Whispers of Darkness (The Deadwood Hunter Series) (30 page)

“What about your mate? Doesn’t he need you?”

“I’m here so he stays safe. Now can you find him and pass on a message or not?”

“Yeah I can do that, although the last I heard he was in the wild, living as a cat tracking you.”

“Tell him... Tell him to stop looking for me... Tell him I know he thinks he needs to save me but he already has. Tell him I’m okay, that it’s our bond that keeps me going... Tell him I’m still fighting.”

Sammy turned with a nod.

Just as he was about to disappear into the trees Lexia called, “Sammy!”

“Yes?”

“Don’t tell him where you found me, don’t tell anyone about this place.”

“You realize Lincoln will beat your whereabouts out of me.”

“Please don’t tell him, he’ll only get himself killed.”

“I’m sorry Lexia, I can’t promise that.” His last words whispered through the trees as he ran off, leaving Lexia alone in the frozen world around her wondering if she’d just made her biggest mistake yet.

Lexia slowly made her way down the hill towards the entrance of the compound. The nearer she got, the more layers of defense she built around herself, she had to be strong. Talking to Sammy had only reminded her of the life she so desperately wanted to go back to, but she didn’t have such luxuries. This was her life now and people depended on her. So by the time she rattled on the mesh gates, she’d forced her emotions deep inside of herself. The hard look on her face warned no one to touch her and her determined stride made the Hunters step out of her way as she walked into the compound, into her prison.

She heard her mother’s quick angry steps behind her.
Damn it! So close,
she thought, looking at her door.

“Maura!” Lucy snapped.

Lexia paused with a sigh, she forced a smile onto her face as she turned to greet her mother.

“Mother?”

Derrick had paused a few steps behind Lucy, a fresh bruise marking his face.

“You are not to leave this compound again! You... You missed your group’s training session.”

Keep calm, keep calm,
Lexia told herself as she answered, “I needed space mother and it’s Christmas day, my recruits can have the day off.”

Lexia turned quickly walking towards her door, her escape.

“There is no such thing as Christmas day in this compound,” Lucy replied, her voice like frost.

Lexia’s hand slipped from her door handle, the anger and hatred that always lingered close the surface these days burst its restraints. She faced her mother, and for just a split second saw fear flash into her eyes. Derrick shook his head frantically at her but it was too late, Lexia couldn’t control herself any longer.

“And that will be your downfall.”

“What does that mean?” Lucy snapped, gaining her composure.

“It means keep people down long enough and they will. Rise. Up. Against. You.”

Lexia turned and disappeared inside her room, smiling at the look of fury on her mother’s face.

“You’re going to pay for that comment, Lex,” she muttered as threw herself onto the bed.
But it was so worth it,
she smiled.

A few minutes later there was a quiet knock on her door, a quick look in her mind’s eye confirmed it was Derrick.

“Come in, Derrick,” she called, not bothering to move.

The door opened and clicked shut. “Have you lost your mind?” Derrick asked, flustered.

“That one is still open for debate,” Lexia muttered into her pillow.

“Lexia, this is serious! You cannot get away with saying those things; she’ll find a way to hurt you.”

Lexia rolled over and leaned on her elbows. “Oh, I’m sure she will but seeing as she has lost track of Lincoln, I’m safe for now... It is about time someone stood up to her.”

Derrick shook his head, concern in his eyes. “Lexia, she may not have Lincoln to use against you but there are so many other ways she can hurt you.”

“Enough... Do you think I don’t know that? I was pissed okay, so fucking pissed off and I lost control.”

“Okay... I’m sorry, Lexia.”

Lexia flopped back over sighing into her pillow. She heard the door open and looked back up.

“Where are you going?”

“To supper.”

As if to remind her she’d not eaten all day her tummy growled loudly. “Fancy grabbing me something and coming back here to eat?”

“Sure Lex, what would you like?”

“Surprise me,” she mumbled.

Lincoln and Caden walked into a beaten down motel in desperate need of a shower and a warm bed for the night. They might be able to survive the harsh winter in the hills as cats but the days of running with no clues, no sign that anyone but animals had ever passed by where they travelled, was now beginning to wear the shifters down.

Lincoln said nothing to Caden but he could feel himself slowly losing his grip on reality, and his sanity. His bond with Lexia was changing. She wasn’t being hurt anymore, he knew that, but her feelings had changed. He could still feel the constant ache that she felt for him but it was as if she’d accepted her fate. She’d given up fighting to leave, to get back to him, and that scared Lincoln more than the torture she’d received. What made her feel she had to stay there? What or who was stopping her from wanting to leave the Hunters?

“Just one night?” Caden asked him in a weary voice as he walked to the reception counter.

“One night, then we go back out.”

“Okay mate, one night.”

Lincoln stood back and let Caden handle the room, he’d given up talking to anyone else. He’d not spoken to his grandfather since rescuing Lexia the day her father was murdered. He knew Caden had filled everyone else in but he just couldn’t deal with anyone else anymore, couldn’t plaster a smile on his face. At least Caden knew how he felt; at least Caden didn’t lie and tell him everything was going to be alright.

“Come on,” Caden murmured, walking out the reception door and to room 205.

Lincoln walked into the room behind Caden and just stood staring at the wall, already he could feel the room closing in on him. He shouldn’t be here, he should just leave now and go look for her. What was he doing sleeping in a motel room when he should be racing across the hills searching? He shouldn’t be here, he needed to look for her.

His feet started to walk backwards on their own accord, his heart was trying to beat out of his chest and the walls were closing in, stealing his breath. His back hit the door and the walls crumbled around his already fragile sanity. Lincoln’s composure shattered around him as his legs gave out.

I have to find her, I have to find her!
The words repeated around and around in his head but no matter how many times they repeated his body wouldn’t work, he couldn’t move off the floor.

“Lincoln, Linc! Look at me!” Lincoln’s distraught, far-away eyes focused on Caden’s face, “We are going to find her! This is just one night, to rest, to group together what we have found. We’re not giving up Linc, we will never give up. Do you hear me, my friend? We will never give up!”

Lincoln couldn’t talk, he could only stare at the vivid green eyes of his best friend and wonder when he’d become so strong and why did he kept following him? Caden would follow him to hell and never look back; what had he ever done to deserve a friend like that?

“Linc, go shower, I’ll find us some food that’s been cooked and preferably has had its insides removed.”

Lincoln managed a small smile and stumbled towards the shower.

After Caden had found food and bought them some beer he made a quick stop at the phone box. He’d not checked in with his mother in weeks and he knew she’d be frantic. As he waited for her to pick up the phone he’d given her when he forced her and his father to go into hiding his heart started to flutter and his stomach twist. Just the mere thought of the Hunters getting a hold of his beautiful, kind-hearted mother was enough to make him feel sick.

“Caden?” she said breathlessly.

“Yes, Mother.”

“Oh thank god! Why haven’t you been in touch! Caleb has been trying to find you.”

“What why? Does he have news on Lexia?”

“No dear... It’s David... He’s had a heart attack.  He had surgery three days ago but it’s not looking good... Lincoln needs to go see him now before it’s too late.”

No! Lincoln won’t cope, what shall I do... Why now?

“Caden? Caden dear, are you still there?” His mother’s frantic voice cut through Caden’s panicked ramblings.

“Yes Mother, I’m here.”

“I know this is terrible timing, honey, but I honestly don’t think David is going to survive. Lincoln has to say goodbye to his grandfather.”

Caden stood outside the motel room ten minutes later wishing he’d never rang his mother, wishing he didn’t have to tell Lincoln what he needed to. Opening the door he saw Lincoln laid out on one of the beds, his eyes staring, lost, at the ceiling.

“Took you long enough,” he muttered, not bothering to look at him.

“Sorry, here eat this.” Caden tossed him the burger he’d bought and a bottle of beer, he waited until he’d finished both before he spoke.

“Linc, I called my mother.”

“And?” he asked.

“Your grandfather has had a heart attack, it doesn’t look good.”

Lincoln’s eyes shot up and focused on his.

“I know, mate, this isn’t fair but Caleb is on his way now, he’ll be here in the early hours of the morning.”

“I don’t want to see him!” Lincoln growled.

“Linc, come on, Caleb just did what he thought was best, what Lexia asked him to. He will take us to the airport and then carry on looking for Lexia while we are gone.”

“No, I need to keep looking for her, I can’t leave,” he snapped.

“Lincoln, listen to me. We haven’t found a single clue since finding those vampires. Caleb can keep looking and when you’ve seen David we’ll return. But you need to say goodbye to your grandfather.”

“Goodbye?” Lincoln whispered.

“Yes, goodbye,” Caden nodded.

Lincoln lay in bed that night but couldn’t sleep. He wondered what he’d done to deserve a life that kept on throwing heartache at him. He wondered if he could keep a hold of his sanity. He wondered if he’d already lost his grip.

The next morning he climbed into a car and allowed Caleb to drive him to the airport. He never saw the young blond man with misty blue eyes knock on room 205. He never heard the information that man had on Lexia. He never heard the message she’d asked the wolf to pass on.

Instead Lincoln shut down. He followed Caden through the airport and onto the plane and then he sat in silence throughout the flight.

When he arrived in California, he was met with the news of his grandfather’s death. He said nothing, he never shed a single tear until he stood looking at his grandfather’s coffin and felt the bond between him and Lexia ripped from his chest. He collapsed to the floor screaming and clutching at his heart as he felt Lexia start to shut herself off from him forever. The walls around his fragile psyche shattered into a million pieces with no hope to be rebuilt again.

Lincoln was dragged from his grandfather’s funeral by Caden, still screaming and gasping for breath. He desperately clung onto Lexia with all he had as she tried to sever herself from him and even though Lincoln could still feel the smallest flicker of the light between them, it wasn’t enough to keep him going. He wanted to die. He’d had enough of this pain, of fighting every day to just stay upright. His grandfather was dead, the last remaining member of his family gone, and now he’d lost Lexia...

Lincoln begged for death but death wouldn’t have him.

When Lexia woke the next morning, she found Derrick passed out on the floor, the bottle of brandy he’d found from somewhere discarded next to him. Sitting up she moaned at the slight throb at the back of her neck.

“Yep, definitely drank too much,” she muttered to herself as she walked to the bathroom.

After she’d showered, Lexia dressed and kicked Derrick, who hadn’t moved.

“Wake up, lazy ass!” she laughed.

He rolled over with a moan, “My god, my head... How are you even standing?”