by Mills, Julia
Heading down the hall opposite the living room, she found a workout room. Deciding a few minutes on the stationary bike might just work off some of her excess energy while the kids played, and the others were close by, she walked through the door. Exercise had never been something she liked. Actually, she avoided it at all costs, but there had to be something she could do while the minutes dragged on. She pedaled and pedaled with Florida Georgia Line blaring from her earbuds. She was so lost in her pretend journey that she almost fell off the bike when Grace touched her shoulder.
“Oh shit, I’m so sorry, Sam. I thought you saw us come in. You okay?” the other woman smiled.
She could tell it was taking all of Grace’s control not to laugh, so she laughed to ease the tension, and everyone, even the kid’s followed suit.
“No problem. I was lost in thought,” Sam responded.
“I guess so. You looked right at us when we came in,” Kyndel said as she sat Jay in the corner surrounded by huge rectangular cushions. Sydney climbed over one of the hedge-like furnishings, and started building with the Legos while the baby watched with rapt attention.
The ladies removed their jackets to show tank tops and yoga pants just like the ones Grace had loaned her. They sat facing each other, and began stretching. “We’re gonna do some yoga, if you’d like to join,” Grace exhaled as she leaned forward for the third time.
“Yeah, we’re not really into exercise, but decided if we did it together it might not be so bad,” Kyndel added, rolling her eyes.
“Sure,” she shrugged. “It’s got to be better than this stupid bike. My fat butt is aching from the seat,” she commented, as she climbed down and sat between the girls, starting to stretch with them.
When she raised her head again both Grace and Kyndel were smiling knowing smiles in her direction, “All right you two, what’s going on?”
“Nothing,” they said in unison, then started to giggle.
It was Grace that spoke first, “Really it’s nothing. We’re just glad Lance has someone, and that she fits in with all our craziness.”
“Oh,” was the only thing that she could think to say, and as the other two women continued to stare at her, she figured she might as well be honest. It had worked for all her years so far. “Well, whatever it is between us is pretty new, so who knows how long it’ll last. I’ll admit, he is something else, but I have no idea if he’s looking for a relationship or just a fling. Not to mention, I have about a year of my residency left. After that I might be offered a position where I am, if not, I’ll have to find something permanent.” Where in the hell had all that come from? She thought to herself. Over share, much?
Both women nodded as she spoke and then gave each other a quick, conspiring look. They knew something she didn’t, and she didn’t know them well enough to be blunt, but she really wanted to know what it was. She bent at the waist, wondering if she should pursue the conversation after Kyndel had said they were all very open about almost everything. But the fact remained that they were such an incredibly close-knit group that they knew things that she didn’t about Lance. If the roles were reversed, she’d be pissed as shit if he talked about her and whatever relationship they may or may not have without her at least present. So she kept her mouth shut and stretched until Kyndel got up and started the DVD.
While they were bending, stretching, and breathing, she noticed that every so often one or both of the ladies would get a faraway look in their eyes, and sometimes nod or shake their heads. It seemed weird, but before she could think about it any longer their exercise got much more intense. Her focus switched to keeping her balance and breathing, instead of looking around. Damn! I really am out of shape. Then she remembered how Lance had kissed and touched her everywhere. Just the thought of him brought up image after image of his face in all of its masculine glory. His crystal blue eyes twinkling when he was joking, and almost glowing when the look turned more heated; each look more intense than the other, and in every one she saw exactly how much he liked what he saw, and God knew he had seen it all.
“Earth to Sam,” Kyndel called, and both women giggled as she jumped for the second time since they’d entered the room.
“Were you on Planet Lance just then?” Grace laughed.
Sam felt her cheeks heat and laughed, “I sure was.”
“Don’t be embarrassed on our account,” Kyndel motioned from herself to Grace. “We both understand completely. Been there done that. Rayne monopolizes every spare minute I have, even if he isn’t in the same room.” And the dreamy look returned to her eyes as she raised her arms over head and stretched.
When she turned her head to the right, Sam saw a flame shaped mark at the slope between her neck and shoulder. It reminded her of a tattoo, but not really as dark or defined as any she had ever seen, and it didn’t look like a birthmark either. She tried to get a better look, but didn’t want her new friends to think she was a stalker or better yet, a nut job, so she followed suit and continued to stretch.
Unable to keep her curiosity at bay any longer, she asked, “When do you think the guys’ll be back?”
Again Grace and Kyndel looked at one another and she was sure some unspoken communication passed between them. Their look held too much weight to be just a look. It was Grace that spoke first, “No clue, but Aidan promised to call as soon as he could.”
For the first time since meeting her, Grace’s eyes didn’t quite meet hers, a sure sign they were keeping something from her. Before she could think of a way to ask without being rude, Sydney called her name, and Jay yelled. All three women turned in unison to see Sydney trying to protect the structure she had built with arms outstretched while she carefully hunched over it. The Legos stood just slightly taller than the baby, and he looked like a miniature Godzilla, hell bent on destroying Tokyo, as he tried to maneuver around Sydney while holding onto the corner of his walker. Sam couldn’t keep from laughing, and was glad to hear the others found it as funny as she did.
Grace reached the children first, and grabbed Jay before he could destroy Sydney’s creation, swinging him into the air before securing him to her hip. She kissed the top of his head, and lovingly scolded, “Jay, my dear, you can’t tear down Sydney’s building. She worked really hard on it, and it’s fantastic.”
She was rewarded with an ‘Un huh’ from the beaming Sydney, and a long string of baby talk from Jay. Grace passed by her as she carried Jay to his mother, and Sam noticed a mark similar to Kyndel’s on her neck. Hers was a little larger, and looked like a flame with wings, but was located in exactly the same spot as her friend’s. It was also the same ‘not quite tattoo definitely not a birthmark’ brand on their necks. She felt her brows furrow as she wondered why both women would have comparable marks in the same spots on their necks. They’d told her earlier that they’d been in college together, and she wondered if maybe it was a sorority thing. If Lance kept her around long enough, she would have to work up the courage to ask, because it would drive her nuts until she knew their origin.
Finally, feeling like she might actually be able to sit still and read or watch TV, she called to Sydney, “Hey Girlie, get your toys picked up. Let’s go have a rest before lunch.”
“Awww, man, do we have to?” Sydney complained.
Before she could answer, Kyndel spoke up, “Jay has to go down for a nap, Pretty Girl. So you go rest with Dr. Sam, and we’ll all meet you in the kitchen when he wakes up, cool?”
Sydney smiled, “Sure, Miss Kyndel. See ya later, Baby Jay,” she waved as she made her way towards Sam, and then stopped right in front of Grace. “You gonna have lunch with us too, Miss Grace?”
“I sure am, Sydney, but first I have to take a shower.” She pinched her nose between her thumb and forefinger, indicating she really needed one after their workout. Everyone laughed, and Sam realized how much happier she’d been since meeting Lance’s extended family.
Sydney skipped over, grabbed her hand, and started to pull her towards the door. “See y
ou guys later,” she hollered over her shoulder, obviously intent to get the resting part of their day out of the way. The little girl had just started running towards her room when what sounded like an explosion came from the first floor. The shouting of male voices so loud she could barely hear her own thoughts.
Calling to the child, she turned to see what the hell was happening, but all she could make out were very loud, very angry male voices, all vying to be heard. Her foot touched the bottom step, and it was as if a switch had been flipped. What had been deafening shouts and angry voices was all at once complete and utter silence, with all eyes trained on her. The look they gave her was one she’d seen another time in her life, one she’d done everything in her power to never see again. She started shaking her head as Royce walked towards her, refusing to believe it was happening again.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It felt like they had been combing the woods behind Sam’s house for days when in all actuality, it’d been just a few hours. It was ironic that now that he had someone to get home to, the things he had once thought were fun just seemed tedious. There were signs that Andrew had been there, and that he had acquired more people than the last time they had met him. Déjà vu struck as Royce sent out a call that black SUVs were coming down the single-lane gravel road leading to their location. Devon gave them even more bad news, “Guess what boys? I believe ‘The Auctioneer’ and his boys are here.”
Rayne had immediately barked new orders, and Lance had been hunkered in the same spot since. It seemed like forever while they waited to see who was actually running the shit show for the evening. They all had first-hand knowledge of what happened when they went in clueless, so Rayne had ordered them to wait, and it was absolute torture. He saw the werepanthers prowling the treetops, and envied the Big Cats, at least they got to move around.
He tried to keep his thoughts on what was happening all around him, but no matter how hard he tried, the beautiful woman that was to be his was all he could see. She was one of a kind, a true original that he had no doubt would make his life exponentially better just by being in it, and he wanted that life to start right away. He had held back, worried, and tried to stay away, but when push came to shove, everything he had ever been taught was true…Fate would not be denied. They were meant to be together and no crazy ass traitor or human criminal trying to ruin the world was going to keep them apart. He’d come to terms with that, and would do whatever it took to help her see that she was his mate forever and always.
The images of her smile, her dazzling, dark brown eyes, and the way she responded to his touch flooded his mind as he waited, making him wonder if this shit would ever be over. The longer he thought of her, the more he could feel her through their growing mating bond. He grinned like a loon as he felt how happy and content she was, not giving a shit if any of his emotions were leaking through to his brethren. They could tease him all they wanted, he had Sam, and that was all that mattered. Impatient to catch the little rat bastard and get back to his mate, he called out to any that were listening in the way of his kin, “What the hell? Are we waiting for an engraved invitation?”
“No, Pain in the Ass, we’re trying to find Andrew, and whoever’s with him,” Royce growled.
“And we’ll move when I say to move,” Rayne stated in full Commander mode.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, but this is fucking frustrating.”
“No, shit, Sherlock. You think you’re the only one bored shitless and ready to catch that little asshole and be done with all of this fucking waste of our time?” Aidan whispered, and Lance could feel his anger through their link.
“All right ladies, while y’all are having your bitch session, something is happening about halfway up the mountain. How ‘bout we all pay attention, and then we can handle our shit, and get the hell outta Dodge?” Aaron said, trying to sound calm.
“I guess I’m not surprised he would hide on higher ground after all the silver we found hidden everywhere they could hide it on the ground. I can still feel magic in the air, but I’ll be damned if I can find where it’s coming from,” Devon added.
“I’m trying to get a bead on the humans, but they have the stench of black magic all over them, so I can’t be sure that what I’m seeing is all there is,” Royce mumbled, obviously thinking out loud. “I’m almost positive that at least five or six of the men with ‘The Auctioneer’ are actual wizards. The black magic is just too strong for them to be anything else.”
“And there are seriously dense spots of the noxious shit at the base of the mountain, and none of the human criminals or those that came with them have made it that far, so I have to think Andrew has some wizards with his nasty ass too.” Devon confirmed what they were all thinking; Andrew and ‘The Auctioneer’ were not playing together in this sandbox. He hoped Rayne and Royce had some kind of strategy planned to make this all work, because if they left it up to him he would run screaming, broadsword drawn, slicing any and all in his path in half. He was fucking sick and tired of all of it. It was time for all of it to be over. Andrew needed to be caught and taken to the Elders for the Tribunal or killed dead on the spot. Both worked for him. ‘The Auctioneer’ needed to be caught, also, and made to rot in jail for the atrocities he had inflicted on all those poor women. Secretly, Lance hoped for about five minutes alone with the stupid son of a bitch for the crap Sam had gone through all because of his filth and greed.
Lance remembered the pockets of white magic he’d felt the night he’d flown over this very area. Figuring it was something he was going to have to share. He took a deep breath, and went for it. “I was out here a few nights ago, and felt pockets of really strong white magic. I was gonna come back and investigate, but shit came up. I’m thinking we need to find that witch, maybe she can help.”
“She?” Royce asked.
“Yeah, definitely a she, the magic was very feminine,” Lance answered.
“Is it like what we can feel on the forest floor?” Aidan asked.
“Kind of, but don’t you guys feel like there is something more added to what we can detect out here?” Lance knew he wasn’t making much sense, but they’d all known him long enough to decipher his gibberish.
Thank the Heavens Aaron had his back, and jumped in before there were any questions he would rather not answer, “Now that I focus on it, I see what you mean. I pretty much didn’t bother with it before because it’s white, but now I can tell there’s something else mixed with it. Royce, Dude, you need to get your old senses over here and see what it is.”
“Okay Dickhead, me and my old senses will get right over there,” the oldest of their Force grumbled. “Y’all losers would be lost without me.”
“All right, let’s find out what’s going on. Max and the other cats are going to work their way up the mountain, so we have a few minutes,” Rayne stated, taking charge once again.
A few minutes seemed like several hours, but Aaron finally spoke, “The old man hates to admit it, but Lance is right. The magic is female in origin, and hold onto to your hats sports’ fans, it seems it has been contaminated with black magic that has a tinge of dragon in it. Sound like anyone we know?”
“That fucking son of a bitch!” Aidan snarled. “And why the hell are you so perky about this shit, Bro?”
“Because, Dude, he’s here, and we have a scent, one he cannot fuck with. Lighten up a bit and think about it; we’re gonna get his pansy ass tonight,” Aaron answered, and Lance could feel his confidence. It seemed to reenergize all of them from the sound of it.
“Glad to see you guys finally decided to show up,” Rayne barked. “Now let’s spread out, and find that stupid bastard, and any person stupid enough to follow him.”
In the slow, methodical formation they had been using for over hundred years, the MacLendon Force began creeping toward the base of the mountain, senses wide open to detect any movement or traps. Devon was watching ‘The Auctioneer’ and his men who seemed to be content with lying in wait, but the problem was n
one of the Guard knew what they were waiting for. Lance guessed they wanted Andrew, but how would that fucking loser be of any use to a thug that kidnapped and sold young women. Deciding he really didn’t give a shit as long as they rounded them all up, he continued his trek through the woods listening to the information his brethren were sharing.
He reached the opposite side of the mountain from Royce and Aaron’s location, and started for the first path he saw. “I’m heading up the middle path,” he said to anyone that was listening.
“Get the fuck down…” was all Devon got out before all hell broke loose.
From the sheer pandemonium coming from where ‘The Auctioneer’ and his thugs were hiding, it appeared that someone had prematurely fired a grenade launcher, causing a chain reaction of epic proportions. Clods of dirt and pieces of trees were flying everywhere, and the continued explosions were deafening, especially with his senses wide open. He immediately shut down his enhanced hearing, and prayed the ringing in his ears would stop sometime this millennium. Rayne directed them to continue their search for Andrew. The traitor had been there, and they were all sure he still was, so until he was tucked away in a cave somewhere in Outer Mongolia, or better yet minus his head, he would continue to be their main focus. He was dragon, and therefore knew too much to be allowed to continue his insane plan of vengeance. Lance watched as some of the werepanthers jumped from the trees, landing as men, and stalked the human criminals, hopefully to stop the chaos. Sure that their allies could handle the idiots, he focused on his side of the mountain while listening to the others report in.