Strengthening Their Bonds (Miracle Book 13)

by Shea Balik

  “We both know you’re the best with these traps.” When Arjun opened his mouth to once more protest, Tevin put a finger over his lips and added, “Not to mention, you’re one of the best at evading the enemy. When we find out where the shifters are being held, you damn well know, you’re going to have to take the ones with the most amount of danger involved. You’re going to need someone we trust to watch your back.”

  When Arjun pouted, but didn’t argue, Baz feared it was because Tevin knew far better than him exactly what they were getting themselves into. None of it sat well with him, but as much as he hated it, they needed to try and get those shifters free.

  Pulling them close, he growled out, “Both of you are to promise me that you will do whatever it takes to make it out of there, got it?” Then he slammed all their lips together in a sloppy, but heated kiss.

  Baz wasn’t sure how, but he was going to do whatever it took to keep his mates safe and bring them back home. Nothing else would be acceptable.

  CHAPTER 15

  “Are you sure?” Tevin asked Arjun for at least the twentieth time since he and Baz had come up with the plan of attack.

  Arjun had been impressed with Baz’s abilities when it came to strategy. Once Arjun had explained the different aspects of what he and Tevin did, Baz had been able to look at the maps Saber and Chadwick had sent them of the now thirty camps they’d discovered, and easily see problems with terrain, lines of sight, and even how close they’d have to get for Arjun’s and Tevin’s devices to be effective.

  The types of traps Arjun had brought with him were extensive. Many times it wasn’t until he could see the site himself was Arjun able to know what would work best to create the most chaos with the least amount of death. Then again, there were pictures from some of the sites where Arjun wasn’t so sure less death would be the way to go.

  Most of the shifters were being treated… not exactly well, but well enough. Most likely due to the need to keep them healthy in order to sell or use or whatever in the hell they were planning to do with them. But there were four camps specifically that had been clearly abusing the shifters. Several who were in cages were in a heap on the ground and Arjun wasn’t entirely sure if they were even alive.

  As far as he was concerned those humans needed to die. As painfully as possible if it were up to Arjun. Too bad it wasn’t.

  “Yes, I’m sure,” Arjun told Tevin. “Saber gave us strict orders that the humans needed to be put in their place, but not killed if possible.”

  “I still don’t see why,” Baz growled out. “I get that we work with several human governments, but they should understand why we had to kill those who were chasing us. It wasn’t as if they gave us much choice.”

  It was hard to argue that point when Arjun agreed wholeheartedly, but he also knew the deaths of that many soldiers, even though they were from several different countries, would raise the eyebrows of news organizations everywhere. That there were also hundreds, possibly thousands of shifters who the humans thought were humans, who would die, causing the story to dominate the news for days.

  “Me, neither,” Tevin said obstinately, crossing his arms over his chest to show just how much he was opposed to the idea of setting up non-lethal devices. “If we have any hope of being free of human hunters, we need to show them what we’re capable of.”

  Arjun didn’t appreciate having to be the logical one. In fact, he hated it. Only because he was terrified of Saber, even with Baz as his mate, was Arjun willing to be more reasonable about all of this.

  “Look, we’ve been warned by the leaders of the human governments that if we kill anyone else, they will be forced to take action.” The fact that those in charge felt the need to threaten them was enough to give Arjun pause. He was still pissed, but the last thing they needed at that point was to be in an all-out war with the most powerful nations on earth.

  In hand to hand combat, shifters would dominate, but that wouldn’t be how the humans fought. Not that shifters didn’t have the ability to use weapons, but they didn’t begin to have enough to take on those who would oppose them if they let this go too far.

  The only concession the humans had made after Saber had told them what was happening, was to look the other way if only a handful of the hunters died. But they made it clear to Saber, they expected that number to remain as low as possible. It pained Arjun, but it meant not killing those that were clearly abusing the shifters they had caged.

  “None of us want to start a war with the humans that we have little hope of winning, do we?” he asked both of his mates, making sure to use his stern voice. When they didn’t answer right away he barked out, “Do we?”

  “No,” Baz mumbled.

  “I guess not,” Tevin capitulated.

  Arjun smiled at his disgruntled mates. “Good. Now that we have that settled, let’s talk about how we can fuck up their lives without actually killing them.”

  Damn, but Arjun loved creating new and interesting ways to do that.

  ***

  The low growl of the lion above him warned Arjun he was running out of time. If only he’d had more time, he would have really been able to do some ‘damage’. No one would die, but they would definitely think twice before deciding to come after a shifter again.

  Well, assuming they had the ability when this was over. Some of Arjun’s devices might not kill, but they would hurt like a bitch. He had everything including nerve agents, which he wasn’t thrilled to be using for they were a bit barbaric, but when the enemy was as cruel as these assholes were, he wasn’t above using whatever was necessary.

  Thankfully it didn’t affect shifters, sort of. If one got too close, it could and would knock them out. That was why he needed more time. He’d already set up devices that would slow the humans down with everything from blanks, to dirt bombs, that only caused the dirt to fly up into the air, making it appear as if a bomb had gone off, as well as a few funnier ones like the incandescent bombs. They painted whoever tripped them in bright neon colors that took months to wash off.

  It had been his own special recipe he’d invented when he’d set the trap for the auxiliary armory as Krill had asked him to. Discovering the stuff had led him to experimenting with it. He wasn’t sure it would take a month to get off, as this was the first time he’d used it, but he’d added a few ingredients that would make it seep deep into the skin layers.

  Almost everything he’d set up was merely distraction, and hopefully a deterrent to stop the humans from following the men who were assigned to free this group of shifters. If that didn’t work… well, let’s just say the next tier would. But in case there was someone who was stubborn, as well as lucky, then the chemical weapons would go off.

  Every single one of his booby traps could be remotely controlled. That way, once they were all free, he could shut them down without an innocent bystander one day tripping one and getting hurt. Arjun also made sure to meticulously map each one, so once the hunters had left the area, Arjun would be able to come back in and take them all down.

  He’d do that for two reasons. One, because he wasn’t exactly made of money and some of this shit was expensive as hell. But two, and this one he believed in wholeheartedly, he never wanted them to fall into the wrong hands. Sure, many were pretty harmless, but the second and third tier of devices would cause a whole lot pain. In the wrong hands, they could be used to torture or kill.

  “Five minutes,” he whispered under his breath as he moved to the next spot he needed to set up. He’d kept his voice low knowing Baz would hear him, yet the humans wouldn’t.

  But he stilled when a growl of pure rage rumbled from above him. Baz made sure the sound would only be heard by Arjun, but he knew his mate either saw, smelled, or sensed danger. Trusting Baz’s lion, Arjun darted between two very large trees that barely had enough room for him to wedge himself.

  “I’m telling you, we need to do more experiments on them.” The sound of evil as the man spoke sent chills down Arjun’s spine. “We sh
ould cut off their hands and see if they grow back. And did you see how crazy that hyena got when we raped the woman he called his mate? We could use that aggression to round up more shifters. That man practically killed himself to get out of his cage to save her. Imagine what he’d do for us if we kept her hostage.”

  It took all of Arjun’s control not to shift, run up to the man, and bite his nuts off before he even knew Arjun was there. But that might give away what they were doing and get more of the captured shifters killed, not to mention the men who were doing everything in their power to free them.

  Stick to the plan, Arjun. He had to tell himself that over and over again as he struggled not to lash out at the sick man’s ideas of what an ‘experiment’ was.

  When their voices faded away and Baz gave a chuff to let him know he was once more safe, Arjun got back to work. Later, he would make sure that man died. He might not want a war with the humans, but some people were too evil to allow them to live.

  Ten minutes later, he and Baz were heading back to where Saber and his men were waiting for them.

  “Are you done?” Saber asked. The Council Leader had decided he and two of his men would lead the charge to free these shifters for two reasons. First, no one was entirely sure how many of the shifters would need to be carried. Secondly, out of all the camps that were holding shifters, this one was the most sadistic, and Saber wanted to be sure to save as many shifters as possible. That would require the best fighters, which Saber’s team definitely was.

  “Yes. What about Tevin?” he asked of his mate, who was about fifty miles away at the moment. Too far for either Arjun or Baz. They were worried and they had every right to be. Some of these camps were well armed and well patrolled. Far better than any of them had imagined they’d be.

  “He’s already on his way here with Draco,” Saber told him. “They should be here in twenty minutes. That’s when we’ll attack.”

  Draco was Saber’s second. Probably the only shifter on earth that scared Arjun more than Saber. He wasn’t entirely sure what kind of shifter Draco was, but whatever he was had Arjun’s fox wanting to burrow deep into a den and never come out.

  Arjun usually felt bad for the way he acted when Draco was around, because the man was actually really nice, especially since Arjun and the man’s mate, Ryland, who was human, were good friends. Ryland swore Draco would never hurt anyone who didn’t need to be ‘taught a lesson’, but Arjun’s fox was too damn terrified when the man was around to remember that.

  “Hey,” Baz’s soothing deep voice rumbled in his ear as his arms came around Arjun’s waist. “You okay?”

  Nodding, he turned his head back and lifted his chin to give Baz a kiss. “Yes. Just want to have Tevin close, you know?” It wasn’t exactly a lie but he didn’t think Baz needed to know Draco scared the shit out of him when the man hadn’t done anything to deserve his reaction.

  “Me, too,” Baz said as he pulled Arjun close.

  As much as he appreciated the moment of comfort, it was all they were allowed as they both started to suit up for battle.

  CHAPTER 16

  In the couple of weeks Saber and his men had been in Africa searching for as many of the captive shifters as possible, they had done a lot of work. Not only in finding thirty campsites without being seen, but in creating their own mini village, complete with huts, four-wheel vehicles that could traverse any of the terrains they encountered – which had been everything from desert to the thick jungle – as well as amass a huge stockpile of weapons.

  Tevin was impressed with the arsenal, especially considering how well armed some of the camps were. He’d been shocked at what he’d seen. Based on Draco’s reaction, they’d already known. Which was most likely why they’d called in Hudson, Alpha Edrick’s sharp shooter as well as weapons expert, to help them prepare.

  All three of them were currently heading to the last site Arjun was to booby trap. According to Saber, the men who were guarding the shifters there were the most prepared. Not only were they well-armed, but they were constantly patrolling.

  Tevin took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves as Draco drove them in the four wheeler they’d been using all day to get them closer to the camps where the shifters were being held. They still had to traverse a lot of ground on foot as they weren’t able to get too close without risking detection of the humans hearing the ATV, but it helped since many of the locations were quite a distance from each other.

  In all they stretched from the northern areas within the Sahara Desert and down to the southern third of the continent. Most of the camps were set up within the interior with a few along the coast. It was this last group that compromised most of the captives.

  If Tevin had to guess, they were preparing to ship the shifters somewhere. He didn’t even want to contemplate where that might be. Nor did he want to know what would be done to them when they got there.

  Tevin prayed once more that Arjun and Baz were safe. Considering what they had been tasked to do, it was entirely possible they would be captured. The last camp was in the jungles of the Congo.

  There were at least thirty shifters in cages with more than two hundred armed men guarding them. Their patrols extended far beyond the traps Arjun had planned to set, which meant there would be times his mates would be vulnerable to capture.

  Saber and his men were to monitor them, but everyone understood they wouldn’t be able to go in after them if they were caught. It would tip off not only that camp, but any others they were in communication with. It had been challenging enough to get enough men in the area to attack all thirty sites without being noticed. The last thing they needed was for their hard work to go to waste.

  Well, the last thing Tevin needed was to have his mates captured.

  “Hey,” Hudson placed a hand on Tevin’s shoulder. “Mannix just called to let you know Baz and Arjun made it back safely.”

  Tears instantly sprang to Tevin’s eyes in relief. Until he’d heard those words, he hadn’t quite realized how on edge he’d been. But now that he knew his mates were safe, his clenched hands uncurled, the knots in his stomach began to dissipate, and his wolf stopped growling in his head at leaving his mates.

  He was still whining, for Tevin wasn’t sure he’d be fine until his mates were in his arms, but at least he no longer had to fight his wolf from shifting and finding them. It hadn’t been easy, especially since Tevin wanted the same thing, but he also knew this mission was too important to not complete.

  ***

  Twenty minutes later they were pulling up to the small team that would take on two hundred armed soldiers. In all there would be fourteen shifters. Not exactly fair odds, but if he knew Arjun, his mate had set up enough booby traps to even those odds.

  The minute the vehicle stopped, Tevin was pulled from his seat and crushed against Baz’s chest. A second later, Arjun was at his back. Both Tevin and his wolf whimpered in relief. This was exactly where he needed to be, encased in his mates’ arms.

  “Three minutes people,” Saber told them. “I’ve sent out the word to the other groups and we attack in three minutes. Load up and let’s get into position.”

  The terror Tevin had been feeling the moment he and his mates had separated earlier was back, except it was ten times worse. They would be going against the humans, which according to Draco and Hudson, this group was the most sadistic of the bunch. They had no honor in the way they fought. If anything, they seemed to take pleasure in inflicting as much pain as possible.

  As if they had the same thought, the three of them kissed. Love, fear, and desperation were felt by all of them as they struggled to find a way to do what must be done.

  Baz ended the kiss, then pulled them both against his chest and whispered fiercely, “Stay safe and come back to me, understood?”

  Both Arjun and Tevin nodded.

  Then Arjun stripped and shifted into a beautiful red fox with a fluffy tail. He preened a moment when Baz knelt down and petted him. It was the first time Baz had
seen Arjun’s fox.

  “Let’s go,” Saber called out.

  Baz attached a bag with a pair of shorts, several knives, and three lock pick sets to Arjun’s body. When he was done Tevin had stripped and was in his wolf form. Baz gave him a quick pet before attaching another bag with sweats, a short sword, several knives, and three lock pick sets to his body.

  Two other of the smaller shifters animals joined Arjun and Tevin as they made their way to the camp. The four of them would come in from different directions. Just before separating from Arjun, Tevin nuzzled his mate for a moment.

  It hurt to watch Arjun going into that campsite alone. There would be no one to protect him if he was captured. Although, Hudson was high in the trees with his rifle, ready to shoot anyone who came near one of the four of them. It gave Tevin a modicum of peace, but it wasn’t as helpful as he’d hoped it would have been.

  Carefully, he worked his way around to the east side of the cages. Staying as close to the foliage as possible until then, he’d managed to remain hidden. But it would be at least twenty steps without anything to cover him until he could reach the first cage.

  The shifter inside, a hippo by the smell of him, saw him the second he’d stepped from the trees. In an effort to keep himself from being noticed, Tevin raced to the cage and rounded to the back side. There he stopped, shifted, and slipped on his shorts.

  There was another man and a woman in the cage, who maneuvered to block Tevin from the sight of the guards. He handed the hippo shifter a knife. “Do any of you know how to pick a lock?” he whispered softly.

  The hippo shifter nodded as he took the small kit.

  “If you can, block me while I go to the next cage. Pick the lock, but try not to get out until we have all the cages open and can lead you out safely. There are shifters surrounding the camp to help us, but there are also booby traps set up to stop the humans from following us.” This had been the one part of the plan Tevin and the others had to trust those who were caged.