Page 27 of In Darkness Transformed
“Just your badass self.”
He followed Jamison down off the porch to where he’d parked. At the last second, his friend spun to face him. His blue eyes looked extra bright and shiny with a thin sheen of tears. He muttered a curse and then threw his arms around Eli’s shoulders for a back-thumping hug.
“I’m glad you didn’t get dead. I’ve lost enough friends. We both have.”
Eli couldn’t argue with that. He tried not to count the number of friends he’d lost even before the helicopter crash. “Thanks for coming.”
“Yeah, well, someone’s got to keep an eye on you. God knows what kind of trouble you’d get into if Mike and I didn’t ride herd on your ass.”
“Good luck with all that homework. Do you have a chart on the fridge that shows all the gold stars you earn?”
“Damn straight I do. My mom’s so proud.”
Eli was still smiling when Jamison’s car drove out of sight. After gathering up the empty bottles and plates, he carried them inside and locked the door, wanting its solid strength between him and the world outside. He started to put his sidearm back into the desk drawer but changed his mind. Even if the spec-ops guys weren’t lurking out there in the trees, the crazy guy with the sword might be.
After cleaning up the kitchen, he studied the array of weapons hanging on the wall. He’d always thought Martin had collected them as a hobby, but his opinion on that subject had changed. After living on the mountain for a while now, he had to wonder if Martin had wanted to make sure he could defend himself against whatever two-legged dangers lurked out in those woods.
If so, Eli knew just how he felt.
10
Safara strapped on her sword. It wasn’t her first choice when it came to weapons, but she might need it if she crossed paths—and swords—with Tiel inside the cave. Bullets could shred the barrier, leaving it down for hours and adding to the danger for people on both sides of the divide.
She retrieved her gear from the back seat of her ATV. The pack contained a few necessities for standing watch up on the mountain, including the four extra boxes of ammunition that her father had insisted she take and they both hoped she wouldn’t need. As ready as she’d ever be, she started the long hike up to the cave. Every few minutes, she stopped to listen, letting the normal murmurings of the mountain settle around her. So far, she was pretty sure she was alone.
That was good, although it wasn’t just Tiel she was worried about. Another man wandered in these woods, and she really didn’t want to cross paths with Eli right now. Well, that was a lie, especially after their kiss. Even as her head argued that it was a mistake to play with fire, other parts of her wanted to pour gas on the coals and toss in a lit match. Or maybe a whole box of them.
That thought was not helping her ability to concentrate. She kept trudging through the trees as she gave herself a stern lecture. “Safara, keep your head in the game. Getting lost in thoughts, especially hot ones, could get you killed out here.”
Besides, if she had a lick of sense, that kiss would be a onetime thing for all the usual reasons. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d walked away from an attractive man because of the potential pitfalls of any long-term relationship. It made for a lot of loneliness at times, but it was the safer path to follow.
Time to take another look around. With the sun already slinking down toward the western horizon, the trees cast long shadows that made it even harder to find a clear route through the undergrowth without stumbling over rocks and roots. The path she’d taken the last time was more open, but it passed too close to Eli’s cabin. Better to take the rougher trail and avoid alerting him to the fact she was back.
After cresting the last rise before the final push up to her destination, she stopped to get her bearings and start looking for the best spot to serve as her hunting blind. It had to provide a clear view of the cave entrance while at the same time affording her enough cover to avoid being seen.
She spotted a couple of likely prospects and settled on the one that offered the best view in three directions. A huge boulder roughly the size of a VW Bug would block the line of sight behind her, but then that worked both ways. Anyone coming from that direction wouldn’t be able to see her, either.
She slid her backpack off her shoulders and dropped it on the ground. Before exploring the cave for any sign of recent activity, she needed to replenish her energy. A bottle of water and an energy bar later, she drew her sword and left the sanctuary of her small hideout. She was halfway to the cave entrance, which was still covered in a web of crime scene tape, when she noticed the back of her neck was itching. It was most likely the effect of drying sweat, but what if it wasn’t?
Maybe she wasn’t alone on the ridge. Her grandfather was an expert on wilderness survival. Starting from when she was a young girl, he’d taught her to always pay attention to her instincts. If they said she was in danger, she most likely was.Stop, look around, assess the situation, and then act accordingly.
She did a slow turn to study her surroundings, not bothering to try to disguise her scrutiny. If someone was watching her, it was already too late for that. They already knew Safara was there, which left only one unanswered question. If she wasn’t just being paranoid, did the eyes watching her belong to a friend or an enemy?
The simplest way to find out was to ask. She’d get an answer or she wouldn’t. Either way, she would learn something about her unknown companion.
“Want to tell me why you’re hanging around up here?”
Nothing but the sounds that were normal in the woods. The slight rustle of the tree branches stirring in the breeze. The call of birds in the distance. A flicker of motion as a small rodent scurried under a bush off to the left. No rush of her watcher going on the attack. She guessed that was a good thing.
Heck, maybe she was imagining things, and the sensation was a by-product of her overstressed nerves. She resumed her march toward the cave, determined to check it out and then get back to her hideout to wait. Eventually, someone would show, even if it was only her father coming to relieve her.
She was just shy of the entrance to the cave when the interior lit up with a flash of light. Damn it, was someone coming through the barrier? She got her answer when eight Kalith—six men and two women—charged out of the cave with swords drawn. Her cousin Tiel was the last one to come into view, which told her everything she needed to know about the situation.
Raising her own sword, she injected as much authority as she could as she spoke in their native language. “Stand down! I am not here to fight unless you force the issue. Go back to Kalithia and stay there. This is not your world.”
Either they didn’t understand her Kalith or they didn’t care what she had to say. She repeated the warning as they formed a semicircle in front of her with swords raised. Knowing she could be facing her own death, she stood her ground and said, “Fine. Let’s dance.”
ELI ADMITTED HE’Dbeen a total asshole as he scrambled down the tree. He’d been sitting right above Safara’s head and laughing while she’d tried to figure out where he was hiding. He had no idea what had warned her that she wasn’t alone on the ridge, but it had been pretty entertaining watching her head swivel from side to side as she tried to figure out if someone was spying on her.
