Linked
LINKED
By Heather Bowhay
Copyright 2012 by Heather Bowhay
All Rights Reserved
Disclaimer
This
is a work of fiction. The events described are imaginary, and all the
characters portrayed in this book are fictitious and not intended to represent any
specific persons, living or dead. At times, certain settings may be referred to
by their true names, but the incidents portrayed or taking place there are
entirely products of the author’s imagination. At no time should the reader
infer that any of the events in this book ever occurred.
~To my good friends and first readers, Michelle, Heather and
my mom, Bobbi
~And to my first listeners, Dan, Dawson, and Laci
Thank You!
~H.L.B~
of Contents
CHAPTER 9 –
PARENT VISIT WITH A TWIST
CHAPTER 12 –
NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS
CHAPTER 14 –
A NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY
CHAPTER 16 –
YOUR GUESS IS AS GOOD AS MINE
CHAPTER 18 –
THE FINAL SNAPSHOT
1 – TRACKED
Glowing amber eyes, staring straight at me
A wood cabin on fire in the middle of a snow-covered forest
Kieran clasping hands with me as he leans forward until our
foreheads touch – all in an attempt to link
Myself and another person, maybe Kieran, slipping through the
cracks of an icy lake
Shuddering,
my eyes shoot open and I clutch the leather seats in the back seat of Max’s
jeep. An erratic pounding emanates inside my chest, and I press one hand
against my heart willing it to slow down. I’ve never had a recurring
premonition before, and I’m stunned by this turn of events. That’s twice today.
Apparently, my destiny to link with Kieran is stronger than ever, and falling
into the icy lake will surely be the end of us. Blinking hard, I try to shake
the vision away.
Without
warning, Max slams on the brakes. Momentum slaps me against the backseat, then
reverses directions and launches me forward like a torpedo. Streaks of light
explode in my head, leaving holes in my vision. Luckily, my seatbelt locks and
stops my forward motion just before my face collides with the head rest. The
bags I’d packed for my week-long stay on the Nelson’s private island are not so
lucky; one rockets into the front windshield and the other flies into Madison’s
lap. I reach for my neck, instantly feeling the effects of whiplash.
Max is
first to react and shouts at Madison, “Tell Jason the Ray-pacs have found us.
I’ve already let Laci know we’re gonna need help.”
I’m
momentarily confused about how he has done this, until I remember his telepathic
connection with Laci. All Guardians have telepathic abilities with the person
they are linked to.
Whiplash
or not, my brain jumpstarts at the word
Ray-pacs.
Only minutes before
I’d been questioning my sanity, wondering if I’d imagined this whole day….the
hike, watching Jason (who I now know is a Guardian) shape-shifting into a
mountain lion, and of course, the attack by the Ray-pacs. But as I consider
Max’s reaction and look out the front window at two Hummers blocking our path,
I know everything about this day has been real – real crazy, and it’s about to
get even more so. I’m shocked they’ve tracked us down already. It’s only been a
few hours since our encounter in the forest, and my Guardian friends felt sure
the Ray-pacs had grabbed their injured and left town in a hurry. We didn’t
think we’d be seeing them anytime soon; obviously, we’d underestimated them.
Max
spins around and holds my gaze with his piercing green eyes. “Lexi, don’t even
think
about getting out of the car. We’ll handle this. You got it?” It’s not really a
question, so I just nod in response. Despite his unwavering voice, worry lines
crease his forehead.
My
already accelerated heart-rate zips into hyper-drive, and I feel like my ribs
are being crushed by a sledgehammer. As Max flings off his seatbelt and bolts
out of the Jeep, Madison’s head of lustrous, black hair whips around. Her green
eyes, identical in shape and color to her brother’s, meet mine with a scowl.
She utters a few choice profanities under her breath, and throws my bag to the
side. Finally, she jumps out of the car and slams the door behind her.
In a
delayed reaction, I open my mouth to protest but leave it hanging open when I
spot a large, vicious-looking, gray wolf running straight at Max. I forget to
breathe, and finally my heart does stop, because if my best guess is correct –
that gray wolf is none other than Kieran, the coldblooded Ray-pac who vowed
he’d find me again. The last time I saw him though, he was a reddish mountain
lion, but one glimpse at his glowing amber eyes confirms my suspicion, and I
gasp for breath.
Pressing
my nose to the window, I keep my eyes glued on Max, eagerly anticipating his
next move. When he does not disappoint, I gnaw on my lower lip and watch
wide-eyed as his clothes begin splitting and his muscles begin
rippling…changing, adapting to a new form. In a matter of seconds he’s
completely shifted from a man into a shaggy grizzly bear. Even though I’d seen
him shift from a cheetah into a black bear earlier, I hadn’t watched the
transformation from man to animal – and I find it incredibly shocking.
Charging
in a rhythmic, surefooted way, the grizzly crashes into the wolf. The head-on
collision doesn’t discourage either one from a fight, and they continue lunging
at each other. At one point, the grizzly stands on his hind legs and swats at
the smaller, yet ferocious-looking animal. Baring bone-crushing teeth, the wolf
sinks low to the ground and dodges at the grizzly’s legs. With his mouth wide
open it’s obvious his goal is to claim a chunk of grizzly flesh. The bear
responds by dropping down on all fours and smothering him, but almost instantly
the wolf slips out from under him. Their vicious assault moves further down the
darkened street and out of my sight, but a combination of short barks and howls
continue shattering the night air.
Clenching
my fists, I lean back into the seat. The only reason Kieran and his group of
Ray-pacs have tracked us down is because they want me. They want me because I
am an Amethyst. Only, I’m not really; I’m something else – a Dentelle, but they
don’t know that, and neither does anyone else. My chances of annihilating the
Ray-pacs depend on me keeping that secret. But I’m not ready to face them yet.
I need time to prepare – to learn about my Dentelle abilities before I can kill
those merciless psychopaths one by one.
With a
loud thud, something crashes onto the roof and the Jeep rocks sideways. My body
jerks, and I hit the floor. As I size up the large indentation, I wonder what
object was strong enough to bend steel. Through the window I can see Madison
close to the car; her face is hot with fury. Her outstretched hands move wildly
about, and just beyond her, an object that looks very much like a concrete road
barrier hurtles through the air. I’m not surprised though, because I’ve
witnessed her unique ability, too. Each Guardian has a unique talent, their
Flair as they call it, and Madison’s is telekinesis. She can uproot trees and
pick up huge boulders with a flick of her wrist and then fire them as if they
weigh no more than a handful of skipping stones. Large, heavy objects appear to
be her specialty.
What I
wouldn’t give for one of those wicked abilities right about now. Regardless, I
can’t cower in the back seat forever; I need to find a way to help the Nelson twins.
But how? Taking a couple deep breaths, I glance at my clothes and consider my
options. Jeans, tennies, and a t-shirt – not much for body armor if I step into
the middle of another Guardian/Ray-pac battle.
A wave
of power surges through my body, and I’m reminded of my Essence.
Absent-mindedly, I touch my neck and realize I no longer feel any pain or
dizziness. Well, at least my Essence is good for something – healing. Before I
can formulate a plan, someone flings the door open, grabs me by the shoulders,
and hauls me out of the car. I squirm and kick until I finally manage to slip
out of his grasp. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough time to find my feet
before a bulky, spiky-haired guy smacks me across the face. Deep pain and
double vision stun me into silence as I lose my balance and tumble onto the
pavement.
Swearing,
he seizes me again; only this time he throws me over his shoulder. Moving
quicker then I would have thought possible for his beastly size, he takes me
further down the street – away from the Jeep and away from my friends. Not
good. I thrash my arms and legs in all directions, and beat on his back with my
fists, but he digs his fingers into my flesh and tells me to stop moving or
he’ll knock me out. Considering his strength, I decide to heed his advice until
I find an opportunity to fight back.
Although
nearing midnight, the star-scattered sky and a couple dim street lights offer
sufficient light and I scan my surroundings. The road is deserted except for
us. A light breeze off the bay carries the growls and grunts from the bear and
wolf fight. Loud booms reverberate up and down the street from the chaos
created by Madison and her rivals. The moon glistens off the shallow waves in
the bay...
Wait a
minute – the bay! A plan starts to formulate and I study the coastline on my
right. I’m probably only a couple miles from Squalicum Harbor and the yacht,
which was where we heading before Kieran and his motley crew showed up. If I
can get away, get into the bay and swim, I might have a chance at reaching
Jason and my friends in the yacht. Since the Ray-pacs lose their Flair, their
abilities, in water, they won’t have an advantage if they follow me, and even
though Kieran is an anomaly to this rule, he’s tied up with Max at the moment.
What’s
more, I’m a strong swimmer – spent all four years of high school on the swim
team. My Essence should come in handy and might even prevent hypothermia.
Besides, how cold can Bellingham Bay really be?
Apparently,
very, very cold I soon discover.
Acting
purely on adrenaline and survival instincts, I sink my teeth into my captor’s
bristly, unshaven neck – which is beyond nasty, but it works. The instant he
loosens his grip, I land on my feet and kick him in the groin, then I run full
throttle towards the edge of the road. As I dive into the bay I don’t even stop
to consider whether the water there will be deep enough. I can only hope I
don’t crash headfirst into the rocky, ocean bottom. All I know is that a
scuffed up face is preferable to being captured by the Ray-pacs. The mere
thought of them trying to extract my Essence, in any number of horrible ways,
has me highly motivated.
Hitting
the frigid water is a shock to my system. Bellingham Bay feels like a glacial
lake, but at least the water is deep enough to complete a semi-successful dive.
I scrape my knees as I skim the gravelly bottom, but I’ve lived through much
worse and don’t have time to worry about it. After swimming several meters, I
surface for air. Once above water, I take a huge breath and turn around to see
if I’m being followed.
The
burly guy is pointing at me with one hand, and holding his groin with other.
Good, I think and smile despite my chattering teeth. But when another figure
appears next to him, one who looks leaner, meaner, and more then capable of
jumping in after me, I gulp down a mouthful of air and plunge beneath the
surface again. I have no intention of being caught. I’m confident I can out
swim them, but can I make it a couple miles and locate the yacht before I
freeze to death? I continue further out into the depths without another glance
back.
When I
stop for a break it feels like I’ve been swimming for hours, but it’s more
likely that only minutes have passed. My body is numb, and I’m losing my
ability to move swiftly through the water. At least I’ve put enough distance
between me and the embankment that I can no longer see the burly guy or the
spot where I jumped in. I’ve followed the curve of the land northward, knowing
I will eventually run into the harbor. From what I can tell, no one has
followed me into the water – I don’t hear any splashing or see any disturbances
in the surface. A steep, pointed crag which juts about twenty feet high into
the air is a perfect spot to take refuge. For several minutes I dog-paddle and
catch my breath.