by Monica Owens
“Trish!”
Her name was yelled, she was sure of it, but she only heard it as a muffled word. Yet it was Levi’s voice. He was there. He’d come for her. And God, she needed him. Even if she didn’t want to admit it when he first showed up in Magnolia.
But now this big monster was on her heels and he was going to catch her. She almost felt his breath on her neck. His hand closed on her good arm just as she passed under the stupid puddle that she’d stupidly been pulled through by this stupid man.
A sucking sound echoed through the cavern and water rained down on them. The monster spun her around and she screamed as she saw those big white teeth descending toward her. She fought, screamed and kicked, but she knew she was no match for him.
Until the ceiling opened up, water thundered down, and the monster holding her was flattened onto the wet ground beneath them.
Flattened by the seven foot frame of Leviathan.
Levi looked up at her, his hair, clothes, and skin full of mud.
“Trish?”
“Levi, look out!”
The monster of a man grabbed Levi and swiftly plunged his teeth into Levi’s shoulder.
Trish screamed and Levi bellowed.
Trish spied a rock and raced over to it. She hefted it with her good hand and used all her strength to smash it into the side of the monster’s head.
Time seemed to stop.
Slowly, the man’s eyes rolled up into his head. His teeth retracted. Trish dropped the rock. The man fell backward onto the hard cold rock of the cavern.
Silence.
“Motherfucker,” Levi whispered.
Trish crumpled and fell into his arms.
*****
Colton huddled with Henry in the back of the pickup. He’d seen Levi fight with that other man. He even saw the other man turn into nothing when Levi tried to stab him. Trish screamed a few times and Levi took off after her.
Colton waited.
He didn’t know where his mother was. The truck jackknifed on the road sat there, the driver’s side of the windshield coated with thick blood. There were no cars. No police. No birds. No insects.
Nothing.
Henry whined.
Colton got up on his knees and looked to his left, then his right. With no vehicles headed in their direction, he was reasonably sure that no one would find him. But he also didn’t want to take any chances.
Plus, it was getting hot.
“Come on, Henry,” Colton said softly.
They hopped down out of the truck bed and circled to the driver’s side. Just as Colton hoped, Levi had shut off the truck, but left the keys in the ignition. He and Henry could sit in the truck, roll the windows down, and turn it on from time to time to run the air.
That was the plan anyway.
Colton dozed for while, Henry stretched out beside him. Colton had no idea how much time had passed when he jolted awake. Henry instantly sat up, his head craned out the window.
Colton peered out the window beside Henry.
A boom thundered out from where Magnolia was centered. Colton flinched. A cloud of smoke plumed upward and Colton could even see flames shooting into the sky.
Henry whined.
A car zoomed past Levi’s truck and around the jackknifed tractor trailer. Colton heard sirens.
“We gotta hide, Henry.”
The dog yipped in acknowledgement.
The truck was a woefully inadequate place to hide. The last thing Colton wanted to do was strike out on foot. He glanced back at the keys in the ignition.
His eleven-year-old heart pattered just a little harder.
He licked his lips.
“I’ve never driven before, Henry.”
The sirens sounded closer, and when Colton looked in the rear view mirror, he could see the police cars. They were still far, but they were coming.
Colton slid into the driver’s seat and cranked the engine. The big truck thrummed to life and the little boy grinned.
“Okay, hang on!” he shouted to the dog.
Colton had to use two hands to put the truck in gear and it took him a moment to realize he needed to have both feet jammed on the brake while he did that. But he figured it out and he released the brake as soon as he could.
Those police cars were getting closer. Colton preferred that he not be on the scene of a major car accident without an adult present.
He wrenched the wheel to the left, the same direction Miss Trish and Levi had disappeared. He smashed his foot down on the accelerator and he and Henry were off.
They bumped along the sand and scrub of the desert, making their way to the rocks. They’d have to get pretty far away to not be found, but that was fine. Once the accident was cleared up, he’d come back.
The wheels spun crazily in the sand, but Colton kept his foot on the gas. Within moments he was behind the rock outcropping Levi and Miss Trish entered. A few minutes later, he was out in the middle of the desert, the rocks far behind him and the mountains way ahead of him. He didn’t know how far away he should be exactly, but he knew that the tires of the truck would give him away. They’d be easy to find, he and Henry. And how would he explain any of this? A little kid out in the middle of nowhere, on a school day, with no parent or guardian?
So when he saw the cabin, he relaxed somewhat. He could stop here. He’d find help here.
Stopping in sand wasn’t easy. He slammed on the brakes and the big truck skidded. The back end fishtailed and Henry lowered his body to the floor, his nails digging into Levi’s plush leather seats. Colton almost lost control of the wheel and it spun in his hands. He let up on the brake and the truck stopped fishtailing, but he still came sliding to a stop sideways next to the broken down fence around the cabin. With shaking hands, he put the truck in park and shut off the engine.
He looked over at Henry, still huddled on the floor.
“Let’s not tell Levi about that.”
Henry seemed to agree.
Chapter Twenty-One
Levi crushed Trish to him. His shoulder hurt like a sonuvabitch, but at least that big bastard had broken his fall. He wasn’t worried about the bite, but he was worried about the blood pumping out of Trish’s arm and the white bone staring angrily at him.
Levi held Trish close and scooted away from the beast he’d landed on. Until Trish opened her eyes, he wasn’t putting her down. But he had to keep an eye on this bastard.
He gathered Trish to him and gazed down at her face. So beautiful. She was dirty, damp, and injured, but still the most beautiful woman in the world.
Then she opened her eyes and screamed bloody murder. She shoved at him with her good arm and managed to whack him in the head and in the injured shoulder.
“Goddammit!” he yelled.
She scurried off his lap and away from him, searching blindly for a weapon.
“Trish!”
She found a rock and awkwardly threw it with her left hand.
“Trish, it’s me! Trish!” He got to his feet and held his hands out in surrender to her.
She shuddered to a halt, her breath hiccupping in and out. Her great escape led her to a side of the cavern and she used it to rise to her feet, steadying herself. She leaned against the rock and used her good hand to rub her hair out of her eyes.
“Levi?”
“Yeah, babe. It’s me.”
“Oh my God.”
He caught her as she launched herself at him. He landed on his ass but he didn’t give a shit. She crawled up his body and held on, shaking.
“He was going to kill me,” she whispered.
Levi glanced over at the big man sprawled on the ground. He could see his chest rise and fall, but he also didn’t seem to be conscious. Levi cradled Trish’s head in his palm and tucked her face against his neck.
“You’re safe now, babe. I’m here.”
She snuggled closer, then stiffened. She leaned back and narrowed her eyes. “I don’t need you to keep me safe.”
Her about-fac
e confused him. “Huh?”
“I’m strong and I can take care of myself.” She struggled to sit up straighter, wincing when she jostled her right arm. “I don’t need a man to keep me safe.”
Levi threaded his fingers through her hair and held the back of her skull so she couldn’t move. “You are strong. And you’ve taken care of yourself. But guess what, Trish? You don’t have to do it alone anymore. I don’t want you to be a shrinking violet. I want you to be the badass you are. But I want you to be my badass. I’m more than willing to argue about this for the rest of our lives, but right now we’ve got to find a way out of here. Understand?”
“I’m a badass?” she whispered.
“The biggest fucking badass I’ve ever seen,” he corrected. “And I’ve seen a lot of shit.” He tilted her head. “Being strong also means knowing when you need help. And baby, right now you need help.”
Her bottom lip quivered but he didn’t want her to cry and he didn’t want her to fall apart. So he swooped in and kissed her, mud and all, and put his entire heart and soul into that kiss. Her good arm wrapped around his neck and he felt her fingers dig into his nape. Once he got her out of here, he was planning on fucking her for days. Mostly to prove to himself that she was his. Because he was never letting this woman go.
He pulled back reluctantly and used a thumb to drag the sheen from her bottom lip. “You ready to get out of here?”
“Yeah.”
He got them to their feet and kicked through mud, dirt, and broken branches to stand over the man who had attacked Trish.
“Any idea who he is?” He asked.
She glanced down, but shook her head. Awkwardly, she rewrapped her jacket around her broken arm. “I’ve never seen him before.”
Levi saw a whisper of metal under some debris. After making sure Trish could stand on her own, he took the couple of steps to retrieve the sword that had fallen with him. He looked down at the blade, the old Angelic language, and shook his head.
“Where the fuck did Olivier get this?”
“Who’s Olivier?”
“He’s the motherfucker who’s behind all this.”
“Um, Levi?”
“I’m not sure what he’s all up to, but he definitely has murdered some people.”
“Levi?”
“Magnolia is jacked up.”
“Levi.”
Trish’s tone changed and the hair on the nape of his neck prickled. Levi turned slowly, the blade held loose in his cut but healing hands.
The man he’d landed on had an arm across Trish’s neck. His other hand was on her forehead. One move and he could snap her neck.
“Let’s calm down,” he said softly.
“Levi,” Trish whispered.
“Just found you, babe. Not letting you go yet.”
Tears glistened in her eyes. Her good hand squeezed the man’s wrist.
“You’re Levi?” the man rasped.
Levi didn’t look at him, but maintained eye contact with Trish. “It’s gonna be okay, babe.” If he had to ram this blade through this man, he’d do it. Anything for Trish.
“Are you Levi?”
“I know,” Trish answered with a small smile.
“Are. You. Levi?” the man thundered.
Finally Levi raised his eyes to look in the man’s face. He held his hands out, blade still ready to be used. “Let’s just relax, okay?”
“Answer me!”
“Yeah, man. Yeah. I’m Levi.”
The man let out a garbled shout. He let go of Trish, shoving her into Levi’s arms. Then he dropped to his knees, striking so hard Levi could hear bone crack. He caught Trish to him and held her close. He lowered the blade and pointed it at the man.
“Who are you?”
The man, now on all fours, wept openly in front of them. Levi looked down at Trish, but she was staring perplexed at the man.
“Ah, my friend Leviathan,” the man mumbled. “My friend.”
“What do you mean, your friend?” Trish demanded.
The man raised his head, his eyes anguished. “I have tried to kill your woman, Leviathan.”
“Who are you?” Levi asked again.
The man dragged himself forward and put his neck to the sharp blade Levi still held. “I’m damned, Leviathan. Kill me now.”
Levi pressed lightly with the blade, but when he pierced the skin, no blood welled. He furrowed his brows. He looked closer at the man, past the dirt, past the blood and gore and mud.
“Oh God,” he whispered.
A sob wracked the man’s body.
“Arnaud.”
*****
After talking with Leviathan for some time, Orrie headed back to Sam’s house. For this, he wanted to tell Sam in person. He didn’t call ahead, just pulled up into the cobblestone driveway. This time, when Sam greeted him, it was in the driveway and he was holding a shotgun.
Orrie got out of his car and slammed the door.
Sam gestured to him with the gun. “You couldn’t call?”
“Not for this.”
Sam’s dark features fell into a frown. “For what?”
“Levi’s got a problem. And his name is Olivier.”
“Fuck,” Sam snarled.
“Yeah.”
Sam ran his other hand through his hair and glanced at the house. “Don’t tell Paige anything.”
Orrie held up his hands. “We just need a plan and then I’m gone.”
Sam glared at him, then sighed. “Yeah. Come on in.”
Orrie followed Sam to the house, the beetle in his pocket buzzing in its glass enclosure.
*****
Trish leaned into Levi way more than she wanted to. But she didn’t think she had much more left in her. The pain in her arm groaned wickedly throughout her body, thumping in time with her heart. Every move she made exacerbated the pain and they were no closer to finding a way out of this.
Now Levi was calling this creature by a name?
“Fuck me,” Levi muttered.
“No,” Trish said harshly, more harshly than she intended but at this point she didn’t care. “Fuck me. Tell me what’s happening.”
“This is Arnaud,” Levi answered.
That wasn’t an answer to her question and Trish was about to tell Levi that when the naked man got to his knees and put his hands together in supplication.
“Leviathan, kill me. Just kill me. He threw me out and now I have to do horrible things—”
“Arnaud…”
“Leviathan, you don’t understand!”
Trish swayed and the pain staggered her. “My arm is broken,” she cut in. “I’ve just decided, I don’t care what your deal is, whoever who are.” Tears pricked in her eyes and she blindly turned to Levi. Clearly this man before them needed some sort of absolution, but it wasn’t coming from Trish, and at the moment, she was too selfish to even care. “Please, Levi, get me out of here.”
Levi held her close. His strong capable hands cradled her to him. “We’re leaving, Trish.” He turned to the man on the ground. “How do we get out of here.”
Trish buried her face in Levi’s chest, grateful that he was doing as she asked.
The man on the ground continued to blubber. “I was shoved through a portal—”
“Not the time, Arnaud,” Levi interrupted. “Do you know a way out of here?”
“Leviathan, I need—”
“Let me tell you what you need,” Levi cut him off. “You need to point the way out of this place and you need to do it now! Trish is injured and you look fit as a fucking fiddle. The last thing I’m worried about is how you got kicked out of hell.”
“I was tricked—”
“Weren’t we all?” Levi thundered.
Trish felt the tension in Levi and burrowed closer. Her right arm hung listless and dripped blood on her shoe. She barely turned her face to see the man kneeling before them. But she saw the blade, still pointed at the man named Arnaud, still ready to strike. She shivered and blinked away the
black spots crowding her vision.
“Levi…” she murmured.
“We’ll talk, Arnaud,” Levi promised. “But we need to leave now and you need to get us out of here.”
Silence. Except for the dripping of water and the harsh breaths Trish was taking.
“Arnaud,” Levi prompted.
“Olivier found me,” Arnaud said softly. “I did things I shouldn’t have.”
“Let’s get out of here,” Levi encouraged. “Then we can talk.”
Arnaud ran a shaky hand over his face. “Yes. Yes, let’s go.” He dragged himself to his feet. “She’s your woman?”
“Yes.”
The single word shot pleasure through Trish’s whole body. She’d never wanted to belong to anyone, been morally opposed to it, in fact. But now she knew what it meant. It meant Levi would come through a mud puddle for her, find her and rescue her just because he cared. Because she was important to him.
She looked up at him. “I’m yours?”
She searched his face. Searched for a lie when he nodded. But she only saw truth and the shine of what she hoped was love.
“You’re mine.”
Trish nodded. She’d worry about what all of this meant later. She would no doubt be giving up some independence, probably her house, too, but she didn’t think Levi would ask for anything she wasn’t willing to give. She leaned her head against his shoulder.
Yes, she’d worry about all the feelings later.
*****
Maybe Levi could stop the spiral downward. Olivier had encouraged it. Brought him live subjects to test his new teeth on, test his new thirst. Levi looked as though he wanted to chop his head off.
Arnaud didn’t think that was a bad idea.
“There are tunnels under the desert. Caves and caverns,” Arnaud began. But when he turned to address the two following him, he noticed they weren’t listening. Levi was murmuring to the woman, helping her along the broken ground. She was biting her lip and struggling to remain standing.
“Can I help?” he asked.
“No!” The woman glared at him but he saw the brightness in her eyes, the pain and the misery. He’d broken a few bones in his time. Unlike her, he could snap them back into place and heal. For her, the agony was no doubt excruciating. She stumbled and cursed.