Chapter 9 #2
Poppy reached down to give Dani a hand as she squeezed through the narrow opening, supporting her as they emerged onto the sun-baked ledge high on the canyon wall. Dani limped badly as she found her footing.
“Here, give me that.” Poppy grabbed the backpack Dani was carrying to help.
"That's their tech," Dani said.
"What tech?" Poppy asked, steadying Dani as she stumbled.
"Rowan called Pete from the crystal shop to cause a distraction.
Marvin, one of his alien enthusiast friends, managed to grab some items from the suite before Milano took over.
Devices, something Lunar called an energy stone.
.. I don't know what they do, but I figured they shouldn't fall into Milano's hands. "
"Good thinking. Even seemingly innocuous alien tech could be dangerous if reverse-engineered.
" Poppy glanced to where Lunar had disappeared.
She wanted to go in after him. Instead, she carried the bag.
Dani was in no shape to be left alone in the desert.
"There's a jeep hidden about a quarter mile from here.
We need to get moving. Milano's got helicopters searching the area. "
To prove her point, the threat of a helicopter echoed over them.
Seriously, fuck these Milano thugs. Why couldn’t they just let the aliens be?
Poppy guided Dani along the narrow ledge, her hand steady despite her racing heart.
Five years of rescuing injured animals from these canyons had taught her how to move efficiently while supporting deadweight.
Dani was far from deadweight, though. The fire dancer had a stubborn determination that reminded Poppy of the desert predators she rehabilitated. Wounded but refusing to yield.
Tourists were ever changing, but the local residents tended to stick together. Poppy knew Dani, but not to the point where they hung out or made plans together. Still, she felt a kinship with the woman. They were both in the same boat. They were in love with extraterrestrials.
Love. It was hard for her to admit that.
Still, that’s what she felt. Love.
The path widened ahead, a small mercy that allowed them to pick up pace. Poppy's ears caught the distinctive rhythm of helicopter blades before her eyes spotted the black shape cresting the ridge.
"Down," she ordered, yanking Dani behind a rust-colored boulder that had stood sentinel since before humans wrecked the Earth.
The stone radiated stored heat against her back as they pressed themselves flat. Poppy felt the shadow of the helicopter slide across them like an icy finger, leaving her skin prickling with awareness. Milano's hunters. So close. So determined. Such assholes.
Her thoughts turned to Lunar, still in those caves.
Would his shadow abilities protect him from Milano's specialized equipment?
The moments they'd shared had created something much more profound than a physical connection.
The resonance hummed between them even now, across distance and stone. If Milano captured him...
She couldn’t bear the thought.
The helicopter passed, its sound fading as it continued its search pattern. Poppy exhaled, then guided Dani forward through a labyrinth of rock formations she knew by heart. Each turn brought them closer to safety and further from Lunar. The contradiction twisted in her chest.
The jeep had been hidden in a dry wash, beneath a natural overhang where old flash floods had carved out a hollow in the sandstone. Mack had positioned it perfectly, as always. The old geologist understood the desert's secrets better than anyone except perhaps Poppy herself.
"Nice ride," Dani commented, eyeing the battered vehicle.
"It knows these canyons better than any Milano SUV," Poppy replied, unable to suppress a flash of pride.
The Wrangler had saved more animals—and now, apparently, aliens—than any fancy corporate vehicle ever could.
She helped Dani into the passenger seat, then examined her ankle.
The swelling suggested a serious sprain, possibly torn ligaments. "This needs ice."
She reached for the first aid kit Mack always kept under the seat, only to find it missing. "Dammit. I forgot to restock."
After their last rescue of a juvenile bobcat with a paw caught in an illegal trap, she'd used all the supplies and meant to replace them. One more thing gone wrong today.
"It'll be okay," Dani said, rubbing her calf as if to soothe the pain in her ankle. "What's the plan?"
Poppy's mind raced through options, mapping routes and safe houses like the cave systems she'd spent years documenting.
"I know a place about twenty miles into the backcountry.
Off-grid cabin, no electricity, no cell service.
Milano won't find us there." She glanced instinctively toward the cave entrance they'd emerged from, feeling that strange pull toward Lunar again. "I told Lunar we’d go there once he finds the others.”
"If he finds them," Dani voiced what Poppy couldn't bring herself to say.
Poppy reached out, giving Dani's shoulder a gentle squeeze.
The woman's skin radiated unusual heat. A vestige of her connection to Solar, perhaps?
"He'll find them. Lunar may seem cold, but he's incredibly determined.
" She thought of his shadow essence, how it flowed with such purpose and never wasted motion.
"And Solar strikes me as the type who'd burn through a mountain to get back to someone he cares about. "
They both stared toward the cave as if in a silent debate about what to do. Poppy didn't want to think about what would happen if the others didn’t make it out of the caves. She couldn't face that possibility.
Poppy listened to the sky, anticipating when she should drive.
“We need supplies,” Dani said. “Food, water, first aid. If they're injured when they get out..."
Poppy's mind clicked into rescue mode. "Can you ride?"
"Ride?" Dani raised an eyebrow.
"Crotch-rocket."
"Yeah, but…" Dani glanced around, her confusion evident.
"Good. I'm taking you to the animal clinic. I'll drop you off and come back here to get the others." The plan took shape as she spoke. "You wrap that ankle, stock up on first aid and supplies, then meet back up with us. The staff motorcycle is around the back of the building. Take it."
The helicopter's thrum returned, growing louder. Poppy ducked down, pulling Dani with her until they were practically lying across the seats. The black shape passed overhead, its searchlight sweeping the terrain dangerously close to their position.
When it passed, Poppy's fingers found the ignition. The jeep rumbled to life, the sound comforting in its familiar imperfection. "Hold tight," she warned. "This isn't going to be a smooth ride."
She navigated by instinct more than sight, following invisible trails only recognizable to those who read the desert's subtle language.
The jeep bounced and jolted, each impact sending shock waves through the frame.
Poppy winced sympathetically at Dani's poorly concealed pain, but maintained their pace. Speed was safety now.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed Dani constantly looking back toward the cave system, searching the horizon. The dancer's connection to Solar was as palpable as Poppy's to Lunar. Two humans inexplicably bound to alien beings they'd known for mere days.
"We'll find them," Poppy said softly, recognizing the fear in Dani's eyes.
The words were as much for herself as for Dani. Lunar would return. He had to. That cool electricity they'd shared, that perfect resonance between his shadow and her light. It couldn't end now, not when she'd finally found someone who understood the darkness she'd always carried within.
Dani nodded silently, turning her attention forward. The sun continued its descent, painting the landscape in deepening reds and purples. The lengthening shadows seemed alive with possibility, dark fingers reaching across the desert floor.
They drove in tense silence, each lost in her own thoughts. The animal clinic appeared ahead, its simple structure a promise of supplies and temporary safety for Dani.
Poppy pulled around back, already estimating how quickly she could return to the cave exit. Every minute away from Lunar felt like stretching a vital connection thinner, risking it might snap altogether. Poppy gave Dani directions on where to meet them.
“If anyone could find Solar and Eclipse in the darkness of those caves, it would be Lunar,” Poppy assured her.
She barely gave Dani time to get out before speeding away.
The jeep's dust cloud hung in the air. Her heart ached at leaving the injured woman behind, but she knew Dani was resourceful, and more importantly, she needed to get back to Lunar and the others before Milano closed in.
The drive back to the cave exit felt agonizingly slow despite pushing the vibrating jeep to its limits.
Twilight was settling over the desert by the time she approached the ridge where she hoped to find them waiting.
She killed the engine a quarter-mile away and coasted to a stop behind a large boulder, not wanting the sound to draw unwanted attention.
From this vantage point, she had a clear view of the cave exit. The sun had dropped behind the western mountains, casting long shadows across the canyon. They were perfect conditions for Lunar's shadow abilities.
Poppy closed her eyes, focusing on their connection. She sensed his presence, a cool spot in her awareness that pulsed with quiet energy.
He was close.
He was safe.
Her eyes snapped open as she felt a surge in the shadow energy.
Peering around the boulder, she saw movement at the cave entrance, a flicker of darkness that materialized into Lunar's more defined form.
Behind him came Rowan, looking exhausted but determined, and finally Solar, his golden energy noticeably dimmed.
Poppy stepped forward into a shaft of fading light, making herself visible to them.