Diana Racine 02 - Goddess of the Moon

Silas is fascinated by her. Why?”
    “ S he’s here, along with her cop boyfriend?”
    Maia ’s stomach lurched as if an earthquake had taken residence. A flash of heat zapped her. “What? How … how do you know?”
    “A visitor. She was all excited and said they’re going to keep her here. She called her Diana, Goddess of the Moon. Your father invited her to y our house in New Orleans on the crescent moon, and she was the offering. She and the cop were probably drugged to get them here. All the elders attended except the Easleys . I don’t know why.”
    Maia felt ill. The group was increasing their criminal activities. Did they actually think they could get away with kidnapping someone as famous as Diana Racine? “What about Dione? Was she there? ”
    “I ’m not sure.”
    “I can’t believe this . I heard whispers but not enough to piece it together .”
    “They want Diana Racine’s eggs in hopes her psychic abilities will pass to one or more of her children. My visitor thought bringing her here was the best thing ever. Can you imagine?”
    “ T hey kidnapped the lieutenant too? Unbelievable. ”
    “I don’t know what they plan for him. T hey can’t let him go. He knows too much , a nd he’s a cop.”
    Maia shivered in fear. “You’re right. This changes everything. We must do something and fast.”
    “I thought Seth might have told you.”
    “Ha . Seth doesn’t want anything to spoil his sex. That’s all he cares about.”
    “He cares about you, Maia. I know he does.”
    Maia turned away with a shrug, biting her bottom lip. Caring for her didn’t stop him from doing his job . “Maybe.”
    Anat gripped Maia ’s arm. “If this is none of my business, say so, but are you protected?”
    “I have three children I hardly know. I’m not proud of allowing them to grow up in the hands of others. It won’t happen again. If I ever leave here, they ’ll get the best medical and psychological care available, and I’ll be with them every step of the way.”
    “ Good girl. Okay then, let’s get started.” Anat went inside. She uncovered the diaper pail next to Chloe’s crib and lifted out the bag with the used diapers . Digging down under a clean second bag she plucked a small zipper-locked plastic bag contain ing about a dozen pills and beckoned Maia back to the balcony . “You’d better take these now in case the plan goes ba d and something happens to me.”
    Maia didn’t like the tone of Anat’s statement , but she took the bag . “What are these ? Will they― ”
    “ They’ll just make him sleep. Don’t worry.”
    “Why did you hide them?”
    “T hey don’t trust me , which accounts for the occasional room check. I don’t know what they expect to find, but they don’t find it . Part of t he teenagers’ duties is to clean the room s . One of them comes in with a master key every afternoon to take out the trash and remove the dirty diaper bag. She never check s under the clean bag. ”
    “Where did you get the pills?”
    “I got them one at a time and squirreled them away for when I’d need them.”
    Obviously, Anat chose to hold things back, like who’d been helping her. Not even Anat trusted her. Maia understood her caution . She wasn’t sure who to trust either. Maia swallowed and straightened her back. “I’m ready. Let’s do it.”
    * * * * *
    M aia’s heart beat like a jackhammer. She played games , read , and watched videos with the children all afternoon . Even Phillip loosened up a bit , chatting and laughing . Th ey ate dinner together, served in her room. She admire d Anat more with each passing hour. This was her life, and she ’d used the time to fill herself with knowledge, to learn and create and bond with her child.
    Maia doubted she ’ d survive years as a captive , but she’d been raised in the public eye , not in the compound . Silas and Selene indoctrinated her and Dione into their religion ―or better yet, their cult , for that’s what it was. A cult that rejected God and worshipped the high priest of love and pleasure and fertility in His place , a nd damn any one to Hell that g ot in the way.
    When her half-siblings came along ―Brigid, Nona, and t hree boys Maia knew only by name ― they were shuttled off to the compound one by one, groomed to supply their precious genetic material to expand the population. Compton - Cra ne material.
    Though she ’d turned her children over to others, Selene visited frequently, returning to extol