by Mikayla Lane
Ainsley slapped both of her hands over her mouth, but she couldn’t hide the way her eyes sparkled with happiness.
“You have to do the schooling. It is never a bad thing to learn. In fact, it works to your advantage to know as much as possible. You never know what might aid you in battle,” Haruki insisted, ignoring her crestfallen face.
“Fine,” Ainsley unhappily agreed.
“That’s not all,” he said as he gave her a hard stare. “You have to eat more, you’re losing too much weight. You can’t train if you don’t have the energy to fight.”
Ainsley just nodded her head, refusing to look at him.
“I know you don’t feel like you belong anywhere. Fiona is busy with Moira and the others, and we’re always busy here. Just because someone is busy doesn’t mean they don’t care. You know how to get me on the shengari’, if you just want to talk, talk to me. Unless I’m kicking some ass, I’ll be there for you,” he assured her.
Ainsley just nodded her head, but Haruki could feel the uncertainty in her energy.
“I promise I will be there for you if you need me, and I take my word very seriously,” Haruki said, not bothering to explain how he felt about his honor. He didn’t want to scare her.
“You promise?” she asked, her voice shaking.
“I promise,” he repeated.
He caught her as she threw herself into his arms.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Haruki gave her a squeeze until she giggled and pulled away. She looked up at him with her big blue eyes.
“You’re kind of awesome,” she said.
“I am, aren’t I?” Haruki teased.
He sat back down, pulled a knife from his pocket and started slicing the block of cheese he brought up. When she still stood there smiling at him, he pointed at her chair with his knife.
“Open the crackers, please. When was the last time you went shopping?” he asked as he sliced some sausage next.
“I have money,” Ainsley said a little defensively.
“I didn’t ask if you had money, and I wasn’t trying to offend you. I was asking because we’re going to need a few things in your size for your training, and I wanted to make sure you were prepared to spend a day getting it done,” he said, keeping his voice even and calm.
“Ugh,” Ainsley complained. “Can’t we do it online?”
Haruki had easily guessed weeks ago that the girl hated shopping, and suspected it’d been a long time since she’d entered a store with the purpose of buying something for herself.
“Sadly, we’re going to have to go to make sure everything fits you properly,” Haruki explained, trying not to laugh at her discomfort.
He knew how she felt. To this day he hated shopping of any kind. He did the bulk of it online unless it was something important to him. Like Ainsley’s charm bracelet. He’d spent the entire day going from shop to shop, looking for the perfect one for her.
Haruki had no idea what it was about the girl that drew him to her and made him fear for her, but he knew that she needed someone, and he wasn’t about to turn her away. He understood the soul stealing pain of that kind of loneliness and refused to let the brave girl go through it.
“Fine,” Ainsley grudgingly agreed.
“It won’t be too bad, and we’ll grab some lunch while we’re out. I’ll even let you pick the place,” Haruki said, immediately getting a smile from her.
He stacked a piece of cheese and meat on a cracker and handed it to her. He was glad when she took it and nibbled at the snack.
“So, when do you want to go?” she asked.
“Let’s give the babies a week to settle in, and we’ll plan on the following Saturday,” Haruki said, not seeing himself doing anything in eight days.
“You think they’ll need that long?” she asked.
Haruki shrugged. He didn’t know anything about babies and didn’t know how long it would take for them to settle into a routine.
For the first week, the compound divided itself into teams to help the new parents get some sleep. He and the other baby ignorant siblings were put in groups with those who knew what to do when one of the infants cried.
“I don’t have a clue. I know nothing about babies. We got you and Charlie already house broken,” Haruki said and laughed when Ainsley threw a piece of cracker at him.
“How bad can it be?” Ainsley asked with a nonchalant shrug.
*****
One Week Later
Haruki wrinkled his nose at a whiff of something horrible and looked around for the source of the foul stench. Not finding anything obvious he began a search of the entertainment room as he tip-toed around the three sleeping newborns.
I know damn well it isn’t them, I just changed them all! He thought as he looked under the couches and chairs.
He sighed in relief when he heard a jingling sound and stood to look at Ainsley.
“Thank the gods you are here. Help me find wherever that smell is coming from!” he asked as he resumed his search for the offensive culprit.
He looked up tiredly when Ainsley started laughing.
“What’s so funny?” he asked as he looked around the room.
Ainsley tried to stifle her laughter with one hand as she pointed to him with the other.
“What?” he asked as he spread his arms out and looked down at himself.
Haruki saw the smears of poop that streaked his shirt, and threw his hands up and sighed.
“Just great!” he muttered as he looked around for the stack of one-size-fits-all shirts his brothers had put in the corner cabinet for just such occasions. Thrane had become rather popular for waiting until his diaper was being changed before spraying whoever was trying to change him.
Haruki turned his back to Ainsley, pulled off his shirt and replaced it with a clean one. He threw the dirty one in the bin beside the clean shirts and turned to the girl.
Haruki smiled as he saw her leaning down and tickling Christopher’s belly. The baby cooed and flailed his arms at her.
“We have to wait a few minutes for my backup to arrive before we can head out,” Haruki warned her.
“When are they coming?” Ainsley asked, her excitement over their trip bleeding from her energy.
“Right now!” Chris yelled out as he came into the room and hugged Ainsley before he turned to his brother. “Remember, you’re set up to go in the morning.”
“I know. I’m ready,” Haruki said then turned to Ainsley. “Let’s go!”
“Where are you going?” Ainsley asked with concern as she headed out of the door with Haruki.
“Just an exploratory mission to Alaska,” he explained with a patient smile.
“You think Satalis is there?” she asked.
“We don’t know, but I’m going to do some reconnaissance and find out,” Haruki admitted as he opened the door to the SUV for her.
He waited until she climbed inside before he shut the door, moved to the driver’s side and got behind the wheel.
“Stop looking like I’m leading you to prison,” Haruki said with a grin. “We’re going to a martial arts store, not a funeral.”
“Martial arts?” she asked in surprise and sat up straighter in the seat.
“What did you think we needed for your training? Dresses?” he teased, feeling her relief pour from her energy. “I have a good friend who owns a store and he’s expecting us. Then we can get lunch, and if you insist on some dresses, we can do that too.”
“Yeah, right!” Ainsley said with a snort. “Not while I breathe.”
Haruki chuckled. He wasn’t about to tell her that once Christopher got older, she’d wear a dress for him if he asked. The baby had her wrapped around his little fingers.
“So where are you going to in Alaska and how long will you be gone?” Ainsley asked.
“I’m heading into the mountains on a wild goose chase, but we’ve got to cover all our bases. Have you ever heard Alaska mentioned by anyone?” Haruki asked, figuring it
couldn’t hurt. The girl was incredibly intelligent.
Ainsley shook her head.
“No. That’s the first thing I thought of when I heard you were going,” she admitted.
“We’re not expecting me to find anything so I’ll just be spending a few days camping in the mountains and then be back. Why? Are you worried about me?” he teased, hoping to lighten her suddenly dark mood.
When Ainsley only looked out of the window, Haruki became concerned.
“Hey, what’s wrong? Talk to me,” he encouraged, hoping she would.
“It’s nothing,” she insisted, although her energy said otherwise.
Haruki pulled into the parking lot of the martial arts store, and when Ainsley tried to leave the SUV, he locked the doors. When she looked at him in puzzlement, he shook his head.
“No lying to each other. Now talk to me,” he said firmly.
Ainsley sighed heavily and rolled her eyes.
“It’s nothing,” she mumbled.
Haruki laughed, causing her to look at him curiously.
“That’s a woman’s way of saying there’s something really wrong. I learned that from Angel a long time ago. Come on, tell me what it is,” he encouraged.
“I hate when you’re gone because you’re the only one who seems to like me and want me around,” she whispered and looked out of the window to avoid his gaze.
“Ainsley, that’s not true,” Haruki rushed to say, shocked she believed that.
“It is true. Why else would none of them adopt me the way they did Charlie when they found her? They don’t like me,” she whispered, brushing away a tear.
“Oh, hell, Ainsley,” Haruki growled and pulled the girl into his arms. “It’s not true. We love you. We just thought that because you’ve been with Fiona for so long, you wanted the freedom of going back and forth. I’d adopt you in second if you wanted to be mine and stay with us.”
Ainsley held onto him tightly, daring to hope he was telling the truth.
“Would you really?” she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion.
“How bad could it be? It’s not like there’s not enough aunts and uncles to keep an eye on you if I’m on a mission, and you can still visit Fiona. You’d just live with us,” Haruki suggested, liking the idea the more they talked about it. “There’s plenty of room in the family wing, and you’d be closer to Christopher.”
He pulled away from her so he could see her face and judge her reaction.
“You don’t think anyone would find that weird? Being your daughter when he’s my mate? He’s your nephew,” she asked as she grimaced.
“Oh, please. None of us are actually related, but we’re still family. I don’t think it’d be weird at all,” he assured her.
“Do you think the others will mind very much?” she whispered as she looked at her lap.
Haruki could feel her doubt and hope bleeding from her energy. He contacted Chris and Mikal through the shengari’.
“I’m adopting Ainsley. You think someone can get a family suite ready for us while I’m in Alaska?” he asked.
“Chance and I will begin immediately. Congratulations brother,” Mikal said.
“Damn, we were wondering when you’d finally get around to it. We’ll get everyone on the suite and have it ready by the time you get home,” Chris said with a laugh.
Haruki grinned and turned to Ainsley.
“Chris and Mikal said welcome to the family. They will have our home ready when I get back from the mission,” Haruki began when Ainsley threw her arms around him and sobbed.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“I love you, kid. Thanks for wanting an old grump like me,” he whispered back. “While I’m in Alaska, I want you to pack your stuff and start bringing it home. Do you think Fiona will be OK with this?”
“I love you too,” she murmured. “Fiona is so busy, it will be a relief for her.”
“All right then, I’ll talk to Fiona later and explain things. Now let’s go shopping,” Haruki said with a grin before he opened the door.
Ainsley joined him at the front of the SUV, and he took her hand, leading her inside the store.
“What if you find a mate?” Ainsley asked.
“We’re a package deal, kid. Just like any other single parent with children,” he said with a grin. He didn’t expect to find his mate anytime soon. He was still young.
Haruki smiled at the older Asian man behind the counter.
“Saturo, it's wonderful to see you,” Haruki greeted his friend. “This is my daughter, Ainsley, that we spoke about.”
Ainsley beamed with pride and squeezed Haruki’s hand.
Saturo bowed gracefully to Ainsley.
“I am honored to meet the daughter of Haruki. Come, let us find only the best for the first child of the man who saved my family,” Saturo said with a weathered smile and gestured for her to come behind the counter with him.
Ainsley looked at Haruki in surprise as she moved to Saturo.
Haruki just laughed and nodded his head for her to follow his friend.
“Saturo knows exactly what to get you. I’m just here to carry it all,” he assured her.
I have a daughter, he thought with a wide grin. I think I’m going to like this.
Chapter Three
Deanna paced the chamber that contained the hidden door before finally walking up to it and putting her hand on it. She winced and looked away, expecting the electrical charge that had knocked Dog out cold. Nothing happened.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked at the door in confusion. She wasn’t sure if she was feeling brave or stupid, but she put her other hand on the door. Again, nothing happened.
“What the hell?” Deanna whispered in frustration.
She stood back from the door and almost tripped on the drill Dog had been using to break through the granite. She knelt down and studied the charred bit where the electrical bolt had struck and turned back to the door, noting the tiny scuff where the bit had scraped the stone.
“What have you figured out?” Dog asked.
Deanna turned around in surprise and looked over the older man to make sure he was all right.
“Should you be out of the infirmary?” she asked.
“Doc says all it did was kick my heart a little bit. Honestly, it scared the hell out of me more than anything,” Dog admitted.
“It scared the hell out of all of us,” Deanna said. “Are you sure you’re OK?”
“Yeah, I'm still kicking. You figure it out yet?” he asked as he gestured to the door.
“I’m not sure,” she said, turning her attention back to the door. “Watch.”
Deanna placed both of her palms on the door and turned to grin at Dog when she heard him gasp.
“It’s safe. I think it’s the drill,” she said, knowing how crazy that sounded.
“What do you mean?” Dog asked.
“Has anyone ever taken a power tool to the structure before?” she questioned him.
Dog scratched his head while he thought about it, then shook his head.
“No. Until these corporate bozos came along, no one even considered busting through anything in here. Everything in this place is exactly as we found it. This door is the most exciting thing to happen around here in years,” Dog admitted.
Deanna nodded her head. She already knew how frustratingly slow the place gave away it’s secrets. She was having just as much difficulty trying to translate anything.
“How did they get the samples to confirm the stone?” she asked.
“Those broken pieces out in front. There used to be a whole lot more of them, but they hauled them off for testing, and the smaller ones were studied here,” Dog explained, wondering what she was thinking.
“There was nothing weird about the stone? It was natural granite?” she asked, beginning to pace as her mind spun with ideas.
“Just a black granite. Like they told you, the stone was removed from inside the mountain, then used to make the
pyramid,” Dog replied. “Where you going with this?”
Deanna stood and stared at the door. She had a dozen crazy thoughts running through her head, and knew she had to test her theories to make sure she was right.
She knelt at the door, grabbed a chisel and mallet, and stared at the smooth surface.
“What are you doing? Ain’t one of us nearly getting shocked to death enough today?” Dog chastised her in his best fatherly tone.
Before he could stop her, Deanna raised the chisel to the door and smacked it with the mallet. She shut her eyes for a moment, and when she realized she was fine, she stood back and grinned at Dog.
“So what did you just prove? Other than you’re an idiot,” Dog said with a snort as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“What if it’s reacting to the power tools? What would that do?” she asked.
Her excitement grew when she saw his eyebrows raise at her questions.
“You’re suggesting it’s intelligent,” he said as if testing her response.
“Yeah, I am,” Deanna admitted. “It would have to be, or it’s reacting to the additional power. So why would it let us in the first three chambers, but this door is off limits?”
“It could lead to the control center. The brain,” Dog suggested. “From there, we can tear it apart and reverse-engineer it. No one wants their brain screwed with. It can’t be reacting to the power tools when we’ve got lights all over this place, and nothing has ever happened to them.”
“Why would it allow us in at all?” Deanna wondered aloud as she stared at the door.
“You got me there. By the way, the equipment did note a slight skip in the hum earlier. How the hell did you even notice that?” Dog asked.
Deanna shrugged and knelt on the floor to run her fingers along the seam of the door.
“I don’t know. I just happened to be paying attention, I guess. Have you ever had it happen before?” she asked.
Dog snorted and nodded his head.
“Sure have, and depending on who you ask, those skips and bursts we’ve been recording coincide with some of the disappearances of planes and people around here,” Dog said, sounding unconvinced.