“We appreciate all your help with this,” I reply.
“When Colton reached out, we were immediately onboard. I’m glad someone is going to stop him; we all deserve the right to live as we want while co-existing with the humans,” he imparts.
After a twenty-minute drive, we pull into an unassuming driveway that eventually opens up to reveal a warehouse-type structure up against the river itself. After he parks, we all get out and head inside, presumably for more last-minute instructions. I’m at the point where I just want to get in, get them out, then go home myself, but I understand that we have to use stealth as well as the element of surprise.
“Come in, come in,” a short man says effusively from the doorway where he’s standing like a proud patriarch. “Guido, get our guests some refreshments, they look parched.” To us, he states, “We are waiting on two of my people to return so we can navigate to where your people are being held.” At our nods, he turns so we follow him inside to a huge room that’s immediately twenty degrees cooler.
In an area that’s obviously their kitchen, the man he called Guido is pulling drinks out of an industrial-sized refrigerator. Even with the cooling spell, I am uncomfortable, not that I’d tell my mate that because I don’t want her to worry. “You’re still hot,” she says, leaning into me. “I can feel it radiating from your skin.”
“It’s okay, Esme.” She shakes her head, negating my words.
“No, it’s not. That means that Ice may be suffering as well. Tabatha?” she calls out, breaking away from me to go over to the other witch. I watch them confer then move away from all of us. Once again, they clasp hands while the rest of us watch sparks flying around them. I feel a sense of peace slip over me then realize that they’ve begun the masking spell.
“They hold great power,” Caio states, coming up next to me to hand me a cold drink.
“Thank you,” I reply, breaking the seal only to gulp half the bottle down. Parched doesn’t begin to cover how I’m feeling.
“They know that they’re facing some dark magic, right?” Caio asks, his eyes never leaving the two women.
“My mate felt that which is why Tabatha is with us,” I say.
“We have a shaman who can help your witches,” he offers. “If they’d like, that is.”
The man who greeted us at the door comes walking over, holding out his hand. “I’m Rufus. I have called on Gara to assist your women. She has experience with what they’re facing.”
“We’ll take all the help we can get,” Maverick asserts, moving to stand next to me. The room is ablaze in magic, I can feel it pulsating within, so I know the others are similarly affected. “Damn, I’m glad they’re on our side, aren’t you?” he asks me.
“Fuck yeah,” I murmur. My mate is in her element right now, her sole focus on saving our family. While we’re still learning about each other, she told me early on that her grandmother foretold that she was going to be a caretaker. What she’s doing right now exemplifies that fact. How she cares for everyone back at our compound is another example.
A commotion at the door has us turning to see another small man rush inside. “Rufus, how soon can we return? They are planning to start their experiments in a few hours.”
“We can go now if everyone is ready,” Maverick proclaims. When the man stares at him, he says, “Maverick. That’s my family the fucker has so if we need to go now, we go now.” His voice is growly, and I can see evidence of both of his beings in his eyes as they fight for dominance.
“Lock it down, Mav,” Paxton cautions, putting a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Tell us what you need us to do,” he commands, taking over for Mav, whose emotions have him in their grasp.
“It would be best if you shift once we arrive. They are doing the masking spell?” Rufus asks. “Gara will be here any second.”
“I’m here, King,” a wizened old woman says, moving faster than I expect as she enters the room. “I would ask who I’m working with, but I can feel the power emanating.” She strides toward Esmerelda and Tabatha, who have stopped chanting but are still gripping one another’s hand. I leave the three women to it and turn.
“Let’s roll on out, Raphael. We’ll do as you suggest and shift once we get closer,” Rufus says to the other man.
I walk over to Esmerelda, pull her into my arms then kiss her as if I’m imprinting her on my memory banks. “Come back to me, Beast,” she whispers against my lips. “Save our family, then come back to me.”
“I promise, my sorceress. I love you,” I reply.
“Love you more.”
Esmerelda
As everyone leaves, I turn to the older woman who has joined me and Tabatha. “I’m Esmerelda and this is Tabatha,” I advise.
“Gara. You are going against some dark magic,” she warns.
“I felt that a few days ago while doing a finding spell,” I admit. “Scared the hell out of me and I don’t scare easily.”
“You were right to be scared. Many who underestimated what that man is capable of have paid the price with their lives. Now, I understand you placed a masking spell for your people, correct?”
“Yes, ma’am.” In many ways, she reminds me of my granny. I’m not very tall, but this woman is almost elven in stature, making me feel like a giant. She only comes up to Beast’s hips, though, a fact I noticed when she walked into the room.
“You don’t need to call me ma’am. Gara will do,” she advises, smiling up at me. “Now, I am linked in to my people and can see what they see. We’ll use that to our advantage so we can make sure all return safe and sound, okay?”
“That sounds like an excellent plan,” Tabatha states. “Let’s get comfortable, ladies. I suspect the next little bit is going to require great concentration.” She moves over to the refrigerator and withdraws more waters then returns to the table where Gara and I are now sitting.
I send up a silent prayer to the goddesses that everyone comes back whole, that we don’t suffer any losses. I’m concerned about those that we were told are also being held, but hopefully, we can assist them if Rufus and his people aren’t able to do so.
The heat here is unbearable. I notice that Mav, Paxton, Landry and Connelly are sweating profusely. I’m perspiring as well, but not as much thanks to the spell Esmerelda cast on me. I send a message through our mate link then watch as the four of them start to look as though they’re cooling down. “Tell her thanks,” Landry says, grinning at me.
“Fucking awesome,” Connelly adds, giggling. “Makes me wish we had the ability to do that too.”
“I like you just the way you are, woman,” Mav grumbles.
We must be close because I notice that several of the men who have been with us on the skiff that we’re using to maneuver down the Amazon River have shifted to what I now know are caimans then slid into the murky water.
“You should probably all shift now,” Rufus advises as the man he called Guido docks the skiff against a rickety set of planks. I worry it won’t hold my weight, then realize it’s close enough, we can leap if necessary. I turn my back on the women and quickly undress before shifting into my polar bear. He’s ready to tear shit up so I remind him that unless it’s necessary, we’re abstaining from any actual harm. I hear the unmistakable yowls from Paxton and Landry so turn to see I’m surrounded by my friends. Once again, I thank the gods that somehow, despite us not being bound by anything besides friendship, we are linked to each other. Even Colton was unable to figure out why or how it happened, but I suspect it has to do with the fact we’ve all mentally put Maverick into the alpha position. Unconventional? Absolutely, but it works for us so I’m not going to complain.
“Esme? We’re about to go in, sweetheart. The masking spell is in place, correct?” I ask through our link.
“Be careful, my mate. Gara says the magic is black, twisted, vile. Do not be misled by anything you may think you see; we’ve just put a clarity spell on all of you,” she replies.
“I’m coming back to you.�
�� I reiterate my earlier promise. I would literally have to be dead before I break that vow, something I don’t feel will happen. At least not today, that is.
“Go with the gods and goddesses,” she says. “I love you.”
“Love you more,” I reply.
Esmerelda
My heart is in my throat as Tabatha, Gara and I continue to chant now that the rescue team is on the ground, our hands clasped with one another. I can feel the power emanating in the room, as well as within myself. Granny taught me that whenever we bond like this, we not only gain strength, but we also impart it, so knowing my powers are being enhanced by these two gives me the strength to keep persevering.
Gara flinches, causing my eyes to dart in her direction. She shakes her head but doesn’t break our connection or the chant, so I continue chanting as well. When all three of us sway, I realize that whatever magic Boatright is using is being directed at us. “Keep going,” I state. If we can keep whoever is attacking us busy, my mate and his friends will remain safe.
Over and over, we continue our spells, as the magic flows growing stronger. Attack after attack is rebuffed, causing me to realize that we’re succeeding. I feel Beast roar inside my head but don’t stop chanting as I know the men will keep him safe.
We’re able to surround the dilapidated building where I can feel my cousin and his mate are being held without any issue. I send up a silent prayer of thanks that the women were successful with their masking spell with respect to the enemy not seeing us.
“Are we ready?” Mav asks through our link. While the rest of us shifted into our animals, he chose his vampiric side. I instinctively know that his goal is to use his superior speed to get his sister away, so I make a mental note to focus on Ice. Despite the fact that I’m sure he’s weak as fuck, once he’s able to shift, he should begin recovering. We just have to give him that opportunity.
Each of us respond in the affirmative as Rufus’ men form a circle beyond ours. I know their plan is to deal with anyone else who is inside while we rescue Leigh and Ice and incapacitate Ennis. While we decided to turn him over to the shifter council for judgment, we still plan to question him to see if he’s the end of the line or not. I suspect he is, but Colton wants us to do it, so we will.
As Mav counts down, I ready myself since I’ll be the first one in due to my size and strength. When he hits the count of one, I crash into the door and watch it fall off the hinges. “What the fuck?” a voice cries out as Paxton, Landry and Connelly surround him. “Who are you? What do you want?”
“We want you,” Mav roars as he searches the rooms for his sister and Ice. “Where the fuck are they?” he asks. He doesn’t wait for an answer before he begins checking the rooms off to each side.
I feel a push but when I turn, no one is there so realize that the dark magic Esmerelda alluded to is in play. I quickly advise everyone through our link as I follow Mav, waiting for him to open the doors until we come to one that is locked. I breathe in, scenting Ice. Nodding my head, Mav steps back to allow me to use my brute strength to break it open. As it falls into the room, I catch a glimpse of Ice shackled to the wall and roar my anguish. He looks more dead than alive. “Get him down, we’ll sort it out once we’re away from this place,” Mav demands, rushing to where Leigh is restrained in a chair. Both appear to be unconscious, but I don’t know if it’s because of what they’ve been given or the heat since it’s stifling inside this room.
“I’ve got you,” I mumble as I use my strength to break the chains holding Ice in place. Once he’s freed, Mav lifts him onto my back then uses the ties from Leigh and binds him to me until we can get him back to the skiff. He then scoops his sister into his arms, then cradles her close as we leave the room. Upon re-entering the living room, I see that the caimans who came with us have the man I suspect is Ennis trussed up like a turkey complete with a gag in his mouth. There are also about a dozen others standing around, rubbing their wrists.
“Can your people handle them?” Mav asks Rufus. His voice sounds different since his vampiric side is in play. Rufus, who has shifted back to his human form, nods at Mav in answer to his question. Good. “Let’s get the fuck out of here,” he instructs.
“We will destroy this place,” Rufus announces, looking at the caimans. “Guido, take them back to the skiff, we will meet you back at headquarters.”
I nod my head to show I understand as I head toward the front door. My only thought is to get my cousin to my mate. I know she’ll be able to help him, possibly even compel him to shift so he can heal. If not, I hope that Mav’s able to do it. My bet’s on Esmerelda though because she’s able to do far more than she realizes.
As a group, we head back to the skiff, Paxton, Landry and Connelly surrounding us to prevent anyone from getting in our way. The other prisoners follow behind still looking dazed as whatever they’ve been given to cause their compliance continues to course through their systems. I hope the women can help with that as well; no one should feel as though they’re not in complete control at all times.
Ice groans then I hear, “Beast?” Since I’m still in my bear form, I growl out in agreement. “Did you get Leigh? Please tell me you got Leigh!” His voice sounds desperate, and I feel him begin to struggle against the restraints Mav used.
“Cool your jets,” Mav commands. “I’ve got my sister right here.” Ice’s head turns in Mav’s direction and I can feel him slump against me as if in relief.
“God,” he whispers. “I don’t know how you pieced together where we were, Beast. The last thing I remember telling you was we were ‘in south’ before I lost consciousness.”
“Esmerelda was able to reach out to Leigh which helped,” Mav states. We arrive at the skiff and once everyone shifts, Ice is removed from my back so I can do so. Quickly redressing, we all get back on and soon, we’re heading back to the caiman’s compound. I’m not sure if that’s what they call it, but it works for me at least. Both Leigh and Ice appear somewhat out of it, so we ply them with water until my mate and Tabatha can check the two of them over.
Esmerelda
I sense immediately when they rescue Leigh and Ice, my relief so overwhelming that my eyes fill with tears. For all intents and purposes, they’re my family thanks to Beast. I know I consider the rest of them as that as well, but those two truly are because of our mates. It would’ve devastated me to find out either of them had come to harm.
“You two must prepare for their arrival,” Gara commands. “I’ll deal with binding that evil.” When I go to protest, she shakes her head. “No, I’ve handled this before. The two of you have come up against evil yourselves, but in order to help them, you don’t need to be touched by it right now.”
“You heard her, let’s get prepared,” Tabatha says. “I feel as though more are coming.”
“Yes, I know there were others there, so we need to be ready for anything.”
Before Gara starts whatever she’s planning, she states, “The ones coming have been drugged, as have your two people. If you go to that cabinet over there, pull out the vial marked dove ashes, then brew it into a tea. The purity from the tea will help expel any residual evil as well as help them all recover. It’s likely they’ll need to shift too.” I nod because I know from Beast that whenever they’re injured, shifting helps heal them quicker. Moving to the cabinet that Gara indicated, I pull down the vial while Tabatha grabs tea leaves from her own magic bag.
At my raised brow, she shrugs and says, “Wasn’t sure what all we’d need, to be honest, so I tossed in the leaves just in case.”
“I have some as well if you think we’ll need them,” I admit as I set the kettle full of water on the stove and turn it on. Examining the other cabinets, I begin pulling mugs down as Tabatha prepares each one with the additional ingredient Gara is providing.
The tea leaves are now steeping, the aroma wafting in the air when we hear a commotion at the front of the building. Leaving our ‘witches brew’, we both rush out to greet everyone. “Be
ast!” I breathe out, my joy at seeing him almost bringing me to my knees. He grins at me as he assists Ice to a chair where he all but collapses. I run over to him and take his hand in mine. “We have tea ready in the kitchen,” I advise. “Can you go and bring everyone a cup?” I ask, looking at the others who were obviously rescued in addition to our two.
Together, Tabatha and I join hands once again and set a healing spell in motion. I sense that once they shift, they’ll aid in their own recovery, but until they have enough strength to do that, what we’re doing will help. “Thank you,” I say when we’ve done what we can.
“My pleasure, Esmerelda,” she replies.
One after the other, they drink their tea, wincing at the bitter flavor, but not stopping until each cup is emptied. “You all need to shift,” Rufus commands. As if compelled, I watch them all begin shifting and soon, the room is full of a variety of shifters. Most are large predators, but there are a few smaller shifters who glance about almost fearfully. “No one will harm you here,” Rufus states. “I give you my solemn vow.”
Now that we have Ice and Leigh, I wonder how soon we can return home. I have something to tell Beast but want to be in the privacy of our cabin, not hundreds of miles away.
“We’ll be leaving shortly,” Beast advises, leaning in to kiss me.
“It’s as if you read my mind,” I tease, grinning up at him once we’ve broken apart.
“We’re on the same wavelength. I just want them back home so we can get back to normal, you know?” he asks.
“I agree, sugar bear. What’s going to happen to him?” I question, looking at the man who looks a little rougher than I expected. He’s snarling at anyone who gets too close, but because of what they used to bind him, he’s unable to shift.
“Colton’s going to meet us at the airfield when we return then take him to the council to await judgment after he questions him,” Maverick advises. “Esmerelda, I want to thank you for all you did to help us get them back.” He’s uncharacteristically chatty; usually he’s quiet, somewhat taciturn. What I would call a loner. “I’m not sure how I would’ve handled it if something happened to my sister, and I know my parents wouldn’t have been able to.”
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