by Jenika Snow
It wasn’t until she found a kind of solace in science, a peace and harmony, that she knew it didn’t matter where she had come from. It only mattered where she went from this point on. She was happy with who she was, with where she was in life, and she wasn’t letting the “what if”s consume her.
She rolled onto her side and breathed out, trying to think about the trip instead of her life. She hated these quiet moments at times, even when she wasn’t really alone. There were team members surrounding her, and she could even hear a few hushed murmurs. But she was in this tent, isolated, and all she thought about was all the stuff she shouldn’t.
Closing her eyes, it was only a few moments before she finally felt the heaviness of sleep take her.
****
She stood in the center of a massive cavern, the only light coming from right above her. She couldn’t see anything more than a foot in front of her, but even with all of that Ruby felt no fear. She also knew she was dreaming, and this wild anticipation filled her.
Turning in a circle, she tried to see anything aside from the darkness in front of her, but there was nothing. The feeling of being watched was strong, and the hairs on her arms stood on end. It was then she realized she was stark naked. But there was no embarrassment over that, and she didn’t feel the need to shield herself.
Ruby felt free.
“You’ve come to us,” a deep voice said from within the darkness. She turned, trying to see, but knowing she wouldn’t be able to.
“You’ve finally come,” another male said.
“We knew you would,” the third masculine voice said.
Her heart started beating fast, hard. She knew their voices, had them memorized because she’d been hearing them for years in her dreams. Like an instant reaction she became wet, aroused. Her nipples hardened, and her body tingled. She was ready for these men.
And then they stepped forward and she felt her heart jump to her throat when the three of them came closer so the light touched them.
No, they weren’t men, but monsters.
****
They’d been up and packed early and now were heading toward the other tunnel. She didn’t know if they’d have time to search all the tunnels before they had to end the expedition
Ruby couldn’t shake her most recent dream. The men … the beasts that they’d shown her, and the intense arousal she’d felt. But it wasn’t just about her desire, but also about the emotions coursing through her. She’d felt wild, untamed. She’d felt free. But Ruby knew her dreams were just that: dreams, not real, and all in her head.
But that particular dream, one so unlike any other before, had a nightmarish feel to it. Although she hadn’t been afraid—shocked, yes—the dream still clung to her like a layer of perspiration, making her feel hot and sticky, almost suffocating.
“Just a little more and we should reach the end of the tunnel,” Clint said.
The team was in a single file, the tunnel narrow and confining, just like the other ones they’d been through.
They’d been walking for the last half hour, and it seemed this tunnel was shorter than the last, but that didn’t mean the cavern would be smaller.
“I can see something up ahead,” Clint said, but then there was a shout from behind the line and they all stopped.
“What?” she shouted back, but there was a rustling, before another shout.
“There’s something in the tunnel.”
“What?” she yelled out, panic setting in. “What do you mean?”
“Just keep going.”
“Clint, move it,” she said and pushed him forward. They were moving faster now, her heart racing at what one of the team members had said.
Something’s in the tunnel?
When they finally went into the cavern Clint fell forward, and Ruby fell in after him. She landed on her hands and knees. The rest of the team came falling into the tunnel, as well, their fear saturating the air. She stood, faced the cavern opening, and waited to see if anything would come out.
But the weird part of it all, the fact she couldn’t understand, was that she felt no fear. What she did feel was anticipation, the blood rushing through her veins, and the power surging through her. It was this weird sensation, one she’d never felt, but then again she’d never been in a situation like this before.
“Get a light,” she shouted out, and a moment later light from one of the massive lamps filled the room. She looked around, not seeing anything but a lot of scared-as-shit team members. “What in the hell was it?” she asked, feeling her muscles tighten. Her heart beat faster, and she felt this tingling all over.
“Something was in the tunnel behind me, and it was huge,” one of the guys said, and Ruby looked at him. He looked scared, his eyes wide and his hands shaking.
“I didn’t sign up for this,” another man said.
“Me either.”
“This is too fucking crazy.”
Everyone started voicing their opinion on the matter, and she knew she needed to get this under control before things went from bad to fucking insane.
“Let’s just calm down,” she said, holding her hands up, hoping to calm everyone. “Marshall, are you sure you felt something? Are you sure it couldn’t have been something else?”
Marshall shook his head. “It was big, like bigger than me, Ruby.” His voice was shaking. “It had fur, and I swear to fuck I felt a claw lightly run down my leg.” He looked at his leg then, as if he just remembered. He twisted around so she could see the small tear in his pant leg. Ruby didn’t mention it could have happened on a shard of ice, or even a piece of the rock wall.
“No, I can’t do this,” Marshall said. “I can’t stay here another minute.”
“Marshall, please calm down. Everything will be okay.” She tried to calm things down. “Clint, explain to them that everything will be okay.”
Clint didn’t speak for long moments, but then he removed his glasses and cleaned them off. “Anyone who wants to leave can. You aren’t being forced to stay here. You can make camp outside of the mountain, and wait for us to finish our exploration.”
She stared in shock at Clint. “This isn’t about that right now.”
“It is what it is, Ruby.” Clint put his glasses on.
“How are you not concerned about what Marshall is saying?”
Clint shrugged. “We don’t know anything right now. Marshall probably brushed up against the rock wall.”
“Clint, I think I know the difference between a creature and a fucking wall,” Marshall said, his voice raised, his fear clear.
“Everyone just calm down,” she said again. Ruby looked around the cavern and saw there were two separate entrances other than the one they just came in through. But just as she was about to say something, trying to calm Marshall and the rest of the team that was on edge, a low growl echoed off the icy cavern walls. Everyone froze. Ruby didn’t breathe, and she swore her heart was going to jump through her chest.
“What the fuck was that?” one of the guys said, but no one responded right away.
They all stood there, turning around in circles, looking in the cavern, and maybe expecting whatever had made that sound to come bursting through the walls.
“What in the hell kind of creature makes that noise?” another team member asked.
“How in the hell can anything survive in this mountain, in this fucking area?” another asked.
“Shh,” Clint said, his annoyance clear. “You all knew what you were getting into.”
Ruby looked at everyone, seeing their disbelief after Clint spoke.
“No, we agreed to come out and gather samples,” Marshall said, adjusting his pack. “We didn’t agree to come up against whatever in the fuck is making that noise.”
“Who knows what it is, or how much it’s evolved living here,” another one replied.
“We agreed to excavate, get samples,” another said.
“No way in hell am I staying here with something that sounds like that
,” Marshall said and turned to look at the rest of the team. “I don’t know about any of you, but I sure as hell didn’t sign up to face off with the unexplained.”
“Seriously?” Clint said. “You are on this team because that’s exactly what you signed up for. What do you think an expedition is?” The room stayed silent, but a few of the team members shifted on their feet. “We are here to uncover the unexplained. If you’re that adamant on leaving, no one is stopping you.”
Marshall shook his head. “No, I didn’t sign up for that, Clint. I’m not risking my life, or worse, getting trapped in this mountain, just so your ego can be stroked if we find something.”
“Something found us instead,” Richard said after Marshall spoke.
Marshall faced Ruby again. “I’m sorry, Ruby, but I can’t go on with the expedition. I’ll wait out of the mountain for you, though.”
She nodded. “You’re free to do what you want.” She wanted to explain that things would be okay, but how could she say that when she didn’t even know if that’s how it would work out?
“If anyone wants to join me, now is the time. Who knows what other fucked up shit is in this mountain.” And then Marshall was heading out the tunnel they’d just came from, his posture stiff and the clear caution written on his face.
“I’m sorry,” one of the team members said.
She was shocked when all them of them left, but then again she didn’t feel fear, so she couldn’t let that emotion override her.
And then it was just she and Clint, and she turned to look at the other man. “Maybe we should just call it quits, Clint. Marshall has a point—”
“We came all the way out here to find something new, and we did,” he said adamantly. “I’m not leaving, but if you want to let fear take you then fucking leave.” He turned and looked around, shining the light where the team had left. “I’m going to find out what’s living down here, and I’m going to have my name attached to it.” He looked over his shoulder at her. “I’ve been working toward this my entire life, and I’m not going to let anyone or anything stop me, not even you, Ruby,” he said the last part with annoyance lacing his voice.
She snapped her head back, shocked at the anger he directed toward her. “Clint, what in the hell?” Even if she had hoped she could have tried to calm down the team, she couldn’t blame them for wanting to leave. But Clint was agitated, and this whole expedition had showed her another man, one she didn’t really care for.
Clint started making his way toward one of the other two tunnels branching out of the cave, and she took a step, her heart beating hard. “What are you doing?”
Clint stopped and turned around. “I’m not just going to stay here and wait to make history.”
“Clint, if we are going to stay we need to get a hold of the main office, tell them what’s going on.”
He shook his head and looked at the tunnels again. “The rest of the team members will let them know as soon as they’re out of the mountain.”
“No, we need to get a hold of them, Clint. We’re the leaders of this expedition.”
Clint was already walking away from her and toward the tunnel. “Then go, Ruby. Make the call. I’ll be seeing what’s going on here.” He entered the cave, and the light was extinguished, the only illumination coming from the headlamp she wore.
“Clint!” She shouted it, but he ignored her and kept making his way into the tunnel. Soon she couldn’t see him or his light.
“Shit,” she said softly, turned around, but the light on her head only illuminated a few feet in front of her. And then she felt this light breeze on the back of her neck. She spun around, but there was nothing there. The touch of something moving on her arm had her spinning in the opposite direction, but again there was nothing.
There was no fear in her, but when she inhaled deeply something rose in her body, something fierce and strong. It was something she’d never felt before. Her heart raced, her palms became sweaty, and her breasts felt heavy.
God, what’s happening?
She could have tried rationalizing what was happening, that it was her mind “playing tricks on her”. Or she could even say it could have been chemicals in the air, or pressure in the cavern. She could have thought of a dozen different scenarios that would make her feel like this, but she knew none of them were correct. How she knew she didn’t know, but she felt that certainty fill every space in her body.
She followed Clint, but just as she entered the tunnel, her light muted in the inky blackness of the small confines, she tripped, her leg twisting, and she fell down hard. Her head cracked forward on the hard, icy ground, and her legs screamed out in pain. The darkness that surrounded her had nothing to do with the coffin-like surroundings, and had everything to do with the blow to her head.
Chapter Six
Ruby didn’t know what woke her, but she found reality rushing back to her swiftly. Slowly opening her eyes, she was first greeted with a rock ceiling, ice crystals bouncing off the light, and casting prisms on the cavernous walls.
Memories slammed into her, and she lifted slightly up and looked down at her leg. She’d fallen, had hurt herself badly. The pain had been serious, enough to have tears filling her eyes. But then she’d passed out.
Where am I?
She braced herself on her hands as she lifted her upper body off the ground. She was lying on something soft, and looked down to see it was thick blankets. A glance around the cavern she was in showed her someone clearly lived here. Her head pounded slightly from the movement, but that discomfort faded pretty quickly until it was just a dull ache.
How bizarre.
How could anyone live in this mountain, in these conditions?
Aside from the pallet bed she was on, there were other “modern” things set up in the massive space. Propane tanks were next to a small stove that would be used for camping. Coolers were beside that, as well as two other pallet type beds. A basin big enough for a person to sit in was across from them. There was also a rack that held meat and fish.
Where the hell am I?
She tried to move, but the pain in her leg finally became known again, as if it didn’t want her to forget it was all screwed up. Gasping and reaching out to place her hand on the bandage that was wrapped around her leg, she gritted her teeth and looked at it. Someone had cut her pants and thermal gear, and although she realized she wasn’t wearing a coat, she didn’t feel the chill in the air.
And then she heard the sound of someone approaching—no, not someone, but more than one person approaching. She snapped her head toward the only tunnel in this cavern, her heart seeming to still in her chest, her throat feeling like it was closing, and her mouth dry.
Should she try to hide? She pushed that thought away as she knew she wouldn’t even be able to stand on her leg, let alone make a run for it. Ruby did look around for something to use as a weapon, but anything she could have used was on the other side of the cave, and she wouldn’t have time to grab it, even if she could have moved before whoever came got to where she was.
So it seemed all Ruby could do was sit there with her heart in her throat.
And then she saw them, three men, huge, partially naked aside from the leather pants they wore. Recognition slammed into her. She knew them … from her dreams.
They were the three men that had filled her dreams for the last several years.
How is this possible?
They had no shoes on, but it was clear the cold wasn’t bothering them. Once the three were out of the tunnel they stopped and stared at her. Their hair was on the messy side, with the longer strands reaching to their ears. But it was their bodies, their massive muscles, the fact they had ridges and hills, valleys and dips that had something in her rising up swiftly.
“You’re up,” one of them said and took a step back.
She rose, not caring that her leg ached. It wasn’t as bad as when it first happened, but it was still uncomfortable, tight even.
“Your leg should be
healed within a few hours,” the second man said, but didn’t move.
She looked down at her leg, not sure how he could know that. Even a sprain would take a few days to heal.
“Surely you’re not surprised by that news?” the third one finally said, his voice deep and scratchy, just like the other two.
“Where am I, and what do you want?” She kept her voice calm, steady, and strangely enough it was fairly easy. Although she was in this situation, not sure what these men planned on doing to her—with her—Ruby didn’t feel the kind of numbing fear she assumed she would have.
They all moved away from the cavern entrance and went over to where pallets were set up. But they didn’t sit down, and instead just stood there and watched her.
“Where am I?” she asked again.
“We brought you back to where we live, to be with us,” one of the men said.
She shook her head, although she didn’t know what she was saying no to.
“You’re here because you were meant to be here,” said the first one that had stepped forward. They were all similar in appearance, resembling each other with their dark hair and light blue eyes. They had to be related. “You’re here because you’re our mate and we’ve been waiting for you.”
She knitted her brows, not understanding any of this. “What? Mates? I am here because I was meant to be?” This made no sense. She thought about Clint, about where he’d gone off. Surely he’d heard her fall? Had he just left her there? Had he come to help her but these three, clearly unstable, men had done something to him?