Chapter 30
Mariah's temples throbbed. She didn't want to look, but curiosity drove her to peek at... whatever it was.
A black creature rose in front of them, not quite walking, not quite floating. It had mass but appeared cloudlike. Snow in its path melted in evaporating clouds of acrid sulfur, burning her nose. Even in the overcast daylight, two red dots, like cigarette butts, glowed brightly from the upper part of the thing.
"My head is going to fucking explode. Shit." Vaughn gritted out the words through his clenched teeth. "I was about to mention that my family is being stalked by whatever the hell this thing is." He fought to keep his whinnying horse under him.
Her own mare wrenched its head back and rolled the one visible eye.
Mariah couldn't stop staring at the creature approaching them. It didn't so much approach as consume more light and space as it grew.
"The time is near." The hot rumble of the voice made the ground tremble right along with Mariah's insides. "The Great One is coming on the day of darkness. The legacy will come to me. Willingly. Soon." A slither of burnt sulfur sliced the air in front of her, and she breathed into the sleeve of her jacket to escape the stench.
With her heart rat-a-tatting a frantic snare rhythm, she clutched the pommel of the saddle. The horse tensed beneath her. Oh, no.
"Might need to take a rain check on the day of darkness and all." Vaughn moved his horse to bump hers toward the ranch house. Her skittish mare didn't do anything except paw at the snow-covered ground and lay its ears flat.
Black, thick smoke stretched out toward them as the creature rumbled, "The legacy will end with you and your family. And I will have my final revenge. You will become the foundation for the new beginning of my reign upon the Earth. And anyone who stands in my way will be destroyed. Anyone the legacy cares for will be destroyed."
What the heck was 'the legacy?' Why was this thing targeting Vaughn's family? Nothing made sense.
And, yes, she would gladly not stand in its way, if only her panicked horse would cooperate.
A sliver of smoke lashed out, fingerlike, and Mariah flinched away. The tendril seared the back of her horse, bringing with it a sharp sizzle and the stench of burnt flesh. The animal kicked and reared.
No matter how hard she gripped the pommel, she was helpless to stop the arc as sky and ground whirled and blended. She came off the back of the horse, hitting the ground in a heap. Pain lanced through her skull. From her sideways, ground-level, head-spinning location, she watched as Vaughn faced the thing from the back of his own horse, opening his arms like he wanted to give the creature a big, friendly bear hug.
"Get away from her." Vaughn's voice boomed across the field. A weird vacuum sensation pulled air and warmth toward him.
Then, in a pressurized snap, a sensation of threat flew out from him and flung her back several feet. She rolled over the ground, collecting mud and snow on her clothes. Vaughn's dark, lethal glance over his shoulder iced her blood.
He turned back to the creature. "Want more, you bastard?"
What kind of man challenged something like this creature? All Mariah wanted was to recover her y-axis enough to stand up and run the heck away from here.
But, sure enough, another rubbery blast of sheer terror exploded out from him, pushing her away again. What in the world? Was Vaughn truly creating an energy wave? How was that even possible?
The thing reared back and howled, becoming smaller in size. Or moving away. Hard to tell. She didn't care, as long as it left them alone.
"Soon," it howled, receding into the tree line. "Not now, but soon you will all be mine."
"Got it. Penciled in on my day planner," Vaughn growled. "Now go screw yourself."
Finally, the nasty creature faded into the forest.
Vaughn spun his horse around. The tight darkness of his expression relaxed, and his brows furrowed beneath his hat. "Mariah? Sweetheart?" he called. "Are you okay?"
She groaned and pressed her hands flat on the ground, working her way up to all fours and then getting shakily to her feet. The knees of her jeans were damp with the snow and mud ground into the fabric. She didn't care how bad she looked. She just wanted to leave this place. Maybe leave the ranch, too, and go far away. She hadn't signed on for this kind of danger when she considered a future with Vaughn.
Stark, white lines bracketed his eyes. "Grab my hand. Now." He reached out and leaned down, moving his foot from the stirrup so she could step up. He swung her up behind him. "Hold on tight."
Didn't have to tell her twice.
* * *
Vaughn kicked his horse into a full, terror-fueled run back to the ranch, the mare following. Mariah clung to him with a strong grip as his power sparked and flew out from him in waves. Her arms clenched around his midsection and her face that was pressed into his back reassured him. Calmed him.
Somewhat.
This little incident sure answered his earlier question. What woman wanted a relationship with a mentally unstable, alcoholic, transient, possible adulterer dragging around a suitcase full of guilt who, oh by the way, had a goddamned cloud demon, or whatever the hell that thing was, threatening him and anyone he hung around with?
As Vaughn galloped up to the main ranch, Garrison ran to open the gate. Farther away, Kerr and Eric bolted out of the house.
"Shelby said something had happened," Garrison called out.
"Fucking monster tried to kill Mariah."
"Son of a bitch."
Vaughn grimaced against the blistering headache. "Just help her down, would you?"
"You bet." As Vaughn unlatched her death grip from around his waist, Garrison tugged Mariah off the horse and eased her to the ground, keeping an arm around her.
Damn it all if Vaughn's power didn't resent his brother touching her. This power, this entire situation, was out of control on so many different levels.
Leaping off the horse, Vaughn then swung her up into his arms and rubbed his cheek against her forehead. "Mariah, it'll be all right."
No answer.
He strode into the house, ice pumping through his veins. The pounding in his chest matched the rhythm of her rattling teeth. She had to be okay.
He eased her into a kitchen chair. Her pupils had gone pinpoint, her eyes wide and lips pale.
"Does anything hurt? What about when you fell?" He chafed her cold hands.
In a jagged, cog-wheeling motion, she shook her head. "What was th-that thing?"
"We don't know, but it wants to destroy us. Shit. Once I know you're all right, I'm taking you home, okay?"
With Odie close behind, Ruth appeared and quickly checked Mariah over. "She's in shock, but her condition is improving. I don't believe anything's broken. Probably some bruises."
Vaughn's own body ached for any injury Mariah had sustained.
"What the hell are we supposed to do?" Garrison gritted out.
Shelby entered on crutches, wincing. She must be receiving a hell of an emotional blast from everyone around her.
Ruth pushed to her feet, studying each of the siblings. "Is this thing what you shot at the other day?"
"Yes, ma'am. We said it was a bear, but it was a... creature. It's also what attacked Shelby and Eric," Vaughn added.
Ruth and Odie exchanged a glance.
"Old news." Garrison smacked the table with his fist. Mariah jumped. "Sorry," he muttered.
Vaughn stood next to her, resting his hand on her upper back, needing the constant connection. He shook his head, trying to clear the static that had affected his hearing since he pushed that thing away. He had to concentrate to make out what everyone was saying. "It said it wanted all of us," he muttered. "Together."
After a resigned shrug from Odie, Ruth cleared her throat. "Maybe together, you all have the ability to destroy that thing. But together, you all are also vulnerable to attack."
"Holy catch-22, Batman. Got any information we can actually use, oh Magic 8 Ball?" Kerr barked what passed for a laugh. Then he stared at the nurse. "Wait a minute. Ruth, it sounds like you know more. Do tell."
She glanced behind her at Odie. "I know things."
Garrison opened his mouth like he wanted to take off the woman's head with his retort, but Shelby interjected, "It's true." Eric hovered while she hobbled over with her crutches and sat down in a chair. "Ruth somehow knew that I could adapt my power to help Eric."
As Vaughn scooted a chair over and sat, draping and arm around Mariah, his power, pulsing, staked out a ten-foot sphere. Ruth and Odie backed away several steps.
Kerr whipped his head up. "Dude, is that what you meant about your ability changing?" He put an arm up like a shield. "Because you need to stop that crap."
With effort, Vaughn tamped down the urge to push the entire world away from Mariah. "Sorry."
Ruth backed up another few steps, Odie holding her hand.
"Oh no, Ruth, you're not getting away without explaining what you know," Garrison said.
The woman pressed her lips together. Finally, she said, "What I shared with you is based on things I've seen before and conjecture from past research."
Garrison shook his head. "Research? Who the hell researches this kind of stuff? We need more information. Have you seen that thing before?"
"No," she said. "We've just heard about things like this... elsewhere."
A red-faced Garrison took a step toward her.
Odie held up his hand. "Stop, my friend. We don't know anything else, other than whatever's out there is scary."
The Taggarts couldn't strong-arm these two people to spill—they'd simply leave. Then Dad wouldn't have the help he needed.
"Okay, guys. Got it," Vaughn said, studying Mariah's face as her color improved. "Look, we won't take care of that... thing... tonight. In fact, it seems to want all of us together for some reason. It's best if we aren't in the same space. Too much of a temptation for that thing."
"We can't separate, though," Kerr said. "We have to protect the ranch."
Shelby rubbed the bridge of her nose. "How well is that plan working?"
Garrison dropped his fist on the tabletop. "Son of a bitch. He's right. We have to separate."
"Yeah. For now, let's make sure no more than three of us are here at the same time," Vaughn said. "I'm leaving with Mariah and staying with her tonight. You all do what you need to, and we'll caucus tomorrow."
"Got it," Garrison said, scowling over at Ruth.
"Mariah?" Vaughn murmured.
She looked him square in the face. "I'd like to go home," she whispered.
"That's the plan. You okay to walk?" He tugged her to stand, understanding now why Eric hovered next to Shelby. It killed Vaughn to see Mariah hurt and scared, and he'd do anything to prevent that from happening again.
Anything? Yes.
"I'm okay. I'm fine." She pasted a tiny and bland smile on her face as she headed toward the back door, her steps stiff and halting. "Just fine."
Fine? Not even close. He helped pull her coat closed.
If Vaughn had any doubt as to whether Mariah wanted to take on this extra-special bonus pile of crap that accompanied a future with him, no question remained now. She stumbled on the snow-covered gravel, and, prompted by a flare of his ability, he caught her under an elbow before she hit the ground.
She flinched.
In the late afternoon, the sun was setting behind gray clouds. He scanned the ranch property. Nothing out of place now.
But that could change.
If things got worse, Mariah would suffer.
Pausing before he opened the driver's side door of the truck, he centered himself, like he did before a fight. Only he wasn't going into an MMA bout.
What he was going to do tonight would be much harder.