Chapter 38
The rain continued to fall with forceful abandon and the night seemed to fall into darkness quicker than usual. I had dried my hair and put on some cozy cotton pants and a red t-shirt. As soon as I opened the bathroom door I was hit by the cold air. I called out for Anne but she was already gone. I went into my room but Pandora wasn’t there. Curious, I hurried down the stairs and saw that the back door was slightly ajar and rain was coming in. I ran into the laundry room and grabbed some towels; I shut the door, soaked up the puddles and wiped down the door. I dropped the towels into the hamper and pulled my clothes out of the washer to dry. I called for Pandora, nothing. Concerned, I meandered through the entire house and looked in each room. I went back to the door and opened it. I called and called but again, nothing. Worry started to grip me and I pondered what to do. Finding Pandora was imperative. I had to go. I scribbled a quick note to Anne, put on my black windbreaker and grabbed my keys, leaving my purse behind. I wouldn’t be gone long...
The windshield wipers weren’t working as well as they should and to add to my growing irritation, I had to wipe the condensation from the inside of the window. I was frustrated and edgy but I had to find her. Someway, somehow, she had escaped, which was so uncharacteristic of her. Pandora had never once tried to leave. Did someone take her?
The two-way road was slick but I was driving cautiously. I could hear the roar of the water beside me; the swollen, frothing stream was now a threatening black current. I kept looking, calling…nothing. Where could she be?
As the rain continued to fall, so did my heart. Resigned, I decided to turn around and go home, but before I could, the road took a dip and I no longer had any traction. Panic took over and I didn’t have time to react before my Jeep was thrown into raging flood waters. Instinctively I unhooked my seat belt and began rolling down the window but the car came to a sudden halt as a felled tree blocked our passage. The force of the impact threw me across to the passenger’s seat and I hit my head on the window. Temporarily dazed I shook my head and attempted to crawl across the seat but debris and branches began hitting the car and their combined pressure prevented me from escaping. I had nowhere else to go.
Only when the swirling black waters began to rise above my lap and the forceful water frothed around me furiously, and when the bowed tree prevented my exit from what was now a watery tomb did my horror give way to screams.
The roar seemed to grow louder, the cold of the water made it harder to move, and my clothes were weighing me down. I fought to remove my jacket and used it to try to push the branches out of the way. I felt sharp pains shoot up my arms and across my face. It was the only physical feeling other than terror that let me know I was still alive. The branches wouldn’t dislodge, the windshield was unyielding and my Jeep, as small as it was, felt even smaller. The water began to rise and reconciled to my fate, I let the jacket go, and along with my screams, I began to sob into the sinister, angry night where I knew I had no chance of being seen or heard.
Just as the water completely filled the Jeep and encased me in darkness, I felt a jolt and soon after an iron grasp went around my waist and although partially incoherent, I felt a release from the wreckage and the bitter, swirling waters.
I seemed to drift in and out of consciousness. I didn’t have feeling in my body and yet I could feel the sway of rocking as if I were being cradled and carried. Swiftly escorted into nonexistence my mind said; and then…I felt nothing.
I tried to open my eyes but my head was pounding and my shoulder was smarting from a dull, throbbing ache. The ground was hard but I was warm and that seemed to take the sting out of the pain I felt. I attempted to open my eyes and after the haze cleared I looked above into a vast space. I couldn’t quite figure out where I was and then…I noticed there was someone beside me. His arm was cradling my head and his hand was holding me to him. As I stirred I heard him speak softly, “Shhh…Its okay. You’re safe.”
I turned towards the voice and looked into his face already knowing who it was.
Haven’s attentive indigo eyes were warm upon me. Despite our proximity, I noticed the absence of clothing, his and mine, although the undergarments I was wearing were damp against my skin. Sensing the hesitation as I tensed, Haven clarified, “Your clothes are drying. You have nothing to fear.” He always seemed to know what I was thinking. He pointed to an area where he had a small fire going.
“No, it’s okay…” I said, wincing from the pain as I tried to get my bearings. I looked around but other than the fire, I saw little except a large, dark chamber and then I heard his voice.
“I come here to be alone. I don’t keep a lot of items around but this mummy bag came in handy.”
I didn’t answer him. It felt as though I was dreaming and that the nightmare I had just endured had been too much and my mind had brought me to a place of repose.
I sat up and began to remember the gravity of what I had endured and reality washed over me in much the same way as a fresh wave of pain.
“What happened? Where on earth are we?”
Behind the quiet chuckle his voice was low and soothing. “One question at a time…”
“But how…how did you free me? And how did you know where I was?”
He sat up and the fire illuminated his bare chest, his sharp features and his messy hair. I looked away.
“He felt your distress and sent it to me because I was closer. When you passed the last intersection, I followed you.”
“I never saw you,” I said.
His voice grew deeper. “You should know our strength is superior to that of humans, even the others. That is how I freed you...And to answer your other question, we’re in a cave not far from my house.”
A cave?
Haven reached for a lantern and struck a match, which flared and illuminated the darkness. “You were hypothermic. You needed heat.”
“Why didn’t you take me home? Or to a hospital?”
“Have you ever been to a hospital?” Haven asked as he looked me over.
I shook my head…I had never been to one, let alone a doctor. The corner of his lips turned up. He knew why.
“You should have brought me home, so why are we here?” I asked.
He didn’t answer.
“Haven!” I cried.
Haven stared above, his face taught. “It’s obvious, isn’t it?”
“Give me a straight answer,” I demanded.
“No.”
I fought the urge to slap him and he knew it.
“It’s only been a couple hours. I’ll take you home.” He helped me stand and handed me a wool blanket. “It’s enough that you live.”
“Was I supposed to?” I whispered.
He didn’t answer.
We were quiet most of the way to Anne’s house but he kept looking over to check on me. It didn’t take more than fifteen minutes to get home and Tristan was waiting for us with his arms crossed.
“You took your time getting here,” he spat at Haven.
“I told you she was fine. She’s stronger and she heals quicker than humans do. The rest is none of your business,” Haven replied angrily.
“I went to the house but you weren’t there. Going rogue during a crisis has consequences,” Tristan threatened.
“Boy, you are no one to mess with me. If you want to challenge for that right, ask for it.”
Haven and Tristan took aggressive stances and both were staring the other one down.
“Would you both stop?!” I hissed. “You two can have your display of male dominance when I’m not around.”
“She doesn’t belong to either one of us,” Haven said. “I took her someplace safe, the only place no one else knows about. I’m going to keep it that way.”
“Our women, along with our men, must be accounted for,” Tristan said. “She belongs to the clan, but you’re right, she sure as hell doesn’t belong to you.”
“I’m right here you know,” I butted in. “I may be looking for belonging but I don’t belong to anyone and I don’t belong here. I’m going inside. Goodnight.”
Both men stepped aside hesitantly to let me pass and both men asked me if I wanted them to stay. I didn’t want to go into an empty house knowing that Pandora was missing. I hesitated at the door, not wanting to open it, not wanting to be alone. I looked down and shook my head.
“Thank you both, but I’m fine.” Still wrapped in the wool blanket, I reached for the spare key and unlocked the door. I headed for the stairs, bypassing the phone to call Anne. All I wanted was to climb in bed and get warm. Shivering, I changed into my night gown and sat down on the bed. I pulled the covers up to my chin and laid back. I didn’t know how I was going to explain everything to Anne. I started to weep when I thought about Pandora. Mercifully, I drifted into a deep, dark, dreamless sleep.