Whispers of Darkness (The Deadwood Hunter Series)

by Rachel M Raithby

  Lexia looked around her as the three of them were tossed and battered around. The river was bordered by the cliff they’d jumped off and the other side was a steep muddy bank.

  “Lex, look over there, we might be able to climb out,” Caden pointed up ahead on the left.

  “Ready?” They both flung their bodies together towards the left. Lexia went onto her back, kicking her legs and keeping Lincoln above her out of the water. Caden kept one arm around her waist, his hand wrapped into the waist of her jeans. Lexia reached out with one hand desperately trying to find something to grip to, her hand was cut and grazed by the rock and her head pulled back under the water.

  Caden stopped, his arm squeezed her waist and she gasped for air as her head resurfaced. Slowly he pulled her towards him and behind the huge branch that he was behind. Lexia pulled Lincoln’s body with her and breathed a sigh of relief.

  The water was roaring up ahead and she realized why. The water was all rushing down, dropping into a waterfall.

  “Shit, Doc, look.”

  His face visibly whitened as he looked. “Let’s get out of here quick. You go first, Lex.”

  “No, Caden you go. I can pass Linc to you. You’ll need to work on him, start him breathing. GO!”

  Caden edged his way towards the bank and started to climb; he slipped once but pulled himself up. Lexia started to edge along, too, dragging Lincoln with her. The current was still strong, whipping past her, freezing her to the bone, numbing her body.

  “Grab his arms,” she shouted, lifting him, but the more she lifted the further her body sank into the water. The water was up to her chin and the bullet graze on her arm burned as she lifted Lincoln’s unconscious body upwards. She tried to find something to push against, a rock to push off from.

  Lexia felt his weight leave her but as she pushed against a rock to lift herself out of the water her foot slipped. She gasped as she fell back into the icy river. Landing on the branch, she cried out as something cracked and then she went under.

  “Lexia!” Caden screamed.

  She broke the surface and gazed into his wild green eyes and smiled. It felt like an eternity staring at Caden as he screamed her name. Looking at Lincoln unconscious in his arms, but it only took seconds. “Save him, Cade. Save Linc.” And then she plummeted over the edge.

  The drop over the waterfall made her stomach flip, she screamed as the air left her lungs and then crashed into the water below. Lexia was tossed around, the water churned and bubbled and she had no idea which way the surface was. Her body was bashed against rocks, whipped around and around like she weighed nothing. Her lungs burned for air as her vision started to fade. She kicked her numb, frozen legs desperate to reach the surface, to suck in a breath. Her eyes saw daylight and she stretched her arms up, kicked one last time and broke the surface. A ragged breath filled her lungs before she was dragged back under, her body slammed against something hard, pain burst throughout her body, the last of her energy leaving her as she screamed, sucking water into her lungs and then the world went dark.

  Chapter 31

  Caden dragged Lincoln further up the bank, his hands were trembling as he looked at his best friend’s deathly pale face. The last time he’d had to save Linc had been hard enough, he’d wanted to never repeat the process again.

  Tipping his head back, Caden breathed a breath into his lungs and clasping his hands together started compressions. He tried to keep his mind on Lincoln but he couldn’t help picturing Lexia as she fell, her last words whispered into his mind. Save him, Cade. Save Lincoln.

  His blew another breath into his mouth. “One, two, three, four, five,” he chanted with each push to his chest.

  Breath.

  “One, two, three, four, goddamn it, Linc. Breathe!”

  Breath.

  “Breathe, breathe, Linc, fucking breathe! Please just breathe.”

  Save him Cade, save Linc.

  Lincoln coughed, water spluttering from his throat, Caden tipped his head to the side.

  “Oh thank fuck! That’s it, mate, get it out!”

  Lincoln coughed again, water leaving his lungs, he tried to sit up but Caden pushed down on his chest keeping him from moving. “Lex?” he croaked.

  “Linc, just stay on your back for a minute let me check you over,” Caden said, taking hold of his wrist and pressing his two fingers against his pulse.

  “Where is she?” he rasped, his half open eyes focusing on Caden’s.

  Caden took a deep breath and prepared himself to say the words he wished weren’t true, “She went over the waterfall.”

  Lincoln’s eyes widened, his heartbeat jerking under Caden’s fingers. He sat up abruptly, taking hold of Caden. “We need to find her!”

  “We will, but Linc you were out for a long time, let me check you over first,” he answered, trying to keep his voice level and calm. “Follow my finger,” he said, holding one finger up in front of Lincoln’s face.

  “Screw me, Cade!” he growled, knocking Caden’s hand from in front of his face. “Help me up, we need to find her now!”

  As Lincoln was pulled to his feet his head spun and he couldn’t help but groan as bile rose up his throat.

  “Steady mate, you have a pretty nasty gash on your head, I’ll have to stitch it as soon as we’re on the road.”

  “Maybe I should shift, I might find it easier.”

  “Hmm, we’ll stick to the water; follow it until we find her.”

  “Oh God she has to be okay. I can’t lose her, Caden, I won’t survive.”

  Caden looked at his friend, his eyes full of fear. “She’ll be fine, Linc. It’s Lexia, she always gets through. Come on.”

  Lincoln pulled off his shirt and jeans and handed them to Caden. He shifted and stood on his four wobbly legs waiting for the world to stop spinning. He followed the river’s edge and the weak connection he had with Lexia. He could feel her pain seeping into him and he just prayed Caden was right but no matter how many times he told himself she’d get through this, she was strong, she’d heal, he couldn’t soothe the knot of tension within him. He knew she healed physically but he couldn’t shake the feeling that with every problem they faced, with every injury to her or someone she loved, a little piece of Lexia’s hope died; she was emotionally damaged and he had no idea how to heal those wounds.

  Lexia came to, face down in the water. She lifted her head and coughed up the water that had been filling her lungs, her head felt groggy and her throat raw. She’d been pushed into a bank, her body caught against rocks as the water whipped around the corner. The river had become shallow and the water wasn’t as strong here. She looked around her and wondered how far the river had dragged her downstream. Her whole body was shaking from the freezing water, she couldn’t feel her fingers any longer and she vaguely wondered if she’d get frostbite.

  Looking up the river bank, Lexia tried to gather some energy to drag herself out of the water. She could feel her brain becoming fuzzy and knew it was only a matter of time before she passed out again. Digging her numb fingers into the gravely mud, Lexia attempted to pull herself from the water but as she went to move her leg, an intense pain shot from her hip, down her leg, and across her back. She cried out, gravel slipping through her fingers and fell back into the water, hitting her hip on rock. Lexia screamed, the pain so intense she almost blacked out. Panting hard Lexia couldn’t do anything but wait and hope Lincoln found her before the Hunters. She dug her hands into the bank hoping she wouldn’t slip any further into the water and be dragged further downstream. Resting her head, her mouth just out of the water Lexia concentrated on just staying awake. Hurry Lincoln, please hurry.

  Caden had been walking for a while. It was rough going following the river and getting down the steep incline beside the waterfall had proved rather challenging. In the end, Caden had stripped his clothes and thrown them down deciding he’d have more chance of making it down alive with four nimble legs. Lincoln had basically thrown himself down, his paws sliding dow
n the steep ground, rocks and mud following him; he didn’t seem to care about injuring himself further, just finding Lexia. Caden could feel the nervous energy coming off him, feel his urgency to find Lexia. He had the same feeling, too, but he was trying his best to act fine for the sake of his friend.

  After shifting and dressing again, Caden stuck as close to the water’s edge as possible, his eyes scanning every inch of the river. Lincoln increased his pace and Caden hoped he could feel her near because spotting her floating in the water or trapped between rocks wasn’t going to be that easy.

  The ground started to ease up, rocky ground turning to grass. Lincoln started to run up ahead and he let out a growl. Caden spotted her, face tilted to the side, water lapping up around her head. She wasn’t moving and her fingers were dug into the gravel of the bank.

  Lincoln leaped off the bank; his four legs stretched out as he hit the water. The panther cut through the water easily, luckily the water wasn’t as fast-flowing this far downstream. Sliding down the bank Caden tried to ignore the fact Lexia still hadn’t moved or even opened her eyes even though Lincoln was growling at her as he swam across the water.

  Jumping into the river, Caden swam across. “Lexia!” he shouted, but she didn’t stir.

  Lincoln was up on the other bank now. He shifted and slid down to her, his hands reaching out to pull her up.

  “Don’t move her!” Caden yelled, breathing hard as he fought against the current.

  “Lex, Lexia!” Lincoln murmured his hands touching her face. “She’s breathing!”

  “Good.” Caden took hold of Lincoln’s hand and let him pull him from the river and chucked his sopping wet jeans at him. “She could have broken something when she fell over the waterfall, let me look her over before we move her.”

  Lincoln pulled on his wet jeans. “Help her,” he pleaded.

  Caden jumped back into the river, the icy cold water taking his breath away. We’ll die of hypothermia before the Hunters even find us, he thought to himself. Slowly, careful not to move her, Caden moved as close to Lexia as possible. “Lexi, sweetie, can you hear me?” he said to her, touching her neck to feel for her pulse; it was slow but that was probably from being in the cold water for so long.

  “I’ll just check her over,” he murmured, lifting her top.

  “Looks like she’s broken a few ribs,” he said, his finger gently touching her side. “No major wounds, though, from what I can see. Let’s get her out of this water before she freezes to death and then I can have a better look. Put your arms under her shoulders and lift, I’ll grab her legs.”

  Lincoln moved down the bank, tucked his arms under armpits and lifted her slightly, her head fell forwards. “You ready?” he asked Caden.

  “Yep.”

  But as Caden lifted her legs a scream tore from Lexia’s throat, birds scattered from the tree tops and Lincoln froze his face a mask of utter panic.

  “NO, NO, DON’T,” Lexia begged.

  Caden dragged himself up beside her, “Lexi, shush, it’s us. You’re okay.”

  Her eyes focused on him, the wild look on her face easing for a second. “No, my hip, please, my hip,” she sobbed.

  “Caden!” Lincoln growled, his voice edged with worry.

  “Okay Lexi, I’ll just look, okay. You’re okay. Linc’s here, I’m here, you’ll be okay.”

  Oh god, please don’t let it be her pelvis, please not her pelvis...

  “Which side, Lexi?”

  “Right,” she whispered.

  Caden pressed his hands down on her right side.

  “Stop, STOP, please,” Lexia screamed.

  Caden let out a deep breath. “I think you’ve dislocated your hip, Lex.”

  “Why do you look relieved?” Lincoln growled.

  “Because I can fix that out here. Lexi, I’m sorry but we need to move you out of the water.”

  “N-no, p-lease, Caden, it hurts so much, p-lease,” Lexia rasped through her sobs.

  Caden nodded to Lincoln to lift. “I’m sorry, sweetie,” he whispered, lifting her legs.

  The scream that tore from Lexia’s throat was feral and raw. With each high-pitched cry, Caden felt it like a knife to his heart. He tried his best to keep her hip level as he climbed from the river but the bank was covered with lose gravel and his feet couldn’t get a good grip.

  “I’m sorry, baby, I’m sorry,” Lincoln murmured over and over. He’d visibly whitened, his eyes wide and scared as his mate screamed at the top of her lungs in pain.

  As soon as they reached level ground Caden indicated for Lincoln to stop and they placed Lexia on her back. She was breathing short, ragged breaths, and sweat beaded over her forehead.

  “Lexia, I’m really sorry but I need to take off your jeans. It’s going to hurt but I need to see, okay. You need to try and be quiet because there might still be Hunters out here.”

  Her eyes opened again and she nodded before her eyes searched for Lincoln. “You’re okay,” she whispered.

  “I’m always okay,” Lincoln smiled, taking her hand. “Just look at me okay, keep looking at me.”

  She nodded again. “Ready.”

  “Linc, hold her down,” Caden said.

  Lincoln moved above Lexia, his hands pressing down on her shoulders. He smiled down at her and whispered, “You can do this.”

  Caden unzipped her jeans. He knew this was going to hurt and there was no easy way to get her soaking wet jeans off without cutting them which wasn’t an option as she had no other clothes. The wind whipped past his face making Caden shiver. The air had turned bitter over the last few days and he knew snow would soon be on its way. He had to get Lexia up and mobile again before they all got trapped out in the mountains.

  He rolled the top down gently, already seeing the purple bruises covering her skin. Lexia moaned and bit her lip and then he pulled her jeans off in one sharp pull.

  Lincoln watched Lexia as Caden unzipped her jeans, his hands held her down, his eyes never leaving hers as she bit her lip to try and not call out. Her face creased in pain as he rolled the top down, his hands gripping the waist ready to pull. He glanced up meeting Caden’s face and just that second’s glance told Lincoln all he needed to know. This was going to hurt like hell and Caden was worried. His friend was trying to put on a brave face but Lincoln had known Caden all his life, he could read him like a book.

  He looked back at Lexia as Caden pulled. Her eyes widened, unfocused, as she was consumed with pain. He held her shoulders to the floor, pulled back his panther that wanted to rip from his skin, forced his claws to stay inside. She bit her lip drawing blood as her back arched of the floor causing her more pain. Her skin paled, tears dripped from her eyes, and she lost the battle against the scream building in her throat.

  “Hold her still!” Caden growled at him, the wild green leopard in his eyes.

  “Shush Lex, shush baby, you need to be quiet.” Lincoln’s heart was beating in his chest, his skin prickling. Anyone nearby was going to have heard her. His eyes scanned the trees around them, expecting to see Hunters descending on them.

  Caden’s hands worked over Lexia, his face creased in concentration.

  Lexia moaned and begged for him to stop, tears streaming from her eyes.

  “Cade!” Lincoln snapped.

  “I’m working as fast as I can!” he said, his eyes never leaving his task.

  Lincoln felt the wave of energy zap across Lexia’s skin as her eyes bled to gold and focus on him. A wild cry ripped from her throat and he had to force his body over her chest to keep her from moving. At the same time Caden wrapped one hand around her ankle and the other around her knee. Pulling her leg straight and away from her body, he put all his weight into the push, her hip popping back into its socket.

  Lexia screamed impossibly louder, throwing Lincoln off her and then slumped back unconscious.

  “Lex!” Lincoln gasped, crawling back to her.

  “It’s okay, she passed out from the pain,” Caden said, he moved he
r leg around, bending and pushing against it. “All fixed I suggest we move her, someone is b...”

  Caden never finished his sentence because five Hunters walked from the trees. Caden dove to the side, missing the bullets fired at him by a female Hunter, her wild red hair in a tangle of curls around her face. His leopard burst from his skin, his growl echoing around them. He reached her in one bound, launching straight for her throat. She never had a chance to re-fire before the taste of warm blood filled his mouth.

  Caden whipped around to see Lincoln in his panther form, a Hunter beneath him, his jaws sunk into his throat but he had a Hunter on his back. Blood was already spilling from Lincoln’s black coat as the blonde Hunter stabbed him. Caden snarled, his sharp claws ripping into the blonde Hunter male as he knocked him off Lincoln. His heavy paw landed on the man’s head, claws ripping into skin and the heavy blow crushing his skull. He hissed as the Hunter made one last-ditch effort at living, his knife sinking into Caden’s leopard flesh.

  Lincoln’s savage roar caused Caden to turn, seeing a Hunter dragging Lexia’s limp form away towards the trees. Caden ran towards Lexia but Lincoln reached him first. The Hunter who’d had his arms hooked under Lexia’s armpits was dragged to the floor. He dropped Lexia, her head flopping back, landing heavily against the ground. Caden turned, keeping himself in front of her unconscious body. More Hunters arrived; Caden crouched low, snarling and hissing, his vivid green eyes filled with hatred. The three Hunters smiled as they walked towards him, each holding swords.

  “Nice pussy cat,” one laughed at him.

  Lincoln silently ran at them from behind. He leapt, crashing into them, sending the three Hunters crashing to the floor. As Caden leapt, he ignored the slice of swords through his flesh and carried on ripping and tearing flesh with his teeth.

  A flash of black velvet sailed through the air distracting Caden. He was slammed to the floor by a female Hunter he’d not noticed approaching. His heart lurched as he saw Lexia being carried off by two men. Lincoln had been pushed up against the bank of the river, gravel tumbling into the water, and the two Hunters swiping blades at him.