It was dark, the air hot and oppressive as she ran through the woods, but Senora didn’t notice the heat. She was running for her life, and the heat was the least of her worries. Her heart pounded in her ears, her bare feet protesting with each step as the ground bit into her skin. She pushed forward against the pain, not daring to look over her shoulder and see if they had caught up to her.
Her breath came in audible gasps, and she could hear the four-wheelers gaining on her. She pushed herself even faster, but she felt like she was running through heavy mud and she couldn’t seem to go any faster no matter how hard she tried.
Tears streamed down her face as she accepted the inevitable. She wasn’t going to get away from them, though she wasn’t ready to quit trying. A sudden burst of speed had her going faster, breaking loose from the heaviness that held her back.
There was a tight curve in the trail ahead, one that would require the four-wheelers to slow down significantly. This was her chance to put a little more distance between them and give herself a chance to get away.
She went around the corner at full speed just as she heard someone yell out in the darkness behind her.
“She’s there, up ahead!” the voice yelled, and four-wheeler engines revved as the excited men gave their vehicles some gas and lurched forward.
Senora ducked into the bushes right after the turn, going as far back as she could and watching the trail through the space in between the leaves. She said a silent prayer that she hadn’t just jumped into poison ivy and tried to remember what it was supposed to look like. She didn’t know, and she didn’t care. She was running for her life and a little itchiness didn’t matter.
The four-wheelers whizzed by her as she had expected, heading down the trail she’d abandoned, their eyes locked forward and looking for her in the darkness.
When the last one sped past, she breathed a sigh of relief but remained in the bushes. From this vantage point she could see both sides of the bend, and she wanted to make sure that there weren’t any stragglers hanging back from the group. The last thing she needed was to step out of her hiding place and discover that someone was behind the group and waiting to see if she did just that.
She moved back in her hiding place, feeling behind her with her hands and trying to find the center of the bush so she could lean against it. She was trembling, the adrenaline rushing through her body as she struggled to slow her heartrate and her breathing. She didn’t know how much time she had to rest before she would be on the run again, and she needed a few minutes to catch her breath and just think.
Her hand touched something soft and cold and she instantly recoiled from it. Wrinkling her nose at the sudden smell and hoping whatever animal she’d just encountered in the bush was completely dead, she turned slightly and peered into the darkness, trying to see what she’d stuck her hand into.
She screamed when she came face to face with Addie, her lifeless body propped up against the stalk of the large bush like a doll. Her head was tilted to the side, blank eyes wide and staring directly at Senora.
Senora propelled herself backward, putting as much distance as she could between them without coming out of the bush and revealing herself. Hoping her initial scream had been muffled by the sound of the four-wheelers, she fought for silence.
The body in the darkness moved, and Addie’s mouth dropped open.
“Help me,” she croaked in a disembodied whisper that almost sounded like air escaping into the night and nothing more.
When Addie said the words again, Senora knew she wasn’t hearing things, and her throat clenched.
This is impossible, she thought. Addie was in the Medical Examiner’s office, and there hadn’t been this much left of her.
I’m dreaming, I’m dreaming, please be dreaming, came her fevered thoughts as she struggled to absorb all that was happening.
Addie’s head tilted, falling at an unnatural angle so that her eyes stared at Senora in the darkness upside down. Her mouth opened again.
“You failed me,” Addie said.
Her mouth stretched wide, and darkness exploded from within her. Senora backed away again, this time pushing back so fast that she tumbled out of the bush and onto the sandy trail, the cloud of bats bursting through the leaves and demolishing the bush in one quick blow.
Addie’s body was still propped up on the leafless skeleton of the large bush, mouth agape, countless bats flying out of her mouth as if it was a cave springing forth from the depths of hell.
Senora got onto her feet and ran with her arms over her head, blinded by the bats that circled around her. She screamed, no longer caring if the Sheriff’s men found her or not. There were worse things than them, and Senora couldn’t run fast enough to get away from Addie and the bats that were still swarming around her.
She looked over her shoulder and instantly regretted it. Addie was behind her, lumbering forward in stiff movements, calling Senora’s name and reaching out to her in desperation. Senora shook her head, denying the accusations that Addie hurled at her. She’d done everything she could.
“You were gone before I got here,” she said, trying to explain to Addie that there was nothing she could have done, but her explanation fell on deaf ears.
Still looking over her shoulder, she ran at break neck speed and slammed right into something solid. Strong arms went around her and locked her in, holding her where she stood as the bats came closer, their red eyes and gnashing teeth visible in the dark.
“Let me go!” she screamed. She didn’t have to look; she knew one of the Sheriff’s men had her in his clutches. “Let me go,” she repeated.
She fought and kicked, trying to twist out of his grip to no avail.
“Stop it,” he said through clenched teeth. “Stop fighting me. You’re alright.”
“They’re going to eat me,” she shot back.
“There’s nothing there.”
“Bats. They’re everywhere.”
“Senora,” he said, shaking her roughly. “Senora, listen to me.”
She struggled against him, but he held fast, still shaking her.
All at once, the sky ripped open, tearing a hole in the spot just above her head. The trail remained dark, but the sky above blazed as if it was on fire.
She threw up her hands, covering her face against the blinded light, but she could still see the trail and the trees even through her fingers. She watched in awe as the trail imploded inward and she was left in the blinded light, still held tightly by his arms, the hard, rocky trail beneath her knees melting into a soft mattress and warm sheets.
She blinked, looking around in confusion and shaking violently. Her eyes landed on a familiar, naked chest and traveled up until they met dark brown eyes watching her with concern.
“Ty,” she whispered, then burst into tears. “Oh, Ty, I failed her. I let her down, and now, she’s dead,” she said between gulping breaths.
Ty pulled her closer, and this time, she didn’t fight it even though he was completely naked. She leaned into him, inhaling the now familiar scent of him and letting him rub her back and console her.
They sat that way for what seemed like an eternity before Senora was finally able to catch her breath and regain her composure. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the closeness for a brief moment before she pulled away and slid to the end of the bed.
Ty stayed where he was, body relaxed and waiting for her to say something.
“It was just a dream,” she managed, then looked at him, her head tilted. “Why didn’t you tell me that so I could wake up?”
“Because it wasn’t just a dream,” he said. “Dreams like that are never just dreams. There’s something in the dream that you need to know. Think back. Was there anything that seemed completely out of place that you could reconsider?”
“You mean like the talking dead girl with a mouth full of bats?” she asked sarcastically. “No. There was nothing crazy like that in my dream.”
Ty chuckled.
“I’m glad to see that you found your sense of humor again. Let’s talk about what you saw, and maybe we can figure out what the dream meant.”
She shook her head.
“The dream means that I feel like I failed Addie. There’s nothing more to it than that.”
“Humor me,” he pressed with a sweet smile.
“No,” she retorted.
He laughed softly.
“Fine. What do you think the bats mean?”
She shrugged.
“That the Sheriff is secretly a vampire. Aren’t vampires and wolves mortal enemies?”
Ty rolled his eyes.
“Where do humans come up with this stuff?” he said, growling and grabbing her. He hugged her close, laughing. “There’s no mythical monster involved in this. The Sheriff and his men are evil, but they’re only human.”
She sighed, making no move to pull out of his grasp but knowing that she couldn’t let the embrace go on for too long. Her body was starting to respond to his nakedness and the feel of him against her skin where her night shirt had ridden up, and she didn’t know how much self-control she had left.
“I need to go for a walk,” she said finally.
“That’s good because the sun is rising and it’s almost time to wake up anyway.”
Startled, she looked to the window behind him, shocked to see that the gray light had given way to a bright orange sky.
“What about my clothes?” she asked.
“They’re in the top drawer of the dresser over there, along with some other clothes I gathered from villagers. Between all the women, I think you have enough clothes to live comfortably until we get this situation managed.”
“Thank you,” she said, going to the dresser and pulling out a pair of running shorts and a t-shirt and digging around until she found her bra and panties. “I think I will take that walk now and try to get my head on straight. Then, we can tackle those files and see what was worth dying over.”
Ty shook his head.
“It’s safe in the boundary of the village, but you can’t just go off into the woods alone. Even though this place feels isolated, we’re only a few miles from the Sheriff’s territory. I don’t want you to stumble into the wrong area and pay for it with your life.”
“I appreciate your concern, but I’ll stay close. I just need some time to think and be alone so I can process the-”
“The answer is no.”
“Excuse me?” she said, her ire rising. “I don’t recall asking permission.”
“Look, I’m stuck protecting you, whether you like it or not. Whether I like it or not. I’m not going to let you out of my sight and risk you getting hurt. It’s not worth it.”
“Good thing I didn’t ask for your protection, so you don’t have to burden yourself.”
She was tense and irritated. Ty had taken what had been a calm moment spent together and made it into a power struggle. She wasn’t interested in being handled, and she didn’t appreciate his attitude.
“I’m supposed to watch over you,” he repeated.
“Since the Sheriff is the one who brought you in to work with me, I’m pretty sure you’re off the hook.”
Her tone was snide, her face turning pink. She knew that she was irritated because her feelings were hurt, but she wasn’t about to tell Ty that. She hadn’t realized that his protective behavior had been ordered. She had thought that he just wanted to watch over her, and that he enjoyed collaborating with her on the case. She didn’t know why, but the fact that he’d been ordered to protect her was upsetting, and she felt a sting of rejection that she knew wasn’t rational.
They weren’t lovers; they were two law enforcement officers working together to solve a case. When this was all said and done, she would go back to her life, and he would go back to his. She might think of him from time to time, but now that he’d admitted that he was being forced to protect her, she had her doubts that he would think of her the day she left. And weeks and months later? Forget about it.
“I don’t need a bodyguard. If you could give me a little space, I would appreciate it.”
“I’ll stay a few yards back, but that’s as far as I’m willing to take it. It’s not worth the risk.”
“I forgot; because I have knowledge that you guys need. It’s not about my life being innately valuable or anything. If I’m so important, why don’t you share the big picture with me? Or am I just here to deal with the Sheriff so you can run the town how you see fit?”
“You know that’s not what’s going on here,” Ty said, and for the first time since they first met, Senora could tell that he was angry.
But she didn’t care. He wasn’t the only one under duress here, and at least his was on his home turf and surrounded by people he knew. Senora didn’t have that luxury, and he had no idea how it was to be completely isolated from every resource and having to rely on a man she wasn’t sure she could trust herself around.
“You can take your indignation and shove it,” she said, and just like that, she turned and walked out the door.
She heard him come after her, but she ignored it, breaking into an easy jog and sighing as her body fell into its natural rhythm and she made her way around the edge of the village. She kept the houses in sight, hoping that Ty would see that she was being careful and mindful of the boundaries and therefore staying safe, but he continued to follow her a short distance behind. He was jogging, too, and Senora wondered if his muscles were as sore as hers were from the day before. She doubted it, which made her even madder, and she pressed her pace faster and faster.
Ty didn’t adjust his speed to match hers. As she pulled away from him, she smiled, feeling a bit of vindication. Maybe he just hated running or he was actually stiff from their crazy adventure the day before. Whatever the reason, she was outrunning him and getting a taste of the alone time, she’d been craving ever since she’d woken up in the middle of the night to find Ty’s body wrapped around hers.
Without any thought to the pillow she’d placed between her side and his to encourage him to stay on his side, he’d been drawn to her warmth in his sleep, and she’d cuddled into him without realizing it. When she’d woken up and carefully removed herself from his embrace, she had rolled over and gone back to sleep, which was when the dream had manifested. She should have taken a run then. If she had, maybe they wouldn’t be engaged in this power struggle and Senora wouldn’t be irritated beyond what was rational with him just for wanting to protect her from the Sheriff and his men.
She smiled. Her endorphins were kicking in, and she was starting to feel less grumpy. With the flood of feel-good hormones came clarity, and once that happened, she would be ready to dig into that file. She just had to shake off the past twenty-four hours so she could concentrate. She didn’t want to miss anything, and an early glance at the records showed that Robin wrote her notes in some sort of shorthand that would take some doing to decipher. Senora needed all her brain cells at the ready, and she was finally feeling up to the task.
About to turn over her shoulder to check on Ty’s progress, her attention went to the sound in the woods to her left. At first, it sounded like a small animal like a rabbit or a fox bounding through the underbrush to get away from a predator. Her money was on a feral cat or a bobcat since larger predators weren’t that common where they were.
But when the crashing grew louder and she realized it was headed straight for her, her mind went to mountain lions and the news story she’d heard on the radio about a mountain lion who had attacked a horse not far from where they were.
Crap, she thought, preparing herself for a fight and now frantically searching for Ty.
Her eyes landed on him, and relief flooded through her just as a blur of colors burst forth from the trees and ran into Senora. She went down hard, scrambling to get the beast off her for an instant before she realized it wasn’t a beast at all. She froze, looking into a pair of the most frightened blue eyes she’d ever seen.
“Help me,” the girl said, then collapsed in a heap and rolled off Senora and onto the grassy meadow floor.