“What bothers me is that we don’t know if they are alien or human,” Troy mused aloud.
The answer to the seemed easy to her. They emotionally opened Tina like she was a coconut to be cracked to get to the soft center. They disappeared in a blink of an eye. Yep, that said alien to her.
“They’re aliens, what else could they be?”
“You make a good point. Only an alien could walk by an eleven-year-old and know she was planning to commit suicide. Then without a care in the world inform both the child and the parent and refuse to leave until the child got help. Then there is the alien who made a fortune on the stock market because they could tell where to invest based on people's emotions.”
She really hated when Troy reminded her of her past. He had a point. Everything she had done was considered alien simply because everyone refused to believe that a human could have developed deeper senses and the ability to use them.
“So, what are you saying?” She brought her hand up to her hip and tried to cut off her smile.
“I’m saying your healer, and Ven fought them and neither of them could classify them.”
That was making her life hard.
“Let’s recap,” Cade said placing a large platter of steaks on the table. They were all drawn to the food and found themselves filling plates and sitting down.
“We have an undetermined number of males, three that we have seen, with the ability to disappear. We don’t know if they are actually transporting from one place to another or becoming invisible,” Cade told them.
“That’s not helping,” Mira told him.
“We know they are attracted to females who are more in touch with their senses, emotions, or feelings,” Ven told them.
“They were feeding off Tina; I expect they are doing that with the other females. We also know that Mira is on their radar. Which means the one I first fought is heavily involved,” Tristan said.
“I’m supposed to look on the bright side?” Mira asked looking around the table.
“Yes, as long as they are still alive you can save them like you saved me,” Anna said.
That’s why she couldn’t give up, the faith that was placed in her meant something to a woman who thought her life would be lived in the bottom of a pill bottle.
“I’ll hit older contacts tomorrow,” Lea told her.
“I don’t want you…”
“Stop it. I’ll go through the pain to see those children well. Knowing they are cared for will help ease the burden. Why do you think I do it, Mira? I save others because I couldn’t save mine. It’s how I sleep at night.” Lea blinked her eyes and stuffed food into her mouth.
Sometimes life was about the mistake you couldn’t ever undo. Mira wiped her eyes discreetly and took a bite of food.
Chapter Eighteen
“What’s happening?” Tristan was up and putting on clothes. His teeth were lengthening. She was scared, but not of him. Something was triggering him.
“Someone is on the property.” It took her a minute to decipher the words around his long canine teeth. “Don’t leave.”
She was blinking at his ass as he left the room. Did he just tell her to stay like a dog? “Nobody puts Baby in a corner!” she screamed and would have laughed if this wasn’t a serious situation. She made a note to re-watch that movie as she got dressed.
This was when she wished for a gun. Since the intruders would probably snatch it and use it on her, she was safer without one.
She sent her senses out. Being a fully functional empath had its perks. She knew the hallway was clear before she went out. The only one able to hide from her was Ven, and she wasn’t worried about him.
She widened her search. It left her thin with not as much protection, but she needed to know who was in the house. It was empty. She crept to the back. The land here was expansive. They owned enough to start their own national park.
The first thing that hit her when she opened the door was the distinct smell of fear. She didn’t know how to put it, but every emotion had a smell. Fear was dark and sour. It was coming in waves. Someone was afraid for their life.
The next thing she felt was predators. She could feel the Kur’iks and Tristan’s voice was in her head telling her to be careful. Those were emotions and smells she was used to. The other smells were from the predator's hunting whoever was scared as well as the Kur’iks.
Their mistake was coming on their land. There was a movement to her left. It was barely visible; she might have missed it if not for the fear that was suffocating.
“I won’t hurt you.” Please, don’t be one of those creatures who wants to crack me open and eat my gooey center. “Come out.”
“How do I know I can trust you?” The voice belonged to a male. She caught a glimpse of one hand with lean, tapered fingers.
“Because Meghan told you about me. She trusted me, and you can too.” It was a shot in the dark, but she bet he was Meghan’s brother. “I’ve been looking for you. Isn’t that why you came here?”
She had been looking for him. If Meghan disappeared, she was sure he would be next on the hit list.
“Yeah.”
“What’s your name?”
“Andre, but they call me Dre.”
“Come out Dre. We should go in the house while my male and our friends defeat whoever chased you here.”
He stepped out, and she wanted to cry. He was young maybe sixteen. His clothes were dirty, ripped and torn. His dark skin was darker from the dirt he was covered in. He took a step towards the porch. She waited not wanting to scare him.
“I was looking for my sister.” The resignation in his voice was awful.
“I’m looking for her too. We’ll get to her in time.”
“You don’t think…” He was standing at the bottom of the steps. His brown eyes swept up to meet hers wanting to believe.
“I believe she’s still alive. When we get her, she’s going to need her brother to hold her tight.”
“I can do that. I miss her.” He walked up the steps. Mira placed an arm around him holding him tight as he shuddered.
“How about a shower, a change of clothes, and a hot meal? Then you can tell me what happened.”
He looked over his shoulder still shaking.
“You have nothing to worry about now; you're safe.” They would have to kill the Kur’iks more than once if they thought they were getting into the house.
She took him to one of the rooms that wasn’t being used.
“This place is bigger than my parent's house. They’d be so jealous if they could see it. They don’t take in strangers though.”
“Most people don’t. Just call me different. The bathroom is through the door. There are clothes on the bed that I think will fit you. I’ll be in the sitting room waiting for you.”
“Thank you, Ms.?”
“Call me Mira sweetie all the kittens do.”
He frowned, then nodded before he walked into the bathroom.
Mira curled up on the couch before she sent her senses out. She wanted to know what was happening outside. There was silence. It felt dead to a person who relied on her emotions. Then she felt Tristan reach for her.
“What’s happening?”
“I’m in the house with Meghan’s brother Dre. He’s taking a shower. Who was after him?”
“Our friendly neighborhood spooks. I wonder how he got away from them?”
“He’s different like Meghan.”
“Ven mentioned that.”
“Did you catch any of them?”
“They disappeared just like the other two times. This time there was a strong smell before they were gone. I don’t know if it was associated with them leaving or not.”
“So, we’re no closer to an answer?”
“Not true, we know for a fact that they are targeting certain individuals. What ties their victims together is the ability to tap into their inner mentality in some form. You can tap into and use the emotions you were born with. I suspect that
everyone they took can do the same. We’ll be home soon.”
“I’ll be waiting.” She sent a picture of a kiss through their link before he broke it.
She suspected that everyone they took could tap into their emotions, psych, or something else deeper than most people bothered with. The question was why? Where did they come from? Were they like the Kur’iks stranded on earth for hundreds of years, or were they some new breed of human?
She could think about it forever, but until they got new Intel, she wasn’t going to figure it out.
“Thank you.” Dre walked into the sitting room looking scared and alone. He was also clean and dressed nicely. “Everything fit, including the shoes.” He lifted one large foot to show her.
“You have Ven to thank for that. They believe in making sure newcomers have clothes where he comes from.” Ven had walked in two days ago saying loudly, but addressing no one, that the new clothes for their male visitor would be in this room.
They stared at him, but not one of them dared to ask what he was talking about. Not that he would have answered them. They didn’t ask because if they were ignorant, they didn’t have to speculate on who Ven was.
“I’ll remember to thank him.”
“Come get some food. Anything you can’t eat?”
“String beans.”
She laughed. “That sounds more like personal preference to me.”
“Maybe, I don’t do liver either.”
Mira shuddered. “Smart young man.”
He grinned at her, then followed her to the kitchen.
“Wow, this is a great kitchen. I love your house it feels safe.” He took a seat at the table and watched her putter around.
It did feel safe here. It was probably one of the reasons she didn’t want to leave in the beginning, combine that with the fact that Tristan was sexy as hell. Well was it any wonder she was mated to her male?
“Dre, we have breakfast food and lasagna that Ven made. Ven can cook.”
“Lasagna?”
“I see you’re a teen after my own heart.” She pulled out a pan and cut a large slice. “I think we’ll settle for the microwave tonight.”
When his food was in front of him along with a glass of cold soda, she sat and watched him devour it. He hadn’t eaten in a while.
“Can you tell me what happened?” She asked after he ate seconds.
“Yeah. My sister Meghan was missing. Usually, she would call me once a week to tell me that when I was eighteen, she was coming for me. She missed one week, then another. I got scared and went to our parents, but they didn’t care. They said she was acting like a spoiled brat and eventually she’d come back. I knew better. So, I got a bus ticket and came to look for her.”
Mira stayed quiet as Dre worked through his thoughts.
“I thought she was living a good life, but she wasn’t. I realized I didn’t care. I’d rather be with her struggling than lying in a rich bed with people that didn’t want me. I was walking the streets asking people if they had seen her when finally, one person told me that he knew the last person she had seen. They were willing to talk to me all I had to do was meet with them. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. I stole a car, hot-wired it.”
He stopped talking, probably waiting for her to ask him how a rich kid had the skills to hot-wire a car. She didn’t ask. In her life, she had been involved with too many teens to ask a question like that.
“They wanted to meet away from the city proper. Last night, I got your address. I already knew your name, and that you were looking for me. When I googled the address, I found it was close to where the person wanted to meet. When I got there one man was waiting. He was all teeth and black shadows. He offered to take me to my sister, said I was just like her, and he wanted me to join the frenzy.”
He stood up knocking his chair over as his hands rubbed against his jeans.
“Dre?”
“I need a minute.” He twisted his body scratching at it like bugs were crawling over him.
“You’re safe.” Mira wrapped him in her arms. “No one can touch you here Dre.”
“I ran,” he whispered. “I wanted to go with him to find Meghan, but I couldn’t. All I could do was leave, and I didn’t know where to go. So, I came here.”
“You did the right thing.” They looked up to find Ven standing in the doorway.
Dre moved back toughening up.
“Only cowards run.”
“I’ve run before,” Tristan said walking through the door.
“So, have I,” Cade echoed. “Because you ran we know that their victims can be both male and female. We also know your sister is alive. Because you ran, we had another shot at them. They pulled their disappearing trick again, but now we have a better idea of who they are not and what they can do in a fight. All of that is valuable information that you provided us with.”
“If you had, you would be trapped and no help to us.”
Mira watched as a small smile played on his lips before it disappeared.
“How old are you Dre?”
“Seventeen.”
“Won’t your parents be looking for you?”
He shook his head. “I graduated a year early. They promoted me in the fifth grade said I was ahead of the other students. Although I’m only seventeen, my parents consider me an adult since I graduated high school.”
“Are you going to college?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“Where ever Meghan is.”
She could see the strong bond he had with his sister. That would help in her rehabilitation. She wanted to ask about his parents, but he didn’t want to talk about it. That made sense to her.
“When we find Meghan, we’re going to help her, and you.”
He nodded his head trying to hide his tired eyes.
“That room where the clothes are is going to be your bedroom until we find your sister. Why don’t you go get some sleep?”
He looked up alarmed.
“No one will bother you here. Do you need me to lead the way back?”
“No, I remember.”
“Sleep well, we’ll see you in the morning.”
Chapter Nineteen
Mira was sitting with her back against the headboard unable to stop thinking about the missing girls and Tina.
“We’ll find them,” Tristan told her.
“Maybe. When I joined the Angel movement, I had big dreams of all the kids I was going to help. There’s a chance I thought I might even be a hero. I never said it out loud because it was never about me, but I knew that I still wanted my life to mean something. There was this vague hope that one-day someone would say here lies Mira Owens, she saved lives.
“Now I’m sitting here facing a problem that I can’t begin to understand. How am I going to save those children? Not because I want someone to know my name. I want them to live.”
“You have to realize that you’re not in this alone. You’ve never been alone. You have great support, and now you have more. We’re going to do everything we can do to help you find them.”
He was right, and she knew it. The reason she had helped so many youths was that the members of her team were as dedicated as she was. Lea was the ultimate mother and Jax, well she still didn’t understand him, but she loved him like a brother. More importantly, every kitten she brought through her network loved the two of them.
Now Tristan, Ven, and Enigma One were willing to move the heavens to help humans they didn’t know existed a couple of weeks ago.
Mira moved over so she could rub her cheek against Tristan’s chest.
“Baby?”
“I love when you call me that. Does that sound trite? When I was growing up, my parents never had cute nicknames for me. When I look back, I think my mother was too busy being scared for me to love me. It sounds weird, but I think it’s true. Parents can get caught up in everything that can or will go wrong that they forget to take the time to just hold you or love you.” Sh
e shrugged. That was then what did it have to do with now?
Tristan’s arms went around her. He lifted her up and made her comfy on his lap.
“I never cared about parents or having any until Ven came on the ship. No one knew that Enzo was his father. It would have been a death sentence for them. I’m the healer it’s hard to keep that kind of thing away from me. It always amazed me that the others didn’t know. Enzo protected Ven with his life. He almost died for him several times. That’s when I wondered about having parents. Would they protect me like that? Would they love me like Enzo loves Ven?
“I’ll never know. You sweet Mira should have known. Your parents should have seen how special you are and treated you accordingly. We can’t change the past, but we can make sure to always treat our children like they are loved, no matter what they do.”
Her hand flew to her belly. Children? Little people with bright green eyes and brown hair the same shade as hers. No, not little people. Children the perfect blend of her and Tristan. Tears slipped free of her eyes. Tristan caught each one holding them like they were precious.
She loved him. Why had it taken so long for her to understand? This wasn’t a maybe kind of love or an I can mate with you because I love you to kind of love. Not even close, this was the kind of love that snuck up on you after you already thought you were happy and contented. It slammed into your heart when you weren’t looking and spread to every part of your body. It kept you on your toes when your love was in the other room because you needed to see him or hear his voice.
It made you want to throw-up because you were so nervous when he didn’t make it home on time. It was the kind of love that wasn’t dependent, but interdependent. You wouldn’t be fine if he disappeared. You’d be that distraught woman on the news that couldn’t stop crying because your love claimed a part of your heart that never belonged to anyone else, but him. She was in love.
“Tristan.” She waited until he turned his incredible green eyes on her. It felt like he could see her very soul.
“I love you.” The words came out breathy and fast as if it were a secret that she needed out before it curled up and died inside of her. “I just wanted you to know. You’re not convenient or an experiment. You’re the male I want to spend my life or my forever after with. We can do it on this planet or in space. If we die, we can do it in the afterlife, as long as we do it.”
The Wolf & The Empath Page 13
