by Moxie North
“They’ll know if I leave,” she whispered to the shadow on the mirror.
“You’re a clever girl, you’ll think of something. You give them too much credit, you know. They aren’t much better than pets.”
Poppy wasn’t about to argue with him. “Fine, fine!” She heard a horrible chuckle come from the shape. He was having fun. Torturing her was bringing him pleasure. There could be no trust with a demon like that.
The shadow man disappeared and Poppy took her first full breath. She couldn’t think of him with the name that Zane had given him. He’d always be the stuff of her nightmares.
Setting down on the toilet lid she tried to calm her shaking. Her body was one giant tremor as she covered her face with her hands. The tub was still filling and she hadn’t turned off the water yet. Putting her clothes back on, she thought for a moment about calling Zane.
But it was too much of a risk. She loved him, she knew it was true. But her mother had loved her for all of her life and she couldn’t be the reason she would be hurt or killed. It seemed that life wasn’t going to be fair to Poppy Woodall. Just because you had found your soulmate didn’t mean you’d get to keep them.
Reaching for her necklace, she slipped it over her head and hung it on the knob of the medicine cabinet where that evil face had just been. Hopefully, Zane would find it and realize that she did it for her mother and that she knew what she was sacrificing.
Opening the window above the toilet, she did her best to do it slowly and quietly. Once it was open as far as she could get it, she turned off the water and reached for the small radio and turned it on. Soft music poured out and added another layer of noise that she hoped would cover her departure. Standing on the toilet, she hefted her leg up over the edge of the window and positioned herself so she could flip on her stomach with her legs dangling out the window. She felt with her left foot for the vine that was creeping up the lattice that was on that side of the house. The last time she’d snuck out this way she’d been fourteen and had fallen and broken her wrist. She didn’t have time for such things right now.
Finding her toehold, she slid down and held her breath to see if it was going to hold her. It did as she made her way down, trying to be as quiet as possible. Poppy knew there was a car parked out front that had an SPD officer in it and Zane had said there would be two staying overnight. She just had to hope that the other officer wasn’t in the back of the house.
The shadow man had mentioned a house that was three blocks over if she used the streets. But she knew that she could cut through the backyards and get there without walking through the bright street lights.
Sneaking through the bushes to go to Paulette Crosby’s party while her parents were out of town was a much more exciting reason to be traipsing through people’s yards. Going knowing good and well that you might not be coming back, felt like more of a death march than Poppy liked to admit.
Chapter Twenty-One
Listening as she walked, she didn’t hear anyone chasing her or calling out her name. She almost wanted someone to stop her, keep her from making the sacrifice. It was a cowardly thought, but it was one of self-preservation.
As she neared the house, it couldn’t have had more of a haunted house feeling. The home had gone into foreclosure and nobody had bothered to show up the few times it went up for auction. There was something about it that people just didn’t like.
Now she wondered just how long the shadow man had been using it as a home base. Zane had said this non-corporeal form he was using was hard to track. That meant the chances of anyone rescuing her before her mother or she met an untimely end were slim.
Poppy came up to the house from the back. She approached the small porch that looked like it might have led to a mudroom or kitchen. She was about to try the knob when she saw a flicker out of the corner of her eye. It was the flicker that had been following her for as long as she could remember.
There was a small stairwell to her left. Four or five steps led down to a cellar door. This wasn’t uncommon in these homes, her own home had one. They used it for storage and not much else. She didn’t like the spiders, or the potential for other creatures with fewer legs. There was no light coming from the basement, but that of course just meant that it was exactly where she was supposed to go.
Looking around and seeing that there still wasn’t anyone coming for her, she took the few steps down towards the old door with the cracked window panes.
“Don’t go into the basement, stupid,” she whispered to herself. It was what she always told the dumb heroine in horror movies. When something looks shady, it’s probably because it is. But those heroines had no real reason to risk their lives. They were just curious. Poppy had to know that her mother was safe. Know that she could do something for her safety. Shelly Woodall would kill for her daughter. The least Poppy could do was die for her.
Poppy wasn’t stupid, she knew that there was no good ending to this scenario. Her mother could already be dead. She could be dead very soon. And poor Zane, he was the one that would suffer the most. Her mother would mourn the loss of her daughter and live with the memories of her. Zane wouldn’t ever get another chance at love. It almost made her turn around. She had no good choice. Her mother’s life or Zane’s broken heart. Somebody was going to lose.
Turning the handle, the door swung open quietly. She’d expected a dramatic creak and was almost disappointed when it opened smoothly. Stepping into the room, she found it had a dirt floor and there was some discarded furniture and boxes in one corner. They looked to be about the same age of the house, and they had been down there a good long while.
To her right was a cinder block wall that divided the basement in half. She walked through the opening and found a room that was completely empty yet many degrees warmer than the first room.
“Hello?” she said quietly, feeling like a fool.
“Mom? Are you here?”
There was no answer as she walked the perimeter of the room. Maybe she should have gone to the main part of the house instead of picking the creepiest location to check first.
No, the room was wrong. It felt wrong. Her skin was crawling and her instincts were telling her to run far and fast. Only horror awaited her and this room was ripe for it.
Turning back towards the opening she spied the large reinforced metal door that stood open against the wall. That was bad.
“Promised.” That dark voice she’d heard in her bathroom whispered to her. Spinning around, Poppy focused on the darkest corner of the room. A small window near the top of the ceiling was casting the smallest amount of light into the room creating a dark corner.
From that corner appeared the shape she had seen outside of the shed. He was there. Her nightmare come to life and worse now that he had a name.
“Khain,” she choked out.
“So, the animal told you my name. Good. I want you to know who I am.” The shadow was pacing in an eerily human manner. Its arms clasped behind its back. His face turned towards her, his glowing eyes never wavering.
“You know I think that the shiften are getting a bit lazy. They still think that I’m trying to mate with your kind. That takes much more effort than just killing you. No mates, no babies, no shiften. It’s really not that complicated. Yes, they have gotten so good at finding me it makes it tougher to accomplish my tasks. Very rude of them, don’t you think?”
“I think that you’re just a jackass that likes to scare people. Didn’t you already lose once? What makes you think you won’t again? And where is my mother? Is she even here?”
“You’d think I’d be lying, but I always follow through with what I say. I’m not without honor in battle. Your mother is outside being watched by one of my foxen. Not the most trustworthy creatures, but they are afraid of me and do my bidding. Your mother will go free once you’re dead. I like knowing that she will live with nothing but your memory.”
Rage filled Poppy. “You’re an asshole!” she screamed. It wasn’t the most wel
l thought out response but it was an honest one.
Khain laughed at her mockingly. “I am, thank you. I can’t stay too long. Those felen are getting better and better at tracking me. Very annoying. So, I’ll be off and you’ll be dead. Too bad that mongrel in your belly will never have a chance to see the light of day.”
His shape faded back into the shadows and Poppy didn’t even bother watching him go. She knew the minute he was gone as the room grew colder. Her hand flew to her stomach. It couldn’t be possible. They’d only been together twice! And how could that disgusting demon even know?
Spinning towards the door she took off at a run and skidded to a stop when the heavy metal door swung closed with an ominous clang. A sick cackle echoed through the room.
Knowing it was futile still didn’t stop her from trying to pry the door open. She kicked and screamed at it and had the immediate knowledge that if she couldn’t get the door to her tiny shed open during the fire, there was no way she was going to make the heavy door budge.
Turning to the small window, she noticed that not only was it completely out of reach, it was also too small. She’d have to shave off fifty pounds to even squeeze through it.
“Poppy!” She heard her name screamed and knew it was her mother. It came from outside, and that gave her a moment of relief. She was looking towards the ground in the backyard through the window when she saw her mother skidding to a stop her hands reaching for the sealed window.
“Mom! You’re okay?”
“Yes, oh honey, I’m sorry. A man told me you needed me and I stupidly went with him. Is there a door in there?”
“Yes, but it’s locked, Mom. I need you to run back to the house. Get the dogs!”
“I’m sorry, the dogs?”
“Yes, you’ll find two big dogs on the couch in front of the TV. Just tell them I need them.”
“You want me to get a dog for you? Wouldn’t a key or crowbar be better?”
“Mom, just trust me, and hurry!”
Her mother hesitated and then disappeared from view. She pulled open her phone and dialed Zane. It rang then hung up. She dialed it again with the same result.
“Bloody reception!” she cried, trying to get a better signal by the window. No matter how many times she called it wouldn’t go through.
Turning around, she let herself slide down the wall to the dirt floor. Spiders were the least of her worries at that point. What was the worst that could happen? She had to wait to be rescued.
“You can’t be that stupid, Poppy,” she muttered. That’s when she heard it. Crack. Pop. Snap. The unmistakable sound of fire. It made her start to sweat and hyperventilate. She’d been here before. Been trapped with a fire coming towards her. This time there would be no great beast breaking down the wood door. Glancing over to the cinderblock and metal, she realized it would take a jackhammer to get through it.
Poppy could smell the smoke. The sound of wood splintering and falling was distinct. She was sure this time her shadow man wasn’t going to simply set one fire. No, he would do a better job this time. Ensuring she wouldn’t be left with a little smoke inhalation.
Knowing that she owed Zane an explanation, she pulled out her phone and started writing out a text. Then another and another. Each time she hit send and started a new one. Maybe they would find her phone and be able to retrieve the messages for Zane. The house above her would burn and then eventually if she didn’t die of the smoke or flame, what was left of it would topple down on her crushing her.
She told Zane that she loved him. That she should have said it the moment they met because it was how she felt. She told him that he’d made her happier in a few days than she’d felt all her life. She told him that she was proud of him and the work he did. That it was important and he should never think of giving it up. People needed him. Poppy asked him to look in on her mother if he didn’t mind. She’d need someone to do the little things that Poppy had always helped her with. Poppy added that her mother liked dogs so if he could see if Trent and Troy could visit, her mother would enjoy their company.
Rattling on, she kept typing hoping to keep herself from noticing the smoke that was pouring through the floorboards. A loud crash above her head made her jump. Signing off again with her words of love, she took another chance and hit record on her camera. Smiling sadly into the camera, she sniffed and realized she was already crying.
“I’m sorry, Zane. I’m sorry for doing this to you. Please know that I love you. So very much. I wanted to have babies with you. I wanted to grow old with you. I wanted to hold you until we both breathed our last breath. But I was stupid. I was stupid because I needed my mom. I needed her to be okay. I know I should have waited and told you what happened. But love makes us do stupid things. I’ll never forgive myself for you wasting your one chance at a mate with me. I wish I could say we never should have met But I’d be lying. I’m glad we met. I’m glad you came to Serenity. I love you. Try to find your happiness.” Pressing the send button, she stood to place the phone inside the alcove of the little window. It might survive up there.
Settling back down, she heard the sound of howling. That would be the boys. They would come and try to get through that door. They couldn’t but she knew their spirit and they would try. Even the police that were supposed to be watching her. She could hear them hitting the door now, there was yelling, people shouting at each other.
Poppy was feeling sleepy. She knew it was lack of oxygen. She closed her eyes so she wouldn’t see what was coming. There was another crash and more shouts. The air was hot when she could get a breath in. The heat was building around her and she felt like she was sunning herself in Arizona or somewhere there were palm trees and cactus. That would be the lack of oxygen playing tricks with her mind.
She fixed a mental image in her mind of Zane smiling at her. That would at least be something beautiful to die for.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“I meant to call. How did she get away? They were supposed to be watching her!” Zane roared to Conri who was driving him to the call. Other bearen had gotten the message from a wolfen via Rhui, the mental communication, that there was an emergency with Poppy. He’d grabbed his phone and tried to call and it went straight to voicemail. He kept hitting dial, his heart pounding in his chest like a drum.
He was angry and he was scared. He shouldn’t have left, he shouldn’t have trusted anyone else with her safety. It was his job, his duty to see to her.
“They say she crawled out of a second-story window. How could they have guessed? Troy got worried after she had been in the bath for a while and went to check on her and couldn’t catch her scent. At least not a fresh one. They rounded up the forces and went out looking for her. They came across her mother coming from a house down the road. She said she was trapped and they’re there trying to free her. She’s not alone, but the house is fully involved.”
Zane heard the words and knew this meant there would be crews there battling the blaze. He didn’t care if he died trying to get to her. His mate was his life.
“Why would she leave?”
“Can’t you think of a hundred reasons a mate would sneak away?”
“Khain.”
“They didn’t recognize he’d crossed over the Pravus until he started the fires. Then he went back to his unholy hell of an existence and they couldn’t follow.”
Pulling up behind a line of police cars, he ran to the back of the house where he saw a firefighter carrying the hydraulic rescue tool, the Jaws of Life, with him.
Men were standing around and he also saw Trent whimpering to the side. That wasn’t a good sign. The house was burned, the entire second floor was nothing but black charred timbers.
“It’s unstable, it could go at any minute,” Conri called out.
Zane didn’t care. He rushed down the steps pushing men aside. “Where is she?” he demanded. The few men still below were wearing respirators and there was a good reason. The air was thick with smoke and the floor above th
em burning out in places. None of them should be down there, they were all risking their lives for a True Mate. He would have done it for someone else.
They were huddled around a metal door and they had worked the tool into the hinge. They had made a small hole but no more.
“Get out!” he roared and the men scattered. Ripping off his clothes as the men ran for the exit, he didn’t need to think about shifting, it came as naturally as breathing at a time like this. He had to get his mate and his bear was stronger. His body started to hunch as the hair sprouted out of his skin, his jaw stretched and molded as the sharp teeth extended. His vision altered as he fell to four paws in front of the door.
He gave the opening made with the Jaws of Life a tug with his giant paw and it didn’t budge. Focusing his energy and his anger at the hinge he thought about the metal. He could feel it and taste it with his mind. His focus on softening the metal and shifting it from its current cruelly firm position. He felt a small movement and then nothing.
Shaking his head, he released a giant roar as he tugged and tugged against the door. His anger and rage were pulsing through him. He couldn’t focus any harder than he was but it wasn’t working. The hot embers from above were falling down around him, singing through thick hair on his back. He ignored it and looked through the small hole. In the far corner against the wall he could see a small shape huddled. There was a burning beam just feet from her and it looked like more pieces had fallen near her or on her.
He screamed his rage which came out as a mighty bellow. Zane could hear others outside wanting to come back in and being told to hold. They would die if they came back. There was no honor in a lost cause.
Looking at the small shape in the smoky room, Zane let go of his rage, his anger, and his fear. Instead, he thought how much he loved her. How much she had made him a better man already. This woman was not going to be lost because of Khain. Zane didn’t deserve that pain again and neither did the rest of the shiften.