Chapter 9 #2
"Not here," Lunar replied. "He and Eclipse were separated during Milano's attack. I tracked them through the cave system but lost their energy signatures near an underground stream. Then I felt the energy stone."
“The what?”
He came closer and touched her wet backpack. “What is this?”
"I fell into that stream," Dani admitted, thinking he meant the fact that she was wet. “The current carried me.”
The shadow form shifted closer. “No, I feel the stone.”
“Oh, yeah, we managed to salvage some of your alien stuff from the suite. I brought it.” She started to take off the backpack, but winced as the weight adjusted on her shoulder.
"You are injured,” Lunar stated.
"I'll live," she said dismissively. "You need to find Solar before they do. Get him to safety."
"Agreed," Lunar said. "But first, you require assistance. Poppy is securing an exit point. I will take you to her."
"Not without Solar," Dani insisted.
"You misunderstand." A note of impatience entered Lunar's cold voice. "I will continue tracking Solar and Eclipse after ensuring your safety. Your injured state makes you a liability in this environment, and your human movements slow me down.”
Dani bristled at being called a liability, but couldn't deny the logic. Her ankle throbbed, her clothes were soaked, and she'd lost her flashlight and map. She was in no condition to continue searching.
"Fine," she conceded reluctantly. "But once I'm with Poppy, you find Solar and bring him back. Promise me."
The shadow form seemed to consider this. "I will locate him if possible."
It wasn't quite a promise, but it was the best she was going to get from him.
"We must move quickly. The Milano agents may double back at any moment," Lunar said. “We will shadow-walk.”
“What—?”
Without warning, Lunar's shadow form enveloped Dani. The sensation was unlike anything she'd experienced. It felt like being wrapped in cold silk that somehow supported her weight. Her feet left the ground as Lunar carried her effortlessly through the darkness.
The shadow-walking was disorienting. Dani couldn't tell if they were moving through solid rock or following passages. There was no sense of direction, only of swift, silent movement through absolute darkness.
Then suddenly, natural daylight appeared ahead, filtering through a narrow opening. Lunar set her down gently as his form contracted back into a more humanoid shape.
"Wait here," he instructed. "Poppy is nearby."
Before Dani could respond, Lunar melted back into the shadows and disappeared.
She leaned against the cave wall, taking weight off her injured ankle. The opening was too small for her to exit without crawling, but fresh air flowed in, clearing the damp cave smell from her lungs.
Minutes later, a familiar face appeared at the opening.
"Dani," Poppy exclaimed, relief evident in her voice. "Thank goodness. Lunar said you need a doctor?"
"No. I just twisted my ankle," Dani downplayed, though she winced as she shifted her weight. "I'm more worried about Solar. Have you seen him?"
Poppy shook her head. "Not since the retreat. Lunar's been tracking energy signatures through the caves, but Milano's equipment is interfering."
She helped Dani squeeze through the narrow opening, supporting her as they emerged onto a sun-baked ledge high on the canyon wall.
“Here, give me that,” Poppy reached for the backpack.
“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 said, carrying the bag. "There’s a jeep hidden about a quarter mile from here. We need to get moving. Milano's got helicopters searching the area."
As if on cue, the distant thump of rotors echoed across the canyon.
Poppy helped her along a narrow path that hugged the cliff face. They reached a point where the path widened, allowing them to move more quickly despite Dani's injury. In the distance, a black helicopter swept low over the canyon rim.
"Down," Poppy hissed, pulling Dani behind a large boulder.
They pressed themselves against the warm stone as the helicopter passed overhead, its shadow sliding across the ground.
She bit her lip, trying not to cry out at the pain the sudden jarring motion caused.
After the helicopter moved on, Poppy led them through a maze of rock formations until they reached a dry wash where an old jeep was hidden under a natural overhang.
"Nice ride," Dani commented.
"It knows these canyons better than any Milano SUV," Poppy replied with a hint of pride. She helped Dani into the passenger seat, then checked her ankle. "This needs ice.”
She pulled a first aid kit from under the seat and found it empty. “Dammit. I forgot to restock.”
“It’ll be okay,” Dani said, rubbing her calf as if to soothe the pain in her ankle. "What's the plan?"
"I know a place about twenty miles into the backcountry. Off-grid cabin, no electricity, no cell service. Milano won't find us there." Poppy glanced toward the cave entrance they'd emerged from. "I told Lunar we’d go there once he finds the others."
"If he finds them," Dani said quietly, voicing the fear that had been growing since she'd lost sight of that golden glow in the cave.
Poppy gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "He'll find them. Lunar may seem cold, but he's incredibly determined. And Solar strikes me as the type who'd burn through a mountain to get back to someone he cares about."
The sentiment brought a lump to Dani's throat.
She'd only known Solar for a short while, but the thought of losing him felt like having her heart torn out.
It wasn't just the amazing alien sex or the novelty of dating someone from another planet.
There was something about his directness, his intensity, the way he saw her fire manipulation as art rather than entertainment.
"I need to go back in," Dani decided. "I can't just leave him in there. I have to do something."
"You can barely walk," Poppy pointed out. "And Milano's combing every inch of these canyons. The best thing we can do is secure a safe location for when they get out."
Logic warred with emotion as Dani stared back at the cave entrance. Poppy was right, damn her. Going back in with a busted ankle would only endanger herself and potentially Solar if he had to rescue her.
"Fine," she relented. "But we need supplies. Food, water, first aid. If they're injured when they get out..."
"Can you ride?" Poppy asked.
“Ride?” Dani raised an eyebrow.
“Crotch-rocket.”
“Yeah, but…” She glanced around.
“Good. I’m taking you to the animal clinic. I’ll drop you off and come back here to get the others. 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 returned, forcing them to duck down in the jeep until it passed. Once it was clear, Poppy started the engine.
"Hold tight," she warned. "This isn't going to be a smooth ride."
She wasn't kidding. The jeep bounced over the rugged terrain, each jolt sending spikes of pain through Dani's injured ankle. But Poppy drove with impressive skill, navigating between rock formations and along barely visible trails that seemed to disappear and reappear at random.
As they drove, Dani kept looking back toward the caves, searching for any sign of Solar's golden glow or Eclipse's twilight shimmer against the red rocks. There was only the harsh sunlight and increasing distance.
"We'll find them," Poppy said, correctly interpreting Dani's backward glances.
Dani nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She turned her attention to the path ahead, watching as Poppy navigated the jeep down a nearly invisible track that wound deeper into the wilderness.
The sun was beginning its descent toward the horizon, painting the red rocks in deeper shades of crimson. Shadows lengthened across the landscape. This was Lunar's time.
“If anyone could find Solar and Eclipse in the darkness of those caves, it would be Lunar,” Poppy assured her.
They drove in silence for ten minutes before coming up behind the animal clinic. As she slowed the vehicle, Poppy gave Dani directions on where to meet them.
Dani barely had time to get out before Poppy was speeding away.
The jeep's dust cloud hung in the air long after the vehicle disappeared.
Clutching the backpack of alien tech to her chest, Dani hobbled toward the back door of the clinic.
Her ankle throbbed with every step, and her clothes were still damp from the cave stream.
Behind the building, she spotted the motorcycle Poppy had mentioned.
The battered but serviceable motorcycle had a half-tank of gas.
As she turned the key in the clinic's back door, she heard the distant thump of helicopter rotors. Milano was still hunting. Somewhere in those caves, Solar was fighting to survive. Dani took a deep breath and pushed inside. She'd patch herself up, gather supplies, and be ready when they found him.
Because they would find him. They had to.