Chapter 11

Early Morning 3 days later

Near the Nexus Ranch

Harborton Washington

Joe paused. There it was again. A low keening sound. It sounded like maybe an injured animal or maybe a child or a woman. He couldn’t tell and visibility into the dark brush line along the county highway was next to nothing on this dark, nearly moonless night.

Joe had awakened inside his cozy barn knowing that something was wrong, that someone or thing needed his help. His first thought was to alert the security patrol but he was a little wary of setting those people off. They took their jobs very seriously and would undoubtedly wake everyone up. But he couldn’t ignore it either, Joe knew to listen to his feelings. This one didn’t seem to be related to any immediate danger. So he found the closest door, nudged it open (Ben didn’t even try to keep him contained anymore), and made his way down the long gravel driveway onto the quiet county road turning left towards town.

Twenty minutes later he was about 2 miles away from the ranch and felt very close to the source of the alert, but where was it?

There was a rustle in the leaves to his left just under a clump of vine maples and then a sobbing sound. Joe approached as softly as he could. It was a woman! She was scratched and bleeding everywhere.

“Joe is that you?” the woman said.

Joe nickered in response as he made his way closer. He could tell that the woman wouldn’t be able to ‘hear’ him but maybe she would understand that he understood her. What was he going to do? He didn’t have any way to help her. He could run quickly back and summon help but he sensed that this woman needed someone with her now. Her wounds were more than physical.

“Oh, Joe thank God! Can you help me get to the ranch?” said the woman.

Joe nodded his massive head and blew out softly. The woman was barefooted and half-naked in torn bloody clothes but she was able to stand on shaky legs. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. As she began sobbing Joe realized that he had seen her before. She was a friend of Ms. Kelly and had been to the women’s shelter on the ranch a few times. He even remembered seeing her at the wedding. Joe couldn’t remember people names all that well but this one had been very nice and even gave him an apple once. Nikki! That was her name.

Nikki was crying again and her hot tears poured down his neck and chest. The huge battle-hardened war horse could feel his heart breaking as she poured out her hurt to him. He had to get her back to his people. Ms. Kelly would know what to do to make her better, And Ben and the girls would make sure that whatever had hurt her would never hurt her or anyone again!

Joe looked around the tree line. There- a fallen fir tree should be about the right height. He gently pulled away from Nikki and sidled up next to the nearly horizontal trunk.

“Joe! Where are you going? Don’t leave me!”

Joe looked back over his shoulder and pointed to the trunk with a nod of his nose.

“Oh, you want me to get on your back! I don’t know if I can but I’ll try.”

Slowly and painfully Nikki limped to the downed tree. It looked to Joe like she was holding one arm in pain, but if she could hold on with one hand they could make it. She gingerly stepped up onto the rough bark and made her way a few feet upwards using broken-off branches to steady herself.

Joe had carefully placed himself where he thought if she could just lift a leg slightly she could mount him. She gave out an ‘oof’ and a slight wince of pain and then Joe could feel Nikki’s slight weight settle across his back.

He gave her a little time to wiggle into a stable position and weave her hand into his thick red-brown mane and then gently began walking home with his precious cargo.

Sarah awoke suddenly. She could feel Ben’s arms wrapped around her, one strong hand gently cupping her left breast, his breath hot on her neck. She smiled to herself for an instant and wiggled backward. Nope, it wasn’t Ben waking her for a little ‘Late Night Delight’ as he often did. Just then the comm unit on the bedside table gave a soft chime and a red light started flashing indicating that the security team was calling with something that needed their attention. If it had been a full-blown emergency they all would have been blasted out of bed with lights and sirens.

Sarah quickly reached for the radio before it chimed again. Maybe there was no need to wake everyone for this.

“Yes, this is Sarah,” she said in a low voice.

“Lady Sarah, pardon me for the intrusion,” said a lilting voice. It sounded like Aestra. Definitely one of the Fae, try as she might, she could never get them to stop addressing her as ‘Goddess” or the equivalent.

“We have an issue and someone that badly needs assistance. We’ll be at the front porch shortly. If possible could you wake Lady Kelly and Lord Ben? I believe they’re going to want to see this as well,” said the voice.

Kelly was pretty certain it was Aestra and she was about as solid and level-headed as anyone she’d ever known, Fae or Human. If she thought that Kelly and Ben needed in on this then it was for a very good reason.

“Yes, of course, we’ll be right there,”

Sarah then rolled toward Ben and gently touched his shoulder.

“Hey sleeping beauty- wakey wakey, we’re needed outside in a minute,” she whispered.

Sarah could feel Ben come instantly awake. He was always able to do that no matter how tired he was or how deep his sleep was. She could never figure out how.

“Okay, my love. Let me get some pants on,” he said as he gave her a gentle kiss and made his way off the huge custom king bed, careful not to wake the others.

“Oh I don’t know, I think Aestra might prefer you as you are,” Sarah giggled at the horrified expression that crossed Ben’s face. Sarah knew that Ben considered Aestra way too young for such speculation, but Sarah wasn’t sure about that if the looks Aestra gave Ben were any indication.

“Kelly’s needed too, I’ll get her up,” said Sarah with a grin.

“This ought to be fun,” said Ben looking over his shoulder to Sarah as he pulled on jeans and a t-shirt. Kelly, her somewhat staid and proper sister-wife, nearly always engaged in some pretty amusing, often raunchy sleep talk when she was woken unexpectedly

“Kelly, sister, we need you to wake up,” said Sarah, shaking her gently.

“What ‘gain ahready? We just did it Benny Wenny baby,” Kelly sighed. “Hokay ‘m a lil horny too. Gimme sec,” Kelly mumbled and began attempting to pull off the long t-shirt (formerly Ben’s) that she preferred to sleep in. Of course, she ended up with the shirt tangled around her head and her arms trapped within- her naked body completely exposed in the dim amber-pink light of pre-dawn.

Dang, I hope I look that good when it’s my turn to be preggers thought Sarah. Kelly’s smooth torso was gently rounded with a tiny baby bump and her breasts had just started the journey into the ripeness of motherhood. She was stunning and Sarah was more than a little envious.

Sarah snorted as this image of feminine perfection began snoring and drifted off to sleep again.

Kelly was still just a bit groggy when she schlepped out onto the front porch wearing a fluffy robe and her pink bunny slippers. Sarah and Ben gave her a look.

“Alright, you two- what’s so funny?” she said with a raised eyebrow.

“Nothing sis,” said Sarah wide-eyed in innocence.

Ben started to say something and then remembered the ‘better part of valor’. “Um, nothing my love, you just look so ravishing this morning,”

“Hmmmpf!” said Kelly as she gave him a skeptical look and was just about to dig deeper when they heard a voice coming out of the early morning mist in the direction of the driveway.

“Good morning Skipper, good morning ladies,” said Dimitry.

“Good morning lieutenant, I see you are duty officer today,” replied Ben to the former Spetznaz and mercenary.

“Yes sir, I’ll let the perimeter patrol brief you- they are right behind me,” said Dimitry, sketching an informal salute.

They could now hear the clop of hoofs and then the bulky figure of Joe appeared out of the fog escorted by Aestra leading a five-man Fae patrol. They could see a vague shape on Joe’s back that resolved to be a woman clinging desperately to his mane. The figure gave out a low moan. And Kelly raced off the porch followed closely by Sarah and Ben.

“Sorry Boss, the Fae wanted her to dismount and they were going to carry her on one of the new portable stretchers, but she refused to get off,” said Joe mentally.

Kelly knew that Joe was the gentlest of souls in most circumstances and would not have wanted his passenger to endure more pain than she had to.

“It’s okay Joe you did good, real good. We’ll take it from here,” Ben replied.

“Quick Ben, help me get her off,” said Kelly.

“Ben, Kelly? I made it. Thank you Joe.” said the figure as she passed out. If Ben hadn’t caught her in his arms she would have fallen to the hard gravel.

“Nikki? Oh my god, Ben, it’s Nikki!” said Kelly as she brushed the woman’s dark bloodied hair from her face. “Let’s get her inside. Sarah, could you roust Lauren’s mom and see if she can come and help me.”

Lauren’s mom, Belle, was visiting from France and had been invited to stay at the ranch after the wedding. Kelly was quite capable of healing many things on her own, but she was still learning, and having a medical doctor on the ranch was something she would take advantage of when she could.

“You gottit sis, be right back,” said Sarah as she trotted toward the new guest quarters.

Nikki must have come to again briefly as Ben carried her up the stairs. Kelly could see her burrowing her face into Ben’s chest. For a moment, despite the seriousness of the situation, she smiled as she remembered her first meeting with the busty vivacious mom. She once had nearly beaned Nikki with a paperweight when she tried to make a pass at Ben.