Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Poppy woke in darkness, her body stiff from sleeping on the cabin floor. She'd insisted Rowan take the cot, hoping her friend might finally get some real rest. The first hints of pre-dawn light filtered through the curtains, casting weird shadows across the room.
Something felt wrong.
She sat up slowly, letting her eyes adjust. Lunar's presence emanated from the darkest corner, but Rowan's cot was empty. A hastily scrawled note lay abandoned on the thin mattress.
Her heart sank as she read the words, “Gone to find Eclipse. Milano has him. Don't follow. Stay hidden. I'll be back.”
"No, no, no..." Poppy scrambled to the window, already knowing what she'd find. The jeep was gone.
"Lunar!" She turned to where his shadow form coalesced into a more solid shape. "Rowan's gone. She took the jeep."
“I know,” he said calmly. “I heard her leave an hour ago.”
“What? And you didn’t stop her?” Poppy ran out the front door and stared at the rough dirt road leading away from the cabin. Her friend was out there alone, driving straight into Milano's grasp.
Dammit, Rowan!
Poppy went back into the cabin to check their supplies.
Almost everything seemed untouched. Rowan had only taken water and the basic emergency kit they always kept in the vehicle.
Did that mean she was planning on coming back soon?
What if he jeep stopped and Rowan got stranded without enough food or water?
“What was she thinking?” Poppy whispered to herself, trying to figure out what to do.
"The stone changed," Lunar said. His darkness swirled. "Its energy signature became different from yesterday."
"Different how?" Poppy asked.
"Eclipse started communicating through it," Lunar said, very matter-of-fact. "Somehow, his energy signature managed to reach her. He’s talking to her. They have a deep connection."
"We have to go after her." Poppy moved to go back outside.
"No." Lunar's form solidified as he moved to keep her from leaving.
"Milano's forces are specifically equipped to detect our energy signatures. If I leave this location, I will draw them straight to her. I will not risk her life or Ellipse’s.
I trust that if he called her, he has a plan. I must trust that plan."
"But we can't just let her go alone." She desperately wanted to make him understand. “This is not how we do things on Earth.”
"It appears to be how Rowan does things. She made a tactical choice," Lunar stated, though Poppy could hear the strain in his voice. "By going alone, she maintains optimal stealth parameters. My presence would only endanger them both."
“You said that already.” Poppy frowned. He was right, damn him.
“I was not sure you heard it,” he answered. “You seem panicked, and I wish to stop that.”
There were so many things she liked about Lunar, but his constant calmness and logic weren’t always one of them.
Poppy sank onto the empty cot. "So we just, what? Wait?"
She didn’t want to wait. They’d been in the cabin for days. It felt like all they were doing was waiting.
"For now," Lunar confirmed. His shadow essence enveloped her shoulders in comfort. "Rowan has proven remarkably capable. And if Eclipse is communicating through the stone, he will guide her. We must trust them."
Outside, the sun began to rise over the canyon rim, painting the rocks in shades of blood and fire. It felt like a bad omen. Somewhere out there, her friend raced toward danger, following the call of an alien energy stone.
"I can't believe she just left." Poppy paced the small cabin. Three days of waiting had clearly been too much for Rowan. "She could have at least woken me up. Told me she was leaving."
"She knew you would try to stop her," Lunar observed. "Or insist on going with her."
He was right. Of course, he was right. Poppy would have never let Rowan go alone into danger.
The morning dragged by with agonizing slowness.
She felt Lunar watching her, and his essence touched her when she neared the shadows.
Poppy tried to keep busy, stoking the fire, checking their dwindling supplies, and watching the road through gaps in the curtains.
But her mind stayed on Rowan. Was she okay?
Had she found Eclipse? Had Milano captured her too?
"You're projecting anxiety," Lunar said, interrupting her umpteenth pace around the cabin. "It disrupts the shadow frequencies."
"Sorry, my concern is inconvenient," Poppy snapped, then immediately regretted it. "I just... I hate this. Sitting here. Waiting. Not knowing."
“I understand.” Lunar's form rippled. "Rowan is intelligent. She will avoid main routes. Does this comfort you?"
Poppy arched a brow and took a deep breath. At least he was trying. “Yeah, thanks, Lunar.”
Lunar melted into the shadows. She felt him but didn't see him. Another hour crawled by, or at least it felt like an hour. She couldn't be sure. She concentrated on the sound of her feet in the silence.
"Do you think..." she started, then hesitated.
"Yes?" Lunar answered from the darkness.
"Do you think they really have a connection where they can feel each other over the distance? Eclipse and Rowan?"
"Yes."
"And Solar and Dani?"
"I would assume. Solarians’ communication is much louder, but they do have the ability to connect."
Poppy buried a small laugh at the dig against Solar. "Do you think some kind of cosmic fate brought you three here to find us? I mean, when I think of the odds…”
Lunar was quiet for a long moment. "Shadow operatives do not typically believe in fate. But I have observed that the resonance between human and Zorveyan energy signatures defies statistical probability."
Poppy smiled despite her worry. Trust Lunar to turn cosmic destiny into a math problem.
The smile faded as the sound of helicopters drifted down from above.
"They're getting closer," she said, hurrying to the window.
“That craft sounds different than the ones Milano sent before. Don’t worry, the mineral composition of Mack’s cabin roof continues to shield us," Lunar assured her. "They cannot detect my presence from above."
The helicopter might have nothing to do with Milano. It could be a medical flight or a desert tour. The thought didn’t make her feel better.
Poppy took a deep breath and stepped back from the window as the helicopter flew away from their location. Hiding in fear sucked. But what came next would be even worse. Galaxy Brides would extract Lunar in less than two weeks. And when that time came, would she be strong enough to let him go?
The day crawled on, each second marked by Poppy's footsteps as she paced. She kept mentally calculating how far Rowan might have gotten, what routes she might have taken.
"You should eat something," Lunar suggested.
"Not hungry." She knew she was being difficult, but she couldn't help it. The inaction was driving her crazy.
A helicopter passed particularly close overhead. Poppy froze, holding her breath until the sound faded.
"I hate this," she whispered. “I know why she did it, but I just feel so useless."
Lunar's shadow form moved closer, cool tendrils of darkness brushing her arm in what she'd come to recognize as a comforting gesture. "Your presence here is not useless. You provide shelter. Safety."
"Great. I'm a really good hideout." She immediately regretted the sarcasm when his darkness pulled back slightly. "I didn't mean... I know we need to stay hidden. I know you being seen would only make things worse.”
“My energy levels are now optimal. Come against me,” he said, reaching to pull her closer. “I feel as if I need to hold you.”
Poppy instantly went into his embrace. His touch calmed her, and she felt as if she could breathe easier. His energy hummed over her, realigning her tension so her thoughts became less frantic. Is this how he managed to remain so steady and calm?
She leaned into his embrace, and time seemed to stand still. Her mind drifted as if carried into a dream. They didn't move, but she felt the electricity of his touch thrumming through her like a current. Her nerves tingled as if they absorbed him into her body.
"I will take your tension from you," he said.
She inhaled sharply. Part of him flowed inside of her like invisible smoke.
He filled her lungs and curled lower until the sensation tickled her sex.
Pure desire unfolded in the stillness. He moved beneath her clothes without undressing her.
His body fluctuated between ethereal and solid forms. His kiss moved along her cheek like a fine mist before exploding all over her body at once.
Then his essence crept between her legs and expanded up to fill her even as she remained clothed. His coolness warmed as he swirled inside her. The pressure tingled, and she rocked against him as he held her upright. Her knees weakened as she climaxed, trying to grab hold of his changing form.
As the tremors eased, she realized her feet were no longer touching the floor. She looked down to see that they hovered over the ground. Lunar slowly lowered her.
"I carry the feelings for you," he said when he released her.
Poppy wasn't sure what he meant by that, but assumed he referred to the anxiety he took from her with his contact. "Thanks."
She had no concept of time when he held her, but now she saw the sun had begun to set, casting the canyon in deep shadows.
"Do you think Rowan found him?" Poppy asked quietly.
"If Eclipse communicated through the stone, then yes," Lunar replied. "He would not risk contact unless he had a way to guide her."
Poppy nodded, trying to take comfort in that logic. "I just hope they're both okay."
She settled onto the cot, exhausted from worry and tension. Lunar's shadow essence swirled around her like a protective cloak.
"Rest," he suggested, running a ghost of a hand over her eyes. "I will maintain watch."
A soft whirring sound broke the silence. Another mechanical dragonfly hovered outside their window, this one slightly less battered than the previous messenger. It flew against the window, bouncing on the glass as it tried to get inside.
"Another one?" Poppy moved toward the window, but Lunar's shadow essence held her back. "They might have information about Rowan."
"Allow me to verify," he said, extending tendrils of darkness to examine the drone. "It appears to be from Galaxy Brides."
He opened the door to let it inside.
The drone projected Bob and Gary's disembodied heads into the cabin. Their fake skin looked even worse than before, hanging off their yellow flesh and rolling away from their eyes. The disguises wouldn't fool a toddler.
"Emergency extraction protocols initiated," Bob announced without preamble. "Maintain position at current coordinates. Extraction team will come to you."
"What about Eclipse?" Poppy demanded. "Have you found him?"
"So-Sol-uh-Sola…" Gary stuttered. " No. I can't say more. Situation developing. Stay where you are. Harris will come when the time is right. Be ready."
The transmission cut off abruptly as the drone sparked and went dark, dropping to the floor with a sad little thunk.
"At least this one didn't explode," Poppy observed dryly.
She spoke too soon. The drone sparked and popped like a firecracker before letting off a stream of smoke.
"What do you think they mean by soon?" A wave of sadness washed over her. They were supposed to have more time.
Lunar absorbed the drone's remains into his shadow essence. "I believe soon is defined as happening after a short time."
"I know what soon means, I just don't know what they mean when they say it," Poppy insisted. "A week? A day? Hours?"
Lunar would not meet her gaze. "I would guess they mean closer to the last option. Otherwise, they would have given the time by days or weeks."
Poppy sank onto the cot, exhaustion catching up with her, but she was too emotional to rest. She buried her head in her hands and took a deep breath. Lunar's cool darkness enveloped her like a protective cloak to soothe her thoughts.
"Rest," he suggested. "I will maintain watch."
"I can't," she denied, shaking her head.
His energy came over her in waves, urging her to stop fighting the need to sleep.
"Wake me if anything changes?" Poppy mumbled. Whatever happened next, at least they weren't facing it alone.
"Of course," he whispered. "Rest."