Captive's Desire Read Online Free Page A

take in. He looked over at her sitting quietly beneath the blanket. She was trying to hide her tears. He shook his head; what Magnus did to her was wrong, so wrong, and she had no idea. She was filthy and likely hungry. The chemicals Magnus pumped into the air would start to wear off soon; he wondered how long the process would take for her. The next few days would be the hardest and she’d struggle to come to terms with everything that was happening, with things she’d feel without the poison that was in Magnus One’s oxygen to keep her under control. He wondered how she was going to react at seeing the camp and its inhabitants. She was feeling afraid, he could see that, and also likely very alone.
    “How old are you?” he asked.
    “Twenty,” she answered without looking at him.
    They were teaching them to kill younger and younger. “Family besides your brother?”
    “Why do you care?” she snapped.
    He counted to ten before speaking. “I understand you’ve been through a lot, but there’s no reason to be rude.”
    “You’re responsible for the mess I’m in; I think I’m allowed a little rudeness.”
    “Wrong.”
    Just then the radio buzzed to life. “Commander?” the voice asked.
    “Yes, it’s me. I’m about ten minutes from camp and I’m not alone.”
    “Glad to hear you’re all right, Sir.”
    He could feel her eyes on him as he answered. “Thank you. It was an…” he glanced at her, “interesting afternoon.”
    “You said you were not alone, Sir?”
    “The pilot of the aircraft survived the crash.”
    A longer pause followed. “Sir, should we prepare a cell for your prisoner?”
    He glanced at her as she raised her eyebrows at the question.
    “That won’t be necessary. She’ll stay in my quarters. Have food prepared for two, something warm. And some clothes, about Jenna’s size, or her size seven months ago.” Jenna was his best friend’s wife and seven months pregnant. He wondered for a moment what Olivia’s reaction would be to Jenna. Magnus didn’t allow natural childbirth. They chose egg and sperm based on genetic testing and extracted what they needed, discarding the rest. He knew people only went along with it because they didn’t know any differently, but he wondered how much the loss of such a simple yet profoundly important thing as family, as children, would affect them if and when the resistance fighters’ plans came to fruition. He shook his head again. At least they kept siblings together, even bred twins to study. He imagined Magnus would have found people would be easier to manage if there was some form of biological family, a responsibility beyond the one, the self.
    “Roger, Commander.”
    The camp was hidden in a valley between two of the Fourteeners in what used to be known as the Colorado Rockies. They’d been here for the last year and Hayden hoped to keep it intact. It was an excellent location, hidden well with enough resources—water and food—for the people to survive. It was a sizeable town and he had made some friends here. They were living what he’d consider a reasonably normal life, given the circumstances. But as long as Magnus existed, they would never be truly free.
    He looked over at Olivia who was shivering beneath the blanket. Of course she would be; she wasn’t used to regular, outdoor temperatures and the mountains got cold at night, even in the dead of summer and it wasn’t summer yet.
    “Ouray, our town, is just ahead. There, the flashing light,” he said to her, pointing. At night, the homes were dark to keep them from being discovered by any aircrafts flying overhead on hunting missions.
    “Ouray?” she asked, following his line of vision, her eyes wide.
    He could almost feel the anxiety rolling off her. He wanted to comfort her, but thought giving her space would better serve her now. He needed her to wake up to reality fast.
    “It was the original name,” he said. “I think it was quite beautiful once.”
    The gates opened