by Walsh Maggie
Josh took the decision away from him. Josh grabbed the keys from his hand and headed out the door. “Let’s go. Everyone in the bus now.”
* * * *
They drove down the main road toward the alpha house, everyone quiet as they watched the trees blur by.
“Shit,” Milo hissed.
Everyone looked to see why he had cursed. There was a blockade in the road about a quarter mile ahead.
“I forgot. Maddy said they were blocking the area. Micah ordered no one allowed in.”
“But I need to get there. We need to find a way,” Evan stressed.
“What the hell?” Josh asked in surprise.
They all looked toward the road block, and saw one of the guards climb into the truck blocking the road. The truck rolled back, giving them enough room to drive through. Josh looked at Evan in the mirror above his head and raised his brow in question.
“Keep going. Let’s see what happens.”
“Maybe we’re on the allowed list?” Syn asked.
Josh shrugged and drove on. They slid right through the gap and kept going. No one tried to stop them. They all turned to look back and saw the truck moved back in place. Josh continued down the road until he got to the private cutoff for the alpha house. The large iron gate loomed over them and Josh sighed heavily. “We don’t know the code to get in.”
“Call Maddy. He has it,” Evan instructed.
They heard a click, and the large gate began to slide open. They all looked at it in confusion.
“Well, I’m not looking a gift horse in the mouth,” Josh stated and drove through the gate. Another click sounded, and the gates closed behind them.
“That seemed a little too easy. Maybe we’re being led to our deaths?” Tucker chimed in.
“Shut up, Tuck,” Shane hissed.
Josh drove down the cobblestone drive and watched as the trees lining the sides flew past. As they got closer to where the house should have come into view, Josh stopped the van.
“What is it, babe?” Milo asked.
“Look,” Josh answered and pointed out the front window.
“Holy shit! Where is it? Where is the alpha house?” Syn asked in a panic.
A fierce feline growl came from the left, and everyone looked in that direction. A large lion stalked toward the bus. His eyes glowed, and he looked like he was ready to pounce on any threat. A light engulfed the lion, and he shifted.
“Josh? Is that you, cub?” the naked man asked.
“Hey, Merl.”
“What the hell are all of you doing here? And how did you get this far?” Merl asked as he approached the bus.
“Beats the shit out of us,” Tucker said sarcastically.
“We heard the explosion last night, and then this morning we couldn’t reach anyone in the house. We’re worried about everyone, and Evan wants to find his mate,” Josh explained.
“Well, I don’t know how you were able to make it past the blockade and the gates, but you all can’t be here. It’s too dangerous.”
“Why are all those felines lining the area? And what happened to the house? Wait a minute…are those bodies on the ground?” Evan asked in a panic.
“Dragons? Holy flying fucks. There are two dragons up there,” Sage called out in awe.
“Raphael!” Evan cried out and jumped from his seat. He pressed the lever to open the door and ran from the bus.
Merl ran around the front of the bus to stop him, but Josh got in his way. “Let him go to his mate, man.”
Merl sighed and stepped back, nodding.
Evan raced to where Raphael lay on the ground and covered his body with his, grabbing onto the man. “Raphael? Raphael? Can you hear me?”
One of the dragons glided down from the sky and landed in the clearing. He turned toward Evan and walked in his direction. As the dragon got closer, he shifted, and the dragon king, Dare, stood there.
“How the hell did all of you get in here?” he asked angrily.
“Been there, done that, don’t have a clue,” Sage said in a singsong voice.
“Evan needed to find his mate,” Milo stated.
Dare looked at Evan caressing Raphael’s face, and his face softened as his shoulders relaxed. “You can all stay, but don’t get in the way. We don’t know when they will all wake up and we need to keep them safe until they do. I need to get back into the air with my mate to check the perimeter.” Dare turned and shifted effortlessly back into his dragon, then ran, flapping his wings, and took off into the sky.
“Well, there’s something you don’t see every day,” Shane mumbled.
“So what happened to them?” Milo asked.
“It’s a long story, but they all used up too much energy,” Merl stated. “Their bodies overheated I guess you could say. Like plugging too many things into one outlet. They blew the circuit. Now we need to let them heal enough to wake up. The felines are guarding them until they do.”
“What can we do?” Josh asked.
“Keep an eye out for anyone trying to get into the area.”
Merl shifted back into his lion and made his way back over to the body he was guarding. They realized it was Cass lying unconscious on the ground.
“Josh,” Milo said, grabbing his elbow to get his attention.
Josh looked to where Milo pointed and found Bailey lying unconscious. “Bailey!” He ran to Bailey’s side, and the leopard guarding him chuffed but let Josh sit beside him.
Milo looked around the circle and found Lexi lying about a hundred yards from Bailey. He approached the tiger slowly, and the feline nodded at him. Milo sat on the ground next to Lexi and waited.
* * * *
“Who’s in charge here while they’re all out?” Evan asked the felines.
Haven shifted to his human form and approached Evan. “King Dante.”
“Then where is he?”
“He, Viktor, Nicco, and Sky took the vampires back to their coven before the sun came up.”
“So he’s not actually here. Now who’s in charge?”
“That would be Lord Davis. He is the only remaining council member here.”
“Shouldn’t we bring them all somewhere they would be better protected? I’m not saying that you and the other felines aren’t doing a great job watching over them, but they are lying on the ground in the elements. Shouldn’t we move them somewhere else?”
“We would love to move them, but to do that we would have to lose some of the ones guarding them. It would leave some too vulnerable. We can’t take that chance.”
“What about our house? We could move some of them into the bus and move them there, then come back for the others.”
“We could always move them to the alpha house now that we have more help,” Merl offered.
“The alpha house is gone. How are we supposed to do that?” Evan asked in exasperation.
“Technically that pack house is gone, but the new one is only five miles that way,” Haven explained and pointed through the tree line.
“What new pack house?” Josh asked.
“It’s a long story and one the alpha wanted kept secret. Your plan is a pretty good one, Evan. We move some of them into your van and then drive them to the pack house. Then come back for more. We would be able to keep them safer there.”
The two dragons landed, and Dare shifted back. “Stay in your dragon form, Leannán,” he said to the other dragon before turning his attention to the others. “I heard what you were discussing. I think that’s a good idea. How many can we get into your bus at one time?”
* * * *
They had worked for hours alongside the felines as they loaded the unconscious members into the van a few at a time and drove them to the pack house. Evan was astonished to see a replica of the alpha’s house only a few miles from the original sight. How Micah had gotten it built without the rest of the pack knowing was beyond him, but he knew Micah and Jesse were smart. It seemed they always had a backup plan for whatever happened.
Aft
er carefully placing the men into their rooms, they then filled the rest of the guest rooms and medical rooms with the others, like the fae and Legion Warriors. A few cots had to be set up and doubled up in some rooms, but they were able to get everyone moved.
The cats stayed outside, patrolling the grounds, and Dare sent his mate Dale home to get some much-needed rest. The poor man had actually given birth to twins only about a week ago. Dare then took to the skies again to keep watch from above.
Evan and the boys stayed in the pack house keeping an eye on everyone and working on food for them all for when they woke up. With the amount of energy he was sure they had used, Evan knew they would require a lot of calories when they came to.
Dante, Viktor, and Nicco arrived when night fell and sent Dare home. Only a few minutes later the others began to wake up. Micah was one of the first and was immediately called into a meeting with Dante and a feline named Rain. The poor cat looked like he was about to pass out. After that, everything happened fast with the knowledge that Xander’s mate Shelby had been taken. No wonder Rain looked like he was about to be sent to his death. He was the one responsible for watching over Shelby in his unconscious state.
There was a lot going on as everyone came up with a plan to rescue Shelby, but Evan paid it no attention. He wouldn’t be a part of it, but he could help in other ways. He and the boys put trays together and brought them up to the pack members so that they could refuel. For those that insisted on getting up and going after Shelby, they made them a plate of food and insisted they eat before they headed out.
After a few hours of hustling around and watching a group of them leave for Shelby, Evan was getting tired. He grabbed himself a cup of coffee and sat at the table by the window. He just needed a few minutes to recharge his own batteries. Evan closed his eyes and sighed. Someone’s strong but gentle hands came to rest on his shoulders, and a familiar scent surrounded him. Evan sighed from the calm peace the scent brought him. His mate started to massage his shoulders, and he couldn’t help the soft moan that escaped. Gods, those hands felt wonderful.
Soft lips pressed against his neck chastely, and Evan wanted them to come back. “Tired, mate?”
Raphael’s soft words whispered across his ear, causing Evan to shiver. “It’s been a long day.”
“The boys told me everything you did today. Thank you.” Raphael continued to massage his shoulders and neck.
“You’re welcome, but no thank-yous are needed. These men took us in when no one else would and have given us a home. They have protected us and made us feel like we are a part of their family. It was the least we could do.”
“Well, thank you anyway,” Raphael said.
Evan could hear the smile in his voice.
“Now that everything has calmed down, what do you say I get you and the boys home so you all can rest?”
Evan didn’t want Raphael to stop his attentions on his tense muscles, but he moved out of the man’s grasp and turned to face him. “No. You stay here and rest. We’ll be fine getting home. Besides, you look like you need more sleep and healing.”
“I’ll be fine once I know that you and the others are taken care of. Come on, mate.” Raphael scooped Evan up in his arms and held him close.
“I can walk, Raphael,” Evan protested.
Raphael gave him a bright smile. “I know, but you’ve been going all day. I think you need someone to look after you for once.”
Evan gave him a shocked look but didn’t fight him. Being in his mate’s arms felt too good, and Evan just wanted to settle against him and fall asleep.
“Boys! The bus is leaving in five minutes! Let’s get you all home!” Raphael called out. He made his way to the front door and out into the night, carrying Evan to the bus.
The boys all climbed in, and Milo took the driver’s seat. Raphael sat with Evan on his lap. Evan cuddled into Raphael’s hold and laid his head on Raphael’s shoulder. Evan felt his mate kiss the top of his head as he tightened his hold, and within a minute, Evan fell asleep.
Chapter 4
His hand slowly pushed up through the earth and broke through the surface. Fingers reached toward the sky as they searched for something to grab onto. A nearby root gave him purchase, and he wrapped his fingers around it and pulled. His other hand broke through the ground and grabbed hold of the root. Tugging hard on the root, his head finally popped through. With as much strength as he could muster, he strained and wiggled until his shoulders broke free. He dug his nails into the earth and pulled until he was free of its confinement, and he dropped onto the ground, panting for air.
He opened his eyes and blinked a few times as dirt fell into them. He rubbed his eyes with the backs of his filthy hands, and he focused on the night sky above him. How long had he been trapped? Was it a day, or longer? Sitting up, the man looked around and saw that he was on the edge of a large clearing. A force of great power pushed against him, and he knew where he was. The Prime’s house had once stood here, but it was now gone.
Had they all perished in the explosion? What had caused the explosion to begin with? And where were all his minions? Where the hell was that slimy vampire Vladimir? The power source was still strong here and led away from the clearing. His face twisted in anger at the realization that it meant that his enemy was still alive. His Nephilim and rogues were gone, but the Prime and the Heart were still alive.
He would need to come up with a new plan and rebuild his army. He needed to get his hands on the doctor and the witch now more than ever. They were his only hope of opening the gates of the Underworld and releasing the demons onto the earth. Minos climbed to his feet, dusted himself off, then walked away into the woods and disappeared.
* * * *
“Hi, Demi. Where have you been hiding?” Zane asked as he walked into the atrium to find his best friend Demetrius sitting by himself, dangling his feet in the pool.
“I’ve been around,” he answered softly with a shrug.
Zane stripped off his combat boots and shoes, then rolled up his uniform pants and sat next to Demetrius, sliding his feet into the water, as well. “What’s wrong, Demi? You haven’t been around much lately, and when you are, you’re very quiet. Well, more than usual. What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing, Zane. I’m fine.”
“Oh, no you don’t. You’re not getting away with it that easily. Spill.”
“Really, Zane, everything’s fine.” Demetrius kicked his foot out, splashing some water.
“Uh-huh. How long have we known each other?”
“How old are you now?”
“Thirty-two, and you have known me my whole life. I know when something is bothering you, Demi. I also know when you’re sad, and right now, you’re both. So come on, tell me what’s going on and maybe I can help,” Zane offered.
“You promise not to say anything to anyone?” Demetrius looked at him pleadingly.
Zane gave him a hurt look. “When have you never been able to trust me?”
“I’m sorry, Zane.” Demetrius hugged him. “I know I can trust you. It’s just that…”
“What, Demi?” Zane pulled back from the hug to look at his best friend.
“At the Prime’s Christmas party, there was a man,” Demetrius said hedging.
“If I remember correctly, there were a lot of men,” Zane said with a chuckle.
“Yes, but this one was special,” Demetrius whispered and turned back to face the water.
“Okay. So who was he?”
“I don’t know. I never got to meet him or get close to him. He left almost as soon as he got there.”
“So what was so special about him?”
Demetrius stared at the water as he chewed on his thumbnail nervously. After a few minutes, he answered, “I think he’s mine.”
Zane looked at his friend in confusion for a moment until what Demetrius meant hit him. Zane’s brows raised high, and his eyes opened wide. “You mean, as in, your mate?”
Demetrius just nodded.
“That’s great, Demi. We need to go find him.”
Zane pulled his foot from the water and made to stand up, but Demetrius grabbed his arm, stopping him. “No, wait.”
Zane sat back down and looked at his friend. “Why?”
“Because…well…” Demetrius stopped, and his shoulders slumped as he lowered his head.
Zane gently placed a hand on Demetrius’s back and tried to comfort him. “What is it, Demi? Are you not happy to have found your mate? I thought you couldn’t wait to find him?”
“I know. I just…I’m a horrible person,” Demetrius declared and then began to cry.
“What? What would make you say that? You are the most wonderful man I have ever had the honor of meeting. I am so proud to be your friend. There is nothing horrible about you. You are the smartest, most caring, loving person I know.”
“But my mate is so small and young. I always wished that he would be big and strong. Whenever I dreamed of my mate I always dreamed of someone more like the Prime, you know? Someone who would wrap me in his arms and make me feel safe. Someone who would always make me feel wanted and protected.”
“Oh, Demi. Just because your mate is small and young doesn’t mean he wouldn’t love you or protect you.”
“I know,” he whispered.
“And I thought you liked cute, twinkish types? You seem to like Jesse a lot,” Zane teased and bumped Demetrius’s shoulder with his own. Demetrius’s head snapped up, and he looked wide-eyed at Zane. “What? Like I can’t see you have a crush on Jesse? Please, my friend. Everyone with eyes can tell you have a thing for the Heart.”
“What? Oh my Gods. I am so embarrassed,” Demetrius cried and covered his face.
“You have nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s sweet, and it just shows what fantastic taste you have in men.” Zane laughed.
“Does the Prime know?” Demetrius’s question came out strained.
“I’m sure he does, Demi, but has he treated you badly? Or any differently than he always has?”
