Smoke & Longing (Caprice Chronicles Book 2)
Page 6
Time was up. He whirled on the skeleton.
"I don’t know who you are or what you are about, but I sure hope this works," Andrew said between ragged breaths.
He raised the hammer and placed it in the skeletons hands.
A sharp crack sounded throughout the cave. A deep hum reverberated in the air and the phantom vibrated, then shook violently. A howl rose from the cave itself. It intensified, a booming roar that rose so loudly it stopped being a sound that was heard and became a sensation that was felt.
Andrew covered his ears and tried to steady his breath. His mind reeled. He couldn’t tell if it was from the power vibrating from the mountain or the noise that he was feeling across his entire body.
He stumbled to Kara. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she struggled for breath. Her eyes were wild with fear and darted around. Andrew pulled her clumsily into his arms. Either she knew it was him or didn't have the strength to struggle as he half-dragged, half-carried her from the cave. He got her full weight on his shoulders and sprinted through the tunnel. The power in him was draining, and the mine gas was pressing in. The headache he had felt before returned. His senses guided him along the vibrating tunnel walls more than his vision did. He rounded a bend and saw daylight at the end of the tunnel. How long had they been down there?
A crack sounded overhead, and a section of the tunnel that must have weighed two tons dropped behind them. Dust rained down around them and his legs faltered as the last of his power ran out. Pure adrenaline drove him now. He got control of his legs and raced for the light. The whole mountain heaved and shook around him. On instinct alone he dived with Kara in his arms toward the light pouring from the tunnel entrance.
They hit the ground and rolled across the soft grass and dirt. The tunnel collapsed completely and a gout of dust rushed from the entrance. In a deafening roar of stone and soil, Shadow Point Mountain reclaimed the mine and all the bodies in it to finally rest.
TWELVE
Kara woke to a cloying, sticking sensation over her nose. Blinking she grasped at whatever it was. Something smooth and tendril-like ran down her neck. A strong hand stopped her and a voice and face came into focus.
"Easy, easy. That’s oxygen, and you need it," Andrew said, standing over her.
Kara blinked her eyes into focus and rested her hand over his.
"Hey," she rasped. Her throat was raw and ragged.
"Hey yourself," Andrew said, smiling. He pulled the chair closer to the hospital bed and sat down.
"What happened? I think I passed out back there…" Kara rested her head back against the bed.
"You did. I got us out. Just barely," Andrew said, caressing her head.
"No, with the hammer. I saw you raise it…. Did you beat that thing up?" Kara asked.
"I knew that wasn’t going to work. I took a chance. When I found the hammer in town I could feel something important about it. I thought it needed to be back there. So I put it in the miner's hand and…poof?" Andrew shrugged, raising his hands plaintively.
"That was a little more than poof," Kara said, smiling.
"Yeah, well, that is best way I can describe it." Andrew rubbed her hand protectively. "I did some digging while you were recovering. That was the hammer Michael Dunbar himself used to strike the first blow against the stone. They didn’t close the mine because it ran dry. A collapse trapped those miners in the cave. Instead of digging them out, he sealed them in."
"Wow. Wow. That is horrific," Kara said, dazed by the terrible information.
"That’s business in the 1920s. I think on some level the phantom was searching for Dunbar himself. Putting the hammer in the skeleton’s hand must have satisfied it in some way," Andrew said, running his thumb over the top of her hand.
They sat like that for a while. Just letting the past two days sink in. The dark tunnels, the forest. The night in the tent. They did not have to say it to know they were both thinking it. Both wanted to know what came next, but neither wanted to ruin the silence. Not yet. In the end it was Kara who spoke first.
"So…how about it wizard? Where do we go from here?" Kara said, gripping his fingers.
Andrew smiled at her. "Warlock. And I’m not going anywhere."
"Good," Kara said.
"Good," Andrew echoed.
Kara was released from the hospital three days later. The doctors were stunned to find that she didn’t have any brain damage. They said it seemed, even though her body had been shutting down, something had made sure she had gotten oxygen to her brain. The doctors couldn’t explain it. Kara took the news smiling, knowing deep down who had kept her safe. She knew who had broken all the rules of nature and made what shouldn’t be, be.
Andrew was as confused as the doctors. He simply couldn’t believe that magic had saved her. There were no warlocks or witches at the hospital, and it hadn’t been him. Had it?
Magic or no they left the hospital happy. They put the dark of the mine behind them, the vile smoke monster and the terrible tragedy that had befallen the mountain, and turned toward daylight, longing only for the love they had for each other.
Up Next:
Amber Caprice gets her story in:
Roads & Royalty
Available August 2016
About the Author
Selena Page is the author of the Caprice Chronicles, a paranormal romance series centered around a family of cursed witches and warlocks. Her heroes are hot, her heroines are sassy, and the spellbinding chemistry that results will blow your mind.
A foodie, knitter, and lover of daring bodice rippers, Selena writes from her beachfront home in Galveston, TX, and spends her spare time relaxing in the sand and playing in the waves with her viking husband and her three corgis by her side.
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