Ryder sighed and changed the subject. “I’m worried about Elijah again. The fact that we couldn’t get him out tonight convinces me that something is very wrong. I mean — it’s the Christmas party.”
“I know; we’ll keep at it, though. He’s our friend and after everything we’ve all been through, we need to be there for each other.”
“I just hope he’s okay.”
Skylar put his arm around Ryder and pulled him into a side hug. “Me, too.”
~*~
Jaxon crouched in the backyard of Elijah’s house in wolf form. He’d taken to doing this every night. After his conversation with Elijah at the Halloween party, he was convinced something was supernatural about Elijah; he just couldn’t figure out what it was. Chance had volunteered to do some research for him on people with supernatural abilities and Jaxon hoped something would explain Elijah’s behavior. It was so handy having a warlock on the team.
The back door opened and Jaxon tried to squeeze under the stairs. Damn werewolf size! He barely got half his body concealed when he heard whistling.
“Come here, boy. I brought you some food,” Elijah said quietly.
Boy? Was Elijah talking to him or had he somehow not noticed a dog?
“I know you’re here; I saw you jump the fence.”
Shit. He did see him. Jaxon backed out from under the stairs and moved cautiously in the dark.
“There you are. Don’t be afraid. I got you some food.” Elijah set the plate down in the grass and backed away. He had no idea what breed of dog was that damn big, but he was going to Google it.
As the animal moved into the light from the back porch, Elijah gasped at its size. It was easily five feet tall and the size of a horse. It wasn’t a dog. It couldn’t be. It looked more like a wolf.
“Wow, you’re beautiful,” Elijah whispered. The dark brown coat shone with blond highlights. Blue eyes regarded him with caution.
Elijah motioned to the plate. “It’s just some steak bones and stuff, but I got some with meat on them. You don’t look like you’re starving, though.” Elijah chuckled as the wolf huffed at him. “So what is it about my yard that you like so much?” Elijah tilted his head as the wolf sniffed the plate.
“You come here every night and just sit at the far end of the yard. Why? Is it me or my guardians you find so fascinating? It can’t be me, I’m a freak — at least that’s what those two assholes keep telling me.” Elijah sighed and sat on the stairs. “They’re right, though. Something’s wrong with me. I’m so afraid I’m going to hurt one of my friends when I get mad or scared. There’s a guy I really like — what if I hurt him?”
Jaxon’s head popped up from the plate.
“Oh, yeah, and I’m gay. Great, huh?” Elijah sighed and put his face in his hands. A soft snort alerted him that the wolf had moved right in front of him. It nuzzled his face and whined softly. Elijah sat stock still as it continued to rub itself on him.
“I think you might be gay, too,” Elijah snickered. He sobered and reached out a hand. The wolf nuzzled it and Elijah smiled. “You’re not normal either, are you? At first I thought you were a hellhound or something.”
Elijah chuckled when the wolf seemed to raise its brows. “Oh yeah, I believe in all that stuff. Vampires, werewolves, witches. I think people are stupid to think they don’t exist.”
“Elijah! Who’s out there?!”
Elijah stood up quickly and looked around in a panic. “You’d better go.”
The screen door opened suddenly, slamming against the house. Elijah stood in the middle of the porch, trying to look nonchalant. His adoptive parents looked around the yard with their eyes narrowed.
“Who were you talking to?”
Elijah brushed past them into the house. He hoped like hell the wolf had gotten out of the yard. Knowing his guardians, they’d shoot it.
“I was talking to myself. You know, since I’m not allowed to spend time with my friends and talk to them,” Elijah snapped. “Merry Christmas to you, too.”
He slammed the door to his room and ran to his bedroom window. He scanned the yard, but didn’t see the wolf. He hoped it had gotten as far away from him as possible.
Elijah sighed and dropped onto his bed. He missed his friends and he missed Jaxon Salvatore. It seemed so long ago since he’d laid eyes on that perfect man and felt free to flirt with him. He rolled to his side and pulled his knees to his chin. “Merry Christmas to me,” he whispered into the dark.
~*~
Jaxon hunched on the other side of the fence, out of view. Elijah’s sobs almost broke his heart. His eyes narrowed, following the adoptive parents as they walked around inside the house. Something wasn’t right about them. This was the third time he’d seen them. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but they just didn’t fit. It was almost as if they had been photo-edited into reality somehow. His eyes wandered to the second floor window where Elijah was quietly crying. Jaxon’s anger rose with every hiccup and sniffle. He was going to figure out exactly what was going on.
~*~
As the Christmas party wound down, Skylar searched the room for Stone. He caught his attention and waved him over. Ryder followed right behind him.
“You guys ready to head home?” Skylar grabbed his jacket.
“Yeah,” Stone rubbed his eyes. “I’m tired.”
“I said my thanks and goodnight to our hosts. Did you?”
Ryder nodded. “Yep. Still can’t believe it, though. Our own recording studio? That’s just…wow. Man, wait till Elijah finds out!”
“We’ve come a long way.” Stone wrapped his arm around their shoulders as they exited the building. They searched for the truck they’d come in and found it at the back of the parking lot. Skylar jingled the keys that Jackson had given him when he and Jonas got another ride home.
“We have to drive slowly,” he chuckled. “This is Austin’s pride and joy.”
“I know. Tucker said he’d arrest us if there was one scratch when he brought Austin over in the morning to get it.”
Skylar stopped in front of the huge gold Excursion and tilted his head. “It’s such a chick magnet. It just screams ‘party boy’.”
Stone laughed.
A loud noise caught their attention and all three spun around. The back of the parking lot was pitch-dark.
“So, yeah — let’s go?” Ryder tried to laugh, but something was spooky.
“Yeah.” Skylar narrowed his eyes. “Let’s go.”
~*~
Justice held firm to the man he had grabbed near the parking lot.
“Really? You come here, on our property, and try to cause harm?” he snarled into the rogue’s ear. A loud noise caught his attention, and a blur of movement in front of him immediately elongated his canines. He readied himself for attack, only to see Killian dragging a lifeless rogue behind him.
“Killian?!”
“I see you caught one of your own.” Killian nodded to the rogue in Justice’s grip. He leaned into its face and smiled malevolently. “Why are you here?”
The rogue shook his head and Killian sighed.
“Kill it.”
“With pleasure.” Justice snapped the rogue’s neck right off with one fluid movement.
Killian eyed the parking lot. “They were here for the children. I’m sure of it.”
Justice nodded in agreement. “It’s why I followed the kids out, why I’ve been shadowing Skyler.” He regarded Killian. “Where were you?”
“Up there.” Killian jerked his head in the direction of the roof.
Justice narrowed his eyes. “Why were you here? Those boys are human. You hate humans.”
“No, they’re not.” Killian grabbed the lifeless rogue and resumed walking, dragging it behind him.
“What do you mean they’re not human?” Justice ran to catch up.
“I can’t tell you exactly what they are, only that they are more than just human.”
“All of them?” Justice thought of Skylar.
“Yes, all of them.”
Justice grabbed Killian’s arm. The shape shifter looked down at his hand, then back up. “It’s not wise to touch me.”
“It’s not wise to piss me off,” Justice snapped.
Killian sighed in frustration. “Can we burn these? I’d like to get out of here.”
“Fine, but at some point you’re going to have to tell us who you are and what you know. We’re waging a war here, Killian, and keeping those kids safe is our top priority.”
Killian narrowed his eyes at Justice. “You have feelings for the child.”
“He’s not a child,” Justice scoffed.
Killian shrugged.
“Let’s just go.” Justice dragged his rogue towards Scott’s truck, sending a mental message to let Scott know they’d run into trouble. He turned to find Killian gone.
“Dammit!”
~Chapter Ten~
Jonas walked through the security area with Jude and they approached the elevators that would take them to the sub-level of Caden’s office building. Jackson followed closely. They’d argued that morning about Jonas’ safety regarding the shifters from Siberia. In the end, Jonas had relented and Jackson came along for peace of mind.
Wayne had asked Jonas and Jude to meet with the shifters they’d found in Siberia. None of them had shifted into human form yet, even after Wayne assured them that no harm would come to them. Jackson’s fingers brushed Jonas’ and they slowly entwined as the elevator descended. Jonas looked into his mate’s eyes and saw the worry there.
“Don’t worry; it’ll be fine,” Jonas assured his mate.
“If Hayden had his way, he’d be here, too,” Jude snorted. “Like I can’t deal with a few shifters.”
“We don’t know what they’re capable of,” Jackson argued. “We’ve never dealt with other kinds of shifters.”
“Killian’s a shifter,” Jude pointed out.
“Yes, he is,” Jackson nodded. “And we have no clue where he is at any given moment. He could be one of us.”
They all looked at each other and then chuckled.
The doors opened and they turned down a sterile white hallway. The offices in sub-level were actually small, one bedroom apartments. The newest shifters could leave whenever they wanted; they weren’t locked in — a point Wayne had made from the beginning.
Jude knocked on one of the apartment doors before cracking it open. The wolverine shifter immediately bared its teeth and snarled at them. Jonas entered with Jude right behind him. Jackson stood by the door with his arms crossed.
“So, you haven’t left yet.” Jonas sat down on one of the comfortable chairs near the kitchen. “You can, you know. Wayne’s not holding you here.” The wolverine eyed them all before snorting again and settling down.
“We have no idea who you are or what you’ve been through,” Jonas began. “What we’d like you to know is that you’re safe with us.” Another snort and a snarl came from the wolverine. “Obviously, we’re not human, either. We work with a branch of the government that is completely secret.”
The wolverine’s jaws snapped and it threw a wild look at the door.
“It’s the government part that freaks it out,” Jackson said knowingly. “Someone did a number on you.”
Jonas nodded to Jude. “Can you shift?”
“I can try.” Jude closed his eyes and called to his tiger. Chance had been teaching him to separate his forms and call on the one he needed. He just hoped it worked. Bringing forth the image of his feline counterpart, Jude began to feel the shift take place. His bones stretched, muscles lengthened and Jude got down on the floor as his tiger form began to take over.
Jonas glanced at the wolverine. It seemed to be in a state of shock as Jude shifted into a white tiger.
“You see? We’re not so different after all, are we?”
The wolverine trotted over to one of the high-backed chairs. Jonas watched it carefully as it began to shimmer. Toes became visible first as the wolverine began to shift. Finally, a dark-haired man stood behind the chair, the chair effectively hiding his parts. Dark eyes assessed them all and there was a hell of a lot of hostility in his glare.
“I’m Jonas Brooks; this is my mate, Jackson Murphy. That —” Jonas motioned to Jude, “is my son, Jude. As I’ve said, our boss, James Jacobs, sent us to talk with you. I’d like to speak with the other two shifters as well, but I think you might be the leader.”
“Hell, I’m no one’s leader. I take care of myself and that’s all. We were caged next to each other; it wasn’t like we had a slumber party.”
“Do you have a name?” Jackson asked.
“One thing at a time, alpha man.”
Jackson’s brows rose.
“You have alpha written all over you.” The wolverine pointed to Jonas. “So does he. Don’t think that makes me in any way intimidated.”
The wolverine crossed his arms with a smirk.
“That’s not what we’re here for.” Jonas stood and opened the door. “Shall we?”
“Clothes would be nice. I’d like to get my stuff, too.”
“Stuff?” Jackson’s brows rose in question.
“Yes, stuff. If you must know, I actually grew up here over on Fort Lewis. My dad was Army. So yes, I have a secret place with my stuff.”
“We can arrange that,” Jonas nodded.
“So you’re just going to let me walk out of here?”
Jackson removed keys from his pocket and tossed them. The wolverine caught them and narrowed his eyes. “Don’t scratch the paint job, and fill the tank before you bring it back. I’ll give you my address.”
“We’ll wait in the hall.” Jonas stepped out with Jackson, and Jude followed. They shut the door and stood in the empty hall.
“We have a lot of work to do.” Jackson nodded to the other two rooms.
“First things first, we have to get them to trust us. This means no pushing and giving them as much space as possible.” Jonas looked over at Jude. “It’s going to be a long day.”
~*~
James’ brows furrowed. “Children?”
Jonas nodded. “That’s what Gaea said.”
“What do we know about Greek mythology?” James sighed in frustration. “I remember some of it, but honestly? I didn’t think I’d need it.”
Jonas chuckled. “We’ve got Chance doing some research.” He motioned to the warlock at the end of the table, nose stuck in a book. “The trick is trying to identify which ‘children’ she’s talking about. We’ve had so many come to us over the last two years.”
“Yes, but only four have gotten close with us,” Jackson pointed out.
“Skylar, Elijah, Ryder, and Stone,” Jude added.
“You think they could be descendants of the gods?” James’ eyes widened.
“Could be,” Jude said. “Killian told Justice they are more than human, plus, both Jaxon and Jesse swear Elijah has power over fire. Now we have three shifters, and a shape shifter we know nothing about. Somehow we stumbled across them?” Jude chuckled. “Hardly. Seems like fate was involved somehow.”
“And now the two of you have two forms,” James sighed, looking at Jonas and Jude. “This all adds up somehow, I just don’t know to what end.” He threaded his fingers behind his head. “Seems we’re all going back to school.”
“Yay?” Jude clapped softly.
“Keep at the wolverine, Jonas. I want him to open up to us. He’s the only one who has shifted to his human form. I want to know what they’ve done to him.”
“I can do that. He’s very hostile, however. If he comes back, we’ll sit down and have a nice chat.”
“He better come back,” Jackson growled. “He took my car.”
Jonas looked at the photograph of the wolverine shifter that was on the table. “Maybe Jackson and I could take him in. Let him see how we live. Show him we’re not out to hurt him.”
“Could work. What do you say, Jackson? You on board with that plan?” James grinned.
“Yes. I can see the kid is scared. Some nasty shit must have been done to him.” Jackson took Jonas’ hand. “And Jonas is very nurturing.”
“Unlike you?” Jonas laughed. “You raised Tristan, Seth and Jacob.”
“Yeah, and look how they turned out,” Jude snickered.
Jackson threw a look at Jude and then turned back to James. “We’ll need to find someone to deal with the panther. I don’t think he’s been in his human form that much.”
“I’ll look into it. In the meantime, let’s get all the guys together on this. We need to put our collective heads together and figure out what in the hell is going on. I don’t like that Lucas was seen with the rogues.” James ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t like any of this.”
Jonas could sense the sadness in James. Lucas Cain had been his partner for years before James was promoted to…well, to whatever he was now.
“We’ll figure this out, James. We will.” Jonas took James’ hand.
“Yes, well, for now, we keep those close to us under constant surveillance. Justice and Jaxon are keeping an eye on Elijah and Skylar. Who do we have on Stone and Ryder?”
“For now we have Ross, Noah and Hayden. I don’t know how long that will last, though, because Jesse Salvatore has a huge target on his back. And Hayden’s got Dasan, too.”
“Hayden and I have Dasan,” Jude corrected.
“Dammit,” James sighed in frustration. “We may have to pull in the Santorno assassins to help.”
“Well, you know they will,” Jonas chuckled. “They enjoy bloodshed and mayhem almost more than our guys do.”
James tapped his fingers on the desk. “What about Killian? Are we any closer to actually having a sit-down with this guy?”
“Not yet,” Jackson answered. “He’s stealthy. I’m sure it has a lot to do with Petey. He did protect Mateo in Morocco, though, and he helped Justice — so maybe he’s coming around a little?”
“We’ll play the wait and see game with him. In the meantime, if we could get a name on the wolverine and the other two, we might be able to help them.”
Broken Bonds Page 13