Chapter 22
Evan and his crew are dead.
There’s nothing we can do about that. We warned him which way to go, and he didn’t listen. Stupidity gets people killed, and it isn’t my problem that he wasn’t smart enough to listen.
I don’t have time to give a fuck about his death when I have more important things to worry about.
“Ruka! Drive!” I struggle to slam the door after I climb into the car, the wind showcasing its paranormal strength. “We need to get out of here right now!”
Except Ruka doesn’t move. He’s frozen, staring off into space like Nariko is. They are in shock.
“Ruka!” I slap the back of his head so hard, his forehead hits the steering wheel.
“Ow! What the fuck, Oklahoma?”
I guess I forgot to reel my strength back. “I won’t apologize. I’m five seconds away from making myself the driver if you don’t fucking go right—” I’m cut off when Evan’s vehicle crashes directly in front of us, the road cracking in half and jostling the truck from the sheer force.
“Evan!” Nariko calls for him, knowing he is dead.
I can’t see his body, but I see blood splattered against the windshield.
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” Ruka stretches his arm across the passenger seat and turns to look over his shoulder to reverse.
“We can’t leave them! What if someone survived!” Nariko protests, trying to unbuckle her harness to go check on them.
I stop her by grabbing her arm. “They are gone.” I tap my ears. “There are no heartbeats. I would know.”
She’s horrified, her brows raised, her eyes round, and her lips tremble. Nariko covers his face with her hands and shakes her head.
There’s nothing we can do for them. All we can do is focus on saving ourselves.
“Go, Ruka!”
“I can’t,” he yells back at me. “We’re stuck.”
The engine hums every time he slams his foot on the gas. Tires spin and the smoke from burning rubber clouds around us.
“What the hell do you mean?”
“I mean, I can’t fucking move, Oakley. How else do you want me to say it?”
I growl, part of me wanting to throw him into the tornado so I don’t have to deal with him anymore. Nariko would never forgive me.
And that’s the only thing stopping me.
I climb out of the vehicle again; the gusts are so strong, they’re threatening to pull off my shirt. I cover my eyes from the harsh beat of rain and stare at the impending death coming our way.
The stillness is gone. It’s so wide, I can’t tell where it begins or ends.
The unknown woman is walking towards us, fire licking her skin, lightning feeding her veins.
She’s on a warpath to find whoever she’s looking for, and she won’t care who she kills.
I open the passenger side door and grab Nariko’s face by her chin.
“Sugar, look at me. I need you to focus. Come on, see me, Beloved. Follow my voice. Come back to me. I know it’s scary, but you can do anything.
I’ve seen you conquer fear every single day.
You’re the most courageous person I know, and I need you to come back to me because I can’t do this without you. ”
Tears cascade down her cheeks, and I’m there, wiping them away. I take a chance and look over my shoulder to see our friend has gained some ground.
Nariko blinks slowly, breaking her trance, listening to the urgency I’ve placed on our bond.
“Oklahoma?” Her hands are shaking; the bitterness of her fear short-circuits my thoughts.
She’s never afraid. She’s the most courageous and fearless person I’ve ever met. I love that about her. And I know even though she’s afraid, she’ll work through it. That’s who she is. She conquers her fears.
God, I think that might be the most beautiful thing about her.
Her soul is strong, and I’m drawn to her strength.
“Listen to me.” My hands settle on her jaw, cradling her face in my hands.
“It’s okay to be afraid. What you feel is natural.
It’s what keeps you alive, and you know that.
This storm is different, right?” I offer an understanding smile.
“This storm is charged by something we don’t understand, but you made me realize just because I don’t understand doesn’t mean I have to fear it.
I’m fucking terrified of storms. I said I hate them, but the truth is, I’m scared all the fucking time. ”
The roars become louder, the tornado gaining speed.
“You make me realize I’m brave. Like you. You show me how to live. Fear is nothing but a mindset, Nariko. You’ve taught me that. I need you to change your mindset. Push the fear aside. I need to keep you two safe, and I can’t do that without you.” And I’m not talking about her brother.
A frantic nod has her becoming a bobblehead. “I’m here. I’m…I’m with you.”
I grab the back of her neck, pressing our foreheads together. “Good girl. Good fucking girl.” I kiss her cheek, slam her door, and focus on the car.
A part of Evan’s truck is caught under our bumper. That’s why Ruka can’t get the truck to move.
The tornado is too close for comfort. Lightning becomes louder. Thunder rolls longer. Rain falls harder, biting into my skin as if the droplets have fangs.
I plant my feet on the ground, careful to miss the cracks. Fire burns in the forest, eating away at the greenery. Settling my hands on the hood, my palms slide against the slick surface. Finding a new angle, I grip under the hood instead and push.
Human strength won’t be enough.
I have to dig deeper.
Sanguine fills my iris. My claws dig into the truck. My fangs lengthen over my lips. There’s no hiding what or who I am.
I expect Ruka to scream or yell at Nariko. He simply stares at me, mouth parted open.
Nariko is whispering to herself, “Come on, come on, come on,” she chants, watching the storm tear up the ground to get closer to us.
I push the car, dragging Evan’s truck with every step I take. The bumper groans, bending and cracking.
“Come on!” Ruka shouts, both he and his sister banging on the dash with impatience.
I’m doing the best I can.
I hunker down, sneering, and finally the piece of Evan’s truck comes free. The bumper falls with a hard clunk and teeters left, then right, the wind pulling it up and over the car, smashing into the windshield.
Nariko and Ruka rear back as if it’s going to smash through the glass. It continues to climb up and over, getting lifted into the wind rotation of the storm.
Common myth about the ‘suck zone’ of a tornado. It doesn’t suck. It lifts objects off the ground.
I waste no more time. I jump in the vehicle, and Ruka doesn’t wait for me to get strapped in. The truck launches forward, and I’m slammed into my seat again.
“Holy fuck!” Ruka roars. “She’s in the air. She’s in the fucking air!” The truck swerves to miss a giant hay bale landing in the middle of the road. “What the fuck is going on?”
“Do you really want to be introduced to the world of paranormals in this exact moment?” I ask, never taking my eyes off Nariko. I do my best to send love through the bond. I feel her soul trembling, needing the safety of my own to keep her safe.
I’m right here, Sugar. I love you.
I love you too.
Our bond must be very strong to speak to one another telepathically. Reaching over the seat, I drift my fingers up and down her arm, hoping it calms her.
“Maybe.” Ruka’s eyes are wild with panic. He’s lost some color to his face. By how fast his heart is beating, he’s on the verge of passing out. “What are you?”
I ignore him because that’s not important right now. “Did we get a chance to warn everyone at the bar? They have five minutes.”
“I told them,” Nariko says. “Everyone is as safe as they can be.” She flicks her eyes at the mirror again. “I just don’t know if it will be enough. This woman is on a mission to destroy everything in her path if she doesn’t get who she wants.”
That’s normal in my world. I’d explain, but again, now isn’t the time. It’s easy to take a few seconds to explain, and I will, when we are safe. I don’t need Ruka crashing the car when he learns about my world.
A tree falls across the road, blocking our only way out.
There’s nothing Ruka can do. There’s nowhere we can go.
A sharp intake of breath sounds from between Nariko’s lips just before we make impact.
Metal crunches against the log in our way. The scent of blood fills the cab. My brother’s face comes to view when I blink away the warm liquid impeding my vision.
I squeeze my eyes shut and give a light shake of my head to stop the ringing in my ears. I hit my fucking forehead on the seat again.
“Nariko?” I croak, reaching for her when the harness keeps me in place.
She doesn’t say a word.
She’s alive. Her heartbeat is steady. There’s pain stinging the tendrils of our bond, like a burn that won’t stop catching on fire.
“Ruka?” His heartbeat is slower, and that’s when I realize the majority of the blood I smell isn’t Nariko’s.
It’s his.
Metal drags across the ground. The car rocks left to right. The hinges squeal.
And his damn dash camera is still recording.
The back end of the vehicle rises once, twice, three times, and all four wheels are in the air. The roar the beast gives is so loud, I hold my hand over my ears as we are eaten, pulled into the gut of a nightmare.
“Ruka! Hey, Ruka!” The truck flips and spins as we tumble through the whipping winds of a tornado. “Talk to me, man. I can’t see what’s going on!”
“Hmm,” he groans in pain.
His and Nariko’s emotions are clouded and fuzzy. A drowsy sensation comes over me, a dizziness washing over my mind.
“Wake up!” I use my abilities to enhance my voice, forcing Nariko awake too.
His pain awakens me, and I see his face.
Banks.
Not again.
Blood is everywhere.
“Oh god,” Ruka screams, pressing his hand against the ceiling. “Oh, god. Oh my god. Ah!” he roars with agony, and the emotion stabs me in the chest like a freshly sharpened blade.
I double over, inhaling until I gasp. His agony brings tears to my eyes.
I focus on Nariko’s heartbeat. It’s hard to cancel the noise out. The chaos. The taunting of death just outside this metal can.
Bahdum. Bahdum. Bahdum.
Her heartbeat centers in my mind, the strength of her fighting away the memory of Banks.