Page 32 of Lunar Bound
He was safe.
Her eyes snapped open as she felt a surge in the shadow energy. Peering around the boulder, she saw movement at the cave entrance, a flicker of darkness that materialized into Lunar's more defined form. Behind him came Rowan, looking exhausted but determined, and finally Solar, his golden energy noticeably dimmed.
Poppy stepped forward into a shaft of fading light, making herself visible to them.
"Over here," she called softly.
Lunar's head turned instantly toward her voice, the star-like patterns within his darkness swirling faster. Without words, he guided Solar and Rowan toward her position, his movements protective.
"Hurry," she urged as they approached. "Helicopters are coming."
The hair on the back of Poppy's neck stood up a split second before her ears caught the sound of their return. The rhythmic thump of helicopter blades sliced through the evening air. Her body tensed on instinct, the way it did when she sensed a predator while working with injured wildlife.
"Where's Eclipse?" she asked.
"Still in the caves." Rowan looked like she might cry. "He stayed behind to fight off Milano."
Poppy frowned. "We need to go back for him. No one gets left behind."
"No time," Lunar denied.
A black helicopter emerged over the canyon ridge, its rotors cutting through the desert air. Beneath, dust clouds billowed upward from several vehicles traveling along the trails.
"They're preparing to flush us out," Lunar said.
* * *
"This way," she directed, moving toward the hidden jeep. Every second counted now.
"That's your transportation?" Solar asked skeptically.
"It's better than walking," Poppy quipped. She didn't know what Dani saw in the alien. He was kind of an ass. "And it knows these trails better than any fancy SUV."
As she moved, she couldn't help but notice how Solar's normally radiant form had dimmed to a muted glow, like a campfire burning down to embers. His golden energy flickered and wavered with each step. The sight sent a shiver down her spine. If Milano could weaken a being of pure light that severely, what might they do to Lunar?
"What about Dani?" Rowan asked. "She was supposed to warn you about the attack."
Poppy slid behind the wheel as they all piled in, not bothering to answer yet. Her gaze narrowed in on the ignition, her fingers automatically finding the hidden switch Mack had installed below the steering column, a backup system for when the standard ignition failed, which happened more often than not with this ancient vehicle. The engine caught with a cough and rumble that vibrated through the frame.
"What about Dani?" Rowan asked, turning in her seat. "She was supposed to warn you about the attack."
Poppy glanced in the rearview mirror, catching Solar leaning forward, his energy field pulsing like a heartbeat. The golden alien might pretend indifference, but his body betrayed him. He cared for the fire dancer, perhaps more than he understood himself.
"We found her in the caves looking for you," Poppy explained, throwing the jeep into gear and feeling the familiar resistance of the old transmission. "She escaped the retreat in an alien flash mob of all things. She's meeting us at the rendezvous point with supplies."
The relief that washed through Solar was almost palpable. His dimmed light brightened momentarily before he reined it in. Poppy caught Lunar's gaze in the rearview mirror, a silent understanding passing between them. They'd both recognized what the others might not yet admit. This wasn't just about survival anymore. Something deeper had formed between aliens and humans, connections that defied the boundaries of their worlds.
The jeep lurched over a rock, the suspension groaning in protest. Poppy focused her attention on the steering wheel to keep them from bouncing off course.
She'd driven these canyons in every condition—midnight rescues during monsoon season, blistering summer days when the metal of the vehicle would burn skin on contact, dawn trips to release rehabilitated animals back into their territories. But never with an alien shadow-being sitting behind her, his cool energy reaching out to brush against her consciousness like gentle fingers.
Even without looking back, she could feel Lunar's presence as a permanent link between them. The sensation was both comforting and distracting. She needed to focus on the treacherous terrain, but her awareness kept splitting between the physical world and that strange energetic connection.
The helicopter's spotlight swept across the terrain thirty yards to their left. Poppy jerked the wheel, guiding them deeper into the shadows of a rock formation. Her heart hammered against her ribs, but her hands remained steady.
Whatever happened next, Lunar had changed her forever. The shadow frequencies she'd always sensed, always been drawn to, now had meaning beyond her grandmother's vague explanations about “the sight.” She'd found someone who existed within those frequencies, who understood that darkness wasn't emptiness but a presence with its own beauty. And she wouldn't give him up without a fight.
The helicopter veered away, continuing its search pattern in the wrong direction. Poppy allowed herself a small smile and pressed harder on the accelerator, steering them toward the deepest wilderness where Mack's cabin waited.
