by Mac Flynn
I looked up into his stern face with a quivering smile. "Next time I'll remember to bring the bungee cord."
"You are dangerously reckless," he scolded me as he set me on my shaky feet.
"You forgot stupid and stubborn," I added. My legs wobbled and I clung to his chest for balance. I glanced up and saw Lillian's white face peeking over the edge. My heart sank. I'd terrified her with my stupidity. "I'm okay, but I think you should take the stairs," I called to her.
She nodded her head and disappeared from sight. In a moment she reappeared along the steep, rocky incline of the hill. Lillian stumbled and slid down the rocks, and Alan helped her down the last few feet. She raced over to me and wrapped me in a strong hug.
"I'm so sorry! I wanted to hold you, but I couldn't!" she sobbed.
I smiled and wrapped my arms around her. "It's fine. You did your best." I pulled her to arm's length and wiped away a few of the tears on her cheeks. "Besides, I'm not exactly light." I turned my attention to the two men. "So what's the story here? Did the guy go into that cave?"
Erik raised an eyebrow at me. "You know it was a male?"
"Because I saw his chin. It was blocky. Besides-" I waved my hand at the ground, "can't you guys tell it was a guy? You know, by using your super sniffers?"
Alan Shook his head. "No. The person is masking their scent with wolf's bane. Every werewolf is allergic to it, and to sniff it would mean a sneezing fit for several minutes."
"Well, the guy had a chin like a guy so let's just go with that. Now what do we do?" I asked them.
"We will do nothing. You and your friend will remain here while Alan and I entered the cave and follow this assassin," Erik instructed me.
I gestured to the area around us. It was devoid of any large rocks and trees. "So you want Lillian and me to stay here and hope there aren't two of them?"
Erik pursed his lips. "Very well, you can come but once inside you will obey orders. Understood?"
I grinned and saluted him. "Yes, sir!"
CHAPTER 5
I stepped up to the opening and leaned my head inside. The interior was as dark as the Digger tunnels. I turned to look at the men.
"Anybody got a light?"
"No, but you will assist us in making one," Erik told me. He grabbed him of my shirt and pulled it out of the waist of my pants. With a quick jerk he tore off the excess and I was left with a ragged hem.
I cradled the torn shirt in my hands and glared at my mate. "If you didn't like the shirt you just told me!" I growled.
"Find a thick stick," he ordered me.
"What? Why? So you could beat my pants off with it?" I retorted.
"No, so we can create a torch," he explained.
My eyes widened. "Oh, that's what you're doing." I dropped the hem of my shirt and crossed my arms over my chest. "Why didn't you just tell me that?"
"Because then I wouldn't have had the pleasure of seeing the look of surprise on your face," he quipped.
Lillian covered her mouth to hide her amusement and Alan raised an eyebrow. I rolled my eyes. "Boys are so strange."
"I think I might see the stick we could use," Lillian spoke up. She pointed at a round object close beside the mouth of the cave.
Erik snatched the piece of wood from the ground, wrapped the shirt around the top, and held it out to Alan. Alan pulled out a modern looking lighter and a small tin can. He sprayed some of the contents onto the rack and lit it aflame. Fire spread over the entire cloth and cast a faint light for us.
I looked to Alan in bewilderment. "What are you doing carrying around a can of lighter fluid?"
"You don't wish to know," he warned me. I left it at that.
With Erik in the lead, and Lillian and me between Alan and him, we slipped into the mouth of the cave and after our foe. He had quite a bit of a head start, but what he didn't have was the ability to hide his footsteps. The floor of the cave was wet and we could see the scuff of his boots on the rocks and in the mud. The cave descended at a steep angle Into the bowels of the island. The walls were as damp as the floor and moss grew thick on either side of us. The air was filled with the perfume of living organisms that made breathing hard. I press my hand against the wall and cringed every time my fingers sank into the sponge-like surface. My hand brushed aside some of the moss and the torch reflected off a dull yellow rock.
I tripped over the uneven ground and stumbled into Erik's back. He stopped and turned to me with a frown. I sheepishly grinned and shrugged. "I guess I'm used to escalators. They're a little easier than this rocky ground."
"This trail is also too easy," he commented.
"I would have to agree," Alan spoke up. "For someone who was intelligent enough to cover their scent in wolf's bane they have made following them through this cave very easy."
"So in plain English you're saying this is a trap?" I guessed.
Erik jerked his head up and his eyes widened. I opened my mouth to ask what was wrong, but a sudden shaking of the ground chattered my teeth. Lillian shrieked and clung to her mate. Alan pressed her against the wall and covered her body with his own. Erik pushed me to the wall and put his arms on either side of my head. I looked past his arm and down the tunnel. The depth of the shadows barreled towards us. Rocks and dust fell from the ceiling and extinguished the light from the torch.
"The tunnel's collapsing!" I yelled.
Erik pushed me into Lillian and Alan. "Run!"
Alan shoved us women ahead of him and the two men pushed us up the tunnel. The earth rocked to and fro. Dust seeped into our eyes and covered our clothes. Rocks knocked into our heads and scattered on the floor. We tripped and stumbled along the rock-strewn ground. The light at the end of the tunnel told us we were nearing our goal.
A cloud of dust ahead of us announced our escape, and we burst into the clean, bright air. Lillian and I stumbled onto the ground and choked on the dust that welcomed us back to the rocky, above-ground world. I turned my attention to Lillian and rubbed her back.
"You. . .you okay?" I wheezed.
She coughed and nodded her head. "I. . .I think so," she hoarsely replied.
The men stood behind us, and the only way to tell they'd been through the same ordeal was by looking at their filthy clothes.
"That earthquake was very strong," Alan commented
"The strongest yet," Erik agreed.
I glanced over my shoulder and glared at them. "How come we almost got flattened? I thought werewolves were supposed to have some sort of spider-sense or something," I quipped.
Erik shook his head. "No. We have heightened senses, but they can show different pictures to different people."
"Meaning?"
"We were meant to follow those tracks, so our foe showed us the tracks and waited long enough for us to almost become entombed in that tunnel," he explained.
I sighed and helped Lillian to her feet. "Well, I think that's enough traps for today. I'm tired, Lillian's tired, and I'm hungry, so why don't we go back to the Barracks and rest before we try to get ourselves killed again?"
"We can do nothing more here," Alan pointed out.
Erik pursed his lips and swept his eyes over our surroundings. The rock pit was quiet except for the crashing waves. "Very well. We'll go."
Erik led us back to the Barracks while Alan provided rear coverage. By the time we arrived Lillian and I were exhausted, mentally and physically, and we collapsed on the bench inside the sitting room.
"You can't stay here. The assassin may return and target you through the windows," Erik told us.
I waved my hand at him. "Then you'll have to carry us because we're-hey!"
We weren't exactly hay, but I felt like it as I was lifted into his arms and hauled into the room full of oddities. Lillian had similar treatment, but she smiled and snuggled against her mate's chest.
"Traitor. . ." I mumbled.
The men plopped us in two of the Ottoman chairs and removed themselves to the opposite end of the room. A curtain hung from the c
eiling and obscured a part of the room.. The men slipped behind the curtain and dropped their voices so low that I couldn't overhear anything. I strained my ears, but only caught a few murmurs of words.
"Do you really think they'll do what they say?" Lillian whispered to me.
I shook my head and pressed a finger to my lips. "I'm trying to hear what they say," I hissed back.
She furrowed her brow. "You can't?"
I turned to her with a quizzical expression. "You can?"
She smiled and nodded. "Yes, but Alan doesn't know that I can."
"How did you learn?" I asked her.
Lillian shook her head. "I don't know, but Alan told me that a werewolf's abilities come to them for the first time when they're in control of themselves. I think this ability came to me because I had nothing else to do then sit here and wait for Alan to return from his duties. I wanted so badly to hear something and as I sit here in the silence I suddenly grew very calm and at peace with myself. I think that's what you need to do so you can hear them."
I wrinkled my nose and returned my attention to the curtains. "All right, here goes." I closed my eyes and focused my attention on the curtain.
I started when Lillian rested her hand on my shoulder. "You trying too hard. Just relax. It should come naturally." She pursed her lips and tapped a finger against her chin. "I was thinking about Alan when the gift first came to me."
"And what was the first thing you heard?" I asked her.
She blushed and looked down at her lap. "Alan's footsteps as he came down the hall after from his duties."
I sighed and leaned back in my chair. "Just great. Everything revolves around a mate here. I wonder if we won't be able to eat without them."
"I think that's wonderful," Lillian argued. She raised her eyes and looked me in the face with a steady gaze. "It means we're never alone. Not really."
I studied her face. "You've changed quite a bit in a really short time."
She nodded at the curtain. "It's because of Alan. He's teaching me not to be afraid, no matter what."
I straightened and toughened my upper lip. "All right. Let's see if I can do this."
Unfortunately, our conversation was a little too long.. The men emerged from behind the curtain and strode over to us. Erik stood in front of me with pursed lips. "Alan has offered to watch over you while I make the trip back to the Den," he told me.
I snorted and stood. "Like that's happening and you know it."
Erik's eyes flickered to Alan. "This time you don't have a choice."
Alan reached out and grabbed my wrists. He pulled me towards the front door and Erik followed us.
"Hey! Let go!" I ordered him. I twisted and turned, but I couldn't free myself from his strong grasp.
Lillian jumped to her feet and hurried after our little group. "What are you going to do to her?" she questioned the men.
"Merely keep her safe," Erik replied.
"But she belongs with you. That's what a mate is, right? Someone who stays by your side, no matter what?"
We stopped at the closed door and Erik turned to my young friend. "A mate also keeps each other safe, and she's the safest here."
Alan opened the door and pulled me out into the hall. He dragged me down the passage and to the front of the building took the right down that front hall. Erik and Lillian followed behind. He reached a flight of stairs to the second story and climbed those. The second floor had a cross design for its halls so that they ran perpendicular to each other and intersected at the middle of the building.
Alan pulled me along the passage to the far end of the building where the Spartan doors changed to ones made of metal. At the top were small, barred hatches that could be opened to view the interior of the rooms. He pulled out he said of keys that looked skeletal, unlocked the heavy door, and swung me inside. I stumbled into the far stone wall and swung around to face him. The room I found myself in was six by six feet, and made of stone. A straw bed lay in one corner and the only light came from a high, barred window above where I stood.
I rushed the door, but Alan slammed it shut in my face and I heard him place the key in the lock and turn it to lock me in. I pounded my fists against the metal door and the sound echoed off my prison.
"Come on! Let me out!" I growled.
The hatch slid open and I glimpsed a portion of Erik's face. "You'll remain there until I return," he told me.
I slammed a fist on the side of the hatch opening. "Damn it, Erik! I'm not somebody you can toss aside when it isn't convenient!"
"This is for your own good," he insisted. He closed the hatch and I heard the mens' footsteps retreat into the distance.
"Erik? Erik!" I yelled, but there was no answer.
CHAPTER 6
Well, not from Erik.
"Sophie?" came Lillian's whispered voice.
My eyes widened. "Sophie? Sophie, you have to get me out of here!" I pleaded.
"I-I don't know how," she admitted.
"You have to get the key from your mate," I explained.
"But-"
I leaned my forehead against the hard wood and grit my teeth together. "Listen. You're the one who just told me that we have to stick with our mate and I'm going to do that, even if it means chewing my way through this door. So are you going to help me, or am I going to need a dentist later?"
"I'll. . .I'll help," she agreed.
I sighed. "Good. I really hate going to the dentist. Now here's what you can do. Try to pick Alan's pocket."
"Sophie, he's the leader of the guard. I don't think I'm going to be able to do that," she argued.
"You have to try," I insisted.
She sighed. "All right, I'll try."
Her footsteps receded into the distance. I stumbled back until my back hit the far wall below the barred window. I tilted my head back and looked at my only light source. The rays of the mid day sun streamed into my little prison. They made the fresh straw glisten like gold and took the dingy edge off my dreary surroundings.
I slid down the wall and took a seat on the straw. It was quiet in that room, deathly quiet. If there any other inmates they didn't make a sound. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. My body relaxed and my mind eased. I thought of my mate and the possibilities of what crazy plan he had in mind that would force him to imprison me. All the scenarios ended with me standing above his grave marker wishing I could cast Life and kill him myself.
That last scenario emboldened me. Only I would be allowed to kill my mate. Nobody else would get the honor or the pleasure. I climbed to my feet and glared at the door. That was the only thing that stood between me and my revenge on my mate who imprisoned me in this rat hole so he could probably get himself killed in another rat hole.
I squared my jaw and dug my feet into the stony ground. I thrust my left shoulder forward and rushed the door. My shoulder slammed into the wood and I was heartened to hear the crack of wood. I stepped back and winced when my shoulder complained. It would have to wait. The door in front of me had buckled where my shoulder had slammed it. One more good knock and it would give.
I backed up until I reached the opposite wall and readied myself. Nothing would stop me. I rushed forward and out the open door. It was open because Lillian stood on the other side and in the lock was the key. I stumbled across the hall and into a door opposite mine. My shoulder sank couple of inches into the wood and I became stuck. I twisted around and glared at Lillian.
"What took you?"
"I've only been gone a few minutes," she countered.
"That's a few minutes too long," I argued.
Lillian hurried to my side and helped me free myself from the wood. "I had to convince Alan to disobey Erik. He's very fond of Erik, so I had to threaten him for him to give me the key."
I rubbed my bruised elbow and raised an eyebrow at her. "What did you threatened him with?"
She blushed and looked at the ground. "I. . . I told him wouldn't go to bed with him if he didn't give me the key."
She nodded. "I know, that's why I used it. You. . . you don't think you'll be mad at me later for this, do you?"
I smiled and patted her shoulder. "If he is you know how to appease him."
She raised her head and a sly smile slipped onto her lips. "Thank you. Now you should get going to help your own mate."
I looked up and down the halls. "Just as soon as I learn which direction he went."
She nodded towards the front of the building. "He went through the woods in the direction of the Old Den."
I gave her hand a hearty shake and a two-fingered salute. "I owe you one."
She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I owe you much more for standing up for me in the cell block, and helping me get to the island."
"Well, don't thank me for that last part. I don't know whether that's a blessing or a curse yet," I pointed out.
She softly smiled. "You learn that it's a blessing in disguise."
"Yeah, well, maybe not today. Today have to save my mate from himself," I quipped.
I turned and rushed down the hall to the stairs. I took them three at a time and soon exited the Barracks. The forest path stood in front of me. I rushed down that root-laden trail, and in a few minutes I found myself at the rear of the Old Den. There was still no sign of Erik, but I plunged headfirst into the ancient building. The halls were as deserted and disorienting as usual, and I soon became hopelessly lost, or so I thought.
I rounded the corner and crashed into a fellow traveler. They held steady, but I fell backward onto my rear. I wish my head up and found myself staring at Greg. His eyes widened and he offered me both his hands.
"Sophie, how did you come to be here?" he asked me as he helped me up.
I stood to my feet and raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't I be here?"
"The Master told me you were preoccupied with other matters," he explained.
