by Shea Balik
The residents may not like him, but Arjun still believed that Miracle was a good place. The people mostly accepted others for who they were. It was only Arjun that they couldn’t tolerate.
Then again, that was the story of his life. His parents had kicked him out of their den when he’d accidentally collapsed their barn. He’d been trying to set up a pulley system to make it easier on his dad to work on the farm equipment that seemed to always need repair.
It hadn’t been until he’d been out in the world that he’d seen a car shop with its lift and realized that would have been a far better, and easier, idea. Plus, it wouldn’t have collapsed the aging roof when he’d attached the tractor to the pulley and the weight sent the whole barn toppling in a heap, damaging even more of their farm equipment.
Then again, he’d only been ten. It wasn’t as if he knew about car lifts at that point in his life.
In some ways, his intelligence had been a blessing, for it had taught him quickly how to survive on his own. He’d also been able to learn about mechanics from just watching others tinkering as he walked from town to town.
By the age of twelve, he’d found an old abandoned truck in a corn field. He’d started tinkering with it. Four days later, the farmer that owned both the field and the car discovered him under the hood. The old man had laughed when Arjun said he’d be able to get the truck working again except he needed gas and oil, but he’d brought him both the next day.
He’d told Arjun if he could get it working again, it was his. Two days later, it was purring like it had just rolled off the factory floor. That had been one of the best days of Arjun’s life. But being only twelve, it wasn’t as if he could drive the thing.
Instead the old farmer invited Arjun to come work for him fixing up some of the equipment he had. Six months later, Arjun had increased the efficiency of one of the man’s bigger tractors. Apparently, a little too much as the farmer lost control of it and had to bail out amongst the corn stalks.
Driverless, the tractor had finally stopped, but not before ruining about ten acres of the man’s crops. That was the problem with being too smart. Sometimes the things he did, went…well, wrong. It hadn’t been Arjun’s fault. He’d told the farmer how to handle the extra speed, but the man had gotten scared.
Now Arjun knew people tended not to like their tractors to go eighty miles an hour. Lesson learned. Too bad it had cost him the roof over his head, free meals, and that damn truck the man had promised him.
“I know you’re my mate, love,” Tevin said, but Arjun could see the doubt growing in those eyes he loved so damn much. “But we both feel it. It’s like there is a piece, I don’t know, missing.”
“I get it.” And Arjun did. He’d always known he wasn’t meant to be loved. “You can’t be happy with just me. I’m not enough.”
“Of course, you’re enough.” Tevin once more was pulling Arjun in his arms and for a moment, Arjun let him. He needed to feel this connection with his mate even if it was only temporary. “Arjun, I couldn’t live without you. Please, believe me. I love you.”
To a degree, Arjun did. He knew they were mates. He was sure Tevin’s wolf wanted him unquestioningly. But that was no longer enough for Arjun. He needed the man to love him too. Arjun needed to be enough for Tevin and he just wasn’t.
That night, sex between them was almost desperate. He was sure Tevin was trying to prove how much he desired Arjun. But for Arjun, it was because he knew it would be the last time he got to be this close to his mate.
CHAPTER 3
“I’m not just going to leave you to be slaughtered.” Baz Krusen didn’t argue with his father too often, but there was no way he was going to turn tail and run away while his father and mother sacrificed themselves.
His father might be one of the most level-headed men Baz knew, but he was also someone who did what was right, no matter the consequence. “You know these people don’t stand a chance of getting to safety without you, Baz.”
Baz couldn’t help but look over at what had to be a thousand shifters who had been attacked by humans looking to capture them. What none of them understood, was why. Already the humans had hundreds in cages.
It had been like a knife to the heart to leave them behind, but Baz and his parents first needed to save those they could. When the others were safe, the plan had been to go back for the rest. But that hadn’t happened.
There were just too many of them to keep hidden for long. The humans had found their trail quicker than any of them had thought they would. That meant fighting. But too many of the survivors they were leading were barely alive as it was.
“Send one of the enforcers,” Baz tried again. Yes, he was uniquely qualified to get those who needed help to a safe place that the humans wouldn’t be able to get near, but that didn’t mean he was prepared to lose his parents to the cause. “Jason knows where the cavern is. He can lead them.”
Before he even got the words of his mouth, Baz had come up with a half a dozen reasons why his father would object. Baz just wished they weren’t true, but he couldn’t deny that as strong as Jason was as a fighter, he’d never be able to swiftly and secretly lead as many people as they were protecting to safely.
They needed to be able to hide their tracks, which, so far, hadn’t been easy. As much as he hated to admit, his parents staying behind with their best fighters to ward off the humans, was the only thing that would give Baz time to get the survivors to safety and still keep their path hidden.
“Fine,” he bit out angrily. Then he pulled his father into a hard embrace. “But you do whatever it takes to stay alive.”
His father chuckled. “These humans won’t know what hit them, son.”
As true as those words were, Baz also knew there was no way the twenty men who would stay behind to hold off the advancing troops would live to tell the tale. Turning to his mother, he hugged her just as hard as he had his father, knowing this would be the last time he’d ever get to do so. “I love you both,” he whispered fiercely.
“And we love you, my child,” his mother said. Then she pulled back and cupped his face with her hands. She gave him a fierce expression as she added, “We are so damn proud of you, Baz. You are our greatest joy in life. Just promise me that when you do find your mate, you’ll love him just as strongly as your father and I love each other.”
Baz pulled her to him once more. “I promise,” he told her.
Then, because he knew if he waited much longer they would lose the advantage his parents were giving their lives for, Baz turned on his heel and strode to the men, women, and children waiting for him to protect them.
“Birds need to shift, yet fly under the tree tops. Smaller animals that can be carried, please shift and I need those who are bigger animals to stay in human form and carry those who shift. I also need the injured to be carried. It is important to keep our numbers as low as possible. Does everyone understand?” Baz really didn’t wait to see if they did or not. It was imperative they get moving as the trek would still be a long one.
“Keep close and do your best to leave as few tracks as possible,” he told them. Then he headed to the front where two members of his pride would lead the way. Baz would stay in the rear to listen for anyone following them, as well as do his best to cover their tracks. “Leo, Heni, we’re going to need to move swiftly.”
Both nodded their heads as they started to move once all the smaller animals had shifted and they, along with the injured, were being carried. Leo and Heni began the long journey across the Congo to the coast.
Once everyone was moving, Baz went to work concealing their path. It wasn’t easy since there were so many of them and most had no idea what it meant to walk without leaving a trail. But he did the best he could. What he needed was help. He could only pray the message he’d sent out had been received, or they were all dead.
***
Sounds from behind him worried Baz after two grueling days of walking. They were almost to the mountain range, but it wo
uld take a miracle for them to make it. If it was the humans behind them, it meant his parents were dead. He knew neither one would allow themselves to be captured.
Rushing past the line of shifters he was to protect, he made it to the front in mere minutes. “Someone is following us,” he quietly told Leo and Heni. “I will stall them as long as I can, but you have to get these people into the mountains. It’s their only chance.”
“Yes, sir,” Heni said as she took a child from one of the others who had grown too tired to continue carrying the little boy.
It was that moment that Baz knew they weren’t going to make it. His parents and pride had sacrificed themselves for nothing. Baz would fail to get these people to safety.
“Shift,” he ordered. “Those who can run faster in their animal forms you need to shift and make it to those mountains. The larger animals will need to shift back to climb, but it’s the only way you’re going to make it. Again, for those that can, carry the smaller animals and injured.”
Everyone stripped. As a shifter in Africa, most didn’t wear much clothing to begin with, so it was quick. Bags were passed around for people to stuff their shoes and clothing into, they then began to shift. Those that held the bags, placed than around the necks of animals to carry before helping the injured onto the backs of elephants, lions, cheetahs and even the gorillas for the ones who could hold on. Small animals climbed up onto the bigger animals. Then the rest of the group shifted.
“Go,” Baz called when he heard what suspiciously sounded like a helicopter. If the humans were hunting them with aircraft, any chance they’d had was gone.
Shifting into his lion, Baz ran back to find out who was following them. He breathed a sigh of relief when it took his lion nearly thirty minutes to get to where the humans were currently stopped as they discussed which way to head. Apparently, Baz had done a better job than he’d thought covering their tracks since the humans were having a hard time following them.
“Is that a helicopter?” one of the men with a rifle strapped to his back asked.
The group went silent as they listened. Baz rolled his eyes. Humans and their inferior hearing. He could hear the thing clear as day. He had to admit to being concerned that it was coming from the direction of the mountains.
“Why would there be a helicopter out here?” another man said shaking his head. “You must be hearing things.”
The tension in his muscles relaxed a bit as Baz realized whoever that helicopter belonged to, it wasn’t these men hunting them. That didn’t mean whoever was flying it wasn’t a threat but at least it wasn’t these guys.
With the stealth his animal allowed him, Baz left his hiding spot and headed back toward the mountains. The odds of the hunters catching up to his group before they reached safety were less than he had thought. It didn’t mean it couldn’t happen, but Baz was relatively sure most would find a way into the hidden caverns very few knew about.
He was nearly halfway between the hunters and where he’d left his group, when the most delicious scent hit him. It was earthy, yet held a sweet aroma of vanilla. Surprised to find his dick growing hard, Baz ignored the intoxicating fragrance and continued on to do his job, save as many shifters as possible.
It wasn’t as easy as he’d thought it would be, especially since his lion was determined to discover where the smell was coming from, but Baz’s parents had died to save these people. The least he could do was to make sure they survived.
Pushing on, the sound of the helicopter grew stronger. Knowing he had to find out if it was a threat or not, he headed in that direction. It made his lion happy, for at least it was a bit closer to the amazing scent that was curling around as it tried to draw him in.
But the rotor blades of the helicopter were nearly upon him, which would mean the survivors could be in trouble. Racing forward, he nearly tumbled over when he came to a screeching halt as a huge helicopter was sitting in a small clearing. Men with guns surrounded the area as his people climbed on board.
He sniffed the air and nearly collapsed to the ground in relief. Shifters. Not that it meant they were safe, but since both Leo and Heni were helping people to board the bird, he prayed it meant that help had, in fact arrived.
“I take it you’re Baz,” a huge man said as he strode up to him. “I’m Saber Thorsen, Council Leader. Yosi Pendev received your message. We’re here to help.”
Shifting back into his human form, Baz shook Saber’s hand. “Thank you. The humans are about ten miles behind us.”
The man before him gave him a wicked grin that Baz had to admit he was glad wasn’t meant for him. “Not to worry. I have someone setting up a perimeter that will stop them in their tracks.”
“I don’t think you understand the weapons the humans have,” Baz tried to tell Saber.
But that only made the glint in the man’s eyes turn deadly. “Admittedly, we don’t have the manpower that would make the humans wish to God they’d never been born, but Tevin’s ingenuity will come very close.”
The words had hardly gotten out of the Council Leader’s mouth when an explosion rocked the ground hard enough to nearly knock Baz on his ass. “That’s Tevin now,” Saber said with a laugh.
Baz wasn’t sure who Tevin was, but it was obvious the man didn’t believe in doing things in half measures. It also meant the humans were getting close.
Saber must have realized the same thing for he started barking out orders. “Baxter, Jareth, keep loading the helicopters and get these people out of here.”
Two men, who had just indicated for the helicopter to lift off that had been on the ground when Baz arrived, nodded.
“Draco, Zayn, Valor, and Rip, your teams are with me.” Saber didn’t wait for an answer as he headed toward the sound of the explosion. Twenty men followed. So did Baz. No way was he going to let down the people he was sworn to protect.
Naked, since he had no clue where his clothes had ended up, he shifted back into his lion. Damn it, that alluring scent that had nearly sidetracked him earlier was enticing him now to rush past Saber to find it.
“Pull the fuck back, Tevin,” a man called out from up ahead.
Another explosion, this was much closer, had Baz cursing his shifter’s excellent hearing. He was sure he’d end up deaf before this day was out if many more of those went off.
“Now, Tevin,” that voice said again, this time more urgently.
“I’m almost done. The more we take out the better.” Baz stopped in his tracks for a heartbeat at the dulcet tones of the new voice.
Once more Baz fought his lion’s need to run toward that beautiful sound. He wasn’t sure what was happening, but this wasn’t the time or the place, especially since it was taking all his ability not to get hard as nails. Not a great way to fight in his shifted form.
“On your six,” Saber called out just loud enough for the shifters to hear, but not the humans. “Where’s Tevin?” Saber asked the man who had been calling for Tevin to fall back.
The man pointed to the southwest, which had been where Baz and his group had come from. “He’s determined to stop as many of the humans as possible, but he’s going to get himself killed. He’s managed to incapacitate about half of their forces, but Mannix just reported the humans had to have at least two thousand heavily armed forces.”
Saber appeared shocked as he turned toward Baz. “Did you know their numbers?”
Baz shifted back to his human form. “No. I mean, yes, but I had no idea how many were following us. When we were overrun, there were at least five thousand of them attacking various shifter packs. Knowing our pride would do its damnedest to protect them, the shifters all converged on our location, with the humans following them.”
Saber stared at him hard. “You’re telling me that you fought five thousand armed humans and managed to save all those shifters?”
“Fuck, Tevin, run.” A new voice was yelling at the man who was apparently determined to set up bombs to kill the humans.
Baz wasn’
t opposed to that thought process, so why was his lion roaring in his head to go save the guy?
“I’m not going to let you fucking kill yourself,” the new voice yelled.
That was all Baz needed to hear. His shift was instantaneous as he leapt into action. It didn’t take long to reach the two men, but what he saw when he got there stunned him.
The most beautiful man was standing, grinning like a loon about ten feet from a tripwire. Another guy stood next to him, trying to pull him from where he stood, but the gorgeous stranger with dark hair, cut military short, at least a week’s worth of hair on his face, as if he hadn’t bothered to shave, and lanky form that called to Baz on a level he’d never imagined, refused to budge.
“I’m not kidding, Tevin. If you die, I die. Do you really want that to happen?” the other man said, clearly worried that Tevin wouldn’t care.
Terrified that Tevin truly intended to get himself killed, Baz let out a roar of displeasure. No way was he allowing that to happen when he just found his mate.
CHAPTER 4
Tevin whirled around at the sound of a lion. His eyes widened. Up until that moment, he’d been ready to die. Arjun had left him. Just left with no word.
That had been nearly two weeks ago and Tevin had been desolate. He’d barely eaten once he realized his mate wasn’t coming back and about a week ago, he only got out of bed to pee. His friends were over all the time to try and cajole him into doing something, but what was the point?
Arjun was gone. He’d considered going after him, but Tevin knew his mate better than anyone. Arjun was a master at hiding when needed. And because Tevin hadn’t been the mate he’d needed, Arjun would remain hidden.
If it hadn’t of been for Saber ordering him to come on this mission, Tevin would still be in bed. But three things had convinced him to go. First and foremost, holy fuck was it impossible to deny Saber when he was in full Alpha mode. The man was fucking terrifying for one thing, but there was also something about the way he spoke that had Tevin getting out of bed and taking a shower before he even realized he was doing it.
