Lillian closed her eyes. Her thoughts wandered back to Caleb. His body had felt so good pressed against her own. She wondered what he was doing. He was probably rallying the troupes at Department 99, perhaps getting a team ready to come and find her. Then, Lillian’s eyes blinked open. She thought about the phrase that Armond had used earlier to describe where the young boy whose cell she now occupied had been taken: the killing fields.
Caleb grabbed a paperweight up off of the table. He clutched it in his strong fist, ready to kill whoever rounded the corner and entered the living room. The footsteps were moving slowly and had almost reached a stop near the entrance to the room where he was located. Caleb’s back was pressed up against the wall and his heart hammered away within his chest. Finally, the footsteps stopped. It was now or never.
Caleb leapt from behind the wall and tackled the figure in the frame, sending him clattering to the floor. Caleb was drunk with fear and just started to punch the person’s head repeatedly, until eventually, a vague sort of recognition took hold. It was Killian Marshall—one of Department 99’s best agents. Killian was also a vampire. Killian pushed forward, knocked Caleb off of him, and sent him sprawling onto the ground with a loud thump.
“If you’re behind this, vampire,” Caleb spat. “I got called out here because the department has been trying to reach both you and Lillian for the last hour. The agency is on lock-down. Someone stole a disease sample from the lab.” Killian barked.
Caleb had never liked Killian, but his story certainly made sense. In addition, even though Caleb couldn’t stand him, there was no question that Killian was always on the up and up. He cared about human beings more than anyone Caleb had ever met.
Caleb shoved the photo of Lillian into Killian’s hand. Killian made a panicked face for a moment, and then brought the photo up to his nose. Caleb hadn’t noticed, but there were a few drops of blood on the back of the photo. Killian started to sniff the drops of blood intensely. “You’re looking for two separate guys. One is a snake shifter, and the other is human…but he’s dying of liver failure.” Killian reached down to the radio at his waist and called a few orders in to those back at the base. The hunt was on.
Caleb wasted no time. Even if he didn’t really have much of an idea of what was going on, snake shifters tended to live near small bodies of water. He had a hunch that he knew where to look.
Lillian’s face still ached, but strangely enough, she forced herself to smile. If anyone could find her, it would be Caleb. She closed her eyes again, envisioning his touch. She had felt so safe, so perfectly content in his arms as her body writhed beneath his muscular frame. She never imagined that she’d fall for a bear shifter, but Caleb was unlike so many of the other shifters. Sure, he was tough and strong, but he also had a sensitive side—a certain kindness about him.
Caleb ran past Killian, almost knocking him over. “You douche-bag!” Killian called back as he struggled to regain his footing. Caleb was sprinting towards Killian’s black car, which was still running. He jumped inside and sped away, leaving a trail of brown dust, and a cussing Killian spitting in his direction. “You stupid cave-dweller!” Killian screamed, as Caleb sped away.
Theft wasn’t really Caleb’s style, but if he wanted to save Lillian, he needed to act quickly. Caleb tried to access the touch-screen in Killian’s car. All of the agents had electronic address books, which could be accessed via email. If he could hack into Lillian’s email account, he might be able to take a peek at her address book, and maybe even her calendar. Finally, the miniature computer connected to the Department 99 server. Caleb typed in Lillian’s email address and then paused when he reached the password line. He had no idea what Lillian might use for a password.
First, he tried her date of birth. A red X appeared on the screen. You have two more attempts remaining, a recorded voice announced. It was a pathetic attempt, but next Caleb typed in the word ghost. She was good with ghosts, good with the supernatural. The red X appeared again. Caleb screamed for a moment and punched at the dashboard. Then, in a sheer fit of rage he typed in his own name and the screen unlocked.
“I’ll be damned,” Caleb thought. Lillian’s crush on him must have gone deeper than he realized. His name was her password. How cute…and also slightly creepy…but mostly cute.
Finally, he had access to her emails. There were a few messages from her superiors about various missions and expeditions—an invitation to a company party next week. Caleb flipped to view her contact book and calendar. There was an address, and the word Carrie stamped above the date. He had a solid lead.
Caleb punched the address into the GPS and sped off to find Carrie; whoever that was.
Lillian was shivering on the floor now. Her captors hadn’t bothered to give her any kind of blanket and the room was becoming unbearably cold. “How do you manage to live in this place?” Lillian asked Armond. “How do you keep yourself warm at night?” Lillian asked. “Oh, you learn a few tricks here and there. None of them are really very pleasant, but I guess the fact that I’m still alive counts for something—even though there’s no one for me to go home to.” Armond said quietly. “Are you rationing your water like I told you to?” Armond asked. “Yes, I am.” Lillian responded. “Is the floor over there still made of dirt in some spots?” Armond asked. Lillian was surprised by the question. She hadn't paid much attention to the floor.
Now, Lillian started to feel around. There were many cracks, that much was certain. It was definitely tile in some sections, and some of the tile was peeled away and Armond was right—there was dirt. “It will take a while with that flimsy crap you've got over there, but you’ll need to dig yourself two things. First, dig yourself a latrine in an area that you don’t like. Second, dig yourself a little bed. You’ll be able to crawl in if you can get deep enough, then at night you can cover yourself up with some of the dirt. It won’t be like a five-star motel, but you’ll survive.” Armond coughed. Immediately Lillian got to work, digging with her hands.
When Caleb arrived at Carrie’s house, the place was in terrible disarray. He hadn’t even bothered to knock because the door was virtually torn from hinges. When Caleb had arrived, it was simply swinging back and forth with the wind. As he stepped inside, he called Lillian’s name. It made no sense, of course, but he still did it. The house had a strange smell; the smell of death.
Caleb started to look around. There were cats everywhere, and by the look of it, the animals were very distressed. An orange tabby cat rubbed itself against his legs. Caleb reached down and scratched behind the cat’s ears. “What happened here?” He asked the cat, who only purred in response. Then, the cats were coming out from many different directions—looking for affection, and food. There was a small cat in the corner of the room that was beige colored and Caleb noticed a smattering of blood around its mouth. A few of the cats had blood in their fir.
Caleb drew a weapon that he had removed from Killian’s car, and took a deep breath. He gathered his reserve and readied himself to fight. Caleb rounded the corner. He had expected to find some kind of enemy, but instead he found 40 or 50 cats eating at the corpse of an old woman. “Get away from that! Get away from her!” Caleb yelled, trying to shoo the cats away. Yet, they feasted on the body without remorse, and would not be deterred. Caleb inched his way closer, the body of an elderly woman lay crumpled up on the floor. The cats had eaten her face away and most of her shoulders and arms.
Caleb rushed from the house and back into the front yard. He threw up violently next to the sidewalk. He could only think of Lillian. Lillian was in danger and he felt powerless and weak. Suddenly, a little child walked by bouncing a basketball in front of him. The boy smiled at him in a way that Caleb recognized—the child was possessed. The boy continued down the road and Caleb followed, keeping a safe distance. The child rounded back into an alleyway, and suddenly the thump of the basketball against the pavement stopped. “I know who you are,” Caleb called. The boy laughed in response- clearly toying with him. “
I want you to tell me where Lillian is. If you can help me, I might be able to help you.”
The boy stepped out into the alleyway; his eyes were dark and menacing. “I won’t allow you to help this child, Caleb.” A deep voice spoke from the mouth of the youngster. “You’ve already been such a nuisance.” Caleb jumped forward and seized the boy by the shoulders. Irrationally, Caleb shook the child. The child kept repeating the same phrase over and over.” You’ve already been such a nuisance…you’ve already been such a nuisance…” “Shut up!” Caleb screamed.
“You tell me where she is! Tell me right now,” Caleb shouted. An old woman stepped out into the alleyway carrying a shovel. “Is something going on here? What is this?” the woman asked. The possessed child winced and started to cry. “He hit me!” The boy screamed, lying. “Get your hands off that child!” The old woman demanded. “I didn’t hit him. I shook him a little, but I never hit him.” The woman pulled a cell phone out of her pocket pressed it to her ear. “I don’t know what you’re up to, but I’m calling the authorities. Come here son,” she said to the boy, with her arms outstretched. Caleb immediately got in between them. “Don’t touch him ma’am,” Caleb said. “The kid has a demon inside of him, and that’s how it jumps from person-to-person. Don’t make physical contact.” Caleb warned. The woman spoke into her cell phone. “There’s a man out here behind my house. He just assaulted a little boy and now he’s talking about demons jumping around in people’s bodies. I think he might be schizophrenic or maybe he’s high on some kind of drug.” The woman said. Caleb rolled his eyes. This was the last thing he needed.
The woman flipped the phone closed. “Police are going to be here in about five minutes. If you don’t want any trouble, I’d suggest you run,” she said to Caleb. Immediately he recognized the look in her eyes—she was possessed too.
Caleb tore off in the direction of the car. He was too late; a police car was screeching its way down the lane in his direction. Caleb decided to make a run for it on foot. He jumped a nearby fence, and slammed into some clothes, which had been hung out to dry. Even still, Caleb refused to slow down. He ran at top speed, pumping his arms and legs back-and-forth. The sirens faded as he put more distance between himself and the cops. It was a narrow escape, but at least he made it.
Lillian continued to dig. The earth was hard and cold, and it took a tremendous amount of time to just break the surface. A thought occurred to Lillian in that moment. If the earth was pliable enough to dig a sleeping hole, why couldn’t she try and dig her way out? Lillian remembered the broken tile at the opposite end of the room. She felt her way over there and started to dig using the tile this time—it was much more effective. When she’d tired herself out, she went and sat back down next to the plywood wall.
“Armond? Armond are you there?” Lillian asked. No answer. Then, she heard him stir. It was obvious that this place was taking its toll on Armond. “Armond, have you ever tried to dig out of here?” Lillian asked. Armond chuckled. “Dig with what, my fingernails?” he asked. “I have stone tiles over here,” Lillian said. “Well then, you’ve got a shovel and a weapon.” Armond coughed. “By the way that Lucas described it, I thought the tiles on your side were linoleum…all this time, I had no idea.” He sounded grieved. Lillian felt a twinge of guilt. She had quite a few tiles, and after scraping at the plywood wall, she managed to pass a tile underneath to Armond, who then cried. “Can you reach your hand under for a moment?” He asked. “I haven’t felt the touch of another person in three years,” he sighed. Lillian hesitated, but then reached her hand beneath the wall. A large hand covered in something gritty enclosed her own. He held her hand for a long while as they sat crying in the dark. While Armond secretly imagined that he was somehow holding his wife’s hand, Lillian imagined that she was touching Caleb—that he was somehow only a breath away.
Finally, Caleb managed to reach a payphone. He dialed the direct number of his supervisor at Department 99 collect. A mousy male voice answered on the other end. “You better have a really good explanation for what the hell is going on. You stole agent Killian Marshall’s car, and then you tried to kidnap a boy after assaulting him?” His supervisor’s voice was shrill. Caleb was insulted. Of course, he’d never do anything like that…aside from stealing the car, which he had done…but with good reason.
“Boss, there’s some kind of problem with this Chachi ghost. Lillian was kidnapped this morning and I’ve been trying to determine her whereabouts. I found a body at a woman’s house named Carrie…there were cats everywhere…” Caleb rambled. His boss was very quiet on the line. Then, his boss said something, which surprised Caleb. “What kind of cats?” Caleb was taken by surprise. “I don’t know. There were all different kinds. They were everywhere. “His boss grew quiet on the phone. “You’re dealing with an ancient cult called the Abyssinian Elect. I don’t know why they killed Carrie, but they have to be the ones responsible for kidnapping Lillian. I’ve gotten some reports that they have a killing field a few miles south of where you are. Write down the coordinates. I’ll have someone swing by and pick you up with a car and some more weaponry. This isn’t child’s play, Caleb. You’re probably in over your head and Lillian is probably already dead.” The line clicked off.
If Caleb could have punched his supervisor through the telephone, he would have done it. Lillian was a survivor—and more importantly, he needed her. He needed her in a way he couldn’t quite explain. He had dated many women before, but Lillian was different. Her eyes were more perceptive. She was more sensitive and knowing. There was something in her, which drew him to her in a way that he could no longer fight. No matter where she was, he was going to find her.
About an hour passed when a Department 99 agent named Tam pulled up in another black car. “Scoot over,” Caleb commanded—immediately taking the other man’s place behind the steering wheel. Then, Caleb flew the car into reverse, without bothering to explain his plan to Tam. Tam had only been with the department for two months, and Caleb was angry that they would send a newbie to an assignment of such importance.
Caleb continued to floor it backwards down the alleyway until he found what he was looking for – the basketball, and the boy. Caleb pulled up next to the boy, grabbed him beneath the armpits, and sped off as the child wailed and kicked. Yet, they were moving too fast. No one had even seen what had happened.
Tam was mortified and Caleb didn’t have time to give him a long drawn-out explanation. “The boy is possessed, and he knows where Lillian is,” Caleb barked. He pulled the car over and threw the child in the trunk. When the boy tried to get up in order to run away, Caleb pulled out a bottle of holy water. The boy cowered visibly. Tam had never seen anything like it. “Where is she?” Caleb asked. When the boy hesitated, Caleb flicked a few drops of holy water onto his arm. The water hissed and bubbled up on his forearm, forming a huge boil. The boy screamed in pain. “I have eight bottles of this in my car,” Caleb threatened. “Tell me where Lillian is.” Again the boy hesitated and this time Caleb poured a bunch of holy water on top of his head. Again, the child’s skin bubbled up leaving terrible boils. “Jesus,” Tam said out of shock. The boy reached up, clutched his hands over his ears, and screamed. “The cat statue, near the river.” The boy managed to squeak out.
Caleb slammed the hood of the trunk down, leaving the boy inside. He then jumped behind the steering wheel and took off in the direction of a large cat statue that had recently been built next to the Missouri river.
Armond and Lillian had developed a plan. First, they would dig a hole beneath the wall. Then, he would cross over to her side, and they would try and dig their way out for good. The hole was almost big enough. “Okay, give that a try,” Lillian said. A bushy head appeared in the hole, and Lillian watched as Armond tried to snake his way through. He was surprisingly limber, and before she’d realized it, Lillian was face to face with Armond. Some light shined through his side of the hole and Lillian could finally see.
Armond was a tall man,
much taller than Caleb and he instinctively reached out and hugged her. Lillian felt guilty, but she couldn’t help but cringe. His stench was unbearable. His entire face was covered in a long beard, and he looked like a walking skeleton. She could see bugs burrowing around in both his scalp and beard.
Lillian immediately offered him the remainder of her sandwich. Armond refused. “Look, you’ve been trapped here for a lot longer than I have,” Lillian said. If we’re going to escape tonight, I need you at your best. Eat it so that you have some more strength,” Lillian said, holding out the remainder of her meal. Armond looked sad for a moment, but then he took the sandwich and scarfed it down.
When he finished, they started to dig again…this time at the northern most end of the wall. Lillian prayed that it led outside, but she had no way of knowing. Yet, she decided to follow Armond’s lead. For a moment, Lillian looked at Armond’s bare back and smiled. For some reason his determination and heart reminded her of Caleb. Caleb would be proud of her. Even if she died in this hellhole, eventually he would find out that she had fought up until her last breath.
BOX SET: Shifter 4-Pack Vol 2 (Wolf Shifter, Dragon Shifter, Mafia, Billionaire, BBW, Alpha) (Werewolf Weredragon Paranormal Fantasy Romance Collection) Page 54