West (A Darkness Series Novel)

by Stacey Marie Brown

  Of course.

  A hand grabbed my shoulder and twisted me around, his fist cracking the side of my jaw. I kicked out, slamming my boot into his crotch. Yogi fell to the ground, and I whirled around, turning the key again. This time it started.

  Another arm slipped around my neck, pressing on my jugular. Choking, I leaned forward, fighting his hold, my fingers barely managing to slip the gear into drive. I threw back my head and the sound of cracking cartilage snapped through the air. I bent down and tossed his body onto the floor of the cart, shoving him down on the gas pedal. The vehicle jumped forward, heading for the leg of one of the tanks.

  Boo-Boo grabbed me by the back of my jacket, dragging me into him. My elbow drove into his gut, and I kicked back into his knee. He went down.

  The sound of bending steel filled the room with squeals. The cart had driven straight into the eroding leg, cracking it. My eyes widened as the tank wobbled forward. The men were so set on coming after me they didn’t even look up. With a shrill peal of twisting metal, the tank gave way, crashing to the earth.

  Run, asshole! I screamed at myself.

  It was only seconds between the force of the drum hitting the ground and the deafening boom in my ears. The force tossed me in the air. I sailed over and hit a conveyer belt, rolling across it with a grunt before hitting the ground.

  Ouch. I winced, looking over my shoulder at the damage behind me. Not one body to be seen. The rusty container filled up more than half the room, all the men caught underneath. Old grain left in the tank spilled out, heaping over the bodies underneath.

  “Not bad.” I nodded in pride. “Didn’t think that was going to work.” I pushed myself up, feeling aches already across my torso and face.

  “Rez?” I called out.

  Nothing.

  “Rez!” No voice, but I thought I heard a sound like someone stomping their feet above me.

  I looked up to see a catwalk above my head. I ran for the stairs. With every step I could sense she was close, and I sprinted for the catwalk. At its end was a single room. It had no door and was filled with more equipment and pulleys. In the dark it took me a moment to find her far against the wall. Her arms were tied over her head, and she was muzzled.

  “Rez!” Joy sprang up like bubbles inside me.

  Her head jerked to me, and excited grunts muffled through the rag in her mouth. Four huge strides and I crossed the room, squatting down to her level. I ripped the gag down.

  “How are you? Did they hurt you?” My words spilled over her like a tidal wave. My hands ran over her face, needing to touch and check for wounds. She had a black eye and split lip but otherwise appeared all right.

  “I’m fine.” Relief washed over her face, her voice a whisper. “You found me.”

  “Did you doubt it?” I grabbed at the ropes tying her. It was cord rope, not thick, but so dense and firmly bound it was difficult to break through.

  “No. Not really. I knew you would track me down.” She rolled her jaw, loosening it. “What the hell happened down there? Sounded like a bomb going off.”

  “Decided they needed close-up, hands-on experience with the equipment here. Only way they’d learn.” Adrenaline pumped through my arms, and I tore at the rope tied in the infinity loop around her wrists. I hissed through my teeth, tugging at the knot. It felt like the tie was bound by a spell.

  “Shit.” I searched the room frantically, time was ticking by, my heart slamming into my ribs.

  “There’s the knife in my boot. I hid it there.” Rez nodded to her leg. “I tried to reach it but couldn’t.”

  “So lovin’ you right now,” I mumbled, my fingers ripping off her shoe, the knife clanking onto the floor. I grabbed it and sawed at the rope. A burning sensation fizzed up my veins. Magic. It was fighting me from breaking her free. The more I hacked, the more it grew, till I was grunting in pain. With one last cut, the rope fell away. Fire pierced my gut but quickly dissipated.

  “Not nice,” I grumbled. Rez was already on her feet, shoving her foot back in her boot. “Come on, darlin’. These guys really seem determined to have you as their house guest.”

  I grabbed her arm and ran out of the room, searching below at the overturned granary tank. A few men had scrambled back up. The fae, naturally. I had a feeling the humans would stay under. Permanently.

  Eyes turned to us. Hiss and some other fae were instantly moving toward the stairs—the only way up, the only way down.

  Fuck... Think, West.

  “There!” Rez yanked on my jacket, taking off down the catwalk, her boots pinging over the metal. It took me a moment to understand her plan, but when I saw the hopper tank near the wall, its flue leading outside, I was right behind her.

  Great plan, except the catwalk ended fifteen feet from the tank platform. There was no other choice but to jump. Rez got to the end and crawled up on the railing.

  “You got this, darlin’.” She wouldn’t die from the fall, but it could break her legs. Always hard to run with broken legs.

  “Hope so.” A clanging sound revealed itself to be men hitting the catwalk behind us.

  “Push off with everything you have. Imagine yourself soaring through the water.” I rubbed her back, feeling the men gaining ground. “Now. Go, sweetheart.”

  She closed her eyes, gnawing on her lip and jumped. Terror wedged between each rib as I watched her body fly through the air. There was nothing I could do. I was surprised and completely impressed at how little hesitation she had. She leaped, not thinking or overanalyzing. She just acted.

  As Rez began to descend, my voice was pinned in my throat, my gaze locked on her. She still had a few feet to go when she yelped, stretching out farther. Her fingers grasped the rail and pulled herself in, her body crashing into the railing with a harsh bang. Shit, that was close.

  I climbed on the top of the barrier, ready to jump, and glanced over my shoulder one last time. The men had stopped and turned around to head to the tank ladder. Boo-Boo and Yogi were already on their way. I leaped, the beast qualities easily eating up the space, helping me make the platform in a crouch. When I sprang up, I saw the bears now at the ladder.

  “Go!” I shoved Rez into the funnel. We could feel the vibrations from them climbing up, the rungs of the ladder pinging from their boots. Rez let out a tiny yelp as she let go, her clothes generating a whistling sound as her body sailed down the flue.

  My fingers gripped the ridge, about to fling myself after her, when pain tore into the back of my calf. Claws dug into my flesh. A bellow overflowed my lips. The nails burrowed in farther, scraping close to bone. I tipped to the side, nausea swirling in my head, coating my tongue, my fingers losing their hold.

  With a cry, I crashed onto the small platform, pulling free of his claws, which shredded my muscles and tendons. I clutched the edge of the platform, watching the ground spin below me.

  Yogi climbed the rest of the way up. There was only room for two, but it was still too crowded. I had enough of this fucker.

  Ignoring my injury, I hopped up on one leg, facing him. Pain pissed me off. I channeled my wrath through my fist, crunching his throat with force. Yogi stumbled back, his hand cupped around his throat.

  His gaze lifted to mine, and I saw rage behind his eyes. He had partially shifted, his head and arms already full bear, while his legs stayed human. The space was too small for him to be full animal, and it would only hinder him. His mouth snapped out for me, teeth grazing my jacket. His claws sliced down on me. I had nowhere to go. There was only one move I could make before I was gutted.

  I hugged him.

  Okay, it was less of a hug and more of a tackle. It’s difficult to use your arms when someone is “bear” hugging you. I bowled into him, running his body back to the railing. We rammed into the pole, which bent him so far back he started to fall.

  He wrapped his arms around my back and drilled in his nails, taking me with him. I howled. My feet came off the ground, my breath catching as I felt myself start to go over.
The railing zipped past my vision as we plunged. I reached out and grabbed for anything I could. My fingers wrapped around the metal, my head going over. I bit down and held on tight.

  Agony screamed through my ligaments when gravity caught up with me, jolting me to a stop, ripping Yogi’s claws from my back. The embedded nails scraped along my body as he continued to fall.

  He hit the concrete with a crunch. I hung on, swinging for a moment, my joints pulled out of place, blood dripping to the floor with resounding taps.

  No one spoke, but I saw Boo-Boo rush to his partner, his face contorted with concern and fear. His hand gingerly cupped the other’s cheek.

  I was so tired and hurt like hell, but it was not the time to take a break. More clangs from the ladder hummed in my head. Hiss was on his way up.

  I kicked my legs, gritting my teeth, blood and sweat dampening my forehead. Grunting, I hooked my leg up to the ledge and climbed back up. Hiss was almost at the top. His face peered over the side, and I locked my jaw, kicking my bad leg back. With as much effort as I could muster in my weakened state, I slammed my foot into his face. He cried out and fell, hitting the other two guys behind him, all three crashing to the ground in a pile.

  With my energy dwindling, I fell back into the tube and let myself go. Gravity sucked me to the bottom. Air pushed from my lungs and my head spun when I was chucked out of the shoot eight feet from the ground. Otherwise I didn’t feel anything.

  “West!” Rez rushed over to me. “Oh gods. I was so worried.”

  “Sorry, darlin’. Was held up.” I tried to smile. “Boys’ night.”

  “Next time have the decency to call and let me know you’re gonna be late.” She curved her arms around my back, helping me sit up.

  “Think I’m getting a taste of what it would be like to be married to you.” I moaned. My back felt like it was on fire.

  “Believe me, if you were married to me, you wouldn’t want to leave.” She pulled me to my feet, her voice teasing. How with so much pain could I still get this hard? Her being flirty only mushed my brain more.

  “I don’t doubt that, darlin’.” I sucked in a deep breath and looked back at the granary. “Let’s get out of here while we still can.”

  Rez was my crutch for most of the way home, but my body healed quickly, giving her a break. I didn’t even look to see if the car was gone. I hoped Fionna used it to get away. We needed to ditch it anyway. Parking it in front of the cottage was dangerous.

  Getting over the dark rolling hills and bypassing main roads was tedious and long. But not once did I feel we were being pursued, which was a relief. I didn’t think I could take another fight.

  Eventually, we passed close enough to Olwyn’s place where I saw the silver Range Rover parked behind the house. Fionna was safe, which was all I needed to know. I’d go over and check in later, thank her again, but right now I wanted to get Rez and myself inside the cottage, safe.

  Once we were, I checked every lock and put a chair to the door, keeping the lights off.

  “Let me look at those wounds.” Her fingers brushed the hem of my shirt.

  Now that we were back in the snug cabin, her proximity felt dangerous. Her honest but flirty tone still had my pants tenting. “No, I’m good. Merely need a shower. I’ll heal by tomorrow.” I grabbed her hands and pushed them away.

  Rez nodded and sat on the farthest bed, where I’d tossed her suitcase, rubbing her hands together. “Thank you, by the way.”

  I jerked to look at her. “You’re thanking me for coming to rescue you?”

  “Yes…?” She leaned her head to the side. “Did I not say it right or something?”

  “You don’t have to thank me, darlin’. Nothing would have kept me from tracking you down.”

  She looked down at her lap, a soft smile teasing her mouth. “Well, thank you anyway.”

  “You can get me back next time, sweetheart. I can play the damsel.”

  Her brows hitched, her eyes glinting.

  Hell. I didn’t need to see that look from her right now. I was already riled enough.

  “Uh…let’s see if they have anything to drink in this place.” I went to the mini-fridge stuffed under the counter. Awkward tension jumped around me like a dozen screaming children. I opened the fridge and peered at the contents. “Beer, mustard, and baking soda...sounds like my typical dinner.”

  Rez chuckled, rising from the bed. “Actually, I think I’m going to crawl into bed. Put an end to this day.”

  “Are you sure you’re all right?” I stood, shutting the door, and leaned against the counter.

  “West, if you ask me again, I’m going to go beg those guys to take me back.”

  I folded my arms. “Not funny.”

  “Oh, look who’s lost his sense of humor in the last eight hours.” She crossed her arms, mimicking me.

  “And look who still doesn’t have one,” I grumbled.

  “West, I’m fine. They only roughed me up when I tried to escape while they were tying me up. Otherwise they didn’t do anything to me. They didn’t ask me anything or even talk to each other. That was creepier than anything else.”

  “Strange. Why kidnap you and do nothing? They didn’t even ask you about the spear or what you know? It doesn’t make sense.” I tilted back farther against the counter. Nothing about these fae or humans felt right. They had yet to utter a word. To tell us why they were after us.

  “No, it doesn’t.” She rubbed her head. “But maybe they were waiting for the person in charge and you showed up first…I don’t know. I’m simply glad to be away from them. They acted like zombies.”

  That was exactly what I had thought.

  “Tonight I want to forget about it. Take a shower, crawl into bed, and deal with everything tomorrow.” She grabbed toiletries from her bag and headed for the bathroom but quickly snapped back to me. “Because we are going forward with the mission tomorrow. No buts. We know where it is now and have men after us for it. We need to get it before they do.” She watched my reaction, seeing if I would contradict her. I only nodded, which caused her to frown with skepticism. “That means no secret calls to Lars and getting me sent home or sidelined somehow.”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it. We’re partners. In this to the end. Together.” I crossed my ankles, the tabletop creaking under my weight.

  “O-kay then...” Rez’s lids tapered in mistrust, taken back by my declaration. She was ready for me to fight, to demand she go home because it was too dangerous.

  And I wanted to. Gods, how I wanted to. But I learned my lesson earlier. She was equal in this with me, and I had no right to demand her to go. If anything, tonight had showed me she could handle herself and was far stronger than I gave her credit for.

  Plus, I couldn’t deny, as much as I wanted her to go and free myself of temptation, as much of me wanted her to stay. To keep torturing me.

  Rez gave me one last suspicious glance then went into the bathroom. It was only a few seconds after I heard the water turn on. The sound of cascading water was relaxing. I wanted to take a shower too, but merely getting over to the bed was an exhausting task. I stripped off the layers and slipped under the covers in my briefs. I really wanted to be naked but thought it was a little too much with the King’s mistress sharing my room.

  I was drifting off when I heard the bed next to me squeak as Rez climbed in. Her presence was like a fresh breeze with sweet and salty undertones. Her smell sparked something deep in my core. I felt myself sigh deeply before sleep took me under.

  ***

  “I’ve missed you so much, Will.” The soft southern drawl was so familiar, like honey, soothing the unhealed wounds in my heart. I looked to her face and wanted to cry.

  “Cammie.” Her name caught on my tongue, aching in my chest. No words seemed to be good enough, no apology or declarations fitting for what I felt.

  “Don’t you miss me too?” She sloped her neck to the side.

  “Oh gods, yes,” I choked. “Every day.”


  “I feel like I’m losing you.” She held out her hand for me. “I don’t want you to leave me. I love you so much.”

  Every step I took felt like I was slopping through mud, not bringing me any closer to her.

  “You left me, Will.” Sadness lowered her lashes. “How could you do that?”

  “No…no, I didn’t.” She had left me. And it was all my fault. “I loved you.”

  “Did you?” Doubt coated her accent. “If you really loved me, you wouldn’t be leaving me. I can feel it…you don’t love me anymore.”

  “That’s not true.” I kept moving toward her, wanting nothing more than to touch her, to feel her skin on mine. “I will never stop loving you, Cam.”

  “Not in the same way.” Tears glazed her hazel eyes. “You’re forgetting, letting what we had die. Don’t you think I deserve more than that? After what you did?”

  She deserved everything.

  “You can so easily forget me.”

  “Forget you? I think about you all the time.”

  “Not lately. Your thoughts are being taken away from me. I’m being replaced by another.”

  “You could never be replaced.”

  “Prove it.” She beckoned me again. “Come with me, join me. Say you want us to be together again.”

  A sharp noise broke through the air, pulling my focus away from Cammie.

  “No,” Cammie shouted, her hand reaching out for me. “Come with me. We belong together. You and I. We deserve this…forever.”

  The sound came again, piercing my subconscious. I glanced behind me, searching. I didn’t know for what, but a nagging feeling tugged at me.

  “West!” Cammie yelled my name, desperation in her voice, bringing me back to her. “Take my hand. Come with me.” A tickle of reservation shot through me. My feet scuffled to a stop. That was not the name she knew me as. It sounded strange coming from her.

  “West, stop!” I heard the voice again, a deeper call, singing to every nerve ending in my body with a strange desire. I was about to turn around, when Cammie cried out.

  “No…don’t leave me. You promised me forever.” She reached for me, her face growing anxious. “Please, I need you. Just a few more steps, my love.”