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"Why don't we postpone our walk until a little later." He suggested trying to make it sound casual and not a concern for his safety and then added. "I left my phone in the SUV. I'll be right back." He planned on giving Sheriff Keller a call but didn't want to share that with Gage just yet.
As he approached the SUV, his mind was on ending this outing and driving his beloved back to the Palace. He didn't know what was in the wind, but he didn't like it, and he refused to put Gage at risk.
He was about ten feet from the vehicle when it suddenly exploded. It was a deafening sound that sent debris scattering around the yard and throwing Deacon several feet in the air, and he landed on his back among the destruction. The shock stunned him for just a second, and then he was on his feet and racing back to the cabin, fearing for the welfare of his beloved.
Gage met him on the porch as he was running out the door to help him. Deacon pulled him back inside, then slammed the door and locked it. Deacon recognized that the cabin and its locked door would be of little consequence to a bomber.
"Oh my god, are you okay?" Gage was clutching his arms and searching his face frantically, trying to ascertain his well-being. "What happened?" He cried out.
Deacon brought them both further inside the cabin and away from the doors and windows. “Someone is definitely out there.” He stated and pushed Gage toward the hallway. He moved with him but seemed confused as to where they were going.
“The cabin isn’t safe.” He told him while grabbing his gun. It was a powerful handgun and could kill most paranormals if that was who was stalking them. He took a hunting knife and strapped it to his belt, and stuck a short sword in his boot. These were the only weapons he had in the cabin; everything else had been in the SUV.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Gage wasn't sure what he should do, but he trusted Deacon, so he was following his lead and doing as he was told. The explosion was unbelievable. It reduced that large SUV to scrap that was now scattered all over the yard and woods, and some parts even hit the cabin. Gage had been frantic until he saw Deacon running for the cabin and relief flooded his heart.
He watched him gather arms as he directed him down the hallway toward the bedroom. Halfway there, Deacon stopped and grabbed the runner from the floor and tossed it aside. Beneath the runner was a trap door. Deacon pulled it up and revealed a rough-hewn ladder that led to what appeared to be a dugout cellar.
Gage suddenly feared getting trapped and turned to look at Deacon, who understood his concerns just from the look on his face. "The cabin will not protect us if he is lobbing bombs. I need to get you somewhere safe while I seek out our attacker."
“Is the root cellar safe?” Gage looked down into the darkness below them.
"It's not a cellar. It's a tunnel." Deacon helped him down the ladder and then followed him and closed the door behind him. "It runs downhill to the stream to the east of the cabin. It will place us about a half mile away."
Gage nodded, content that Deacon knew what he was doing. When they reached the end of the tunnel, it opened onto the banks of the stream that Deacon had mentioned. It was well hidden among trees, brush, and a rock cliff. "I'll be okay here, Deacon, don't worry. Go and do what you need to do." Deacon was a warrior, and Gage had no doubt he could handle himself. "Go and take care of that bastard and then come back and get me. I'll be waiting."
Deacon pulled him in for a tight embrace and a kiss that he could feel to his toes before abruptly releasing him. He handed Gage the hunting knife from his boot and tucking him back inside the tunnel, then covered the opening with some nearby brush. "I'll be back, my love. Stay quiet, and don't move." He stated softly, and then it was silence.
Gage listened, tuned in for any sound, and unfortunately, in a forest, there were many. He was constantly getting spooked, wondering if the bomber was close by or looking for him, and then things would get quiet again. It was nerve-racking sitting there waiting and wondering. Even though he had full confidence in Deacon's abilities, he still worried, and he didn't want anything to happen to him.
The time they'd spent together had been great, and Gage had very little greatness ever happen in his life. Although only having known him for such a short while, Gage did not want to imagine never seeing him again. The thought was terrifying. It was all he could do to stay seated, hiding there in the tunnel, and not go out and try to help him. Deacon could function better without him in the way, and he kept telling himself that.
He heard something, a crunching of the undergrowth, a sound that could not be mistaken for anything except footsteps, and he froze. Gage held his breath as the sound grew nearer. "There you are." The sound was terrifying, and Gage's heart leapt into his throat.
…
Deacon went back to where the SUV had been destroyed and tried to pick up on the signature of who placed the bomb and any indication of where they were hiding. But everything smelled of gasoline, oil, burned parts, and foliage. There was no hint of who was responsible. The odd thing about it all was the prevailing smell of daylilies, and yet there were none in sight, and he'd never noticed lilies in the area.
He found the scent the strongest in the center of the blast, so he started there and followed. It didn't make sense, but it was the only lead that he had so far. It circled the cabin strong in some areas and fainter in others. He was starting to believe that someone was using the lily scent to mask their own.
Some varieties of daylilies were pungent to the point of covering other scents. He hadn’t heard of them being used as a masking agent, but it could be done. He now knew that whoever was stalking him was paranormal, for humans would not take into consideration their scent or the fact that he could follow them by their scent. The stalker knew him and knew he was a vampire.
Deacon moved swiftly through the forest, focused on finding the source of the aroma but paused when he came to the edge of a large clearing. It was tall grass with a scattering of rocks, and if he crossed it, he would be completely in the open for anyone hiding in the adjacent woods. The scent crossed through it, but his gut was telling him to be careful. He felt a heaviness, and his mind was suddenly filled with visions of Gage and the need to get back to him.
He contemplated circling along the edge to his right, but it would be a longer walk, and he felt an urgent need to get back to his beloved. He would have to take his chances and cross the clearing. He must have paused long enough that his stalker grew impatient and called out. The minute he heard the voice, he knew what was happening, and his fear for Gage's safety skyrocketed.
“Good afternoon Commander. Are you surprised to see me?" Came the dull, dark tones of Trenton Shift. Deacon did not respond and began to walk towards him. He was standing half hidden behind a dilapidated deer blind, but Deacon could see him clearly now. "Not so close, Commander; stop where you are." He shouted, but Deacon kept walking.
Trenton stepped out from behind the blind and showed Deacon what he held and then told him again to stop. There in the grips of this madman was his precious mate. Deacon stopped and started calculating attacks figuring out methods to extricate without harm. His mind was racing, and his heart was breaking.
"This little bitch right here signaled the end of my chosen career path." He chuckled and moved onto the edge clearing. Deacon kept his eyes on Gage, channeling peace and calm to his frayed nerves. Trenton held him with an arm around his neck and a gun to his head. The gun was a small caliber but was fully capable of ending Gage's life.
"Because of him, you sent me to field operations in California. I wanted to make a name for myself at the Coven to rise in the ranks and take a leadership role at the Palace. This little bitch ruined it all." He pulled Gage up closer to his chest with his arm across his throat, restricting his breathing.
"It will be decades before I'm reassigned to the Coven proper just because this little bitch is moving in and doesn't want to see my face." Trenton was showing more emotion than Deacon had ever witnessed before, but it was all anger and resentment and fomenting rage, unfortunately.
"I decided that you had to leave, not Gage. Let him go and deal with me." Deacon stated, but Trenton simply shook his head like it was a terrible idea.
