📎A/N. Hello my lovelies. We have seen the power of nature around the globe in the past week. Here in New Zealand a 7.8 earth quake hit the lower North Island and parts of the South Island, as well as a Tsunami. There has been flooding in Indonesia with nearly 20,000 people affected, and storms across the ditch in Queensland, Australia produced winds of up to 100 m.p.h. / 160 k.p.h and hailstones the size of golf balls... and all this occurred around the first super moon in 68 years. Coincidence? ... I'll let you be the judge of that ;-)

Thank you to all those to reached out this week to make sure I was okay after the news of the earthquake hit. I really do appreciate your concern and I was very touched.

I hope you enjoy the chapter, if you do, don't forget to vote. It's real easy... just click that little star.

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For once, Keira had no problem with Ryker's excessive speed. In fact, if he weren't already pushing the vehicle to its limits, she'd cast a spell to press the accelerator to the floor. The moment the tires rebelled at the sudden screech of brakes as they pulled into the station's car park, she was out of the door before it came to a full halt. She imagined the worst, and with Dayna not answering her calls, each scenario that played out was more horrifying than the previous.

Keira raced inside and called out to her sister. The moment she burst through the door Jessie Pearl looked up from her monitor and froze. A muesli bar hovered halfway to her mouth, as her other hand held a phone to her ear. Keira halted in her tracks and glanced around the nearly empty station. She didn't know what to expect, but a peaceful and quiet building wasn't it.

"I'll phone you back," said Jessie Pearl before placing the handset back onto its cradle. "Is everything all right?"

The door swung open, and Ryker materialized beside her. "I've checked the perimeter. Did you find them?"

Keira shook her head and turned to Jessie Pearl. "Where's my sister and Ananya?"

The dispatcher indicated towards Ryker's office. 'They haven't come out since you left."

"Is everything okay here? Where's Jobson?" Ryker asked, referring to the desk sergeant.

Jessie Pearl leaned back in her chair and placed her hand over her heavily pregnant stomach. "She ducked out to get us some pizza. Why?"

Keira didn't wait for the answer. Instead, she headed across the room relieved at not finding any of the thousand scenarios that had played it in her head during the mad dash. An odd sweet smell flew up to her nostrils when she pushed open the closed door and entered Ryker's office.

"What the—"

Dayna was sitting—or rather, lounging—in Ryker's chair with her feet up on the desk. Ananya was in a similar position on the couch. They were both doing a good imitation of hyenas with their raucous laughter. Tears rolled down Dayna's eyes while Ananya held on to her stomach begging Dayna to stop as her sides hurt too much.

Keira waved her hand in the air to clear out some of the smoke that hung in a low cloud formation. "What the hell is going on?"

Instead of answers, all she got for her troubles was another round of laughter. Keira placed her hands on her hips. "This is not funny."

This only set them off again.

A low growl erupted from beside her. "This is a Sheriff's station; not a teenage frat house."

He strode across the room, opened a window, then glared down at Ananya. "This is your doing, isn't it?"

Ananya swung her legs off the couch and sat up. The twitch from her jaw was an indication that it was a struggle to keep a straight face. "And why would you assume it was me? I'm just an old woman," she said.

Ryker's deathly stare made Ananya fidget. She pursed her lips together as she scrunched her face then pointed to Dayna. "It's her fault, she made me do it. I thought it was a herbal cigarette."

Dayna whipped her legs off the desk and bolted upright. "Don't you go blaming me you wrinkled hag. You're the one that found it."

At that, both women burst into laughter again. "I told you he'd blame me," said Ananya between breaths. "Even when I was a kid, he'd accuse me of stealing stuff from his room."

"He's just a big meanie," agreed Dayna.

"That's because you did," said Ryker as he towered over the diminutive secretary. "You were caught red handed every time."

Ananya harrumphed and stood. "Now you're just exaggerating. I got away with it sometimes." She raised her chin. "I'm peckish, I think I'll go see if there's any food in the kitchen."

Once the petite older woman had left the room, Keira swung back to face her sister. With Dayna not answering her calls, she had panicked. Fear was now replaced by anger. "How could you be so irresponsible? We're in the middle of a disaster, you don't pick up, and you sneak a joint with an elderly woman."

Dayna rolled her eyes. "You're over-reacting as usual. Besides, if a disaster isn't the perfect time, when is? Staying uptight isn't going to solve anything, and I hardly think a couple of fist fights a disaster."

Keira counted to ten. This was typical Dayna, never considering the ramifications of her actions.

Ryker placed a hand on her arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. "She fine. Nothing's happened to her."

At his words, the stress she'd been under then entire drive, popped and her temper deflated.

Dayna leaned forward and grinned. "Sheriff McSexy is correct. I'm fine, so fine, in fact, I'll even let you join the party." She looked over the desk and frowned. "Where did that old biddy go? She's taken the party with her."

"Crap!" said Ryker in a low growl. He turned and headed out the door. "Ananya, where the hell are you?"

Dayna raised her voice and called out, "If you find any food, can you bring it back with you."

Keira crossed her arms over her chest, tapped her foot repeatedly, and stared at her sister. Dayna, who had begun to stack some of the files on Ryker's desk in a neat pile, looked up. "What?" She shrugged. "I'm hungry."

***

"I don't understand how that's possible," said Dayna. There was an edge of alarm to her voice. Not that Keira could blame her sister, it was a struggle for her to not break out in a cold sweat.

Deacon had arrived not long after Ryker had scrounged up a tube of Pringles for Dayna. The chaos that gripped the city and outlying counties had died down as quickly as it erupted. The day shift was slowly returning to the station to check out for the night, and Mitos was charged with driving Miss Ananya home. As expected, he did with a very vocal and flowery complaint. Much to their surprise, the deputy was Ananya's arch nemesis in her weekly bingo nights. They left the station accusing each other of cheating.

Despite wanting to pursue the Legion bombshell, Keira couldn't get Ryker or Deacon to talk. They evaded the subject until after their ward was out of harm's way and earshot.

"There's no other explanation," said Deacon. "The upper ranks of the Legion are the only things that have ever had that sort of power."

Keira grimaced and shook her head from side to side. "There's no way those gaps are big enough. What's more, if they were coming through it would be at Mystery Hill. We've been there each morning, and it was checked on throughout the day, every day."

"Trudeau," Ryker said with a groan. "The team he had monitoring the crime scene are the same ones that disappeared with him. Which means they had unrestricted access to the stones, except during the short time we were there each morning."

"That's where you are wrong," said Deacon, "they have unfettered access."

Ryker reached for his Sheriff's baseball cap. "We'd better get out there then."

They were about five miles from Mystery Hill when Ryker pulled off the road and tucked the vehicle behind a clump of trees and out of sight from the road.

"Why are we stopping here?" asked Keira.

"We can't risk being spotted. If they are there, the Order will be monitoring the entrance."

They exited the dented SUV, and Keira peered into the darkness. The road wasn't well lit as it was, and the woods with an overcast night did not have the benefit of the moon to guide them. She took a deep breath. "Okay then, lead the way."

Ryker chuckled. "We won't be walking, or at least you won't be."

"I don't understand," said Keira.

Deacon moved across to Dayna. "If we walk," he said, "it will be at least an hour's journey, probably more, as we will be crossing through bush and uneven ground. Ryker and I can get you there in a fraction of that."

Dayna let out a squeal. "Hold still big boy." She then hurled herself at Deacon's back. He lifted her as she threw hear arms around his shoulders. Dayna adjusted herself and settled in for a piggy back ride. "I could get used to this."

Ryker was suddenly by her side. "Doc, it's your lucky day, you get to ride me." He turned his back to her and said, "Hop on board."

Keira took a step back. "You can't be serious."

"Don't be shy," he said with a grin. "Just wrap your legs around me and hold on real tight. I promise to be gentle with your first time."

Uncertain Keira looked over at Deacon and Dayna. Deacon was looking uncomfortable with the gentle teasing and the prodding with her heels. A moment later they were gone.

"Unless you can find that broomstick of yours to fly you there, we need to go," Ryker said. From the low timbre of his voice, he was not only serious but impatient to go.

With reluctance, Keira wrapped her arms over his shoulders, and he pulled her legs up until they were straddled either side of his waist. With her face pressed so close to his neck, she couldn't help but notice a faint smell of licorice beneath his masculine scent.

"It'll get a little bumpy," said Ryker. "Just don't let go."

The journey took a little more than five minutes. Keira had not been carried like that since childhood, and couldn't for the life of her, work out why it had been so enjoyable as a child. but an uncomfortable way to travel as an adult. However, she had to admit that it might have been due to the fact she'd gotten a little hot under the collar at the closeness of their bodies.

To reduce the chance of being seen, they had circled around to approach from the north side of the woods. Never before had Keira been so thankful for clouds. They afforded them the ability to get much closer than they otherwise would have. Keira and her sister had been set down, and they cautiously moved forward. From the light emitting from the direction of the stones, any hope that Deacon had been wrong, evaporated.

As they drew nearer, Ryker let out a string of curses that would have made a sailor blush.

"I did not fully expect that either," said Deacon.

Keira looked to her sister. With the lack of light to guide their way, they were virtually blind. This can't be good.

She narrowed her eyes and peered towards the light. "What do you see?" As such as she tried, they were still too far away to make out anything tangible.

A few minutes later, and that much closer, Keira's heart thumped against her ribcage. It was worse than anything she could have imagined. 

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📎A/N.. OMG!!! What do you think she saw?

... and Dayna made a new bestie... what do you think of that? Although, I think with Ananya being a LOT younger, Dayna may not be able to keep up with her ;-) LOL!!

Don't forget to vote before you go to the next chapter.

Take care.

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