“Will do. Did you see any signs of Pearce?”
“No. Either he’s shifted or he’s hiding out somewhere.”
“See you all at the cabin.” Mitch shut off his phone.
Daren glanced at Kira. “Who do you think this woman really is?”
“I don’t know anything about her except she’s evil and I’d bet Pearce is her son. Pearce resembles her. She makes my skin crawl, and they both have the same distinctive odor. But not all the time. Whatever it is, it’s sickening. You didn’t smell it?”
“No, and all our senses are heightened. Yours must be extraordinarily sensitive.”
“Mom used to kid me. When she made my favorite peanut butter fudge, she said I could smell it from miles away.”
They both laughed, easing the tension in the car.
“There’re the gates. I’m ready to get this over with,” Kira said.
Lights were on in cabin three. Two men stood in front talking to Mitch, Garth, and his mother. They turned when the two cars parked.
Mitch opened Dyna’s door. “Welcome to our ranch.”
She put out her hand, and he assisted her out of the car.
“Thank you.” She looked around the area. “I can’t wait for morning to explore your ranch. I’m so excited.” She turned to greet Garth and his mother.
Kira was watching Dyna closely. Her eyes narrowed very slightly, and her mouth tightened. It was so quick Kira didn’t think anyone else caught the change. She didn’t like Garth or Mother Aileen. And Mother Aileen didn’t like her. It was evident in her stiffening posture and the look in her eyes. Again, both women went back to their friendly countenances so fast that none of the others noticed.
Daren led the way inside, and the others followed. “It’s small, but a number of people have stayed here in the past and enjoyed their visit.” Daren pointed out the two bedrooms, and the kitchen. “We’ll arrange horseback riding for you tomorrow.” He smiled at Dyna.
“I guess we’ll go and let you get settled. Call me at this number if you have any questions or problems.” Mitch handed Cindy a piece of paper with his phone number on it. “Otherwise, we’ll see you in the morning.”
Everyone left. Kira was the last to walk away. She took time to hug Cindy. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Kira got in Mitch’s truck. Daren headed home to check on their family. Garth and Mother Aileen got in the backseat of the truck. No one spoke until Mitch drove off.
“What did you think, Mother Aileen?” Kira asked. “I noticed you didn’t like her.”
“You are very perceptive to be able to see the slightest change in affect. I thought no one noticed.”
“Don’t worry. I’m the only one who did.”
“I told Rae once that she needn’t worry about me being a witch. I assured her I was a good witch. I explained my family had married into the tribe many centuries ago. Actually several witch families married into the third tribe, but I told Rae the bad ones had been weeded out long ago.” She took a deep breath. “I was wrong. I’m not sure how it happened, but one line survived, the most evil of the bunch. I suspect it is because the elders did not do as I suggested. I warned them that particular line would survive in this new world. They were very resourceful. The only way of being sure to eradicate them was to destroy them with fire.
“Dyna is a descendent of that family. I recognized her by her smell and by the look in her eyes. I didn’t touch her for fear she’d know I was a witch. Hopefully, she didn’t recognize me.”
“She did. I saw it in her face, but it was very quick.”
“Then we must destroy her as I said. It sounds awful, but if you are faint of heart, as the elders were in the past, then unexpectedly someday in the future she will return.”
Mitch and Garth were silent. Kira turned to face Mother Aileen. “You are saying that I must do it.”
“Yes, that is why you were sent to us, to save our people. You have many special skills, one of them concerning fire since you are the Flaming Beauty. Afterwards, if you prefer, you can go away and find another life.”
Kira nodded and turned back around. She did miss her anonymity, but could she leave Rex and Hakan behind? It wasn’t a question to be answered right now.
The bigger problem was the need for her to kill the witch. She’d never deliberately hurt or killed anyone. And yet she knew Mother Aileen was right. If only fire could stop her for good, then Kira had to destroy the witch.
Chapter Twelve
Pearce hid behind Cindy’s house and watched his mother and her get in the rental car. They followed Daren and Kira’s vehicle down the road toward the ranch. Earlier, Pearce had shifted into his wolf. Hiding in the darkness, he ran behind the cars, keeping the taillights in sight.
This was good. His mother would get inside the gates. They would work out a way to destroy as many of the three tribes’ members as necessary to win control. Once the others admitted defeat, they would be put under a spell to obey. The ones who didn’t stay under their spell easily, like Cindy, he’d destroy. Which probably meant his father and brother. The spell his real mother put on his adopted mother had lasted for years. He’d only had to redo hers a few times.
But his adopted father had a stronger will, and Pearce had more difficulty keeping him in line. When Pearce returned to the ranch this time and noted suspicion in his father’s eyes, Pearce knew he no longer had any control of him.
And it had never worked on Rex. Why, he didn’t know. The man had been a thorn in his side for years. He’d enjoyed the time Rex was away at college and medical school. When he came back, Pearce decided to leave for a while. Let them all get comfortable without him, and then he’d strike. But he’d waited too long. He’d sensed Kira was special on the plane. But he’d never dreamed she’d be the most difficult one to fight. He drooled at the thought of tasting her and tearing her to bits.
But first, he had to get on the ranch undetected and make contact with his birthmother.
* * * *
Mitch opened the car door to let Kira out at the hospital. “I’ll take Garth and his mother home, and meet you back here.”
Kira hurried into the ER entrance. Rex saw her and waved for her to join him.
“We have about fifty patients. They are all very ill. But the ones who got the antidote are gradually getting better. Ellen’s used up all the supply. There are about ten who didn’t get it. We need to give more blood. Can you do it?”
“I can’t weaken myself. We have a bigger problem. There’s a very powerful, evil witch on the ranch working with Pearce. I may be the only one who can stop them. If I’m weak, they’ll win.”
“Then we’ll try it with my blood alone. I agree you can’t take the chance.” He took her hand. “Come up to the lab with me.”
“I’ll be there shortly. I want to see the ones who are dying.”
Hakan came out of room one and overheard what she said. “You can start here.”
Kira’s heart caught when she saw the tiny girl lying in the big bed. Her mother and father stood at the bedside crying.
“Would you mind leaving? Dr. Connor and I would like to be alone with your daughter for a few minutes.”
The child’s parents looked up. Seeing Kira, they smiled, and hope was in their eyes.
“I don’t know if I can help. I can’t give more blood now. But I will try to help her someway.” They nodded and left the room.
“What do you have in mind?” Hakan asked. “She’s in bad shape. Her heart is racing, and you can see her rapid respirations. Her small body won’t take too much more punishment.”
“Get a kit out of the cabinets. One that has a sharp scalpel in it.”
Hakan went to one of the cupboards, opened it, and pulled out a sterilized kit. “There’ll be one in here.” He opened it and handed the scalpel to Kira. “Now what?”
“Hold her mouth open. I’m going to make a small incision in my wrist and let a few drops of my blood go into her mouth. My blood should have an
tibodies in it. If this works, I’ll use it on the other nine patients. Meanwhile, Ellen will be working with Rex’s blood.”
“Clever, let’s try it. But don’t go too deep, or I’ll have to suture your wrist closed.”
Kira made a small cut on her wrist at just the right spot. Hakan had opened the unconscious child’s mouth. One drop went in. Kira held her wrist up. “Close her mouth and see if she’ll swallow.” They could see her little throat work. “Good, she still has her swallowing reflex.” Kira put another drop in, and then a third.
Hakan listened to the child’s heart. “Her heartbeat is slowing. So are her respirations. I’ll order STAT blood work on her, and we’ll go ahead and start on the next patient.”
They worked steadily down the hallway. Kira gave each patient around three drops of blood. She gave five drops to some of the larger men and women. By the time they got to the last patient, the report on the little girl was back.
“Her levels are coming down very slowly, but they are moving in a downward direction, and overall she’s improving,” Hakan said.
“I want to see her.” Kira walked back to the first room. The parents looked around and ran to her. They both hugged and thanked her.
“You saved our daughter. We’ll never forget you,” the father said.
“I took a chance. I’m glad it worked. She and the others will be getting blood mixed with Dr. Rexford’s. His blood is special, too. She’ll heal faster after the transfusion.”
When Kira came out of the room, Rex leaned against the doorframe across from her.
“You didn’t join me.”
“I knew Ellen would take good care of you.”
Rex took her hand and pulled her into the nearest empty exam room. “What have you been doing that you didn’t want me to know about?” He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close.
“Hakan was with me. I gave a few drops of my blood to each patient. They’re slowly improving.”
“Ellen told me I’m a universal donor for our people,” Rex said. She discovered that from working with the blood I previously gave. She’s going to mix a tiny portion of my blood with a pint of blood that matches each of our ten victims.”
Hakan peeked in the room. “There you are. I’ve been looking for you two. He came in and closed the door behind him. “We haven’t had a new case in the last hour. It helped to get the water turned off fast, and many of the third tribe were already in bed for the night. Mitch has guards stationed around our water supply. It’s been checked and cleared. Our men are filling barrels of fresh water for the third tribe. A new line will have to be run to each of their homes. It’s going to slow down getting them all into their own homes before winter.”
“We have to take care of Pearce and his mother before any more damage is done.” Rex’s anger and frustration etched his strong face. “Damn, why didn’t anyone listen to me about Pearce years ago? He was always mean and enjoyed being cruel. But none of us expected he was in touch with his mother or even knew of her.”
“Don’t let it make you angry. We’ll deal with him now,” Kira rubbed her hand across his forehead and kissed him softly on the mouth. “I wish I had more time to make you feel better, but we all have a lot to do.”
“Then give me a kiss, too,” Hakan turned her toward him. “After that we’ll see what comes next to finish this battle before he hurts or kills anyone else.”
Kira kissed him and leaned against his hard frame. Rex hugged her from behind. For a second, she just let the feelings of comfort and safety surround her. Then reluctantly, she moved from between them, and they followed her out the door.
* * * *
Once inside the cabin, Dyna searched for hidden bugs. She found three.
They might fool an ordinary person, but not me. With my abilities, I’ll destroy that other witch. She recognized me and will tell the others. I have to risk contacting Pearce.
When she called him and got no answer, she knew he’d shifted. She had to find him. He must be on the ranch. She’d sensed him nearby when they went to the car.
She took Cindy’s arm and escorted her into the bedroom. “Lie down.” With a fearful look on her face, Cindy did as instructed. “I’m going to put you into a deep sleep.” She placed her hands on Cindy’s head and mumbled words over her. When Cindy’s body totally relaxed, she stopped. Then she went into her room, dressed in black, and slipped out the side window.
The guard came around the corner. Dyna threw up her hand and whispered several words, making her invisible to him. He turned and marched the other way. He’d continue to cover his area, and no one would miss her. She held in her pleased laughter.
Once she was out of sight of any buildings, she ran faster. She stayed around the trees to hide herself. If Pearce got close to her, he’d pick up her scent. She had a lot of ground to cover before dawn.
An hour later, she stopped in a large stand of oaks. A stream ran through the thickest part. She sat and scooped up water to drink. Hearing a rustle, she looked around, and then caught his scent.
“It’s Mother, Pearce. Join me.”
A large, dark-brown wolf with red eyes sauntered into the clearing. Pearce shifted and was clothed. “How did you get out of the cabin? I didn’t hear any alarms go off.”
“Do you have such a lack of faith in your mother?” She chuckled. “They never saw me. But earlier I met another witch, and she recognized me. She’s accepted by the leaders. I’m sure she’s told them who I am. We have to hide until we can complete our work.”
“I know a place to stay.”
“Where?”
“At my adopted parents’ house. We’ll sneak in, and I’ll make sure my mother’s spell is still working. You can put a spell on my father. He’s stronger, and your powers are much better than mine.”
“Excellent. Lead the way.”
* * * *
Mother Aileen had gone to her room at Garth’s and meditated. Suddenly, she saw darkness and felt cold. She opened her eyes and rushed out her door to the kitchen where she found Garth, Rae, and Cad sitting at the table.
“She’s out of the cabin. She’ll be trying to contact Pearce. Garth, the shape-shifters will have a better chance of finding her and Pearce. I’ll contact Mitch. I fear her skills are even better than I thought. If she didn’t kill a guard, then she can make herself invisible.”
“Cad can call all the shifters. We’ll spread out across the ranch. I’ll start now.” Garth kissed Rae and shifted into his white leopard.
Cad opened the door for him. “I’ll have the others out there soon.”
Mother Aileen and Rae watched as Cad punched in numbers, and then told the men who answered what had happened. He gave them their assignments.
“Hopefully, this will end tonight.” Cad reached out and hugged Rae.
“She’ll put up a good fight. I’m going to call Mitch and then meditate again. Maybe I can get into her thoughts.” She looked up Mitch’s number in her contacts and called.
“Mitch here.”
“She’s out of the cabin. Evidently, she can make herself invisible. Unless you’ve heard that she murdered a guard?”
“No, I haven’t heard a word. How do we find her?”
“The shifters are all going out to look for her and Pearce. I’m going to meditate. I hope one of us can locate them.”
“Lang and his men will be out also. I’ll call him and put everyone on full alert. We’ll make it as hard as possible on them. Thanks for the call.”
Mother Aileen put down her phone. “I’m going to my room.”
“I’ll sit with you and bring you out of your trance, if it appears to be hurting you,” Rae said.
“Then if you’re both going to be in the room together, I’m going to sit in the corner and observe. Garth and I don’t intend to lose either of you.” Cad got his gun. They looked at him questioningly. “Remember, Jewel shot at a dark spot before and whatever entity was in the room fled. It might work again, if needed,” Cad
explained. He kissed Rae. “Be careful.”
They followed Mother Aileen into her room. Rae sat on a cushion across from her, and Cad stood holding the rifle ready as Mother Aileen went into her trance.
* * * *
Pearce crept around his adopted parents’ home. The doors and windows were securely locked. “I’m going to try something. You stay out of sight.”
Brazenly, he knocked on the door. He heard heavy footsteps coming to answer. His father looked out the window.
“You dare to come here,” he yelled. His adopted mother came running and stood beside her husband. His father raised his hand and showed him a gun. “I’ll shoot you if I have to.”
“He’s innocent, I tell you. Let our son in. You aren’t going to shoot him in front of me, but someone else might without hearing his side.”
As Pearce had hoped, before his father could stop her, she’d unlocked the door. Pearce charged in. The door bumped his father, and Pearce grabbed the gun. Then he threw his father on the floor. He might be a strong, old man, but he couldn’t compete with Pearce.
Dyna ran into the house, shut the door, and locked it. She smiled at Mrs. Rexford. “Hello, I’m a witch, and Pearce’s biological mother.”
Mrs. Rexford fainted. Pearce knocked Mr. Rexford out with the butt of the gun. He straightened and grinned at his mother. “We did it.”
“Of course, we did. Did you doubt our success? Together we’re impossible to defeat. I’m tired. Since you knocked Rexford out before I could put a spell on him, you’d better tie them up and gag them for now. I’m going to rest for a few hours, and then you can. We have to be at our best when we face our enemies.”
Pearce watched his mother head to Mrs. Rexford’s room. He’d always thought of her as Mrs. Rexford. There’d never been any question in his mind as to which mother he truly belonged.
Cameron, Paige - Commando Cowboys Desire Their Queen [Wyoming Warriors 8] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Polyromance) Page 12
