by Layna Snow
Cay moved to the door, quickly slipping on his shoes before grabbing Mel’s coat. Even though he was in a hurry, he didn’t want her to get cold. She was his, and he had to take care of her. He would always take care of her.
He turned to see Mel putting on her sandals, a concerned look on her face. As much as he’d like to soothe her, he needed her worried. If there was danger, she had to be ready. “Someone broke into the clinic. Make sure you keep an eye out. I don’t want to take you there, Kitten, but I can’t leave you here alone either. Okay?”
Mel nodded and let him help her into her coat. She didn’t say anything, her silence speaking for her. She was nervous, and she could probably tell he was too. Fuck was he ever worried.
Caleb took Melody’s hand, pulling her tight to his side. “Stick close to me, ‘kay?” he asked, and watched her nod again.
He opened the door and moved into the night.
It was dark outside, the trees throwing off eerie shadows. The moon was all but swallowed up by the clouds, leaving very little light to see by. It was like those damn horror movies, where ghosts and ghouls crawled through the forest, attacking road weary travelers.
Apparently Mel felt the same way, for she pressed up against his side. The sooner they were at the clinic, the sooner they could relax. As much as someone can relax while saving a cat in a place that was recently broken into. Yeah, that was the fucking problem.
“Come on, let’s hit the road.” He said, pulling her along with him to the path. He’d have avoided it, taking the road to the clinic, but that would add a good five minutes, and he didn’t know if he could wait that long.
The forest wasn’t quiet, it was filled with sounds of nocturnal animals. The crickets were the loudest, chirping together like some kind of symphony. They almost drowned out the sound of the wind rustling through the trees, knocking the leaves together mimicking the sound of rain. Hell, he even heard an owl or two, calling out in warning or in greeting, he wasn’t sure.
And through it all he could hear the sounds of their footsteps, moving quickly along the dirt path that led to the Clinic.
If he hadn’t lived here for a few months, he was sure he’d have gotten lost. Shit, he couldn’t even see the ground to know where the path was, he was just running on instinct. And he could kick his own ass for forgetting the damn flashlight!
It only took a minute for them to make it into the thick of the woods, the trees towering around them, blocking even the moonlight. He could hardly see Mel beside him, only her warm hand in his assured him that she was still there. Well that and her quick breathing. He wasn’t sure if it was the brutal pace he set or the fact that she was scared. Because there was no doubt she was terrified. The grip of her hand proved it.
He had just started to relax a little, sure that they’d make it there without incident when Mel tripped, pulling away from him and releasing his hand. Fuck. He heard the little sound of surprise she made as she fell to the ground. Cay turned, catching sight of a darker shape on the ground and reached for her but never connected.
Instead he heard a thwack, the sound immediately followed by a sharp pain to his head. It felt like hell, and made him dizzy, dragging him away from the real world, like seeing everything through a haze. And when he managed to feel for the cut, he realized he was on the ground, dirt and rocks poking at his side, grass pressing against his face. What the fuck?
And beside him was a struggling mass of darkness that had to include Mel.
Fuck! The sight infused him with anger, adrenaline and panic. But he didn’t seem to have full use of his body. He couldn’t push to his feet, couldn’t seem to move fast enough to get to her. Fuck, Fuck, Double fuck! What the hell had happened? Had something hit him? Had someone hit him? He just couldn’t make his mind move quickly enough!
That, along with the realization that the person had to still be there, had to be wrestling with Melody, pushed him to move faster, to reach out to them, to insert his body into the fight. He pushed up, and struggled to see what was happening.
But he didn’t know who was who and worried that he’d end up hurting Mel. He felt helpless, stupid! He knew he needed to do something but the pain in his head wouldn’t let him think, he was sure he’d have a goose-egg. But hell! That didn’t matter to him. He didn’t care if he was fucking killed. He needed to save Mel!
It felt like hours as he sat there, but it could have only been seconds, everything moved in a sort of slow-motion, but it was still too fast for his brain to follow.
Just as he had that thought, he saw one of the shapes break off, moving along forest floor, pulling themselves away from the other combatant. That figure was small, thin and made little sounds of desperation, sounds that sounded distinctly feminine. “Cay!” she cried, and the sound of her fright ripped through his body, giving him the adrenaline he needed to do something.
And so Cay charged the other shape, not even recognizing the animalistic sound of rage that came from his chest. No one hurt Mel and got away with it. No one touched one fucking hair on her head and lived!
Caleb tackled the larger form, feeling the hard body go down beneath him. It struggled, throwing up a punch that took Cay by surprise, hitting him in the chin and snapping his head back. The motion made him see stars, a cliché that was had been sure was just a joke before. But now he knew the truth and damn the guy hit hard! Must be a strong motherfucker!
Cay punched back, but the guy had an advantage, he could see Cay’s silhouette against the night sky, something that obviously tipped him off because he shifted to the left, away from Caleb’s fist. Which caused Caleb’s hand to make impact with the ground, instead of the fucker’s face. And shit did that ever hurt. He could feel something pop, could hear the sound it made as it hit the hard packed dirt. He was sure it was broken, but at this time, he couldn’t care. Not when the person who had been targeting his Angel was right there.
Close enough to punish. Close enough to kill.
They were close to the same size, the man’s hard body was muscular, similar to Cay. Over all, they seemed evenly matched, he just needed to get a fucking advantage! But he wasn’t willing to be on the bottom to get it.
“Fucking bastard!” he cursed and reached his uninjured hand to the guy’s collar. But the man managed to use his pain and surprise against him, grabbing his right fist, the one that had already started to swell, and using it to pull Cay off him. Cay yelped, but couldn’t extract himself. He knew he had to do something. Mel was still there, standing back, her body almost vibrating with tension… well at least her shadow did! He couldn’t really see her.
“Mel! Go to the clinic, get Seth.” He managed to grit out, even as his opponent kneed him in the side. The man moved to get up, probably to go after Mel, but Cay kicked out, catching the man in the chest. Like hell he’d allow that bastard to hurt her!
The man fell back, and Cay was on him again, setting his knee into the man’s stomach, pushing him down, holding him down so that he could keep him there, he needed to hold him until Seth came. They’d think of something then. Hell, he wasn’t even sure that Mel had left to get Seth. But he had to trust her. Had to hope that she’d be fine, that there wasn’t someone else out there waiting to get her.
Hell, she’d be safer away from the fight. Cay hadn’t fought for a while, and he never fought with a foggy head like this. He wasn’t sure he could take this guy and if he lost, he didn’t want Mel around for the guy to go after next.
Cay put his elbow to the guy’s neck, hoping that would keep him on the ground.
But the man had no intention of staying put, instead he twisted, and smashed something into the side of Cay’s head. He couldn’t feel anything at first, everything seemed to be going slow, but then it rushed at him, the sounds of the forest, the pain radiating through his head, the wetness that traveled down the side of his face. It all felt sort of surreal, like it wasn’t happening to him.
He couldn’t make his brain work. The fuzziness that had been w
ith him throughout the fight just got stronger, like he had cotton in his brain. He couldn’t push through it, couldn’t make his body work well.
He knew he needed to push on the guy’s neck, to cut off his air, but his elbow slipped off when he tried to move it, and the momentum took his body to the ground.
Hell, he didn’t even know that for sure, just guessed it based on the feeling of falling, from the smell of dirt and moss assaulting his nose. From the rock that dug into his shoulder
And he was too dizzy to protest, not when the man pushed him farther. Not when a strange light swept through the woods. And not when a voice called out his name. Everything started to go black, sweeping through his vision and pulling him down into a dark void that held no pain.
He wanted to fight it, to crawl out of it and… do something! But what? What had he been doing? What had he been so worried about? All of it seemed to be gone, all the answers hiding.
He didn’t notice the man running, or the footsteps approaching quickly. He couldn’t even place the voice that swore beside him.
It all seemed like a dream, and not even a very great dream. Hell, it was a horrible fucking nightmare. Getting his ass handed to him by a shadow while Mel could be injured somewhere, trying to get to Seth.
Oh yeah! That’s what it was…
And that was his last thought before darkness took him.
26
Please God, make him be alright! Melody begged as she ran. She didn’t want to make any noise, didn’t want to call out, just in case the bad guy heard her and came after her. She also didn’t want to distract Cay. So she ran as fast and silently as possible towards the clinic.
Seth was there, he would help her. She was sure of it. She just hoped that Cay could make it until then.
When she got to the clinic, she went to the back door. It was closer. And she was sure that it would be left open, after all Seth was apparently waiting for them.
It was dark inside, the hallway was warm and the place was silent, reminding Melody that someone had been in here too. Just like they had gone into the house.
Was no place safe anymore? Were there bad guys everywhere, looking to hurt her?
Cay had told her that the news wasn’t real. He told her that bad things didn’t happen all the time. He told her that it wouldn’t happen in this town.
But it was happening. And Melody was terrified.
She could feel her heart beating. It sounded so loud in her head that she was sure that anyone in the building could hear it. It felt like it was trying to burst out of her chest and escape.
And her breathing was coming quickly. That could be because of the run, but she had felt this before that. It was like she couldn’t catch her breath, couldn’t breathe properly.
She also felt sweaty. Her palms were moist, a disgusting feeling that wasn’t helped no matter how many times she wiped them on her pants. She just couldn’t get them dry.
It didn’t seem to help that her mind was conjuring images of terrible things and people in the clinic. The person could have come back, could be looking for her. Or he could have help. Was there someone in here already, just waiting for her to show up? Was Seth really here? Or was he hurt too, somewhere that Mel didn’t know about?
Oh God, how could you let this be happening? I didn’t do anything wrong! Why are you punishing me? But He didn’t answer. Apparently He didn’t talk to people in this realm, you just had to assume that He could hear you and had your best interests at heart.
Or maybe Cay was right, and He had abandoned her to her fate. Maybe she had displeased Him so much that He left her vulnerable and open to attack.
Maybe the boys weren’t sent to her for adoration and protection. Maybe they were just good people she met. Did that mean that He didn’t approve of their relationship?
Oh, it didn’t matter right now. For all she knew one of the men she cared for was dying in the forest, and she was too scared to enter the dark building to find the other.
“Seth?” She called, hoping to get his attention, hoping that he would hear her and come to rescue her.
“Melly, is that you? Oh God, this place is freaky, huh? The power went out, which is why the kitty flatlined. Poor thing. Seth is helping with him now. Why don’t you come up here? There are candles and stuff.” Mel heard a voice call out, and knew that it was Brooklyn.
That should have made her feel better. There was someone here that could help her, but for some reason it didn’t. She didn’t want to see someone else. She wanted to see Seth. To know that he was alright. To know that he was there to protect her. To know that he would get help for Cay.
“I’m going to go find Seth.” She answered back, hearing the tremor in her voice. Why was it shaking?
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, baby-cakes. It’s dark here. Wouldn’t want you getting hurt or anything.”
But Mel wouldn’t listen. She didn’t want to listen. She had to hurry.
She took a deep breath and moved into the warm interior. She could smell the candles, see a small light at the end of the hall, and another coming from under a door along the hall. That had to be where Seth was.
The relief that she felt was enough to make her bones weak, she would have fallen to the floor, but knew that would be a mistake. She needed to see him, to talk to him. To get him to go and help Cay!
Melody didn’t bother to knock. It would have taken too long. She just pushed through the door to see Seth standing over the cat, his shoulders slumped and his head held down in defeat. She knew instantly that the cat had died, and she hoped that they would be able to keep the same from happening to Cay.
“Seth!” she said, her voice breathy and shaking, seemingly out of her control.
When he turned to see her, he looked surprised. She could see very little in the candle light, but she could see his face. “Mel, where’s Cay? Why are you here alone?”
And just like that she felt the hurt in her chest expand. Cay was hurt, fighting, for her. He might not last too long but she couldn’t seem to get the words out. She felt her eyes get wet. She was leaking again, and she couldn’t help it.
“Some.. someone… attacked us—me. I got…away. But Cay’s still….fighting.”
The look on his face was pure shock, but he didn’t stand still for long. He threw off his jacket, and a lantern and ran towards her. He moved her out of the doorway, back into the hall before taking her hand and running. “Keep up. I can’t leave you here.” He cautioned. But his long legs took him farther and faster than she could run, and she felt like she was slowing him down.
It seemed to take forever to reach the door, and even longer to reach the path. And all the while Seth gripped her hand, pulling her along behind him.
The lantern cast light around, and it moved up and down, swinging sideways as well, while they ran. It was a little disorienting, but it made her feel a little safer. At least she was with Seth.
Mel’s hand hurt where he gripped it, and she tripped over her feet quite a few times. Her breath sawed in and out of her chest, her breathing hard and panting. And still, she couldn’t keep up with him. She couldn’t run as fast. He didn’t try to change his pace to hers, as he normally did. No, Seth wasn’t focused on her. And that was alright.
Please let us make it in time. She begged, pushing on with every bit of energy she had left. She needed to see Cay alive. She needed to help him, to hold him. She had to do something!
She felt so helpless! Why couldn’t she have been a Warrior Angel? Surely Aamaya would have been able to deal with the threat. She would have stopped the Human very quickly, and then Cay would never have been hurt. Mel had tried the moves that Aamaya had taught her. She tried to fight back, she even got away, but she didn’t do enough.
She remembered Caleb’s yell and the man did something to Cay’s hand. She remembered his small cries of pain. And the sound kept echoing in her head, over and over, haunting her. She couldn’t stop it, couldn’t control it and it just fuelled her
imagination.
He could be dead for all she knew, and then she would never be able to hold him again, or laugh with him. She would never be able to feel his strength, his affection. She would never have sex with him again. And she would never get to tell him that her heart beat for him.
No, he couldn’t be taken from her forever.
It seemed like hours before they made it into the forest, hours before they saw a shadowy form crumpled on the ground. Seth swung the lantern in that direction so they could see who it was.
“Caleb!” Seth called, dropping her hand to race to his best friend.
Mel followed him, intent on being near Cay, of making sure he was alive still.
“Thank God, he has a pulse!” Seth breathed before running his hands along Caleb’s body, checking for other injuries, Mel assumed.
She crouched next to him, ignoring her own breathing, ignoring everything except the fact that Cay was alright.
She too reached out, having to feel for herself. She could only see a little bit of him, the lantern not casting enough light to move past his legs. As she touched his face, she could feel warm liquid, a sort of sticky viscous substance. It covered most of his face and hair.
Mel sucked in a breath when she realized what it was. Blood.
“Oh, Seth. His head is bleeding! That’s not good is it? Is he not okay? What do we do?” She asked, a thousand questions running through her mind.
Who did this? Will the bleeding stop? Will his head heal? Why wasn’t he healing? Why wasn’t he awake? Why didn’t he answer when I called his name?
“Cay, Caleb? Cay? Cay?” Could he hear her? Could he understand? Why didn’t he do something? Why didn’t he move?
“Is he dying?” Mel asked, looking up to find Seth with something to his ear.
“He’s just unconscious, Melody. Give me a second.” He said, then turned away, “Hi, I’m Seth de Cruce and my roommate was attacked in the forest behind the animal clinic in Cold Wood. He’s unconscious. He has a head wound and a broken hand. I don’t know what other injuries he has. No. I don’t know where the attacker went. The power is off at the clinic so I can’t bring him there to look at. Yes, immediate medical care is needed. He’s bleeding a lot. Even with a flashlight it’s too dark to tell.”