Feral Craving (18 page)

What in
the hell was going on?

****

He knew where he wanted to go, and years after years of
exploring this area led him to know exactly where he was. The only problem was
that there was an object, a big object in between where he was and where he
wanted to be. He recognized the beast’s presence, hated that he couldn’t just
disappear with her. Impatience clawed at him and combined with Mackenzie’s
continual questions kicked up not only his temper, but also fear for her
safety. He had just found her and damned if he could think of any other way
other than fight or flight to keep her.

His eyes roamed over the cave walls, ran in detail through
the area in his head. Stepping up close to Mackenzie, he palmed the back of her
neck and dropped his head down to hers. He pressed his lips to the shell of her
ear again and fought to ignore her sweet scent. It was like an aphrodisiac to
his body.

“Stay close, Mackenzie. There are things in this cave that
will eat you first before asking questions. Step where I step and please keep
quiet. We’re being tracked.”

He heard her lips part and covered her mouth with his on
instinct to catch the gasp. He’d done it to keep her quiet, but now with her
warm lips pressed against his, circuits started firing off in his head,
depriving him of all the ability to think straight. He shifted his mouth ever
so slightly, and she stiffened next to him.

It was all he needed. He broke off from her mouth and
turned, then grabbed her arm and set it around his waist, needing to keep her
as close as possible.

“Let’s go.”

He moved along the right side of the cave, and the thick
leather jacket he wore brushed along the rocks. Mackenzie stepped along with
him and even in the pitch black darkness, his eyes focused on their path,
subtly lighting up the area before them. Distantly he thought back on what he
believed he’d seen Tyler’s eyes do and thought it was one more clue into what
he was to become. With every step, critters moved out from beneath their
crushing feet. He heard them scamper away, felt the light breaths on the side
of his arm from Mackenzie being so close and swore they both could hear the
thundering of his heart.

As they came up to a fork in the tunnel, he knew one led
the way to danger, and he didn’t know what the other would provide except the
promises of death. He glanced back and forth between the two tunnels and as two
deep voices rang through the one on the right, he felt Mackenzie go rigid
behind him. The grip on his waist drew her body closer to him, and he closed
her eyes, taking in the comfort he had long been without. His mind worked
frantically to make a decision on the tunnel, and the fight or flight aspect
really dug into his mind.

With a deep sigh, he glanced to the left tunnel again,
hearing the voices getting louder from the right, and gave a curt nod.

“This way…”

He stepped away, drew her arm from his waist and let his
hand trail lower, drift down his arm to grasp her palm. Pulling her to the left
side, they stepped into the dark, damp tunnel of unknown and began to make
their way even deeper into the mountain, away from the known escape, the only
escape he knew of.

His hand gripped Mackenzie’s as he pulled her through the
narrowing tunnel. A rumble ahead got louder and louder with each step. It was
the only noise he heard besides his own thundering heart. In some ways this
very experience reminded him of his childhood and when his life changed so
much. He had only been six when he was pulled from what he knew of home. The
red tears that tracked down his mother’s face were a haunting reminder
constantly in his dreams.

He couldn’t deny the heat of his hand pressed into hers and
while she had a ton of questions, the voices following them down the tunnel
gave him the indication that now wasn’t the best time. He didn’t know what he’d
eventually tell her, but suspected it’d have to be the truth.

His legs stretched out and began to speed up his steps as
his fear grew. There was no way the demons could catch up; the fear of having
Mackenzie taken from him forever was too strong. As he started to speed down
the tunnel, the sound of rumbling got stronger. The shuffle of footsteps behind
them sped up and then a loud roar echoed through the caves.

“Bari!”

He pushed her forward, his body crowding Mackenzie’s as his
own speed increased. The cries of the voice that sounded so familiar echoed
around the tunnel. Loose debris shifted beneath their rapid footfalls as they
flew down the tunnel, the path twisting and narrowing until his broad shoulders
brushed both sides as he passed through it behind her. The abrupt stop of
Mackenzie’s body combined with a yelp came too late as his larger frame slammed
into her and sent them both careening out of the tunnel into the chamber below
that was filled with heated pools of mineral water.

“Mac … shit.”

She was several feet below him, her body falling freely as
they both plunged toward the pools below. He shifted to try to control the fall
so he landed into one of the pools and not the rock lined beds surrounding
them. He barely saw Mackenzie splash into a pool before his body slammed into
it. The water was like slamming into concrete due to the distance of the fall,
and the impact knocked the wind from him. He grabbed hold of the rock lined
side and heaved his body out of the pool, scrambling to get to the one he had
seen Mackenzie crash into.

“Mac … Mac. Damn it! Mackenzie, answer me!” The heated
pools emitted clouds of steam as the heat from the water rose into the cooler
air and made it difficult to see into the depths of the water. He was preparing
to dive into the pool, fear making his skin itch as he felt a slender hand wrap
around his wrist and tug.

“Mackenzie, damn it, you scared me.” He pulled her onto his
lap as she brought her ragged breathing under control, the hit to the water
having knocked the wind from her lungs too. He took a quick assessment of her,
his hands flying over her arms and legs to ensure she didn’t have any injuries.
They both craned their necks to the opening they had tumbled out of as her soft
voice filled the air.

“Whatever is chasing us doesn’t sound friendly. Perhaps we
need to get a move on, Bari.”

“I agree.” He pulled up to his feet, standing to his full
height and bringing Mackenzie up with him.

The water had knocked the wind out of him and with the
depths of the pools, his heavy clothes and weapons weighed him down.

He tried to catch his bearings. The cave they had fallen
into was almost too beautiful for his eyes, something that seemed to be written
from a majestic story. There was a pinkish hue to the waters below, signaling
where the waters were heated and all along the sharp rocks surrounding the
pools, lime and minerals in all different colors coated the surfaces, leading
one to believe they had just stepped inside of a rainbow. As his eyes took it
all in, they also searched for a way out while his mind churned over the area
in his head. He continued to search the lightened interior of the walls before
his eyes settled on a tunnel in front of them. It seemed to be the only way out
as if they had any choice. He glanced over at Mackenzie and gave a nod in the
direction of their escape.

“Looks like it’s the only way. Let’s go.”

As he began to walk toward it, he grimaced as the sound of
his clothing rustled together, the water making the leather jacket extremely
heavy. Pausing, he removed his harness before slipping out of the coat with a
deep sigh.

Stepping into the tunnel, Bari felt Mackenzie give a shiver
as they began to move along the darkened interior, the air much cooler than
where they had been. It seemed they walked for hours. It wasn’t too much longer
that the thought hit his head before he saw the tunnel in front of them grow
lighter. Halting, he whispered to Mackenzie with his eyes trained on the light
in front of them.

“I think that’s a way out, although I have no clue what may
be waiting on us.”

“Who would be waiting on us, Bari? Will you please tell me
what’s going on?”

He sighed and dropped to a crouch and peered cautiously
around the edge of the tunnel opening, scanning as far as he could see. His
head angled up and caught Mackenzie’s eyes. She looked as tired as he felt.
They needed to get clear, find shelter and food, in that order and as quickly
as possible. Pushing himself up to stand, he took a deep breath as he inclined
his head toward her and spoke in a low voice.

“I don’t think this is the best time to
explain what is happening. But I understand how curious you are, Mac.” His eyes
continued to scan, and he fought with the realization that he was avoiding her
gaze, but instead told himself he needed to keep aware of their surroundings.
“There are some very bad creatures after us. Ones I think have been hunting you
due to your connection to me.”

“You see, Mac, there’s an entirely
different world out there. One I’m only recently finding out about but also one
that I’ve understood for so long. I know that statement doesn’t make a whole
lot of sense, but it is what it is. You’re linked to me.”

“What do you mean, linked to you? I don’t
understand any of this.”

He stood and turned to face her, held out
his hand for her to take. “I can’t explain it all just yet, Mac. But I will
soon. We need to go. Can you trust me?”

Mackenzie stared at his hand for so long
that he thought she’d refuse. With the sweetest movement, she reached out and
wrapped her hand in his. “You can’t run from these questions, Bari.”

He paused for a moment, thinning his lips, then nodded and
turned. They took off, their feet flying over the ground that carried them to
the tree line of the forest. No pause was given as they continued to run
swiftly through the dense foliage and tree thickened woods. Bari’s course had
them weaving at one point, almost circling the path they had just taken before
he finally began to slow, acutely checking and scanning for anyone giving
chase.

He glanced over at Mackenzie and saw the confusion in her
eyes. Stepping through some dense foliage, he held back the branch as Mackenzie
stepped through. The shiver that racked her frame drew a curse under his
breath. The night was getting cooler near the cliffs and after falling into the
pool in the mountain, the air was cooling her body’s temperature down.

“Mackenzie, I know you have a ton of questions. I can’t
answer them all just yet. I’ve spent the last nine years learning and being
taught, exploring and discovering every way to survive in the wilderness. We’ll
get through this. I need you to trust me.”

His head nodded in the direction before them, identifying
the direction he wanted her to move in. He didn’t want to touch her any more
than he had to, and it wasn’t because she repulsed him. No, it was exactly the
opposite. If they could make it to the shore, perhaps they could find their way
around to a house or even civilization. He needed to get ahold of his team,
needed them now more than ever. The entire forest was a death trap for both of
them, from the magic he sensed pulsing through the air to the blood spilled.

“I need to get home, Bari. I have someone who is depending
on me, as well you know.” He stopped and glanced over to Mackenzie, a million
questions running through his mind. They all flew through faster than he could
process, and the bombardment of each made his head ache, his eyes wince, and
his stomach roll. He didn’t know how much she understood about why he left, and
he had a bad feeling should he completely tell her where he came from, who he
was, what he was destined to be, she’d lose that soft look in her eyes and turn
away. Was that what he wanted? He thought it had been, but now, having her
close to him, feeling some kind of bond between them growing stronger by the
moment, he didn’t think so any longer.

She paused as if she felt his eyes and turned to him. The
wind picked up and pushed long curling strands of blackened silk around her
face. Her hand lifted slowly and pushed the piece from her face, tucking in
behind her ear. He fought with himself to keep from standing in one place and
turned from the question in her eyes as he lifted a low lying branch for her,
then started walking again.

“We need to keep moving, and we need to find shelter.”

He still wondered what those years between them had been
like for her, when he hadn’t been there to protect her. Something dark and
malicious tainted her past. He couldn’t take any of it away, didn’t feel he
could explain well enough how much his forced fleeing had killed his soul as he
was ripped away from her. He did it for her safety though.

“Yeah, shelter would be a good thing.”

He followed behind Mackenzie and tried to keep his mind off
the sway of her hips, the changes in her shape that occurred during their
separation. He paused when her body stopped and stilled, taking in the angle of
her head as her long braid swished across her back. He tore his gaze from the
tantalizing view, wanting nothing more than to take the strands escaping their
captive binding and pull them to his nose.

A large remote cabin stood before them. Large brown logs
basked beneath the silver glow of the full moon above. Large trees looming
created shadows that danced and moved as the wind brushed through. The windows
were dark beneath the canopy of a wraparound porch, and branches and leaves
piled up gave a hint to how long the place may have been deserted.