by Mikayla Lane
“I don’t come here for the atmosphere,” Mikal whispered. “It’s their food that is the best in the area. You’ll see.”
“I believe you. It’s a very interesting place,” Chance said as she looked at all the antique posters on the walls.
A few minutes later, Pierre placed a paper bag on the counter with a huge grin.
“Two of the finest for you!” he exclaimed with a smile as he slid the bag across the counter to Mikal.
Mikal took a deep breath, smelling the food and grinned when his stomach growled.
“Pierre, you are the best!” Mikal said.
He pulled out what he knew was a little more than the price of the food, laid it on the counter, and took the bag in one hand while taking Chance’s with the other and heading to the door.
Mikal weaved their way through the streets and crowd until he reached a park area and sat down at one of the tables. Chance sat across from him while he dug around in the bag and pulled out paper plates, plastic silverware and napkins and began placing them in front of them.
Chance was excited to try the wonderful smelling food until she opened one of the cartons that Mikal had handed her and felt her stomach heave a little at the sight.
“Oh, this is so good!” Mikal said as he put a forkful of the icky looking stuff in his mouth and closed his eyes.
Chance leaned across the table and looked in his carton, just to see if they were actually looking at the same food item when Mikal opened his eyes and caught her.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as he looked around to see if there’s anything he’d missed.
“How can you eat that?” Chance asked, her face scrunching as she looked in her carton.
Mikal laughed. He should have explained the food to her first.
“I had that same look on my face the first time Pierre conned me into trying it. I promise, it tastes so much better than it looks. It’s called poutine, which is French fries smothered in a rich gravy and sprinkled with cheese curds,” Mikal said with a grin, wondering if she’d try it.
Chance wasn’t convinced the dish was edible and if it was, if it should be. Granted, it smelled wonderful and she liked each of the things Mikal had said was in it. Still, it was a hideous-looking meal.
She watched Mikal take another large forkful of the stuff and decided if it didn’t kill him, it shouldn’t kill her either. Without looking in the container, she shoved her fork in, grabbed a big mess of it and shoved it in her mouth before she could change her mind.
“Mmmm, oh my gosh this is so good!” Chance said as she finished chewing and grabbed another huge forkful.
“Pierre is the best at this stuff. He makes his own gravy from scratch,” Mikal said with a grin as he finished his own container of it.
He looked around the area for a few minutes while Chance finished her poutine before he took the last two containers out of the bag and put one in front of her while he opened his own.
After actually tasting the poutine, Chance was excited about trying the next dish and was a little disappointed at the large piece of pie in the box. Shrugging her shoulders, she dug in and was pleasantly surprised.
“It’s not a pie!” she said as she swallowed the first bite.
“It is, sort of,” Mikal said with a chuckle. “It’s called tourtiere. It’s a meat pie made with pork, onions, garlic, and spices. It’s another Canadian dish that I really love.”
Chance nodded, another forkful of the pie in her mouth. She had to admit, the food was really good. She’d never had anything that seemed this complicated before and was thrilled with the different textures and tastes.
“We never had anything like this,” Chance said between bites.
“What did you normally have,” Mikal asked softly.
He didn’t want to bring back bad memories for her, but he really wanted to know what her life had been like, or if there had been any happiness and joy for her at all.
Chance shrugged her shoulders and looked away from his penetrating gaze as she took another bite.
“They told us we were on a special diet. Our metabolisms work differently than the humans, so when they made us train a lot, we needed a lot of food. We had rice, chicken, and vegetables mostly,” Chance said.
Mikal nodded his head, understanding why they’d chosen the diet they had. They fed her body like they would gas in their car—only what was needed to keep it running perfectly. Seeing that she’d finished her pie, Mikal decided he’d introduce her to another one of his favorite treats in Toronto.
He stood, gathered their trash, put it in the nearest receptacle, and held out his hand for hers.
“I have the perfect ending to this meal in mind,” Mikal said with a grin.
Chance laughed and patted her belly before placing her hand in his and allowing him to help her to her feet.
“I think I’m a little too full for anything else,” she said as she followed him back onto the sidewalk.
“Trust me, there’s always room for what I have in mind,” Mikal said cryptically.
Chance continued to look around them as they walked along the sidewalk; she trusted that Mikal wouldn’t lead them into danger. Instead, she studied the people around them. Most of them wore friendly smiles; some even spoke kindly to them.
She’d been a lot of places in the world while on her missions and Toronto had to be the friendliest place she’d ever been. She could understand why Mikal liked it and came here to get away.
Chance looked up when Mikal stopped and saw that they were standing in front of an ice cream shop. She’d never tried ice cream before, but she’d seen the commercials for it on TV at the lab and wondered about the stuff.
She looked at the cold treat suspiciously when Mikal handed her a cone topped with a heaping scoop of light brown ice cream. Without a word, Mikal took a huge bite of his own and closed his eyes in enjoyment.
Chance was still a little hesitant, but remembering how much she’d enjoyed the other things Mikal had her try, she closed her eyes and took a bite.
The creamy maple flavors burst in her mouth as it melted, and she let out a small ‘mmmm’ of appreciation for it.
“What is it?” she asked, looking at Mikal with wide eyes before she took another bite.
Mikal’s eyes twinkled in amusement as he watched Chance enjoy her first ice cream treat. It was so adorable that he turned back to the shop owner and ordered two gallons to take back for the other females, who he guessed had never tried it either.
“You better make it more than two,” Mikal heard Angel say in his mind.
“Three!” he heard Dree add.
Mikal chuckled and added three more gallons to his order to cover his siblings as well.
“It’s maple ice cream. Another wonderful treat that I’ve only been able to get here. The stuff should be a national treasure,” Mikal said as he finished off his own cone and took the gallons from the vendor.
“It’s wonderful,” Chance agreed as she finished her own cone and looked curiously at the bags Mikal was holding.
Seeing her look, Mikal chuckled.
“I figured your sisters might like to try it as well. The extra is because my own sister reminded me that she’d like some too,” he explained.
Chance felt a little ashamed that she hadn’t considered them since they’d left them at the compound with the doctors and half of Mikal’s siblings.
Mikal felt the change in Chance’s energy and squeezed her hand.
“Watch this. 5, 4, 3, 2 . . .” Mikal said with a grin.
Chance watched in shock as a hooded man she hadn’t noticed before came through the crowd and took the bags of ice cream from Mikal’s hand. She turned to pursue the thief when he turned around and waved at her and she saw that it was one of Mikal’s brothers.
“How did you guys do that?” she asked, turning to look up at Mikal.
“Lots of practice,” Mikal said with a chuckle.
“Why did he take it?” she asked.
&nb
sp; “So that it wouldn’t melt while we walked around. We still have a little over an hour to wander before we hit four hours,” Mikal said.
Chance nodded her head in understanding. Siggy and Dante had somehow figured out that each possible sighting of the Mothman occurred within four hours of when Mikal was in the area. They were hoping that if Mikal stayed around long enough, his father may be able to find his energy.
Chance sent out her energy around her, looking for any sign that anyone else like them was nearby. Unfortunately, she still hadn’t felt anything unusual, but then she wasn’t exactly sure what she was looking for either.
“Do you know what it’s supposed to feel like for us if another is near?” she asked, thinking he must know since he’d found her.
Mikal chuckled and shook his head.
“I have no idea. I didn’t even realize I could play with the colored strands in my mind until you showed me in the dream realm. I didn’t even know you were there until I was right on top of you,” he said then quickly corrected himself. “In the air, above you.”
“So he could be walking behind us and we wouldn’t know it?” Chance asked, looking behind them to scan the crowd.
Mikal chuckled again and pulled her attention back around to the front.
“I figure if he’s been showing up around the world in places where either I or Alpha One had been, then he’s looking for something or someone. He’ll approach us if he sees us. I’m pretty sure about that. Besides, there are a full dozen of my siblings and Tezarians doing surveillance of the area. If he shows up, someone will see him,” Mikal said, trying to project confidence in his energy.
As much as he wanted to believe what he’d told Chance, he really didn’t know what to think. His dad had been right, several dozen sightings of the Mothman, or a similar entity, occurred within hours of where Mikal had been over the years. And he’d seen the data Siggy and Dante had pulled together to determine the time frame, but a part of him still didn’t believe that his parents were still alive, or that they’d been looking for him.
Whether it was fear of rejection or of the unknown, he didn’t know. But he knew he had to try to find someone who knew more about who they were than suppositions of some scientists and archeologists who could only guess.
He owed it to his new daughter, Charlie, to give her a people and a culture. Or at least as much knowledge as he could gather. Mikal smiled as he thought of the adorable child who’d found them in the kitchen that morning and declared her name was Charlotte.
“But my daddy can call me Charlie!” she’d said with her hands on her hips.
As if she’d lost all of her nerve from that one statement, Charlie ducked her head and launched herself into Mikal’s arms while everyone commented on what a beautiful name she’d chosen. It wasn’t long before she smiled shyly at everyone and eventually helped Mikal make their famous T’Alq pancakes.
“Hey,” Chance said, drawing Mikal’s attention from his thoughts.
“Sorry. I let my mind wander,” he said with an embarrassed grin.
“By the smile on your face, they were nice wanderings,” Chance said.
She’d never admit it, but she was hoping that he was thinking of her. Chance knew that what he’d said in the store about her belonging to him was causing such crazy thoughts. Thoughts about a future, a life, or a man. All the things she never thought she would have.
“I was thinking of our daughter,” Mikal said, surprising Chance.
Chance thought that hearing he was thinking of her would make her happy, but hearing that he was thinking of their daughter made her ecstatic.
“She’s precious,” Chance said with a smile.
“I think as far as a first child goes, we certainly hit the jackpot,” Mikal said. Then realizing how intimate that sounded he tried to fix it but couldn’t find the words. Instead he let it go and cleared his throat.
“Shouldn’t we start shopping?” he asked her, reminding them both they were supposed to be doing that while they were out.
Chance laughed a true genuine laugh, causing Mikal to stare at how beautiful she looked with her face alight with happiness. He could even feel it throb through her energy.
“I didn’t think we wanted our daughter dressed like a mini vampire,” Chance said.
Mikal had to grin as he played with the image in his mind for a moment.
“She’d look adorable,” he said.
Chance playfully punched his arm.
“How about we try a shop that has something other than black in it?” she suggested.
“I bet if we asked her she’d want black,” he said teasingly.
Chance shook her head, determined that she wouldn’t mess up her first and maybe only chance to be a mother and sister.
“We’re not getting black. They need pretty colors and pretty clothes,” she said with determination as she marched to the first store they passed with children’s clothes in it.
“Look out, bro. She’s got that determined look on her face that Angel gets when she turns on the shopping channels,” Shane teased as he passed Mikal on the street.
“Oh hell,” Mikal said as he thought of the weeks of deliveries they’d get after Angel got in one of her shopping moods.
He could hear his brother laughing at him as he rushed into the store behind Chance.
*****
Dark eyes watched the couple closely from a distance, trying to confirm what he was seeing, who he was seeing. It had been so many years, yet something that he would never forget, could never forget.
He forced the vivid memories from his mind and watched their every move, every fluid and graceful move of their bodies through the people on the street.
He easily noted what appeared to be others around the couple. It would have been difficult for anyone else to notice the unusual group of men and even a woman who appeared around the couple periodically, but from his vantage point, he could see the pattern they made around the two—a protective pattern.
He counted at least a dozen people protecting the couple and knew that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to approach them here on the streets. If anyone could get close, he was confident that he could. He had no choice; he had to get close.
He continued to watch as they stuffed a large SUV with a dozen shopping bags before the male helped the female into the passenger seat. It was easy to see that the male was infatuated with the female and he knew that she would be the best way to get to the male.
The vehicle and the ease in which the male navigated the city told him that the male had a place to live nearby and would be back. He just had to be patient and wait.
Luckily, I learned patience a long time ago, he thought with a grin as he watched the couple’s security detail begin to load into vehicles and follow.
Chapter Fifteen
Mikal paced the roof of the compound, his eyes scanning the horizon looking for any signs of anything unusual. It had been two days since the first trip into town with Chance, and they still hadn’t seen or heard of any sightings in the area of anything that could be mistaken for Mikal’s father or one of his people.
He and Chance had spent four hours each day roaming the streets of Toronto, waiting to see if their energy would attract his father, or any of his people that may be around, but the only thing they’d accomplished was getting his family addicted to maple ice cream and poutine.
Mikal turned back towards the town and scanned the skies while his energy pulsed restlessly. He grinned in the darkness when he felt an all-too-familiar energy come near him.
“What are you doing up so late?” he asked as he caught her scent on the wind.
Chance chuckled and walked up beside Mikal, tilting her head back to enjoy the feel of the wind on her face.
“I was going to ask you the same thing,” she said as she stood beside him and looked out at the bright lights of the city in the distance.
Mikal chuckled as his energy settled into the comfortable pulse it usually
had around Chance. It was a little eerie how their energy had somehow formed its own beat—one that he only felt when she was near. He knew it wasn’t just him who felt it either because he could feel it throbbing in hers as well.
He’d wondered for a few days if she had even noticed it, but he knew there was no way that she didn’t realize what their energy had done. There had been a few times where the change in the rhythm of his energy had jolted him, and he knew she’d felt it as suddenly as he had.
Mikal had wondered briefly if he should say something to her about it. Question it. Or at least recognize that it was happening, even offhandedly. But every time he thought about saying something, he just couldn’t find the right words or it wasn’t the right time.
“I couldn’t sleep. Why are you up?” he asked, trying to distract his own mind from a topic he didn’t want to talk about with her, much less himself.
“I couldn’t sleep either. I’ve been in that city for days now, and I’m still excited about going tomorrow with Charlie,” Chance admitted.
Although the other females were still too afraid to try going somewhere so big, little Charlie had begged to go with Mikal and Chance every time they went. Finally, Chris and the others had convinced Mikal that they had them covered well enough for them to bring Charlie along at least once.
Since there had been no sign of anyone coming near them or watching them, Mikal had relented even though he didn’t feel as confident as his siblings.
“Do you think it’s safe?” Mikal asked, looking over at her to see the expression on her face when she answered.
Chance laughed and smiled up at him with eyes that twinkled like stars in the glow of the moon.
“We got our wind abilities back yesterday. Finally,” she said with a grateful sigh. “So if anything happens at least one of us should be able to get her out of there, and who is going to come near her when most of the time even I don’t know where your family is hiding until they walk right up on us.”
Mikal had to grin at that. She was right. His family was definitely showing every one of their skills in protecting them. He knew they were concerned about him and his new family, and unspoken beneath it all was their concern of what would happen if he did find his biological father. It was something he tried not to think of at all.
