Night Walker's Woman Ch. 06

Each breathe burned in Rex's oxygen starved lungs. Each mile that had become so familiar these past weeks seemed longer and slower than ever. Each passing moment was a struggle to keep the beast raging within him leashed. He had debated over and over parking the truck and taking across country on hoof or paw. But he was not ready yet...not ready to reveal all to Jaycee.

His senses were so bombarded and on edge that he almost missed the turn-off to her home. He knew he took it too sharp and too fast but his muscles that strained against their human constraints welcomed the challenge of controlling tons of metal, plastic and glass. He helped him to remain focused...just long enough to come to a shrieking halt as close to the house as he could get.

Which was not that close with Hector's truck and three police cars with flashing lights and sirens parked out front. His eyes scanned the crowd quickly looking for just one thing. One person. Her. His Mitawa Naya. But he did not see her. His heart that had been beating too fast came to a sudden halt as it burst from his chest into his too tight throat. Where was she?

He threw open the door of the truck and headed... He was not sure where to go. The house was ablaze. It seemed every single light was on. But he did not see his Angel either. All of these lights and noise must be a living hell on her senses. If she had woken to this... He only hoped that she had not had a particularly bad seizure. She had been doing a bit better lately. He had taught her a couple of the ancient chants that his grandfather had once taught him. As they had him, it helped to calm and center her, keep her mind focused until her tiny brain could cope with the sensory overload. He had begun to hope that...

But now? What now? He was just about to shout, rage at the skies. He did lift his head to the deepest, darkest part of the night sky. He closed his eyes and opened his other senses. Allowed the beast as much reign as he dared. He smelled for her, turning slowly in a circle, stopping and filling his lungs with deep inhalations each time.

Finally, he detected her. Or what he was almost certain was her. But her familiar scent was laced too heavily with adrenaline. She smelled of fear. He smelt something else too. Something that he could not mistake...blood. He sniffed again. He thanked all of the gods of his people that it was not her blood. That was something at least.

He shook his head, anger and disgust lacing with his own fear and worry. His Mitawa Naya had faced this all alone. That ate at him like a cancer that grew in his gut. How had he allowed this to happen? Why had he not stayed closer? Why had he not claimed what was his by all the rights of ancient custom and fates? But he would deal with all of that later. Right now he just wanted to find her. Hold her. Know that she was well and truly safe.

He opened his eyes. He was facing the barn, which seemed to the center of most of the activity. He scanned the small crowd. He saw Hector's face. It was drawn into a deep furrow. The older man looked almost ashen in the bright lights of the police cars which were aimed in that direction.

Rex noted that Hector was talking with a deputy. The man was busy scribbling in a small black notebook. Their heads kept turning towards the half closed barn door. Light could be seen through the cracks there as well. He took a step in that direction. He stopped when the door opened a bit wider.

There she was. Framed in the soft glow that came from the flashlight that both she and the sheriff held in their hands. The high beams of the police cars made her appear almost translucent, she was so pale. He could even detect a slight tremble in her fingers as she held the flashlight. But most of all he could see the bright sheen of tears that were gathering in her eyes. His heart splintered into a thousand pieces. He had done this. He had let her down. Something he had sworn he would never do. But he had.

He wanted to go to her. He needed to go to her. To wrap her in his arms. To hold her close and just know that she was safe. But guilt and shame ate at him. What right did he have? What right did he have to even think of her as his? Let alone as his Mitawa Naya? He loathed himself as he never had. Not even as that little ten year-old boy who everyone, even the teachers, made fun of. Never had he felt so inadequate. Such a failure.

She suddenly stopped whatever she was saying to the sheriff. She looked up. Almost as if she could sense him as much as he sensed her. But he knew that was not possible...not yet anyway. Her eyes searched the crowd, scanned the dark. Then her gaze captured his. His breath caught in his lung with fear. She must hate him for letting her down like this. He did not blame her. He could never blame her for anything.

But her mouth curved into a smile. A half smile anyway. Nervous. Tired. Uncertain. But a smile nonetheless and that was all that mattered. She shook her head and turned back to the sheriff and said something. He nodded slowly and turned back towards the inside of the barn.

Then she took a step towards him. And another. Then suddenly she was running towards him. And nothing else mattered. His heart came back together in an explosion of light and began to beat again. His own feet were released from the manacles of fear and self-hatred that had bound him to this spot. He was racing towards her then. Towards his future. Towards his destiny. Towards his Mitawa Naya. She was safe and that was all that mattered.

***

It did not make sense. None of it made a lick of sense to Jaycee. She wanted to stop, to come to a screeching halt. This was crazy. Something out of a very bad movie from one of those women's channels. The heroine racing into the arms of the hero. But as stupid and asinine as it sounded that was all she wanted. To feel his strong arms wrapped about her. To have him hold her and tell her that everything was going to be okay.

Even if she knew that it was not. Even if she still trembled and quaked from the carnage that she had seen with her own eyes this night. Even if every fiber of her being still feared that creature. Even if she was loathe to face the unknown that seemed to be stalking her...and her daughter. That threatened everything she had re-built for them.

And stupid, silly woman wants to just run into a man's arms, she chided herself. But her feet kept running towards him. Eating up yards with each step. Bringing her closer and closer to her heart's desire. Her eyes never left his face. His normally tan skin seemed paler. Was it the halogen lights from the police cruisers? Or perhaps had he honestly feared for her?

Cared...even half as much as he said he did? 'He is here, isn't he, stupid?' whispered a little voice in her that she dared not believe. It was the same voice that she had been battling since that first day in the court house. Was it the voice of her girlish dreams that she had thought long since dead? Was it the voice of some weakness that dwelled deep within her, that sought a rescuer when she knew that no one would save her or Angel but herself? Or perhaps was it the heart of woman herself...crying out for what could not be?

But then they met...somewhere in the middle. His arms went about her automatically. Not a single word was said. And everything was all right. For the first time perhaps that night, likely years, maybe even a lifetime, she felt safe. She felt secure. She felt truly home. She did not feel alone anymore. And that scared her even more than the lifeless, bloody carcass that lay broken and mangled in the barn. Still she did not rouse. Instead she buried herself deeper into him.

He smelled of sweat and man with just a hint of leather and mint. It was the oddest combination but comforting somehow. She literally buried her face into his chest just over his heart. Its steady beat just under her fingertips was the lullaby that as a little girl she had always dreamt a mother would sing to her each night. The crisp, springy hair that covered his chest tickled her nose. But not enough to make her change position. This was where she belonged. In this man's arms. That was the only truth she knew in that moment.

She was not sure how long they stayed like that. It seemed an eternity, but was not long enough as he just held her. His warm hand slowly moving up and down her back. The motion similar to the one that she had used when Angel was a baby to burp her, but it was more comforting than anything she could imagine.

Finally after a long moment he pulled back. Not much and for that she was eternally grateful because after a night of such excitement and a life time of misery, she was not sure that she could stand on her own just then. The look on his face was grave even though he tried to force a smile. And when he spoke, his one word question said all that she ever needed to know about this man. "Angel?"

She wanted to laugh hysterically. She knew that tears she had been holding back for hours, for a lifetime were gathering behind her too heavy eyelids. This man had staked his job, his career, on her ability to keep those horses safe. He had as much or even more riding on this. And his first concern was her daughter?

Of course, it was only natural that she be concerned for her only child, but since very soon after Angel's first seizure Jaycee had grown accustomed to her father's lack of interest in his child. So why would this man, this stranger whom she barely knew; why would be place her little girl's safety above his own career?

Her throat was tight and her voice cracked when she finally found the strength to answer. "Lupe is with her. She is all right. Well, as good as can be expected with all the lights and noise."

He nodded as he inhaled deeply. The smile that broke across his handsome face then was genuine, if weak. The hand that had been caressing her back landed soundly with a thud against her jean clad bottom, sending a fine cloud of dust into the air. "That is for disobeying me when I told you to lock yourself in the house with her."

Jaycee was not used to anyone telling her what to do. Certainly not a man. And despite all the hype from those books and movie about kink spanking did nothing for her. She shoved against his broad chest, trying to break away, trying to once more assert herself in this situation. Even if she wanted nothing more than to give him control. She struggled for a long moment against the steel bands of his arms. "Let me go," she demanded.

He chuckled and the deep sound washed over her like cool water from a mountain spring trickling through the parched desert. He smiled again...this one completely genuine. "That, sweetheart, is something I will never do. And I will never again be so far away that I am helpless to be there for you when you need me either."

He bent and placed a soft kiss on her lips. The moment that his warm, soft lips touched hers, she moaned softly and opened for him. He did not need a second invitation as his tongue danced and warred with hers. For the first time in hours, Jaycee felt alive again. Her body flamed with need...even though she knew almost a dozen people were milling about, perhaps even staring at them, she did not care. She wrapped her arms tightly about his broad shoulders and just hung on for the ride.

When he finally did break the kiss, his smile lit up the dark night and those hidden corners of her heart, "You go inside and check on our Angel. I'll go check with the sheriff. See what else I can find out."

She opened her mouth to argue. Then she realized something...she was about to argue with him over the very thing she wanted to do most. She would be arguing just for argument's sake. For the past hour, she had wanted nothing more than to run to the relative safety of her home, to hold her little girl and try to forget bloody mangled flesh, to just let someone else deal with this mess.

And here he was offering to do exactly that. Why was she arguing? Some misplaced sense of independence? Some ideal of women's liberation that said she did not need a man? Well, she had. She had been very glad to see Hector when he arrived...and even more glad to see this one. Honestly, she had been waiting for him to get here, sneaking glances at the road since even before the sheriff and his deputies arrived.

Jaycee was not foolish enough now to argue with him. Not when he offered the very thing that she wanted most. A break from all this. Instead she closed her mouth and nodded her head. He smiled once more and bent to kiss her again. But this time he kept it light. Just a brief peck on the lips as if to seal some bargain between them.

He released her from his arms then. For a moment she felt unsteady on her feet. She wanted to turn back into the safety and warmth of his embrace. But she needed to see how her daughter was managing in all this chaos. Not well, she could be almost certain. And that was a pity as she had been having a good couple of weeks...since Rex had been visiting so often.

She was on the bottom rung of the steps when she realized that she had not told him what happened, what to expect in the barn. She turned back to look for him, but he was gone. Disappeared in the dark night. Just like that thing had done. It sent a chill up her spine to think of it.

When another quick scan of the area did not reveal him, she shrugged and turned back towards the house. He would soon discover the mess for himself, she thought. For now she had another kind of mess to deal with...her child's health.

***

Rex made his way towards the barn. Even without all the people milling about, his nose would have drawn him there. The smell of blood was overwhelming. It made his skin itch. It cried to the beast inside of him. And now without her in his arms that ugliness, which he had battled all night, was reasserting itself.

He ran into Hector first. He was leaning against the hood of one of the police cruisers. The older man looked like he had aged a decade since Rex had seen him last...just yesterday. His normally darker skin tone was faded to a pasty white. There were dark circles under his eyes and his shoulders were slumped. Rex noticed that his hands were trembling as he wrung them together nervously.

When Rex put his hand on the man's arm, he actually jumped. He let up a small squeal as his dark eyes met Rex's. "Senor Rex," he shook his head, "the sheriff says it was a wolf or a rabid dog. But I saw it. I saw it myself. That thing was no normal wolf and certainly not un perro."

Rex nodded, feeling guilt now combined with the helplessness that he had battled since he first heard her frightened voice on the phone. This was not how it should have been. He should not have sent this man to do his job. Protecting his girls was his responsibility. And now this man was paying for it. The way the man's voice broke as he spoke stood in testament to that fact. "I am sorry, mi amigo," was all that Rex could do now. And promise himself...never again.

The man shook his head that seemed greyer overnight. "It was a beast, senor Rex. Chupacabra. It was una Chupacabra, senor. I swear. Madre de Dios, I saw it myself. It had no hair and its back stood up high. I saw the blood on its fangs and I thought it was going for Miss Jaycee. Then it looked right at me and snarled. That sounds was no animal, it was more like a wounded man crying out."

Rex listened to every word, absorbed them as a new fear began to dawn inside of him. Was this his fault? Had he brought this creature to their door? Was it the bond that he shared with Jaycee that called this monster to his family? He did not have the answers, but the man that would was likely already on his way here now.

He squeezed Hector's shoulder, "I believe you," he said reassuringly. That was the problem...he did believe him. He knew the man told the truth or as much of it as he knew. Because Rex was one of the few people who knew the truth, the real truth about what or who the Chupacabra was. They were the monsters, the darkness, which lived inside of all night walkers. What he would become without her.

Now he was forced to wonder...had this creature who had embraced the darkness come just to steal his light? Nothing bothered the Chupacabra more than one of its kind finding the light. Had this one known somehow? Sensed it and come to take her from him? It was a fear that ate at the core of his happiness like a worm rotting the apple from within. Had he brought this danger to them? To Jaycee and Angel? Even to Hector and Lupe?

He did not have the answers...and all he could do was wait. Well, not all. He inhaled deeply but rather than calming him it only made his skin itch more. Blood was thick in the air but so was something else. Something that he could not describe. Something dark, and wild...and deadly. And he could not shake the feeling...it was coming for him. For them.

Each step was heavy and slow as he made his way towards the half closed barn door. By the time he stood just outside of it, he too was trembling. Dread hung like a heavy cloak on his shoulders. He did not want to open that door. But he knew that he had to. He had to see what was inside. Had to face the horror that was stalking them...that threatened her.

His head was throbbing in time with his heart as he placed the palm of his hand against the weathered wood and shoved gently. It was the sound of ancient war drums calling him to battle and he knew it. He knew fear too. Not fear for himself though. Death never scared him. Whether the ancestors of his Grandfather or the heaven of his mother, he knew that death was nothing more than another stage of life.

No, what scared him was the thought of losing them...losing her. His Mitawa Naya. And his lungs burned then. As if his very breath as he named her was already gone. Even though he knew she was safe in the house with Angel, he could smell her here still. Smell her fear. It hung like accusatory words in the air. 'You should have been here. Where were you when I needed you?'

But there were other smells too. Blood was the strongest. Though looking around he saw very little of it. For a murder scene...an animal attack....there was almost no blood to be seen. As he walked slowly to where the sheriff crouched next to the dead animal. Rex looked at it. His heart slowed almost to a stop. It skipped a beat, perhaps two before it restarted that too fast, pounding drums of war again.

Despite the lack of blood, the dog's throat had been ripped open violently. The odd angle of its head indicated that it was likely the beast had snapped its neck in the process. Its light blue eyes that indicated its wolf-mix heritage were fixed open. Rex caught the unique whiff of the assailant. He memorized it...this thing that was threatening his family.

He drug his eyes away from the dead dog and forced himself to hold out his hand towards the sheriff. He knew the man from his work of course.

"Rex, what are you doing here?" asked the man.

He thought better of explaining his professional interest in the horses and instead simply replied, "I'm a family friend and Jaycee called me when she heard the noise."

The man nodded as he took a final photograph of the dead dog with his cellphone. "Same old story really: a wolf or coyote, maybe a rabid dog. The horses were probably its intended victims but the dog got in the way."

Rex nodded in silence, a dog this size would have put up more of a fight. Fared better even against a rabid animal. No, Hector was right...this did not make sense. But he knew better than to argue with this man. Legends like the Chupacabra had no place in police work...or animal welfare. Even if he knew they were true.

No, it would be up to him as a Night Walker to protect his family. To find this creature of the darkness and end its misery. Because there was no other word for the life it had chosen. This creature of darkness was evil. It craved death and destruction more even than food or water. Even in its human form, the life he led would be depraved. He would enjoy hurting others, even those closest to him. There could be no doubt, he had made his choice when he gave into the darkness, the need for power and blood. The thing, for it was no longer human really, must be killed. And that job fell to him alone now.