by Mel Todd
Climbing out of the jeep, she looked at the embassy and wanted to smile. Home. Home was so close she could almost taste it. Cass just wanted to go home and see her family.
Getting in the door proved more problematic than she expected, and Toni losing it was completely understandable. Cass did everything she could to support the distressed woman. The idea of finally knowing if your loved ones were still alive ate at her, but to not know if your children had been killed? Cass pushed the thought way back. If she dwelt on it, she’d scream.
She listened to Toni talk to her kids, and then McKenna, and marveled the relief and lightening of mood that cascaded through the mindscape. When the phone was passed to her she fumbled it, her hands suddenly clumsy. McKenna and Toni gave her encouraging looks and the rest of them pulled to one side of the conference room to give her an illusion of privacy.
JD sent her a pulse of comfort and caring that helped a bit more.
Cass had to type the number twice, the first time she hit too many numbers with her trembling fingers, but the second time it was correct, and she held the phone to her ear as Helena’s cell rang on the other end.
"Yes? Who is this?"
The sound of her sister’s voice, a voice that sounded stressed, but not devastated, had her eyes closing in relief.
"Helena, it's me Cassandra… Oh gods, is everyone okay, no one has hurt you?"
"OH MY GOD!" The screech had her pulling the phone away from her ear and giving a half laugh. "Where have you been, what happened, are you okay, where are you?" Helena's voice poured out and she could hear others in the background exclaiming.
Cass put her head down on the table and just enjoyed her sister’s babble.
"I’m fine. It’s a long story but I’m coming home. I’ll send you the flight information as soon as I get it. Are Oswald and the kids okay?"
"Yes, of course. Oswald is already back at work. We found out what happened to you about three days ago. The police contacted us when you didn’t show up to work on Monday and your boss realized your car was still there and one of your shoes. I’ve been so worried." Her voice broke on those last words.
"Me too. Look I’m coming home, I have a lot to talk to you about, so just wait until then okay?"
"Okay, but you’d better tell me everything. I’ve been so worried. Even Brun has been worried."
Cass laughed at that. "Yes, worried I’d come back."
"Cassandra!" Helena’s voice was sharp, and Cass laughed more.
"I love you all. I’ll be home soon."
"You’d better."
Cass hung up the phone and looked at her weird friends—no her weird family.
"They are just fine. Only heard I hadn't shown up to work on Monday. They had drama going on and didn’t realize I was gone. No strangers, no threats."
They all smiled, then Perc called, and Cass settled back to deal with bureaucracy.
22
Epilogue
Ready for the next Space X sort of contest? SETI has announced a contest that if you can decode a possible message from the stars you may win a hundred thousand dollars. They haven't announced the safeguards that will make sure you actually interpret it. If you like cryptology , if you actually want to know what aliens are saying, you might as well toss your hat in the ring, assuming aliens are real. Me, I bet it says something like 'we are coming to probe you.' ~ Late Night Commentator.
Everything went as slow and convoluted as Cass had expected. The wheels of the government never went the way you wanted them to, but they managed to keep the hard drive out of anyone’s notice. She gladly let McKenna deal with the idiots trying to use them as pawns.
Cass spent the plane ride home sleeping and munching on snacks. They all felt like food was their enemy and nothing sounded good, but Wefor kept pushing them to eat and let the nanobots help rebuild muscle.
JD stayed next to her most of the time, and she’d fallen asleep on him twice. He didn’t seem to mind, and she wouldn’t argue.
The trip all seemed strangely surreal until they walked into the baggage claim area and she started to scan for Helena, for actual proof of her family being okay.
Toni’s shout of "THERE!" had her head whipping around and alighting on the familiar figures of Helena, Oswald, Troy, and Laila all standing there waving and bouncing.
Cass headed straight for them, not at a run, but with sure strides soaking in their presence, their reality.
Helena met her a few steps out, engulfing her in a hug so tight her bones creaked, and Cass didn’t mind at all. She returned the hug with equal pressure.
"I’ve been so worried." Helena mumbled into her neck even as Troy and Laila wrapped their arms around her on either side with soft cries of "Aunt Cass" and she felt wetness seep into her shirt.
Helena pulled back and looked at her, her eyes widening in horror. "Cass, what happened? You’ve lost like fifty pounds. You’re emaciated." Her voice shook a little and Cass also saw worry in Oswald's face as he stood behind his wife, a hand on her shoulder and a frown on his face as he looked her over.
"Yeah. It’s a long story. But I need to tell you something." Cass took a deep breath and tried to convince herself she wouldn’t lose her family over this.
Helena didn’t release her, just looked at her waiting for her to speak.
"I’m a shifter. I turn into a wolverine." The words tumbled out of her mouth and her heart triple beat, trying to brace herself for Helena’s response.
Helena’s brows drew together, and she looked at Cass. "Okay? So why didn’t you tell me?"
Cass blinked looking at her. "Because you called me and ranted about it and how it was unnatural and that you’d never trust a shifter with the kids? Then Oswald got hurt…" She trailed off confused about the sad laughter slipping out of her sister even as Oswald patted his wife’s shoulder.
"I was a bit drunk, had been watching that video on repeat, and was jealous as all get out. I just wanted to rant and not have to feel guilty. Oswald?" She leaned back and looked at her husband and shrugged. "The idiot attacked him, probably would have even if he hadn’t shifted. I was mad, scared, and more than a bit ready to go beat the man to death. But, Cass…" Helena trailed off and shook her head pulling her tight into a hug.
"I love you. You’re my sister. I’ll move the world for you. I don’t care if you become an assassin, I’ll always be there for you and support you."
Her words were slightly muffled as she buried her head in Cass’s neck, but Cass heard every word and felt part of her relax.
"Though I might send a few names your way if you become an assassin. I love you." Her voice thick with emotion.
Cass started laughing and felt everything slip back into place. Her world was good, her family loved her, and she had a pack. Which still felt odd to say but glancing over her shoulder at JD and McKenna she found them smiling at her and it felt right.
Introductions were made, arrangements for everyone to show up at McKenna’s place to eat and talk. Maybe this food wouldn’t be so hard to choke down, eating it with friends and family.
Oswald drove, the kids chattering at her as she gave a very sanitized version of the events. Namely, she had been kidnapped and taken to South America and that they had to walk a long way to get back. From the glances at her by Helena, she knew she heard the unspoken story and would explain at some point, but not now, not here.
The conversation flowed light and easy, until Wefor spoke in her head, letting all of them hear what the AI spoke to McKenna.
[Commander, enjoy your evening. But there are things you must be informed of before another day has passed.]
~Sure. What do we need to discuss?~ McKenna’s voice sounded wary and it made Cass tense as she waited for the information.
[The message the young man listened to. It was a signal from an Elentrin ship. They should reach your Earth in the next twenty-five to thirty days.]
Cass scrambled to figure out what Wefor meant, then remembered the strange scene in the
lunch room and felt her stomach lurch as what had been mentioned at the beginning, what she’d almost forgotten, came flooding back into her mind.
~They’re almost here?~
[Yes. And they would most likely be expecting to pick up troops.]
~To pick up Kaylid you mean. Us.~ McKenna’s voice had a flat brittle quality that Cass understood as her life screeched to a halt with Wefor’s reply.
[Yes]
Authors Note:
I hope you enjoyed this story in the Kaylid Chronicles.
This series has a lot more in store for McKenna, JD, Toni, Cass, Perc, and the kids. Visit my website at www.badashpublishing.com to sign up for my newsletter and find out about the next books coming out in this universe.
If you haven't seen, I have a new series out called Blood War. Book 1 is available now – Blood War: Rage
Happy reading!
Mel Todd
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mel Todd has three cats, none of which can turn into a form with opposable thumbs, which is good. If they could do that they wouldn't need her anymore. Writing and trying to start her empire, she decided creating her own worlds was less work than ruling this one.
