A noise made her jerk her head around, half expecting to find the asshole who’d gotten himself killed alive and well and ready to terrorize her some more.
He was still dead on the ground. But there was a tapping noise. It had no distinct rhythm…
The rocks. Oh God. She jumped to her feet. Was someone outside trying to reach her?
She suddenly heard a voice, making her jump with a small shriek. She spun around, glanced at the dead guy to once again confirm he was dead, and forced herself to aim the flashlight at the farthest crevices of her enclosed space.
Nothing.
Again. The faint sound of a voice calling a name. “Sharon…”
She focused. It was in her head. Jesus. A voice in her head? Mated shifters could do that…
She came alive and screamed into her mind at whoever might hear. “Hello?”
“Jesus. Sharon. Are you okay?”
She spun around again. The spirit still hovered next to the backpack, but she needed to face the rocks. She knew with more clarity than before that she was trapped by a pile of rocks blocking the entrance. There was no doubt. And some man was out there who cared. Her mate. He had to be. “I’m here. I’m inside the cave. Can you get me out?”
“Sharon?” Another male voice. It brought tingles to her hands. “Love. Talk to us. Are you okay? Are you alone?”
Another mate… She had two? Clearly she did, but Lord. “I’m fine. Drugged. Trying to shake the fog.”
“Baby…” the first man said. “I love you so much. Please hang in there. Is Sandhouse with you?”
Baby… He loved her…
“Sandhouse?” She communicated the word, but it slipped from her mouth at the same time she realized the dead man on the ground had kidnapped her. Why? She projected her thoughts back. “He, uh, died.”
“Died? Did you kill him?”
She flinched. Would that be a bad thing? He seemed evil. “No. He died in the quake, or one of them. Crushed by the rocks.”
The other voice joined the first again. “Thank God. Love. Don’t move. We’re getting closer. Can you see light peeking through anywhere?”
She shook her head before realizing no one could see her. “No. Not yet.” Shouldn’t she help?
“Please get back, love. I don’t want anything to fall on you in the event we dislodge it from outside or another tremor does more damage.”
She put several paces between herself and the collapsed section of cave. As she listened to the din of voices and clanging of tools, she closed her eyes. Her mates… Jackson… Cooper… She nearly jumped out of her skin. “You’re my mates.”
“Yes, baby. We are. Are you a safe enough distance from the cave-in? I don’t want you injured when this thing falls.”
She nodded and then hesitated. No one was watching. She spun around again to find the spirit still hovering. “Who are you?” she whispered, knowing there would be no response. The spirit only meant to protect her, keep her calm, not hurt her.
Sandhouse… The dead man was named Pete Sandhouse. Fuck. She jumped again. Her memory flooded back. He was a deputy on the reservation. He was a bigot… And he had kidnapped her by forcing her car to stop and then drugging her. So obvious. What she didn’t understand was why…
Because you’re mated to two men. He doesn’t believe in that way of life.
His rambling rage filtered into her mind. He was opposed to the races mixing. He’d spoken of having met his mate once. Was she white? And he’d denied her? The idea sent a shudder down Sharon’s spine. Denying one’s mate was nearly impossible. Unheard of. Perhaps he’d gone crazy from the act.
“Sharon?” The voice of the first man came through clearer.
“Cooper,” she responded. “Jackson?”
A relieved collected sigh.
And then Cooper spoke again. “Stay with me, babe. Are you injured?”
“No. Scared.”
“I know, love,” Jackson added. “We’re getting closer.”
The ground shook. Harder. With so much force she fell on her ass, skidding back from the pile of rocks. They dislodged, at least some of them, tumbling farther into the cave and covering the man who’d kidnapped her.
Sandhouse.
A hole at the top of the pile opened up the cave.
“Sharon!” The shout was loud. In fact, it was out loud.
“Yes. God, I’m in here.” She scrambled to her feet again.
“Shit.”
“I can see the smoke…”
“Work faster…”
“Hurry. Fucking hurry…”
So many voices. How many people were out there?
The spirit behind her came closer, hovering at her side now, seemingly staring down at her with a smile, even though that was ludicrous because there wasn’t even a discernable front or back to the aura. It was a shimmering cloud of smoke. Nothing more. Wasn’t it?