Page 9 of Night Fury
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Something felt off to Luke. It was a strange feeling under his skin, digging into his heart, which kept causing him to pause. It was as if something was calling to him, tugging him somewhere.
It gnawed at him as he left with his team for their battle. At first, he thought it might be a warning that something bad would happen during their raid, or that someone would get hurt or worse, and he warned his team because of it. But everything went off without a hitch. Every member played their part. They defeated the few vampires there and gathered all the intel they could, but still the feeling continued.
Luke and his team returned to Greg and Daniella’s home, as expected. He set the files and a USB they had collected from the raid down on a table, alongside an SD card of pictures they had taken. His intent was to review them while they waited for the others, but then a lightning-like surge flew through his body, constricting around his muscles before fleeing, only to be replaced by the gnawing feeling clawing at him. It tugged him along until he mindlessly walked out the door and got in his car. Only then did he regain control.
Luke knew he should wait for the others, but this, whatever it was, felt as if he were running out of time. He had to go. He didn’t know why, but he had to. Shifting his car into gear, he pulled down the driveway and then he was off, but that didn’t make the feeling any better. Instead the feeling grew, spreading out from his heart through his torso until he clenched the steering wheel hard.
Something’s wrong. What is this?
Luke did the only thing he could. He called Greg.
“Hey,” Greg said, and Luke could hear him shuffling around. “We just got back. Where are you?”
“Something—” Luke coughed, trying to clear his throat as it suddenly felt hoarse and tight.
“Luke? What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,” he choked out, swerving around the bend of another curve as he followed the tug. “Something’s leading me somewhere.”
Luke coughed again, his eyes watering against the tightness in his chest. He heard Greg shout, starting a conversation in the background that Luke couldn’t focus on.
“Mya just checked your GPS. You’re heading home.” Greg said.
“Home?”
“Yes.” Another conversation carried on in the background before Greg spoke to him. “Can you try to take a deep breath, then try to describe the feeling.”
Luke inhaled and exhaled, but it hurt. It was as if someone was breaking through his ribcage, trying to tear out his heart. “It feels like someone’s ripping me apart.” He cursed as another whip of pain went through him, another lash that squeezed. “Like a fucking snake is wrapped around my body and it’s crushing me. It started in my heart and—”
He groaned, biting back a scream.
There was a murmur in the background, and then Greg shouted before coming back to him. “Luke, it’s Johanna…”
“What?” Luke took a curve too fast, almost hitting the guard rail.
“We’re coming.” Another pause. “Try to push reassurance through the line. Push as hard as you can, okay? But we’re coming.”
At Johanna’s name, panic mixed in with the feeling. “I don’t understand—”
Greg’s voice was steady and calm, but his words froze every cell in Luke’s body, “Luke, she’s dying. What you’re feeling is the death of your mate.”
Luke’s eyes widened. His hands shook but he righted himself as he raced down the road faster than before, his body reacting quicker than his mind could process.
“Get home,” Greg bit out. “We’re coming. We’re right behind you, but she needs to know you’re going to be there, so push into whatever connection you feel with her, so she knows not to give up.”
The roar of an engine ended the call, and the silence was louder than Luke’s disbelief. It did feel like he was dying, like pieces of him were being hammered away, like he was fighting fate itself. But he would fight fate, the universe, the gods themselves if it meant he could save his mate, so he did. With every breath, he pushed against the tightness. Luke remembered the last time he had seen Johanna, how she had spoken to him telepathically, and he tried that. He’d try anything to get her to keep going.
“Johanna? Can you hear me?”
Nothing.
He tried again.“Johanna?”
Luke was met with silence, and he restrained himself from punching the steering wheel. He took another turn too quickly, his whole car shifting to one side as it lifted around a curve and then slammed back down, but he didn’t care.
“I’m coming, baby. I’m coming. Please, whatever you’re feeling, hold on for me, please.”
