Dallas

by Cassidy Cayman

  Toren heard Eloise from the lab. “Dr. Harrold, you came back! Thank goodness. But how did you get in, the door was all messed up?”

  Dr. Harrold? He was the man behind trying to burn down the lab? The one who wanted Miranda dead? But why? It didn’t matter. Toren grabbed the lab door, ready to fling it open and send Miranda’s partner out the same window he’d recently traveled through. He stopped with his hand on the door when he heard the wicked man’s reply.

  “Eloise? What are you still doing here? What happened here, it’s a mess.” His voice sounded laced with lies to Toren but Eloise didn’t seem to notice. Why should she?

  Toren cracked the door and peered around the edge. The man was far too close to Eloise for his liking. He could reach out and snap the girl’s neck if he chose. Toren didn’t think he could risk her safety by bursting into berserker mode. He silently closed the door and hurried down the hall, praying Miranda was in her office.

  Chapter 13

  Miranda sat in Eloise’s chair, the damp seeping through her yoga pants. Her foot jiggled as she stared at the small fridge in the corner, her thoughts reeling. She believed what Toren said now, no matter how little sense it made. It made no sense, really. She’d felt his lack of a pulse after he’d been electrocuted. That might have been her mistake, it may have been his heart miraculously restarting on its own. Then she’d seen him throw himself out of a third story building. Saw him lying lifeless on the concrete below, and only minutes later jump up as if he’d only rolled out of bed. He told her he couldn’t be harmed and that had turned out to be true.

  She rolled her head on her neck, her toe still jiggling a mile a minute. She was exhausted, yet filled with nervous energy. As soon as Eloise’s phone got enough of a charge to make a call out, she could go home and get some sleep. She’d call her benefactors and explain about the fire, tell them she had to have an extension while they got the lab cleaned up. She was so close to everything being normal and yet her entire world had been turned upside down.

  She believed in something that shouldn’t be possible and didn’t make any sense. This had never happened to her before. And it wasn’t only that, but she’d seen proof. Proof of something supernatural. It was wonderful to know, really know, that something existed beyond logic and understanding. It should have made her anxious but it was liberating. She and Eloise had had a rousing argument about it. Eloise couldn’t believe she had taken the keys out of her purse and thrown them to the person who might have tried to burn them alive. Her sister swore as soon as she had internet access again she would search how many people had survived third floor falls onto concrete. None of it mattered to Miranda. She only wanted to see Toren again and wring his full story out of him.

  As if answering her wish, the hall door opened a few inches and Toren looked in.

  “Toren!” she squealed, not caring how giddy she sounded. He hurried into the room and shushed her. “How did you get back in? Is help already here?”

  He begged her to be quiet and shook his head. “I’m afraid it’s the opposite,” he said in a low voice. He took her arms and looked down at her. “Ye’re in danger, Miranda. Ye’ve got to hide.”

  “What?”

  “Please, ye really must trust me as there isna time to explain.” He looked around hopefully. “Where’s that gun of yours?”

  She wanted answers and had a dozen questions falling all over themselves to be asked. The stone cold set of his mouth made her answer his instead. “I think it’s on the lab floor somewhere. I’m pretty sure I threw it after you jumped.”

  He hissed a word she didn’t understand but seemed like a Scottish swear word. He ran his hands over his face. “He’s only after ye, and he doesna know about me at all. I dinna think he wants to hurt your sister, so perhaps if he thinks ye’re not here, he’ll give up. For now at least.”

  “What are you saying?” His words chilled her to the bone. “Who’s after me?”

  “Miranda, ye must hide. Let me boost ye into the ceiling. I willna let him hurt Eloise, I swear.”

  He was already picking her up around the waist and pulling her toward the desk. She struggled, her feeble trust at a breaking point. If she was going to cower up in the crawl space while her sister might be in danger, she needed at least one or two answers.

  “Who?” she demanded in a harsh rasp. Fear raged in her and she didn’t know what to be afraid of. Right now it was Toren who was scaring her.

  With a last longing glance at the ceiling, he opened his mouth to answer. A terrified scream came from the lab and she kicked him hard to break free from his grasp. Her foot got tangled in his kilt but she bit his hand. As soon as he released her with his injured hand, she went limp, surprising him enough to be able to slither away from him and shoot toward the lab. She heard him swearing at her in English this time.

  She skidded to a halt when she saw Bergen standing in the middle of the lab, a gun in his hand, pointed at the ground. She looked around for Eloise and saw no sign of her and then wondered if Ambrose had come out of hiding and Bergen had snapped up the tranquilizer gun. But there was no sign of Ambrose, either. Bergen raised the gun and pointed it at her. It wasn’t the tranquilizer gun.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, amazed she could get a sound out past the web of fear lodged in her throat.

  He rolled his eyes. “Come on out, Eloise, or I’ll shoot her right now.”

  “Don’t come out, Eloise,” she said, finding strength in her voice. “What’s going on, Bergen?”

  Once again he ignored her question and ordered Eloise out of her hiding spot. Thankfully, her sister stayed out of sight.

  “Can’t we just do this easily?” Bergen asked, as if they were putting him out for not wanting to be shot.

  Miranda heard a skidding sound behind her. Bergen’s eyes shot to the floor and she risked a glance. The tranquilizer gun slid across the floor and a plaid mass leaped across the room, scooped it up and aimed it squarely at Bergen. He kept his own gun aimed squarely at her. Great. A showdown. And now, thanks to Eloise tossing the dart gun to Toren, Bergen also knew she was hiding behind his desk. It wasn’t a nice desk. Certainly not bulletproof.

  “I guess it’s not going to be easy,” she said with a nervous laugh. Nothing was funny, but perhaps she could talk him down, make him remember the good times. Oh, who was she fooling? Their relationship had been strictly business. There hadn’t been any good times to keep him from wanting to pull the trigger. “Why are you doing this?” she begged.

  Bergen sneered at Toren. “I don’t know who you are, girl power, but you need to put down that little toy of yours.”

  Toren rolled his shoulders, stretching Eloise’s sweatshirt across his powerful muscles, all the while keeping the dart gun steadily aimed at Bergen’s chest. “This tranquilizer was mixed to bring down a raging, three hundred pound primate, fast,” he said steadily. Miranda’s heart swelled and she felt a little steadier when Bergen’s upper lip twitched. He was nervous. “Ye seem a might bit smaller than three hundred pounds,” Toren continued. “And I wonder what would happen should this dart hit ye square in the chest.”

  Bergen’s lip twitched again but he didn’t spare Toren a glance. “You think your dart is faster than my bullet?” He raised his other arm to support the gun, now holding it with both hands.

  Toren smiled. “Weel, there’s always been a great debate about speed versus accuracy. I am a verra good shot.”

  “Put it down,” Bergen demanded somewhat hysterically.

  “Nay, I dinna think I will.” Bergen swore and swung the gun to aim at Toren. Toren grinned. “Now I am no’ scared at all,” he said.

  Wild-eyed with rage, Bergen held the gun skyward. “Okay, okay. Let’s discuss this.”

  “Discuss this?” Miranda asked incredulously. “Are you—”

  Before she could finish her sentence, Bergen flung his phone at Toren, hitting him square in the face. In the next blink, he lowered the gun and fired at him, then turned it on her
.

  She screamed as Toren flung his body between her and the gun. At the same moment the ceiling above Bergen caved in and a huge orange blur dropped down and steamrolled Bergen to the floor. Ambrose sat atop him shrieking and clapping his hairy hands. Toren kicked the gun out of his hands and far out of reach, then stumbled, clutching his side. Blood flowed freely from under his palm.

  “You’re hurt,” she said, trying to see the extent of the wound. She pulled off her lab coat, wincing at a sharp pain in her shoulder, and pressed it to his side.

  “It’s nothing, lass,” he said. “It’s ye I’m worried for.” He nodded to her shoulder and she looked down to see a hole leaking blood. She sat down hard on the floor before she fainted. “I’m sorry I didna jump quick enough,” he said weakly, pushing the blood-sodden lab coat into his side. “It’s odd. I dinna remember any blood when I fell from the window.”

  Eloise rushed from her hiding spot, repeating to Ambrose to stay. She grabbed the fallen tranquilizer gun and aimed it at Bergen.

  “Get this filthy monkey off me,” he said in a strangled voice. “He’s crushing me.”

  “Ambrose isn’t a monkey,” she said, giving Bergen a solid kick to the face. Blood spurted from his nose. “Are you two okay?”

  “I don’t know,” Miranda said. She didn’t think her injury was all that bad. She was sure she was in shock because it only hurt when she looked at it. She was more worried about Toren. “I thought you couldn’t be hurt?” she asked him softly. “You don’t look well at all. I need to find Bergen’s phone to call for help.”

  He grabbed her arm weakly when she tried to stand. “Stay by me,” he said, breaking her heart. “I think this may be because I’ve completed my quest.”

  “What? What does that mean?”

  Sirens wailed through the open windows and blue and red lights lit up the night outside. Miranda looked around blankly, seeing Bergen’s phone several feet away. It was broken in two. Who had called for help?

  “About damn time,” Eloise said.

  And then everything stopped.

  Chapter 14

  A small woman shrouded in a black cape stood before them, surrounded by a ring of mist. Behind her, Ambrose was frozen in the middle of a howl, his mouth open and all his teeth showing. He looked terrifying. Bergen was frozen beneath him, a scowl branded on his unmoving face, the blood dripping from his nose hovering an inch from the ground. Her sister looked like an old Western sheriff, the dart gun trained on Bergen, a smug sneer on her face. A solid red light filled the room from the police cars below and the sirens had been silenced.

  “What’s going on?” Miranda whispered.

  “This one likes to ask questions, aye, Number 65?” the shrouded woman said with a laugh.

  “Indeed she does, Soni.”

  Miranda jumped up from the floor, forgetting about her shoulder and gritting her teeth against the jagged pain. “It’s real. It’s all really real. Is this her? The woman who sent you? Son-Soncerae?” She thought she’d believed something otherworldly was going on with Toren, but now that she was faced with whatever this was, she knew she had been hoping, not truly believing.

  The woman pushed the hood off her head, revealing a pinched, tired face. She didn’t look like she would put up with much. Considering she’d managed to freeze time, Miranda supposed she didn’t need to.

  “Aye, I am Soncerae and it was I who sent Toren.” She turned to Toren. “Ye’ve completed your quest, so I shall keep my end of the bargain.”

  Miranda shivered at the quietly forceful tone of Soncerae’s voice. This woman was more than human. Or a human with unearthly powers? Either way it scared the stuffing out of her as much as it filled her with curiosity.

  “What bargain?” she asked. “What quest? W-what are you?”

  Soncerae turned sharp eyes on her and it took all of Miranda’s meager courage to not look away. “I am a witch,” she said.

  At least she got one answer. “Toren’s hurt,” she said, remembering all the blood that had poured from his side. “Can you help him?” She hurried to pull up the bloodied sweatshirt to show the wound, but it didn’t seem to be bleeding anymore.

  “He’ll be fine,” she said.

  “I suppose it willna matter either way now,” he said, looking morose.

  “Why?” she demanded, frustration outweighing her fear.

  “Ye can tell her if ye like,” Soncerae said. “But we haven’t much time.”

  “Ah, Soni, dinna be like that.” When she turned away from them, Toren took Miranda’s hands. “I was killed in a battle a long time ago. I wandered the place I died, thinking I’d do that until the earth itself gave out. Soni here offered me a bargain. I got to live again in exchange for completing some mission. A quest. I didna have any idea where I’d end up or what I’d have to do. As ye saw, I floundered.”

  “You mostly did all right,” she said.

  “Nay, ye thought me mad, I could tell.”

  “I’m sorry about that,” she said. “I wish I could have believed you from the start, but that’s the way I’ve always been.”

  “I dinna mind it. I rather like that about ye.”

  She smiled and leaned against him. Tipped her chin to look up into his eyes. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she sighed. “She’s going to take you away, isn’t she?”

  He leaned close enough so their noses almost touched. “I am afraid so, lass.”

  She tightened her grip, wondering how far she’d get in a fight against Soncerae. He took her face in his blood-stained hands and stroked her jaw. She closed her eyes and breathed softly, waiting to feel his lips against hers. When she did, it was all she’d hoped. All the dreams she’d been pushing away for years were freed by his kiss. Feelings that she’d thought useless and harmful blossomed. She’d felt them all in that one day she’d known him. Desire, longing, hope, anger, frustration, worry, fear. It didn’t matter anymore that some of the things she’d always wanted didn’t necessarily make sense. She knew she wanted Toren. She knew that beyond anything.

  “It’s time to go.” Soncerae’s voice ripped away the long-buried happiness she’d discovered, along with Toren’s kiss.

  “Nay, Soni, my mission canna be complete. Ye must let me stay and help her with her testing. It means the world to her and she may just end up helping the world be a better place.”

  “Sorry, lad, but that wasna your task. It was to save this woman’s life from her wicked partner and ye’ve done that.

  “Actually, Ambrose technically saved me,” she said meekly, still a bit frightened by Soni.

  “Weel, I saved Ambrose by kicking the gun away,” he said, manly pride stung.

  “Who’s side are you arguing?” she asked. “I thought you wanted to stay.”

  “O’course I want to stay. Ye’re the most fascinating, impressive, odd, beautiful, and caring woman I’ve ever met. I canna believe ye’re arguing for me to stay. I thought ye’d be well rid of me.”

  “No. I want you to stay.” She turned to the witch, shaking with how much she wanted this. “Please. Please let him stay. Let him do another task. He really can be a huge help in my research.”

  She shook her head. “He must move on now.”

  “Move on?” Miranda asked shrilly. She didn’t like the sound of that. “Move on where?”

  “Somewhere better. First he’ll have his reward though.” The witch turned to Toren and smiled as if they had a secret between them.

  “I dinna want it anymore. I care naught for revenge.” He stood stiffly, as if in physical pain. She wanted to run to him and throw her arms around him, but feared what Soni might do.

  He looked as if he were already fading and she threw caution to the wind. The witch couldn’t make her feel any more pain than she already felt, knowing she was losing him forever. Just when she’d decided to go with her heart. She flung herself past the misty barrier and into his arms. For a moment he was warm and solid, then he seemed to be pulled from her, though he didn�
��t appear to move at all.

  “Let me go with him,” she cried. She barely believed the words came out of her mouth, but she meant them. “If you won’t let him stay, let me go with him.”

  The mist stopped swirling and Soni appeared between them so quickly Miranda never saw her move. Interest gleamed in her eyes.

  “Lass, nay,” Toren said, stricken. “Dinna listen to her, Soni,” he pleaded with as much force as she’d begged for him to stay. “Miranda, my love, ye dinna understand where I’m going.”

  She would have rolled her eyes if he hadn’t called her his love. That struck her to her very core. Any last reason she might have wanted to stay flew away like chaff in the wind. She couldn’t lose this feeling she had with Toren. “Your Soni says it’s some place better.” She shrugged and tried to look brave.

  He flinched and Soni held up a hand to silence him. “What about yer research, then? ’Tis not as important as ye once believed? Can ye truly give it all— and I do mean all— up for this man?”

  Miranda pressed her hands to her heart and felt it beating against her ribs. She swallowed hard, closed her eyes and opened her mouth to speak, trusting the right words would come out without having to hash over them.

  “Yes, it is important and I still believe in it, but somewhere along the line I lost my way. You can’t rely solely on your mind, just like you can’t rely solely on your feelings.” She paused, feeling a guilty twinge at leaving her mom behind. Then a smile stole over her face as she could almost hear her mother urging her on, finally glad her stick-in-the-mud daughter had found happiness. “The most important thing to me right now, this moment, is to be with Toren. To keep learning more about him, spend more time with him, show him who I really am.”