Lost in Shadow (A Shadow Walkers Ghost Novel) (10 page)

Coughing in the cloud of dust enveloping them, Emily tried to get her hands under her to push herself up.

“Lass, I don’t mind you grabbing my leg but that’s my stomach you’ve got your elbow buried in. I canna breathe.” He grunted.

“Oh gosh, I’m sorry. Are you OK? Hope I didn’t hurt you.”

Trying to stay still while she patted him all over, her hand landed on his cock. She snatched it away as if burned, mumbling an apology. “Well lass, if I knew it’d only take a little bit of dirt to get you to take liberties with my body; I’d have caved in the tunnel myself when we started down the stairs. Shall I let you slide your hand under my kilt to see if I’m wearing any drawers? Satisfy your earlier question?”

“Oh, you pig!” Emily huffed.

He heard her inhale a lungful of dust, the rest of her retort cutoff as she coughed. Emily frantically reached out, grabbing his arm, “I’m going to faint.”

One minute she was talking, the next passed out cold. He laughed to himself, it would serve him right, after more than four hundred and fifty years of immortality, to die of suffocation underneath the ground during the one time he was powerless. The Fates had a twisted sense of humor.

She’d gone down so fast, he sensed it, being too black to see his hand in front of his face. His bloody eyesight was back to human levels. Catching her, lowering her gently to rest on his body, he assessed her for any damage, running his hands over her body. She had strong arms and legs, with a soft stomach. Gingerly touching her neck, he could feel the slow but steady beat of her pulse. Satisfied she would live, he ran his hands through her hair, letting it flow across his forearms, so soft, like silken thread. Colin touched her scalp, no cuts he could feel, ran his fingertips across her brow, tracing her features.

The woman had no idea how mesmerizing he found her, even now, surrounded by dirt and stone, he could faintly smell her scent. Leaning closer, he inhaled deeply, ignoring the burning in his ribs, brushing his fingers across her lips. He shifted to make her more comfortable, she’d panic when she came to, realizing they were truly trapped. It was his fault. Somehow he’d get them out of here; she deserved that much from him.

Feeling around, they were trapped by the cave-in, a wall of debris blocked the way they came—good for keeping Day Walkers out, not so good for escape. Ahead of them, stone had fallen, heavy chunks he could move with his powers, but injured and powerless? It was going to hurt like hell to move them, not to mention not causing another bloody cave-in during the process.

He heard her breathing change. “Welcome back lass, how are you feeling?” Colin rumbled in a low voice.

Trying to move off him, he stilled her in his arms. “Easy now, take a few minutes before sitting up.”

“Usually I’m sore when I faint. You’re very warm. Did you know you smell like leather and wool and the ocean?” She sounded groggy as she spoke, breath tickling his chest. “I’m sorry. I dreamed the tunnel caved in and we were trapped…” she trailed off.

“Wait a minute, dirt floor, wet. It wasn’t a dream; we’re trapped under God knows how much stone and dirt. We’re going to die down here, aren’t we?”

He heard her hyperventilating, trying to scramble to her feet. Pulling her tighter into his arms, her heartbeat racing he did the only thing he knew to do—spoke in low tones, the same he’d use to soothe a skittish horse or wounded animal, whispered nonsense into her ear to slow her heart, calm her.

“Shh, easy. I will get us out of here. Take deep, even breaths, and focus on breathing. In and out, nice and slow. I’ve got you, lean on me, I willna let you fall.”

He heard her breathing slow. She wrapped her arms around his waist, sobbing as she buried her face in his chest.

“I keep thinking about being trapped underground, suffocating to death.” Hiccupping, her voice was muffled by his shirt. He stroked her hair, her back, letting her sob. The poor lass had reached her breaking point. She was squeezing his injured ribs so hard he feared she’d break another one. But he didn’t want to move her, liked her curled up to him, seeking his warmth, letting him hold her.

Abruptly letting go, he sensed movement in the air, she reached up to find him, cupping his jaw.

“I’m sorry, you helped me and I’m hurting you.”

His voice soft, low, he caressed her with words. “I want you next to me. Let me keep you warm.”

“And I’ve ruined your shirt; it’s all wet from me crying all over it.” She wailed.

Colin started chuckling, he couldn’t help it. The laugh rumbled up, rusty from disuse as he threw his head back and roared,

“You’re worried about a few tears ruining my shirt, lass? I think the knife and sword slashes, broken bones, filth and blood took care of the ‘ruining part’; your tears washed some of the muck out.”

“How can you laugh? I’d be curled up in a ball screaming from the pain.”

“No time for pain in battle. You lock away the pain; do what needs to be done. Otherwise, you end up dead. Many tried over the years. Though today, a bloody Day Walker might have a fighting chance to kill me seeing as how I’m in such fine fighting shape.”

“Wait a minute…I’ve heard Day Walkers mentioned before—what are they?”

Freezing, Colin knew no one outside of Walkers and their minions knew about them; he’d only just mentioned them to her, how did she know? Was this some kind of new trap the Day Walkers had dreamed up?

“How do you know about Day Walkers? What do you know?” He tried not to scare her, keeping his tone even, listening for a lie.

“Kat, she’s my best friend, we were walking down High Street window-shopping when I heard something…it sounded like a voice carried on the wind or in the wind, barely a whisper, it said
beware the Day Walker…he comes for you.”

“Did your wee friend hear this voice too?” Curiosity laced his voice. By the gods, he hoped she was mistaken, hoped it wasn’t some kind of warning. Rawlins was the worst of the Day Walkers, gods help her if he was the one after her…but why would he be?

“Nope, she thought I was hearing things. It sounds crazy, but that’s the only way I can describe it. What is a Day Walker? Why do I need to beware? And why is one coming for me? Also, Immortality? Dayne? I need you to tell me what’s going on,” Emily finished.

“Slow down, lass. There’s time enough for me to answer all your questions.”

“I’m not usually the kind of person to keep things bottled up. Normally, I get mad, blow up, and calm down just as quickly. That’s me, Emily the even-keeled.”

He could almost hear her grin as she told him she had a fearsome temper. Shifting his weight, he willed himself to think of cold showers, dying, anything to take his mind off the fact Emily fit perfectly to him, hip to hip, her round perfect ass was under his hands, he moved one up to her back, the other clenched into a fist at his side. Of course he’d be hard as the stone surrounding them, telling himself to think about freezing cold water or anything else but her body, he decided to answer her questions…if she was his soul mate, she deserved to know…well maybe not all of it, but enough.

“First, where is your friend Kat? Won’t she be worried and looking for you?”

Sighing, Emily told him about the trip with Kat and the ransacked hotel room. She continued, telling him what happened to Kat, how she saw a man who disappeared after pushing Kat down the steps, breaking her leg, so she had to go home early. She finished by telling him she’d decided to stay, finish the trip she’d always dreamed of, and find out who he was. “So no, she won’t be looking for me. I asked her not to call, to focus on getting better, told her I’d call when I left for the airport though if I don’t check in, she’ll be calling the cops, worried about me.”

Not wanting to frighten her, Colin forced himself to breathe normally. Rawlins had to be after her. There was no way Rawlins could know about the curse, was there? “Before I begin this long drawn-out tale, why did ye pinch yourself when you helped free me?” He was curious, wanting to know what made her risk her own well-being to help him.

“I thought maybe I was dreaming—simply imagining all of this. When I pinched my arm, I knew it was real. I couldn’t leave you chained to the wall or let that awful man hurt you.”

Her sigh blew against his collarbone, sending chills down his spine. The scent of peaches and sunshine warming his frozen heart. “Hmm, it’s a valid thought, lass. Come closer to me, you’re shivering; it’s verra cold down here.” Colin pulled Emily closer, slowly stroking her hair.

“Where to begin…the man you saw, he was a Day Walker. Day Walkers are people who were evil human beings, angry, full of malice, not upstanding citizens. When they die, an ancient god, Dayne, watches the in-between, selecting the worst of the dregs of humanity to fill his ranks, building an army of immortal Day Walkers to take over the world. Immortality is a powerful enticement for any of us.

“I don’t remember any gods named Dayne in Greek or Roman mythology from history class. Who is he?”

Colin could hear her thinking, sorting it out in her mind. “Dayne is powerful, long before the Roman and Greek gods, before the titans ruled, Terya, who is the mother of all gods and goddesses, gave birth to these ancient deities. Time passed, they were imprisoned, forgotten, no one knows why they were imprisoned or who let them out but two of them were set free— Dayne and Thorne.”

Grabbing his arm, Emily practically vibrated off his lap. He heard the urgency in her voice.

“Shut the front door! Every hair on my body is standing straight up, this is too strange for words.”

Pushing off his chest, he grunted as Emily sat up. She must be talking with her hands from the sudden air movement around them. He tried not to chuckle, picturing her earnest face, wondering if her freckles stood out when she got excited. He pulled his attention back to her.

“I’ve heard of Terya. In a dream. She told me I had to do something…only I can’t remember what it was. All I can remember is she told me I would be forever changed.” Her voice trailed off.

“’Tis a verra powerful vision. The goddess favored you. Maybe was she who warned you to beware. Looking out for you. Though makes me wonder why she’s involved…”

He continued his tale. “When a Shadow Walker dies, if we aren’t ready to go, have unfinished business or can’t move into the next realm for whatever reason, Thorne hears our soul call out, offers us a deal—immortality as a Shadow Walker. We accept and spend our lives living in the shadows, serving Thorne in the quest to protect earth and humanity from Day Walkers and other things that will kick your ass in the night.”

“Why do they want to destroy humanity? Can’t we all just get along?”

“Day Walkers serve Dayne, they are power hungry and want to enslave humanity as we know it. Evil and rotten to the core, they steal energy from humans to become stronger, usually killing the humans. All Walkers need energy to survive.” Colin paused, to let it all sink in. He could hear Emily thinking, wishing he could see the expressions cross her face as understanding dawned and she realized what they were and that she was now involved.

“Whoa, hold the phone; are you like ghosts? I thought ghosts were floating shapes, moaning and shaking chains or appearing at the same place over and over. I mean you’re obviously material, you feel solid enough to me.” She sounded puzzled, poking him in the arm.

He coughed, tired from the blood loss, his injuries weakening him, though he’d never show weakness in front of anyone. “In a manner of speaking, we are ghosts. There are many different types of ‘ghosts’. We retain our soul—the soul is the essence or energy which defines us all. Day Walkers, Shadow Walkers, and other types of ‘ghosts’ as you know them have different abilities.”

“Ghosts…are real. If I believe Shadow Walkers and Day Walkers exist…then logically I have to accept ghosts and all other kinds of supernatural things that go bump in the night are also real. Do I need to worry about witches, vampires and werewolves showing up to chase us too?”

Shifting her to ease the pain on his ribs, he sputtered, coughing and laughing at the same time. “By the gods that’s funny. Everybody knows there’s no such thing as witches, vampires, and werewolves. They’re usually Walkers, demons, fae, or other creatures using the guise to frighten humans.”

“Don’t sound so smug. How the hell would I know? This is all new to me. Hello!? Still processing the fact the world I woke up in today is not the same world I thought I knew. A little patience please.” She was indignant.

Kissing her on the forehead, he smiled. She was feisty. He found he enjoyed sparring with her. “My apologies, milady. Shall I continue?”

She made a sound of assent. Huffing and mumbling under her breath. He thought he made out the words, “hard-headed old pig.” Deciding to let her calm down a bit, he went on.

“Poltergeists, orbs of light, the ghostly image of a spirit stuck, performing the same task over and over again. These are the lowest levels of ghosts. They can’t harm you and aren’t material.” He stopped, listening to the sound of stone creaking, offering up a plea to Terya the roof would hold. The workmen he’d seen around the city digging to lay new pipe were causing these old tunnels to cave in.

“Wait a minute, how come I don’t see ghosts everywhere? I can see you and Day Walkers.”

“Most people have no reason to linger when it’s time to pass over. They move on to the next realm to be with loved ones. The movies have made us think there are ghosts all around us, but in reality there are few with the will to stay behind. I love movies with sound. I remember when the first moving picture was shown, people were in awe. Seems like yesterday. But movies aren’t reality.”

“Makes sense. Charleston is an old city and I never noticed any ghosts around. So our souls are made of energy…?” Emily’s voice was uncertain.

“Yes. All Walkers are created from energy. We are the embodiment of our souls. We look the same as we did before. All plants, animals, and humans are made up of pure energy. Walkers are forbidden to feed off animals or humans by stealing their energy. It ages or kills the recipient.”

Colin cleared his throat. “Day Walkers do it anyway as killing humans increases their power. Shadow Walkers use nature, electrical storms, waterfalls, and other natural means to recharge. We can also get energy from very old cities or places. Edinburgh gives off tremendous energy as do all the old European cities. Being made up of energy provides all Walkers the ability to disappear or transform into something or someone else, though transforming is a skill few have mastered. Anyone has the energy to do it, however most humans haven’t evolved enough to know how to change themselves.”