Runner's Moon Trilogy Megabook Series (53 page)

Hannah rolled over, knowing her husband was not beside her before she was fully awake. "Jeb?"

"Over here."

He was sitting in his favorite chair by the bay window, looking out at the night filled with stars. She had no idea how long he had been sitting there. She knew he missed being able to go on his nightly run, but in another day or two he would be well enough to resume his evening ritual.

"What time is it?"

"Almost dawn."

"Almost dawn?" A yawn caught her. "Are you going into work?"

She sensed he shook his head. "I'll phone in sick. Besides, operations will be slowed again today after last night."

"Then what are you doing up? Come keep me warm," she invited drowsily.

He slowly got up and rejoined her in bed, pulling her into his arms as they got comfortable.

"What is it you're not telling me?" she accused softly, smiling. Tentatively she licked the silky skin above his collarbone and got a chuckle in response.

"Please, t'korra. I haven't the energy to make love you to if you keep that up. Look. This is why I'm up. This is what we must rejoice."

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He lifted his left arm. In the pale light coming through the window, she could see the sparkle of the thin, thread-like blood lines running from his inner wrist to his elbow. Silently she stared at them. One, two, three—

Hannah gasped, and Jeb pressed a kiss to her hair.

"Three?"

"Yes. Three," he breathed. Already the tug of healing sleep was calling to him. "We have been blessed."

She started to answer him, but he was already unconscious. Smiling, Hannah snuggled along her husband's long warmth and let herself drift with him.

Tomorrow would be a great day to rejoice.

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Sarah resumed consciousness one moment at a time, like snowflakes slowly drifting downward until they covered the ground in a delicate patch of white. It took several more seconds for her brain to shift into gear so she could pinpoint where she was. Or how. Or why.

Bed. Warm. Mint.

Okay! Three out of three were great odds.

Her right arm was protesting quietly. She tried to roll onto her back to relieve the cramp. The slight movement awakened a thousand little demons, each one shrilly reminding her that her body had been abused and used in ways it had never been subjected to before. Sarah started to groan when another body shifted against hers, and an arm slid around her waist. Carefully she peeled open her eyes.

The lamp had been turned off. It was dark. Which meant it was either the same night, or twenty-four hours had passed and it was tomorrow night tonight.

You're losing it, Drumman. Flat out losing it.

Yeah. So what? It didn't stop the fact that she finally figured out why she was awake. She had to use the bathroom. Bad.

Simon was lying on his side, facing her. Gently, Sarah began scooting backwards and hoped she didn't awaken him.

Little by little, she worked herself out of his loose embrace, 731

until she found the other side of the bed. She got to her feet, swaying slightly.

Where would the guest bathroom be located? She hated the thought of putting stained and torn clothing back on, but there was no way she was going to traipse down the hallway in the buff. If Hannah caught her, that would be one thing.

But Jeb...

On the bed, Simon adjusted his position, drawing her attention back to him. She could see him clearly in the pool of starlight reflected on the covers. His lean, muscular body was beautifully proportioned, sculpted like the finest jade statue.

One hand was curled up beside his face. He looked serene.

Content.

Sarah peered closer, smiling. He had what looked like plates or large scales running down the middle of his back, above his spine. She was tempted to touch them, to see if they were warm or cool, but she resisted. Instead she peered closer, amazed by the perfect contour of his leg and thighs.

There wasn't a single hair on the man's entire body. Yet, in spite of his green skin and somewhat intimidating features, the man was gorgeous.

Hey! No fair being that good-looking whether you're human or alien!

A scrape.

Sarah jerked around at the unexpected sound. When it didn't repeat itself, she wondered if she had imagined it. Then she reminded herself she was in the middle of a forest, right next to a game preserve. There was bound to be all kinds of noises going on at night from the wind and the trees, not to 732

mention the odd little beastie that managed to find its way to the cabin.

A twinge from her bladder reminded her why she was awake and not sound asleep within Simon's embrace. Her eyes caught sight of the door near the foot of the bed. It was most likely a closet. With any luck there might be something inside she could slip on long enough to get her business done and still retain a bit of modesty in case she bumped into someone on the way to or from the bathroom.

The door had a latch handle instead of the usual turn knob. It swung open without a sound, revealing a pitch-black interior.

Okay. If this is a closet, it's the deepest damn closet I've ever seen.

Blind, she fumbled along the wall for a light switch. No luck.

Well, hell.

Common sense told her there had to be some kind of lighting. After all, Hannah was human, and she couldn't see in this kind of darkness any better than Sarah could.

Cautiously she inched forward, holding out her arms in the hope she wouldn't knock her head against anything harder than her skull. The back of her knuckles suddenly struck something smooth and cold. Her fingers closed over it, and Sarah recognized a depression. A sink. In a counter.

A bathroom!

All right, then! If there's a sink, there has to be a toilet.

With patience and luck, Sarah finally found her target. She hurried to finish while she made a mental note to search out 733

where to turn on the light in the morning. The sound of the flush was barely audible, but in the stillness it stood out like a clanging fire alarm.

Back at the sink she washed her hands and drank several cool swallows of the icy water with relief. Turning off the faucet, she started to reach for the door leading back to the bedroom when she heard that scratching sound again. Only this time it was louder.

And nearer.

The hairs on her head literally stood on end. Gooseflesh pimpled her arms.

Jeez, girl! Get a grip on yourself. Since when has a little noise spooked you like this?

But something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. She could taste the fear, as though someone had sprayed something smoky and metallic into the air.

"Quit freaking out, Sarah Anne Drumman," she muttered to herself. Her fingers had finally found the door latch when a wall of absolute terror fell on top of her.

Shit! Shitshitshitshitshitshit!

Sarah stumbled backward until her hips struck the edge of the cabinet. Her heart was thundering in her ears, and she gasped for air. Her skin was on fire. The darkness no longer held comfort or safety.

What the hell was going on?

She reached for the door latch again when a new little voice screamed at her.

Don't go in there!

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Why not? Why? What's happening? What's wrong with me, and why am I feeling this way?

Another door. Sarah turned around. There had to be another door to the bathroom. One that led out into the hallway.

Shuffling in the other direction, she quickly found the other door latch. Very slowly she opened the door, pulling it inward, and eased her head around the door jamb.

There was a glow coming from down the hallway.

Something greenish-white in color was moving around the big living room and kitchen area. Sarah frowned, trying to figure out what could be causing it. At first she couldn't tell if it was from a flashlight, or maybe a car's headlights were reflecting off of a mirror or other shiny surface. The color reminded her of a giant glow-in-the-dark toy. Regardless, all she was certain about was that it was moving. In the house.

Toward the bedrooms.

She jerked back the instant the light turned the corner to start down the hallway. The fingernail scraping down her spine sent her warning meter from Danger! to GET THE HELL

OUT OF THERE!

She started to close the door when a hand suddenly closed around her mouth, and an arm encircled her waist. A scream rose into her throat until a powerful presence filled her head, a presence that promised to protect her with his life, and at the same time tried to quell her terror. There was no chance to ask questions as Simon pulled her away from the door.

She could tell he was as terrified as she was, that the soothing calmness he continued to give her was solely for her 735

benefit. Sarah understood his need to protect her, which included sending her signals within their connection that everything would be all right.

Twisting slightly in his arms, she whispered into one ear,

"What?"

Her answer was not spoken. Instead a picture flashed into her mind. Then another, and another. And with them came echoes of past atrocities perpetrated by the beings.

Arra.

She could feel her skin shrivel with a horror she couldn't describe. The scenes continued to flash through her mind like vague memories, as if she had been the one to witness each act of degradation. Each moment of torture. Every drop of spilt blood.

The Arra had found them, and they wouldn't leave until they had captured every Ruinos they could find. Including their human life mates. Sarah didn't need to ask why the humans were crucial enough to be included in their hunt.

Hannah had explained it earlier to her.

"You see, for a Ruinos, only true mated couples can bear offspring."

"Mated couples were beaten and tortured, forced to bear more children so the Arra could feast on them, or sell them."

The next word was barely spoken. "Come."

Simon started to lead her back into the bedroom when she stopped him, frantically shaking her head. Somehow she had to let him know the Arra were in there. They were in the bedroom she and Simon had occupied, or in the hallway and able to spot them if they went back there.

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"How many?"

Again Sarah shook her head. She held up one, then two fingers, then added a shrug. The inky darkness was impenetrable to her human eyes, except she could see faintly luminescent green sparkles coming from Simon's eyes. It was then she realized he could still see despite the complete absence of light.

They had to get out of there, and quickly. Before she could ask if there was a window somewhere she couldn't see, Simon moved away from the bedroom door, toward the opposite wall. She heard a faint click, and he pulled her through a third door. Once she was through, he closed it behind her.

"Stay."

"Why?" she whispered back. "I'm coming with you."

"Sarah—"

"Damn it, Simon, you're not leaving me in this house with those things in here!" she hissed.

"Let me make sure it's safe."

She felt his warmth departing from her. There was another barely audible click, and when the door swung open she could see scraps of the night sky between the trees. The diffused light reflected dully off the white enamel surfaces of the washer and dryer beside her.

Once he was certain the coast was clear, he turned and motioned for her. Sarah grabbed his hand, and he led her outside.

They emerged at the rear of the house where the cars were parked. She spotted Simon's motorcycle, plus an old 737

pickup and a little sporty model whose type she didn't recognize off-hand, but she assumed it was Hannah's.

Simon led her further into the woods until they were behind a small barrier of trees. Pulling her into his arms, he could finally speak.

"You saved me, t'korra. Thank you."

"Saved you? How?"

"Your fear. When you sensed the Arra in the house, your fear woke me. Our connection saved me from being taken prisoner again."

An icy chill numbed her for a split second. In the next instant, Sarah had another frightening thought. "Hannah and Jeb!"

"I've got to go after them, Sarah. I have to save them from the Arra."

"How?"

"I don't know how. But I have to find where they took them. You said you only saw one or two of them?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean there couldn't be more!" she protested. "Simon, you have to call for help! You have to call Thom and Tiron!"

"My cell phone is dead," he told her. The comment reminded her of all her futile attempts to reach him on her trip down.

"What about one of theirs?"

He answered her with a shake of his head and a heavy sigh. Lips kissed her forehead, reminding her that they were standing out in the woods in the middle of the night without a 738

stitch on. If the situation weren't so grave, it would have been a wonderfully erotic moment for seduction.

Oh, Jeez, Sarah! How can you be thinking about sex at a time like this?

"Stay here, t'korra."

"No, wait! You can't leave me alone out here!"

"I have no choice. Stay hidden. Trust your instincts. But above all, don't try to come with me. Do everything you can to keep from being captured. It's too dangerous." A hand tenderly caressed her cheek. "Dio m'silat. In my language it means 'go with my self.' Wherever you are, I will be with you, Sarah. We are connected now. Trust whatever you feel."

He pulled away from her, leaving Sarah alone in the chill.

No sound gave away his departure, but she could sense the distance growing between them.

Don't try to come with him? Did he honestly expect her to stay in this one spot while those creatures out there were making off with her brother- and sister-in-law?

"Fuck staying here," she muttered to herself. She had to do something. She couldn't let Simon go out there and try to fight them alone. She was his mate. She should be beside him, fighting with him, damn it! If there were only two of those things, then they already had their hands full. She'd seen Jeb fighting at the mill, injured though he was. Even when he wasn't in top form, the man was a powerhouse. She had no doubt Hannah would be equally contentious. Sarah knew she certainly would be if the tables were turned.

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Simon was going to try and get his family out of the Arra's clutches. That placed the burden of calling for help on her shoulders. If his cell phone was dead...

"Where the hell is mine?" She screwed up her nose and tried to remember the last time she'd seen her purse. Last she could recall, one of Pycee's men had been going through it.

Never mind. She knew Hannah and Jeb had phones. Better yet, the DeGrassis would already be programmed in. All she had to do was go back into the house and find one of them.

But was it safe?

"Has to be, Drumman. But there's only one sure fire way to find out."

The only other door leading into the cabin led to the kitchen. Sarah didn't want to risk going through the laundry room again, just in case an Arra had tried to follow them out.

Keeping her eyes on the house, she made her way through the brush. She wasn't used to running around barefoot. And the forest floor wasn't littered with soft pieces of foam. Still, she managed to make her way to the back door without too much difficulty, and without spotting any of those glowing piles of Silly Putty.

She thumbed the latch and pushed.

The door was locked.

Sarah blinked in surprise at her hand still resting on the handle. Well, hell. Then how did those—

The front door, Drumman. Remember? They came through the living room first.

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Giving a little irritated growl, she hurried around the side of the house to the front. The earth remained dark and silent.