Grounding Gracus (First Wave Book 6)

by Mikayla Lane

  The moment he’d fully calmed, Gracus was released from his paralysis and he dropped roughly back to the floor. Gibly surprised him by jumping to the floor and moving to stand in front of him.

  Gibly bowed before the ladies before his black eyes burned into cold blue. “May I ask what your intentions are regarding me?” he asked.

  All five women smiled at the charming cat and it was the first time Gracus had seen any emotion in them at all. While the other four remained where they were, Lauren kneeled on the floor in front of Gibly.

  “It is a shame that the Valendran fools don’t know what a true treasure you are Giblounian,” Lauren said, using Gibly’s full name before continuing. “However, I do know what you are capable of. Therefore, you can remain in this room until Rebecca heals or you can leave at any time. Once you leave, you can’t return. If Rebecca wishes to stay, you may stay with her, if you choose to do so.”

  Gibly twitched his now smooth tail and looked up at the cold woman as if he was considering his options before he nodded his head. “Thank you. For the moment I wish to remain with Rebecca.”

  Lauren smiled at the cat and stood. When she looked at Gracus her smile was gone and her eyes had gone cold again. “Now that you are awake, modifications will be made to the room for your comfort until Rebecca awakens. Food and drink will be sent shortly.”

  Lauren took another step towards him. “I will remind you that this room is for the sake of Rebecca, any attempt to approach us with aggression will be responded to, in kind. You will remain our guest only as long as it takes for you to wear out your welcome,” Lauren said, looking at him coldly before she turned and the five women disappeared through a door that he never knew was there.

  Suddenly, the room began to shimmer around them, the walls bowing inward and out, before a couch, table and chair appeared. Moments later, another woman appeared through the door bearing a heavily laden tray.

  The small blonde didn’t even spare a glance at Gracus and smiled at Gibly as she placed the tray on the low coffee table. She placed a bowl and two plates on the table next to the tray and looked at Gibly.

  “There’s fresh water and some freshly caught game for you. If you have a preference, please let someone know,” she said before she left the room.

  Gibly moved over to the table and sniffed the plates and glasses still on the tray before moving over to the items set out for him and doing the same. He looked up at Gracus and spoke to him through the Shengari’.

  “The food is untainted and safe to eat.”

  Gracus was too pissed off to eat. Although, they had left food for him on the tray, he knew it was an afterthought. He may not be considered a foe, but he damn sure wasn’t considered a friend either, if their attitudes were anything to go by.

  Gracus grabbed a large glass of water and downed it in one long pull, quenching his parched throat while Gibly did the same with his bowl. Using the pitcher left on the tray, he refilled Gibly’s bowl before his glass and set it back down.

  “Do you have a clue what the hell is going on?” he asked Gibly, hoping the cat had more of idea than he did.

  Gibly delicately chewed a morsel of meat before he looked up at Gracus. “There is no doubt they are hybrids and they do not have much respect for Valendrans. I don’t get the feeling that they dislike you, they just don’t think much of your people.”

  Gracus snorted. “Yeah, I figured that out already. Can you reach anyone outside of here? Do you know where we are?” he asked, hoping for more than what he already knew.

  Gibly sighed. “I don’t know where we are. Nor can I reach anyone beyond this room. Not only is the room itself blocking me, but the women have also done something to prevent it. There is much power in them, we must tread carefully,” the cat warned before taking another piece of meat.

  Gracus felt like throwing something and forced himself to control his anger. They didn’t know a damn thing and his choices were pretty slim. He sat on the edge of the bed by Rebecca and reached out to touch her much cooler skin and sighed in relief that she was truly getting better.

  He stood so he could pull the blankets out from underneath her and cover her with them. He sat back down beside her as Gibly jumped on the bed and sat at Rebecca’s back.

  Gracus tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and asked Gibly, “Is she alright?”

  The cat nuzzled Rebecca’s shoulder affectionately before he spoke. “She is well. She and her beast need to rest and heal. Her body went through much and the room is helping her greatly. They did not lie about that.”

  Gracus sighed and laid down beside her, watching her face as she slept. He already knew she sleeping, their mating bond so deep that he could easily sense it. But, his peace of mind demanded he make sure he wasn’t wrong.

  “Do you know when she’ll wake?” he asked with a yawn, his own body still exhausted.

  Gibly yawned right after Gracus and turned in a circle a few times before curling up at Rebecca’s back. “She is in deep rest and will not awaken anytime soon,” Gibly said. He barely finished speaking before he and Gracus were asleep.

  *****

  Grai and Scaden paced in front of the cave while they waited for the latest dropped group to get to the mountain trail. Grai had called for whatever hybrid led group that was on standby to get there as soon as possible and they’d dropped a few miles away, not long ago.

  Niklosi had built a fire as the sun had begun to set and the men and cats had all gathered around it for warmth while they ate in silence together. Everyone except Scaden and Grai, who passed each other as they paced in front of the cave entrance.

  Twenty minutes later Grai groaned, wishing he’d checked to see who the hybrid team leader was before he called for the first one on deck for emergency deployment. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the girl, on the contrary, he, like everyone else, adored her. In small, short… very short doses.

  “Oh my God! This place is so freaking awesome, you guys! Awww, you already started the fire? I would have done that for you!” True Demetrios said, as she crested the trail and came into the clearing with her team behind her.

  A collective groan went up among the men before they feigned a happy greeting to True and her team. Grai could swear a few of her own teammates had joined in on the groan at her words. In a dangerous situation, True was an incredible leader and asset to have.

  But, her high energy personality and lack of a filter on her mouth could really get to you. She was like Traze, on crack… and with a bigger mouth, Grai thought with a grimace. And completely unsuited to this situation. He planned on sending her on her way the moment she opened the cave.

  “Cuz!!! I can’t believe I finally get to work a mission with my family!” True exclaimed in a high pitched voice as she ran and hugged him… squealing in delight the whole time. Even the cats cringed at the sound.

  Grai hugged her tightly, until he realized it made her squeal louder and he stopped and stepped away. Yeah, she had to go, he thought. There was no way he was keeping her here, no matter how adorable and competent she was. Besides, he only needed her to open the door so they could get Gracus and Rebecca anyway.

  True grinned from ear to ear and looked around. “So? What the hell am I here for? You guys just miss me or what? You missed me didn’t you? You did! I know you did!” True said with a grin at the quiet and tired group, while she played with a small ball of fire in each hand.

  Scaden, who hadn’t had the joy of working with True before, looked at her in stunned confusion at her rapid fire way of speaking and stepped out of the way of the crevice that led to the cave. “We need you to reach in there and touch the back wall to open the cave,” he said.

  True’s eyes got huge and the fireballs in her hands disappeared. “Oh my God! Oh my God! This is so epic!” she said with a squeal as her hands gesticulated wildly. “We’re recording this right? Haha! We record everything with the gear! I forgot. Has anyone ever been in there before? Is that why you called for a hybrid led tea
m? It needs a hybrid to get in? Oh my God! That is so cool!”

  Before anyone could actually process the rapid fire chatter, True had moved to the crevice and knelt down in front of it. She turned a blinding smile to the others, her stormy grey eyes, so much like her sister Dare’s, twinkled, before she looked at wall and slapped her palms to the rock inside.

  Her face brightened to the point it looked like it was glowing and she squealed in excitement as the wall disappeared beneath her fingers. True stood quickly and rushed inside before anyone could stop her, followed by Scaden, then an irritated Grai.

  He had expected more of True’s excitement, but once he got inside he saw that she’d pulled her weapon and was moving slowly down the hallway towards the door. And there’s the leader he was just thinking about, Grai thought as he drew his own weapon and took the lead from her. Not because he didn’t trust her, but because he didn’t want to see her hurt. She was family.

  He went through the door to the control room with the three other tunnel entrances and stopped, turning to the teams. “The three tunnels all lead to the same living space, we’ll divide into teams to search it. True, stay here with Amun and see if you can get that control center working,” Grai said.

  True turned to the non-functioning control center while Grai and the others divided into three teams and went through the doors. Amun walked around the room, looking at the walls and floor with curiosity, while True put her hands on the control center. She gasped when a single sentence appeared on a screen under her palm.

  Afraid that it would go away if she moved, she kept her hand there while she moved her fingers, one by one, to read the sentence.

  “Are you in danger?” True read silently.

  There was something really odd about this and True had a strange feeling that she shouldn’t say anything to Amun. Not yet anyway, she thought. She kept her palm on the screen, her hand hiding the words, as she looked around, wondering if they were being watched. She sure as hell had a creepy feeling that they were.

  Looking back down, she looked for a keypad to respond and not finding one, she wondered how the hell she was supposed to answer back without one. True thought for a moment, and decided to shake her head vigorously as she looked around the room again, looking for a camera.

  “What are you shaking your head at? Did you find something?” Amun asked.

  True laughed and moved a little to the right to prevent Amun from seeing her palm on the control center. “No, silly man! I was just wondering at what could have made this place! Have you figured out what is causing the floor and walls to light yet? Have you found a camera or vid comm? Anything?” she asked, not only trying to divert his attention from the control center, but curious if he’d found a camera she could communicate directly with.

  Amun shook his head. “No, but I’m still looking,” he said distractedly as he moved to inspect another wall.

  True could feel a slight throb beneath her hand and looked back down to see a new sentence on the screen.

  “Why are you here?” True read silently with a grin.

  This was so… Tomb Hunter or something that she was loving it. Now to think of a way to communicate that, True wondered. She hit upon an idea and turned slightly to Amun.

  “So, Amun, what exactly are we doing here?” she asked, trying to sound casual.

  She was grateful when Amun didn’t even look up from the wall when he answered her. “We’re here to get Gracus and his mate. They were out here and we think they got in the cave.”

  True had to stop herself from laughing out loud and instead she beamed with pride as she looked around the room. She may be a little more energetic than everyone else, but she wasn’t stupid and was enjoying the challenge of communicating with the unknown person.

  She waited for the throb beneath her hand, denoting a new sentence and her smile vanished when long minutes passed without one. True looked down and not seeing one, tapped her foot at she looked around with narrowed eyes, wondering if she’d made a mistake in telling the unknown person why they were there.

  She turned back to Amun. “Maybe we should go in there and see if they need back-up?” she asked.

  True felt the throb and almost barked out a happy laugh as Amun answered her. “No, if they need us they’ll let us know. Besides, we’ve heard no weapons fire and strangely enough, the Shengari’ works in here for me, but I can’t get anyone outside of here. Have you noticed that?”

  True had noticed it right away. Her energy levels were a little higher than most hybrids and she was more sensitive to fluctuations. She’d felt the disturbance immediately when she crossed into the cave and had drawn her weapon.

  She nodded her head and tried to sound casual. “Yeah, I noticed that as well. It’s odd.”

  True watched Amun until she knew he was again distracted with his search of the walls and floor before looking down at the screen.

  “They are fine and no harm has come to them.” True read, wondering who it was talking about. Grai and the teams or Gracus and his mate. This way of communicating was getting old and True wanted something more effective. And faster!

  “This is ineffective. You weren’t smart enough to make this easier…,” True muttered quietly to herself as she tried to think of another way to communicate when she felt the throb beneath her palm again.

  “It would be more effective if you would allow a connection through the Shengari’. Are you brave enough to allow it, Elemental?” True read in surprise. It heard her!

  This was so creepy and exciting at the same time that True could barely contain her excitement. Her normally high energy was skyrocketing with each new sentence that appeared and she couldn’t help but wonder who she was talking to.

  True whispered under her breath, “I’m hella brave, but not stupid. Who are you?” She immediately felt a throb under her hand and looked down.

  “A friend. You can know all you wish, if you allow a simple communication bond.” True read and couldn’t help but snort, causing Amun to look up at her from where he was inspecting a corner where the floor met the wall.

  True cleared her throat. “I was just thinking that whatever is lighting this place must be beyond what we know if you still haven’t found it and have to resort to looking at the floor,” True said in her normally cheerful voice.

  Amun looked at her strangely as he straightened up and tilted his head as if to see the control panel. “Have you found anything yet? Does that actually work?” he asked as he stood.

  True was scared he was going to come over and see the sentence under her hand and she shifted nervously for a second before taking her hand off the control center. Looking down she saw that the sentence had disappeared and she smiled and turned back to Amun.

  “So far nothing appears to be working, but I’m not a quitter!” True said with a beaming smile.

  Amun nodded his head, looking at her strangely for a minute before going back to inspecting the wall. True smiled in relief and placed her hand back on the control center. Her smile widened when another sentence popped up immediately.

  “If you allow the connection, this deception would not be necessary.” True read and ground her teeth in frustration.

  A part of her wanted to call out to Grai and tell him she’d found something, but there was another part of her that knew it would be a mistake, that the communication would cease. And she didn’t think that would be a good thing.

  True looked around the room with narrowed eyes before whispering, “Trust goes both ways, buddy. Who are you?”

  Several long minutes passed, the screen laying blank beneath her palm and True was more depressed about it than she expected to be at the lack of response. She had bluffed and whoever it was on the other end, called it and won the hand.

  Angry that the silence bothered her so much, True muttered, “That’s what I thought… pussy.”

  She took her hand off of the control center and walked around it to the back side, inspecting the smooth surface for a p
lug, knob or something that she could push or flip to turn it on. Finding nothing, she stood and walked to the other side of the room, making a concerted effort to not even glance at the screen on the control center.

  True was a little surprised when her beast, Roar, spoke to her. “I am getting an insistent request for you to allow the connection or return to the control center,” he said excitedly.

  She tried really hard to hide her smile and failing badly she went ahead and allowed herself to grin broadly as she tried to walk nonchalantly back to the control center.

  Her beast laughed in her mind. “At least you didn’t run. You held it together nicely, my girl,” he said happily.

  She pretended to run her hands over the front of it so Amun wouldn’t get suspicious before placing her hand back on the screen. Immediately she felt the throbbing of the energy and another sentence popped up.

  “My name is Leif. I am a hybrid like you.” True couldn’t keep the smile from her face as she read the message.

  “Why don’t you come out here and meet us? Why hide?” True uttered before she realized she’d spoken out loud.

  Amun looked at her strangely. “True? You ok?”

  True smiled. “I was just wondering why Gracus and Rebecca didn’t come out to meet us. Everyone has been gone a while,” she lied easily.

  Amun nodded. “I was just wondering where they were as well. I can contact Grai and the others through the Shengari’ but Gracus is just a blank.”

  True waited until Amun went to inspect the doors before turning to look at the new sentence on the screen. “I do not hide, I observe.”

  True snorted quietly. “You’re gonna observe my ass walking out of here if you don’t explain what’s going on,” she muttered, looking around in irritation.

  She never felt the throb in her palm this time, she’d become too used to it, this time she felt a shiver run through her and knew there was a new response. There was something strange about this place, she thought. Something that was increasing her abilities and giving her more focus.