Chapter 122 Chapter 122
Shaelan paced toward the back of the cave and looked at Rayne and Kelsey, looking as annoyed as she felt. “I can’t believe they left without a word.”
“I can,” Rayne said softly.
Kelsey nodded, “It’s pretty much their M.O., but that doesn’t mean we have to like it.”
Billie adjusted the laces in her shoes as she hugged her knees into her chest. “I just hope they get out safely.” She glanced to the entrance. “Why didn’t… Jake?” Kelsey nodded, “go with them.”
Pulling her hair back into a ponytail, Kelsey dropped her hands and then rolled her eyes. “Gotta leave someone here to keep us under house-cave arrest.”
Rayne groaned. “Look how well that turned out last time.”
“Right.” Kelsey mused quietly.
Shaelan decided if she had to wait she may as well be distracted. “What happened?”
Kelsey sighed and sat down. “Your life isn’t the only messed up one.” She glanced to Rayne who nodded. “Aside from the secret of what we are...”
Shae slid down the wall and looked from one to the other. She could see the emotions changing in their eyes as they thought about it.
Rayne grimaced, “It’s a very tangled web to explain it all from the start, so we’ll just say there is an organization of criminals…” she tipped her head and looked at Shaelan, “a mob-like family. Really bad.”
Shae nodded, “I just spent two years off the mountain for school, so I understand. A crime family.”
Kelsey’s head bobbed a few times. “Okay, so this supreme family of asshats abduct shifters and enslaves them. As their goons, muscle... whatever…” She pointed to Rayne, “she was engaged to the head of the family before she escaped.”
Eyes wide, Shae glanced at Rayne, only to see her nod.
Rayne waved it off, “I could write an entire book about my ordeal. We’re getting off topic here. Gage and Devin left us under house arrest at Kelsey’s while they ran off to save the day.” She rolled her eyes in a dramatic way. “These guys show up asking for directions,” she grinned, “your mountain is easier to navigate then the roads at Gage and Kelsey’s place.”
“True,” Kelsey laughed. “So, we end up abducted by these two guys.”
Shae and Billie both gasped.
“Until…” Kelsey points to Rayne, “she shifts and threatens to bite this guys’…” she cleared her throat, “bits, off.” She starts giggling.
“Long story short,” Rayne continued, “leaving us under guard didn’t work out that well for them last time.”
Jake appeared in the entrance, his arms crossed over his chest. “Which is why no one is going to go in or out of this cave until they…”
Brock came barreling into the cave, knocking Jake out of the way. He tossed Nona’s medical bag toward Shaelan. “You’er going to need this.” He leaned on his knees for a second and huffed a few times trying to breath.
Shaelan grabbed the bag and got up. “What’s wrong.”
He waved his hands and swallowed, still trying to breath. “Nona is on her way… but she says they’ll get here before she can.” He straightened and looked around. “I need blankets,” he squeaked, “and some shoes.”
Rayne scrambled up and held out the blanket she’d been sitting on. “What happened?”
Clutching the blanket to his chest, he blew out a breath. “Jerome beat the bejesus out of one man…” he tapped his chest a few times, “I threw up in my mouth when I walked in on it.” He gave Shae a distraught look, “I couldn’t blow my cover… so I just distracted him enough to leave.” He took the shoes Kelsey held out. “They’re carrying him here.” His eyes grew large. “I have to get this to them.” He waved Jake out of the way, “Faye and Marilyn have the whole village in motion to keep them occupied, so they can get here.” He called out over his shoulder then was gone.
Shaelan’s heart was beating so loud in her chest, she couldn’t catch her breath. “We should…”
“No.” Jake hissed. “If you girls go running to them, it’s going to distract them.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “They’ll be focused on every sound, scent and breeze around them right now in order to get them back here as fast as possible.”
“You should go help them, Jake.” Kelsey rushed over to him. “We won’t move from this cave.”
Rayne nodded, “At least go watch their backs until they can get here.”
He rubbed both hands over his face. “I don’t even know…”
Shaelan snapped out of it, “I can point you in the right direction.” She clutched the bag to her chest. “Please, just go watch and make sure Jerome doesn’t come after them.”
Billie was on her feet. “You have to go help.”
Jake looked from one to the other, indecision plain on his face. “If I leave you and…” he looked from one to the other again, “Shit.” He pointed a finger at Kelsey. “No one leaves this cave.”
She nodded. “Go.”
Shae ran to the entrance and pointed, “head that way, there’s a ridge you can watch from. They’ll be coming from the East.”
He went by her. “Stay in the cave, I won’t survive an angry Cal.”
Shae watched him running until the long grass swallowed him up. She turned and looked at Kelsey who was pulling her shoes off. “What are you doing?”
Kelsey paused and looked at her. “Going to climb a tree to keep watch.” She shrugged, “I do that better as a cat.”
Billie shook her head before Shae could reply. “A tiger?”
Kelsey nodded.
Shaelan went over and stood there shaking her head. “A tiger would stand out here like a flashing sign.” She looked from Rayne to Kelsey. “So would both of your hair color, without shifting.”
Billie nodded, then took a deep breath. “I’ll go. I can shimmy up that tree outside.” She looked to Shae, “I live here, No one is looking for me, so I’m invisible.”
Kelsey huffed out a defeated breath. “You’re right. We’ll stand in the entrance and you can call down to us.”
Rayne went toward the entrance. “Hurry. My heart isn’t going to beat properly until I can see those men are safe. All of them, including my own.”
Calum stood and traced the landscape with his eyes, watching for any sign of movement. He couldn’t scent anything, but that wasn’t surprising with his nostrils filled with the scent of stink weed and blood.
He glanced to see Brock helping Marc get some shoes on. That was a smart call, grabbing something for their feet. When he’d run over this rough ground, he’d only been inside for a few days and filled with too much rage to feel anything. These three men had been in a hell of a lot longer. They’d been drugged, underfed and their muscles were so sore from sitting, they were barely able to navigate. He didn’t know how long Chad had been missing, but he knew his two clansmen had been gone close to a month now. Gene had vanished first and that was about six weeks ago…
Chad’s moaning had Calum looking over at him. He didn’t know the man, but he knew his clan leaders. Hopefully Chad was the only missing from that family, because there were no more captives inside.
When Brock and the guard had flung the door open, dragging Chad between them, Calum had to hold Gage back from attacking the guard. Brock quickly explained that Jerome was on some sort of rampage and took it out on him. He didn’t need to wonder what the rampage was about. Chances were Jerome knew all about the people that had come up the mountain to get him, and hadn’t been able to find hide nor hair of them since. Calum had this nagging thought that kept about how long would that last? They couldn’t stay in the cave much longer.
Gage and Devin moved Chad to get the blanket under him, another good idea on Brock’s part. With almost every part of him swollen or bleeding, they’d had to stop constantly, because they were causing him more pain trying to get him to safety. With the blanket, they could use it like a stretcher and carry him. It was still going to hurt, but would minimize any further damage.
Gage nodded to Devin, and they lifted it together. Chad moaned, but quieted once they had him off the ground. Marc and Dale got up on unsteady legs and started walking slowly beside them. He turned to look at Brock, who was sweating and covered in blood, as he stood watching them leave. “You need to get back. Grab a shower, fast.”
Brock nodded, then turned eyes full of misery and guilt toward him. “I feel like a coward for just letting Jerome leave.”
“His day will come.” He motioned in the direction of the village. “Get back and make sure Marilyn doesn’t do something stupid.”
He clasped his face between his palms, his eyes huge. “Oh my god, I have to get back.” He waved a hand at the men walking away. “I’ll come to the cave later.” With that he took off running.
Checking as far as he could see, Calum assured himself no one was looking for them, yet, then turned to head back to the cave. He caught up to them quickly.
“How much further?” Mark asked, sounding winded already.
Calum didn’t like how the gash on his ribs looked. It had been stitched up and had healed over, but the fact that it was there, reminded him they’d been in chains and unable to shift. “At this pace, half hour or so.” He checked behind them again, “Some pretty rough climbing ahead.”
Mark nodded, “We’ll make it.” He checked over his shoulder before looking back to him. “Thought I was hallucinating when I saw you.”
Calum grinned. “I don’t doubt it.”
He stumbled, Dale reached out to steady him. “So, you just on vacation in the neighborhood?” Marc asked, trying to lighten the air around them.
Dale released his arm and smiled over at Calum. “He was inside with us.” Marc looked at him. “Saw him in the showers a few days ago… or I think it was a few days ago.”