The Newborn

Prologue

Chains rattled harshly in the predawn hours, breaking the silence of the quiet basement. A low growl followed and then the sound of a body hitting the cement floor. A gasp and the sound of water hitting the floor was almost anticlimactic as the single light in the center of the room was turned on, it's bright cone of light spotlighting the bloodied body of the naked girl and the insidious smile of her captor.

"You've been told, Jasmine. Tell us what we want to know and we'll end this suffering."

The girl flung her hair back, long tendril of black that stuck in the wounds on her shoulders and back. "Take this collar off of me and I'll end this now." Her words were spoken barely above a whisper but he heard her.

"Do I look that stupid?" He didn't wait for her to speak; instead his hand drew back, the long serpentine coil of the whip following obediently. It cracked, its braided ends cutting into the raw wounds of her back. Blood spattered against the cement, tiny pieces of her skin and little snippets of flesh were sheared off to add to the patterns of gore around her.

Her scream was raw and anguished, her body tensing in the overwhelming agony he was dealing. "I can't!" she screamed. "They'll kill me."

"I'll kill you, Jasmine." He stepped closer, lifting the leash that was clipped to her collar and holding her up on her tiptoes with it. "And if not me, then I could always let Lucian come down to play some more. He flicked his fingers over the bite marks that had been left on her heaving breasts. "I heard him tell the Master how much he enjoyed his time with you."

"No!" she moaned, her head shaking weakly. "No, don't let him hurt me anymore."

"Oh and here I thought you were enjoying his fat cock. I'd never heard a woman cry and moan like they do when Lucian is in the room with them." He dipped his head, dropping a kiss on her forehead before letting go of her collar and stepping back. He drew his arm back again, knowing that she would either give in now, tell them where the newborn had been taken or she too will have been a waste of time.

With a small curse, he sent the whip whistling her way, pulling back so the ends cracked above her skin, not touching her. "Tell me, now Jasmine or I'm calling Lucian." He waited for a few moments longer and then he shook his head sadly. "Lucian it is."

She screamed as he went to the phone in the corner of the room, watching as he picked it up and could hear it ringing above them somewhere in the deep bowels of the house. "No!" she screamed. "Stop! I'll tell you. I will."

Antoine smiled at the woman, dropping the phone back into its cradle. "Tell me, Jasmine. Tell me where they took the baby."

Harsh sobs shook her shoulders and for a moment, she couldn't speak. Her throat felt clogged and the pain seemed too much to handle. Jasmine held herself up from the floor, her arms shaking with the strain. She opened her mouth to speak again and a fresh wail shook her.

But her captor wasn't waiting. "Where's the baby!" he shouted, grabbing her leash and dragging her up.

With an inhuman growl, Jasmine pushed herself even further, her mouth opening and her teeth clamping down on Antoine's neck. She bit down hard, pulling her head back and spitting out the mouthful of flesh she'd ripped from him.

Blood spurted, mixing with girl's blood that already coated the floor. Antoine dropped her leash, his hand scrabbling at his throat as the strength of his heart pumped his life's blood through the wound.

"Fuck you!" Jasmine screamed, her hands scrabbling at the pistol the man wore at his waist, yanking it out easily enough. She turned, glaring defiantly at the camera, knowing that Antoine's master had been watching every strike of the whip, ever thrust of Lucian's deformed body into hers. "And fuck you too," she snarled, a bubble of hysterical laughter following. She heard the door to the basement opened and raised the pistol, pulling the trigger without hesitation.

It dropped from her dead hands, a gaping hole left in Jasmine's skull. The men who'd flinched back at the report of the gun gasped as they saw the body of the dead Seer as well as the still bleeding corpse of the man left with the duty to get the information the Master needed.

"He will not be pleased."

The deep voice that rang out from the intercom speakers built into the walls of the basement was loud and unexpected. "Her body is to be sent to them, mail it to them in pieces. I want each piece branded with their holy sign. Burn it in deep. Drop Antoine in the ditch. Find me another. I want that baby and I want it now!"

There was a scrabble of bodies moving and the scene was cleaned up quickly. Jasmine's body was taken into another room, a saw used to perform the necessary cuts to have her fitting into boxes all addressed to the same place. More men were sent out under the cover of night to search for the next that would feel the master's whip. The baby, his fate prophesized from before even his conception, was safe still.

Chapter One

The end of day bell couldn't come quickly enough, not today anyway. Sabra Kozilinski stared at the clock, watching the second hand with impatient eyes. It wasn't often that her brother was allowed to come home to visit and she didn't want to miss a single second of what time they would be allowed together.

"Settle down," Tasha hissed from next to her. Natasha Biddleson, her best friend since elementary school, knew what was happening tonight. "Squirming isn't going to make time go by faster. You don't want Leather Head up there to give you detention tonight."

Tasha nodded toward their last period teacher. Leather Head had been given the name for his weird shaped head and the leathery looking skin that covered it. He was also one of the meanest teachers the school had and enjoyed doling out detentions with an unselfish hand.

"Is there a problem, Miss Biddleson?"

Natasha shot Sabra a dirty look. "No sir. Everything is fine."

"Did I not give you enough work to keep you busy? Should I give you another page or two?"

"Oh no sir. Busy as a bee," she lifted her pencil and made some movements as if she were writing on air before pressing it back on to the paper.

"Well, then, perhaps it's you, Miss Kozilinski? Do you need more work for this weekend? I mean, isn't your brother coming to visit today?" He waited for Sabra to nod and then rose from his chair and moved towards her seat.

The man didn't walk like a normal human. Instead he always seemed to skulk or scuttle, looking sneaky and deceptive. He trailed his finger over the papers on Sabra's desk and then let his hand settle on her shoulder, his gnarled looking fingers digging into her skin. "Detention would be a shame today, wouldn't it Miss Kozilinski?"

"Oh yes sir," Sabra gasped. She stared back down at her papers, not willing to look up at her teacher. She knew his tricks well and knew what would happen if he thought she was mocking him.

"Then perhaps you can share with the class what the answer to problem thirty-five?" He stared down at her paper, noting that she had yet to reach that part of the assignment.

Instead of giving in, knowing what he would do if she didn't give the answer, she stared at her book, figuring the answer in her head. As she opened her mouth, she could only pray that it was right. "Negative twenty-six, sir."

The sound of his disappointment could be heard as he realized that she was right. "Very good, Miss Kozilinski. Please don't make me talk to you again or I will have no choice but to see you for detention at the end of the day."

"Oh yes sir, I mean no sir. I'll finish my work. Thank you, sir." She breathed a sigh of relief as his hand dropped off her shoulder. She even managed not to rub at the bruised flesh, knowing that would give the man more satisfaction.

She didn't even dare to look up before he reached his desk, seating himself and picking the book he'd let fall back up. It was a heavy looking book, thick bindings and yellowed pages that almost seemed to creak as he turned them. Sabra didn't even want to hazard a guess at what it was about or who was the author.

"Ouch," she hissed at Natasha. "I'm going to end up with bruises."

"But no detention." Natasha grinned at her friend. "You got lucky."

"Yeah." She wrote down the next answer, quickly working out the problems in her head. Leather head didn't want to see their work, only the answers, neatly printed on the left hand side of the page. He only demanded the work from those in the class that were failing, but Sabra was one of the smartest of the students he had.

"What time does Ben get here?" Nat asked, glancing up at the clock.

"He'll be home before I get there." Sabra wrote down another answer, her eyes going from the book to the page of paper, then back to the book. She wouldn't look up, not and give Leather Head any other chance to punish her. "Shh," she warned Nat.

The two girls settled back into their work, only glancing up every few minutes instead of the second by second perusal Sabra had been doing before. She jumped when final bell finally rang and quickly packed away her books. Pulling her keys out of her purse, she nagged at Nat. "Come on, girl. Let's go."

Nat shook her head. "I'm going, just give me a chance to put stuff away." She threw her book into her bag, wishing she had Sabra's skill with math and English. The girl was a whiz, every class seeming easy to her and not the constant struggle Nat had with finishing assignments and understanding enough to pass her tests.

She watched as Sabra headed to the door without her, finally slinging on her back pack and following her. They met Deanna Schlock at the door to the parking lot and headed towards Sabra's car.

"It was close," Tasha said. "Leather Head was pushing buttons today."

"Yeah, but there was no way I was missing out tonight. It's not often that Benjamin can get away to visit. I'm not missing a moment of the time we can spend together." Sabra hit the auto lock button on her key fob then hit the button for the trunk. She threw her book bag into the back before climbing into the driver's seat and waiting for her friends to end their usual argument about who was sitting in the front seat. "Hurry it up or you guys are going to be walking," she called out in a sing song voice.

Tasha won and Deanna climbed into the back seat, rolling her eyes at Sabra. "She cheated again."

"You two are going to have to come up with a better way of handling this." Sabra glanced at Tasha. "She always claims you cheat and you're never happy any other way." She put the key in the ignition, starting the new Mustang that her parents had gotten her for her eighteenth birthday. It roared to a start, then purred as she shifted it lovingly into reverse.

The parking lot was busy, kids crossing the lot, others pulling out to join the lineup that was starting at the stop sign to get out to Main Street. Sabra waited for her chance, then smoothly and quickly backed the car out, getting into line with the other kids. She sat impatiently, her hand thumping against the steering wheel to the beat of the music that came out of the speakers. Deanna and Tasha argued, like they always did, but instead of trying to be the peace maker, she growled at the line ahead of her, hitting her horn irritably.

"Sabra, they can't move if the person in front of them isn't moving." Deanna glanced at the reflection of her friend in the rear view mirror. "He won't leave until you get the chance to see him. The council wouldn't do that to you or to him."

"I don't know. This whole visit has been a bit shady, like he's being given time off to give us bad news. I don't understand it, I just know I don't get to talk to him on the phone anymore. Mom and dad are so damn secretive about stuff. I hate being thought of as a child." She smacked her palm on the horn once more. "Hurry the hell up!" she cried, rolling down her window to make her irritation known. She slammed on her brakes barely missing the bumper of the car in front of her.

She started keeping time with her hand again, moving forward eagerly until she was at the stop sign. "They need to put a stop light in here," she complained. She hit her accelerator and then her brake when the car coming hit their horn. By the time she pulled out, she had tears in her eyes and her whole body was shaking.

"Are you okay, Sabra?" Tasha let her hand fall to her friend's arm. "He's visited before and I don't think I've ever seen you like this."

Sabra let out a long sigh. She shook her head, trying hard to calm down. "Something is going on and I don't know what it is. No one will tell me anything. I've...I've been having problems with bad dreams and I've had a hard time sleeping. I know it has something to do with Ben but I don't know what." She turned on her turn signal, watching as the long line of continuous cars passed her. There was an abrupt break, and she squealed out of the lot and took the almost too small space in line.

Another sigh left her lips. She felt Natasha's hand slide to her shoulder and give her a reassuring squeeze. "Just keep it calm, Sabra. Ben will be there when you get home. You know how he feels about you."

Sabra nodded and a small smile touched her lips. She'd never told her friends what had happened the last time Ben was home. She wouldn't tell them now. They'd never understand and would probably consider her and her brother some kind of perverts. But she knew they weren't, she knew that Ben felt the same thing for her that she did for him. She could almost feel him now, his anxiety to see her, watch him pacing the floor in front of the living room window, watching for the first sign of her car.

She turned down Main Street, pulling into Deanna's father's shop where her friend worked after school every day. She waved at Deanna's reminder to "call her" and then turned around quickly in the lot.

"Sabra, I know you aren't going to pay any attention to me but please try a bit of cool so your parents' don't think they've got any incest going on in the house. She tugged on Sabra's hand, putting it up against her cheek. "You know I love you girl, and you know I know how you feel about Ben and that I understand. But you're still only eighteen. Okay?"

Sabra smiled at her best friend. "I'll call you tonight," she promised though she doubted she would have the time. If Ben treated her like he did the last time, they'd be hot and heavy in his bedroom. This time she wasn't going to stop him, this time she was going to beg him to stick it in her, to make her his. So what if what she felt was considered wrong, she loved Ben and he loved her.

Sabra pulled into Tash's driveway, leaning over to kiss her friend on the cheek. "Cool?" Natasha reminded her. "Keep it cool."

Sabra nodded and then made shooing motions with her hands. "I'll call you after we go to bed, okay?"

Natasha reached out and picked up the necklace that Sabra was wearing, the same necklace that she wore as well. Running her thumb over the circle of crescent moons given to both girls on the summer solstice, a holy day among their people, she could feel the spark of magic that had shocked both girls the first time she'd done it. "My loyalty to you," Tasha said, bending and placing her lips on the triple moon.

Sabra touched Natasha's cheek, bring her face up so that she could press her lips to hers. "Mine to you," she vowed. "Now get the hell out."

Tasha snorted and then reached for the car door, glancing back one last time before Sabra pulled away, heading down the block and one more street over to where her parent's house lay. A strange shiver trembled through her and she felt as if an evil shadow was covering her friend. A small shock vibrated against her lips and she looked up once more as she walked out to the end of the driveway.

Sabra was turning onto the street between their houses and driving swiftly out of sight. Just the glimpse of the red tail lights made Tasha feel nauseous. She reached out and grabbed the trash can, shaking her head slowly. Something wasn't right, she knew it. She could feel it deep in her center. A shudder shivered through her and she clasped her arm close to her body, trying to force warmth into her core.

A strange dark shadow covered the sun and Tasha turned quickly, wanting the warmth and sanctity of her house against whatever evil spirits were taking flight this day. She dropped the trash can by the back door and then opened the door into the cheerily painted kitchen. Her mom was standing at the sink, a potato in one hand, the peeler in the other.

She didn't move until Tasha reached out and touched her, turning and holding the peeler up as if it were a weapon.

"Oh, baby. Thank God it's you. There are strange vibes out there today. Did you feel it?"

"I felt something, Mom. It was like an evil shadow covered the sun, letting his minions loose to play and romp."

Tasha's Mom nodded. "That's it exactly. I want you to stay close to home tonight, baby. The wind is whispering strange things to those who will listen."

Natasha nodded. "After dinner, when Daddy's home, can we perform the ancient circle?"

Scarlette Biddleson nodded her head eagerly. "A protection circle is a good idea, Tash. Tell your father when he gets home so that he can get the candles out of the armoire." She leaned over and kissed her daughter then stared down at her hands as if she just remembered what she'd been doing. "Dinner will be done in about a half an hour."

* * * *

Sabra pulled to a stop outside the wide garage that stood at the end of their driveway. She could see Ben's car in the place he'd always parked since he got it on his 18th birthday. Grabbing her backpack, she ignored the daunting feeling of the air outside and hurried up to the back door.

Her backpack got tossed onto the stairs and she continued through the house until she heard Ben's voice speaking to their mother. She burst into the room, watching as his eyes, so wide and green, stared down at her in pleasure.

"Well, there's my bratty sister. Here I thought I wasn't important enough for you to come home and leave all your friends to see me." He wrapped his arms around her, tugging her close so that he could buzz a kiss across her forehead. "I missed you brat."

"Yeah, I can tell by all the long, long letters and emails you've sent me since you went back to school. I think you've left longer messages for the dog than you did me." She crossed her arms over her breasts pouting up at him.

Ben tickled her, making her snort that had all of them laughing. "She's just so ladylike, Mom. Are you sure she's my sister and not my brother?"

"She's your sister, honey. Now let her go so that she can set the table for dinner. You two can lock yourselves away later tonight and spin your secrets."

Sabra pushed away from him, reaching over to the cupboard that held their every day dishes. She grabbed the stack, letting the silverware rest on top and carried it through the swinging door into the dining room. The stoneware was heavy and she sat it down with a clatter before reaching in a drawer in the corner cabinet and pulling out placemats. Turning, she almost screeched, glaring at Ben as he held his finger up to his lips.

"Shh, baby sister." He set down the glasses he carried and took the mats from her. Dropping them to the table as well, he tugged on her arms, pulling her close so that he could wrap her in his embrace. "I missed you." His lips pressed against hers as he spoke and she couldn't find the presence in mind to push him away.

He tasted spicy, like cinnamon and nutmeg, his lips warm, parting hers to push his tongue between her lips. His groan seemed to fill her chest and her fingers dug through his hair, pulling on his soft brown curls.

He kissed her hungrily, barely able to release her when she heard their mother coming toward the dining room. When she opened the door, Sabra was smoothing down the placemats before Ben would put a plate on them and arrange the silver on a folded napkin.