He patted her shoulder. “Relax, flower. We could scent if there were anything or anyone inside. I promise you’ll be safe and we’ll be right out here close enough for you to scream if you sense danger.”
Jeni bit her lip and opened her mouth to argue, then purposefully clamped her lips together. She gave a hesitant nod and moved toward the cave. There was bright sunlight at the entrance, diminishing to total darkness deeper into the cavern. She hesitated when she inhaled the stale air heavy with the smell of stagnant water. She could hear the muffled sounds of wind in the trees outside.
“See,” Zin said. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Jeni took a couple of steps and shivered. “Easy for you to say.” The dirt floor was littered with dead leaves and twigs. She tripped on an exposed root, her hand landing on the stone wall slick with dripping water. She pulled her hand back quickly, wiping the moisture on her pants. “I should probably tell you now. If I bump into some big spider web, I’m screaming and running for home.”
Zin chuckled and hugged her close. “Stay here, flower. Try to be as quiet as you can. We’re going to find out what these men want, and then we’ll be back for you. Do not come out for anyone except Kernz, myself or one of your guards.”
“I can’t believe you told me they were just friends from Arridia.”
“My apologies, my Laan Asawa. We did not think you were ready to know the truth.”
“Yeah, well I’ll forgive you this time, but from now on only the truth please.”
“You have my word, flower.”
“Okay, I’ll do my best to stay quiet until you come back, but you have to promise me you’ll be back and that you’ll be careful. Rich has a mean streak, and he’s capable of just about anything.”
“Don’t worry, love. We’ll come back to you. And don’t be afraid. We’ll be close enough to hear if you need help.”
Jeni watched as Zin walked out. He took a moment to move some more brush in front of the opening, plunging her hiding place into total darkness.
* * * *
Zin moved quietly to join Kernz where he hid in some brush. “Did you find out who’s out there?”
“There are at least three males. Rich and Danny plus a stranger. I haven’t seen any of our guards. Do you suppose these men took them out?”
Zin shook his head. “Unlikely. They’re no match for Rmantk and his men. My guess would be Rich and Danny left the farm during the night without our knowledge. I think we let security get lax in the past few days because we knew they were leaving.”
“How do you want to handle this since we don’t know who the other men are?”
Zin smiled. “Maybe it’s time for them to learn what we can do.” He stood up and looked up at the suns, clasping his hands together over his chest. He closed his eyes and felt a ball of heat surround him. He gritted his teeth as his bones popped, his skin stretching, and his face lengthening. Slowly he turned into a Hayop, a beast of his own world. He now resembled an Earth panther, only bigger. He knew he was an impressive sight, almost fifteen feet in length and a good five feet at the shoulder. Just opening his mouth to bare his teeth might be enough to send them racing back to Earth. He glanced over at Kernz and saw him grinning.
“That should scare the crap out of them, Brother.”
Zin growled and nudged his leg.
“I’m not going to shift unless I have to. It would be better if one of us were able to communicate or negotiate with them. I can always fade away if I have to.”
Zin’s head turned when he heard rustling in the leaves.
“Someone’s coming but I can’t pick up the scent with all the moisture in the air.” Kernz motioned toward the trail. “Come on. Let’s go check it out. Jeni should be safe as long as she stays inside the cave.”
* * * *
Jeni shivered as she stepped back into the shadows. She was far enough from the entrance for the darkness to be absolute, playing tricks on her sense of time and space. She reached out and placed her hand against the bumpy stone wall in an attempt to anchor herself in the dark world. She thought about her men and sighed. Rich and Danny wouldn’t hesitate to kill them if they worked for Carl and Robert. She didn’t want them hurt. She’d finally found the kind of love she’d always longed for, and she wasn’t going to give it up without a fight. “Maybe if I give them the account number, they’d just take it and go.” Then she thought about her friend, Linda, and had to hold back a sob. If I give them back the money it’s like saying whatever they did to Linda was okay. They won’t be held responsible for anything.
With a trembling hand she brushed at the tears on her face. “But that’s better than losing Zin or Kernz.” They shouldn’t have to pay for my actions. They don’t deserve that. Zin had said they’d be close enough to hear if she called out. I’ll just give them the information Carl needs to access his money and have them send the guys on their way. She moved toward the lighted entrance and then heard the sound of crunching leaves and twigs outside.
She stilled, pressing herself against the cold, wet stone wall, her gaze flicking across the unyielding darkness. Her stomach clenched at the unmistakable sound of muffled voices. She knew her men would have called out, so she moved farther into the darkness, jamming her hands in fissures for handholds as she made her way along the bumpy, stone wall. She stifled a cry when she slipped on a patch of wet rock, scraping against the wall.
Jeni froze when someone began pulling at the bush covering the cave’s entrance. A fist of stone poked in her back as she leaned against the damp wall. She needed to hide. Someone she didn’t know was making their way into her cave, and she mustn’t let them find her. She inched her way back, wondering how far back the cave went. She hadn’t gone far in the pitch darkness before she found a small, side tunnel. She had to get down on her hands and knees to crawl in, sweeping aside the loose rock, struggling through the narrow entrance for only a yard before it narrowed to only a foot high beside a trickle of water. The roar of the falls was loud, masking any sounds from the main cavern. The ceiling was so low she had to rest on her side in the dank, cold crevice. The water from the falls seeped through her clothing, the walls seeming to close in around her. Where were Zin and Kernz? When she heard a scraping noise, her head jerked up, colliding with the hard stone ceiling. Pain shot through her temple right before a dark veil fell over her eyes.
Chapter 8
Rich looked at Danny and scowled. “Are you sure?”
Danny nodded. “Yes. I did like you told me and stayed up in that tree a ways back. I kept watch all morning with them binoculars you gave me.” He grinned lasciviously. “You should’ve seen them, Rich. Hell, better than watching porn on the net. They were going at each other like animals in heat.”
Rich groaned and rubbed his fingers between his eyes trying to massage away his headache. “I’m not interested in their sex marathon. Are you sure they stashed the girl inside the cave?”
Danny nodded. “Yeah, she’s in there. I’ve been watching the whole time, and she hasn’t come out.” He moved closer and put his hand on Rich’s arm. “And what they told us is true.”
Rich frowned. “What’s true?”
“They’re animals, Rich. That Zin fellow crossed his arms and looked up at the sky and just kind of shrank and filled out until he was the biggest damn black cat I’ve ever seen. Hell, I’m not sure the guns we have would protect us if he decides to attack. It’s a good thing Mr. Dempsey told us about rubbing down with leaves to hide our smell. If that cat had found me, I’d have ended up his dinner.”
Rich thought for a moment. Carl Dempsey had told them the men were shapeshifters, but he’d been unable to find out what they shifted into. He had some contacts with the State Department who’d told him a little about the men who were allowed to take the little bitch off-world, but truthfully, Rich hadn’t believed a word of it. “Are you sure you weren’t hallucinating. Maybe experiencing a little heatstroke from being out in the suns too long?
Danny’s face turned red, his fists clenched at his side. “I’m not crazy, man. I watched him closely, and I’m telling you he turned into one damn big cat.”
“What about Kernz?”
Danny shrugged. “Nope, just Zin. They walked off toward the cabin together.”
“I had Morris and Williams act as decoys so we could follow this bunch today.” Carl Dempsey had arranged for two of his men to dress as officers and make the trip from Earth to drop off their prisoner. The people that ran the shuttle hadn’t thought a thing about it, and Rich had made sure that Jeni hadn’t laid eyes on them. They’d waited on the shuttle until he’d signaled them with a handheld communicator supplied by Dempsey and then stayed in rooms at the transportation terminal. Every day for the past five days Rich had been sending updates to Carl and Robert back on Earth.
“What’ll happen when Rmantk and the others catch up to them?” Danny asked.
“Most likely nothing. They don’t know them, so they’ll just think they’re tourists or something. Morris said he’d tell them they were lost and ask for directions.”
“Yeah, but those guys are animals. Can’t they like sniff us out or something?”
“I thought of that. I didn’t really believe they could turn into animals, but I didn’t’ want to take a chance, so I gave them some of our clothes to wear today. If they’re chasing our scents, then they’re chasing our clothes, and we’re not in them.”
“But…”
“Enough! We’ve got to find her and get her onboard the shuttle before they catch up to us. Once it takes off there’s nothing they can do about it.”
“What’re you gonna say when she kicks up a fuss at the station.”
Rich grinned. “Not going to be a problem.” He pulled a syringe out of his shirt pocket. “She’ll be resting quietly when we board, and she’ll be in handcuffs. I’ll just tell them she has to be returned for breaking the conditions of her parole. They don’t have the authority to ask me anything else.” He took a step toward the cave. “Come on. Let’s find the little troublemaking bitch.”
Rich stepped into the blackness of the cave and cursed. “Wish to hell we had a flashlight.” He felt his way along the damp wall thinking about how many places there might be for a small woman to hide. “Ms. Montgomery, it’s Rich. The guys sent us to protect you. Come on out and show yourself.” He kept calling for her, his hope faltering with every step he took. Where the hell is she? Suddenly, he tripped and fell heavily to the ground. Something solid and warm brushed against his leg. Searching with his hand, he encountered a dainty foot. “Gotcha!”
His hand closed firmly over her leg and pulled. He was surprised when she gave no resistance. When he had her out of the small crevice, he grinned. She was unconscious, making his job that much easier. He turned toward the cave entrance. “I’ve got her! She must have fallen and hit her head or something.” He felt for the pulse in her neck and sighed in relief. Carl would have his head if he didn’t return her in good health. “She’s alive. Get your ass in here and help me carry her out.”
He heard Danny cursing as he made his way through the darkness. “Over here.” He listened as the footsteps drew closer and then winced when a foot landed on his hand. “Get off me, you oaf.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t see a damn thing.”
“Lean over and grab her feet. I’m gonna get her under the arms. Just make your way back toward the light you see at the entrance.” Several minutes later they laid Jeni in a patch of grass outside the cave.
“Why are her clothes all wet?” asked Danny.
“I think she was laying in water in that little offshoot she was hiding in. The water from the falls is seeping in all through the cave.” Rich squatted beside her prone form and pulled out the syringe.
“What’re you doing? She’s already unconscious.”
“Yeah, and we’re going to make sure she stays that way. No sense asking for trouble. We can get her back to the shuttle and not have to worry about her calling out for help.”
“What about her clothes? They’re gonna think it’s pretty strange if we take her back soaking wet.”
Rich shrugged. “We’ve got to walk back to the port. In this heat she’s bound to be dried out by the time we get back.” He motioned toward Jeni’s still form. “Go ahead. You take the first turn carrying her heavy butt. We’ll swap off in a little bit.”
Danny groaned and bent to lift Jeni in his arms. “Okay, but I’m not hauling her the whole way back. Dead weight is just that, dead weight.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“It means she’s heavier passed out like this than she would be if she was conscious.”
Rich shook his head and sighed heavily. “If she were conscious we’d make her walk.” He pushed his partner lightly on the back. “Go on, Einstein. Let’s get moving. We’ve got a long way to go.”
* * * *
Zin spotted Rmantk and let the change wash over him. He closed his eyes as the bones shifted, reforming into his human skeleton. When he could no longer feel the heat, he opened his eyes. “What the hell is going on, Rmantk? You’re supposed to be watching the Earth guards.”
Rmantk lowered his head until his chin rested on his chest. “Forgive me, my Prince. They were gone when we checked the cabin this morning. We picked up their scent about a mile from the house, and we’ve been tracking them for the past hour.”
“Why didn’t you shift to track them faster?”
Rmantk grimaced. “We knew the Princess was with you, so we thought we had plenty of time. Your father warned us not to show our abilities unless it was absolutely necessary for your safety.”
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s absolutely necessary now.”
“Where is the princess?”
“We’ve got her hidden away in a cave behind the falls. For the moment she’s safe. We didn’t scent anything in the area before we took off after these two fools.”
Rmantk pointed toward the cabin Chaim had offered for their use. “Then this should be over quickly. They’re up at the cabin.”
Zin nodded. “Let’s surround it on three sides and converge. We’ll scare the living hell out of them before we put their asses back on the shuttle. But remember, no morphing. The five of us should be able to take them without any trouble.”
“Agreed. But there’s one thing you should know.”
“What is it?”
“When we were tracking these two, we saw the shuttle land. It’s back a day early.”
“Damn, then let’s get this done. The sooner they’re gone the better.”
Rmantk motioned toward the trail. “Tenik and Quenk, take the south side. I’ll come up from the west and the princes can come in from the southwest. Is everyone in agreement?”
Zin nodded. “That sounds fine, but wait for my signal to go in. I want it to be my face they see first.”
“Absolutely, my Prince.” Rmantk nodded to Tenik and Quenk. “Let’s move out.”
Zin watched them disappear into the foliage and turned to Kernz. “Let’s get this over with quickly, Brother. I don’t like leaving our Laan Asawa alone for so long. I told her we’d be around where we could hear her, but there’s no way we could hear if anything happened now.”
“No worries, Zin. The only thing she had to fear was these men, and they can’t hurt her if they’re in the cabin.”
“True. Come on. Let’s go hunting.”
Zin’s calves burned as he knelt among the brambles at the edge of the forest, an expected consequence of his morphing. His gaze swept the cleared area around the cabin, hearing the low rumble of voices coming from inside. Back in the shadows, the branches thrashed and snapped as Rmantk growled sharp orders to his men. The suns settled directly above as if signaling his wait would soon be over. He ignored an insect biting the back of his neck as he flexed his fingers one last time before signaling to Kernz to move forward.
Wind slipped through the trees and leaves crackled underfoot as
he made his way toward the cabin. When he reached the small structure, he flattened himself along the wall beside the door, motioning for Kernz to join him. When he was in position, he nodded and they kicked in the flimsy wood and charged into the room. For a moment, bedlam resided as Rmantk and his men came through the two windows. The men inside froze, their hands moving toward the weapons they wore in harnesses on their chests.
Rmantk moved in close, pressing a laser stick to one of their heads. “I wouldn’t if I were you. This shoots a thin, laser stream that will cut right through you in a matter of seconds.”
Zin’s eyes widened as he got a good look at the men. They were the same size and same coloring, but they were not the men that had been staying at his home for the past five days. “What the hell is going on? You’re dressed in clothing that does not belong to you. Where are officers Blue and Effridge?”
The larger of the two men smiled. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. We were just looking around when we came across this place. It seemed to be deserted, so we thought we’d take a look.”
The smaller man nodded. “Yeah, actually we’re a little lost. Don’t suppose you could give us directions back to the transport center. We’d sure hate to miss the shuttle.”
Zin frowned and moved closer. “Who are you?”
The larger man grunted. “I’m Eddie Williams and this is my friend, Larry Morris.”
“What are you doing here?”
“We already told you. We’re just looking around. We spent a few days at the station and thought we’d look around to get a feel for the place. We’re thinking about starting up a business at the terminal.”
Zin grabbed the front of Eddie’s shirt and lifted until the man’s feet were a good eight inches off the floor.
Eddie cursed, struggling uselessly. “You can’t treat me like this. Let me go. I’m a citizen of Earth, and I have rights.”
My Chameleon Loves [Galactic Nuptials 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 11