Starcrossed: Perigee - A paranormal romance trilogy (34 page)

Instead of heading off down the driveway to the main road, Nate drove in the opposite direction along a rutted track which wound up the side of a fairly steep, forested slope. The track deteriorated the further we went until the old Land Rover was making some spectacularly bumpy maneuvers over the eroded, deeply rutted surface. After ten minutes of being tossed from side to side Nate stopped the vehicle and Travis climbed out and went into the woods. I figured maybe he was needing a pee, but the stop wasn't a bathroom stop - he began to pull big branches aside. They hid yet another track which led off into the woods. Nate edged the car on to the trail, and waited for Travis to pull the branches back into place.

Weird, I thought. All this camouflage stuff - maybe they grew something illegal up here? I was a little uneasy at the thought that we were up here on the side of the mountain with strangers who felt the need to cover their tracks like that. Still, we'd battled aliens and gargoytes, so a couple of strange hillbillies were small fry if it came to defending ourselves.

We drove for another ten minutes up the track. Here the forest was thick; the tree canopy blotted out much of the sunlight and the air around us felt damp and cold. It was actually very pretty forest, but I didn't take much notice. I was too busy scowling at the back of Aric's head as Carole whispered and giggled in his ear.

Eventually we arrived at a massive face of rock. It stretched up and to either side, covered here and there in ferns, moss and other hardy plants which had managed to grab a foothold in the crevices. Travis climbed out again and pulled more branches to the side. They hid the entrance to a cave.

Nate turned around in his seat.

"I don't know why we're showing you this. No one but us gets to come here. If you tell anyone..."

Aric held up his hand. "No problem," he said. "The secret's safe with us." He leaned forward. "You can trust us." Was that his whispering voice I detected?

Nate looked a little dazed, then he seemed to snap out of it, and he turned and opened his door.

"Wait here, we'll go get the car."

The car they wanted to sell was parked in the mouth of the cave. We climbed out of the Land Rover and waited for them to bring it out. After five minutes, Nate came out, wiping his hands on his jeans.

"Sorry, we can't get it to start. I don't think it's the battery. If you can wait around we'll take a look at it and see what's going on."

"No, we haven't got time to wait." Aric looked at the Land Rover. "We'll buy that instead."

Nate grinned. "No, sorry, that one ain't for sale."

"Everything has a price."

Nate's eyes began to glaze over. "I'll ask Travis."

He called Travis, and his brother exited the cave.

"He wants to buy the beast."

Travis declined the offer. "We need it," he said. "Can't get up here without it."

"You can buy another one. I'll give you double its worth."

The two brothers looked at each other, but Travis rejected the offer.

"We ain't got time to go looking for another one."

Aric took a step forward, until he was only a few feet away from them.

"You need to sell me that car." I recognized the strange, hypnotic tone.

"I guess we could do with the money," said Nate.

Travis just stared at Aric and slowly nodded his head up and down.

I was surprised at how easily and quickly they'd succumbed. As pleased as I was that we were getting the car, it was still a disturbing process to witness. Basically, it was stealing someone's free will, and it was unsettling. It left a bad taste in my mouth.

"Come on then," said Aric. He turned around to find Carole staring at him like a zombie. He flashed a smile at her, and she came to with a startled jump.

"We'll sort this back at your place, shall we?"

She seemed a little confused, but they all obediently got in the car, and we drove back down the mountain to the farmhouse.

Olaf and I sat out on the porch while Aric sorted the deal in the kitchen.

I rocked on the old wicker chair, staring unseeingly into the distance. The scene at the cave played through my mind. How easily they'd succumbed, the manipulation was just so... complete. I imagined Aric doing the same thing to the Innaki's victims. According to the Bible, 'God' had given humans the ultimate gift of free will. The Innaki took it away again. Aric had been doing that for hundreds of years. The number of victims didn't bear thinking about.

"You okay, Luce?"

I glanced up at Olaf.

"Yeah. Sort of. That... whispering thing he did, it kind of... freaked me out, watching him in action."

"It was necessary."

"Maybe..."

"They're actually better off for it - he's paying them twice its worth. They can buy two cars with the money."

I closed my eyes. I couldn't get my thoughts together. On the one hand it was good, and on the other, it was so very, very bad. Any wonder Aric had been so confused about his role in this big mess. I understood why he'd rather flirt naturally with Carole to convince her to help; it meant he wouldn't be whispering, not really anyway. As irresistible as I believed him to be, it really would have been down to her own free will.

The screen door opened with a creak, and Aric, Travis, Nate and Carole emerged from the house. Aric was carrying our backpacks. A set of keys jingled in his hand. Nate and Travis each clutched a massive wad of cash and were looking pretty pleased with themselves. I hauled myself out of the rocking chair and went to meet them.

"All ready to go then?" Aric said. I was more than ready to go.

They walked us to the car and Aric opened the front passenger door for me. I thanked them for their hospitality, and climbed eagerly into the car.

Carole was all clingy as Aric said goodbye. He shook hands with Travis and Nate then turned to Carole.

"Thank you Carole. For... everything."

She pouted and flicked an imaginary speck from his T-shirt, her hands coming to rest on his biceps. "I can't believe you won't stay the night. You could phone the hospital from here and see how your sister..."

Aric smiled awkwardly and extricated himself from her embrace. He leaned over and kissed her cheek before moving away so she couldn't grab him again.

"No, thanks, but we really have to get going."

He walked to the driver's side, and stopped to wave. "I appreciate all you've done."

She looked a little put off. I guessed she wasn't used to her advances being declined.

"Call me!" she called as he climbed behind the wheel. He gave her a small wave and started the engine. I noticed a scrap of paper in his palm.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Her phone number."

"Oh." I slouched down in my seat, my arms folded across my chest.

He threw the car into first, waved to them again, then hit the gas. We headed off down the long dirt drive.

When we got out of sight of the farmhouse, Aric hit the brakes.

"What is it?" I asked, peering around nervously.

He held up his hand with the scrap of paper, Carole's phone number surrounded by a love heart was scrawled on the note in pink glittery ink. His hand closed around it and he scrunched it into a ball. He shoved it unceremoniously into the ashtray.

"It's going in the trash, by the way," he said. "I'm sorry about all that."

"For what?"

"The flirting thing. I should have just whispered and got what we needed. It hurt you and I'm sorry."

"It doesn't matter."

"Yeah it does. At first I figured you'd understand, and then, you know... when I saw Nate holding your hand, I kind of got a taste of what it must be like for you."

"You mean you were jealous?"

He grinned sheepishly. "Yeah. Very. I was ready to thump him."

"Oh!" I was surprised this kind of pleased me. I turned to him and met his gaze.

"I understand why you didn't... whisper," I told him.

"You do?"

"Yeah." I didn't say any more, but I knew he understood I finally got it.

Leaning over, he took my chin in his hand and moved my face to meet his. He kissed me then, and I melted.

After a minute or so, he pulled back, his eyes crinkled and he beamed a mischievous grin.

"That's better," he said, before settling back in his seat. He continuing on down the drive as though he'd never even stopped. I was left breathless and gooey eyed. In the back seat, I heard Olaf mumbling to himself.

"Kids..." he said with a grunt. But I knew he was grinning.

* * * * *

We drove west for nearly an hour before turning north to the border. It would add a sizable amount of distance to our journey, but we decided to err on the side of caution and skip past Evanton. The fracas in the sky was sure to have attracted Smith's attention and I was eager to stay out of his way.

The fuel gauge was precariously low by the time we spotted a truck stop. On the side of the road a hand-painted sign proclaimed 'LAST FUEL BEFORE THE BORDER!' with 'Home of the Famous Monster Burger' added in uneven letters underneath. We pulled in to refuel - both the gas tank and our grumbling stomachs.

I felt my bones creak as I climbed out of the car. Stretching my cramped limbs, I breathed the cool mountain air and took in the surroundings. The truck stop was a cobbled together collection of buildings on the side of the highway, built on a thin strip of land reclaimed from the mountain behind it. Across the road, another space had been cleared for parking overflow. A couple of R.V.s and a silver saloon were parked beside the trees. Beside the diner, a grassy area with wooden picnic benches was so overgrown it was impossible to reach the tables. Olaf and I decided to pass on the outdoor picnic and head inside to order a late lunch while Aric took care of the car.

For a diner in the middle of nowhere, the place was pretty busy. We headed to the only available table - a booth at the back. At the table across from us, a pair of truckers tucked into burgers half a foot high - probably the 'famous monster burgers' which seemed to be the house specialty. In the booth in front of us, a young couple struggled to manage a pair of young children who refused to sit in their seats. The rest of the restaurant's patrons consisted of a few 'gray nomads', local farmer types and random travelers.

Perusing the menu, I remembered Jomi's request to keep an eye on Olaf's diet. None of the items on offer seemed very healthy choices. I figured it probably didn't matter anyway, at least this once. After his life or death battle with crazed alien creatures, death by an artery-clogging burger would be a comparatively pleasant way to go.

Aric arrived and we ordered from the simpering waitress. He appeared oblivious to her admiring glances. I pressed my lips together and concentrated on the menu; if this was going to happen every time we went out I was just going to have to get used to it.

While we were waiting for our order I took the time to visit the restroom. Splashing water over my face and raking my fingers through my hair, I studied my reflection. I felt exhausted and the mirror confirmed it. I really needed a shower and a good, uninterrupted night's sleep. We had a way to go before we got to the cabin, and I considered whether we should just stop off for the night at a motel, but the urge to get to our home and start our new life was stronger than the need for sleep.

Olaf was tucking into a massive burger when I got back to the booth. He'd already finished his fries. I wondered where he put it all.

Aric scooted over so I could sit. "Feeling better?"

"Much," I said, and dug into my grilled cheese sandwich.

"Olaf has decided to leave us here and get back to Jomi."

"Oh!" I presumed he would be coming all the way to the cab, but then, that had been the plan when he'd been driving us; there was really no need for him to go any further.

"Jomi will be worried. There's a phone outside. I'll give her a call. Let her know my plans."

I was a little sad he was leaving us, but I understood. He had a life to get back to.

"I think I'll find a lift to Evanton and hire a car from there."

"You be careful then," I warned. I'd overheard some diners talking about a couple of gruesome murders in Evanton the night before. The bodies had been ripped apart. I believed it was no coincidence the murders had happened on the same night gargoytes had been in the area.

Amazingly, Olaf finished his meal before we'd even gotten through half of ours.

"I'm going to go call Jomi now." His eyes sparkled with anticipation. He missed her, and I thought it was sweet. I wondered if Aric would feel the same way about me after twenty one years together. Olaf headed out the door to the payphone.

"It is safe for him to phone, right? I mean, if someone tipped off the Innaki last night, then they might know about Jomi's place..."

Aric frowned and swallowed the last bite of his sandwich. "If he's quick enough he won't be traced."

"Who do you think tipped them off?" It was the first time I'd had a chance to ask him without Olaf around. There were a limited number who knew of our plans, and they were all either Aric's friends or family members. I couldn't imagine how he must feel knowing one of them may have betrayed us.

He took a sip of his cola, his knuckles whitening as his grip stiffened around his glass.

"I don't know yet. It's something I'm going to have to look into." He frowned at the table, his thoughts his own. Eventually, his fingers relaxed, and he placed the glass back on the table with a gentle thud and looked at me.

"But you don't have to worry about it." His smile was forced.

"Don't treat me like a child, Aric," I reminded him. "We're a team now. Well, a partnership. Your problems are my problems, and... vice versa."

To say my problems were his problems was an understatement. He had well and truly taken me under his wing and it was a huge and dangerous burden. I would feel much happier about relying on someone if it was a mutual arrangement.

He held up his hands and grinned, unwilling to be drawn into an argument. "I'm not treating you like a child! I'm just..." He shrugged, unable to think of a placating answer.