Wild: Hangman's Haunt Book 1

by Kay Elle Parker

  Baylee lay beside him, still as death, skin ashen and lips almost blue. Whoever had carried them from the car onto the soft bed beneath them had joined them by the hand; Daxon could feel the chill of her slender one in his.

  “Goddamn it,” he said slowly as his words slurred. “I brought her out with me, I know I did. Where is she?”

  A cool hand pressed to his forehead. “I don’t know, Dax. I honestly don’t know. I’d hoped...it doesn’t matter now. I’ll do all I can for her.”

  Not enough. No matter what they did, it wasn’t enough. He heard Vex cry out in protest as his muscles turned to water, but the truth was, Dax was too damned tired to fight whatever Zara shot him up with.

  He’d seen Baylee in the dark, looking so lost and frightened and alone. Seen her with the eyes of a man in love, felt her touch not in the recesses of his mind but as if her hands pressed against his flesh.

  She’d buried herself so deep he almost hadn’t found her. Once he’d been told to visualize the mind of a shifter as though it was an onion; layer upon layer upon layer of realities. Sanctuaries for the mind to shelter during a breakdown, the platforms of sleep, the gloomy bottom shelf where nightmares matured and escaped.

  We need to find her, Vex insisted.

  The problem was, Daxon knew as warmth filled his veins and dragged him back down, sometimes you couldn’t find what was lost for so long.

  BAYLEE HOVERED ON THE line between consciousness and the catastrophic fall back into the abyss. She groped for Dax’s hand, cursing herself for letting it slip away, but she’d had no choice—something had pulled him from her and she hadn’t been strong enough to hold on.

  “Baylee.”

  Pain hit her hard, a vicious blow to the solar plexus, radiating down her arms and legs. She cried out, the sensations too much and yet not enough after being stuck in limbo.

  She slapped out at helping hands, froze when flesh clapped against flesh. Warm, real flesh. Someone grabbed her hand, held it tight, anchored her into reality with a fierce determination Baylee could feel in her bones. Her aching, weary bones.

  “Holy shit, she came back. Keep hold, don’t let her float off again.”

  “You want the blue bottle?”

  “No, those meds will send her back under; we might never get her back. I want the amber bottle and the...give me the pale green one from the bottom shelf. Two syringes, Reena, and hurry up.” The female voice softened. “Baylee, are you all the way with us now?”

  She knew that voice. Zoe...no, not Zoe. Zola? No, that sounded wrong. Then the name was forgotten altogether when she doubled over, twisting and mewling at the heat burning along her skin.

  “Zara, what do you need me to do?” The second voice sounded nervous.

  “Pin her down. Carefully!” Zara snapped out. “She’s still healing, Reena, we need to be careful we don’t rip open any wounds. Take her wrist, that’s it. Just like that. Hold it down to the mattress, keep it there.”

  Baylee made a strangled sound, fought to open her eyes as she was pushed onto her back again and held down. The room spun and dipped and weaved. “What the hell...happened to...”

  “Relax, Baylee, you’re in the best hands now. Just relax.”

  Her eyes took a moment to focus on the needles in Zara’s hand; blearily, she shook her head in refusal. The first one was barely the thickness of a piece of thread; she didn’t feel even a scratch despite the fact she watched it slide into her vein.

  Within a few moments, her system rebooted, full of life and energy. The abyss was gone, nowhere to be seen, and Baylee could only be thankful for it. She never wanted to go near that place again.

  “Keep her held down,” Zara instructed when the grip on Baylee’s wrist loosened.

  Baylee winced when the second needle jabbed into her bicep. She hissed out a breath, fighting the pain, and then...she moaned as her body went limp. That was nice, that was good. The pain just floated away.

  “Where am I?” she asked slowly, staring up at a ceiling that seemed strangely familiar. Eight-hundred-miles-away familiar. This wasn’t the valley, that cursed place she’d come to loathe. A smile touched her lips before Zara answered her.

  Home. She was home.

  “We’ve created a bit of a stir in your town,” Zara said with a smile of her own. She set the used needles aside, eased Baylee up and fluffed the pillows so she rested in more of a reclining position. “Friendly folk; of course, they don’t know what we are, so that could change yet.”

  “How did I get here?”

  “Love. Love brought you back here. Reena, we’ve got a few wounds leaking here, would you mind getting some hot water and cloths? They’ll need redressing at the very least.”

  “Reena...Daxon’s sister?”

  The woman in question paused, beamed a mega-watt smile. “You remember me?”

  “Vaguely...your voice, I think.” Baylee looked at her with curious eyes, saw Daxon in female form. The woman had his eyes, only a more luminescent shade of green, and her hair was an intricate braid of black and red. “Daxon mentioned you a few times...before.”

  Reena’s eyes flicked to Baylee’s right, then back to her. “He’s always had a soft spot for the women in his life. I like to think I’m his favorite sister.” She winked and Baylee basked in the warmth of the woman’s acceptance. “I’ll go get that water.”

  Baylee let her head loll to the right and her heart jolted in her chest. Her lover lay beside her, quiet and peaceful, his chest rising and falling in long, slow breaths. He looked a little pale, drawn and tired, but no worse the wear. She sent a silent prayer to whatever God was listening for keeping him safe.

  “Daxon will be on his feet before you are,” Zara said with a light laugh. “Between the two of you, we’ve had a rollercoaster ride the past few days. You’ll need to stay in bed for a while; your body went through the wringer a few times. But you’re home now, and safe. We all are, thanks to you and Daxon.”

  “I didn’t do anything,” Baylee replied uneasily, trying to lift her head to assess her body. It was too heavy, and in the end, she just settled back into the pillows. Judging by the pain she was in when she woke, she didn’t want to see what caused it.

  “You started a rebellion and gave us all an opportunity to start again away from Shax’s tyranny. Dax found the strength to stand up to his sire—something no one has done in a very long time—and set us free. Not only that,” she continued as she eased a square bandage off Baylee’s arm, “he brought us here, to a special place, where we can be ourselves but have human interaction as well.”

  Baylee’s stomach roiled when she glanced down and saw the savage bite wound in her flesh. The teeth were clearly printed into her arm, deep and oozing blood. She swallowed back nausea and focused her eyes on the ceiling. “So the clan has moved to Montana; you’re going to have a climate shock, you know.”

  Zara grinned. “Undoubtedly. I can’t wait to see snow.”

  “You’ll see plenty of that.” Baylee’s fingers twitched and she set her hand on her belly. “Zara, I have this feeling something’s not right. Inside me, I mean.” And that feeling was compounded by the way Zara’s hands stopped for a moment and by the way the blonde wouldn’t meet her eyes. “It’s my babies, isn’t it?”

  Zara closed her eyes and set her hand atop Baylee’s, squeezing tightly. When her eyes opened again, there was a shine to them that had Baylee’s throat closing in automatic response. “Between some of the injuries you sustained and the amount of blood you lost...the pregnancy wasn’t viable, Baylee. I’m so sorry.”

  “Oh.” Her heart cracked in two, from top to bottom. Her hand flexed beneath Zara’s for a moment, reassuring the life that no longer flourished inside her, before she reached out and grasped Daxon’s. “Does he know?”

  “Yes,” she confirmed quietly. “Daxon knows.”

  Baylee only nodded, heartbreak surging through her like a tidal wave, eradicating everything. After all she’d gone through, all she’d sacri
ficed to make sure her babies stood a chance, and she’d cost them their lives.

  She turned her head away from Zara, shielding herself, before she let herself grieve for the future she’d wanted so desperately to hold on to.

  Chapter Twenty

  Three days passed before either of them were awake at the same time. Three horrible days of drugs and pain and faded memories. On the eve of the third day, Daxon lay on his side, his hand resting protectively over Baylee’s heart as he dozed.

  Thanks to some very kind people in town, they had more medical supplies at their disposal, better quality, and more modern drugs. He was pleased by Caleb’s reports; while some of the hardcore shifters were currently camped out in the clearing—much to a certain trio’s irritation—almost three-quarters of the clan that had followed them to Montana were already making arrangements to move into empty houses within town.

  With Caleb’s money-making magic, paying the rent wasn’t an issue, although more than a few of the men and several women were scouting for jobs, willing to pay their own way rather than depending on the leadership to carry them.

  Independence, Daxon thought with a smile.

  Reena had found herself a job at the school, working with young children. Zara had made inquiries about renting a space and setting up a holistic treatment room. One by one, his people were settling down, looking forward to building normal lives with regular jobs and social lives.

  Brenna, God bless her, had been instrumental in the swiftness of which they’d been accepted. The petite, fiery redhead had thrown herself into pleading their cause, labelling them as refugees from a neighboring state who’d been traumatically affected by the raging wildfires. Caleb sung her praises to the moon and back; Daxon wasn’t entirely sure but he thought he scented the possibility of romance between his brother and Baylee’s best friend.

  She’d been there every time he roused from sleep, sat beside Baylee’s side of the bed. Holding Baylee’s hand or brushing her hair, or talking in hushed tones with Zara.

  “Allix and Cassie don’t know she’s back yet,” Brenna confessed to him on the second day. “They suffered enough the first time; I’m not telling them Baylee’s come home if she’s going to up and die on us.”

  He’d agreed with her practicality, even as he’d felt her displeasure at lying to her friends. He had yet to see Baylee awake with his own eyes; reassurances from Zara did nothing to quell his uneasiness.

  So he held onto her while he slept, and when he woke. He took bathroom breaks and ate the food Zara or Reena or his mother brought up. He waited patiently for Baylee to wake up, and missed her every damn time.

  They were in her bedroom in her house. Zara told him there’d been no hesitation on Brenna’s part for her to gather her things and move back to her old apartment when they’d rolled into town. He’d be eternally grateful to the woman who loved his Baylee as much as he did.

  “I fucked up, Dax.”

  Startled, he jerked out of his doze, lifting his head to peer sleepily at Baylee’s face. Tears rolled down her cheeks in slow motion, beautiful crystalline drops. Her lip quivered; her teeth bit it in an effort to hold back the sobs he could feel building beneath his hand.

  “I don’t see you for days, and that’s all I get?” he asked gently. He pressed his lips to her hand. He didn’t want her to cry, couldn’t stand it when she did. He had no shield against the depth of her emotions, and these ran deep. “You changed the world for my people, baby. Changed it for them, for future generations.”

  The first sob broke free and he realized he’d said the exact wrong thing. “At what cost, Dax? At what cost did I change the world? I killed our babies. The cost was too great.”

  Pushing himself up to rest on his elbow, he cupped her face. “You gave them a fighting chance, Baylee. You saw what I didn’t before it was too late; if anything cost us our cubs, it was my blind ignorance. They were conceived in love, and they died through the bravery of their mother. My father would have seen them die for no reason, Baylee. You did the only thing you could.”

  She wept until Dax thought she’d make herself ill. Unable to gather her, to cradle and rock her as he so desperately wanted, he kissed away the tears and whispered his choked endearments. She wept until there were no more tears, no more sobs.

  “I should have listened to you. I was so certain of myself, that my family would welcome you, I never entertained the thought that they might not. My ignorance nearly cost me everything, Baylee; you, our cubs, our life together. Between me and my father, we royally fucked this up.”

  Her hand lifted and groped for him. “Your father is a horrible man, and I haven’t even met him. You’re nothing like him, Dax. I couldn’t love you if you were.”

  “My mother told me the same thing.” He sighed. “You still love me?”

  “I still love you. I’m wondering why you haven’t touched me.”

  Daxon thought of the bandages beneath the blanket and winced. “Baylee, I’d make love with you right now if I could. But you’re still healing, and risking you isn’t something I’m willing to do again. I brought us home to die, Baylee; I didn’t know we’d survive this. But we have and that’s...phenomenal. Miraculous.” He kissed her sweetly. “I know we have a lot to talk about, but this is where we belong. This is where our life begins, if you want it to.”

  Blue eyes met his, haunted and dull. For a moment, Dax thought—hoped—he saw a spark of the old Baylee in them. Prayed that spark would light her up from the inside and give her back her radiant glow. “I’d like that. I don’t think I’ll ever leave here again.”

  “The world isn’t all like the valley, baby.”

  She sighed softly. “I know. I know it’s not. But this was the first time I’ve ever left the Haunt, Dax, and I lost my babies. I nearly died. I was prepared to give up the man I love, despite the fact I’d have ripped myself in two.” She closed her eyes, her breathing slowing, relaxing. “I’m not ready for the outside world, Dax. I’m happy here.”

  There were amends to make. He’d screwed things up, and he had several giant steps to take to set their course back on track. His mind whirled, forming plans, choosing pathways to bring Baylee back to vivid life. He couldn’t bear to see her in this broken shell, drawn and depressed.

  He kept watch over her until Brenna came to visit. The redhead eyed him critically, something he half-resented when he wasn’t at full capacity and able to deflect any barbs she threw at him, but she surprised him by giving him a sad smile.

  “She gets this way sometimes, especially when her legs have been swiped out from under her. She hits the ground hard, takes a few minutes to gather her bearings, and then she sets off running again.”

  Dax felt his face twist into a mask of guilt, struggled to smooth it out. “Can’t run when you’ve had your legs taken off at the knees. I made bad choices, Brenna. Bad choices for Baylee, and for me. Wanted her to be safe and loved and happy.” Bitterness stung his words. “Took her away from everything in her life that made her feel safe and loved and happy, and managed to fuck it all up so she has nothing left.”

  Brenna tutted quietly, shutting the door behind her as she stepped fully into the room. “You underestimate what you mean to her, Daxon. Baylee wouldn’t have left the Haunt, her friends, her business, if you hadn’t provided everything she thought she needed. She’s loved you from instant numero uno. I’ve never seen her as full of life and dreams and hopes as I have since you came into town.”

  “And safety?” he asked wryly.

  “That woman doesn’t have the faintest idea how to camp out,” Brenna told him with a smirk. “Yet she decided to go camping in the haunted woods, by herself, in the middle of the night. Some part of her knew you were still around. Waited for you. Knew you’d keep her safe.” Her amber eyes glowed slightly, turned darker and unfocused. “Sight is my gift. She needs you. You need her. Darkness will come, as it always does, but you’ll be stronger when it finds us. You’ll be formidable, and he will kneel
at your feet when you take his head. It just might not be the head you need.”

  Daxon swallowed hard, fighting not to step back from her. Her eyes cleared and she gave him a knowing look that spoke volumes. “Anyone ever tell you you’re incredibly freaky sometimes?”

  Brenna gave him a lazy bow. “Few people look past the sloth to what hungers beneath, Dax. To most, I’m just Brenna, the slightly weird one in the group of women who like to hang out in the haunted woods. No one knows what I’m capable of, not even me.”

  “Well shit,” he murmured.

  “Go to your family, Dax. They’ve been waiting for you. That brother of yours...” Brenna ran her tongue over her teeth with an avaricious look in her eyes. “I wouldn’t mind chasing him through the woods skyclad.”

  Daxon winced. “TMI. He’s my baby brother.”

  She just lifted her eyebrow. “And you’re essentially banging my sister. Guess that makes us family through seminal fluid if not by blood.” She sashayed over to the chair beside Baylee, sat and took her friend’s still hand. “Run along now, pussy cat. Caleb’s impatient to run a few things by you.”

  Daxon growled and grabbed his shirt from the foot of the bed. He shrugged into it, began fastening the buttons. “If Baylee wakes, if she...if she needs me, she can call me. She knows how. I’ll be here if she calls.”

  “You’re cute when you’re nervous, Dax, but we need the big strong alpha male to ride in on his big black stallion and get his ass into gear. Darkness waits for no man, no beast, and it comes seeking blood. We all need to be ready for what comes next.”

  His eyes searched her face. “Do we win?”

  Brenna gave him a sad smile. “I can only see so far. I see the darkness, I see the possibilities. I know nothing for certain. Victory comes with a price, Dax—blood, sacrifice, pain. It’s unavoidable. Right now, you’ve won one battle. You need to rest, recover and brace yourself for the second.”

  Dax gestured to Baylee. “Winning the battle wasn’t worth what it’s cost her.”