Soul-Bonded to the Alien (14 page)

“That’s Rylan. He has that effect on humans.”

Cal walked around the vehicle to take Paige by the waist lifting her out of the SUV.

“Rylan,” Cal called in greeting.

“Cal, I heard you were bonded.”

“Rylan, meet my bonded. Paige, meet Rylan. He is a friend.”

“I am a friend who used to be as close as a brother, but things change.”

“Only because you changed them,” Cal countered back.

“Vick, we should go inside,” Paige uttered feeling the tension between the two males.

Rylan turned to walk towards the entrance of the school. Paige looked at Cal who shook his head taking her hand. Together they walked into the school.

They were shown into the principal’s office where confusion reigned. There was a little girl with her hair in braids crying in the arms of her mother. Selma was standing, the air around her was filled with darkness as though she actually stood in it.

Victor was against the door stopping any one from entering or leaving without his permission.

“What happened?” Rylan addressed the question to the room at large.

Selma turned to the little girl piercing her with dark eyes. Paige found herself shivering as the easy going free spirited Selma she was used to was replaced with this darker version.

“Tell them what happened, Mckayla.”

The little girl wiped her eyes but nothing stopped the flow of tears. Her breath came in huge gasps as her mother renewed her efforts to slow the crying to a trickle.

“They all need to know, Baby,” her mother whispered into her ear. “No one is mad at you, but I need you to tell them what happened.”

She nodded her head and made another try to stem her crying. Slowly she calmed down enough to talk even as tears silently flowed from her dark brown eyes.

“I was outside playing with my friends when Bobby came over and tripped me. I fell in the snow.” She turned her head to her mother who motioned it was alright to go on. “Then he started yelling Vick and Mckayla sitting in a tree K.I.S.S.I.N.G. I ran after him telling him to take it back.

That’s when he said he heard Vick liked me, and wanted to go to the Christmas party with me. You know the one we are having at school. I told him my momma said no boyfriends until I am out of college! Then he said I was chicken. I’m not chicken. So he said if I wasn’t chicken walk up and ask Vick to see the necklace he always wears. Then he said only girls wear necklaces and the boys were going to beat Vick up after school because he was a sissy.”

She stopped talking taking her time to breathe as her tears came faster. Her mother wiped her cheeks and kissed her telling ‘her everything would be ok.’

“So I asked Vick if I could see his necklace. I didn’t want anyone to hit him. He’s real nice, he always brings me a treat from home. He sneaks it out of the kitchen.”

Her little eyes went to Selma as her body began to shake. The shadows clinging to Selma turned deeper even as the sun poured through the window.

“Don’t worry, Mckayla. I always knew Vick was taking them. I made sure there were always two for him to take.”

Mckayla gave her a watery smile as her body stopped shaking.

“He let me see it, but didn’t take it off at first. He said it was protection against the bad man. He was going to leave, then he turned and looked at me. He took it off and put it around my neck. He said, Mckayla never take it off, I don’t want the bad man to get you.”

Her crying increased as her knees buckled. She was caught by her mother who was now rocking her and singing into her ear.

“Finish telling them, Baby, then I will take you home and make you some nice hot chocolate. We can color together.”

Rylan stood shaking his head as she talked to her daughter.

“A monster came up. He grabbed Vick. He face was full of eyes and he had four arms. He tried to grab me, but I yelled and pulled back trying to drag Vick with me. I’m sorry the bad thing got him cause I was wearing his necklace.”

She went to pull it off her neck but her hand was caught by Selma. Mckayla’s eyes were huge as she came face to face with Vick’s mother.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered in a small voice reminding them all that she was only a child.

“I’m not,” Selma said, going down to her knees in front of Mckayla. “Vick is a protector, he chose to protect you. Do you really think he is nice?”

Mckayla nodded giving her a bright watery smile.

“Then can you do as he asked and not take the necklace off? When he is safe you can give it back to him. Can you do that? I think it will make Vick happy, no matter where he is, to know you’re safe.”

“I can do that.”

“You keep it on even in the tub or shower.”

Mckayla nodded her head.

“We will find him, Mckayla.”

Selma stood, and looked at Rylan for a minute before asking if she could speak with Mckayla’s mother in private.

The principal’s green eyes flashed black before nodding. Paige turned to look at Cal as they followed the principal out the office.

“What’s happening?” Paige reached out through her soul bond to Cal.

“Both Mckayla and her mother are talented. The Sudir will come back looking for them. When Vick gave Mckayla his necklace he knew it was him or her. He chose himself.”

“We can’t let him die!”

“Victor is already looking for him, but Selma couldn’t put Mckayla in danger when Vick gave himself up to protect her.”

She looked back at the door noticing for the first time that Victor was missing. She turned back to realize Rylan was missing also.

“We need to go join the search.”

“Not until Rylan’s brother comes to watch over Mckayla and her mother, then we will join with the others.”

“Why is he so…” Images of Ryland flew from her to Cal.

“He was kidnapped by a Sudir when he was young. Anymore would have to come from him.”

Paige felt her knees buckle as the memory of what happened to her in that coat closet came back. Her stomach began to clamp up. That thing had Vick, and Rylan knew exactly what it would do to him.

Selma and Mckayla’s mother reentered the room. Mckayla jumped up from the chair running to her mother’s arms. She had been frightened and didn’t feel safe with anyone she didn’t know.

Behind them walked in another male who immediately reminded her of Rylan. He had the same sharp features as his brother as well as a handsome face that should grace the cover of a magazine. Just like his brother, his looks left her cold, but nor for the same reason. He didn’t have the air of danger surrounding him.

“Gabe,” Cal acknowledged the male walking into the room. “You arrived sooner than I was expecting.”

“I am never that far behind, Ry.”

Cal’s smile disappeared as he frowned at Gabe, nodding his head in understanding.

“Call if you ever need me.”

“Congratulations on your bonding.”

“Paige, this is Gabe, also a friend. Gabe, this is my bonded, Paige.”

“Nice to meet you, even under these bad circumstances. We have to find Vick quickly.”

“How long do we have?” Cal asked Gabe, ignoring all the women who were listening intently.

“From what I have been able to put together with the details Rylan has recounted, you have about five hours until the torture starts.”

Cal nodded, he took Paige’s hand walking out the office. Rylan was leaning against the SUV when they reached it.

“Ry?” Cal questioned him.

“I believe you and your bonded are our best chance for finding Vick.”

“What makes you think that?” Paige asked, trying not to lean into Cal.

“You were the last to see the Sudir as you fought for your lives. This Sudir orchestrated an entire event to get Vick to take off his protection; he even threatened the girl. At the time there was no way the Sudir would have known she was talented. Vick’s protection around her neck is what lit the spark.

That tells me the Sudir has been watching him for a while. But he chose not to make a move on him until you and Paige defeated him.”

“Then why didn’t the Sudir know Mckayla was talented?” Paige asked.

“Because she never saw him. As long as she didn’t lay eyes on him, the Sudir wouldn’t know about her. Since Vick gave her his charm, he had to believe that she was going to see him and give herself away,” Ryland answered Paige.

Cal unlocked the doors, they were beginning to draw attention to themselves standing in front of the school.

“Shouldn’t the cops have been here so they can be out searching too?” Paige asked looking for any evidence of them

“There were already here. They left to file a report after canvassing the school. Now the real search can begin. What do you think would happen to the cops, Paige, if they found the Sudir and Vick?” Cal asked her, gently encouraging to think like she was one of them.

“Pain, the kind they couldn’t begin to imagine,” Rylan’s dark voice spoke from the back of the SUV.

Paige felt misty when she looked at Rylan. He had obviously suffered. She pulled herself together not wanting to embarrass him.

“How will our last encounter with the Sudir help us to find him?”

“He planted a venom snake with in you, and he materialized within you. Paige, you can track him.”

“Like a bloodhound?”

“Exactly.”

Chapter Seventeen

Track him? They had been looking for over three hours. Each place they stopped was a bust although something not from this world camped out in the last. Whatever it was, it hadn’t left a let’s be friends sign behind.

They were outside of town now. Cal took them off the beaten path making her jump at every bump. They were riding over huge mountains of snow. Her California heart wasn’t prepared for this yet. Visions of being caught under an avalanche of snow where her oxygen slowly drained away kept flowing through her mind. She gave a shake of her head, time to stop living in fear and find Vick.

“We don’t have much time left,” she whispered to Cal.

She was pulled into the dash board of the SUV with a force that speared pain through her chest.

“Cal,” she gasped his name struggling against the force that held her tight. “What’s happening?”

She fought tears as her chest tightened. Spears of pain began to shoot up her arms. She was sure she was having a heart attack. Breathing in tiny gasps, she tried to suck air into her shrinking lungs. Darkness swam before her eyes. She was going to die after all she went through. Had the venom snake broken their trap early?

“Paige, listen to me!”

Cal’s voice was shouting in her mind.

“He can’t kill you, but he can trick you into thinking he is. Then you will do the job for him. Snap out of it, Sunshine.”

Paige felt a crack against the side of her face allowing Cal’s word to get through to her. Raising her hand to her chest, she took deep breaths of air as a roar in the vehicle caught her attention.

Cal’s form changed as he jumped over the seat reaching for Rylan whose form also changed. They began beating each other in the small space, neither getting the upper hand.

“Are you both crazy?” Paige yelled at them. “Stop it and I mean now!”

They both drew away turning to look at her.

“Vick’s life in danger and you’re fighting like little kids.”

Cal still as his Matra dropped his head. “He smacked you, Paige.”

“Only to save your life.” Rylan’s chin jutted up.

For a moment Paige caught a glimpse of the boy he must have been as a sparkle lit his eyes leaving as fast as it came.

Cal threw him a smile. “Been a long time since we did that, I miss it.”

Rylan ignored the words returning to his Arbrin form.

“Now what?” Paige asked, resisting becoming one with the dash board was a little easier, but she needed to concentrate on it.

“This pull will lead us to where Vick is. If it lessens let us know. Cal, did you tell Victor?”

“He’s waiting up ahead.”

They drove carefully along the increasingly dangerous path. Victor and Selma were waiting for them when they slowed down.

“They’re in the house around the corner.” Victor turned to look down the path.

“What are we waiting for?” Paige asked, ready to leave the car.

“The path is mired with traps. We have to diffuse them before we can go any farther.”

“Where’s the first trap?” Paige asked looking up the path.

“Right where we are standing. It was a mind trap, Victor diffused it.”

“He wanted us to be so concerned with Paige that we would drive into it unknowingly.”

“What happened with Paige?” Selma asked.

Cal gave them a brief summary bringing everyone up to speed.

“We will have to walk from here,” Rylan said looking down the path.

All eyes followed his gaze. A huge cat like creature stalked down the road. Selma watched in amazement as Victor pulled her back. Cal reached for Paige, before she avoided his grasp.

“That looks like my kitty but he can’t still be alive.”

“That’s no cat, Paige.” Cal moved closer to her staring at the creature walking towards them.

“Of course it is. My cat was just like that. When I was younger it would come at night and protect me from all the things that might hurt me. It started coming after the Sudir found me.”

Paige walked towards the cat. “I’m telling you he looks just like my cat, Joaquin. Don’t laugh, I asked him what his name was and that’s what he told me.”

No one laughed. They all stared at it with varying degrees of horror on their faces. Cal’s face was pulled tight as he started towards the cat daring it to make a move.

Paige shrugged and stood looking at the cat that came and wound itself around her legs. Crouching down she opened her arms and gave it a big hug.

“It is you, but how did you find me way out here? Don’t worry, I have a nice house you can stay in to keep warm.”

“Paige, don’t!” came a beat too late from Cal.

“Reveal yourself,” Cal demanded as white light began to skate over his fingertips.

The cat leapt out of Paige’s arms to stand several feet away. A dark shadow hovered over it before a male stood in its place.