Niklosi's Nightmare (First Wave Book 10) (16 page)

“And she’s not really immortal.
Well, she is right now. Once she mates, she can choose to move to the next
realm with you when you pass,” Dennis added.

“What? Why the hell would she do
that?” Nik asked, surprised it could even be done.

“Why would the soul wish to remain
without it’s other half? That is what Queen Lamoratri chose when her own mate
passed, leaving the mantle of leadership to fall on the council of elders. If
it had not been deemed as appropriate, the Forefather would not have given them
the ability to do it,” Dennis explained.

“All of you can do that? Are there
many of you with mates?” Nik asked, incredulous that it was even possible.

“No,” Dennis said with a shake of
his head. “There have only been a handful since the beginning of our duties
here, but it is possible if the Forefather wills it to be so.”

“In other words, if the Forefather
wills it to be, then it happens. Like with you and BJ,” Irwin added.

Nik didn’t mistake what Irwin was
trying to tell him. The man was as subtle as a neon billboard. The One God
chose BJ specifically for him, and Nik would be defying Him if he didn’t accept
her. He felt sick to his stomach over how he was being manipulated into a
corner.

“Damn, you’re a real asshole,”
Dennis suddenly erupted. “What the hell is wrong with you? And don’t give me
that look, even Irwin could read your thoughts with that expression on your
face!”

“Ain’t no one holding a gun to your
head,” Irwin said with a sad shake of his head. “You can go run and hide on
your ship. We can handle things down here just fine.”

Nik was surprised at Irwin’s change
of attitude and looked over at Dennis, wondering if it was safe to leave. The
large man wouldn’t even look at him. Suddenly Nik felt like the ass they
accused him of being. He put his head in his hands and sighed.

“Why can’t you understand my side
in this?” Nik groaned in frustration.

“We can,” Dennis admitted. “We just
think it’s stupid because you’re intentionally looking only at what you think
are the downsides in order to justify leaving your mate.”

Nik snorted and shook his head.

“OK, I’m game. Tell me what the
good side is?”

Dennis and Irwin exchanged glances
and Irwin shrugged.

“No,” Irwin replied.

“What?” Nik asked, surprised at the
response.

“I said no,” Irwin repeated, more
forcefully this time.

Nik looked over at Dennis, hoping
he’d shed some light on Irwin’s sudden attitude change. Dennis only shrugged.

“We’re not ‘game,’ as you call it.
This isn’t a game. We’re talking about the life and happiness of someone we
love dearly. Not because she’s family or even because she’s part of our community.
We love her because, unlike you, we’ve taken the time to get to know her and
see the beautiful soul and spirit inside of her,” Dennis explained, clearly
disgusted that he had to.

“We’re not doing your job for you,”
Irwin added with a glare. “If you can’t be bothered to even get to know the
person you’re rejecting, then you don’t deserve her, and we’d prefer that you
leave.”

“I’m not rejecting her!” Nik argued
even though he knew he’d essentially done exactly that.

“You can lie to yourself all you
want, but you’re the only one who believes you,” Dennis replied, crossing his
arms over his chest as he held Nik’s gaze.

Nik couldn’t stand to look at the
disappointed expression on Dennis’s face and looked at Irwin. He regretted it
the moment he saw the same look on Irwin’s face.

“What do you want from me?” Nik
erupted, throwing his hands up in the air.

“Not a thing,” Dennis replied.

“I believe I already asked it of
you, yet you’re still here,” Irwin said as he picked up the cup of tea that was
in front of Nik and took it to the sink.

Nik sat back in surprise because
he’d just taken a sip a few minutes ago, and the cup was still half full. He
struggled to remember what they’d asked of him and couldn’t believe the answer
that came to him.

“You want me to leave?” he asked
incredulously.

“Yes,” Irwin said, turning from the
sink.

“What about getting to know her and
her beautiful soul and all that shit?” Nik argued, bothered that they wanted
him gone.

“You don’t deserve her, and that’s
not going to change anytime soon, so there’s no point in you remaining here and
causing her pain. Leave,” Irwin replied, a hard edge to his normally jovial
tone.

Dennis stood up from the table and
glared down at Nik.

“I believe you know where the door
is?” he asked.

Nik stared in shock at him before
looking at Irwin to see if they were really serious.

“You’re seriously kicking me out?”
he asked.

When neither man said a word, Nik
got angry and crossed his arms as he glared back at them.

“What if she wants me to stay? What
if I want to stay? You can’t stop me from getting to know my mate,” Nik argued.

What the hell is wrong with me?
he asked
himself.
They’ve given me a way out! I need to take it and run.

“I’m not leaving until I talk to
her,” Nik said instead of walking out of the door and immediately mentally
kicked himself.

What the fuck am I doing?
he growled
at himself when he saw Dennis’s eyes flash an unnatural green.

“That train left the station; it’s
time you did too,” Dennis boomed as he held a hand out toward Nik’s right hip
pocket where he kept his port stone. “Port!”

One moment Nik was standing
defiantly in front of Irwin and Dennis, and the next he was staring into the
surprised face of Disc.

“Man, what the hell? I’ve been
trying to reach you for a while,” Disc said as he moved around Nik and towards
the exterior door. “They need me for this new plan, so keep an eye on the ship
for me.”

“Wait!” Nik barked out as he
grabbed Disc’s arm to stop him from dropping to the ground. “What do they need
you for?”

Nik couldn’t stop the rush of
jealousy that ran through him. He had been forcefully kicked out while Disc was
going to be able to go down there and be around BJ. He didn’t like it at all.

“Grai didn’t give much detail. Just
said they needed my ability,” Disc said as he looked pointedly at his arm where
Nik was still gripping him tightly.

Nik immediately let go of Disc’s
arm.

“You’re a spirit walker though,”
Nik replied, trying to figure out why the demigods would need that ability.

“I don’t know, maybe I’m going to
terrorize them in their sleep,” Disc grinned at the thought. “That would
actually be fun as hell. Anyway, I’ll see you later.”

Nik reached out to stop him, but
Disc was already on the ground where Irwin and Dennis were waiting for him. He
watched as the two men greeted Disc like an old friend and led him into the
house. He clenched his fists and growled in anger.

I should be the one to help! I was
the one who started this shit by being caught. I should be the one to fix it!
he ranted
in his head.

Nik paced around the ship until he
looked in the cockpit and saw that it was empty. He checked the auto-hover and
made sure the ship was fine before he stormed back to the bunk area and rudely
slammed open the alternate pilot’s privacy screen.

“I need you to handle the ship,”
Nik growled rudely as Decano blinked at the sudden, glaring light.

“Is Disc alright?” Decano asked as
he swung his legs out of the sleep pod and stood.

“Yeah, he’s fine. They need him
below. I’m heading back down, and you’re the only other pilot,” Nik explained,
trying to rush Decano so he could get back on the ground.

He was trying to convince himself
that he was only doing it because he refused to be kicked out. He had more to
say, and he wanted them to listen.

Besides, they have no right to keep
me from my mate if I want to see her or get to know her
, he
insisted to himself.
Not that I want to, but if I did, they can’t stop me!

“OK, buddy. I got things here,”
Decano called back as he headed into the cockpit.

Nik smirked as looked down into the
small clearing and tried to throw himself out of the door. He bounced off of
thin air and crashed to the floor of the ship. He stared at the doorway in
stunned horror.

“You alright? What happened?”
Decano asked as he came running from the cockpit.

A sick feeling came over Nik, and
he pointed at the door.

“See if you can put your arm
outside,” Nik asked a surprised Decano.

“What?” Decano replied, wondering
if Nik was OK.

“Just please, humor me. Put your
arm outside of the door,” Nik repeated as he sat up and slowly stood.

Decano shrugged and headed over to
the door and put his arm outside for a few seconds before pulling it back in.

“You OK?” Decano asked when he saw
the expression on Nik’s face.

Nik nodded mutely as he moved to
the doorway next to Decano and slowly tried to put his arm outside of the door.
His hand met an invisible wall.

“Gods damn it!” Nik roared at the
invisible barrier in rage. “You can’t fucking keep me from her!”

Decano slowly backed away from the
angry Valendran, trying to figure out what the hell he’d missed while he’d been
asleep.

Chapter
Fifteen

The next morning, the sun was
barely peeking over the horizon when BJ walked out of the woods. She headed
past the mercantile before she casually walked down the town’s main street
towards the police station and the waiting military. She felt no fear as a few
men in uniform saw her and ran inside her station, most likely to warn the
major that she was there.

She knew she was right when she saw
the major storm out of the station and stand in the middle of the road with his
arms folded across his chest, his expression one of embarrassed anger.

With her shoulders back and her
head held high, BJ stopped directly in front of Major Kyle Morris. She was more
than ready to get it all over with so the unwanted mate hovering above would finally
leave.

Kyle stared in surprise at the
woman who walked confidently towards him. Gone were the haphazardly pinned
pigtails, the crumpled uniform, and the blackened teeth. Instead, what stood
before them was a beautiful and self-assured woman. It was exactly what he had
expected to find to begin with, and he couldn’t help but wonder what caused her
to stop the charade she’d been playing.

“I see you weren’t smart enough to
leave while you could. Now, you’re in danger, and you’ve put me in a position
to not only protect my own people, but you as well,” BJ snapped at the major.

Kyle shook his head, wondering if
he’d heard her correctly.

“What the fuck are you talking
about? And what the hell happened to my prisoners?” Kyle barked back.

“Your damn prisoners did escape,
you fool! I didn’t lie about that! I have no idea what the hell they were, but
they damn sure weren’t as dangerous as what we’ve been dealing with around here,
so it didn’t concern me until you showed up!” BJ growled back, putting her
hands on her hips.

Kyle slapped a hand over his face
and slowly wiped his eyes before staring at the angry cop.

“What. The. Fuck. Are you talking
about?” Kyle screamed in her face. “Why the fuck have you been lying to me?
Where are my prisoners? And what dangerous shit are you talking about? Because
I don’t give a flying fuck about your rabid rodent problems! Call an
exterminator or animal trapper!”

BJ snorted and shook her head
before she moved around the major and headed into her station.

“You’re a damn fool if you think
our only problem is some rabid rodents. Follow me, and I’ll give you a crash
course in real problems,” BJ shouted behind her before slamming the station
door.

Kyle looked around at the startled
faces of his men and understood their confusion. He was tired of being confused
and played by the backwoods cop. He clenched his fists and roared at his men.

“Keep a secure perimeter around the
station! No one near here unless I order it!”

Kyle barely registered the men’s
affirmative responses before he stormed into the station with Greg close on his
heels. They both stopped for a moment when they saw BJ opening a wall safe that
they never even knew was in the office.

Kyle stormed over to her and pushed
her away from the safe. He didn’t know what she was doing but refused to be
played again, and he snatched a few folders from her hands.

“You’re not touching anything until
I get some answers. The truth this time!” Kyle said as his anger came through
loud and clear.

BJ stepped away from the safe with
a grin and sat down at her desk like it was a normal work day.

“Well, if you sit down and calm
yourself, I can explain it to you,” BJ replied calmly. “In fact, what I was
getting out of the safe to show you is the explanation you’re looking for.”

Kyle looked down at the stack of
neat manila envelopes he’d taken from BJ and gave half the stack to Greg. Kyle
sat across the desk from BJ while Greg took the desk next to them. Both men began
ripping into the envelopes.

“They were actually categorized and
in order,” BJ warned as the two men looked oddly at the photos in their hands.

Kyle looked at the front of the
envelope he’d ripped open and saw in neat handwriting:

DEMONS, MISC. UNEXPLAINED CREATURES

Kyle looked at BJ incredulously. He
couldn’t believe she was still trying to lie to him, and he could feel his
anger boiling over.

“I suggest you look at the pictures
before you get all worked up,” BJ warned.

“Oh my god . . . what the hell is
this?” Greg whispered as he stared at a particular picture.

“That’s what I’d like to know.
We’ve been seeing this stuff for years. The reason I came back from St. Louis
was because Buford was getting too old to try and keep the people safe. We’ve
used the hillbilly ruse since I was a child to try and keep people away. When
your prisoners escaped, I just figured you’d leave,” BJ explained with a shrug.

“What the hell is this? Another
joke?” Kyle accused as he shuffled through the pictures in his hands.

“You think so?” BJ asked as she
launched herself out of her chair and headed over to the inoperable camera
equipment. “Want to see what wrecked your camp outside?”

Kyle looked over at Greg with
narrowed eyes, wondering what game the cop was playing with them this time.

“Come on, I’m just going to play
what the cameras caught that night. You were here with this equipment, I
couldn’t have doctored it,” BJ assured them, even though she knew what was on
them.

Mojo and Fiorn’s team had doctored
the images before uploading them to the main hard drive in the station while
she’d walked down the street. It had gotten everyone out of the office so they
wouldn’t see the equipment turn on while the download took place.

They hadn’t needed to do much to
the video though; the sibiox blended so well in the dark, it was almost
impossible to tell what kind of animal they were.

BJ hit the rewind button as Kyle
and Greg moved to stand behind her, keeping her in their line of sight. She
turned to them.

“You want to watch the whole thing
or the pertinent parts?”

“Just show us what the hell you’re
talking about,” Kyle ground out between gritted teeth. He was quickly losing
his patience with the cop.

“OK, it looks like you guys came
inside here. We’ll start here so we can see what trashed your camp,” BJ said as
she stepped back from the video monitor to watch with the men.

“Whoa!” Greg erupted moments later.
“What was that?”

Kyle stepped closer to the monitor
to get a better look. It didn’t help much; it still appeared to be a group of
black blurs completely destroying his camp.

“That’s what is called a howler. We
don’t have a clue what they are, where they come from, or why they appear to
stay in the Ozark region. What we have figured out is that they come out in a
cycle. To feed,” BJ explained while Greg looked at her in horror.

“It’s got to be a wild cat of some
kind,” Kyle said with a shake of his head.

He hit the rewind button on the
video until he saw the moment he went into his tent, and he let it play from
there. He wanted to see what had left the paw print outside of his tent.

“From what we can gather, it’s a
dog of some kind. Which is why they call it the howler. It lets out an ear
piercing shriek when it finds prey in order to call the rest of the pack. Then
they converge to kill,” BJ told them, lying through her teeth.

“That was hunting us?” Greg
whispered.

“Wait,” Kyle said. “I thought you
didn’t have working video?”

Kyle immediately hit the rewind
button, trying to see if it went back far enough to have caught images of his
prisoners and their escape.

“If we got them, it’s on there,” BJ
said with a casual shrug. She already knew what they were going to see.

“Is that an anomaly of the
equipment?” Kyle asked Greg when they saw images of Nik and Traze covered in a
bright spot that obscured their upper bodies completely.

BJ laughed without humor.

“Yeah, that’s another problem
around here. The damn demons or butterfly people or whatever the hell they
are,” she said with a sigh as she pointed at the pictures still in Kyle’s other
hand.

“We still aren’t sure if they’re
the ones who cause the terrible visions people get, or if it’s the howlers, or
something else,” BJ told them as she stood beside the major.

“Visions? Of what?” Greg asked,
completely enraptured by what he was seeing and hearing.

“I’ve never had one,” BJ said with
a shrug. “But the people who’ve had them say it’s the most terrible or most
beautiful thing to happen to them. It’s hard to figure out. What I do know is
that some of the biggest assholes in this town became some of the best citizens
overnight. It scared them that bad.”

“What did they see?” Greg asked.

“Honestly, it’s going to sound
crazy, which is why I didn’t want to have to try and explain any of this. They
said they were shown hell because of the things they’d done and warned it was
where they were headed if they didn’t change,” BJ said with a shrug, as if
unable to believe it herself.

“Hell? Seriously?” Greg asked in
awe.

“Knock it off!” Kyle snapped
angrily at the captain. “She’s fucking with us again! Can’t you see that?” He
turned accusing eyes to BJ. “What game are you playing this time? I’m not
falling for it twice!”

BJ held her hands up and shook her
head.

“You’ve been here the whole time; I
pulled those pictures out of that safe in front of you. They’ve been in there
for years. Look at the dates,” BJ suggested, knowing those pictures had indeed
been in there for decades.

Each police captain of Baker’s
Creek added more pictures to the safe in the event that they ever had to use
the “Hail Mary” plan. Now that plan would pay off.

“Look, major,” Greg said in awe as
he held up a grainy black and white photo. “The caption says 1912. There’s
dozens of them in here that are pre-1950.”

Kyle shook his head before yanking
the photo away from Greg and staring at it closely.

“It’s the only way for us to even
try and deal with it,” BJ said with a sigh. “I started taking the pictures and
putting them in the safe when I took over for Buford. It’s the only way to
convince yourself that you’re not insane, that you really are seeing this crazy
shit. I think that’s why all the captains before Buford and I started taking
the pictures to begin with.”

“What’s the earliest date?” Kyle
asked as he flipped through the pictures in his hands.

There was no doubt that they were
real original pictures; the older ones looked just like others he’d see from
the same time periods. They even felt the same. Some were really thick, others
the old instant kind you had to shake to develop. The only clear ones were the
most recent.

“The oldest is 1896, but it isn’t
in here. It’s hanging in the mercantile. It was taken when the family first
moved into the home, and you can see one of those . . . butterfly fairy things
in the trees behind the house,” BJ admitted, knowing they’d probably go to the
mercantile to see it.

Of course they wouldn’t realize
that it was Rolantro in the picture, and he was blessing the home for the
family. But it would help prove her point.

Kyle suddenly had an idea and he
turned to BJ.

“What do you think they are? I
mean, you say butterfly people but could they be . . . I don’t know, aliens or
something?” he asked, wondering if he’d stumbled upon an alien base.

BJ pretended to consider it and
shrugged.

“I wish I knew. Don’t you know what
it is? Don’t you guys have a division of the FBI or something that investigates
. . . crazy shit like this?” BJ countered.

Kyle and Greg just looked at one
another and shook their heads. If there was a unit for this kind of thing,
they’d never heard of one. The only team that tracked anything weird was them,
and they’d never handled anything like what they were seeing and hearing about.

“I think you’re thinking about that
TV show back in the 90s with the redhead. We don’t have anything like that,”
Greg offered.

“You’re telling me,” Kyle began as
he flipped through the pictures again, “that it’s just another fucked up
coincidence that the two men I’m looking for ended up escaping from your
custody because of some unrelated, strange things going on in your town?”

BJ shrugged her shoulders.

“I’m not asking you to believe
anything. I’m asking you to see it for yourselves. Tonight will be your third
night here. These things-whatever they are-have a thing for the number three,”
BJ explained, playing her role to the hilt.

“What are you saying? We’ll be
attacked?” Kyle asked, wondering if she was threatening them.

“I have no idea what will happen,
but I plan on staying right where you can see me the whole damn time. If
nothing else to help you prove to yourselves you’re not crazy,” BJ offered,
surprising Kyle and Greg.