Whispers of Darkness (The Deadwood Hunter Series) (22 page)

“Are you okay?” she asked.

His mouth opened to answer when hands reached into the car and pulled him through the smashed window.

Lexia screamed. Slicing the knife through her belt too, she fell hard and her head swam as she sat up. She could hear growls and hisses coming from outside the Jeep, a leopard’s hind leg brushed up against the window before pushing off to attack.

“Lincoln? Linc?” Lexia said, trying to climb into the back.

He murmured something unintelligible.

“Linc, please be okay.”

His head moved this time, finding her. “Cut me free,” he croaked.

Lexia crawled further into the back, reaching out with her knife but as she swiped with her hand, someone’s hand closed around her ankle. A strangled squeak escaped her and her eyes widened as she was pulled backwards, her head hit the floor making her blackout for a second. When her eyes focused again she was being dragged through Caleb’s window. Her hand reached out blindly, desperately trying to hold onto something. When she found nothing to cling to, Lexia twisted onto her back and kicked out with her leg.

She felt her foot connect with a head and slammed her foot over and over but still the hand wouldn’t let go.

A soft golden glow filled the car for a second and then her panther was climbing over her and leaping through the broken window, snarling for blood.

Lexia scrambled back into the Jeep and into the back. “Caden?” She reached up to touch his face but he didn’t respond. Her fingers found his hands dangling down. Feeling for a pulse, she let out a breath when she found the steady beat under her fingers.

She cut him free and tried to cushion his drop. The back of his head was soaked in blood and a piece of metal had lodged itself into his side. Lexia braced herself and slammed both feet into the door but it didn’t move. This side of the Jeep had been crushed and the window wasn’t big enough to crawl through. She glanced into the front and contemplated dragging Caden out that way but it wouldn’t be easy. She looked around, feeling dazed and strangely detached. The sounds of fighting from outside drifted through the smashed windows reminding Lexia time was running out.

She spotted her bag in the front and reached for it, slinging it over her shoulder. Sliding the gun into the back of her jeans, Lexia tried again to kick open the door.

“Damn it!” she yelled when it would only move a few inches; snow had been compacted against it.

She tried to wake Caden again. “Hey Doc, wake up. I need you,” she said, stroking his face.

That’s when she heard the sound of gas catching fire and the feral cry from her panther.

“Fuck!” she muttered, and slammed her foot harder into the door but still it only moved a little. “Fuck, fuck it where is my power when I need it?” she yelled.

Lexia dragged Caden closer towards her, the car was getting hot quickly, when she heard Caleb’s voice shouting, frantic and wild, “Lexia, the explosives GET OUT NOW!” She felt power ripple through her and slammed into the door again; it moved this time but not enough.

As she started to slam both feet into the metal she felt the door move away from her, heard the sound of groaning metal. Hands gripped her legs and pulled her out.

“Caden!” she screamed, trying to keep a hold of him and pull him free as well but she lost her grip and his head flopped limply from the car, blood staining the snow red. Lexia looked to the person holding her and saw only gold eyes. She thrashed violently trying to get free but his grip was too strong and he flung her away from the vehicle.

“No! Caden, CADEN!” she screamed as flames engulfed the back end of the Jeep.

The Hunter who’d flung her ran back to Caden. Lexia dragged herself to her feet running and screaming to leave him alone, when the Hunter turned and she recognized his face.

“Get down!” he yelled at her as he threw Caden away and leapt on top of him as the Jeep exploded.

The blast knocked Lexia off her feet, her head blurred and all she could hear was a high pitched ringing. She tried to stand but the world tilted and she nearly vomited. She glanced around her in confusion, her hands touching her spinning head. Her panther was down, burning debris all around him, but Caleb was still fighting, his savage leopard teeth ripping out Hunter’s throats as they came at him again and again.

Crawling forward, her hands digging into the snow she reached Caden and rolled the Hunter off him. His back was all burnt, bits of his shirt stuck to his skin, she swore she heard his skin sizzle as it hit the snow.

“Why?” she asked Derrick.

“You’re welcome,” he murmured, a slight smile on his lips before passing out.

“Cade? Caden can you hear me?” she said, rubbing her hand against his cheek, “Cade, please, you need to move.”

He groaned, his eyes opening just a fraction. “Lexi?” he whispered.

“Yes, we’re in trouble, you need to move.’

A strangled roar made Lexia’s head whip around. When the world righted itself Lexia saw Caleb pinned down by three Hunters.

Pulling the gun from her waist, Lexia fired the last bullets into the Hunters, killing them all. She dragged herself to her feet, swaying she pulled her knife from her boot and prepared to fight. But no one came for her. Glancing around she saw the SUV wasn’t very far from the Jeep, its front end wrapped around a tree. The driver was half out the window screen and the other Hunters dead. Her eyes landed on Derrick still passed out after saving Caden.
Why did he save Caden?

“Caleb, can you carry Cade?” she called to him, he shifted and walked over.

“Sure, I’ll die from the cold before I pass out from these wounds. What’s the plan?”

He looked at her, waiting for her answer but she had no idea. They were out in the middle of nowhere, with the snow and ice on the roads they’d be lucky to find someone to help them, and now all their supplies and clothes were blown up with the car.

“Back into the forest, I guess,” Lincoln started to drag himself over to her. His hind leg was badly injured, he was just dragging it limply behind him leaving a grizzly red trail in the snow. “Shift, baby, and I’ll help you walk.”

With her shoulder under his arm and Caden still unconscious slung over Caleb’s back, they started to walk into the trees. Lexia walked past Derrick not even noticing him. His hand reached out and wrapped around her ankle. Startled Lexia snatched her foot away, looking down at him. “Please... Take me with you,” he croaked, and for a split second Lexia was certain the gold of his eyes dulled.

“I’m sorry, Derrick, I can’t carry you as well,” she whispered, moving away quickly as he dragged himself after her.

“What was that all about?” Lincoln asked.

But Lexia never had the chance to explain Derrick because as she slipped into the trees, Lincoln’s heavy frame weighing her down, she heard the screech of tires and the slam of a door and the next thing she felt was a sharp stab in her back and the immediate numbness that seemed to spread from that spot. Lexia opened her eyes to darkness. As she stared above her and her eyes adjusted she could just make out the tree branches above her now straining under the snow that had settled on them. As the minutes ticked by, Lexia realized she couldn’t feel much of her body. She wiggled her toes and bit back a whimper as pain shot through her joints. Lifting her head as far from the floor as she could, Lexia saw why she couldn’t breathe. Lincoln’s panther body lay across her chest, his head nestled next to hers. She dropped her head back with a moan and twisted to look at him.

His eyes were closed in sleep, a soft purr leaving his mouth. She smiled and then twisted her head the other way seeing leopard fur. She couldn’t make out if it was Caden or Caleb but she guessed it was Caleb as a further wriggle of her legs confirmed another cat covered her legs and she was certain her possessive panther wouldn’t want Caleb on her.

Pulling her arm free, Lexia uncurled her frozen fingers from their tight ball and stroked Lincoln’s head. “Linc, Linc move, I can’t breathe,” she whispered to him, her fingers running between his eyes.

His nose scrunched up a little but he never moved.

“Lincoln! You are crushing me.”

She felt a rumble against her chest and then he moved down her body, causing Caden to hiss and reposition himself over her legs.

Lexia dragged in a deep breath, her ribs expanding painfully. She pushed up and leaned back on her elbows. Now she understood why the cats were covering most of her body; snow had fallen thick and fast overnight covering the cats’ thick fur and dampening down the fire. It smouldered now, a low glow coming from the center of the pile of blackened, cracked branches.

A gust of wind whipped up the snow, swirling it around Lexia. She shuddered, turning her face away from the wind. Even with the cats covering her she knew she was too cold. Her body was numb, each tiny movement caused pain to shoot through her joints. She needed to get up and move before she froze to death. But for a second she considered just closing her eyes and letting sleep claim her, she was so tired and the last twelve hours had put her already weak body through too much.

Sighing she thought,
I best get up or I’ll freeze to death in my sleep.

Lexia managed to sit up and immediately Caleb curled into the spot she’d been laying on, his lean body wrapping around her back.

Lincoln growled as he slid from her stomach and into her lap, knocking Caden.

“Linc, I need to get up, I’m freezing to death here,” she whispered to him. “Cade, hop off my legs, will you?”

When neither cat made a move, Lexia pulled one leg free, a breathy whimper leaving her as her knee cracked. Caden got up with a hiss, his back arching while his paws padded the ground. She laughed as he spun in a circle and curled into a ball over her remaining leg.

“You’re just a bunch of house cats!” Lexia laughed with a shake of her head.

Lincoln shifted, his naked body pushing her back into Caleb. “Who you calling a house cat?” he murmured, crushing his lips to hers.

The wind blew around them again; Lincoln’s body stiffened. “Jesus, it’s cold!”

“Well, I was trying to tell you before I lose my fingers and toes to frostbite. Shift back before you freeze.”

“Never mind me,” he answered, bringing her hands to his mouth and blowing his warm breath onto them. “Best get you fed and move on, then.”

He pushed his body harder against her, his tongue invading her mouth, causing desire to momentarily thaw her frozen blood. Caleb hissed, his head lifting up as Lexia was pushed against his back.

Lexia dragged her lips from Lincoln’s, breathing heavy. “We are crushing Caleb.”

“Never mind him, he makes a good pillow.” Lincoln burst out laughing at Caleb’s responding growl. “Go see if you can find some dry wood, mate. I’ll go catch something for Lexia to eat.”

Lincoln shifted and took off into the trees, Lexia sat up releasing Caleb. He shifted disappearing, too, muttering under his breath, “Be lucky to keep my toes.”

“Hey, sweet leopard, give me my leg back, it’s time to wake up.”

Green eyes stared at her before he moved from her leg. “Thank you,” she said, rubbing his head.

Lexia’s stomach felt a little queasy after eating the rabbit Lincoln had brought her. The fire had been hard to get going because of all the snow so it wasn’t as cooked as she’d have liked and she just wasn’t that happy with eating such fresh meat.
It’s alright for them, they can just eat it raw,
she thought as she walked along.

The whole forest had been covered in snow; there was at least half a meter of it on the floor, maybe more on the more exposed areas of the ground. The trees around them had snow clinging to their branches and pine needles, Lexia thought the forest looked magical covered in snow. She paused, looking down into a slight valley below her, the sun had just started to rise now and she’d warmed up, mostly with the effort it took to drag her legs through the snow.  She took note that she still couldn’t feel her toes; they’d hurt before but now it felt as if she had no toes at all. She supposed it didn’t help that the boots she wore were not designed for this weather, or walking through the forest, for that matter. She’d got them on her birthday, on the shopping trip she’d had with Alice. She smiled remembering briefly how she’d kicked Caden in the gut sending him flying back onto a sofa. Her birthday felt like a lifetime ago. Alice didn’t seem to fit into her life anymore. A small laugh escaped her as she imagined what Alice would be saying right now. She wouldn’t have stopped complaining and she definitely wouldn’t appreciate the beauty before her, she’d only see the snow as the cold wet stuff, freezing her toes off. She wouldn’t notice how the sun, now just peaking above the horizon and streaming through the trees, made the snow sparkle, as if the surface was scattered with a thousand diamonds. She’d hate the fact that the snow covered all the ruts and fallen logs on the ground, but Lexia liked how the snow covered every imperfection, every rotten branch and muddy hole.

Lincoln raced towards her, he rubbed against her leg and looked up at her, a sparkle of excitement in his golden cat eyes.

“I’m coming,” she said, following him as she started back down the slope.

Caleb and Caden stood at the bottom waiting. Lincoln shot off away from her and barrelled into them; they rolled to the floor in a puff of snow. Lexia laughed at them as they chased each other about, swatting with paws and nipping with teeth. They certainly seemed to be enjoying the snow.