I shook my head as I leaned in for a hug and a kiss. “Thanks, Mom.”
“You just make sure you bring them home. I’m happy that you two have found someone.”
My mom hugged Khloe as I walked over to my dad. “Is that what I think that is dad?” I pointed to the case in his hand.
He looked down at the case then back up to me, “Yes, it is. Talia has her short swords and Khloe has her magic. You and the others have your firepower but I had a feeling that you might need this. I hope that you don’t but I’d rather you take it and not need it.” He left the rest unsaid. I took it and hugged him.
“I’ll do everything in my power to make sure we all make it home.”
“I know you will, son. I’m proud of the man you’ve become. Take care of my girls.”
Khloe and I headed up the stairs into the jet. Inside Kim, Steven, and Alan were sitting at one of the table areas talking and joking around, just like I did a hundred times while being deployed. Talia and Joseph were sitting together talking quietly. I pointed out the seats in the back to Khloe and followed her over to them. The hostess came over and took our drink orders and asked if we were hungry. As we sat down Khloe looked at the case.
“What’s inside the case? Seemed really important to your dad.”
I placed the case on the table before us, flipped the latches up, and opened the case. A soft actinic light lit up the area around us. Khloe sucked in a sharp breath when she realized what was inside the case.
“Is that what I think that is?” She asked.
I nodded “Yes, it’s my father’s angelic blade. It’s called ‘Nightbane’.”
“Why did he give it to you? Can you wield it?”
“Yes, I’m the only one besides him that can wield it. Talia tried once when we were teenagers while learning how to use swords and other blades. Our dad was sure one of us could wield it. He thought it would be T because she has always had a proficiency with most blades, but when she picked it up it burned her. I have never had any problem using it. Dad thinks it’s because I’m male.” I paused and bit my bottle lip for second before I shook my head. “I’m not sure. All I know is he had a ‘feeling’ that I would need it. I’ve learned to never doubt his ‘feelings’.”
Khloe reached out with her hand toward the Nightbane and before I could stop her she gripped the pommel and lifted the sword out of the case. Her eyes were full of wonder. I sat there with my mouth hanging open as I realized that dad had never intended me to use the sword. I looked over to where Talia and Joseph were sitting and saw that she was watching Khloe too.
Khloe slipped out of her seat and into the open area in the back of the cabin. She began to test the weight of the sword and get a feel for it. It looked like an extension of her arm as she went through a couple weapon katas. She returned to her seat and placed the blade back into the case after the pilot said that we have been cleared to depart. I closed the case and placed in on the floor next to my seat. I leaned over and kissed my surprised and shocked girl. I took her hand as I laid back, put in my ear buds, pulled up Barbarians by Sixx AM, and closed my eyes as we took off headed to god only knows what.
About two hours later Khloe woke me up for dinner. “How’d you sleep?”
“Not bad. I’ve never flown in mom and dad’s jet. This is nice. Did they say how long the flight will be?”
“About 6 hours or so. Hell of a lot better than how I got to Boston from home.”
“Yeah, I can imagine. This sure would’ve been nice on some of the ops they sent me on. What’s for dinner anyway?”
“Roasted lamb, garlic mashed potatoes, and asparagus. Talia said that your mom requested it because it was one of your favorite dishes.”
“Oh, yes!” My mouth began watering at the thought of roasted lamb. I raised my seat up and began looking around the cabin to see how everyone else was doing. Looked like everyone else was sleeping as well. I looked back at Khloe and kissed her. “What can we expect when we get there?”
“In Lima or when we get to Tabatinga?”
“I guess both. I mean, I know we’re meeting your parents and Lima is a big city like Boston. So, I’m probably more interested in Tabatinga. What kind of supernaturals live there?”
Khloe laughed placed her hand on my leg and said, “Oh, my sweet boy, Lima is more like New York City than Boston. It even has a population of over 8 million. I get your point though, and yes, Lima will be like any big city so we should be able to get in and out without too many eyes seeing us.”
I looked chagrined and continued “’Sweet boy’, seriously?”
“Yes, I haven’t thought of an adequate nickname for my cuddly wolf yet.” She said rather smugly.
I just shook my head and grabbed her hand. My wolf seemed to settle into contentment whenever Khloe and I touched. The hostesses woke everyone up for dinner. As I looked around the cabin I thought about the recent changes my life has taken. Just then I looked over at Talia and she was looking at me with much the same expression on her face. I smiled at her and she nodded. She understood what I was thinking and that she was thinking the same thing.
After dinner, the seven of us all gathered around the small conference table that was behind the seating area. Damn if my parents didn’t have everything on this plane. Talia pulled out a briefcase and produced maps and satellite images of the area where the mysterious temple was said to be.
“Looks to be mostly unpopulated and off one of the tributaries that flow through the area,” Joseph said as he looked at the satellite photos.
Alan looked up at the map and asked “How are we getting there? None of us were in the Navy.”
I looked to Khloe “He has a point. I mean I know how to operate a boat but we’re going to need someone who we can trust and knows the rivers.”
She stared down at the maps in thought. “My dad knows a couple of retired Navy guys who live here.” She pointed to what looked like a village across the river from Tabatinga. “They are what was called ‘Brown Water Navy’, you know, river patrol. My dad grew up with them back in Salem when they were kids. They run a charter fishing boat that runs the rivers in the area.”
Talia and Kim both asked, “What kind of supernatural population is there in Tabatinga?”
Khloe pulled out her smartphone and typed a few things before speaking. “It looks like there is a population around 100,000 or so. I would expect the usual collection of vampires and who knows how they are going to respond. They could either be with Kirin or not. There is no way to tell. My concern is for the witch circles in the area since a large portion of them practice death magic. It’s been a holdover since the days of the Mayan, Incan, and Aztec civilizations. Blood sacrifices provide powerful energies to fuel spells and enchantments. Most shifters and Were’s will not pay us any attention unless it’s an Alpha since both Dorian and Talia have that aura about them. They might feel threatened that you’re going to challenge them for their pack.”
I looked at Talia. “Hopefully our mother has sent word to the packs down here that we are going to be in the area for a visit and are not interested in staying any longer than we have to.”
“Ok, that’s about all we can go over until we get to Tabatinga. Kim, Alan and Steven, I want you three to secure our cargo when we land. I trust the diplomatic seals to work with the human customs officers but I don’t trust the seals with stop anyone else who might be curious. As much as I would like to take this jet to Tabatinga, I think it would be like sending up a giant flare to anyone looking. We are going to secure something less conspicuous to travel there. There are several air freight companies to choose from. We’ll worry about that after our meeting with Khloe’s parents and her clan.” I said as I looked at her for any idea what to call them. Last time I checked bird shifters didn’t call themselves a pack but who knew.
“Cast. We are called a cast but clan will also work. You would be right in thinking that no, we don’t refer to ourselves as a pack. That’s for the furry ones, like you
guys.” She said as she laughed at our expressions.
With that, we broke up and settled in for the remainder of the flight.
Chapter 19
By the time the pilot announced that we were on the final approach I was ready to shift and eat something. Talia and Khloe were both laughing at me and Joseph just had that ‘I know how you feel’ look on his face. What the hell has come over me? I have never been this nervous about meeting people. Ok so, Khloe and I were seeing each other and it was obviously more than a casual thing but why was I this bothered about meeting her parents? Was it because my wolf had already made up his mind and was seeking the same from Khloe’s falcon? Mom had told me that her wolf knew the moment she met dad that he was hers. Was this the same? Only one way to find out.
The landing was uneventful and as the jet taxied over to the private aviation terminal, the girls went to the bathroom to freshen up. I packed up my laptop, maps, and satellite photos into my backpack. The crew had passed out custom declaration forms to all of us before they went about preparing the jet for our departure. The co-pilot came out of the cockpit and asked me how long they should wait in Lima for us. I told him to hold that thought and pulled out my phone and called my mom.
“Hey, how long do you want us to keep the plane and crew down here before they should return?”
“Hmmm, how about two weeks. That should give you guys ample time and if it’s going to take longer, give us a heads-up. You did bring the satellite phone with you?” My mom asked.
“Yes, we have it and two extra batteries. I’m going to make sure it’s charged before we leave Khloe’s parents’ house.”
“Ok then, two weeks. Tell them to find a nice five-star hotel and put it on the corporate credit card.” She hung up.
I looked at the co-pilot and said, “Looks like you guys are getting a two-week vacation.” I then explained the instructions that my mom had given. He nodded as he ducked back into the cockpit where I heard him passing on the instructions to the pilot.
As the girls came back, the cabin crew was opening the door and lowering the stairs. I glanced out the door and noticed a police car and a black SUV headed in our direction. I told everyone to hang tight while I checked out what they could possibly want. I was hoping that it was just the customs official but who knew. Khloe followed me out and down the stairs and stood beside me. She kept giving me quick looks to see if I was going to say anything about her defying me and following me out of the plane.
Turned out that the police vehicle was the customs and immigration officials. The two customs officials examined our passports and customs declaration cards. He was taken aback by the diplomatic passports and didn’t like the diplomatic seals on the storage cases either. Well, he could go pound sand before I was going to volunteer to open those up for him to inspect. I don’t think he’d take to kindly to us bringing enough firepower to start a war into his country. They stamped our passports and were on their way. Talia pulled out her phone and searched for a cargo company that we could hire to take us to Tabatinga as the occupants of the other SUV got out and headed toward us, or should I say, toward Khloe. She went rigid next to me, which caused my wolf to wake up. Both men were over six feet with athletic builds and had the dark hair and eyes commonly found in South America. They were both Were’s.
“Ms. Ashling, you need to come with us.” The first man said in a tone that indicated he expected Khloe to comply without question. Yeah, well fuck that.
“Khloe, who are these men?” I asked as I kept my eyes on them and my hand on her back in an effort to lend her whatever strength I could.
“Plane is booked. What is this?” Talia asked walking up behind Khloe and me.
Khloe still hadn’t responded to anyone yet as the two men eyed our group with suspicion and continued, “This is of no concern of yours. She is one of us and we will take her from here. Thank you for bringing her home. You can get on your plane and leave.”
“Da fuck!?” Talia exclaimed as she got ready for a fight.
My wolf was fully awake now and was threatening to take over as I replied to them. “My MATE isn’t going anywhere with you!” My voice rougher than usual which caused them to back up a step and reach for weapons.
“Mate?” Khloe said as she looked at me with love in her eyes and put a hand on my shoulder to calm my wolf. “Dorian, these men are from my ‘clan’ and work for my mother.” She looked back to the men and continued, “Manuel, why are you here and not my parents?”
He eyed our group and hesitated before answering Khloe’s question. “I’m not sure what I have to say is for anyone else’s ears. They aren’t ‘clan’.”
“As the big one here who is about to rip your head off said. He’s my mate and this one with the blades out is my sister in everything except blood. Whatever you have to say to me can be said to them.”
“As you wish. Your parents were taken some time before dawn. We don’t know how or who.” He finally said as he bowed his head.
Khloe went still at those words and grabbed both Talia’s and my hand before she said in an almost incomprehensible whisper, “Take me home now.”
Talia told Joseph and the others what had happened. She ordered them to stay and guard the plane and our gear while we went to find out how someone kidnapped Khloe’s parents.
The drive took about an hour and half and Khloe just held my and Talia’s hand, not saying anything. When we pulled up to her parent’s house she ran to the front door as soon as she was free. I gave Talia a knowing look and she nodded back as I followed Khloe inside. I followed her scent to what had to be her parent’s bedroom. She just stood there staring at nothing. As I entered she turned and ran to me and threw her arms around me. With no one around, she broke down crying as her body began to shake uncontrollably. I just held her and rubbed her back while I whispered to her that we would find them and get them back. I also added that whoever took them would pay with their lives. My wolf was in complete agreement with me, especially the ‘pay with their lives’ part.
After about 20 minutes of us standing there, I could sense when Talia had entered the house, and I followed her movements with my ears as she searched for anything that might give us an idea as to who and why. I already had my suspicions as to the who part but I was not sure as to the why.
Slowly Khloe began to gather herself and confront this situation. She looked up at me and smirked. “Mate, huh?” she shook her head as she wiped tears from her face. “I guess I should be happy that it didn’t take you longer to figure that out. You’ve been mine since that day in the dojo.” I must have had a bewildered look on my face because she laughed a little before pulling me down for a quick kiss. “Ok, let’s have a look around to see if we can find anything.” She said turning back around to take everything in.
“I’m going to change. My nose is better in wolf form.”
As I began to take my clothes off, Talia entered. “Khloe, I brought the bag with your spell stuff inside. Thought you might need it.” She handed the bag to her.
“Thanks, T.” She began to rummage in her bag and pulled out what looked like a wand from those popular movies from a few years back. She looked at me and said, “Not a word from you. Yes, I am a fan and it is practical.”
I didn’t say a word as I let the change take me and I fell forward and landed on four paws. I gave myself a thorough shake, walked up, and nudged Khloe with my head. She reached down, gave my head a scratch, and said, “I love you too. Now go and see what you can scent.” She pushed my head away.
I started by the windows and slowly worked my way around the room, saving the bed for last. I had a feeling that is where I would find what I was looking for but I didn’t want to be sloppy and possibly miss something else.
As I worked my way around the room, Khloe stood in the middle with her wand pointed at her parent’s bed. She began speaking in what I believe was a mix of Gaelic and Spanish. I felt the energy in the room build as she continued to work the spell she was ca
sting. As I got over by the bed I was hit by the smell of something dead, or I should say, something that was beyond death. I began growling and pawing at the floor where the smell was coming from.
Khloe finished her spell and came over to where I was pawing the floor. “Back up and let me see what you’ve found.” She held her wand over the spot and said something I couldn’t make out. “Looks like dad got you. Probably from one of those priests that follow Kirin. I think I know how it was done but I’m not sure why unless Kirin thinks we have the book.” She walked over to their bed and began to search it. I turned around and went back over to my clothes and began to change back. As I was putting my shoes back on I heard Khloe gasp.
I rushed to her side. “What did you find?”
She pulled back the sheets to present a human skull with what looked like rubies in the eye sockets and was covered in what could only be arcane symbols. As soon as the light hit the eyes they began to glow and then an eerie voice began speaking in some language that I didn’t know, but apparently, Khloe did. After the voice faded, Khloe cried out something in another language and the skull exploded and shattered the rubies.
I looked at her. “I’m guessing that we don’t need that.” I pointed at the remains left from whatever spell she had cast.
She shook her head and was about to say something when. “What the fuck was all that?” Talia appeared in the doorway along with Manuel, both with blades drawn.
“No, it was from Kirin. He said he has my parents and for me to bring him the Book of Souls or their essence will be added to his.” She shuddered as she said the last part.
She looked at Manuel. “You and Diego need to assemble the Warriors of the Sacred Clans and we will meet you at the Kaminaljuyu archaeological site near Guatemala City after we retrieve the book. Kirin will be waiting for us at the ruins of the city bearing his name, Kirin. It’s intentionally not known for anything of significance. It’s about 5 miles north of Kaminaljuyu, near one of the volcanos that circle the valley.”
Book of Souls (Supernatural War Book 1) Page 8