by Tigertalez
I promise not to come out unless you ask for me, but if you feel comfortable enough to talk with me, I am just in the other room. If not, there is a pack run tomorrow night, and you are invited to join us. Our alpha agrees to the invitation.
If none of these are options you feel ready for, I will continue leaving food out each night for you. There are extra papers and pencils and pens on the end of the table for you to write anything you would like to me. Please give me a chance to get to know you.
Sincerely,
Seamus
Maysa’s body froze as she read the note. She had so many things now running through her head that she needed to process it all. She was skeptical. Is this really the owner of that delicious scent? Should I trust him? Before she could think any more, her stomach rumbled and groaned, flaring hunger pains through her abdomen. She couldn’t think clearly as hungry as she was. As she looked at the food, she felt her hunger influence her decision. I would think more clearly if my stomach wasn’t so empty, she reasoned.
Looking around the darkened, slightly crowded but clean room, she couldn’t detect any danger, so she gingerly sat down in the offered chair. Maysa let out a hiss at the shock of the cold chair under her bare skin.
It took tremendous will not to just dive in and gorge herself, but from past experience, she knew that that would only make her sick. She also didn’t want to repay his kindness with being sloppy. Maysa filled her plate with fruits and veggies.
She wasn’t a big meat eater, but she really needed the protein, so she grabbed a few of the sandwich meat rolls and plopped them in her mouth. Flavor burst over her tongue, and she whimpered, trying to contain her toe-curling moan. She had gone so long without proper eating. Maysa grabbed a crescent roll and followed it down with a drink from the milk.
Maysa paced herself. After the stronger drive to eat subsided, she began to think over her dilemma as she continued to eat.
Maysa suddenly felt afraid that perhaps Seamus might have found a way to drug the food. Her paranoia was heightened by the recent events, but her hunger had also dampened her reasoning. Well, if he drugged me, I would have started to feel the effects by now. So maybe he isn’t bad. But can I really trust him, or an alpha of a pack? Is the alpha really that tolerant? Maysa came from a colony. They only had an alpha for their human affairs. But not even our alpha would be tolerant to outsiders. I could watch them in secret tomorrow, during their pack run? Yes, I’ll do that.
After she filled herself to near bursting, she finally came to a decision. Maysa grabbed the paper and a pencil and scribbled a quick note.
Dear Seamus,
I do not know what to make of your offer, and I will need time to think about it. In the meantime, thank you for the feast. It has been a while since I ate so much.
Maysa
Maysa hopped onto the windowsill and took to her bat form. With sunrise getting closer, she needed to find a place to hide until the pack run, and with her stomach full, she looked forward to a good day’s sleep.
Chapter Three
Seamus stretched before turning off the alarm on his cell phone. Disappointment that his visitor didn’t try to talk with him clouded his thoughts as he entered the bathroom and quickly did his morning routine. The scent of the woman was in the dwelling, so he rushed through his routine, anxious to see if she, at least, left a note.
Looking the table over, he noted not much food had been touched, but was elated to see a note was left. Just as he was about to step in that direction to retrieve the note, a knock sounded on the door that led to the garage below. Before he could say anything, the door opened, and Nix walked in. “Morning, Sea. I got a report from the gargoyles before they took to roost. They said she didn’t stay too long, and then left. How’d it go? Did she talk to you?”
Seamus continued to the table. “No, but she left a note.” Picking it up, he felt Nix behind him reading it over his shoulder as he studied it.
“Damn, she sounds like she’s on the run from something or someone. She’s starving,” Nix said.
“But she hardly ate much at all. Look, only one crescent roll is gone, and no more than a handful of vegetables and maybe a couple of fruits. I see three meat rolls and a glass of milk gone and that’s it. I’ve seen Gale eat more than that in a sitting, and she’s human.”
“Yeah, but she said it had been a while since she ate that much, so maybe she has been starving and her stomach shrank. What was her name? Maysa?”
Seamus nodded.
“If Maysa called what she ate a feast, then she must have been starving. She’s on the run, Sea. We need to figure out from whom.” Nix’s tone had an urgent edge to it. It matched Seamus’s own growing concern. Nix continued. “When you wanted to go to the store, I expected maybe chocolates and flowers. But I’m glad you went this route. It sounds like she needs it.”
“What did the gargoyles have to say?” Seamus asked.
“They have great night vision, so they stayed way back. When they saw her leave, they followed her. They know where she’s hiding. Oh, and they told me something else you might find interesting.”
“And?” Seamus let his irritation at being left dramatically hanging show in his tone.
“She’s a bat. And not just any bat. They recognized what kind.”
“And?” Seamus said with exasperation.
Nix smiled wide. He seemed to be enjoying toying with him. “She’s a giant golden-crowned flying fox. Dultyn had Havana look it up. You should see the pics she brought up. They’re cute buggers. All the girls are excited about her. Oh, and Slate sent Henry, in his elk form, to watch over her today. He’s promised to keep his distance, so as not to spook her.”
Seamus rubbed his face with the palms of his hands. Her scent still lingered in the room, and his emotions to protect and provide for her had just skyrocketed. Nix’s hand landed gently enough on his shoulder.
“C’mon, let’s get breakfast. Today is going to be a long day. Everyone is already eating breakfast. Just take it a step at a time. Don’t worry, the pack’s got your back.”
Seamus nodded his head and let out a heavy sigh. “You’re right. Thank you, Nix. Would you give me a hand clearing this table first?”
“Sure.”
After clearing off the table, Seamus wiped it down before he let Nix pull him down to breakfast. As they entered the house, Seamus could feel it buzz with excitement. Everyone was talking about the upcoming events. Seamus had to admit that with all the pack had been through in just one little month, everyone deserved a day off to celebrate being a pack.
The kitchen was crowded with every member that lived in the alpha house, plus a few others. Many people greeted him as he took a seat at the breakfast bar.
“So, Seamus, is she coming to the event tonight?” Alphy asked.
Everyone hushed, waiting for his answer. It touched him to know the pack cared this much. He could see and even scent their excitement. It made him hate to have to admit she had refused. “I’m afraid not,” he replied. Collective sounds of disappointment sounded throughout the room.
Alphy knocked on the counter of the breakfast bar. “That’s enough, everyone, I need your attention.” As everyone quieted down and turned their focus on their alpha, Seamus saw his brother, Ryker, sidle up beside him. Through his facial expression, Seamus knew his brother was giving him his support. With his own look, he let his brother know how grateful he was for it. They both turned their attention to Alphy.
“First, Sea, I’m sorry to hear that. You have the support of the pack, obviously, so whatever you need to help you gain her trust, just ask. I want all ranked members in my office for a meeting. Seamus, I want you to join us. To the rest of you, today is a big day for our pack. It’s going to be a sunny and hot day today, so keep hydrated, and keep vigilant that others are drinking enough, especially the cubs. Thanks to the hard work from Kace and his crew, we now have a large playground set up for them. Both Reese and Paul have volunteered to keep watch over the li
ttle ones on the play equipment.”
Seamus looked over at the two teens and smiled at them. Reese was a great study in the world of medicine and excellent with people, especially children. I bet he would be great in the field of pediatrics.
Next to him stood Paul. His road to recovery the last eight weeks had been challenging. It felt good to see him up and around, and smiling. Seamus made a mental note to check on him throughout the day.
Seamus quickly turned his focus back to Alphy’s speech. “Slate is heading up the barbecue, with Tyler assisting. Betty and Connie are in charge of the side dishes and desserts. Check in with these people throughout the day to see if they need any help. In spite of all that, don’t work too hard, people. This is a day to celebrate.”
Seamus took a sip of the coffee Betty placed down in front of him. Grabbing a muffin and a banana in one hand and holding his coffee in the other, he followed the group to the office.
Seamus found a small seat along the wall of the office as the enforcers, trackers, and sentries situated themselves for the meeting. He looked over the rim of his mug at the room of men noting Councilman Tyler had also joined them, as Alphy started the meeting.
“We have a lot to discuss this morning. I’d like to start with our mystery visitor. She’s roosting just a little east of here. Henry is on first watch over her, and Gavin will have second watch. Gavin, you’ll relieve Henry around one. That should give you enough time to enjoy some of the food before you head out.”
“Yes, sir,” Gavin responded.
Alphy turned looked over at Seamus. “Sea, what can you tell us?”
“Not much, I’m afraid. Her name is Maysa.” He pulled out the letter and read what she had written.
“She didn’t eat all that much,” Nix added.
Alphy and the others shared the same look of concern. “Ryker, contact the council and see if there are any bats named Maysa who’ve gone missing. In the meantime, I trust you, Seamus, to continue building a bond with her. Beloved or not, it sounds like she needs us.
“How about the drug used on Havana during her abduction, have you identified it?” Alphy asked.
“Partly. I identified a powerful tranquilizer in her blood work, but it’s coupled with a substance I haven't seen before. It slows her metabolism to that of a human, allowing the tranquilizer to effectively last longer in her body, instead of burning off. In effect, I believe it amplified the tranquilizer. I haven’t seen anything like it. I can also tell you that this is not anything that can be bought over the counter. I think it’s possible they have their own doctor or doctors, and a lab, to create this.”
All was silent for a minute while the men in the room processed this news. Their newest pack-member, Neto, broke the silence. “Doctor Seamus, if they have a lab, and they are developing drugs to use medically on paranormals wouldn’t they need the paranormals to experiment on?”
“I have already thought about that, and yes,” he answered. “They can do with just blood samples for a time, but would eventually need subjects to do their studies on. For it to get to this point, I believe they are well beyond test subjects. They knew how much to give her, and how to maintain it in the correct dosage without killing her.”
“Wait,” Enzo interrupted. “She was originally snatched by Damon Miller, the former beta of the elk herd. But he was killed by the S.I.S. agents. So who are the ones responsible for the drug?”
Ryker shot his hand up and bounced on the small bed he sat on. Those who sat next to him were bounced unwittingly on the mattress next to him at the little redhead’s eager response.
“Yes, Ryker?” Alphy said.
“I have a theory, but I’ll need permission to investigate it.”
“What’s your theory?” Alphy asked.
“Well, what if there’s a connection between Damon and the S.I.S. and Alpha Smith and Councilmember Daily? If Alpha Smith is linked to drugs, and his flight was scheduled to leave shortly after the S.I.S. were to arrive with a drugged shifter, and Neto’s father is also linked to drugs, could they have the same councilman in common? The beta had to have gotten the high-end drug from somewhere. It just all seems too coincidental, like they’re linked somehow. And maybe something went wrong and the S.I.S. had to kill the ex-beta.”
“Plausible,” Tyler said. “I can ask Councilman Black.”
“Why not question the S.I.S. agent? Have you gotten anything out of him?” Peter asked.
“I can further question him, but he’s trained in keeping secrets, even under torture. I’m taking a different route, and it will take time,” Matteo said.
Alphy added, “And for the next couple of days, I have Raymond’s coven looking after him. We won’t know anything for a while.”
“I believe the little red is right,” Neto said.
Everyone went silent, except Ryker. “Little red?” Neto shrugged one shoulder. “Huh, guess it’s apropos. Okay, go on,” Ryker said, waving his hand dismissively.
“Are you talking about the thing with your father?” Alphy asked. With a silent nod from Neto, Alphy indicated he should continue.
“Some of the evidence indicated pharmaceutical companies. But those companies are bogus. They are there, I have seen them with my own eyes, but if you look into other records, they aren’t legit. Up until now, I thought the embezzling and laundering were all a part of their drug dealing, but what if they weren’t street drugs, as I had assumed?”
“It makes perfect sense,” Enzo said.
Alphy agreed. “I want to look further into this, but we’ll need to tread carefully, but that’s for later. Today is our first pack run, and I want it to be a happy, fun, and safe day for all of us. No doubt we deserve it. We still need to put up the volleyball net and stake the horseshoes spikes. Oh, and Bronya’s parents are coming. I have made them extended pack through their ties with us.”
“Sweet!” Ryker said with excitement.
“Does that mean they have full pack rights?” Nix asked.
“Pack rights?” Ryker asked. He looked puzzled.
“He’s asking if they’re allowed full access to the pack house and support from the pack like any other member,” Enzo explained. “Without pack rights, they can’t ask the pack for help. They can ask anyone they want, individually, but officially, they’re on their own.”
Alphy nodded. “To answer Nix’s question, yes. This means I’m making them to be, sort of, honorary pack members. They have helped us greatly with the purchase of a private jet, and their airfield is at our disposal because of their generosity and support of us. And since they know about paranormals, they are an asset. So whenever they get in trouble, or need help, the pack will respond to them as we would to any other member. And they can visit any time they wish without waiting for an invitation.”
Ryker started to snicker. “Uh, Alphy?” he asked as he kept his sights on the screen of his laptop.
“Yes, Rye?”
“Our cute little delivery guy from last week is back. He’s just now getting out of his van.”
“You mean the one who gave Enzo flowers?” Kace asked, eagerly.
“Yep. Looks like he has another bouquet. Oh, and they are lovely.”
Everyone heard the doorbell ring. “So, is there anything else?” Alphy asked, looking around the room. Hearing nothing, Alphy dismissed them.
Seamus followed everyone to the lobby. Tom was at the door when they arrived. He turned around. “Oh good. Enzo, looks like you got another delivery.”
Enzo swung the door open wider and stared at the beaming deliveryman, Dylan, if the name on his shirt was correct.
“Hi, Mr. Boyce. I’ve got another delivery for you.” He held up the arrangement in his hands. “These are camellias, and they mean admiration to a man. The pink ones mean ‘longing for you’ and the white ones mean ‘you’re adorable’.”
Seamus watched Enzo take the offered arrangement and blindly reach into his pocket, not looking at what bill he grabbed, and hand it to the man. “I d
on’t suppose you can tell me who’s sending these?”
“No, sir. Have a great day.” Dylan turned and trotted back to his vehicle and started back down the driveway, disappearing into the tree line.
“Now what am I going to do with these?” Enzo groused irritably.
“Why don’t you leave them here by the door on the little table? It’s a beautiful arrangement to greet everyone as they arrive today,” Betty offered. Enzo nodded at the suggestion but took the card before heading outside. Seamus couldn’t help but be amused.
Throughout the day, as more members of the pack arrived, the sounds of laughter and the smell of the meat on the grill filled the air. The day was indeed hot, but Seamus watched as everyone was staying hydrated. Just after noon, Gavin approached him.
“Hey, Doc. I don’t know if you wanted to know, but I’m heading out to switch shifts with Henry. My animal may not be as fast as Henry’s, but everyone knows not to mess with us badgers, so she’ll be safe on my watch.”
“Oh, thank you, Gavin. I have never seen your badger. What breed is it?”
“European. He’s a cute little guy.” Gavin playfully winked over his wide grin, provoking a laugh out of Seamus. “I’ll see you later this evening. I’ve got orders not to leave until she wakes, so no telling the exact time that will be.” Gavin turned and trotted towards the tree line. Seamus watched until Gavin was completely out of sight. He was entirely tempted to follow to see the bat, but restrained himself. Instead, he made his way over to the new play set.
He carefully watched the kids as he approached. There were several minors of all ages, including Reese and Paul, who were playing with the kids, on the large redwood stained cedar set. The arrangement was large and had many features. It had a swing set, slide, monkey bars, a rock wall, rope ladder, a play deck with a swinging tire underneath, and a green vinyl canopy over the top of the play deck. Currently, Reese was hanging upside down on the monkey bars, making faces at a girl who, if Seamus remembered right, was about six years old. She was making faces right back. Seamus chuckled.
