Love in the Shadows (4 page)

The door opened, and
Colette walked in. “Oh good, you are awake,
cheri
. I am sorry for having to do
this, you know. But for the betterment of humanity, sometimes
someone must suffer.”

“What are you talking about? Why am I
tied to this table?”

“You have a special
healing ability. I saw your hand heal after you were cut at the bar
that night you helped that old couple with the drunken fool. You
were such a hero,
cheri
. I have taken some blood samples but have not found the
evidence I need. I’m afraid some experimentation is in
order.”

Derek braced himself as she picked up a
scalpel and cut into his right leg. He hissed with the sting.
“Look, Colette. Why don’t we talk about this? I’ll help you with
your research, and you let me off this table.” If he could find a
shadow, he could escape.

“Non
, I cannot. I need to have the proof, you see. The cameras
and lights will record your healing. We must have something
scientific to give the world.” She sliced him across his side.
Derek felt the sting and liquid on his skin as blood trickled down
his body. He tugged on the restraints.

“Look, you crazy bitch, I’m sure your
government does not condone experimentation on humans. Let me up.”
His mind whirled in panic. He tried to distance himself from the
pain of his wounds. Derek unconsciously connected mind-to-mind with
Katherine. She came flooding into his thoughts. She was scared. She
could feel his pain. Colette made another cut across his
arm.

No!
he thought as he pushed Katherine from his mind. He would not
allow this mad woman to cause Katie pain. He reached for Raven with
his telepathy and was glad to get a quick response.

Thank goodness. I have
been trying to reach you for two
days,
Raven sent.

Katherine, she needs to
break off. I’m not sure I can shield her from the pain.

I’ll take care of it. Where
are you?

I can only guess I’m at
that lab stashed outside of Manaus the general sent me to find. I
think one of their scientists drugged me. She wants to experiment
on me to figure out how I heal myself. I’ve been using Isanti’s
healing potions. I don’t know how long I’m going to be coherent.
You need to send help. They have me strapped to a table under
extreme light. It doesn’t look like I’m going to be able to get
myself out.

He shouldn’t have stolen Quiet
Thunder’s recipe for the healing potion. By drinking one potion a
day, he didn’t have to worry about being injured while doing his
job for the general. He never expected someone to realize he
possessed an amazing ability to heal. Quiet Thunder would have his
head if the secret was leaked. After drinking the potion daily for
several months, when might the effects wear off?

Roger that. I’ll have a
team on the next plane. Hang in there, Derek. Katherine needs
you,
Raven sent to him.

Derek felt Katherine reaching for him.
She cried, feeling hurt and alone. He opened their telepathic bond
enough to reach her with his thoughts, but still block her from
pain.

He tried to console her as best as he
could. Fear made him tremble. Why hadn’t he told her he loved her
before this? Why had he walked away the night Raven got married?
Derek slammed the telepathic link shut as Collette dropped a
cinderblock onto his hand. The bones cracked, and he yelled in
pain.

§

Joe Running Bear was more than six feet
tall and looked like a football linebacker. Katherine should have
felt intimidated. She had known and worked with him since coming to
Isanti, Inc. He was often gruff, but she quickly realized he was a
teddy bear with a heart of gold. He had the build and
coloring—black hair and broad shoulders—of all the tribal Shadow
Walkers. Unlike Raven, who had shoulder-length hair, Joe adopted a
military-style cut.

Joe was head of security for Isanti,
Inc. He always seemed to know everything. He had figured out that
Derek was Katherine’s secret admirer, discovering that Derek was
leaving little gifts on her desk months before she suspected it was
him.

Because none of the team members had
traveled to the Amazon, they couldn’t shadow-walk to Manaus,
Brazil, the nearest city to the small village in the rainforest.
Hence, the need for air travel. Once they arrived, they could
shadow-walk back to New Mexico.

Leaning against the wall of the
airplane hangar, Joe looked as if he didn’t have a care in the
world. When he saw Katherine approach, he stood up and walked
toward her. “You made good time. We’re waiting for two other Shadow
Walkers. As soon as they arrive, we board,” Joe said. “Don’t worry.
We’ll get Derek back for you.”

Katherine smiled. Joe cared for her,
they were friends, and he wanted to reassure her. That was what a
tribe was all about.

The other two men arrived minutes
later, and they boarded a company jet. Hugh Thunder Hoof and
Charlie White Owl also possessed dark coloring from their tribal
roots. All the men exhibited a certain magnetism and mystic
quality.

Katherine took a seat next to a window
near the door. She wanted to be able to see when they landed. They
would be flying into Manaus, Brazil, and driving into the Amazon
rainforest from there.

The plane took off smoothly, and
Katherine decided to try to get some sleep. She woke up as the
plane banked and looked out the window. The sunrise on the Amazon
River took her breath away. Thick vegetation lined the riverbanks.
The city of Manaus came into view. The airport was located next to
the river, and for a moment it looked as if they were going to land
on the water.

The plane landed. Katherine unbuckled
her seatbelt and made her way forward. She couldn’t wait to get
Derek back.

“You’re looking fierce.” Joe opened the
plane door.

“Just thinking about what I’m going to
do to the person responsible for all this,” Katherine
answered.

“Come on. We’ve still got a long drive
ahead,” Joe called as he headed down the steps of the
plane.

As she got off the airplane, she felt
as if she were walking into a wall of water. Moisture clung to her
skin and clothes. A man drove a jeep up and handed the keys to Joe
before strolling toward the terminal. Joe got behind the wheel.
Katherine took the passenger seat. Hugh and Charlie climbed into
the back. They didn’t bring luggage because they wouldn’t be flying
home, and anything extra, like their toiletries, would have to be
left behind.

Manaus was a big city with skyscrapers
and other large urban buildings, but they soon left civilization
behind and headed into the rainforest.

The road turned to gravel. As
conditions worsened, Katherine started to feel rather bruised, as
they bumped and swerved over the washboard-like surface. Sweat
dripped down between her breasts. Her jeans and T-shirt stuck to
her body.

Luckily, it wasn’t raining, but with
clouds coming in, she realized it would rain soon. Since she was
now covered in dust, Katherine figured she would be covered in mud
before they reached the small town outside the lab the general
mentioned.

When they arrived at the little no-name
village, they checked into the only motel. Joe handed out the keys,
and they all headed to their rooms. Katherine was thankful to
finally be out of the heat. She immediately took a hot shower. She
scrubbed herself dry with the thin towel in the room and sat on her
bed. The room wasn’t much larger than her walk-in closet at home.
At least, it was clean though a bit worn. The window air
conditioner chugged away, trying to cool the air. She looked at her
sweaty clothes and decided she couldn’t stand the idea of putting
them back on. She wrapped the towel around her as best she
could.

Turning off the lights, she looked at
the edges of the shadows in the room as she had been taught.
Walking through Shadow could be dangerous if you didn’t stay
focused on where you wanted to go. The men of the tribe didn’t know
she practiced her shadow-walking and personal defense skills on a
weekly basis. Ever since Cara and Raven’s foster sisters had taken
her out for Cara’s bachelorette party, Katherine had wanted to
perfect her technique. The women of the tribe met weekly and
coached each other in shadow-walking, self-defense, and anything
else they thought might be of value. Tatiana had even showed her
how to throw a knife. Katherine still needed practice
throwing.

Near the bottom of the door a shadow
wavered. Katherine reached her hands into the spot and slowly
pulled them apart, creating an opening into the dimension next to
Earth. It was too bad she hadn’t brought a change of clothes or
some of the Italian leather Cara had bought her. But leather in the
Amazon would be torture. She’d have to suffer the cold with nothing
except her towel. Before anyone could stop her, she slipped inside,
picturing her apartment in New Mexico.

The frigid cold of the Shadow Dimension
slammed into her, taking her breath. The next moment, she arrived
at the apartment. Then, she closed the access portal used to enter
back into the Earth dimension. She was becoming adept at
shadow-walking. Cara would be proud. It felt good to be home. The
light colors and floral patterns soothed her. The air was dry here
in the desert. Katherine headed into the bedroom for a change of
clothes.

A short time later, she sat on her bed
and had just finished tying the laces on her hiking boots, when a
large hand gripped her arm. She yelped in surprise.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Joe
asked, his jaw stiff with anger. “Did I give you permission to
leave the team, and who told you that you could walk through Shadow
alone? I should boot you off the team. Did you even think to tell
someone where you were going?”

“Joe, I’m sorry. Please let me come
back with you to the Amazon. I came home to get fresh clothes.
Raven told me to bring a small bag, so I brought only my toiletries
and items I knew weren’t all natural.” How did he find
her?

“I didn’t say walk through Shadow
anytime you feel the urge, especially without telling
me.”

“I’ve been practicing. You and the men
walk through Shadow all the time.” Katherine knew she sounded
belligerent. Sometimes these Shadow Walkers needed to be brought
into the correct century.

“I’ve been trained since I turned
fourteen to walk through Shadow. You’ve been doing it for only
seven months.”

“Please, Joe. The women get together
and practice their shadow-walking every week. I’m sorry I didn’t
tell you I was leaving. I need to help Derek get out of
this.”

“Last warning, Katherine. One more slip
and you are back here for good.”

She nodded her head. Upsetting the team
leader was not the way to get what she wanted.

“Let’s get back,” Joe said. “You take
the lead. I want to see you make your way through Shadow. If I
think you know what you’re doing and it’s safe, I won’t say
anything else about it.”

At least, he was being fair. Katherine
took his hand and walked over to the closest shadow. She’d show
him.

§

Derek tried to distance himself from
the pain. Even though the potion speeded his healing, he still felt
the pain of each wound. He worried about the bones in his hand
aligning correctly. He didn’t want to be crippled if it healed
incorrectly.

He slowed his breathing as he
remembered one of the lessons Quiet Thunder taught him as a boy. “A
warrior knows when to be still and when to jump into
action.”

Derek gathered his consciousness and
sank his awareness deep into the Earth, leaving the lab and bright
lights behind. Further and further his consciousness traveled until
he reached the very center of the Earth and the core of crystal
quartz. He wrapped his arms around the crystal sphere and held on
tight. The Earth was his mother. She would comfort him and hold him
close.

Warmth and peace flooded his mind,
pushing everything else aside. Here he could rest and reserve his
strength until help arrived. No pain could touch him. Here he was
one with the Earth. Every rock, every mineral, and every dark space
held life. He felt accepted and welcomed, cradled and sheltered
from everything happening on the surface. Here he could
rest.

§

“Katherine, meet at the
jeep in 15 minutes. We’re going to drive out toward the
lab
” Joe sent to her.

“Roger that, in
15,
” Katherine sent back telepathically.
Joe had grudgingly agreed that Katherine had done okay getting them
back through Shadow to the motel. He shook his head and ordered her
to stay put until the team was ready to head out. She’d paced in
her room, waiting for his telepathic call. Now it was finally
here.

When she got to the jeep, the men were
waiting for her. Everyone had dried off and changed into clothes
they had used Shadow to obtain. It wasn’t raining, but it had been,
and the ground was steaming. Katherine knew temperatures were in
the 90’s and the humidity would stay high. She felt wet all over,
and she had just walked out of her room.