Gathering Darkness: A Paranormal Romance Collection

by Anna Zaires

  When I got into the first class cabin, I came to a stop. My lungs burned, as I breathed in and out erratically and my heart pounded. Though it wasn’t the short run that had me out of breath. It was the two men standing on the other side of the cabin.

  Blood seeped from the bullet wound in Gutierez’s shoulder, staining his gray shirt a deep red. Though it had to hurt badly, he stood next to his brother, his shoulders pulled back with confidence. Identical chins were proudly prominent, as their lips pulled up into matching grins.

  The prisoner, Aldrich, was at least two inches shorter, with less muscle mass than his brother. His dark hair was also cut close to the scalp, but their faces were so similar, they could have passed for twins. How had I not noticed that? I shook my head, my eyes jumping back and forth between the small black remote in Gutierez’s hand, and the M16 his brother had pointed directly at my chest. I stood, feet shoulder length apart and arms stretched in front me, aiming at the man with the gun. But which should I shoot first?

  “One more step and this plane will go bye-bye.” Gutierez smiled.

  “You’d kill yourself too, you know.”

  He shrugged, his eyes closing on a long blink as his grin tightened. “Don’t care. If I can’t have my brother’s freedom, then there is no need to live.”

  “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard in my life,” I said, in a bored tone.

  “Nikki...” Nolan warned.

  “I don’t care what you think.” His glare said otherwise. “You Americans are all the same. All you think about is you, you, you. And you have no respect!”

  “You are American,” I reminded him. According to his file, his parents had moved here while his mother was pregnant with him. Shortly after their second son, Aldrich, was born, all four had disappeared. That is, until the first son, Admir, showed up on our radar as a terrorist.

  “I may have been born in this country, but I am no American. I am without a country. We are our own country,” he motioned to his brother, his chin lifting another notch.

  “Um... correction. That was the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

  “Silence!” he barked, eyes blazing black fire. “Drop your gun and kick it over here.”

  The plane rumbled beneath my feet, but I heard no other sounds. Realizing this, I knew Adam was biding his time. I could feel the tension rolling off of him in waves.

  Praying I wasn’t about to die, I slowly brought my arms down to my sides.

  “Gun. On the floor. Now,” Admir snapped.

  Taking a deep breath, I dropped the gun and kicked it toward them. “Kill her,” he said to Aldrich, as if he was demanding a sandwich, instead of someone’s life. Then he turned and went behind the curtain, leaving me and his brother alone.

  Well, not completely alone.

  Aldrich grinned and I ducked behind one of the seats, just as the rifle went off. The bullets clipped the top of the seat, ripping the fabric before slamming into the wall behind me. One of the shots went through the seat and hit me in the upper right arm. I cried out, as a fire blazed through the flesh. The impact had me falling backwards.

  Blood seeped through my fingers as I pressed down on the wound and I felt woozy. But I was pretty sure it was all in my head. I hadn’t lost that much blood, I told myself. I needed to move, but hearing the passengers screaming after the gunshots caught my attention. On top of that, there was the angry roar of my husband.

  My eyes widened with alarm as he leaped through the doorway. His clothes were half ripped from his growing muscles, showing off tufts of brown fur. Fangs gleamed in the overhead lights, as he rushed at Aldrich with a speed I never knew possible.

  “Are you hit?” Nolan asked frantically in my ear.

  “Yeah. Arm. I’m okay.” I stared, open mouthed, as Adam ripped into Aldrich, his claws slinging blood against the walls and seats with every swipe.

  “He’s shifted, hasn’t he.” I nodded. Though he couldn’t see me, he must have understood. “Did any passengers see him?” he bellowed.

  “I don’t know.” I could hear them screaming and crying, but I couldn’t see them from where I was. Gritting my teeth, I crawled over to the open cabin door and peered inside. The passengers were rushing toward the back of the plane, sending frightened glances behind them. Oh, shit.

  “Yeah, I think they saw plenty,” I told Nolan.

  “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” I could actually hear his teeth grinding. “I knew it was a bad idea to put the two of you on that plane.” I said nothing as he seethed. “Okay. Fine.” He blew out a breath, calming himself. “We’ll figure out how to flip the story later. Right now, there are bigger fish to fry.”

  I stood up on shaky legs, taking several deep breaths to the rhythm of the throbbing in my arm. Adam was still ripping into the corpse at the front of the cabin, and though I didn’t want that vision in my head any clearer than it already was, I made my way toward him. This time, I didn’t have to say his name. As soon as I got close, he stopped his assault and looked up, anger, pain, and guilt flashing in his beautiful blues.

  Standing slowly, his arms fell to his sides as he shifted back into the Adam I knew. Blood dripped from his fingers onto the gray carpet. That’s going to leave a stain. It wasn’t an appropriate thought at that moment, but it was better than thinking of what my husband had just done to that man.

  I blinked and looked back up at Adam. Had he just asked me a question? “I’m okay,” I said.

  “Here, sit down,” he said, lifting his hand to place on my shoulder, but when he saw the sight of all that sticky, dark red blood, his arm fell back to his side.

  Suddenly, he was naked from the waist up and ripping his shirt into strips. I licked my lips at all the hard muscle now revealed, but shook my head. “No, we don’t have time for me to sit.”

  His lips pulled into a tight line, as he wrapped the strips gently around my arm. “Nikki,” he warned.

  “We need to find Hayes,” I said, remembering the other agent.

  “I’ll look for him...”

  “Adam, you need to take control of the plane now,” Nolan interrupted.

  “What’s happening?” we both said at the same time. Our eyes met. Adam continued putting the makeshift bandage over my wound, as we gave each other a small smile.

  “He’s dumping the fuel. According to him, we’re taking too long to give him the answer he wants.”

  Our smiles dimmed. “Shit,” I whispered. “How long do we have?”

  “I don’t know.” Nolan sounded tired.

  Stopping to grab my gun, I followed as Adam turned toward the front of the plane. Passing the restroom and the galley, we both stopped at the solid, locked door of the cockpit.

  “I got this,” Adam said, before gripping the handle.

  “Don’t kill Gutierrez,” Nolan reminded us. “I would have preferred Aldrich alive too, but I have a feeling that won’t be happening.”

  “Definitely not,” Adam growled.

  “Be glad Gutierrez doesn’t know his brother’s fate,” Nolan said. “Otherwise, that plane would have already been scrap metal.”

  I sucked in a sharp breath at that realization. Then I watched, brows raised, as Adam’s muscles tensed and flexed. In mere seconds, the door popped open from the force of his strength, leaving it hanging crooked on its hinges. I stood silent, still in awe of what I’d just witnessed, as Adam leaped inside.

  Suddenly, a black box flew through the air. I caught it without thinking and glanced down at the red light that blinked in the top right corner. How could something so small be so dangerous?

  Grunts and grumbles bled into my personal space, and I realized I’d been zoning out way too much. Adam’s shirt had helped slow the bleeding, but I needed a doctor soon.

  Adam and Admir Guiterrez came barreling out of the cockpit. I stepped out of the way, just in time for Adam to sling our hijacker onto the floor and pull his arms behind his back.

  “Where did you get the handcuffs?” I asked him.
/>   “Admir here came prepared,” he answered, then said to our hijacker, “Guess you didn’t think they’d be used on you, huh?”

  Gutierrez bellowed as Adam jerked him back, pulling his injured shoulder on purpose. Once he had him restrained, he dragged him out toward the cabin, disappearing behind the curtain. I sagged against the wall a moment, to gain some equilibrium.

  The gun in my left hand felt off, so I switched it to my right, but when I tried closing my fist around the handle, pain flared up my injured arm and I cried out. It was going to suck if I had to shoot using my left hand, but it was my only option.

  When I entered the cockpit, a man sitting behind the controls looked over, his eyes wide with fear. He wore plain clothes, not a pilot’s uniform, making it quite obvious whose side he was on. Sweat beaded at the top of his lip and his body shook as I pointed the gun at him. I had a feeling the way my own arm shook made his fear intensify.

  “Get up,” I demanded.

  He looked at the controls, then back at me. His eyes had narrowed with determination and his hands flexed on one of the levers in front of him. His sudden bout of confidence worried me.

  I pressed the gun to his temple. “Drop your hands and get up. Right now.”

  One minute turned into two, as we stared each other down. My hand was shaking too much. In fact, my whole body trembled violently, and I was afraid I wouldn’t win if he decided to put up a fight.

  Within a blink of an eye, Adam was there. He gently pushed me aside, wrapped his hand around the pilot's throat, and yanked him from the seat. The man’s eyes bugged out as he clawed at my husband’s hands, but Adam didn’t seem bothered. He carried the man out of the cockpit with one hand.

  I slumped against the co-pilot’s chair, staring at all of the blinking lights, buttons, and levers. I had no clue what was what. My heart pounded in my throat, as panic set in.

  “Sit down and buckle up,” Adam said from behind me. I gave him a quick glance, and nodded before doing what he said.

  “You can really fly this thing?” I asked, as I buckled in.

  “Planes aren’t so different from choppers.”

  My head jerked to the side. He was busy pressing those strange buttons and levers, as I stared wide eyed at him. “You’ve never flown a plane before, have you?”

  He sent a heart-stopping grin my way. “Don’t worry, babe. I got this.”

  Oh my God. We’re going to die.

  CHAPTER 10

  The setting sun made for a brilliant backdrop to our end. The puffy white cumulus clouds looked like cotton candy, highlighted with bright beams of gold and orange. Pink hues weaved in and out, as the sun dipped into the sea. It could be worse. At least my death had the perfect company, along with the view of a lifetime.

  I looked back at my gorgeous, stubborn, loving husband. All his concentration was for the controls in front of him. He spoke to air traffic control in aircraft jargon I didn’t understand. It was better not to know. At least that’s what I told myself.

  “Stop worrying,” Adam said, and I huffed.

  “Just tell me you can land this death trap safely.”

  “No problem.” He smiled briefly, then it dimmed, and he gave me a serious look. “I found Hayes and the pilots when I was dealing with Gutierrez.”

  When I turned to look at him, he shook his head, letting me know they hadn’t made it. I sighed, wishing I could go back and do so many things differently.

  The plane shook violently. I closed my eyes and took a deep, calming breath. It didn’t help, so I did it again.

  “Would you rather sit with the passengers?” Adam asked, his worried gaze sliding toward me. “You can help James keep an eye on Gutierrez and his friend.”

  “James?”

  “Yeah. He’s on leave from the army. He’s keeping an eye on the hijackers for us.”

  I nodded, remembering the soldier we encountered earlier. “No. I’ll stay. Just don’t crash.”

  Adam’s grin was pure wickedness. “Oh, babe, I won’t crash. I have too many plans for you when we land.”

  My brows shot up. “Yeah? What plans are these?”

  “Once you get your arm taken care of, we’re going on a real honeymoon. No work, no hijackers, only you and me and a king sized bed.” He wiggled his eyebrows, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of lust and humor.

  I chuckled, then winced as my arm jerked, sending white hot fire up and down my right side. My head spun, and I rested it back against the seat.

  Adam’s grin fell, and a look of worry crossed his face. “You okay, babe?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” For now.

  His fingers caressed my cheek, and I closed my eyes, as I leaned into his touch. It felt cool against my heated skin.

  “I love you,” he said.

  My eyes opened to search his expression. His loving gaze told me he meant every word. And, though I loved him just as much, doubts clouded my judgement.

  “Even after everything?” I asked. “The lies? Knowing who I am now?”

  “We have a lot to talk about, but that doesn’t change the fact that I love you. You’re not any different than you were a few hours ago. You just have a career I knew nothing about.”

  I shook my head. “It’s more than that, and you know it.”

  “Maybe. But I believe we can get through this. I’m more concerned with how you’re handling my secret.”

  My forehead creased, as a vision of my husband changing into a half-wolf creature filled my mind. “It’s a lot to take in,” I admitted.

  “But can you handle it? Can you accept me?” He looked so worried that I’d reject him, it broke my heart.

  “Of course,” I said. Grinning, I tried lightening the mood. “And I haven’t gotten to really see all of you.”

  His face relaxed, and he smiled back at me. “Want to see my wolf, baby?” He wiggled his eyebrows and I laughed. Hard. So hard, black spots danced in front of me, as the pain in my arm became unbearable.

  “Babe? Nikki!”

  “Don’t make me laugh,” I whispered, even though that was reason number five why I’d married him. Or maybe it was number ten. I couldn’t remember. As my mind became a bit fuzzy, my eyes closed, then popped back open. I didn’t want to fall into unconsciousness, but it was like a heavy weight was pulling me down.

  “Nikki! Stay with me.”

  “Okay,” I wasn’t sure if I said it out loud or not, because in the space between one heart beat and the next, I was out.

  CHAPTER 11

  “Fuck!”

  Like swimming through the thickest swamp, my body fought its way back into consciousness. My eyelids were too heavy to open, no matter how hard I tried, and the rocking was causing my stomach to turn.

  “Shit!” Someone shouted beside me, just as whatever I lay on was jerked to the side. The throbbing pain in my arm flared with the harsh movement, and a whimper escaped my lips.

  “Nikki? Are you awake?” Hearing Adam’s panicked voice next to me, I smiled. “Babe?” he asked again.

  “I’m here,” I whispered… or croaked. I wasn’t sure which. It was too soft for even me to hear.

  “I’m glad,” he said, “but it might have been better if you’d slept a little bit longer.”

  My body slid sideways, and my eyelids finally pried themselves open enough to see that I was still on the airplane, and the ground was approaching us. Fast. My heart sped with fear, but the lethargy holding my body down wouldn’t allow me to really concentrate. “What?”

  “Just close your eyes, Nikki. I got this,” Adam said.

  My head felt like it was filled with lead when I turned to look at him. His forehead was creased and his jaw clenched, determined.

  “Clearance? You bet your ass, I have clearance,” Adam mumbled under his breath. Turning to me, he said, “Hold tight, babe. This is going to be a bumpy ride.”

  I opened my mouth to ask him what he was talking about, when my body jerked forward and a cry of pain spilled from my lips.


  “Shit! Nolan, there will be emergency crews ready, right?” I followed his terrified eyes to my arm, where it hung limply at my side. Blood had soaked through his shirt, and my skin was coated dark red. “Hold on,” Adam said, and I was flung forward again. This time, however, I barely felt any pain. That wasn’t good.

  “I’m sorry,” Adam whispered, and I glanced at him lazily, my eyes ready to close again. It was too hard to fight the pull. “You’re going to be all right,” he declared.

  It sounded more like he was trying to reassure himself, but I nodded. “Just a flesh wound,” I murmured, my tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth.

  Then there was a sharp jolt, slinging me sideways. The sound of grinding metal was deafening, and the way everything shook, I thought for sure the plane was about to shatter into a million pieces around us. I knew deep down what was happening was serious, but I just couldn’t focus. My eyes closed, and I welcome the darkness. As curses filled the cockpit, I thought it was probably a good thing I wouldn’t be awake for whatever fate had in store.

  CHAPTER 12

  It felt like from one blink to the next, time had skipped forward. I realized immediately that we weren’t moving anymore. I licked my lips and my bleary eyes took in my surroundings. I still sat in the copilot's chair, but Adam was no longer sitting next to me. The large window in front of me revealed we’d landed at the airport. How had that happened? Where was Adam?

  “Over here,” I heard his voice behind me. Then I was being gently lifted out of the seat and placed on a stretcher. A warm blanket covered me and I sighed. I didn’t realized how cold I was until then.

  An oxygen mask was placed over my mouth, and a warm hand engulfed one of mine. Adam walked with us as I was rolled down a ramp and loaded into the back of an ambulance. Adam climbed in just before they shut the doors and sat next to me.

  Pieces of time seemed to slip away. One minute I was in the ambulance, with Adam clinging to my hand and telling me how much he loved me, then the next, bright lights were shining in my eyes, causing me to flinch. I shut them tightly and when they opened again, it was dark.