by Shea Balik
Some humans had been altered into a half-man, half-animal hybrid. Unlike shifters, they didn’t change into an animal, but rather a mixture of both the human and animal. Kind of like the old werewolf movies the humans used to create.
With everything going on while they searched for Raptor, Blade had forgotten about the psy’s sick experiments. When news of what the psy were up to had reached the ranks of the Alliance military, they were outraged and more determined than ever to win. Especially since it wasn’t just humans the Psy were experimenting on. Shifters and mystics were also being tortured in order for the psy to rule the world.
It sickened Blade to think that a race that was created to help save the Earth would instead try to take it over by using others. It was one of the reasons Talon was so determined to stop his brother. Raptor had allowed the psy to hide in this territory, using the people who lived there to do their twisted experiments.
Blade watched as Forest got off the ground when Ian finally let him go. “I can’t believe I get to see you again. I had to beg and beg and beg Alek to let us come. He was going to have Strafe come instead of Maui, can you believe that? I mean Strafe is great but he’s not my bad ass Maui.”
Blade wasn’t sure who Maui was, but if he had to guess it was the man walking this way with a huge grin on his face. He was shorter and not as well built as Blade was, but the power coming off the guy said he was not to be trifled with.
As the man stepped forward he held out his hand. “I’m Maui. And this sweet angel is my mate, Ian,” Maui said as he wrapped his arm around Ian’s shoulders before giving the man a kiss on the top of his head.
“Blade,” he told them both. “I’m Forest’s mate.”
Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, as it got Ian started all over again. “Nice,” Ian told Forest. “Is he as overbearingly protective as Maui is? I swear it’s like Maui thinks all I do is get into trouble.”
“That’s because you do, brat,” Alek said as he strode up to them with the others in tow.
Ian stomped his foot on the ground. Pointing his finger at Alek, Ian said, “It’s a good thing I know you’re joking, mister.”
Alek looked at Ian like he’d lost his mind. “Who said I’m kidding?” Not letting Ian answer, Alek turned to Talon. “In case you haven’t already guessed or Forest hasn’t blabbed, I’m appointing you Alpha of the Latin Territory until an election can be held.”
Forest wasn’t about to be blamed for them knowing about Talon being Alpha. “I didn’t tell them, Alek.” Blade half expected his mate to stomp his foot like Ian had.
Alek stepped over to Forest and pulled him into a hug. “I’m glad you survived, kid.”
All of them stared at the Alpha in shock. How had he known? They had only reported that Raptor was dead. None of details were given, especially about Forest. Hell, it still nearly stopped Blade’s heart each time he thought about it. He sure as hell didn’t want to talk about it.
Rolling his eyes, Alek said, “I told you before, everything you say on COBI is monitored.”
Next, Wolfe crushed Forest into a hug. Blade wanted to rip Forest out of his arms, especially since he could see Forest was having a hard time breathing. When Wolfe finally released him, he glared at Blade. “I thought I told you to protect him with your life?”
Before Blade could get a word out in his defense, not that he had one, Wolfe said, “You and I will be having a talk later.”
Ian dispelled the tension when he quipped, “If you don’t want them eavesdropping, I suggest having sex often while your earpiece is in. Tends to make Alek not want to listen to you anymore.”
Maui covered Ian’s mouth with his hand. “Quiet, angel, you’re going to get us in trouble again.”
The rest of the group just stared at Ian in disbelief. Blade couldn’t tell if he was joking or not.
“Why don’t we get down to business,” Alek said. “Have you checked the house?”
“Yes, but with it being so big I can’t be sure there aren’t listening devices since we don’t have the equipment,” Talon told Alek as he ushered them inside to the one of the seven sitting areas downstairs. There were three more that Blade found on the second floor. What anyone needed with that many sitting rooms, he couldn’t guess.
Alek gestured Rangi and Zeke forward with their equipment. As they worked, Alek asked Talon to call the rest of their team to join them. By the time Rangi gave a nod, the others had arrived.
Alek stood behind his mate, who was sitting in one of the wingback chairs. “Rangi swept the room and found two listening devices. In case there are any more we missed, Zeke has installed a signal blocker to interfere with anyone trying to listen in.”
He took time to introduce everyone. The only person who Blade had yet to meet was Wolfe’s mate, Caleb. From what Forest had told him, Caleb was a psy, forced by his own people to create the werecreatures. The psy had taken Caleb’s family and threatened to cut them into pieces if he didn’t do as they asked.
It wasn’t until the Alliance was able to find the man’s family and bring them to the Northern Territory that Caleb was able to leave. He wasn’t sure how Caleb thought his family was more important than all those humans he’d made into weres but Blade was doing his best not to judge, especially since Alek didn’t seem to have a problem with the man.
Of course, that could be because Caleb was mated to Wolfe, Alek’s second. Talon would probably forgive just about anything one his men’s mates did as long his friend was happy. Blade wasn’t so forgiving.
“Here’s what’s going to happen. Rangi, Zeke, Maui, and Ian are going to stay here and help you get this place secure.” When Talon opened his mouth to object, Alek held up his hand to stop him. “You can stupidly try to say you don’t need help but we all know you do. So save it.”
Talon closed his mouth and let Alek continue. “They will be here for two weeks along with ten of my elite squad who are currently surrounding the manor. Once this place is secure, you will be expected to work on cleaning up this territory. I would recommend starting with the Cadre.
“As the Alpha Primus, I have the authority to name a temporary Alpha for one year, at which time an election will be held to determine who will be Alpha.” Golden brown eyes bore into Talon. “I expect you to have fixed the problems of this territory by then. Got it?”
Talon nodded. “Yes.”
The Alpha smiled. “Good.
Chapter 18
Blade groaned when he heard a woman at the front of the house shriek, “We don’t need to be on any list. We’re Blade’s parents.”
This just couldn’t be happening. He hadn’t seen his parents in over twenty years. They hadn’t cared to see him, even though he’d been back to Juarez several times over the years. Hell, when he’d left for the military, they told him, as far as they were concerned, he was dead to them.
No doubt they’d heard about Talon becoming Alpha, but Blade didn’t know what they were doing there. They hated Talon, they hated the Alpha Primus and all he stood for, and based on Blade’s childhood, they hated him. So why bother coming to see him?
The voices only got louder as his parents argued with one of the soldiers Alek had left with them. Even though Trent was a good soldier, he wasn’t sure the man would be able to handle his parents. They were a handful, especially when they wanted something.
Forest practically came running from the kitchen where he’d been trying to learn to cook from Zeke. As none of them could cook, it was something they all were trying to do. Based on the burning smell that was starting to waft through the house, it wasn’t going that well.
When Forest reached his side, his mate gave him a quick kiss. “Do you want me to see what they want, or do you want me to get rid of them?”
The fact that his mate was trying to protect Blade made him realize he had nothing to fear from his parents. He had Forest and his friends to help if he needed them. Smiling down at his mate, he said, “No. I think I can handle them myself. But
if you would like to join me, I would like that.”
He actually hated to put Forest through meeting his parents, but he needed his mate’s support. There were times when growing up he would have done anything to get his parents’ approval, but he’d come to realize that it would never happen. No matter what he did, it was never good enough.
For the most part he’d dealt with it, but he couldn’t deny, deep down, he still was hoping his parents would tell him they were proud of him. Knowing it would never happen, he wanted his mate by his side.
Stepping into the foyer with his hand clasped tightly in Forest’s, Blade greeted his parents. “Hello sir, ma’am.” He wasn’t allowed to call them mother, father, or any other variation. They had insisted he address them formally.
“Well, it’s about time. What took you so long?” his mother harped.
As a shifter, she should look like she was in her thirties, but she looked much older. Her normally glistening black hair was dull and unkempt, although it was her eyes that startled Blade the most. Dark brown like his, they looked devoid of life, like she’d just given up.
Her shrill voice didn’t match with the way she looked. Maybe without him to browbeat on a daily basis, she had lost her reason for living. His father, on the other hand, looked the same as always. Back ramrod straight, hair perfectly combed, eyes hard with a hint of disappointment in their depths.
Why they couldn’t find it in them to love their only child, Blade didn’t understand. He wasn’t even sure why they’d had a child if they were determined to always be disappointed. Just once he’d like to hear a kind word from either of them.
“Answer your mother, boy,” his father demanded. Apparently it wasn’t going to happen today.
Something in his tone snapped Blade out of his musings. “What are you doing here?” he asked instead of responding to their demands.
Fury blazed out of both their eyes. In the past, this would have meant a beating that would leave Blade in bed for days. His body started to tremble slightly at the thought of his childhood. A hand touched his lower back, as Forest silently gave Blade the support he needed.
He was no longer that child that desperately wanted his parents’ love. Forest loved him no matter how many times he’d screwed up. He also had his friends, who were more of a family to him than his parents had ever been.
“How dare you talk to us like that?” his father yelled loudly enough that Blade was sure the entire city of Juarez heard him.
Blade realized he didn’t care. They could say or do whatever they wanted to him. It no longer mattered. Crossing his arms over his chest, he stood there waiting for them to answer his question. When Forest took his same stance, Blade nearly smiled.
They’d been staying at the Alpha Manor for a week, and Forest mimicked everything Blade did when he was training. It was the cutest thing he’d ever seen, not that he was stupid enough to tell his mate that. Forest was progressing much faster than Blade had thought he would. Soon his mate would be ready to take a patrol on his own.
Blade couldn’t be more proud. He was scared to death of his mate being out there on his own, but Blade knew he had to give him the freedom to be who he was.
After several minutes of standing there silently, his mother was the first to break. “We wanted to check up on you.”
If only that were true, but Blade knew better. “Why?” He wasn’t about to give them any leeway. Clearly, they had an agenda, yet Blade just couldn’t figure out their angle.
“What do you mean ‘why?’” his mother asked. “You’re our son, that’s why.” Her tone was clearly telling him to back off, but Blade had no intention.
“I’ve been back to Juarez at least a half-dozen times in the last twenty years. You never wanted to see me then. In fact, your last words to me were that I was dead to you. So why now?” he asked them.
Fire blazed from their eyes in anger again. If looks could kill, he’d be ashes, which only proved they weren’t there for him. At least not to see how he was.
“Flower, Strike, I don’t remember inviting you to the manor,” Talon said as he walked into the room.
He heard Forest nearly choke at hearing their names. Even Blade had to stop himself from laughing at Talon’s attempt to stick it to his parents. As with anyone who had gone to the human labs as infants, his parents hadn’t been given names. When everyone had been freed, they’d been able to name themselves. Some turned out okay, others not so much. His parents were an example of why you don’t allow ten-year-olds to name themselves.
There was nothing they hated more than being reminded of their first names. Not only did it draw attention to their bad name choices, but that they had those names because they’d been in the human labs. Never before had his friends been able to use their given names, as that would be disrespectful. But now Talon was Alpha, and he could do any damn thing he pleased.
“Clearly someone has forgotten their manners,” his mother said as she tried to reprimand Talon. Her voice was cold enough to freeze a raging fire.
Talon’s eyebrow raised. “Clearly someone’s forgotten I’m Alpha.”
Flower’s cheeks reddened at the reminder as she lowered her eyes and tilted her head in submission. Talon had always been a force to be reckoned with, even as a teenager. But now after years of military training he was downright deadly. His parents would be crazy to mess with him.
Talon stared directly at Strike. “Why are you here uninvited?” Just as Strike opened his mouth to answer, Talon interrupted with “the truth.” Damn, Talon’s Alpha voice was getting better. Of course he had a lot of practice on their friends.
Strike’s eyes widened in fear. That might be the first time Blade had seen his father afraid of anything. “We heard you were appointed Alpha and Blade was your second.” His father shot Blade a disappointed glare for once more coming in second.
Forest edged a little closer to him as he growled at Strike for the slight. It was the first time Strike seemed to notice how close Forest was standing next to Blade. He curled his lip at the sight of them standing together. “I shouldn’t be surprised you’re gay, you always were weak.”
Blade was stunned. For the most part, shifters and mystics completely accepted any pairing. Only the psy had a problem with being gay, often killing anyone who dared to admit it.
Before he had time to even process what his father had said, Forest knocked his father out with one punch. Blade blinked as he stared at his father’s form lying on the ground while his mother started to scream obscenities at Forest. Then his gaze went to Forest, who looked ready to hit his father again if he woke up.
A smile formed on Blade’s face as he gazed at his mate. Apparently training was going better than he thought. Grabbing Forest, he pulled the man to him and kissed him until they were both breathless.
Damn, but there was nothing sexier than seeing his mate knock someone out in Blade’s defense. If he wasn’t still trying to figure out why his parents had shown up, he would have carried Forest back to their room and fucked him through the mattress.
“What was that for?” Forest asked still trying to suck in much needed air.
That was what he loved about his mate. Forest did what he felt was right no matter the consequences. Yeah, sometimes he ended up in over his head, but the man cared too much not to make something he felt was wrong right. “Because you’re you, and I love you.”
Forest grinned. “Okay then.”
The whole time his mother had been yelling at them both while pretending to take care of her husband, who was still out cold. Wanting them gone, he asked his mother once more, “Why are you here?”
She stood up to slap him, but Forest grabbed her hand before she made contact. “How dare you dishonor us this way? We came here to make sure you were not following that traitor, Alek Rykov,” she spat out.
“I would watch what you say, mother. The Alpha Primus appointed Talon to this position. We not only follow him, we support him completely.” Blade hoped
they’d leave him alone after realizing his views hadn’t changed, but he doubted his luck was that good.
His father came to as he admitted to following Alek. “We will not stand by and watch that man continue to destroy our race. If you are with him, then you are against us. We are many and will be coming for you,” Strike vowed before grabbing Flower’s hand and walking out.
“Welcome to the club,” Ian said from behind him.
Confused, Blade asked, “What club?”
“The “my parents suck” club. After that I’m officially making you a member.” Ian’s voice was joking, but Blade could hear the pain in his words. Obviously, Blade wasn’t the only one with parent issues.
The entire team as well as Maui, Ian, Rangi, and Zeke stood in the foyer. Maui turned to Talon. “On the job for a week and you already have your own hate group. Congratulations.”
Talon rolled his eyes before ordering everyone back to work.
Chapter 19
“I give up.” Zeke threw his hands up as Forest burned dinner once more.
He’d tried to tell Zeke he couldn’t cook to save his life. The only thing he’d been at all successful at making was a can of soup. Give him a bowl and a microwave, and he could handle it. What was take-out for anyway, if not to order?
The windows in the kitchen were opened before any of them tried to cook in preparation for the smoke. This time it took several minutes for the air to clear, especially since the oil was still smoldering. At least the flames were out.
“I’m leaving tomorrow, and none of you can even boil water,” Zeke exclaimed.
“Hey that’s not true,” Paytah huffed. “It’s not my fault the water disappears if I forget about it.”
Zeke rolled his eyes. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about. No matter how simple the meal, not one of you has managed to do anything other than burn it to a crisp.”
“I didn’t burn mine,” Evan said smugly.
