by Lisa Oliver
Fergus’s gasp told Cam all he needed to know. His poor mate didn’t know things had gotten that bad. And that meant they needed to act and act fast, because the one thing the council came down hard on was slavery. “Don’t say anything,” he said to Fergus. “These guys don’t care about your momma. I’ll call my friends. We’ll organize the raid and get your momma out of there. If you want to talk to these two afterwards, it’s up to you, but don’t say anything now.”
“I’ll arrest you for impeding a council investigation,” Brown stood, reaching behind him. Cam moved, but it seemed something in Fergus reacted faster. A huge plume of smoke came out of Fergus’s mouth, followed by a rush of purple flames. Brown yelped, brushing at his clothes frantically while Cannel sat like a stone, his mouth open in disbelief.
“Precious, that’s enough,” Cam said quickly as the smell of singed cloth and skin hit the air. Fuck, where did all this come from? “We can’t kill council guards.”
“They’re going to arrest you for protecting me.” Fergus’s voice was guttural, deep, as though coming from another dimension. “I won’t allow it.”
“Yep. I think they got that message. They’re going to tell us all we want to know now, aren’t you boys?” Cam stared the wolves down, daring them to object. “Sit, Brown. You’re not hurt, well, nothing a shift won’t heal. So start talking, and maybe, just maybe, we can pool our resources and get this issue with my mate’s fold worked out and save Fergus’s momma.”
Chapter Eighteen
Fergus could murder a drink – make that two drinks. His throat felt scratchy and raw and he was frightened to open his mouth in case more flames appeared. He was still stunned by what had happened. One minute, he was sitting there fuming about the evasive council guards and then suddenly he was belching flames like it was an everyday occurrence.
He knew why he’d gotten so angry of course. The wolves threatened to take his mate, who was trying to protect him and help him save his momma. Even though his anger rose fast, Fergus was trying to suppress his irate animal side. The bull was too big to shift comfortably in the office and someone could’ve got seriously hurt.
But it was like as his bull spirit was being pushed back, some alien being unfurled in his belly – that was exactly how it felt. Like a being who’d lain dormant for years had suddenly woken up deep inside of him, filling his belly with heat, and his soul with a strong sense of right and wrong.
Arresting his mate was wrong, and the creature knew it. Fergus had felt his eyes shift, and they’d focused with intensity on Brown - the man reaching for his cuffs. Heat flooded his body. Fergus opened his mouth to take in more air and instead flames came pouring out. He had no way of stopping it, because he didn’t know how he did it in the first place. But when Cam spoke, it was like the creature listened, and the flames died as quickly as they started.
Fergus risked a look up at his mate, wondering what Cam thought of his fiery burp. But if Cam was worried, he didn’t show it. He was still glaring at Brown, making deals, insisting the men tell them what was going on with the fold. Fergus could feel the creature, it was still inside of him, lurking, watching, waiting, listening to what was being said. I just hope no one asks me to talk. I don’t dare open my mouth.
“You have to understand,” Brown said, glancing quickly at Fergus and then averting his eyes back to Cam. “This whole business with the fold is part of a much larger operation. We’ve been trying to crack down on a shifter slavery ring for the past two years. Little kids, aged between five and ten years old, being sold to extremely wealthy humans.”
“That sucks but it happens,” Cam said shortly. “The odd paranormal has been known to do the same thing to human children. One of my last assignments was taking out a vampire who’d run his operation for over ten years, selling children to feed coven members with a sick appetite. What makes this scum any different?”
“We raided one auction. It was the only lead we had at the time.” Cannel looked down at his hands. “The kids were dressed nicely enough; they’d been kept fed and were clean, but it was as though there was no life left in their eyes.”
“The council has counselors and therapists to help them get over the trauma. Being reunited with family would also help with their recovery.” Cam’s expression didn’t change, and if it wasn’t for the slight tightening of his hand on Fergus’s shoulder, Fergus would imagine his mate unaffected.
“That’s just it,” Cannel looked up and even Fergus could see he was distressed. “There were no parents – all of the parents who’d reported their kids missing suffered an accidental death soon after the kids were stolen from them. It was as though someone was erasing the fact the kids even existed. And then there was something else…” He trailed off and Fergus wanted to stamp his foot in frustration. It was bad enough hearing about poor abused children sold into slavery, but the men still hadn’t said anything about how this tied to the fold.
“All the kids we recovered had a computer chip in their brain,” Brown said. “At first, we thought it was a tracking device, in case any of the children ran away from the people who’d bought them. But it was worse, much worse. The chips affected a part of the brain that rendered them completely docile, making it impossible for any of them to fight back against the people who bought them.”
Fergus felt Cam’s slight body tremor run through the hand resting on him. “Barbaric, I agree,” Cam said curtly. “But it’s not like the military hasn’t used experimental processes in the past to control people.”
“This control was a long-term plan,” Cannel said. “Our scientists got onto it, the moment we realized what was going on – removing the chips and studying them. From what they can tell us, the chips are controlled remotely, and they all had a switch. One minute, the child is docile, following orders as they’ve been programmed to do. The next, they become killing machines. They take out the person they’ve been ordered to kill, and the moment the job is done, a huge electrical surge is sent through the chip, killing the shifter youngsters instantly.”
Fergus closed his eyes as the creature in his belly rumbled angrily. It was comforting that the being wanted to protect children, but Fergus didn’t want to draw any attention to himself. Not when he wasn’t sure how much control he actually had over his body.
From Cam’s tone, it was clear he wasn’t feeling any better. “How many of these children are there out there, in the community, ready to go off? And what the hell does any of this shit storm have to do with my mate’s fold?”
“We don’t know how many,” Brown said. “When the auction was raided, we got some details, but they were sketchy. All we knew for certain was that the children were only sold to humans with a lot of money, who held important positions…”
“And whose death would create a public outcry among humans against shifters once details of how the person died was made public. I get that, I do,” Cam said angrily. “But how did Fergus’s fold get implicated in all of this? You’re talking about a scheme that could have been in the making for a decade or more. People don’t just wake up one day and decide to ruin the peace between the paranormal and human worlds in a master plan that could take years to come to fruition. You said yourself the kids you found at the auction were very young – they were years away from their first shift. They wouldn’t be a danger to a full-grown human at that age. Hell, it could be humans behind all this, seeking to have paranormals contained in camps or something like what was suggested fifty years ago when we first came out.”
“It’s definitely a shifter operation,” Cannel glanced at Fergus. “Three of the five guards we captured were Scottish Highland bull shifters, identified as coming from your mate’s fold. They died, in custody, before they were interviewed. The burner phones we recovered all only had one number on them – belonging to the leader of the fold.”
Fergus frowned. He wasn’t overly surprised at his leader’s involvement. Cannel and Brown wouldn’t have been so persistent about talking to him otherwis
e. What he didn’t understand was if the council had all this evidence, why hadn’t something been done about it. “Why haven’t you picked him up then?” He asked, relieved when nothing flammable came out of his mouth. “The leader, I mean. You have the evidence. It all points to him, or someone within the fold. Why have you been working on this for two years, and not done anything about it?”
“The place has become a stronghold,” Brown said. “Barely anyone in or out. We’ve got no way of knowing what weaponry he has, or how many people are in there.”
“The few times we have managed to capture someone, who’s left the compound, they’ve ended up dead and not by our hands. Our scientists found remains of the same computer chip found in the children, in every one of them,” Cannel added. “Do you see now Fergus, why anything you can tell us is so important? If every person in that compound has been fitted with a chip, then with one push of the button, they could all be dead, and we’d be no closer to finding out how many children are already living with their new human owners. We don’t know if that’s the case, of course, but we can’t take the risk.”
“They didn’t chip me.” Fergus ran his fingers through his hair, testing every bump on his skull. “They didn’t chip me because the leader thought I was useless, because I’m a hybrid and he didn’t want my genetics in the fold.”
“You’re the only person who’s successfully left the fold and lived to tell about it.” Brown looked down at his singed clothing. “Of course, I’d have preferred the other half of your genetics didn’t come from a dragon, but there you are. That probably saved your life.”
“A dragon?” That’s what’s woken up inside of me? “But, when my momma told me about my biological father, I thought from the way she described the men disappearing out of the room, my father was fae or a djinn.”
“Neither the fae or djinn are capable of breathing fire, but many dragons have magic which is how the men might have appeared and disappeared the way they did,” Cam said quietly. “Fergus, hon, I know this is super confusing and we’ve got a lot to talk about. But if we’ve got any chance of saving your momma, you need to tell these two everything you can remember from your life in the fold.”
Fergus thought longingly about his bakery, and then about his warm comfortable bed. He’d rather be in either of those places than talking to the council guards, especially if Cam was with him, but it wasn’t like he had much of a choice. Children’s lives depended on it. His momma’s life might depend on it. Just the thought of her having a computer chip in her head made Fergus feel sick. “Are you recording this or writing it down? This could take a while.”
/~/~/~/~/
Cam hated how useless he felt, running around, getting his mate drinks, ordering lunch from the diner when it was clear Fergus was doing his best to tell everything he knew, but not able to do much else. Every word from Fergus’s mouth angered him. How his fabulous mate was ignored, belittled, abused even, purely because he wasn’t a pure bull shifter.
But there wasn’t anything he could do about that either and it didn’t help, that Cam had a sinking feeling that saving Fergus’s momma, who’d clearly done the best she could for her loving son, wasn’t going to be a slam dunk. If she had been chipped, as the council guards feared, then pulling her out of the compound before the leader was dead, could be a death sentence for her.
Hours passed. Sarah and Brutus called into the bar, Sarah with the bakery takings and to tell Cam the lady adored the wedding cake, and Brutus to let Fergus know he’d prepared the dough for the morning bread order. Darwin took over from Nicky at the bar, and Cam got five minutes to talk to Nicky about managing the place. He was keen and they agreed to talk more when Cam had more time. In the meantime, Nicky would be opening the bar in the morning and that was as far as Cam could think for now.
And still Fergus talked; everything he could think of, from the number of houses in the compound, to the fact that his Uncle Mervin had been told to quit his job and work as security for the fold. Everything Cam heard indicated the leader was far more than a paranoid nut case. He was a despot, a dictator with a long-term plan, and it would seem he had at least fifty people under his care, many of them children.
The curtains had been drawn and the lights turned on by the time Fergus finished. “I don’t know any more. I’m sorry. But it’s been years…”
“You did good, babe,” Cam said quickly, daring Cannel or Brown to say any differently. “I’ll see these two out, and then we’ll head home, yeah? Have a nice hot bath and curl up with a movie. Gentlemen.” He tilted his head towards the door and both men got the hint and stood up.
Cam waited until the pleasantries were over and he had Cannel and Brown in the hallway before he said anything. “Is it enough?” he growled. “Can you get Fergus’s momma out safely and any other innocents in the fold?”
Both wolves looked uneasy. “We can’t focus on your mate’s momma, you know that. We have to get to the leader, and anyone else in the inner circle who might be involved. This is going to take a full-scale raid, and while Fergus’s intel is a huge help, we can’t guarantee the safety of anyone once we breach that compound.”
“Then take me with you,” Cam growled. “You focus on what you need to do, and I’ll find Fergus’s momma and get her out. If Fergus’s siblings are with her, I’ll grab them too. I’ve got the training, you know I have, so don’t use that as an excuse to say no.”
“Cam…”
“No excuses.” Cam pointed back at his office door. “That man has given his all in there today. He’s tired, worried sick about his momma, and he just learned he can breathe fire. If that’s not overwhelming, I’m not sure what is. He’ll want to go with you. I’m not going to let him and I don’t want to even think about what that’s going to do to our new mating, but you will take me with you… or… do you need me to call one of my connections and force the issue, because I will.”
Brown shook his head as Cannel scribbled on a piece of paper, ripping it off the pad and slamming it on Cam’s chest. “Oh three hundred tomorrow. Be there or miss out. Once we enter that compound, I don’t know you and I don’t want to know you. You do what you have to do and get you and the lady out. Understood?”
“Understood.” Cam showed his teeth. “Just like old times. Now piss off. I’ve got a rescue to plan.”
Chapter Nineteen
Fergus knew something was going on with his mate, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. When they got home, Cam was sweet, thoughtful, cuddling him close and somehow understanding Fergus was all talked out. They shared a bath, just as Cam had promised, the aromatic bath oils his mate used, combined with the events of the day, made him sleepy. Fergus didn’t see the end of the movie Cam put on, and he only vaguely remembered his mate picking him up and putting him to bed.
Through it all, Fergus had a sense of uneasiness and it had nothing to do with the dragon he now knew was inside of him. It was like a nagging flicker in the back of his brain. Cam was plotting something, but Fergus couldn’t get a handle on what it was, and he was too shattered to ask. But those feelings came flooding back when he woke suddenly from a deep sleep to find the space in the bed was empty beside him.
Animal senses, dragon and bull, let him know Cam wasn’t in the house. Picking up his phone from the side of the bed, Fergus saw it was just after two thirty – in the morning – far too early or late, depending on how you looked at it, to be up and about.
Don’t get upset about this, he warned himself as his heart started to beat faster and his old insecurities crept into his brain. Cam is a shifter and a claimed one at that. He also has far too much honor to run out on you in the middle of the night. There must be a good reason. Think. Look for a note.
Getting up, Fergus checked the bed, even lifting the pillows to make sure he hadn’t knocked a piece of paper under there while he was still asleep. Nothing. Okay. Hit the bathroom, then check the kitchen. Cam knew Fergus always made a coffee before he headed to work, and
as Fergus was due to be up for work within the next hour, Cam would know he couldn’t just sneak out without his absence being noted. Especially at this time of night.
The expected note was propped up on the coffee pot which had already been filled, ready for him.
To my beloved Fabulous Fergus,
You’re going to be pissed at me. I know that. But I also know those damn council guards don’t give a shit about your momma – and that you do. I got them to agree to let me go on the raid of the compound – my only mission is to save your momma and I’m going to bring her back with me.
Shit hon. Writing this is so hard. It was never my intention to keep anything from you, but the thought of you facing your fold leader was more than my animal half could stomach. I’d rather have you yell at me, than have to hold you and watch you while you suffer, crying over your momma’s needless death – and we both know that’s a possibility.
I’ve done this before, countless times. Trust in me, please.
Love Cam.
“Oh, Cam, you damn fool. When on earth were you going to start trusting me?” Leaning on the counter, Fergus bowed his head.
/~/~/~/~/
Gods, these guys are noisy fuckers. Cam scowled as yet another guard brushed past him, intent on scaling walls. There was no finesse involved in a council raid – it went exactly as the name implied. Battering rams on the compound gates, flood lights going up everywhere, while other guards scaled the walls, guns strapped to their backs like Rambo rejects. It was stupid, designed to create panic and Cam knew from experience that in that panic, the bad guys nearly always got away.
This time the fold leader wasn’t his concern. Cam double checked his phone, memorizing the photo he’d lifted from Fergus’s social media. The picture was old, but shifters barely aged after the age of twenty-five. The woman in the photo looked so much like Fergus it was uncanny – her hair slightly longer, and just without the facial hair Fergus rocked so well.