by Dale Mayer
Chapter 8
Celeste huddled up against the huge fir tree and let the tears pour. Rain drenched the area in a sudden storm that she hadn’t seen coming. Somehow, she’d gone farther than she intended. And she was tired. Too damn tired. She should have turned back long before she saw the dead woods, but her heart had been hurting, and she couldn’t have turned around and ignored this place for anything. Now, she was soaked to the skin and her body screamed in pain. She was a fool.
She turned to hobble back to the caves, when she heard a foreign sound. Instinct made her stumble back under the tree branches. What was that noise? She peered through the trees but couldn’t see anything.
She turned to look behind her, and spotted two men coming in her direction, high-res guns in their hands. Oh, shit.
What had she fallen into?
Her sisters had warned her, but she hadn’t really understood. As usual, she was the idiot. The one that had to see for herself. Dear God. She pressed herself flat against the trunk, wishing she had Tori’s ability to mind control the men to walk away. She’d been working on that skill before she’d left, but hadn’t managed to get it to work well for her.
Now she realized it was a skill she needed, regardless of how well it worked.
“Where is that bitch?”
Were they looking for her? How could they possibly know she was here?
The animal network. Had they told the men? Not if that meant causing her pain. She knew that. They wouldn’t do that. They couldn’t. She was their master.
But she’d been away, and if new ones had shown up in the meantime, they wouldn’t know her. Or who she was. And maybe someone else had connected.
Her mind reeled with the implications of anyone else being able to connect to the spirit animals. Or someone who had spirit animals of their own, that didn’t recognize her. What if not all animals responded to her? Only the good ones? She’d never met one full of negative energy, but they existed.
“She has to be here. According to the rumors, she’s weak and wandering the woods, lost.”
Weak? Lost? They had to be talking about someone else. Not on her worst day would she consider herself weak. And how could she, a stargazer, ever be lost? Where the hell were they getting this information, these rumors, from?
“Yeah, but who can trust rumors? Just because we heard that doesn’t make it true. It’s disgusting out here.”
“That makes it perfect for getting rid of her. Dump her in the pool and she’ll drown, and no one will be the wiser.”
“Consider they all come from that weirdo crazy lady, they’ll likely think she committed suicide, too.”
“Even better,” the first man said cheerfully. “That’s one down and two more to go.”
“But they’re always surrounded. Unlike this one, this time.” The second man’s voice was sarcastic. “She’s got to be ugly, if she can’t get a man in this horrible hick town.”
They were talking about her. Holy crap. For the first time, she truly comprehended the enormity of what her sisters had been trying to tell her. A tale she’d tossed off as being too ludicrous to take seriously. She’d promised to be careful. She’d promised to be safe. She understood that bad things had happened. But nowhere in there had it been brought home to her—as in seeing the reality of the problem—until she’d nearly come face-to-face with two men who intended to kill her.
Somewhere deep inside, she could feel the anger fire up. They’d called Granny a crazy lady—again. The poor woman was dead and gone. When would the name calling stop? When would that beautiful woman get the respect she deserved?
As she felt the anger reach overwhelming proportions, and jumping out into the rain to confront the assholes was starting to look like the best option, lightning cracked overhead. She jumped back under cover at the last minute as it struck a tree close by.
“Hey, we need to get the hell out of here. It’s getting dangerous now.”
“It’s just a storm; quit your complaining,” the first man yelled as he stepped into view. Big chest, bigger gut, and bald head. Not what she’d have considered the look of a professional killer. A farmer, maybe. Then he turned, and pointed the gun right in her direction.
She closed her eyes and held her breath, willing herself to fade into the surrounding elements. Spirit animals, if you are around, I need help. Badly.
A flutter of wings whispered overhead. The long grass rustled, as animals raced to her aid.
“Oh, what the hell, we’ll go back to the car and wait it out,” the first man muttered angrily. “She can’t stay in the forest forever.”
“Um, Jethrow? What the hell is that?” Fear laced the second man’s voice.
“What?” Jethrow turned, and saw something out of Celeste’s sight that made him shriek in terror.
*
A scream rent the air. Matt froze. Darbo squealed in horror. That was enough to unfreeze Matt’s feet and he raced toward the sound.
It hadn’t been Celeste’s voice. In fact, he wasn’t sure it was a woman’s voice he’d heard at all, but someone was in trouble. Dodging branches and leaves, Matt jumped and darted through the woods. A brush slapped wetly against his cheek, before he could move it back out of the way. He blinked raindrops out of his vision. The lightning storm was stronger in this corner of the forest. Was that Celeste’s doing? If so, it didn’t bode well for anyone hunting her.
He came to a screeching stop in time to see two men huddled together, terror turning their eyes the size of saucers and stripping their skin of color. They stared, unmoving, to his left. He turned slowly to study the woods around them. A shimmer underneath the branches of a nearby tree told him something of energy was hiding in there. A second glance reassured him that it was Celeste, and she appeared to be fine. An energy shield surrounded her. Interesting. So whatever terrified the men, it hadn’t been her.
Shifting farther, he looked in the direction the men were staring. Nothing. The woods appeared normal. And given his own energy skills, the woods appeared empty—on all levels. He increased the power that he could see the energy of what was and what had been—it was something that only worked on whatever had transpired over the last few minutes. Instantly, a dark gray shimmer filled the wood. He narrowed his gaze and upped the wattage. Oh, very interesting. He had no idea what had caused something like that. He looked deeper, hoping to see the owner’s signature, but if they’d been able to create that energy fog, they’d also been able to run and hide inside it.
The fog layer slowly dissipated as he watched. So it hadn’t been there that long. He closed his eyes and sent out a probe, looking for the creator. Nothing. The person who’d manifested this had disappeared. And fast.
He crept toward where Celeste huddled, keeping his gaze on the two men, noting the guns hanging useless in their hands. He hoped he would have a chance to question these two, but given their motionless state, Celeste was first.
Her protective shield whispered toward him, as he reached the safety of the tree she was hiding under. It was checking him out. To see who he was…and who he wasn’t. He let it explore his body, let it determine if he was friend or foe.
The energy drifted around him, like a caress, before it was abruptly yanked back.
He grinned. Celeste might not be ready to let him back into her world, but her energy knew him. Cared for him.
She just had to get on board.
“Celeste,” he murmured. “Let me in.”
The energy stayed stubbornly closed. He could get in on his own, but that would be a violation, and he didn’t want to force the issue unless he had to. He shifted his own energy probe to make sure she was okay inside.
Reassured, he crouched near her, as he studied the men.
Neither moved. He studied their features, but it was as if they were frozen in place. He knew they weren’t frozen in time, as Celeste’s energy had been able to move. How long could the men stay like that? Were they dead? No, their energy, tight against their bodies, shimme
red with a little life yet. He had to believe that whatever they’d seen had done this to them. Or the shock was so great…
Either way, his concern was Celeste.
Unless the men woke up.
He crept out of his dry place and walked over to the men. He retrieved both guns and stuck them in his pocket. Waving a hand in front of their eyes, he realized they were in worse shape than he thought.
Pulling out his phone, he called for assistance. A weird crackling noise echoed through the connection, and he frowned before shaking his head and speaking more loudly. He needed a vehicle to haul the men back to the Center, and preferably someone who could heal them. That would be the sisters. Glory was sadly short on energy workers in the medical field. It should be a mandatory thing, really, but so few were around. He figured it was mostly due to the healing pools and their general usage in helping people. But that just led to more problems. How would he get the men to one? There were only damaged pools in this quadrant of the woods.
He closed his phone and turned back to Celeste. Or rather, where she had been. “Damn it, Celeste,” he snapped. “Stop running away from me.”
There was a sense of shock, a rush of anger, then a tiny hurricane battered him, as she raced toward him from behind the tree and started to beat on him with her fists. “I wasn’t hiding.”
“Well, I’m sorry.” He grabbed at her hands to stop her from hitting him. “It seemed like you snuck away when I wasn’t looking.” He glared down at her, wishing he didn’t still believe that. But from the sheepish look on her face, he knew he’d been right. “I won’t ever hurt you.”
“I know that,” she said and made a face. “But I’ve been in hiding for a year, and it’s not something I’m going to be able to stop right way. My instinct says run and I run. Especially lately.”
“Whoa. What do you mean, lately?”
In a wary voice, she said, “I just mean that lately I’ve been looking over my shoulder a lot more. It feels like I’m being watched.” She shrugged. “But then, life was getting a little rough, and I thought a lot of things that weren’t true…”
He didn’t know what to say. So backed off. Changed tacks. “First, let’s deal with this problem.” He motioned toward the two men. “Do you know what happened to these two?”
Her breath caught in the back of her throat. She stepped toward the two men, peering into their faces. “Their eyes aren’t even moving,” she exclaimed.
“I know, but why? They look scared to death, but they are still alive.”
“Not by much…” She frowned, studying the men. “I didn’t see what they were looking at. The rain was coming down heavy, then the lightning started. Soon after, I heard them scream.” She shrugged. “Honestly, I pulled in my energy and tried to stay out of trouble.”
“And you managed to do that, but it would have been helpful if you could have seen the same thing they had. We’re no further ahead, and whatever it was appears to be a powerful weapon.”
“Then it’s a good thing I didn’t see what it was. Otherwise, I’d have ended up the same as these two men.” She shook her head. “Their energy is so low,” she exclaimed.
If her tone was tart, he ignored it. “I’ve got men coming to collect these two.”
“Good, then you don’t need me.” She gave a quick wave at Darbo and hobbled as fast as she could into the trees.
“Damn it, Celeste, Don’t run,” he yelled. “We don’t know what’s out there.”
But she only waved her hand in acknowledgement.
Knowing he couldn’t leave the men alone, as they’d never be found without some guidance, Matt had no choice but to stand there and watch her run away. Again.
Chapter 9
Why was she running again?
Not very adult of her. But it was what she felt she needed to do, and to hell with being adult. She had enough going on in her life. And Matt was just too big an issue to deal with. Besides, she couldn’t go back now.
She hadn’t a clue what had terrified those men, but if they didn’t have paranormal abilities, then they could be afraid of something she knew to be fine. She’d seen and done things that would terrify many people.
Then again, she knew of nothing that could cause someone to freeze like those men had. As a weapon, it was damn effective. Using the spirit animals as an early alarm system, she retraced her steps to the caves, hating the weakness in her muscles. The fatigue coursing through her body. She needed the healing pools, and fast. Her leg burned, and there were several miles to go. Not smart of her.
The animals were taking her home the fastest and easiest way. By the time she’d returned to the cave and almost to the first pool, she was shivering. She immediately put her leg in, only to realize she’d have to go to the lower string of pools to get the benefit she needed again. By now, she was cursing her decision to have left the cottage at all. She should have stayed home and worked on healing. She forced herself to keep moving. Past the step Granny had sat on, and still, she kept moving.
Stubborn.
By the time she reached the lower healing pools, Minkel was holding her hand and infusing her body with his energy to keep her going. It wasn’t much farther, but she had to walk down the slope, and that was dangerous. It was a narrow pathway, and falling was not an option. Although without the animals for support, it was likely a probability.
Her entrance into the pool was a full-on belly flop. She knew she’d be sitting in soaking-wet clothes afterwards, but couldn’t make herself care. Her leg was booming with pain, and tears burned the corner of her eyes. She was such an idiot.
Thank God she’d made it. Closing her eyes, she floated. This pool should give her enough healing energy that she’d be able to make the rest of the way home. Then, she was going into her pool and staying there for as long as necessary. Her stomach growled. In all the chaos, she’d forgotten to eat. That’s when she realized the muffins were in her bag, and her bag was still over her shoulder. In the pool. Shit. She wasn’t above eating soggy muffins in a pinch, but she’d really rather not. Although now it looked like she didn’t have much choice.
She struggled to the side and slipped her bag off her shoulder. She tossed it on the side of the pool, and collapsed back.
Closing her eyes once again, she let the healing waters do their job.
Matt was right to be upset that she’d felt like she was being watched. She’d put it down to an increased sense of being paranoid. But what if it was more than that? With all that had been going on here, what if she’d been found in the small town where she’d hidden and they were just waiting for a signal to make a move?
She didn’t really want to know what that meant, but it was obvious that something nasty was going on. And it included her.
And that weird, blackish fog she’d seen—where had it come from? It had been almost…female in nature. Stupid, really. She couldn’t know something like that. But she sensed it. She didn’t know anyone powerful enough to scare a man to death. And two of them at the same time… Especially not now that Granny was dead.
She groaned as the shivers slowly eased back, and the pain reduced to something more manageable. Only now, the wet clothes were just dragging her down. She contemplated stripping off the offending material, but having seen three men in the last hour, she didn’t want to be caught in just her underwear. Maybe she could go home now? She tried to stand up, and cried out as her leg crumpled beneath her. Shit. Shit. Shit. She wasn’t going home anytime soon.
“Ready to ask for help?” a voice said from behind her.
She froze. “Damn it,” she muttered under her breath. In a louder voice, she asked, “How did you find me?”
“Easy. I can find you anywhere. Anytime, anyplace.”
She closed her eyes, realizing what he was saying about her attempts to stay hidden this last year. Had he bothered to look, or had he found her and left her alone?
“We’re joined, in case you’ve forgotten all those long, late-night conversatio
ns from a year ago.”
Of course he’d bring that up. It was why she’d worked so hard to stay hidden. Out from under his watchful guard. Sighing, she rolled over in the water, to see his knowing look at her fully clothed body in the water. He was alone, at least. “Did the men get back safely?”
“They will be at the Center soon, but their prognosis isn’t good.”
“Can anyone help?”
Matt shook his head. “No.”
She nodded. “Right. Healing pools aside…”
“I don’t think they will make a difference, but they are being taken to the one closest to the Center. We’ll see.”
She knew the pools couldn’t do anything for the men. They’d had the barest film of energy left in them, but it had already started to disconnect. But where there was life there was hope.
“Did you look for me?” she asked, abruptly. Then she caught her breath. Damn it. Where had that come from? She’d wanted to deliberately avoid any discussion of the year she’d been away, and here she’d just opened up the topic.
“No.”
Silence. Good, right? Wrong. He should have tried to find her. She’d worked so hard to stay hidden and for what? Nothing? That he’d cared so little for her that he’d let her walk away, and made no attempt to find her? She wanted to cry.
“I knew you’d come back only when you were ready. Expending the amount of energy required to find you when you didn’t want me to follow wasn’t going to help either of us,” he said, his voice cool. Cold, even.
That was her cue. She could be cold, too. “Good that you didn’t waste your time.”
“Not in that respect, no.” But he didn’t say any more on the topic.
She lay back and gently floated in the water. Come to think of it, how had he gotten this low in the cavern? These pools were too powerful for most energy workers. It had taken her and her sisters decades to be able to come down here. And Matt had waltzed right in. Damn. She’d known he had abilities that he had yet to share with her, and that his power was always turned down to a reasonable working level, but she had no idea the amount he had available.