“That brings us to now, Dad. There is another girl, Cassie Larson. She was taken while on spring break. Everything indicates that she is one of Franklin’s babies. However, she carries one strand of animal DNA, not like the original six who carry multiple strands. Dad, the original six are all part of The Holly Group,” Ryleigh revealed. “We’ve been able to track that much information. All the lines are pointing to Pandora starting their breeding program again. Only this time using the children that Dr. Franklin created rather than random people.”
“You need to give me everything you have, Ryleigh,” Declan demanded, “and The Holly Group needs to step away from all of this. Especially, if your core team is the original six. NAC is far better equipped to handle this type of threat. You need to go underground for a while. All of you,” he pleaded.
“Yeah, Dad, that’s not going to happen,” Ryleigh reacted. “We are in this up to our eyeballs. So far, we’ve kept the information tight, and I trust my girls. It affects them, but I needed more answers. That’s why I came to you. It looks like I got them, huh?”
“So, not only are you my knight in shining armor, but you're also my dragon.” Ryleigh laughed. “It seems kind of appropriate in a weird way, but I think it’s only fair that you show me the beast that you’ve been hiding all these years.”
“I’m sorry, honey, but I can’t do that,” Declan remarked. “You knowing already puts you in danger, but my dragon is old and unstable. There’s so much more that I need to tell you, but that’s going to have to wait until later. I need to call in my Team Leaders and get them on this. I need to figure out what the best course of action is from this point forward.”
“Are we good Ryleigh?” he pressed. “I don’t sense that you are scared, but I need to know. Does this change things between us?”
“No, Dad, I think I knew even before I came here that your answers wouldn’t change my feelings for you,” she admitted. “I felt betrayed, and I couldn’t wrap my head around you keeping this from me, but not once did any of this change how I feel. You’re my Dad, you have been since that day and always will be, but no more secrets. I know there is more I need to know, but right now we need to concentrate on Cassie Larson. On the other hand, we need to get into Dr. Franklin's house and get his hard drives. We need all the information we can get.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” said Declan, “but, honey, I meant what I said. You and The Holly Group need to stay out of this. Let NAC handle it from here on out. I’ll keep you in the loop.”
“I can’t agree to that, Dad, The Holly Group has already stopped taking cases. We are committed to finding answers to the questions this intel has created. Dad, I need to test my girls against the known Shifter men on your teams. We have to know if there are any other matches before we continue with this.”
“Most of the women are distrustful because of their pasts.” She explained. “Finding a familial match could go either way with them, and I want the opportunity to talk with them first before placing them with your teams. You said yourself, you felt drawn to me. Wouldn’t your men feel the same thing? What if it’s more? We have so many unanswered questions and no real answers. I want to prepare for what I can. I have to ask you one more thing. Why have you kept me from meeting any of the guys you have on the teams? It’s something I still can’t wrap my brain around. We work in the same sector, and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have been able to determine their Shifter status any more than I was able to identify yours. I might have noticed certain attributes like their eyes, but that would have taken long-term exposure. I don’t understand why you felt the distance was necessary.”
“Damn it. That isn’t going to go over well at all, but I’ll give you the authorization as long as it’s kept between the original six,” Declan reluctantly said. “You got me. No one else on your team needs this information. We need to maintain the number of people in the know to a minimum. As for you not meeting the teams, honey, the risk wasn’t worth it at the time, that’s all changed now. This is a part of my life that I always wanted to keep from you, but it seems you are firmly entrenched now whether I like it or not.”
Shaking his head, Declan wondered how long his little trip down memory lane had taken. Ryleigh was still standing at the window looking for answers she would never find and he was still sitting behind his desk waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Chapter 5
It only took a week to get his Team Leaders to come to New York under the pretense of an important case. He wasn’t operating under SOP and was surprised at the lack of questions he received. His men came willingly. He hoped he didn’t have to make them leave under worse circumstances.
He couldn’t believe the pressure he was placing on Ryleigh’s strong, but slight shoulders. It took her days to convince him this was the right way to handle things, and he still had his doubts. The meeting wasn’t going to be a pleasant one. The things revealed were going to cause havoc and unrest, but it was time for full disclosure.
Knowing what would happen in a few minutes didn’t help him reconcile his feelings about the situation. There was no way around it, he was about to throw his daughter to the animals, literally. He had kept this part of his life away from her for this very reason. He didn’t want to put her in harm’s way, but it wasn’t an option any longer. He couldn’t protect her from what he was or what she was going to become. He would never stifle her the way she had been as a child, even if every instinct he had was screaming to put her in a room and lock the door. At least then she would be safe.
Ryleigh looked over at him and smiled. Yeah, he would do anything to keep those smiles on her face. She knew what was coming or at least he had tried to prepare her for what was coming. Damn, she was so brave; he was so proud.
“Are you okay Dad?” Ryleigh asked.
“Yeah, honey, just caught up in my thoughts,” Declan chuckled. He tried to act as though he was busy with something on his desk, but continued to think about the ramifications of the meeting that was about to take place. Damn, he really hated this.
Ryleigh ran a team similar to his own, and that team was now responsible for what happened next. They all knew, well, at least the main six knew, that he and his men were Shifters, and that scared the shit out of him. That information put them in extreme danger. Declan “Senior” Quinn didn’t scare easily, but this was too big.
Shifters and their existence were a well-guarded secret, and that secret protected everyone. It didn’t matter that Shifters had been around for as long as the human race. People were not ready to know there were men who could change into animals at will. It also didn’t matter that these Shifters had been keeping the human race safe for centuries, all they would see is the oddity, or rather the specialty. Human’s tended not to like what they could not understand. They either wanted to exploit it, kill it, or own it.
None of those things were an option, but with the new intelligence his daughter and her crew had discovered, he was no longer able to keep his origins a secret. Ryleigh knew that not only could he shift into a dragon, but the men who worked for him could also change into various apex predators, and true to form, she didn’t bat an eye. His daughter was truly a remarkable woman, but he also knew the truth. She was scared, and she had every right to be; her life, and the lives of the people she held close were about to change. He felt guilty for not telling her everything sooner, even if it went against Shifter law.
Ryleigh and the others on her team were created in labs using DNA from shifters. That made them the only female shifters in existence. It also made them possible mates for Shifter males, which was the race’s only chance for survival. About a hundred years ago, Shifters stopped producing female offspring. The times that followed further diluted the Shifter lines. Now, only one or two Shifter children were born every year. If the trend continued, everyone in their community, which consisted of about 1000 men, was convinced that the Shifter race would die out in the coming years. Ryleigh and the other women on her team could
be the answer to all of their prayers.
He could remember his Dad telling him stories about fated or true mates as a child. It’s said, when a Shifter meets his mate, an immediate and unbreakable bond is established between the male and female. At the same time, the human and animal forms unify. According to legend, a mating goes beyond human marriage. A true mating unites the mind, body, and soul of the couple with the beast that lie beneath the surface. If the mating is fated, a blessing will appear, and the couple would, essentially, live happily ever after.
In the current generation, man and beast exist as separate entities constantly fighting for control. The human male form is usually able to dominate, but as time wears on, the animal becomes stronger and more defiant. When the human side loses control of his beast, there is no choice but to take them down, permanently. It was just that way it was. The clans enforced a one-strike-and-you’re-out policy, control yourself and your beast or face the consequences.
The legends provided hope for the future, something they all needed because without it there was nothing but a future filled with chaos. Others tried to buck the status quo by having children with random women and trying to force a bond that never took. Many of his men chose to deal without all the hassle of knowing what was to come, accepting their ultimate death, but at the hands of a teammate or Enforcer. It wasn’t a happy way to live, but they tried to fulfill their lives in other ways until the end, doing the honorable thing. At least that was what most of them believed.
Because the beast is always searching for its other half, normal relationships generally didn’t work out. The beast within became restless and moved on to another, in search of that perfect match. Likewise, Human-Shifter marriages tended not to last. Shit, human marriages seemed to have become expendable.
He laughed out loud. If his men knew he was taking this walk down memory lane, he would never live it down. He was not known to be a hearts-and-flowers type of guy. He was a tough, hard-nosed CO. Only his daughter got to see his softer side. His outburst brought Ryleigh’s attention to him. Smiling, he knew the time was running short, and he wanted to do one small thing before she had to face what was to come. He wanted to be hopeful that there was something to the legends. He had seen too many of his kinsmen living unhappy, unfulfilled lives. He wanted more for himself, his kinsmen, and especially his daughter. But at the same time, he still wanted his little girl all to himself.
He could remember the first time he laid eyes on his little girl. He instantly fell in love. He knew he was placed on this earth to take care of her. Even if the legends never came to fruition, at least he had done something good, he mattered to someone and someone mattered to him above everyone else. He hoped with what was to come, he had prepared her enough.
Ryleigh looked to her dad. He was smiling, she loved that look on his face. It had been a while since she’d seen it. The stress and tension of the last couple of weeks had taken a toll on both of them. She still had so much to learn about her roots and what it meant to have Shifter DNA. She also needed to know more about her Dad, his people, and his abilities. She desperately wanted to see him shift, but he refused. They would always be connected, have closeness, but she wanted all the secrets to stop. She knew he was holding back, and that worried her.
“What has that look on your face?” Ryleigh asked.
“Oh, you caught me. Thinking about simpler times, honey,” Declan responded. “It happens when you get old.”
“Yeah, you are so old,” Ryleigh teased. “Come on, old man, we have a meeting to get to. I’m looking forward to meeting the guys on your teams. I think it’s been a long time coming.”
“Wait, honey. I want to give you something, something important.” Declan pushed back from his desk, opening the middle drawer, grabbing a velvet pouch. He knew Ryleigh would cherish the contents as he had for so many years. Standing and walking to her, he advised, “Let’s take a seat,” and motioned for her to follow him to the couch.
Ryleigh wanted the happy moment back. Whatever was happening now was serious, and she didn’t think she could take any more surprises. She needed to prepare herself for the meeting, but it looked like her Dad had other ideas. Sitting stiffly on the couch, she angled her body to face him.
“Honey, I have something for you,” said Declan, “but before I give it to you, I want to tell you more of my history. You’ve learned a lot of things about Shifters recently, but that stuff was about others and how it will affect you and them. I’ve never told you anything more than rudimentary information about my line, not because I didn’t want you to know, but because I am the only one left. I am, as was my brother and father before me, a Dragon Shifter. We can trace our lines for generations, but our birthrate has always been low. Even before the shifter females died out, dragon births were few and far between. My brother and I were an oddity. Having two Shifter births from the same Sire had been unheard of before us. I was always told it was nature’s way of keeping balance.
Ryleigh felt bad for him. He was alone. Well, not really because he had her, but ultimately alone. How would it feel to be the only one?
“Seamus, your father, was a great man,” he continued.
Ryleigh wanted to stop him. Seamus was her biological something, but Declan was her Dad. She could tell this was hard for him, so she kept her mouth shut.
“Shoot, I can’t really even say that because he barely made it to adulthood before he was taken, but he was kind, loving, and wanted everything. He was a force of nature,” Declan laughed. “He desperately wanted a family of his own. He also wanted to serve his country and clansman. He was fierce and determined. He believed that with enough will, he could have everything, and I wanted that for him. It wasn’t until the end, he started to question his beliefs and doubted himself. I deeply regretted not being there to help him through it.” Declan looked down at his hands clinching the velvet bag. Damn, he regretted so much.
“Anyway, like I said, we are different. When a dragon shifter dies, we leave parts of ourselves behind for our loved ones. One of those things represents strength, the other heart. Families treasure these items,” Declan explained.
Handing Ryleigh the bag, he encouraged her to open it with a lift of his eyebrows. Delicately taking the well-worn velvet satchel in hand, Ryleigh untied the silk string and upended it to reveal its contents, a necklace. The chain was platinum and dainty, but the pendant, oh, that really caught her eye. It looked like a fire opal, but was flat, maybe the size of her thumbnail or a little smaller. The background was black, but exploded with hues of red, blue, green, and orange, almost like a flame was entrapped within its depths.
As she moved the pendant around, the colors almost danced. She was pretty sure that if she stared long enough, then she would experience even more of its brilliance. It would take hours to discover all of its beauty. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever seen something more beautiful. The question was, what was it? Opals did not emit heat and this did, and it wasn’t from holding the pendant and transferring body heat either. The sensation wasn’t uncomfortable, but noticeable. Another thing that caught her attention, it seemed natural, not polished, cut, or carved.
Looking at her dad's furrowed brows, she was puzzled. He had given her many gifts over the years, but she knew this was something more. Something special.
Declan brought his hand to cradle Ryleigh’s and quietly said, “This was my brother’s strength. When a dragon shifter passes, he leaves one small scale behind. It’s the family’s job to find it. When they do, they are to keep it close to their heart so that the strength of the fallen will be imparted upon the living. It took me days to find it after I learned of his passing, and it never felt right for me to take his strength, so I never wore it. I always knew someone or something else would need it. You are that person Ryleigh. The child he always wanted, and the future he never got to see.”
Taking the necklace, he held it up by the chain, encouraging her to lift her hair, so he could place it around her neck. When
he clasped the necklace around her neck and the scale landed on her skin, Ryleigh jumped a little from the heat.
“Legend says that the scale contains the heat from the dragon's fire, his strongest defense.” Declan explained. “It will never lessen or grow stronger, but reminds the wearer that they have the dragon’s strength watching over them for the rest of their days.
“Your life is changing, Ryleigh, and I can’t stop it even if I want to. The trials and challenges you are about to face will be hard, but could result in something amazing. I need you to keep an open mind and welcome those changes. Don’t close yourself off or turn into yourself when times are tough. Persevere and move forward. I’ll always have your back and now, so will Seamus.”
Declan walked over to his bar. “I’m going to make myself a drink and give you a couple of minutes to get ready for the meeting.”
“Thanks, Dad, I love it. I promise to always cherish it as you have for so many years.”
“I know you will, honey. Just remember all I have said, okay?”
“Yeah.”
Ryleigh was nervous. She knew that in a couple minutes she would have to walk into a room filled with Shifters, and it freaked her out. Brushing the warm surface of her dragon’s scale, she could almost feel her confidence build. She was pretty sure it was all in her mind, but hey, she was wearing a dragon scale. That shouldn’t be possible, right?
She loved her Dad and accepted all of him, but she did not know his men. His brief descriptions provided her with some background, but not much. Given what she was going to tell them, she knew tensions would be running high. She only hoped that she would be able to maintain her carefully constructed facade.
NAC & The Holly Group - Box set: Alpha Team Page 4
