Chapter 15
Jack
Mortis' command echoed across the bridge, seeming to vibrate through my bones. "COME TO ME!"
I felt Kai stiffen against my back, her arms letting go of my waist. My heart sank, thinking she was still bound to him. That he had power over her and she was compelled to obey. She moved, and I put both of my hands on her legs. If she was being pulled to him, then she wasn't going without me.
Swiveling at the waist, I looked into her face. "No, Kai, don't go. Fight it."
She leaned forward and kissed me. "I have no intention of fighting him." She stepped off the bike.
"Kai," I held her arm. She put her hand on mine.
"I. AM. FREE." Kai's voice rang out. "You or some version of you died. The binding is broken. Know this, Mortis—even when I was bound to you, I was not yours."
Her words hung in the air for a moment, and I thought for a moment I might have a heart attack the way my heart rebounded in my chest.
Mortis laughed, and I pulled Kai back on the bike, keeping a hand on her just in case something changed.
He wasn't laughing his theatrical spine-chilling laugh from the circus.
This was darker, deeper—the sound of something ancient and malevolent that had seen civilizations rise and fall.
The laugh echoed off the stone bridge and the surrounding cliffs, multiplying until it felt like the entire mountain was mocking us.
"Oh, my precious pet," Mortis said, his voice dripping with false affection. "Death? Death is merely a transition. I will not say it again. Come, Kai." He held out his hand.
Kai leaned to the side of me. "YOU. HAVE. NO. HOLD. OVER. ME!" She slid back and wrapped her arms around my waist. In a quieter voice, "Whatever comes, Jack, it's you and me."
"You and me, little bird. You and me." I squeezed her legs.
Behind us, I heard movement and glanced in my mirror. My stomach dropped.
The clowns were advancing in a slow, synchronized line. Their filed-tooth grins gleamed in the headlight's reflection. Behind them, I could make out the possessed animals—deer, raccoons, even a black bear with glowing red eyes. They moved in that same jerky, unnatural way.
"Jack," Kai breathed against my ear. "They're going to herd us across the bridge."
She was right. The clowns and animals were creating a wall, slowly pushing forward. We had two choices: go backward into them, or go forward onto the bridge.
Toward Mortis.
"Fuck," I muttered, revving the engine. "Hold on."
I had no choice. I eased the Harley forward onto the bridge.
The moment our wheels touched the old stone, the temperature plummeted. My breath came out in visible puffs. I felt Kai maneuver my t-shirt so she had her hand against my stomach, no doubt to fight off the cold feeling.
The ghostly spirits' fog that had been hovering above and alongside the bridge began to descend, filling in around us.
Thick, eyes glowing, they moaned, pressing in close, their translucent faces thrust into ours.
Some were screaming silently, their mouths open in eternal agony.
Others just stared with hollow, accusing eyes.
A few reached out with smoky hands that passed through us, leaving trails of ice wherever they touched.
I could hardly see through the supernatural fog. The headlight seemed to be absorbed by the spirits rather than illuminating anything useful. I slowed to a crawl, terrified of hitting the railing, catapulting us off the edge into the gorge below.
A woman's ghost pushed her face directly into mine, her features twisted in grief. She looked like she'd been beautiful once. Her mouth moved, forming words I couldn't hear but could somehow feel: Help me. Please help me. It hurts.
Another took her place as we crawled on. A man this time, his facial features distorted. Save me. Save me.
"Keep moving," Kai said, her voice tight. "Don't look at them directly. Don't listen to them."
Behind us, the low hum of the clowns' motorcycles as they followed us onto the bridge. We were committed now. Forward was the only option.
Mortis had begun chanting. The words were in a language I didn't recognize—old, guttural sounds that seemed to come from the depths of hell.
The rhythm was hypnotic, pulling at something primal in my brain.
My gorilla stirred uneasily, wanting to shift, wanting to fight or flee.
I held on to the bike but felt it wobble.
"No, JACK, listen to my voice," Kai whispered, and I snapped back, focusing on her. For the first time, I heard real fear in her voice. "No, no, no."
"What? What is it?"
"Just stick with me," she said, her voice shaking.
My blood turned to ice. "What?"
She leaned forward, and I felt her looking over my shoulder. "We're more than halfway across. A little more and we'll be within his reach."
The chant was getting louder, faster, growing. I could feel it in my chest and head—something oily and wrong trying to wrap around my consciousness. My hands started to shake on the handlebars.
An older woman's face flew into mine. Her sunken, saddened eyes stared into mine. Please don't let him hurt me anymore.
"Jack." Kai's lips were right against my ear, her voice urgent but controlled. "Hold on to the bike. Don't let go."
"What? Why?"
"Trust me. Do it now."
I didn't hesitate. Whatever Kai had planned, it was better than what we were currently facing. I eased off the throttle, bringing the bike to barely above idle speed. My hands gripped the handlebars so tight my knuckles went white.
"What are you—"
I felt Kai's arms release from around my waist. The sudden absence of her warmth, her presence, sent panic shooting through me.
"Kai!"
"Hold on!" she commanded.
I did as I was told, trusting my mate. I felt her weight shift as she stood up on the seat behind me. The Harley wobbled dangerously, and I had to fight to keep it upright. Through the ghostly fog, I caught a glimpse of her in the bike's mirrors—behind me, she stood on the seat, arms outstretched.
Then she shifted.
The transformation was instantaneous. Her massive phoenix stood balanced on the motorcycle seat. Heat radiated off of her. I glanced back and saw enormous sharp talons gripping the leather seat.
The ghostly spirits scattered away from her light, their moaning turning to shrieks. Her phoenix fire blazed golden and brilliant, pushing back the supernatural darkness.
Then she launched.
Her massive wings beat once, twice, and suddenly we were airborne. The bike and I were lifted straight up off the bridge, Kai's talons holding the motorcycle—and me on it—like an eagle carrying a fish.
Kai moved fast. My stomach dropped as we cleared the bridge's stone railing, and she banked hard to the right, diving down and away from the bridge.
The wind screamed past my face as she plummeted.
Clear of the fog, I could see the trees coming up fast. My hands were locked on the handlebars in a death grip, my legs pressing tight against the bike's body, my entire body rigid.
We were flying on a motorcycle being carried by a phoenix.
At that moment, a phrase I'd read popped into my head: Phoenixes can lift and carry tremendous amounts of weight.
"But a grown man and his motorcycle?" I said, tightening my hold on the bike and my sanity.
This was insane.
This was impossible.
And this was fucking amazing.
Kai caught a current of wind and leveled us out, her wings spread wide as she effortlessly glided. We soared away from the bridge, away from Mortis and his ghostly army. The October night rushed past, cold and clean, free of supernatural taint.
Behind us, I heard Mortis' voice one last time, booming across the distance with unnatural volume:
"THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING!"
But Kai paid no attention. She carried us farther and farther away, flying with ease but also with purpose. At times she rapidly flapped those gigantic wings. We flew for what felt like hours, covering miles of territory, but it was probably only twenty minutes.
Finally, when my enhanced hearing couldn't detect any pursuit, Kai began to descend.
She found a clearing deep in the forest, far from any road.
She set the bike down gently—more gently than I would have thought possible—before releasing her grip.
The moment the wheels touched ground, she landed beside the bike and shifted back to human form.
I killed the engine and practically fell off the Harley, my legs shaking from the adrenaline. I caught myself on the handlebars, taking a moment to remember how to breathe.
"Take a second." She leaned me back against the seat. "First-time flyers need a moment to acclimate to the moving feeling." She smiled. "Was that your first time?"
"Being held by a phoenix, plummeting off a bridge, soaring over trees while holding a motorcycle—aww, hell no, that's a regular Tuesday thing for me." I tried to stand again and felt as if I might be sick.
"That was—you were—fuck," I couldn't find words. "You're incredible. That was the most incredible thing I've ever seen. I've never flown."
"Aww, I took your flight virginity," she teased.
Nausea or not, I pulled her to me, wrapping my arms around her. I realized she was shaking too. The adrenaline crash hitting both of us.
"What happened?" I said, pulling open my leather jacket to include both of us.
"I couldn't let him bind us," she said against my chest. "He was chanting the same binding spell he used on me. I recognized it."
I pulled back just enough to look at her face, cupping her cheeks in my hands. "You saved us."
She nodded, leaning into my touch. We stood there for a long moment, just holding each other, breathing, letting the reality of what we'd survived sink in.
Finally, Kai pulled back slightly. "We need to keep moving. Mortis won't give up."
"I know." I looked around the clearing. We were deep in the wilderness, miles from any town. "Where should we go?"
Kai met my eyes, and I saw something vulnerable in her expression. "You're the only person I have in this world, Jack. So... anywhere you want."
"You're the only person I have, too."
"Actually," Kai said, a thoughtful look crossing her face, "I know someone who might be able to help us. At least, I used to know them. A long time ago, before Mortis." She glanced at the eastern horizon. "Head west. I'm starving. I'll tell you everything over breakfast."
I nodded, climbing back onto the bike. "West it is."
"Hey, Jack," Kai settled in behind me, her arms wrapping around my waist. "Happy Halloween."
"I think I've had enough tricks, hauntings, creepy-ass shit to last me a lifetime. Next Halloween, just give me candy."
She laughed. "Candy and a slutty French maid outfit?"
"Now you're talking."
I started the engine and guided the Harley out of the clearing, following an old logging road that led deeper into the wilderness. As we rode, the supernatural darkness began to lift. The stars became visible again. The October night returned to normal.
But I knew this wasn't over. Mortis had made that clear.
This is just the beginning.
Fine. Let him come. He'd find out exactly what happened when you threatened a silverback gorilla's mate.
We rode west as dawn broke over the mountains, leaving the bridge—and Mortis' threats—behind us.
For now.
The End.