticing quickly he enjoyed having her fingers sift through his hair.

He had beautiful tresses, a deep dark auburn that looked black when it was wet. It was obvious Taker didn’t want to talk about anything, which was fine with her because Abigail was drained emotionally and mentally. Tenderly, she began kissing along the faint scar that ran down the side of his face, once again letting him know they didn’t bother her. Taker tensed for a minute and she continued, knowing stopping would’ve alarmed him or at least ruined the moment. All the while, she kept caressing his hair and rested her free hand against his chest over his heart.

Letting her kiss and caress him, Taker admitted to himself it felt nice to be coddled for a change. He was the leader; he was usually perceived as some magical, mythical force that was unstoppable, no limits. Didn’t he wish! After a while, he had relaxed completely, and Abigail had never stopped her ministrations. Rolling them both so her back was against the mattress and he was hovering over her, he studied her face. She was a bit rosy in the cheeks and that made Taker smile slightly, bending down to brush his nose along her jawline, his lips ghosting hers.

Instinctively, her lips caught his in a deeper kiss, her hand resting on the side of his face and felt his body press her further into the mattress. She moaned softly and groaned when he pulled back, hearing his deep chuckle against her throat. This man was evil and had her at his mercy. If he wanted to, he could snap her like a twig and send her back to Bray broken, possibly dead. That wasn’t the type of man he was, though. Taker wanted to protect everyone, including her and that alone made her want to be with him. She writhed beneath him, since her neck was one of the most sensitive areas of her body and felt his hand slip under her tank top to caress the flesh of her stomach, the heat pulsating through her further.

As much as she wanted to use herself as an honorable distraction for the cause or whatever it was she thought, and he was attributing that to her Catholic upbringing and the whole self-flagellation thing, the punishing self-thing, he wasn’t that kind of man. He was, however, the kind of man who was very aware of the desirable woman beneath him, her curves beneath his palms as he ran calloused hands up further along her ribs, eventually testing the waters by cupping her breasts. Taker could feel her hardened nipples and her body arching into his touch.

“Mmm let me up for a minute…” Abigail requested breathlessly, smiling when he obliged and took her tank top off, leaving her bra on.

He could take it off of her, if he wanted to, but at least she wasn’t burning up anymore. Her hand slid up the front of his top, pulling on it and could see the desire swirling through his now dark forest green orbs. “Too many clothes on, and I want to feel your skin against mine.”

She pushed it up over his head, dropping the material to the floor and tested the waters by pressing her chest against his, her bra suddenly a nuisance. A few seconds later, it was unsnapped and off her, their bare chests now touching as his mouth caught hers again, making her head spin. Virgin, he had to remind himself, a bit amused when she had removed her top, knowing she felt overheated… she’d shed more clothes and discover that burning wasn’t something she would relieve by stripping. Taker had the cure for her fever like state, though… he felt the same. Sitting upright, Taker pulled Abigail with him, so her legs were wrapped around his waist, heels on the bed. Holding her upper body weight with his hands, he tipped her back, bending down until his mustache and goatee tickled along her collarbone, kissing and licking his way down the valley of her breasts.

“Mmm that feels good…” Abigail voiced how she felt, her hands gripping his broad shoulders and trusted him not to drop her.

That would’ve been awkward as hell. She gasped when he took one of her erect nipples in his mouth, swirling it around his tongue and used teeth slightly to add a different sensation. Abigail hissed out softly, burying her fingers in his hair and her nails dug a little into his shoulder with her free hand, lulling her head back further. Then, he moved to the other breast, giving her other nipple the same treatment and whimpered, the fire inside of her now a full-blown inferno. Her panties were soaked, and Abigail was pretty sure she would be leaking through the jeans she had on from how wet she was.

Abigail was radiating heat and he felt like he was leaching it from her, his lips burning a trail across her skin. Snaking an arm around her, in order to a free a hand, Taker delved it between them. Pulling his head up, Taker studied her face, green eyes searching hers as he began caressing her through the denim, watching for a sign she wasn’t compliant with this. He wasn’t the DOV, or Bray Wyatt; she would be completely willing, or this wouldn’t happen, period. It felt good, there was no doubt about it, but the denim was too thick to really feel and experience the warmth of his hand against her nethers.

“Off…off, t-they need to come off…” She stammered out in a groan, pushing her jean covered sex against his hand to further stimulate her.

Abigail was burning up, her face contorted in a mixture of frustration and ecstasy. Taker pushed her back to where she landed on her feet and, with his mouth, unsnapped her jeans, his hands caressing her backside before delving them beneath the thick material to feel the thin material of her panties. She could only watch him mesmerized, not realizing her eyes had blackened and slowly felt him start pushing the jeans down her legs until she had to kick her shoes off before stepping out of them. Then, his finger went right back to stroking her and this time, Abigail shuddered, her hands tightening on his shoulders to keep from falling over.

Her panties were drenched. He could feel it, see it and smell it; the woman was beyond aroused. It was heady, and Taker pushed her back onto the bed, kneeling on the floor before her. He locked eyes with her for a moment, slowly lowering his head between her spread thighs, his hands moving to her inner thighs, gently spreading them apart further. They didn’t even have to go all the way tonight, but he was definitely sampling her. Not having a clue what was happening because she’d never gone this far with Bray, her eyes grew wide in wonder. Her panties were gone a minute later, and Taker had gone back to caressing and kissing her inner thighs, making her tremble. They were trembling on their own and she had no control over it, her heart pounding a furious tattoo in her chest.

“W-What are you…ohhhhh…” Abigail felt his hot breath puff against her dripping sex before his tongue slid up the length of her, her fingers instantly burying in his hair. “O-Oh god…” Never in her life had she been touched down there, so this was an entirely new experience for her.

Whatever exploration she and that punk leader of the DOV had done over the years, apparently it had all been very chaste. Twenty-six and a virgin, who had hardly any idea of the pleasures to be had when it came to sex, and not even just that one act. There was so much more to it than what she had seen in the DOV at the hands of those rapists. She tasted as delicious as her scent had promised him she would, and Taker found himself forgetting to check in with her, more intent on devouring.

Breathless. That was the only word to describe how she felt at the moment with his head buried between her thighs. Never did Abigail think she’d enjoy a man’s tongue and lips on her lower region. On her neck, sure, but being pleasured orally was…an experience she would never, ever forget.

“O-Oh fuck! Taker, Taker please…” She squirmed, trying to increase the pressure on her clit and his huge, tattooed sleeved arm held her down, preventing her from grinding her sex into his mouth harder. “B-Burning…I’m – I’m…oh god, w-what’s happening…” A hot sensation developed in her stomach, a tightening, a tingling pressure…it felt like coil threatening to spring free, or maybe a volcano on the verge of eruption. “P-Please…”

He knew exactly what was happening to her and was encouraging it, sliding one large finger between her slick folds. He felt Abigail tensing at was undoubtedly a very new sensation, but her body knew what it was doing. This was something just built in the DNA, something primal, basic, and when done out of fun, or love, or anything except anger and rage, it was a beautiful, pleasurable experience.

“Let go, darlin’…”

Breathing erratically, his finger inside of her, combined with his tongue, sent her into a sensation overload. When that finger began pumping in and out of her slowly, methodically, the pain was minimal and, luckily, the pleasure overtook it, the combination making her head spin. Abigail had to lay back on the bed, gripping her hair in her fingers and soon, the wave of warmth washed over her, feeling fluid leave her body. It was her climax, her very first orgasm and it reminded her of a shattering mirror. She had literally shattered to pieces, crying out his name in her release and tried catching her breath while he feasted on her essence.

Chapter 23

“W-Wow…oh wow…” Abigail coughed out a little, scrubbing a hand down her face and looked down at Taker finishing up, his mouth pulling away from her still soaking sex.

“Mmm…” He rumbled, licking his lips before bending down to run his tongue lazily up her still soaked slit, smirking when he felt Abbie trembling.

When he felt her hands in his hair, he pulled away again and moved up her body, bending down to brush his lips against hers. Lust filled green eyes studied her face, taking in the flush, her dazed look… he approved. Taker was willing to bet she felt all relaxed and limp, lethargic, at the moment.

“You taste delicious, Abigail.” He informed her, his tone coming out a harsh growl.

Tasting herself on his tongue was also a new experience and, surprisingly, she didn’t find it gross or disgusting. How was that possible? His growl made her shiver all over again, especially when his mouth once again sealed to her neck. Abigail didn’t think it was fair that he’d pleasured her orally, but didn’t receive the same treatment.

“T-Taker, wait…” His head lifted to meet her eyes and she kissed him again, caressing his face tenderly with her hand. “I want to…do the same thing to you that you just did to me. I-I’ve never done it before, but…I want to try…”

He’d pleasured her with his mouth, so that meant she would have to do the same thing with hers. Abigail chewed her bottom lip as he contemplated her, feeling another flush wash over her body and melted when he captured her mouth again. From his understanding, Abigail’s prior sexual experience was 6^th grade, kissing and making out behind a tree, type stuff. Hell, he felt old; that was literally a whole lifetime ago, an entirely different world.

“Darlin’… as appreciative of that thought as I am…” And his cock was rock hard and practically screaming at him to shut the hell up. “I uh…”

Fuck all, she was a virgin and he wanted to take things sort of slow with her, give her time to enjoy, learn and if need be, back out. He pulled back again, rolling onto his side and brought her with him, so she was on hers as well. Taking her hand, Taker guided it down to the front of his jeans, figuring they’d just start… small, so to speak.

Never had she felt a cock in her hand pulsate and harden, but that was all about to change tonight. Her first orgasm and now…Abigail swallowed hard at the hard bulge in his jeans and became nervous, wondering if he was even her size. If his cock would even fit inside of her. One step at a time, she thought, fumbling for a minute with the button of his jeans before finally unfastening them. Abigail didn’t know what made her continue, but she slid his zipper down, her eyes focused on what she was doing and knew this would be a lot easier if he took his jeans off.

“Will you…stand up for me? I don’t think I can take these off with you…laying down…” Her eyes shyly peaked up at him, her hand stroking his bare chest.

Considering he could probably fit a few of her in his jeans, Taker smirked at the thought at how tiny she was. How breakable, and here she was, trusting him. His nickname was the Undertaker and she was the technical woman of his enemy, yet here she was trusting him. That shot a few weird things through him. Taker was overthinking it, overcomplicating it and he shed his pants before she could reach out for him, revealing himself to her in all his naked glory because he went commando. They were definitely going to have to take things slow, he mused, his gaze on Abigail’s eyes. She was staring right at his cock.

Was a penis supposed to be THAT big?! Abigail could not take her eyes off it, trembling in both anticipation and a hint of fear, not of him, but of what he packed in those jeans. Swallowing hard, she had to take a deep, shuddering breath and reached out to take his cock in her hand, the hard warmth feeling wonderful against her touch. He groaned out and her eyes snapped from his cock up to his face, seeing he was enjoying what she was doing to him. Biting her bottom lip, Abigail testing the waters and stroked him one, two, three times, slowly and gently, not wanting to hurt him in any way.

When substance began forming on the tip of his cock, Abigail didn’t even think twice about it and went on instinct, letting them guide her on what to do. Her tongue slid out to taste the pre-cum on his tip and felt his body shudder, a soft moan escaping her. It didn’t taste bad, just a tad salty, but definitely not bad at all. So that was what cum from a man tasted like…interesting. She began licking and swirling her tongue around the tip experimentally, enjoying the sounds of Taker groaning echoing in her ears.

Virgin, virgin, virgin, he had to keep mentally repeating, forcing himself to not take her hair like reigns and fuck her mouth. Not to mention he didn’t want to split those pretty lips of hers. “Watch your teeth, darlin’…” He cautioned when she took him into her mouth, pretty sure she would regret that since lockjaw was a thing. And he liked his skin where it was. “Fuck, Abbie…” It had been awhile for him and just the feel of her tongue was going to blow his mind.

“Does that feel good?” She didn’t wait for a response and continued suckling on his tip, her hand stroking him up and down continuously. “Lay down on the bed.”

Abigail stood up in front of him and smiled as he allowed her to push him down on it, getting on her knees in front of him. That was better, at least he wouldn’t have sore legs and feet from standing while she pleasured him. Then, she proceeded to continue the same treatment on his cock, just the tip again, before beginning to slide her tongue up and down his length. This was all experimental; she wanted to see what made him tick, what he enjoyed and made sure not to use her teeth, going from one side to the other. Pulling back at his heavy breathing, she very carefully opened her mouth to take him in her mouth and could only get his tip due to his girth, knowing she would have a VERY sore jaw in the morning. It would be worth it though.

“Darlin’, use your hand.” He urged, raising his head up on pillows in order to watch her, seeing her problem.

Taker wasn’t a tiny man by any means and, while it was great having those bragging rights with the boys, a few women had told him flat out it wasn’t happening. That part sucked. At her somewhat puzzled look, he showed her by reaching down and gripping himself, showing her. Apparently, a man could have an orgasm by being stroked, but that’s not what Abigail wanted to do for him. He’d pleasured her with his mouth and she wanted to do the same thing for him. Maybe she could do both and pushed his hand away to take over, his mouth once again on his tip while she pumped him up and down. A hiss escaped him, and Abigail knew she was doing it right, continuing doing both and once again watched her teeth.

Her hand began going faster, pumping harder, and Abigail realized why they called it a blowjob. It really was a job, a pleasurable one, but her arm would be hurting her tomorrow. Still, she didn’t stop and did a sort of French kiss on his tip, opening her mouth to take him in and out of her mouth, not stopping the pumping. No matter how long it took, she would make him climax the same way he did her and reached down with her free hand to fondle his balls, not realizing that just intensified everything for Taker.

Also, it put him on edge because the wrong move or a squeeze would turn that pleasure right into excruciating pain. Abigail seemed to be on the gentle, tender side, so… he relaxed. His fists gripped the sheets beneath him, so he didn’t take hold of her hair, refusing to pull out those beautiful ebony tresses.

“Darlin’, I’m real close.” He warned her huskily, figuring he’d do her the solid of letting her decide if she wanted to attempt swallowing. Most women didn’t, he supposed he didn’t blame them. And since it had been a long time for him… “Abbie…” She wasn’t about to have a choice. He could feel everything tensing, his balls were tingling in a very pleasant, familiar way. “ABBIE!” She was trying to swallow. Bless this woman’s heart because she was a rare breed indeed.

Honestly, there was no way anyone could swallow THAT amount of cum in one sitting, not unless it was shot directly down their throat. Abigail did not have that option and swallowed most of it, but some spilled out of the corner of her mouth on both sides, dripping to the floor. She coughed, not gagging necessarily, but it had been A LOT and she’d barely gotten it down. Hopefully, that would be easier to do as time went on, should Taker decide he wanted to do something like this with her again.

Taker collapsed back on the bed in a heap, breathing erratically much like she had, and Abigail rose to her feet, immediately heading into the nearest bathroom to clean herself up. There was no way she would kiss him with his own cum on her face, it wasn’t happening, and it was a little gross, if she was being completely honest. Running the water in the sink, she splashed her face and wiped her mouth off with the towel, after making sure to get the semen off her mouth and chin, before rejoining him in the bedroom.

“Are you gonna be okay?” She asked, sitting beside him on the bed and laid back to rest her head on his shoulder.

“Jesus Christ, darlin’, you asking me that…”

He shook his head, running a hand down his face, which was probably bright red due to how intense that had been, along with the breathing issues he was having. His balls felt deflated and Taker knew he’d have balance issues tomorrow, which made him laugh at how stupid that thought was. Still chuckling, he pulled Abigail into his arms and on top of him, capturing her mouth in a kiss. He hadn’t missed the look on her face when she had hauled her cookies to the bathroom, not begrudging it.

“Round two?” He teased, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

Abigail was glad he wasn’t angry with her for going to clean herself up, though there was nothing to be done about Taker tasting himself on his tongue when he kissed her. The same went for earlier when she had to taste herself, so she supposed it was only fair. She giggled softly at his wiggling brows and smoothed them over with the pad of her thumb, nodding.

“I’ll go as many rounds with you as you want, Taker.” She said truthfully, pretty sure she could hear both their hearts pounding and beating as one. “Will you be able to continue? Your face is really red and…you’re still breathing heavy…maybe we should take a break and let you cool down?” It wasn’t said to be sarcastic; Abigail was genuinely concerned about him and caressed his face with her fingertips, leaning over to where her hair curtained around them. “Don’t wanna give you a heart attack or anything like that.”

“I’m willing to risk it, but water isn’t a bad idea.”

He gently pushed her away and stood up, stretching his limbs and tried getting some blood flow back into them. Taker felt like a cooked noodle and relaxed. He hadn’t realized he had been overly tense until just now. Retrieving a few bottled waters, Taker brought them back to bed, passing her one.

“Now be honest, Abbie, how are you feeling about all this?” He didn’t want her saying she would go as many rounds as he wanted just to please him, or anything else; he wanted her to be genuinely enjoying herself.

“Besides making a mess with…swallowing…never better.” Abigail answered honestly, downing half her bottled water and hadn’t realized how thirsty sexual activity made a person.

Hell, she wasn’t even this parched with all the make out sessions her and Bray had throughout the years. What she just experienced with Taker was…unlike anything she’d ever felt before and Abigail wanted more. She finished the rest of the water, tossing the empty bottle in the nearby trashcan and took Taker’s empty one, adding it to hers. Moving, she straddled him again and kissed him, softly, sensually, feeling a little bolder. It did not bother her they were both completely naked either, if anything the skin on skin contact felt exquisite. However, when his hand brushed against the scar on her lower back, something he hadn’t noticed because she’d been on her back or knees during the foreplay they’d just had, Abigail tensed slightly and broke the kiss to stare into his eyes, trying to read him. Did it bother him she had scars of her own?

The scar didn’t bother him a bit and he lazily trailed a finger along the marred skin, feeling the length, the thinness of it. No, it didn’t bother him that it was on her. It bothered him WHY, but that was long before his time and there was nothing he could do about it now.

“You’re beautiful, Abigail.” He reassured her, running his hand up and down her back soothingly. “Scars don’t bother me, darlin’.” He would be the world’s biggest ass if they did all things considered.

Sighing, she pressed her forehead against his and merely kissed him, pressing herself closer to him. “They don’t bother me either.” She murmured, sliding her fingertips along the scars on his face and rubbed her nose against his, not a hint of repulsion in her eyes. “They give a person character and show they’re a survivor.” Sliding her fingers through his hair, Abigail couldn’t get enough touching him and softly rained kisses all over his face, once again giving ample attention to the scar. “You’re so warm…so strong and kind…handsome – definitely handsome…” She spoke near his ear, their chests pressing together and tested a theory with her tongue against his lobe, tracing it. “Tell me if this feels good, Taker…”

“It feels great, Abbie.” That seemed like another understatement, but divine also sounded corny. He let his hands roam her body again, shuddering when she found the spot just behind his ear, growling. “Woman…” She didn’t stop, and Taker gripped her backside, pulling her into him, so she could feel him stirring again. “You’re waking the beast again, darlin’.” Taker informed her, pretty sure she had just giggled in his ear.

“Mmm good, I like the beast awake…”

Abigail squealed when she was suddenly planted on the bed on her back with him hovering over her, her midnight blues blackened over yet again. Her hand slid up his chest as his head dipped to capture her mouth and, all the while, his knee had very blatantly parted her thighs to where he could settle between them. Once again, her fingers buried in his hair as their tongues dueled together, tasting each other, the addiction more powerful than ever. Only when they needed air to breathe did Taker break it and attacked her neck, making her writhe beneath him again.

“I am curious…” She spoke breathlessly, hearing him give a half mumble/half grunt against her skin and arched her head to give him further access. “Will your cock fit completely inside of me…or am I too small for you?”

“It’ll fit, mostly.” He tried not to laugh, knowing she was serious about that question. Given his size and her virgin status… Taker didn’t blame her one bit. “It’s going to hurt, Abigail.” There was no point keeping that fact from her hidden. He was an above average size, and this would be her first time; it was going to hurt. “We don’t have to do this tonight, darlin’, we can take our time.” A woman’s body was a marvelous thing; she would definitely be able to take at least some of him and, if he had to improvise the rest with his hand or fingers, it wouldn’t be the first time.

“I know it will.” Abigail wasn’t completely stupid when it came to the anatomy and sex, though foreplay she had been blind on. She pulled back to stare into his eyes, gliding the pad of her thumb across his lips and could tell he what he said was the truth. “I trust you’ll make it as comfortable and less painful as possible, though.” The last thing she wanted to do was leave him hanging or to end their night together since it had been amazing so far. “Could we do the whole…foreplay thing again and…work our way up to actual sex? I’m nervous…I’m not gonna lie.” She rested her forehead against his, breathing a little shakily. “I want you, Taker, but…taking our time instead of rushing sounds good…”

“Sounds good indeed, darlin’.”

Taker had no intention now of divesting her of her virginity tonight. He figured they could do the experimental and foreplay thing. Her body would be so desperate for the actual experience of sex, it would handle the pain issue a bit better. Abigail hadn’t left him hanging tonight, not at all. He was always up for cumming again, who wouldn’t be? But at the same time, now that his issues had been handled, he was in a lot better control.

Chapter 24

The sunlight streamed through the window as Abigail slowly popped one eye open and immediately regretted it, turning on her side to snuggle further in the pillow. She felt something warm against her and immediately snapped her eyes open, looking up at the peaceful sleeping Undertaker. It took her a minute to recollect the previous night and felt his arms tighten around her to pull her closer, his nose burying in her hair. They hadn’t had sex, but…the foreplay – that had been spectacular in itself. Hours of having his mouth buried between her thighs and hers on his dick, with breaks in between to either talk or hydrate themselves, had Abigail feeling pleasantly relaxed. She had no idea what time they went to bed and glanced at the clock on his nightstand, immediately bolting upright in bed.

“FUCK!”

Scrambling out of bed, Abigail tripped over her shoes and groaned, trying to find her clothes. Stephanie was going to KILL her! She was over an hour late helping prepare breakfast at the common house.

“Shit, shit, shit!!”

Since he wasn’t using any magic to maintain a look, -he didn’t need it with her- he felt no shame whatsoever about crooking a finger and drawing her right back to bed. “I sent word that you were indisposed a few hours ago, darlin’.” Taker informed her in a husky, sleep filled rumble. One day only wouldn’t kill her and Stephanie had new girls to train so to speak since she would have to start overseeing more than actually doing the work soon because of her pregnancy and how large she was.

“You really enjoy doing that to me, don’t you?” Abigail muttered good-naturedly, once she landed back in bed beside him and turned on her side to stare at him.

Indisposed…anyone with half a brain would know exactly what that meant, even though they hadn’t had sex yet. It was bound to happen, especially if he planned on keeping her in bed with him all day. What a delicious thought that was, but Abigail also knew he had obligations to Wonderful. In the sunlight, he was even more beautiful as Abigail stroked his face with her hand and scooted closer to softly kiss his lips.

“I didn’t mean to wake you up like that. Sorry.” She mumbled against his mouth, laughing when he smacked her backside and pulled her to sprawl over on him again as they continued kissing.

“I’ve been up off and on for a while now, darlin’.” He chuckled, kissing along her jawline. “I’m not used to having someone else in the bed with me anymore.” They couldn’t spend all day in bed, as much as he’d like too. Eventually, people were going to come knocking to see what the hell he was doing, cooped up in here… and maybe he’d let them inside, and answer the door butt naked.

“Mmm, you could’ve woken me up and I’d keep you company…” Abigail purred, lifting her head and tilting it slightly as he sat upright with her legs draped on either side of him. “W-We really should start getting up and around…” Seeing him nod in agreement, neither moved from their spot as he continued kissing her neck down her collarbone to her breasts, completely melting against him. She smiled, hearing him mumble ‘five more minutes’ and slid her fingers through his hair, allowing him to love her all over again. “Five minutes then…”

An hour later, they were in the shower together washing each other and talking about whatever came to mind, the subject of the DOV or Bray never coming up.

It was interesting how easy it was to talk to Abigail. He hadn’t felt like this in a long time, just talking and being with someone without feeling overly awkward or hesitant. She had gotten to see more of the faded scars and he had told her the story of how he had gotten them, about Glen. It rang dimly in the back of his mind that, if things went south or she somehow wound up back in Bray Wyatt’s clutches, she would have a bit too much information on him, but… Taker also trusted her.

Taker had a lot of information about her as well, such as her upbringing in the foster home and her mother’s death. It wasn’t easy to talk about, but it was all Abigail really knew since she’d blocked out a lot of the first couple years in the foster home. The fact those people actually thought Bray Wyatt was a devil and punished him for it, all because she had spoken to him…Abigail wished she never would’ve opened her mouth. Maybe he wouldn’t have turned into the monster he was today. Then again, it took a lot more than just abuse at a foster home for 6 years to warp a person the way he was.

They talked about their likes and dislikes, favorite books, music, color, food…all of it. It broke her heart to hear the story about how his brother had died by sacrificing himself to save Taker…and he’d even told where he got his magic from. Abigail trusted him as much as he did, not having a reason to think otherwise. By the time they finally emerged from the tower, it was past noon and he walked with her to the common house, kissing her hand before heading out to take care of his business.

Her foster home had been messed up and, perhaps possessed, or just genuinely evil. Abigail hadn’t spoken in years and Bray Wyatt was the first person she did speak to, finally. Instead of rejoicing, they presumed the kid was a demon. That was jacked up and Taker had seen and heard of a lot of horrid stories in his life.

“Oh right there, John…. yeeesssss….” Stephanie was moaning when Abigail finally walked into the common house. She was sitting in a chair, her feet in all their swollen achy glory on her man’s thighs while he gave her a foot massage.

Abigail laughed at the look on Johnny’s face because it sounded like Stephanie was having an orgasm. She knew all about that now after her night with Taker in his warm, comfortable bed. He grinned up at her while continuing to massage his woman’s feet and didn’t stop, wanting to stay in her good graces. Stephanie pregnant was scary.

“I’m SO having Steve do that to me tonight.”

“I don’t blame you there. How are you feeling, anyway?”

“Hell woman, we should be asking YOU that question.” Trish’s brown eyes gleamed wickedly, knowing where Abigail had slept last night.

Abigail flushed, turning a deep crimson and cleared her throat. “I – um – no comment.” Then she FLEW into the kitchen past the blonde to start preparing lunch.

“Oh my god! OH MY FUCKING GOD!!” Amy was having a meltdown, storming into the common house, trembling from head to toe and tears were streaming down her cheeks. “T-This isn’t happening to me…”

“What’s wrong?” Abigail demanded, rushing back out and saw the object in Amy’s hand, her eyes widening. “Oh my god…”

It was a pregnancy test…a positive pregnancy test.

“Fuck, we really need more help around here now…”

“There are plenty of hands on deck, they just need training.” Stephanie rolled her eyes, sharing a grin with John. “Did you all forget Wonderful is filled with hundreds of people?”

“Got some teens looking to start pitching in, couple of pretty strong boys.” John offered, grinning when Stephanie flashed him two thumbs up.

“We best get Jeff to check the water. Seems like pregnancy is contagious now.” Trish shot Stephanie a wink before turning her attention back to Abigail. “If you don’t want to join the ever growing list, you best get over to Melina and see about birth control.”

That was not a bad idea, especially now that three of her friends were all pregnant, one right after the other. “Good idea, on both counts.” Abigail cleared her throat, refusing to tell them exactly what happened between her and Taker because it was nobody’s business. She hoped he felt the same way and would keep their intimacy private, especially since they hadn’t actually done the deed yet. “I’ll go over there after we get lunch set out. Steph, why don’t you take it easy and relax?” Her feet were really swollen, the poor thing had just a little under 2 months to go until she could pop that kid out.

“Agreed. John, take her home and make her bedrest.” Trish held her hand up, in charge when Stephanie wasn’t. “We’ll start training some of the newbies today. Your feet look like little sausages and that’s not good, honey.”

“Pregnant…I’m pregnant…and I haven’t even told Matt.” Amy’s eyes snapped up to meet John’s. “DO NOT say a WORD to him about this, please!”

“Whoa, calm down little momma, I’m not gonna say a word.” This common house was about to turn into pregnancy and hormoneville.

“Stephanie, get in to see Melina.” They hadn’t even noticed Taker walking in and he crouched down beside her and John, reaching out to feel her forehead. “You’re red and flushed, darlin’. John, how often are her feet swollen?”

“Boss, I don’t think they’ve been normal sized in weeks… but she’s always up and running.”

“Carry her over, Jeff should be there as well. I want them to monitor her.”

“Gestational hypertension?” Stephanie guessed, groaning at the concerned look he gave her.

That had been an issue before; it usually resolved after delivering the baby, but… left unchecked, it could also be fatal for the mother. She had no doubt Taker and the rest would save the baby. They’d done C-sections before and Jeff had improvised assisted breathing machines for preemies.

“Fine… fine, John, carry me.”

“Trish,” He caught the blonde’s arm as soon as John was out the door. “I want an inventory of our medication. Make sure there’ll be enough to keep her blood pressure within normal range for the next few months.” They had done that raid several months ago and he was foreseeing another soon. “I want to see Steve and Bradshaw. I need maps.”

“On it, Taker. Ames, you’re in charge.”

“But-”

“Abbie can help. Boss, could you?”

“I’ll help out today, send the guys here to me.”

“I-Is she going to be okay?” Abigail was worried for Stephanie and the baby, her eyes mirroring it, her gaze suddenly snapping to the ladder as Susan came trekking down it.

Amy had to pull herself together, taking a deep breath and nodded, placing a hand on her still flat stomach. “Fine – she’ll be fine…”

“Sorry…I must’ve overslept…”

Susan hadn’t slept well due to nightmares and had to keep reminding herself she was safe in Wonderful. Luke Harper wouldn’t wake her up in the middle of the night raping her. Everyone had been told to let her sleep as long as necessary, wanting those dark circles to disappear from her eyes.

“Not a problem, sweetie, how do you feel?”

“Thirsty, and hungry.”

“Sit down and I’ll get you some fruit until lunch is ready.” Abigail stepped forward to guide her to a table, smiling reassuringly and saw Taker nod in agreement. “Do you know if you’re allergic to anything?”

“N-No…I like bananas though…”

“Got plenty of those. Hang tight, okay?” She walked past Taker to the kitchen to grab Susan a banana, apple and some milk, needing to put fat on her bones. Susan was way too skinny.

He sat down along with Susan, smiling gently when she gave him a small smile of her own. “You’ll get used to it here, Susan.” Taker promised, knowing it was going to take her a long time to get used to moving about freely and get comfortable around the men.

For the most part, they didn’t have trouble here. Of course, there was crime and they had dealt with a murder or two over the years, a case of rape as well. Taker had been swift but merciful with justice and punishment. Stealing was more of a thing these days and that usually stemmed from when supplies got low and winter was already set in.

“Abbie,” She looked so damn concerned, that tray shaking in her hands. “Stephanie will be fine, we know what to do for her, all right, darlin’?”

Locking eyes with him, it took a minute, but Abigail stopped shaking and set the tray in front of Susan without splattering the milk and fruit all over her. That was a win her book. They had eaten before coming down from the tower, thanks to Taker having a small fridge of his own at his place. It was fruit and water; which Abigail didn’t mind because it was healthy. She needed something to give her energy after the numerous activities they’d done the previous night with each other.

“Now eat up.”

Susan didn’t need to be told twice, digging into the banana with gusto and drank her milk, feeling better than she had in ages. Women in the DOV were fed leftover scrapes from dinner, unless they were pregnant, then they got their own meal. If there was nothing left, the women tended to go hungry. There was an abundance of them, so losing one or two of starvation wasn’t a big deal to the DOV.

‘Thank you.’ Abigail mouthed to Taker before heading back into the kitchen to help Amy with lunch.

“Trish said you wanted to see us. Hey there, honey.” Steve flashed Susan a smile, before dropping down at the table, along with Bradshaw.

Shaw was eyeballing Susan like he had never seen a woman before. Considering Taker had JUST discovered his niece, he wasn’t entirely sure he was alright with that ogling from his friend. “Maps, John?”

“Oh yeah, here boss.”

How likely would Abbie be in helping him spill coffee on someone, Taker wondered thoughtfully with a snort. “Hospitals that we haven’t raided, what do we have?”

“Not much within a few days ride…”

“Abigail!”

She rushed out of the kitchen with wide eyes, clutching her chest at the look on Susan’s face and planted her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes. “I’m really busy, so if this isn’t important, Susan…”

“It is.” Susan smiled serenely and gestured to the map, pointing at a spot on it. “Isn’t that where the DOV stores stuff like medicine and supplies for the castle?”

Walking over, Abigail looked down at the map and trailed her finger from where the castle was to the storage facility, remembering Bray showing her this while boasting about his plan at the beginning of the DOV. “Yes. Yes, it’s there. They’ve been raiding towns like you guys and…stocking up for the women…” Whatever they needed for pregnant women was in that facility. “It’s huge, four stories and…god, what did he tell me? Something about the serum being stored there, I think…”

“Right, so wouldn’t what Stephanie needs, and other women here, be there?”

“Yes…” That place was HEAVILY guarded, however. “It does.” Her eyes locked with Taker, worry filling her eyes and already knew he would do what was best for people in Wonderful, especially pregnant women.

Chapter 25

“Easier to ride out and find a hospital.” Steve said after a long moment. “We already got a tussle coming up with the DOV, no need to provoke them early on.”

“It’s going to be a ride, we’re talking maybe a week there… depends on how far out the DOV has raided too… and no promises on safe spots to stop.”

Taker was still trying to process how these two knew of a storage facility that was set apart from the castle, yet couldn’t tell him anything about the castle other than ‘huge and lots of passages’. “Got to think on this. Mark it, it’s something we can look at AFTER we send those fucks packing. Right now, we have all the equipment we need for the year. It’s the medicine I’m concerned about. Trish is doing inventory on it now.”

“Good.” Abigail relaxed a little, the relief washing over her face and reached over the map to grab Susan’s hand, squeezing it. “I know you’re trying to help, believe me, it’s not easy. Let them handle it and come help me in the kitchen.”

She guided the young girl with her to the back, glad Taker wasn’t running off to provoke the DOV. They had to be careful about this. If they could get their hands on that invisibility cloak and get Malcolm out of the castle, it would be a huge blow to the DOV. For some reason, Taker didn’t want to look for more magic to assist them and she couldn’t figure out why. Sighing, she asked Susan if she knew how to do the dishes and wasn’t surprised to find she could. Chores were a must in the DOV from all women, to learn and prepare them to take care of the babies, except boys, since they were taken from the mother at birth. Her thoughts went back to the magical artifacts Malcolm had mentioned during one of her many eavesdrops and wondered if there was a way to find them.

If he had learned one thing it was this: While useful, a lot of the misery in the world was due to magic. The rise of DOV soldiers, Bray’s ability to spread like wildfire in as short a time as he had over Vesperia. That was all thanks to magic. If they could do this with what they had, and his own magic, he would very happily see the magical line die with him and Malcolm.

“Problem with this, boss… is you haven’t been away from Wonderful for that length of time in years…”

Taker groaned, nodding his head. “I… will think on it.” He had a solution to that problem, but it was a onetime deal because he was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to do the same trick twice. And he had been hoping to use it to breech the DOV’s actual walls, but then again… that was risky as hell too.

Stop being stupid, stop being crazy and just let him do what needs to be done, Abigail mentally chastised herself, hating that she’d gotten extremely close to Taker in a very short amount of time. This wasn’t good. He was supposed to be the hope, the driving force, to eliminate the DOV once and for all. Here she was screwing it all up because of feelings! Now wasn’t the time to have a romance, how many times did she have to remind herself of that? Falling in love was NOT an option because there was a very big chance neither of them survived. Having sex was one thing, but she had to take the feelings out of it and wasn’t sure if that was possible. What if having sex made her feelings for him grow? She wanted him to be the one to take her virginity, there was no question about that, but…Abigail didn’t know what the future awaited between them and it scared her a bit.

“Boss, Trish is still inventorying, but I can tell you now, she has gestational hypertension. I know we have some Labetalol, which is safe for her to use, safe for the baby too, but I don’t know how much.”

“We don’t have anything else?”

“Blood pressure medication? Well sure, but we don’t know if it’s safe for her to use right now.” Melina said with a frown. “I’m sorry, but Jeff and I aren’t really doctors. We learned this stuff out of books and…”

“Trial and error.” Taker pinched the bridge of his nose. “So, Steph needs to take these pills daily and cut back on activity?”

“She doesn’t need to be running the common house. She needs exercise sure, a lack of activity could make it worse, but too much… and the stress, that’ll lead to a stroke or a heart attack.”

“Fuck all.”

Overhearing that cemented what Abigail planned on doing to prevent pregnancy. There was no way she was having a baby, preferably ever, not after seeing what these women endured. Walking out, leaving Susan for a minute, she walked up to Melina and asked for a minute of her time.

“What’s up, Abbie?” They were outside of the common house and out of earshot of the men.

“After lunch and cleanup, I’m gonna come by for a shot. Trish said it’s to prevent pregnancy and I’m not taking any chances, if I decide to go that route.”

Melina smiled, not blaming her and nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll have a shot waiting for you. Just come by when you can.”

“Thanks, how’s Stephanie?”

“Bitching about having to stay off her feet.” Melina chuckled, shrugging because it was normal for women to have gestational diabetes, hypertension, whatever one wanted to call it, during pregnancy. Usually meant a girl was on the way since boys very rarely caused it, according to books she’d read.

“Okay, tell her I’m thinking of her and if she needs anything, don’t hesitate to ask, if you see her.”

“Will do.” Melina headed back to the medical wing while Abigail went to continue making lunch for everyone.

He had dismissed the others and, since Abigail and Susan were the only ones in the common house, Taker had stuck around to help. Starting with moving tables around while Susan took a broom to the floors, Taker put everything back after she finished. “Abbie, you need help in the kitchen?” He asked once Susan was finished, eyeballing his niece. “You need to go lay down, Susan.”

She was looking a lot better, but… she would need a bit more rest and some fattening food because she was tiny. Was Abigail the only one in the DOV, female, who hadn’t been starved like that? He could only imagine the guilt issues she must have, knowing she’d had a somewhat honored position, privileged, compared to the other women.

Chicken nuggets with a bunch of French fries and a piece of fruit were on the menu for lunch. They had a fryer back here, which was a lifesaver because it only took a couple minutes at a time to fry the frozen food. Wonderful was stocked full of frozen foods due to all the raiding they did to other abandoned towns.

“If you wouldn’t mind getting the paper plates down along with the cups and silverware. Amy and I are about done in here with the food.”

She had poked her head out of the kitchen, saw how tired Susan was and agreed with Taker as he gently nudged her to the ladder she had to climb to get to her bed. Abigail did feel incredibly guilty because she’d been fed and treated like a queen compared to the other women, only because of who the leader of the DOV was. She knew if she’d never met Bray and was a random girl in one of the many towns they took over, she probably wouldn’t be here right now. That was why if she had to give her life up in order to liberate the people from DOV and destroy it, she would in a heartbeat.

Taker nodded and went about what she had asked him to do, ignoring the curious looks Amy was giving him. Amy… pregnant. That was just weird. His fiery red head hadn’t been overly pleased with the idea of ever having babies in this world, so how in the hell had that happened? He figured later on he’d get a word in with her, make sure she was going to be alright.

“Hey, you look tired too, Abbie.” He observed when she was done with the nuggets and her tiredness looked like it was emotional stuff. “You alright?”

“I’m fine.”

Abigail couldn’t dive deeper into her despair because it wouldn’t solve anything, it wouldn’t help anyone. She had to keep pushing forward, no matter how hard it was and hopefully, this would end sooner rather than later. Bray would come for her, and she planned on making sure he knew there would be no heirs and there wouldn’t be taking each other’s virginity. It was the ONE thing she wanted to take away from him, that option, to rip it away from him and watch his heart crumble into dust like he’d done to her so many times. She plastered on a fake smile for everyone, beginning to put the plates on the serving platter and walked out while Amy took over that task. Abigail wasn’t pregnant, she was, and she’d already had to stop 4 times to vomit.

“Okay, get the hell out.”

“I got this.”

“Go. People are bitchin’ about the smell, Red.” Taker took the next few trays from her, balancing them on either hand. “I’m not kidding, get out, go get some fresh air. Drink some water, go see Melina. Just get away from the food.”

Sighing, Amy threw her hands up into the air in exasperation and walked out. Pregnant, how the HELL had that happened?

“That poor girl…”

Abigail couldn’t wait until lunch was served and the cleanup finished so she could get that shot from Melina. These women were nuts not to use protection, but then again, maybe they had, and the shot hadn’t worked. It wasn’t 100% effective for a reason. Groaning inwardly, Abigail tried focusing on serving the food and managed not to spill anything, nodding at the appreciation she received. People were wondering why Taker was here helping serve everyone, but nobody questioned it since Trish was still taking inventory of the medicine they had for Stephanie and the other pregnant women. Surprisingly, there was only one other woman pregnant in the entire town, besides Trish and Amy, who hadn’t started showing, only having the symptoms.

“Okay, finally…” Abigail wiped the sweat from her forehead, glad Taker had braided her hair back before leaving the tower and brought the final tray into the back. They would eat and then cleanup would commence.

“Take a break and eat.” Taker ordered, wondering what had gotten into her. She seemed… hesitant and determined all at once. Taker reached out to gently grab Abigail by the arms. They were in the kitchen, so he wasn’t overly concerned with being spotted and pulled her against him, bending down to brush his lips against her forehead. “What’s the matter, Abbie?” He asked quietly, putting enough space between them, so he could see her face.

She hated how well he could read her, even as she tried putting on a smile for everyone and getting the job done. “I’m an idiot, that’s what’s the matter.” Looking up into his eyes, her bottom lip trembled as tears filled her eyes, trying like hell not to let them fall. “Why? Why can’t I…Why doesn’t this work with you, but it did with Bray? He could NEVER tell when I lied to him. He could never tell when…when I was hiding something! I thought I had it down to a science, but with you…it doesn’t work. It doesn’t happen. You can read me like a book and it’s not that I WANT to hide stuff from you, but…I feel guilty, okay? I feel guilty for being, for feeling, happy for the first time in my life and it’s because of you. Look at Susan, look at all the pain the DOV has and keeps causing and I’m partially responsible for it because I followed Bray blindly. I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve to feel happy, not when so many others are suffering right now. It’s not fair. Damn it…”

Abigail turned away from him to wipe her tears away, letting out a shuddering breath and made sure to keep her voice down to where only he could hear her. They could eat their lunch right here in the kitchen. Taker pulled her to the table that he knew Stephanie used as a baking station, clearing them a section. He made them up each a plate, setting one down in front of her before dropping down into the other wooden chair, sighing.

“You want to know why it doesn’t work with me, Abbie?” He reached out, brushing away another tear. “Because he was looking to be lied too, I’m not. Any man who justifies the shit he does, the way he does, is looking to be lied to. He just doesn’t consciously realize it.”

Abigail wasn’t hungry, her appetite gone and just had to learn how to breathe, wondering if he was right. Was Taker correct in the assumption Bray had been looking to be lied to? If that was the case, he had to know she was deceiving him the whole time…and that wasn’t practical. Or maybe he was truly blind to the amount of pain and suffering he caused in Vesperia.

“I’ve never…experienced being happy, or felt what it’s like to be happy, until last night. I was constantly fighting to survive, keeping my thoughts to myself and biding my time to escape the castle. I can’t remember feeling a glimmer of happiness except maybe when we first left the foster home. That was very short-lived though because we were on the streets and thought we would die some nights. To this day, I STILL don’t know why people buy into his religious bullshit. He’s had a lot of followers, believe it or not, who actually believe what he preaches, how he’s the only one to deliver them.” Without realizing it, she began eating fries while talking, not doing it with her mouth full because that was gross and impolite.

There wasn’t a doubt in his mind he wasn’t right about Bray Wyatt. Now that he knew the man’s backstory, how he had grown up, the abuse he had suffered as a child… well, any man who came from that kind of background and then used it as justification for what was happening now, which was way worse, that person was looking to be lied to by everyone. Lover. Friends. Anyone who didn’t want to wind up with their head on a pole was lying and Wyatt either knew and didn’t care or he was just that blinded by his past and the rage.

“Most of them are men, aren’t they?” At her nod, he returned it. “Hate to say it, but men as a whole, we’re pigs, darlin’. And look at that setup they got. They get to fight and fuck, without anything else to weigh ‘em down. Men rule the world, and the world tends to go to shit.”

“There are more women in the castle than men, and I know it bothers him a lot, which is why he’s adamant about using Mythril to enhance the serum. Not only does the serum make the babies grow very fast, but it also speeds up the pregnancies. There’s been some women that have died because…they couldn’t handle the serum…” Abigail explained softly, feeling her stomach rumble and could see the disgust in Taker’s eyes. Not that she blamed the man – what Bray was doing was unethical and wrong, defying the laws of nature. “If the women could fight back, which they won’t because they’re terrified, they would take down the army with no problem and could liberate themselves. It won’t happen though because Bray has made sure to have his men instill fear into them. And as long as Malcolm remains under his thumb, there’s no way to stop the serum production because he’s the ONLY one who can make it. That’s why I know he’ll never get rid of Malcolm…Bray will just punish him and anyone close to him to get what he wants.”

Chapter 26

That was why Susan was here and presumed dead. He had thought Bray Wyatt was a tactical genius, obviously not. The man should have locked Susan away and used her that way, not had her tongue removed, publicly raped and then supposedly killed. He was going to lose his sorcerer.

“You’ve seen Mythril in a solid form. Mythril is a… mineral, I guess, I’m not sure. But I know it has magical properties, we usually just use it for weapons. They don’t break, bend, aim is usually true, and it’s a quick death.” He said finally. “But none of us study magic. And when it comes time to smelt it, I’m the only one who can handle it because it is dangerous to breathe in the fumes.”

“So, it be used for anything, really. Not just weapons, but you’re the only one who can handle the fumes because of your magic?” Abigail summarized, sounding thoughtful and leaned back in her chair, her mind going back to the magic artifacts Malcolm had mentioned. Would he be angry with her if she went out on her own to retrieve some of them? Taker couldn’t leave Wonderful unprotected and he was too valuable, whereas he wasn’t. “We need more power. And getting Malcolm out is going to be very risky, but it also needs to happen. Are disguises and putting up a barrier around Wonderful the extent of your magic, or can you do other things with it? Could the Mythril maybe enhance them and make them stronger or something?”

“If you think it can be used for anything else then you know more than me.” Taker said, popping a piece of fruit in his mouth. “I already told you, we don’t study magic here. Magic hasn’t really done the world much good, now has it?” He was beginning to notice she had a reliance on magic, or a belief that leaned towards cure-all. No doubt from spending way too much time with the DOV. “As for the extent of my magic… I can leave Wonderful and leave it protected in my absence, if I really must.”

“Something tells me that wouldn’t be easy for you to do though.”

Abigail could tell he was solely against magic, or anything to do with it, which probably stemmed from Malcolm being his father. Glen was the one who knew all about the magic, who took after their father, while Mark was more like his mother and didn’t want anything to do with it. This was getting them nowhere and Abigail felt more helpless than ever, chomping on another fry. Mythril had magical properties, which meant it could be used for more than just forging weapons. With Stephanie and the other conditions throughout Wonderful, wasn’t it possible to transform it into a medicine of some kind? They would need Malcolm for that – Malcolm was the key to everything, it seemed. Suddenly, a lightbulb flicked on in her brain and Abigail felt him take her hand, staring into his eyes.

“Can you change the disguise of someone else besides yourself?” If they did that and went to the DOV to get Malcolm out, both with disguises, it could work, if done right.

“No. Just myself.” It wasn’t for lack of trying. Taker and Steve had some interesting thoughts about that very possibility and he frowned, staring at her. “Why?” Taker listened to her thoughts, about getting Malcolm out of the DOV, and his frown deepened. “Which is it, Abigail? Last night you didn’t know any layouts or anything about the passageways, so how do you think we’re going to get Malcolm out?” He wasn’t sneaking into the DOV HQ for one person and she was going against what she had said last night. If he went, if any of them went, it was for all or nothing.

“You said it yourself, nobody has any knowledge of the studies of magic in Wonderful, but Malcolm does. I don’t know the passageways of the castle, that’s true. However, if you could disguise me like you and we go in as soldier and…a breeder,” That left a horrible taste in her mouth to call the women of the DOV that term. “Nobody would bat an eyelash.” Abigail knew this would take a great deal of trust on Taker’s part because it would just be them going, nobody else.” There’s a lot of soldiers and women all over the place, so we’d blend right in. I know exactly where Malcolm’s chambers are too. Malcolm is the one who got Susan out, so he must know which passageway to take to escape. I’m sure Malcolm can turn the Mythril into medicine for Stephanie and anyone else that needs it, different medicine for different problems. If that happens, there would be a huge supply of it. Maybe you could use the Mythril to…enhance your magic somehow, even for a little while, since it has magical properties and it’ll give you enough juice to give us both disguises. It means leaving Wonderful, but you have great men here who will protect and, since Bray thinks I’m on his side, he’s not going to attack right away. I told him a couple months, it’s only been one month, so we have a little leeway with time.” She could see the doubt in his eyes with this plan, but Abigail wouldn’t give up until he at least took the time to think things over. “I know you don’t like magic and you think it’s destroyed the world, but…magic might be the only way to save the world too, Taker.”

“Last night you were very much against me leaving Wonderful,” He reminded her gently. “Enough to speak out against me when I suggested sneaking into the castle and attacking then. Now, you want me to not only disguise myself, but you, and…. sneak in.” He was having a hard time swallowing that, unable to push down the doubt that nagged the back of his mind. “As for Stephanie, she’ll be fine for a bit and you are presuming a bit much about the uses of magic. You do realize, if our women were to drink something with Mythril in it, we don’t know what the long terms effects are, or if magic will get another shot at playing with genetics?” Just when he thought he understood her, Abigail knocked him for another loop. “I will think on it, Abigail, but I can’t give you an answer at this very moment.”

“Because I was thinking with my heart and not my brain. I can’t let my feelings interfere with what needs to be done. Saving Malcolm is the right thing to do, you were right, but you don’t know the castle and neither do your men. You would go in blind, but if you went in with someone who has lived there for the past 10 years and who knows exactly where Malcolm is located, disguised, it would be a lot easier. We only need one passageway and since Malcolm saved Susan, he knows which one to take to get out of there with hopefully no problems. It’s a risk, it’s a HUGE risk and I know it’s not a hop, skip and jump to get there either.” Standing, Abigail bent down to brush her lips against his, since they weren’t seen by a bunch of people and rested her forehead against his. “As for the Mythril, if anyone can make sure it’s perfectly safe for everyone to take, once it’s converted, it’s Malcolm. He is the best at what he does.” For god’s sake, the man gave his own granddaughter a MAGICAL hysterectomy and replaced her tongue. “Thank you for thinking about it and listening to me. I won’t bring it up again, but at least you know what’s on my mind.” Abigail felt marginally better, the weight lifted from her shoulders and began cleaning up the mess in the kitchen.

In all honesty, at this very moment, he thought Abigail was an idiot. However, he also knew that was in this moment and, once he was able to go think it through, his opinion would likely change. Last night, he had wanted to get in and been met with arguments about too many passages. Taker hadn’t wanted to argue because the moment she opened her mouth, everyone jumped on board and, as much as he may have disagreed with an opinion, this was not a dictatorship. All they needed was ONE passage in, and he had a lot of men, and a lot of weaponry. If Malcolm realized they were there, he doubted the old man would assist Wyatt.

“Overly. Complicated.” He muttered, pushing himself upright and headed out of the common house.

It was time to go think about this.

After the common house was cleaned up and everyone fed from lunch, Abigail made her way upstairs to check on Susan, who was sleeping peacefully. She smiled, bending down to stroke the girl’s cheek and covered her up before dropping a kiss on her forehead. Then, she left her be and headed back down the ladder to head out of the common house toward the medical wing. Time for that birth control shot – no babies for Abigail, not now and possibly not ever. After witnessing several horrendous births in the DOV, Abigail wanted nothing to do with motherhood. She stepped inside the medical wing and smiled at Melina rocking her son in a nearby rocking chair, wondering if this was a bad time.

“I-I can come back…” She spoke quietly.

“No, no it’s fine. Let me just put him down.” When Davey went down, nothing could wake him up until he was ready, just like his Daddy. “Here for your shot?”

“Yeah.”

“When was your last period?”

“I just got over it a few days ago.”

“Okay, that should be fine then. It probably won’t kick in right away, so keep that in mind.”

“Okay.” Abigail winced when the shot was administered in her arm, the serum pushed into her system that would stop her from having babies. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good.” Melina slapped a band-aid on her arm. “Stephanie is fine, I know you were worried about her. As long as the stubborn woman stays off her feet and rests for the remainder of her pregnancy, she’ll be fine.”

Abigail breathed a sigh of relief, nodding. “Thanks for telling me.” Then she headed out, so Melina could take care of her son and other medical obligations, deciding to walk around Wonderful for a bit to clear her head.

For the most part, Wonderful was very much like any other town pre-DOV war and revolution. It’d had all the modern things, and still did, in parts of it. Over the years, a lot of the houses and buildings had been ransacked for materials and supplies, or even torn down to repair the buildings that were actually used. Wonderful had housed thousands of people over the years, and the center of the town was still the focus, with housing spreading out from it. Wonderful still had its slums though, areas that were safe enough during the day, but at night, Taker had to have patrols go through every few hours, just because crime was still an issue.

“You are, uh, ne-ewwww,” A voice sing-songed at Abigail, who in her wanderings had come into said slums. A blue eyed man with shaggy hair had stepped into a doorway to watch her, an amused grin curving his lips.

“Yeah, I am.”

Abigail smiled back at him, not sensing danger or else she would’ve hightailed it back across Wonderful. However, she didn’t know this was the ‘slums’ even though it did look a little…rougher around the edges. She hadn’t had a chance to really explore Wonderful much since arriving and figured, if Taker took her up on her offer with her plan, they would be leaving shortly. The blue-eyed man gestured her over and she obliged, wondering what kind of place this was. On the outside, it said SHIELD in bold letters, so it had to be some kind of business. The man with the shaggy hair wore black cargo pants and a sleeveless tight top, showing off his muscular arms. He was a good-looking man, but nothing compared to Taker.

He also wasn’t as boring and straight laced as Taker, not that this ebony haired beauty would know anything about that. “I’m Dean.”

He stepped out of the door and into the street, extending a hand to her, eyes sweeping over her and took in the telltale scent of… rolls. The common house had always smelled like rolls. He was betting money she was Stephanie’s new monkey.

“Dean Ambrose, and you are…?”

She shook his hand with a soft smile, his eyes more captivating now that he was closer. They were electric blues, a lot lighter than Bray’s, which were darker. His hair hung in his face somewhat, and he had a boyish look about him. He towered over her 5’6 frame, standing well over 6 feet and he was thin, muscular and thin.

“Abigail. Abigail Waters, but most people just call me Abbie.” She released his hand, sliding her hands in the back pockets of her shorts and looked past him up at the building. “What is this place, Dean?”

“This?” He turned to look up at the building, shrugging. “Way back when I guess it was a place you’d come and get a bodyguard or something. I don’t know. Just liked the name, so I kept it.” Well, that was a ‘we’, but… “So, Abbie… what brings you to this part of Wonderful?” He asked, stepping towards her with a grin, though he did halt a respectable distance away. “Ah watch it, babe.” Dean grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the way as a group of kids on bicycles came flying by.

Her body crashed against his as he pulled her to safety, guiding her toward the building and out of the street. “Thanks…” She gently pulled away from him, feeling somewhat embarrassed that happened. “I haven’t really had a chance to venture around the place and figured I’d go for a walk to explore a bit.” That sounded lame even to her ears, but it was truthful enough. “The name isn’t bad. Shield. It sounds like a bodyguard type place.” For some reason, she was curious about this man and felt drawn to him, clasping her hands in front of her. “So, what do you do now, Dean? Are you a bodyguard or did you change what type of business you run?”

“Not really much of a need for bodyguards in Wonderful, Abs.” He retorted with a snort, reaching into a pocket of his black cargoes for a pack of cigarettes, offering the pack to her first. When she shook her head no, he bent his head down, coming back up with a hand-rolled cigarette between his lips. “Our fearless leader keeps it safe, don’t’cha know?” His tone was relatively polite, but there was a hint of mockery underlying it. “Nope,” Dean flashed a silver lighter, a flame, a long drag and with a click, the lighter was gone. “I’mma jack of all trades. Today, I’m your escort.” He grinned at her. “If you want to see the other side of Wonderful, not the main square and um, the… monkeys.” Because the people who lived up near the main square were usually associated with Taker in some way shape or form.

“A jack of all trades, huh?”

Bray smoked as well, which was a disgusting habit to Abigail, but she knew better than to say anything to him. This man reminded her a lot of Bray…the good parts anyway. She smirked back at him, folding her arms in front of her chest and arched a brow, midnight blues full of amusement. Dean was a breath of fresh air, someone who wasn’t as tense and quiet – Undertaker had a presence about him that was both alluring and terrifying at the same time. Not that Abigail was afraid of him or anything, but that was just the type of aura he had.

“And why would you waste your time being my escort? Don’t you have something more important to do?”

“Nah, it’s a slow day, doll.” Dean laughed, blowing a smoke ring over her head. His tobacco was laced with dried mint; he liked his nicotine with a side of something that didn’t smell horrible and it was as close to menthol as he was getting these days. “Besides, escorting a beautiful woman around… what man doesn’t want to do that?” Reaching up to push his hair back from his face, he offered his arm to her. “C’mon, I’ll show you where the ‘wonder’ in Wonderful comes from.”

Chapter 27

Outside of that main square was a whole new town that newcomers didn’t always get to know. Electric blues watched as she debated it before finally tucking her hand in the crook of his elbow and then led her down the street. Being sheltered in the castle, Abigail never got to experience or see the outside world, so this was quite a treat. She knew Wonderful was huge, but that word didn’t do it justice. All she’d done was stuck to the front of the town, near the gates and common house, the tower where Taker resided…but there truly was so much more to Wonderful. The streets were bustling with life, vendors out trying to make a quick trade or whatever since money wasn’t necessary anymore.

“Oh wow…” Dean pointed out a few buildings to her, explaining the history and Abigail concluded he had been here a long time. “Where are you from originally, Dean?” She asked curiously, once they stopped at a vendor with food and Dean had taken care of the transaction. “Or have you lived in Wonderful your whole life?”

Dean considered her for a moment, having stopped at a street vendor who served up some delicious walking tacos and gestured for two orders. “Now Abs, that’s information you got to come back and see me again for.” He teased, turning to take her food and held it out to her, cocking an eyebrow when she seemed surprised. “What? You don’t like this?” He took his, and started rifling in pockets. “Benny, you wanna put it on my tab?”

“Oh yeah, sure, Ambrose…” The vendor rolled his eyes. “Pass it over.” He held out his hand.

Shrugging, Dean pulled a small vial out of one of his pockets and slapped it into that waiting palm. “Not promising it’s gonna take care of that bald spot…” He smirked, leading Abigail off.

What was that vial full of, Abigail wondered, continuing to walk with him while eating her taco. It was surprisingly delicious, and she didn’t realize how hungry she was until she devoured the whole order. Granted, her appetite for lunch had been dwindled due to her tense conversation with Taker, so she hadn’t eaten much. Hell, since she came to Wonderful, she didn’t have much of an appetite in general.

“Thank you for the food, Dean.” She threw her garbage away in a nearby trashcan, refusing to liter since the streets were…somewhat cluttered plastic bottles and whatnot. “So, do you do this with every new woman you come across or am I special case?” Abigail grinned, eyes sparkling under the sunlight. It was a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky and warm.

“Babe, you’re breaking my heart here.” Dean laughed, having long finished his food. He was a big man with a big appetite. “Do I look like the kind of guy to woo every beautiful woman I come across?” She was giving him a look and Dean couldn’t keep the sparkle of amusement out of his eyes, wrapping his arm around her shoulders playfully. “I promise, from here on out, Abs, my eyes are only for you. Oh hey, c’mon, down this way is the amusement area, so to speak. You’ll love it. You old enough to remember parks? There’s a park.”

Dean was quite the charmer, that was for sure, and she found herself laughing at his boyish antics. “Uh huh, sure.” Her tone was just as playful and implied she didn’t believe him for second regarding being the only woman he had his eyes on.

There was no way. He was a handsome man and probably a HUGE playboy. Her eyes lit up however when he mentioned the park and Abigail could remember the very small playground her school had when she was a lot younger.

“Really? Does it have swings?” The smile on her face grew at his nod and Abigail suddenly became excited. “I haven’t been to a park in…ages.” She sounded wistful, somewhat missing the old days, minus the beatings Bray had endured.

Shops that worked in bikes, skates, and old-school boards. Toymakers along with an old arcade, off the way, which was run on a generator and a few buckets of old quarters the kids used freely to play while the sun was out. This made up some of the other part of Wonderful Abigail hadn’t seen until now. Dean took great delight in showing Abigail this part of Wonderful, finally stepping off the street and heading towards the park.

“See the wall?” He pointed off into the distance, at the giant masonry wall Taker had built in the early days. “And beyond this is the land they use for gardens, and I think on the far side to your left, people raise animals and shit. But this is what we want,” Dean stopped and turned her to the right, where really old iron gates led to what had been a huge park back in the day. It was a lot smaller now, but the swings were still there, maintained, and he just loved the giant metal merry-go-round.

There was an old metal slide as well as a set of monkey bars. It reminded her a lot of the school’s playground when she was in elementary school, her hand sliding up the pole attached to the swing set. Swings were always her favorite part of the playground. It was one of the only good memories she had from her childhood, those days when her and Bray would play at school, but then the nightmares would unfold once they were back in the foster home.

Testing the weight of the swing, Abigail sat on it and heard the slight creaking sound from the chains, glad they hadn’t snapped off. Dean started pushing her, making her laugh as she pumped her legs to get more velocity while he took the one beside her and began swinging as well. After they did that for a bit, he guided her over by the hand to the merry-go-round, spinning it around as fast as he could while she held on and hopped on once it was at the speed, her squeals filling the air.

Dean didn’t come to the park much because… adulting sucked sometimes, but… he made a mental note to do it more often, if she was with him. There was something very innocent and almost childlike with Abigail, wistful, and… sad. He sat on the merry-go-round with her, enjoying the breeze whipping in his face and flashed her a genuine smile. Reaching out with his arm to steady her when she rocked into him, he laughed at her squeals.

“Now THAT was a lot of fun!”

Abigail felt a lot lighter after doing something as simple as playing in a park with Dean, having a feeling Taker would never do something like this. It wasn’t his style, and he was the leader of Wonderful, so he had a lot of responsibilities and obligations. Dean was…carefree and had such a beautiful spirit, at least that’s what she saw. If he was putting up on a front with her, he was damn good at it. Through the ivy that had taken over the gate surrounding this place, Abigail saw the livestock in the far distance and figured that was where the milk, cheese and other fresh foods, including meat, came from.

“Thank you for bringing me here, Dean. I needed this, to clear my mind and you helped do that.”

“You do look a lot less stressed, babe.” He commented, studying her thoughtfully, now guiding her along the old fence that bordered the park. “When I saw you walking down the street, coming my way, you looked like you had a lot on your mind.” Dean caught her nod from the corner of his eye and pushed open the gate, gesturing at her to follow him, heading towards the barns. “Follow me, pretty sure some fluffy ass ducks hatched not too long ago.” He liked ducks.

“Ducks? Really?”

She did NOT peg Dean as a duck loving type or an animal lover, in general. Never judge a book by its cover, she mentally chastised herself, following him down the path from the park that opened up into a big lake. Why hadn’t anyone mentioned all of this to her? The water looked safe enough, but since nobody else was swimming in it, she figured it was used for a purpose. Not paying attention to where she was walking, Abigail tripped and nearly fell in the lake, only for Dean to catch her at the last second, his arm wrapped around her waist.

“Christ!” She clutched her chest, feeling him pull her back and felt as if her heart would explode out of her chest. “T-Thank you. Holy shit, that could’ve been bad…”

“Uh yeah, probably, this is one of Hardy’s pet projects. Look,” Dean held her steady, keeping his arm firmly wrapped around Abigail, holding her to his side as he pointed at a series of pipes at the far end. “They have to purify it before it can be used for drinking. Did you know the bottled water here in Wonderful comes from this lake? There’s an underground spring that feeds it, and… there are fish in there.” Taker had rules about fishing however, there was a ‘season’, something about ensuring they didn’t over fish the lake and ruin a food supply. Dean smiled slightly, the impish gleam coming back into his eyes as he stared down at her. “Now, if you ever feel like swimming, I know a spot.”

“No, I didn’t know that. I really don’t know much about this place, actually. Thank you for saving my ass, again.” She’d been here a month and had stuck to the common house and workout room, never straying. Why she decided to stray and explore today of all days…Abigail needed a change of scenery and new people, for some reason. “That would be great, especially in this heat.” He nodded in agreement as they kept walking toward the barn that was in the far distance. “So, there’s two sides to Wonderful, because I’ve never seen you or any of these people up front near the gates. Is there a reason for that?”

“First, there’s more than two sides to Wonderful, babe, you’ll just have to come visit me again and I’ll show them to you.”

He chuckled, pulling her along the lake shore towards an old cluster of willow trees where they could sit out of the sun and enjoy the breeze coming off the water. Once there, he dropped down on a very old, large rock, smoothed down by time and patted the spot next to him. She sat, and he found his grin widening.

“And… I go up there, now and again, when I need something I can’t find in the other wards. You’ve probably seen a lot of the people from these areas up in the market buying or selling, but… Wonderful has a lot of residents. You can’t be expected to remember all their faces. Now, let me ask you something, Abs, you ever notice all the people up there are connected to, or working for Taker in some fashion?”

Now that she thought about it, what he said was the truth. Stephanie, Trish, Amy, Steve, Johnny, John, Ron…a few others she couldn’t remember the names of. “I never gave it much thought, but yeah…now that you’ve pointed it out to me, it seems like he has a tight knit group…”

The rock was comfortable enough and the breeze felt amazing blowing through her hair, even though it was still braided back. Hell, even back at the castle in the DOV, Bray had his tight knit group of soldiers and the rest were just fodder, as far as he was concerned. Luke and Erick were the perfect examples, his right-hands.

“Why is that, Dean?” She moved her gaze from the water to look up at him, furrowing her brows questioningly.

“I don’t know.” Dean procured another cigarette, making sure he kept it away from her. He had noticed she wasn’t very fond of them. Staring back down at her, his blue eyes were thoughtful. “Guess he can’t be friendly with all of us, right? I know some of us don’t, uh, always agree with his rules….” Like him, for example, and his tone made it clear he was one of those people. “But this is a good place, so we have to suck it up and deal with it.” Now he sounded amused, and he was, because there were ways of working around Taker’s rules.

“I suppose not…”

Abigail didn’t know how to feel about Dean’s tone when it came to Taker, especially since she’d been intimate with the man. She should’ve been defending Taker instantly, but…something held her back and she didn’t understand what it was. Granted, she knew the rules were in place for a reason, to keep everyone safe, but Abigail didn’t know what all they involved, only that the gates were shut at night and there was a magical barrier in place to make Wonderful impenetrable.

“Why don’t you like his rules? Are they really that difficult?” Maybe she could get an outside perspective to the type of man Taker was since she hardly knew him.

“Mmm, depends, I guess. I’m a difficult man, I guess.” Dean’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes as he studied her. “You’re getting in that circle of his, aren’t you, babe?” He asked quietly, a bit bothered by that actually. “Why is that?” She asked him a lot of questions, but she hadn’t really told him much about her, at least not verbally. Her facial expressions and tones were telling him quite a bit, however.

“Maybe? I don’t know.” Frankly, Abigail didn’t think she was part of that group because they didn’t trust her, for obvious reasons. “I don’t think I am though, honestly. They don’t trust me…and I understand why to an extent, but I’ve also been honest with them about everything. It’s just…frustrating, I guess. I feel alone here, and helpless because I know what needs to be done, but nobody will take the leap, the jump, the risk.” Maybe she was wrong about Taker being the savior of her people, the hope. “And for the record, you don’t seem that bad, Ambrose.” Abigail nudged him playfully with her arm, cracking a smile at him. “There shouldn’t be circles and tight knit groups, not when it comes to running an entire town like this. Everyone should be treated equally, but that’s just my opinion.”

“Oh man, I bet Taker hates having you around!” Dean started laughing, slapping his knee with mirth as he took her in. She looked so confused and he leaned down to kiss her forehead, a loud, smacking kiss. “Babe, babe, babe…” He shook his head, took a pull off his cigarette and began laughing again. “God… you know what needs to be done, huh? Lemme guess, Taker says no because it wasn’t his idea, right? Or it involves magic? I bet it’s both, you got that look on your face, Abs. I love that look.”

“Okay…”

Now Abigail was a little wigged out and stood up from the rock, distancing herself from him with guarded eyes. As far as she knew, nobody outside of that meeting in the tower was aware of who she truly was. How did this man know about magic if he wasn’t in Taker’s circle? Wouldn’t that be something Taker kept under wraps? Just who was this Dean Ambrose and what was his game?

Chapter 28

“Do you know who I am?” She demanded, narrowing her eyes and folded her arms in front of her chest. “And how do you know about magic? Who are you?” Her guard was completely up now, the friendly and playful tone in her voice gone.

“Well, up until a second ago, I would have said a really awesome woman. Now I’m a bit concerned that you’re either crazy or… crazy,” Dean said, not overly bothered with how she had gone from relaxed and cool to kind of paranoid and crazy. “I’m Dean Ambrose, the guy you’ve been hanging with all day,” He half-bowed, taking another drag before stubbing out his cigarette on the rock, hopping up to approach her. “Babe, don’t you know anything about this place? It ain’t no secret that Taker hates magic. It’s stupid as fuck, considering he USES it, but…” He shrugged nonchalantly. “Them’s the brakes. Now, your turn. Who ARE you? Because obviously, doll, you’re someone fairly important or…. you’re kinda… mmm, I don’t want to say dumb, Abs, because you’re not, but you are, get my meaning?” She was so adorable. He reached out to brush a strand of her ebony hair out of her face. “Magic isn’t a secret in Wonderful. So… where are YOU from where apparently, it’s all hush-hush, and Who. Are. You, Miss Paranoid?”

“No one. I’m no one.”

She was leaving it at that and it was time to go. She had overstayed her welcome and decided she wouldn’t be going exploring again around Wonderful. Maybe she was a little on the crazy side, but that’s what happened to a person who was sheltered as much as she was and had endured what she had. Bray had never harmed her physically, or let anyone else do it, but mentally and emotionally she was a wreck.

“I-I wasn’t aware magic was a topic around here. Like I said, I don’t know much about this place…” Dean began circling her slowly, like a predator and Abigail kept her eyes on him, waiting to see if he would try anything. “I need to head back, sorry for freaking out on you.” She began walking away and gasped when he grabbed her by her upper arm, pulling her back against him as their eyes met. “Dean, please…”

“I don’t get you, Abigail.” His grip on her wasn’t all that tight, he didn’t want to hurt her after all. “You are some one.” Dean meant that, not in the ‘you must be very important, like royalty’ way, but she was someone to him. “How do you not know about this place, but you seemed so sure earlier that you were saying you knew what needed to be done?” She had been cautious of him, her shackles raised, but she was the one making all these weird comments. Dean had to wonder about her and where her mind was at. “Where is it you’re heading back to, babe? Common house? Someone’s house? Come with me back to my place, I’ll cook for ya, okay?” He didn’t think they had had such a bad time together. Maybe it was his breath. Dean stepped back, shaking his head and then ran a hand through his shaggy curls. “Sorry, Abs, I know I can be pushy.”

“I-I don’t trust easily…”

Abigail frowned, the ball of guilt forming in her gut at how she’d treated him and jumped the gun with accusations. He was a nice guy, what was her problem? All he’d done for her today, being her escort and showing her more of Wonderful, something Taker hadn’t offered…was she really THAT paranoid not to see someone doing something nice for her?

“I’m sorry, Dean.” She murmured, walking up to him and touched his face with her hand, his eyes meeting hers. “You’re not pushy. You’re right, I shouldn’t have said half the things I did. I’m just…you’re easy to talk to and I’m frustrated, it’s not you, it’s me. I can’t tell you who I am, not yet, okay?” That secret had to be kept close to the chest for the time being. “If you want to cook for me, lead the way and I’ll come with you…and we can talk some more.”

Dean studied her thoughtfully, cocking his head to the side and pursed his lips, finally blowing out. “So you ARE someone then, huh?” She pinched her lips together and he chuckled. “Go ahead and keep your secrets, we do, don’t we?” He draped his arm around her shoulder again, turning her towards the barns. “You like eggs? I love eggs, let’s go get some eggs, and I’ll make you breakfast for supper. We even got real butter. Get some meat on those…” Dean stopped, studied her and grinned impishly. “Well, I’ll help you keep those beautiful curves, Abs, real butter it is.”

Her cheeks turned crimson at his compliment as Abigail rolled her eyes playfully, leaning against him while they walked down to the barn. Breakfast for supper? That was…interesting, though it also sounded delicious. She’d missed breakfast due to her activities with Taker and barely at lunch, only those two tacos Dean bought them, so she was hungry. After they grabbed some eggs, Dean guided her up the street toward his place, which happened to be the same building they met in front of.

“Wait, you live here?” At his nod, he guided her inside and up the stairs to a loft, of sorts. It was nice with a couch and table, a small kitchen, bathroom and looked like a couple bedrooms. “Do you live here alone?” Dean shook his head and guided her to sit at the small table, once again kissing her forehead before getting started on cooking. “Do you want me to help with anything?”

“You are my guest, you sit there and do guest things while I make a delicious breakfast.” Dean liked breakfast; pancakes, lots of syrup and they had that in abundance, thanks to the maple trees right outside of Wonderful’s walls. Whipping up the pancake mix expertly, he set that aside before raiding his fridge for ground sausage, shaping it into patties. “So, what can you tell me about yourself that isn’t a secret?” He asked, winking at her before turning towards the stove.

“Guest things?”

Abigail laughed at that, accepting a glass of juice he handed to her, which was freshly squeezed from oranges. It was 5 PM in the afternoon and he was making her breakfast. How bizarre was this!

“There’s really not much to tell, Dean. I love books, reading in general is what got me by and made me survive up to this point. I like to work out too, though I’ve only been doing it for a month and…after we eat all that fattening food, I’m gonna have to hit the gym harder.” Abigail joked, taking a sip of the juice and grinned at how delicious it was. “What about you? What do YOU like to do besides escort women around Wonderful and harass the ducks?” She smirked at his eye roll, giggling and leaned back against the chair.

“I told you, babe, I’m a jack of all trades.” He repeated his earlier sentiment, shaking his head. “And feed ducks. And save damsels who go falling into lakes.” Flashing her a cheeky smirk when she rolled her eyes this time, Dean chuckled. “I work out, help down at the farm sometimes, help outside Wonderful. Everyone has to pitch in, right?” Since he wasn’t allowed out on runs… he snickered inwardly at that. “Do a lot of work on the walls, those things don’t maintain themselves.”

He even had a special section of that wall, or near enough to it, not that she needed to know that. He liked Abigail, quite a bit actually, but… she was a part of that scene – Taker’s scene. Had to be careful.

“And on the rare occasion, I cook breakfast for dinner for gorgeous women.”

“Yeah, you really are.”

Dean was completely different, the opposite of Taker and light-hearted. Hell, if she actually knew WHY he couldn’t go out on runs, she probably would’ve ran in the opposite direction. He seemed like the type who wasn’t a one-woman type of man, that was for sure. Abigail liked him, but she didn’t feel a type of connection she did with Taker. Still, it was nice to get away from that ‘circle’ and meet other people, expand her horizons, so to speak.

“Dean, you said Taker doesn’t like to use magic.” He’d even told her point blank to her face magic had destroyed this world. “Do you know of anyone else around Wonderful that does or is he really the only one?”

“Dangerous topic, Ab-i-gail,” He sang out softly, his back to her as he finished up with the food. When he turned back, he held two plates, walking over to set them down before retrieving butter, syrup and utensils. Dean dropped down opposite of her, nudging her plate towards her and gave her a thoughtful look. “Magic is neat, don’t you think? Like, people have to be born with it. Most others can learn the principles of it, how it works, how shit works in general, but they’ll never be able to use it the way natural born users do. So, to answer your question and not answer it at the same time: The Deadman is not the only one…. but he’s, as far as anyone knows, the only one who was born with it.”

Her curiosity hiked up more as Abigail studied him, wondering if Dean had any magical abilities and began eating her food, groaning at how amazing it was. “Oh man, you are a really good cook.” She complimented with a smile, mulling over what he said regarding the magic and Taker. People assumed he was born with it, but that wasn’t the case and Abigail would not share those intimate details with someone she just met. Glen had given up his life for his brother and his…lifeforce, his spirit, was what gave Taker his powers. “What if I were to tell you I know someone who was born with magic and who could potentially bring down the DOV?” She asked out of nowhere, watching his brow slowly rise and the fork stopped mid-bite, his eyes lifting to meet hers.

“I would say you already tried telling this to Taker and he shot you down, Abs.” He summarized, not a doubt in his tone. That would explain a lot. Such as her earlier outburst about how she knew what needed to be done, but no one would take that chance, along with all her questions about magic and the Undertaker. “Tell me the truth, doll, you out slumming it because you needed the breather, or because you’re frustrated with the Deadman’s lack of action? Maybe both?” He wiggled his eyebrows at her, smiling when the corner of her mouth curved almost grudgingly.

“Both.” Abigail admitted, rubbing her forehead with her fingers and sighed, hating sitting around waiting. Action had to be taken, but Taker was steadfast in the belief that, going to the DOV for just one person, even though said person was his own father, wouldn’t be worth it. “And I’m not slumming it. This isn’t the slums, you actually have a nice setup here.” She argued, waving her fork at him and smirked, taking another bite of eggs. “I just don’t understand how someone who has magic doesn’t like using it. He thinks the world has been destroyed with magic, but…it might be the only thing that can save it too.” The same words she had used on Taker, which had fallen on deaf ears. “You feel the same way about him when it comes to his magic, don’t you?” It was more of a statement because she could see the resolve in Dean’s eyes. “Is that why you don’t get along with him and don’t fit in his ‘circle’?”

Dean held up a finger, his mouth full of food, his cheeks a little puffed out. He chewed, swallowed, washed it down with the rest of his orange juice and then reached for his cigarettes. “After dinner smoke,” He chuckled, lighting one up, staring at her intently. “Okay, do you remember way back when, before all this shit?” At her nod, he continued after a drag. “Right, me too, but I was a kid. But…. there was a gun debate, it was all across Vesperia, about how guns were killing people, going unchecked, unregulated, all that shit and people wanted them locked down, no guns.” He took another long pull, tipping his head back to exhale at the ceiling, contemplating his smoke stream before looking back at her. “Now, since the revolution shit with the Dominion, guns are used ALL THE TIME and I think of them as just a tool, so does most people. We use ‘em to hunt, protect ourselves, they’re tools. Dangerous ones sure, but tools just the same. There ain’t no more talk of gun control, is there?” He gave her a moment to think about all that, smiling as he watched her face. “Now, with magic, that’s just our new gun control debate when you think about it. It’s dangerous, sure, and it can be used for horrible things, just like guns used to be, but… I think it’s also just another tool, if used right. Taker disagrees… and him and I don’t see eye to eye on it.”

“You can’t bring a knife to a gunfight.” Abigail murmured, more to herself than him, nodding in agreement with his logic.

It was true. Magic, if used right, could really benefit the world and change it for the better, but Taker didn’t see it that way and probably never would. The DOV was LOADED with gun and firepower, Bray had made sure they would be protected because not everyone agreed with his breeding techniques to build an army.

“But what if magic is the only way to save this world?” She stood up to stand alongside him near the open window, deciding she had to put her faith in someone other than Taker. If he wouldn’t listen and see reason, she would find another way to save the people of DOV and it had to start with rescuing Malcolm. “I’ve heard…rumors…about magical artifacts scattered throughout Vesperia. Things like a cloak that can make you invisible or a talisman that has magical properties…have you ever heard of something like that?”

“Sure, it’s in an old mineshaft 2 days from here.” Dean glanced down at her before pulling her to stand in front of him, resting his chin on top of her head, sighing. “Getting down there is a bitch though. Dangerous. You know more than you’re saying, Abs,” He murmured, smiling and stepped back. “It’s getting late.” Dean had to wonder if she would get in trouble for being gone, banking she had a job up there in the main square with the other monkeys. “You should come see me again, babe.” He turned her to see her face. “Tomorrow. Come see me tomorrow.”

A mineshaft? So, there WAS magical artifacts that weren’t too far from Wonderful. Why hadn’t Taker gone after them? Dean wanted her to come back, despite what a bitch she’d been to him during her minor freak-out earlier. Maybe she didn’t need Taker’s help, not with rescuing Malcolm.

“Dean…” He pressed a finger to her lips and she nodded, agreeing to come see him again. “It’ll probably be around the same time as today.” He was right, she knew a lot more than she was letting on, but first she had to make sure she could trust him and felt his lips brush against her forehead. “Thank you for the food. I’ll see you tomorrow, Dean.” Then she headed down the stairs and headed back to the front of Wonderful, this newfound information rolling through her mind.

Chapter 29

“There you are!” Trish exclaimed, standing from the booth and hugged Abigail, who looked a little perplexed because she wasn’t the only one in the common house.

“Where the hell have you been?!”

“Woman, you can’t just go wanderin’ off like that! We thought ya left Wonderful! Taker’s been goin’ outta his mind lookin’ for you!”

Oh shit, Abigail thought, her eyes wide and swallowed hard, not wanting to tell them where she was because of Dean’s feelings about Taker.

She had a feeling Taker had ill feelings toward the electric blue-eyed, eccentric man she’d spent the majority of her afternoon with. He HAD been going out of his mind. Taker was back in it and not overly amused. While making his rounds through Wonderful, he spotted Abigail sitting under a willow tree with none other than Dean Ambrose. That man was a colossal pain in his ass. Neither of them would have paid him any attention, he hadn’t looked anything like himself at the time and he had left, not bothering to eavesdrop or stick around. She was safe enough, and apparently enjoying the other man’s company.

“We’re headin’ for that hospital in a few days’ time.” Steve explained, leading her towards the common house. “Jeff and Matt have a fuckin’ list of what they want brought back, so we’re gonna try the travel trailers.”

“No.” Steve stopped, and Abigail looked up at him, shaking her head. “I don’t…I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to go out of Wonderful right now. Stephanie is down and out for the time being because of her pregnancy. There’s not enough hands in the common house, not without proper training, so I should stay here and help out with that.” Not to mention, she wanted to go see Dean again to see if he would help her.

“She’s right, Steve.” Trish interjected, wrapping an arm around Abigail’s shoulders. “We really do need her right now. Susan isn’t that well-trained and…we’re really scarce with help.”

Amy had been throwing up every hour on the hour, so Taker ordered her to bedrest for the next couple days until her morning sickness passed. Matt was…he didn’t know what to think and hadn’t really said anything regarding her pregnancy. Amy wouldn’t be able to go on the run either due to her morning sickness and pregnancy.

“Speaking of the common house, we need to get dinner started.” Abigail walked inside the building and sighed when Trish dragged her to the back, barely having time to grab her apron.

“Where were you and what were you doing?”

“I went for a walk to clear my head and…hung out with someone. Friendly only. He’s a nice guy. Now, what are we making tonight?”

“Okay, I know I’m blonde, but I’m not stupid. I’m very aware something is going on between you and Taker.” Trish wasn’t letting the newbie brush this aside, frowning. “Don’t hurt him.” She was pretty sure Abigail had been told this before and, when Abbie just nodded, she smiled again. “Know the guy’s name? He from this area or… where were you? Which part of Wonderful did you see?”

That was the second time she’d been told not to hurt Taker and it made Abigail wonder why these women were so protective of him. It didn’t make sense to her. Granted, he was the leader and had magic, maybe that was the reason.

“I don’t really know. I just went for a walk further into Wonderful and…there were vendors and people out on the street selling things or trading, whatever you wanna call it. I wasn’t aware Wonderful had multiple areas.” She pulled out the stuff for dinner, sighing when Trish wouldn’t leave her alone about the guy’s name. “Dean. Dean Ambrose…” She watched Trish’s face grow pale white, the color completely draining and sat her down before the poor woman passed out. “I’m going to assume you know him…”

“That’s an understatement. You need to stay away from him, Abbie. He’s…bad news. Really bad news…” Trish frowned, wondering if Taker knew about this since she hadn’t seen much of him after he’d made his rounds throughout Wonderful.

“Why is that? Because he doesn’t agree with Taker’s methods and not part of the ‘circle’ you guys have going here?”

Trish recoiled at that, frowning. “I’m sorry? What circle? What is your damage, Abigail?” Considering they had taken her in, literally brought her to their meetings to help plan, let her openly contradict others and in general be ‘one’ of them, that was a bit uncalled for. “If you don’t like how things are done here, I’ll tell you the same thing you told Melina a month ago: Leave.” She shook her head, pushing herself upright. There was work to be done. “I’m telling you right now, Ambrose and Taker don’t get along and for good reason. Watch your ass, Abigail.”

It was just like the DOV, only women are treated equally here instead of breeders. There was one leader, who dictated everything, and he had his tight little circle of people, while the others just went about their business. She thought things were different here, but after talking to Dean, she realized she was wrong.

“I will.”

There was nothing more to say to the blonde. Abigail shook her head in disappointment, hating these feelings of contradiction, but she couldn’t help it. Dean had really opened her eyes to the truth today and made her realize not every person in Wonderful was treated the same. Pushing those thoughts out of her head, along with Dean and Taker, Abigail began preparing dinner. There were others that were in training, so she was busy helping them, showing them the ropes alongside Trish, who had to take frequent breaks because of her pregnancy. She didn’t stop until everything was done, everyone who came in fed, including cleanup. Instead of going up to bed, Abigail left the common house and went to the workout building, needing to blow off some steam.

Taker was in there, boxing. Today he was what Stephanie liked to call ‘Lord of Darkness’ mode, the jet black, long hair and beard. He had skipped dinner, his mind trying to focus on this upcoming trip to the hospital and how he would leave Wonderful protected for at least 2 weeks. He already knew how, and it was going to be… odd. Stopping when he spotted Abigail coming through the door, Taker wiped sweat off his brow with the towel he had left nearby. He walked around so she could see him properly, wearing nothing but black shorts to work out in.

“You look upset, darlin’.”

“How perceptive of you, whoever you are today.” Abigail muttered, not in the mood to deal with him or his disguises, wondering why he used magic to change up his appearance, but not for actual IMPORTANT things.

Did his scars really bother him that much? It was as if he wanted to use magic for HIS purposes, and to protect Wonderful, but nothing else. Didn’t it matter to him his father was a captive of the DOV and could be the only man, in all of Vesperia, who could actually SAVE them? She had changed into a black sports bra and black shorts with her black tennis shoes, her hair still in the braid. Maybe Dean was her answer, instead of Taker, she didn’t know any more and it frustrated her to no end. It also bothered her Trish said Dean was bad news. What did that mean? Instead of going for weightlifting, she went to the bag and began kicking it like Amy taught her. She would kick until she could barely walk and then drag her backside up to her bed in the common house to sleep.

“Same person I always am.” If she was upset because he hadn’t immediately jumped on her bandwagon this morning, that just sucked to be her. Taker circled around Abigail, hands clasped behind his back as he watched her vent her issues out on that poor bag. “I thought about what you said this morning, about rescuing Malcolm.” He informed her. “And I’m not committing time, people and resources into going into that hellhole just for one person. If we go in, we go in with the intention of getting him out and killing Bray Wyatt at the same time. I don’t understand why you think magic is how you beat the DOV, Abbie,” His tone was calm, curious. “Wyatt holds it together, and Malcolm is just a tool for him to use. Just like you were an excuse, a justification for him.” Killing Wyatt didn’t require magic, he’d gladly do it with his bare hands. “And Wonderful will be protected whether I am in the walls or not.” At the look she was giving him, he held out his hands, palms up. “I can’t risk so much on one person, darlin’. There are thousands of lives here at stake. You WANT Wyatt to come to Wonderful, whereas I would rather not have a battlefield outside of these walls.”

Had she ever seen the aftermath of a war? The bodies littering the ground, the blood, the decay? The soil was usually ruined for years, any nearby water polluted. War wasn’t just killing. It was forcing people under siege, which is what Wonderful would be in that event, to suffer and slowly die behind their safety. Sabotaging water. Destroying crops. These were methods as old as the world.

“I can’t have this at my door, not because that is what you want. If he comes, so be it, but I’m not going to rush him here either when there are other alternatives.”

Abigail listened to what he said, remaining silent and stopped kicking the bag, knowing what she would have to do. Find another way to get Malcolm out. In her mind, in her heart, she knew it was the right thing to do. Malcolm had sacrificed everything and saved his one and only granddaughter, going as far as to make Bray believe she was dead. Magic WAS the solution to all of their problems; there wouldn’t be a need for a fight because the DOV would crumble from within, especially with their sorcerer gone. Magic was the way to save Vesperia and, if Malcolm died, they would be screwed since he was last of the magic bloodline. The sooner they got him out of the castle and to Wonderful, the better off everyone would be. Taker was a stubborn man, and Abigail admired that about him, but she was just as stubborn and wanted her people liberated, wanted Bray Wyatt stopped, by any means necessary, even if she had to do it without him.

“I understand, Taker. I don’t want war here either and I don’t want any more innocent blood shed than there has been. Just…let me know when you want to go after him because I AM going with you. I want to see him fall, after everything he’s done.” There was no room for argument in her tone as she stared at him, folding her arms in front of her chest. “Don’t think for a second I’m not coming with you to take that son of a bitch down.” She’d sneak out if she had to.

He smiled down at her, somewhat amused and reached out to tug her arms off her chest out of the hostile position she had assumed. “Such a brave woman you are, ordering me around.” Taker teased, testing the waters by pulling her into his arms, feeling Abigail tensing. He wanted to ask her about Dean Ambrose, but he didn’t. He already knew where the hostile posture and her tone had come from, that scruffy jackass. “I wouldn’t leave you behind, Abbie.”

“You wouldn’t?”

Abigail searched his eyes to see if he was being truthful and didn’t see an ounce of deception, her body physically relaxing after a few seconds. As kind and funny as Dean Ambrose was, there was something about Taker that fueled her and made her want him more than any other man. Friendship would be the only thing she could offer Dean and she would have to make that clear to him if they were to hang out. She wasn’t apologizing for taking a walk and hanging out with someone else either, deciding not to even mention it unless he brought it up.

“Thank you.” She slid her hands up his bare sweaty chest, not appalled by it because her body was equally sweaty, her fingers reaching up to stroke his beard.

It was interesting, how she failed to mention Ambrose, and he knew without a shadow of a doubt that his name would have come up. Abigail was inquisitive, and Dean didn’t think much of him at all. The feeling was fairly mutual. Not that Ambrose didn’t have his uses, because he did. He was a self-professed jack of all trades, not exactly what Taker would have called him, however.

“Did you eat?” He asked quietly, tugging her towards the doors. “Come up to the tower with me, Abbie.”

“Okay.” Abigail couldn’t deny him and felt him lace their fingers together, almost as if he was afraid she’d disappear or something “And to answer your question, yes I did eat.”

She let him guide her to the tower and climbed the stairs until they were back in Taker’s room again. So many fond memories…had all of that really happened the previous night? Abigail felt her cheeks flush slightly, the sweat slowly drying on her skin and kicked her shoes off, knowing she would be staying the night. She hoped anyway, unless Taker actually wanted to talk instead of exploring their bodies. When he walked into the bathroom to kick on the shower sprays and dragged her in there to join him, she had her answer.

Taker wanted to talk, but not about ‘work’, so to speak. Instead, he asked about her day, took note of what she did tell him and ignored what she didn’t. He hadn’t asked Abigail to be ‘his’ woman and didn’t exactly have a say over who she hung out with. The last thing he wanted to do was step on her toes. Taker doubted she’d have time in the upcoming days, with him gone, to go out and hang around with Ambrose. He told her what he had done, which was partially follow her around, and the other part had been being dragged about by the Hardy’s and listening to them giving him a ‘wish list’ of what they wanted now and what they would definitely need in the future.

“Turn around, you got… this is syrup… in your hair…”

“What? Are you serious?” Abigail frowned, reaching back to feel the sticky spot and groaned, wondering how the hell that happened. She didn’t recall Ambrose flicking any food at her while they ate dinner – breakfast – whatever one wanted to call it. “Can you get it out?”

If she had to cut her hair, she would feed the tresses gone to Ambrose, personally. Taker assured her it would be fine and began working it out of her hair while washing it, moaning at how good his fingers felt massaging her scalp. Why did that feel good, of all things? Maybe telling him about Ambrose was the right thing to do, especially if this was a long-term thing between them.

Chapter 30

“I hung out with Dean Ambrose today. I met him while I was walking around Wonderful. I haven’t had a chance to explore it much and…he escorted me around, bought me food, showed me some stuff. I nearly fell in the lake, that was fun.” NOT! “I didn’t want to say anything because…he doesn’t like you and something tells me you don’t like him. Trish said he’s bad news and to watch myself – actually no, she said watch my ass around him – direct quote.” Turning around, Abigail looked up at Taker, trying to register the expression on his face and tilted her head while rubbing water out of her eyes.

“I saw you with him.” He admitted quietly, flashing her a smile when she was able to see again. “Dean and I do not see eye to eye on a lot of things.” His eyes shimmered a venomous green as he contemplated the other man, finally shrugging. “Before he came to Wonderful years ago, he was… a hired gun, a mercenary, I guess. He has some… interesting ideas.” Dangerous ones. “What did you think of him, darlin’?”

“Wait, what? You saw me with him? And you didn’t say anything?” Abigail didn’t know how to feel about that, remembering her last outburst with Dean and decided not to make that mistake again. “Why didn’t you mention that earlier when you were telling me about your day? Or were you waiting for me to bring him up?” She was not surprised when he nodded and pressed her forehead against his chest, groaning. “You are impossible.” It was said in a resigned, soft tone. “I didn’t have a problem with him. He was nice to me. That’s all I can really say since I don’t know him.” His ideas were good ones and she planned on going to see Ambrose tomorrow. “He…wants me to come see him tomorrow to hang out again, so that’s where I’ll be after lunch…” If they were going to work out and be together, they had to be completely honest with each other and trust was a major factor. “Taker, I don’t…want him the way I want you. He’s nice and eccentric and fun, but…it’s just friendship between us. You are the only man I want to be with. You trust me that much, right?”

Dean Ambrose was, from what women said, a good looking guy. And he was wild, eccentric, fun… crazy and dangerous also came to mind. “Just… watch yourself around him, Abigail.” He said finally, not about to tell her who she could and couldn’t hang out with. “It’s not you I don’t trust.” She would make up her own mind, without any more input from him. Abigail was headstrong, stubborn and curious, a dangerous combination in a woman, especially one like her.

“I’ll be careful.” Abigail assured him, pulling on his beard enough to bend down so she could softly kiss him, wrapping her arms around his neck until he lifted her to where her legs instinctively encircled his waist.

The fire and passion she felt for him was explosive, there was no way she’d feel the same thing with Ambrose. Even from the first moment she set eyes on Taker, it was instant attraction, even with his many disguises. Through the disguise he was in now, she felt the scars and caressed them tenderly, moaning as their tongues dueled together and tasted each other again. She just hoped he wasn’t angry with her for what she was about to do…behind his back with Dean, no less.

If he had known what she was planning, he probably would have pulled a Bray Wyatt and lost his mind. Taker would’ve cut Dean Ambrose up into tiny, bite sized pieces and fed them to her, AFTER he chained her to his damn wall. As it was, Taker didn’t know what she was planning. What he DID know was that there was a beautiful woman in his arms, her hand was stroking his cock, and tonight… tonight they were picking up where they had left off last night.

Taker wouldn’t listen to reason and she’d given him plenty of time to make his mind up. He did, it wasn’t what she wanted, but she wouldn’t push him to do something he didn’t want to do. So, she would have to improvise and get help from an outside source. Dean Ambrose was her ticket to getting Malcolm freed. She just hoped he agreed with her plan, once she divulged to him the reason WHY she wanted the sorcerer freed. However, that was a problem for tomorrow and right now, Abigail didn’t want to talk about anything else tonight unless it was dirty words in her ear with that low, deep voice of his. Taker carried her out of the shower, shutting the sprays off and planted her in the center of his bed, hovering over her. She moaned deeply as soon as his mouth caught hers again, her hands running up his tattooed sleeved arms to his shoulders, his hard cock resting, pressing, against her wet sex.

“Taker…” She breathed out, burying her fingers in his hair as he began the torturous exploration of her body all over again. “Mmm…”

Eventually, he was going to have to tell her his real name, his birth name. He hadn’t gone by that in years. It was Taker, or Undertaker, Deadman, Boss, Big Boss, or Calaway if he had pissed off one of the women.

“Delicious…” He rumbled in a deep baritone, kissing, licking and biting his way down her gorgeous body.

Soon enough, he was where he wanted to be, taking in the sight of her glistening slit and growled.

All his.

“Mmm growl again…”

It sent a vibration throughout her entire body whenever he growled against her clit, burying her fingers in his black tresses and let him go to town on her. She could not get enough of this man buried between her thighs, his mouth anyway. Eventually, they would get to having actual sex, but foreplay for now and getting to know each other was all they’d do. Abigail appreciated that because she was still wary about having actual sex, knowing it would hurt. One of these nights, she’d be ready for it, but it wasn’t this night.

Knowing he was leaving in a day, two at the most, Taker made the most of his time with her. He knew she wasn’t ready for actual intercourse, but there were plenty of other things they could do. He had no problem in just eating her out either; she tasted like ambrosia, he was going to miss it on the road. She wouldn’t come, Steve had already told him that and honestly, he wasn’t taking that big a crew. Just enough people to run the stupid trailer they had to take.

~!~

Staring up at the building that read SHIELD in big bold black letters, Abigail contemplated if this was the right decision. Was she jumping the gun? Taker would be livid with her when all was said and done, but…this is what she truly felt was the best course of action. If Dean helped her, it would be a lot simpler. Taker hadn’t elaborated on his ‘jack of all trades’, so she surmised it wasn’t anything good or legal, at least in the big man’s eyes. Taking a deep breath, wearing blue jean shorts and a burnt orange short sleeved top, Abigail made her way inside, pushing open the door slowly.

“Dean?” She called out, looking around the place and frowned when she heard nothing. It was just after lunch was served, around the same time they met yesterday so, where was he?

“Dean’s not here.” A tall, bronzed man stepped out of a backroom, his long black hair hanging down his back as he studied her. “You must be Abigail.” He grinned at her. “I’m Roman.” She was staring at him like he was… well, not Dean. “His partner, best friend… and he didn’t tell you about me.” Roman hung his head, letting out a long sigh. “He said if you came by, I was to bring you down to see him. He’s working. You want me to take you there? It’s out past the lake, some of the guys are laying new pipes for the purifier.” Dean included.

“I – I – um…”

This man was HUGE, almost as big as Taker! What the hell were these men eating to make them this big?! Roman stood well over 6 feet tall, had long black hair, naturally tanned skin and…grey eyes. She could not recall a man ever having grey eyes. Dean told this Neanderthal about her?

“If he’s working, I don’t wanna bother him…” Damn it, time was running short and why would he tell her to come here to see him if he wasn’t going to be here? “T-Thanks anyway…” There was no way she was going anywhere with this man and headed for the exit, cursing mentally.

“Everyone has to work when told, it’s how Wonderful keeps running. Come on…” Roman walked over to the window, pointing out. “If you don’t want me to take you, you can take yourself. You’ve been to the lake, right? Hell, you could even do me a favor and take the idiot his lunch. He packed it, but never took it.” He looked down at her; she was beautiful, Dean hadn’t been exaggerating that. “Unless you got to get back to the common house?” Dean also said she was one of the brass monkeys, but there had been hope for her. He was curious.

“Okay – okay, big man, I get it. I don’t think he’d appreciate me going down there alone, and you don’t seem like you’re gonna eat me, so come on.” She tried not to smile at the bewildered expression on his face and shook her head, understanding what it meant to have to work when told. That was how it went at the common house, even though she was no longer sleeping upstairs due to her building relationship with Taker. “Roman, you said, right?” He nodded, and she smiled, her hair piled up on top of her head in a messy bun today, extending her hand. “You were right. I’m Abigail, but most people call me Abbie. I’m assuming you’re Dean’s roommate?”

“That too.” Roman flashed her another grin, taking her hand in his and shaking firmly. “Let me grab his lunch and I’ll walk you down. He said the work wasn’t supposed to last all day.” Dean was Dean, the fact that he had actually invited someone was weird because the man didn’t even know what he was doing from day to day as a general rule. Roman got out lunch, which was a giant cooler and hoisted it onto his shoulder. “Probably a good thing you agreed to let me walk you.” He laughed mirthfully.

“THAT’S his lunch?”

Holy cow, Dean ate A LOT, if that was the case. Roman chuckled in response as they walked out of the building, heading down the sidewalk toward the lake. They passed the park and Abigail smiled, recalling how much fun she had the previous day swinging and being on the merry-go-round with Dean. Again, they were just friends because she already had the man she wanted. The man who made her toes curl, stole her breath and made her heart feel as though it would leap out of her chest at any moment…all because he had major skill with his tongue and lips on her nethers. When they reached the lake, Abigail spotted Dean in the distance and watched Roman head down to let him know she was there while she moved toward the water’s edge.

Dean was sweating profusely. He had come to ‘work’ in old black steel toed boots, a pair of faded, torn blue jeans that definitely had seen better days and a white beater. He wore a blue, faded bandana around his head, keeping hair and sweat out of his eyes.

“Roman, my house bitch!” He laughed, passing his shovel over to whoever had come to relieve him. “Just in time, my shift is over.” He eyeballed the cooler. “Gimme!”

“Abigail is-” Roman shook his head, watching as Dean walked on by him. Like he had said: Dean was Dean.

“Abs, my favorite babe!” He said by way of greeting, smiling when she turned to look at him. “Follow me, let’s go eat this.” The cooler was now on his shoulder and he tapped it. “Made sure there’s enough for us both.”

“Um okay…” Abigail smiled apologetically at Roman, wondering why Dean hadn’t mentioned him yesterday, since they lived together, and followed him to a destination away from the lake. It was at the same spot as yesterday, the same rock and everything. “Thanks.” She smiled, taking the sandwich he passed over with the bag of chips, wondering where he got them. Abigail wasn’t complaining because they were delicious and nibbled on her sandwich, looking out at the water. “I need your help, Dean. You’re the only one who can right now. And what I’m going to ask you to do is very dangerous…so if you back out, I won’t blame you. But I have to ask because…I’m out of options.”

“Yeah, I figured.” He said, balancing a stack of sandwiches on his knee while he applied his chips in-between each sandwich. “One second, babe.” Dean finished what he was doing, picked up his massive stack and began squishing it into something manageable before looking at her. “Invisibility cloak, right?” He hadn’t mentioned Roman because one, she hadn’t asked and two, she had freaked out on him for asking questions that apparently hit too close to home. “I had hoped, Abs, you were coming back because you couldn’t resist my animal magnetism.” He chomped his sandwich, staring at her.

“You’re a nice guy, Dean, and I had a lot of fun with you. I really did.” This is where things got a little dicey because she had to tell him the truth about who she was and…who she was currently with. Maybe. “But now isn’t the time for fun and jokes. Now is the time for action and you said you’re a jack of all trades.” So had Taker. “I told you my name, but…I haven’t told you exactly who I am and where I come from. I don’t know you that well, but…I feel like I can trust you. So, here it is, my ultimate secret that only Taker’s ‘circle’ knows about.” At his arched brow, Abigail took a deep breath and stood up from the rock, staring out at the water. “My name is Abigail Waters…but I’m also known as the Queen Mother of the Dominion of Vesperia.” She looked back at him over her shoulder, seeing his eyes were wide as saucers. “Bray Wyatt needs to be stopped…and brought down for what he’s done…and I need your help to do it.”

Chapter 31

His eyes remained as wide as saucers and eventually, Dean began laughing. Loudly. Laughing his ass off and the stack of sandwiches hit the ground, followed by him a second later, laughing so hard he was crying.

“Fuck all, Abs!” Dean gasped, trying to stop, but it was hard. That was the craziest shit he had heard all week! “Seriously, pull the other leg, doll.” He managed to say when he had finally gotten it somewhat under control, staring up into her face. “You’re serious? For real?” At her grim nod, he snorted. “Prove it.”

He was laughing at her and then challenging her to prove it to him! How the hell was she supposed to do that?! It was simple, really. Give him the backstory, the history, between her and Bray Wyatt, the leader of the DOV.

“The sorcerer’s name is Malcolm – the one I want to save and bring back to Wonderful. He’s the only known sorcerer in all of Vesperia and he can help liberate my people. All the women that are being forced to breed – raped and beaten on a daily basis and killed for not producing the right sex. For 10 years, I have watched this happen to countless women, saw boys being taken away from their mothers to be trained up as soldiers. Did you ever wonder how DOV got as big and powerful as it did in a short amount of time?” At his nod, she continued. “There’s a serum Malcolm produced that, when injected into pregnant women, the babies will grow astronomically fast. Susan, the newest refuge from the DOV, is only a year old, but she looks like she’s 18-19. It’s all magic-based. You take Malcolm out of the equation and the DOV will have nothing to stand on, nothing to produce their serum. Bray sent me here to investigate something called Mythril, which Taker told me is a type of mineral with magical properties. Malcolm is the only one who can probably take the Mythril and produce medicine and other things Wonderful really needs that are hard to acquire. Taker believes it’s a waste of resources to go save one person when he can take an army and try to destroy the DOV, but they have a lot of firepower and guns, even cannons. Taker wouldn’t stand a chance right now, but if we take the magic away from the DOV, they wouldn’t be able to produce any more soldiers and will start to break down from the inside out.” She took a deep breath, because that was a lot to say and looked out at the water again. “One other thing – Bray will come for me, eventually. I’m supposed to be undercover here for the Mythril and…to find out about Undertaker’s powers, how he does his disguises, because Malcolm told him something about a rumor where he does that. I’m…special to Bray. I’m the only woman who has never been harmed or touched in the DOV…because of him. But this destruction, this madness, has to end. And Taker doesn’t agree with me how things should go down, so I have to find another way. And that’s where you come in. I need your help to get Malcolm out of the DOV castle and back to Wonderful.” If that wasn’t enough proof for him, Abigail didn’t know what else to do.

“Uh babe, one thing… Mythril, so far as I know, can only be handled by the Deadman because he’s the only one who has access to it.” Dean said thoughtfully, stroking the scruff on his chin as he now stared out into the water, finally nodding. “We’ll figure it out. So, when are we doing this and I’m going to assume you’ll be insisting on going, so what bullshit story are you going to tell people about why you’ll be MIA?” Jury was out on whether or not he bought her story and he had no idea who this Susan was, nor did he really care. However, spiting Taker and having something fun to do was really all the motivation he needed.

“I don’t have to tell people anything. Last I checked, this a free town to do whatever you want, within reason. I do know Taker has a huge raid happening on Friday that will keep him away for several weeks. That’s the perfect time to go. While he’s gone, we can make our way to the DOV, rescue Malcolm and bring him back. The Mythril will be dealt with once Malcolm is here. Once Taker actually sees how much good magic does for people, such as making medicines and whatnot, he’ll hopefully realize this is the right thing to do. And if he doesn’t,” Abigail shrugged, not really concerned about that right now. “Sometimes going rogue is the only way to open someone’s eyes. Are you absolutely sure you want to do this, Dean? Because there’s no going back and this will be very dangerous. It needs to be me, you and one other person, if that. It might just have to be me and you going to rescue Malcolm, depending on how big this invisibility cloak is. You have to be 100% sure you’re in, so take the night to think about it. Please.”

She sat back down on the rock and clasped her hands in her lap, heaving a sigh. Wow… she had come into this place via the Undertaker’s permission and tolerance, given her former stature… and she had absolutely zero respect for the man, his position and what/how he did things. Dean might’ve been in love.

“Yeah, I know about this raid thing they’re going on. They asked Roman to go.” Nobody knew jack about vehicles like Roman, he bet that had been GREAT for Steve Austin, having to come see a slum dog. “You’re going to have to tell them something, Abs, you’ll be gone for… awhile.” Dean informed her in a serious tone. The mineshaft was, luckily for them, on the way towards the DOV, so that helped. But he had no idea what was down there. “Unless you’re hoping you’ll still be in their good graces when you return. Or… we just sneak you back in and they can fuck off.”

It wasn’t that she had zero respect for the way Taker did things in Wonderful, but deep in her heart she knew – SHE KNEW – magic was the only way to go at this point. Bray was too strong with Malcolm beside him, but that power taken away would damn near cripple him and the DOV. “Then what do you suggest, Mr. Jack of All Trades?”

Dean could be in love with her all he wanted, but that didn’t change the fact she was taken. She was spoken for by Taker. They would get to that conversation eventually, she imagined, but right now that wasn’t the priority.

“I’m blank, I was just gonna…go and let the chips fall where they may. I highly suggest we sneak out at night though, that way nobody sees us walking directly out of the gates. And since they’re closed at night, we’re gonna have to go OVER them, if that’s possible…”

“Whoa, slow your roll woman, you have brass balls, babe, and I admire that, but you really got to stop making things overly complicated.” Dean was bouncing on the balls of his feet, blue eyes gleaming. “You CAN’T go in or out of those gates unless it is daylight. Taker manages that shit with magic. The only time you might be able to is when he leaves Wonderful, but you can bet your sweet ass he’ll have it guarded. No… I got your way out, bank on that. There’s shit outside these walls people need, much like yourself, that the Deadman don’t consider a necessity… so…” People like him, mostly him, and his boys -Shield-, smuggled those items in. “And if you’re in with the monkeys, and you bail on them, you’re not going to get back in so easily. I got your way out, I got your way back in. Tell them something, anything, tell ‘em you’re going to slum it in other parts of Wonderful. This place is fairly big, shouldn’t be hard to get lost for a bit in it, right? And… can you swim?” He stooped down, rifling in the cooler and emerged with two jars of soda, offering her one. “It’s orange pop, I think. Roman says it is.”

“Thanks…”

Dean looked excited about this excursion for sure as Abigail popped the top on her soda, taking a long swig of it since it was really warm outside today. It sounded like he’d snuck out of Wonderful a time or two, even with Taker’s magic to protect the borders. Dean was the perfect guy to ask for this task, Abigail felt more confident and took another sip of the soda.

“I’m not one of their monkeys either. Just because I work in the common house doesn’t mean I fall in line with whatever is said.”

The last thing she wanted to do was be known as one of Taker’s lackeys or in his circle, even though she had been intimate with him two nights in a row. It would be a third tonight, as long as he was up for it. She knew she would be.

“And yes, I can swim.” There was a pool in the castle; it was one of the few things Bray allowed her to do, though her bathing suit had to be white. Everything white – never again. “I know I’ve sprung a lot on you today, Dean. I really appreciate your help though.”

“Don’t thank me yet, doll, we still have to get to that invisibility cloak and I know jack shit about what’s down that mine. It was abandoned before all this shit happened.” As was the general trend, he’d bet that there were some nifty little traps waiting for them or something, just because that was how magic always seemed to operate when it came to its fun stuff. “At least today you’re not freaking out on me.” Dean figured if she was crazy, at least he wouldn’t be bored.

Abigail lowered her head, feeling bad about her freak-out and rung her hands together in her lap, having set her food aside. “Yeah, sorry about that. I had no reason to freak out on you, that was my own paranoia shining through.” She felt him lift her chin with his finger, raising her eyes to meet his and saw the grin on his face. It never wavered, he wasn’t the least bit mad at her for anything. “You said you were my way out of here and my way in, so how do you do it if it’s not through the gates or over them?”

“Swimming.” Dean let his hand drop, lacing his fingers through hers and pulled her down towards the lake. He guided her away from the work going on and started the long walk around it. “Remember yesterday, I told you this lake was fed by underground streams, right?” At her nod, he whistled. “There’s a small cave, in the middle of one of those springs. I’ve used it as a stop point to breathe and the springs themselves surface outside of Wonderful’s walls.” He knew about it, the Hardy’s knew about it, but the chances of getting people in and out that way were insane, so… the risk was deemed acceptable, especially since it meant fresh water.

“How long would I have to hold my breath?” She asked, shutting her eyes when he said 2-3 minutes.

Abigail wasn’t sure if she could do that, wishing they could practice doing it, but there was only one shot at that. If they failed, it was over, and Malcolm wouldn’t be saved. If she could train herself to hold her breath for 3 minutes, she would have it in the bag. It was doable, right? Either that or she’d end up drowning…and if she died, well, at least she wouldn’t live to see the destruction of Vesperia.

“Okay.” It was a huge risk, but one she had to take as Abigail watched the channel alongside Dean, not even bothered with the fact he held her hand. Her mind was solely focused on the task at hand – getting out, retrieving the invisibility cloak and then saving Malcolm. “I will let you know exactly what day Taker plans on leaving, unless Roman already knows that information.” Taker hadn’t told her anything yet, only that it would be a ‘few days’.

“Tomorrow, bright and early, before the sun is up from what Roman says.” Dean muttered, his mind elsewhere. “I might be able to get you a rebreather, Abs, you know what that is?” He wasn’t surprised when she shook her head. “It’s a mask that fits over your face, kinda like old school scuba diving, but the oxygen tanks would be tiny and here,” He gestured along his cheeks. “Small enough to get you through and the tanks would hold… maybe twenty minutes of oxygen, that’d be enough for two trips. There and back again.”

“Tomorrow…” Abigail murmured thoughtfully, knowing tonight would be the last time she didn’t see Taker for a while.

She would have to make the most of it, hoping he would be up to it. Something told her when this was all said and done, when Malcolm was saved, Taker would want nothing to do with her. Abigail was willing to risk that since they hadn’t been together all that long and…she had to follow what she felt in her heart was the right thing to do for the people trapped in the DOV.

“Dean…” She turned to face him, taking a deep shuddering breath and placed her hand on his chest. “You have to promise me something. If I don’t…make it, please save Malcolm and bring him back here, no matter what.” Abigail pressed her finger to his lips, shaking her head. “It’s just an if, I’m not saying I’m not going to make it, but…this is dangerous, and I need to make sure I can count on you to get him back here, by any means necessary.”

“Babe,” Now he was covering her mouth with his palm, his free arm moving around her waist to keep her still. “Trust me, you’re gonna make it. I’m going to take care of you, okay?” Her eyes were wide, and he grinned, bending down. He kissed his hand, which was over her lips, so… he kissed her through his hand, chuckling. “There, deal is sealed, right? We got this. Just… I’ll need tonight to get everything ready. We can get out tomorrow night, can’t do it during the day.”

Now was the time to tell him they could only be friends, but Abigail was afraid if she did that, he’d back out of this and not help her. It was incredibly selfish, but she needed Dean right now since Taker refused to listen to her. This was the only way to destroy the DOV from the inside out, weaken their defenses as well as liberate her people, by taking the only source of magic away from Bray. If Abigail had to choose who she wanted to do this task with, it would’ve been Taker, but…he was stubborn and so was she, so she had to stick with Dean.

“Okay.” She whispered, pushing his hand away from her mouth and hoped to hell she made it back alive. “I trust you, Dean.” Abigail was literally putting her life, her wellbeing in his hands and could only hope it wasn’t a mistake.

“Good. That’s not a requirement, but good.” Dean laughed, turning her around so they could head back to the willow tree. His blue eyes narrowed at what they were greeted to. “Slummin’ it, Deadman?” What the hell was Taker doing way out here? “See you got that Big Evil look today.”

He snorted, finding it contradicting as hell that Taker didn’t approve of magic, but he used it to change up his look. Idiot. He got one of the main reasons for it. Nobody would ever be able to accurately describe who he was if caught, but Dean still didn’t agree with the method and hypocrisy of it all.

Chapter 32

Big Evil… what the hell ever. “I have business in the forge.” Taker retorted flatly, his eyes moving to Abigail, who was standing there looking almost petrified, with Ambrose’s arm around her waist. The forge was on the other side of the lake and under lock and key.

His lock and key.

“Big Evil?” Abigail tilted her head, trying to figure out why Dean would call him that and giggled. “Yeah, yeah I can see why. I don’t know why, but with that red bandana around your head, you look like a red devil.” She nudged Dean’s arm from her waist to walk up to Taker, her eyes telling him all he needed to know. “What’s the forge? Can I go with you? Explore more of Wonderful, maybe?”

Since she wouldn’t be spending a lot of time with him after today…today was all she had with him before all hell broke loose. They would be going on separate journeys, each for their own reasons. No doubt they would clash once they returned, if she made it back alive.

“You? Go into the forge? Fat chance.” Dean snorted, folding his arms over his chest as he watched the two.

Oh, he wanted to say yes just to shut that idiot up and his teeth gnashed visibly. “You can’t, darlin’,” He said slowly, reluctantly. “I… have something important to do, and I can’t have any distractions.”

“He’s working with My-th-rriiilllll….” Dean sing-songed obnoxiously.

Taker wanted to throttle Dean Ambrose, his hands clenching.

“It’s okay, I understand.”

What could he possibly be using Mythril for? That was curious considering, as far as she knew, it was only used for weaponry. Maybe he was fastening a new weapon to take on his journey? Abigail didn’t know and could only speculate, smiling softly up at him. Dean was purposely baiting Taker, but she couldn’t berate him due to what they had planned. Abigail had to play this carefully and stepped back from Taker to stand beside Dean again.

“It was worth a shot to ask. Never been down there before, but if I can’t go, I can’t go. Have fun, Big Evil.”

His green eyes rolled, and Taker reached out, pulling Abigail back into him, bending down to brush his lips against hers. “I’ll show you ‘big evil’ later tonight, darlin’.” He rumbled against her mouth, hands moving down to palm her backside before roaming back up. “When I’m done, I’ll come find you.”

His babe and the Undertaker, that was gross. Also interesting, since she was plotting a big ‘fuck you’ to the guy. Dean did enjoy himself a good ‘fuck you’ and he turned his back on them, giving them some privacy. And he began singing, loudly.

Her taste in friends was horrible. “Are you really spending your day with… that?”

Up until now, nobody really knew Abigail and Taker were intimate, but now THAT cat was out of the bag. She had no idea if he did it to prove a point to Dean or…because he wanted to actually kiss her. Probably a little bit of both. She smiled, smacking his chest playfully and tried looking at him sternly.

“Be nice.” She murmured, pecking him one final time and reluctantly pulled away, not wanting to. “You better, since you’re leaving tomorrow morning.” At his surprised look, she grinned and waved three fingers at him. “See you in a bit, Big Evil.” Winking, she watched him saunter off and shook her head, turning her attention back to Dean. “You can stop singing now, he’s gone. You two REALLY don’t like each other, you weren’t exaggerating.”

“He’s a hypocritical cocksmoker with a capital C.” Dean remarked, making sure the last bit was loud enough for the walking away Taker to hear. He was rewarded with a middle finger. “He hates magic, but he’s off to fucking use it; seriously, that’s jacked.” His eyes were on her now, half amused, half disappointed. “So, I’m guessing that was his way of telling me you’re off the market.”

It was indeed, and because he wanted to remind her he hadn’t forgotten about her. Taker just wasn’t able to put off important things for the woman he was starting to care about. Abigail would have to understand that, or they’d just have to end things now, while they still could and manage it amicably. Once inside the forge, he groaned, eyeballing the waiting Mythril. Taker couldn’t be gone for perhaps a month and leave Wonderful completely unprotected… he just couldn’t do it. He could practically feel his heart thudding itself out of his chest and placed his fist over it.

“Just temporary…” He reminded himself, turning to seal the doors behind him.

“I didn’t think he wanted anyone to know about us yet, but apparently so.” Abigail couldn’t focus on that right now, or the fact Dean and Taker did NOT like each other one bit. They had a dangerous task before them, one that would require her full attention instead of worrying about men. “I meant what I told him though, you are my friend, Dean. And since I may not even make it back alive…” She ignored the look he shot her, folding her arms in front of her chest. “Nothing else matters right now except what we discussed. Just in case you wanted some form of payment for it, here.” She brought the silver coins and gestured him to hold out his hand, dropping them into his palm. “I don’t know what you can use those for, maybe trading or something, but I didn’t expect you to do this completely for free. And I’m not taking them back, so don’t bother trying.”

Shrugging, Dean tossed them out into the lake. “Make a wish, doll.” He laughed, having absolutely no use for them and ignored her dropped jaw. “Hey, you said you weren’t taking them back, so… they were mine to do with what I wanted.” He wrapped his arm around her. “Just friends, sure. Fine. Let’s get something straight, Abs,” His tone had gotten deadly serious. “That isn’t the first time you’ve mentioned you not coming back and I’m telling you right now, knock it off. I don’t deal with people who have death wishes and that’s what you sound like. This world ain’t no place for heroes, got it? We do what we got to do, but we live through it and keep on trucking.” He was grinning again. “Besides, I haven’t lost a man yet.”

“Yeah well, as you can plainly see, I’m not a man, I’m a woman.” Abigail retorted with a smirk, though it didn’t touch her eyes.

There was a very good chance this would all go south, either in the cave with the invisibility cloak or at the castle. She just hoped Dean didn’t play hero if she got into a bind or in trouble. It was obvious he cared about her already; was she really that…beautiful, enchanting, that two men wanted her?

“I can’t believe you just tossed those in the lake.” She muttered good-naturedly, rolling her eyes at his grin and nudged him playfully. “Alright, I’m gonna leave you to do the preparations…and head back up to help out with the common house.” It was going on 4 and she promised Trish she wouldn’t be late today. “Tomorrow night, where do you want to meet up?”

“My place.” Dean tugged off his bandana, staring at her and grinned. “I’ll walk you up to the common house, been awhile since I’ve seen… them.” He bet Trish Stratus still had those very lovely bouncing bosoms too. “Shit, Roman is cooking tonight anyway, might just eat there too.” Roman couldn’t cook to save his life. Abigail looked like she was torn between being amused and panicking. “What’s wrong, doll? Afraid of what people will say if I’m with you?” He didn’t know whether to find that funny or feign being somewhat hurt. Dean reached down, tugging his beater out of the waist of his jeans and peeled it off, using it to wipe sweat off his muscular chest before wrapping it around his neck, groaning. “Shower first.” For once, the cold water in the building was going to be very welcome.

“No, no I just…didn’t think you’d want to slum it up with Taker’s ‘circle’.”

Abigail laughed at his eye roll, trying not to notice the body he had on him. There was no doubt in her mind, if she hadn’t met Taker first, Dean would’ve been the next choice to lose her virginity. Speaking of that…Abigail wondered if that would happen tonight, really not wanting to die without experiencing sex at least once. Would Taker be up for it though? She couldn’t push the issue or else he would know something was going on.

“I could care less what those people think of us hanging out together, Dean. If I’m ‘slumming’ it up, so be it. You are my friend and you’re doing something none of them would do.” For her, she knew that was the only reason he’d agreed to do it, besides seeing Taker’s head possibly explode. “Now come on, shower and then we’ll head up there. Try to be quick, okay?”

“You should quit your little gig as Stephanie’s scullery maid.” Dean informed her, after they had stopped, so he could retrieve his cooler before heading towards his ‘house’. “You can come work with me. When I’m not on the ‘everyone pitches in’ gig, I do… other things, fun things. You’re a budding adrenaline junkie, you’d have fun.”

Anyone as ballsy as Abigail was being wasted in a kitchen, running errands like some little maid. She needed to be out of that place, free, and she’d probably enjoy being able to see little slices of the world. Dean was able to do that, give her that. Hell, if Taker wasn’t such a straight-laced son of a bitch, Dean bet he’d have been a bit surprised at just how much Shield could have done for him and Wonderful. As it was, since they weren’t exactly wanted, or always trusted… they did things under the table. A lot of it still benefited Wonderful, just not necessarily in the way Taker wanted.

“Oh really? You do realize I have a bed in the common house and that’s why I work there, right? You willing to put me up if I were to leave the common house and come work with you?”

Granted, if things kept progressing with Taker…no, Abigail didn’t think that would happen after Malcolm was rescued. He was going to be furious with her. She smirked when he nodded and highly doubted that, following him into the Shield building upstairs to his loft.

“I’ll think about it, but tonight, I still need a place to sleep and I still have a job to do. I can’t leave them hanging, especially since Stephanie is out right now.” At Dean’s raised brow, Abigail frowned and wrapped her arms around herself. “It’s one of the reasons I want to rescue Malcolm. They’re running low on the type of medicine she needs for her pregnancy. It’s…complicated and since you’re a guy, you probably care less. I’m worried about her though – and a few others are pregnant too that run the common house, so training it is.”

“Oh, the blood pressure meds, right?” He laughed, pushing open the door and guided her inside. “Yeah, Roman got to hear all about it. That’s one of the reasons why they’re raiding that hospital. Meds, beds, generators, equipment, also a reason why they need my big Samoan.”

“Not my name, Ambrose.”

“Could be, sweet cheeks.” Dean pinched Roman’s cheek on his way through, stopping to shuck his boots. “We’re getting a roomie, Romie.”

Roman pinched the bridge of his nose, flashing Abigail a quick smile and then groaned. “Why can’t you undress in the bathroom?”

“Don’t look.” Dean snorted, bare assed now, and kicked his jeans to the side. “Because as soon as I’m out, I’m tossing them into the wash pile, jackass. You were bitchin’ I leave everything laying on the bathroom floor. Be out soon, Abs.”

“Did I hear somethin’ about a new roommate?” Seth Rollins came waltzing in, stopping at the sight of the stunning ebony haired beauty standing in the middle of the living room/kitchen, raising a slow black brow. Her hand was currently covering her eyes and her cheeks were…red. “Who do we have here? Another one of your flings, Ro-Ro?”

“Not my name, jackass.”

“Yeah – yeah, whatever. Sweetheart, you can take your hand away from your eyes now. He’s in the bathroom.” Seth informed her with a grin, also naturally tanned, though not as much as Roman, with straight shoulder-length black hair, naturally curled and a black full beard, trimmed neatly. “I’m Seth, and what is your name, beautiful?”

Just how many men lived here? Abigail pulled her hand away from her eyes and looked at Seth, not sensing immediate danger from him. “Abigail, most people call me Abbie.” She shook his offered hand and cleared her throat, not believing Dean just went bare-assed in front of her. Good GOD! “So, you three…live here together?”

“Yep.” Roman was busy getting a pair of tongs out of the back room, big old barbecuing ones. They used them for whatever. In this case, he was using them to get Dean’s scummy pants off the floor. “Dean needs two fulltime babysitters.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” Seth chuckled and then realized Abigail might be getting the wrong impression about them. “We’re not gay.”

“Who the hell said we were gay?” Roman shot Seth a look and then glanced at the pants he was holding out at arm’s length when Seth gave him a look. “I’m not.”

“Roman,” Dean popped his head out of the bathroom. “Man, you got anything else besides fruit smelling wash?”

Seth had to turn away.

“You sure about that, big man?” Abigail snickered, ignoring Roman’s blatant glare shot her way and folded her arms in front of her chest. “I’m sorry, but I’ve never heard of a man having fruit smelling body wash.”

Seth was trying, really trying, not to laugh at his comrade and failed, losing it when Dean did a double thumbs up before slamming the door in Roman’s face.

Abigail lost it as well, laughing hard and held her stomach, tears filling her eyes from the pain. A quick glance at the clock told her she couldn’t wait for Dean to finish up, eyes widening. “Oh shit, I gotta go. Tell Dean to meet me at the common house if he still wants to come. Didn’t realize the time. Catch you later, gentlemen!” She hightailed it out of the building and ran smack into… “Taker. Sorry!” Trish was going to kill her if she was late again. Maybe a job profession change was in order…after Malcolm was rescued. “Done already?”

“Yes,” He said simply, feeling rather… drained. In the satchel at his side was Wonderful’s protection while he was gone. “I’m sorry I couldn’t take you into the forge, darlin’.” His tired emerald eyes moved to the building behind her, knowing damn well who lived there. “I can show you what I was doing though.” He smiled slightly. “If… you promise to keep it to yourself.” Taker hadn’t missed her disappointment earlier, but working at very high temperatures with a magical mineral was a recipe for disaster under best of times.

Doing what he had done, that was just a death wish.

Common house or Taker…that was a no-brainer. “I told you I understand, it’s okay.”

She reached up to touch the side of his face, smiling softly and then frowned at how drained he was. Maybe they wouldn’t be spending the night together after all. That made her heart twinge painfully in her chest because she had no idea what the future held for them once tomorrow came.

“Show me. I won’t tell anyone.”

At his nod, he took her hand and guided her up to the front of Wonderful to his tower. Abigail didn’t care about anything else, not even the common house and walked up the stairs with him until they were completely alone in his room.

Chapter 33

“When Glen died, he saved me by magic.” Taker was pretty sure he had already told her this, but… at the moment, he was a bit too fuzzy to remember. “A side effect was… it fused with me, it became this thing in me, and I could always feel it, especially when I used it. I don’t think he meant for me to have magical abilities, but magic itself tends to be unpredictable at times.” Pulling out a small stone from the satchel, it was fused all right, to his own heart. “I don’t think Glen meant to put it directly in me, but he wasn’t trained, you see.” Taker held it up, the talisman encased in Mythril. He had melted it and then blown it like he would have glass. “As long I leave it here, in Wonderful, the protection remains and nobody except me can use it. It’s… part of me.” That explained why he was feeling drained, taking all that magic out of himself had been a chore and a half. “And the Mythril will protect it, it’ll only respond to me.” He held it out to Abigail, watching as she took it. The entire thing turned black. “Neat, isn’t it?”

“I-I don’t understand…you created this from the magic inside of you Glen gave? That means you’re…weaker, right? You’ll be weak going out on this run.” Taker had sacrificed himself yet again for this town and all the people in it. They needed Malcolm more than ever, she was convinced after what this man had to endure and give up. “Taker!” She dropped the stone on the bed and rushed to him, seeing he’d dropped to a knee and cupped his face in her hands, pure worry and concern filling her eyes. “Come on, you need to lay down. Don’t pass out until you’re in bed.”

Abigail draped his arm around her shoulders and managed to get him over to the bed, watching him fall on his back on top of it. Why would he do this to himself? She knew he wanted to protect Wonderful, so why not send his best guys out on this hospital run? Why did Taker have to go? She climbed on the bed to take his hand, trying like hell not to show how much this bothered her to see him so physically drained and pressed it to her mouth. Wonderful needed him and so did she for the final battle with Bray, even if his defenses and strength were about to be severely depleted.

“Damn it…” She whispered, hating how much she cared about him and released his hand to grab the stone on the bed beside her, eyeing it for a few minutes.

If Mythril could do this, protect an entire town, she could only imagine what Malcolm could do with his powers and Mythril.

“Put it down, honey.” Steve said from the doorway, carrying a tray laden with food and pill bottles on it. “It won’t work for anyone but him. Best… stick it in his satchel and hide it somewhere.” Taker told him his plans, just in case something had gone wrong. He watched as Abigail did as he bid, setting the tray down on the table and glanced through the open curtains to where the Undertaker lay, passed the hell out. “He’ll be fine. He’s just… another regular human now.” He said, trying to reassure her. “Hardy sent up a bunch of shit for him to get him back on his feet.” He knew why Taker had done this, to see if he COULD, to leave Wonderful protected in the event something happened to him.

Well, he was going to hope the test run was a success.

“Wait…WHAT?!” Abigail’s jaw dropped at Steve’s confession as she stared down at Taker, covering her mouth with her hand. “No – NO! He can’t disguise himself when he goes on that run tomorrow! How…How could he DO this?!” She hadn’t meant to rage to Steve, but…Taker was human. Fully human, which meant he’d taken ALL of his magic out of himself in order to protect Wonderful.

“Abbie, it’s gonna be okay. We’ll take care of him…”

She went right back to sitting on the bed beside him, holding his hand and let the tears flow down her cheeks, wondering why his disguise had changed so suddenly the moment his knee hit the floor. It was his body reacting to all the magic being siphoned out of him.

“Abbie…”

“I’m not leaving him.” Her voice shook, cracked and she didn’t bother turning to face Steve, hearing the door close behind her moments later.

Fuck the common house, fuck Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, fuck everything and everyone right now. The ONLY thing she cared about was Taker and hoped he woke up soon, just wanting him to be alright.

Hours later it was Jeff Hardy coming to check on Taker, not surprised to find Abigail there as well. Steve had told him her reaction and he let himself into the room, not surprised to find her there still. He began turning on lights, walking over to sit on the edge of the bed, staring down into Taker’s proper face, mild scars and all.

“He’s going to be fine.” He announced after checking the big man’s pulse. “I don’t know much about magic, Abigail, but I’m going to assume his body and brain put him into a reboot. He was prepared for it.” He looked at her, frowning at the tears in her eyes.

“Fuck…”

“How do you feel?”

“Hungover…”

“Taker?”

Abigail scrambled up from laying down, not able to fall asleep until he woke up and looked down at him, relief coursing through her eyes and body. He was alright. He was awake and alive, but incredibly weak. If Bray and the DOV struck now, they wouldn’t have a prayer. Malcolm was the only one who could help with that. Taker wouldn’t have to sacrifice himself this way anymore once Malcolm was in their ranks, away from Bray and the DOV. She stood up from the bed while Jeff looked over Taker, needing a minute and stared out the window, hoping Dean had everything ready for tomorrow night.

She wasn’t saying anything to anyone, deciding to blame her ‘disappearance’ on being upset over what Taker did. It was the best excuse she could come up with and she would claim to spend all of her time in the ‘slums’ with Dean and his friends. Abigail turned away from the window to look at Taker and could feel the frustration building inside of her. No, she wouldn’t unleash it. This was his decision, he was a fool and going on a suicide mission, but yet, he wouldn’t use some resources to save an actual sorcerer that could definitely help in the magic department. Taker was a damned idiot.

“Steve brought up some food for you, but he didn’t know when you’d wake up.” She spoke quietly, distantly. “Do you want some or are you still…not feeling right?”

If Bray and the DOV struck now, they still wouldn’t breech those walls, he had ensured that. With or without him, Wonderful was protected and he… he was just… normal. “I need some water.” He felt Jeff helping him up, glancing at the younger man.

“I sent up vitamins, normal humans need that shit, Boss.” Jeff grinned, nodding at Abigail to go get the tray. “I’ll get you some water.” He got up and went to retrieve a few bottles.

Abigail retrieved the tray, setting it on the bed beside him and had tucked the stone back in his satchel like Steve requested. She watched silently as he took slowly slips of the water along with the vitamins, not exactly sure how THOSE would help, but she wasn’t a doctor. Jeff was a genius and knew what he was doing, obviously. A glance at the clock told her it was after midnight and Abigail realized she had fallen asleep with him. It was probably why she felt a little fatigued since Jeff had woken her up upon arrival to check on Taker.

She sipped her own water Jeff handed her, thanking him and pulled the hair tie out of her hair, letting it tumble down her back since her head hurt from keeping it up in the messy bun all this time. Taker would be leaving in mere hours, before the sun rose…so much for what could be their final night together. It was selfish to think that way and she knew it, but she was only human and had hoped to have one final night with Taker like they’d had the past 2 nights. Then the fool had to go and…humanize himself, if that even made sense…and knocked himself out for most of the night.

“Man, are you going to be up for this?” Jeff asked, watching as Taker began to slowly pull himself out of bed. “I know it’s been… forever, since you were, um, normal, and you know my theories on that.”

“I’m fine.”

He rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck from side to side, and stared down at Abigail. It was weird, he thought, not being able to shift his looks or feel the magic from Glen coursing through his veins. He reached back, turning to the side so his profile was to her, and began gathering up his excessively long, dark red hair. Faded scars beneath his mustache and goatee, and a black teardrop beneath his eye, something he had done jailhouse style in memory of his brother.

“Just… feels odd.”

“Yeah, no shit, you’ve been living with magic boosting your natural abilities and strength. Eat. Abbie, shove food down his throat if you have to. I’m going to go sleep. And seriously, take some of those damn vitamins, we don’t know what lingering effects there might be, or what that magic was making up for in your system.”

“Because a lack of potassium might kill me…” Taker snorted, dropping down to sit on the edge of the bed.

So this was his TRUE form. The teardrop, the long dark red hair, the faint scars from the house fire, this was all him. Abigail stared in wonder, tilting her head slightly and reached out to touch his face with her hand, caressing it tenderly. He was going out there completely defenseless, would she ever see him again? Abigail couldn’t let it weigh on her mind because she had her own task to undertake, her own mission, one she knew he wouldn’t approve of.

“He’s right. You need to eat.” She left him be for the time being and stood up to stare out the window again, looking up at the moon. Don’t come yet Bray, she thought, silently praying they both made it back in one piece.

Frowning, Taker walked over to stand behind her, bending down to wrap his arms around her, resting his chin on top of her head and stared out the window as well. “You know, nothing with ill intent will ever be able to get inside Wonderful, don’t you?” He asked softly, feeling the tension in her. Magic wasn’t necessary to read her body language. “The DOV could sit outside the walls for years and not be able to get in.”

Not that that wouldn’t harm Wonderful in the long run, because it would. They were self-sustaining to a point, but not 100%. He moved so his mouth was by her ear, then trailed his nose down the side of her neck.

“It’ll be fine, darlin’.”

“You’re leaving here without magic though, without your disguise. You’re completely human now…and you expect me not to worry about you?” Abigail turned to stare up at him, feeling his forehead rest against hers and relished the feeling, caressing his face. “I know why you did what you did and it’s commendable. It’s heroic and noble, it shows you really do care about every single person living here, even if you don’t always agree with them.” Dean Ambrose came to mind. “For the record, this is my favorite look on you. Because it’s ACTUALLY you I’m looking at and not some disguise. Now you really need to eat before that Hardy boy comes back up here and sticks his foot up your ass for not listening.”

At that Taker snorted, shaking his head and took Abigail’s hand, guiding her back with him. He sat on the bed, pulling the tray towards him and gestured for her to sit with him. “I don’t have to like people, darlin’, to know what the right thing to do is.” He informed her with a grin, the idea of Jeff Hardy kicking his ass, magic or not, amusing as hell. “So you don’t mind this look? It might be permanent.” He could probably do with a trim on his hair, it was pretty long.

“Not at all. I wouldn’t mind if it was permanent because it’s actually you. I was wondering what your actual look was and I’m not disappointed.”

Abigail slid her fingers through his beautiful hair, glad he had long hair, even though he looked good with short hair too. There was something about the long hair though that really turned her on. The tattoos were actually him too, another plus. She kissed his arm, watching him eat and moved behind him to begin rubbing his shoulders, making sure his hair didn’t get in his food. They still had a few more hours before he was leaving, but he also needed more rest to recuperate from taking the magic out of him.

“I’m going to miss you.” She spoke in his ear softly, kissing the top of his head while continuing the massage.

His mouth was full of food, so he didn’t immediately reply. “I’m going to miss you too, Abbie.” He replied truthfully, meaning it. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to do this run with no problems. Since you’re here, the DOV has backed off… and you said Wyatt gave you a few months, right?” At her nod, he let out a slow sigh. “We’ll be fine, darlin’.”

He ate in silence, trying not to groan around his food at how good her massage felt on his shoulders, though she also seemed to be getting distracted by his many tattoos. When he was finished, he put his dishes and everything else back on the tray. Moving it aside so he could make room for her, Taker pulled her down to lay on the bed with him.

“Mark.” He said after a moment, smiling at her puzzled look. “My name is Mark.”

“Mark?” Undertaker wasn’t his actual name? Granted, it was a tad morbid sounding, but she did think that was his birthname. She’d been calling him Taker during their… “Oh wow…okay…”

Why was he telling her this now? It didn’t matter, Abigail could only smile at him and caressed his face again, her thumb brushing the teardrop etched into his skin. It was black, just below his right eye and she leaned over to brush her lips against it before kissing him softly.

“Mark.” She said it again, this time with clarity instead of question and nodded. “I like it. It suits you. I noticed nobody else calls you by that in public though, so I’ll just call you Mark when we’re alone, if you want.” Something told her he didn’t divulge his actual name to a lot of people, which made her part of his ‘circle’ Ambrose talked about. “How long will you be gone for?”

Chapter 34

Only a few people knew his given name. Several people knew his last name. Only Stephanie called him Calaway, and Amy had addressed him as Mark in private, so had Steve, that was about it. Mark did not make people outside these walls stop and hesitate. Whereas the moniker ‘Undertaker’ made potential enemies take a moment to wonder how a person got that name. Mind games, scare tactics.

“I don’t know. Roman Reigns, who I’m sure you’ve met since you like to hang out with Ambrose, modified a trailer and some motorcycles. We’ve done testing on it out in the fields. Between four of us, we can haul it, and we’re only taking two runners for protection. Few weeks there, sooner if we’re lucky. Few days in the hospital stripping it down and packing it up, few weeks back.” Sooner, he hoped.

A month or longer, which really boded well in her favor because DOV was clear across the map and it would take at least 2 weeks to get there and two weeks to get back. They would be cutting it close, but she had to take the risk anyway. Abigail didn’t miss that underlying tone of his when he spoke Roman and Ambrose’s name, a smirk curving her lips.

“He offered me a job, you know.” She moved to lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling. “He said I’m too talented to be a kitchen maid or servant. I don’t know if I agree with him, but he said he could find me something to do in the ‘slums’, as he likes to call it.” Her head turned to stare at him, trying to register the look on his face. “So, I’m thinking about taking him up on his offer and ‘slumming’ it while you’re away. Just thought you should know and you can inform your comrades, so they don’t send out another search party for me and worry.”

“My comrades,” He echoed, not entirely sure if he liked that word. Taker knew he definitely didn’t like the idea of her slumming it with Dean Ambrose and his… pals. “So… you’ll be working with Ambrose and his ilk while I’m gone.” He said quietly, thoughtfully, catching her nod and stroked his chin. “And where will you be sleeping?” Because he could delay his trip, just so he could strangle Ambrose if he had to. Taker didn’t like the reckless idiot and now – now he was curious if that was jealousy he was now feeling, not liking that either.

“Not in his bed, that’s for sure.” Abigail could hear the jealousy in his voice and stroked his face with her hand, scooting closer to him. “He said he has a room for me in that Shield building. Roman will be gone, so it’ll be him and Seth. He’s got one extra room available and said I could have it if I wanted to start working with him. I’m just gonna see how it goes and, if I don’t like it, I’ll go back to the common house. But maybe he does have a job for me that I’ll like better. Won’t know until I try.” It was the perfect excuse for her absence because she knew Taker’s ‘circle’ didn’t leave the front of Wonderful often. “You’re not…mad about this, are you?”

“I’m not happy about it,” He could admit it; it wasn’t like she couldn’t tell anyway. “But this is your choice.”

Given Abigail’s lack of freedom all those years, suffering under the DOV and Bray Wyatt, he would never tell her what she could and couldn’t do. Not over something that was likely trivial, even if his male pride was screaming at him to quit being a pussy and tell her hell no. Egos were not good for relationships.

“You don’t like working in the common house? And, if you don’t mind me asking, darlin’, what talents exactly are going to waste?” He wasn’t saying she wasn’t talented, but he wanted to know what Ambrose seen in her.

“The common house is fine, and I like it. I have no idea what ‘talents’ Dean sees in me, but he said there’s other things I can do down in the ‘slums’ that would be better than the common house.” Abigail shrugged, feeling his arm wrap around her to pull her closer and softly brushed her mouth against his, sighing softly. “He’s a good guy, he won’t steer me wrong and, if he does, you can beat his head in when you get back and I’ll return to the common house. I won’t get into trouble, I promise.” That was a flat lie because what she was about to do could potentially kill her.

It was worth the risk though.

Taker wanted to tell her that just associating with Ambrose was being steered wrong. The man had no respect, he was a wild card, and he KNEW Ambrose was smuggling items into Wonderful; he just didn’t have the time to prove it. Ambrose had made his opinions, which usually contrasted very sharply with his, known, and his derision for the way things were done had been a major source of issues in the earlier years.

“Fine.” he growled, pressing his forehead against hers.

She giggled at his growl, knowing he was both frustrated and exasperated with her, kissing him again harder. “Enough talk about him.”

Abigail could tell he was still tired and drained from the magic siphoning, so all they would do was kiss and touch. She was fine with that and kept her clothes on, though she had kicked her shoes off earlier, refusing to leave his side. Trish was probably really pissed at her, along with Amy, for not coming to the common house to work, but Taker was more important. Eventually, his eyes did close, and Abigail settled next to him, pulling the blanket over them to snuggle, eventually fall asleep herself.

~!~

4 AM rolled around as Abigail’s eyes opened, seeing Taker was up getting around to leave. “Now I know you weren’t going to leave me without saying goodbye. That’s not very nice, Mark.” She smirked, despite waking up and stretched her arms in the air, slipping out of bed. There was no way she wouldn’t see him off with the others and looked at the huge bag on the floor that probably held all of his personal belongings. “Do you want me to help you with anything? Are you feeling better?”

“I’ve been living on magic for so long now, darlin’, that I think it’s going to take me a bit to learn how I feel. I feel… okay?” He said it thoughtfully, his emerald eyes surveying her. “It is weird, not being able to feel it pumping through me, and it makes me wonder just how much of the strength, and stamina was me and how much was magic.” He was about to find out, he supposed. Smirking, he moved so he could push her back down on the mattress, hovering over her and brushed his lips against hers. “Going to miss me, Abbie?”

“What do you think?” Abigail remarked, feeling the strength radiating from him and knew it was himself and not the magic, which made her feel marginally better. She accepted his kiss, caressing his face and only broke it when they both needed air to breathe, pecking his nose. “Be careful, be safe and come back to me in one piece, okay? I know you can’t promise it, but…try your best.” The same could be said for her. It did bother her a bit he couldn’t disguise himself, but then again, not a lot of people truly knew his TRUE form, so maybe they would just think it was another disguise instead of actually him. “I’m walking you down to the gates and seeing you off.”

Speaking of the gates… Taker kissed her again, pouring everything he felt into it and cursed inwardly because she was responding while he was rising to the occasion. This was going to be a very long trip. Groaning, with more than just a hint of longing in his tone, he pushed himself away from Abigail with great reluctance.

“Where’d you put the talisman?” He asked, looking around.

Watching as she stood to retrieve the satchel, Taker pulled out the little orb of Mythril he had fashioned and watched as the black faded, revealing itself properly. “Can you do something for me, Abbie?” He asked quietly. “Nobody is going to notice if you slip off and do this. Me… they will.” Taker put it back and handed the satchel to her. “Hide this, here in Wonderful, where nobody will find it. Nobody will be able to use it, nobody but me because that magic only responds to me, but if someone got a burr up their ass, they could take it outside the walls.” And then, the protection would fail. “I don’t even want to know where you would hide it, not until I return. Will you do this for me?”

Tears filled her eyes as he handed over the satchel to her with all of his magic stored into it, into the crystal. Taker – no, Mark – entrusted her with this task, nobody else, not even in his elite circle. He wanted her to do this, to protect Wonderful and nodded, gasping when he kissed her passionately one final time.

“You better come back to me, Mark.” She whispered, a few tears slipping down her cheeks and hugged him tightly around the neck, clutching the satchel in her hand. “I meant what I said. You are the hope that will save Vesperia…and you’re my hope too.”

Abigail reluctantly pulled away from him, slipped her shoes on and gave him one final look, already knowing in her heart she loved him. She was in love with him and they hadn’t even known each other that long. With satchel in hand, Abigail left the tower and let the tears flow down her cheeks now that she was away from Taker, heading inside the building to climb the ladder. Quietly, she packed all of her belongings up, which wasn’t much and left, turning just in time to see them all roar away on their bikes and a truck to head to the hospital.

“Goodbye, Mark.” She whispered brokenly before turning and heading down the street, still dark out, toward the Shield building.

First, she stopped at the workout room and went into the far corner, remembering when she found this spot the first time her and Amy worked out. There was a broken floorboard nobody knew about, so she pulled it up, set the satchel inside, and closed it, making sure it blended in with the rest of the floor. Then, she headed on her way further into Wonderful to the Shield building, wiping her tears away angrily.

Dean was already up, sitting out on what had been the front stoop, smoking a cigarette in just a pair of old, gray sweat pants. He had rolled out of bed in order to see his buddy off. To be honest, he hadn’t expected Abigail to be showing up this early, so it was a bit of a surprise to find her strolling up the dark, foggy street, looking like she had slept for shit.

“Morning.” He grunted, pulling his leg off the step to make room for her, bending down to brush his head against hers. “You look like shit, babe.”

“I’m fine.”

No, she wasn’t, and it showed, but Abigail couldn’t let her personal feelings interfere with their plan. She just didn’t expect Mark to actually entrust her with protecting Wonderful by hiding that satchel with the crystal. Sniffling, she let out a soft growl and wiped the remainder of her tears away, clearing her throat somewhat hoarsely.

“I told Taker I was staying with you while he’s gone and working with you. So that’s my reason for not being seen for the next month.” She pulled back to look up into Dean’s eyes, another tear falling down her cheek. “I think we should sleep throughout the day and when the sun goes down, we can leave, what do you think? Still got that extra room for me?”

“Read my mind, Abs.”

Dean tossed the cigarette out into the street before standing up and gently pulled her towards him. He may not have liked the Undertaker, but he knew she more than liked the guy, maybe even loved. Reaching out, Dean brushed away her tears with the pad of his thumbs before gesturing towards the door.

“Come on, let’s get you back to bed.” He murmured, guiding her inside. Seth was still asleep; the man could sleep through anything, tornadoes included.

“Dean, wait…” Abigail did not want to be alone right now, not when Mark was off on a potential suicide mission and also knew what she’d told him about not sleeping in Dean’s bed. What the big man didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, however. “C-Can I stay with you? I won’t sleep by myself right now.”

At his nod, Abigail let him guide her up the stairs with her stuff in tow, dropping it in the spare room that would be hers, and pulled her into his room. She kicked her shoes off and pulled the covers over her, making sure to leave enough for Dean before turning on her side. When he pulled her against him, his arm wrapped around her waist, Abigail didn’t push him away and let the silent tears fall, wishing it was Mark holding her right now instead of Dean.

Dean didn’t fall asleep right away and neither did she, or at least he was assuming she hadn’t. Every now and then he could feel her body tremble as if she were trying to repress tears. He was so screwed. He knew he was. He was her Taker substitute at the moment, and only for comfort, and he was completely fine with that. That was how he knew he was screwed.

“He’ll be fine, Abs,” He whispered against the back of her head, running a hand up and down her side soothingly. “He’ll be back before you know it.”

If only he knew why she was terrified for Mark, but Abigail couldn’t tell him. She was sworn to secrecy, remembering how he’d specifically told her not to tell anyone. Dean wasn’t a substitute of anything, he was a friend and she needed the comfort right now. If he thought of himself as a substitute, that was on him, not her. All she could do was nod, trying to focus on his hand on her side because it was a distraction of some kind.

“I-I know you don’t like him…and I u-understand why. S-Some things he does…doesn’t make sense.” At all. “But I-I appreciate you h-helping me, Dean.” Turning, she buried her face in his chest, not wanting him to see her tear-streaked face and soaked in his warmth, closing her eyes trying to calm down.

Dean regretted not wearing more clothes besides those sweats, because her tears were hot and so was her erratic breathing as she tried calming herself. Like the sap he was, he just kept rubbing her, now her back, trying to help her settle herself. What was it about the Undertaker that drew her in? He couldn’t understand it. They were opposites on their beliefs and, down the road, he could see that being a major source of contention between them, especially if this plan of hers worked.

“It’ll be alright.” He whispered, raining kisses on the crown of her head.

Chapter 35

“All right, so how the hell does this thing work again?” Abigail asked, wanting to make sure she understood and listened as Dean explained the oxygen mask, nodding.

She was freshly showered, well-rested and ready to get their journey started. It would be a week trek to the cave where the invisibility cloak was supposedly in. If Dean knew that, why hadn’t he tried grabbing the damn thing sooner? Abigail wore a pair of skintight black shorts that rested just below the knee and a black tank top, her hair braided to keep it out of her face and out of the way. It was night, the sun gone, and they were the only individuals out near the lake channel they would dive into in order to escape Wonderful.

“And I have exactly 20 minutes of oxygen before I’m sunk, right?”

He hadn’t tried grabbing it because… he wasn’t about to go spelunking in an abandoned mineshaft for shits and giggles. Not to mention, MAGIC, not only was there likely natural dangers, but probably magical ones as well. Dean had no reason for an invisibility cloak and she was out of her mind. He liked it.

“Yep. Ten on the way out, we’ll stash it, and then ten on the way back in. Unless you think you want to come strolling through the front gates on our way back.”

Luckily for her, that old mineshaft was on the way to their actual destination. He had, over the day, taken the liberty of moving some supplies for them, waiting just outside the walls where the spring would surface. Dean wasn’t doing this with just luck and charm, hell no.

“We’ll have to come through the front gates with Malcolm. There’s no way he’ll be able to hold his breath that long to swim. Hell, I don’t even know if he KNOWS how to swim. It won’t matter and there’s no point hiding him since he’ll be here to help with the magic anyway.” Abigail would only need to do this once and had mentally prepared herself as much as she could, hoping she was ready for it. “Let’s do this.”

Slipping the breathing mask on with the oxygen tank, Dean had one as well and they both nodded to each other before diving into the water. He’d taken the liberty of getting her a waterproof bag for her clothes and belongings she was bringing with for the trip, which was very thoughtful because she was DEEP under water. It would’ve sucked if her belongings had gotten drenched. They also had goggles on, so she could open her eyes under water to see where the hell she was going, and Dean had a flashlight that worked under water since it was pitch black otherwise. Dean led the way, sort of, since he knew where he was going and, eventually, he surfaced in an air pocket, pulling his mask off to study her. She looked pale, but that could’ve been the light. He knew being too far under water could lead to issues due to the pressure.

“We’ll take a minute,” He treaded the water easily and reached out to steady her. Probably a good thing Abigail had been exercising the way she had; swimming like this was tiring as hell if one wasn’t used to it. “How do you feel, Abs? Light-headed, dizzy?”

“A little light-headed, but I’ll be fine.” Abigail assured him, her arms and legs burning from the swimming, but not as badly as they would’ve had she NOT been working out. The oxygen from the tank was responsible for the light-headedness, though they were halfway there. “You never told me how we’re getting to the mineshaft and DOV. Are we taking a car or a bike?” There were a few cars around Wonderful, on the outside, she’d noticed upon arrival, but mostly, everyone rode bikes. If they were going clear across Vesperia to the DOV’s domain, a car might’ve been faster and safer to take.

“We’re taking a motorcycle, babe. Cars can’t get through tree lines and in and out the way a small bike can.” He answered, not missing the look on her face and grinned. That was probably the one thing he and Taker both saw eye to eye on, not that he’d admit it. Well, and her. “Not to mention, way more fuel efficient. When we get out of the water, I had Roman drop some shit off for us on his way out, including some lightweight body armor. I uh… guessed… your measurements.”

“Body armor?”

Abigail blinked, wondering why that was necessary, but didn’t say anything and just nodded. They would have to camp out quite a bit, but she hoped they’d get at least 12 hours or so on the road a day. Hopefully, they could find abandoned gas stations on the way.

“Dean, wait, what about Malcolm?” At his arched brow, she kept treading the water and frowned. “We’re going on a rescue mission, which means 3 of us have to come back, not 2. You can’t fit 3 people on a bike, so what are we gonna do about that?”

“Oh yeah, we’ll have to ditch the bike then, now won’t we?” He laughed, shaking water out of his hair. “If he’s half as good as you seem to think, he can shield a car, right?” Dean wasn’t overly worried about getting back. It was getting there without getting blown up or shot, or anything else. “Come on, mask back on. Halfway out.” He slipped his rebreather back on, waiting until she had done the same before diving back under water.

By the time they resurfaced, it was 11 minutes later, and Abigail had never wanted to kiss cold, hard ground so much in her life. Swimming was fun, but when one was doing it for a purpose, for a dangerous tank, to sneak out of somewhere, it SUCKED. She tossed the breathing mask and oxygen tank to the side, coughing, landing on her backside because a dizzy spell overtook her.

“I’m fine…give me…a minute…”

Too much oxygen at once…Abigail just had to wait for it to pass and squeezed her eyes shut, soaked from head to toe and the cool grass felt amazing against her skin. When she was able to sit up, 10 minutes later, without seeing two of everything, she caught the dry clothes Dean tossed at her from her bag and began changing. She smiled when she didn’t even have to tell him to turn around while she slipped out of her wet bra and panties, put them in a separate compartment of her bag and quickly dressed.

“Okay, I’m good, I think…”

Abigail squeezed out the excess water from her braid and saw Dean was ready to go. Now, she had on blue jeans with holes in the knees and a purple tank top, dark colors due to them sneaking out. Dean was just in all black, it worked well that way and he was freezing. He could have undressed in front of her and all she probably would have seen was pubic hair, everything else had shriveled up and died from frostbite. Or so it felt anyway.

“Follow me.” He said when he felt they were both ready, leading her off at a slow jog towards a tree line away from the main gates of Wonderful.

This was going to be an interesting trip, there was no doubt about that.

~!~

The first day, they rode for 12 hours, taking breaks to eat and use the bathroom, but overall, it was a 12-hour ride. The second day was the same thing and Dean made sure to bring a tent with sleeping bags for them to camp out in the woods, even building them a fire to keep warm. It was still summer, so it was more of a light issue than anything, though it did get somewhat chilly at night. Abigail was anxious the first couple days, but once day 4 passed, she was used to the routine and her legs didn’t even hurt from riding for long periods of time. Just as Dean said, by day 7, they arrived at the old mineshaft and it was night, which was secluded and had been abandoned some time ago.

“If this isn’t down there, we’re gonna have to find another way to sneak into the castle and rescue Malcolm.” She informed Dean, refusing to give up just because they didn’t have an invisibility cloak. It would be far more dangerous, but…Malcolm had to be saved for Wonderful’s sake. “You ready for this?”

“Slow your roll, babe.”

Dean was rifling through the pack that she had to carry because he drove. Early on, he had explained it was enchanted and something he wanted to keep on the down low or else it would have been confiscated by Taker. He had thought once or twice to loan it out, the damn thing could hold an entire two story house in it without any issues, or seemingly without any weight, but… screw Taker. The man was anti-magic, so… Dean was very easily justified in keeping it for himself.

“Here.” He was setting out ropes, not about to dive down into any holes or anything. “You ever go spelunking?” He laughed at the perplexed look on her face.

“Given who I am and my background, what do you think, Ambrose?” Abigail shot back with a snort, shaking her head at his boyish grin and folded her arms in front of her chest.

What the hell was spelunking? Judging by the hookups and whatnot, they were about to dive DEEP into the unknown and she hoped they survived. This was phase one of their plan, phase two would be arriving at the castle, at night, and getting Malcolm out before the sun came up before heading back to Wonderful. They had to time everything perfectly or else the plan would fall apart.

“Care to explain, Mr. Jack of All Trades?”

He did so patiently, making sure she understood what they were doing, how the equipment worked, and then… then he hit a snag. “Fuck all…” Dean stared down at Abigail, frowning. “Babe, in case something happens, you won’t be able to drag my ass out.” Someone had to stay topside. “Damn it.” He ran a hand through his shaggy hair, beginning to curse a blue streak.

“So, I have to go…” Abigail surmised, seeing the trouble in his eyes and cupped his face in her hands, knowing they couldn’t turn back now. They were here, and they were so close to the invisibility cloak, she could practically taste it. “I’ll do it, I’ll be fine.”

If she wasn’t, well…she knew Dean could still get Malcolm out of the castle on his own. He snuck into places before, she discovered, during their first week together. They talked about everything under the sun, Dean pretty much knew everything about her and she knew a great deal about him. There was a reason he was called himself a jack of all trades.

“Strap me up and send me down.”

“Fuck all, Abbie!” He rasped, throwing his hands in the air. “Goddamn… no, no… fuck.”

Dean knew she was going; they had known there would be danger and he hadn’t thought about this. Cursing louder, Dean began strapping her into the harness, followed by the headgear with a light and finally a satchel. She had that Mythril dagger of hers strapped to her thigh and he had contemplated a handgun, but… he didn’t want to risk her missing and the bullet bouncing around.

“Here.” He fiddled with a tiny little bit, finally placing it in her ear and did the same to himself. “You best constantly talk to me, Abigail, or I’ll tie off the rope and climb down there.” He had tied off the rope anyway, but he would be giving her the slack to get down and then get back up. “I don’t like this…” Dean whispered, his hands moving to her shoulders, rubbing them through her clothes. “Kiss for good luck?” He then added with a grin, trying to mask the concern.

“What happened to your adventurous side, Ambrose?”

Abigail kissed his cheek, knowing that was all she could give him because her heart belonged to Taker. She could see the fear in his eyes and rested her forehead against his, or as much as she could with the headgear on. Stroking his face with her hand, Abigail let him hold her for a few minutes to calm him down a little more and took a few deep breaths herself.

“Okay, enough, I have to do this.” Picking up the rope, she yanked on it experimentally and nodded before locking eyes with Dean again. “See you in a little while.” Then, she hopped down the hole while holding onto the rope, vaulting her feet off the dirt wall to launch herself down further instead of taking it slow. “I think I might be halfway there, Dean…”

“Yeah, fuck you, Abs, don’t fucking free fall like that!” Dean grunted, glad he had put on leather gloves or else she would have just shredded his palms. As it was, her weight dropping like that, he glanced back at the tie-off. “You take it slow, got me? If you go too fast, you’re going to snap the damn rope on the stone and then you’re dead. Splat, because gravity works. So nice and easy, babe.” He was going to paddle her backside when she got back up here. “Listen to me, from old maps, that shaft has two mines, used to be coal. I don’t know which one is the one you want, but pay attention to the ceilings. If it looks sketchy or shaky, don’t go down it.”

“But what if the invisibility cloak isn’t in the safe tunnel? What if I HAVE to go down the other one?”

Abigail bit her bottom lip to keep from giggling when Dean growled in her ear, feeling a shiver rush down her spine. She would’ve much rather had Taker here with her, in this life or death situation, but he was so stubborn, he didn’t think it was a good idea. And he hated magic. She was going to prove to him they NEEDED magic in order to take over the DOV.

“Whoa!” Abigail hit the bottom faster than she thought and immediately looked around, flashing the light in all directions. “Okay, it looks like I’m going left, Dean.” The air was thin, so she had to move quickly, but not to where she lost her breath. “Okay, so far it’s just a dark hall, I guess? I don’t knowwwwwwww… holy fuck!” Abigail ALMOST walked off the edge and looked at the gape before her, swallowing hard. “Okay – okay there’s a hole and I’m gonna have to jump over it.”

“No, you’re fucking not!” Dean bellowed, well, sort of bellowed. He had to keep it down because not only was he minding her damn rope, he was supposed to be keeping watch. Crouching down to peer into the mineshaft, Dean took a deep breath. “If you’re going to jump a hole, you need to tell me how far you think the jump is, okay? Because I’m going to have to give you more slack.” Elsewise, she was going to jump that damn thing and wind up dangling. “Babe, this rope is only going to go so far, you got those flares in that pack around your waist? Start throwing them ahead of you a bit, it’ll light things up so you can get an idea how far that tunnel goes, and anymore holes.” He should have gone and began cursing again.

“Breathe Dean, don’t have a heart attack up there.” Abigail soothed, pulling out one of the flares and ripped the tab open, blinking as a powerful red flame came out of it. She threw it as hard as she could, lighting up the way just like Dean said and the hole…was about 2 feet wide. “I’d say 2 feet, maybe a bit more.” She finally spoke, hearing him curse and smirked, knowing she could make it. “Give me leeway, I can make it.” When he began arguing and panicking again, Abigail growled. “DEAN! Shut up and give me leeway NOW. We don’t have time for this.” She was scared enough as it was, and he wasn’t making things easier. When he listened, Abigail mentally counted to 3 and made the jump, landing on her knees. “Thank god for jeans…” Then, she kept going and used her headlight with the flare behind her, stopping when she came to two tunnels. “Okay…left or right…right or left…”

Chapter 36

He had to slow his own roll because, if he was panicking, he was going to make it worst for her. Dean had not counted on actually liking the person he was working with. His usual jobs involved just… getting and sneaking back in, or getting someone out, or just… people he didn’t actually care about. Why did she have to be different?

“Magic has a feel to it, Abs. I’m sure you felt it with that dagger of yours. Just… has a thing. Go down one tunnel a bit and, if it just doesn’t have that ‘feel’ to it, try the other.” Dean could only hope the cloak wasn’t guarded or something.

“A feeling you say?” Abigail took the Mythril dagger from the holder around her thigh and held it up, watching it glint and change colors once she pointed it at the right tunnel, the unsafe one. “Then I’m going right.”

“Wait WHAT?!”

“Calm down, the dagger has magical properties because it was made out of Mythril. It’s going to guide me to the cloak. And I feel that…pull. I can’t explain it, but I know it’s down the right tunnel.” She didn’t wait for him to respond and started another flare, tossing it on the ground before stepping over it to continue down the narrow path. With every step she took, the Mythril dagger grew a little brighter, which also helped light wise. “It’s here…Dean, I can feel it…I sense it. It’s…oh my god…” In front of her stood a statue of sorts a few hundred feet away, but she could clearly see the cloak wrapped around the shoulders of it. “I found it, it’s on a statue of some kind. Who the hell would put a statue down here?”

“Beautiful, you’re chasing down a MAGICAL CLOAK, why shouldn’t it be on a statue?” Really? In a world that had magic in it, she was all incredulous over a statue? He was grinning though because that was hilarious. “Be careful. If someone put a statue down there, with a magical cloak, it’s most likely to have traps. Keep out that Mythril dagger.”

“It’s out, I have it in my hand right now and it’s glowing brighter the closer I get to this damn thing.”

So far, nothing had popped out and said ‘boo’, so that was a good sign. It couldn’t be THIS easy to retrieve the cloak, right? Abigail was cautious, moving closer to the statue and stopped in front of it a few minutes later, her eyes gazing up at it. The cloak itself shimmered black, it was beautiful and reminded her of a night sky, minus the moon.

“Okay Dean, I’m gonna grab it. I don’t see any traps around and nothing has popped out at me, so…I think we’re good.”

Slipping the dagger back into her holder, Abigail took a deep breath and reached up to retrieve the cloak. The moment the cloak left the statue completely, everything began falling apart, shaking and rumbling. The mineshaft was caving in!

“Oh shit!”

“I don’t know what you did in there, Abs, but the ground up here…. is crazy!” Dean squawked, his eyes on stupid little things like stones and fallen branches, little sticks, just bouncing away on the ground. He could feel it rumbling almost beneath him and then he heard her rasping out something besides ‘oh shit’, cave in. “Don’t forget that hole you have to jump across, toss a damn flare!” He ordered, bracing himself at the edge of the mineshaft. “C’mon, babe…”

Running as fast as she could, Abigail had stuffed the cloak in her backpack she brought down with her and vaulted over the hole when she came to it, the rumbling becoming more dangerous. She quickly yanked on the rope, looking behind her. All Dean could hear was heavy breathing, tears rushing down her cheeks.

“Dean, hurry!!” She cried out, seeing a massive WAVE of dirt headed straight for her as he began pulling her up with the rope. Abigail struggled to climb back up, using muscles she didn’t know she possessed and neither realized the rope was on the verge of snapping. Just as she was in arm’s reach of him, that’s when the thing snapped, and she screamed out, only for a strong hand to catch her by the wrist. “DEAN!” Snapping her head up, more tears fell as the dirt began rising quickly beneath her feet, knowing if he couldn’t pull her up, she was done for.

Maybe she would die after all.

He had told her, after that freefall stunt of hers, that the rope could break because of the sudden pressure, causing serious friction on that rope against the stone edge. Now – now there was serious friction on top of shit hitting the rope. Dean had seen the strands giving and dropped, leaning over as far as he could without his own self slipping and probably nailing her. Abigail was right there within reach and he didn’t think twice about leaning down, grasping her wrist in his hand.

“I got you, Abigail.” He said through clenched teeth, seeing the fear in her wide eyes and began pulling her up.

One hand was holding onto whatever he could reach behind him, the other was holding onto her, pulling her up and he could feel muscles in that arm and shoulder protesting violently. When her head cleared the ground, he reached out with his other hand and began hoisting her, moving so he was on his knees and gave one last yank. She must have been scrabbling with her feet because it was like she came launching at him, causing them both to go flying backwards. Sheer luck got his legs out from under him, though her sudden weight on him knocked what breath was left from his chest. Eyes wide, he simply stared into her rather dirty face.

“You scared me, doll.” He informed her, his tone completely serious and then he was cupping her face in his hands, raising his head to capture her mouth with his.

Through the dirt and tears, along with her rapidly beating heart, Abigail registered Dean kissing her and could feel him trembling from head to toe. He broke it a few seconds later and she started laughing and crying at the same time, not sure what to make of that. Looking over her shoulder at the mound of dirt raising up, it finally stopped, and Abigail looked back down at Dean, seeing his face clear as day due to the headlight on her head.

“I-I told you, I’d be okay…” She stammered, trying like hell to stop shaking and pushed off him, pulling the headlight off her head. That had been…very scary, life-threatening and downright spooky, but…it was all worth it. Pulling the cloak out of the bag, Abigail felt it in her fingers and held it up to her, not realizing only parts of her body were now seen by a bewildered Dean. “It’s beautiful, right?”

“Uh sure, babe… here…” Dean reached out to grab… whatever, fingers feeling the fabric and then he seen it, cocking an eyebrow. “It is beautiful, Abbie.” He said thoughtfully, running his fingers along it. “But, here.” He dropped it back down and stepped away. “Look down at yourself.” She was missing parts. “C’mon, put it away. Let’s… let’s get the fuck out of here, before anything else caves in.”

Nodding, Abigail agreed with him and stuffed the cloak back in the bag for safekeeping before swinging it over her shoulders, rising to her still somewhat jelly legs. “Are you okay?” She touched his arm, seeing he had also righted himself and stared into his electric blues, concern flooding hers. “Let’s get away from here, find some place to bunker down for a couple hours, preferably near a lake or somewhere we can clean up.” Reaching up, she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and let a few more tears fall down her cheeks, which mixed with the dirt on her face. “You saved me, Dean. Thank you so much.” She whispered in his ear and pulled back to take his hand, guiding him away from the now buried mineshaft to their waiting bike.

There wasn’t a lake, but there was a river, and he knew of a little grove off the beaten path they could bunker down for a few hours. They were going in the complete opposite direction of Taker and company, so Dean wasn’t worried about running into them, though he banked Taker was hauling his cookies as fast as he could. It was the DOV he was worried about. Though… Dean had always managed to evade them before. Once they had reached that grove, Dean cut the engine and dismounted, helping Abigail down and pushed the motorcycle into some bushes, hiding it. He simply stared at her, knowing what she thought, he had saved her. And sure, he had, but if he would have thought ahead, they would have been prepared for them both to go down and…. they both would’ve died. She was filthy, and he began to laugh. A strange mixture of relief and amusement in his tone and he took Abigail by the hands, dancing in a circle. Abigail couldn’t help laughing along with him, moving with him and felt him pull her against him, resting his forehead against hers gently.

“You fucking did it, Abs!” Taker was an idiot.

“Because of you. I never would’ve been able to do this without you, Dean. You know that, right? If I went down there by myself, I would’ve died. We’re going to save Malcolm for sure now.” She caressed his face, which wasn’t nearly as dirty as hers and pecked his nose. “I’ll never be able to repay you.” Extracting herself from his arms, Abigail began peeling her clothes and shoes off, leaving her bra and panties on before jumping into the grove, the water clear until the dirty began washing away from her body. “Grab my bag, will you? There’s a plastic bag in there with my shampoo and conditioner.” She requested, unraveling her hair before putting the tie on her wrist and dipped her head back, splashing water on her dirt-covered face.

Yeah, get her bag, Dean shook his head at the smarmy thought. He had known since day one that Abigail was a very beautiful woman and she was daring and ballsy, had no problem in doing things the sneaky way if she thought she was right…. the only obstacle was that idiot Taker. Still riding that adrenaline high, Dean got her bag and his own, out of the pack that never ended. It had been a long day, followed by an equally rough so far night. A bath sounded great and he stank like sweat and a sour smell that he was associating with fear.

“Here.”

Dean made sure she seen him set it down before starting to undress as well, his mind rolling back to that kiss. She hadn’t gotten mad, or said never again, which was interesting since she was with Taker. Her mind was also on that kiss and Abigail chalked it up to him being scared and elated she had survived. Adrenaline sometimes made people do crazy things. She hadn’t exactly kissed him back and it’d been chaste, not passionate the way Taker kissed her.

There was no point dwelling on it, Dean knew they could only be friends and nothing more than that. They were friends and friends occasionally kissed, right? Abigail washed her hair and began rinsing the soap out, staring up at the still night sky, wondering if Taker was staring at the same stars as hers at that moment. She missed him, it’d been a week and she found herself dreaming about him every single night, being in his arms, his touch and kisses…shutting her eyes, Abigail hoped he made it back to Wonderful unscathed.

~!~

By his reckoning, they were five days out from the hospital. They were going faster than usual, and it helped that there had been no signs of the DOV. Taker hoped Abigail was right about Wyatt giving her time to complete her ‘mission’, and less right about him getting impatient and coming for her. He really hoped she wasn’t doing anything… insane, considering who she was with.

~!~

Dean took care of his own personal grooming, keeping his back to her to give her privacy. They had the cloak, now it was getting the rest of the way to the DOV and they were going to have discuss just how they were getting in there. Invisibility cloak or not, one wrong sound or being bumped into was going to raise some suspicions.

Once she was cleaned up and dressed in fresh, dry clothes, Abigail watched Dean get the fire going and helped by carrying pieces of wood they found throughout the current location they were in. After the fire raged with life, they spread their sleeping bags on the soft grass and set up shop for a few hours since it was just after midnight. The moon shined down on them with the stars twinkling in the sky. They bunkered down, ate some food and laid on their respective sleeping bags with Abigail staring into the fire, leaving her hair down for the moment. They were far enough away from the fire to where, if something flew out of it, it wouldn’t land on them directly. It was also small enough not to draw attention, which is what they didn’t want to do.

So far, they hadn’t run into any trouble and only had to sneak around one DOV roadblock in order to gain access to the mineshaft. She figured there would be more checkpoints on the way to the castle and hopefully, Dean could get them through. Getting inside would be a piece of cake, but getting out, not so much. Dean was laying on his side, a map on the ground, using the light from the fire and his small flashlight to study it. He had made a lot of unsanctioned trips outside of Wonderful over the years, but this was definitely a first in trying to get into a place like DOV headquarters.

“So, Abs, what was the route that brought you here, well, to Wonderful?” Since she had probably been dropped off somewhere relatively close, he was betting whichever she had originally come in from, was not the way they wanted to take.

She was half-asleep when he asked her that and popped her head up, stifling a yawn. “Hmm?” Crawling over to him, she looked down at the map and waited for Dean to reiterate his question. “It was a main highway, actually. I don’t know why they did that, but…wait, there it is.” She pointed at the 39 sign on the map and trailed it all the way up to where she knew the castle was located. “There, that’s where we have to go. So where are we now?” When Dean pointed at the spot, she nodded and saw they had a long way to go still, about halfway there. “I’ll leave the navigating to you, Dean, because I really don’t know the roads very well. I just remember that was the road they took to get to Wonderful and dropped me off several miles before the town in a car. Speaking of cars…we’re going to have to get one before getting to the castle or else we’re sunk even if we get Malcolm out.”

Chapter 37

“Well, if they brought you up that main road, then chances are they’ll have eyes on it.” Because it was likely cleared off, a DOV road now so to speak, they wanted to sneak in, not be brought in as prisoners. “So, we’ll have to go another way…” Dean bent down, eyeballing old roads and trails, knowing this map was around 20 years old, so they would also have to consider time and natural changes, on top of manmade. “Sweets, I get you think we need a car, but we’re not going to be able to get anywhere close to that castle on a vehicle. We’re going to have to park somewhere a good distance away and then hoof it at night.” That cloak was going to be handy as hell.

“You read my mind, Ambrose. I was thinking the exact same thing. We can ditch the bike once we find a decent, reliable car on the way there and then park it a few miles away from the castle. We can use the cloak to get in and out without being seen.” It was big enough to fit at least 6 Dean’s under it comfortably, so all three of them could escape the castle unseen, if it was done right. She leaned down, trailing her finger along his and then stopped while his continued, noticing a narrow path. “See that? Have you been on that road before? It looks like it would lead right to the castle and I don’t think that one would be commandeered by DOV. That’s only if we know that for a fact.” They would have to be extremely careful going forward.

“Well, maybe, but the thing is Abbie, this map is two decades old, right? So that path might not be there anymore, or it could be overgrown, or occupied.” Dean said quietly, considering it. “Hell, landscapes change over time anyway. I guess we’re just not going to know until we get closer. We’ll get it sorted.” He folded the map and tucked it back into his pack, reaching out to take her hand in his and squeezed it reassuringly. “Not going to lie, babe, this is a first for me. Usually, I’m smuggling shit into Wonderful, not breaking into enemy strongholds. Going to be fun.”

“You have a ridiculous sense of fun, Ambrose.” Abigail remarked flatly, shaking her head and nudged him, yawning again. “Scoot over, I’m not going back to my bag and you’re sharing.”

At his raised brow, she rolled her eyes and dropped down to snuggle against him, facing him. That kiss was back on her mind and what happened, the same hand that had grabbed her, saving her from being buried alive, literally, clasped against his chest. Abigail felt her heart rate kick up a notch, trying to figure out what she was feeling and never took her eyes away from Dean. What if Taker wasn’t the one for her? What if she…what if it was Dean? Pulling her hand away from his chest, she moved it up to caress his jaw and semi-scruffy face, moving her head closer. There was only one way to find out who she truly wanted, but Abigail wasn’t sure if she was brave enough to take the step.

Dean was, however. He seen those thoughts in her eyes, lit up by the nighttime sky and he swore the stars were reflecting in her midnight blue pools. He knew she was sort of with Taker, but the tall, pale idiot wasn’t here right now, he was. Taker hadn’t listened to her, he had disregarded her ideas, and Dean was the one who had said ‘okay, let’s do it’. Dean didn’t have moral issues, or much in the way of ‘probably shouldn’t do this’; he was more of a ‘we’re going to do this’ guy. He brought his hand up, gently trailing a finger down along her cheek, the curve of her jawline, and then tipped her chin up, his lips descending on hers.

Exciting, adventurous, eccentric, ballsy, crazy, handsome and devious were just a few words to describe the man currently kissing her. Abigail knew she should’ve pushed him away instantly, the alarm bells ringing in her head, reminding her of Taker, but…she couldn’t. Dean hadn’t questioned her, much, and agreed to this suicide mission, all for her belief in Malcolm could save Vesperia. He had been there when she needed someone the most, someone who believed her, no matter how crazy she sounded or insane her thoughts were. Most importantly, he had saved her life and that was what made her kiss him back, returning the passion with equal vigor. She moaned softly, the sparks inside her body igniting and felt him roll to where she was on top of him. Splayed as their bodies aligned, her black hair gave them a curtain as hands caressed his chest and shoulders before moving to his face again.

Dean let his hands skim down her sides and then finally to her luscious backside he had been admiring for quite some time now, kneading and palming those delicious cheeks. While pulling her into his body, his tongue was tracing her bottom lip, begging for access and a low growl escaped him when she granted it. She tasted divine, he bet other parts of her tasted better. He had to stop wearing loose sweat pants to bed, or maybe… just nothing at all, especially if Abigail would share a bag with him.

His smell was different from Taker’s, more musky and earthly, instead of leather, gasoline and sandalwood. No matter how hard she tried, Abigail couldn’t pull away from him, wearing just a pair of cotton shorts and a thin camisole, her usual sleepwear, when she wasn’t with Taker. Taker…his emerald eyes flashed through her mind, along with both Stephanie and Trish’s voice demanding her not to hurt him. Is that what she was doing right now, kissing Dean?

Yes, yes she was.

“I-I can’t…” She mumbled against his mouth, physically aching to continue this and could feel tears swell in her eyes as she kissed him harder, feeling him sit upright to where her legs wrapped around his waist. “D-Dean…” Abigail had never felt contradiction quite like this, her heart feeling as if it was splitting apart down the middle and blinked as huge tears slid down her cheeks, grinding against him out of pure instinct. The ache and burn was overwhelming, and she needed it gone. Even though her body was screaming YES, Dean heard her mouth say no, and he felt those tears. Cursing himself mentally for being a fool, he caught those tears with his tongue, finally just pressing his forehead against hers and inhaled deeply. She was saying no. He could have probably convinced her, but… they had a ways to travel together yet, not to mention on the way back. There was time. Plenty of time. Christ, it felt like his balls were going to explode!

“Okay, Abbie,” He managed to whisper, his voice coming out harsh and lusty. “Okay, babe.”

With Malcolm around, it would be a lot easier to keep Dean Ambrose at arm’s length, but not right now, not with them together completely alone. “I-I’m…” Abigail buried her face in her hands, crying, and felt Dean’s arms wrap around her, burying her face in the crook of his neck. No, being comforted by him just made her feel worse as she pulled away from him, needing space, lots of breathing room. “What the hell am I doing? What the hell are you doing to me, Dean? I-I’m not supposed to…I can’t…I…” Christ, she was a virgin and acting like a slut with this man! Taker was the only one she had confessed being a virgin with, besides his inner circle, only because Bray had kept her that way. “I-I’m not experienced with this kind of thing…I’m…I’ve never…” Blowing out a huge breath, Abigail stared up at the stars and let the tears fall freely, hating what Bray had done to her. “I’m a virgin, Dean.”

Holy shit! HOW was this beautiful fox a virgin? It made no sense at all. Well, sort of, but not really. And she was with Taker, who had to be out of his mind if he hadn’t bedded her yet. What the fuck, was all Dean could think, his eyes wide in sheer wonder.

“Okay?” He didn’t mean for it to come out that way, but it had. “I’m sorry, Abbie… I…” Dean had no idea and his response was to kiss her, which was probably a bad idea, but… gorgeous fox.

She whimpered against him, clutching at his shirt and ripped her mouth away from his again, the tears not stopping. “It burns…you’re not making it better, Dean, don’t you understand?! Fuck, why am I burning up?! Why am I…why does this HURT?”

Shoving him away, Abigail walked toward the fire and then eyeballed the water, immediately going toward it. She needed to cool down immediately, her hair suddenly stifling her, and she wished it was braided to keep it off her neck. Lifting it, she began fanning herself and cursed Mark mentally for not being the one here with her. Why? Why couldn’t he just come with her?! Why did he have to drive her in the arms of another man to get this task done?!

“Fuck…FUCK!”

Dean knew what her issue was, and he knew her loyalty and maybe even love for Taker was the barrier here. She was having the female equivalent of blue balls. Pushing himself up, he blatantly adjusted his dick and balls before heading straight for her.

“Come here, Abigail.” He said gruffly, sweeping her up into his arms bridal style and walked into the river. Both of them needed this, and he really hoped it helped.

“H-How can I want you and Taker at the same time? I don’t understand…”

Abigail groaned, the cool water getting rid of the raging fire inside of her temporarily and extracted herself out of Dean’s arms to dive under completely, holding her breath as long as she could. Thirty seconds later, she resurfaced, breathing heavily and didn’t care as long as the burning she felt was gone. It was…until she noticed Dean’s muscular body with the moonlight shining down on him.

“Dean…” Her mouth was on his before Abigail could stop herself, clutching at him, once again the alarm bells ringing in her head. “I want you… but I’m with Taker…and I’m not experienced with this kind of thing…” Then she kissed him again, tasting him again, feeling him against her again and had no idea what she was doing anymore.

“Physical response, babe, you don’t have to love someone to want them.” Dean said in a harsh tone, his lips blazing a trail down the side of her throat, feeling her tilting her head to give him better access.

Reaching under the water, he lifted her, guiding her legs around his waist and let his hands move down to cup her backside, pressing her against him so she could feel every inch that was throbbing with need and desire. Trembling against him, Abigail slid her fingers through his wet hair and felt every part of him, gasping at the hard shaft against her cotton short covered sex. She didn’t love him, not even sure if she loved Taker, but her feelings for Taker were a lot stronger than for Dean. However, Taker wasn’t here with her, Dean was, and she desperately needed this burning to go away. The cold water helped a little, but it still raged intensely.

“No sex.” She whispered against his lips, breathing heavily and caressed his shoulders, kissing him again harder. “We can pleasure each other, but…I’m not ready for sex. Are you okay with that?” Pulling back, she stared deep into his eyes, knowing what he was probably thinking and rubbed her nose against his. “Taste me, Dean…touch me…”

No penetration, Dean could work with that and easily anticipated that, before they made it back to Wonderful, Abigail wouldn’t be a virgin anymore. The body had a way of overriding emotions and, half the time, when sex of any type was involved, emotions came into play. He did not love Abigail, he knew that. Dean cared very intensely for her though, even in the short amount of time he had known her, he cared for her. But… for now, he’d play by her rules, roll those dice and see what happened.

“You got it, babe.” He growled, hoisting her back up and carrying her out of the water. Dean stood her before the fire and let his sweats slide down his strong, muscular legs, stepping out of them. Reaching for her again, his hand slid down her abdomen. She needed out of these wet clothes.

Yes, she would be because Abigail was not ready for sex, which was why she hadn’t lost her virginity to Taker. And it wouldn’t be to Dean either. It would be when she FELT, in her mind and heart, the time was right. It wasn’t right, but foreplay could definitely happen between them. Abigail felt him yanking at her soaked camisole and pulled it over her head to drop it to the grass along with stepping out of her cotton shorts. Then, she began moving on instinct and gripped his rock hard cock in front of her, stroking it with her hand and brought his mouth down on hers again, kissing him. Before the sun rose, they WOULD have to take another bath in the river water again as Dean backtracked to his sleeping bag.

“Lay down.” She mumbled in command against his mouth, nipping his bottom lip and never stopped the slow pumping.

Dean’s response was to take her down with him, making sure when she landed, it was straddled, and he reached down, smirking as his fingers found her swollen clit. Abigail was soaked, and not just from the river water. No sex in terms of his dick going to the one place he was definitely thinking about, she hadn’t said a word about his fingers. He wasn’t surprised by her hand flying down to stop him and he groaned, moving his hands to her thighs, squeezing gently.

“Straddle my face, babe, I want to taste you.”

Shaking her head, showing her stubborn streak, Abigail caressed his mouth with hers sensually and enjoyed the fact she was on top. “You first.” She purred, sliding her lips down his strong jaw to his ear and neck, suckling on it. Instead of giving into her or vice versa, Dean had decided she needed a whole new experience, being a virgin and all. This position was not something she had tried with Taker yet and Abigail blinked when Dean promptly lifted her to turn her around, straddling him backwards. “What am I…ohhhhh god…”

He had lifted her backside to plant her dripping sex on his mouth, just like he wanted. However, now his throbbing cock begging for attention stared her in the face. Abigail went on instinct, lowering herself to where her mouth hovered over his cock and began sucking on the tip, much like she had Taker. He hissed through his teeth when he felt her lips wrapping around the head of his cock, palms massaging Abigail’s outer thighs. Virgin, the woman was a virgin, and he bet she had learned a few tricks, along the way, because she definitely knew what the hell she was doing. Dean moved his head up, letting out a moan before sliding his tongue up and down her slit, finally getting that taste he had been craving, the tip of his tongue circling her clit before giving it a gentle tug with his lips.

Chapter 38

His cock in her mouth prevented her from crying out, though she moaned uncontrollably and that, in turn, sent vibrations coursing through his body. Abigail had to fight the urge to grind her pussy in his mouth, trying to stay focused on her own task. This position was…something else. What the hell had she missing out on? Why hadn’t Mark told her about this or shown her? Abigail licked him up and down like a lollipop, going on her instincts and what felt right, her hand reaching down to fondle his balls and moaned at the taste of his pre-cum on her tongue.

“Oh Dean…” She managed to moan out before once again taking him in her mouth.

One thing was for sure, at least she could fit him in her mouth a lot more than Mark’s gargantuan cock. Abigail was holding back on him, he could feel it. She had started to grind herself against him and then checked herself. Well, he couldn’t have that, he WANTED her to let go. Dean wanted her to do whatever felt right and good. If that meant drowning him in her pussy, that was the best way to die he could think of. With that in mind, he devoured her, pumping his tongue in and out of her hot, wet hole while his hands moved to her backside, giving each cheek a light slap. He was rewarded with her entire body jerking and chuckled.

The harder she sucked him off, the harder she ground her pussy into his greedy mouth, making sure not to use teeth. Mark had taught her that, so this blowjob she was giving Dean was probably a lot better than she gave the man she wished was actually here. It was wrong to enjoy this by another man, but then again, Abigail had no idea what the future held for her and Mark. He was going to be irate with her for leaving Wonderful and going on this excursion and something told her he would blow his top. Much like Dean just did as he filled her mouth to the brim with his cum, the same time she climaxed, filling his mouth with her own sweet, hot essence.

Dribbling a little, Abigail managed to swallow the majority of his seed and didn’t stop sucking until he went completely limp, pretty sure Dean had drunk her completely dry. When she had drained him completely dry, there was not a drop left in his empty balls. Dean pulled Abigail up until she sat astride his face. He returned the favor, lapping up every bit of her deliciousness her orgasm had produced, beginning to chuckle when he felt her fingernails in his chest.

“Calling uncle, babe?” Dean asked, once he let her get off of him, though he caught her by the wrist, not letting her go far.

“N-Need air…”

Abigail collapsed on her back in the grass and sucked in as much of the night air as she could, staring up at the stars much like she had before. Her breathing was erratic, but nowhere near the way it’d been when Mark had pleasured her. Dean wasn’t Mark, and she didn’t feel the same way about him as she did the giant. Not even close. It was nice being with Dean, a nice distraction, but that’s all it was. She didn’t want any type of romance with him, this was strictly fun and to take the stress off both of them. Abigail didn’t know what she would do about this once they were back in Wonderful, refusing to think about that right now.

Sneaking out to save Malcolm, after gaining a magical object, would tick Mark off, but then factor in what she’d just did with Dean Ambrose. She didn’t see them being together once those two confessions – one for sure – came out of her mouth. Scrubbing a hand down her face, Abigail allowed the night air and cool grass to calm her down, eventually moving while Dean remained laying on his sleeping bag with a deflated cock and satisfied grin on his face.

~!~

Was Abigail staring at the stars? It was a beautiful night, he folded his hands under his head, listening to his companions sleeping while he enjoyed the night. Was she in his bed, or was she with Dean Ambrose? He was pretty sure any advances Ambrose may have made, she would rebuff. This connection between them was deeper than either of them probably realized. Groaning, Taker rolled onto his side and closed his eyes, wishing he could sleep, but every time he did this, shut his eyes, he could see her in those last moments before he had left. They were going to have to have a long talk when he returned, about what they wanted to be, and how they were going to go from there.

~!~

After that night with Dean, Abigail had sat down with him and explained it just felt…weird. She couldn’t explain it; she enjoyed it a lot, but…it felt wrong. Mark was the only man she wanted to be with intimately and she’d learned a valuable lesson from this. Dean had hugged her, told her it was alright and kissed her forehead, asking if they could still remain friends. Abigail had cried, nodding her head and they both decided to take what happened between them to the grave. Nobody had to know about it and Dean promised he wouldn’t use it against her. He knew she loved Mark, it was obvious and plain as day on her face every time she mentioned the giant. Currently, they were only 2 days from the castle and camped out with her staring up at the stars again, unable to sleep. If she closed her eyes, she could almost swear she could feel Mark and reached her hand up, hoping he was alright.

“Come home to me, please.” She whispered, hearing Dean’s snores and hoped they could work through these stubborn issues of theirs somehow.

Truthfully, Dean didn’t have to use anything against Taker. All he had to do was be patient because, as much as Abigail said she loved the idiot, he knew they weren’t going to make it. Taker didn’t see magic as a cure-all and Abigail did, enough to the point that, if not for the fact that he had no fucks to give, Dean might’ve been concerned about her state of mind. Abigail had snuck out to do something Taker had said no. Abbie was forcing the big Boss’s hand, and it would be public knowledge. Whether she realized it or not, one way or another, Taker was done in Wonderful and it would be all her fault. Waiting it out was the way to go for now.

“Fuck all… that’s a lot of soldiers, Abs.” He muttered, using a pair of binoculars to scope the terrain. The closer they got to this place, the more caution they had to use because these DOV guys were not messing around with security. They had little camps and other things set up everywhere. Abigail had expected this, somewhat, and had her own set of binoculars, taking a deep breath to slow her racing heart.

“I know…”

This was it, they had finally made it. Dean had commandeered a vehicle in the last abandoned town, filled it up with gas and now they were only a couple miles away from the castle. Of course, Bray wasn’t taking any chances and had set up roadblocks and whatnot due to trade purposes. That was fine, they wouldn’t be going in through the front anyway.

“Dean, we’re gonna have to sneak in using the cloak.” She looked at him, seeing the sun was starting to set and both knew it was the only way inside.

Abigail didn’t care about ego or forcing Mark’s hand, at this point. She had to liberate her people and break down Bray’s defenses. The only way to do that was magic, there was NO other solution. The big man would either have to come to terms with that, even though he hated magic, or deal with what she’d done. There was no time to waste and no turning back, they were here, and it was time to save Malcolm.

“When the sun goes down, we will move, and you’ll follow me since I know the castle better than you. We’ll take one of the underground passages that I know of and make our way to Malcolm’s chamber.”

Hell, if she knew all this, he had to wonder why she didn’t just tell Taker. That invisibility cloak, what magic Taker possessed, some weaponry, this underground passage and they could have not only gotten this sorcerer out, but knocked off Bray Wyatt off his pedestal as well. Shit tended to fall apart when the leader of a cult like this was destroyed. He nodded, not pulling his binoculars away just yet, watching the soldiers. They were trained, and they were packing. It reminded him of some game he had played as a kid, mixing magic with guns; the reality would have made 6-year-old Dean shit bricks.

“Gotcha.”

“They are cold-blooded killers, Dean. All boys are taken from their mothers soon after birth. Within a month because of how fast they grow.” Abigail quietly explained, sadness in her tone. “They are trained to shoot first and ask questions later to any intruder, so we have to be cautious and fast.”

Abigail only knew of the one passageway, which is what she’d told Mark, but once she was INSIDE the castle, under the cloak, she would be able to find Malcolm’s chamber in no time. It was getting inside the castle that was the problem because some of the passageways lead to the dungeon and other areas of the castle. Luckily, Abigail knew the one passageway that would lead directly to Malcolm’s chamber, which was how Susan escaped as easily as she did. That and faking her death also helped matters.

Dean was starting to see a problem with this entire plan of hers, of ‘liberating her people’. He didn’t like the logical conclusion. He agreed about getting Malcolm out because Wyatt didn’t need the extra fire power. It was the other part, the ‘freeing my people’. He was going to have to run his thoughts by her after this shindig, figuring neither of them needed that additional mental baggage. If these men had been raised in this environment, or super charged in it, more to the point, and this was all they knew, he doubted they were going to surrender their rapey little lifestyle easily. And… she had been known as that mother whatever, he had to wonder how many of the women were going to be happy with her and not resent her. Maybe she should keep that tidbit to herself.

“Well…” He was in his black cargos and a black shirt, smoking a ‘suicide cigarette’, and had turned his back to potential watchers. Didn’t need his cherry giving away their position, after all. “This should be invigorating.”

Abigail felt responsible for all of this, for every woman that had been beaten, raped and used as a breeder. For every woman that had been slaughtered – every child that had been taken away from their mother and every child that barely begun to live before becoming a breeder. All of this, she was partially responsible for and she wanted to put an end to it. It didn’t matter if she made it out of this alive, in the end, as long as the DOV was destroyed. There was no saving a lot of them, she understood that, and the women could resent her all they wanted, but at least they would be freed.

Bray would be stopped and the DOV would be no more without his precious sorcerer. Not to mention, she knew how much Susan loved her grandfather and didn’t want him to be collateral damage. Maybe in time, after Mark had his blowup, he would understand why she did this, by crippling Bray’s forces. The soldiers he had now would be the last of them, besides whatever they had left of the serum, which wasn’t much. That’s why Bray wanted to wait for the Mythril to make more and now he wouldn’t get that opportunity, not with Abigail taking Malcolm back to Wonderful.

An honest to god castle… Dean wanted to live in that beast, he mused as they made their way towards this back entrance of hers. There was a dirty joke, he smirked at it. Not that she could see him. They were sneaking in, beneath the invisibility cloak, under the cover of darkness.

“Were these passages here when they built this castle or… did supreme dickface put them down here?” He asked curiously once they were in said passage, keeping his voice low.

“They’ve always been here, he’s done a little building on, but other than that, not much was changed.” Abigail whispered, loud enough only for him to hear her and could feel her heart pounding furiously in her chest, putting one foot in front of the other.

She was leading the charge since Dean had no idea where he was going. Once they found the passageway, Abigail was not surprised to find two guards blocking it. Her eyes narrowed, wondering why Bray had the passages guarded and figured it had to do with Susan’s escape. Or had others escaped as well? Looking behind her, she pressed her finger to her lips to tell Dean silently not to say a word and approached the guards, the cloak not only shielding them, but also the sounds of the footsteps they made, which was a godsend.

Guards had to go. Dean stopped her, stepping out from behind the cloak, his hands already on two blades of his own. His cargo pants held a lot of goodies. If they were coming back this way, they needed this passageway clear, especially with three of them. Without a sound, he was behind each of them and reached around in a blink, slicing two throats at once. Dean did it deep enough to sever cords, not allowing either to make a sound. He began dragging them backwards, before blood could make it off their clothes and ignored Abigail’s face as he stashed them out of sight. War was not without casualties. She might’ve been willing to die for her cause, he wasn’t, not without making all attempts at saving them first.

The electricity in his eyes made Abigail swallow hard, realizing she was with a man who did not mind getting his hands dirty at all or shedding blood. He was a cold-blooded killer the same as the soldiers here, when the situation called for it. Abigail gasped when he yanked her against him roughly, his hand caressing her face, his thumb gliding across her lips and was sure he could hear her heart thudding violently. Even though they talked, and she told him Mark was the only man for her, Dean made it clear he wouldn’t give up either. When he asked if she was alright, she just nodded and took a deep breath before once again leading the charge past the dead guards.

He bet murdering those guards in cold-blood right before her eyes had knocked him down several more pegs, but… Dean was a man of action when it was required, and he wasn’t here to die. Or make things easier on Wyatt to stop them. If Abigail hadn’t thought about how things might’ve played out once actually inside here, she sure was thinking it now. If they got anywhere close to the leader of the DOV, he would consider tossing his life away then, providing he knew for a fact he could take Wyatt down with him.

“Dean, we don’t want to draw attention to ourselves.”

Abigail saw him roll his eyes and frowned, hoping he listened because the more guards they killed, the more attention they would gain and that wasn’t the point of this rescue mission. Once they made it through the passageway, Abigail stopped and nearly made Dean bump into her, seeing two more guards. Closing her eyes, she went to take her dagger out and saw Dean come to her side, nodding silently at him. They had to go, there was no choice. They were almost there, just a little farther and hopefully there were no more guards in their way.

“Now.” She whispered, watching him come from out of the invisibility cloak and couldn’t watch the murders take place, swallowing hard again.

Taking a life wasn’t something done casually. Dean knew that damn well. However, this was also a cold, cruel world especially for women. So, if he had to take them out to spare her the task, he would. And Dean, for as long he was able, wouldn’t let her take a life if he was there to do it in her stead. Having someone else’s blood on one’s hands… Dean had seen it destroy people from the inside out. Once the deed was done, he stashed the bodies in a closet she had opened for him, nodding at her. Abigail was looking peaked; the sooner they were out of here the better.

Chapter 39

Blinking the tears away, Abigail had to stay strong and could have a breakdown later, when they were far away from here with Malcolm in tow. She was thankful to Dean for doing the killing because Abigail didn’t have it in her to take a life. Not even these soldiers. Soon, they came to a heavy door and Abigail looked through the vent, seeing Malcolm was pacing nervously in his chambers. There was paperwork scattered everywhere and he looked as though he was nervous. So far, there was no sign of soldiers or Bray, though she recalled Bray ordering Malcolm to be isolated, so he could focus on making the serum and other magic. Abigail looked at Dean, gesturing to the door, since it was locked from the other side, and stepped aside while he worked on getting it open. When it did, Malcolm nearly jumped out of his skin and Abigail came from behind the cloak, his eyes widening.

“Hello Malcolm.”

“S-Sister Abigail…” Malcolm stammered out quietly, shock registering all over his face. “W-What are you doing here, Queen Mother?”

“I’m not alone. And we don’t have time to talk right now, you have to trust me and come. Now. I’m taking you out of here. Susan is waiting for you.”

Dean poked his head out, grinning. “Let’s go, before those bodies are found.” He had been taking notes of the layout on their trip, his electric blue eyes surveying the room. “Fuck all, Abs, Taker would have a coronary in here.” He said with a slight smirk, taking in all the magical entities.

What on earth had Abigail gotten herself involved in? Malcolm wasn’t questioning it though and snatched up a handful of things, shoving them into his robes before darting to join them under that cloak. The man smelled like body odor and… blood.

Breathing a silent sigh of relief that Malcolm came without a fight, Abigail made sure they were all completely under the cloak and this time, Dean lead the charge out. He assured her he knew where he was going, and Abigail made sure Malcolm was in the middle while she stayed in the back. The old man was not getting froggy on her and leaving, not after all the hell she’d gone through to get here and rescue him. They made it out of the passageway unscathed, thankfully, but now the real work began because they still had to get off the castle grounds.

“Malcolm, is there any way you can cloak a car driving?” She asked randomly, keeping her voice down and heard him snort derisively. “A simple no would be fine.”

“Of course I can, Sister Abigail.” That was child’s play to Malcolm since he’d studied magic the majority of his life. “Boy, turn here.” He ordered, also keeping his voice down as they all stopped. “It’s the same way I had Susan take to escape and it’ll lead to the outskirts, so I hope you parked our transportation there.”

Dean listened as they headed in that direction, which would bypass the patrolling soldiers and guards.

“Uh, yeah no, we didn’t park the car anywhere near here.” Dean said when they came out, frowning. Nothing here looked familiar and he shot Abigail a look, shrugging. “About 20 yards around that way, I think.” His sense of direction was usually pretty good, but his mental notes hadn’t accounted for Malcolm changing their exit route.

“Shit, we’ll have to go around then and stay under the cloak.” Abigail trusted Malcolm’s judgment as far as taking this route, but now they had to go ALL the way around in order to make it to the car to get out of here. “Why don’t we rest for a minute and then make the trek?” They were on the outskirts now, so there was no need for the cloak until they had to venture closer to the castle.

“Sister Abigail, where on earth did you get an invisibility cloak at?”

“Long story.” She smiled tentatively at him. “That’s not important right now. Please, just call me Abigail or Abbie. I’m not a sister or Queen Mother of anything, okay?”

“How did you ever make it this far, dear?”

“Another long story and I will tell you everything, but not now and not here. All I will say is we’re taking you back to Wonderful to be with Susan…” Abigail figured now wasn’t the time to mention the Undertaker or who exactly the man was to Malcolm. “Are you thirsty or hungry?”

“No.” Malcolm was ready to be away from this castle though. “Susan made it all right?” He asked eagerly, letting the man lead the way while he walked alongside Abigail. At her nod, he let out a relieved sigh. “Hopefully, not too traumatized?” He knew she had… not had it easy, not after what he had done to ensure that, if on her trek to Wonderful she was captured, there would be no offspring at an accelerated rate.

“No sir, and she seems to be a lot happier. They have her working at the common house cooking and serving food and she has a bed to sleep in every night.” Abigail explained what the common house was, the friendly staff that worked there and whatnot. He seemed to look even more relieved and she smiled, despite being in enemy territory. “You’ll be safe with her as well, it’ll take us about 2 weeks to get back, maybe less now that we have a car.”

Malcolm was under the impression Abigail was undercover for Bray Wyatt in Wonderful, but such wasn’t the case. Again, he wasn’t questioning it and would do anything to get away from this hellacious castle full of blood and stolen innocence. “We should put the cloak on now before going any further.”

Maybe less? They couldn’t take the same roads they came in on, so it was doubtful. Unless this Malcolm was all-powerful and then Dean was curious why the hell the man hadn’t put a stop to Wyatt a long time ago? Not his business. He shuffled under the cloak with the two, eyeballing the older man. Malcolm was built, but old and tall… his hair was graying and there were hints of auburn red in there.

“Babe, we came in on a bike, we have to go out on wider roads in a car.” He reminded her.

Malcolm did not have a death wish when it came to dealing with Bray Wyatt; that and he’d been forced to put a spell on the monster some time ago that reflected almost all damage. In a nutshell, he was almost impossible to kill as long as that spell remained. All magic had a limit, even with a sorcerer and it would take a great deal of it to cloak a moving car in order for them to get back to Wonderful safely.

“Remember, I can cloak the car, so we can take any road we want to get back. I will inform you though, Abigail, I will be…drained, if you want me to do that. Unless there are backroads we can take that aren’t barricaded by the Dominion.”

“We will figure it out. Dean has a map, once we’re to safety, we can look at it and chart the best course to get back to Wonderful.”

Abigail wouldn’t make him use his magic that often with the car because she needed him for something much larger than that. First things first, they had to get out of here, get to the car and find a spot to bunker down for the day for some sleep. Then, she would show him the Mythril dagger and see if her theory was proven correct.

Dean gave her an exasperated look before looking at Malcolm. “The map is over 20 years old and-”

“And a lot has changed. I understand. I came this way… many, many years ago, I’m sure the terrain itself is still familiar.”

“I don’t think we should try taking the route we came in back, Abs. I think we need to go a roundabout. It’s not exactly like they’re going to know where we came from.” Dean said thoughtfully.

The more Abigail looked at Malcolm, the more similarities between him and Mark she saw. The long silver hair with wisps of auburn laced in it, for one, though he had blue eyes. She wondered if Glen had blue eyes since Lily and Mark had emerald green like their mother.

“Okay, since you know the terrain here, Malcolm, please lead the way. I trust you.” It would take longer to get back to the car, but in the end, they would remain safe and undiscovered.

“All right…” It’d been a very long time since he’d taken a treacherous trip like this, but Malcolm had also used magic over the years to…keep himself at a relatively good age. He was 80-years-old, but looked to be no more than 60. “While we walk, Abigail, mind telling me who the young man with you is? Dean, right?”

“Yes, Dean Ambrose and he’s a friend. A very good friend of mine that I met in Wonderful and asked for his help to free you.”

“And why is that?”

“Because we need your help, Malcolm. As much as I wish this trip was strictly to bring you back to Susan, there is a bigger reason. And I’ll explain it all once we’re out of here. But you can trust Dean 100%. I know I do.”

Dean wiggled his eyebrows at Malcolm when the older man shot him a dubious look. “I know, I just scream trustworthy, don’t I?”

“You reek of blood.”

“Well,” Dean was lighting a cigarette, then took a long drag off of it, blowing the smoke at the ground. “I figured if I asked them politely to move, they might shank me first.”

“Dean…” Her tone held warning and amusement at the same time as Abigail shook her head, unable to help giggling softly. “Don’t mind him. He’s harmless…mostly. I promise, he won’t hurt us. I wouldn’t have asked him to do this with me if I didn’t trust him completely.”

“If you say so Sis-I mean Abigail.” That would take some getting used to and Malcolm sighed resignedly, deciding to trust her since she had come all this way to rescue him. Even if it was for her own agenda and purpose. “Very well.”

It took 3 hours, but when they finally made it to the car waiting, the moon and stars were shining down on them still. Abigail gathered the sun would be out shortly and took the cloak off to fold it up, stuffing it in the bag while Malcolm sucked down some water. She had some aqua as well as Dean and walked over to him, seeing he’d already peeled his blood-coated shirt off.

“We can rest here for the day and start heading back tonight sometime. Is that all right with you, partner?”

“Don’t call me that.” Dean wrinkled his nose, reaching out to drape an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in against him. “I prefer… lover.” Dean teased with a boyish grin.

Of course, he knew she was carrying a torch for Taker, but she was approaching the flipside of the coin. When they got back… Dean wasn’t going to lie, he was really hoping their fight was public, just so he could watch her verbally castrate the giant hypocrite. Abigail elbowed him in the side, shaking her head and tried to stop her cheeks from reddening.

“You’re terrible.” She grumbled, hoping he kept his word and took what happened to them to the grave. Walking over to Malcolm to give Dean a minute to himself to clean up, she saw the old man seated on the ground with the bottled water half gone. “Feel better?” He nodded, and she settled down next to him, pulling the dagger out of her holster to show him. “Do you know what this is made out of?”

Malcolm ran his hand over it, the dagger instantly changing colors before nodding. “Mythril.” He looked up at her curiously, arching a brow and didn’t realize he looked identical to Mark at that moment. “What is this about, Abigail? So there IS Mythril in Wonderful?”

“Yes. And I was told it has magical properties, is that true?” He nodded. “Then, could you transform Mythril into things like medicine?”

“It would be…a little difficult because Mythril is extremely hard to grind down into dust, which is what I would need. But…it’s doable, yes.”

“Really?”

“If done correctly, you can do a lot with Mythril. I’ve never seen it in person though, this is a first and I would need to…spend some time with it to be able to do whatever you need me to do.” Malcolm didn’t want to get her hopes up in case this didn’t work the way she was hoping. “Does someone need medicine? Is that why you saved me?”

“Partially, yes, but…Malcolm, there’s something you need to know before we arrive in Wonderful. And it involves your sons – Glen and…Mark.”

Glen and Mark. She knew his sons. His sons were alive? Malcolm thought about them frequently, remembering the day he had to leave them. He had left them at the house they had been staying in, during the revolution, the start of the DOV. Even then, rumors of what happened to the females had been… unsettling and he had taken off with Lily, intent on hiding her with relatives across the country. That… had not worked out the way he had wanted to at all.

“They’re… alive?”

Taking his hand, Abigail knew this would be difficult for him to hear. She would not divulge Mark’s secret about Glen sacrificing himself by giving his magic to Mark. That was not her secret to tell. “Only one, sir. And he’s the current leader of Wonderful. Everyone calls him Undertaker or Taker. Malcolm, he doesn’t know I’m here with Dean. He’s off on a mission right now and Dean and I snuck out of Wonderful to come rescue you. We need you to convince your son magic is the only way to stop Bray and the DOV. They need to be stopped for good.”

Abigail had no idea how right she was regarding magic being the only way that can stop Bray Wyatt and Malcolm decided it was his turn to tell her the reason. “You were right to come get me, Abigail. Because you see, magic IS the only way to stop Bray and to stop the DOV. But not the way you might think.”

“W-What do you mean?”

“When I was taken along with my daughter, Lily, Bray already knew who I was. He wanted my sons – Glen and Mark, as well because of their magical abilities. Mark didn’t have any, only Glen, but I had already sent them, or rather abandoned them, to run off to protect my only daughter.” He looked down, feeling ashamed of himself for choosing his daughter over his sons. “When I was brought into the Dominion, I was forced to…put a protection spell on Bray Wyatt, preventing ALMOST any harm from coming to him.”

“Oh my god…”

Malcom nodded solemnly. “And the only way to break that spell is with two people from my bloodline…so if my son is alive, with magical abilities, we’ll be able to break the spell over Bray Wyatt, if we can get close enough to him. Without the spell lifted, he is invulnerable.”

Abigail felt the breath leave her body and could only sit there, covering her mouth with her hand.

Bray had never told her about this!

Chapter 40

By this point, Dean was seated with them in fresh clothing and less bloody. “Wait… wait…” He shook his head, downing the water bottle and couldn’t keep the smirk off his face. “You need your son, Undertaker, to help you with a spell...?” Oh that was HILARIOUS! He began chuckling, clamping a hand over his mouth to muffle the sound, tears beginning to roll down his cheeks because he was really starting to laugh. “We’re all fucked!”

“Dean!” Abigail whacked him none too gently in the chest, eyes narrowing to slits and squeezed Malcolm’s hand. “It won’t be an easy task, but…Taker thinks magic has destroyed the world because of what’s going on in the DOV with the serum. I told him all about it. He thinks this world would be better off without magic…and you need to convince him otherwise. He’s your son. I’m hoping he’ll listen to you and listen to reason.”

“Fat chance of that happening.”

“Dean!” He was not helping matters at all and Abigail groaned, sliding her fingers through her hair. “We won’t know until we try. And I already know Taker is going to be irate at me for…defying him, but nobody controls me anymore. I did what I thought best for Wonderful and Vesperia and I will do anything – ANYTHING – to destroy the DOV.”

The amount of conviction in her voice sent shivers down Malcolm’s spine and he nodded, patting her hand. “Like you said, we won’t know until we try. Which son is it?” He asked quietly, frowning when she shook her head. “You are sworn to secrecy on his identity?”

“Yes.”

“Very well, no need to worry, Abigail.”

“Shit, Abs, it’s not even going to be about the magic thing anymore. If it means that’s the only way to bring down the DOV, he’ll do it. Now, it’s going to be the fact that you waltzed into Wonderful and openly defied him. He’s the one who brought all those people to safety, protected and cared for them over the years, right?” Dean wiped away the tears, lighting up another cigarette and offered one to Malcolm. He already knew Abigail didn’t smoke. “People are going to be shaken up. They’ll question him now. And it’s going to be…” He took a deep pull. “Interesting.”

“So he’s another Bray Wyatt, that’s what you’re saying? Everyone HAS to follow every single thing he says, and nobody can make their own decisions, their own minds up? They just needlessly follow him because he protects the town with his magic?” If that was the case, Abigail was GLAD she had ‘defied’ the Undertaker because, honestly, she knew this was the right thing to do. “If it means defying the ‘boss’ in order to destroy the DOV, so be it. I don’t care. The only thing I care about is bringing an end to the DOV and Bray.” Her personal feelings for Mark didn’t matter right now, not when they had a huge advantage over Bray and the DOV now by taking Malcolm away from them, their only source of magic. “And when he finds out Bray is INVULNERABLE, due to a spell, he might change his tune and maybe he’ll realize someone besides him was right, for a change.”

That was not Taker at all and even he knew it. There were assemblies, checks and balances, because Taker wasn’t a dictator. Not that he was telling her that. The more she disliked the Deadman, the best for him; Dean had never claimed to be a ‘good guy’, and Abigail had known from day one Dean thought the other man was a cocksmoker. Malcolm was definitely wondering which son was alive, because obviously not both of them had made it, and just what sort of man he had become for Abigail to stand up to this way.

That wasn’t the type of man and leader Mark was and she knew that, deep down. She also knew Dean didn’t like Mark at all, so Abigail had to watch out for that. There wasn’t anything she said that wasn’t true, though she knew who the real Mark was. He was kind, strong, stubborn, handsome, caring…and half of her was terrified of facing him again once they returned to Wonderful. She hoped they returned before Mark, to give Malcolm a chance to settle in and spend some time with his granddaughter. Dean was a dirty player, but Abigail wouldn’t fall for his games and manipulation. She had done this for one reason and that was to cripple the DOV and Bray from within. Not to mention, she also discovered Bray’s ultimate secret with the spell that’d been casted on him.

Mark, please don’t be angry with me for following my heart and my instincts, she thought, looking up at the stars and hoped he was safe.

~!~

“What the hell is that?”

“That is a flat tire.”

“Thank you, Hardy.” Roman growled, wondering how this idiot was considered a genius as he crouched down by the trailer tire, the blown out trailer tire. Coming back was taking longer than expected due to the heavy load in the trailer, but all the men were also pretty pleased with the haul. “It’ll take me… hopefully an hour to change it.”

“Damn son, how are you going to get it lifted with all that shit in there?”

Taker was wondering that himself.

“Uh, we’re going to have to lift when he says to lift. There’s enough of us, we’ll be able to get this area up enough for it.”

If it wasn’t one thing… Taker pinched the bridge of his nose and nodded.

~!~

“Malcolm, how are you holding up? Do you need a break?”

“No, I’m fine, Abigail. How much farther until we’re to Wonderful?”

“If we keep going, another day at the most.” Abigail shared a concerned look with Dean, knowing they were close enough to Wonderful to where the car no longer needed to be cloaked with his magic. “Take a breather, Malcolm.”

Sighing, Malcolm nodded and took the bottled water he was handed, the car becoming uncloaked as Dean kept speeding down the back gravelly road.

Over the past almost 2 weeks, Abigail hadn’t spoken much to Dean, keeping her distance and spending a lot of time with Malcolm strategizing. The spell on Bray was incredibly powerful and would take some dark magic to remove it. Hence why, he needed two of his bloodline in order to successfully take the spell off. Bray was under the impression all of Malcolm’s family was dead, so this boded well in their favor. She handed him some food, wanting him to keep his strength up and sipped her own water, staring out the window into the night. Almost there, they were almost done with this trip and she didn’t know if she was more scared or relieved to go back to Wonderful.

“Better make it two.” Dean corrected, listening as the car made a very odd, weird grinding noise, shifting gears and that made it worse. He pulled over, parked and got out after popping the hood. “Can magic fix a transmission?” The fact that they had found a car to bring them this far had been a miracle in itself. “Or… we could just walk it, you don’t want to bring him through the front gates, do you?”

“Yes, there’s no point in taking the waterway. The front of Wonderful is where the common house and Susan are located.” Abigail informed him, frowning at the car and sighed heavily, looking back at Malcolm.

What were they going to do? Was walking their only option? Malcolm was spent magically, that much was obvious and he was an old man, but at this point, they really had no other alternative.

“We’re gonna have to walk, Malcolm. Hopefully, we come across a town soon and can find another car to get us the rest of the way.”

“Trust me, Abigail, I don’t mind walking. It’s good for these old bones and, besides, it beats being back in that castle.” Malcolm would’ve gladly walked anywhere as long as it was far away from Bray Wyatt and the DOV. “Mr. Ambrose, do you know where we’re at?”

“Just Dean, and yep.” He must’ve corrected the old man on the formality at least a hundred times since trekking back to Wonderful. Three or four days… well, maybe five away, on foot.” Dean revised, studying the old man thoughtfully. He got the impression Malcolm hadn’t been let out of that castle very much. “And Abs, there aren’t any towns between here and Wonderful, not in this direction.” Now, if they headed southwest, they’d run into a town that had been raided a million times over, but any gasoline left there, in pumps or vehicles, had been taken a long time ago to fuel the vehicles of Wonderful. “We’ll be fine, babe.” He was already grabbing their belongings out of the car, including his magic pack with everything plus the kitchen sink in it.

“We’ll make it, we’ve made it this far.” Abigail agreed, knowing Dean had everything they would need and more in that magic pack he’d smuggled out of Wonderful.

They trekked for several hours, stopped and took a break, before heading off again. Every 3 hours, they would stop and take a half an hour break to drink or eat, before going again. Malcolm was holding up pretty well, all things considered, and it seemed as though the man had done something similar to this before. Once the sun began to rise over the horizon, they settled down near a riverbank, out of sight and set up camp for the day, deciding traveling at night was the best way to go. They wouldn’t be seen nearly as easily.

Dean set up the tent with Abigail and Malcolm’s help, all three of them having their own sleeping bags. Abigail knew she had to get some sleep and felt her entire body relax, aching from all the walking, but at least she was free away from Bray and the DOV. The tent wasn’t for him since Dean was more than used to sleeping under the stars and during the day, a tent just seemed weird. He figured either she would use it -which would be weird as hell since she had been sleeping outside with him, or Malcolm would take an afternoon nap or something.

“Hey old man, I got a cot in here, one of those collapsible kinds.”

“I would really like to study that bag…” He was ignoring the old man jibes, having gotten used to Dean’s snark over the trip. “It is… marvelous.”

Abigail slept for a few hours and then quietly left the tent, zipping it up to keep the bugs out and walked down the riverbank to splash water on her face, her legs and feet sore. Every part of her body was sore, actually. They had stopped to bathe anywhere they could find that was deemed clean, though she couldn’t wait to have a legitimate shower once they finally made it back. Dean was currently sleeping, his snores filtering through the air and Abigail had to wonder if their friendship would ever be the same again after what happened between them. He wanted her for more than friendship and she couldn’t give it to him, not again.

Nighttime arrived as they ate, packed up and began walking again, stopping every 3 hours. It was a miracle when the sign came up Wonderful 4 miles away and Abigail nearly shouted with joy, feeling the adrenaline pumping through her system. Almost there. She could see the relief on Malcolm and even Dean’s faces too.

“I don’t think Taker’s back yet.” Dean said thoughtfully, pointing to watch towers built out even this far from Wonderful. “If he was, he wouldn’t have them out.”

He had no idea that Taker had left Wonderful magically protected in his absence. Dean just knew that whenever the Deadman left the city, he tended to go crazy on protection, including putting men out to scout the perimeter. That made him frown suddenly.

“Hope they didn’t run into any trouble.” Not because of Taker so much as Roman, his brother in arms and best friend.

“Okay.”

That was good, Abigail could relax a little and had her arm hooked through Malcolm’s, just to give him some support since he was nervous. She didn’t blame him. Hell, she had butterflies inside of her stomach, but they had to keep going and could only hope for the best. Abigail was sticking to her beliefs what she and Dean did was right and the best thing to do for not only Wonderful, but Vesperia as a whole. They were two miles out, two miles until they were home, or as close to home as they would get. Malcolm would be reunited with Susan and his son. Abigail was prepared to accept the consequences and snapped her head to the side, seeing several bikes and a truck with a trailer roaring up to the gates…the same time they arrived.

“Well… shit.” Dean stopped walking and simply folded his arms over his chest, tapping one foot on the ground, a cigarette dangling from his bottom lip. “Roman, my man!”

Roman dismounted his motorcycle as soon as he was able, walking over to pick his buddy up in a bone-crunching hug. “Where’s the welcome home wenches?”

“Just me buddy, just me.”

Taker hadn’t dismounted, he was taking in the trio from behind his sunglasses, nostrils flaring. “Open the gates!” He roared to the watchtower guard.

Trailer had to be hauled in and he was pretty sure his blood pressure was rising. What the hell was Dean Ambrose and Abigail… and some weird looking old man doing outside? And then it clicked. Before Taker could blow his stack, a voice rang out from the gates and it was Susan, crying and running towards them.

“PAPA!!”

Malcolm caught his crying granddaughter in his arms, dropping to a knee and closed his eyes, tears stinging his eyes. She was safe. He had sent her here, ordering her to look for Abigail and the woman had protected Susan, just as he knew she would. Even though she was supposedly undercover for Bray, he had to put his trust in her and hadn’t been disappointed.

“P-Papa!! Papa, I-I never thought I-I’d s-see you again!!” Susan sobbed, clinging to him for dear life and didn’t care about anything else at the moment, feeling as though a piece of her had slid back into place with her grandfather here.

“Malcolm, you need water. Susan, please take him inside and get him some water and food.” Abigail smiled at the girl, blinking when she was hugged next and nudged her toward her grandfather again. “Go on.” Then she turned to face Dean and Roman, beyond exhausted after the grueling journey they’d taken together. “Well Mr. Jack of All Trades, looks like we survived and made it.” She hugged him tightly around the neck and kissed his cheek. “Thank you. For everything.” Just seeing Malcolm and Susan reunited was worth every bit of Mark’s anger she knew was coming.

Dean kept an arm wrapped around Abigail’s shoulders as they turned to face Taker, figuring she was going to need emotional support. The big man looked royally pissed; he was inwardly cackling with glee and it damn sure showed on his face. Abigail had blatantly defied him and gone to wherever her former lover lived to rescue his father. Taker forced himself to take deep breaths, knowing he had other matters to attend to before he dealt with her.

“Ron, see that the trailer is unloaded. Hardy, go round up whatever hands you can find.” He was going to snap Ambrose’s neck, just for that look on his idiot face. Maybe make Abigail watch.

She hadn’t defied him, just did what she felt needed to be done. Exhaustion registered on her face along with relief because they had made it back and she hadn’t died. Abigail didn’t say a single word to him, not showing the slightest bit of guilt for what she’d done. If he was like Bray Wyatt, she would bring him down as well as that cocksucker. Bray was NOT her former lover because she was a virgin and hadn’t been with anyone except Mark and Dean intimately.

With Bray, it was more forced and out of fear than anything, so she didn’t put him in the ‘lover’ category. She appreciated Dean’s support, nodding when he asked in her ear if she was alright and felt as if her legs were jelly. Susan would have Malcolm set up in the common house and Abigail had a bed waiting for her with the Shield, along with a job since she had ‘talent’, according to Dean. When Mark just stared at her hardening, not saying a single word, Abigail couldn’t stand there anymore and walked past him inside the gates, immediately collapsing.

“Whoa Abs, I got you, girl.” Dean scooped her up into his strong arms and smirked back at Taker, his blue eyes gleaming wickedly as he carted her off toward his place alongside Roman. He was exhausted himself, but refused to leave her in the care of any of these idiots, the cigarette still dangling from the corner of his mouth.

“Where the fuck did you go while I was gone?” Dean hadn’t told anyone, not even his brothers, what he had planned with the ebony haired beauty.

“Hell.” That about summed it up.

Abigail was out cold before her head hit the pillow, and slept for the next 2 days straight.

Chapter 41

“So they were outside the gates when you guys rolled in?”

Once everything had been settled down and Taker was less… stern, Steve had finally taken a moment to sit down with his friend. He had even brought food, gathering on the road eating hadn’t been so good. They were sitting in the tower, eating and discussing what had gone on in Wonderful in Taker’s absence. Then Taker told him about Dean, Abigail and Malcolm being outside just as they got back.

“They were.” He had seen Malcolm down in the common house, with Susan, and he had gone in a few times, but Taker hadn’t seen his father in nearly two decades. It was like seeing a stranger for the most part. “And she’s been in hiding with Ambrose.”

Steve was a bit curious how they had gotten out; he didn’t recall anyone mentioning Abigail leaving Wonderful.

Abigail wasn’t hiding out, she was PASSED out.

~!~

It was just after 8 AM when her eyes fluttered open, two days later, staring up at a ceiling she didn’t recognize. She wasn’t outside, she was in a…bed. Looking down, she was still fully clothed and nobody else was with her, which was good. Every part of her hurt, stung and burned, but…Abigail felt satisfied all things considered. When her door opened, she nearly jumped out of her skin at the sight of a semi-blurry Dean walking in with a tray of food and came to the fast conclusion where she was.

“Dean…” The relief that crossed his face made her crack a small smile as she pushed herself up to stand, feeling weak and fatigued from sleeping so long. “W-What time is it?” It was currently raining outside – fitting.

“Hell if I know, babe.” He remarked, sitting the tray down on a small table before walking over to gently nudge her back down onto the bed in a sitting position. “Not so fast, Abs, you’re probably weak as fuck.” She’d had a fever and he had been taking care of her while she slept it off. Her life in the castle, and then basically being a serving wench here in Wonderful, hadn’t done her body any favors. Being outside, outdoors, for nearly a month had taken its toll on her. “Here.” Dean reached onto the tray for the bottle of water, holding it out to her. “See if you can keep that down. Then there’s…” He surveyed the food. “Fruits, some light rolls, and soup…”

“What happened? I don’t remember anything past walking into the gates of Wonderful…” She slowly took a sip of water, pressing a hand to her forehead, which was cool for the moment.

“You had a fever, Abs. You collapsed just inside the gates and I brought you here to rest.” Dean sighed heavily, placing a hand on her shoulder and urged her to drink. She would need a lot of fluids over the next few days and more rest to recover. “A bad one. It wouldn’t break for 12 hours and when it finally did, well…let’s just say, you need a shower and to clean up, after you eat.” He didn’t want her collapsing in the shower.

“Christ…” Abigail frowned, wondering why it felt as if all the energy had been sucked out of her and took a small bite of the roll on the tray, her stomach tightening. At least she was hungry, so her appetite hadn’t vanished. “How long was I out for?” Her eyes widened when he told her two days. There was so much to do, so much she’d missed out on and hoped Malcolm was settling into Wonderful alright. “I-I need to go talk to Malcolm, make sure he’s okay…” Mark was also on her agenda because she couldn’t avoid him forever and…she had to return the crystal to him.

“That’s good…”

It wouldn’t last forever, though, and now that she knew Bray’s secret, it was time to get to work on breaking the spell he had on him. Malcolm and Mark were the ONLY ones who could do it. Abigail had one thing on her mind, one goal and that was destroying the DOV. On the journey back to Wonderful, she realized how stupid she’d been to let her personal feelings interfere with what needed to be done. Mark probably despised her and wanted nothing to do with her, which was fine with Abigail, or so she tried convincing herself. Dean…no, she couldn’t think about either man right now and continued eating, only getting through half the soup and roll, with a bite of fruit, before pushing it away.

“I can’t eat anymore…” She mumbled, scrubbing a hand down her face and managed to stand up from the bed to look out the window. “I really need a shower, that’ll make me feel better…”

“Yeah probably.” Dean agreed, glancing out the window and frowned when thunder crashed, followed by lightening streaking across the sky. This storm was weird and unseasonal as fuck. “You can’t go out today though, Abs, not until this storm passes.” He wasn’t risking her getting sick again, or sicker as it were, since she obviously wasn’t operating at 100%. “This shit has been going on since the first night back.”

Not that she would know that, she had been unconscious. Roman and Seth had been helping to unload and set up everything brought back, both men returning to check in frequently and then the storm had gotten worse. Roman and Seth were now out in the kitchen, having made up an emergency kit, so to speak, in case they lost what power they did have.

Hearing the concern in his voice, Abigail conceded and felt his arm wrap around her, guiding her out of the room to the bathroom. “Thank you, Dean.” Everything was set up for her already as another crack of thunder rumbled the place, but the power remained on. “I’ll hurry as fast as I can.”

Shutting the door, she shed her clothes, started the sprays and stepped under them, planting her hands against the wall to let the water wash away the dirt, grime and dried sweat from her body. A fever? Had she been sick and not realized it? Abigail washed her hair, trying to push Mark out of her mind for the moment. The crystal was safe, she would return it to him as soon as she was better because Ambrose wouldn’t let her out of this building otherwise. Once she finished, half an hour later, she stepped out, towel-dried her hair, dressed in the fresh clothes he’d gotten from her bag and stepped out, feeling more alive than she had. How the hell was she still tired though?

It never failed to amaze him how Abigail operated. She had voiced her concerns about still being tired and he had to wonder when the last time she had been sick was. “Babe, with as high a fever as you had, not surprising. You’re not used to trekking like we just did; your body isn’t used to it.” Hell, she could have even picked up something out there and, if she hadn’t ever been vaccinated, which wouldn’t be surprising given how long ago that was, her immune system may have waged a battle against that. Just no way of telling.

“Man, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say Taker is pissed.” Roman muttered, heading out to start securing the door against the now coming down hail.

Was this storm because of Mark? Abigail frowned, remembering him telling her about his magic being stored in the crystal. He was human, he couldn’t change his appearance or anything due to the siphoning.

“I have to go see him.”

“Abigail, no.”

“Don’t tell me what to do. I have to return something to him and talk to him about what happened. Jesus…” Abigail swallowed hard when another streak of lightning lit up the building. “I’ll be fine…I don’t have a fever any more and more than enough time has been wasted.”

“Abs…” Dean groaned, not wanting her to go out in this after just waking up from a two day coma. “Please…”

“I’ll be back in a couple hours. But I have to talk to him about this. The DOV could’ve found out it was us that took Malcolm out of that castle and you know it. I’m wasting time, when we have little of that left as it is. I’ll be fine.” Abigail reasoned, already pulling her jacket on that she’d gotten from the thrift store a few weeks ago. “Don’t wait up.” She headed down the stairs, her shoes already on and didn’t bother braiding her hair, leaving it flowing down her back. Her first stop would be the workout center, where she’d stored the crystal and then…it was time to face the music.

“You look like… shit.” Jeff Hardy and his brother were in the workout center, occupying themselves physically since this storm was preventing them from doing anything else other than socialize.

“What is she doing?” Matt asked, watching as Abigail walked over to a corner, eyeballing the planks. “That old dude was there too, the other day… what the hell is up with that corner?” Old dude had seemed amused at something and then left.

“Hell if I know.”

Abigail breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she lifted the plank and retrieved the satchel, feeling the crystal still inside. She quickly put the plank back in place, slipped the satchel in her pocket and headed out, ignoring the Hardy’s. Abigail didn’t care how she looked, even though it was probably the equivalence to a drowned rat. Looking up at the tower, determination flowed through her as she walked through the storm, the wind whipping her hair around and stopped just outside the door. They were going to talk – it’d been two days too long and time was not on their side. This stubborn man had to listen to reason as Abigail took a deep breath and banged on the door to make sure he heard. She jumped when a streak of lightning flashed across the sky the same time the door opened, locking midnight blue on acidic green. Before she could open her mouth, he yanked her inside out of the pouring rain and Abigail was thankful he at least let her inside, soaked from head to toe.

“What, Abigail?” He demanded harshly, heading up the stairs to his rooms and glanced back at her over his shoulder. Frowning, Taker disappeared into the bathroom to get her towels. “You’re going to get sick out in this.” He informed her, wrapping one towel around her shoulders and the other he used to begin toweling her head dry. This weather wasn’t doing anyone any favors, the only bright side was the lake getting all the surplus.

“Considering I’ve been unconscious and had a high fever for the past two days and finally woke up this morning…yeah, probably.” Abigail remarked dryly, not pushing him away because at least he was touching her.

Roman thought Mark was causing this storm and that wasn’t the case because, right now, he was completely human without his magic. The very magic that was in her pocket currently. She clutched the dry towel against her and let him finish toweling her hair before turning to face him, fighting the urge to reach up to touch his face. At least he’d made it back unscathed and no worse for wear, alive.

“I won’t take up your time, I just…wanted to give this back to you.” Pulling the satchel out of her pocket, she handed it over without hesitation.

His response was to toss the thing onto the table, knowing the Mythril orb would protect his talisman. After spending this time as fully human, and finally sorting out what was his own strengths from the talisman’s, Taker wasn’t in any hurry to put it back inside of him or wear it or whatever. It would do its main job without being attached to him.

“Thank you for keeping it safe.” He said after a moment, wondering where the hell to even begin, his acidic eyes narrowing.

“You’re welcome.” Abigail took the towel off her shoulders and set it aside, heaving a sigh. “You’re angry with me and I knew you would be. It was my idea to do it, to sneak out of Wonderful and I asked for Dean’s help. He’s not to blame for any of this. It’s all on me and I take full responsibility for my actions. But I also don’t regret what I did either because I know it was the right thing to do.” Now that she knew Bray was invulnerable, Malcolm was a NEED for them in order to survive. “I’m not apologizing for what I did, Mark.” There was no reason to. Susan and Malcolm were back together, safe and sound, away from the tyranny of Bray Wyatt and now they had plenty of magic on their side. “I’m glad you made it back safely. I was worried about you going out there without your magic.” When he still didn’t say a word, just glared at her, Abigail surmised he wasn’t ready to talk yet and understood why. “I’ll go, sorry for bothering you.” Turning, she headed for the door and began making her way down the stairs.

Contrary to Dean Ambrose’s predictions that people would question his authority, as well as the direction he had led Wonderful in over the last decade and then some, nobody knew a thing. As far as anyone was concerned, Malcolm was just another stray brought in. “I don’t understand you.” He said flatly, causing her to halt mid-step. “You came in here seeking refuge from the DOV and then decided you knew what is best for everyone. The fact that you’re dependent on magic and what you think you know of magic is alarming, Abbie.” She reminded him of a child, someone who still saw, in this case magic, as the means to all problems.

Abigail was firm enough in these obsessions of hers that she had risked his wrath for them.

“No, I didn’t come here seeking refuge, that’s where you’re wrong.” She turned to face him, drawing her brows together and decided if they were going to hash this out, it would be now. “I was SENT here by that asshole Bray Wyatt to spy on you and your comrades and to find out what Mythril can do, if it had magical properties. Malcolm wasn’t sure, which is why I was sent to investigate. That was my chance to escape the castle, come here and ask for the leader’s assistance in bringing down the DOV. I was never a refuge.” Abigail corrected him, taking a deep breath and leaned against the door frame with her arms folded. “And I’m gonna let you in on some information you didn’t know, Undertaker.” Calling him Mark was not an option right now. “Rescuing Malcolm WAS the right thing to do because, if you would’ve gone in there with your men to try destroying the DOV and Bray, you would’ve been slaughtered. Your father informed me that, when he was taken by Bray 8 years ago, he was forced to put a spell on him that made him invulnerable to death. That means, YOU CAN’T KILL HIM. Unless the spell is broken, with MAGIC. It takes two of your bloodline, your family’s bloodline, to break it and, since Bray believes Malcolm’s children are all dead, well, he thinks currently he’s invincible. I tried telling you magic was the only way to bring Bray and the DOV down, and you didn’t listen to me. Because you hate magic and you think magic has destroyed Vesperia. I’ve got news for you, it’s the ONLY way for us to survive now. And as far as me deciding what’s best for everyone – no, that’s on you and I didn’t agree with you or your methods, so I found another way.”

Chapter 42

That was news to him and Taker stroked his goatee thoughtfully. She had no respect for him, that was obvious. Abigail had been ‘sent here to learn’ and she had then, without learning anything at all, made up her mind. She didn’t know jack about Mythril. Never had, only assumed.

“Fine. You’re right.” He amended gruffly. “I’m pleased to know that apparently you weren’t as sheltered as you led everyone to believe.” Obviously not. Her assumptions apparently justified the trip and now she could ride high on the fact that, while she had been wrong, it didn’t matter because sheer luck had gotten her valuable information and Malcolm. “How did you even get inside the castle?”

“Does it even matter? You don’t care. I can see it written all over your face.”

Her eyes narrowed at that sheltered comment, remaining where she was and knew they would never agree when the subject of magic was concerned. This smug asshole standing before her was not the Mark she had fallen for, that was for sure. She didn’t even recognize this man right now and it killed her, hurt her, in ways she didn’t even know was possible. Her ‘assumptions’ had all been right on the money, especially since Mark had told her himself Mythril had magical properties. The moment she heard that, Abigail knew rescuing Malcolm was the right thing to do because he was the last sorcerer in Vesperia. Magic was very limited, but Abigail already knew Mark would never see things her way, from her perspective and shook her head in disappointment.

“I was wrong.” She spoke quietly, resignedly. “You’re not the hope. You’re nothing but a dictator. Not as cruel as Bray Wyatt, obviously, but you are STILL a dictator and you expect everyone to follow YOUR lead. You expect people to respect you and fall at your fucking feet, just like him. Just another dictator. Dean was right about you…and I was too stupid to see it until now. Don’t bother helping me, I’ll find another way like I did before.”

One way or another, she would bring Bray and the DOV down, even if she had to scour the world for more magic to break the spell.

She was going to see what she wanted. “Of course Dean was right about me.” He said resignedly. “He tells you what you want to hear, and you just eat it up.”

Wonderful had survived so many years because people looked at him to lead. When it came to major events and decisions, they held councils and assemblies, so everyone had a say. She was going to see him however she wanted because it didn’t fit what she wanted or how she viewed herself, or whatever.

“You see yourself as some hero in a fucked up story, Abigail, and you never stop to think about other people… or you use them to justify what you do. Kind of like Wyatt did, using YOU as HIS justification. You do what YOU think, YOU feel, and fuck everyone else. And you’ll never see it any other way because you don’t care too.” Because she had it in her head she was right no matter what and when she was wrong, something else came along to justify it.

Now she was laughing, actually laughing at him and it hurt her stomach because her body had been punished throughout the hellacious journey she’d taken. “I’m no hero. And these aren’t MY people either.” The sound wasn’t enjoyable, it was broken, especially since he just compared her to Bray. “Dean doesn’t say what I want to hear. He tells the TRUTH, whether I want to hear it or not. And he told me exactly what I’d get from you – how your pride would be hurt because I defied you, again, because you’re a dictator. I could give a DAMN about your pride, not when it comes to the destruction of this world. I came here for one reason and one reason only – to take Bray and the DOV out. I brought magic back here in order to do that and I know Malcolm will help me do it. I don’t care if we have to scour the rest of Vesperia in order to obtain what is needed to defeat him. I don’t care if I have to go down another mineshaft and nearly DIE to obtain an invisibility cloak either. I’m going to do WHATEVER it takes to take him down and destroy the Dominion. Maybe YOU should open your eyes and realize you were wrong, for once, and that magic IS the only way to go, Undertaker. But you never will because all that matters is what YOU feel is right, never taking anyone’s advice into consideration.” Abigail bowed to him mockingly. “I’m so very sorry, your lordship, for defying your wishes and doing what I felt was best for Vesperia. Should I get on my knees and beg your forgiveness?” Snorting, she rolled her eyes at how red his face was and held her side, a zip of pain shooting through it. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going back through this storm to a place I’m actually wanted, your lordship. Unless you have something else you’d like to discuss with a nobody like me?”

Oh poor Abigail, she nearly died because her obsession with magic! Taker already knew she’d do whatever SHE thought it took. Never mind other people’s opinions or experience. She wanted magic… fine. Abigail never made it down the rest of the stairs because he had stepped inside, retrieved his orb and the flash that lit up the tower was noticeable for miles. Magic. That was all she cared about. She didn’t care about anyone, not even those people who were in the DOV. Abigail was just another Wyatt; she was fighting HER cause and would justify it however she wanted, just like Wyatt had. She didn’t have anyone to tell her it was a bad idea, or maybe she should think about it, because Dean Ambrose wanted in her pants, so he was going to tell her whatever she wanted, even if he knew it was malarkey. Within seconds, he was holding out a hand, pulling her right back up those stairs and into his waiting arms.

“Let go of me!” Abigail growled, trying to fight him off and HATED it when he used magic to make her stay put. It was NOT fair. “Oh sure, you’ll use magic for what YOU want, but when it comes to saving this world, you refuse! You’re a goddamn hypocrite, now let me go!!” When she couldn’t even move, or struggle, tears swelled in her eyes as she stared straight ahead, knowing she would hate him if she knew how Mark really saw her. “Be careful lordship, wouldn’t want you to soil your hands on another Bray Wyatt.” She was turned around, against her will, to stare up into the acidic eyes of the man Abigail knew she loved. “What are you gonna do next? Use magic to seal my lips shut?”

“There you go, making assumptions again.” He taunted, eyes flashing pure venom. “You know better than anyone else what I’ve done with magic to protect people.” Yawning, Taker rose his hand and watched as she basically floated towards his bed. “You wanted me to see the good in magic, darlin’, I think I may see your point.” His lips curved into a wicked smile. “Seal your lips shut…”

There was an idea. She was thinking she would hate him if she knew how he really saw her, but she didn’t care what she said to him, or how hurt he was at how she saw him. They had serious communication issues.

“Gotta ask, Abbie, did you miss me?” He asked, his tone teasing, but there was darkness tinging it as she plopped onto the bed.

Moving so he was hovering over her, his nose glided along her jawline and inhaled deeply. He had missed her, the little pain in his backside. Abigail was taken aback by this turnaround, feeling confused and unsure of what to do, not that she couldn’t move because he had her in a magic hold, literally. She shivered against his touch, despite how angry she was at him right now and didn’t want to give him any more ammunition to use against her. However, her heart was screaming at her not to let him get away, to slip through her fingers, because Mark was who she wanted. After what they’d said to each other, however, she didn’t know if that was possible anymore.

“Yes…”

She would’ve nodded if she could and felt a tear slip down her cheek, trembling from both anger and desire all at the same time. That was a very weird feeling, one Abigail had never experienced before until now. Her eyes shut the moment his mouth sealed to her neck, the scent of sandalwood, gasoline and leather infiltrating her senses. What was happening? The magic hold broke because her hand rose to bury in his hair, her neck arching into his lips.

“Y-Yes I did…”

It hadn’t broken, he had released her. They were never going to see eye to eye on things, he knew that. Taker would step back and do what he was told, whatever was needed, because she would never see him as anything except the villain in her twisted fairytale. Bray Wyatt had damaged this woman, and he cared about her too much to just walk away. His teeth sank gently but firmly into the flesh between neck and shoulder, trying not to let the scent of Dean Ambrose repulse him. Magic enhanced everything, something he knew better than most, and this was what Abigail was planning on giving to people. Magical medicine, not knowing how it would fuse with them, or bond to them, or what abilities it would grant. It would be interesting, at the very least. His hands moved to her sides, feeling her trembling and slowly wedged his massive thigh between her legs, just in case she decided to nail him.

No, there was only one villain and it was Bray Wyatt. Mark was just…stubborn when it came to magic and Abigail somewhat understood why. However, Dean was right he was a hypocrite and only used magic for HIS needs. Granted, he also protected the town with it, but as far as changing his appearance with his disguises and having a whole SLEW of untapped magic in the Mythril…why wasn’t he using it? Why not use whatever means necessary to ensure survival? She didn’t understand it and would NEVER understand this man as long as she lived. Abigail didn’t want to be a dictator or rule over people – that was his ballpark. The only thing she wanted was to bring Bray Wyatt and the DOV crashing down.

If Mark didn’t want to use the magical properties within Mythril to ensure they had an endless supply of medicine and other things, that was on him. The only thing she wanted him to do was break the spell Bray had on himself, along with Malcolm, and take him out. Feeling the anger radiating off him, Abigail struggled to gain control of her emotions and turned her head as their eyes locked, his mouth finally capturing hers in a heated, hard kiss that made her grip the front of the shirt he had on. When she kissed Dean, she didn’t experience nearly as much passion and fire as she did with Mark, her breath completely stolen.

If he had known what she was thinking about Dean, or that she had been screwing around with Dean, Taker would have lost his mind. As it was… he was mad at her, but resigned and cared for her, so it was enough of a struggle not to paddle her backside as it was. Well… actually… she did have a very delicious, plump backside and he’d actually dreamt about it while being away for the past month. He growled, pulling away from her, leaning back in order to take her in. Her cheeks were flushed, lips swollen, and the desire in her eyes was unmistakable.

There was no way in hell, of any kind, she would EVER tell him what happened between her and Dean on that trip. No, Abigail was taking that secret with her to the grave, just as her and Dean agreed on. Right now, she was REALLY confused on what was happening because she was angry with him. Yet, she felt the need to tear his clothes off and let him have his way with her too. What the hell kind of contradiction was this?

“Mark…” She sat up on her elbows, only for him to push her right back down and apparently didn’t care his bedding was wet from her clothes since she was sopping wet upon arrival. “Wait…” She gasped out against his lips, trembling for an entire different reason and moaned when he proceeded to kiss her again.

There was no fighting him off or resisting. She’d gone a month without him, his touch, his kisses and no matter what he’d said to her, Abigail couldn’t deny what her heart wanted. Breaking the kiss long enough to take her top off, Mark went right back to kissing her, lifting her from the bed to plant her directly in the middle of it, her damp black hair splayed all around her.

“Someone missed me too, hmm?”

“I missed this for sure.” Was his response, not about to cater to her ego anymore then he already knew he would later. Taker grabbed her, flipping her over face first into what was probably an ungainly as hell position for her. Though for him… growling his approval, hands moving to her hips, Taker guided her onto all fours. He moved behind her, leaning over her in order to start kissing and licking his way down her spine, feeling her trembling beneath him. His hands moved down her sides, finally coming to rest on her hips, fingers splayed.

Abigail was still somewhat weak from her fever-induced coma, but the fire raging inside of her now, along with rage, desire and adrenaline, overrode all of that, including her sore body. She shivered against his tongue and lips caressing her back, her hair hanging about her face as his hands kneaded her sides. His hands anywhere on her body felt spectacular and her eyes grew wide when he unhooked her bra with his teeth, the material falling from her chest down her arms. Mark waved his hand, lifting her off the bed again to remove her shorts and panties before setting her down again.

“Will you STOP that?!” She exclaimed, turning around to glare at him and groaned when he merely turned her back to where she was on all fours. “Now you’re just being an ass…” Abigail gasped, unable to finish that because his mouth had gotten to work on her dripping sex. “Hole…oh fuck…”

“You wanted me to be receptive to magic, darlin’.”

It was a wicked reminder and he had a devious smirk on his face, not that she could see it with his face buried between her thighs. Taker was using his fingers as well, one sliding inside of her, feeling her walls greedily trying to hold onto the digit while his tongue worked its own magic on her clit. She was soaked and not just from rain water either; he pulled back in order to watch her own juices trailing down his finger to his wrist.

Chapter 43

“Y-Yes, but not…not like this!” Abigail half-moaned and half-hissed, unable to stop from rocking back on his digit plundering in and out of her until he stopped. She was on FIRE, what the hell was he doing?! “Damn it, Mark, you’re driving me fucking crazy right now!” Hearing his chuckle set something off inside of her, her eyes narrowing to slits. He was PLAYING with her! Abigail did not appreciate being played with and gritted her teeth, pulling away from him. “I’m NOT…”

Flipping her on her back, Mark cut her off and buried his face between her thighs again, making her writhe on the bed. Her eyes nearly rolled in the back of her head at how much ecstasy washed over her from this man, her fingers burying in his hair to encourage him. Foreplay wouldn’t be enough tonight, not with how she felt, and she didn’t care if they were both fueled by anger at the moment. Then, he pulled back and began teasing her mercilessly again, chuckling AGAIN, driving her mad AGAIN!

“G-Get…OFF ME!!” She was pissed, her entire face flushed and crimson.

“Why?” He demanded, darkened eyes peering at her from his place between her obscenely spread thighs. “You want me.” There was no arrogance in his tone because it was an undeniable fact. At her half-assed protest, Taker slid two fingers into her drenched core, placing his hand on her lower abdomen to keep her from shooting off the bed. Crooking them, his fingers brushed against her sweet spot. “You want this, Abbie.” He tugged at her swollen clit with his tongue, feeling her body beginning to tremble violently. “So let go, darlin’.” Because she was in for a very, very long night.

Let go, just like that, after the poisonous words they inflicted on each other and he STILL wanted her. Gripping her hair, Abigail felt VERY conflicted because she did not want to play games, or be played with, for that matter. His fingers drove in and out of her soaking core, forcing her into the first of many climaxes that day – night. She had no idea what time it was, figuring it was sometime in the afternoon and the storm continued raging outside fiercely.

“M-Mark…” She stammered out, once he’d drank his fill and couldn’t move from the bed, knowing it wasn’t a magical hold.

It was because he had drained her, and she needed several moments to calm down, to breathe and try to get her foggy brain to clear. Mark didn’t give her that opportunity because he was already climbing up the length of her rain and sweat slicked body, capturing her mouth to steal her breath again. While he’d given her a minute to catch her breath, he’d undressed and now hovered over her, his cock brushing against her.

“W-What about y-you?” She mumbled against his mouth, reaching down to grab hold of his cock, only for him to stop her by planting her arm back on the bed, his hand wrapped around her wrist.

What about him indeed. He transferred both her wrists to one hand, pinning them over her head and took her in. Abigail was so damn small compared to him, his fingers were able to easily wrap around both wrists, so breakable. His eyes met hers, searching them intently before he bent down to capture her lips in another searing, passionate kiss. With his free hand, he reached between them and gripped his own cock, rubbing the head up and down her slit, feeling her hips arching and twisting.

Was this it? Was this the moment she longed for from the right man? The one thing Bray thought he could have for himself was about to be taken by someone else. This was going to hurt, and Abigail couldn’t stop tensing to save her life, wiggling her wrists in his vise grip.

“O-Oh god…” She choked out, feeling his cock slowly slide between her folds and the burn was intense, it was the only way to describe how it felt at the moment.

A tongue and fingers were NOTHING compared to the size and girth of a cock, especially Mark’s. He was being as gentle as he could, but no matter what, the burning intensified until he reached her barrier and stopped. Abigail swallowed hard, locking eyes with him and could see the silent question he posed. Continue or not. Once they did this, there was no going back, and she would no longer be a virgin, Bray would no longer be able to take that from her, if this all went south.

“Do it.” Her voice surprisingly came out strong, not an ounce of hesitation in it and felt his hand leave her wrists, so her arms could encircle his neck, their foreheads pressed together. In one swift, fluid thrust, Mark smashed through her barrier and Abigail cried out, though it wasn’t nearly as painful as she originally thought.

If that didn’t hurt like hell then she should probably consider herself fortunate and be grateful for all the foreplay because he was better hung then most men dared to even dream about. Taker didn’t move, keeping his hips still even though that was the last thing he wanted to do. He wanted to fuck the defiance out of her, smirking slightly as he began kissing up and down her neck, knowing that was something Abigail would never lose. Finally, he pulled back, away from her, and looked down at where they were joined, the way she was… impaled was a good word for it, one eyebrow slowly raising. She was tiny, and he could feel himself throbbing at the thoughts now running through his head.

The shock of having her virginity taken, combined with the foreplay beforehand, made the pain not nearly as bad, as searing, as it should’ve been. Tears did pour down her cheeks however because there was some pain, both physical and emotional. They were angry with each other, she was defiant against him and he was stubborn as a bull! He just took her virginity…and she had no idea what the hell was in store for them once it was all said and done. Mark brushed his lips against her cheeks, running them down the trails before kissing her again, remaining still inside of her. Her breathing was erratic, chest rising and falling rapidly to the point where it felt like her heart would give out. Neither spoke a word to the other, just simply feeling and taking in this moment for as long as possible. Then, very slowly, Mark began to move.

She was letting her mind get in the way of what her body was telling her, he seen that, the war brewing in her eyes. “Stop overthinking it, darlin’.” He whispered, pulling back and taking her with him, all without sliding out of her.

Moving so his legs were extended, Taker guided her into a sitting position, feeling Abigail’s hands moving onto his shoulders. He held her around the waist, drawing her body against his, burying his face in the crook of her neck. Pushing every other thought in the far recesses of her mind, all Abigail focused on was the feeling of him inside of her, pulsating, throbbing and brought his face up to capture his mouth, resting her forehead against his. Slowly, experimentally, she began moving her hips and hung onto him, hissing out at how amazing this felt. So this was what sex felt like, it was no wonder people did it a lot and so many women in his circle were pregnant. Luckily for her, she’d gotten the shot and it’d been over a month; she’d had her period while on the journey with Dean, so it was working fully right now.

“Mark…” She breathed out, their eyes remaining locked and felt his hands grip her hips to lift her up and down, showing her what to do, guiding her through it. “Oh Christ…” The burning was long gone and now a different type of fire was building inside of her, a familiar fire, a familiar coil.

“Mark.” He corrected with a snort, helping her ride him, his eyes feasting on the sight of his cock disappearing inside her tight little body each time she lowered herself down.

Abigail was never going to be satisfied with any other man, not completely, he’d make sure of it. She was a quick learner, and he let his hands roam to her breasts, bending his head forward to capture a rosy nipple in his lips, feeling her shuddering against him. He could feel her clenching around him, feel her movements starting to become harsher, nodding encouragement.

“That’s it, darlin’, just let go.”

Using his shoulders for leverage, she moaned out uncontrollably and began bouncing up and down on his cock, digging her nails in his skin to the point of leaving crescent shapes. Mark managed to keep hold of her nipple in his mouth, devouring her chest as it bounced up and down and soon, his hips began thrusting up to where their pelvises crashed together. Her moans turned to cries of both ecstasy and a bit of pain because Mark was a lot bigger than most men, but it was such an exquisite pain – a pain she never wanted to end.

“H-Harder…oh Mark, I need it…I-I need you…”

Harder, she wanted harder. Taker’s response was agony for both of them because he had to lift her off of him and they both cried out at the loss. Not wasting a second, he flipped her over onto her hands and knees again, a massive hand planting between her shoulder blades and he pushed Abigail shoulders down to the mattress. This left her ass up and he sank his cock back into her, penetrating her deeper in this position.

Deeper was an understatement. In this position, she felt EVERYTHING tenfold and it made her toes curl. Every thrust produced inside of her body, Mark hit her sweet spot and her entire body tingled from head to toe. Fighting against him, against her climax, Abigail managed to get on all fours instead of her face being planted in the bedding and moved back against him. She cried out louder, approaching that fine razor edge and knew she would be spilling over it at any moment, any second.

“MARK!” She shrieked out in unison with a flash of lightning and crash of thunder, making this even more intense, if that was possible.

The sounds of flesh smacking flesh echoed off the walls as he rode out her first climax, refusing to give in yet and Abigail was running out of energy, fluids, everything. He took it all from her. His huge hand wrapped around her throat to pull her back flush against him, but didn’t squeeze and never stopped his powerful thrusts inside of her, their bodies perfectly aligned together.

“P-Please…I-I can’t…take much…more…”

“Trust me, Abigail, you can.” He encouraged, reassured, in a low, deep baritone, refusing to let her call it a night, not when there was still pleasure left to be wrung from her body.

Sensitivity would eventually become an issue for her. That fine line between pleasure and pain was something Taker was looking forward to seeing on her face, hearing from her. His grip on her throat tightened just enough to make her take shallow breaths, knowing the temporary loss of full oxygen was going to send her body into overload. Abigail was beginning to climax again, and he let her breathe, hands dropping to her hips to keep her from trying to squirm away as he pounded her relentlessly.

“N-No I…I…MARK!!” She shrieked out again, her body shuddering from head to toe as she came hard again, her body giving into whatever he wanted.

That pain and pleasure line…she was approaching it incredibly fast, her face contorting to show it as he squeezed her throat again. Instead of feeling scared, all Abigail experienced was animalistic lust and need. He let her drop to the bed and didn’t stop thrusting in and out of her sore, sensitive core, driving her to the edge yet again. Abigail had never felt something like this before, tears stinging her eyes for an entirely different reason and whipped her head back, growling as she managed to meet him for every thrust, exerting energy and strength. She was breathing too erratically, too sharply, to speak or even utter a sound besides the breathing, feeling his fingers bury in her hair to maintain control.

Chances were, Abigail was going to black out from a pleasure overload. She would never forget her first time, Taker was going out of his way to ensure it was memorable. No matter what happened between them tomorrow, today would always be etched in her memory. Possibly her skin too, he chuckled at the thought, bending down so his torso was hovering over hers and he sank his teeth in her shoulder, drawing blood, immediately lathing the wound with his tongue. So… they would definitely have their problems outside of the bedroom. That was a foregone conclusion, but in it… her ass, and every other bit, belonged to him.

“Mine!” He rasped, thrusting one last time in her before finally letting himself explode, feeling her body jerk at the intensity of his climax.

His own body wasn’t staying still either, feeling like the storm was now coursing through his veins. His explosion triggered yet another one from her and this time, they came together. Her name fell from his lips in a roar that was amplified by ten, without his knowing.

Even out in the ‘slums’, that reached them, and Dean shared a look with Roman. It had been faint, but that was definitely Abigail’s name being shouted out. Dean hated the Undertaker right now. Roman wasn’t saying a word, just resumed picking at his food and hoped the worst of the storm was passing. This building suddenly seemed a bit too small, and cramped, and uncomfortable.

Unforgettable was the perfect word to describe her first time and the loss of her virginity. Abigail coughed and heaved, trying to suck in as much oxygen as she could, her entire body trembling from head to toe. Intense aftershocks pulsated through her and she was sure this would be her only time having sex due to her heart threatening to bust through her ribcage. Between her legs ached and throbbed from the pounding she’d taken along with the rest of her body. Abigail had absolutely no strength left in her body and nothing more to give, feeling fresh tears spilling down her cheeks.

If Mark thought she was leaving, after that intense bout between them, he was out of his mind. He must’ve read her mind because he pulled her flush against his body, spooning up against her and kissed her neck and shoulder, trying to calm her down while cooling off. Abigail had so many things she wanted to say and ask, but her vocal cords were not working right now, her body already sagging, relaxing, against him. Within moments, she was out like a light, passing out in his arms from all the physical exertion she’d been put through.

Chapter 44

Ten hours later, soft lips brushed against her neck and shoulders, a strong hand caressing her stomach as Abigail’s eyes slowly opened, her vision blurry at first. The last time she’d woken up after passing out had been in a bedroom at Dean’s place. This wasn’t Dean’s place and she instantly recognized it as Mark’s tower. Looking down at the heavily tattooed sleeved arm told her it WAS Mark she was with.

“Mmm I wanna sleep…” His deep chuckle in her ear made her shift, his tongue tracing her ear. “You took everything out of me, Mark…” Her voice was soft and lethargic, nuzzling her face into the pillow, sighing in contentment.

“Almost everything.” He agreed, chuckling, running his lips down the column of her throat, leaning over her. “You have to get up, Abigail… you’ve slept the day away.”

In her defense, he had put her through her paces and then some. Pushing aside her raven locks, Taker surveyed the bite he had left on her, nodding his satisfaction. He had tended to it while she slept, making sure to prevent any uncomfortable stiffness or swelling. Marked was one thing he wanted, but never did Taker want to actually hurt her.

The mark was a purple and blue bruise marring her skin on the spot between her shoulder and neck. Abigail gingerly sat up in bed, groaning at how sore her body was and didn’t realize she was also marked in other areas of her body. Inner thighs and breasts for instance, all areas that were easily covered up, thankfully.

“Okay – okay.” She mumbled, softly kissing him and felt him pull her to where she straddled his lap, caressing his scarred face.

Lifting her, Abigail clung to him, not expecting him to stand and let him guide her wherever he wanted her to go, which was the bathroom. Time for a hot shower that would hopefully loosen her stiff, sore body a little. So far, there was no animosity or anger from either of them, which was a good thing, but something told Abigail, if she brought up magic, they would be back to square one. Malcolm would help her, she wouldn’t ask for Mark’s help with this unless Malcolm wanted to be the one to bring it up.

He had been mulling the magic thing over in his mind, along with her defiance and lack of respect for anyone but herself. The way he saw it, he was going to have to work with his father, not her. He would never work with Abigail because he didn’t trust her to do what was best based on experience, fact and reason. She went by instinct and her assumptions, something he simply couldn’t do. However, in the tower, when it was just them, it was just them. Magic, and all the rest had to stay outside that door.

“Shit, my stuff is still at…” Abigail blinked when her bag floated into the bathroom to land in her lap, while she sat on the sink to wait for the water to warm up in the shower. “Thanks.” She unzipped her bag, pulled out what she needed and set the bag aside on the floor, trying to fully wake up. So many different emotions flowed through her at once, it was a little overwhelming and she felt him lift her chin to meet his eyes, accepting another soft kiss from him. “We need to talk.” Another kiss. “Mark, we really need to…” Another kiss, this time more fervent and breathtaking. “S-Stop, damn it!” He wasn’t listening to her and Abigail felt powerless, pressing her hands against his chest to grip the material of his shirt tightly in her fists.

“If it’s about magic, or what happened, or any of your little plans, Abbie, I don’t want to hear it right now.” He said quietly and firmly. “I will speak with Malcolm later about Wyatt, but not with you.” They had said way too many hurtful things last night and she had made her opinion of him quite clear. If he had to hear it again, he’d probably show her a real dictator and execute her with his bare hands. Better that than the hurtful poison that she had spewed.

“No, we ARE going to talk about it! I don’t want you to…do something you’re obviously against. That’s not what I was trying to do. You hate magic, for some reason, which I still don’t understand. You use it for CERTAIN reasons, but claim you’re against it and that confuses the hell out of me. Don’t do the Mythril shit, if that’s what you want. I give up.” Abigail hopped off the sink, hissing out and snatched her bag, limping into the bedroom. “I’ll talk to Malcolm about it, but not you.” She mocked scathingly, shoving into a pair of panties and shorts, feeling as though she wanted to rip her hair out. “Do what YOU feel is best since it’s not magic! Even though Bray is invincible right now, can’t be killed, can’t even be SCRATCHED, but go ahead with your non-magic beliefs, Mark!” Slipping her bra and tank top on, Abigail hissed out again when another shot of pain zipped through her lower extremities, knowing it was from the intense sex they’d had. “Son of a bitch!”

Obviously, Abigail had mental issues. Last night she had called him a dictator, comparing him to Bray Wyatt. Today, he was trying to compromise with her on some level, but he couldn’t actually work with her because he wanted peace between them, which wouldn’t happen if they had a working relationship. Yet here she was again, raging as if someone had pulled her strings and made every little thing a personal slight.

“Just tell me what you want, Abigail. Because I’m not a mind reader. One second you’re raging at me for not doing what you want, and the next you’re raging because I am. So pick a side and stick with it.” She was draining him.

“I want Bray gone. I want the DOV destroyed. And I want to be with YOU, stubbornness and all, you ass!” Abigail admitted, feeling exhausted all over again and rubbed her temples, tears filling her eyes. “I was just trying to do the right thing. I thought by rescuing Malcolm, it would weaken the DOV, which it did. Taking his only source of magic from him will damn near cripple him, but I had no idea about that stupid spell he forced Malcolm to put on him. He never told me that, and it caught me off-guard. I also thought…using the magical properties of the Mythril would help Wonderful instead of you having to go out on those dangerous journeys to hospitals for medicine. I know what magic has done to this world, but it also has its benefits and you don’t agree with that. You hate magic, even though you use it, you claim to hate it. I asked you to save Malcolm and you denied me, you said it wasn’t worth it because you wanted to take the DOV out if you went. And I didn’t agree with you. I didn’t press you on the issue either, and found another way to save him, but yet I somehow defied you?” Wiping tears away from her eyes, Abigail clenched her fists tightly in her lap. “If you would’ve gone to the DOV, you would’ve been killed, Mark. Do you realize that? And then what? Wonderful would’ve died along with you – that’s how important you are to everyone here, even ones that don’t like you. I was just trying to help…and I fucked it all up and I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you, or defy you, or disrespect you by saving him…”

“As for my hatred of magic, I’ve seen it used for good, bad and in between. Using it to disguise myself here in the city, vanity and an abuse. These scars… they were a lot worse, and even now they should be terrible. But Glen’s magic has… changed me.” He had felt it when he removed it and he could feel it now. “But there will always be people like Bray Wyatt who abuse it, and the power with it, but there are so few people like you, willing to stand up to him at whatever cost.” She was a rare gem in a harsh world of cold realism.

“You shouldn’t disguise yourself because those scars are part of who you are. They show you’ve been through hell and came out the other side.” Abigail stood up and walked up to him, reaching up to touch the side of his face right over the scars, her eyes not showing a hint of repulse. “Not that I don’t enjoy some of your disguises…”

What did Stephanie call the one with the black beard again? Lord of Darkness? Yes, she did enjoy that look immensely and leaned up to kiss him, pressing her body against his.

“And I’m only standing up to him because of you, because you’re helping me do it. I should’ve listened to you instead of jumping the gun and going off on my own with Dean. And…I’m sorry for what I said to you last night. I don’t think you’re a dictator and I don’t think you’re like Bray at all. You’ve treated me like gold since I came here, even AFTER you found out who I really was and…I didn’t take that into consideration. I honestly thought I was doing the right thing, and I still don’t regret saving Malcolm, but…I could’ve gone about it another way instead of being sneaky.”

Dean had helped her with that and encouraged some of her more nastier thoughts. She hadn’t said anything Ambrose hadn’t thrown in his face before. Eventually, he was going to beat Ambrose down like the little punk bitch that he was.

“I’m sorry too, darlin’.” He pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her and began chuckling when both their stomachs rumbled. “Dinner?” Hopefully, the common house was still open or else he’d have to find them something else to eat.

She smiled at him, nodding and could feel the tension leaving both of their bodies, rubbing her nose gently against his. “Why don’t you go get us some food while I take a shower? I really – REALLY need one after what we did this morning.” Blushing at his chuckle, she smacked his chest playfully and moaned as he captured her mouth in another heart-stopping kiss. “Or I can meet you…down there, after I clean up?”

When he agreed to that, Abigail pecked his mouth again and gingerly stood up from his lap to head back into the bathroom, grabbing her bag on the way. Within a few minutes, she was under the sprays and let the hot water soothe away the aches in her body. Though, she couldn’t stop smiling and hoped there were no more arguments with Mark.

~!~

“Oh look who finally decided to grace us with his presence…”

Stephanie laughed when Taker strolled into the relatively quiet common house. They had cleared dinner a while ago, though there was plenty leftover. She was overseeing, feeling a lot better now that she had her blood pressure in check. Not that she was working, no. She was sitting in a chair with her feet propped in her man’s lap.

“That big flash, that was you, wasn’t it?”

Taker just nodded, heading straight for the kitchen to start making plates. Malcolm and Susan should be around here somewhere, he figured.

“Mark, hi!” Susan beamed brightly, bouncing up to him with a grin and did a twirl, pointing at her hair. “Do you like it? Amy dyed it for me…” She now had lime green streaks throughout her red auburn hair.

“Dear lord, what was that woman thinking?!” Malcolm exclaimed, his eyes wide and groaned when she jutted her lower lip out in a pout. “It’s beautiful, sweetheart. You look beautiful, no matter what, you know that.” She reminded him so much of his precious Lily, and it made something twinge painfully in his chest. His blue eyes finally landed on the man known as the Undertaker and Malcom cracked a hesitant smile, clearing his throat. “It’s been… a long time, Mark.”

“Whoa, back up homie, you know each other?” John blinked, not expecting that and groaned when Stephanie smacked him upside the head.

“Shut up and keep rubbing, Cena.”

Malcolm chuckled, nodding at the younger man with the crew cut. “Of course we do, boy. He’s my son.”

“And my Uncle.” Susan added proudly with a heart stopping smile that mirrored her late mother’s.

Now John was gaping, looking between Taker and Malcolm, immediately noticing the family resemblance. “Holy shit!”

Did everyone honestly think his birth name was Undertaker? That was just grim as hell and Taker couldn’t believe people actually thought that was his real name. Even for them. Sitting down, he placed the trays out, eyes on Malcolm. He wasn’t entirely sure what to say to the guy.

“You got old.” He commented after a moment, snorting when he got a look.

Taker didn’t remember an old man. He remembered a guy in blue jeans and a sweatshirt, panicking his ass off and reassuring two boys he’d be back as soon as possible. He remembered Lily crying as she was carried out of the house. Closing his eyes, Taker wished he couldn’t remember of his dead family.

Stephanie nudged John with her foot when he opened his mouth again, shaking her head.

There was no fixing what he’d done, the choice he’d made by taking Lily away instead of all three of his children. Mark had been 10, Glen 8 and he knew boys like his would survive unlike Lily, not without protection. Malcolm had wanted to go back for his boys, but that hadn’t happened due to him hiding out as long as he did with Lily. At age 16, she was found by the DOV and, along with her, Malcolm had been taken and used for his magic while she was forced to pop out three babies, all girls, before being executed. Bray had forced him to watch the execution, which was public, and Malcolm had never cried so hard in his life, trying to beg the bastard not to kill his only daughter. He was shut down, his hand burned, just like it’d been whenever he dared to defy Bray Wyatt.

“You got tall.” Malcolm remarked with a smirk, sitting down at the table and noticed the two trays. Abigail would be joining them soon, he surmised.

“Uncle Mark, where’s Abigail? I haven’t seen her, and I miss her.” Susan was childlike, due to only being a little over one year old, age wise. “She’s not…mad at me, is she? Or at Papa? Or is she in trouble for…bringing Papa here?” Her eyes lowered, chewing her bottom lip nervously.

Apparently, having Malcolm around had brought Susan out of her shell and she was even now calling him Uncle Mark in public. Lord, his reputation was about to go to hell. “She’ll be along, lil darlin’.” He reassured her, a bit curious why a grown woman was acting like a kid and then Stephanie gave him a look, as if reading his mind.

It took him several moments to realize that Susan was only a year old. Physically, she looked older and obviously her brain had developed at abnormal speeds, but not enough. That brought along a whole new host of issues.

“Malcolm, the soldiers Wyatt bred… are they… like Susie?”

It still didn’t feel right, calling him ‘Dad’. Was that what they were fighting? Children in adult bodies? His stomach was curdling.

Chapter 45

Malcolm took the glass of water Susan gave him, taking a long sip of it and set it down, patting her hand gently. She was childlike because she WAS a child in a woman’s body. It broke his heart because Susan wouldn’t change past a certain age, he believed it was 25. Bray wanted the women to stay young and not age past a certain age to keep them healthy enough to breed.

“A good chunk of them, yes, but he also has loyal followers.” It hurt Malcolm not to be referred to as ‘Dad’ by Mark, but he understood and would not push his son. “I would say 80%.”

“Susie, why don’t you slice your grandfather up a nice chunk of that apple pie you made earlier today, hmm?” This poor girl did NOT need to hear this after everything she’d been through. “And if you want, we’ll take you back to our place to play a board game or two.”

“Can I see Abigail first?”

“Sure.”

John waited until Susan had bounced out of the room, frowning. “So, his army is made up of mostly… kids, in… adult bodies?” He had to make sure he had heard that right, seeing the look on Taker’s face and knew it was reflected in his own. “Man, that’s not right… and they’re… they have to uh, mate too, don’t they?” At Malcolm’s nod, he turned a shade of green he usually associated with Stephanie’s pregnancy puking.

“That’s enough enlightenment for you, buster. Carry me home.” John was good muscle, but way too soft for this kind of talk. Stephanie wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling him lift her and waved over his shoulder at Taker and Malcolm.

Just then, the door opened, and Abigail walked inside, her black hair wet hanging down her back and over her shoulders.

“Abigail!” Susan rushed over to her and hugged her around the neck, her emerald eyes twinkling. “Uncle Mark got you food and I helped cook it! I hope it’s okay.”

This wasn’t the first woman child she had dealt with, so Abigail had an inkling of what to do and say. “I’m sure it’s perfectly fine, sweetheart.” She kissed the top of Susan’s head and made her way over to where Mark and Malcolm sat. “Hey Steph, how are you feeling?”

“Huge.” Stephanie responded with a smile, waddling over to her after John set her down. “Good to have you back. At least, I hope you’re coming back…”

“I think I’m gonna stick with whatever job Dean has in store for me, but if I don’t like it, I’ll definitely come back.” She did not notice Mark tense at the mention of the other man’s name and hugged Stephanie. “You shouldn’t be on your feet too long.”

“Don’t worry, she’s not.” John scooped her up in his arms with ease again, even with Stephanie being 8 months pregnant and grinned. “Susie, you comin’ with us, lil homie girl?”

“Go on, we’ll talk later.” Abigail winked at her, receiving another hug and watched her walk out of the common house with Stephanie and John, her eyes turning to the two men at the table. “Malcolm, I’m glad you’ve settled in and I’m so sorry I wasn’t here to…show you the ropes.”

“Quite alright, Sis-I mean Abigail.” Malcolm smiled apologetically. “That’s still hard for me not to call you that.”

“I know, it’s okay.” She sat down beside Mark in front of her tray of food and began eating.

“Will her mind ever catch up?” Mark asked, having watched Susan take off with John and Stephanie.

He hadn’t missed the way the pair coddled her and treated her like a child. Even Abigail did it and it came naturally to her, so he assumed she had plenty of experience. This was a prime example of what he had been talking to her about: Abuse of magic. Not all magic was bad, and intent meant quite a bit. Wyatt was an evil person with evil intent, and his father had… had to help.

“To an extent, yes.”

“Lily… was used…”

To breed monster babies and she had been murdered for having girls. What the hell kind of world had Bray Wyatt been trying to create? He got it, why Abigail wanted to destroy him and the DOV at any cost. He was with her, for the most part, he just wanted to make sure that in the process, they didn’t become what they were fighting against. He was going to ignore the Dean Ambrose thing for now, and see what happened. Right now, she and Malcolm had given him bigger things to worry about than a punk with a chip on his shoulder.

“Yes. The women, if they have boys, they are taken away one month after birth, due to the serum. Because they don’t need their mother and they start training immediately.” Malcolm explained, clasping his hands on the table in front of him and sighed. “Girls are…kept with their mothers, but the mothers are…beaten and raped for not producing the right sex. Wyatt calls it ‘atonement to the Dominion’. The serum I came up with cannot generate a specific sex, it’s all on the man, not that he understands that. He thinks the women are responsible for choosing the sex of the baby, which isn’t true. That’s why he sent Abigail here to investigate the Mythril because of its magical properties. He seems to think the Mythril added to the serum will cause the mothers to have more boys than girls. I told him it was a long shot, but he wouldn’t listen to me and assured me he knows what he’s doing.”

“Malcolm, since I’ve been gone, has he gotten worse?”

“Abigail, he’s a monster and he has to be destroyed. You understand that, right?”

“Yes, of course. I want him stopped and the DOV destroyed. And I know the only way to do that is killing him.”

“Did you explain to him what needs to be done?”

Abigail swallowed hard, nodding. “I told him what you told me.”

“Mark, this is very dark magic we need to tap into in order to break the spell. It calls for a blood sacrifice by two Calaway’s. I’ve dipped my hands into this type of magic, but I’m not completely familiar with it. How did you come to have powers anyway, my boy?” Glen was the one with the powers, not Mark, though Mark always had the potential to become a sorcerer. He chose not to, however.

He hated thinking of that day, of Glen’s death and sighed, pushing away his barely touched plate. Instead, Taker reached for the urn of coffee in the center of the table, knowing the hot plate had kept it warm. He filled himself a mug, figuring he was going to need it, though a dash of whiskey would make it better.

“After you and Lily left, a few days after actually, there was a raid on the town we were hiding in. Glen and I stayed inside, but they set houses on fire, and…” He groaned, feeling Abigail’s hand coming to rest on his thigh and glanced down at her, flashing her a tight smile. “We were caught in it. He was pretty… charred.” Burnt like an overdone piece of fried chicken, actually. “I was bad, but not like him. He… I don’t know how he did it, but he used his magic… it felt like he was… pushing it into me. He saved me.”

Malcolm closed his eyes momentarily, trying to reign his emotions in and cleared his throat gruffly. Glen had always admired Mark and followed his big brother around everywhere from the time he could walk. They were extremely close, so Glen sacrificing himself in order to save Mark did not surprise Malcolm at all.

“Good boy.” He whispered, nodding and felt extremely proud of his deceased son.

It was heartbreaking to watch Malcolm’s emotions play across his face because he was doing everything in his power not to cry. Abigail didn’t leave Mark’s side, stroking his thigh and leaned her head against his arm, hoping eventually he would eat. This wasn’t proper dinner conversation, by any means, but they needed to plot and plan the DOV and Bray’s destruction.

“For what it’s worth, my son, you’ve done well and have built quite a town here. I’m proud of you.” Malcolm poured himself a cup of coffee, needing the boost of energy.

“Wonderful?” Taker shook his head. “There was already a town here. People were hiding, and the DOV had raided it a couple times. This was… god, 12 years ago?” He tended to lose track of the time quite easily. “I was roaming, laying low and keeping to myself, passed this place a few times. I found Red, where’s my Red?” He looked around, spotting Amy behind the front counter managing the ledger and nodded at her, not surprised to see her grin and then get a nod in return. “Her, I found her. She was being… attacked.” His eyes flashed acid at the thought. “And she wasn’t nothing but a teen at the time, just a kid…”

That was when he learned just how powerful Glen’s magic- HIS magic- was because he had lost his temper, stumbling upon a woman being raped. It was one thing to hear about it, but to SEE it. That still haunted any decent person’s dreams for a lifetime.

“We returned here, and it was smoke and ruins, but people kept coming. I think it’s because it was one of the last few towns in the area. We just… built, and then the wall…”

“And as long as he wills it, nobody with ill intent is allowed to get past the barriers he set back then.” Amy came over with a fresh urn of coffee, flashing Abigail a friendly smile. “I’m going to bed guys, don’t stay up too late.”

Up to this point, Abigail never heard the story of how Amy had come to Wonderful. Mark had saved her from the DOV. She had no idea Wonderful had been raided because she was forced to stay at the castle. Bray sent his men out and a lot of them were vicious, merciless, with Luke Harper at the charge.

“We won’t, thank you, Amy.” Abigail winked at her, watching her walk out and turned her attention back to Malcolm. “Glen is protecting all of us.”

“He’s also watching out for us too, Abigail. I believe that, and I also believe he lead you to Mark.”

“What do you mean?”

“My dear, Bray could’ve sent anyone out to Wonderful to investigate the Mythril and the leader. But he chose YOU. I do believe a higher power is responsible for that happening, for Bray to turn to you, of all people, who he claims as his Queen, to send her here and put her in potential danger. Magic works in mysterious ways, Abigail, some of it good and some of it bad. I do believe they used to call it destiny.”

“I still don’t understand why he came to me either. He said I was the only one he could trust to do this, but yet, he was overprotective of me at the castle.” Killing his own men for even talking to her, for example. “And I was never his Queen or the Queen Mother of anything, he only assumed I was and I would go along with his cruelty.”

“You do realize he will come for you, if we don’t act soon.” Now Malcolm’s face had changed to something darker, his smile gone. “We have to attack him within another month. He’s planning on bringing his forces to Wonderful to get you and the Mythril, by any means necessary.” He saw her shiver, nodding solemnly. “He may not be able to breach this place, but that doesn’t mean he won’t find a way in and I think we should bring the fight to him.”

“You mean, go back to the castle…” Abigail frowned, not sure how she felt about that and looked up at Mark, who was contemplating his father. “Whatever you want to do, I support it.” She spoke to Mark now, his head turning to stare down at her with those hypnotic green eyes.

“He won’t make it through Wonderful’s walls, he can’t anymore.” Taker had made sure of it. “The only way through would be the little springs a few of the more… enterprising,” That was a nice way of saying smuggler, and ‘Taker’s green eyes ghosted over Abigail briefly. “Citizens use to get in and out. That is easily fixed.”

“He could lay siege, though.”

“Agreed, that is the main reason I don’t want war on my doorstep. We’re self-sufficient to a point. Our resident scientists have been working on it, but anything long term would drain resources.”

“I don’t think you’d want dark magic here either… it leaves its mark.” And Wonderful may not live up to its name if they did that here.

“What do you think, darlin’?”

Abigail agreed with Mark, not because she wanted to maintain the peace between them, but because she genuinely felt he was right. “We take the fight to him. Malcolm knows more about magic than anyone, so if he says dark magic leaves its mark on the world, I want that mark to be on the castle grounds. On DOV territory. There’s no reason to bring war here, especially with Stephanie, Trish and Amy, along with the other pregnant women and families. People are happy here. And I know of a way to get close enough to Bray to break the spell.”

Malcolm didn’t know if he liked the sound of this, but decided to hear her out anyway. “What is that, my dear?”

“I’m half the reason Bray would come here because of his obsession over me. I’m his Queen, so you need to use that to your advantage.”

“Abigail…”

“Bray won’t leave his ranks without a reason, his wall of defense and soldiers. I’m probably the only reason he would step forward away from them. Use me as bait to lure him out and break the spell.” It sounded a lot simpler than it actually was, but Abigail knew for the spell to work they had to be in close proximity with Bray. Malcolm had made that abundantly clear. “I trust you both to keep me safe. And I said it from the beginning, if you have to use me as bait to bring Bray and the DOV down, do it.”

“And how are we going to use you as bait, darlin’?” The woman had offered this up before. However, saying ‘I’m bait’ and then applying it were usually two different things. “Wave you from a flagpole or something and hope he comes running?”

“He might, he is fairly obsessed with her.”

“Enough to send you away from him.” Hell no. “We need him out of his castle, but on DOV turf…”

Chapter 46

“You also need me, you jackass, leavin’ me outta all this,” Steve had come in, hearing from Stephanie there was a meeting going on and rolled his eyes at Taker. He dropped down across from the Deadman and Abigail, by Malcolm, and nodded at the older man. “Why not uh, string her up where he can see?”

“Act like I’m going to execute her?” That had potential to go wrong if Wyatt didn’t fall for it.

“It would work though.” Abigail was confident, especially with how much Bray ‘loved’ her and was obsessed with her. “Let me fill you in on how obsessed Bray is with me, Mark. Maybe that’ll change your mind and make you more…inclined to go along with Steve’s idea.” She smiled softly up at him, taking his hand and suddenly, the smile faded. “When the DOV first started, or was formed, Bray had a set of followers and he trusted them, enough. One of those followers…they talked to me, just talked, no physicality, just talking. Bray had him executed and did it himself, slicing his head off right in front of me and decreed no one was allowed to talk to his Queen.” She shuddered at the memory, remembering her white dress had been stained with the man’s blood, and spatters of it had wound up on her face as well. “If you were to string me up and act like you would execute me, he would come running. I’m sure of it.”

“I’m in agreement. You have to remember, Mark, I’ve been with the DOV for a long time and I have seen, firsthand, how obsessed he is with Abigail. He would do anything to ensure her safety and that includes leaving his ranks to get close enough to break the spell on him.”

“What a minute, what the hell kinda spell ya talkin’ about?”

“The stupid kind.” Taker snorted derisively. “Sure, string her up. Are you positive he’s going to come though? If he’s not suspicious with his sorcerer missing, then he’s a massive idiot and I’m blaming his rise to power on sheer fuckin’ luck and equally idiotic people enabling him.”

“We have that sedative. We give it to her prior to the execution, so she just looks like she’s dead, and if we do it right, her neck won’t snap either. It’ll look like she died from choking to death.”

Considering not so long ago he had been choking her, just a little bit, Taker bit back a smirk and just nodded. “All right… all right, we’ll do it.” But if they were really going to be that dramatic…. He began to smirk, shaking his head.

That look of evil was all from his mother. She had been a beautiful, kind woman, but cross her and Satan emerged.

“No – no, making it LOOK like I’m dead won’t do any good. It’ll piss Bray off, but he won’t leave his wall of defense. You have to keep me alive – make it look like I’m harmed and alive.”

“And what if he doesn’t come?”

“THEN you can go along with the sedative and make it look like I’m dead.”

Malcolm nodded in agreement with her. “Yes, but I’m almost 100% positive he will come to her ‘rescue’, at least that’s what it’ll seem like in his demented mind.”

“All right, we can handle that, boss.” Steve understood where she was coming from, now that he thought about it. “No sedative, are you sure, honey? That rope is…not very comfortable.”

“I’ll be fine.” Abigail knew Mark would never let anything actually happen to her, but if something did go wrong, she would be killed anyway. She’d rather die with the man she loved as opposed to a monster.

“Okay, now what’s with this spell bullshit yer spewin’? That bastard has a protection on him?”

“A protection spell, yes. And it requires…dark magic to break it.”

“Boss…dark magic?” Steve did NOT like the sound of that.

“Malcolm apparently took option B.”

Instead of just dying honorably and sacrificing a few, he had cast some spell and lived, sacrificing the many instead. “Gotcha. How’s it going to be broken?”

Probably in a very horrible manner resulting in more death. And people wondered about his issues with magic. He ran his hands through his hair, sighing and looked at Malcolm. “So what’s this dark magic we got to do?”

“A blood sacrifice – Bray is under the impression the spell can never be broken because my offspring are all dead. He doesn’t know you are my son, Mark, which is our advantage. I have most of the ingredients to perform the ritual, but I will also need to combine our blood together. And it’s going to be a lot.” Malcolm stood up from the table, rubbing his hands together nervously and knew this was where things got a little tricky. “I will have to drain nearly all of your blood as well as mine, enough to ensure we can bathe Wyatt in our blood. We have to coat him with it, which is why we need him close enough to be able to do this. You will be severely weakened because of how much blood this requires, Mark.” He warned, his voice deepening much like Mark’s when he was troubled. “The spell has to be said right after the bastard is bathed in our blood and the blood itself will make the protection spell deteriorate.”

“Holy shit.”

“Oh my god…” Abigail felt tears swell in her eyes, feeling as though her heart had just sank to the pit of her stomach. “W-Will either of you die from all that blood loss, Malcolm?”

“It’s a gamble, Abigail, I won’t lie to you and I won’t sugarcoat how dangerous this spell is, but it’s the only way to access the dark magic. Dark magic requires sacrifice of some kind. Magic ALWAYS comes with a price, remember that.”

“Steve, go get Hardy.”

“Which one?”

“Jeff.”

“Gotcha, boss.”

Steve was up and running… well jogging, he didn’t run unless he had too. He had to wear a knee brace most days due to an old injury involving a skirmish with the DOV. Taker waited patiently, his eyes never leaving Malcolm’s face and when Steve finally returned with the younger Hardy, he repeated everything they had just been told.

“Uh…” Jeff stared at Malcolm, green eyes widening. “Nearly all of it?” When Malcolm nodded, Jeff frowned. “How the fuck do you guys plan on surviving that? Your magic going to be able to kick in or something?” Highly doubtful since they would be using magic, on top of draining their blood. Abigail looked ready to have a crying fit and he didn’t blame her. “You’re looking at a class 4 hemorrhage, Taker, and that is basically automatic death. Your hearts are going to be struggling to pump what isn’t there and the circulatory system strains everything else.” He ran his hands through his hair, looking more than slightly concerned. “Where uh, is this potential scenario taking place?” If it was here, they might be able to circumvent the death sitch.

If Mark died, Wonderful went along with him because there was still a chance this blood sacrifice wouldn’t work. Abigail couldn’t let her feelings get in the way of what needed to be done. No matter how much she loved Mark, and still hadn’t told him, this was the only way to stop Bray. They couldn’t kill him without breaking the spell and the spell HAD to be broken.

“Abigail…” Malcolm saw how distraught she was and blinked when she held her hand up, silencing him.

“I’m fine.” Flat lie, but what else was she supposed to say? Don’t do it? It NEEDED to be done, that was the problem. “We have to ensure Taker survives because, if he dies, the protection spell over Wonderful goes with him. He has to be first priority to save, no offense, Malcolm.”

Malcolm nodded, understanding and could see the steel in her eyes, the determination. He didn’t blame her. “Don’t spare my life. I’ve lived long enough and I’m willing to die in order to ensure my son lives and Bray Wyatt is brought to justice.”

“What about a blood transfusion, Hardy?”

“That’s why I’m asking where this has to happen. If we can do it here, blood transfusion is definitely possible.” Jeff understood some principles of magic, but magic was also vastly wild, and just… crazy. He dealt in science, cold hard facts. “If we can take the blood, bit by bit, there’s no danger at all. If we have to have it um, fresh, or right then and there, a blood transfusion isn’t going to cut it, not unless we can set up beforehand.”

“Which can tip your hand…” Steve groaned, rubbing his bald head. “Can it be done here, the blood drainin’?” He never thought he’d be asking a question like that. “And then we just transport it?” Or like that.

Somehow, Taker didn’t think it was going to be that easy and looked at his father for the answer.

“It has to be fresh, but…there is a loophole to that.” Malcolm waved his hand, a knife floating from the kitchen right into his hand and walked over to the table, a bowl appearing moments later. “Watch.”

Slicing his hand, a few drops of his blood went into the bowl and he began chanting in a different language. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as a white mist coated the drops of blood, the wound on his hand also healing. Abigail watched in awe, midnight blues wide and watched the white mist slowly disappear until all that was left was the drops of blood.

“W-What just happened?”

“That blood is as fresh as the moment it came out of my body. I can cast a spell on the blood, providing I make it through the draining process. And if I can’t, Mark will have to do it.”

“So, we can’t drain you a pint at a time and let you recover?”

“If we had more time, yes, but Malcolm told me in a month’s time, Bray will be at Wonderful’s doorstep. We have to take the fight to him. We have to end this on DOV soil.”

“Whoa hold up, this is where science comes in.” Malcolm was a magical genius, but didn’t know dick about science. He had that end then, they could do this. “We drain you. You preserve it. Transfusion. I know for a fact Taker’s magic kicks in and starts healing him without him needing to think about it.”

“That’s all Glen, that was his original intent.” Taker said after a moment. “To heal me, the intent is still there.” All the rest was just icing on the cake.

“I think we need to find out just how much blood we need.”

“So, you take one of the older hogs, drain it and find someone roughly Wyatt’s size to test it out on.”

“A decent size pig does have about the same amount of blood as a human…” Jeff informed them, looking to Abigail and then Taker. “We could try that. It would let us know how much we need from you both. We can drain based on that, and transfusions up the ass during the draining process.”

Mark looked at her again and she just nodded, touching the side of his face with her hand gently. “Whatever you want to do, I support you. I think testing this out with an animal instead of…jumping into it is a good idea, though.”

“Abigail, we’re going to need you to pick out someone who is about the size of Wyatt.”

There was only one person she had seen that was around the same size as Bray, just not as round, but Abigail didn’t know if he’d go through with it. “I have someone in mind…and I’ll talk to him about it tomorrow.” It was too late to do it tonight and everyone looked mentally drained from discussing this.

“I’ll go down to the farm and grab the biggest piece of bacon they got.” They were in need of pork anyway. Stephanie had complained about getting low on bacon and pork chops for meals. “Sound good to you, boss?”

“Yeah, sounds good. I wouldn’t worry about it until morning though, Steve. I don’t think people want to be woken up to squealing.” He advised, smiling humorlessly, though inside he was definitely feeling relieved.

They were going to do this with some fact behind them, not blindly, not guessing. He didn’t mind putting his life in danger, but usually he had some solid fact behind him, which gave him peace of mind there was a chance of not biting it just yet. Taker wrapped his arm around Abigail, pulling her into his side and dropped a kiss on her forehead.

“You okay with all of this, darlin’?”

“I know I am. I’d rather have an accurate guess of how much we’re going to need.” Malcolm was now also very hungry again. He eyed his son’s plate, smiling when Mark pushed it towards him.

She wanted to scream ‘NO!’ and lock Mark up somewhere nobody could get to him, to protect him anyway she could. Abigail couldn’t do that though, too many lives were on the line and they would be experimenting before actually doing the draining. Malcolm looked relieved, so that was a good thing at least.

“I’m fine.” She cracked a hesitant smile at him, snuggling against his side before standing from the table. “I’m gonna go lay down since SOMEONE wore me out. Don’t stay up too late.” She murmured, dropping a soft kiss on his lips and walked out, letting the tears fall as soon as she was far enough away from the common house.

There was no way she could show her tears, her fear of this situation, to Mark, not when he was willing to do whatever it took to bring Bray and the DOV down.

“Babe.” She hadn’t gotten very far when none other than Taker’s personal pain in the ass stepped out of the shadows, his face briefly lit by his cigarette when he inhaled. “You had me worried.”

She had been sick, very sick, and he had been the one to take care of her. Abigail was supposed to come back, she had said she was coming back, and she hadn’t. He had heard that damn roar of Taker’s and he knew where she had been.

“Abs?” He flicked the cigarette away, moving to take her into his arms. She looked like she was struggling not to cry, and Dean reached up to brush his thumb across her cheek, catching a tear. “What’s wrong, beautiful?” She wasn’t struggling not to cry, she was trying to stop crying.

Shaking her head, Abigail tried to stop the tears and couldn’t, clutching the front of his shirt tightly in her hands. “I-I’m fine…I-I have to be fine…” She knew Dean cared a great deal for her and she cared about him too, but it wasn’t the way he wanted. Abigail was afraid of hurting him further, not even sure she wanted to ask for his help regarding this insane blood draining plan. “D-Dean…” Her voice cracked, and he immediately pulled her into his arms, her face burying in his neck as her tears coated his skin. Bringing Malcolm here sealed Mark’s fate and it was her fault she couldn’t leave well enough alone. Granted, he would’ve been slaughtered had he tried taking on the DOV without knowing about that spell Bray had on him…this was just one big clusterfuck. “I-I’m sorry I worried you…” She mumbled against his neck, feeling him comfort her by rubbing her back and slowly pulled back to look into his electric blues. “I-I’m okay, I’m fine…”

No, no she wasn’t, and she wouldn’t be if something happened to Mark.

Chapter 47

“No, you’re not.” Dean protested softly, staring into her eyes thoughtfully and shook his head. “You’re not fine.”

Glancing towards the common house, he wondered what had happened to make her so sad. Was it Taker? He knew Abigail had been expecting the worst and, while he was definitely hopeful that they hadn’t reconciled, he was not prepared for feeling… bad… and regretful over her obvious distress. Gently, he scooped her up into his arms, carrying her like the princess she was.

“Let me take you home, babe.” Dean whispered softly, planting a kiss against the side of her head. “You need sleep before you get sick again.” He doubted Taker was doing her physical well-being any favors, the prick.

“No, I’m not going with you, Dean.” Abigail managed to squirm out of his arms, shaking her head and wiped her tears away, wrapping her arms around herself. “I have to…stay here. I have to stay close to Taker, and spend as much time with him as I can. I love him, Dean.” Fresh tears formed in her eyes at that confession, one she had already told him during their journey. “I love him, and he might…” Shaking her head, Abigail couldn’t talk about this right now and felt as if her heart was being ripped to shreds. “No, I’m fine. I have to be fine. I asked for this, I did this…and I can’t…I can’t talk about this right now. Tomorrow, tomorrow I’ll come back and…tell you what’s going on, but not tonight. Not now.”

“Abs…”

What the hell? She had told him so much before, but now all of a sudden, she was shutting him down. Dean wasn’t going to lie, it bothered him, made him feel a bit used, and his electric blue eyes narrowed when he spotted the Undertaker walking towards them, with the sorcerer, Malcolm, alongside of him.

“Darlin’?” There was a question in his tone, his own eyes narrowing at Ambrose. Why was it not a surprise to find that asshole lurking? It looked like Abigail had picked up another suitor.

Abigail tensed at the sound of Mark’s voice behind her because her face was a mess of tears and pain. She wasn’t shutting Dean down, but she was drained emotionally, mentally and physically, trying not to think about all the ways this blood sacrifice, blood draining, blood ritual could go wrong. Touching the side of Dean’s face, Abigail cracked a very small smile and took a deep breath, trying to dry her tears up.

“I’m okay. Tomorrow, I’ll explain everything to you, I promise. You trust me, Dean. Go get some rest, we’ll talk tomorrow.”

Walking away from him, she turned to face Mark and Malcolm, moving to stand beside the man she loved, taking his hand to lace their fingers together. This was who she wanted, who she loved. Abigail would do everything in her power to make sure he didn’t die.

“Good night, everyone.” Malcolm bowed his head, walking off back to the common house and left his son alone with Abigail and Dean Ambrose. He could tell Dean carried a torch for the young lady and hoped he treaded carefully because it was obvious Abigail did not feel the same way for him.

“Let’s go to bed, Taker, please.” She knew better than to call him Mark in front of Dean.

You’re fucking kidding me, was all Dean could think, watching as Taker curled his fingers with Abigail’s.

“All right, darlin’.” He rumbled, knowing his voice was carrying and inwardly smirked.

Dean Ambrose looked royally peeved, not that he blamed the other man. Abigail was a damn fine catch, but she belonged to HIM. Ambrose would learn that, or he’d get it beaten into his skull. But… it also looked like Abbie’s words had hurt Dean worse than he ever could.

“Night, Ambrose.” Maybe just a little salt in the wound.

Flying middle finger was his return. Turning, Dean headed back to the slums, trying to reign in his agitation.

Leaning against Mark, Abigail walked inside the tower with him and heard the door shut as she headed up the stairs, not releasing his hand. Once they were in his bedroom, she peeled her tank top and shorts off, shucking her shoes as well, before taking his hand to push him down on the bed. Straddling him, her mouth captured Mark’s in a searing kiss, not knowing how many more kisses she would be able to experience with him. When he opened his mouth, she pressed her finger to his lips and pulled his shirt up over his head, kissing him again.

“No talking.” She mumbled against his mouth, moving her lips and tongue to his neck, her hands gliding up and down his arms. “Make me yours again, Mark…please…”

At this rate, she was never going to have proper recovery time and Taker didn’t overly mind that. He wasn’t one to turn a beautiful woman down, well… he was, but not THIS beautiful woman. HIS beautiful woman.

“You ARE mine, darlin’.” He rumbled, letting his hands start roaming her body, feeling her pressing into his palms.

Feeling her desperation in waves, Taker sat up, wrapping her in his strong embrace and began kissing her, trying to reassure her without words that everything was going to be all right. They were going to be fine. They weren’t going into this blind, they had a plan, a start, things would work out.

Indeed she was all his, every part and piece of her. Abigail didn’t need any recovery time, not when time wasn’t on their side and wrapped her arms around his neck to kiss him back with equal fire, equal passion, equal intensity. They slowly undressed each other, her lips remaining locked together and not parting for more than a couple minutes at a time. The pain and pleasure mixture was exquisite as Mark filled her once again, claiming her for his own and rocked in and out of her receptive body methodically.

“M-Mark…” Abigail clung to him for dear life, their fingers lacing above her head as he held her down to thrust inside of her, their eyes locked.

Once they were both sated, satisfied and had come down from their sexual high, Abigail lifted her head from resting on Mark’s shoulder to look into his beautiful emerald eyes. “I love you, Mark.” She had to give him something to fight for, something to keep him holding onto life during the blood draining part of the spell. I can’t lose him, she thought solemnly, pressing her forehead against his and kissed him, fighting back tears.

“Even though I make you miserable, darlin’?” He asked with a small smile, snorting at her look.

It was the truth. Taker did make her miserable. She was terrified for him, knowing what the potential outcome could be and, before they had officially ‘hooked up’, to use the old terms, they had been at each other’s throats, tearing each other apart verbally. At her nod, he kissed her forehead.

“Good.” Taker practically purred his approval. “I love you too, Abigail.”

That confession from him opened the floodgates and she cried, burying her face in his neck, her arm wrapped tightly around him. He didn’t make her miserable. Sure, their fights weren’t that great, but for the most part, he made her happy.

“P-Please don’t do this…” Her voice cracked, her entire body trembling and felt his hand rub her back soothingly, trying to calm her down. “I-I can’t lose you and I’m selfish because I know Bray and the DOV have to be stopped.” There had to be another way though, another way without potentially killing him and Malcolm. “Live. Stay with me, Mark…please d-don’t do this…” Her crying turned to heart wrenching sobs that tore throughout her small frame. “D-Don’t leave me…” Her eyes closed and soon, her entire body sagged against him as Abigail passed out, breathing heavily from how hard she cried.

Bless this woman, she thought he was walking into certain death and he wasn’t. They were going to go through with Jeff’s plan, the blood amount thing, and if they could drain exactly the right amount of blood, with Malcolm using magic to preserve it… nobody had to die. Minus Wyatt and anyone who stood with him. Sleep, she needed sleep, and once Taker was sure he wouldn’t wake her, he gently moved her, tucking her in the blankets and sighed, staring down into her tear streaked face. He bent down, brushing his lips against her forehead.

“I’m not leaving you, Abbie.” He murmured, frowning when she moaned an anguished sound. “I promise.”

~!~

The following day, Abigail was woken up to Mark between her thighs, devouring her with his mouth. That was…quite the wakeup call, one she’d never experienced before and hoped it happened a lot more often. He had a smirk on his face, looking like the cat that ate the canary and she just shook her head at him, kissing him feverishly. Abigail wanted to reciprocate and pleasure him in return, but Mark stopped her, simply telling her he was perfectly fine. The pig was on the agenda today, so they both dressed and headed to the common house for breakfast.

“I’ll see you later on. I have to go talk to Dean.” She informed him after they were done eating, seeing the hesitation on his face and kissed him soundly. “I love you, remember that.” Then, she was off, heading down to the ‘slums’ to the Shield building with her hair braided over her shoulder.

She could have waited on him since that trek was on the way down to the barns, but… she wanted to see Ambrose on her own. Fine. He lingered in the doorway, sighing as he watched her go, aware when Amy came up alongside him.

“Matt is worried that if you guys do to many uh, donations, in a month, you’ll still wind up weak. Is your magic able to cover that?”

“It’ll be fine, Red.” He reassured her, before rubbing her head affectionately.

Way too many worried women in his life. Of course, he also knew that back in the day, only so much blood was allowed per donation and then there was a waiting period. He really, really hoped Abigail’s belief that magic could be a cure-all was right.

Abigail was hoping the same thing regarding magic because this was a life or death situation. They were on the brink of war and had barely any time left since it took at least 2 weeks to get to the DOV from Wonderful. She walked as fast as she could without actually running and stopped outside of the Shield building, taking a deep breath. How the hell was Dean going to react to this? She knew he’d HATE the fact she was putting herself up as bait for Bray, but the pig’s blood…Abigail didn’t know how he’d respond. There was only one way to find out.

Squaring her shoulders, she walked through the building and headed up the stairs to the loft, not seeing Roman or Seth anywhere, but she could hear the shower running. It must’ve been Dean. She could NOT have been more wrong as a busty blonde came strolling out in a skimpy towel a few minutes later, a bright smile on her face and let out a surprise shriek at the sight of Abigail.

“Dean!”

Abigail had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing as he skidded across the floor, landing directly on his backside at the blonde’s feet. “Smooth Ambrose, real smooth.” At least he moved on from her, so that was one good thing. “When – uh – you finish up, I need to talk to you. I’ll give you some privacy…” Amusement twinkled in her eyes as she made her way to the stairs to head down.

“Who the hell was THAT?”

“The love of my life, Torrie.” He laughed, getting on his knees before her and reached down to rub his bare backside.

“I thought I was?”

“Well sure, I haven’t met a woman yet who wasn’t.” Dean smirked, running his hands up her bare calves. When she lightly kneed him in the face, he nipped at the inside of her bare thigh. “I’m teasing, babe, she’s a friend.”

Torrie was only slightly mollified.

“Give me five?”

“You should probably put on clothes first.”

It was nothing Abigail hadn’t seen before.

“Oh Christ, Ambrose, get your ass upstairs and get some damn clothes on!”

Abigail slapped a hand over her eyes, scowling at his laughter and couldn’t believe he just sauntered down the stairs completely naked. If she would’ve heard what he called her to the blonde, Abigail would’ve hightailed it out of there as fast as she could. Five minutes later, Dean came back down, and she hesitantly took her hand away from her face to stare at him.

“You are a piece of work. Now come walk with me, I need to talk to you about some things that are going down…and I have a favor to ask you. We can go down to the park or to see the ducks, if you want.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, Abs,” He tipped his head up, directing his next bellow at the upper window of the Shield building. “Torrie, going to be longer than five, babe!” Dean shouted, hearing her cursing him out and just kept laughing. “All right, Abs, what’s up?” He mumbled, a cigarette now dangling on his bottom lip while he fumbled for his lighter.

Dean had gotten with Torrie last night and fucked out his annoyance, it had worked. Great mood restored. Torrie leaned out the open window, wearing one of his shirts.

“You best be back before dark, Ambrose, you jackass!”

“No promises!” He turned around to blow her a kiss, smirking at the middle fingers he was flashed. “I think she’s upset.” He snickered, turning back to Abigail. “Ducks, let’s go see the ducks.”

As long as he was happy, that’s all Abigail cared about when it came to Dean and it looked as though their friendship would be just fine. “She’s pretty.” She commented with a soft smile, walking with him down the street, much like the first time they met, but this time there was a dark cloud looming over them. “Taker and Malcolm talked and…they’re going to work together to defeat Bray and the DOV, but…the way to break the spell is…tricky.” They arrived at the ducks as Abigail sat down in the grass with Dean, staring out at the water. “Dean…Taker might…die in order to break the spell…” Her head lowered as fresh tears stung her eyes, hating how her heart began to crack down the middle all over again. “Malcolm too…it’s highly dangerous and requires a blood sacrifice. They have to…basically, nearly all their blood has to be drained from their bodies in order to have enough for the spell. They’re going to practice with a pig, drain the pig to see exactly how much it would take to coat…Bray. But they need someone around Bray’s height and…muscular in order to do it. I know Bray is slightly stockier than you, but it’ll still work. That’s where you come in.” She looked over at him now, seeing him puffing on his cigarette thoughtfully. “Would you be willing to let them douse you in pig’s blood to see exactly how much blood is required to be drained?”

Dean really hoped Abigail didn’t think Torrie was his, like in the way she was obviously Taker’s because he didn’t roll that way. He had not yet found a woman that held his interest longer than a few days, a week at the most, and Torrie was great in bed, but not overly bright. Dean needed mental stimulation on top of his dick being tickled. Other than the fact that first, Taker’s magic was what protected Wonderful and its citizens and second, it made Abigail sad… Dean didn’t see the downside here. Taker thought he was a hero, let him die like one. Though, there was a delicious irony in this, using magic when Taker was kind of a big bitch about magic.

“You want me to take a bath in pig’s blood?” He eyed her, finally nodding and cracked a grin. “Sure, but only if you hose me off afterwards.” There was a tiny smile. “I’m sure he’ll be fine, Abs.”

“It doesn’t matter how I feel about it because it’s the only way to break the spell. It’s the only way to kill Bray and destroy the DOV.”

Abigail knew the next bit of news she gave him would NOT set well with Dean, but she refused to lie or keep something from him. It was bad enough she had to keep their little sexual rendezvous a secret from Mark. Technically, her and Mark were not together, they had just fooled around a few times, but now that the L word came out, that had changed.

“There’s something else I need to tell you…and you’re not going to like it.” At his arched brow, Abigail stood up from the grass and wrapped her arms around herself, looking out at the water again. “In order for this spell to be broken, Bray has to be in close proximity. He has to be doused in blood, enough to cover most of him and…the only way to do that is…me. I told Taker to use me as bait to lure Bray out since he’s obsessed with me and thinks of me as his Queen. They’re going to make it look like I’ve been tortured…or beaten up, and…string me up to make him believe they’re going to kill me if he doesn’t come for me. Once he’s close enough, the spell can be broken, if it’s done right.”

Chapter 48

“Babe, what the fuck did I tell you about your hero-suicidal bullshit complex?” He snarled, definitely not amused.

The fact that Abigail apparently didn’t feel the need to hide things from him was great, meant they could have a great relationship, friendship, whatever. He would bet money, if money was still a thing, that she hadn’t told Taker about their little encounter. Apparently that was because she loved the big Boss, didn’t want to lose him. Dean got that, he supposed, but this genuinely pissed him off.

“No. Ain’t happening. This is bullshit. Taker agreed to this?” When she nodded, Dean’s eyes sparked blue flames. “What a punk bitch…”

“Dean, stop it!” Abigail scolded, frowning at him and shook her head, wishing he could see how hard this was for her. “It wasn’t his idea, it was mine and it’s the ONLY way. I already told Taker from the beginning, if he has to use me as bait, to lure that son of a bitch out behind his wall of defense, to do it! He’s not a punk bitch just because he’s doing what I ask of him! He’s noble and he understands one life is not worth thousands! And you’re not going to stop it because one way or another, it’s going to happen. Please, see reason…” She gasped when he grabbed her by her upper arms, startled and her midnight blues were wide. “Please, understand why I have to do this…” Their noses were practically touching, and her heart thundered powerfully in her chest.

“No. No, I don’t even think so, Abs!” Dean growled, knowing he was probably hurting her and tried to loosen his grip, but he couldn’t.

He couldn’t because then she’d run away and throw her life away. Hell, why bother? Another Bray Wyatt would just pop up somewhere anyway, that was how the world of Vesperia seemed to work. Men, humans, were scum, history had proven that over and over.

“You’ve been on this kick since the day I met you, saying you would give your life. What the fuck do you have to atone for, huh? What have you done to make it, so you need to repay with your life? Not a thing, I’ll bank on it.” And what the fuck made other people’s lives more precious than hers?

“Because it IS my fault this is happening, all of it!!” Abigail cried out, fresh tears sliding down her cheeks and could see the ice in his eyes building, her hands pressed against his chest. “B-Bray’s doing all of this because of me, to give me the perfect world, in his mind. He’s using me to justify what he’s doing to all those women and abusing magic to build an unstoppable army of man child soldiers! I have to do this, Dean. He won’t come out of his defenses for any other reason except me because of his obsession over me! For fuck’s sake, he didn’t fuck me because he was waiting for the ‘right time’ when the ‘perfect’ world in the Dominion was created!! He forced me to remain a virgin for HIM! Don’t you see that? Don’t you see this is the ONLY way to stop him and break the spell he has?! He’s UNTOUCHABLE if we don’t break it and if I have to die to make that happen, so be it! I’ll take him to hell with me!!”

Abigail honestly thought she was going to hell. Dean could see that in her eyes, in her face, hear it in her tone, and feel it in her body language. She thought this was all her fault and, whether she acknowledged it to herself or not, believed she was going to hell. That was a religious concept, one probably from her former life.

“No! NO you’re NOT!” He growled, knowing from experience she wasn’t one to listen to reason.

Sure enough, she began starting again and he did the only thing he could think of to stop her. He kissed her. His arms wrapped around her body, drawing her tightly against him and Dean kissed her liked he had that night at the river, under the stars, when he had carried her into the water because she had been ‘burning’. Alarm bells instantly went off in her head as Abigail felt his lips crash against hers, this time the kiss didn’t last nearly as long as it did that night on their journey.

“What the HELL, Dean?! Have you lost your mind?!” She exclaimed, stumbling back with swollen lips and red-rimmed, watery eyes.

Why? Why couldn’t he come to terms with the fact she loved Mark, not him?! She thought they could be friends, that what happened between them was just a onetime mistake because she hadn’t felt nearly as much passion with him as he did her. Reaching up with a shaky hand, she pressed her fingers to her lips and swallowed hard, backing up when he took a step forward with those blazing blues.

“Don’t! Please, I-I don’t want you that way! I told you that! I told you it was friendship or nothing at all, so what the hell are you trying to do?! I’m doing this whether you like it or not!!”

“I thought we were friends with bennies, babe.” He drawled teasingly, though there was no amusement in his icy eyes. “You’re not doing this, Abigail, hell no! You’re not fuckin’ bait, that wasn’t the deal. We saved the sorcerer, we got him here. He and Taker don’t need YOU to get into that castle and close enough to Wyatt for their hocus pocus bullshit.” Dean reached out, pulling her back to him again. “You don’t have to love me, Abigail, desire is fine too. You desired me that night.” He reminded her, his lips caressing her jawline.

“Oh, really?”

Her heart dropped in the pit of her stomach at the sound of that voice, the unmistakable deep, dark baritone of the man she DID love. What the hell was Mark doing here? “Let me go NOW.” Abigail ordered gravely, shoving Dean away from her and when he didn’t let her go, she slapped him as hard as she could across the face. “I may have desired you that night, but I told you it didn’t mean anything to me! I told you friends or nothing and you broke that. You told me it was fine, you didn’t love me, you didn’t see me that way, and we could remain friends and take it to the grave!” It was right after he saved her from the mineshaft, when she nearly died he had not pulled her to safety. “You knew how much I missed Taker, you knew how worried I was for him and you KNOW I LOVE HIM!” He was the only person she had told about how she felt for the ‘boss’. “I trusted you, Dean. I thought…I thought you were my friend and I was wrong. I was so fucking wrong. Stay away from me. Don’t come near me ever again, I want NOTHING to do with you anymore!” Blinking, hot tears cascaded down her cheeks as she backed up to where Mark stood and suddenly, she felt ice cold and folded her arms in front of her chest, unable to meet his eyes. “I don’t know anyone else we can use to test the blood on besides him, he’s the…right height, just not as stocky as Bray.”

Hopefully, there was an extra bed at the common house or Abigail would probably end up sleeping on the streets or in the workout building. Dean had just destroyed her relationship, however brief it was, with Mark by opening his mouth. Dean hadn’t meant for anyone but Abigail to hear that, he wasn’t out to hurt her, and he frowned, stepping forward only to find a massive fist coming his way. He didn’t even have time to duck, feeling it connecting with the side of his face and began cursing violently, hands moving to hold that area.

“Report down to the barn, they’re expecting you Ambrose.” Taker ordered darkly, his eyes fastened on Abigail.

Dean opened his mouth to say something and then thought better of it, shaking his head. Right now wasn’t the time to try talking to Abigail, he’d done enough damage.

She actually stepped aside, so Dean could walk through without touching her, feeling Mark’s eyes boring a hole in her. There was no excuse and no way to make things right. She didn’t have sex with him, just foreplay, but it was still sexual nevertheless. Abigail had been running high on adrenaline after the near death experience and Dean was there, not Mark. She BEGGED Mark to come with her, and at the time, she resented him a little for not being the one to save her, for driving her into the arms of another man for help.

It was stupid on her part and she regretted it, but…there was no changing it. What was done was done. What was she supposed to say? Sorry for screwing around with another man, the same man he loathed and despised? The same man she claimed to be JUST her friend and nothing more? No, that wouldn’t bode well in her favor either. Even if they weren’t strictly together, Abigail felt guilty for fooling around with Dean, feeling as though she betrayed Mark.

There was quite a bit Taker wanted to say to her, to ask her, but… given his position, he had to put aside his personal life and issues and focus on other things. Which might not be a bad thing, it’d give him time to cool down and not say something he would regret. “We’re going to go down and see this blood bath experiment.” He said flatly, his fists clenched tightly. “Afterwards, you and I are having a talk, Abigail.” There was no room for argument in his voice. “Come on.” She looked terrified, and hurt. A million things he couldn’t comprehend and there were a bunch of questions racing through his head – questions that would have to wait.

Nodding, Abigail followed him silently down to the barn where Dean’s blood bath would take place. She could just imagine what was going through Mark’s mind. Was she even a virgin after all or did she give it up to Ambrose? She was a slut, a whore, and a bunch of other names to him, which broke her heart. Hell, she didn’t know if she even had a heart anymore at this rate. Once they arrived at the barn, she remained standing beside Mark and watched as the pig’s blood, that was drained, poured over Dean’s body. It coated him from head to toe, his eyes closed, and Abigail felt absolutely zero sympathy for him like she normally would have.

“Will that be enough, Malcolm?” She asked in a monotone voice, her hands clasped in front of her.

The tension was thick in the air and couldn’t be cut with the sharpest knife. It was stifling, actually. “Yes. And if you cut it in half, we may have a chance at surviving the actual blood draining.”

Abigail should’ve relaxed upon hearing that, but she couldn’t, not after what just went down with Dean and Mark finding out the truth. She hated Dean Ambrose. She hated him so much for ruining her happiness, for ever meeting him and asking for his help to rescue Malcolm.

“Good.”

“Human body holds 10 pints… we need 10 pints, I say we do 5 today. Two and a half from each of you. That’ll give us a few days to let your bodies recover, or your magic to kick in, and we’ll boost you with transfusions, so… that’ll definitely help.” Jeff was probably too excited for this, the mixing of science and magic, but… they needed pioneers in every field, right? He and Malcolm were going to apparently lead that charge.

“We’ll need containers to hold the blood…”

“I can blow some from Mythril.” Unbreakable, and once the heat was high enough, it was a bit like glass working, providing one lived through the fumes. That’s where magic came to play.

“We might live through this after all.” Malcolm was becoming quite optimistic. “Do you have blood for transfusions?”

“Some. And if need be, swine blood has been, or had,” Because that had been years ago, back before all of this. “Had been proven effective as a human substitute for emergency transfusions.”

Wait, what? They were starting this TODAY? Abigail had to fight back the urge of screaming ‘NO!’ again, not wanting Mark to go through with this right after finding out something went down between her and Dean. She had to swallow down the panic, knowing they were running out of time and hoped, to whatever higher power watched over them, this worked. That Glen’s magic replenished Mark’s blood from the draining. Dean stepped out of the bucket and she suddenly felt vindictive, storming past everyone to grab the hose from Hardy and began hosing him down. He HAD asked her to do it earlier, right? Sure did! It was a HARD spray too, so she nailed him right in the face and then the junk, making every man in that barn cringe, holding their own and crossing their eyes. This stupid son of a bitch had a big mouth and, since she couldn’t kick his ass, she would gain her revenge another way, nailing every part of him until the pig’s blood was mostly gone.

“Oops, forgot your mouth.” Abigail sprayed him again, making him fly back on the ground and tossed the hose at him. “There, all clean, asshole!” That made her feel marginally better and she ignored Ambrose trying to catch his breath, folding her arms in front of her chest. “He asked me to hose him down afterwards.” She shrugged, refusing to tell anyone else what had actually been the reason for that and looked at Jeff. “On with the draining.”

“Uh, I’m not doing it in a barn?” Jeff sounded confused as he stared at her. “And Taker is making some containers to hold it.”

“I would like to see you work with the Mythril, if I may.”

“You’re probably the only one besides me who’ll be able to survive it.” He snorted, shaking his head. “Abigail, why don’t you run to the common house and see if they need you?” Since she obviously wasn’t working with Dean Ambrose right now. “We will talk later.”

“Or you can come help me.” Jeff offered, not entirely sure what he was missing, but there was definitely something. “Mmm, yeah, I’m also going to need to drain some more pigs… not a lot, just a little from each pig.” He didn’t want to wipe out the livestock after all.

His balls were never going to function again. Ever. She had hurt him in ways he didn’t know he could hurt, all because Taker had been stalking her and eavesdropping. “Fuck…..”

The common house didn’t sound good because Stephanie, Amy and Trish would know something was wrong and Abigail didn’t need them breathing down her neck. “I’ll help Jeff, if that’s alright.”

She did not care if she castrated Dean with that hose! The bastard deserved it for opening his mouth about something they had promised to never speak of again. It was all to taunt her and kissing her jaw…kissing her in general…was out of line. He never should’ve put his hands on her in the first place! Hopefully, Torrie didn’t want any sex for a while because Dean wouldn’t be able to function in the bedroom after that spray down. Jeff lead her away out of the barn, telling her what needed to be done due to their limited human blood supply.

“Are you sure animal blood will be alright and not hurt them?”

“Trust me, it’s been scientifically proven and I’m rarely wrong.”

That wasn’t comforting.

Anticipating a good outcome with the blood on their Wyatt wannabe, Jeff had come prepared with coolers. Matt was there, driving an ATV with a trailer to haul equipment around for him. “Okay, so first… we’re going to stock up on pig blood, and yes, animals have been used successfully in humans: blood, organs, etc. Just not in recent times because… well… no more doctors, or science, or anything like that.” He walked her through it, noting that while initially squeamish, Abigail soon showed she had very steady hands and was a quick learner. “You’d make a great nurse, or doctor.” Jeff complimented, admiration in his tone as they carried their ‘haul’ to the trailer. “Melina hates drawing blood, makes her sick.”

“Well, if she needs help, I can do it.” Abigail didn’t mind blood that much, at least not when it was in a controlled, semi-safe environment. Splattered on her, like it’d been during Malcolm’s rescue, was a different story entirely. “I’ll talk to her about it, see if she can train me on how to do it.”

They needed way more people in the ‘hospital’. Setting the first pig up, which was sedated since nobody didn’t want to hear the poor thing squeal, Abigail proceeded to inject the needle into the vein of their neck, making sure not to hit the carotid artery. She watched the blood fill up the bag and did as she was told, listening intently to what Jeff said. Removing the bag, she applied the next one, smiling when Jeff grinned at her.

Chapter 49

“Thanks for letting me help.”

“I didn’t think you were overly happy at the common house.” Jeff had been in there a few times and she had always been smiling but also looked bored. Once the second bag was done, he gently nudged her aside. “Okay now, we… cauterize the wound.” A band-aid on the booboo didn’t help. “And bam, piggy will be fine. Matt, next pig.” They proceeded to do this until they had plenty of blood and Jeff hesitated, looking towards the ‘human blood bank’, which was kept in a giant refrigerated unit that ran on several generators, including backups. “I think… they should both be fine using the pig blood, because of the magic they have.” He really didn’t want to touch the human blood because there were non-magical people who needed specific types. “If you’re interested in learning, I can show you. Like I said, Melina don’t like blood.” He had mopped up more puke from that woman than kids with flu.

“Deadman and Malcolm are heading this way.”

“Okay, that would be great.”

For some reason, Abigail enjoyed sticking a needle inside a vein and watching the blood drain into a bag. What the hell was wrong with her? The fact she was good at it was a plus and with practice, she would probably be the top ‘nurse’ in Wonderful. Since there wasn’t any actual doctors and nurses these days, just people with skillful hands. That’s basically what it boiled down to. Abigail looked up when Mark and Malcolm arrived, carting the Mythril containers they had fashioned with them.

“Abigail, you’re going to help me drain them, alright?”

“W-What? Are you sure that’s…okay?”

“Your hands are steady, and you didn’t flinch with the pigs. You can do this.” There was no way Melina could and only a select few people actually knew what they were doing when it came to drawing blood. She had a talent for it. “Unless, you don’t think you can handle it because it’s…Taker and Malcolm?”

She shook her head, refusing to back down from this. “I can handle it.” Her eyes locked with Mark, knowing they probably wouldn’t be able to talk later like he wanted, due to how weak he’d be. “Are you two okay with that?”

“I’m assuming you have steady hands, so yes.” Malcolm said gently, busy helping Mark set down the Mythril containers he had created.

Mythril was interesting to say the least, though he was sweating like he was still in that forge. No wonder he magically sealed it before working with it. The stuff was definitely dangerous when being converted into a new form.

“Also, while you’re draining, I’ll be setting up on the other arm for the transfusions, I can’t do both.” They would have been able to once upon a time, drain and put back together, but…. they’d make do with this. “That okay, Taker?”

He nodded stiffly. “Drain the blood in these, Abigail.” He gestured to the containers. “I’ll go first. Malcolm, you make sure you preserve what she takes.”

Taker was already in a tank top, so… easy access to his veins. He did wash up first in the sink before dropping down into the chair Jeff and Melina used for everything. Checkups, dental, all of it. Matt helped here and there; they had brought in men from the barn, who did butchering to help with surgeries. Hell… he had delivered babies, both the good old fashioned way and via C-section. All about them steady hands. After cooling off, Taker decided they would definitely be talking about Dean Ambrose, but her reaction earlier to the man and to him had spoken volumes.

“Not going to get squeamish on me, are you darlin’?” He asked, just a hint of amusement in his tone.

“One way to find out.”

Abigail couldn’t believe she was doing this, actually draining blood out of Mark and looked over at Malcolm, who was ready to preserve the blood as soon as it came out. Slipping on a pair of fresh medical gloves, Abigail wrapped the band around his arm and pressed on the vein in his arm, nodding when she found it. Jeff did say she had a knack for this, maybe he was right because she was going on what she’d been taught to do.

Taking the needle, she slipped it into Mark’s arm and watched the blood flow out, taking the band off his arm. They would take half his blood now and the rest once he replenished. She wanted to kiss him, to tell him how much she loved him, but now wasn’t the time or place, not after earlier. If Dean ever came near her again, she would destroy him. Looking at the bag, Abigail watched Jeff change it and Malcolm chanted in tongues, the white mist coating it.

“Are you okay, Taker?”

Taker shrugged, not minding the loss of blood because he was aware in between switching out bags, Jeff was prepping for the transfusion to replenish him afterwards. He was also curious to know if Glen’s magic, the protection intent of it, would kick in if it felt like he was being threatened. It was an interesting experiment to say the least.

“I’m fine, darlin’.”

“Two and a half pints, you will feel it, maybe. We’re bordering between a class 2 and class 3 hemorrhage, I’m leaning towards… two, maybe. You are bigger than the average man, so that has to be taken into account. Transfusions, under typical circumstances, wouldn’t be necessary, but we’re also looking to drain you again in a few days.” They were operating on a time limit.

The moment, the second, they hit 2 pints, Mark began…glowing. That was the ONLY way she could describe it and it made Jeff jump back. Abigail couldn’t because she had to hold the needle steady, the glow touching her skin feeling warm. It was incredible, her eyes wide in wonder and felt her mouth fall open. Was that Glen’s magic?

Malcolm was bewildered as well, watching his son close his eyes, his whole body outlined in white. “Glen…”

A few minutes later, the glow was gone, and Abigail pulled the needle out of Mark’s arm, not realizing she’d taken more than 2 ½ pints. “Taker?” She reached out to touch the side of his face, watching his eyes slowly open and breathed a sigh of relief, waiting for the hemorrhaging to start.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing happened, and Jeff was confounded, maybe even startled.

“Okay boss, what the fuck just happened?”

“When Glen saved me, he pushed his magic into me.” Taker had been telling this story a lot lately, it seemed. “Intent means something with magic.”

Malcolm nodded his agreement. “Exactly. And it was his intent to save you, and that’s now bonded to the pass he inadvertently gave you. Glen’s intent lives on.” He was so proud of his son, wishing he was able to tell him that.

Taker was a bit worried about future side effects, like… was he going to age and die, or was the magic going to keep his ass alive for… forever? His troubled gaze moved to Abigail. That would be a lonely, desolating future indeed.

“So, you’re okay? You don’t feel any different?” Mark shook his head and she didn’t waste another heartbeat, cupping his face in her gloved hands to softly kiss him. “Good.”

Relief coursed through her that Mark’s magic, or rather Glen’s, had protected him yet again. If Mark was worried about the magic stopping him from aging or not dying, all he had to do was siphon it out into another Mythril crystal again. Become fully human again without any magic. Something told Abigail, after this war with the DOV and Bray, if they survived, he would do that simply because of his hatred for magic to begin with.

“Alright Malcolm, you’re next. Are you ready?”

“Yes, my dear.”

Whatever was going on between Abigail and Mark, they would work it out. He could tell how much they loved each other, and it reminded him of his beloved Cecilia – Mark, Glen and Lily’s mother. This time, they would be watching for signs of hemorrhaging because, unlike Mark, Malcolm did not have the protection from his son. She wrapped his arm in the band, after changing out her gloves, and stuck the needle in the vein while Mark chanted in tongues this time, doing the same spell his father had to preserve the blood.

Jeff was curious if they should’ve maybe done the entire draining process in one go due to the fact Taker’s magic had protected him.

Taker was thinking along the same lines. When they had first discussed this venture, there was uncertainty about the healing factor. Now that they knew… it seemed feasible to just take the blood from him, if that would work for Malcolm’s spell.

“You make sure you speak out if you feel faint, or weak, or anything not normal.” Taker ordered, eyeing his father intently.

No kidding. It would royally suck to lose a patient, a magical one at that, due to this… Jeff swallowed hard, glancing at Abigail before looking back to Malcolm. “Does this spell require both your blood or just one? Cause Taker can donate without… risks.”

“It must be two Calaway’s, dear boy. A blood sacrifice is nothing to trifle with and only his will not break the spell on Wyatt.” Malcolm explained, leaning his head back with a smile.

Figuring, if he died during this, at least he would be reunited with the rest of their family. He wasn’t afraid of dying, never had been and Mark knew the spell required to break it. Malcolm had talked with him extensively in the forge and he’d written it down for Mark earlier that day.

“I’m ready.”

Nodding, Abigail began siphoning the blood from his body and could see the worry in Mark’s eyes, knowing he didn’t want to lose his father. He placed a hand on Malcolm’s shoulder, giving him support, and what happened next was…astounding. Reaching 2 pints, just like Mark, Malcolm’s body began to outline in a white glow, just like Mark. She shared a confused look with Jeff, wondering where this magic was coming from and looked at Mark, his eyes rolled in the back of his head. What the HELL? Was it because he was touching his father, Glen’s magic was automatically saving Malcolm? Magic was…Abigail didn’t have the words to describe this and saw the 3 pints was taken, pulling the needle out while Mark continued chanting to preserve the blood. Mark pulled his hand away from Malcolm, the glow instantly vanishing and they both looked up at her at the same time.

“Malcolm, how do you feel? Are you okay?”

“I feel fantastic actually, like my batteries were just recharged.” Malcolm was studying Mark thoughtfully. “Did you…?”

“I was curious.”

Intent, and pushing it out, he wasn’t sure if it would work on anyone not of their bloodline, but… at least neither of them were going to die of blood loss. That was a definite win in his book. Magic had its purposes, that was for sure, but it was so easily abused too.

“You just…healed him?” Jeff blinked, his jaw dropped and tried to comprehend what happened since he was a scientist.

It had to be the blood ties since they shared the same blood. Either way, this would work, nobody would die, and they could finally break the spell over Bray. Abigail nodded when Jeff instructed her to take two of the Mythril containers to place them in the trailer with the rest of the blood. With the spell Malcolm and Mark cast over it, the blood would stay fresh regardless of how much time passed.

“You did very well, despite the magic shit.” Jeff wanted to train her more, wondering if she had time and glanced at Taker, who was speaking quietly with Malcolm. “I think you should start working in the medical wing, Abbie.”

“But I don’t have any training or qualifications…”

“And you think any of us do?” Jeff chuckled, shutting the door to the trailer and squeezed her shoulder. “You did great with this, so the rest will be child’s play. You remained focused, didn’t flinch and stayed calm. We need more of that in the medical wing, less vomit.”

Abigail could see the desperation in Jeff’s eyes, knowing he was tired of Melina vomiting every time she had to draw someone’s blood. “Okay – okay, I’m sold, I’ll do it.”

“Good!”

Taker couldn’t lie, he was very pleased with this shift in what she wanted to do. She had been intending to work with Dean Ambrose; looked like Dean had ended that relationship through his own big, fat mouth spilling secrets nobody was obviously supposed to know, not even him.

“What do you think, boss?”

“Maybe she’ll be better at delivering babies than me.”

“Uh, maybe assist… no c-sections anytime soon.”

Jeff hoped they didn’t have to deal with that for Stephanie. Taker’s hands were the steadiest for that situation. Jeff had done one c-section and learned the hard way he was better at general surgery that didn’t have two lives depending on him.

She loved Mark and was part of his ‘circle’, as Dean put it. Abigail didn’t have a problem with it anymore, wondering why she cared in the first place. Everyone was kind, loyal and they helped her, but for some odd reason, she had deterred from them. Dean had poisoned her mind and her heart, but not anymore. The common house wasn’t her calling, but the medical field seemed to be. Delivering babies…maybe that would be a bit too much for her, but then again, there was only way to find out and that was trying.

“Thanks for the encouragement. I’ll do my best.”

“There’s not a lot going on right now in the medical wing, so take the rest of the day off.” She earned it after all the work she did with the pigs and then Taker and Malcolm. “It’s past lunch time, you should be starving.”

“No, I’m not hungry.” Maybe there was a cot in the medical wing she could sleep on since that’s where she would be working from now on.

“She’s tired.” Taker announced, walking over to stand by her, staring down into Abigail’s face intently.

She was going to be even more tired by the time they were done with the talk they were about to go have. Taker had cooled down, had a mental list of what he wanted to say and ask, and that would be that. He didn’t doubt she loved him. But… he also knew how erratic her mind could be, how she could easily swing back and forth. Abigail’s anger with Dean would likely blow over, just as it had with him. He needed to know where she stood, and not just temporarily.

Tired was an understatement, she felt drained in every way possible and just nodded, cracking a hesitant smile at Jeff. Abigail had made a big mistake by trusting Dean and asking for his help. She would not change her mind on Dean, not after what he did. Granted, Mark wasn’t supposed to overhear him, but the fact he kissed her, put his hands on her and mentioned what happened that night under the stars on their journey…it crossed a line that could never be uncrossed. She would lose Mark because of him and, as much as it broke her heart, Abigail had to push her feelings on the backburner until this ordeal with the DOV and Bray was over with.

Then she could breakdown.

Mark took her hand, guiding her up the street away from the barn and all she did was look straight ahead, nodding to a few people they passed by and refused to look at the Shield building, planning on never stepping foot in that place again as long as she lived. Once the tower came into view, Abigail tensed and felt Mark squeeze her hand, having to fight the urge not to pull away or run in the opposite direction. She was scared and had to steel herself, ready for the very big possibility of Mark ending things with her for good.

Chapter 50

If Taker was going to end things with her right off the bat, he sure as hell wouldn’t be bringing her back to his tower. That was just too much of a hassle and he was also tired. It wasn’t even all that late in the day. No, he would make his decision based on what Abigail had to say, though he wasn’t able to promise he wouldn’t go hunt Ambrose down at a later date and force feed him his own tongue.

“All right, Abbie,” He said once they were up in his rooms, dropping down on the edge of the bed, hands dangling between his parted legs as he took her in. “Let’s hear it. What happened between you and Ambrose?”

Abigail didn’t want to tell him because everything would change, not for the better either. However, he deserved to know the truth and, if the shoe was on the other foot, she would want to know if Mark had screwed around with someone else. She took a deep breath and walked over to sit on the bed beside him, clasping her hands in her lap, going back to that night under the stars. It seemed so long ago, with everything that happened, but it actually wasn’t.

“I didn’t have sex with him, if that’s what you’re wondering. It was the night I…nearly died.” That really was the best way to put it. “Dean knew the whereabouts of the invisibility cloak and took me there on our way to rescue Malcolm. That’s how we got out of the castle without being seen.” She swallowed hard, remembering the guards Dean had killed without a second thought. “I had to be the one to retrieve it. Dean couldn’t because someone had to pull the other up and there was no way I could pull him back up. He was against it, but I convinced him to let me go retrieve the invisibility cloak and I did…but then the mine started…caving in, I guess. I don’t really remember a lot of it except being pulled to safety by Dean. He…he kissed me. It was quick, more like a ‘I’m glad you’re alive’ instead of a passionate ‘I wanna fuck you’ kiss. He was scared I wouldn’t make it out of the mineshaft, but somehow, I did with the cloak. Anyway, we set up camp a little ways from the mineshaft, just in case the ground caved in. It was a beautiful night and I cleaned myself up and I remember thinking of you. I missed you and I was worried about you because you were human, you didn’t have your magic to protect you. We were looking at a map and trying to decide the best route to take to get to the castle and I laid down with Dean. I wanted it to be you there with me, not him, but it was him and I…I didn’t know what was going on between you and me at the time. I didn’t know if you’d even make it back to Wonderful and…briefly, I thought maybe Dean was the one I wanted and not you.” That couldn’t be easy to hear at all. “And he kissed me again…and I didn’t push him away, I just let it happen to see how I truly felt. I was confused and…a bit hurt because you weren’t there with me. You disregarded my idea to go save Malcolm, but Dean jumped on it as soon as I asked for his help. You two are like night and day, complete polar opposites and I didn’t know which side I wanted to be on. I remember burning, I was burning up and feeling guilty, so I started to cry and told him no. I told him it hurt, and I couldn’t figure out why I was in pain, why I was burning. He took us into the river to help both of us and it didn’t work. The next thing I knew, we were fooling around with foreplay and I made it clear to him no sex. He was fine with it. Afterwards, I felt…weird, strange, it felt good, but I…I realized what a mistake I made with him and I told him that. I told him I didn’t want him, and we could only be friends because I love you. He knew I loved you, or at least had strong feelings for you, when we fooled around and that should’ve been my warning sign. The fact he would do that with a woman he KNOWS is in love with someone else. I don’t know why I did it either. I don’t know if it was the adrenaline from the mineshaft near death experience or the fact I was a little resentful towards you for not being the one there with me, for not coming with me, for making me ask someone else for help. I wanted it to be YOU there, not Dean.” Standing up from the bed, Abigail began walking slowly back and forth in front of him, tears falling down her cheeks. She barely felt them. “After it was said and done, the next day, I told him it could never happen again, and I didn’t want him as anything other than a friend. We both promised each other to never speak of it again, it was a relapse in judgment on both of our parts and I thought he felt the same way. I was wrong though. I trusted him…and he lied to me about not having feelings for me.” That much was obvious, especially after today. “It only happened once, and I’m stupid for letting it happen, for doing it. I regret it happening and I wish I could go back in time to change it, but I can’t. Even if I was confused about my feelings, and my adrenaline from nearly dying was running high, and resenting you for not being there, I never should’ve let it go that far. And there’s no excuse for it. It was wrong to do, and I never should’ve listened to Ambrose. He was trying to poison me against you by making me believe you were a hypocrite, a dictator, but he’s wrong, you’re not any of those things. I just wish I would’ve realized what he was doing sooner.”

She was not wrong, none of that had been easy to hear and he could feel the darkness cresting inside of him with each word that fell from her lips. Jealousy was not something he wanted to feel, but here it was knocking on his door. His usually emerald eyes had slowly been turning to acid and when Abigail was finished, just staring down at him with tears running down her face, he inhaled deeply. Taker had thought he had been prepared for what she would say; he knew something had happened, thanks to Dean’s mouth, but hearing it was just painful. Logically, he knew adrenaline did play a big factor in things like that, he could only imagine how it would have been between them in that situation. Triumphant, ‘we’re alive’ sex, probably. Taker didn’t know whether to rage at her, forgive her, or fuck her senseless and establish dominance, that was just feral. Maybe all three, he mused, running his hands through his hair as he stared up at her.

His silence was deafening, and the tension was thick in the air again, just as it’d been the day of the storm…the day she had raged at him and then he’d taken her virginity. It was thicker this time because she had betrayed him by being with Dean, even if they didn’t have sex. Foreplay was just a step before it. Abigail wiped her tears away angrily, breathing heavily and figured he needed some time to mull over things. Not that she blamed him. If this had happened to her, if he’d been intimate with another woman, she would’ve lost her mind, probably. The fact he remained silent and simply sat there was the signal she needed to leave. Grabbing her bag, she zipped it up since everything was already in it and swung it over her shoulder, trying to keep what little dignity she had left, if there was any. Rolling his eyes, he clenched his fist, watching that bag drop off her shoulder as she came flying backwards. Again, right into his waiting arms. He held her still, wondering how this woman made it so he felt no shame at abusing magic in tiny ways. Taker was truly out of his mind.

“You don’t run from me, Abigail.” He informed her in a growl, his lips at the shell of her ear, hands caressing her stomach before moving to the front of her pants. “Ever.”

“I-I wasn’t…running.”

Her breath had been temporarily stolen because she hadn’t expected him to make her literally FLY backwards into his arms. He scared the hell out of her! The feeling of his hands on her body, his hot breath on her ear and neck, felt incredible though. Abigail could not move, due to his magic hold on her, and felt the button of her jeans unsnap.

“I just…thought you would need some time to think things through…” What was happening? She just confessed she’d been intimate with another man and he was holding her, caressing her…bewildering her. “Mark…” Her eyes closed, it was the only thing physical she could do, when his lips sealed to her neck just under her ear.

“You are mine, Abigail.” He informed her, working his way down the column of her throat and back up again.

Taker was angry, he couldn’t deny it, but he loved this woman good and bad. He also knew she’d had sex with Dean, she just didn’t consider it sex because there was no vaginal penetration. Sex was sex, and Ambrose knew that. There were just degrees of sex, different ways of doing it. She did not.

“I took time in the forge to think.”

He had known then it would be bad; he hadn’t counted on not immediately being able to process what he technically already knew. Taker was still working through it and having his way with her was helping. It was distracting him while, at the same time, reaffirming she was his. Now that her jeans were undone, he leaned back, taking Abigail just a little with him, giving him enough room to slid a hand down the front of both jeans and panties.

“Y-Yes I am…”

He was a mixture of lust, anger and love, his fingers delving into her hot sex somewhat roughly. Mark left burns against her skin from his goatee, not that she minded. Abigail was too perplexed to really fight him, just as she’d been the first time they had sex. Why was it every time they had sex, it was due to something awful happening prior? Her jeans began deteriorating, the material vanishing into thin air and she knew he used magic again. Along with her jeans went her panties, so she was naked from the waist down while his fingers drove in and out of her, still not able to move. This was torture, all she could do was moan, breathe and blink her eyes, wishing he’d let her move to writhe against him. Maybe this was his form of punishment.

She was right, it was a type of punishment. He would have her begging for her release before they left this tower and, if he was feeling kind, he’d even allow it. Taker used his free hand to take hold of her top, feeling the material dissolving under his fingers and cupped her breast and her arching into him as finger and thumb rolled a pert nipple.

“You’ll never feel anything with any man as intensely as you do with me.” He informed her, his voice tinged with darkness, a low baritone.

“I-I know…oh god…please! Please!!” She cried out, her entire body burning, her pussy quivering under his touch and STILL couldn’t move.

Mark forced her feel every bit of this, making her to endure the yearning and beg. Fresh tears poured down her cheeks as he stopped just before she could fully go over the edge, making that burning, that hot coil inside of her, settle within her stomach. Without her able to move, all she could do was watch him move to where he stood in front of her, his tongue sliding up each trail on her cheeks before lowering himself in front of her. He expected her to stand here, completely still, while he took his time pleasuring her with any part of his body he wanted. She couldn’t grip his hair or grind herself against him, it was all under his control and Abigail suddenly loathed magic.

Intensity had just been taken up several notches.

That burning sensation she had described, that she had let Dean Ambrose ‘help’ her with… Taker was going to teach her about fire and what it meant to be consumed in an all-out inferno. And she would definitely learn there was only one man able to quench the flames. Taker loved her, he knew that, but… everyone knew, angry sex was great sex. Abusing his power even more, he watched as her body drifted up, her sex eyelevel with him and smirked, reaching up to run a finger up along her drenched slit, seeing her own juices beginning to coat her thighs.

“Amen.” He growled, about as close to a dinner prayer as he had come to in years and leaned forward to feast.

By the time he finished, still not letting her climax, Abigail was out of tears, out of fluids, her voice hoarse from crying out so many times. Her body floated down from being in the air and her feet touched the floor, but she still couldn’t move. Her body wasn’t just burning, it felt like it was dipped in hot lava and sweat actually coated every part of her from the intensity. Trembling from head to toe, Mark yanked her roughly against him and captured her mouth with his, kissing her roughly while his fingers buried in her unraveled ebony tresses. All she could do was kiss him back, whimpering and longed to touch him, to feel him, to show him how sorry she was for being with another man.

“You may undress me.” He informed her arrogantly, having gotten the impression that Abigail enjoyed being dominated so thoroughly.

That was interesting, and something he definitely did not mind exploring with her. In private of course, he would never degrade or embarrass her publicly, he had seen what she had done to Ambrose. He was not getting a hose of ice cold water at high pressure to his balls. Stepping away from her quivering form, Taker extended his arms, raising an eyebrow at her. Would she go along with what he wanted or was he pushing Abigail too hard, too far? Abigail was a hot mess, the sight of her physically and emotionally aching for him did a lot of strange things to him, including making his cock jump in his jeans.

Not that there was much room for jumping.

Chapter 51

Testing the waters, she raised her right arm and then the left, flexing her fingers and moved her head from side to side, readjusting to being able to use her body again. It was weird, being completely paralyzed, but Abigail would take any punishment Mark wanted to dish out. She deserved it after what she did with Ambrose, feeling guilty about it ever since it happened. It had torn her up inside, even during losing her virginity. Reaching out, Abigail pulled the tank from his jeans and pushed it up over his head, her hands gliding down his muscular chest.

He hadn’t pushed her too far, Abigail didn’t think that was possible, in all honesty. Pressing soft kisses to his chest, she reached down to unsnap his jeans and pushed them down his legs, freeing his throbbing erection. Without a second thought, she dropped to her knees and took him in her mouth, once again only doing the tip because he was MUCH more endowed than Dean. Her actions would speak far louder than words because a simple ‘I’m sorry’ wouldn’t cut it. Abigail on her knees was delicious but impractical because of his height. Groaning, he took hold of her hair, reigning back gently until she was looking up at him in confusion.

“Kneel on the bed.” Taker ordered, watching as she slowly moved to do so, gesturing with his finger that he wanted her kneeling faced towards him and stepped forward.

This was better, now he was right at her level. For all the times he had cursed having a very low to the ground bed, today he was thankful. A second later, her lips were wrapped around him again and he fisted her thick hair, letting his head lull back.

The moans flowing out of her mouth sent vibrations throughout his body, her hands gripping his outer thighs to were her nails dug into his skin. Soon, she was driving as much of his cock in and out of her mouth, stretching her jaw and managed to get past the tip a little bit. Jesus, this man was HUGE; she would never be able to fit all of him in her mouth, no matter how much practice she had. He was simply hung like a horse, possibly two.

She looked up at him, seeing the ecstasy on his face mixed with the anger and never stopped her ministrations, moving her hand up to grab handfuls of his beautiful backside. This man wore a pair of jeans like no other and the fact he was muscular from head to toe was also a plus, but not overly beefy. It hurt for him to fist her hair, but Abigail refused to show the pain and brought him to his near-end, hungry for his seed, to taste him.

“Oh no, darlin’…” It nearly killed him to extract his cock from her very eager mouth, but he did it, gently but firmly pushing her back, away from him, down onto the bed. “Not yet.” Taker took a few deep breaths, mentally talking himself back from the point of no return. “When I cum, it’ll be balls deep inside your tight little cunt, Abigail.” Not her delicious mouth.

Abigail swallowed hard at the acid in his eyes and barely caught her breath before his mouth descended on hers again like a vulture. He stepped out of his jeans, kicking them to the side before planting a knee between her quivering thighs, her hands reaching up to touch him. She hissed out, his teeth catching her bottom lip to nibble on it and kissed him back with equal amount of passion, fire, love, lust, all of it.

“I love you…”

His forehead rested against hers and she gasped out, his cock plummeting inside of her, not giving her a chance to adjust to his massive size. More punishment. She clung to Mark, whimpering as he thrust in and out of her like a jackhammer, his face buried in her neck and his teeth once again sinking into the spot where her shoulder and neck fused. Mark could hurt her all he wanted, punish her for hours on end, she would never stop loving him or tell him to stop. He knew on some level he was hurting her, but at the same time, her sex was soaked and eager, there had been no resistance there. So it wasn’t outright pain, outright hurt, but it was definitely punishment.

“Mine.” He growled against the spot he had marked, before working his way back to her lips, capturing her mouth in a demanding, greedy kiss.

A hand moved down to her thigh, pulling her leg up and then he leaned back, surveying her. Rosy, flushed cheeks, swollen lips, panting…. yes, he was hurting her all right. Exquisite pain Abigail relished in and she met him for every thrust, her eyes never once leaving him. Her body arched against him, giving him everything she had and more. It was all his, she belonged to him completely in every way and never would make a mistake again.

“Yes, only yours…” She breathed out, her hand curving on his broad shoulder and hoped to whatever god was in this world he let her climax, to finally reach her end, not sure if she could take much more.

He had held himself back, so when they came together it would be powerful and explosive. She’d get her climax, when she was near being raving mad, begging for her release, or when he was. The way he was feeling, it could go either way. Taker put Abigail through her paces, twisting and torqueing her body, withdrawing from her to make her cry out at the loss only to fill her recurrently. He lost track of time, intent on her and the things he was doing to her, making her feel, his eyes always roaming back to her face, rather enjoying the play of emotions that danced across her beautiful features.

“P-Please…p-please n-no more…” Abigail pleaded with him, fresh tears filling her eyes because she’d never felt this amount of burning in her life. Her pussy was on the verge of calling it quits and drying up on her, there was only so much stimulation a woman could take. There was only so much Abigail could take, period. “I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry please!! M-Make it stop…please m-make it stop…”

Gripping her hair between her fingers, Abigail cried out as he continued thrusting harshly in and out of her sore sex, the pain and pleasure magnitude through the roof. He had her face down with her backside in the air, keeping control of this dance the entire time and she too lost track of time, but the sun was gone. It was nighttime, and she didn’t even know how long they’d been going at it, how long he’d drawn this punishment out. If she passed out, it would be his fault since she’d have zero say in when it happened.

“I-I can’t…take anymore…”

At this point, he was torturing himself. His balls were ready to empty themselves with or without his permission. Taker could feel the start of what would be a spectacular case of blue balls, if he didn’t finish this soon. Reaching around her, Taker wrapped his hand around Abbie’s throat, drawing her back and moved himself with her, not wanting to hurt her anymore. She was about to shut down regardless of what he did.

“I love you.” He whispered huskily in her ear before slamming home one last night.

If there were going to be explosions of light and really, really loud noises amplified by magic during their… sex, Malcolm was going to have to talk to his son about controlling those things.

All he got from her was a weak cry because her vocal cords were sore, along with the rest of her body, sagging against him as he exploded inside of her violently. She passed out, her body hitting the bed like a sack of potatoes the moment he released her. Abigail didn’t feel him lift her to position her in the bed or cover her up with the blanket, or his arm wrapping around her body to spoon up against her. All she saw was darkness and she couldn’t feel how badly her pussy throbbed from the pounding it endured. Mark was right, she would never – EVER feel the intensity, the passion and desire for another man like him.

She didn’t wake up for the next 12 hours, completely dead to the world and everyone in it.

When Abigail did wake up, it was… quite late in the morning. He had tended to her, rubbed salve on her more tender bits, and even gone as far as to bathe her. Abigail hadn’t roused one bit and he decided he was going to have to give her body a rest. He didn’t know any more if it was him or the magic, being able to hold out as long as he did, but he knew she couldn’t handle it on a nightly basis. By the time she started to wake up, he had food and water waiting, sitting beside the bed in an old, leather recliner, a book in his lap.

Every part of her body was sore from head to toe, but thanks to the salve and bathing, it didn’t hurt nearly as bad as it should. Abigail slowly opened her eyes, her vision temporarily blurred and pushed herself up, not remembering anything past being tortured sexually by her boyfriend. Her gaze landed on him sitting in a leather recliner and Abigail tilted her head, dragging the blanket up with her as she sat up more.

“What happened?” She asked in a soft voice, rubbing the spot on her shoulder where he’d sank his teeth into and hissed out, pulling her fingers away. It felt like she was ran over by a truck…a very angry, 6’10, 300 pound truck. “Oh god, did I…pass out on you??”

“Mmm, you did, darlin’.” He peered over his book at her and then set it down, leaning forward in the chair to study her.

Malcolm had gotten a hold of him during his foray down to the common house for food. He had asked about Abigail, he had… sort of lied and said she was indisposed. Malcolm was a nosy old bastard, he didn’t remember him being that way, but then again, he had been a kid back then. Suffice to say, Malcolm had cemented his thoughts about the magic and sex thing. He had to be a bit gentler with his woman.

“You’ve been asleep for… over 12 hours now.”

“W-WHAT?!” Abigail’s jaw dropped, her eyes wide and looked at the clock on the nightstand, which was battery operated. “Oh my god…” This was the second time she’d slept a long period after a sexual bout with Mark. “Okay, I gotta ask this and I hope you don’t get mad at me for it, but…do you cast some kind of spell on me during sex, so I sleep that long?” Hell, he might’ve done it and not even realized it. When he just shook his head at her with a chuckle, Abigail scowled and tossed the blankets off of her, groaning as a zip of pain shot through her vagina. “Oh fuck…” She needed a shower and food, glancing at the tray on the table. With a wave of his hand, she was laying back down and then propped up against the headboard with the tray on her lap. “You REALLY have to stop doing that.”

“Just slow your roll, woman.” Taker ordered, getting up to retrieve an old but serviceable robe for her to put on. He had figured she might not be up to putting on pants. “Here.” Laying it across her legs before going to get the bottle of ibuprofen, it was something to help with pain and swelling. “I uh, did talk to my old man though,” He admitted, somewhat sheepishly, as he sat down on the edge of the bed, offering her the pills along with the glass of water from the bedside stand. “He said something about needing to watch the magic during sex… apparently, it overrides my natural… stamina.” He didn’t like that, what if he was a minute to win it kind of guy?

“Mark, you were angry yesterday and I don’t blame you for it. I don’t think it was your magic so much as your anger fueling you.”

Abigail would never lie to him or keep something from him again. Lesson learned. Angry sex with Mark was exquisite, but also incredibly painful the next day. They had angry sex twice now, there was no making love or gentle sex between them yet. He cupped her face and she leaned into it, kissing his hand.

“It’s not that I didn’t enjoy it because I did. I enjoy every time I’m with you, pain and all. I just hope…the anger is gone, and we can move on from this, maybe try it gently next time. See if I do like the rough stuff or if I’m more prone to the softer side of you.”

“Darlin’, I’m going to take into account you’re… not very educated about sex.” It was weird though, her dismissing the magic, that was weird. “There’s a difference between angry, grudge sex and fuck your woman until she passes the hell out.” That wasn’t normal, especially back to back sessions, so to speak. “I don’t want to hurt you, Abbie.” Not like that anyway, some hurts were good. He smiled slightly, caressing her face with the back of his hand. “And when you’re, ah… recovered, I’ll show you the gentler side.”

“You didn’t hurt me, not in a bad way. I…deserved what happened and I’m counting my lucky stars I didn’t lose you over what I did. I love you, Mark. And I’m so sorry for what I did.” Stephanie’s words ‘don’t hurt him’ rolled through her mind again and Abigail felt nauseous because she’d done exactly that by being with Dean. “Fuck.”

Rushing out of the bed, she barely made it to the bathroom before emptying the contents of her stomach, ignoring every other pain in her body. She leaned back to press her back against the wall. Once everything was out of her system, Abigail drew her knees up, burying her face in them with her arms wrapped around her legs.

“Damn it…I’m sorry…”

“Bit too soon to be pregnant, darlin’.” Taker informed her, leaning in the doorway of the bathroom and moved forward to flush the toilet before drawing water for her to wash up with. “Come on, Abbie, enough punishing yourself. What’s done is done, and we’re moving on from it, right?” Unless she wanted to go nail Ambrose in the balls again, he’d gladly watch that replay. “Abigail,” When she didn’t move, he bent down to help her up onto her feet. “Stop making yourself sick over it.”

She was internally tearing herself to shreds and he hadn’t made it any easier on her, punishing her with sex. Hell, he was only adding to her issues. Abigail had lived a sheltered life, she didn’t know much about any of this, proper sexual relationships and the actual emotions that went with them. All she knew was Wyatt’s obsessions and the breeding program.

Chapter 52

“S-Stephanie…and A-Amy told me not to hurt you. And I did.” Her voice cracked, shaking and her hands had to hold onto his shirt to keep from collapsing, due to how fatigued she was. “I-I didn’t mean for it to happen. I didn’t mean to hurt you, Mark. I’m so sorry…” Yesterday, she had been in too much sexual euphoria to really grasp the harsh reality of what she’d done and now it was all crashing down around her. “I’m so sorry…I told them I wouldn’t hurt you. I didn’t think I could and I did…” Stephanie and Amy probably hated her, even though they didn’t know what happened between her and Dean, unless he went off running his big mouth everywhere. “I love you and you’re the only one I want. I didn’t want him…I didn’t, I told him no and then it…happened…and I felt dirty afterwards, I felt like I betrayed you…and part of me hoped I didn’t make it back, just so I didn’t have to face you again.” That was something not even Dean knew. “And then we got here, and I saw you again, and it all went away, it all vanished, and I thought I could just forget about it and be happy with you. And then he…he showed his true colors and I hate him so much now. I hate him!”

“Abigail, do you think Dean loves you?” He asked gently, wondering how it had gone from him being the wounded one here, to her needing consoling for being a cheater. That was how he knew he cared about her, loved her, because, while it was odd, it also felt natural and right. At her shrug, he hid a smile. “Cares for you?” Okay, she was nodding. “I don’t think he meant to hurt you, or for me to overhear him. Men are stupid.”

Ambrose was a prime example. Goddamn, she was young, innocent and sweet, and…. kind of a dick too. She would’ve been right as rain if Dean hadn’t outed her, so he had to wonder if those two would still be friends if not for the fact that she now felt guilty because she had been caught. Just another example of how ill-prepared for life she was, thanks to Bray ‘I Think I’m God’ Wyatt. She was sometimes as childlike as… Susan.

“Let it go, Abbie. I forgive you, and I don’t think Amy and Stephanie need to know.”

“I don’t care if he cares about me or loves me or whatever! I don’t feel that way about him and I told him that!” Abigail hated that he was consoling her when it should’ve been the other way around. “He can burn in hell for all I care. I may not be experienced when it comes to relationships or sex, for that matter, but I’ll be DAMNED if I let that cocksucker kiss and touch me again. He had no right to do that! Friends don’t do that to each other, they don’t try destroying one or the other’s happiness. Fuck him and fuck his posse and…I’m done with him. I’m completely finished with Dean Ambrose.” The fire and life was back in her eyes, along with guilt, but that would have to pass in time. “And just so you know, if you wouldn’t have overheard him, if he did take what happened to us to the grave, like we promised each other, I wouldn’t have told you about it. I just wanted to forget it ever happened, but I’ve learned you can’t bury something like that. You have to face it head-on and I know that now. I’ll never keep anything from you again or lie to you. That’s the only thing I’ve ever kept from you, Mark.”

“Are you mad at him for what he said and did, or are you mad at him for getting you into trouble?” He asked curiously, watching as Abigail cleaned herself up and brushed her teeth before leading her out to the table where food awaited. Taker doubted she’d eat much, especially after brushing her teeth. He, however, was famished and sat down, gesturing for her to do the same. “Better question, what were you two doing or talking about for him to bring that up?”

“What kind of question is that? I hate him for bringing up what happened between us, something we swore never to speak of again. And I hate him for kissing me and touching me the way he did yesterday!” Abigail snapped, shuddering and had dressed in a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top, not feeling hungry at all. “I was an idiot and told him about our plan to use me as bait to lure Bray out. He…flipped out. He grabbed me roughly and told me I wasn’t sacrificing myself, that I wasn’t doing it. I told him he couldn’t stop me and he…kissed me. I think he was trying to convince me not to do it, in his own way, and instead, he destroyed our friendship and any trust I had for him. I never want to see him again, if I can help it.” She’d never seen such worry and fire in those electric blues because Dean was usually very laid back and funny. Mark could eat all he wanted, she would stick with the water on the table and sipped it.

That was the end of the conversation because he wasn’t about to explain to her how people worked. Especially when it came to people who had a conflict of interest with him, like Ambrose. Honestly, if she would have taken that secret to the grave, Taker was willing to bet a large chunk of her anger was because Dean got her caught, she just wasn’t acknowledging it. He knew he’d be that way in her shoes. As it was, less Ambrose wasn’t a bad thing, so.. he dropped it.

“You have to eat something, Abigail.” Even if it was a slice of bread.

There was no way she was going to make it on an empty stomach, especially after sleeping she’d done the past couple days. He was worried about her. She had cheated on him and he was worried about her. Mark should’ve kicked her to the curb and told her to get out of Wonderful. That wasn’t the type of man he was though. He had a heart of gold and recognized she’d made a mistake, forgiving her for it.

“Maybe some toast, but I can’t promise anything else.”

When he nodded, placing some in her lap on a plate, she couldn’t even smile at him and took a small bite out of the buttered toast. Her stomach lurched painfully due to being hungry since she’d skipped two meals. Before she knew it, the toast was gone, and Mark had placed more food in front of her, letting her eat as much as she wanted. When all was said and done, Abigail ate two pieces of toast, two pancakes, scrambled eggs, a slice of bacon and some hash browns. She was STUFFED.

“Thank you, Mark.”

“You’re welcome, darlin’.”

He hadn’t lost anyone to hunger yet, it’d look really bad on him if his own woman died from overexertion and starvation. She looked like she needed more sleep, but Abigail had slept quite a long time. It was her nethers that would make walking painful; he hadn’t thought about that one and eyed her.

“You up for a walk, Abbie?” Some fresh air, while the bedding was washed, would probably do them both some good. “Or… would you like me to carry you?” The corners of his eyes crinkled at the gentle teasing. He was about to strip that mattress of everything on it and have it cleaned, though.

Sweat and other bodily fluids were going to make everything smell and feel weird if he didn’t.

“I think I need a shower…” When he shook his head and informed her what he did while she was out cold, her eyes widened. “You bathed me, and I didn’t wake up? Wow…” Well, at least that was one less thing to worry about. She took his extended his hand and let him help her up from the bed, accepting a soft kiss from him. “I can walk on my own.”

It would be painful, but the more she walked, the looser her muscles and body, in general, would become. She slipped some socks and shoes on before grabbing his hand, heading out of the tower together as the sun shined brightly in the sky. It was nearing noon, she wagered, and the sun felt amazing against her face. Just as they headed down the road, John Cena came sprinting up to them looking pale and breathing heavily.

“Boss, oh my god, boss, we need you! Steph is…”

“JONATHAN FELIX-ANTHONY CENA, I’LL KILL YOU IF YOU DON’T GET YOUR ASS BACK OVER HERE AND HELP ME!!”

“S-She’s in labor, dog, she’s in LABOR!!”

Abigail was about to find out if she could hack it in the medical wing as her and Mark rushed there to help prepare Stephanie to deliver her baby.

“You just watch.” Jeff ordered when he spotted Abigail. If she could handle seeing something like this, then maybe she’d be all right to assist with deliveries, but that was usually all Taker’s deal. “Boss,” He stepped out of the way as Taker moved to wash his hands. “Abbie, in the locker behind you, grab the scrubs.” They were the only ones that fit the Deadman.

“God, this hurts, this hurts!” Stephanie screamed, grabbing hold of John’s hands when he held them out. She was laying on a large bed that had been ‘modified’ for this. “What are you doing?!” She shrieked when the bed started slowly lifting.

“Getting you up for Taker.” Melina answered, busy with the crank and then secured it, stepping back. She flashed Abigail a tight smile. “As long as I’m up near the head, and don’t have to see… down there, I’m good.” Or C-sections, she had to leave immediately for those procedures. “Steph, there’s still time for pain management. Jeff has an IV ready to go.”

“Someone better get John a shot of whiskey.” Taker suggested, sounding amused as he turned back to take in the scene, holding out his arms while Abigail slid the open scrubs onto him. “Has the baby turned?”

“I can’t tell, I think so. I can go grab the portable x-ray machine.”

“YOU DRUG ME FIRST, HARDY!”

The way Stephanie was treated, while in labor, was completely different from how the DOV did things whenever a woman was ready to give birth. Bray firmly believed a woman needed to go through the pain of childbirth without any kind of medicine and he forced the other women to do the delivery. There were no doctors. If the woman died, she was meant to die in order to bring her child into the world. Here in Wonderful, they had drugs and machines for women, keeping a close eye on the baby. It amazed her how different these worlds were and how everything was operated. She watched as Jeff brought in the portable x-ray machine, hooking it up to check on the status of the baby, if it ‘turned’, whatever that meant.

“Alright, looks like the baby is head down. You’re 8 ½ months along, nearly full term, so the baby should be just fine, Steph.”

The drugs had kicked in, so she wasn’t screaming like a banshee at everyone and nodded, tears forming in her eyes. “I-I did what I was told, I was on bedrest…”

“You did good, baby.” John was nerve racked, but he had to stay calm for her sake, knowing she was extremely nervous about the delivery since their baby wasn’t 40 weeks. “Everything’s gonna be fine.”

“Jeff, I want you to prep the incubator, just in case.” Taker ordered, reaching up to brush his hand along Stephanie’s forehead, flashing her a reassuring smile. “You trust me, darlin’, right?”

“Yes…” He had delivered more babies than anybody she had ever met. “Please… I need to know if the baby is okay.”

“Well, he, or she, has dropped into position, I’d say this little one is ready.” Even if it hadn’t cooked all the way.

Pregnancy, even back in the day when everything had been down to an exact science supposedly, had still been unpredictable. Some women delivered early, some went past 40 weeks. The body was a magic unto its own, that was for damn sure, and he had nothing but respect for women. They could create another person, all on their own. What Wyatt was doing was cruel and an abomination.

“This could take a while.” Melina had moved to stand by Abigail while Taker spoke reassuringly to Stephanie and John, a palm on Stephanie’s stomach and his eyes on the clock on the wall. “First time moms… their labor usually lasts awhile. You look tired.”

“I am.” There was no point denying it. So much for taking a walk to stretch her legs with Mark, but duty called.

“She’s been labor for over 24 hours, on and off, is that a bad sign?”

Melina shook her head with a soft smile. “No John, like I just told Abbie, first time moms usually take a while to deliver. She’ll be okay.”

If it came down to rescuing Stephanie or the baby, if one of them had to die, John would make sure Stephanie survived. They could always make another baby, but they couldn’t make another her.

“Alright Steph, I’m gonna give you an IV to keep you hydrated.”

Jeff also had blood bags, just in case she lost too much during the actual delivery process. Taker had checked her to see how dilated she was and that couldn’t have been a great experience for Abigail to witness. It was for medical purposes though. Abigail didn’t look away when he did that because, if she planned on delivering babies in the future, she had to be prepared to do procedures such as checking a woman’s dilation. Jeff nodded when Taker announced Stephanie was at a 4, possibly 4 ½.

Hours rolled by and, while Stephanie fitfully slept in between contractions, Taker pulled John aside, frowning. “She’s not dilating anymore, John. She should have.” Jeff was actively monitoring for fetal stress, looking worried.

“Okay, so what do we do?” John ran his hands over his head, blue eyes wide with worry.

“Well, if she were anyone else, I’d say get her up and walking, that usually works. But with her blood pressure issues, the sooner the baby is out, the sooner she’ll be… out of danger.” Because the longer she was pregnant, the higher her risk for a stroke or something due to the blood pressure being insanely high climbed. “We can put her under completely, John, she won’t feel a thing.” And be less prone to panicking.

Chapter 53

John trusted Taker above everyone else and knew the man wouldn’t steer him wrong, his baby blues moving to the woman lying on the bed. She was the love of his life and he was crying. Tears slipped down his cheeks freely and John didn’t bother hiding them or brushing them away because, there was a chance this could go very wrong.

“You save her. I love our baby, but I love her more. If it comes down to one of them having to die, you let the baby die.” He held his hand up. “I’m just saying IF. We can make another baby, but we can’t make another her, you feel me, dog?”

Jeff understood, sharing a worried look with Taker and nodded. “Both of them will survive, the baby is nearly full term and we have the incubator set up, just in case we need it.”

“Then do it. I’m not leaving, I’m staying by her side.”

Abigail was currently sleeping on one of the cots, resting up just in case they needed her assistance with Stephanie, her eyes slowly opening to the HORRIFIC sight of Taker slicing open the woman’s stomach.

His hands were steady, and Jeff was right by him, assisting by handing him whatever he needed and keeping a vacuum there to suction away blood. His eyes darted up when Abigail stirred, his lower face covered by the mask he wore. “Stay there, darlin’.” He ordered, having kicked Melina out and John was sitting against a wall.

“He put up a barrier around them.” John said tiredly, watching as Taker and Jeff worked. “We can’t get to them.” At her curious look, he managed a wan smile. “Sterile environment. Taker needed one to do this so… he used magic.”

Abigail could only nod, sitting up and stayed on the cot, watching the miracle of childbirth, even though it was via C-section. The sounds of the baby’s cry echoed around them as John breathed a sigh of relief, keeping his forehead pressed against Stephanie’s. It didn’t take long to realize Stephanie was out cold, so they must’ve sedated her for this process. Gently and carefully, Mark extracted the baby out of Stephanie, handed the little boy over to Jeff to clean up and blinked when he walked over with the baby to hand to her.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Clean him up, Taker needs my help to sew Stephanie back up and make sure she hasn’t lost too much blood. Can you handle this?”

“Y-Yeah, yes.”

Abigail took the baby from him, cradling the little boy in her arms and stood up to walk over to the sink, wetting a cloth to wipe him down while he continued showing how strong his lungs were. He was so cute with wisps of brown hair and dark blue eyes, though they could change over the next several months. Both Stephanie and John had blue eyes, but that didn’t mean the baby would. Once the baby was cleaned up, she swaddled him, remembering learning this technique in the DOV with the mothers before Bray alienated her from the mothers and children. While Mark and Jeff finished up with Stephanie, John walked over to look down at his son and Abigail smiled up at him, handing over the baby boy to his father.

“Congratulations, Daddy.”

Gingerly, John took the baby boy from her, staring down into the tiny, scrunched face. His son had a perfectly shaped head, something he knew as a result of being born the way he had. “He’s so damn perfect,” He whispered, tears in his eyes.

“You should name him after me.” Taker said without looking up, more intent on what he was doing.

“I don’t know, Taker JR sounds stupid to me.”

“Shows what you know.” This was crazy work, stitching up layers, and he was also incorporating magic into it, just a hint, just enough to make sure everything healed properly. “Abigail, when John’s done, would you weigh and measure Taker JR?”

“I’m not THAT grateful, boss.”

Giggling softly, Abigail shook her head at Mark and took the baby from John, when he handed the baby over, walking over to the baby weight and measure machine. “I think the mother should have a say in the name, boss.” She smirked at his arched brow and winked back in reply, feeling John hovering over her like the protective father he was. “He is…7 pounds, 8 ounces and 21 inches long.” Abigail announced, wrapping the baby up again and could tell he was hungry, frowning since Stephanie was still out cold. “Umm do we have bottles on hand or something for the little tike?”

Jeff nodded, leaving the ‘sterile’ environment to show Abigail where all the baby items were located, including the formula. “If Stephanie wants to breastfeed, she can still do it, but one bottle beforehand won’t hurt since she’s physically unable to.”

Nodding, Abigail handed the bottle over to John after prepping it and sat him down, letting him bond with his father while she cleaned up where she could.

Once he was finished with Stephanie, Taker lowered the bed to a more comfortable position. This room was only used for labor, something Jeff had insisted upon because he didn’t want cross-contamination. As there were no other mothers expecting to deliver anytime relatively soon, he went about making Stephanie comfortable, not that she would be able to tell.

“I’m going to put her on antibiotics, just in case.” Jeff informed them. “John, were you wanting him circumcised?”

“Don’t look at me man, I don’t clip dicks.” That was all Jeff. “She needs to stay here for a few days, John. On bedrest, she won’t be up for a while. Jeff, you got this?”

“Yeah, Melina should be coming back. You look…”

“Hungry.” Taker was starving. He glanced at Abigail, noting the look on her face as she watched John and… Taker JR, grinning.

“He looks like you, Johnny.”

John was in awe of his son, kissing his forehead softly and snuggled him against his chest. “Yeah…I see Steph in him too, though.”

Boys weren’t treated this way by their fathers in the DOV. The fathers did not come in contact with the boys until they were one month old, and training instantly commenced. Watching John with his son, cradling and loving him, amazed Abigail and she couldn’t take her eyes from them. Mark’s hand planted on her shoulder and she looked up at him, leaning her head back as his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

“That’s how it should be.” She murmured, watching John walk over to sit down beside Stephanie while holding their son. “There’s not an ounce of resentment or coldness coming from him when he looks at that little boy. All babies deserve to be treated like that, nothing but love and affection from both parents, not just one.”

Taker knew what she was talking about. Abigail was thinking of the DOV and how things were done there versus what she had just witnessed. He bet the stark contrast was mind-blowing. Taker didn’t know how they were going to handle the aftermath of taking out Wyatt, though. There would be people loyal to the man and they would have to go, but it also sounded like the survivors, men and women, would be adults with the minds of children. That was a bushel of problems he was not mentally equipped to deal with right now.

“Come on, let’s leave them to it, darlin’.” He said quietly, stepping out of the barrier to remove his scrubs and clean-up.

“You were amazing in there.” Abigail complimented, taking his hand as they walked out of the medical wing toward the common house to get something to eat. Her poor man had been in there with Stephanie, coaching and talking her through the process, but once she stopped dilating, it was time to take action to save both mother and child. “Is Stephanie going to be okay?” She asked, once they were seated with their trays of food.

A sigh of relief escaped her when he nodded, and they proceeded to eat, Mark devouring his food while she ate slowly, looking around the place at the new faces that had been trained, including Susan.

“I heard Stephanie had her baby, is that true?” Susan asked, bouncing over to put down an urn of coffee before them. She had learned from Amy that Taker drank coffee the way other people drank water.

“A handsome baby boy, lil darlin’.” He said, flashing his niece an appreciative smile before pouring himself a mug, offering to do the same for Abigail.

“Do you think I could go see him?”

“Maybe tomorrow Susie, Stephanie is sleeping right now.”

“We’ll go together, okay? But tonight she really needs to rest with the baby and Johnny.” Abigail poured herself a mug, still feeling somewhat fatigued and figured one more good night’s sleep would bring her back to feeling normal.

“Okay, sounds good. I’m gonna go finish cleaning up and then head up to bed.” She hugged Abigail and Uncle Mark before heading into the kitchen, her hair bouncing behind her.

“Such a good kid, Amy said she’s learning the ropes around here pretty fast.” That had to be the serum since it also helped grow the mind at a fast rate as well. Some things, such as instincts and learning right from wrong had to be taught from experience, however. “I’m gonna work in the medical wing tomorrow and have Jeff and Melina train me.” Since Melina couldn’t draw blood without vomiting, Jeff decided he’d have to help with the training process. “We’ll have to drain you again too, you and Malcolm.” Speaking of the old man… “Where is Malcolm anyway?”

“He wanted access to the forge today, something about trying to grind Mythril into powder.” Taker said after a moment. “From experience, I can tell you that’s not easy, even with magic. Easier to smelt it down and use it for other things.” Weapons that were indestructible with magical properties were very useful. Would continue being useful in the upcoming battle that was definitely looming. “I should probably go check on him…” That would definitely be the last thing he’d be doing today, he was… exhausted. Nothing compared to how Stephanie was going to be feeling when she woke up, however. “I think you’d do a lot of good in the medical wing, darlin’, and I know they need whatever hands on deck they can get.”

Grinding Mythril into powder…Abigail lowered her head, knowing exactly what Malcolm was trying to do. “I know what he’s doing.” She slowly looked up at Mark, feeling him take her hand and heaved a sigh, pushing her tray aside since she’d ate almost everything on it. “I told Malcolm about the shortage of medicine around here and…asked him about the possibility of using Mythril to replenish the stocks. He told me if he could grind the Mythril into a powder, it would be possible…but he also said it was very difficult to do…” Mark was right, using magic medicine on these people wasn’t a smart idea because of the aftermath. Would they too be granted powers if their bodies were infused with magic? “You should go stop him, if you don’t want magical medicine in Wonderful or he’s going to end up making a slew of it.”

“If he can grind it,” Taker laughed, shaking his head. “Mythril is… hard, to work with. It took me a long time to even learn how to smelt it and, when it’s turned into a liquid form, the fumes are toxic.” Grinding it to a powder and making it into medicine, he eyed her, wondering how that would work out. There was just no telling. “Come on, let’s go down there and get him out. If he’s been at it all day, he’s probably tired too.” He stood up, pushing away his now empty plate and held out a hand to her.

There was no need for them to go anywhere because Malcolm strolled into the common house, looking both amused and annoyed. Mythril was intriguing and he was enjoying being able to see it, study it and work with it. However, it reminded him of a woman: tricky and volatile.

“Malcolm, thank god you’re all right!” Abigail actually hugged him, seeing he was no worse for wear and chalked it up to the magic.

“Of course I am, my dear. Whatever made you think otherwise?”

“Taker mentioned something about you going down to the forge and we were on our way to check on you.”

Malcolm smiled, waving her off dismissively and patted her head affectionately. “Fear not, Abigail, I’m perfectly fine. I just…had to go to the forge to study the Mythril for myself. It’s tricky…and, if not used properly, very deadly.” He watched his son nod in affirmation. “I was thinking about the medicine shortage you told me about on our journey back here and…I think it’s possible, but…we’ll have to wait until AFTER the war to test out my theory.” Providing he survived.

“One thing at a time and tomorrow, you two need to be drained for a second time, don’t forget. So you should rest up and eat something.” He smelled weird…and she chalked that up to Mythril.

“Yes, I haven’t forgotten and you two should do the same. Mark, I trust you listened to what I said about your…activities. Let the poor girl rest tonight.” He patted his son’s shoulder on his way to the kitchen to grab some food.

That was awkward and funny as hell.

“Hey, Malcolm,” Asshole parent, he scowled, though he smiled when Malcolm faced him. “I’m thinking, we’re going to have prisoners of war, people who are loyal to Wyatt, regardless.”

He could see where this was going and nodded slowly, wondering if perhaps Luke Harper would be one of those POWs. “Of course…”

Taker felt absolutely zero qualms about using pieces of trash like that for human test subjects. He’d rather test experimental things out on them then risk his own people dying. Not to mention, it’d be a great way to determine any potential magical side effects. He’d just have to be on standby to terminate them if necessary.

Abigail would do whatever Mark wanted to do, supporting him thoroughly and went back to the tower with him. She was basically moved in with him, all of her belongings were here, and she slept with him on a nightly basis since returning. Changing into a simple t-shirt, she slipped into bed and snuggled against him, sighing in contentment while he read a book. When Mark began reading to her, she listened and enjoyed the sound of his voice, noticing it was the book she had given him as a gift. He kept it and it did her heart good because this was one of her favorites.

“I love you.” She whispered, closing her eyes and fell asleep with him joining her shortly after.

Chapter 54

Four days later, Abigail had been trained on how to stitch people up and draw blood, getting the hang of things rather quickly. Melina was ecstatic, sending everyone who needed their blood drawn to Abigail, along with injuries that involved blood. It didn’t bother Abigail and she found herself enjoying helping people, getting to know others within Wonderful besides just Mark’s inner circle of friends and confidants. Stephanie was doing well, still in the medical wing and would hopefully be able to go home with John and the baby tomorrow. Taking her gloves off, Abigail tossed them in the trash and turned around just as someone walked through the door, her eyes narrowing slightly at Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins. It didn’t take her long to see he was slashed on the side, his hand coated in blood and he looked rather pale, gritting his teeth.

“Please help him.” Seth begged, knowing they had no other alternative and didn’t know Abigail worked in the medical wing.

Nodding, Abigail had to push her personal feelings for Dean aside and instructed Seth to put him on the table, slipping on a fresh pair of gloves. “What happened?”

“Some of the hogs we breed for food, they’re sometimes boars, from interbreeding with what we bring in.” Seth explained, helping to strip Dean out of his coat and shirt. “We were down helping with de-tusking the bastard and Dean got the fun end of a tusk.”

“Not. Fun.” Dean grunted through gritted teeth. He had been holding the animal steady, it had panicked and began struggling.

“Fuck…” Seth winced when the t-shirt was completely off, taking in the wound. “I can’t, I’m going to hurl.” He bolted out of there.

Dean began laughing weakly at that. “Pansy…”

Abigail frowned thoughtfully at the deep gash and wondered if stitches would be able to hold this wound closed. No, it would have to be staples, which she’d also been trained in. However, she hadn’t done nearly as many staples as she had stitches, so this would be quit the practice.

“Okay Dean, I need you to keep perfectly still. I’m going to inject you with some lidocaine that’ll help with the pain.” She informed him softly, beginning to clean up the blood while applying pressure to it with gauze. “You’re going to need staples.”

“I really hope you don’t use whiskey to disinfect, babe.” Dean said, not bothered by the idea of staples, couldn’t hurt worse than being nearly gored. “Don’t waste the drugs on me, Abs, save them for someone else.”

Pain was good, it let him know he was alive. Dean figured other people might not tolerate it as well as he did. His eyes roamed the room before landing on her, flashing her a grin through his clenched teeth.

“You playing doctor now?”

“Don’t call me babe. Abbie or Abs is fine, but not babe.” Abigail ordered, pulling out the lidocaine and could see he was serious.

He wanted to go through the agonizing pain of being stapled shut. That wound was very deep and would require extensive stapling. If that’s what he wanted, who was she to deny him?

“Fine, and yes I have to use Jack Daniels to disinfect the wound.” They didn’t have anything else like peroxide and Jeff told her alcohol was the best disinfectant. “Take a deep breath, this is going to hurt.” Then, she poured a healthy dose of Jack Daniels over the wound and shut her eyes when Dean actually bellowed out.

Maybe next time he would take the lidocaine.

“Always going to be babe, Abs.” He chuckled hoarsely, holding out a hand when he seen that stapler. “Wait a second, let the whiskey do its work.” Dean really hoped that they had told her not to constantly rely on liquor for antiseptic, not on superficial wounds at least, because that would actually deaden nerves permanently on top of cleansing a wound. “Okay, good. We’re good.”

“Stop telling me how to do my job and shut up. I’ve been trained, and I know what I’m doing, Ambrose.” Abigail snapped, not amused by the way he was talking to her and rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “Just keep your damn mouth shut and let me do this.”

She knew when to staple his wound and how long to wait for the alcohol to work through the wound. Alcohol was all they had for an antiseptic, so he could either deal with it or find another way to close his wound, unless he wanted to bleed to death. Without warning, she put the first staple in while holding the wound closed with her hand, remaining perfectly steady.

He began laughing as she stapled the wound, snorting when Abigail paused. “I wasn’t trying to tell you how to do your work, Abs, just didn’t know how long you’d been at this. Did your boy Hardy tell you what else whiskey does to a person? Besides clean the damn wound?” Because he bet Jeff hadn’t. That was a side effect they didn’t want to have to explain, he guessed. “It can kill the good tissue, the live tissue, deaden nerves. Soap and water work just as good.” Unless she did know all that and was just being mean, in which case, he was going to be mad. Abigail had nailed him in the balls with a sharp spray, they were even as far as he was concerned.

“Yes, he told me all of that, but with a wound THIS severe, there’s no time to scrub it clean with soap and water, especially since you need STAPLES, not stitches. You’re lucky you didn’t puncture a major organ with that damn animal!” Abigail had to take a deep breath, her temper currently up and shut her eyes before continuing the staples. “If you wanted me to use soap and water, or do this a certain way, you should’ve told me.” No, she didn’t use the alcohol on purpose just to cause him pain, Abigail wasn’t vindictive like that. “Four staples in, I’d say you need at least ten.”

“Hey, they tranquilized that hog, shouldn’t have been an issue.” However, it was, shit happened, and now here he was getting stapled by Abigail, of all people. Life was just funny and cruel, that way, he supposed. “No, with a wound like this, whiskey is quick and kind, scrubbing it would have been a bitch, for us both. I just wanted to make sure you knew, they didn’t tell Melina right away.” Melina had been very whiskey happy for a while, then she had lost David and began drinking a lot of whiskey.

“If they knocked the hog out, why did it charge you? It should’ve been knocked out.” Abigail pointed out the obvious, focusing on trying to keep this wound tight to where she could staple it due to how deep it was. Something told her they didn’t give the hog a strong enough tranquilizer, which resulted in Dean being nearly skewered alive. “Okay, a couple more and you’ll be good to go, after I wrap your midsection. You’re going to need to clean this wound at least twice a day, change the bandage and if you can’t manage it without fucking it up, you come back here, and I’ll do it for you.” Because Melina was too squeamish, even with closed wounds because they still sported a little bit of blood at first. “If you get a fever, you better come straight here because that means you have an infection.”

“Goddamn you’re cute, Abs.” Dean chuckled, sitting upright now, gingerly, and watched as she retrieved her supplies. “They tranquilized the damn thing, didn’t knock it out. We try to just keep them calm, outright sedating one of those beasts takes a lot.” They were all about conserving supplies. “Look, just wrap me up and I’ll get out of your hair, okay? I know how to handle it from here.”

This wasn’t his first rodeo and likely not to be his last. Hell, if he had known she was the one in here, he wouldn’t have come in the first place. Abigail had made it abundantly clear she hated him. When she stepped up to wrap him, Dean extended his arms and held still, his electric blue eyes fastened intently on her face.

“I’m sorry, Abbie.”

Dean knew he shouldn’t have said what he said, or did what he did, but how had she expected him to respond to the news she gave him? Did she really think anyone who cared about her was going to be all right with that? But… it also looked like it hadn’t ruined her relationship with the Deadman either, just theirs. She made the mistake of looking up at him, sitting on the bedding in order to wrap the gauze around his midsection now that the staples were done. His words should’ve fallen on deaf ears, but Abigail found herself staring into his eyes and saw the truth in them. As much as she claimed to hate him, she couldn’t because of everything he’d done for her.

“You told me you didn’t have feelings for me, that you didn’t think of me that way. You told me you understood how I felt about Taker. You lied to me.” Abigail kept wrapping him, keeping her voice carefully neutral and lowered her eyes to focus on what she was doing. “I trusted you and you lied to me, Dean.”

All Dean could do was shrug, not feeling the least bit ashamed of it either. And really, who was she to call him out on that, of ALL people? She would have never told Taker the truth, which he had been fine with, and that was pretty much in the same category as lying. He wouldn’t have told Taker either; if he had known the sneaky asshat was nearby, he wouldn’t have said what he did.

“You do that, Abs, when you care about someone. You lie, especially if it means them being happy, and babe, I’m not an idiot. It’s him that makes you happy. So I lied, because it put your mind at rest.”

Dean was a cock, he could admit it, but he wasn’t selfish enough to make her miserable by telling her things she didn’t want to hear. That wasn’t easy to hear, but there was nothing Abigail could do about it. She was with the man she wanted, the man she loved and would never hurt him again.

“You were the first actual friend I made here, Dean. You didn’t judge me or ridicule me or make me walk on eggshells around you. I trusted you, that’s why I asked you to come help me rescue Malcolm, after I was turned down by Taker. And after outing me to Taker, forcing me to relive what happened between us, I realized how wrong I was for being intimate with you and doing what we did.” Taking the two clips, she fastened them into the gauze and stood up from the bedding, ripping her gloves off. “I’m an idiot. I trust too easily. And I’ve learned a valuable lesson not to trust people right away, so thanks for that. And for the record, I DID care about you, but I don’t anymore. You ruined that. You ruined our friendship by being a dick and opening your mouth about something we both swore we’d never talk about again and then you kissed me, put your hands on me, without my consent. Thanks for that too, it opened my eyes to what kind of asshole you really are. You can let yourself out.” Turning the light off, she stormed out of the medical wing and breathed in the fresh night air, heading toward the tower for a much needed shower.

All he could do was laugh, a hand on his side. She was so damn stupid. And she had gone and done the one thing he had hoped she wouldn’t, she had turned into one of THEM. Abigail would despise him forever because he had cared, and she really did not see her own self being selfish and a hypocrite. Dean was the asshole because, in a moment of serious panic, he had reminded her of something she was trying to hide from the man she did love. He had kissed her and griped at her. Apparently, as long as Taker had forgiven her for a mistake she had never intended to own, fuck him. Shaking his head, Dean vacated the medical ward. Maybe it was time to leave Wonderful. The wonder was gone for him.

By the time she arrived at the tower, Abigail was a little calmer and didn’t realize she’d gotten blood on her yellow tank top until she looked down to notice it. Mark wasn’t here yet, which wasn’t a surprise since him and Malcolm had been spending a great deal of time in the forge. Peeling her clothes off, Abigail tossed them in the nearby hamper and started the shower sprays, stepping into them to wash away the day’s and part of the night’s events.

Dean could go to hell for all she cared. She didn’t care what he thought about her, she didn’t love him and never would. Leaving Wonderful would be in his best interest, but where the hell would he go besides the DOV? Wonderful was the only place of salvation away from the DOV, but then again, Dean claimed to be the jack of all trades. Snorting, Abigail washed her hair, rinsed the suds out, washed her body and stepped out a half an hour later, wrapping a towel around herself. Tonight, she would be discussing with Taker when he wanted to leave to put an end to the DOV and Bray Wyatt.

Father and son – Mark and Malcolm – had learned the hard that way Mythril could be ground down. They had also learned that it was going to be a very slow process. Malcolm was also missing the end of his left hand pinky.

“I told you to mind the grindstone… you don’t put your damn hands in the wheel’s pull.”

“I wonder if I could grow it back?” Malcolm said as they walked the path towards the tower, studying the now blunt, shorter pinky. It didn’t hurt, magic had seen to that and the clean scar, but… still, he had a stubbed pinky.

“Magical lizard man…” He snorted, figuring he had gotten his common sense from his mother because Malcolm was very… curious and sometimes that was dangerous when one didn’t reign it in with common sense.

She heard the door open and smirked, not realizing Mark wasn’t alone. Still in her towel, Abigail was ready for some loving tonight and decided to shed her towel nonchalantly, dropping it to the floor. Mark would walk in, see her naked and take the invitation since they hadn’t had sex in 4 days. He was holding back because of the two other times they had been intimate. Tonight, she would be rectifying that. That was until Mark walked in with Malcolm and she let out a shriek, stumbling out of the bed and FLEW into the bathroom, her cheeks a deep crimson red.

“Good lord…” Malcolm had slapped a hand over his eyeballs, but that hadn’t stopped him from seeing Abigail’s VERY naked body for a brief second. “I – uh – I will leave you to it, son.” He cleared his throat, his own cheeks red and decided he could handle his pinky on his own.

Abigail was mortified.

Chapter 55

Malcolm wasn’t having any luck today, the poor bastard. Taker, on the other hand, was laughing his ass off. The look on Malcolm’s face as he had awkwardly shuffled out of the room and the sound of how fast that old man was carting himself down the steps… hilarious.

“Darlin’, he’s gone… you can come out.” He chuckled, wondering what on earth she was doing up here naked since the tower wasn’t exactly the warmest. Being up so high, things got drafty. “Abbie?”

“Nope, I’m not coming out!” Abigail called out through the door, having flipped the lock on it and folded her arms in front of her chest, pouting.

She wanted to surprise her man and got WAY more than she bargained for. His own father had walked in on her completely naked in bed! Groaning, Abigail tried to keep her cheeks from burning and couldn’t believe how stupid she was! Stupid, stupid, stupid! When he tried the door, she pressed her back against it and grabbed the nearest towel, which had been used earlier that day, but at least it was dry.

“Just leave me alone, Mark. Let me wallow in my embarrassment alone, please.”

“Well, that won’t do, darlin’.” He drawled through the door, beginning to shed his own clothes. Taker began to see what had happened here. Abigail, bless her, had been looking to surprise and entice him, only to get more than she had bargained for. “You probably made his day,” ‘Taker shouldn’t have found that amusing, but he did, especially considering Malcolm had lost part of his finger to his own idiocy. “Open up, Abbie, or I’ll do it myself.” He was now outside the door bare-assed.

Groaning, Abigail knew he’d do it with magic, if necessary and reluctantly stood up to face the door, opening it a few seconds later. “I was just…oh wow…” She had wrapped herself in a towel, not expecting to find him in his birthday suit when she opened the door. “I was trying to surprise you since we haven’t had sex in 4 days…” Her voice had gotten softer and lower with each word spoken.

He reached out to pull her into his arms, her cheeks flushed and red for an entirely different reason now. Four long days without feeling him inside of her was a crime, it had to be. Her hands slid up his muscular chest, along with her eyes, until they locked on smoldering dark forest green.

“Nothing rough tonight, show me your softer side, Mark…please…”

His softer side, he could do that. Four days without her, felt wrong, but he had been giving Abigail time to recover as well as focus on learning her new job. Today, she had probably dealt with Dean Ambrose, he had gotten word about the accident in the barn. It was also none of his business, he knew Abigail was loyal to him. Sweeping her up into his arms, he carried her to their bed and knelt down on it, not letting her go and simply kissed her. She wanted soft and tender, his gentle side, and that was what she would get.

Soft, gentle, tender and loving was exactly what Mark gave her, taking his time to thoroughly make love to her. Abigail did enjoy the roughness he brought to the table in the bedroom, but this was amazing too. An hour later, they lay in bed together with her leg draped over his, her body curled into his side and her head resting on his chest, caressing him. No more secrets between them, she promised, so she looked up at him and sat up a bit, caressing his face tenderly with her hand.

“I need to tell you something. It’s not…bad or anything, but…Dean came into the medical wing tonight needing staples. I was the only one who could handle it since Jeff was still with Stephanie and monitoring Anthony and there was no way Melina could handle all that blood. It was pretty bad…” Nothing she couldn’t handle though. “You’re not mad I had to tend to him, are you?”

“Why would I be mad with you for doing your job?” Taker couldn’t keep the note of confusion from his tone as he moved so he was laying on his side, elbow on the pillow, head in his palm, blinking at her. But, he did smile at her, pleased with her telling him this because that was a good thing. “I heard about the incident when they were removing the tusks, it sounds like you had your hands full, Abbie.” He said quietly, reaching out to caress her face with the back of his hand. “Thank you, darlin’, for telling me.” All things considered, it took a lot of guts, especially after the last two times they had had blowups.

“No more secrets, remember? I don’t care if it’s my job, I’m going to tell you every time I encounter him. I think he’s going to steer clear of me and the medical wing from now on though. I sort of…hurt his feelings, I think. If he even has any.” She snorted, doubting it and snuggled down against his arm, enjoying being with him again after a long day. “Enough about him, I just thought I’d let you know. Tell me about your day in the forge and why did you bring Malcolm up here?”

“Oh, because we were going to have a late snack up here and write down some theories. He’s been taking mental notes all day and I offered to let him use my stuff, and my own notes. I think he’s wishing he could write some brilliant book about Mythril.”

Taker chuckled, but it was also bittersweet. Back in the day, when education and universities, novels and all that had been a thing, Malcolm had loved it. He had penned out several papers that were published on theories. There was definitely no market for anything like that anymore.

“And, his dumbass grinded off the tip of his left pinky.”

“Ouch.” Abigail winced, hoping there was a way to fix his pinky because that had to hurt. “Shit, he didn’t need medical assistance, did he?” She breathed a sigh of relief at Mark shaking his head and snuggled further against him. “I would say I’m sorry for chasing him off, but I’m not. We don’t know what the future holds or how much time we have together, so I want to spend as much of it with you as I can. I know we have to leave soon to face Bray and the DOV. So I’m gonna be a little selfish when it comes to you at night.”

She kissed him soundly, wishing they didn’t have to go and they could just stay here in the safety of Wonderful. However, that wasn’t reality and reality was a cruel, ugly thing. The DOV and Bray had to be stopped and, if they survived it, then they could have their happily ever after. Taker didn’t bother explaining to her that Malcolm had cauterized and ‘healed’ it on his own, sort of. He had offered to take him to the medical wing, but… Malcolm had said it would be a great reminder to not put his fingers where he shouldn’t.

“Abbie, quit worrying; we’re going to beat him, we’re going to win, darlin’.”

They had drained the last of the blood required and Malcolm had transported it. Everything else was ready to go, though there had been talk about taking his own army, Wonderful’s army, to deal with the soldiers. It was a war. He was just hesitant about leaving Wonderful defenseless, again.

He sounded so confident, there wasn’t arrogance in his tone, only truth and love was in his voice. “You really believe that, don’t you?”

Resting her forehead against his, Abigail shifted a little to get more comfortable, since they weren’t leaving this bed for the night. They wouldn’t leave Wonderful defenseless because they would be the wall of defense. They would take the fight to the DOV and Bray and put an end to this once and for all. There would be no more fear of the DOV or their vicious beliefs. It would be war, but Mark was right, they would win and make it back to Wonderful together.

“I trust you, so if you say we’re going to win, then that’s what will happen.”

“Good.” Taker pulled her against his large body, hugging her tightly and began to rain kisses along her hairline, inhaling Abigail’s sweet scent. “We’re more prepared now, darlin’, thanks to you.” Which was the truth…her stubborn ass had actually saved his life. “We know what we have to do, we got this.”

They would start arming men tomorrow and, during the days in the forge, he had been making weapons and bullets. Showing Malcolm the dark side of Mythril, as it were. If there were any good properties to it, they wouldn’t know until this fight with the DOV was done.

“You know me, I’m a worrier.” Abigail remarked, sighing as he pressed kisses against her collarbone on each side, his hands caressing her sides.

She definitely enjoyed the softer side of him, the loving side. In a way, her defying and disrespecting him had saved everyone because it was the only way they found out Bray had a protection spell on him. If Abigail hadn’t gone with Dean to get that invisibility cloak and rescued Malcolm, Mark would’ve been slaughtered trying to take the DOV and Bray out. Everything worked out as it should, they both compromised instead of letting their egos run rampant.

“Jeff did mention something about stringing me up though. He said that’ll be too much to bring with us since we’re going to war.” His eyes looked up at her, her hand caressing his scarred face. “He thinks you should keep me close to you and a knife at the throat would do the trick, or a sword, whatever you wanna call it. Even a gun, but stringing me up…there’s not a lot of trees where we’re going, and he also pointed that out too.”

The DOV cut them all down for their own selfish needs and reasons. They would be doing this on DOV soil, which meant they would have to be prepared for the rough terrain. It wasn’t flat lands by any means.

“And here I was looking forward to hanging you from my symbol.” He chuckled, smirking at Abigail’s confused look. “I would never hang you from a tree, darlin’. I’d go with something more dramatic.” Trees were for nameless, unworthy… no, she would have had a great mock execution. “I’ll use a dagger.”

Hopefully, they wouldn’t get that far. Just her presence would be enough to get Bray to leave his walls, expectantly. Of course, if Wyatt was secure in the knowledge that he was invincible, it was entirely possible his hubris would have him strolling out the front door, regardless.

“No wait, you said a symbol…”

What was he talking about? Abigail couldn’t recall seeing a symbol and then…suddenly, she remembered one just outside of Wonderful’s gates. It was a T with spikes through the middle of it and it was some kind of emblem, right in the middle, on top of the archway of the gates.

“That emblem on the gates…with the T and the X…that’s your symbol, isn’t it?” Where was the U though? She knew the T stood for Taker, but what were the spikes for? That didn’t make sense since his nickname was Undertaker and it started with a U, not an X. “You have one of those built to execute people?” Abigail saw him hesitate and touched his face, letting him know she wouldn’t think ill of him because not everything could be wine and roses in Wonderful, no matter how great the town was. “Let’s do that then. That’ll send a clear cut message to Bray about who has me and what will happen if he doesn’t come out of hiding. I like that idea a lot better than holding a dagger to my throat because a lot of things could go wrong.” Hell, the symbol idea and being strapped to it could go wrong too, but at least it would be a secured situation.

“Wait… you want me to string you up now?” Taker asked in surprise, arching a slow brow.

Abigail had been very hesitant about it before and now she was all for being strapped to his symbol to put on a show for Wyatt. He knew why too; a lot could go wrong, even with the dagger bit. But he hadn’t been planning on just stringing her up and dropping her, no, there would be all the pomp and circumstance that went with executing a prisoner of war of her stature, which would include a list of her crimes. Basically, all showy and letting Wyatt know she was about to suffer. He figured if Wyatt was as obsessed with her as she believed, the man would be down there before he had even reached the end of her ‘crimes’.

“Well yeah because you’re not gonna put a noose around my neck, which is what I thought you meant by ‘stringing me up’. I didn’t know you had a symbol for this kind of thing and, like I said, it would send a message to Bray. I need to find a white dress too.” Abigail hated the color because that’s ALL she was allowed to wear in the castle, scowling at thought. When he looked at her questioningly, she sighed and figured an explanation was in order. “White is the color of purity, according to Bray. It was the only color I was allowed to wear in the castle. Everywhere I went, I was dressed from head to toe in white…and I hated it. But me in white, strapped to your symbol…it’ll be more than enough to make him come running.” Bray was in for a rude awakening once he realized Abigail had completely turned on him and sided with the ‘enemy’.

Originally, he had thought red or black, but… Bray might see that as she was tainted, no longer pure, and might change his mind about her worth. That was so jacked up, Taker didn’t even know where to begin. If he were a psychologist, he bet he’d have a field day with Bray Wyatt and his mental problems.

“I might put a noose around your neck, but we won’t walk you off to hang, darlin’. All about theater. I won’t allow harm to come to you.” Or for her to go off seeking it…his emerald eyes narrowed at the possibility.

“Okay, I understand. And you already know I trust you and your judgment.”

Mark didn’t have a CLUE just how messed up Bray’s mind was and would probably have nightmares if he EVER delved into the monster’s mind. Bray wasn’t Bray to her anymore. Bray was a monster that had to be destroyed, at any and all costs. Would it hurt to watch him die? Yes, but Abigail would stay strong and let it happen. There was no redemption for him, not after all the hell and cruelty he’d forced upon this world. Vesperia would be better off without him alive…because without him, the DOV crumbled.

Chapter 56

“So, have you and everyone who is coming with us discussed when we’re leaving?”

“Soon darlin’, real soon. We have a standing army, Steve has been getting them ready. But we’re also leaving men here to protect Wonderful, and Malcolm thinks he can cast a protection spell to help, but he’s not sure how long it’ll last since he won’t be in the vicinity.” Malcolm had to go with them. “I’m tempted… to leave the talisman here, just in case.” He admitted, not surprised when she began shaking her head no immediately.

“No, it’s too dangerous without your magic, Mark. I know you hate it, I know you don’t like relying on it, but…this is the time TO rely on it.” Abigail cupped his face in her hands, softly kissing him and felt him pull her on top of him, their chests pressed together. She trailed her lips down his jaw to his neck and back up again, feeling him start to rise to the occasion again. “Promise me…promise me you won’t leave here without your magic. If anything happens to you…” Shaking her head, Abigail did not want to think about the prospect of not having Mark in her life anymore. “I can’t lose you. Wonderful will be just fine because we’re taking the fight to them.” He sat upright, wrapping her legs around his waist and draped her arms around his neck, enjoying how her fingers got lost in his soft dark red tresses.

“I know, I know… I just… what if’s, darlin’. I want to make sure that, if something does happen, all these people aren’t left hanging in the wind.” He admitted, knowing he sounded like an ass, especially after telling her that they had this and there was nothing to worry about. “Comes with being in charge I guess, you worry about the people.” Taker began gliding his lips up and down her throat, smiling when he felt her playing with his hair. “I love you, Abigail.” He rumbled, pulling back to press his forehead to hers.

“I love you too. You can’t go out there human, just in case Bray doesn’t take me as the bait. You have to protect yourself, you have to put yourself first for once.” His magic along with Malcolm’s would still bring the DOV down, if Bray didn’t care to save her. “I know you care about every single person here, even those who oppose and don’t agree with you.” Dean, Roman and Seth came to mind instantly. “But just this once, you need to be selfish. After we’re done with this, if you want to get rid of your magic forever and keep it as a barrier for Wonderful for the rest of our lives, that’s fine. Please don’t put yourself at risk when we’re going to war, though. These people trust you and I know you’re leaving good men here to protect the barrier while we’re gone.” Tears swelled in her eyes as she looked down, caressing his chest with her free hand. “I’m selfish for asking this of you, for asking you to put yourself first and I know that, but…damn it, Mark, what have you done to me?” Abigail hadn’t expected to survive this war, thinking the leader would use her as bait to lure Bray out and ultimately kill her.

She hadn’t banked on falling in love with the leader.

“Love makes us selfish, darlin’.”

There had been plenty of moments where he had seriously thought about just snatching her up and running. They’d just run and run, leave Wonderful, the DOV, all of it behind. But… that kind of selfishness came at a price so heavy, their hands would forever be bloodstained.

“I won’t go human.” He said slowly, reaching up to brush away her tears. “As long as you promise me something in return,” Because that’s how this worked. “I don’t want you doing anything stupid, no sacrificing yourself, Abbie. Got me?”

Her confrontation with Dean flowed through her mind, recalling his words and they were nearly identical to what Mark was asking of her now. He wasn’t telling her she couldn’t do it, but sacrificing herself was off the table. Abigail wanted to protect Mark, the last hope Vesperia had, but she also wanted to survive to be with him. She wanted babies with only him, to marry him and grow old together. Mark saw them having a future or else he wouldn’t request this of her.

“I won’t, I promise. No sacrificing from either of us. We’re going to make it through this, we’re going to destroy the Dominion and Bray and we’re coming back here to have our happily ever after or whatever. That’s what’s going to happen, and I won’t settle for anything less.” Besides, how was she supposed to do anything if she was strung up on his symbol?

“I mean it Abigail, swear it on whatever means the most to you that you won’t sacrifice yourself. Not to save Wonderful, not to save Vesperia, and not to save me.” He could see a flicker of something hesitant in her gaze before she nodded. “Then I will go as I am, and we’ll take down Wyatt and his DOV.”

Of course, he wouldn’t put it past his woman to lie, or change her mind when it came down to crunch time. Abigail had shown she had no problems in doing what she thought was right, even when she was standing alone. It was one of the things he both hated and admired the most about her.

“There’s nothing for me here in Wonderful if you’re not going to promise you’ll be coming back with me.”

“Damn it, fine – alright!” Abigail grumbled, smacking Mark when he chuckled at her and rolled her eyes, kissing him passionately. “I promise, I won’t put myself in harm’s way, not to save you or Wonderful or the world. I will…run, if I have to. Okay?” That promise left a very bad taste in her mouth and made her stomach churn, fresh tears burning her eyes. “T-There’s nothing here without you either, Mark. So you better damn well survive this and come back with me. Don’t be a hero. Don’t sacrifice yourself for anyone, not even me. Glen wouldn’t want you to do that. He wanted you to live, which is why he sacrificed himself to save you.”

“Well darlin’, let’s hope we don’t find out the limits of Glen’s magic.”

Intent to live, which had kept him alive over all these years, healed things big and small, and given him some unnatural abilities, as well as enhanced his own. Taker didn’t want to know just how bad he would have to be injured in order for the magic to not work. He bet that would be very painful. Making a mental note to ask Malcolm tomorrow just how they were going to get that blood on Wyatt, Taker didn’t see the man holding still and letting them do it.

~!~

“That’s quite simple, my boy. A freezing spell.”

“I’m sorry – what?”

Malcolm chuckled, sitting on the bedding in the medical wing while Abigail surveyed his pinky, wrapping it in gauze. There was no way he’d be able to grow the tip back, but that was fine by him. He didn’t need the tip as long as the finger, itself, was still functional.

“A freezing spell, Abigail. He will be rendered completely paralyzed by magic.”

“You mean like when Mark puts a magic hold on me to where I can’t move…” Her cheeks went red as Abigail lowered her eyes, clearing her throat awkwardly. “Freezing spell, got it.” Sometimes, she really hated when she inserted her foot in her mouth.

Shaking his head, Malcolm chuckled alongside his son, both of them finding Abigail thoroughly amusing. “A little bit of magic and we’ll be able to bathe him in it, with no problems, as long as his soldiers are subdued.”

“Can you use magic to just freeze the soldiers and we can hack and slash them down that way?” Steve asked, having trailed around with them, along with a few others. Today was literally follow the leader because they were mere days from leaving.

“That large of a scale? Holding someone in place is a pain enough as it is, holding that many. It’ll do you good, boy, doing it the old-fashioned way.”

“Guns and swords, gotcha.” Taker smirked at Steve, rather preferring it that way. “So, we take out the initial waves, lure his ass out if he’s not there already-”

“And ice cube him.”

“Malcolm, there is one man I know, for a fact, Bray will have at his side.” Her eyes locked with the older man’s, seeing the blue in his ice over and nodded stiffly. “I don’t want him to be killed fast.”

“Not after what he did to my poor Susan. No, he will be tortured and BEG for death by the time I’m finished with him. We will take him prisoner.”

“Sorry, not followin’, old timer?”

Malcolm took a deep breath, his eyes moving up to lock eyes with his son. “The monster who harmed Susan, OUR blood, is named Luke Harper. He raped her publicly…after cutting her tongue out, by orders of Bray Wyatt.”

“It was…horrific…” Abigail sniffled, remembering that day and Susan’s screams hadn’t left her nightmares until she arrived in Wonderful. “Him and Erick, they both need to die slowly, and they are Bray’s most loyal right-hands.”

“As long as we capture, Luke, I don’t care what happens to the rest of them. Luke Harper is MINE.” His eyes flashed dangerously, his fist clenching at his side as she finished bandaging him up.

“Damn right.”

Now, Taker knew what he had said about keeping some of the soldiers loyal to Bray for experimentation with ground up Mythril. But that would have been done fairly humane and outside of Wonderful’s walls. He didn’t want the ordinary, everyday populace to see the evil deeds that sometimes kept the kingdom running, so to speak.

“Whatever it is you wish to do to him, do it outside of Wonderful, please.”

Susan, and what she had gone through, he agreed that this man, this beast, deserved a horrible, violent death. Shaking his head, he looked at Abigail, frowning. That could have been her, if she were any woman except Bray’s childhood friend. A breed mare with no tongue, no hope, and no future.

“No worries, Mark, he won’t make it back here alive.” Malcolm promised, a dark tinge to his tone and let the ice melt away from his eyes as he smiled warmly again. “And I will make sure nobody sees what I plan on doing to him on the way back and dispose of his body…magically.”

He planned on torturing Harper, after putting up a magical soundproof barrier in one of the tents, and then turning the bastard to dust SLOWLY. To where he felt every particle of his skin deteriorate from his body until all that was left was a pile of ash. Abigail realized how lucky and fortunate she was to be Bray’s obsession and friend, his pure Queen, but she couldn’t handle the cruelty anymore. Not to mention, she didn’t want to be saved for Bray any longer or be impregnated by him to birth him offspring.

What would’ve happened had she not been allowed out of the DOV? And what would’ve happened had they had girls instead of boys? Would he have killed her the same as the other breeders, who didn’t birth boys? Abigail was thankful not to have to worry about that and knew they had a very long road ahead of them even after the DOV and Bray were brought down.

A very long road indeed, because once they had taken out Wyatt and those loyal to him, then came the task of trying to save who was able to be saved. Weeding out soldiers who were fighting because they had to versus those who simply wanted too. Not to mention all the women, the breeders, physically grown adults but mentally children. Taker rubbed his temples, feeling his head starting to pound just from thinking about it.

“Wait, isn’t he supposed to have some kind of spell on him though?” Steve pointed out, all eyes turning on him. “Wouldn’t that protection spell stop the freezing spell from workin’?”

“No. A freezing spell doesn’t harm him. The spell only stops harm from coming to him, but a freezing spell simply…stops him. It’s one of the only loopholes in the spell, actually.” Malcolm explained, standing from the bedding and flashed an appreciative smile at Abigail. “Thank you, dear. Feels better already.”

“You’re welcome.” Her gaze turned to Mark, reaching out to grab his hand after taking the medical gloves off. “I think we should have one of those meetings in the tower tonight with everyone. To finalize plans and…tell them what we’ve decided as far as using me goes.”

“She’s right, boss. Best to keep everyone who’s comin’ in the loop. Cena isn’t gonna be happy to stay behind though…”

“He just had a baby and Stephanie still needs around the clock care until she’s healed from the C-section. He’ll survive.” Taker had already told the man he was staying behind and ordered him to focus on his wife’s well-being.

“You know Shaw and Ron are gonna be comin’ too. I already got in touch with Mideon and Viscera.” Steve didn’t care for those two, but didn’t mind Shaw and Ron. They were friends whereas Mideon and Viscera were just…weird, but extra muscle and had damn near perfect shots with guns. “Want me to round up everyone and have them meet in the town square tonight?” That many people would not fit in the tower.

“Ambrose is gone.” Melina said by way of greeting, walking into the building with a heavy sigh. “I went to check on his wound and…he escaped last night with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. They’re nowhere to be found in Wonderful and…their building was cleaned out completely.”

“I like how she says escaped, like we’re holding them hostage or something.” Steve snorted, shaking his head at her. “How’d they even get out?”

“Well, the gates aren’t locked from sunup to sundown, and Ambrose has been getting in and out without using the main gates for years.”

“If the building is stripped then they went out the main gates. I’m only surprised it took them this long to bail.” Ambrose hadn’t been a very enthusiastic Taker supporter in a long time, in fact, quite the opposite.

Taker spared a sideways glance at Abigail, wondering if she had been the catalyst.

“He probably used the waterway we used to get out of Wonderful. It takes 10 minutes, roughly, to get through and I know he has some kind of oxygen mask. Roman and Seth probably had ones too, since they also leave the city without detection. Ambrose probably left because of me, because I chose Taker over him.” Abigail sighed heavily, wrapping her arms around herself and hoped nothing happened to Dean. Even if she didn’t want to be his friend anymore, she still cared for him and couldn’t just shut her emotions off like a light switch.

“We can’t worry about them, they left and that was their decision. We need to focus on the upcomin’ war and finalizin’ plans.”

“Don’t give yourself so much credit, Ambrose has been balking to leave for a while now.” Melina said dryly, eyeballing everything around her. Abigail had taken over in the medical wing, which had been nice because it meant Melina had more time to spend with her son.

“That spring isn’t wide enough for them to cart their shit out either.”

“Uh, what spring? What the hell am I missing? There are other ways into Wonderful besides the gates?”

“You never wondered how we have fresh water and the lake has never depleted?” Honestly… Taker reached out to pull Abigail to him, wrapping his arm around her and stared down into her face. “Are you okay, darlin’?” He asked quietly, knowing whether she wanted to admit it or not, Dean had been her friend. Hearing he had vanished couldn’t be easy for her to swallow.

“Never better. I just hope the DOV doesn’t get their hands on them.” Abigail voiced her concerns, leaning against Taker and ignored what Melina had said about giving herself too much credit.

Ambrose was perfectly fine in Wonderful, even with his qualms with Taker, until she came along. So, in her mind, with what happened between her and Dean, yes, she was convinced Dean and his friends had left because of her. However, she wasn’t about to argue with the woman and kept her mouth shut, knowing it wouldn’t do any good to argue over something trivial.

“If they do, they’ll become our enemy, simple as that.”

“They’re all smart guys, they’ll be fine.”

He was hoping Melina was right about Abigail not being the main reason, elsewise he could see Dean doing something extremely stupid. If it was Abigail, then apparently she had her own magic that lured in men and made them crazy. “Enough, back to work.”

Steve nodded, running a hand over his bald head and sighed. They’d be leaving so soon, it was making his head spin. One way or another, this was it.

Chapter 57

“Taker…” Abigail stopped him from walking out, grabbing his hand and waited for everyone else to leave until it was just them. “Dean knows the route to the castle, to the DOV grounds. I have a feeling he’s going to be there to try to stop you from using me as bait.” She had no idea why, but she had this twisting in her gut, telling her Dean had gone rogue for a reason. “We have to be prepared for him, just in case he tries something.”

That was not surprising at all, and he nodded his agreement. “We’ll keep an eye out, darlin’.” Taker reassured her, leading the way out of the medical wing. “You don’t think he’d tell them we’re coming, do you?” Better question… “Or that we know about the spell and have a counter?” Because if that was the case, he was leaving right now to go snap Dean’s neck.

“No, I don’t think so. He loves me, he doesn’t want me put in harm’s way. If anything, he’ll try to stop it at the actual battle.” Abigail didn’t know Dean all that long, but their journey together had taught her a few things about him. She knew how his mind worked, not nearly as well as Bray, but nevertheless, she honestly didn’t see Dean, Roman and Seth putting the entire town in jeopardy. “Besides, even if they did that, the DOV would capture them anyway and they’d come here to finish the fight. So either way, it’s a win for us because you have twice the amount of magic they do.” Which was zero, thanks to her and Dean rescuing Malcolm.

Basically, Dean was going to lurk and be her silent protector waiting in the wings. Fine, Taker could work with that. The more eyes on Abigail the better off they all would be. He didn’t have to like Dean Ambrose, but… he could understand where the man was coming from.

“You hungry?” He asked quietly, studying her thoughtfully. Taker had noticed her appetite tapering off the closer they got to crunch time.

“No, but if I don’t eat, you’re gonna be the worrywart and we can’t have that.” Abigail half-joked, winking at him and could tell he was hungry. The man was an eating machine. Then again, being 6’10 and 300 pounds did that to a person. “Come on, let’s go get you some food before you waste away, big man.” She laughed when he growled and smacked her backside, wiggling it in response. “Thank you, my Lord, may I have another?”

Chuckling under his breath, ‘Taker slapped her ass again, palming her cheek when she wiggled again. “You’re eating wench, your Lord decrees it.” He informed her, scooping Abigail up and tossed her over his shoulder, still palming her backside.

This just made it easier for him to reach and her laughter was sweet music to his ears. If her appetite didn’t resume soon, she’d be skin and bones and he’d snap her in half during their lovemaking. Couldn’t have that, not when they’d barely scratched the surface of her sexual experiences.

“Whatever my Lord wishes.” Abigail remarked teasingly, enjoying his hand on her backside and, the fact he was doing this in front of people, showing PDA, meant a lot to her.

They arrived in the common house and Abigail was carted all around until they sat down with their plates. Mark had made her plate while keeping her over his broad shoulder and she couldn’t stop laughing along with Trish and Amy. They were giggling madly at her reddening face. Everything would be fine, she had to believe that, believe in him and leaned her head against his shoulder while eating, sighing gently.

“You are such an ass.” She muttered good-naturedly, accepting a kiss and proceeding to dig into her food.

“You’re just now learning this?” Trish teased, dropping off the customary coffee urn just for Taker. “We went and seen Stephanie today.”

“Yeah, how’d that go?”

Probably about as well as his visits to the firecracker had. She kept bitching about having to take a full 6 weeks off for recovery. Most women, with natural childbirth, were up and running a few weeks after delivery, though they encouraged them all to take 6 weeks ‘off’, so to speak. C-sections were a mandatory 6 weeks.

“She’s nagging about being bored.” Amy chuckled on her way by, shaking her head. “Mind you, she also had her hands full with little Anthony. Said he’s just like his dad, wanting her tits all the time.”

He snorted, raising a hand to cover the lower half of his face at that one. “That was something I didn’t need to hear, darlin’.”

Abigail didn’t either, nearly choking on the bite of food she’d taken and groaned since it went down the wrong pipe. “Jesus Ames…” The redhead could be blunt when the situation called for it. She nodded when Amy and Trish asked if she was alright, taking a long sip of her tea and glared at them playfully. “Did she actually say that?”

“Yeah, it was hilarious at the time. Sorry didn’t mean to make you choke.” Amy laughed, patting Abigail on the back while Taker continued chuckling.

“Don’t worry, boss, while you guys are gone taking care of business, we’ll make sure Stephanie abides by doctor’s orders.” In this case, Taker’s orders since he WAS the head honcho and the main doctor within Wonderful.

He wasn’t a doctor by any stretch of the imagination. When Wonderful had started going, really started getting up off its feet, they hadn’t had any medical people, so everyone had to pitch in where they could. Taker had wound up delivering a few babies and apparently it had just stuck. Something to do with his calm, deep voice and steady demeanor is what he had been told. Whatever, he supposed. He did have the stomach for the work, he knew that.

“If Stephanie doesn’t want to play nice, you have my permission to break her ankle.”

“Duly noted.”

Abigail knew he really didn’t mean it, though she did hope Stephanie stayed on bedrest and didn’t push herself too hard. She was a mother now. She needed to focus on that precious baby boy and could always come back to work when he was older. Hopefully, John could persuade her of that fact. Then again, she also knew how much Stephanie enjoyed running the common house along with Trish and Amy.

“How are you feeling anyway, both of you?”

“Tired.”

“Sore and tired.”

“But also excited because I’m having Steve’s baby.” Trish gushed, not afraid to show how much she loved her man and eyeballed Taker, suddenly becoming serious. “Bring him home to me, Taker. Don’t let anything happen to him, promise me.”

“It’ll be okay, Trish.” Amy wrapped an arm around her shoulders, knowing it was the hormones and smiled apologetically at Taker. “They’re all coming back, Matt and Jeff too.”

“I’m not taking Jeff.”

“But you’re taking Matt?”

“Jeff is going to be needed here.” Jeff was more brains then brawn, and Matt was the opposite: more brawn then brains, even though both men were smart and could hold their own in a fight. “If anything happens, we need him here to help Melina in the medical wing.”

Amy wasn’t pleased with that, but she did understand it, pursing her lips together and just nodded.

“No pressure, Deadman.”

“None at all.”

He was feeling lots of pressure, actually.

Once they were out of the common house with full bellies, Abigail stopped Mark on the way to the tower and turned to look up at him with worried midnight blues. “I’m not trying to…step on your toes or anything, but…Steve and Matt, maybe they should stay here.” She knew that would NOT set well with Steve since he was Mark’s right hand, but… “They both have babies on the way and…I don’t want something happening to them to where they don’t come back. Melina suffered because of David’s death, I don’t want that for them.” Granted, other women in Wonderful were pregnant besides Amy and Trish, but this was Mark’s inner circle. “What do you think?”

“I think they’re going because they want to go.” Taker said truthfully, then smiled, shaking his head. “Besides, if they, members of the council with pregnant women don’t go, what kind of example is that setting for the men who are going with their own families and pregnant women left behind? Are we so much better than them?” He wasn’t accusing, or sounding like a jerk, just musing it out loud. “No, they both knew what they were signing up for, and I can’t make exceptions, Abbie.”

She nodded in understanding, reaching out to stroke his face and brought him down to her level to where she could kiss him. “That’s why they look up to you because you treat everyone fairly.” Ambrose had been wrong about him and calling these people his ‘circle’. Just because he hung out with them more than others didn’t mean Mark didn’t care about every single person in Wonderful. “I agree with you, I just feel bad for Amy and Trish having to stay behind, wondering if the father of their child is coming home or not. That’s all. But like you said, we have a plan and it’s going to work and we’re all going to survive this.”

He didn’t feel hot about it either, but that was because he knew Steve and Matt personally. Taker knew everyone in Wonderful, or almost everyone, to some extent or another, but these men were like his brothers. But… he didn’t show favoritism, he didn’t make exceptions. Hell, his own woman was going right into the thick of it, how could anyone else do any less?

“Damn right, darlin’.” He slapped her ass again, laughing at the exasperated look Abigail shot him. “Sorry, it’s just begging for attention though.”

“Well…” An evil gleam came over her eyes as her hand slid up his tank top covered chest, stepping closer to him. “We DO have a little bit of time before the meeting…what do you think we should do with that time?” She teased, squealing out when he lifted her over his shoulder to cart her straight to the tower. Sexy times first before the meeting sounded like a perfect way to pass the time. “I love you.” Abigail whispered, once they were completely naked in bed with him hovering over her and moaned as he slipped home inside of her, both getting lost in each other.

~!~

Around 9 PM that night, Abigail dressed in a black long sleeved top with blue jeans since it was a little chilly outside and walked out of the tower with Mark, wanting to get this meeting done and over with. Leaving the warmth of his body and their bed did NOT sound appeasing, but this had to be done. They were using the common house tonight for the meeting. His ‘inner circle’, as Ambrose had called them, and the leaders of the units. It was amazing how fast people had assembled and he knew soldiers were packed and ready to go, having said their goodbyes to their families and whatnot.

Taker stopped in the doorway, flashing Abigail a smile when she halted to take in all the people. “Each unit has a squad leader.” He said by way of explanation.

“Oh okay.”

“Hey boss.” A man with heavily tattooed arms, weird colored hair -the top was light like a blonde while the rest of it was dark- and a nose ring greeted them. “We haven’t had a chance to meet officially. I’m Mideon.”

“Nice to meet you.” Abigail shook his hand with a smile, though it was hesitant and blinked when a HUGE black man walked up to them next.

“Mideon and I finished the symbol. After the meeting, why don’t you take a look at it and make sure it’s to your standards, boss.”

Abigail wasn’t taken aback by the bigger man not introducing himself and watched Mark nod before being guided to their seats.

Their seats were right in the center of the room, the tables and chairs having been moved, so everything was in a sort of circle. He probably should have mentioned that she was going to be at the center, but… it had slipped his mind, they hadn’t had a council like this in quite some time. Taker stood in the center and turned in spot, eyeing all the fairly familiar faces.

“Gentlemen,” His voice was magically amplified. “And ladies,” He acknowledged the female squad leaders with a nod. “We’re getting ready to march to that cesspit Bray Wyatt calls a castle and kick his ass.”

“Amen to that!”

“Let’s make him a breeder!”

“Victoria, that is… gross.”

Abigail cringed upon hearing that, though she didn’t blame the people for having this amount of hatred for Bray. She could just imagine the type of demon spawn that would be unleashed on Vesperia if Bray ever bore offspring. Come to think of it, he’d never had sex and that meant he would die a virgin. That brought a wicked smile to her face as she folded her arms in front of her chest, remaining silent while Mark proceeded with the meeting.

“So we’re gonna string her up on Taker’s symbol Mideon and Viscera built and use her as the bait to lure Wyatt out.” Steve explained, giving Taker time to catch a breather, since he’d talked for the better part of 20 minutes. “Your jobs are simple. Keep the DOV at bay while the handful of us with Taker deal with Bray. He’s gonna need our help, along with Malcolm, so can you handle that? Can you shoot first and ask questions later? If so, gimme a hell yeah!”

“HELL YEAH!” Everyone roared in unison.

Taker rolled his eyes at that, leaning down so he could start telling Abigail who was who in their little council here, the people she hadn’t met yet anyway. When she asked, very quietly, if they were going to reveal the part about blood magic, he simply shook his head no. There were some things that people did not need to know, and they were already playing this one pretty close to the chest.

Abigail agreed with him because not everyone would be onboard with using dark magic. It wasn’t called dark magic for the hell of it. Malcolm said it would leave a horrible mark on the world and he wasn’t lying. It was best to keep that bit of information to themselves because, once the dark magic happened, there was no turning back. The spell had to be broken, there was no other way to do it and they had all the blood from both Malcolm and Mark they needed.

“I just have one question, Taker.” Victoria spoke up, all eyes turning to her. “When do we leave for war?”

Malcolm was present, of course, and smiled at the eager young lady. “In 3 days’ time, at dawn.” They would be traveling during the day and camping out at night, staying out of the way of the DOV until they arrived on their territory.

“Which means, ya crazy sumbitches, don’t be hungover when we march or else it’s going to really suck to be your sad asses.”

“So you’re saying we should get drunk now?”

“That’s Ken Anderson.” Taker pointed out quietly, watching as kegs were rolled out and felt himself biting back the urge to both roll his eyes and smile at the same time. “He’s cocky but a good guy.”

“Yes, I’m sayin’ get drunk now. ‘Taker?”

“Just no wenchin’.”

“You heard the boss, tap them kegs!”

“One beer with the guys and gals won’t hurt you, big guy.”

Chapter 58

Abigail was definitely having a drink, especially since her nerves were shot and they hadn’t even left Wonderful yet. She’d taken this journey twice already, once by car, mostly, and the other with Ambrose. There was no telling what new dangers awaited them this final time because Bray would be on high alert with Malcolm gone. That much she was certain of. When he tried denying her, Abigail took a mug, filled it up and slid it in front of him with a grin, having one of her own.

“Bottoms up.”

Shaking his head, Taker downed his mug in two swallows after toasting with her, winking down at her. “Going to take a lot of these to mess me up, darlin’.” It actually took him quite a bit to get drunk, he didn’t know if that was because of his size and all that or the magic. His mug was instantly refilled and he sipped at this one, watching Abigail as she drank her own beer slowly.

She had to get her mind off what was going on and what was to come. Three days, they would be leaving in three days and it would take around 2 weeks to get to the DOV territory. They wouldn’t be going to the castle, it’d be a couple miles away because of all the mothers with their children, even if they were magical. They were still human beings, mostly. Mark didn’t want any harm to come to them, though she had a feeling a few would be subservient to Bray and the DOV simply because they were brainwashed.

Abigail hadn’t been eating all that much these last few days, assumedly due to her anxiety about the rapidly approaching trip to war they were making. Taker took another swallow of his second, eyeballing her with amusement written all over his face. She would wind up drunk off her ass, that would definitely be something to see. He refilled her mug with a grin.

It was a sight indeed. Victoria began dancing on the table an hour of laughing and drinking with the guys, alongside a few other women. Nora, Jackie and Luna, all of them captains of their respective teams. They were dancing with each other on the table, nothing provocative, just having a good time before the upcoming battle. Some would not make it back alive and they knew that.

So living it up now was the best way to, not only handle their fear, but to get their minds off things. Abigail was nicely buzzed, on her fourth beer and laughed when Victoria pulled her up onto the table with them to start dancing. She looked back at Mark, who had a smile on his face and rolled her eyes before getting into the music, which was being played by an old CD player from the old days. Before technology and everything had gone to hell.

“Better watch your woman, she’s gettin’ some looks.”

He already knew that, and snorted dismissively. “I’m not worried, I know what bed she’s in every night.” Abigail was a beautiful woman, that was just a plain fact. His woman, however, was now learning how to roll her hips in what looked to be some weird sort of belly dance and he raised an eyebrow.

“Hell son, now you’re givin’ her looks too.”

Taker began laughing at that, raising his mug in a toast to his friend. “Damn right I am.”

“Yeah, there you go! Get it, girl! Show him what’s waiting for him in bed tonight!” Victoria laughed, enjoying her own single life for the time being.

Maybe after this war ended and things began to prosper in Vesperia, she would look to settle down, but not right now. True to her nature, Abigail picked up belly dancing rather quickly and began dancing with Victoria and Nora, while Jackie went off to be with her man. Nora was also single and ready to mingle, as she liked to call it, with short cropped brown hair in a pixie style and grey eyes.

“That a girl, shake your moneymaker!”

“You know what she’d be good at doing, Nora?”

“What is going through that mind of yours, Vick?”

“Twerking.”

Nora spewed beer out of her nose. “FUCK!”

Abigail was confused, her eyes wide while Nora waved them on to keep dancing, holding her burning nose. “What’s twerking?”

“Basically, it’s like this…” Victoria proceeded to show her, bouncing her backside up and down in a wiggle.

“Is that from…the old days?”

“Hellfire, Victoria, what the hell ya doin’?!”

“Do not tell Amy they were doing this… and I was here for it.” Matt raked a hand through his hair as he watched. Though, in all fairness to him, Abigail was being taught how to… uh, dance, with her ass. This was educational.

“I’m telling.” Taker laughed, getting up to roll out another keg.

He had shed his leather vest a while ago and let his hair down, literally. After tapping it and getting himself a refill, Taker began walking around the room, making small talk with people here and there, though his eyes were never too far from Abigail or her popping backside.

“Now, how low can you go?”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Can you twerk, or do that dance, and drop your ass to the floor without losing your footing?”

“I – uh…” Abigail blinked when Victoria did it right in front of her, popping her backside while lowering herself to the table until it hit the top, before moving her way back up again. “Oh wow, no, I don’t think I can do that.”

“Won’t know unless you try. Give it a shot!”

Abigail was feeling brave and chalked it up to the beer, seeing the encouragement in Victoria’s eyes. “So I have to…twerk…until my ass hits the top of the table and work my way up again, right?” At Victoria’s nod, she took a deep breath and planted her hands on her hips. “Show me one more time.” After seeing it a second time, Abigail was pretty confident she had this and began doing it, mimicking Victoria and grinned when she joined in, so they were both doing it together.

“You’re a fast learner.”

“Not the first time I’ve heard that.”

It was probably a good thing Trish and Amy weren’t here tonight or else Matt and Steve would be in some deep shit. They weren’t the only men watching, that was for damn sure, and he had lost track of two different conversations already. Taker was taking some ribbing for that one, laughing it off good-naturedly.

“Jesus woman,” He had worked his way around to their table and began mockingly fumbling in his pockets. “Anyone got a dollar?”

“Taker, your woman is spectacular! I’m definitely taking her out for a girl’s night only, once we get back from kicking ass and taking names!”

“Girl’s night sounds fun!”

Abigail had no idea what was going on or where she was, only that she was having a blast with Victoria and enjoying herself. There were no worries about Dean Ambrose or how stupid he was for leaving Wonderful. There were no worries about Bray Wyatt or his impending death. There were no worries about coming back alive and having a future with Mark. She was all smiles, continuing to dance and got off the table to take Mark’s hand, pressing herself against him.

“Dance with me?”

Truthfully, Taker wasn’t one much for dancing, not unless it was something slow and involved circling in one spot. Then Abigail began doing that twerking thing on him, her pert backside bouncing right against his groin. “Darlin’…” She was dirty dancing, with her backside, on his dick… and lord help him if that wasn’t the hottest thing he ever had seen.

“Come on, what’s the matter? Afraid your rep will be tarnished if you dance with your woman?” Abigail teased, midnight blues sparkling under the lights and felt his arms wrap around her waist. Alcohol was a very – VERY bad thing because Abigail was feeling rather…bold and turned to where his body blocked her, her hand snaking down to stroke him through the jeans he had on. “You know what I wanna do right now?” She waited until he shook his head, knowing it was hard for him to talk at the moment with what she was doing. “I want you to bend me over one of these tables and have your way with my ass.” Making sure to keep her voice down to where only he could hear, Abigail did NOT need others overhearing this. “Or anywhere, really, as long as your dick is inside of me…” Her mouth was also looser than a whore in church.

Taker needed to get Abigail a bit drunk every now and again, just so he could hear the things that came out of her mouth. He simply stared down at her, his cock pretty much dancing on its own in his very tight jeans. “Have another one, darlin’,” He rumbled, reaching out to trace a finger along her jawline, up to her mouth, and wasn’t the least bit surprised when she instantly drew the tip of his finger between her lips, feeling another spark racing directly to his dick. “Woman, I’m going to take your ass back to the tower and fuck you blind.”

“Mmm, so do it.” Abigail could see his eyes darkening and squeezed him a little more, making sure nobody could see her do it. She could be sneaky when she wanted to be. “I know you’re more than up to the challenge, your lordship.” She giggled at his flared nostrils and squealed out when he lifted her over his shoulder, waving to everyone on their way out of the common house. Victoria whistled out, yelling something about ‘getting some’ and that made Abigail both flush crimson and laugh at the same time. “Better use that magic of yours and put up a sound barrier, big man, because it’s about to get LOUD up in here.”

“Keep it up woman, and you will have something in your ass tonight.” He threatened playfully.

Though… with her being drunk and having sort of offered, would it be taking advantage if he tried? She’d definitely be more relaxed, that was for damn sure. However… Taker was packing and that was a tiny ass. By the time they got up to their quarters, he had noticed a lack of silence and slid Abigail down into his arms, rolling his eyes.

“Lightweight.” He rumbled, brushing his lips over her closed lids.

~!~

Abigail was back in the castle, dressed in white with her hair done up perfectly, not in the braids, buns or ponytails she’d been wearing it in. No, it was a crown of raven locks on top of her head. Bray always liked it when she was dressed up as if they were going to prom or something. It played to the whole Queen Mother role, she supposed. What was she doing here? The last thing she remembered was being drunk, happy and dancing in the common house, teasing Mark. She missed his warmth already, tears filling her eyes as she walked down the corridor, looking around and bit back a gasp at the sight of Bray walking out of his chambers.

“Bray…”

“I know you don’t want to hear this, my lord, but I do think Sister Abigail has betrayed us.” It was Luke Harper, in Bray’s ear, trying to make him see the truth.

“No. She wouldn’t do that to me. She loves me, and I love her.” Bray grabbed Luke by his throat, squeezing, his blue eyes nothing more than ice. “And we will go to her and bring her home in one week. I’m giving her no longer than that. If we have to bring war to Wonderful’s doorstep, so be it.”

“Bray?” Abigail waved her hand at him, trying to gain his attention, but it was if he didn’t hear her or see her…what the hell was going on?

“Very well, my lord. You know what’s best for us and I’m sorry for stepping out of line.” Luke rasped out, feeling Bray release his throat and coughed, deciding to go take his frustrations out on one of the many women in the castle.

“Do not question me again, Harper. You are one of my right hands, but you are replaceable as well. Do not forget that.”

Bowing, Luke nodded. “Yes, my lord.” Then, he walked off with a scowl on his face.

Bray sighed heavily, looking up at the ceiling of the castle and closed his eyes, clasping his hands to rest against his lips. “Abbie, you won’t betray me. And I’m coming for you, my love. And we will be together again soon, I promise.”

“Bray…if only you could see that my love died for you a long time ago. And what you’re doing here is wrong. You have to be stopped…and I’m going to make sure that happens, even if it means delving into dark magic. Killing you is the only way to stop you because you won’t see reason.” Abigail felt tears pour down her cheeks, wishing he could hear what she said, but he couldn’t.

~!~

Abigail shot upright in bed, sweat pouring down her face shaking and looked around the room, feeling a hand on her back. Her head snapped around to look down at Mark, tears pouring down her cheeks and her body was trembling from head to toe. “O-Oh my god…oh my god…”

“You having sex dreams, Abbie?” He rumbled, not opening his eyes right away, though Taker did reach out to rub her back. She was trembling, and covered in sweat. Grinning, he popped open an eye, the smile fading into a frown at the sight of her. “Bad dreams, darlin’?” He asked, sitting up alongside of her and wrapping an arm around Abigail’s waist, drawing her back into him. “Abbie?”

“Bray…it was Bray. H-He’s coming…he’s coming for me…” Abigail pushed Mark away to stumble out of bed, wiping her tears away and began packing up her belongings, shaking her head. “W-We have to stop him, we have to head him off! We have to leave NOW, Mark! Oh god…fuck…what the hell is going on with me?” That dream, vision, whatever it was called scared her. “I-I was there…I could hear him and Luke Harper talking…and he said one week. One week he was coming here to bring me back. And he couldn’t see me, but I could see him clearly. I-I don’t understand…I’m…”

Abigail dropped to her knees, burying her face in her hands and sobbed violently. Taker had followed her, watching her hysterics with a calm eye and when she dropped, he put her belongings back, unpacking her bags. When he was finished, he then picked her up, cradling Abigail against him as he sat on the edge of the bed.

“Darlin’, it was just a dream, a bad dream…” Taker soothed, caressing her hair and back gently. He wasn’t surprised at all when Abigail said it wasn’t. He knew how that went, having a dream so vivid, so real… “We’ll talk to Malcolm in the morning about it, okay?” He offered, trying to calm her down.

All Abigail could do was nod, not believing for a second that was a dream. There was no way it could be. If Bray was leaving in a week, they had to leave immediately, there was no time to waste. Maybe Malcolm would be able to shed light on this, but Abigail knew in her heart, just like when she left Wonderful and defied Mark, this wasn’t just a dream. However, Mark wouldn’t listen to her, so she would let Malcolm tell him what was going on and take it from there.

“Okay.” She whispered, still somewhat trembling and looked down at herself, feeling disgusting. “I-I’m gonna go shower.” Kissing him quickly, Abigail stood up from the bed on shaky legs and walked into the bathroom, still in the same clothes she’d been in earlier.

Nodding, he watched as she disappeared into the bathroom before moving to retrieve a pair of barely used pajama bottoms. Taker slid into them and then went to grab a bottle of water from the fridge, contemplating what she had told him.

Chapter 59

As far as anyone knew, outside of an engaging, damn near enchanting personality, Abigail had no magic. It sounded like her anxiety and nerves were catching up with her, resulting in a very realistic night terror. When she had been in the shower longer than he had expected, he slipped into the bathroom, frowning at the pile of clothes getting soaked right by the tub. Looking up, he could see her sitting in the tub with the shower on, water beating down on her, the curtain not drawn. She was… out of it. Maybe still drunk? Sighing, Taker shed the bottoms and joined her, pulling shut the curtain and helped her to stand.

“Tell me about your dream, everything you can remember.”

“I was in the castle, dressed in white again, like usual. I…heard voices, so I walked down the hallway and it was Bray and Luke Harper talking. Luke said I was betraying him, basically trying to tell Bray to cut ties with me. It’s not the first time he’s done it. Bray grabbed him by the throat and told him I wouldn’t betray him, that I love him.” Abigail shuddered at that because her heart no longer belonged to him and hadn’t for a while. It was Mark’s now. “He said he was giving me one more week and then coming for me. I tried calling out to him, but he didn’t hear me. He couldn’t see me. It was as if I was a ghost or something…” Wrapping her arms around herself tighter, Abigail couldn’t hold back tears and felt her bottom lip quiver. “I know you think it was a bad dream, Mark, but this felt…too real…way too real. It was more like a vision of some kind, I don’t know…” Or maybe she finally cracked and was losing her mind.

“Darlin’, you ever have a vision before?” He wasn’t surprised when she shook her head in response. “I think it’s… all this anxiety you’ve been having all week, Abbie.” Taker lathered up her bath sponge with her bodywash, beginning to cleanse her body of the sweat she had broken out into during her dream. “You’ve hardly been eating… and then tonight you were drinking, on top of seeing things really happening, a definite time for this all to happen. I think your mind is… trying to vent.” It happened and she didn’t look convinced. “We’ll talk to Malcolm in the morning, darlin’, okay? If you feel this isn’t just a dream, then I’m wrong and he’ll be able to help you better.” He didn’t mind being wrong; it was just that the simplest explanation was usually the correct one.

“I want to believe you, Mark. I want to believe you so much, you have no idea. But I feel like this is more than just a bad dream.”

Abigail turned to face him, seeing the doubt in his eyes and didn’t blame him, not wanting to fight again like they did last time. She kissed him softly and hugged him around the neck, just needing his comfort and love to wash over her. Bray sent chills down her spine with how cold and vindictive his words were, she never wanted to be in that dark place again.

“I love you.” Her voice cracked, and his arms tightened around her, clinging to him for dear life.

“I love you too, darlin’.” He murmured, bending down to brush his lips against her head. “We’ll go see Malcolm in the morning, Abigail, okay?”

If she felt this was more than a dream, then he wanted her to be sure one way or the other, for her own piece of mind. Bray Wyatt was now haunting her dreams. It was bad enough the man had taken over the majority of her life… Taker was suddenly looking forward to meeting this man and then taking his head off his shoulders.

“You want to try sleeping a bit more?” He asked once he felt the trembling stop.

“Yeah, please come with me.”

She knew he was the leader of this town and usually up pretty early, but Abigail needed him right now. At his nod, she cracked a hesitant smile and let him help her up out of the shower, wrapping her in a towel before carrying her to the bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light with Mark wrapping her in his strong arms. Once this ended and the DOV was stopped, she would take better care of herself. There was a reason why her anxiety was so high, along with her fear, because Bray Wyatt was not a person to be trifled with easily. Abigail was also nervous about the dark magic part needed to break the spell on him.

Taker didn’t fall back asleep. He was usually up fairly early, he usually also had very busy days from sunup to past sundown. Laying there in bed, holding her, Taker listened to her sleep. Abigail didn’t seem to be having nightmares anymore, she was sleeping deeply, and he smiled, brushing his lips against her forehead. After an hour had passed, Taker gently adjusted Abigail on the bed, away from him and quietly got up to dress. The sun was starting to rise, and he knew Malcolm would be up as well. He’d go get breakfast and his father, bring them all up here and, when Abigail woke up, she could get her answers.

~!~

Malcolm listened to his son intently, sipping his mug of coffee and nodded to show he was paying attention, not saying a word. Abigail had encountered magic on more than one occasion and…he had a theory about this, but he wanted to talk to the young lady before saying anything. The Mythril dagger, the invisibility cloak and nearly dying in the mineshaft and then being with Mark, who had magic infused in his system. Unlike Mark, Malcolm did not think this was merely a bad dream and looked thoughtful, stroking his whitened goatee.

“I need to speak with her.” He stated, once Mark finished and took another swig of his coffee. “I will know more and give you a definitive answer once she’s awake. If you want my opinion, I don’t think this was merely a dream, my son. I think…something has happened to her to make her see these visions, but I won’t know until I…see her.” It was the best way to describe what he had in mind to test his theory out.

See these visions… that made no sense at all because this was the first time she had had something like this, dream or not. Taker concluded that Malcolm was going senile or had forgotten definitions of words. He finished plying a tray full of food, vowing that Abigail would be eating today, she needed her strength. She was going to go rail thin and stir crazy from all of this.

“Bring your coffee.” He ordered, then smiled to make it seem less of an order, feeling awkward still, sometimes, around his father. “She should be waking soon.”

Abigail was up, showered and dressed, pacing the floor nervously when she heard the door downstairs open, her eyes snapping to the doorway. She woke up alone with a small headache, but that was to be expected after what she’d gone through. It was no surprise to discover Mark had brought Malcolm with him and she immediately sat down on the bed, clasping her hands in her lap.

“I had another one.”

“Another what, my dear?”

“A…dream or vision…Bray is assembling his men…and he’s leaving very soon to come here, 6 days to be exact. What’s happening to me? How am I seeing this? How do I know this? I’m so confused and scared.”

Her trembling form did not surprise Malcolm in the slightest as he set his coffee down and walked over to her, taking a deep breath. “Abigail, I want you to focus on Bray Wyatt.” Her wide eyes looking up at him made him smile. “Trust me, I have a theory, but I want to test something out first. Now close your eyes and picture Bray, picture the castle and envision yourself there.”

“O-Okay…” Abigail obeyed, closing her eyes and put Bray in the forefront of her mind, feeling Malcolm’s fingers on her forehead.

Chanting tongues, old Latin, Malcolm squeezed her head gently and released her after a minute, stumbling back some. “I’m fine, boy.” He assured Mark, who looked completely bewildered and cleared his throat, not expecting to feel a jolt quite like that. “Abigail, you’ve been…infused with magic, my dear.” It was the best way to put it.

“WHAT?!”

“Please, allow me to explain. You’ve touched several magical objects in a very short span of time. It doesn’t happen often because there isn’t a lot of magic left in the world, but sometimes…only sometimes, the magic from objects or…people, can be injected into another person. The Mythril dagger, for instance, had powerful magical properties. You’ve been carrying that with you for a while now, on your person, correct?” He saw her nod and continued. “The invisibility cloak…you used that a lot during our travels together and with Ambrose, correct?” Another nod. “And then being…intimately involved with my son, who has magic infused within him, from his brother…do you see where I’m going with this? Somehow, the magic has infused inside of you and has given you the ability to see visions.”

“B-But how?” Abigail whispered, sounding terrified and bewildered at the same time. “H-How is this even possible? How do you know this, Malcolm?”

“It happened to my late wife, she too was infused with magic and had the ability to see the past, present and sometimes even future in visions. I tried denying it was happening to her, but…I was a fool. I never wanted her to be infused with magic and once it’s there, it’s there forever.”

“Oh my god…”

“Wait, wait, wait…” Taker was shaking his head, trying to wrap his mind around all that. “So, because she’s been in contact with not only Mythril,” Which was common enough in Wonderful, since most of their weaponry was crafted from it. “But my magical sperm,” He couldn’t help grinning at that one, it was hilarious seeing Malcolm shift uncomfortably. “She’s got magic now?”

Taker credited it to her touching the Invisibility Cloak and mostly his sperm. Their soldiers handled Mythril weapons all the time. People like Dean Ambrose did too, and he knew Dean had a magical satchel. Taker began laughing, unable to stop himself. It was his sperm!

“It’s a combination of all the magical objects. Our family had a lot of magical objects back in the day, Mark. Your mother came in contact with too many of them, combined being with me intimately.” Malcolm explained, seeing Abigail was on the verge of having a panic attack and took her hand, instructing her to take a deep breath.

Magic. She had magical powers…because she was with someone infused with magic and had handled too many magical objects?! What kind of messed up karma was THIS? Abigail didn’t know what to think about these sudden turn of events and could only look up at Mark, while listening to Malcolm coaching her through breathing techniques.

“T-This won’t hurt me, will it?” She asked hesitantly, looking at Malcolm.

“No. Well, emotionally and mentally, maybe, but…once we take care of Bray Wyatt and his Dominion, everything will be fine and you won’t have to worry about a thing.” This would actually bode well in their favor because she could tell where Bray was, his location, to be more specific. Excellent battle strategy. “My dear, you have become our new ace in the hole.”

“She’s always been the ace in the hole, Malcolm, stop trying to make her feel special. She already is.” Taker rolled his eyes, setting out plates of food he made from off the tray. He made sure that Abigail’s was loaded, followed by a cup of tea, something Amy said would be ‘soothing’, so he was willing to give it a go. “Well darlin’, you being able to do this lets us know if the ‘execution’ idea is working. If he’s not coming, we don’t have to keep up with it.” He bet that’d make everyone feel better about ‘stringing’ her up.

“No, he is. He was assembling his soldiers and strategizing with them in the last vision I had. He…mentioned you and killing you.” Abigail swallowed hard, looking at the food and immediately felt nauseous, tears stinging her eyes. “He also said he was going to kill Malcolm and everyone here, no survivors were to be left…”

This power she had…Abigail hated it already and finally understood where Mark was coming from. His hatred for magic…it was evil and vile…it made her very uncomfortable she was able to see what Bray was doing. When Mark pushed the tray toward her, she picked up the muffin and began nibbling on it, trying to wrap her mind around what she just discovered.

“The plan needs to stay as it is. String me up on your symbol or whatever and make him think you’re going to kill me. We have to leave soon since he’s leaving in 6 days and hopefully, we can make double time on the journey there. This has to be done on DOV soil, just like Malcolm said because of the dark magic.”

“Darlin’, I meant about our original plan,” He said patiently, peeling the skin off an orange. “To string you up on my symbol and ‘execute’ you.”

He wasn’t naysaying her dream, or vision, whatever it was. Taker was just hoping killing Wyatt would put a stop to it right quick because, the way she was today, her body language, told him she wasn’t all right with this magical side effect and he did not blame her one bit. People went to sleep to escape bad days and reality, not have hell open up in their minds.

“You’ll be able to tell us if he’s coming to ‘save’ you or not, it kind of lets us know if it’s working.”

“Oh. I get it. Sorry.” Abigail frowned, not meaning to go off on a tangent like that and hoped Mark understood, which seemed like he did. This was…a lot to digest and process. “I-I don’t want to see my future…”

“If it makes you feel any better, my wife only saw the future once…but mostly, it’s the present she saw. Only when she became nostalgic about something did she venture to the past with her visions.” Malcolm made it sound like this was completely normal and, to him and his family, it was.

Abigail physically relaxed when he said that, hoping the same went for her because she didn’t want to know what the future held. If Mark died, she didn’t want to know when or how. Same with anyone she had grown close to since coming to Wonderful. As far as he was concerned, he was pretty close to being invincible, without having to had coerce someone to put an invulnerability spell on him. He was protected, as cliché as it was, by his brother’s love.

“I’ll have Steve get started on rallying the troops, everyone is likely ready to go anyway.” Providing not everyone was too hungover. “We can leave within a few hours, I think. Would that put your mind at rest, Abbie?” Taker asked quietly, wondering if that would be enough. It sounded like they were going to be meeting dickface halfway, which… would work, actually, because they wouldn’t have to lure Wyatt out of the castle.

“Yes.” Abigail nodded, continuing to eat her breakfast and could see Malcolm was uneasy because this was it. The final battle, the final stretch. “Once Bray and his troops are taken out, we’ll have to make our way to the castle to…find out who will survive and who will die.”

Even she knew more blood would be shed due to the women and women children with any new babies…she felt nauseous again, not wanting to sacrifice anymore else. Mark wouldn’t bring people loyal to Bray in their town. That would be too dangerous for everyone that was already here.

“We have a long road ahead of us still.”

“Very well. I will gather up my supplies and what I need to bring with me. I will also make sure the blood is secure and ready for transport.” Malcolm left the tower, giving Abigail and Mark a moment alone because, once they left, they would be few and far between.

“I need to go to the shop – Ron’s shop. I need to see if he has anything white.” Abigail hadn’t done that yet and, since they were leaving, there was no more time to waste. “I’ll meet you at the gates in a few hours.” She kissed him and quickly made her way out of the tower, not giving Mark time to stop her.

Wearing white again…another wave of nausea washed over her.

He wasn’t inclined to stop her, there just was no time. They would have nights together, in the middle of crowded camps, in the coming weeks. He’d have to ask Malcolm about silencing spells, wondering if he could make a tent soundproof. Actually, being able to do that over the entire camp would probably be a smart idea. Moving that many soldiers was going to draw noise, especially at night, when people wound down. Taker crammed a few sausages in his mouth, reached for his thermos of coffee and headed out to get the ball rolling. Inwardly cringing when he spotted Abigail disappearing into Ron’s shop, her shoulders slumped.

Chapter 60

“Well, well, if it isn’t Abbie, what can I do for you, sweetheart?”

“I need a white dress. Something…elegant, but not overly fancy.”

Ron arched a brow, wondering if Taker had popped the question and folded his arms in front of his chest. “Well, if I have any…they’d be in the dress department in the back.”

“Thanks.”

Mark would inform everyone what was going on and she knew Ron was one of the few that were coming with them to war. She flashed a quick smile that didn’t touch her eyes and hurried to the back, spotting the dresses. Blue, green, purple, grey, orange, yellow, red…Abigail spotted a white one, finally, and breathed a sigh of relief it was her size. It was simple, short sleeved with frayed edges and would go to her knees. She wouldn’t have to wear it until the day they actually made it to Bray, but that didn’t comfort her one iota. Taking it off the rack, she quickly tried it on and stared in the full length cracked mirror, tears streaming down her face.

White…she really hated this color.

Even though he had a million things to do, Taker had strayed into Ron’s shop, holding up a hand for silence when Ron went to greet him. His emerald green eyes sought out Abigail, spotting her disappearing into a fitting room and followed her. She stepped out to examine herself in the dress, it was white. She was crying. Stepping up behind her, he touched the back of the gown with a finger, watching as it began turning the colors of the nighttime sky, millions of stars forming, shimmering, the starlight he usually saw reflected in her eyes.

“This suits you better.” He said quietly, knowing she hated white and he could see how much it hurt her being in it again.

The color he changed her gown reminded her of the invisibility cloak, how it shimmered and reminded her of the night sky. “I love it.” Of course, it would have to be changed back to white, but for the moment, she could enjoy being in this starry night dress. “That’s all he forced me to wear was white. I hate it. My entire wardrobe, not a hint or a flicker of color because of ‘purity’.” She scowled, smoothing her hands down the dress and took a deep, shaky breath. “I really don’t want this changed back. I wonder what would happen if he saw me in this, what he would say and how he’d react.” Probably flip his lid if she knew Bray as well as she thought. Come to think of it… “Wait, why am I wearing white anyway? I’m supposed to be your captive, right? Why would you have me wear white, the same color he forced on me? That doesn’t make sense – THIS makes better sense, wearing what you pick out or the color you choose for me. Not to mention, he’ll be distraught and angry over it, which will cause him to react irrationally and that’s what we want. We want him off his game.”

“My only concern is that he’ll think, because you’re not in white, you’re no longer pure.” Taker said quietly, thoughtfully, staring down at her. “Would that put him off of you or just piss him off even more?” He knew if he was in Wyatt’s place, it would enrage him and he’d want to kill whoever had ‘defiled’ his woman. Taking Abigail by the hand, he twirled her, watching the skirt of her dress, the way the starry night on it shimmered and he smiled. “Whichever way you think is best, darlin’.”

“Let him think you defiled me. It’ll enrage him, it’ll make him unfocused and that’s what we want. We want to throw him off, make him make mistakes.” Abigail smiled when he twirled her again, a genuine smile coming to her face. “It doesn’t matter what color I’m in, he’s still going to want me. He’ll just think I need to be ‘purified’.” She shuddered, the smile vanishing because she’d seen what he did to soldiers who had to be ‘purified’ in the name of the Dominion. “Maybe not this color, but…the color that suits YOU best, Mark. Black would probably send him over the edge, actually.”

“Black?”

He didn’t think black was his color, not really. Well, if he went Lord of Darkness style, sure. With a smirk, his features and hair transformed and his hands on her bodice had the dressing an inky black, something with the slightest bit of shimmer because straight black in this cut, on her, looked bland as hell. This gave it that subtle shimmer of something… wicked and definitely not pure.

“I could eat you up, Abigail.” He rumbled, stepping back to admire her.

This disguise, Stephanie called it the Lord of Darkness, remembering that vividly because, even Abigail would admit, it was incredibly sexy. The black long beard, the black hair, the way his eyes flashed acid and his entire demeanor in general. “That. This look you have right now, that look in your eyes…that’s what you should show Bray when the time comes. He’ll be scared out of his mind, pissed off and it will cloud his judgment.” She would be in the arms of the devil incarnate, maybe even himself and it brought a wicked smile to her face. “Black, definitely going with black.” It was the color of darkness, the complete opposite of purity and Bray would definitely lose his mind seeing her, not only in black, but with Mark as he currently looked now. “Maybe your disguises aren’t so bad after all, though I still prefer you as…you, the most.”

“Well, none of them know what I really look like, so this will do.”

Not to mention, if shit hit the fan and didn’t go as they planned, at least his true face wasn’t being shown. Taker would modify this one, go pale ass white, put some fire in his eyes. His lips curved into an arrogant smirk, taking her arms and drawing her into him, his hands leaving her arms to skim over the small of her back, to her backside, squeezing.

“What is it about this look…” He mused, voice dropping to a dark baritone. “That makes you get that wicked gleam in your eyes?”

“I don’t know.” It was honest, she had no idea why she was drawn to him in this image, this particular disguise. “Maybe it has to do with the fact, for so many years, I was thought of as pure and I had to live a pure existence. It was forced upon me, I never had a say on what I truly wanted out of life. So this disguise exudes darkness, and I’m drawn to it. I’d rather live in a world of dark than ‘purity’ any day of the damn week. Stephanie was right.” At his arched brow, Abigail smirked and slid her arms around his neck to pull him closer. “You drip with sin and you’re walking sex in this look.” She remembered the night Stephanie told her that and her cheeks had lit on fire. It was before her first night spent with Mark, back when she first came to Wonderful. The girls had inadvertently spilled his secret about the magic and disguises.

“Walking… sex…” He repeated, his voice still the dark baritone, his accent fairly gone.

It was something he just naturally did with this look, and apparently… this look had its own fan club. Where the hell was that knowledge before? Taker grabbed her about the waist, hoisting her up and felt Abigail’s legs encircle his waist, the material of her dress bunching up around hers.

“You look exquisite in this color,” He growled, brushing his lips against the column of her throat. “I’m tempted to fuck you right here and now, Abigail.”

“H-Here?” Abigail blinked, not sure how she felt about that and, more importantly, how the owner of this shop would feel about them getting down and dirty. “Mark…Mark, what are you…” Her words trailed off as he promptly walked into the dressing room, drawing the curtain and slid his hand beneath her dress, her panties disintegrating. “You better put up a sound barrier.” She breathed, unable to deny him and smirked when he didn’t take the dress off, her mouth finding his moments later. With a wave of his hand, a barrier was placed around them that was soundproof, so Ron or any other customer wouldn’t know what was going on back here. “Thank you. Now fuck your woman, Lord of Darkness.” She mumbled against his mouth, hearing him growl and gave herself completely to him, enjoying how positively sinful they were being.

It was a damn good thing he put that sound barrier up because Abigail had the most intense orgasm of her life and screamed louder than she ever had before.

When they were done, Taker slipped out the back door because he really didn’t want to see Ron at the moment. He would wind up smirking or laughing, and he didn’t feel like tussling with the old timer. Taker had left her there feeling a hell of a lot better than the condition he had found her. He was also feeling a lot more relaxed as well, less grim for sure, and went to find Steve to get their army ready to march.

“I thought you were looking for a white dress, honey?” Ron asked when Abigail came to the front of the shop, taking in the black dress.

“Oh, yeah, you didn’t have any back there, but I’ll take this one for sure.”

Abigail tried so hard not to flame up, paying for the dress with a shirt and pants, trading, before exiting the shop. She went back to the tower, packed up her things she would be bringing along, including the dress, and changed into a pair of jeans and a purple tank top. She braided her hair to keep it out of the way and made sure to have a sweatshirt since she would be riding with Mark. Sex with Mark in that shop had also cleared her mind, made her worries disappear and Abigail honestly had an appetite for the first time in days. There was one more stop she had to make before setting off on this journey and Abigail hoped she wasn’t a bother, but Stephanie had become a friend. She wanted to see Anthony too, spend a little time with them, before departing.

Stephanie was more than glad for the company, smiling brightly but tiredly when she spotted Abigail. She was now out of the medical wing and still confined to bedrest, sort of. Only allowed to get up and walk around every now and then, for short distances, but she wasn’t supposed to bend over or lift anything heavier than Anthony. Currently, she was sitting in the recliner, feeding her nipple attached son.

“You’re looking… happy.” She laughed, gesturing for Abigail to have a seat. “What’s got those roses in your cheeks, Abbie?”

“You don’t wanna know.”

“Let me take a WILD guess here…Taker as the Lord of Darkness?” Stephanie laughed when Abigail’s cheeks reddened, knowing she’d hit the nail on the head. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. He is damn sexy in that disguise, isn’t he?”

“Yeah…” Abigail cleared her throat, leaning back against the couch and smiled at the way Anthony greedily sucked at his momma’s breast. “You’ll never guess where we just…uh…committed sin at.”

“Committed sin?” Stephanie laughed harder, wincing since it still hurt to laugh. “I cannot wait until I’m healed from that damn C-section. Sorry, go on and tell me where. I need a good story.” She listened as Abigail told her what they’d done in RON’S shop and nearly split her side laughing, tears in her eyes from pain in a good and bad way. “Oh fuck…oh my god…”

Abigail was up instantly, checking to make sure Stephanie wasn’t actually hurt and smiled down at the baby boy gazing up at her questioningly. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up chuckles. It was worth it though, and exciting. Can I hold him?”

“Sure.” Stephanie handed her son over to Abigail and watched her walk back over to sit down, cradling him against her chest. “Damn brat has to eat every 2 hours. I swear, I’m never gonna get on a normal sleep schedule again. I love him though. He’s worth it. You gonna have any?”

“Someday, I hope.”

“Well, there’s old women around here who remember the ‘breast is best’ campaign from back before the world went to shit and, while I agree to an extent, it blows on sleeping through the night. Can’t have John give JR there a bottle or take over.” Stephanie sighed wistfully, but then shook her head. “Oh well, I guess I should just be glad I’m able to do it, right?” Having Abigail take over was great, though. “Give me a second? I need to pee, and I hate leaving him alone.” At Abigail’s nod, she gingerly got up and walked out of the room. “Be damn glad to be out of these stupid diapers too!” Pregnancy was such a bitch; the post-partum bleeding was crazy.

Abigail was familiar with the aftermath of having a baby, due to so many women in the castle having to go through it. It made her wonder how their wombs were even able to conceive one baby after another. There was absolutely nothing magical about Anthony. He was perfect with chubby cheeks, those blue eyes and dark wisps of brown hair. This baby already had him wrapped around her finger and he didn’t even know it. Abigail suddenly wondered if Mark wanted children, frowning thoughtfully. They hadn’t discussed it yet, then again they hadn’t been together that long either.

“So perfect…and precious.” She whispered, kissing the baby’s forehead and sighed at the fresh baby smell. “Oops, someone needs a diaper change. Come on, little guy, let’s get you cleaned up for Mommy.”

“Sweet baby Jesus I am over this… just an FYI, what they never told us about having kids was that, you’re going to need fricking adults diapers for the waterfalls of blood and inability to not piss yourself, whenever you laugh or sneeze… I hope everything goes back to normal.” Or else Anthony might just be an only child. Stephanie wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to risk the peeing every time she sneezed. “Oh, you changed him, thank you! He shits all the time.” Babies did a lot of gross things, but at the same time, he smelled so good, she would love to bottle that scent up, knowing it wouldn’t last.

“Yeah, I figured you could use a little help and we haven’t really hung out since you had him. I also put a new sleeper on him because he threw up on the one he had on.” Abigail made a face, making Stephanie laugh and wince. “Sit down Momma, you shouldn’t be on your feet very long. And don’t worry, everything should go back to normal.” Hell, if those women in the DOV could keep popping them out like PEZ dispensers, there was no reason Stephanie couldn’t handle having one baby. “I also wanted to tell you that we’re leaving today…something…happened to me. I can’t even begin explaining it to you, but…I know when Bray is coming for me. It’s 6 days from now and we have to cut him off at the pass with what Malcolm and Mark have to do.”

“Abbie, you can’t tell me all that and not expect me to take your ‘I can’t even begin explaining’ it bullshit. So start explaining.” Stephanie ordered dryly.

Having a baby had done nothing to stop her blunt way of speaking, at all. A person couldn’t tell someone all that without actually telling them anything; all it did was make them worried and curious at the same time. She sank back down and stared at Abigail expectantly, drumming her fingernails on the chair’s armrests. If the woman could tell her about having sex in Ron’s shop of all places… and god help them all if Ron ever found out, she’d find a way of explaining what ‘this’ was.

The baby in her arms gave her some kind of strength and Abigail knew she could trust Stephanie. “You can’t tell the others about this. Nobody except Malcolm and Mark know.”

Chapter 61

At her nod and promise to keep it quiet, Abigail took a deep breath and told her everything about her ‘visions’. How at first she thought they were bad dreams, but they were too vivid to be. Stephanie’s eyes grew wider and wider with each passing second, her jaw dropping as the realization crashed down on her.

“It happened to Malcolm’s wife too, Mark’s mother. And it terrifies me…I now understand why Mark hates it so much. I never realized the burden it carries until now.”

“But Mark doesn’t have that kind of magic.” Stephanie pointed out, shaking her head. “That’s a burden he’s never known, and I think… I think you shouldn’t even look at it as a burden, Abbie.” At Abigail’s confused look, she flashed a gentle smile. “Sweetheart, if you hadn’t gotten this vision, what do you think would have happened?” She didn’t give Abigail time to answer. “You guys would have been fucked, that’s what. You would have probably been snuck up on or surprised and then all that planning would go right down the toilet. Now you’re prepared. This vision of yours may have actually saved people’s lives, Abbie.”

Abigail tilted her head, mulling over what Stephanie just said and couldn’t believe how much sense it made. She was right. If this vision hadn’t happened, or the one after it, they would’ve been screwed! Bray would’ve gotten the upper hand and everything would’ve gone to hell. Mark would’ve more than likely died, which was a possibility that kept her up at night and heightened her anxiety.

“I never…thought of it that way.” Her voice was soft and low, looking down at the beautiful baby boy in her arms and smiled. “Your Momma is smart, kiddo. You know that? She’s a great woman. Don’t worry, little guy, you’re going to be protected. We won’t let anything happen to you or your Momma and Daddy.” She looked up at Stephanie, her eyes once again twinkling. “Thank you, Steph. I really needed to hear that and have it put into that kind of perspective. This isn’t a curse, it’s a blessing.”

“Exactly.” Stephanie said, her tone matter-of-fact as she reached for her bottle of water, a smile on her lips. “You’re living with Mr. Doom and Gloom, that shit was bound to rub off on you. You just needed to hear the silver side of the equation.”

Stephanie was pragmatic, sure, but not to the point of being morbid like Taker could be. She didn’t want to be blessed/cursed with visions herself. However, if she were in Abigail’s shoes, and she had learned all that, she would be very grateful at the knowledge of what they could prevent, if it mean saving her two loves.

“He really is doom and gloom, isn’t he?” Abigail meant to say it with humor, but all that came out was sadness. “I wish he wasn’t like that. I wish he would embrace his magic, but I know that won’t happen.” She had accepted it, but it was still sad nevertheless. “I think that’s why I came here, not only to spend time with you and talk and see this bundle of joy, but…something told me to come here. I was feeling so down and overwhelmed with this power, but…you’re right. There’s always a positive side to everything, if you look hard enough.” Besides the DOV, that was the ONLY exception. “You made me feel better and here I was, coming here to try to do the same thing for you since I know you hate being cooped up in here.”

“Having you come visit helps and honestly, I’m too tired to go back to work right now. Anthony keeps me busy. It’s weird, you know? He’ll be awake and eating for only a little bit. So I’m not doing much, but then I only get to rest when he does, so I’m up every few hours.” No matter how good the concept sounded, people did not actually ‘catch up’ on sleep. Broken sleep wasn’t a good way to rest, but… it was what it was. “Abigail, for what it’s worth, he’s less doom and gloom since you. I’ve heard he’s even working more in the forge and more involved in magical stuff. That’s not a bad thing.”

“Really? I mean, I know he’s been in the forge because of Malcolm. Did you hear what happened to that poor old man?” Stephanie shook her head and Abigail began laughing, the sound cheerful for a change. “The poor bastard actually took the TIP of his pinky off with the Mythril. He can’t grow it back magically or anything, he’s literally without a tip on his pinky now.” That got both of them laughing at the old man’s expense, but it was too funny considering he was supposed to be this ultimate sorcerer. “I feel so bad for him, but he’s so enthralled with Mythril, so Mark goes down there to make sure the old man doesn’t filet himself or something.”

“Now, I’ve heard some… rumors, that you think Mythril can be used for medicine.” Stephanie said slowly, frowning. “Malcolm thinks so too?” She bit her lower lip. “Because I just don’t understand how… it’s fumes are poisonous, that’s why Taker doesn’t let anyone in the forge anymore. He did, a couple times, and then they realized why people were dying, so… it was just him from there on out. I hope you guys test that shit first.” Providing they could find someone to test it on. Well… they were going to war… and there were bound to be prisoners and Stephanie flinched at that.

War was messy business.

“It will be tested and it won’t be anyone in Wonderful.” That much she could say for certain, knowing those who did not give up their allegiance to Bray would be test subjects. “And it’ll be far more humane than those DOV jerks.” She refused to cuss in front of the now sleeping baby boy in her arms. “It has magical properties, so therefore, it can heal. I don’t know the extent of it or how far Malcolm can stretch it, but…it’s worth a shot. And after the DOV is taken down, there won’t be any worries anyway because we’ll be able to go out at our leisure to raid the various towns and hospitals for supplies. Eventually, those supplies will run out though, so we have to have a backup plan when that time comes.”

“It has magical properties, so therefore, it can heal…” Stephanie echoed, finally just shrugging. She had always thought magic had limits, and something that was obviously so deadly being used as a healing medicine… the contradiction there was hard to wrap her head around. “Way above my pay grade, I never studied magic or anything of the sort. I’ll pass though,” She laughed, shaking her head. “There are more brains out there like the Hardy’s, once the DOV is stopped, civilization will eventually resume again, and so will medicine and science. I like magic, just not as a… vitamin.” Magic could be very useful, she had seen that herself, she just didn’t want to have to rely on it for everything since there were bound to be some repercussions.

“It’ll take a lot of time, effort and patience before we get Vesperia back to how it used to be, that’s for sure. It might even take centuries before the science and medicine are fully back. In the meantime, Mythril converted into a SAFE medicine is really the only option once the supplies runs low. Malcolm is confident with time he can convert it safely and it won’t harm anyone, only heal what needs to be healed. There are limitations though, but at least women like you, who are pregnant with the problems you had, won’t be SOL. I think that’s why Taker is going along with this easily because of what happened to you. I’ve never seen him so pale in my life and I can only imagine what’s going to happen once Amy gives birth since they’re so close. Trish too.”

“You really had a bad, sheltered life before all of this didn’t you?”

Stephanie didn’t agree with Abigail on the centuries thing. The technology, the machinery, all of it was still intact. It was just waiting for people, who actually believed in it, and knew how to use it, to get it back up and running. Hell, they had a lot of things like that here because of Matt and Jeff. She bet there were more Matt and Jeff’s out there. Stephanie wasn’t sure how she felt about her being the reason Taker was willing to against his own principles, either.

“Trust me, once the DOV is down, shit will come back quickly. The DOV’s stupid laws and beliefs are why nobody outside of Wonderful dares to touch anything.” Apparently, modern medicine was horrible in the DOV’s eyes.

“I hope, with all of my heart, you’re right about that, Steph.”

Abigail wanted to believe everything would be alright with the world after Bray and the DOV were stopped, but she had a shaky faith. Bray believed machinery of any kind was tainted, impure. Anything impure in his eyes was destroyed. Medicine, included, besides the serum he made to help spawn his army. Books were burned and she’d had to hide hers from him to make sure she had at least a piece of the old world, the old days. Technology was another tainted sin. The more Abigail thought about it, the more she realized just how out of his mind Bray was.

Stephanie leaned back, considering their fundamental differences. Abigail had been living in a world where science, technology, and medicine were bad, but magic was used as a tool. Stephanie was from a world, trying to regain their foothold using their original tools. They had seen what magic had done and could do, a lot of it outside of Taker’s protection was bad. Women having accelerated pregnancies, children growing at astronomical rates, and whatever else Wyatt had done. She would pass and stick with science instead of magic.

“I guess that explains why you and Taker butted heads so much,” She said thoughtfully, smiling slightly. “You lived surrounded by magic, so naturally, you see it as the fix for everything. He lives surrounded by all this, uses magic only somewhat, but sees what it’s done to others… they do say opposites attract. I hope you’re as right as you think you are, Abigail.” She fixed her blue eyes on the woman. “Because we all trust Taker and he’s going on what you say.”

“And I talked to Malcolm about the Mythril extensively during our travels back here. He assured me it could be used for medicinal purposes, so I’m putting my trust and faith in him. I told Taker not to do it if he wasn’t comfortable, which I know he’s not, but he also knows the shortage of medicine is very real. I think that scares him a bit. I trust Malcolm wholeheartedly though, and I know he won’t administer the medicine made by Mythril unless it’s fully and completely tested and 100% safe. It’s a last resort, basically, if we can’t get the medicine field and technology off the ground after the DOV is destroyed, that’s all.” Abigail explained, knowing she was putting all of her eggs in one basket by trusting Malcolm, but…she had lived around magic most of her life. There had to be good to it, such as her power with visions. “I honestly believe Taker is doing this because, deep down, he knows it’s the right thing to do, not because I’m telling him it is. That man is too stubborn to let a little thing like me boss him around and tell him what to do.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Stephanie smiled, then yawned, trying to hide it behind her hand and totally failed. “Sorry, I’m so tired all the time. Melina assures me that’s normal until about… 18, when they move out.” She laughed quietly, wondering how Melina would know that since her little boy wasn’t even 4 yet, assuming it was a joke. “Personally, I don’t think it ever stops.” She had John, he was a grown ass man with a teenage mentality. She dealt with it because she loved him and he had a really nice backside. “Go on, Abbie, I know you have things to do. Thank you for coming and seeing me before you left, I appreciate it.” She held out her arms for Anthony, smiling as Abigail gently handed him over. “You’d do good with one of your own.”

Abigail smiled back at her, though it was a little uneasy because she didn’t know if she’d ever see Stephanie again. “If things go south…you run with this little man, you understand? I don’t know how this will all go down, but…you take Anthony and John and you leave this place if things don’t go as we hope.”

Hugging Stephanie gently, Abigail heard her say everything would be alright and hoped that was the case, heading out. She looked back at her friend with her baby in tow for a few seconds before leaving. It was just about time to meet everyone at the gates to leave.

~!~

“You look troubled, Mark. What’s on your mind?” Malcolm asked, walking alongside his son from the forge, his hands clasped behind his back.

His men had assembled fast and people were already outside the gates, vehicles lined up in square formations. Everyone was equipped with weapons, rations, all the necessities they needed, himself included. He had gone to gather Malcolm, not surprised to find him in the forge. Now they were on their way back to join everyone.

“Do you know anything about Mythril, Malcolm?” He asked quietly. “Abigail makes… risks,” With her life, no less. “And she’s totally fine with playing god in other’s lives, based on her assumptions that Mythril CAN be used for medicine. I told her we’ll try, but… the reality is, it’s all contingent on you.” Taker had lied to her to keep the peace. He had thousands of people looking to him, refusing to let her assumptions and need to be right put them at risk.

Malcolm stopped walking and eyed his son, seeing the obvious worry on his face. “A little, yes.” He began walking again, this time slower and tried to find the right words to say what he wanted. The truth was always best. “Back when your mother was alive, I…found some Mythril. It was a small mine a few blocks away from our house. I’d heard stories about it, but never actually seen it with my own eyes. People said the Mythril had dried up long ago, you see, but something told me to investigate that mine. A gut instinct, if you will. It was a small piece, perhaps the size of a regular fist. But I could tell it held magical properties…and I knew it could be used for more than just weaponry, which is what people used it for. I did a little…testing of sorts. Your mother was very sick and on the verge of death. You were no more than 2 years old at the time and…I’m ashamed to admit, I was desperate. I didn’t want to lose my wife. I ground the Mythril down carefully, it wasn’t nearly as strong as what you have here in Wonderful, mind you, so it wasn’t toxic. I transformed it into a medicine that I gave to her and she was healthy as a horse the next day. I couldn’t believe my eyes. So when Bray Wyatt came to me about the Mythril idea to infuse it with the serum he forced me to create to make those magical babies, I told him it was a long shot. Not because it wouldn’t work, because it would’ve, but because I thought all of the Mythril had died from the world long ago. I thought I had the last of it with your mother, Mark. Abigail assumed it could help and she was right. She got very lucky in her assumptions, however, and she needs to tread carefully with that reactive heart of hers. When I tell you Mythril will work, and be safe, with some testing, I’m telling you that from personal experience, though it’s not much.”

Chapter 62

When he was 2, Glen hadn’t been born yet, hadn’t even been conceived. “So… you don’t know for sure if it’s your genetics or the Mythril that passed magic to Glen, do you?” Malcolm shook his head, not a big surprise. “Dad…” It still felt so weird using that term, but Taker was trying. “I love Abigail and,” He groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I know her heart is in the right place, but I don’t trust her to make the right calls.”

Because she did things on assumptions, on what she felt was right and she had figuratively given him a big ‘fuck you’ in the process. What if she had been wrong? What if she had risked all that for nothing? What if Malcolm hadn’t known jack and they gave this medicine to people and those people died?

“I don’t know what to do, she’s not like any woman I’ve ever known.”

Malcolm chuckled, clapping his son on the shoulder and squeezed it. “Your mother was the same way. That woman was so damn stubborn, wouldn’t listen to a word I said, even AFTER finding out she had powers. There were times I wanted to rip my hair out, my boy, and I know that’s how you feel with Abigail. But let me tell you something – I wouldn’t have traded her for anything in the world. I loved her so much, still do.” He hadn’t even looked at another woman since his beloved passed on. “Abigail has a curiosity burning inside of her and she’s eager to learn, to try new things. And at the time, she was only thinking of how best to hurt Bray Wyatt and the Dominion. Taking away their only source of magic, it put them in a very vulnerable state and that’s probably why Wyatt is pushing his plans up. I know you don’t condone her rescuing me and I don’t blame you, but…she did do the right thing by bringing me here. Not only was it good for Susie, but I am the last true sorcerer of Vesperia…besides you. She reunited us and I don’t regret that for a second. If it bothers you this much, maybe you should talk to her. But I wouldn’t get hung up on the ‘what ifs’ because, as you can see, she was right in her assumptions about the Mythril. Just chalk it up to a stroke of luck and move forward, move toward the future.”

Talking to Malcolm had only relieved his mind a fraction. Now he was a bit concerned on other fronts. What happened the next time Abigail had an assumption… Taker groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. Well, at least he’d never be bored. She was definitely going to keep him on his toes.

Unbeknownst to Mark and Malcolm, Abigail had overheard their conversation, but hadn’t made her presence known. Mark still didn’t trust her and had only pretended for the sake of maintaining peace between them. She’d been right in her ‘assumptions’ and gut instincts; she’d been right to rescue Malcolm because that was how she discovered Bray’s secret, but it didn’t mean she would go off and do it again though. Hadn’t she promised him she would do whatever he wanted? Why couldn’t he just let it go? He, along with his men and women, would’ve been slaughtered if not for her ‘assumptions’ and reactive heart!

If Mark was so worried about Mythril, he should’ve been a man, stood up and told Malcolm it wasn’t happening. Instead, he was keeping his mouth shut and letting the old man do whatever he wanted. Abigail would never understand him and wondered if their differences would ultimately lead to their downfall, their own destruction. Only when they finished talking did she wait 5 more minutes before finally walking up to them, not bothering to smile because this wasn’t a happy occasion.

Taker acknowledged Abigail with a nod, his eyes already moving ahead, taking in the people lining the streets.

“You best bring our men back safe, ‘Taker!”

“Send those bastards in the DOV packing straight to Hell!”

“We’re counting on you all!”

THIS is why he worried so much. Abigail and Malcolm had never had thousands of people depending on either of them. He wasn’t able to make decisions based on a ‘reactive heart’ and assumptions. Taker wasn’t gambling with lives. It was great, a miracle, that her assumptions had proven correct. He just didn’t want Abigail using this one time as her justification for being able to do it again.

Eventually, that luck would run out.

“No pressure.”

It did not help matters these people were putting all this pressure on Mark. It actually infuriated Abigail because they were grown adults capable of protecting themselves. Mark was just one man, with magic, but still only ONE MAN. She kept her face forward, refusing to acknowledge the idiots calling out to them and headed out of the gates, seeing how tensed up her man was. Those assholes needed to learn how to fend for themselves and not rely on one man to protect them. There were a couple thousand at least in the town of Wonderful, how did they expect him to protect every single person? Putting her bag in one of the saddlebags of his bike, Abigail only brought what she would need and nothing extra. However, she did make sure to bring the invisibility cloak, just in case.

“We ready?” He had magically amplified his voice to be heard by everyone assembled, dropping his shades down off his head and onto his nose.

A resounding cheer of yes went up and he found himself grinning. It was only natural that people wanted someone to guide them, to lead, it was human nature. Not to mention, the number of people the DOV had captured or killed was proof that individuals and small groups did not last very long. Taker still wasn’t entirely sure how he had wound up with the role. He had saved a few people, made some suggestions, and that was all it took before he became the head honcho of Wonderful.

“We’re not playing hero people. We go in, we do our job, we COME HOME.”

“Yeah, you heard him. No crazy stunts, no pullin’ bullshit for glory.”

He let Steve take over, glancing down at Abigail and grinned at her. “You ready to end all this, darlin’?”

This was it. The moment she had longed for…so many years of pain and innocent blood shed, manipulation and deceit, heartbreak and darkness, even though the Dominion claimed to be pure. It was pure alright – pure evil. It was time to destroy it.

“Yes.”

There was no smiling, not yet, not until Bray’s spell was broken and the DOV was taken out. Abigail looked up at the gates, hoping she came back here alive instead of in a bag or…worse. Silently saying goodbye, just in case, Abigail hopped on the back of the Harley Davidson and waited for Mark to mount in front of her, her hands gently resting on his hips. This reminded her of the first time they left Wonderful together to go explore that library, his surprise to her…and her revelation to him. So much had happened in a short span of time, it was mind-boggling. A few minutes later, they all roared out on the open road with Mark and Steve at the front.

The plan was to drive throughout the day, camp at night. This many motorcycles on the road meant they were taking the direct route, not that he was expecting to run into anyone for the first half of this trip. It would be a few days before he began worrying about confrontation. Admittedly, it did feel good to have a game plan, to finally be doing something about the DOV, and he knew it was because of Abigail they were getting this shot. Of course, she was personally vested into this and he had to wonder, for everything she had said, if she would be able to stomach the death of her childhood friend.

Death was the only way to stop Bray.

He was beyond redemption, beyond saving, and she’d come to terms with that throughout the years seeing his cruelty. There was no more love for him, only hatred and sadness. It would hurt to see Bray die, but at the same time, it would also be a relief to finally end his reign of tyranny. They stopped every 3 hours, which reminded her of the travel back to Wonderful, where her, Dean and Malcolm had to walk 3 hours, then stop to rest for a half an hour, before continuing on. At least this time, they had transportation and they wouldn’t wear out the soles of their shoes. Once the sun began setting on the horizon, Mark called out with his magical amplified voice to everyone to pull over, they were setting up camp for the night.

“Boss, if we stop every few hours every day, it’s gonna take longer than it should to get there.” Steve pointed out, helping Taker to assemble tents, smiling when Abigail came around to help as well.

“Not everyone is used to riding for hours on end. A lot of the soldiers will be saddle sore enough as it is tonight.” ‘Taker remarked thoughtfully. “We’ll aim for longer tomorrow and hopefully, by day three, they’ll be uh…”

“Calloused assed?”

“Why don’t you go start making sure people are putting together their food, or go toss your bald ass in a lake or something?”

Steve started laughing, shaking said bald head. He had brought a bandana to wear over it, not about to get sunburnt on his scalp.

Pulling out the map she’d used with Dean on their trip, Abigail looked over it and slid her finger along the route they’d taken, nodding. Steve was right. They couldn’t stop every 3 hours anymore, not if they were going to cut Bray off. It wouldn’t be on DOV soil like they wanted, but…it would be in the middle of the map where they’d collide. Bray wouldn’t have all of his forces assembled since some had to remain at the castle, so after they took out the wave Bray brought, along with Bray himself, they still had to liberate and kill those at the castle who opposed them. She folded the map back up and slid it back in her back pocket before helping Victoria set up the tents and whatnot.

“There’s something I need you to do for me…and I know Taker won’t go for it, but…this has to look real.”

Victoria arched a brow, wondering what Abigail had in mind and continued working. “Okay…what is it?”

“I need you to…beat me up. Not to the point of making me unconscious, but…maybe a split lip and some bruising. Just enough to show that I’ve been abused, possibly tortured.”

Now both brows were up. “You want me to…rough you up, in other words? Have you discussed this with the boss?”

“No.”

“Afraid he won’t go for it?”

“Yes.”

“I’m not doing it without his consent. So you better tell him your idea and see if he has an alternative.”

“If he okays it, will you do it?”

“Sure…” Victoria really hoped this didn’t come back to bite her in the backside.

“Thanks.”

Tents were up, campfires assembled, and he hadn’t bothered ordering a watch. The same magic that protected Wonderful could be used to protect the encampment, one of the benefits of him keeping the talisman inside of him during this trip. Taker had thought about trying to do this during the fight, but… that’d mean Wyatt’s men wouldn’t be able to get anywhere near his men. Not necessarily a bad thing, but not everyone was packing guns. A lot of people were using swords since the council had agreed to leave the majority of firearms within Wonderful to protect the city from the walls, if the city was attacked. He had brewed coffee over their fire when Abigail finally made her way back to their tent, flashing her a grin from his place on the ground.

“Made some stew, you’re going to eat.” The smile began fading at the look on her face. “What’s wrong, Abbie?” He patted the space beside him. “Come here, darlin’.”

“I do eat…”

Just not a lot lately and who could blame her? Finding out she had magic powers, which Stephanie made her feel better about, of all people, and now they were on their way to destroy Bray and the DOV. She sat down beside him, taking the bowl of stew he passed to her and sat Indian style, beginning to take a couple bites.

“I need to talk to you about something…and you’re not going to like it.” Abigail looked up at him, seeing his brow arched and dropped her gaze back to her bowl. “It’ll look…suspicious to Bray if I’m simply strapped to your symbol, strung up, however you wanna put it, without being…roughed up. I know that’s not the type of person you are, but…he NEEDS to believe, without any doubt, I’m in danger. He needs to believe you will kill me unless he comes for me. So, I asked Victoria if she would…rough me up and she said to ask you about it first, to see if there’s another alternative. I don’t see one and I don’t think magic can give the illusion of being beaten up, do you?”

“Well on me yeah, but I can’t project it that way.” Taker murmured thoughtfully. “I suppose makeup isn’t an option, is it?” When she shook her head, he groaned, burying his face in his hands for a moment as he considered it. “You do know how bad that’ll hurt? Victoria is a bad bitch, she don’t hold nothing back and I’ve seen her take out men my size, Abbie.” Victoria could definitely make Abigail look like she was abused, but the problem was, she WOULD actually be roughed up. “I do see your point, and agree with it, but Christ…” She was right, and he was going to wind up giving his blessing for his woman to have her backside handed to her.

“Hey, we gotta crack a few eggs to make an omelet and it has to be real.”

Makeup could easily smear, that was not an option, not when this was a life or death situation for everyone involved. Bray HAD to believe this charade wholeheartedly or else they would be sunk. Abigail reached up to stroke his cheek, smiling softly and saw the worry in his eyes, knowing he didn’t want this to happen to her.

“Amy taught me a few things about sparring, so maybe I’ll just spar with her and…have her rough me up that way.” Bruising was a given, along with pain and Abigail was willing to feel any amount of pain in order to stop Bray and the DOV forever. “I’ll have her do it the day before we meet up with them, so everything looks…fresh.” She had a couple days to wrap her mind around what was going to happen to her and to talk to Victoria again.

“Honestly… if you’re going to do this, you might as well go whole hog, darlin’.” Taker hated himself for what he was about to say. “Fresh bruises are all well and fine, but you want him to think you’ve been what, outed? Which means we’ve been… beating you, for longer than a day. You might want to consider uh, sparring with her tomorrow and then the morning of, gives you bruises on bruises of varying degrees.” It would look like she was also beaten regularly opposed to just every now and then and Taker’s appetite was gone.

Chapter 63

The first sparring session was brutal.

Abigail had gotten the hell knocked out of her, after assuring Victoria it was alright. Steve had to hold Mark back while this happened, and they had a crowd surrounding them. No matter how many times she was hit, Abigail managed to stand back up and took another hit, moving her hands in a ‘bring it’ gesture. A half an hour later, she finally went down and spit blood out, knowing Victoria was just aiming for her face, not any other body part. The dress would cover everything except her face, which was now heavily bruised, her bottom lip cut, and a slice was horizontal on her eyebrow.

“Are you gonna make it?” Victoria helped her up, knowing it was weird for her to help Abigail up after she just beat the hell out of her. “You need to rest. Eat and rest, gather your strength.”

“Thanks for doing this.” Abigail spit more blood out since her teeth cut the inside of her cheek and felt Mark come to her aid instantly.

“You’re fucking lucky, she was holding back.” Taker said gravely, studying the damage to Abigail’s face. She was already swelling, bruising… “I’d offer you ice, but we don’t have any.” He doubted she’d take it anyway and groaned. “I don’t suppose you want something for the pain, darlin’? Whiskey maybe?”

Taker needed a drink, or three. Abigail was going to have a scar for sure through that eyebrow. She was lucky Victoria had been holding back, especially since those blows had been aimed at the face. She should’ve swallowed some teeth and probably have broken cheekbones… He didn’t like this, at all.

“No, some food would be good though.”

Stew would be easy to eat, no chewing required. Abigail was lead back to their tent and laid down while Mark went to get her some stew, her fingers touching her bottom lip. It would all be worth it in the end. She had to keep reminding herself of why she was doing this, allowing this, and shut her eyes, taking deep breaths to deal with the pain. By the time Mark returned, Abigail was out like a light, breathing steady and her face was one big mess of blue, purple and brown. She didn’t feel Mark put some whiskey on her split lip or the cut on her eyebrow, too exhausted to move. Tomorrow’s trip was not going to be fun, but at least Victoria only struck her face, nowhere else.

Abigail looked like a hot mess the next morning and Taker was very tempted to start putting salves on her face. When he tried, she waved him off, saying it needed to look real and raw. He was going to lose his mind. Camp was torn down quickly and they were all back on the road soon enough and he really hoped she was able to hold on because they weren’t making stops every 3 hours. He was tempted too, because of her, but at the same time, that was only prolonging this torment and letting Wyatt get even closer to Wonderful. She was both the most bravest and craziest woman he had ever known.

“Taker! What is that?!”

Abigail pointed in the distance, a few hundred feet away and felt him slow down, her eyes widening. Hopping off the bike before it completely stopped, she stumbled a little, but remained on her feet and rushed over to the scene. Dropping to her knees at the sight of none other than Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose.

“They need help! Someone help them!” It’d been 3 days since they were on the road and over a week since Dean, Seth and Roman left. Roman Reigns was nowhere to be found, only Seth and Dean, who both didn’t look so good. “Dean? Dean, can you hear me? Dean…” She covered her hand with his bloody one, tears filling her eyes. “Oh my god…”

“You look like shit, babe.” Dean managed to get out through bloodstained, gritted teeth, hissing as he tried drawing in a breath.

“Taker, he needs help, bad.” Seth was beaten and battered, but nothing like Dean. “Dean, c’mon man, suck it up, bro.” He tried joking, moving so Abigail had to back away or get hit with his body. “Get up, help is here, man.”

“Someone get Matt.” Taker actually wished Jeff was with them, but… he wasn’t. “Seth, don’t move him. Steve, have them setup camp.”

He surveyed Seth and Dean, taking note of Seth’s twisted upper body, the limp way his right arm hung. Broken shoulder and maybe collarbone, for sure. Ambrose had blood seeping out of his mouth and his eyes were… not good.

“Abigail, get people to help you set up our tent, and get your first aid bag, darlin’.” They were going to need her steady hands and, even then, he wasn’t overly confident.

“They’re… coming… Taker…” Oh that hurt, Dean felt like laughing, but he couldn’t.

Nodding at Mark’s command, Abigail immediately stood up and swallowed hard. “Dean, you stay strong, you hear me?”

She rushed off to grab her bag, the pain she was in the last thing she was worried about. Breathe, get it together, she mentally coached, hoping like hell Dean, Seth and Roman hadn’t outed their plan to Bray. It was obvious the DOV had gotten their hands on them, but why hadn’t Bray recruited them? Why had he tortured them this way? Frowning, Abigail quickly rushed back to Dean, setting her bag down and helped Victoria with their tent while Taker assembled the others. It was 15 minutes later they were in the tent with Dean and Abigail finally cut away the shirt he had on, her eyes widening at how much damage was done.

“Dean…” This time when she said his name, her voice cracked.

Matt did not have to be a genius to know what this was. “He’s bleeding internally, unchecked.” Because Abigail was in training, he tried to focus on that and not the fact that he knew this man personally. “Broken ribs, something is punctured… immense bruising of the skin is the key indication of that. How long since this happened?”

“Few days, maybe, I don’t know… I’ve been in and out, and he’s mostly been out.”

“Blood in the mouth…. swollen abdomen…” Matt rubbed his temples, eyes finally narrowing in on the chest. The left side was very sunken, heavily bruised. “Punctured lung.”

“Now give me the good news.” Dean chuckled harshly, turning his head to let the blood spill down the side of his face instead of right back down.

Nobody looked like they wanted to say it and his eyes were on Abigail. She was obviously sorting all of this out in her head, slow to reach the morbid conclusion. “You’re dying, Dean.” He said finally, quietly.

“Hate to know what you think bad news is…” He hissed, feeling hands adjusting him, propping him.

“We can make him comfortable, but… an hour, maybe.” A mercy killing was something to consider because this was a very painful way to go.

“DOV caught us.” Seth said, coming around to sit by Dean’s head, his eyes on his friend, even as Matt came around to start tending to him. “Roman… Roman was going to sell you all out and Dean…” He let out a low pained cry when Hardy wrenched his arm back into its proper place.

Taker moved to help hold Seth still so Matt and Abigail could bind that arm in place, to let the bone heal correctly.

“Dean-O wasn’t… having it…”

Dean saved her…again. After all the horrible things she said to him, he still saved and protected her. Abigail was having a hard time digesting the fact Dean was dying. Dean was going to die. No, no…this couldn’t be happening! Wasn’t there something they could do?! Magic, couldn’t magic spare his life?! Abigail went to get up and felt Dean grab her hand, with all the little strength he had left, her eyes meeting his.

“Dean…” She sank back down beside him, shaking her head. “Why? Why did you…sacrifice yourself? Why did you…protect me?” It was because of her…this was all happening because of her; his blood would eternally be on her hands.

“Had…to…you’re…my…girl…” Dean said slowly, pausing in between harsh breaths and cupped her face in his blood hand. “Listen to me…Abs…they’re coming…they’re coming for you…and you have to…fight…because…” He winced, groaning out and felt her hand on his chest, his eyes only for her in this moment.

“I am…I am going to fight. We all are. We’re taking them down, they’re all going to pay for what they’ve done and I will avenge your death, Dean. I promise. Who is the one who hurt you? Name him.”

“That…Luke Harper…is a bastard…” More coughing ensued.

Luke fucking Harper again. He would not live to breathe one more day on Vesperia once they caught up to them. “He’ll pay. I swear to god he’ll pay for this…”

“I…love…you…Abigail…Waters…”

He was gone. Abigail watched him take his last breath, his hand falling from her face and his last words were to her, revealing how he truly felt. Instead of breaking down and sobbing, Abigail felt anger swelling inside of her, her eyes darkening to nearly black pools. Bray was going to pay for this. The DOV was going to pay for everything, including Dean’s death. Kissing his forehead, Abigail stood up and walked out of the tent, not caring that it was pouring down rain, soaking her completely through. She looked down, the blood on her hands, her arms, Dean’s blood, slowly washed away in the pouring rain and all she could do was stand there, screaming internally, but completely calm on the outside.

“Boss?”

“Bring me water and soap, I’ll clean him.” Taker said quietly, reaching down to gently close Dean’s eyelids. He may not have liked the man, but he definitely respected him. “Seth, do you have a preference on how the body is disposed?”

“He’d… he would’ve found it cool to be burned. You know, like pirates at sea, or old Vikings, that kind of thing.” Seth wiped away a tear, feeling arms helping him up.

“Matt?”

“Yeah, boss?” Matt stopped from leaving the tent.

“We’ll need dry wood, under tarp.”

“Boss… it’s pouring cats and dogs…”

“Keep the wood dry and I’ll handle the rest. Malcolm can help.” Magic could be used for this, it was the very least they owed Dean.

“Abigail…” Malcolm placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder, knowing she wasn’t in the mood to talk, but he wanted to be there for her regardless. “The alter is almost ready, my dear.” He spoke quietly, feeling her tense and had done as requested of him by his son to help with Dean’s fiery funeral.

“Malcolm.” Abigail didn’t turn to face him, her arms remaining at her sides while staring out at the long stretch of land, the body of water they were currently camped in front of. “Luke Harper is the one who killed Dean. I know he hurt Susan badly, but she’s still alive. He’s not. Do you understand what I’m saying?” She was going to be the one to take Luke’s life now, not him.

“Yes…I understand.” Malcolm didn’t like it, but this poor woman had been through so much and, if she wanted to take that bastard’s life, he wasn’t going to stop her. “If you can’t get to him, though…”

“Ice him for me, then, only if I can’t get to the bastard first.”

“Understood.”

“Thank you.”

“Dean was a good man, Abigail. He died a noble man and I know you don’t want to hear that, but…it’s the truth. He died with you and I’m sure that’s the way he would’ve wanted to go because he did love you.”

Tears stung her eyes as Abigail fought back the pain, the agony, the heartache as she wrapped her arms around herself tightly. “I loved him too. Just not the way he wanted me to.” She was a terrible person for it too. “Did he tell you that on our way back from the castle?” Her eyes closed when Malcolm nodded, which in turn made her feel worse.

Waving his hand, Malcolm brought a blanket from inside one of the tents and wrapped it around her, not wanting her to catch sick since it was still raining. “Take a minute to yourself and then join us for Dean’s funeral.”

“Yes, sir.”

It was crazy, Steve thought, watching as Taker finished cleaning Dean’s pretty fresh corpse up. And he had gone the full nine yards, taking care of everything. Bodies got weird and messy when people died. Taker had just handled it like he did this every day. When he was finished, he had wrapped Dean in a black sheet and Steve helped to lift the body. Malcolm was warding off the rain, it was kind of neat to see. Like a giant, invisible umbrella, deflecting it off the pyre he had ordered built. Ranks had been formed around the pyre and he spotted Abigail pushing her way through, his heart tugging at the devastation on her face. He bet grief wasn’t the only thing consuming her; she and Dean hadn’t parted on good terms.

Guilt. It was nearly consuming her and the only thing stopping her from hopping on that pyre built for Dean was she wanted to see the life die in Bray and Luke’s eyes. She wanted to see the destruction of the Dominion once and for all. Dean’s parting words were he loved her…she would not disappoint him and avenge his death, by any means necessary. If only they had more time, she would’ve apologized for being a colossal bitch to him the last time they were together. Why couldn’t magic save him?

Abigail had thought magic was a cure-all this whole time, but…reality slapped her in the face again. It wasn’t. There were limitations to magic and saving lives was that limitation. She stood as close to the fire as she possibly could, her eyes not leaving the flames and the smell of human flesh burning infiltrated the air. Abigail didn’t care, she would stay until every last bit was burnt to the ground, no matter how long it took.

Long after others had left, Taker remained standing just behind her. His head bowed, hands clasped before him as he listened to the crackling of the fire. Malcolm had remained as well, and he lent his own magic to the spell the old man was casting to allow this. Magic was draining, and Malcolm would need his strength in the days to come. Eventually, he moved to feed the fire, knowing how hot it would need to get to incinerate everything. He had been here before, a fire, so hot it left nothing but ash, even the bones nothing but ash. In the event the fire got out of control, all they needed to do was release the spell.

“Abigail,” He said quietly, moving to stand behind her again, this time closer. “There wasn’t anything you could have done, and… I think that would have been the way Ambrose wanted to go out.”

“Malcolm said the same thing, but you both are wrong. Dean didn’t want to die. Dean didn’t deserve this…” Abigail looked down at her hands, which were no longer stained in Dean’s blood, but felt it was still on her anyway. “I’m going to kill every last one of those son of a bitches, Bray and especially Luke Harper, included. I’m going to make them all suffer. I will avenge him. He was my friend and I loved him like a friend. I know his love for me was different, but that doesn’t change the fact I cared about him and I will NOT let his death be in vain.” She turned around, the tears drying up and such coldness filled her eyes, it felt like ice water ran through her veins. “We have work to do, Mark…and we’re not stopping until the violence, bloodshed and the DOV ends.”

“Darlin’, nobody wants to die and I doubt anyone is ever ready to go.” This was not his first rodeo, he had been through more deaths then he could count sometimes. “But if he would’ve had a say, I think protecting you would’ve been how he’d want to do it.”

Stepping towards the raging flames, he steeled himself and reached through them, channeling the magic inside of him. Taker pulled his fist out, turning towards her. Unburnt but his skin was laden with ash, black with it, and when he opened his hand, palm up, inside was an electric blue teardrop crystal. Malcolm hadn’t been the only one learning shit in that forge, he had been paying attention to his father’s ramblings.

“Here.” He held it out to her. “This way you’ll always have a piece of him with you.”

Hesitantly, she took it and watched it glow in her hand and let the fresh hot tears in her eyes slide down her cheeks. “Thank you.” She whispered, unable to use her actual voice at the moment and watched as he procured a necklace from his pocket. “What are you…?” With magic, he hooked the crystal to the chain and put it around her neck to wear, the stone resting just over her heart. It was a very small crystal and could easily be passed off as a gemstone of some kind. “I-I didn’t want him to die protecting me…” She buried her face in his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist tightly, crying her heart out and letting all of her emotions pour forth. “I-I don’t want anyone…dying for me…protecting me. Damn it, Dean…I’m so sorry…”

Taker didn’t really have words to comfort her with, nothing he hadn’t already said anyway. He and Dean hadn’t seen eye to eye on magic, amongst other things, so there was more than a hint of irony in that he had used magic to do this thing for her. Something told him Dean would have laughed that damned hyena laugh of his in glee. He simply held her, resting his head on top of hers, his eyes never leaving that burning pyre. Roman Reigns had tried to sell them out to save his own ass and was now dead. Dean had stopped Roman, but at the cost of his own life.

And he had done it all for Abigail.

Chapter 64

“Again!”

Victoria shook her head, groaning when Abigail shoved and provoked her, her own lip busted open. Dean’s death had done something to the woman, woke up the sleeping lion because she was a lot fiercer than the first time they’d done this. Tomorrow they would meet up with Bray and the DOV. Tomorrow was war, so Abigail was getting her ass handed to her one last time. Flying back on the ground, Abigail rolled and spit out blood, holding her side and nodded when Victoria asked if she was alright.

“I’m fine.” She gritted out, standing to her feet, a bit wobbly and punched Victoria in the face, bloodying her nose. They both smiled at each other, no humor whatsoever in it and began sparring again, adding to the bruises that were already adorning Abigail’s face.

When Bray saw her tomorrow, he would barely recognize his pure Queen.

“Nice shot.” Victoria backhanded her in return, once again holding back on her strength and pinched her nose before snapping it back into place. That hurt. “Alright, you done now?”

“Do I look gruesome?”

“Yeah, that what you’re going for?”

“Then we’re done here. Thanks again.”

“Now have a drink with me. It’s not often I can kick someone’s ass, be it woman or man, and still be friends with them.”

“Okay.”

“Well, we’re as prepared as we’re gonna be, Deadman.” Steve said, walking the encampment with Taker. Since Dean’s funeral, things had been pretty grim. “Got your stage prop ready. Malcolm’s been talkin’ to himself all day, so I’d say he’s been workin’ on the magic end. All our boys and gals have everythin’ primed and scouts say Wyatt’s forces are going to arrive basically at the same time we are.”

“That’ll be fun.” They had finally made it around in time to see Victoria and Abigail shaking hands and he flinched at the raw mess her face was again.

Tomorrow, hopefully, this all ended.

Abigail turned her head in time to see Mark and Steve, waving at him and pointed at Victoria, followed by a ‘bottoms up’ signal with her hand. Apparently, he had other ideas in mind because he shook his head, leaving Steve to the rest of the encampment and guided her over to the nearby lake. It was fresh and people had bathed in it, so it was clean enough. However, when he rose his hand to touch the side of her face, she backed away and shook her head.

“No. You can’t use any kind of magic to make the pain lessen. It HAS to be believable.” They hadn’t had sex due to Dean’s funeral, combined with her getting beaten up by Victoria. “Mark, tomorrow this ends and then you can use whatever kind of magic you want on me.” She cupped his face in her hands, feeling his forehead very gently press against hers and breathed him in. “If you want to bathe me, that’s fine, but…do NOT tend to my face. Promise me.”

“When your adrenaline wears off, Abigail, this is going to hurt. Your face is hardly recognizable.” There wasn’t a part of her face that hadn’t been hit. She was bruised, cut, swollen… Wyatt was not going to have a hard time believing they had abused her, at all. “Let me take away your pain, just for tonight,” He was begging now, his voice a soft, pleading whisper. “I’ll… give it back in the morning, but there’s no need for your to suffer tonight, darlin’.”

“Mark…”

Abigail sucked in a breath when he waved his hand over her face, the bruising and cuts vanishing to make her look like her old self again. The pain was gone, and she felt him cup her face in his strong hands, kissing her passionately. She wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling him lift her to where her legs encircled his waist and the kiss never broke, even as Mark settled in the water with her. They were completely naked, thanks to more magic used and she finally broke the kiss to rest her forehead against his, hoping nobody came over here. What she didn’t realize was he’d put a disguise on her, much like himself, so her pain was still very much there, but he’d also made it disappear for the time being.

“You are impossible and stubborn…” She murmured, heaving a gentle sigh and kissed him again, her fingers playing with his hair. “I love you…”

He had ‘borrowed’ her pain, taken it into himself and tomorrow, he would return it in all its painful glory. He could feel it himself and reveled in it for a few minutes, closing his eyes as he held Abigail close to him, murmuring those three words back to her. She had been feeling this, this burning hot, yet dull and ferocious aching, it was enough to make his own teeth grit. But she was planning on suffering with it! Taker tamped it down, beginning to passionately kiss her, trying to convey everything he was feeling in it. His love for her. The desperation he was feeling. His admiration. His fears. All of it.

She felt it all. Every bit of it, knowing tomorrow was the battle, the final stretch, and Abigail couldn’t begin to imagine how painful this was for him to watch her suffer. It was for a good cause though. They had to make Bray believe she was in mortal danger or else all of this would’ve been for nothing. Dean’s death would mean nothing and she refused to let that happen.

“I need you, Mark.” She breathed against his mouth, her chest rising and falling rapidly, trembling against him with pure desire and intensity.

This could be their final night together, if things went haywire tomorrow and Abigail refused to let this night pass them by without making love to Mark one more time. She had a feeling that was what weighed on his mind as well and kissed down his jaw to his neck. Her hand massaged the back of his neck sensually, trying to get him revved up.

“Here?” He asked, somewhat amused, his voice a husky rumble. Taker definitely wanted her, she could probably feel it. “In the water?”

He doubted anyone was coming out anymore, most people did their bathing earlier. Now the encampment was winding down, passing around cups, keeping each other motivated and chipper, even though they all knew what was coming. At her nod, he reached down between them, feeling her shifting and adjusting herself. Within seconds, he was sliding home.

“Here, our tent, in the grass, it doesn’t matter. You might wanna put up a sound barrier though.” She chuckled breathlessly, watching him wave his hand to do exactly that and kissed him again, moving with him in the water. They could bathe later, right now all Abigail craved was feeling her man plummet in and out of her body, clinging to him as her legs wrapped tightly around his waist. “I love you, oh god…”

The water wasn’t letting him move nearly fast enough, his thrusts coming slow and steady, fighting against the weight of the water. There was a small patch of grass on the other side of the lake, away from encampment, so Mark swam them over to it and laid her down. His naked body covered hers as their heated bodies molded together.

“Now this is much better.” She murmured, wanting to properly make love with him on what could be their final night together.

Smiling down at her, Taker began moving in her again, drawing one leg up to rest on his hip. “I love you, Abigail.” He rumbled softly, knowing she could hear him and braced his body up with his free hand, palm down on the ground.

Her face was already messed up, he wasn’t adding to that by crushing her. The ground did not have the same give that their bed back home did. Their bed, he smiled against her neck, their home, their tower, their life, their future together… they had so much to fight for. Marriage, babies, happiness…she wanted it all and she wanted it with Mark. Abigail decided she wasn’t going on the shot again next month, which is when she was due for it. Of course, she’d discuss it with Mark first before making that decision, not knowing if he wanted children or not. The magic could throw him off, especially after finding out what happened to his mother. Her moans became uncontrollable, he felt too good sliding in and out of her, his lips against her throat only fueling the hot coil within her stomach.

“P-Please…oh god please make me cum for you…only you, Mark…” She moaned out in a plea, moving with him and kissed any skin she could find before his mouth captured hers, both tasting each other.

Nodding, he reached down between their bodies, his finger finding her swollen clit and began manipulating her, adding to her pleasure. She was so hot, wet and the way Abigail writhed beneath him, coaxing and pleading for him to give her a climax… Taker didn’t know how to describe what it was doing to him. A moment later, he rolled them both, her riding him, though his massive hands moved to her hips, guiding her, angling her body just right. Every time he brought her down, he brushed against her sweet spot.

Her nails sank into his skin, leaving half crescent shapes in their wake as she rode him hard and fast, crying out every time he hit her sweet spot, driving her closer to that fine razor edge. Her breasts bounced along with the rest of her body, giving all of her energy into this, her main focus on the man beneath her. Such power resided in Mark, he had no idea how incredibly gorgeous he was, even with the scars, which were showcased for her. The moon was out, shining down on them and bathing them in its soft glow as she gyrated her hips against him, stopping the bouncing for a minute to savor this moment in time. If Abigail could, she would freeze it, never wanting it to end, but knew it had to. He was thinking the same thing, wishing for a way to freeze this moment, but then… then they’d miss out on hundreds, thousands more, moments just as beautiful as this one.

“Come on darlin’,” He ran his hands up her ribs, to her breasts. “Stop worrying about tomorrow.”

His hands were now cupping her face, forcing her to meet his stare as he rocked his hips up to meet hers. Tomorrow was so far away and they had all of tonight to be together. Abigail nodded, resting her forehead against his and kissed him, putting her full focus and attention on making love with her man. Everything else could wait until tomorrow.

“I-I’m close…” She whimpered, her face contorting in a beautiful mixture of pleasure and need, her mouth falling open as the first orgasm rocketed through her body. “Mark! Right there!” He rode out her first climax, his hands gripping her backside and squeezed it, urging her to shatter against him again. “Ohhhhh…”

“Again, woman!” He ordered in a growl, bringing both hands down on her backside, slapping those delicious cheeks of hers. Feeling her spasming around him, Taker did not surrender to his body’s very pressing desire to have his own release. “I want everything you can give, and then some.” From personal experience, he knew she had quite a bit to give.

His low, baritone demanding another climax from her just made her want to please him in every way humanly, and magically, possible. Abigail gripped his shoulders, any part of him she could and felt her body giving into him again, surrendering everything. Mark wanted every last drop out of her and she would happily and willingly give it to him. No questions asked, no hesitation. However, by the third climax, Abigail was starting to sag against him, whimpering and pleading with him to end his suffering. He was bulging, pulsating inside of her and she knew he was on the verge of exploding, her eyes locked on his.

“Let me feel you…please cum inside of me…let me feel you explode, Mark…” She craved it, trembling lips pressing against equally trembling lips.

Tonight was not the night to put her through her paces. Well, in theory, with the overall look she was going for, it probably was. He could definitely give her the fatigued thing since Taker had done it before. However, she would need her wits about her; she wouldn’t be able to do that if she were dead on her feet. Righting himself into a sitting position, he held her against him, supporting her and buried his face in her throat. A few thrusts later, he felt everything coursing through him, leaving him momentarily breathless as he finally gave into his own climax. It was a damn good thing he had cast a sound barrier because he roared her name.

Nothing was said between them for a while as Mark held her close in the grass, both coming down from the intensity of their sexual high. Finally, Abigail pulled back enough to look into his eyes, trying to memorize every contour of his face, scars and all. She wanted to remember him this way, happy, relaxed and a bit brooding. Smiling at that last one, she rested her forehead against his and had so much she wanted to say. All she could do was let the tears flow down her cheeks silently, giving into the fear she’d held back for so long. This entire situation terrified her, she didn’t want to see Bray again, but it was inevitable.

“If something happens tomorrow, promise me something. I don’t…want you to stop living if I can’t be there with you, Mark. You deserve every bit of happiness this world has to offer, and you have too big of a heart to simply shut down. I know we have a plan, I know that, and it’ll probably work, but just in case it doesn’t and something goes wrong, promise me you’ll save yourself. Don’t…protect me. Don’t die for me. Run and save yourself, if it comes down to it and leave me behind. Please don’t sacrifice yourself for me. I love you and I only want what’s best for you.” She sniffled, feeling his entire body tense and kissed him soundly, tears flowing faster. “Will you do that for me? Will you put yourself first?”

“We’ve already had this conversation, Abigail, or something very similar to it.”

He turned his head from her, not about to be silenced with her kisses. Though, he did begin kissing at her tears, tasting the slightest hint of salt on his tongue. She had made him promise not to go ‘human’, and in return, he had made her promise not to do anything stupid, like sacrifice herself. Taker had already fulfilled his end of the bargain.

“Leaving you behind would mean you had sacrificed yourself. Those were not the terms and I wouldn’t leave you behind anyway. We WILL win.”

“Damn it, this is not the same thing and you know it. Dean died protecting me and I refuse to let someone else I care about, especially the man I love, sacrifice himself for me. It’s not happening. We’re all banking on this blood spell to work, but what if it doesn’t? Everyone will be slaughtered, everyone will…” Her eyes closed, her body going rigid and suddenly, she was in the middle of nowhere with Mark in an encampment anymore.

Chapter 65

Holding a baby in her arms wrapped in a soft purple blanket, Abigail had to register where she was at. The tower…she recognized it instantly and smiled at the cooing baby, a pair of strong tattooed sleeved arms wrapping around her waist from behind. “She’s definitely just like her Daddy with an appetite to match.”

He chuckled, nuzzling her neck and held both of them close, his long finger stretching out to glide down the baby’s cheek. “She may have my appetite, darlin’, but she looks just like her beautiful Momma.”

“Except the eyes, which I hope don’t change.” They were a beautiful emerald green.

“I told you everything would be fine and we would win, didn’t I?”

Abigail rolled her eyes, sighing exasperatedly. “Yes, yes you did.” She walked away from him to set the baby down in her bassinet, making sure she remained swaddled. “I just can’t believe I was pregnant during all of that…”

“You wouldn’t have come had I known you were with child.”

“I know…” Her eyes lowered and he immediately lifted her chin up to meet his eyes. “I love you, Mark.”

“I love you too, Abbie.” He pulled her into his arms, passionately kissing her and lifted her, her legs encircling his waist. “It’s been 2 months; how do you feel?”

“Fuck your wife, Mr. Calaway.”

Grinning, he obliged and carted her to the bedroom, which was just off of the nursery where their Hope slept.

~!~

What the hell was that? Abigail slowly opened her eyes and pushed away from Mark, not knowing what she just saw. Was that…the future? Malcolm did say she would have visions of the past, present and future, but…did that mean…Abigail rested a hand on her stomach, her flat stomach, and swallowed hard, shaking her head. No, no it couldn’t be. There was no way she was pregnant! She had the shot and it was damn near effective! They hadn’t even discussed children and they were going to war in mere hours!

Hope.

The baby’s name was Hope. It was fitting, actually, given their circumstances and how they lived in this day and age. How the hell was she supposed to tell Mark this without him freaking out? Did any of the women even have a pregnancy test for her to take of some kind? Abigail felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to look up at Mark, seeing the different displays of emotion on his face.

“I’m fine…and you’re right. We’re going to win and have a future together.” Apparently, with marriage and a baby.

It wasn’t very long, but since he was fairly hyperaware of her, it had been very noticeable. Abigail had gone tense, rigid. He had glanced around into her face, but her eyes had been wide and unseeing, so he had moved back behind her. Taker had waited patiently and when she finally came out of it, he smiled gently, watching as she finally turned to face him.

“Had a vision, didn’t you darlin’?” He asked quietly. “What was it about?”

“The future…” That was truthful enough.

There was no way she could tell him the extent of it without him freaking out and calling this whole plan off. They HAD to use her as bait; it was the only way to lure Bray out and bring him to them. The spell had to be broken. Hell, Abigail didn’t even know IF she was pregnant yet. It was best not to say anything to him, not until after the war was over and they did win. She caressed his face tenderly with the back of her hand, wondering if Malcolm could tell if she was pregnant or not with magic. So far, she had no symptoms like Amy and Trish, but that didn’t necessarily mean she wasn’t pregnant either.

“I don’t know…how truthful these visions are, but I hope what I just saw comes true. I’m not worried anymore. We’re going to be fine and we’ll all make it back home.”

If she had told him about her vision, he wouldn’t have sent her packing or been worried because, obviously, things worked out and she had been just fine. However, she didn’t and he took her word that things were going to be all right. “As long as you don’t go out of your way to change things darlin’, your visions are probably right on the money.” Taker informed her truthfully, believing that. “Come on woman, let’s head back.” He pulled her against him, bending down to kiss her forehead. “Feeling better, Abbie?”

“No, wait…”

Abigail promised him no more secrets, no more lies, complete and total honesty. She was battling with herself and just now noticed they were both clothed again. If her visions were what really happened, then he deserved to know she wasn’t the only one in danger. He was the father and she knew Mark would be extremely angry with her if she didn’t tell him.

“It wasn’t just the future…it was…it was about us. We were back at the tower and…damn it…” What if he didn’t want children? There was always that possibility and it scared her because she didn’t want to lose him. “I was holding a baby, okay? A baby girl…” Now she was wringing the front of her top nervously, unable to meet his eyes. “And we were married. Married, with a baby…and I think…I think I’m pregnant right now, Mark. I said something in the vision about not being able to believe I was pregnant during all of this and I know I was referring to what goes down tomorrow. I…I haven’t had any symptoms or anything, so maybe I’m not, but…I promised not to keep anything from you and I meant it…”

“Ahh.”

That explained why she didn’t necessarily want to tell him her vision. His first instinct was to cordon her off, lock her away, and not let anything happen to her or the baby she was likely carrying. Which was the reason why she hadn’t wanted to tell him, most likely. Her vision said they were fine in the future, so he would have to trust in that. Kneeling, Taker reached out to feel her stomach, wondering if he could use magic to determine if she was pregnant. Probably shouldn’t, he didn’t want to risk messing something up.

“This displeases you?”

“No, no of course not, but…we haven’t really discussed anything regarding kids and…what are you doing?”

Abigail tilted her head, watching him feel around her flat abdomen and slid her fingers through his hair. She was shocked he hadn’t flipped out and demanded her to stay here while they went to war or even sent her back to Wonderful. Her heart nearly exploded with newfound love when he began raining kisses on her stomach, fresh tears sliding down her cheeks. Mark was happy about this. She could feel it radiating off of him and they didn’t even know if she was with child yet.

“You want kids, I take it?”

“Honestly? I never considered having them, darlin’. I stopped thinking about things like marriage and children when Mona died, and that was years ago.”

They didn’t talk about his dead love and he’d had plenty of time to get past her murder. Abigail coming into his world had breathed fresh life into him. Taker suddenly found himself hopeful for the future they kept fighting for.

“Chances are she is going to have magic, Abbie.”

That was a very strong possibility actually, he still held to it that his sperm had infected Abigail, and now he started smirking. Apparently in more ways than one. Abigail didn’t know how to feel about that. Their baby girl would more than likely carry on the Calaway magic bloodline, which meant she would have actual powers that weren’t given to her. It would be in her blood, just as it was Malcolm, Glen and Mark.

“At least my pregnancy won’t be magical…much. She’ll be born a healthy, happy, normal baby girl and grow up the way she should. I…I mean we…I think we name her Hope.”

Mona…so that was Mark’s deceased love’s name. She had always wondered about that, but Mark had been adamant not to discuss anything about her. All she knew was the woman had been murdered and Mark could do nothing to save her.

“I got the shot…so I don’t even know how this happened. Maybe you really do have super sperm or something…”

Taker rolled his eyes at her, shaking his head as he hoisted Abigail up into his arms, bridal style. He dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose. “Darlin’, Red was on the shot too when she conceived. The shot isn’t 100% effective, and you got to realize that medicine is older than a decade, so… it’s probably about… 80% effective. You’re supposed to double up with condoms if you really want to avoid having kids.” Why hadn’t Melina told her that? He made a mental note to talk to Jeff about getting some posters or pamphlets made up for women looking for birth control.

“We don’t even know if I’m pregnant or not, so we should just slow ourselves down a bit. It was a vision, it doesn’t mean…”

As if the universe hadn’t been blatant enough with that vision, Abigail suddenly HOPPED out of Mark’s arms and landed on her knees, vomiting in the grass. She sat back after a minute or two, taking the bandana Mark handed her and wiped her mouth. Wondering where the hell that wave of nausea came from suddenly, Abigail could only stare at Mark wide eyed.

“I think we need to find out if I am…immediately.” A trip to Malcolm was in order.

“Maybe a stop by the tent first, so you can clean up a bit.” He suggested, ignoring the scowl she shot him and wrinkled his nose, scooping her up again. “You can clean up, and rest, and I’ll get him.”

Tomorrow was royally going to suck for Abigail, once he returned her pain to her, especially if she was going to be puking. Though… that also might help the performance she’d be putting on, so… potential silver lining. He carried her back to the encampment and straight to their tent.

“Darlin’, tomorrow, when I return your pain, I’m also going to try warding your stomach.” He said thoughtfully. “I’ve never done something so… small, but… I’m pretty sure it would work.” And it would also explain why she hadn’t lost their daughter in the fight. “I’ll go get Malcolm. Stay here woman.”

He wasn’t entirely sure what Malcolm was going to be able to do, unless the old man could use magic to detect a pregnancy. Taker figured she would have wanted Matt or someone with medical knowledge. Well, maybe not. Having a strange man down there, or feeling her, would’ve probably been awkward.

“I’m not going anywhere, worrywart.” Abigail remarked with a smile, watching him walk out of the tent and placed a hand on her stomach, after lifting her tank top. How could something so tiny affect her this much? “Hope.” She said the name thoughtfully, wondering what Mark thought of it since she had mentioned it to him and he hadn’t given his opinion. It really did fit and Abigail found herself smiling, caressing her stomach lovingly and felt an overprotectiveness surge through her.

Nobody would hurt her or her baby, she would make sure of it.

~!~

Malcolm looked up when his son walked into his tent, taking his reading glasses off and set his book aside. He did have his own collection of books and had used Ambrose’s magical satchel to store most of his belongings. It was a remarkable device, he wondered where Ambrose had found it and wished the man was still alive to question.

“Mark, what’s wrong?” He was on his feet at the mention of ‘Abigail’, following him out of the tent. “Did she have another vision?”

Where had Malcolm gotten that satchel from? Taker really hoped his father hadn’t scavenged from the dead, that was a serious low if he did. “She did, and in it, we had a child.” He said quietly, not wishing to be overheard and pushed the satchel bit out of mind. Taker would ask at another time. “She thinks she may be pregnant now.” Puking could have been a byproduct of said pregnancy, or nerves had hit her, hard.

“I see. So you want me to check her out and see if it’s true?” At Mark’s bewildered look, Malcolm chuckled and clapped a hand on his son’s shoulder. “My boy, you have a great deal to learn in the arts of magic. I can tell you whether or not she is. I detected your mother’s with both you and Glen.” He also spoke quietly, just in case someone was eavesdropping. “By the way, that fellow that came with Ambrose is gone.” That made Mark stop. “He left while you and Abigail went off to spend time together earlier, said he couldn’t handle being here anymore. The poor lad, I do hope he’s alright and doesn’t get himself into further mischief.”

“Yeah, I’m good on the magic front, Malcolm.” Taker was learning fine enough on his own, he wasn’t about to take pointers from the chickenshit, who had them in this whole invulnerability mess. “His name is Seth, and after what he went through, I doubt he wanted to stick around and give them a second chance at finishing the job.” Not that he blamed the younger man. Seeing both his best friends die back to back had probably damaged him in ways the DOV hadn’t been able too. “Just determine if she’s pregnant or not, that’s all we need.”

He had suspected Malcolm might be able too. That just seemed weird, when Taker thought about it. Being able to use magic to detect pregnancies, what else would magic let him do? Detect cancer, broken bones? Malcolm could be their next, new, x-ray machine.

“My – my no need to get snippy with me, young man. You’re not old enough not to be bent over my knee, you know.” Malcolm grinned, shaking his finger at his son and rolled his eyes when Mark promptly flipped him the bird. “Right back at you, son.” They arrived at Mark and Abigail’s tent a few minutes later and it was no surprise she was hurling again, this time in a bucket.

“Victoria.” Was the explanation.

“Coming to check on you after the beating you received?” Malcolm would not condone that happening anymore, if Abigail was with child. “I need you to lay back when you’re done, my dear, and let me examine you.”

“E-Examine me?” More vomiting ensued…Abigail was pretty sure she was on death’s doorstep.

“This would explain her lack of appetite as well, Mark.” Malcolm informed his son, waiting patiently until Abigail could lay back without vomiting and placed a hand on her flat stomach. “Ah yes…I feel it…I can sense it…”

“Feel what? Sense what?”

“The baby you’re carrying, Abigail. I can feel its magic pulsating through you. When my beloved’s magic came to be, she too was pregnant. Something about the pregnancy is what, I believe, kickstarted her powers. I’d say you’re about 4-5 weeks along, no more than that.”

Chapter 66

Abigail gaped at Malcolm, looking down at her stomach and then back up at Mark. “But…why didn’t you say that when you were explaining my powers in the first place?!”

Hormones were already flaring up. “My dear, I didn’t know much about her powers, honestly. That was the first I’d seen them, but now seeing you here, pregnant, with those same powers, I’m convinced getting my wife pregnant is what ultimately gave her powers in the first place.”

“What the hell? Did all of your children have super sperm or super vaginas?”

Malcolm laughed, shrugging and rose to his feet again. “Maybe we do, who knows?”

Malcolm was way too chipper, it was actually grating on his nerves. “I’m sure she finds that very reassuring.” He said flatly, walking over to take Abigail’s hand, gently squeezing. “My powers aren’t mine naturally, they were given to me.” Taker reminded with a frown. “Or does that not matter?” Because he hadn’t had a magical bone in his body until Glen crammed him chock-full of the stuff. Passing magic through sex… that was not all right. He began laughing though. “Magical STDs…” OH that was hilarious, he was going to cry from laughing.

“Mark, you may not want to believe this, but you WERE born of magical blood. You are part of the great Calaway bloodline, my son, you have my magical blood running through your veins. If you didn’t, Glen would not have been able to pass his magic onto you. Some part of you, no matter how little, accepted the magic.” Malcolm explained gently but firmly, wanting his son to understand he WAS born with magic in his body; he just never wanted to accept it the way Glen had.

“So that means…Hope…” Abigail smiled, hoping Mark liked the name because that’s what they were naming the baby, if she was indeed a girl. “She will have magic in her blood as well and can become a sorcerer one day?”

“A sorceress, yes, but only if she embraces it the way Glen did. Mark is…stubborn, if you haven’t noticed. He relies on science and facts instead of myths, legends and magic.” Malcolm was happy his bloodline would not die with Mark due to them having a child of their own. However, that rose another topic. “Will the plan change for tomorrow?”

“No. I will be used as bait. My vision told me all I needed to know and we are going to win tomorrow and go home.”

“Good, good.” Malcolm’s head bobbed up and down, a smile over his face. “Hopefully, my new granddaughter won’t shun her magic the way- Hey!”

Taker had quite enough. He had lifted Malcolm, father or not, by the back of his collar and was carting him out of the tent, depositing him in the grass. “Thank you for your services and goodnight Dad.” He grumbled flatly.

“Magic isn’t a sin, Mark.”

“It is when people like you use it to enable those who would do massive amounts of damage to the world, Malcolm.”

“Would YOU let you YOUR family die at the hands of a madman? Or would you save them, knowing you could?”

“We both already know the answer to that.” He disappeared back into the tent. “Hope, hmm?” It was a suitable, apt name, he liked it.

“Mark…” Abigail groaned, immediately grabbing the bucket and started hurling all over again, hoping Malcolm hadn’t gone back to his tent yet. “Get him back in here! I have to ask him something important, damn it!” More hurling.

Of course Malcolm hadn’t left yet. He figured the mother-to-be had a few more questions for him and sauntered back into the tent, holding his hand up. “I’ll freeze you, boy, don’t tempt me.” His eyes held warning before softening at the sight of Abigail. “What do you need, my dear?”

“Tomorrow, when I’m strung up or whatever. I need you to…is there any way to…” More hurling ensued. There was nothing left in her body, damn it! “Can you cast a damn spell that prevents me from feeling nauseous so I don’t hurl all over the place while I’m up there?”

“No, but I can brew something up for you. Give me a couple hours to whip it up and I’ll be back. Mark, get her some crackers if we’ve got any here.” He knew that was one of the foods they had brought with and the salt would help calm her stomach. “Ginger ale too, if we have it.” If not, she was pretty much sunk, but the potion he’d brew would at least get rid of the nausea for a time.

“Thank you…”

“You do realize Matt brought half the medical wing here, right?” Taker remarked pointblank, contemplating seeing his Dad have an accident tomorrow, after he served his purpose. “Including anti-nausea medicines that would be safe for you to take.” Weren’t they tempting fate enough with all their reliance on magic? “I’m getting Matt… I’m more worried about you being dehydrated than anything else.” She wasn’t keeping liquids down, they were all in that bucket. An IV would fix that quickly, it wasn’t the first time the Hardy’s had had to do that with an expectant mother.

“But the medicine isn’t guaranteed to work and we NEED this to work!” Abigail laid back down, feeling lightheaded and placed a hand on her stomach, not in the mood to argue with him. “Fine, we’ll try the medicine. Malcolm, brew up the potion, just in case it doesn’t work, please.”

She wasn’t taking any chances, not when they had a baby to think about. Abigail knew Mark was concerned as well, but he relied too much on science and medicine, sometimes it just wasn’t enough. Scrubbing a hand down her face, she could feel the nausea tapering off and suddenly, her stomach let out a huge GROWL.

“What the hell? How can I puke my breakfast, lunch and dinner up, only to be hungry again?”

“A question I’m sure many women have been asking themselves for centuries, my dear. I will go brew that potion up, to be on the safe side.” Winking, Malcolm left to go do his task with an extra kick in his step. He was going to be a grandfather.

Abigail relied way too much on magic. Granted, it was all she really knew and he also recognized, whether she acknowledged it or not, the DOV’s influence and opinions about conventional medicine and science had rubbed off on her. Last Taker checked, this wasn’t some medieval world where magic reigned supreme. They were, however, going to wind up that way if people didn’t pull heads out of asses. Sighing, he slipped out of the tent to go get Matt.

It was not a surprise when Abigail took the medicine and it failed, not working at all. After 4 hours of vomiting with 10 minute intervals, Abigail had enough and demanded Mark to go get his father with the potion. Matt had hooked her up to an IV for fluid intake, but that couldn’t happen once they arrived at the DOV’s location. They had to head out now and she couldn’t ride on a bike spewing everywhere. Malcolm was at the tent in record time, helping her down the vile potion. It tasted like sweaty socks…and that was being polite. Abigail gagged on it, but managed to get it down anyway and laid back down, praying it worked.

Sure enough, an hour passed with no signs of vomiting and Abigail felt a lot better, hungry even. The sun had just rose over the horizon as people began taking the tents down, gathering things to make the final trek to war. Abigail nodded when Mark asked if she was fine, the worry in his tone not missed. Sometimes, Mark didn’t rely ENOUGH on magic because their offspring did have magic flowing through them and came from a very powerful magic bloodline. However, she kept her thoughts to herself, knowing they would never be able to agree on the subject of magic. At 7 AM, Abigail received another vision and told Mark they had to set up for the confrontation here. This is where the final battle would take place and where it would all come to an end. The DOV were only 2 hours, maybe less, away from them, so it was crunch time.

The fact of the matter was, Malcolm was lucky to be walking around at all, and that was only by Taker’s good graces. The only people who actually knew who the hell he had been to Bray Wyatt were those in the ‘inner circle’, and Susan. However, to the general populace, he was just another POW they had liberated. If the majority of Wonderful had known who the hell Malcolm was, that he was indirectly responsible for the serums and everything else that had allowed Wyatt to do what he did, they would have demanded his head on a pike and Taker wouldn’t have blamed them. Almost everyone in Wonderful had lost someone to the DOV. Today, that all ended. He cast a ward around her stomach and returned Abigail’s pain, watching as she began crying almost instantly. The bruises and swelling, all the cuts, everything was back and she didn’t even have that adrenaline to help her with it.

“Soon darlin’, this will be over.”

“I know. I’m okay…”

Abigail would go through any amount of pain to make sure Bray and the DOV were destroyed today. The men brought out the huge symbol, wooden and painted a very dark purple, which looked almost black, if it wasn’t for the sun. The sun was the only thing that brought out the purple in the color. Abigail had already slipped into the black starry night dress, her hair hanging down her back and she could only stare up at the symbol. This was it. She placed a hand on her stomach, took a deep shuddering breath and walked toward it, her feet bare. There was no reason for shoes.

Stepping up on the platform, Abigail turned and stretched her arms out while each wrist was tied tightly to the symbol, along with her drawn together feet. Mark also tied her throat back, not hard enough to hurt, but to keep her secure. When it was all said and done, Victoria stepped up to smear some dirt on her neck and arms, the dress short-sleeved, along with what could be seen of her legs. Closing her eyes, Abigail envisioned Bray to pinpoint his location and nodded, looking down at Mark as much as she could since she couldn’t move her head.

“They’re almost here.”

“We’re gonna have to mow down some of his men.” Steve advised, stepping away from the platform with Taker, after he had nodded to let Abigail know he had heard her. They already knew where Wyatt was coming from; they had scouts out and this wasn’t their first rodeo. Just the first time of something this size. The numbers game here was insane.

“He’s got himself blocked in, the little weasel.”

“Makes sense.” Taker admitted, accepting the Kevlar vest, arm pads and leg pads he was passed, beginning to fasten everything in place. Just because he probably couldn’t die, unless his head was cut off, did not mean he couldn’t feel pain in general because he could. “He may be invulnerable, but he’s still not going to put himself in needless danger.”

“We take part of them down, give him a clear view of Abigail, you pull that shit and we’ll nail him, boss.”

The first part of the battle was gruesome and bloody with each side losing people. Victoria held her own out there, Abigail was impressed, but her eyes kept straying to Mark, trying her best not to look worried. Innocent blood was spilled on the grass, coating it, various body parts strewn everywhere. Heads, arms, legs, feet, hands…hell even fingers. Abigail was really glad this potion of Malcolm’s worked because she would’ve thrown up from all the blood and violence. Once the first line of defense was taken out, with only minimal casualties from Mark’s men, it was time to start luring the monster out.

“BRAY WYATT!” Mark’s voice had magnified with magic, making sure the little piss ant could hear him and slid his fingers up the length of the symbol, standing right beside it. “I do believe we have something, or someone, that belongs to you, now don’t we?” He chuckled darkly, in his full Lord of Darkness regalia, looking like the Devil himself. “Come get her, if you can, BOY. And you’d better come ALONE, or I’ll kill her before your very eyes.”

On the T symbol with the spikes, tied, was Abigail, her face a mess of bruises and cuts, silent tears falling down her cheeks. It was from the pain, not because she wanted to be with that monster, but she knew the tears would help.

“It’s a trap, Sire.” Luke said instantly, watching the Undertaker pace that platform through his binoculars.

“Well of course it’s a trap, you imbecile.” Bray sneered, watching as well. So that was the almighty Undertaker.

He looked a bit like some demon out of Catholic teachings, and he felt his blood boiling. His ice blue eyes narrowed in on Abigail, his precious Abbie, and his heart clenched painfully. What had they done to his Queen?

“But I know something they don’t.” His jaw tightened. “I’ll go.”

“Are you sure?”

Leaning in, he whispered what he wanted Luke to do.

Bray was crafty; he wouldn’t come for her without a game plan, but they were as prepared as they were going to get. She saw him coming from a distance, walking up and could only pray, for not only her sake, but their baby’s as well, this plan did not go awry.

“Something’s not right, Taker.” Steve could smell it in the air, especially when Bray Wyatt came willingly, without any fight, not even attempting a negotiation or trade.

“Be on your guard.” Malcolm warned, his eyes narrowing at Bray coming toward them and stood right beside the symbol.

Matt was thinking along the same lines as Steve, his eyes moving around, trying to decipher where Bray had men stationed.

Well, of course something wasn’t right, but they had to also remember that Wyatt thought nobody knew about his invulnerability. “Malcolm, disguise yourself.” He ordered, watching as his father immediately shifted into Jeff Hardy, mentally facepalming himself. If Wyatt seen Malcolm, all bets were off, the man could put two and two together. “Steve, the blood ready?”

“Right here, boss.” Steve said quietly, the containers of preserved, still fresh blood at his feet, hidden from view behind crates. “As soon as that bastard is close enough, you freeze him, we’ll douse him and then Malcolm does that mojo of his and we’ll wipe out the rest of them.”

That was the game plan.

Chapter 67

“Come to get your bitch, Wyatt? Or what’s left of her?” Victoria taunted, knowing it would look pretty suspicious if they didn’t abuse Abigail, even if it was only verbally, in front of this cocksucker.

Abigail kept her head lowered, knowing exactly why Victoria spoke about her the way she did. Only lifting her eyes when Bray was close enough, her eyes locked with his, or rather one of her eyes. The other was swollen shut currently.

“B-Bray…” Her weak voice called out, gasping when Mark grabbed her bruised cheeks in his huge hand, taunting Wyatt the same way Victoria had.

Good, she wanted Bray pissed off.

“Don’t touch her!” Bray growled, holding his hands up in surrender and hoped to hell Luke had those snipers ready, or else he would feed the man his own tongue, once they got out of this. “You’ve done enough damage!”

“Oh no, BOY, no I haven’t, not yet.” Taker taunted, his voice the low, dark baritone that usually made panties drop. Unless he was angry, then it tended to make most people piss themselves in fear. “I’ve even held off on defiling her, your pure Queen.”

Bray’s nostrils flared, eyes moving from Abigail to the Undertaker. “You will pay for your sins against her.”

“Come to me, little Bray Wyatt, I’m about to take you to church.” That was a direct dig at the man’s Catholic abusive, Catholic upbringing.

“Almost….” Luke was amongst the snipers, hidden out of sight, watching through his scope. “As soon as our King is out of the line of fire, I want the Undertaker dead.”

No, the only one who would pay for his sins against this world was Bray Wyatt. If only Bray knew just how much Mark had ‘violated’ her and how much she enjoyed every second of it. Abigail had to fight the urge not to start smiling, keeping her face carefully neutral and full of pain.

“Shoulda thought ‘bout that before you sent her into our camp, son.” Steve held a gun currently, not a fan of swords and daggers, his eyes nothing more than ice. “You’re damn lucky she’s not dead already. Our leader is lenient and she’s only suffered a FRACTION of what she deserves.”

“Abbie, look at me. It’s going to be alright, okay, my love? I’m going to get you out of here and take you back to the castle. We’ll be together, like we always wanted, and I will bathe you in all their blood for what they’ve done to you.” Bray’s eyes practically glowed at the thought, clenching his fists tightly at his sides and gritted his teeth when the Undertaker touched his Queen again. This time pressing a hand against her abdomen and sliding it up in a lewd fashion. “GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!”

“Hand, boy, this is a hand.” ‘Taker taunted, holding up his free hand and wiggling the fingers. A second later he had added that hand to the second and ran them both downwards, drawing that fabric tight against her as his palms caressed her thighs. “Bathe her in blood, hmm? Not a bad idea.”

Steve watched as Taker’s hands both came away from Abigail and clenched into fists. His blue eyes widened when Wyatt froze in place. “Now, get him now!” He roared, stooping to grab a container of blood.

He let the black velvet robe he was wearing slide off his massive body, gesturing at Malcolm. “Now.” He ordered, walking towards Bray.

Luke wasn’t sure what was happening, but… Bray was drenched, from head to toe and everywhere in-between, in blood. “Shoot!”

The moment Bray was drenched in blood, his eyes snapped over to the man who had colored hair and felt them widen as Malcolm revealed himself. “No – NO!!” He roared, trying to move and he couldn’t while

Malcolm and the Undertaker chanted in tongues.

The bullets flying toward them from the snipers were reflected by a magical barrier this spell created. Steve and everyone were ordered to duck and cover, including getting Abigail off the symbol. Bray saw the bald man untie Abigail from the monstrosity and pull her to safety, trying to wrap his mind around what was happening. As the chanting grew louder, the blood began forming into chains all around Bray’s body, wrapping him up.

“NO! You can’t!” He bellowed again, feeling as though it was paralyzed.

The blood chains around him suddenly shattered, the ground beneath him turning black and a wave of energy flew all around them in all directions. Abigail watched in awe as Mark and Malcolm’s eyes turned and glowed an acid green, their hands outstretched, and each had a smear of their own blood on their chests, both bare from the waist up. Bray was screaming in agony as the spell was broken, dropping to his knees in a heap and breathing heavily.

“A-Abigail…?” Bray stammered out in question, watching her walk toward him and suddenly, the bruises and cuts were gone with a wave of Malcolm’s hand. “W-What are you…?”

“So much pain, Bray. So much pain and agony you caused all these people, and the ones you hold captive at this moment. All those magical babies you made, all those women you murdered because they couldn’t do what you wanted.” In her hand was the Mythril dagger, the same one she had brought with her on her journey to the castle with Dean. “You nearly destroyed Vesperia. Your way of thinking, your way of life, can no longer exist. I had to find another way. I had to stop you and I know you’re not redeemable. I know your mind and your judgment is warped…clouded, because of what happened to you in that foster home. The Dominion dies today.” At his wide, tear-filled eyes, Abigail touched his face and then stabbed him as hard as she could with the dagger, right through his black heart. “This is the only way to stop you. I-I’m sorry, Bray…you can rest now.”

“A-Ab-i-gail…” Bray gasped out before slumping against her as she pulled the dagger out of him, his prone body dropping to the grass.

Luke had watched all of this unfold, not believing their bullets were deflected and growled ferociously. “ATTACK!!” He would avenge his King and the Dominion would live on because of him!

This time when the bullets came flying, the barrier was down. Magic drained people, and this dark magic had drained him and Malcolm both. Taker watched as Malcolm hit the ground, wondering why he was still eyelevel with the man and realized he was also on the ground.

This had been discussed, Taker and Malcolm being drained. “Press on, take those sumbitches down! Victoria! Nora!”

“We’re on it, Steve!” Victoria shouted, leading her and Nora’s squads out, all of them on the hunt for the snipers.

When those first bullets had come flying, they had been watching. There was a nest of those bastards. Taker could hear the fighting going on, hear Steve barking out commands, but he just couldn’t make himself move. Though… he could feel Glen’s healing thing starting to kick in. He just hoped it kicked in before he got shot.

Adrenaline kicked in for Abigail as she made her way over to Mark, the bullets continuing to fly and didn’t care. She wouldn’t let him die or leave him to fend for himself with as drained as he was. Malcolm didn’t look too good either, but at least he was still breathing.

“Mark, come on, we have to move…”

She would need his help, unable to move his big 300 pound frame by herself. Behind her, she could hear the war ensue, voices shrieking and yelling mixing together as more blood was shed. Bray was dead, but Mark had been right in his assumptions of the man having loyal followers. Mark tried pushing her away, but Abigail was stubborn and steadfast, fresh tears streaming down her face.

“Please move, you have to move!”

“Can’t.” Taker was trying, sort of. He focused and smiled, feeling that barrier still around her stomach. That was probably what was delaying the healing thing, he was still using a little bit of magic. “Get out of here, Abigail. Get out of the line of fire.” Or else he’d never drop that barrier and he’d never get off this ground.

“Time to go, Abigail, sorry.” Matt had been taken aside this morning, apparently Taker had figured she wouldn’t be keen on leaving him. She had blood all over her. “Come on, he’s not going to stop protecting you and the baby if you don’t get out of here.” He said, dragging her away. “And he needs that little magic back to heal up.”

“No – NO, get off me!! Mark! MARK!” Abigail shrieked, shaking her head repeatedly as Matt lifted her gently but firmly over his shoulder, kicking her feet trying to wiggle away from him. “NO! He can’t move!! I can’t leave him!!”

“No can do, Abbie, I’m sorry.”

Matt refused to disobey their leader’s orders, hauling his cookies away from the encampment. They had a second one set up several miles from here, away from the warzone, he hoped anyway. When she continued to struggle, Matt sighed and did the one thing he really didn’t want to do, but knew it was needed. He set her down on her feet, accepted a slap to the face and then pinched the nerve in her neck, watching her drop right in his arms again.

“Again, sorry. Taker’s orders.” He kept hauling ass, not stopping for anything or anybody.

When he received word that Abigail was safe, Taker let that barrier drop, not that he had had much choice. He was already so weak, maintaining it had been taking energy out of him he hadn’t even known he had left to be taken. He felt when Glen’s Intent kick in and closed his eyes, letting all disguises and illusions fade away, listening to the battle. When he felt energy starting to return to him, he bared his teeth in a vicious grin. He had a walking corpse to go fetch and return to Abigail. Maybe she would be less mad at him if he returned with a gift. He did have to wonder if alive was really a requirement.

Steve looked up when he heard that Harley ROARING, his eyes sparking at the sight of Taker up and mobile. “Let’s finish this!” Because they had a damn castle to raid.

Blood. Everywhere. This land would never be the same again. With Steve and Taker leading the charge, there wasn’t a soul left standing. Malcolm had joined in the fight as well, blasting magic left and right at the soldiers. Several hours of fighting and bloodshed later, with casualties on both sides, the only one left standing was Luke Harper.

“I knew that little slut was against Bray all along! I won’t let you get near the castle! You’ll have to kill me!” His eyes landed on Malcolm, smirking wickedly and licked his lips lewdly. “How is dear little Susie doing, by the way? I knew about that little whore escaping too, but we didn’t know it was you who did it, Malcolm. So you’ve switched sides, have you?”

“I was NEVER on Bray’s side and you know it, Harper!” Malcolm growled, holding his hand up to freeze the man in place, paralyzing him just like he did with Bray during the blood sacrifice. “And if you EVER utter my granddaughter’s name again, I’ll make a deal with the devil himself to ensure you burn for eternity.” He remembered the deal with Abigail and began cutting off Luke’s air supply before his tongue was ripped out of his mouth magically. “Is that what she felt? When you cut her tongue out of her mouth, is that how it felt? I sure hope so.” Then, he ripped his dick off magically.

Luke screamed, gargling because he was slowly choking on his own blood.

“Enough Malcolm!” Taker ordered, watching as Malcolm very reluctantly allowed Luke to breathe again, pretty sure the old man had just magically cauterized that missing tongue wound. Ouch, he bet that was painful. “We did promise to give him to Abigail.” He really hoped she oversaw the execution and did not do it herself. Having someone’s blood on her hands… it changed a person. He was hoping to avoid that with her.

“Someone tie this piece of trash up and toss him on the back of a bike. MY dark queen demands retribution.” They still had a ways to go to get to the castle and were about to take a night and day off. Everyone had earned it. “Let’s go.”

Abigail already had blood on her hands, Bray’s blood, Dean’s blood, hell, even Roman’s blood, though she didn’t care much for the man to begin with. So much blood had stained her hands and it would never come off. She was willing to have Bray’s, nobody else would’ve ended his life except her and she made sure of it. Abigail hadn’t told Mark what she planned on doing once she was off the symbol to confront him. She had snuck the Mythril dagger in her bag and had it on her person, beneath the dress, to use it on Bray.

~!~

Slowly, her eyes opened sometime the next day as Abigail felt the back of her neck, groaning softly, trying to remember what happened. Then, it all came flooding back to her as tears swelled in her eyes, turning her head to look at the empty spot beside her. “Mark…” He wasn’t here with her. Was he dead?

~!~

“I’m telling you, I don’t know how we’re going to manage all them women like Susan…”

“She’s not a bad kid, she’s just…”

“They don’t get older mentally, not really. Well, if they do, it’s at a very slow rate.” Matt said quietly. “There’s not much we can do besides educate them, give them… easy jobs, like Susan. It’s not a hereditary condition, so after this new generation goes, that’ll be it.”

“I’m a bit more concerned about the male’s mentality than the women’s. Undoubtedly, there will be some of them who are… accustomed, shall we say, to being able to just pick a woman and-”

“Fuck her like a dog.”

“Abigail is awake.”

“I hate to say this…” Steve really did not want to be the bad guy here, but they also had an entire town and thousands of people relying on them. “Taker, maybe it would be best to…end it all at once.”

“What are you saying?” Malcolm folded his arms in front of his chest, feeling nauseous suddenly.

“Just burn the whole fuckin’ place to the ground…with them inside. They’re mostly all magical beings, so they’re not actually human…”

Malcolm was appalled by that suggestion, his eyes wide and wondered if his son would actually consider doing this. Just because they were beings made out of magic did NOT mean they weren’t human and didn’t deserve a chance to live!

“I hate to agree with Steve, but…I think this time, we need to put ourselves and Wonderful first instead of…liberating these people.”

Malcolm couldn’t listen to this any longer and walked out, wondering why they hadn’t just ended his granddaughter if they were so hell-bent on being against magic.

Chapter 68

“I’m not a big fan of the destruction and hell magic has unleashed on Vesperia and these people.” Taker admitted coolly. “And you all know this. I think magic, at best, is a tool, but one that shouldn’t be relied on so heavily.” As they had all seen lately with Abigail and Malcolm.

What those two didn’t realize, or apparently didn’t care to realize, was that magic had done more damage to people then it had helped them. All these people under his care didn’t trust it when used so… heavily, he supposed, and with good reason. Super human armies, pregnancies that lasted less than half the time a normal one did, none of that was good and most of it had come from Malcolm. Malcolm may have been under duress, but it had come from his hands. Not that too many people were privy to that knowledge.

“And these people, these men and women born of misused magic, are not like us, that is true, but that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve the same as we do. IF they aren’t hostile or loyal to the DOV. Women, and any children, are to be afforded our protection. The men we’ll deal with as we have too, but there will be NO innocents killed.”

“Boss-”

“Steve,” His eyes were staring through the open tent flaps, watching as Malcolm conversed with an obviously confused Abigail. “If we kill these people without cause… how are we any better than the DOV?”

They weren’t.

Abigail frowned, listening to Malcolm and rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. She realized Mark blamed Malcolm for the magical babies and soldiers, but his life was on the line, along with Lily. He had to do what he could to protect her and they hadn’t killed Lily until AFTER the serum was created.

“I’m leaving, Abigail. The Dominion is destroyed, mostly, and I’ve fulfilled my duty. I’m going back to Wonderful, grabbing Susie and taking her somewhere far away from here, where she won’t be a burden to anyone.” Malcolm couldn’t believe the type of people his son had as his right-hands. They were no different or better than the DOV, in his opinion. “I won’t stand by and watch innocents be slaughtered simply because they are magically made. Magic isn’t bad…”

Abigail frowned, not wanting him to go, but could see the determination in his eyes, his deep voice full of finality. There was no room for argument and maybe it would be best for Malcolm and Susie to start over. “Give Susie my best.” She hugged him around the neck, sniffling. “Thank you for everything, Malcolm. Without you, the Dominion and Bray wouldn’t be gone.”

Nodding, he gave her a squeeze and was off, not bothering to say farewell to his magic-hating son. If only Glen were still alive, he thought wistfully, heading to the bike he had brought and fired it up, speeding away to head back to Wonderful.

At least Mark was alive, that was a weight off her shoulders, but after what Malcolm told her, Abigail didn’t know how to feel about it and rubbed the back of her sore neck.

Well that had gone well, Taker mused as he leaned back in his chair, drumming his fingers on the war table. Steve and Victoria had been dismissed and he could feel one hell of a headache coming on. Laying out points as to WHY they weren’t SLAUGHTERING people had not been something he had anticipated doing with his people. People, humanity as a whole, was screwed. He bet Wyatt had known that, deep down, and that’s why he had cracked. Groaning, he pushed himself up out of the chair and stretched. Walking out of the tent to go see his woman, Taker would beg her forgiveness for having her carted off during the battle.

“Malcolm left.” Abigail said by way of greeting, once he stepped inside the tent, her tone crisp and cool, while sitting on the sleeping bag with her knees drawn up to her chest, freshly dressed. “Glad to see you’re alive.”

Taker sighed, expecting this type of reception from her and slowly lowered himself in front of her, taking her hands in his. “I’m sorry, darlin’. I had to make sure you would keep your end of the deal we made. I had to protect you and the baby…” He reached out to caress her stomach, scooting closer to her. “Forgive me, Abbie, please…”

As much as she wanted to be mad at him and rage at him for what he did, Abigail was too relieved to see him alive and well. “You’re an ass.” She tossed her arms around his neck and breathed him in, closing her eyes to hide her tears. “I love you, Mark…”

“Whatever Malcolm told you isn’t true, Abbie.” Taker pulled back to look into her eyes, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand. “Steve and Victoria suggested the slaughtering, but I put a stop to it. You know I’d never do something like that, right?”

That made her feel a lot better and Abigail nodded, feeling his forehead press against hers. “I knew you couldn’t do something that barbaric. That’s not who you are. You’re Vesperia’s hope, as I said from the beginning and I still fully believe it.” The magic-hating was an issue, but they would work through it in time.

~!~

The castle was…in disarray, to put it mildly. Several soldiers shot first and were slaughtered, even with Luke Harper as their prisoner. Abigail wanted nothing more than to stab him through the heart the same way she did Bray, but…Mark wanted to use him to gain access to the castle. It worked to a point, but every single soldier was killed due to attacking first. That was their instinct, what they were trained to do, and they were murdered for it. Abigail’s heart clenched painfully with each death, not wanting to see any more blood spilled in the name of the Dominion.

It was impossible though.

Once they were finally inside the castle, Abigail explained what each corridor lead to. They could hear screaming from a distance and she shuddered, knowing one of the women were being raped at that very moment. Abigail, along with Victoria and the women within Mark’s group, made their way to where the women were kept with their children. All of them looked up simultaneously when the door opened to reveal Abigail instead of another soldier to cart them off for sex.

“Sister Abigail?”

“W-What’s going on?”

“P-Please, no more…”

“It’s alright, all of you are free. You can pack up your things and leave anytime you want. The Dominion is finished and you’re no longer prisoners here. Bray Wyatt is dead.”

A round of gasps and crying echoed back at Abigail and crew. Taker stayed out the way, letting Abigail deal with the women, his eyes raking over the children, sorrow in those emerald orbs. Turning, he gestured for Steve and Victoria to follow him as they continued moving through the castle, hearing the sounds of screaming and his people calling for surrender.

“Once we’ve returned to Wonderful and settled all the survivors in, I’ll want trailers sent this way… there’s way too much here to be left.”

Clothing, blankets, food… just so much here that could be distributed. Then there was that warehouse Abigail had mentioned once. People would be able to start over finally, rebuild towns, do whatever. He gestured the pair on, leaning back against a patch of wall and closed his eyes.

“Sounds like a plan, boss.” Steve couldn’t believe how horrific shape these women were in, some of them nothing more than skin and bones.

“The boys are taken to a separate part of the castle at one month old.” Abigail explained quietly, seeing all the babies with their mothers and had to take a deep, shuddering breath. “They are trained to…well, you saw what the soldiers did when we arrived.”

Narrowing his eyes, Steve understood and began to leave to go track down the boys, when he heard his name call out.

“S-Stevie?”

He turned slowly, blue eyes widening at the sight of an older woman, probably around the age of 30, with platinum blonde hair and deep blue eyes…eyes that mirrored his. “L-Leslie?” His jaw dropped when she rose to her feet from the pillow she’d been settled on, a baby boy in her arms, tears streaming down her cheeks. “N-No, it can’t be…my sister…”

“Your…sister?” Leslie was one of the older women here and helped run everything regarding the women and babies, a leader of the breeders, of sorts. “You know her?”

“S-Sister Abigail…is it true? Are we finally free of this place?”

“Just Abigail, or Abbie. You can call me Abbie, Leslie. And yes, you’re all free. This is your brother?”

“Yes…we were separated when our town was attacked and…I thought he died…and apparently, he thought the same thing about me…” Leslie’s eyes moved from the floor to the bald man and chewed her bottom lip nervously. “Stevie…”

“Jesus Christ!” Steve gasped out, wanting to take her into his arms, but he couldn’t move. He felt frozen in place. He had tried talking Taker into outright slaughtering these people. And if Taker had been any less of a man, he would have agreed, and he would have slaughtered his own sister. “Fuck…”

Victoria rubbed Steve’s back awkwardly, having a feeling she knew what was going through his mind. Seeing these women, and the babies… she was having a hard time dealing with herself right now too.

Abigail left Steve and Victoria to start making her way through the masses, none of the women moving. They were afraid this was a big trap because it’d happened before. Bray had ‘tested’ them by making them THINK they could be freed, only to punish those that tried to walk out. The cruelty these women had suffered at the hands of one man and his army…it was sickening. She turned to see Mark merely standing against the wall and knew he’d have to be the one to say or do something to ensure these women they were safe. Walking over, she stood beside him and quietly explained why they were terrified, seeing every part of his body tense up.

“You have a way with people, Mark. That’s why so many trust and believe in you. If you can’t convince them to leave, I’m afraid they’re going to stay here out of sheer fear because of what the Dominion did to them.”

Inwardly sighing, he pushed away from the wall, ignoring the way his own people parted for him and entered the room, taking them in. His eyes moved to the babies, spotting very few baby girls and he smiled. “May I?” He asked one terrified looking woman, who was clutching one of those few baby girls to her chest. He watched as she, with trembling arms, very reluctantly passed over her daughter. No doubt expecting him to crush the infant’s skull. “Well aren’t you a perfect little darlin’.” He cooed, bending down to brush his nose against that soft, sweet smelling cheek. “What is her name?”

“She… she doesn’t have one. We’re…. we’re not allowed…” She trailed off, looking to Sister Abigail helplessly.

Soft emerald eyes were now fastened on this tiny, fearful woman. “In your heart, you’ve whispered a name. Say it now.”

When Abigail nodded her encouragement, the woman took a very deep breath. “Belinda, sir…”

“A beautiful name.” He passed Belinda back to her waiting mother, a genuine smile on his lips before he surveyed the other women. “This is no test, no trap. Bray Wyatt and his Dominion are done. Wyatt is dead, and all those who have supported him have died with him.” Minus Harper, who he had meant to give to Abigail since she had wanted him.

Leslie had watched this, while cradling her own baby boy in her arms and, for the first time, saw relief cross each face her eyes laid on. “We can trust him.” She spoke up, the women turning to look at her, some weary, others skeptical, but every woman respected her since she’d been one of the few that survived the longest. All boys…she’d had 6 of them…and something told her the ones who were taken away to be trained had died. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m ready to get the hell out of this place.”

Abigail had also watched, feeling her heart twinge painfully as they all began filing out one by one, with their babies, and just the clothes on their backs. Bray really did treat them like livestock, not even affording them proper clothing. It was a miracle he allowed them to bathe once a day.

“My men, and women, are in the castle right now securing it. You all look like you need to eat.” They were so skinny… how did they feed their babies? “Victoria, let Abigail take you to find clothing for them. They can’t travel in those rags, they’ll be exposed to the elements.”

Abigail guided Victoria through the castle to the rooms, finding every piece of clothing she could for the women. When she arrived at what used to be her room, she took a deep shuddering breath and walked inside, her closet still the same. All white. No color, even her shoes were white. Victoria didn’t question anything, just grabbed the clothing and shoes, socks, undergarments, whatever she could find. Abigail wasn’t about to tell her who this room belonged to and simply looked around one final time before exiting, going to the next room. There wasn’t a single scream echoing throughout the castle anymore, which sounded really strange to her ears. Once everything they could find was gathered, they took it back to the women, who were then bathed and clothed. The babies had everything they needed, it was the women that had suffered a great deal.

“What is this?” Steve had followed Taker as the man ambled throughout the castle. He eyed the bottle Taker was holding up, frowning. That looked… like some evil potion or something.

“The cabinet was labelled, this is the serum they were using to speed the pregnancies and then the children’s growth.” Taker moved aside, gesturing to the open cabinet. “Help me pour it out.”

“Could be use-” Steve shut the hell up under the flash of acid in those eyes and moved to help.

It was time to undo his father’s legacy to these people.

Turned out, Victoria’s niece was also here within the women that were liberated. Her name was Kathy, they’d been separated when their town had been demolished by the DOV. Bray had destroyed so many lives, so many innocent people and it would take centuries or longer to put it all back together again. Abigail helped as much as she could, but a lot of the women were anxious and fearful at the sight of her, so she made herself scarce. Her room was the only option as Abigail went back to it, closing the door behind her and walked over to stare out the window.

This reminded her of when she first came here and saw this room. Bray had given it to her instantly because of how much she loved it. The view hadn’t been appeasing until now and Abigail had no idea night had fallen. It’d been a long day; she was sure everyone was settling down and tomorrow they would start the trek home. She had to wonder how the hell they were going to bring all those women and children back to Wonderful since most of them came on bikes.

“Hey boss, remember how you said we should send trailers out here?”

“Vaguely.” It had been a very long day.

“Come here, one of the boys from Nora’s squad found uh, well, a garage.” Steve led the way, twisting and turning throughout the castle that was now stationed with Wonderful’s soldiers. People eating and resting, the trek back to Wonderful promising to be interesting. “Look.”

“Are those… semis?”

“We can just do it all at once…”

Chapter 69

Abigail convinced Mark to camp out a few more days, not wanting him on his bike until at least some of the fatigue from the battle wore off, or he regained strength. It was slowly tapering off, the magic allowing him to return to his normal self, but it would still take time before Mark was himself fully again. Mark stayed in bed, resting up with Abigail beside him, both exhausted in every way possible from both the battle and the trek back to Wonderful, along with the emotional turmoil. Matt kept them well-fed, bringing them meals, but other than that, they both stayed in bed together, talking and sleeping.

“You know, now that the DOV is gone and the world is at peace again, a lot of those people in Wonderful are probably going to leave to go back to their towns to start rebuilding them.” Abigail pointed out randomly 3 days later, laying on her side facing him and stroked his face with her hand.

“I doubt it.” He yawned, his own hand on her still very flat stomach. It was hard and he knew what that hardness was from, it brought a smile to his face whenever he felt it. “A lot of people have made Wonderful their home, and there will only be a few returning to old towns at the most. Many won’t want to leave behind familiar faces and known security. I see Wonderful growing. If there are others out there, who have been managing to stay out of the DOV’s sight, they’ll eventually start roaming again when they realize the DOV is gone. Then things will get interesting.”

“Yeah, it’ll definitely grow. You do realize we’ll have to either expand the tower or move somewhere else in Wonderful, right?” At his arched brow, she smiled and softly brushed her lips against his, loving how he couldn’t keep his hand off her stomach. “I didn’t see another room in the tower and…Hope is going to need her own room, eventually. And if we decide to have any more kids besides her, there won’t be any space in the tower unless we expand or get a bigger place.” If Mark wanted more children, she would give him a few more, as long as Hope’s delivery went smoothly without complications.

“Mmm, plenty of time to think about it. Adding to the tower would be a bitch, you know that?” Taker snorted, shaking his head gently.

The tower was built out of the same stone as the wall that surrounded Wonderful. It had been one of the first things built, one of the original watch towers and he had stayed there ever since. He could easily see Wonderful expanding, past the wall, with the area inside becoming an inner bailey of sorts. That was just giving him a headache, he wasn’t going to think about it just yet.

“You already planning for a posse of children, Abbie?”

“I’m just saying if, doesn’t mean we have to. I wouldn’t mind having more kids with you. I wanna wait though and see how this one goes first, make sure I’m cut out for the mother job.” Abigail nuzzled his chest and breathed in his scent, perfectly content and relaxed to stay here with him. They didn’t have to go back to Wonderful, they could go anywhere now that the DOV was gone. “Mark, have you…ever thought about leaving Wonderful? Or do you really like it there and see yourself settling down there?” She looked up at him, genuine curiosity in her eyes and could see he was trying to find the right words. “Never mind, forget it, that was stupid to ask.” This man felt an obligation to protect the entire town of Wonderful because of his magic, but Abigail wondered if he was truly happy there or if he wanted to expand his horizons.

Honestly, Taker hadn’t considered much past Wonderful just because at the time, there hadn’t been anything out there except death and despair. Of course, now with the DOV gone, that left Vesperia wide open to be explored and reclaimed. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that there weren’t other survivors out there, but it wasn’t just himself anymore. He had her and Hope to think about.

“Darlin’, remember when I once told you that men as a whole were… bad? We’re assholes.” Of course she did, he wasn’t surprised to see her nod. “There’ll be those who try to fill in Wyatt’s shoes, and Wonderful itself is probably the last place standing, and will likely remain that way for years to come. I don’t necessarily want to govern it, but eventually, a government will have to be set up again.”

“Everyone is going to want you to be the governor.” Abigail surmised, not questioning it and had a feeling he would never leave Wonderful due to the simple fact of what he said.

It was the only place that couldn’t be conquered by Bray and the DOV because of his magic. Eventually, age would catch up to Mark and that magic would either have to be siphoned out of him into a stone to keep the walls of Wonderful protected or…the protection would die with him when that time came. Either way, Abigail didn’t see them exploring Vesperia together and finding a new home, a new place to settle down, not when so much still had to be done with Wonderful. Maybe one day when their daughter, or however many kids they had, were grown up, they could ride off into the sunset and see the world.

“I want to build a library in Wonderful, would that be alright?”

A twinkle took over his emerald orbs temporarily. “A library…” He breathed, remembering their trip to the library a few hours away from Wonderful. “Wouldn’t that be something…”

They could go get those books, any others they happened across, and have a proper library again. One that he wouldn’t allow to be destroyed or used for toilet paper, or fire kindling, or cigarette papers. Abigail saw the twinkle and grinned, her own eyes sparkling at the thought of having an actual library in Wonderful.

“Yeah, a library and we can salvage all those books from the one you took me to. We can give these people a proper education, build a school for all the kids.” While she spoke, she kissed his neck, his chest and moved to where she now straddled him, wanting more of that green back in his eyes. “I’ll never forget our time at that library…and I want one in Wonderful, so we can have another moment like that.” That library is where she planned on escaping if they didn’t work things out, not that she’d ever tell him that. “What else do you want in Wonderful? A repair shop maybe for cars and bikes? Tell me…”

“We have one, darlin’.” She really hadn’t even gotten to see all of Wonderful, had she? Probably just the main area and then whatever Dean had shown her. “With all of us usin’ motorcycles and whatnot, when we’d go on raids, having a garage was kind of mandatory. A proper hospital wouldn’t be bad…” He imagined some people might want a church or something, somewhere to go worship.

“When we get back, I want you to take me on a tour of home. I haven’t gotten to see it all yet and I want to see it with you.”

If he mentioned church, Abigail would’ve had to remind him religion is what got them into this mess in the first place. Religion is what turned worlds upside down and destroyed people – Bray being the prime example of that. She didn’t want to think about that or mention it, doing what she could to bring her man back to life.

“A proper hospital sounds great. I really want to continue working in the medical wing and possibly expand in it since Jeff says I have a calling for it.” Though, when she was around 8 months along, she would have to take time off from work to have Hope. “What else would you like to see in Wonderful?”

“Families.” People would feel more secure now, they would naturally want to do what people did: raise families, in safety.

“Mmm I see a bright future for Wonderful, especially with you as the governor or whatever you wanna call yourself. They call you boss, so maybe that’ll stick.” Abigail nuzzled his neck, stroking his arms and saw the tattoos were slowly coming back. “Do you think you’ll be able to leave tomorrow or do you need another day to recuperate?” She pulled back to look at him, stroking his goatee and slid the pad of her thumb across his lips, caressing his face. “I’m sure if you need another day, they won’t mind. Everyone seems to be getting along fine here and I don’t want you riding if you’re not ready.” She planned on riding with him, not wanting to leave his side. “Be honest with me, how do you feel?”

“I’ve been okay to ride for a while now, darlin’.”

Taker really hoped he wasn’t named governor or whatever the hell else. He ran things now, sort of, when it came down to the hard decisions, he usually made the final call, but he also always had input and took other things into consideration. Day to day life and all that was pretty much run by themselves, with disputes being handled by the council, or ‘circle’, as some liked to call it. However, those people had been in Wonderful for years and proven themselves so… he didn’t know. He was getting a headache just thinking about it.

“Not like I can’t go total invalid and ride in a truck.”

“Okay, we can leave tomorrow then if you feel you can do it.” Abigail was happy he had taken 3 days to just chill out and rest, especially after that gruesome war. “I’m gonna ride with you. Not letting you out of my sight.”

She heard him chuckle and pinched his side playfully, mumbling incoherently in his neck. It just made him chuckle harder and, honestly, hearing that from him was sweet music to her ears. If she was being even more honest, Abigail needed these past few days with him alone, just to reflect and talk things out. Yawning, she felt the energy drain out of her again and knew it was from the baby, passing on top of him a few minutes later.

She had given him quite a bit to think about and as Taker thought, he realized a lot of people were going to need to start learning trades again. Most people in Wonderful worked, they had too. Everyone pitched in one way or another. However, people were usually sent where their strengths lay. Training wasn’t something people just signed up for, they were given it based on need and predisposition. Like Abigail, and how easily she had picked up drawing blood. Jeff had seen she had the aptitude and gone from there.

~!~

The next morning, everyone pitched in to take down the encampment and piled in the various trucks. Abigail hopped on the back of the motorcycle, wrapping her arms around him and smiled as he took off down the road with everyone following. They stroked each other throughout the ride, hands on his chest, his hands on her thighs and knee, both reassuring the other they were really here. Another 12 hours later, they were camped out again and Steve informed them it would be another couple days before they reached Wonderful.

Sure enough 3 days later, the gates opened as everyone began filing inside, people stopping what they were doing to glance at the swarm of new people, mostly women, with children coming into their town. Abigail knew there’d be some scrutiny, but if Mark deemed it fine for them to be here, everyone would mind their tongues and attitudes. She held his hand, inhaling the smell of Wonderful, of home, and everyone began applauding to show their appreciation.

“MATT!!”

Matt spun around as the love of his life, Amy, jumped into his arms, swinging her around in circles with her legs encircling his waist. “I’m-” His mouth was claimed by her and all he could do was kiss her back, tightening his arms around her.

Abigail could tell Amy was crying, her heart going out to the woman since Matt had been forced to go to war instead of Jeff, who didn’t have a pregnant woman in his life the way Matt did.

Matt wasn’t the only man with a woman expecting a baby who had gone. Steve was another example. There were several in the squads from other parts of Wonderful that had gone as well and now those men were scrambling to go see their expectant wives and girlfriends. Matt going was simply the best option, he was more of a fighter then his brother. Jeff could fight, but he was more medical minded and they had needed that here.

“Oh sweet Jesus, Taker…” Stephanie walked slowly up, blue eyes taking in the procession of new people. “We have that apartment complex open still… the first floor is livable, I’m sure the second could be fixed up soon enough.”

“Why are you up?”

“It’s been over a month?” She rolled her eyes at him. They had been gone a long time. “Anthony is with John, and I’ve been getting things ready for your return. I didn’t realize there would be so many…”

“I will help you, Stephanie.” Abigail offered, frowning when Mark placed a hand on her shoulder and saw the concern in his eyes. “I’ll be fine…”

“Did I miss something?”

This wasn’t the way she wanted to tell Stephanie, of all people, but Mark was still overprotective of her because of the baby. “I’m pregnant…” She blinked when Stephanie gave her a bone-crunching hug, grunting out ‘I can’t breathe’ before she was released.

“How? When? Oh my god, did you go KNOWING you were pregnant?!” Stephanie exclaimed, blue eyes wide.

“No! No, I didn’t. I had a vision…and that’s how we found out.” Malcolm was the one who told them for sure, but Abigail didn’t want to mention him at the moment.

“Well, Malcolm left yesterday with Susanne, said he was taking her away and starting a new life or something. Is everything okay?” Leave it to Stephanie to bring up a sore subject.

“Yeah, it’s fine.” Abigail felt Mark tense at the mention of his father and kissed his hand, letting him know all was as it should be. “How about I help her for a bit and then I’ll come back to the tower to rest? I promise, I won’t overdo it.”

“I-”

“Boss, get your ass over here, mother fucker and help us!” Steve bellowed from just outside the gates. “We got trucks to unload and these boys want to get home soon.”

“I’ll uh, ring the square bell and get all hands on deck, Taker.” Stephanie said, trying not to smile as she winked at Abigail. “I’m thinking we’re just going to throw shit in the big pots tonight over open fires.”

“Go on, darlin’.” He sighed, waving his woman off with a grin.

“I love you.” She whispered, kissing him softly and then went on her way to help Stephanie with whatever she needed.

Chapter 70

The first goal was going to the apartment building Stephanie mentioned as they walked down the street, the Shield building coming into sight. Instantly, tears filled Abigail’s eyes as she stopped to look at it, wondering if there was anything of Dean’s inside and touched the stone around her neck. Why did he have to die? Why did they have to part on such horrible terms, only for him to announce he loved her in front of everyone on his deathbed?

“Abbie? What’s wrong?”

Stephanie didn’t know about Roman and Dean dying yet and Abigail didn’t want to put a damper on the mood.

“You know eventually they’ll be back, right?”

“No, they won’t.” Abigail wiped a tear away and turned to face Stephanie, fresh tears sliding down her cheeks. “Dean died, Stephanie. He…He died protecting me because Roman was going to out our plan to the DOV. He stopped him…and they beat him to death. We found them a few days into the journey there and…there was nothing we could do to save him. His last words were he loved me…and I did love him as a friend. I never even got a chance to say I was sorry for the horrible things I said to him and now he’s gone.”

Stephanie pulled Abigail into her arms, feeling her mother instincts kicking in and hugged her for a couple minutes, trying to soothe her. “I’m sure he knew, even on his deathbed, how you felt and all was forgiven. I’m sorry he died, Abbie.”

“Me too.” Abigail took a deep breath to calm down and continue walking with Stephanie, looking back at the Shield building as an idea came to mind. “I told Mark I wanted to build a library here in Wonderful…and I think I found the perfect spot for it.” It would be dedicated to Dean – The Ambrose Library.

“You know, Dean first came to Wonderful like… 7 years ago, I think it was…” Stephanie said quietly, linking her arm through Abigail’s. “He was with Roman and Seth, and I remember Dean had this box with him, it was tiny. But it held comic books in them. Do you remember what those are? Like… little cartoons in tiny print boxes. He loved those, used to loan them to the boys down this way. I think a library here would be perfect.” She would bet those comics, or some of them, that he hadn’t given away, were still in there somewhere. “Do you want to go in for a few minutes?”

“I do, but…don’t we have more important things to do?”

Stephanie shook her head, smiling softly. “We can spare a few minutes to go inside. There’s more important things than everyday life, after all. Dean was your friend. Come on, we’ll go see if he left any of those comic books behind.”

Nodding, Abigail lead Stephanie inside the Shield building, inhaling the musty air. It was just as she remembered, and made her heart ache. Ascending the stairs, each step was a memory that filtered through her mind. His smile, his laugh, their time at the playground down the street from here, the swings, the merry-go-round, the ducks…before she knew it, they arrived at the door and Abigail opened it, not realizing she’d started crying again.

“H-His room is down here. Give me a minute please.”

Stephanie nodded and Abigail went alone, taking a shaky breath before opening it and covered her mouth with her hand. There were boxes piled up against the wall, all of them marked ‘Comics’. Dean didn’t just have a few, he had a whole collection of them and left them behind when he disappeared from Wonderful.

“Dean…” She whispered, clutching the stone around her neck and slid her hand along the boxes, refusing to let them go to waste. “I swear to take care of these for you. This place will be a library dedicated to you and, every time someone looks at a comic book, they’ll think of you. Your memory will live on and will never die, I won’t break that promise to you.”

~!~

“I don’t know where the hell we’re gonna store all this shit, man… even with as many people as Wonderful houses… we won’t go through half of this stuff in years…”

“Well…” Taker had shed his shirt, dark red hair pulled back into a tight tail at the base of his neck. He was standing in the back of a trailer, tossing supplies to the next man, who would toss it to the next, and so on so forth. “Not the toilet paper…” It was good to be home.

“Yeah no, never have enough shitter paper.”

~!~

It was a long day full of getting the women settled in Wonderful, finding places for them to stay with their children, feeding everyone, as well as dealing with whatever injuries came in the medical wing. Abigail was dead on her feet by the time she trudged up to the tower, kicking her shoes off and collapsed on the bed face first, closing her eyes. While her and Stephanie watched Anthony for a little while, John and a few of his friends had gone to the Shield building to clear out all the comic books and brought them to a storage unit within Wonderful. They would be safe until the library could be opened, which was something she had to talk to Mark about. Maybe not tonight, she was exhausted and felt as if the energy had been sucked out of her.

“I’m telling you, we’re going to be filled to capacity… I guess it’s a good thing we’ve all been working on restoring buildings while you guys were gone, all that stuff…” Amy said, following Taker up the tower stairs. He carried a tray of food since he hadn’t stopped to eat the nightly meal, and she was bringing up stuff for Abigail. “Jeff said if she’s up for it, he’ll see her in the morning for a – um… well, you know, pregnancy stuff.”

“He’s seen more vagina than any other man I know…”

“I know, right?”

“That man is NOT seeing my vagina.” Abigail muttered, having turned her head in order to acknowledge them and continued lying on the bed. The smell of food made her stomach rumble, she’d only thrown up a handful of times today. Stephanie assured her it was normal for it to taper off, but not to be surprised if it sprung up again violently like before. “I’m sorry, but I’m not comfortable with another man seeing my lower region, Taker.” She managed to push herself to sit up on the bed and cracked her neck, groaning as the sound resonated around the tower. “Hey Red, how are you feeling?”

“Morning sickness is a bitch, congrats by the way.”

“Tell me about it.”

“For the record, Abbie, we don’t have midwives, or um… anyone experienced in doing those kind of exams outside of Jeff. I mean, we used too, a woman, but she died. She’s the one who taught Jeff what obstetrics he knows. Taker gets the fun part.”

“Delivering babies is not fun.”

“And you think being the guy jellying up bellies, doing the measuring and… yeah, okay. So ask him to switch you jobs. Oh, hey, Matt said you were having bad morning sickness. Jeff sent up some shit for that too, not that over the counter crap Matt probably gave you for motion sickness.”

“Do I really need to be checked out or…” She trailed off when Mark shot her a LOOK that clearly said yes and swallowed the rest of that question. “Well looks like Jeffrey and I will be getting very awkward over the next several months.” Abigail and Amy laughed; she couldn’t imagine what it was like being with Matt, who was Jeff’s brother, and said brother was the only one who could check her out to make sure the baby was growing correctly and whatnot.

“How the hell do you think I feel, okay? You think I like the fact my man’s brother has to see my vajay-jay?”

Taker snorted the water he’d been drinking and cursed, making both women laugh harder.

“Oops?”

“Don’t choke to death, Hope and I need you, big man.”

“Aww you know it’s a girl already? How is that possible?”

“I just have a feeling and, if it is a girl, we’re naming her Hope.”

“Oh my god, I hate you, what a great name!”

Abigail beamed brightly, taking the tray of food from Mark before he wound up dropping it. “Thanks.”

He had to sit down, shaking his head. Their first day back had been eventful to say the least. Now there was a fleet of semis outside of Wonderful’s wall and he had already heard Steve say something about using them to travel Vesperia looking for other people, other settlements, on top of bringing back more supplies, more equipment, more stuff to build. His mind was spinning already.

“You eat yet, darlin’?”

“Mm, crackers and ginger ale.” She pointed at the stuff. Matt had said that was about all Abigail had been able to keep down.

“Not really. I know it’s bad not to eat, but Stephanie told me it’s normal with the morning sickness. I did try eating some fruit earlier though and I kept it down.” Abigail sighed, wishing the baby would settle down enough for her to be able to eat a regular meal. The second trimester would be much better, according to Stephanie, and then the third would be when all the aches, pains, especially in the joints, came, which she wasn’t looking forward to. “I’ll try to eat something more than crackers, ginger ale and water.” She plucked the banana off the tray and unpeeled it, beginning to nibble to test the waters.

“I’ll leave you to it then and I’ll let Jeff know about you needing checked out tomorrow.”

“Thanks Amy.” They hugged each other and Mark patted the redhead’s head before she ventured back out of the tower. “You look as tired as I feel.”

“I am. They’re already planning a big celebration for tomorrow. Apparently some hogs were just butchered, so a barbecue is on the menu.”

There was quite a bit to celebrate and he knew it. People were already discussing the future, what next for Wonderful, and his head had been spinning all day. Taker was eyeballing the food and finally began to eat, watching as she picked at the tray.

“What’d you do today, darlin’?”

“Mmm a barbeque sounds good, actually.” Abigail didn’t know how he’d react to what she had in mind for the new library, but hopefully, he would agree to it. “Stephanie and I went to the apartment building she was talking about, and on the way there, we passed by…the Shield building where Dean lived. Stephanie told me about the comic books he used to hand out to the kids down the street from him and…she convinced me to go see if he left the comic books behind. I told her about my idea to open up a new library here in Wonderful and she said the comic books would be a great addition to it. There were so many boxes, Mark and they were all filled with comic books. So, I want to turn the Shield building into the new library…and I want to dedicate it in memory of Dean. The Ambrose Library.” She looked up at him, trying to gauge his reaction. “What do you think?”

“If that’s what you want, darlin’, I think it’s a fine idea.” Ambrose Library… that man was definitely more likable in death, not that he would ever voice his thoughts aloud. Dean had done the honorable thing, at the end, and died for it. “As soon as things settle down, I’ll send trailers to empty the nearest libraries, we’ll see what can be salvaged.” He picked up a bottle and placed it before her. “Protein shake.” Because there was no way she was eating all the nutrients she needed and prenatals only went so far if she was throwing them up.

“I’ll probably throw this up.” Abigail warned, sighing when he twirled his finger to get her to drink it anyway and took a sip of it, raising a brow at the taste. “This isn’t too bad.” She took another drink and then a nibble of crackers, knowing she’d have to work her way back up with her appetite. Looking up at him, Abigail could see how much more relaxed he was now that they were back home. “You really don’t mind naming the library after Dean? I know you have mixed feelings about him and…I don’t want you to be uncomfortable, but I really feel like it’s the right thing to do.”

“So do it, and with my blessing.” This time, that just sort of went unsaid. “I didn’t like Ambrose. He was dangerous, and a rebel, and he took quite a bit of delight in pulling my strings… but he did care for people.” In his own way. “And he did have a fondness for children. I think a library is… a good way to honor him.” He attributed the fondness for children due to the fact the Ambrose had never really grown up himself.

Grinning, she set her protein shake aside and turned his head with her hand to softly kiss him, after making sure he swallowed the bite of food he’d taken. “Thank you.” She hugged him around the neck briefly, kissing the side of it and pulled back to let him finish eating, wanting more color in his cheeks and eyes. “He was one big kid anyway, so I know he’s probably getting a kick out of the fact we’re naming a library after him.” Leaning back against the headboard, she continued sipping the protein shake and rubbed her flat stomach. It was a soothing technique she’d started doing while in the truck and it helped Abigail eat without feeling nauseous, in a weird way. “What did you do today?”

“Helped unload the trailers, darlin’, and there’s still more to do tomorrow.” They had taken hundreds of men to war and Wyatt had stockpiles of items to last thousands of people for years. They were definitely set for a good long time. “And then there’s still sorting out what’s what, sending it where it needs to go…” So many things to be done, but it wasn’t a bad thing.

Having work, that wasn’t bloody, was a good distraction from everything they had all just gone through.

“We just have to take one day at a time and everything will get done.” She finished the protein shake and took a couple bites from the tray Mark handed her, all fruit and a few vegetables. “I’m gonna go get a shower, I can’t eat another bite.” Kissing his cheek, she slid from the bed and pulled her top off along with her shorts, her shoes and socks already gone. “When you’re finished, join me if you want.”

Winking over her shoulder, Abigail padded into the bathroom to start the shower and slid out of her undergarments, tossing them in the nearby hamper. It was full, so she would be doing laundry tomorrow for sure. A minute later, she was under the warm sprays and sighed at the cleansing.

He finished eating and then cleared the table, yawning as he stood up to peel off his top. It was definitely good to be home and his eyes landed on his bed, their bed. “Oh thank Christ…”

When Mark didn’t join her, Abigail felt a little rejected and tried not to let it bother her, figuring he was still exhausted in all ways from the trip that’d taken and all that happened. Abigail sighed, feeling her stomach rumble and suddenly jumped out of the shower to empty the contents of it, dropping to her knees clutching the porcelain bowl. Just as she suspected, the protein shake, fruit and vegetables did not set well with Hope. This baby was very fickle and she just hoped once her second trimester came, everything would be a lot better.

Chapter 71

Before anyone knew it, a month had passed since the Dominion was taken down and life had returned to Wonderful. Mark kept the magic barrier up, just to keep out unwanted people or stragglers from the Dominion looking for revenge. Some of them had shown up and were taken down outside of the gates, away from everyone. Abigail was now 3 months along and feeling a lot better, her stomach having a very small bump. She busied herself with the library – The Ambrose Library – which was coming along nicely, along with her duties in the medical wing.

Naturally, just as she suspected, Mark had been named the new governor of Wonderful and had his hands full, especially when it came to laws being in place and whatnot. Abigail and Mark rarely saw each other except at night and, when they did, they slept. There was no sex and Abigail had come to the conclusion he wasn’t interested in sexing up a pregnant woman. Maybe he didn’t find a pregnant woman sexy…she didn’t know and just threw herself into her work, going from sun up to sundown and crashing after dinner. Sometimes, she was out like a light before Mark came back to the tower and when she woke up in the morning, he was gone to do his duties.

His problem was being tired all the damn time. When they had relied on him to play leader as a matter of survival, that had been different; that had come naturally. Now…now people wanted to restart civilization and were looking at him to be the one to guide them there. Had they met him? He was called the Undertaker; he did not see that getting printed on any currency. And then there was the matter of stupid situations starting to happen around Wonderful, just crazy weird random things, and it was starting to make him think he was losing his mind. Jeff kept reassuring him that it was just a first-time Dad thing, he doubted it.

It was a stormy night as Abigail ate her food, now able to keep it down and looked a lot better than she had, less frail. She was reading a pregnancy book called ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’; it was something she read little by little every night before bed, if she wasn’t too tired. She raised a slow brow at the picture and turned the page to continue when she heard the heavy door downstairs open and close. Abigail had a short sleeved lavender nightgown on that went to her knees since it was now chilly outside, the summer weather disappearing. She didn’t look his way, continuing to read and took a bite out of her fresh salad with a bunch of vegetables and ranch dressing, seated at the table. Mark did not condone eating in bed, she had done it once before and he’d told her there was a table for a reason. Crossing one leg over the other, she popped a piece of cucumber in her mouth and stifled a yawn, the medical wing and library taking a lot out of her lately.

She was eating again and seemed to be getting into the swing of her pregnancy, though… most women did when they entered their second trimester. He kicked off his boots and walked over to drop down in front of her, pulling Abigail’s chair away from the table so he could lean in and rest his forehead against her stomach. He began laughing into the nightgown she wore when she put her hands and that book on top of his head and continued reading.

“Really, darlin’?”

“You can nuzzle my stomach all you want, doesn’t mean I’m not gonna continue eating and reading, big man.”

Mark was affectionate as far as her stomach went, but no intimacy of any kind besides occasional kisses and hugs here and there. She loved him, but maybe Mark didn’t love her anymore and that made her heart twinge painfully in her chest at the thought. Abigail shoved those thoughts out of her mind as she continued reading, popping a tomato in her mouth this time. Plenty of fruits, vegetables, greens and meat were the best thing for the baby. Though, her craving was syrup – lots and lots of syrup with any kind of breakfast food smothered in it.

Her first trimester, she had been a puke comet and he had been so busy, it had been a wonder he had had time to stop and take a 30 second piss half the time. Now… now it was just a matter of communication. She always seemed so tired by the time he made it up to the tower, or she was already asleep. Taker had spent quite a few nights in the shower long after she was asleep, chafing his hand.

“How’re you feeling tonight, Abbie?” Maybe it was time to start testing those waters again.

He wanted to talk to her, so Abigail took the book off his head to set it on the table and slid her fingers through his dark red hair. “I feel better than I have in a while.” She answered truthfully, feeling him press soft kisses along the small bump her stomach formed and reached over to take another bite of her salad. “Tired, but that’s to be expected with pregnancy. Stephanie said she didn’t stop being tired throughout her whole pregnancy. But at least I don’t feel dead on my feet, it’s a good tired.”

“Your body is working overtime to make another human being, darlin’. I’ve always been impressed with how women still manage to do everything else they do when they’re pregnant.” It took a woman roughly 10 months to create a baby: eyes, toes, organs, skin… that right there was a miracle. Since she was eating, he moved away and up into a chair, studying her thoughtfully. “How’s your sex drive, Abbie?” Taker grinned when her fork dropped.

Did he REALLY have to ask her that while she was eating? It was a miracle she hadn’t choked on her salad as she chewed slowly, swallowing it somewhat hard. How was she supposed to know how her sex drive was?

“I-I don’t really know anymore. Haven’t felt those…urges lately, I guess.”

Considering they hadn’t had sex in roughly a month and a half, maybe even two months, Abigail didn’t know how her sex drive was. She picked her fork back up and started eating again, trying to get her face to stop burning. Crimson and flushed, she wasn’t sure how else to answer that incredibly awkward question.

“How’s yours?” There, he could feel awkward now.

He wasn’t awkward at all. Unlike her, he had been sexually active for most of his adult life, not after 26. “I keep thinking, darlin’, every night I come up here to you, that I’m going to fuck your delicious, pregnant ass into that mattress and then… by the time I get up here, I’m either dead on my feet or you’re passed out.”

Tonight was not one of those nights. Though, Abigail was also looking pretty flushed, so he passed her the glass of water it looked like she had been drinking out of. Taking the water, she sucked it down and set the glass back down, trying to wrap her mind around what he just said. Mark was a blunt man, quiet and reserved at times, but there were also times, like now, where he was extremely blunt. Honesty, she had to be honest with him and didn’t even know where to begin, looking somewhat perplexed.

“I umm…I didn’t think you were interested in me anymore. Or maybe you just don’t find me sexy when pregnant, which I understand since I’m fat now.” Her eyes lowered, wringing her hands in her lap. “That’s why I’ve been pulling double duty with both the medical wing and the library.”

“Darlin’, I’ve been very tired, but I’m damn interested.” His emerald gaze raked over her and that nightgown she was wearing. It clung to her curves, and to the slight bump she was sporting. His bump. Their baby. “And as for you being fat, you are not fat…” Taker was moving again, on his knees before her, his hands moving up her calves and skimming higher. “You are luscious… Abigail…” He was leaning forward, bringing his head in to kiss the area right above her knee and right below when her drawn up hemline stopped.

Every part of her body was a lot more sensitive because of the pregnancy, so just a simple brush of his lips against her thigh was enough to make her tremble. “I-I am?” She smiled at his nod, feeling him moving up while bunching the nightgown in his hands until her white cotton panties, with a colored design, came into view. Because they weren’t completely white, Abigail could wear them without getting bad feelings from the past…and they were comfortable. “I’ve missed you.” She breathed out, sliding her fingers through his hair and gasped out as his nose brushed against her panty covered crotch.

Good, it was gratifying to know that she had physically missed him as much as he had been missing her. His hands were on her knees, gently but firmly parting her legs and when he was nestled, kneeling, between them, he reached behind, just underneath, to grab her backside. Taker pulled her towards him and then reached up to gently push her upper body back into the chair, peering up at her.

“You’re not attached to these panties, are you?”

Missing him was an understatement.

Abigail’s body hungered and craved him, her reactions and face told him all he needed to know. “No, but please don’t rip them off.”

She didn’t have many panties that were comfortable like these and smiled as his teeth gripped the front of them before slowly pulling them down her legs, all the while keeping her exactly where he wanted her in the chair. Abigail would’ve rather done this in bed, but wasn’t complaining either. Thirsting for his attention, she shuddered as his lips caressed her inner thighs.

“M-Mark…sensitive, I’m sensitive…” She was already soaking for him.

“Oh I bet, darlin’…” He murmured, letting his tongue run along her warm skin, a hand on her other thigh.

Eventually, he’d move her to the bed, but for now… he rather liked kneeling at her feet, between her legs, of his own personal goddess. He had even placed her panties behind him in the chair he had vacated. She smelled delicious and finally, Taker stopped teasing them both, burying his face directly into that sensitive spot.

Why was she tingling from head to toe? Why did everything feel more intense now that she was pregnant? She had to grip the armrests of the chair, not wanting to rip Mark’s hair out. Abigail squirmed and writhed, crying out because of how incredible his tongue felt inside of her. Driving in and out of her, his fingers added even more intensity and fire, which exactly what her entire body felt like. She felt like it was on fire from head to toe.

“C-Christ…oh Mark…Mark!” Abigail needed to climax, she needed to cum harder than she ever had before and whimpered, feeling the hot coil within her stomach threatening to spring free.

Just a little longer, a little more and she’d shatter.

Never moving his mouth away from her, he reached up to grab her hands off the armrests of the chair and guided them to his hair. Not once had she pulled his hair and, while he appreciated that, it was also… well, he wanted her to pull his hair. Taker wanted to feel just how much he was driving her crazy. A second later, he had his answer because Abigail was fisting his long, thick locks and he growled against her clit before lapping at her juices, his chin already drenched.

Stars exploded in front of her eyes as she completely shattered against him, gripping his hair about as hard as she could, her entire body trembling. It was so intense, it caused tears to burn her eyes, her head whipping back and, if it wasn’t for her fingers in his hair, she would’ve hit the back of the chair. Her sweet essence filled his mouth as Abigail bellowed his name, not caring if all of Wonderful heard them.

Slumped back against the chair, her grip loosened on his hair while she tried to learn how to breathe, chest rising and falling rapidly. When Mark finally pulled back, after drinking his fill from her body, Abigail moaned as his mouth crashed against hers, her arms wrapping around his neck and felt him lift her from the chair, her legs bending to drape on either side of his waist. She tasted herself on his tongue, igniting her body all over again and never broke the kiss, her hand caressing and massaging his neck.

Never breaking the kiss, Taker carried her over to their bed, lowering himself gently down onto the mattress and then lay her down on top of it. He remained in his kneeling position, the kiss finally broken, and just stared down at her. Abigail was beautiful, laying there, staring up at him out of hazy eyes, her swollen lips parted… how could she doubt he desired her? She really didn’t know how gorgeous she was.

They would have to go slow because of the baby. If it wasn’t for that book Stephanie gave her, Abigail wouldn’t be doing this, period. She’d be afraid the penis could poke the baby or hurt it somehow, even though that was physically impossible. A penis wasn’t THAT big after all, even though Mark was well-endowed. The way he looked down at her, desire filling his eyes and how he touched her…it made Abigail feel beautiful and wanted, even with her slightly swollen bump.

Mark hadn’t taken her nightgown off yet, but that soon came off as he pulled her up gently to divest her of the rest of her clothing. Her boobs were really tender, so she didn’t have a bra on currently. He kissed her forehead, cheeks, nose, mouth and made his way down her jaw to her neck, all the while caressing her breasts and very lightly rolled her nipples between his fingers. Abigail had managed to tell him how sore and tender they were lately, and it did her heart good to know he had listened.

That book she had been reading, he had gotten it for Stephanie during his and Abigail’s trip to the library, back in what felt like another lifetime. He hadn’t anticipated then that his own pregnant woman would be using the book. Taker hadn’t anticipated Abigail at all, actually.

“You are beautiful.” He informed her, kissing his way down the valley of her breasts to her stomach, kissing and caressing that little bump of hers.

Chapter 72

If she thought she was fat now, he could only imagine how she’d feel when she really popped. It had been a bit too long for both of them so, as much as he wanted to explore her body, that was going to have to wait until round two. Taker pulled himself away from her and shed his own clothing, sliding back up her body to position himself between her spread legs.

“I love you, Abbie.”

“I know you do.” Abigail caressed his face with her hand, accepting another kiss from him and sucked in a breath as his cock began sliding inside of her, slowly, stretching her to the limits. She broke the kiss from that sharp intake of breath and felt him press his forehead to hers, cupping his broad shoulder as their eyes remained locked. “I love you too, Mark.”

This would not last long for either of them. It’d been far too long since they were together intimately and Abigail could not believe how badly her thighs trembled. It was as if they were having a seizure, convulsing around his hips, since her ankles were locked in the middle of his back. She moaned out, gripping his arms and met him for every snap of his hips, every thrust, feeling as though every nerve-end of her body was ignited.

“You feel so good…oh fuck…so damn good inside of me…don’t stop…please…don’t stop…”

There were no worries about him stopping. Taker didn’t think he could stop, even if there was a loaded gun being held to his head. She felt too good, her hot, velvety folds wrapped around him, the feel of her thighs violently quivering around him, how gorgeous and flushed she was writhing beneath him. No, not a chance he was stopping. Taker pressed his forehead against hers, his hands moving down to grip the back of her thighs and gently but firmly pushed them back, feeling her ankles unlocking from his back. He was never letting being tired or her being asleep, or anything else, keep him from her like this again.

“Christ, darlin’, you feel so damn good.”

It didn’t matter how exhausted she was, Abigail would always make time for the man she loved, especially if he wanted to worship her body like he was currently doing. She did not mind getting lack of sleep if it meant being with him. Even with a baby, Abigail would not go too long without being with Mark again. Granted, she knew once Hope was born, she’d have to take at least 2 months off, possibly more if a C-section was needed, but other than that, she wouldn’t deny him or herself of this exquisite feeling she currently experienced. Mark propped her legs to drape over his shoulders, hammering in and out of her harder, faster and definitely deeper, hitting her sweet spot repeatedly. Abigail was going out of her mind, drowning in ecstasy and arched her body, trying to get to that end, to fall over that edge, needing her climax more than the air she breathed.

“Ohhhhh oh yes, right…there…oh god!”

His own breathing was coming harsh, eyes darkened with desire as he continued thrusting. Trying to make sure she came either before or with him because this wasn’t going to last much longer. Snaking a hand between them, he began manipulating her swollen clit, urging her on.

“Cum for me, darlin’,” He ordered, the sounds of her moaning and calling his name, along with flesh smacking flesh, pure music to his ears.

Her body was on sensory overload due to the pregnancy, so when he began stroking her bundle of nerves while continuing to thrust as hard, deep and fast as he could, that was all Abigail could take. “MARK!” She shrieked out, their bodies coated in a fine sheen of sweat and felt her walls cave in around him, wrapping his cock in a warm wet cocoon, milking him for everything he was worth.

Her climax triggered his because a second orgasm ripped through her as she cried out again, his seed filling her to capacity. Mark did not stop thrusting, his growl of her name mixing beautifully with her shriek of his, not until his cock had grown limp, forcing him to stop and was careful not to collapse on top of her because of the baby. Instead, he rolled on his side and instantly pulled her against him, his hand on her small bump while burying his face in the side of her neck, both cooling and coming down from their sexual high. All Abigail could focus on was learning how to breathe again because that had been more intense than she anticipated.

“We’re not doing that again.” He informed her when he could finally talk without sounding like he was having a wheezing fit. “Months without you was hell, darlin’.”

She had been thinking he thought her too fat; he had been concerned she just didn’t want him anymore. Nope, sometimes words just weren’t enough and they needed actions to reaffirm what they were saying. Also, he liked getting his rocks off and he knew Abigail did too. Abigail began crying, covering her face with her hands and couldn’t believe how stupid she’d been to think he didn’t want her anymore. Or he didn’t find her sexy because of the pregnancy. Two months without him had been sheer torture and Abigail spent plenty of nights in the shower alone, crying. Mark pulled her into his arms to where she was on her side and all she could do was bury her face in his chest, caressing every part of him she could get her hands on. Abigail never wanted to miss him that much again or ache for him that badly.

“I-I’m sorry…I-I love you so much, Mark…I thought…I thought the worse…I didn’t think you…wanted me anymore…I messed up again…”

Taker let her cry, there really wasn’t anything else he could do. He knew from experience with other women that this was pretty much how it was going to be for the rest of her pregnancy. Emotional mess. “Calm down darlin’.” He soothed, rubbing her back in slow circles.

After a little while, she finally calmed down enough to pull back and looked up into his eyes, seeing all the love shining through the emerald green. She kissed him again, pulling him to lay on top of her partially. Abigail wanted to feel his bodyweight on her, his warmth and strength seep into her body, her skin, and felt his wrap around her to mold their bodies together. Pushing up, Mark let her do what she wanted as she guided him on his back and swung one leg over his hip, straddling him.

“I’m not done with you…” Reaching between them, she wrapped her hand around his cock and began stroking it. “My turn to worship you…”

To be honest, Taker wasn’t entirely sure if his cock was going to rise to the occasion so soon because that had been a long time coming. However… Abigail’s soft hand pumping up and down his shaft soon had him coming back to life. He didn’t know about his eyes, but he had seen something in her face, something joyful and excited, so he was assuming she had seen something she liked.

Her lips skimmed his chin and jaw before pulling back to stare into his eyes again. They were no longer emerald gems, but a deep dark forest green due to her stroking him back to life and moaned at the hardness in her hand. Abigail couldn’t remember the last time she just laid in bed gazing into them and brushed her lips against his, before making her way down his muscular body. His head came off the bed to watch as his cock disappeared in his woman’s mouth, eyes rolling at the sight. Taker had definitely missed her in this way, why the hell had they not spoken sooner?

“Abbie…” He reached down, gently taking her hair in his hand and let the strands slide through his fingers.

Abigail didn’t want to make things worse by pressuring him into being intimate with her. She wanted him to WANT to be intimate with her, which is why she kept her mouth shut. Things were easier that way when she didn’t speak her mind and just remained quiet, it seemed. It was another reason why she’d started confiding in other people like Stephanie and Victoria, who was one of her best friends now. Wanting to give and make him feel the way he made her, Abigail slid her hand up his stomach, sliding her nails down while driving him in and out of her mouth. She’d never forget the first time she did this for him, what a mess that had been!

Since he had just popped his cork not so long ago, Taker wasn’t about to do so again anytime soon. He kind of hoped, for the sake of her jaw, that Abigail wasn’t planning a blowjob from start to finish or else tomorrow she was going to have a hard time talking. “Darlin’…” He groaned, fisting the sheets as his hips started moving to meet her. “You don’t have to…”

“Mmm yes I do…”

No matter how long it took, though she would stop if her jaw began to hurt too much, Abigail planned on tasting him. It’d been so long since she last did this and took pleasure in watching his face contort, his groans sweet music to her ears. However, Mark was stubborn and bullheaded, so he stopped her by pulling her back up to where her wet sex brushed against him, their mouths meeting again.

“W-Why did you stop me?” She breathed out, grinding against him and whimpered at how amazing it felt, her mouth sealing to his neck as her juices soaked him. “Oh god…I need it…I need you again…let me ride you…”

Her eyes nearly rolled in the back of her head when he pushed inside of her aching core for the second time. Jaw pain was real and he had seen her rubbing her jaw a time or two before, after giving him a blow job. Taker didn’t want his poor, pregnant woman going around tomorrow unable to talk. Bowlegged, however, was a whole new ballgame.

“Ride me, darlin’.”

Taker folded his hands beneath his head and watched as Abigail began rolling her hips against his, letting her have control for the moment. Seeing this beautiful goddess on top of him, feeling her hands roaming his chest, caressing his muscles… the feel of being enveloped by her. This was how he wanted to die. Not tonight, but eventually. Having sex with her. Well… maybe not, he didn’t want to traumatize her, he did love her.

This was heaven. Having Mark balls deep inside of her while she rode him, working her body up into a frenzy. She couldn’t bounce on and off of him, afraid of giving Hope whiplash, so Abigail took it slow. The last thing she wanted to do was harm the baby in any way and could tell Mark felt the same way because, every time she began increasing the pace, he would grip her hips to slow her down. His hands molded to her stomach while she gyrated her hips and hers covered his briefly before sliding up his chest, gasping when he began thrusting his hips up. Oh that was it, that was what she wanted from him. Her eyes closed as he did it again, driving deeper inside of her and still kept the slow pace, but every thrust nailed that sweet spot of hers.

“Make me cum, Mark…make me cum again…” She pleaded, digging her nails into his chest as another thrust drove her closer to that edge. “Just a little…more…”

He hadn’t been slowing her down because of the baby. Hope was in her own liquid sac of safety, there was no way vigorous sex in the beginning of the second trimester was going to mess her up. That’d be later when Abigail was closer to popping. Taker had wanted her to have a slow burn, slow build, and now here it was. He kept the pace fairly steady, knowing she was approaching her next climax, this position allowing him to brush against her sweet spot every time she rose and fell on him.

“You’re quiverin’…” He rumbled huskily, running a finger down the swell of her stomach and then further down to caress her clit.

Slow burn, indeed. “W-Why do you t-think that is?” She stammered out in a retort, gasping when he thrusted harder, deeper, but never once upped the pace, causing her to whimper. “Mark, please…” Abigail couldn’t take much more, the slowness sending her world out of orbit, spinning off its axes. “Please faster…oh god, it’s right there…”

Her climax was just out of reach, all he had to do was end her torment and she had no doubt a few fast thrusts would be all it would take. His shaking head made her groan out in both frustration and ecstasy, although he sat upright to wrap her legs around his waist, still keeping the same slow pace and thrusted at a different angle, his mouth capturing her quivering lips. Crying out when his teeth sank into the spot where her shoulder and neck met, that was more than enough to send her over the edge as she came in waves. Feeling her caving in around him, clenching, gripping, trying to milk him for all they were both worth. Again, how the hell did they go so long without being intimate with each other? That had to be a crime.

“Fuck, darlin’.” He muttered against the bite he had just put on her, thrusting one last time before filling her with his seed.

Tingling from head to toe, Abigail sagged against him, completely spent and could barely hold onto his shoulders, hoping Mark had the strength to place them in bed. She couldn’t move a single muscle, every part of her trembling from head to toe. Mark managed to move them to lay back on the bed with him spooned against her, his hand splayed on her stomach and Abigail barely felt him kiss her neck before closing her eyes, exhaustion overtaking her. This night had been everything she’d wanted for the past almost 2 months and more, and it was the first night she’d fallen asleep with a smile on her face.

Bray’s fascism had been the best thing that ever happened to Abigail, in a very twisted way. If it wasn’t for his warped way of thinking, she never would’ve left the castle, came to Wonderful and met the love of her life. They were having a baby and, hopefully, one day, they would be married. Thinking for a second Mark didn’t want her or find her desirable, simply because of her pregnancy, was ludicrous. Mark always did what was best for her and Hope, which would continue until the end of time. She had fallen in love with the best man in Vesperia and Abigail would spend the rest of her days showing him how much she loved him.

She had her hope, in both ways, and it was all Abigail could ever ask for.

The End.