“I’m glad she’s okay.” Alicia swatted at a loose hair. “She’s due soon, isn’t she?”
“Yes, by next full moon. I hope. Hard to tell with a shifter/human pregnancy but that’s what the doctor says.” Griff looked over the group of gathered bears. “Wonder where Elijah is?”
Derek scanned the cavern before speaking. “I don’t see him. But his message sounded pretty serious. He hasn’t called us all together for an important meeting in months.”
Tawodi grunted, head bowed. “I’m going to go sit down. An old woman can’t stand but so long before feeling like she’s going to topple.”
Derek took her by the arm. “I’ll take you into the meeting room and get you seated. Bria should join us soon—I know she’ll be so happy to see you.”
Tawodi patted his hand. “You’re such a good boy.” She looked over at Alicia. “Hope your mate is as good of a father as Derek will be when it’s his time. Soon, I hope. Both families. The world needs more babies.” She leaned on Derek and they headed away.
Derek looked back over his shoulder and winked. Alicia, aware that a flush had crept up her chest and now burned her cheeks, fought back tears. Tawodi didn’t know how badly she wanted a cub. Or maybe she did. Regardless, the situation made Alicia sad.
Though they hadn’t discussed the subject at length, she knew Marco was worried that a pregnancy might cause her to lose her shifting powers again. Alicia didn’t think so. It didn’t matter—she thought it was worth the risk.
She’d find out, eventually.
“Sorry about that,” Griff mumbled. “I know that must be hard to hear.”
Alicia smiled at Griff’s show of empathy. “It’s okay.” She wiped her eyes. “She doesn’t mean to upset me. And I’m happy for you and Amy. And Powell and Olivia, too.”
Griff kicked at the dust on the cavern floor. “Your time will come soon enough. Be patient. It will happen when it’s supposed to.”
“I know. It’s scary though—a lion and a bear. What if we can’t get pregnant or what if something goes wrong?”
“No reason to think negative thoughts. Olivia and Powell were fine. And Amy is human and we haven’t had any issues.”
“I know. I can’t help but worry.”
Griff pulled her into a hug and she sank into his massive chest. Good friends were worth their weight in gold, and Griff was up near the top.
“Alicia, it’s going to be okay. I promise.” He gave her a squeeze.
“Thanks, Griff.” She pulled out of his arms.
The bears milling around started heading to the meeting room. Still no sign of Elijah.
“Guess we’d better go.” Griff took her by the arm and they walked slowly toward the room.
The cave grew darker as the bears with lanterns moved into the meeting room, and Alicia thought she heard someone whisper her name from behind.
She peered back over the lake, where a small white spot glowed. A lion cub chased a fluttering butterfly, then disappeared.
“Did you see that?” Alicia clutched Griff’s arm.
“See what?”
“Never mind.” Alicia touched her stomach. Was it possible that she’d have a lion cub soon? She smiled. Shoshannah seemed to indicate it was possible.
Alicia hoped she was right.
Chapter Five
“Did you find anything on TempCo?” Lara leaned over Mason’s shoulder.
Hunched over the laptop, Mason had been searching for ten minutes. Impatience gnawed at her. She should’ve looked the company up herself.
“Yeah. They’re an oil company.” He tapped at the keyboard. “I can’t believe we didn’t know about this.”
“What?”
Lara pulled a dining room chair closer. Mason’s laptop screen wasn’t very big and she scooted close.
“TempCo was looking at putting in a refinery about thirty miles from here.”
“Isn’t there already one nearby?”
“Yes. AllOil. The two are competitors.” Mason pushed his hair out of his eyes. “They’ve been in the news a lot in the past few months. I can’t believe I didn’t hear this.”
“No wonder the humans were defensive. If they thought we were their competition spying on them, they’d be upset.”
“Yeah but that brings up the question of what AllOil is doing in Deep Creek to begin with. They weren’t in the park to look for a drilling site. That’s not legal. Nor would they be looking to build a refinery.”
“What then?” Her arm brushed Mason’s and he pulled away.
“Look.”
He turned his laptop toward her. The headline read Pipeline Through National Park Gets Approval. She read on, adrenaline flooding her system.
Despite opposition from the local population and some environmental groups, the approval had been pushed through in record time.
No doubt AllOil had provided money to get things done more quickly. A chill raced through Lara.
“Oh my gods.” Lara leaned back. “What the hell happened when we weren’t paying attention?”
She shook. Humans building a pipeline in Deep Creek? An ecological disaster was almost the worst thing that could happen to the shifter world. That, and humans discovering that shifters existed.
The pipeline could make both dangers a reality.
“Do the bears know?” With their positions as park rangers, they must. “Why haven’t they told us?”
“They likely found out recently, since they sleep through most of winter. I wonder how much coverage this story got.”
He scratched his head, then stood. “That doesn’t really matter now. We have a concrete issue today. Those humans were in our forest scouting for a place to put their pipeline.”
She nodded. Realization hit her. “That must be what the black line across the map is. The pipeline. There were coordinates beside the line, likely directions for where exactly to build it.”
Mason paced. The oak floors of his house creaked as he walked from the dining room to the open kitchen and back. With only a few throw rugs scattered about, his pacing had worn the wax off the wood.
Lara had been in his house plenty of times but hadn’t noticed the large framed picture on the wall of Mason, Marco and Maximillian. The older lion, regal in his comportment, had an arm over each twin’s shoulder and a smile that showed how much he loved them. Maybe it was a recent addition. Regardless, her heart sank. She missed Max.
He’d have been so stressed about the pipeline, but she would bet her life that he’d make sure it didn’t ruin his beloved Deep Creek. It was up to her and the twins to make sure the Sen Pal saved Deep Creek.
“This is bad.” He stopped at the kitchen counter. “They have approval, and from the looks of those other headlines, they likely paid off politicians to get them in their pockets. How are we going to stop that? Is it even possible?”
“I don’t know, but we have to.” She glanced from the framed picture of Mason as a child, to the man standing in the kitchen. He still carried the same stern face, like he was always pondering the key to life in the universe.
“Yes. The article said AllOil beat out TempCo for the right to move oil across the park, but it didn’t say how soon they’d build.”
She pulled the laptop closer and did an online search for the pipeline. Several results came up and she pulled up the first one.
“Says here that the name of the project is the Deep Creek Pipeline.”
“How original.” Mason ran water in a glass. “Want something to drink?”
“I’m good, thanks.” She scanned the article, scrolling down the page.
Mason joined her at the table, setting his water glass down gently. “Anything of interest?”
“This article from the Oakwood Sun says the pipeline will be functional by end of summer.”
“That’s f
ast.”
“Yes. The portion that will go through Deep Creek is bisecting one corner of the park. It will run about two miles before it attaches to a larger pipeline already in existence. Basically, it’s a feeder pipeline. I guess they need a quicker way to move oil.”
Mason took a sip of water. “So the northernmost part is already built? The part before entering the park?”
She nodded. “Looks like they started it before they even had authorization to cut across the park. I guess they assumed they would get the approval.”
Mason slammed the empty glass down. “You mean they assumed they could buy their way through any legal hurdles.”
“Apparently.”
“I can’t wait to tell Marco about this. He’s going to be incensed.”
“Yeah.” She clicked on another article in the search and began reading.
“I need to gather the lions. It’s time we inform them about what’s going on. And figure out how to stop it.”
“I agree. We don’t have a lot of time.”
“I wonder when they plan to start on the park section. Must be soon if they plan to finish by late summer.”
“This article says the company plans to work day and night until it’s finished. They’re bringing in special equipment to work at night.”
“Great.”
“I can’t believe they got this through regulations. With the locals upset and opposing it, and the fact that Deep Creek is a freaking national park...”
“Money talks.”
“Well, it’s time to take away AllOil’s wallet.”
* * *
Mason walked through the misty landscape, his body almost floating as he stepped on spongy moss and soft ground. The sun blasted rays of light through the trees, highlighting the shapes and outlines of the landscape in orange fire. Scents of honeysuckle and lavender caressed him and he took a deep breath and blew it out, releasing the tension inside him.
He hadn’t had a star-walking vision in months, but they no longer terrified him. They were lucid dreams now—he knew he was in one, and he always looked forward to the insights they brought.
And he looked forward to seeing who might come talk to him.
The forest opened to a large field. Drops of water prismed like rainbow stars atop the tall grass, and the sky’s blue was electric. Tiny rainbows flared from the dewdrops, creating a kaleidoscopic spiderweb across the meadow.
Mason walked. Somewhere, someone was piercing the veil to meet with him. Who would it be this time? He stepped into the meadow.
As his feet came in contact with the grass, the dew began falling from the blades, each drop shattering into a million sparkles, and each drop a different note in the symphony that sounded across the field, echoing in the misty treetops.
The sun disappeared behind an auburn cloud and the music scaled into a minor key, dark and mysterious. Echoes of forgotten voices played along the top of the melody line like fuzzy memories.
He walked.
“Mason.” The whisper came from behind.
Chills raced up his back and onto his scalp, and he smiled.
He turned to see a beautiful woman, dressed in a long gown of ephemeral air swirling about her like a miniature tornado. Beside her stood Maximillian.
“Mother! Father!”
They surrounded him, love covering him like a blanket.
“My boy has grown.” His mother’s voice, lilting and light, spread throughout the field, as if she were using a microphone. “How’s your brother?”
“He is well.” Mason hugged her again, swearing he could smell her perfume of lilac and roses. He hadn’t seen her in a vision before, but she was a welcome sight.
Why now?
“I’m so proud of you two.” She smiled.
“I’ve missed you, Mom.”
“I’m always a blink of the eye away. Watching over you and Marco, always.”
“Son.” Max held him at arm’s length and peered into his eyes. “We don’t have long here. Though the veil is thinned, it will solidify again very soon. I must talk to you about Deep Creek.”
“What is it?” Mason stepped back.
“The largest threat to Deep Creek in modern history is upon you.”
“Yes. The humans.”
Max scowled. “Are you ready for this battle? Can Deep Creek count on you and Marco?”
Mason nodded, though fear pierced his gut like a thousand razors. In the distance, an owl called. He’d do whatever it took. He couldn’t let his parents down. Ever. “We’re making a plan now.”
“Good.” Max coughed and paused to scan the surroundings. “We can’t see into the future to know if you’ll be successful, but we do know one thing that’s important.”
His mother spoke up. “We came to tell you. That’s why we’re here.”
“What is it? I’m listening.”
The world began to swirl around them, like wet colors sliding on a canvas, or circles of water around a drain.
“Hurry,” his mother pleaded. “We can’t stay.”
Max cleared his throat, his voice deep and serious. “You must work with Lara to save Deep Creek.”
That was the big news? Underwhelming.
“We’re working together already.”
Whoosh. Mason held on to his parents as the wind picked up, carrying off all the grass, the trees, and the sunlight in its path.
Plunged into immediate darkness, he held tight to Max.
“This is your destiny,” Max continued as if the world hadn’t been swept from under their feet. “The change you bring to Deep Creek will depend on you and Lara. It’s critical she’s involved. I don’t know why, or how. I just know it must be.”
“Yes, Father. And Marco?”
His mother’s voice was barely audible, and Max was softening in his grip. They were going back to the other side of the veil.
“Marco has fulfilled his part of the prophecy. This part is for you to take care of.”
“We must go.” Max’s voice boomed, then lessened. “The bonds are weakening.”
They slipped out of Mason’s clutches as everything, including the darkness, disappeared down the drain with a lone gurgle.
Chapter Six
Mason paced, hands behind his back and fingers clasped, head down, watching his feet move. Sometimes it seemed that pacing was what he was best at—he sure did a lot more of it since his father died.
The star-walking vision confirmed that his parents supported him, but what had they meant that he and Lara needed to work together? They already were. Nonetheless, seeing his parents had given him a firmer grasp on the situation.
He was to lead the shifters against the humans. Whatever it took, they had to get rid of the pipeline and keep the oil company from building anything in Deep Creek. The question was, how?
He scanned the group of lions seated around the room, all waiting for him to speak.
His people. The Sen Pal. A proud pride.
Lara sat on one of the side couches, her legs tucked underneath her. Dressed in jeans and a pale pink T-shirt, she looked relaxed, even though they had serious news for the lions. She’d left her wavy hair loose and the dark locks shone. Her mouth, slightly parted, needed to be kissed.
He froze. What the hell? Why was he thinking thoughts like that...about Lara? She met his gaze, her wide brown eyes framed with thick lashes. She didn’t wear makeup. Her natural beauty more than shone through, though her face quickly changed from innocent to annoyed at his lingering gaze.
“What are you staring at?” She scowled.
“Not staring.”
Marco interrupted, “Everyone’s here. Let’s figure this out.”
He was always good at defusing the situation between Mason and Lara. The question was, why was there a situation to begin with? Mason
glanced at his brother. Marco had a big smile plastered on his face. If they weren’t in a meeting, he’d have tackled his brother for teasing him. Marco knew he wouldn’t do it in front of everyone, and he was using it to his advantage.
They’d called a meeting of leaders in the lion community, so they could discuss Mason and Lara’s encounter with humans at the lake. Mason dreaded telling them that humans were infringing on their territory, and the information about TempCo and the Deep Creek Pipeline. Could the shifters handle a battle with another enemy so soon after the losses to the bears?
“Tell them.” Lara might look relaxed, but her voice held an edge.
What would Max do in this situation? It was a struggle Mason dealt with daily.
Mason took a deep breath and all the lions turned to hear him. “Marco and I have seen evidence of human encroachment well into areas of Deep Creek. Areas where humans usually don’t go. Of course, as a matter of pride security, we had to try to find out what was going on, so we’d know if this was a real issue or an anomaly.”
A grumble went up from a few lions. Mason expected it. No one wanted another problem to deal with.
Hell, he didn’t want another problem.
“What do you think they’re doing?”
“How will we stop them?”
“This is just great. Exactly what we need. More trouble in Deep Creek.”
Mason rubbed his face. The lions needed time to process.
Preston edged up in his seat. His usually flowing golden locks were bound up in the latest fashion with a braid and a messy wrap. Or latest disaster, depending on how you looked at it. “So...we might be fighting humans next? No way we can win. They have numbers.”
“No one said we’d be fighting,” Marco replied. “But we are facing a problem.”
“We have stealth. And we wouldn’t be fighting the whole human population—only the ones who are a threat to Deep Creek,” Mason growled. “No need to panic. We’re going to figure out how to take out this threat.”
Claiming His Lioness (Shifter Wars) Page 6
