Melody Snow Monroe (4 page)

“It’s difficult to explain. This is called Anterra.”

If she’d lived in Spirit for enough time, she might have heard of the lore. After all, several of the Anterrans had decided generations ago to live
on the other side
permanently.

“I’ve never heard of it.”

Perhaps that was for the best. “Why don’t we try to find the waterfall in case your friend got her signals mixed up?” He needed her to trust them so they could get her out of there quickly and without harm.

Kellum moved toward her, and she stepped back. “Stay away from me.”

“We won’t hurt you. If we don’t hurry, you might miss finding your friend.”

Good thinking, brother.

He wasn’t in the mood to watch her cry and throw a tantrum if they picked her up and carried her away. Their televisions received signals from earth. On occasion, he’d watch the human shows just to understand their behavior. If she thought she’d never see her friend again, she’d cry. Little did she realize that not being with her friend for a while might be the least of her problems.

* * * *

Lara watched the two men. It was as if each could sense what the other was thinking, which was kind of creepy. However, if these two meant to harm her, they probably would have done so by now. They were big, strong, and powerful. If she were casting a Tarzan movie, she’d definitely put these two men in it.

She glanced behind her. The path had to be somewhere, but right now her head was throbbing so bad it was difficult to concentrate. Maybe if she went to the falls, Krista would be there. However, she’d have to draw on some inner strength to trudge down the mountain.

“I guess I’d like to see the falls.” When she took a step, her knees faltered.

Before she reached the ground, one of the men swooped her up in his arms. His strength frightened her and she wiggled to get free.

“Don’t struggle. It will hurt your head.”

While her head was pounding and her stomach churning, it was the need to flee that was the overpowering sensation. “Let me go.”

He immediately set her down. Since the men looked a lot alike, she couldn’t remember whether this was Taryn or Kellum.

I’m seeing the letter T, like tar or tear.

No way
. The psychic had to have been wrong. One of these men couldn’t be her destiny.

The one who’d spoken first lightly grasped her arm. “Are you okay?”

“No, but I’ll live.” Truth be told, she’d never felt this bad before. She rubbed her temples, but the pulsing wouldn’t stop.

“We have some herbs that will ease the ache in your head,” the other man said.

At this point, she’d be willing to do anything to reduce the throbbing. Her migraine medicine never kicked in. “Fine.”

Both men smiled and the tension rippling through her eased the ache somewhat. They stood on either side of her. “It isn’t far.”

Not having to walk a great distance was a good thing. Lara just needed to suck it up and make it to the falls, but the damn heat was zapping her energy. “Why is it so hot?” She wasn’t old enough for hot flashes.

“It’s warm here all year long.”

She stopped in her path. “Ah, if I’m not mistaken, it snows in the winter.” These guys didn’t seem to be in touch with reality.

“In your world it does, but not here.”

Her world?
Maybe the mountains blocked the airflow or perhaps there were some thermal currents that warmed a small slice of the earth. “I guess it would be nice not to ever worry about being cold.”

She often froze in Denver. Hell, some parts of Europe had been worse especially with the antiquated heating systems some of the homes had, but she wasn’t willing to move to a warmer climate and give up the wonderful summers or the chance to ski.

They’d gone only a few minutes when who she believed was Kellum stopped. “I see some
diltha
.”

She’d never heard of that, but she waited next to Taryn while Kellum jogged over to a patch of some flowering weeds. He picked a handful and returned. With care, he tore off the petals of the flower and placed them in her palm.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” If he’d given her the whole flower, she might have considered it a romantic gesture.

“Eat it.”

From his soft tone and furrowed brows, he wasn’t trying to cause her harm. “Why?” She’d told them she wasn’t hungry. If this were some kind of meal, she’d feel better if both men ate some, too.

He cocked a brow. “It’s for your head. It hurts, right?”

This must be the herb he was referring to. “Is this some kind of Native American medicine?”

Kellum glanced at Taryn, who lifted her palm. “Yes. It will make you feel better. It will also soothe your stomach.”

She couldn’t feel much worse, so she popped the petals into her mouth. The expected bitter taste didn’t materialize. In fact, they were rather sweet and dissolved quickly. She took off her pack and grabbed her bottle of water.

“That tasted good.” She drank the much-needed liquid.

Taryn smiled, but the one who’d found the medicine remained a bit somber. Kellum looked away. “You should feel better in a few minutes, but the effects of coming here won’t totally wear off for a few days.”

She didn’t move. “I didn’t get sick driving from Denver to Spirit. I only began to feel woozy when I was in the forest.” Her voice escalated. She chalked it up to not feeling like herself.

Kellum probably wasn’t a doctor and wouldn’t have a clue what was wrong with her, especially since he hadn’t asked her any questions. It could be allergies for all she knew.

Kellum looked over his shoulder. “Do you want to look for your friend or not?” He huffed, as if his patience were wearing thin.

Finally, they were doing what she wanted, but she wished he wouldn’t be in such a rush. Her body ached. “Yes.”

Taryn placed a hand on the small of her back as if to make sure she didn’t trip. The unexpected tingles made her nervous. She refused to consider that these were the two men who would vie for her love.
Ridiculous
.

As she bent down to pick up her pack, Taryn grasped the back of her shirt to stop her and pulled her upright. Only then did she hear the growls. The hair prickled on her arms as her imagination ran wild. Growls meant wild animals.
Shit
. It made sense. They were in the woods. There was no telling what lived here.

He stepped in front of her as if they were about to be attacked and he wanted to protect her. Her legs nearly gave way, but she inhaled to keep her wits about her.

Leaves rustled and several wolves emerged, their eyes nearly glowing. Her heart practically burst out of her chest. “Holy shit, holy shit.”

“Shh.” Taryn stepped toward the wild beasts and held out his arms. “Don’t move or saying anything. Above all, don’t scream.”

She had no intention of moving. Screaming was another matter. Something flashed behind her, but she didn’t dare take her gaze off the vicious-looking animals. They bared their teeth and all she could think of was what the psychic had told her about being in danger. Well, she didn’t need a psychic to interpret that image. Right now terrorists might be easier to deal with.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of something brown moving closer to the pack. More wolves materialized in front of Taryn and she knew that it was only a matter of minutes or seconds before all three of them would be mauled to death. Her breaths came out fast and sweat dampened her armpits. She wanted to run, but if she got too far away from Taryn and Kellum, one of the wolves would chase after her. She’d be dead for sure.

“What are you going to do?” Her voice cracked. So far, none of the animals had gone on the offensive.

“We’re in their territory.”

She wasn’t sure what that meant but now wasn’t the time to question him. “Then why did we come here?” Surely it wasn’t just to satisfy her need to see a waterfall.

Neither man answered. The large wolf who appeared to be the leader crouched low. She inhaled to still the panic. Tears blurred her vision. This wasn’t happening. She shouldn’t have gone off on her own. If she and Krista had stayed together, they could have headed down the mountain the moment she fell ill.

The wolves growled in unison. Then the worst imaginable thing happened. The teeth-baring wolf launched himself into the air, and a huge ball of light blocked her view. The flash lasted only a second. From nowhere two huge mountain lions appeared.

I’m fucked
.

“Taryn? Kellum?” she yelled. Where the hell had they gone?

One minute they were standing with her and the next two mountain lions were hopefully saving her from sure death.

Should she run or get down on her knees and cover the back of her neck like she’d been taught in case of a bear attack? Her head pounded and tears streamed down her face. Her throat clogged and pain squeezed her head so tight her vision went black for a brief moment. Her legs gave way and she collapsed onto the ground.

The growls intensified, forcing her to look. The lions and wolves met in midair. Animal shrieks tore through the air as the remaining two wolves joined the fray. Crab-walking, she pedaled her feet, frantically trying to get away. Her screams matched the cries of the beasts. The mountain lions each grabbed a wolf by the neck and tossed him aside. Her heart lurched. The discarded animals lay still. She kept her gaze on those two in case they weren’t dead and came after her.

When they didn’t move, she stared in horror as the remaining four wolves attacked the lions, biting them on their flanks and scratching their legs. Blood squirted into the air.
Dear Lord in Heaven.

She wanted to move, but her muscles had locked. Her gaze refused to leave the massacre. The lions twisted and turned, kicking and biting to dislodge the smaller offenders. Each pulled off the wolves from the other lion. Bones crunched, and howls rent the air. Her heart lodged in her throat as bile raced to her mouth.

And then everything went still. Except for the heavy panting of the lions, death lay quiet all around them.

Move.

Go.

Run.

The lions’ chests continue to heave as if the attack had left them spent. Maybe they’d eat their prey and leave her alone. What had she learned about wild animals? That they only attacked when hungry? Was that true?

Before she could process what had happened, a huge ball of light blocked her view again. Then hands lifted her to her feet. Taryn and Kellum were by her side, bloodied and bruised. Nothing computed, and her world turned black.

The sensation of moving forced Lara to open her eyes. At first she couldn’t understand why her stomach hurt. Then reality struck. She’d been tossed over one of the men’s shoulders and he was carrying her somewhere.
This can’t be happening to me. This is not a movie. Or is it?

She beat on his back. “Let me go.” The fact she was alive only now registered.

His response was to hold down the back of her legs with a tighter grip. “Be still. We’re almost to the house.” That must be Kellum. The timbre of his voice was lower and more gravelly than Taryn’s.

He stopped moving and she dared to raise her gaze outward. “Oh, shit.” The ground was dropping away from her at a rapid pace. If she’d seen some evidence of glass, she might have thought she was in an elevator. Her brain failed to figure out what was happening.

Something sticky dripped down her arm. When the liquid reached her wrist, she realized the substance was blood.
Fuck
. She was dying. The wolves must have mangled her. That was why her stomach ached and her head pounded. Only there wasn’t any gnawing pain radiating down her arm.

Metal scraped and what sounded like a door opening on a smooth mechanism came from behind her. Kellum set her on her feet. Now facing him, she surveyed his condition. She had to blink a few times to make sure what she saw was real. Blood covered his shoulder, part of his chest, and his legs. Red smeared across a large part of his torso. “My God. You’re hurt.” That was an understatement. The injuries looked so severe, she wasn’t sure how he’d been able to carry her. “You need to go to a hospital.” She wiped her hands on her legs then crushed the fabric of her hiking pants.

She thought she caught a hint of a smile. “I’ve had worse bites.”

Seriously?
He called those gaping wounds “bites”? Some were gashes and others were major lacerations. She held up her arm to decide if she, too, had been
bitten
. Other than being incredibly weak, she didn’t detect any wound, but perhaps adrenaline was blocking her pain receptors. “Is this—”

“It’s my blood. The wolves never reached you.”

Her breath whooshed out, and she stumbled backward but caught herself. Kellum was by her side in an instant. “Come with me. You need to wash that off.”

Was he crazy? He was the one who needed treatment. “You have to get medical help.” Surely he understood that a bite would get infected if not treated right away. Perhaps the attack had addled his brain.