Whispers of Darkness (The Deadwood Hunter Series) (2 page)

Hours turned into days and still, Lincoln sat by Lexia’s side. His own wound had nearly healed, just a scarred patch of skin remained, the skin all pink and red.

Caden watched as Lexia’s body healed
. He was amazed at how her skin had completely healed in the places that hadn’t been so damaged. She really was amazing, not even Shifters healed to the extent of no scars. She still hadn’t woken, though, and he really had no idea why. Lincoln looked to him for answers but he had none; he’d never seen a Hunter let alone treated a Hunter hybrid. Physically she was healing, but mentally he had no idea. He just hoped for Lincoln’s sake that she woke eventually.

“Linc, really mate
, you need to get out of this room, you’ve been cooped up in here for days, your panther must be going mad.” Lincoln looked at his friend. He was right, he’d never done very well being indoors for long, but what if she woke while he was gone?

“Ok
, but I am not leaving the city, I’ll be half an hour at most.”

“Honestly Lin
c, she’s nearly healed.”

“Don’t leave her side,” Lincoln snapped.

He sighed and nodded at Lincoln, watching him leave. He settled at his desk intending to catch up with some long overdue paperwork.

Lexia was aware again, only this time she wasn’t in the pain she’d been in before. She’d never felt such pain in her life; every part of her body had hummed in agony
. The worst part of it all was she was trapped in her body, not able to fully wake to find out if Lincoln was ok and as her body throbbed with torturous pain, her heart twisted in fear.
What if he didn’t make it?
As the blackness had called her back into its infinite depths, she’d gone willingly because in the numbness, she didn’t feel, didn’t have to face the thought of a life without her panther.

But now Lexia could feel and she felt afraid to open her eyes
. She didn’t move a muscle even though her whole body felt stiff; her joints ached from not moving.
How long have I been here?
Lexia heard a movement to her side and she pushed out her senses; it was time to join the world again, to face whatever lay ahead.

She couldn’t feel Lincoln and her heart gave a sharp stab; Lexia bit back the gasp that tried to escape her mouth
. Whoever was with her had power and she didn’t want them to know she was awake yet. Lexia opened her eyes a crack and stared at a white ceiling. She could hear the sound of traffic outside.
I’m in a city?
Moving her head a fraction she risked a peek in the direction the sound had come from. Standing with his back to her was a man as tall as Lincoln; he was bent over slightly sorting through some papers. Lexia sat up slowly, careful not to make a sound. She noticed she had on a hospital gown and a bandage was wrapped around her shoulder and thigh but they didn’t hurt anymore. As Lexia silently slid to the floor she noticed a small table with surgical instruments on it. Her eyes fixed on the scalpel that sat glinting in the midday sun. And as her hand stretched out towards it, she noticed the man’s shoulders stiffened. Lexia froze as he slowly turned around and faced her; an image of a man walking into the clearing around Lincoln’s home flashed through her mind and she reached for the scalpel putting it to his throat with lightning fast speed.

“Where is Lincoln
?” she growled. He gulped loudly and his eyes widened in fear. “Tell me where he is or you’re dead.”

“He just left, I told him to get out of t
his room, let his panther roam.”

Lexia looked at this man, Caden she thought he’d said his name was; he looked fearful of her and for a second she felt guilty for doing this to a man that had obviously fixed her but then the feeling was gone and she pushed the sharp edge against his skin. “You’d best not be lying
. He’s ok? Alice is ok?”

“Yes, yes
, I saved him. This is the first time he’s left your side. Honestly, Hunter, I have no reason to lie to you.”

“Don’t call me
Hunter,” she growled low and deadly. “Where’s Alice?”

“She’s back wit
h her family, Lexia. She’s safe.”

“How can she be safe
? There’s Hunters all over Deadwood.”

“No, no she’s not in Deadwood
. I have a friend in the FBI. She’s in witness protection.”

“Witness protection...” Lexia’s hand loosened on the blade
. Had her friend really lost her whole life because of her? Would she ever forgive her?

“Lexia just put down the scalpel and we can wait for Lincoln
.”

She smiled at him, snapping out of her thoughts
. “We can wait like this for him. If, like you said, he went for a walk, then he should be back soon. For your sake I hope he’s quick because if you’ve lied you’ll be dead. This is your last chance, just tell me if he’s dead and I’ll leave. Lie and with a single flick of my wrist you’ll be gone, it’ll be so simple.”

“Lexia
, he’s alive, I promise, please.”

Lexia moved the scalpel so that it wasn’t pressing into his skin and as she stood there waiting
, she wondered who she was? Had she really become a person that could kill so easily? Hold someone at knife point? But as long as she stood there feeling strong and in control, the churning feelings of dread in her stomach were held back; Lincoln had to walk through that door. Any minute she would see his beautiful caring face and the world would feel right again because if he didn’t, she feared she would not slice the sharp edge of the scalpel through Caden’s throat but through hers; like she said it would be simple, so simple and all the heart ache and pain would be gone.

The sound of a door opening pulled Lexia from her dark thoughts
. She stiffened and looked into Caden’s eyes as they turned Leopard, he took in a deep breath. “That’s him.”

She couldn’t smell him yet; her sense of smell wasn’t as good as a cat but as she heard the footsteps coming closer, her heart started to hammer in her chest. She could sense him now, she knew it was him but she needed to see him before she let down her guard
.
Please be him, please be him
she chanted over and over in her mind. She wanted to run through the door but it could all be a trick; if she let down her guard...

The door started to open and Lexia was hit with the overwhelming smell of the man she loved; her whole body hummed with anticipation and as his golden brown eyes locked with hers she let out a sigh, smiling she ran across the room into his arms. She heard the distan
t sound of metal clattering to the floor and muttered curse words but none of that mattered because he was alive, she’d managed to save him. All her emotions spilled out at once and she sobbed into Lincoln’s chest, holding on to him tightly.

“S
hush, baby, it’s alright,” he cooed over and over to her and slowly his sweet soothing voice calmed her soul and she let go of her tight grip on him and looked into his face.

“God
, Lincoln, I thought I was going to lose you, too.”

“Never
, baby, never.” They stood in silence holding each other for a few minutes before Caden shuffled awkwardly, wondering whether he should just escape. They both looked around at him and Lexia felt a pang of guilt.

“Oh sorry mate, Lex this is Caden although I think you’ve already met... Tell me Lexia
, why did you have a blade to my best friend’s throat?”

“Oh erm? Well...
trust issues.” She gave a guilty smile in Caden’s direction. “Sorry.”

Lincoln started to laugh and eventually Caden took a step forward
. “It’s okay, Lexia, you’ve been through a lot.”

“Yeah, thanks for fixing us up
.”

Lincoln started to laugh again and Lexia looked up into his happy face
. She crushed her lips on his and wrapped her arms around his neck. Lincoln pulled her to him just as eagerly and for a second Lexia was lost in the feel of him.

“I’
m going,” she heard Caden mutter, his quick steps retreating from the room.

Lexia pulled away from Lincoln
breathless. “Wait Caden, I’m starving and I need to know more about Alice.” He looked at her amused and she walked away from Lincoln glaring. “Not for him, food.”

Caden laughed and Lincoln whined. “Well I’m maybe starving for both
, but food first. Oh and some clothes would be nice, too.”

“Follow me
,” Caden said, still chuckling at Lincoln’s disgruntled-looking face.

Dressed in clothes Caden had bought, jogging pants and a tank top,
well better than nothing!
She thought as she shovelled food into her mouth, swallowing it before she’d even appreciated the taste.

“Slow down, you’ll make yourself ill.” Lexia glanced up at Caden’s stern face.

“Sorry Doc, been a while since I’ve eaten and I’ve learnt if I have the chance to eat a full meal then I should make the most of it.”

“Lex, baby, we’re safe here for now,” Lincoln murmured against her neck before nipping.

“For now,” Lexia whispered, pushing Lincoln off her. “You’re making the Doc uncomfortable.”

“He’ll survive,” Lincoln laughed.

Lexia shovelled in another mouthful, this time chewing before she swallowed. Glancing at Caden she said, “So Alice?”

“I have a friend in the FBI, he arranged for her and her family to go into witness protection.”

“Where?”

“I don’t know but she’s safe,” Caden replied.

“WHAT!” Lexia slammed her fork down a little harder than anticipated. Lincoln’s arms wrapped around her from behind.

“Baby, it’s safer if we don’t know where she is. If something happened, if the Hunters got a hold of us... Well, it’s just the way it works, but I saw her before she went. She was okay, a little shook up, but she’s Alice she’ll bounce back.”

“I would never tell them where she was! I – I never even said goodbye to her, told her how sorry I was.”

“I know. When all of this is over you can tell her.”

This will never be over...

Lexia never voiced her last thought. She knew that Lincoln knew the truth deep down, he was just trying to make her feel better, trying to protect her like he always did, but she knew; Lexia knew this wasn’t ever going to be over, not unless her mother died, not unless the Hunters were destroyed. And that, Lexia knew, was an impossible task.

Lincoln woke the next morning to find himself alone; he could hear Lexia’s laughter drifting up the stairs. Slinging on his shorts he noticed his shirt was missing and headed towards her voice.

He found her in the kitchen; she had on his missing pale blue shirt he’d worn yesterday and it barely cover
ed her legs, her long curled hair was pulled over her shoulder revealing her neck. She was laughing at Caden and he had a sparkle in his eyes as he put food on her plate.

Lincoln felt suddenly overcome with possessiveness, his panther rose to the surface, snarling and growling at his mind; the beast wanted to take her here, show Caden she was his, he wanted to mark her for all to see. And as the beast took over he watched as if from a distan
ce as he strode across the room. Lexia turned as he approached but the smile on her face disappeared the second she saw him. Confusion crossed her face and then her eyes widened in surprise as she found his strong hands clamping around her shoulders lifting her from the stool she sat on. He pinned her to the wall, his claws slicing through his skin and into hers.

“Lincoln!” she gasped but he never heard her, he’d lost control of his beast
, its predatory instincts had taken over. He could hear Caden speaking urgently but it washed over him and his sharp panther teeth scraped over her skin, ready to sink into her exposed vulnerable neck to mark and claim but as his jaw closed he found himself flipped to the floor and looking up into the wild gold eyes of the Hunter he loved.

“Lincoln Turner
, do you really think you can pull that predatory panther shit with me?” She smiled wickedly at him, pressed his shoulders further into the floor. As he struggled beneath her, she clamped her thighs firmer around his waist. He growled low at her, his panther mad at being pinned.

“Sorry
, baby, but I’m not letting you up until you have control of that beast of yours –“ she smiled sweetly, “unless... you want to take this outside and settle this panther to Hunter?”

“Lexia
, no, that’s a bad idea!” Caden interrupted.

“Come on
, Caden, don’t spoil my fun, got to put my pretty little panther back in his place.” She flashed a smile a Lincoln before turning her face to Caden.

“I have a small backyard and we are in the middle of the city!”
he protested.

“It won’t take long, will it
, baby? What ya say, your panther coming out to play?” she laughed at him.

“You really think you can take me?”
he growled.

Lexia jumped to her feet
. “Yep, a lot has happened since we’ve had a fight.” Lexia turned, striding out the back door, not caring at all that she just had on Lincoln’s shirt.
Serves him right!

The panther circled Lexia and she smiled at him
, feeling a thrill sliver down her spine; it had been a while since she’d had a fight for fun and tangling with her panther was as good as it got. She waited for him to make his move but he patiently waited for the right opportunity. She could see the panther was furious; he didn’t like to be disobeyed but what did he really think, that she would just roll over and submit? Tired of waiting Lexia decided she’d egg him on, it wouldn’t take much doing. Smiling smugly she crooked her finger at the black panther. “Here, kitty, kitty.”

She heard Caden snort and then the panther was sailing th
rough the air. She admired his lean muscled body, the light glinting off his velvet soft fur and she began to drop to the floor as his paws connected with her shoulders; she felt the stab of claws and then brought up her legs, kicking him.

Lexia flipped over, spun
, and stood watching her panther hit the floor; he’d landed on his feet and was now sliding across the ground leaving grooves in the dried earth.

Caden whistled low from the side
lines making her smile and Lincoln growl. She ran at him as he leapt meeting his claws and teeth head on. They clashed together, slicing and hitting each other in a blur until Lincoln was kicked across the floor once more. She braced, ready to attack again.

Lincoln looked at Lexia, she’d become very strong in the last few months. She smiled at him
, egging him on, and it took all his strength to keep the cat back; it had lost all reason and desperately wanted to make Lexia submit, make his mate back down. But as he looked into her blue eyes alight with mischief and delight, he knew she never would. What had he been thinking? She crooked her finger at him again and he lost control.

The panther launched itself at her but instead of landing on her, he landed to her side slightly
. She turned to move away but he twisted sharply, jumping and sinking his teeth into her soft side. He felt her blood run through his teeth and the man in him panicked.

Lexia gasped as his teeth sank into her side; the panther was through with games. It was time to show him what she was made of
. Eyes flashing gold, she ignored her pain and twisted around catching him with her leg as he landed. He slid to the ground turning around and growling at her with her blood running from his jaw.

“Bring it on
, kitty cat,” she called and jumped landing on him.

They rolled around the dusty earth, rage and anger colliding together until the dust settled revealing a black panther pinned beneath a
Hunter.

“Submit” she whispered in his ear, but the panther struggled and growled beneath her. “You
’re pinned, damn it, Lincoln, submit!”

“Hey guys
, that’s enough now,” Caden walked over. “Lexia, let me fix you up.”

“Not until he submits
.” She didn’t take her eyes off the golden-brown panther eyes staring wildly at her. She was mad now, mad at him for hurting her, mad that he thought she’d just submit, and mad at herself for starting this when this was clearly no game to her cat.

“Come on
, Lexia, he’s a predatory shifter.”

“Yes
, he is and does he expect me to be a submissive princess in need of being rescued all the time?”

Lexia could feel her anger rising now
. He still struggled against her but she was stronger. As the weeks had gone by she’d noticed how much she’d changed; her Hunter side was now stronger than ever but she needed it to be. She couldn’t afford to be weak anymore, too many people wanted to harm those she loved.

“I can’t afford to be weak
, Lincoln. Don’t you understand what happens when I’m weak? Just one moment was all it took for me to nearly lose you; just a single second for me to think that maybe my mum loved me, that not everything was completely fucked up. Damn it I was shot, I nearly died and then I had to kill all those people.”

He relaxed under her, and
shifted turning to lights. “Lexia,” he whispered.

“No
, it’s too late, I won’t be fooled again and I WILL NOT submit to you. I’ve learned from my mistake and I’ll keep being reminded what happens when I’m weak. Every time I close my eyes and see their faces, see the look of fear in their eyes as I took their lives.”

She got up and stormed into the house
wishing she’d not started this game. All it had done was remind her of how she’d killed all those Hunters, how easy it was for her to take a life. It didn’t matter that they would have killed Lincoln and Alice, that they’d have more than likely killed hundreds of people themselves. She’d still taken their lives and at some point in time, they’d just been human, they would have had families.

This train of thought only fueled her anger more
. Her mother had taken their lives, turned them into monsters just like she’d created her to be a killer.

Lexia walked into the bathroom
, slamming the door a little too loudly. She needed to shower; the hot water would help calm her. She didn’t want to fight with Lincoln, why were they fighting? She’d thought her panther needed to blow off some steam but she had no idea what was wrong with him. She’d never seen her panther look like that at her, and never had he intentionally hurt her, not since they’d been together.

“Shit!” Lincoln swore
. He slipped on the jeans that Caden tossed him.

“Shit indeed
, mate, what the hell were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t
,” he grumbled as he walked back into the house. His body ached all over.

“You’re going to have to grovel
, Linc,” he chuckled.

“Caden!” Lincoln growled
. “If you hadn’t been all sparkily-eyed at her... Maybe I wouldn’t have lost it.”

Caden laughed
, “Sparkily-eyed! You need to get out more, your panther’s riding you harder every day. You’ve never been very good with cities. We were just talking over breakfast and she’s totally in love with you mate, stop being so stupid.”

“I can’t just leave, this is the safest place for her
. They’ll expect her to be in the forests.”

“Well you need to go away for a few days then, you can’t keep losing control. You’re only pushing her more and if she loses control
, too... Well, it won’t be pretty.”

“Leave it
,” Lincoln grumbled, walking into the house to search for Lexia.

Lexia was in the shower washing the blood and dust from her skin when she heard Lincoln open the door.

“I’m sorry, baby,” he said quietly.  Lexia glanced at him standing in the doorway; he was fidgeting and looked completely lost.

“Sorry! For biting me or being a dick because I... I… What exactly did I do that had you going all alpha male on me?”

“I’m sorry, okay? I saw you sitting in just my shirt laughing at Caden and well I just lost it. I’m sorry, it’s been a rough few weeks. I guess I haven’t got the best hold on my panther.”

Lexia shut the water off with a sigh. She didn’t want to fight with him but she also didn’t want him or his panther to think they could just treat her as a submissive.

“Linc, I am not submissive. I wasn’t submissive before my powers awakened and I’m sure as hell not now. I shouldn’t have wound you up but that still doesn’t give you an excuse for what you did. I don’t want to spend my time worrying whether I’m dressed enough for your standards.”

“Lexia, I
…”

She stepped out
of the shower, wrapping a towel around her and stalked towards him. “I get it, you’re sorry, but what I’d like to know is if that beast of yours has got the picture? I didn’t appreciate the bite or the reminder of what I am.”

“Lexia, what happened at your house, you did nothing wrong.”

“Forget it, Lincoln, nothing you can say will make what happened at my house ok, and if I had to do it again, I would. I would do anything to protect you. But did you really think I would wake up the same person? I’ve been hanging onto my old self for a while now and I need to let her go. The day those vampires attacked me, my life changed and I clung to you hoping somehow you could fix it all. But you can’t change me and I need to stand on my own two feet. This is my fight and to win I need to be strong.”

“Lexia I know, I know... I love you and I know who you are
. I never want you to submit to me and I’ll always be here, I will always be by your side. I’m sorry about this morning... I... just lost control, please forgive me.”