Whispers of Darkness (The Deadwood Hunter Series) (21 page)

“You’ll have healed by morning, I think,” he murmured.

Caleb came back, arms full of twigs and branches. “It’s bloody freezing,” he muttered, letting the wood fall to the ground.

“Hurry up and get the fire going then! I’d like to dry my clothes before I’m an icicle,” Lexia said. Lincoln pressed closer against her. She bent and kissed his head. “My own personal fur blanket.”

Caden sat down, his back to Lexia. “Hey Doc, you’re bleeding.”

“Hmm,” he murmured.

“Go get some more stuff and I’ll fix you up.”

“I’ll be okay, Lex.”

“Not good enough! I got that bullet out which means I’m practically a doctor now, so shut up and shift!”

He looked at her over his shoulder and laughed. “Gouging a hole into my shoulder does not make you a doctor!”

“Hey, I freaking stitched you up and everything! You’re still alive! It’s okay, Doc, I get it. You’re jealous ‘cause I’m stealing your special ‘patch us up every five seconds’ role. Now shift.”

Caden smiled while shaking his head. “Lexi,” he whispered before shifting.

“Sweet leopard,” she murmured, running her hands through his fur, “let’s fix you up.”

Lincoln growled next to her, bumping her with his head. “Don’t worry baby, you are still the prettiest cat I’ve ever seen.”

Lexia started to laugh when the panther hissed, his lips pulling back over his teeth, he nipped at her before dropping to the floor in a sulk. “Sorry, I forgot. You’re the prettiest, deadliest cat I’ve ever seen.”

“You’ll give the man a complex,” Caleb muttered.

Smiling, Lexia pushed Caden’s skin closer together and started to bind leaves to the wound to stop the bleeding. As she was tying the vine into a knot, something cold and wet landed on the end of her nose.

Rubbing her nose, Lexia tipped her head up as more cold drops landed on her face. White flakes drifted slowly down from the sky, landing and melting on the ground.

Caleb swore at the sky. “I best move this under a tree. If it gets heavier, it will put the fire out.”

The cold wind whipped around her making Lexia shudder. “I’ll be lucky if I survive the night,” she whispered, wishing she had at least some dry clothes.

Caleb glanced at her. “You’ll be fine, I’ll have a fire going in no time.”

She said nothing but moved back further until her back was against a tree trunk. Lincoln and Caden sat on either side of her, their fur and body heat warming her a little. Sitting watching the flakes of snow slowly increase their speed, she tried not to let her mind wander to the dark thoughts she could feel lurking at the back of her mind.

When the fire was crackling and spitting, lighting the now darkening night, Lexia pulled off her wet jeans and heavy wool jumper that had stretched from the weight of the water. Ignoring the protest from her hip, she stood and walked near the fire, hanging her clothes over a low branch.

Lincoln lifted his head, his golden panther eyes glowing. Lexia turned to him and smiled, pulling the silk slip she’d had on under her clothes as low as it would go.

“Yes, I already know you don’t like me showing off my body! Just be pleased I slung on a jumper and jeans before coming to find you this morning,” Wrapping her arms around her chest, she sat under the tree and waited for her clothes to dry.

That night Lexia fell asleep curled up on the cold hard ground with Lincoln’s warm panther body curled around her back, his head and front paw resting on her chest. Caden lay over her legs, his tail curled over her stomach and Caleb near her head, protecting her face from the bitter wind that had picked up. The cats warm heavy bodies kept her warm, protected her from the flakes of snow that managed to make it through the tree branches above them. The snow had started to settle with nightfall, covering the forest in a white blanket.

As she drifted off, Lexia couldn’t shake the heavy feeling in her stomach, could no longer ignore the voice that whispered in her mind,
you can’t outrun your fate forever.
She prayed that this wouldn’t be the last night she’d fall to sleep safe in her panther’s embrace, surrounded by people who cared for her, but no matter how hard she prayed she knew she was running out of time. She knew she’d be seeing her mother again soon.

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 yo
u,” 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.

“House cats! The lot of you!” Lexia called, she bent and picked up a ball of snow ignoring the bite of cold on her skin.

Rolling the ball tightly in her hands, Lexia set up her throw and watched as the snowball spun through the air, hitting Lincoln in the side. He paused and turned to growl at her as she bent over with laughter. Caden noticed his second’s distraction and leapt on him; they landed in a heap on the ground.

Lexia threw more snowballs at them as they chased each other about. When a ball hit Caden square in head, they all turned on her. Lexia squealed and started to run up the other side of the valley. Even if she wasn’t still sore she’d have struggled to run faster than the cats in the snow, their small light footfalls skimmed over the ground and soon Lexia was knocked to the floor. She rolled over, laughing, “Okay, okay, you win, you win!”

She got to her feet and started walking again. “Still looked like a bunch of kittens playing, though.”

All three cats growled at her.

“What? Very cute kittens,” she laughed.

When they were nearer the road, Lincoln and Caleb took to the trees to check the area. Lexia and Caden stayed hidden in a cluster of trees. Lexia sunk to the floor, not caring about getting her jeans wet and leaned her head back against a tree. She closed her eyes and tried to cling to the happy feelings she’d felt not so long ago when she’d watched the cats playing in the snow. But it was no use, she knew the end was coming, her instincts were never wrong. It was as if her subconscious could feel her mother closing in. Time was running out and she’d still not thought of a way out of this mess. Could she kill her mother? She knew deep down the answer was yes, she’d kill her without a second’s thought if it meant keeping Lincoln alive, but it wouldn’t be easy. Lucy hadn’t stayed in charge all these years by being a weak, easy target. And again that question played in her mind,
Who paid for all of her experiments and how had she stayed hidden all these years?

A wet nose touched her face. Lexia opened her eyes to find Caden’s green leopard eyes watching her intently, concern and worry in them.

“I’m okay, sweet leopard, don’t worry.”

He spun around, ready to pounce as her black panther walked into their hiding spot.

“All clear, my pretty panther?” Lexia asked, climbing to her feet. He nodded his head in return.

“Okay then, let’s get the hell out of here and get those car heaters on.”

They made it to the Jeep, all three men shifted and slung on clothes. Lexia saw her backpack and climbed into the front, holding it against her. It was just a bag and a few things from her house but it was the only thing she had left that said ‘I was once normal, I once had a family and went to school.’

“Ready?” Caleb asked, climbing into the driver’s seat.

“How’d you manage to get him to let you drive?”

“Please. I was his father’s second for years. I know how to handle Turner men,” he answered.

He started the car and pulled away, within minutes the jeep had maneuvered through the forest and out onto the road. Lexia turned the heating up full blast and held her fingers near the vents. She sighed as the feeling came back into them.

“Better?” Lincoln asked her, his fingers brushing her back.

“Mmm, what I really want to do it put my feet up to the heat.”

“I’d rather not smell your feet,” Caden muttered.

Laughing, the four of them travelled down route 90, the further down the road they got the more relaxed they became. After about ten minutes on the road, Lexia pushed her chair back a bit and closed her eyes.
We really made it!
she thought as the Jeep swerved sharply, slamming her head into the window.

Her eyes snapped open and she turned in her seat to see a black SUV following them and another up beside them, trying to run them off the road.

“Put your foot down!” Lincoln growled.

Glass shattered as bullets were fired through the window, Lexia screamed and covered her face as the glass sliced into her skin. The car swerved sharply again, narrowly missing the SUV that was trying to ram into the Jeep.

“There are guns in the back!” Caleb shouted. Turning the car sharply again, it slid and spun in the icy snow but he righted and put his foot down on the gas.

Caden crawled back out of the back, tossing a gun at Lexia and handing one over to Lincoln. Lincoln immediately started to fire at the SUV by their side, they returned fire; Lexia felt a bullet whizz past her head, the air whispering against her cheek.

She felt anger and frustration begin to swirl around her, it set her blood on fire and as the Hunter took over her a feral cry ripped from her lips. She’d had enough of this being shot at and attacked, constantly putting the people she cared for in danger. She’d not fired many guns but when she held this one up, her body shaking with rage but her hand deadly still, she knew the bullet would find its target. Her breath left her slowly and her finger squeezed the trigger. Lexia took note of Caleb’s eyes widening in fear as the gun went off near his head but the bullet just whizzed past him, out the shattered window, and into the head of the driver of the SUV.

The SUV beside them slowed but as it did, it swerved towards them as the other passenger tried to get control. The nose of the car clipped the back end of the Jeep causing it to slide from the road. On any other day Caleb probably would have stayed in control but today, ice and snow covered the roads and the Jeep flipped.

The moment the Jeep left the road, Lexia felt all her power drain from her veins as fear choked her. The Jeep flipped over and over; it felt like an eternity, watching glass and things from the back being flung around the car, feeling her body being battered against metal, hearing the car being smashed as it rolled over and over until they hit a tree and she came to a stop hanging upside down, blood trickling across her cheek.

For a moment Lexia just hung there, blood rushing to her brain, throbbing against her skull. There was a ringing in her ears and quiet groans coming from Caleb hanging beside her.

“Lincoln?” she whispered, trying to turn her head to look behind her, but he didn’t respond. She started to panic; it crawled over her skin, twisted her insides and crushed her lungs until she couldn’t breathe. “Lincoln?” she called louder, but still he never answered. “Lincoln? Caden?”

Caleb moaned quietly beside her.

“Caleb, are you okay?” He turned his head to look at her; blood covered half his face, it dripped freely onto the Jeep’s roof. “Oh god, Caleb,” she whispered, reaching for him.

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry. Can you reach your knife and cut me free?”

“Okay,” Lexia reached into her boot above her and pulled her ruby covered knife free. She gently sliced it across Caleb’s seatbelt being careful not to catch him; he fell with a thump to the floor.