Traumatic experience or not, this guy didn’t speak for her. Casey opened her mouth to lay into him, only to be cut off by a warning rumble from the man holding her captive. “It would be wise to do as I say right now, meli. I don’t know where we’re headed, and wrestling with you, while stimulating in its own right, is too much of a distraction.”
“The blood is rushing to my head, you jerk.”
“Good. It’ll bring your color back.”
“Of all the—”
He chuckled and picked up his pace.
With a huff, Casey blew the hair out of her eyes. Tossing insults with him wasn’t getting her anywhere, and part of her was happy to be off her aching feet. Though she’d never have admitted that to him in a million years.
Frowning, she relaxed against him, only to tense once more when his hand drifted up the back of her hamstring. She braced her hands on his lower back and pushed herself up. “Watch it, buddy.”
“Just getting a better grip.”
Oh, she just bet.
Before she could tell him just what he could do with his hands, darkness overtook her, and she realized they’d stepped into some kind of cave or tunnel.
Theron eased her down to the ground. Behind her Nick said, “Not far now. Stay close and keep me in sight. Tunnels branch off in various directions. You’ll be lost forever if you choose the wrong one.”
That didn’t sound so appealing to Casey right now, who wanted nothing more than a warm bed, a stiff drink and a chance to sleep this nightmarish day right out of her mind. She followed closely behind Nick and knew after the first turn that if he weren’t leading her, she’d be lost in an instant.
What little light shone in from the opening quickly went out, and darkness pressed in as they made turn after turn. Casey reached out a hand to steady herself on the rock walls, the scents of earth tingling heavy in her nose. From ahead she saw a pinpoint beam of light and realized Nick had pulled a flashlight from his pocket. Though the tunnel was tall enough for all three of them to stand in, the walls were close, and both men had to turn sideways to fit their broad shoulders through the space.
After what seemed like an eternity of hairpin turns and rapid elevation changes that stole Casey’s breath all over again, the tunnel finally opened into a massive cavern illuminated by hundreds of torches. Casey gasped as she blinked rapidly at the increase in light. Three-story wooden structures were built into the rock lining both sides of the cavern. Doors and windows and balconies looked out to a central pool of water, fed by a massive waterfall that fell from the ceiling of the cave, nearly a hundred feet above.
“Oh, my,” she whispered. People milling around the central pool stopped to look their way as wary eyes peered down from the structures on both sides.
She took a cautious step backward and ran smack into Theron’s chest, but he didn’t move. Those eyes staring down at her weren’t the least bit friendly, and she had a wild impression that she’d just been thrown into the lion’s den.
A small child, no more than five, broke free from a woman standing off to the side and raced toward them, yelling, “Nick! Nick!”
Nick dropped to his knees to catch the child as she threw herself into his arms. Their hug was brief, but it was clear even to Casey that the two shared a special bond.
“I knew you’d come back okay,” the girl said to him. In her hands she held a doll cradled to her chest. “Minnie told me.”
“Minnie’s a smart girl,” Nick said, chucking her under the chin and rising to his feet.
The girl glanced briefly up at Theron, standing at Casey’s back, then turned her attention to Casey. And it was then Casey noticed the marks.
The entire right side of the girl’s face was covered in puckered scars, as though she’d been in some terrible car accident and then burned. Her right eye was covered by a patch, and hair that should have been long and thick was sparse on that side of her head.
But it wasn’t the girl’s appearance that made Casey catch her breath as she looked down at the small child. It was the look in the girl’s good eye. Like she’d seen the world and beyond. Like she’d already lived a lifetime and aged eons beyond her years. Like she was looking straight through Casey and into a future no one knew but her.
“I knew you’d come,” the girl said. “Minnie told me.”
“Who’s Minnie?” Casey found herself asking.
The girl held up her doll. “Minnie knows everything. She knew that Nick would battle the monsters today and win, and that he’d come home safe. And she knew he’d bring you here to save us.”
Casey glanced at Nick, who was staring at the girl with a perplexed expression.
A chill of foreboding slid down Casey’s spine. She returned her attention to the girl. “What do you mean, ‘save us’?”
“All of us.” The girl held up her free hand and gestured behind her. “The whole colony. Minnie said that’s why you’ve come.”
Though it was completely insane and made no sense whatsoever, considering everything else, two words pinged around in Casey’s brain. My people.
She dropped to her knees in front of the girl without hesitation. “What’s your name?”
“Marissa.”