by J. C. Diem
You are Fate’s warrior, Reece reminded me before I could start doubting myself. You’re supposed to step up and be a leader. You’re doing fine. His pride came through loud and clear.
“Let’s get this done,” Aiden said in a harsh tone. “I don’t like this place.” Some of the captives were werewolves and other canine species. He didn’t like seeing them caged.
All seven alphas joined hands and my power swelled. Touching the mind of the closest shifter, I was confronted with an invisible wall. Pushing against it made if flex and I was afraid that if I used too much force, I’d shatter her mind. I didn’t have a link to any of these prisoners and it wasn’t going to be easy to free them.
As delicately as possible, I focused on a spot on the wall and began to drill. It grew thinner and thinner and a tiny hole appeared. I sensed the shifter’s mind through the gap. She was a werebird of some kind and she was terrified. Don’t be afraid. We’re here to rescue you, I told her.
But, you’re a wolf, she responded. Won’t you just kill me?
No, Reece replied. We need your help.
She was doubtful, but she didn’t put up any resistance when I reached through the tiny aperture that I’d made. My power flexed and the wall exploded. Free from Kurt’s mind trap, the shifter shook her head dazedly and stood. Seeing the bars, her expression turned even bleaker when she realized she was in a prison.
Sensing another werebird, her gaze fell on the oracle. Awe stole across her face and she bowed to the alpha. The oracle was watching through my eyes. She smiled slightly and inclined her head in response. It had been a very long time since she’d met another werebird.
It would take hours to break everyone out this way and we might not have that long. Jorgen could discover that we’d broken into the facility at any moment. When he did, he’d send his golems, zombies, demons or maybe all three after us. Touching the minds of every captive in the cells, I simultaneously drilled a hole in the walls that were trapping them.
Breaking through the barrier, I was inundated with the thoughts of dozens of confused and frightened shifters. To my surprise, I’d also broken through to the non-shifters. I had no idea what they were and didn’t have the time to satisfy my curiosity.
Brace yourselves, I warned them. This might hurt. Flooded with power from having their minds crowding me, I flexed and the barrier that was keeping their minds captive shattered.
Shouts of fear or exclamations of delight sounded as the prisoners were freed. “Is it safe to let them all go?” I asked Mark. I’d only caught a brief glimpse of their thoughts, but I’d sensed that not all of them were as benign as Sabine had turned out to be.
He turned to Ava and she looked doubtful. “Some of these beings would pose a great danger if they were released,” she said quietly.
“Do you know which ones are a threat?” he asked and she nodded. “Then I suggest we transport everyone to Cole’s property then take the dangerous beings to one of our PIA prisons.”
“What’s going on? Who are you people?” a canine shifter asked. He was an alpha Rottweiler and he stood in a combative stance inside his cell. His gaze switched from Aiden, Nina, Reece and then me warily. So many alpha wolves in one area should have been fighting to the death. It wasn’t natural that we were allied. He saw Zeus and his eyes widened when he realized that my guardian wasn’t alive.
“We’ve come to break you free,” Mark said loudly enough for his voice to travel throughout the lower level. Everyone went quiet to listen in. “You are being held captive by an organization that is bent on the destruction of mankind and every other sentient being on this planet.” No one seemed particularly surprised by that. I didn’t know how long they’d been held here, but they knew their captors weren’t the good guys. “We’ve just managed to free your minds from a faery spell. We will release you from your cells as long as you agree to side with us in the coming war.”
“I get the feeling we won’t really have a choice,” the wererottweiler said intuitively.
“You’re right,” I agreed. “We need all the help we can get and we’ll use you whether you like it or not. You have a choice to join us willingly or to be used against your will. Either way, you’ll be coming with us.”
He eyed me for a long moment then switched his attention to Reece. “It’s a pity you’re already mated to her,” he said with a tight smile. “I like headstrong women.” We weren’t quite the same species, but maybe we were close enough for his tastes.
His speculative look meant trouble and Aiden stepped in to quell a challenge before it could be voiced. “They aren’t just bonded. They’re soulmates.”
The alpha looked surprised. “I thought that was just a myth.”
“We’re not even sure anything is a myth anymore,” Kala said. “The guy who imprisoned you is a half-faery, half-human who can create stone golems that can control animals. He’s also learned how to raise demons and has a pet necromancer on his payroll. They’ve already destroyed several towns and cities and they aren’t going to stop until everyone is dead.”
The alpha thought about it then shrugged. “If I’m going to die, I’d rather do it of my own free will. Count me in.”
Not everyone was so easily swayed, but they kept their reservations to themselves. I couldn’t take the chance that a rebellion would start. I put a command into their minds to obey Reece and me and not to fight with their allies. Just like the shifters back at our base, their eyes became glazed as they succumbed to my will.
Ava pointed out the dangerous creatures before Mark used his tablet to released the captives from their cells. My zombies herded the six men and women that she’d indicated to the rear of the pack. We had nearly a hundred in our group now and the elevator could only comfortably take twelve at a time.
When we finally emerged into the yard, I took everyone back to Oklahoma to Cole’s estate. Since it was his property, he could take charge of finding somewhere for them all to sleep. It wouldn’t be necessary to take my friends with me when I dropped the dangerous creatures off, but I still didn’t want to leave my father behind. I knew Reece, Kala and Flynn would protect him with their lives, but he was my dad and he was my responsibility. He’d taken care of me my entire life and now it was my turn to take care of him.
“We’ll be back soon,” I said to Reece and gave him a kiss. Then I took Mark, my father, the O Squad and the six dangerous beings back to the facility where Viktor D’Ath had once been held.
₪₪₪
Chapter Twenty-One
Arriving at the facility that was an hour to the north of our compound in Colorado, we stepped out of the shadows and into the light. The guard in the booth next to the gate started and leap to his feet. Holding his assault rifle ready, he was ready to point it at us when he stepped outside.
“Good evening,” Mark said politely and held out his identification. “We have some prisoners who need to be taken to level fifteen.”
The guard peered at the ID and paled when he realized who Mark was. “Yes, sir, Agent Steel! I’ll just call ahead to notify security of your arrival.” He trotted back to the guardhouse, almost stumbling over his own feet as he looked back over his shoulder at us. Mark wasn’t quite the legend that Thomas was, but he was still a figure of respect in our agency.
“I haven’t done anything wrong,” one of the detainees said in a near growl. Several inches shorter than me, his shoulders were disproportionately wide, making his head look tiny.
“We’re being illegally detained,” a female said coolly. Her skin was silver and almost glowed in the light. “I know my rights and this is unconstitutional.” I had no idea what either of them were. I only knew that they weren’t human. The other four beings were equally mysterious, although they looked mostly humanoid.
Tucking his ID away, Mark rounded on them. His cold stare quelled any further arguments. “I don’t care what you are or what you’ve done. I was informed that you are dangerous to humans. Therefore, you will be detained until we
have the time to deal with you.”
Reaching through the window of the guardhouse, the guard pressed a button to open the barrier. We could have bypassed him altogether, but it wouldn’t have been wise to enter the facility unannounced. Doing so would surely have resulted in gunfire. We trooped past him and quickly jogged to the small building in the distance. Kendricks and his men were so well formed that the guard didn’t notice they were dead.
A female guard opened the door just as we neared the building. Mark nodded to her as we filed inside. She escorted us to the elevator at the far end of the small building, glancing at the captives curiously. Pushing the button for Mark, she took the hint that we didn’t want company and returned to her tiny office.
The elevator door opened and we stepped inside. There was room for all of us, but Kendricks motioned for a few of his men to remain behind. He’d picked up the thought from me that I wanted someone to stand guard.
Mark pushed the button for level fifteen and the elevator descended into the bowels of the facility. The first time I’d been here had been to visit Viktor D’Ath. He hadn’t been incarcerated for long before he’d been broken out. “It could be a complete waste of time leaving them here,” I said to Mark. Kurt could easily teleport in and grab them just like he’d done with Viktor and the golem heads.
He knew what I was referring to and shrugged. “We can’t just let them roam free. Hopefully, Jorgen will be too busy with his plan for world domination to bother collecting them.”
From the expression on my father’s face, I knew what his solution would have been. A few bullets would have taken care of the problem. I agreed with his silent assessment of our situation. If they were dead, they wouldn’t be able to harm anyone.
When the doors opened, another guard was waiting to escort us to the cells. Each of the six prisoners were given a cell to themselves. I wasn’t sure how extensive the underground prison was, but they seemed to have plenty of spare cells. Mark signed some paperwork then we returned to the elevator.
Joining up with the rest of the O Squad on the surface, we left the small building and stepped into the shadows. I didn’t bother to return to the gate. Time was wasting and we had a job to do so I transported us back to Oklahoma.
“I take it the O Squad and Containment Squad have been to the prison before?” Mark said to Kendricks. My zombies had followed us there without needing to be in physical contact with me.
“No. None of us have been there before,” Kendricks said. It was startling to hear my zombie responding without needing to be prompted. Clearly, my undead servants were far more alert than usual. It seemed that even my death magic was different from normal.
Mark was understandably confused and so was I. “Then how were you able to travel there without assistance?” he asked.
“Our master has been there. We are linked to her. We can travel anywhere that she has been.”
“That’s unexpected,” Mark said in a thoughtful tone. I was surprised he didn’t whip his tablet out to take notes. He checked his watch and we stepped inside Cole’s house. Keep watch for anything suspicious, I said to Kendricks. He nodded and my silent minions spread out to guard the house.
Everyone had behaved themselves during our absence. Kala had made coffee and pointed to some mugs that were sitting on one of the coffee tables. I picked one up and took a seat next to Reece. With our minds linked, we were never really apart, but it was good to be back at his side again.
We’d gained two more alphas during our rescue mission. The wererottweiler stood with his back to the wall, watching us all. The other alpha was a wererat. Small and nervous, her eyes darted from side to side as if expecting an attack at any moment. Being surrounded by predators, it was wise for her to be wary, even if I’d compelled everyone to get along.
“The faery has been busy while you were gone,” Sabine said and gestured at the gigantic TV. Grainy images of zombies lurching through the streets appeared. They were followed by various shots of golems, animals, birds and spiders swarming through more towns. Worst of all were the hordes of black skinned demons. Their red eyes glowed eerily in the darkness.
“I was concerned that Jorgen would be notified that we’d attacked one of his compounds,” Mark said. “It appears he’s far too busy to be aware of what we were doing.”
“We should rescue as many of the captives as we can before he discovers what we’re up to,” my father proposed.
Gulping down my coffee, I resigned myself to a very long night ahead. I crooked my finger at the two newest alphas and they fell in behind us. The oracle and her fellow werebird sat beneath the oak tree. “I smell a rodent,” the oracle said slyly and the wererat hunched her shoulders.
“Try to resist the urge to eat our allies,” I said reprovingly and her expression turned sullen. “Let’s go. We still have nineteen more EERI bases to raid.”
We managed to empty out five more compounds and to deliver the dangerous inmates to the PIA facility before dawn. We now had hundreds of shifters and other supernatural creatures in our army. Most would have to sleep rough, but that was the least of my concerns.
Mark didn’t become as easily fatigued now. Instead of sleeping, he took his tablet out and started researching how many cities had been attacked. Kala watched my father hungrily as he followed one of the lions into the hall that led to the bedrooms upstairs. Catching my eye, she grinned sheepishly.
Flynn and Sabine had disappeared into another bedroom. Cole’s harem had opted to stay with him at least until our war was over. They’d appropriated his bedroom since it had the largest bed. He’d wisely kept his complaints to himself and had taken one of the other rooms. His lionesses had arrived from the nightclub to keep him company, so he wouldn’t be completely alone. Fairly soon, the house became quiet.
Stretching out on one of the couches beside Reece, I fell into a doze. I woke sometime later when Ava spoke to Mark quietly.
“I am sorry I didn’t tell you the truth about myself before, Mark.”
He sighed and put his tablet down. “There’s no need to apologize, Ava.” I cracked an eye open to see the nagi’s shoulders sag in relief. “It was just a shock to realize you weren’t human.”
“Do you think…” she hesitated then forced herself to continue. “Is it possible that you could ever feel more for me than mere friendship?”
He was silent for a long moment before responding. “My wife and daughter meant everything to me,” he said and Ava’s face fell. “I loved them dearly, but they’re in my past. I’m apparently going to live forever and that is a very long time to be alone.” With that, he extended his hand to her. Smiling shyly, she took it.
Is it just me, or is everyone finding their perfect mate, I said to Reece.
His eyes were closed, but he was awake. It sure seems like it. It almost feels like this has all been arranged.
I think it has. Fate said that you and I were meant to be together. I think that all of us finding our partners is some kind of incentive for us to win this war.
He mused on that idea. Maybe Fate is making sure we won’t have to spend eternity alone.
What about Kala? Is she going to find her soulmate?
She’s not really the type to fall for one guy, he said doubtfully. It’s extremely rare for a werecat to bond with someone permanently.
What Cole did to his felines was a form of bonding, but it only went one way. His harem had worshipped him, but he felt only sexual pleasure for them. Love wasn’t involved in their world. His lionesses were more like property than wives. The lesser felines didn’t even have that dubious status. They were used purely for sex. When he grew tired of them, he presumably passed them on to the other werelions. He hadn’t discarded any of them yet, so maybe Cole was different from most rexes. He seemed to feel more for Kala than simple lust.
Speaking of Kala, she’d chosen to sleep alone. She had a houseful of werecats to choose from, but apparently none of them appealed to her. I could only imagine the scen
e Cole would have caused if she’d slept with one of his lions. Either she was mature enough not to need revenge for what he’d done to her, or her crush on my father meant she wasn’t interested in anyone else right now. I hoped she’d get over her infatuation soon. Still, it made me sad to think that she might never experience the same kind of love that the rest of us were going to have.
₪₪₪
Chapter Twenty-Two
I managed to sleep for a few more hours and woke to the strong and inviting aroma of coffee. I cracked an eye open to see Kala holding a mug an inch away from my nose. “You know,” she said thoughtfully as I sat up, “I’m pretty sure coffee could bring you back from the dead.”
“Gimme,” I replied and snatched the mug out of her hand. I drained it in seconds then handed it back.
“Hey!” she complained. “That was mine!”
“I can bring it back up if you really want me to.”
“Eww! That won’t be necessary.” Wrinkling her nose at my offer, she flounced back into the kitchen to make a fresh cup.
Sitting up as well, Reece stretched and his shirt rode up to reveal his abs. Sexual longing swept through me. I wanted to drag him off to one of the bedrooms, but we were in a house full of creatures who had supernatural hearing. I wasn’t comfortable being intimate knowing others could hear me. From the sounds of it, some of the other shifters weren’t as shy as I was. At least they weren’t engaged in an orgy. I’d heard and witnessed far too many of those while I’d been with Katrina and her nest of vampires.
Cole was proving to be an effective host. He’d had enough food delivered for everyone and had even arranged for tents and bedding for our troops outside.