Lexia (The Deadwood Hunter Series) (17 page)

Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes and let her mind become blank until she could focus on the power deep inside of her. It felt like energy rushing over her body, everything became clearer and she could think through the grief that was suffocating her mind. The gaps in the trees weren’t just gaps but an escape; she saw every rut, every patch of ground that would slow her down. Calculating the best place she made her decision.

 As Lexia approached the car she dashed into the forest. All the pain from her hurt ankle was forgotten. Trees blurred past her as she ran flat out away from the two men that were close on her heels, they were barely making a sound. Buzz Cut was nearly on her, she urged herself to go faster but he was going to reach her. Then out of the corner of her eyes she caught the glint of black velvet fur.

She whirled around to see the panther leap on him, ripping out his throat; the other FBI agent aimed his gun at the panther.
No!
she thought, launching herself at him. As her legs wrapped around his body she grasped his head. Twisting it with all her strength, Lexia heard a sickening snap. They fell backwards as his body slumped to the ground; his empty gold eyes stared at her.
What have I done?
Scrambling off him she backed up into to a tree, her knees gave way and she slid to the ground in shock staring at his eyes that seemed to taunt her.

It was all just too much, she couldn’t cope; this wasn’t an animal, he was human and she’d killed him. She could feel herself trembling, she clutched at her head desperately wanting to pain to stop; someone was talking to her but her eyes wouldn’t look away from the dead man.
I killed him, I’m a killer, it’s too much, it’s all too much.
Lexia wanted to cry but the tears wouldn’t come, her dad was dead, she was a killer but the tears wouldn’t come, the pain wouldn’t stop, she felt like her heart was cracking, slowly coming apart piece by piece.

Lincoln shifted back into human form looking at Lexia. She sat at the base of the tree shaking like a frightened kitten staring at the Hunter she had killed. How had he ever thought she was a threat?

Kneeling at her feet he put his hand on her shoulder and a warm sensation travelled up his arm. His panther clawed at his mind wanting to claim her. “Lex, move, we have to go.” Grasping her shoulders he shook her slightly. “Lexia, look at me”. Her frightened eyes met his. “More will come, get up, Lex.”

Her eyes seemed to focus on him and her distraught face changed suddenly to one filled with rage. He felt the power ripple through her and as his beast strained to take control she launched him across the forest, slamming him into a tree.

Lexia got to her feet and walked over to him, every one of her muscles seemed to tremble with anger, she had her fists clenched into tight balls and her eyes shone the brightest he’d ever seen them.

“You!” she said through clenched teeth. “He’s dead because of you!”

Lincoln got up and started to step away from her, he held his palms up. “Lexia, he was going to attack you, just calm down.”

“Calm down? My dad is dead because of you!” Lincoln looked at her, confused.

“Lex?” he whispered.

“No! You don’t get to be sorry… It’s your fault!” she screamed.

Lincoln said nothing, just kept slowly stepping away from her. His panther clawed and snarled to be let out but Lexia needed comfort not aggression.

“It’s all your fault,” she said in a whisper and a tear leaked from her eye. “If I’d been there...If...If…I could have saved him.” She dropped to her knees and Lincoln ran to her, taking her into his arms. She thumped at his chest, sobbing, and shouting at him.

“It’s your fault, you had me and I wasn’t there...I wasn’t there...I could have saved him!”

“No, Lex, they would have killed you. You couldn’t have saved him; they would have killed you, too.”

Lincoln sat on the ground holding her as she sobbed into his chest. They needed to move but she wasn’t ready yet, too much had happened, but he had to ask her to be strong because if too many Hunters came, he feared not even his panther could save her.

“Lex, we need to go. Please, Lexia, I need you to be strong”

Lexia looked into Lincoln’s golden eyes, they still seemed cat-like. She took a breath and nodded, climbing to her feet. Lincoln shifted into the panther again. He was incredibly fast; he glided across the forest floor having no problems with the dips and ruts that slowed her down. But she pushed herself, determined to keep pace with the beautiful creature that had fascinated her for so long.

Chapter 18

Twenty minutes later he led them into town. Slowing, he shifted; she watched the gold lights glow and sparkle like fireworks before they grew tall and faded away. He started walking to the edge of the tree line, stopped and put on some clothes that he must have stashed there. “We’ll cross through the center of town then head out into the forest on the other side. They will expect you to come back into town so keep your head down, don’t look at anybody in the eyes. Do you think you can get them under control?”

Confused she asked, “Get what under control?”

“Your eyes, love. They’re glowing bright as the sun.”

“Oh god, are they?” She buried her head in her hands, wishing she wasn’t such a freak.
God
what the hell’s wrong with me, why can’t I just be normal!

Strong arms held her shoulders slowly brushing up and down her skin leaving a burning trail in their wake. “Hey, just breathe. Calm down and they’ll go back to normal. That’s it, deep breaths, center your mind.”

His smooth voice seemed to wrap around her like silk, caressing her mind. Opening her eyes she looked into his face.
God he’s stunning
she thought.

“There you go, blue again. Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

Lexia walked next to Lincoln. She could feel the heat coming from his skin; it felt like an electric current between them, zapping at her skin. She struggled to keep up with his long strides and had to drop behind to let a couple pass by, but as she jogged to catch up he turned suddenly, backing her into a wall. His arms came up on either side of her head, he leaned in and whispered, his warm breath tickling her ear, “Hunter up ahead, walking this way.”

Lexia’s heartbeat quickened; his body was so close, a wall of lean muscle pinning her. Looking up into his eyes her breath caught and she shivered. Lexia took a deep breath and she clenched her thighs not wanting him to smell her arousal. His gaze travelled over her body making her breath come out in shallow pants.

 “Lexia, you wanna tone it down? Your eyes are lighting up again!” he chuckled. Leaning in to her neck he took another deep breath making her quiver. “Not anger this time, hey Wildcat?” His back stiffened, going serious again. “He’s nearly on us. Your eyes, Lexia!”

“I can’t control them!” she whispered, cursing her body for reacting to him.
Come on, Lexia, calm thoughts, don’t think about his lean, hard muscles or how close he’s pressing... God, get a grip.

“Close your eyes,” he hissed.

She closed them trying to concentrate on slow breathing when his lips touched hers, his hands sliding up to cup her face. Her mouth opened, giving in to his hard demands. Her body felt like jelly and she moaned into his mouth, then he broke away abruptly. Grabbing her hand he pulled her along, striding down the street he turned into a cutting that led to the forest. She let him drag her along in a daze, her mind reeling and all the sensations from his kiss swirling around her. Only Lincoln could make her feel like that by just a simple kiss. It felt like the world had stopped, she’d not even felt the hunter as he’d walked by; every thought, every feeling was of Lincoln.

He dropped her hand and she stumbled on the forest floor. “What the hell was that?” she shouted, feeling stupid now for acting so silly.

“That? It was a kiss, love,” he laughed.

“Lincoln.”

“Look, your eyes were lighting up like Christmas lights, I had to do something to hide your face, didn’t I?” He laughed again turning into the forest. “Catch me if you can!” He ran off, his laughter trailing behind him.

“Argh,” Lexia ran after him, anger raging through her blood and she soon caught up with him.

Who am I kidding?
he thought. Her scent still filled his nostrils; she smelt like a sunny day, like a cool calm breeze with just a hint of spice mixed in. Her scent was a drug to him. He brought his hand up to touch his lips; they still tingled. As soon as he had kissed her it sent a shockwave through him all the way to his now rock hard cock.
What is she doing to me?

He sensed her behind him. She was getting quicker now, finding it easier to tap into her Hunter strength. He kicked up his speed another notch just to see if she would push herself more. When she did he smiled to himself,
That’s my girl.

Lexia was surprised how easily she kept up with him. He picked up speed every time she got too close. It made her mad but she pushed herself, pleased he couldn’t win and leave her behind. He kept to the edge of the forest and ran until they’d passed the town limits. Lexia focused all her energy into running. She kept her eyes on Lincoln’s tall, muscled frame. If she could just keep it together and not let her mind wander to the horrible images that lurked below the surface, then she may possibly survive this.

He stopped and turned with a wide grin on his face. “We’ll cross here.” She followed him across the road and back into the forest. He threw her another cheeky grin and then set off running flat out and Lexia couldn’t help but smile. He was being so childish and yet it was the only thing keeping her going.

He slowed down to a steady jog and slipped through a gap in the vegetation; she would have never found it on her own. Lexia stood in a small clearing surrounded by trees and plant life that created a barrier from the rest of the forest; he came to a stop at a huge tree in the center.

“What’s here?” she asked.

“Home,” he said, looking up.

Lexia followed his gaze, surprised to find a huge house high up in the tree nestled among the branches.
An aerie,
she thought.

“Climb on.”

“What?”

“Well unless you can jump very high, you will have to climb on.” He looked at her, daring her to say no.

Lexia walked to his back, aware straight away of the effect he had on her body but she jumped on and wrapped her legs around his waist anyway; she would not let him see the effect he had on her. He smelt of the forest, of damp earth and pine. His hands slid onto her thighs branding them with his heat; she wrapped her arms around his neck, tucking her chin over his shoulder.

His cock throbbed against his jeans; her light body clung to him and as she whispered, “Ready,” into his ear, he bit back a purr.
Oh yes, this girl will be mine
.

His claws ripped through his fingertips and he leapt onto the tree sinking them into the bark, even as a man he climbed almost as good as his cat. Her lush body rubbed against him as he climbed, she tensed as they got higher. Smiling he took a deep breath reaching for the last branch. Her desire filled his nostrils unleashing the panther that lived within; the cat batted at the scent, rolling in it, hungering for more.

As he reached the top, she immediately jumped off him as if she’d been burned. Slightly disappointed he opened the door letting her into his lair. His panther growled in approval, it wanted her in his territory.

“Bedroom’s up the ladder, so is the bathroom; You will probably want to get cleaned up? Go on up, I’ll bring you a drink and leave you some clothes on the bed.”

“But I thought you said you were passing through?”

Lincoln looked at her for a second and she wasn’t sure he was going to answer. “I was. I never stay in one place very long. I have a lot of places to crash around the country.”

Lexia didn’t say anything, she just climbed the ladder and found the bathroom. Turning on the water she started to take off her clothes in a slight daze. As she climbed into the shower she felt how sore her muscles were. Then she saw her hands stained red with her father’s blood.
Dad
. That single word caused the box in her mind to burst open and all the pain, fear, anger, and sorrow that she’d been keeping down rushed through her like a great wave. Crashing against her mind, huge sobs escaped her throat and she slid to the floor drowning in emotion.

She wasn’t sure how long she had sat there crying with the hot water cascading over her head when Lincoln came into the bathroom and picked her up out of the shower. He cradled her against his chest whilst carrying her to the bed. Grabbing a big, fluffy towel he started to dry her skin and then her hair. She didn’t care that she was naked; what did it matter when her whole world had crashed around her?

Pulling a t-shirt over her head he picked Lexia back up and pulled back the covers, laying her down gently as if she might break. Lincoln pulled the covers up to her chin and lay down behind her holding her close.

“Shush, baby, shush. I’ve got you.” His voice was like a soft lullaby and he drew slow circles on her skin that tingled. A tiny voice in her head asked her if she could trust Lincoln; what had made him change his mind about her? She squashed it down before it could take root, he was all she had right now. He’d come to her and saved her. Even if this was all just some cruel trick, it didn’t matter because right now it felt real. He took away some of the pain and slowly she drifted to sleep, feeling safe.

Chapter 19

The angel sang over me in a sweet soothing voice, “Goodbye, little Hunter,” she cooed, “You will be mine again!” The gold light then turned to darkness as a familiar voice shouted, “She’s coming for you, Lexia. Run!”

Blood, blood everywhere, I’m drowning in blood, there’s blackness and I’m trying to get out but it’s everywhere, surrounding me.

Gold cat eyes shine in the darkness, searching, hunting.

 “Run, Lexia,” my Dad’s voice calls out. “A box in the wardrobe,” his voice drifts away but his face, he’s dead and the blood... the blood!