Frustration rose at the thought of being tethered down. I shook my head. “I’m going to the Sanctuary. It’s not as far away as you were staying.”
Vincent didn't say anything.
Logan seemed more puzzled, but he was at least willing to back me up. “You strapped?”
“I'm only going for a walk, but I'll take it.”
“Don’t rely on tranqs and check in,” Logan said. “In the meantime, Vincent and I have a few things to discuss.”
“Right.” That didn’t sound reassuring. I thought about telling them to keep the blood off the carpet. When I looked from one man to the other, I decided it wasn’t a good plan to put ideas into their heads. “I’ll call in later.”
I took my car. There was some discomfort the further I got from the house. From Vincent, I corrected. Knowing it was temporary made it easier to contend with.
Pulling into the Sanctuary drive, I could see that there were already several cars parked in the lot. Very few knew about the Sanctuary, but the Lost, and those in on the secret, could access the park. Still, I didn’t expect there to be many people.
Travis gave me a warm smile as I walked up to the small group of people.
“We have a few agents in from Arizona tonight.” Travis nodded to the group. “Are you here to join us?”
“I'm actually here for a walk,” I said returning his smile. “I need to clear my head.”
“Getting in touch with nature does wonders for a person's psyche. James Long,” Travis pointed, indicating an older man, “is a Shaman who lives in the area. He helps many keep their balance between nature and life.”
James looked intriguing. He was marvelously tall, with long white hair smattered with a hint of gray that fell well below his shoulders. His beard was the same color and almost as long as his hair. Nestled in the middle of his beard was a long thin braid. I shook his hand and noticed that the smell of sage lingered like perfume. The amazing part was that as soon as I shook his hand, I felt calm.
James looked at me for a long time before saying anything. “You are broken.”
Anger made my cheeks flush; so much for calm. “Excuse me?”
James didn't bother with a response. Travis, on the other hand, looked livid.
“Cassie is going for a walk to help pull herself together,” Travis said, straining to keep his voice calm.
“She needs it.” James walked away.
Travis watched his retreating back. “I'm so sorry. I've never seen James behave this way.”
“Don't worry about it.” I tried to shrug off my anger. “I'm off.” Nodding to Travis, I headed toward the trail that would lead me along the riverbank. Before moving too far away from the gathering, I turned back, and saw that James was watching.
When I started out, I didn't think about my predicament. The path hugged a stream and when the trail curved into the woods, I decided to stay next to the water. Downstream I found the perfect spot. Several large rocks stood on the bank. Climbing onto the largest boulder, I got settled.
Meditating to the sound of rushing water, I let its energy wash over me. Once I centered myself and felt calm, I opened my eyes and watched the ripples of the stream and the trees waving in the breeze. I started to mull over my situation. It helped being calm and having a clear head.
It hardly seemed possible that a little over forty-eight hours earlier, I was almost killed. Thinking someone was purposefully trying to bump me off was too egotistical to comprehend. I wasn't important enough for someone to try to kill. Maybe it really was an accident.
My would-be killer had since taken up residence in my house.
Tossing that idea around, I thought more about Vincent. Getting a feel for the guy was difficult. Emotion was one thing, but intentions? It didn’t help that he appeared even more guarded with Logan around. His claim of wanting to help resolve his mistake was going unfulfilled. Admittedly, we’ve been busy, but still, can a soul be fixed?
He claimed to know me.
That seemed true enough. Several times, he started to say things and changed his tactic. Last night I was sure that he was going to tell me to sit where I was. The moment that ‘you’re going to,’ came from his mouth, I was ready to tell him off, but then he stopped and made a suggestion instead. Thinking this over only led to more questions. Was he trying to avoid an argument, manipulate me, or was he trying to be nice? It would be nice to know where Vincent fell in the scheme of things.
“Do not move,” the gruff voice came from the woods.
Startled, I attempted to spin around and fell from my perch. A man was on top of me before my brain caught up with the situation. He pinned me to the ground.
“I said, do not move.”
Panic and adrenaline gave me the strength to pull an arm free.
“I am trying very hard to fight my instinct to kill you right now.” His voice strained.
It was Rider Wolfe. In the dark, he looked pained, but my mind was behind my reaction speed. My free hand had already pulled my gun. Attacking me was the wrong thing to do, but at the last moment, I changed my aim away from center mass. I pulled the trigger. The bullet sliced through his side and he rolled away from me.
Shit! I shot somebody!
I rolled up and put the rock at my back, facing Rider. I breathed heavily, trying to will the panic out of my body.
“You were not who I expected.” His speech was staggered by panting.
I didn't answer and kept the gun firmly in hand. He no longer showed signs of aggression toward me, but I wasn't taking any chances. I also wasn't going to take a chance on him getting away. He walked up and had warned me not to move, for all the good it did either of us. Thinking of the strain on his face, it had really seemed like he had been trying to fight instinct.
“Why did you attack me?” I asked at last.
Rider considered the question. “You smell different.”
“And that's a bad thing?”
Rider shrugged from his spot on the ground. “You smell like prey. Like dinnertime.” He was silent again.
“Let me get this straight, you want to eat me?”
He did not look in my direction. Was this a werewolf thing? I really needed to read up more on the people I worked with. I gripped my gun in case this wasn't a cultural misunderstanding.
“I think that would be a bad thing,” Rider said.
“Damn straight, that would be a bad thing. Can I move now? Have you gotten yourself under control?”
“I will not attack you.”
The gun never left my hand, but I took my finger off the trigger. Rider didn't move from the ground.
“I shot you,” I said, stating the obvious.
“Yes, thankfully, you shot me.”
“Thankfully?”
“It would have been bad for both of us had you not.” He sounded calm now.
I wish I could say the same thing. “I should call a doctor for you.” I dug in my jacket pocket for a cell phone.
“No need,” replied Rider. “I only have a scratch.”
My first thought was that I should check out the injury. My instincts decided my brain was stupid. Instinct won out and I stayed with my back planted firmly against the rock.
We sat in stark silence for a while. Rider still didn’t move.
“What do you mean I smell different?” I asked.
“You smelled one way. Now you smell another.”
“Is it normal for someone's smell to change?” I asked.
Rider hesitated. “It usually takes something drastic. But then, I am new here, maybe it is normal.”
“Someone sucked part of my soul out the other day,” I said. “Maybe that's the difference.”
Rider's response was not what I expected. From the ground, he laughed long and hard. My arm was getting tired and I felt like an idiot pointing my gun at a man laughing on the ground. I put my hands in my pockets, with one of them still resting on the gun, and looked over at him, feeling a little uncomfortable. I was clear
ly missing something.
He caught his breath. “That was one of the last things I thought I would hear coming out of your mouth.” He laughed a bit more.
“Really?” I asked. “What did you expect?”
“Nothing quite so exciting.”
“That's me, full of excitement,” I mumbled.
“Honestly, I was not expecting anything that exciting to happen here. My dad said it was tame when he lived here.”
“Is that why you came over? Because your dad lived here?”
Rider was quiet again for a bit. He moved into a sitting position and pulled away from me. At first, I didn't think he was going to answer. Maybe I asked the wrong question. Who knew what was appropriate with a werewolf? Thinking back to what Logan said about werewolves didn’t give me any indication of what might be considered ill-mannered. Then again, he had attacked me and I had shot him. We were probably well beyond being worried about courtesy at that point.
“He lived here for a while,” Rider finally admitted. “My mother is from here. She left the house to me when she passed away.”
We let the silence go on for a while. Finally, feeling it appropriate to do so, I replied, “Sorry about your mother passing away.”
“We all have our time.”
“What brings you out here tonight?” I asked.
“Travis invited me. We are getting to be friends, so I thought I would try meeting a few other people.”
“Travis is a good guy.” Remembering what Logan said, werewolves have a unique view on friendship. It was hard to become their friend, but once you are, they were a friend for life.
“He is, and he knows who I am. There was another fellow tonight that somehow knows, too. Travis called him James. He looked me over and called me a shifter right away. Thankfully not in front of others.”
“I met James tonight. I don't know anything about him.”
“Hmmm, he does seem to—” Rider stopped and stood. Freezing, I listened hard, but I didn't hear anything.
“Rider?” I asked.
“Something on the air,” he said quietly. He twisted and turned silently across from me.
Without thinking, I opened the Path, trying to sense if anything was with us. Rider took a sharp intake of breath. In the Path, he had a vibrant twist of colors that moved throughout his body. The rest of the forest flowed through the path before us. The trees shot from the ground, grew to their length and died, only to be replaced by others. My eyes watered. I didn't dare blink, because I was seeing the past, present, and future of the area. The rarity of the event and the beauty of the passing of time made me not want to let go, even though it felt like I was drowning in the river of the Path. Sitting on that spot, I saw the river rise, and the sun rose and fell a hundred times. All the while, Rider's bundle of flowing colors did not change. I had no idea what it meant.
“What are you?” Rider asked in a whisper.
It was enough to shatter my attention and I snapped back to seeing only the present. I would have followed that vision until the end of time, even if I withered and died while watching. Pushing the Path away was a struggle. I wiped my watering eyes and pressed the torrent back.
“There's no one close to us.” I looked at the trees. The world was so dull now. Without the colors that spun around inside him, even Rider looked diminished.
“It is on the air. I smell blood.”
“Blood? I shot you, it's not surprising.”
“This is different. Troll blood, I think. Stay here and I will find out.”
“Excuse me?” Sit here while he runs off? I don't think so. “The troll is my responsibility. If he's hurt? Well, I'm going with you.”
Chapter 10
Rider regarded me. In the dim light cast by the moon, Rider nodded. He started going into the woods, and raised no objections when I followed. Rider was almost silent as he walked through the trees. He avoided sticks and branches as he made his way through the underbrush. I found every last one of them, but to his credit, Rider didn't say anything.
My heart thudded hard in my chest. Maybe Rider was wrong, or maybe the troll had injured himself. Until we checked out the area, I had to stay calm. We finally emerged near the cave where Logan and I had placed the troll days earlier.
An acrid smell filled the air, forcing me to cover my nose and mouth with my sleeve. Usually, my night vision is good. The cliffs glowed white in the night, but at the base was nothing but darkness. I could see nothing, but there was no way I was going to try to open the Path here. Instead, I tried to get a feel for the area. The air vibrated at a menacing frequency.
“Rider, I can't see anything.” The negative energy of the area seemed to push in on me. “There's something not good here.” The last came out in a muffled whisper, but I knew he could understand me clearly.
“He is dead,” came Rider's voice softly. I could see his outline in front of me against the wall of rock. “Torn apart.”
“Torn? Can you tell what did it? Or smell it? Is it still here?” I hated the anxiety that I let slip out through my voice, but the abhorrent feeling in the air seeped into everything around me.
“I cannot tell what it was. The smell is unfamiliar. It seems to have gone off in that direction.” Under the darkness cast by the trees, I could only tell the general area where he was pointing.
“I need to get Logan out here.” I kept my voice low. “I don't think we should track it.”
Rider turned to me. “We should go back to the entrance and warn Travis and the others. You can call Logan from there.”
“Warn them-- oh no, Essy. Rider, did that thing go off in the fairies' direction?” I didn’t wait for an answer. “You have to go warn Essy!”
Rider hesitated.
“Look,” I said, “you're quicker and quieter than I am. If you run into whatever did this, run away. Go!” He turned and was gone.
I took a few steps backward. I couldn’t see where the dead troll lay. My imagination started getting the better of me. For all I knew, I could be standing in an area surrounded by pieces of dead troll, torn apart by something that could be roaming these woods. I took another few steps backwards. The air felt coated in an oily residue.
It became very hard to breathe. The air pushed in on me and the smell was nauseating. I couldn't stay here. I tried to figure out where Rider and I had arrived through the woods, but I was disoriented in the dark. Instead, I followed the cliff, back away from the area.
Maybe Gran would know to send Logan, I thought wildly. However, I couldn't count on that. Pulling out my phone, I pushed up against the cliff face yards away from where Rider and I had stopped. The air was not as thick here. Trying to collect myself, I breathed in and out steadily and tried to focus on what was around me. I dialed Logan. Safety, I thought. I need to make sure I'm safe. The call wouldn't go through. I jabbed the numbers again and again in futile effort.
There was nothing else I could do but open the Path. I had to know. Concentrating hard, I tried to open myself a tiny bit to the Path. The air rippled then started rushing around with great strength. Not quite the deluge I'd experienced before, but it was close.
Inky blackness choked the Path. Against the darkness, I pulled out feelings of safety. I was able to build a shimmery shell of safety, pushing back the defilement around me. I tried to sense anything alive that was close to me. It wasn’t until I searched up and reached the trees that I sensed anything.
I looked up into the trees directly in front of me. Something large loomed above me. With as little movement as possible, I tried to make myself smaller by pushing myself further into the cliff at my back. Terror washed over me in waves. My concentration broke and the Path grew stronger around me, but I held onto my bubble of safety. I let the Path pour over me, afraid to expend the effort to push it away. With all the murkiness, I couldn’t make out what was watching me. The Path showed me only the present, for which I was thankful.
I could sense the creature waiting. Enough, I thought fiercely
. Would Logan sit here and tremble if he was left alone? Rider took off without any thought of what he might face when he rushed to warn Essy. If something was going to try to kill me, I wasn't going to sit here and let it happen. Very slowly, I pulled out my gun. I didn't move my eyes away from where I thought the creature perched.
“You are standing near an AIR crime scene,” I said. I was surprised my voice came out so steady. “I order you to come down for questioning.”
There was an odd screeching noise in front of me and the air chilled. A swooping noise filled the night. Something thudded on the ground close by. I couldn't see it, but pointed my gun in its direction. My bubble of safety was thrown back at me, followed by cold, dense darkness in the Path.
Once again, the atmosphere became thicker and oily. I could see a dark outline of something in front of me. Was this thing causing the unnatural taint in the air? Needing my eyesight instead of the contaminated Path, I concentrated and pushed the Path away. The creature didn’t move, but I felt something flex. Something as solid as a wall slammed into me. It pushed me up hard against the cliff. The force disappeared and I bounced off the cliff, only to be lifted by nothingness and smashed again into the rock face.
The air rushed out of my lungs as I hit and my feet were no longer touching the ground. The strength of the force did not dissipate, but instead, tried to grind me into the cliff face. I tried to scream, but had no air to do so. Every bruise and cut I’d gained the night before screamed pain throughout my system.
The solid wall suffocated me. Death waited for me.
The wall of energy vanished and I fell to the ground. Another swooshing noise filled the air. I sat up and swung my gun out in front of me, ready to fire at my attacker, but I found nothing to shoot at. Anger coursed through me. I looked at the sky, but still caught no sight of my attacker.
“Cassie!” Rider called from the woods.
“Cassie,” mimicked another high-pitched hissing voice. The air grew lighter. I didn't drop my weapon.
Rider came running out of the woods. “Where is it? What is it?” Rider put himself in front of me. He crouched down and then leaned forward, ready to pounce on anything that moved.
AIR Series Box Set Page 18
