“You’re right, but tonight you’re mine.”
Aurelia blushed and moved over to put on her seatbelt. Once she was settled, Zack scooted to the seat’s edge, pumped the gas pedal, and turned the key. The old engine coughed twice, spit out a ball of white smoke, and then started. Sighing in relief, he fastened his seatbelt and slowly made his way up the hill and back onto the road.
“Something’s not right,” he said. “Somehow they keep finding us. I think it’s time to call in the cavalry.” He pulled out his phone and checked for a signal.
“Who are you calling?”
“Like any good pack member, I’m calling my alpha for help.”
* * * *
Remus hung up the phone and looked at Zander Temple. The National Council had sent him back down to talk to the children they’d recovered from the cave in hopes they could provide some clue to help discover who took them from pack lands. “Did you hear both sides of my conversation?”
“Sorry, Alpha Remus, but I couldn’t help it. My hearing has always been exceptional. I gather your pup’s in trouble and he’s outside the country.”
Remus nodded. “That’s right. He needs help in completing his mission and getting home.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, where is he?”
Remus winced. “Cartagena.”
Zander’s mouth fell open. “South America?”
Remus raised one brow. “Is there any other?”
“What’s keeping him from coming home?”
“The working theory is somebody in our government wants the young lady he’s traveling with. And apparently, they’ll do pretty much anything to get their hands on her.”
“Is he sure it isn’t some drug runners trying to take him out because he’s trespassing on their turf? Or maybe they want to get their hands on him and hold him for ransom to fund their little venture?”
“This was apparently their third attempt to get their hands on her. The first was at her own cabin, very remote in the mountains. They caught one of them that time, and he confirmed that someone wants the young lady brought back to the States pretty badly. Since then, they’ve hit them at a gas station where a vehicle was left for their use, and then on a back country road. That doesn’t sound like a turf war to me. They’re tracking them, maybe all the way back to the airport.”
“Do we know who ‘they’ are?”
“Not exactly. The girl was the unwilling guest of some government scientists when Zack was in the Marines. He and a buddy helped her escape, and the buddy sent her to his family for safekeeping. Apparently, they followed Zack and his friend when they traveled to Cartagena to see her.”
“Why are they trying to bring her back? If she was safe and hidden, why call attention to her?”
“He’s bringing her back because he thinks she can help.”
“Help with what?”
Remus sighed and moved to look out the window. “Zack says she has the ability to heal by touch. He thinks she can make the pups whole again.”
Zander laughed. “You’re kidding, right?”
Remus turned to glare at him, and Zander stopped laughing. “He witnessed her healing his buddy’s broken leg himself. Said she laid her hands on his leg and a few minutes later the bone had healed. He thinks she might be able to cure this illness the same way.”
Zander frowned. “What do you think?”
“I’ve no reason to doubt a member of my pack. If he says he saw her do it, then I believe him. And honestly, right now I’m looking for a miracle. The pups are getting weaker daily.”
Zander nodded and reached for the phone. “Then let’s get your boy some help.”
“What can you do?”
“I have contacts all over the world, Alpha Remus.”
“Please, call me Remus.”
“Where’s he heading, Remus?”
“They’re trying to get to the airport in Cartagena. He says they’re a day’s travel away because of the condition of the roads. From the airport, they have a flight to Miami and then from there, another flight home.”
“I can contact a pride in Cartagena that could send someone to make sure he makes the plane. He’d just have to stay out of trouble on the flight.”
“What about after they land in Miami?”
“The National Council has a couple of planes they use for emergencies. I can have one of them there within six hours and we’ll fly them home privately.”
“The council will let you use their plane for us?”
“Absolutely. Especially if she’s the real deal. There are pups in other packs that are suffering. If she can help, she’s a national treasure.”
Remus growled softly. “Don’t let them get too accustomed to the idea they have a treasure.”
“Why?”
“She’s Zack’s mate.”
“Okay, that shouldn’t be a problem. You know we never interfere in a mating.” He started dialing the phone. “Let’s concentrate on getting her back here, and we’ll iron out the rest later.”
Chapter 6
Zack looked around the Rafael Nunez International Airport and wanted to growl. Hundreds of people paraded up and down the long open area leading to multiple airline check-in sites. The signs above directed passengers to baggage claim, car rentals, and washrooms both in Spanish and English. There was no way to know who might be a problem for them. He glanced down at Aurelia and motioned for her to follow him.
He shifted his backpack from one shoulder to the other and made his way toward the United Airline counter. He’d only taken two steps when a large man stepped in front of him. He had to be near seven feet tall and weigh close to four hundred pounds. His long dark hair framed a craggy face with startling blue eyes. The glass doors whooshed shut behind them, cutting off the last breath of outside air.
The large man grinned, his teeth unusually long and sharp. “Easy, puppy. My name is Alejandro, and your alpha Remus sent me to help you.”
Zack sniffed the air. “What are you?”
Alejandro’s smile widened. “I’m a jaguar, puppy.” He glanced at Aurelia. “This your lady?”
Zack growled softly and pulled her to his side.
“Relax! I’m not a mate poacher. I just wanna make sure I’m watching after the right lady. You get your tickets yet?”
Zack shook his head. “We just got here. Had a little car trouble.”
Aurelia pulled on Zack’s arm until he bent down. “Can we trust him?” she whispered.
“Yeah, love. He’s a shifter. He wouldn’t have my alpha’s name unless it was for real.”
Alejandro smiled. “Let’s get your tickets so we can get to a less public place.”
Zack nodded and led the way to the end of the line, grimacing when the woman in front of him turned and stepped away, running over his foot with her luggage wheel. He narrowed his eyes when Alejandro chuckled.
“What’s your name, pretty lady?” asked Alejandro.
Aurelia glanced at Zack when he growled again and sighed. “I’m Aur…I mean, Carolyn Williams.”
“Get your passport out, love.” Zack pulled her closer.
Alejandro snorted. “Sure it is. Nice to meet you, Carolyn. Where you folks from?”
“We’re from out west,” said Zack.
Alejandro nodded. “Understood. No more questions.”
Zack frowned when the large man pulled out a passport. “Are you going somewhere?”
“I’m supposed to see you safely on the plane. I can’t go past the security check-point without a ticket, so I’m buying a ticket.”
“Are you flying with us?” asked Aurelia.
“No, pretty lady. My mate would skin me alive and turn me into a rug if I left the country without her.”
Aurelia giggled. “Be sure and tell her how much we appreciate your help today.”
“I’ll do that.”
Zack rolled his neck and shoulders to ward off stiffness and watched the line get shorter and shorter. Finally, after standin
g for a half hour, they had their tickets in hand and were heading toward the security check-in.
“You don’t have anything objectionable in those backpacks, do you?” asked Alejandro.
Zack shook his head. “No, we left the firepower where we were told. I don’t even have a knife if I needed it.”
“Don’t sweat it, man. Between the two of us, there ain’t anything we can’t handle.”
Zack nodded and placed his bag and Aurelia’s on the conveyor and moved to walk through the metal detectors. After all the worry, getting through security was anticlimactic. They followed the signs to gate twelve and took seats with their backs against a long row of picture windows that overlooked the runways. The smell of fresh coffee permeated the air.
“I’m going for caffeine,” said. Alejandro. “You want anything?”
“I’d love a cup of coffee, black,” said Zack.
“If they’ve got it, I’d love to have a Pepsi. That’s the one thing I missed the most living in the cabin. I only had them occasionally.”
Alejandro grinned. “I’ll see what I can do.” He got up, looked up and down the concourse, and then headed toward a small vendor that sold sandwiches and drinks.
Zack pulled out his phone and called his alpha. He listened carefully for just a few moments and then closed his phone.
“He seems nice enough,” Aurelia said.
Zack grunted and craned his neck to see the departure sign. “We lucked out. We’ve only got about an hour to wait before the next flight leaves for Miami.”
“From there are we flying directly to Wyoming?
“On a private plane, no less, all the way to Natrona County International Airport in Casper. At least according to Alpha Remus. That was him I called. From there, we’ll drive to the mountain.”
“I don’t understand. A private plane? I didn’t think your family was so wealthy.”
“They’re not. The plane isn’t ours. It belongs to the National Council.”
“Why would they go so far to help us out?”
Zack put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her as close as the plastic chairs would allow. “It’s all for you, love. They have high hopes that you’re gonna be able to cure the young ones. If you can, it’ll be the first break they’ve had since the children started disappearing.”
Aurelia trembled and bit her lip. “Zack, you have to understand something. There are no guarantees with my gift. I don’t want to let everyone down, but there’s no way to tell if I can fix this sickness or not. With all this pressure, I might not be able to make it work at all.”
Zack cursed silently as his coyote growled at him for upsetting their mate. He pressed a kiss against her temple. “There is no pressure, love. If you can help, fine. All they ask is that you try. No one will be upset with you if it doesn’t work. They’re all gonna be thrilled to meet you because meeting one’s mate is a reason for a big celebration. My aunt Maddie will throw the biggest party you’ve ever seen, just to introduce you to the rest of the pack.”
“She’s your aunt?”
“She’s the Alpha Femm, Remus’s mate. She’s in charge of all the females of the pack, and she’s like a surrogate mother to everyone. Remus’s brothers are my adoptive fathers, so that makes her my aunt. The woman lives for reasons to throw parties.”
Aurelia laughed. “How many children are sick?”
“There are two in our pack, and at least two from a pack north of us. I don’t really know if there are more or not. I’d be willing to guess that there are. The last I heard there were twenty-five missing pups and cubs in all. Twelve females and thirteen males at last count.”
“What would anyone want with the children? Didn’t you say they couldn’t shift yet?”
“That’s right. They’re too young. It’ll be a few more years before they hit puberty.”
Alejandro walked up and handed a cup to Zack. “Black, no sugar.” Then he pulled a can from his pocket and handed to Aurelia. “And, ice-cold Pepsi for the pretty lady.” He took the seat next to Zack and lowered his voice. “We’ve got company at two o’clock.”
Zack casually scanned the room and saw two men sitting alone in the second row from the front. Their clothing was wrinkled and dusty, and both men were badly in need of a shave.
“I watched them for a bit,” said Alejandro. “They’ve not taken their eyes off you since they sat down. You’re cute, but not enough to garner that kind of attention. They must be planning on boarding the plane because they would need tickets just to get this far.”
“Do we abandon the flight?” asked Zack.
Alejandro shook his head. “No. Even if they get on board, they’d have a hard time doing anything at thirty thousand feet.”
“Then what am I supposed to do? I don’t have a weapon other than my coyote.”
Alejandro snickered. “Great! Film at eleven. Coyote hijacks plane destined for Miami.” Aurelia giggled, and Alejandro smiled. “Don’t worry, friend. I plan on making sure that our friends have their feet firmly on South American soil when your plane takes off.”
“How are you gonna do that?” asked Zack.
Alejandro flashed him a brilliant smile. “Trust me.”
Thirty minutes later, Zack and Aurelia made their way down the narrow plane aisle with Alejandro several places behind them. He’d managed to place himself right in front of their two shadows when everyone began boarding. Aurelia slid into her seat by the window and immediately reached for her seatbelt. Zack stored the backpacks in the overhead compartment and sank into his seat just as a clamor came from the first class section. The curtains had not been pulled and he could see Alejandro holding the two men by their upper arms while he talked with a stewardess.
The woman’s face paled, and she hurried over to the phone on the wall and picked it up. In less than a minute, two airport security guards came down the aisle. Each one took one of the men by the arm firmly. They said something to Alejandro, and all five of them moved toward the exit. Right before he disembarked, Alejandro turned to Zack and winked.
Once they departed, an elderly lady made her way down the aisle and took the seat across from Zack. He leaned over to get her attention. “That looked pretty scary. Are you all right?”
She smiled, her gray hair framing her face. “Wasn’t that something? That man overheard those two saying something about what it would be like to be on a plane that was hijacked, so he thought he ought to tell someone. The stewardess called in security, and they took them away to be questioned more thoroughly.”
“That’s terrible. What happened to the man that reported them?”
“They asked if he minded coming along to make a statement, and he said he’d be glad to. Said there was so much danger in the world these days it felt good to maybe stop something bad from happening.”
Zack leaned back in his seat when the stewardess came by closing all the overhead compartment doors.
“Do you think he’ll be okay?” asked Aurelia.
Zack laughed and twined his fingers with hers. “I think Alejandro is the last person you need to worry about. It’s them other fellows that might have a problem.” The sound of the plane’s engines revved up, and the pilot came over the loud speaker telling them they were cleared for takeoff. He raised Aurelia’s hand to his lips and kissed her fingers. “Now, I’m taking you home, mate.”
* * * *
Remus ran his hand over Celia’s head and felt the warmth of her fever. He looked at Marianne Wind River and saw a mother’s anguish in her expression. “How long?”
“As of two hours ago, they are all showing the same symptoms.”
“So it is contagious.”
Tehran shook his head. “I’d stake my medical license on it not being contagious. They were injected with something that their body is trying to fight. It just took longer to overcome some of their immune systems than others. If it were contagious, we’d have several adults including you in a sick bed.”
Remus watched Marian
ne leave the room. “Is there anything I can do?”
Tehran ran his fingers through his hair. “You can tell me the miracle I heard was coming this way is true.”
“How the hell did you hear about it?”
Tehran shrugged. “You know pack mates are as bad as a dorm full of college girls. Somebody overheard something and repeated it, and somebody else overheard and repeated it, and so on.”
“What exactly did you hear?”
“That Zack’s found some kind of shaman or holy person that can perform miracles in healing.”
Remus snickered. “Not even close. Zack found his mate, and she has a special gift. She can heal through her touch.”
Tehran’s brows disappeared beneath his bangs. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Who the hell sold him that story?”
Remus shrugged. “He witnessed her gift himself. She can lay hands on the skin of someone injured and heal them.”
“Someone injured. What about an illness?” asked Tehran.
“She’s not sure if it’ll work or not, but she’s willing to try.”
“Is it true, Alpha Remus?”
Remus turned to see Marianne and her mate, Jeremy, standing in the door, their faces full of hope. “Is it true that Zack’s bringing back a healer that can make our pups well again?”
Remus sighed and walked over and put his hands on their shoulders. Immediately they relaxed under his touch. “Zack is bringing a young woman that might be able to help, but there are no guarantees. She has special gifts that no one can explain that sometimes aids her in healing injuries. She’s willing to see what she can do for your pups.”
Marianne teared up and pressed her face against Jeremy’s chest. Jeremy looked up at Remus. “Whatever happens, we thank you, Alpha Remus.”
Maddie walked through the door. “Remus, Zander just called and said they’re safely on the council’s plane. He said they’d be home in around eight hours, give or take.”
Remus glanced at Tehran. “I guess we’ll know soon enough.”
* * * *
Zack settled back in the cushy seat and pulled Aurelia closer. No divided seats in the extravagant private jet. They’d been shown to what amounted to a loveseat equipped with seatbelts. The council representative had whisked them off the United flight, down the concourse, and onto the private plane before they could even catch their breath. It had seemed only moments before the door closed and the plane was taxiing down the runway. Zack glanced at Aurelia and frowned. She sat quietly looking out the window, wringing her hands in her lap. He didn’t know what she would do if she couldn’t help the children. The pressure on her was so great, he was afraid she’d break.
The Touch of Her Hands [The Wind River Pack 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 9