Chosen Prey by Cheyenne McCray Read Free Book Online Page A

Light. His muscles relaxed and his mind drifted to where Jericho would grant a vision to him, as he always had.
    The First Prophet Jericho had been Neal's father's father. As Jericho had been fond of explaining, he had brought The People together when free love reigned and minds opened, allowing all who joined the commune to recognize the will of the Light. Jericho had taken multiple wives and fathered nearly thirty children, but his eldest son, Abraham, had been unworthy of succeeding his father. Jericho himself had taught Neal the way of the Light instead of teaching Abraham.
    Jericho had passed on to the Light itself but still guided Neal through meditations and had instructed him on what his next step should be. Neal's father, Abraham, died not long after, during his own meditations.
    Neal smiled. The strength of strychnine he'd laced the pot and the LSD with had been more than enough to rid The People of his incapable father.
    The responsibilities of guiding The People had fallen to Neal. He above anyone should rightly be Prophet over all within his control and those who soon would be.
    Colors began flashing in his mind as the present came into view and the room swirled around him. He had reached his meditative state.
    It took only moments before he saw a younger version of Lyra—the first time he had laid eyes upon her. He'd been recruiting new sheep for his fold and had met Lyra and her mother, Sara, at a Portland arts festival during one of his many magnificent sermons in an amphitheater. He had spoken with Sara afterward, but it was the beautiful Lyra who had captured his attention.
    The almost-fifteen-year-old girl's brilliant green gaze had held a spark that attracted him at once. That very night he had used the tools of the Prophets and foreseen Lyra as his new First Wife after she turned eighteen.
    He hadn't understood Jericho's orders that Neal wait until she reached that age, but he never questioned the will of the High Prophet.
    More important, Jericho told Neal that Lyra would bear the new Messiah who would reach out to more people to gather them to the Temple of Light. The Messiah would help Neal save the world from its demons. When the new Messiah was of age, he would heal The People and spread the realm of the Light around the world.
    It had been necessary to bring the girl to the Light. Immediately.
    Of course it had taken some manipulation, but Neal had brought her and her mother into the fold.
    For three years Lyra had lived in the commune, knowing one day she would serve the Light and The People as Neal's new First Wife. He'd had his other wives train Lyra in her responsibilities, instruct her in what would be expected of her as wife and servant to the Prophet. Neal had taken a firm hand in her training as well.
    But she had vanished when she turned eighteen, mere days before he would have joined with her. "Escape" wasn't the right word for Lyra's disappearance. No one escaped the Light. The Light was always with them and protected the compound from potential intruders and protected The People from themselves.
    But Lyra… Neal's body tensed as he remembered the day Lyra had… vanished. He'd been servicing one of his wives that evening and had followed with deep meditations when she left him to return to her tent. Hours later he went to Lyra's room to watch her sleep, perhaps to wake her and continue her education.
    But she hadn't been in her bed.
    At first he'd thought perhaps she had wandered to another part of the Temple, even though it was late. Yet within him he knew something was very wrong.
    Within minutes he'd assembled a massive team of all the men in the commune. They'd searched every tent, every building, every square inch of the compound. It wasn't until Jeffrey returned with the dope that Neal determined where she'd gone. One of his tapestries from the Prayer Room was in the back of the truck with the drugs. And Lyra was gone.
    Jeffrey had paid dearly.
    More colors and light flashed