Chapter Twenty-three

“Finally, you’re awake.”

“Aren’t I lucky.”

“Indeed, you are.”

“Well, now that we agree I’ll be going.”

“They said you were funny.”

Tempest pulled on the wrist that was shackled to a wall.

“Too bad, they didn’t say that about you. My wrist seems to be restrained, you can let me go now.” She looked around to see where she was. The wall she was chained to was old and crumbling but not enough for her to pull the shackles out.

“You’re just going to hurt yourself if you keep that up.”

“Isn’t that why I’m here so you can hurt me?”

“No silly, I would never hurt a hair on your head. I’m more of the voyeuristic kind.”

“I won’t be having kinky sex to turn you on.”

“I got over that centuries ago I prefer blood.”

She ignored the form and looked at the hand that was moving freely.

“I didn’t want to take the chance that you would cry interference because of your hand. Now it’s as good as new.”

Whatever she was dealing with was crazy and she needed to run.

“Lucca, can you hear me? You better come save my ass, and I’m not playing. Lucca?”

“Calling out to your mate? That’s rude when you and I are talking. Not that it matters, he can’t hear you, and when he finally sees you, he’ll have no idea who you are.”

“I’m starting not to like you.”

“Is this better?”

“You’re a shapeshifter?”

“That’s what the uninformed call us. I’m pure energy, so I am all shapes, I simply need to think of the one I want you to see, and this happens. You can call me Deanna. I know your simple mind works better when it has a name to hold onto.”

Deanna was tall her eyes were the same violet as Tempest’s. Her skin was translucent as if she were trying out for a new skin commercial, and her hair was jet black flowing around her as if she were a siren here to lead men to their deaths.

“Nice trick.”

Tempest looked around again noting that the wall seemed to be in the middle of a jungle. It was hot and humid with strange trees and flowers surrounding her.

“You know what would be nice? A cold glass of lemonade. You wouldn’t happen to have any?”

“I want you to meet some of my friends.” A large snake slithered out. “In case, you think this is a snake allow me to enlighten you. She comes from a planet where the humanoids are food. Dillia loves the taste of hot blood, and you’re just cooking away in the sun.”

She hated snakes. Instead of stepping back in fear she gave her best come get me smile.

The snake opened wide before she hissed at her.

“Patience, hopefully, there’s enough of her to go around. She’s such a little thing. I still have trouble understanding what Lucca sees in her.”

“Mine.” She spat out.

“Well, well aren’t you a jealous little girl? I may have to try him out after you’re dead.” She walked up to her and ran her finger over her forehead before she placed it in her mouth to taste. “Oh my, the taste of your possessiveness is divine. I wish I had time to stay here and enjoy this.”

The ground shook making her think earthquake.

“You’ll get used to that it’s just Bell. His people are a little different, so they like names that most people may not think are gender appropriate, but I’ve yet to see someone argue with him about his name.”

“He’s a cyclops?”

Bell stood at least fifteen feet with only one eye. This can’t be real. She closed her eyes slowed her breathing and reached for her calm. When she opened them again both the cyclops and the snake were still there.

“Tempest long before the land became home to mankind, there were other creatures that walked this Earth. Your scientist said they all died. What do your scientist know? You made a deal with a creature so vile that your life and the life of your Earth are forfeited. This is where the Earth meets its doom.

“The creature is looking for you. You should pray that Dillia or Bell kills you before it finds you. Good hunting.”

The shackles fell from her wrist. She ran never looking over her shoulder. She could hear the slither of the snake chasing her as well as the quaking of the ground with every move that bell made.

Ahead of her was a cave. She was tempted to duck inside, but an alarm went through her veins at the thought of being enclosed. She ran veering enough to place a large space between her and the snake. There was a nip at her heel as the snake stretched her body full out trying to take a bite out of her foot.

There was the painful drip of blood coming from her. She ran harder as she commanded the wind. She turned and shot it towards the snake stopping her in her tracks and then pushing her back. She brought her hands together interlocking them and weaving them around the snake. Her body started to coil up tying itself together in several knots.

Dillia hissed her frustration, but Tempest was already running.

Where was the way out? She felt like she ran in a huge circle but couldn’t find the trail out of there. The shaking of the ground told her she was running out of time. Bell was looking for her, and when he found her, it wouldn’t be nice. She turned to run when she saw him looking at her.

There was a smile on his face. She had never seen anything as disturbing as a cyclops smiling with his one eye trained on her.

“Bell let’s talk about this.” She took large steps backing up. No matter how fast she ran, she wasn't going to escape him with his long leg span.

“Stop right there I don’t want to hurt you.”

He laughed, the sound shredding the skin on her back as it reminded her of nails on a chalkboard.

“You asked for this.” She lifted her hand to show him the mini tornado turning on her palm. He laughed louder making her hunch over as pain went through her body. She blew on her hand, and it floated silently until it was in front of him.

He began to bat at the mini tornado until it was circling several of his fingers. The more he tried to get it away from it, the bigger it got until it covered his body.

“Step one.”

Soon he was being turned around in it. The ground under him began to give as it spiraled downward. The hole under him got deeper until he was so far down that she couldn’t even see the top of his head.

“Step two.” Tempest walked to a tree and slid down the trunk. She needed a few minutes to get her strength back before she started to run again. Her eyes closed until the sound of voices made them fly open.

What was happening? She looked around and didn’t see anything, but she knew she wasn’t alone. She turned to run when the first arrow hit her in the leg making her limp. Her hands went to pull it out when the second arrow hit her. She was laid out on the ground arrows with cords littered her body. The beings she couldn’t see became visible as they began to pull her. They were small maybe three feet high. She must be dreaming was all she had time to think before she passed out.

*~*~*~*

Where was he? He climbed to his hands and knees. The tremors in his body wouldn’t allow him to make another move. He fell to his stomach losing any resemblance of the last meal he ate. His body started shaking so hard he was barely able to curl into a ball to try to protect his head from being beat against the ground.

“Dante, Mick, Julian? Anybody, I need some help.”

There was no answer, dead silence. Loneliness settled over him.

“Menace?”

She couldn’t answer that was the reason he was searching for her. The trembling eased up for a minute as he remembered his reason for being out here in the first place. Tempest, his Tempest was missing.

He didn’t know who had her. Was it The Darkness or the enemy who has been following her for centuries?

He brought his limbs closer to his body to try to control the trembling. His eyes opened as he tried to look around him. If he had a focus a spot that he could keep in sight that would help him to stand. The landscape was barren. There were no trees, flowers, or even dirt. How could there be dirt?

Everywhere he looked was flat and unchanged for a minute he thought of the old theory about the Earth being flat. Anyone lying here would believe the thought for the rest of their lives. He had crossed the Earth more times than he felt like counting, the one thing he knew was the Earth wasn't flat. This could be explained if he was in flat land country, but there was no explanation for the lack of dirt.

His stomach rolled as he pushed himself up on trembling arms. He was weak. What made a male like him weak? It could have been a drug, but that would have to wear off. Genetic manipulation? He was already one big genetic experiment.

A scream tore from his body as he collapsed onto the ground again. At least this time he knew what was going on. The beasts within him were fighting for dominance. Each one wanted out, but only one could claim his body. The male was fighting too; he wanted to keep the body to ensure that they would survive what was coming for them.

Survival no longer seemed like the viable choice. One of the beasts inside of him told him to prepare for death. They would never be allowed to live. He didn’t respond, but he secretly agreed. Whatever or whoever had him was never letting him go, which meant no more smiles or kisses from his menace.

He knew he wasn’t meant for a mate that she would always be the death of him. Another scream emerged as he realized that his own body would kill him. There was no way he could survive the fight. One of the beasts inside of him whispered into his ear.

“If we’re going to die, then I deserve a chance to roam free.”

“I agree everyone deserves an opportunity to have a body.”

His consciousness fled as did his body, in its place laid a being that could easily be twenty feet high when it chose to stand. He had two forms one was humanoid the other was serpentine. It didn’t bode well for the world, but there was no world around.

He stood stretching body enjoying the feel of every muscle that flexed. He ran loving the feel of his body before he changed shape hitting the ground. His serpentine body rolled over and scratched itself against the hardness of the ground. Finally, he had a world that belonged to him, no humans to kill. He would miss that part but this way he wouldn’t be hunted down.

The frail male and the body he used were gone. He was never allowing him to come back. He would stay here forever.

“Lucca!”

A female voice called out his old name, but he ignored it. He was never leaving. He slithered against the ground becoming one with his environment.

“Lucca!”

There was such pain in her voice that it reached deep inside him. The serpentine shape receded, and the extreme humanoid form took over. He stood and shook his head trying to clear it.

“Lucca!”

He changed again his true serpentine form coming out. His dragon took over; his scales were blonde with blue iridescent highlights. His wings beat against the air. He would find the voice and kill it. There would never be a Lucca again.