A Cross to Bear

by M. J. Lovestone

  Gabby returned to the tunnel and backtracked through the passage and glowing room, up the stairs to the wine cellar and then again to the house. She retrieved the bags that she had packed and went to the window to check on the feds. An agent stood in front of the door as before, and the two sedans and white van remained in place. Heart thumping, she returned to the bedroom and opened the window. She pushed out the screen for good measure and glanced around. No doubt the feds were patrolling the property, and they would soon find the open window. On further investigation, they would find that Gabby was missing. With any luck, they would assume she slipped out somehow through the bedroom and wouldn’t bother searching downstairs. Coming across the wine bottle that opened the secret door was unlikely anyway, unless one was specifically looking for it or got lucky and happened to take it off the shelf.

  Feeling very much like a badass, Gabby returned through the secret passages to the storage shed and got in the Hummer. On the keychain, she found the button to open the big rolling doors. Without hesitation, she started the Hummer and gunned it.

  Destination, Yellowstone.

  Chapter 27

  Gabby had bought a ticket at Chicago O’Hare International Airport before the feds had so rudely canceled it on her. The plane was to leave at six, and it was now five. If she was going to make it, she would have to haul ass. As she sped down the freeway at eighty miles an hour, she called Quip on the phone that she had taken from her sister’s armory. To her dismay, the call went to voice mail.

  Heeey, can’t come to the phone right n—the line clicked. “Gabs, is that you?”

  “Hi, Quip.”

  “Damn it girl, but you had me worried. Where you at?”

  “On the interstate, headed to the airport.”

  “Are you on your phone?”

  “No. It’s one I found in the arm—it’s one of Maggy’s.”

  “Do you have your phone with you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Get rid of it. Throw it out the window.”

  “I’m not throwing away my phone. I paid a hundred—”

  “You paying attention, girl? You know what kind of shit you is in? These are the fucking feds we’re talking about. Throw it out!”

  “Okay, all right, shit!”

  Gabby fished in her pocket for her phone and, with some hesitation, tossed it out the window.

  “Is it gone?”

  “Yeah, it’s gone,” said Gabby grudgingly.

  “Good. You got any other devices?”

  “No, just the ones I found . . .”

  “You can say it, child. Just the ones you found in the armory.”

  “How . . . how did you know? Who the hell are you?”

  “Look, Gabby, you don’t know what you’re getting into here. Your sister was . . . let’s just say she was into some weird shit. You shouldn’t seek out Michael Steele.”

  “Why not?”

  “Jesus, girl. You paying attention? Your sister had an armory. She was ready for anything. And she’s dead. How long you think you’re going to last hunting down her killer?”

  “I’ll take my chances. I owe her that much.”

  “Come to my place. Don’t go to the airport. You’ll be safe here.”

  Gabby found the offer very tempting. She should just hide out until this all blew over, and then she could finally go back to her life. She laughed. What life? A drunken rapist husband and a dead-end job? No, for once in her life, Gabby was going to see something through. She was going to find her sister’s killer, and then . . .

  “You hear me? Get your ass to my place, and we’ll talk about what your next move should be.”

  “I can’t,” Gabby heard herself say.

  “Why are you Crosses so damned stubborn? You’re in over your head here.”

  “I’ll be fine. I’ll call you when I get to Yellowstone.”

  “Gabby . . .”

  “Good-bye, Quip.”

  “Gabby!”

  She hung up the phone and threw it on the passenger seat. The lights of Chicago illuminated the clouds only a few miles away. She turned on the radio, hoping for some pick-me-up music.

  “It’s the end of the world as we know it.”

  Gabby scoffed and changed the channel.

  “Killer on the road . . .”

  The Doors’ haunting melody sent shivers down her spine, and she turned off the radio with a slap.

  ***

  Gabby arrived at the airport at five thirty and parked the Hummer. She ran to the sales booth and purchased a ticket under the name Melinda Stark and hurried to the check-in. The many gloved TSA workers seemed menacing, and she found herself feeling guilty. Of course, they always made her feel that way, and knowing that whoever was working the X-ray scanner could see her naked body through her clothes gave her the creeps. She got in line and submitted to the hand swab. Her mind raced as she thought of all the strange weapons that she had touched in the white room. She tried to control her paranoia and breath.

  “Go ahead,” said the TSA agent lazily.

  “Thank you,” said Gabby, before realizing that no one said thank you in such a situation.

  She got in line and put her things on the conveyer belt. Many nervous moments passed as the luggage went through the scanner. Thankfully she didn’t have to go through the peep-show body scanner and was given the green light by the agents.

  Gabby grabbed her things and hurried to the gate.

  Chapter 28

  Gabby got off the plane in Wyoming and immediately rented a car. She drove to the hotel closest to Aurora Lodge—in a town twenty miles away. She rented a room at a Super 8 and prepared herself for the task ahead. She could hardly believe that she was here. Though she was scared, she was electrified at the same time. Gabby had always led such a mundane life—the newfound adventure was proving to be intoxicating.

  She dressed in dark pants and a dark long-sleeve shirt. She had at first intended on immediately confronting Michael about Lycaon and his true involvement with Maggy, but she was curious about the secret convention. She would have to sneak onto the property anyway, and she figured that she might as well do some spying before making herself known.

  Her phone rang—it was Quip.

  Gabby sighed and considered whether she should answer. Knowing that he would only try to talk her out of it, she decided not to. Instead she sent him a text saying that she had arrived in one piece and would call him later.

  Gabby, please call me before you do something stupid!

  She didn’t bother to reply. After turning down the volume and pocketing the phone, she grabbed her things and headed for the door before she lost her nerve.

  ***

  The sun set as she drove the rental north down the rural highway. The day was warm, and the sky was clear. Gabby felt a rush of adrenaline when the estate came into view. Aurora Lodge loomed high above the surrounding forest. It was basically a mansion built of stone and wood. The decor screamed Michael Steele.

  She did a drive-by, noting the gate and armed guards at the entrance. There was no way that she would be allowed in. The few articles she had found online said that it was strictly invite only. Gabby would have to find another way in.

  She drove a quarter mile and pulled over to the side of the road. Seeing the thick forest that she would have to traverse, Gabby was glad that she had brought her hiking boots. She popped the hood and propped it up. If it looked as though she had broken down, perhaps the abandoned car would rouse less suspicion. With the ruse set in place, she grabbed her packs and hurried into the woods, heading in the direction of the lodge.

  The forest was thick in these parts, mostly pine and birch and smaller bushes that hampered her travels and made her go slower than she would have liked. The sun was quickly setting in the east, and moonrise would be only a half hour later. The moon would give her ample light with which to see.

  After a half hour of trudging through the woods, she came to the forest edge behind the lodge. It sat in the
shadow of a tall mountain among the pines. The lawns were impeccably manicured, with a variety of ponds and streams running through lush gardens that boasted arched bridges and man-made waterfalls. There were armed guards on the many balconies of the lodge and others walking the grounds as well.

  Gabby gulped. There was no way she was going to get anywhere near the lodge with so many watching the place. She settled in among the bushes and made herself comfortable. If she couldn’t get in, she could at least watch. From her pack, she took her high-powered binoculars and spied the lodge. The forest was growing dark at her back. She ignored it as best she could.

  The sun’s setting rays gave way to the first stars of the night. Within the hour, the horizon began to glow with the coming of the full moon. Not much was going on in the lodge. No one was yet outside, but she could see figures walk by the many glowing windows every once in a while.

  A variety of sounds came from the forest around her—a strange cry that she hoped belonged to an owl, the creaking of tree branches rubbing together, and the scurry and chatter of chipmunks. She felt a hundred eyes on her and shivered.

  It was going to be a long night.

  Be brave, Gabs. You are a powerful goddess. Maggy’s words echoed in her head and gave her courage, though she wouldn’t have minded having her pistol right about now.

  Just then, the big glass doors at the back of the lodge opened, and people began to pour out.

  People wearing long black robes.

  A chill passed through her spine, and she hunched lower, feeling suddenly exposed. Her heart hammered in her chest as she studied the group members, who were slowly making their way across the grounds down a stone path that eventually led to the woods behind the lodge.

  Gabby knew that Michael Steele must be among the hooded figures, but she could make out no details in the darkness from so far away. There were at least fifty figures in all by the time the last of them had come out of the lodge, and the glass doors were closed. They slowly made their way single file to the tree line and beyond.

  I need to get the hell out of here, Gabby thought.

  Darb had been right. There was some weird shit going on with this group. But Gabby was curious. She hadn’t come all this way just to puss out now. She crept from her hiding place and moved through the woods toward the trail that the people were following. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and she made her way as quickly and quietly as possible.

  She moved adjacent to the trail, careful to stay many yards behind the group. After about a quarter mile, the group came to a clearing with a pile of wood at its center standing about ten feet high and ten feet wide. Gabby found a good hiding place behind a large fallen tree and watched, enthralled and slightly terrified.

  A burning torch was tossed on the pile of wood. It must have been doused with oil or gas because it went up with a resounding whoosh and illuminated the clearing brightly. Gabby crouched down farther and peeked out over the tree. The group gathered in a circle before the fire, and all at once they dropped their robes.

  To Gabby’s shock and amazement, they were all naked—men and women alike. She focused in with the binoculars and took a quick breath when she found Michael Steele standing at the center of the group. His chiseled body was covered in a thin sheen of sweat that seemed to glow in the firelight. Gabby found herself unable to take her eyes off him. All the others were similarly toned, and Gabby suddenly felt self-conscious of her own imperfect form. These people looked like Greek gods.

  Michael was saying something, but Gabby caught only bits and pieces of it from her distance. She was about two hundred yards away, which was still a bit too close for comfort. She considered leaving once more, knowing that nothing good was going to come out of this. But she found herself mesmerized.

  Three people joined Michael at the center of the group and dropped to their knees. He laid a hand on each of their heads in turn and looked at the moon with the others, speaking words that Gabby could not understand. She turned to regard the moon as well, which had just begun to crest the distant treetops.

  The group cheered and howled, then whooped and clapped.

  “Let the hunt begin!” Michael yelled, loud enough for Gabby to hear.

  Hunt?

  Gabby was suddenly petrified. What did he mean by hunt? She was about to make a run for it, when many of the members of the group suddenly came together in throws of passion. Men mounted women from behind, and women straddled men. Some of the men even mounted each other. The women likewise began exploring each other’s bodies with lustful cries and moans. She zoomed in on Michael Steele, who was holding up a gyrating woman with his gleaming, muscled arms. He stood at the center of an ocean of writhing bodies, thrusting into the thrashing beauty.

  Gabby’s mouth was suddenly dry. She stared at the spectacle with growing excitement.

  Get ahold of yourself, Gabs.

  The woman straddling Michael tossed back her head and cried out in ecstasy. He too tensed and gave a lustful groan. Gabby found herself unable to look away. She had never seen something so raw, so wild, and so erotic in all her life.

  Michael’s groan of passion became the howl of a beast. Gabby jumped, startled by the unnatural sound coming from the thrusting man. Many others took up the cry and reached up to the moon that had finally crested the trees.

  Gabby covered her ears against the terrible sound and watched, horrified, as the people began to twist and gyrate in strange ways. To her horror, they began to change before her eyes.

  With shaking hands, she watched through the binoculars as Michael Steele and the woman he held sprouted long hair. Their ears grew long and pointed, and their faces elongated until they grew long teeth and snouts.

  Petrified and unbelieving of what she saw, Gabby watched as the group turned into wolves of all shapes and sizes.

  She dropped the binoculars and ran for her life.

  Chapter 29

  All around her, the sounds of baying wolves echoed in the night. Trees slapped her face as she ran, and she tripped more than once. She was crying now and mumbling to herself, terrified. She dared not look back, knowing that the wolves were pursuing her. She came out of the woods into a clearing leading to a tall hill. The howls came from all directions. Shadows flew through the woods in her peripheral vision, and Gabby cried out. She fell again, skinning her knee badly on a jagged rock. In her terrified state, she felt no pain but continued on as fast as she could and ran up the hill.

  A snarl came from directly behind her, and she instinctively turned and cried out. A wolf was bearing down on her fast. She turned and raised a hand as the beast leaped at her with gleaming claws leading the way.

  “No!” Gabby cried.

  To her amazement, the wolf changed form in midflight and turned into a naked man. He landed at her feet on all fours and snarled at her.

  “Get away from me!” she screamed.

  The naked man backed away from her warily, glancing down at his human hands with a look of confusion and shock. More wolves were coming out of the woods. They stopped when they saw the one who had turned into a human in the light of the full moon.

  Gabby wasted no time considering her luck and ran as fast as she could up the hill.

  “Gabriella Cross, stop!” Michael’s voice rose up over the howls.

  Gabby could hardly see through her tears. She didn’t dare look back, knowing that she would find death closing in on her. She reached the top of the hill and ran across the flat expanse of rocky earth.

  “Gabriella!” came the voice again.

  The wolves were gaining on her.

  She darted between two pines blocking her way, receiving many scrapes on her face and arms. Half-blinded by tears and slapping branches, she stumbled out from between the trees and suddenly came to a steep cliff. She tried to stop, but her momentum was too great. With a terrified cry, she fell forward over the cliff.

  She frantically thrashed her arms as she fell. Above, on the ledge, a mournful wolf cried out. Th
e ground was coming up fast to crush her, and Gabby closed her eyes, not wanting to see her death.

  Then, suddenly, she was weightless.

  Strong arms held her firmly. She opened her eyes to find a winged beast staring back at her.

  Gabby passed out.

  Chapter 30

  The waking world came slowly to Gabby. Through a fog of colors and distant voices, she swam for many hours, trying to find her way. Her thoughts were muddled, her dreams terrible. In them, she fled from a ravenous pack of wolves hell-bent on devouring her. Michael Steele called out her name over and over, and each time it became more primal, more bestial.

  “It’s all right, Gabriella. You’re safe now.”

  She slowly opened her eyes and focused on the person bending over her. When Victor’s face came into view, she smiled. “I had the most terrible dream. There was this weird orgy and werewolves and . . . you had wings.”

  Gabby opened her eyes wide as the realization struck her. She shot up in bed, clutching the sheets to her chest.

  Victor smiled kindly on her. “How are you feeling?”

  “Where? What? How? Victor, where are we? What happened?”

  “We are at one of my houses. We are safe. Here, drink this.” He handed her a glass of water, and she drank greedily, searching the room with her eyes.

  The room was lavishly decorated with scenic nighttime paintings, antique-looking furniture, burning candelabras, large bookcases, and coats of arms crossed by swords and axes. A full suit of armor stood beside the door. It was black as night and smooth-edged—unlike any armor she had seen in movies of museums.

  Victor got up from the four-poster bed and looked to the large window through which the moon and ocean could be seen. “You must be famished. I will send my servants in to attend to you. Once you are refreshed, you will meet me for dinner. All will be explained then.”

  With that, he turned and headed for the door.