Her head whipped back when she heard the low growl come from outside the car. Mr.
Spencer cleared his throat and said, “May we pass?” The large man stood and grinned widely and then nodded. “To the main house.” The man said and walked back to help open the gate wide enough for them to get inside.
Trinity looked around in wonder. Inside the walls was a small community. In front of them was a large house, even larger than Mr. Spencer"s was. She looked in awe, although she hoped she was not brought here to clean that thing. Every night she would drop from exhaustion. To the right of the house was smaller but just as beautiful houses. There were about twelve of them from what she counted. Some of them still under construction. She smiled at the small differences of each hose. They were so beautiful, each three stories and had decks at most of the windows. Trinity sighed, it was her dream home. Her gaze turned again and she saw to the left was a small community. It looked like stores and a bed and breakfast, with a large camper parked behind it. There were people out working and talking as they passed. Some of them looked at the car curiously and then went back to talking. She watched with interest as they pulled up in front of the large house and a group of people stepped out onto the porch. The largest man she had ever seen stood in the front with his arms folded.
Mr. Spencer got out of the car and held up his hand to the man. “Quin, it has been a long time.” He said loudly.
The man stepped down the stairs and approached the man with his hand out. “Sir, I am assuming you are coming to help us with Oliver. This is quite a mess.” The deep voice questioned.
“Well, that is part of it. I have heard that you were seeking people who were at the Old Council Pack house that night and may have seen something. I think that we can help with that, as well as with something else. Can we go inside and talk? I believe you will want the privacy.”
Trinity leaned over her mother and looked up at the people. She was drawn to them for some reason. Although she had never seen them before, she was sure they were connected to her somehow. “Mother, what is going on?” Her father leaned over and patted her hand. “We are sorry that we have had to hide you all these years, but we were trying to protect you. I hope you remember that when we get inside.”
Trinity looked at her parents and frowned. She did not like the sound of that. Suddenly, she wanted nothing more that to fly back to Mr. Spencer"s house and resume her life.
She wanted her small little room and uncomplicated life. Everything here seemed like it was going to be confusing and scary.
“Strength, Trinity. You were born for this.” Her mother whispered and then slid from the car. Her father opened the door on the other side and got out as well. It left Trinity in the car by herself. She supposed she looked a little strange, but she was comfortable in the small place. If she got out of the car, she would be accepting whatever was to come. Trinity was not sure she was going to do that.
Mr. Spencer turned toward the car and waved for her to get out. Trinity thought for a moment and then shook her head. Her mother leaned in and whispered, “Trinity, it is okay.”
Trinity once again looked around and shook her head. “I will wait for you to come back.
You and father go about your business, I will be right here.” She whispered.
Her father came to the side her mother was on and smiled gently inside the door.
“Honey, please?”
Trinity sighed; she had never disappointed her parents or went against something they asked. She was a good girl. But this time she looked at her parents with a determined look on her face and shook her head. “I don"t want to be here. I will wait and then we will go home when you are done.” She said firmly.
“We are not going home, honey, this is our home now. Your father and I will be pledging to the New Council Pack today.” Her mother said.
“What?” She squeaked and then looked at her parents to make sure they were not lying.
When had they made this decision? How could they make it without her? She was old enough to make her own decisions. Trinity looked at them and raised her head defiantly. “You may pledge all you want. I am and will always be a member of the Old Council Pack. If this is your choice, I will wait and return with Mr. Spencer.” Her parents looked at her like she had grown a second head. She had never talked to them like this before. She heard a soft chuckle come from behind her parents and looked to see who was listening. The Alpha had stepped closer obviously and heard every word she uttered.
“Please. I can"t let you sit in the car in this heat while we talk. I would appreciate and would consider it a personal favor if you come inside and have a snack and clean up. If you want to leave when this is all over, so be it.” Quin said smoothly.
Her parents gasped and looked at Mr. Spencer who came bustling forward. “Quin, please let me handle this.” Mr. Spencer said and then took a deep breath when Quin stepped back.
“Trinity, please, you wanted an explanation and I am going to give you one. Just as soon as we get inside and talk.” Mr. Spencer said desperately.
Trinity frowned at her boss"s tone. He had never spoken to her like this. Usually, he quietly asked her to complete something and then he would give her a sweet. She knew the other servants hated her because he treated her so differently. She did not want to cause problems for him. They were at the New Council compound.
She nodded and slowly stepped out of the car. She looked up at the women that were standing on the porch and grimaced. They were all so beautiful and dressed so nicely.
Trinity looked down at her clothes and frowned a little. She wore a long dress that she usually worked in. It was all she had. It covered her from neck to feet. She probably looked like an old school marm. But she could not compete with them. With one more glance, she allowed her father to pull her behind him up the stairs.
They were led into a grand hallway. Everything was shiny and beautiful. The floor shone from being buffed. Good God"s she really did not want to clean this house.
The Alpha led them into a large meeting room. All the presumed New Council members followed ahead of them. Trinity watched as they each took a seat. The way they sat, it was easy to see who were mates. Her eyes widened when she realized that most of the women were seated in between two men. They were both touching her in an affectionate way. Trinity gulped and looked around. She had never seen tri-mates before. Although she heard they were very rare, and only given to those who possess great power. These people obviously were the New Council and had received their gifts from the Gods.
Trinity looked and counted the pregnant women. Wow, and for some reason, half of them were in various stages of pregnancy. Trinity wondered with all the sex going on around her, how they ever got anything accomplished. She shook her head, smiled to herself, and blushed. What was wrong with her? In a new place for five minutes and already having thoughts of sex and freedom, she needed to get herself together.
Chapter 2
Braden stood next to his car in the back of the New Council house. He was finally leaving. It had taken him a few days to make sure that his bugs and tracking devices were still on. Even if he was not here, Braden and the Rogues would be able to tell what the New Council was planning. But if they discovered the tracking devices, Braden had set up a little surprise for them.
Yesterday, he had gone to Quin and Jaden and told them that he was going to travel to find the only witness to Jordan"s parent"s death. They heard she was still in Europe and he was going after her. They had both agreed, thinking that Braden was doing everything in his power to save his old friend. It was laughable, if they had the balls, Oliver would have been killed when they first heard that he had killed innocent humans in a fit of rage. But no, they were too noble and needed proof. Braden spat at the thought of the goody two shoes the New Alphas had become.
He would not make these mistakes. When Braden took over as the Alpha of the New Council, he would rule with an iron fist. Humans would beg him for their lives if they refus
ed to give him what he wanted. Money and power, that is what humans liked and responded to. Well he was going to have plenty of that. Braden knew how much was already in the New Council funds, more than this Council could spend in a lifetime.
With that money, he would strategically place people in positions around the world. He would be the puppet master to all the major countries in the world. They would all answer to him, whether they knew it or not. It was a matter of having the power behind him. With his two female mates, he would have that power.
It sucked that he had not gotten to be with his mates yet. Lacy and Jordan were perfect for him. They possessed the characteristics he required for a mate. And they had no idea that power their children were going to possess. Braden did. His Seer had told him which of the female members of the New Council Pack were the best matches to gain what he wanted. So he focused on Jordan and Lacy. Unfortunately, their supposed mates had gotten in his way. Braden growled and frowned at the house. Right now, his mates were inside being touched and sullied by the common men who claimed they were mates to his females. It was laughable to think they would ever replace him.
Jordan, of course, would come to him first. She was the key to his plan. Oliver killed her parents after all. And when she found out she had been lied to her whole life by her adoptive family, she had all but shunned the shifters from her life. It was good; she would not even stay in the Pack house. Instead, she insisted on being with the cats in the bed and breakfast, guarded by their Enforcers. Soon, when she realized that none of the Council could be trusted, she would turn to him.
That day was coming soon he hoped. One last look and Braden got into his car and drove around the compound. He frowned when he saw the SUV sitting out in front of the stairs. No one ever parked there unless they were unannounced visitors. Braden drove and opened his computer that was on the seat beside him and punched in a few codes. He had the whole house wired, including the meeting room.
Braden howled in frustration when he heard Old Councilman Spencer begin to talk.
Chapter 3
Trinity sat in a chair in between her parents and looked at her hands. She had no business being at such an important meeting but since she was here, she was going to make her parents proud.
Mr. Spencer stood in front of the New Council and began speaking. “For those of you who don"t know me, I am Spencer, one of the Old Council members. This is Mr. and Mrs. Staller, and their daughter Trinity. I will explain why they are here in a moment.
Although I would suspect some of you already know. One of the women nodded and smiled at Trinity who looked up in confusion. She saw the rest of the members of the New Council frown a little. “I received a letter from Quin's father asking for people who had been in the Pack house the night of the murder of the humans. I realized that something was happening. A huge mistake. First, I have to tell you a little background.
When Oliver held meetings at the Pack house, everyone would arrive and be taken to their own rooms. It was such a time of celebration, with all the Chosen coming to the Pack house and meeting. I accompanied the Staller's to the Pack house. They were given a room in the same wing as Oliver. For weeks, we celebrated and planned. Those who arrived pledged their oath to the Council Pack, each of them taking a place in the house. Plans were being made for new houses to be built so everyone would be able to have privacy. Then the unthinkable happened. Oliver"s family was kidnapped. He was frantic to find his wife and child. It was days before they were sent the bloody clothes of the family. Oliver went wild, demanding the best of the Enforcers leave and search for his family. Of course, his daughter was one of the Chosen. We were all afraid of what that meant. The Prophesy was very specific. It was not like she could be replaced. The night that Oliver sunk into a depression affected us all. We were in the parlor having a night cap when he came down and began to really drink. Of course, we were surprised.
To get a shifter drunk was near to impossible. It seemed like Oliver was intent though.
Drink after drink, he took and cried. We felt helpless. Mr. Staller and I were the ones who took him upstairs to his rooms. He was unconscious. I was in shock. We laid him in the bed and that is when Mr. Staller smelled something off. He commented to me and I finally allowed myself to pay attention and not write it off to grief. There was a sweet taste in the air. Not alcohol, Mr. Staller said he was going to check the bottle that Oliver had been drinking out of. I retired to my room, telling him to come and speak to me when he got the bottle. What a stupid mistake we made. I should have stayed with Oliver and none of this would have happened.” The old man paused and then leaned against the chair. Her father stood to give him support.
He guided him to a chair and sat him down before leaning and whispering something in the old man"s ear. Whatever he said made Mr. Spencer nod and close his eyes. Trinity was confused and worried when she saw tears leak from the sides of his eyes. None of this really made any sense to her. Her parents were servants also, what were they doing spending time the Pack house, and in the same wing as the Alpha? It did not seem appropriate at all. Trinity kept her head down and listened when her father took over the story.
“Please allow me to finish this story. Spencer and I have anguished over this for years.
My name is Mitchell Staller. I was the Enforcer assigned to Spencer to guard.” Her father said and Trinity looked up in surprise. An Enforcer, her father? She never knew, why hadn"t they told her about this? She thought and then began to listen as her father continued. “That night I ran down to go and get the bottle, there were a lot of people in the Pack house. Many of them servants, but most of the Old Council was there. They were all helping to find Oliver"s family. I went back up to Spencer"s room and told him what I found. The bottle that Oliver had been drinking out of had been drugged. I was concerned about the effects it would have on his wolf. We have all heard the stories of shifters using drugs and then turning feral. Spencer agreed with me and asked me to personally guard Oliver until the morning when they would be able to investigate the situation fully. It was so late at night, and Spencer did not want to cause a ruckus until we could check into things. As I walked back to Oliver"s room, I stopped to tell my wife that I was not going to be back for the rest of the night. She insisted on leaving Trinity with a nanny and coming with me. She thought if Oliver had been sick, she could help clean him up without calling for help. We were trying to keep things quiet. As we neared the door to Oliver"s room, we heard screams. I thought that Oliver had shifted and was in pain. The growls and noises that came from inside were terrible. I asked my wife to stay behind the wall so I could deal with him by myself. I did not want her to get hurt. Once I reached the door, I could scent the blood. Human blood. The smell was overpowering. I knew before I entered that something terrible happened.” Her father paused and looked at Spencer who nodded. “This is where it gets a little tricky. Spencer and I have discussed this in great length over the years. I realize that keeping silent was the cowardly way out, but you have to understand he threatened us, told us that he would kill Trinity if we did not keep silent.”
Quin nodded slowly and then said, “I understand your situation. Please, tell us what exactly happened that night. Oliver is being held for killing the humans.” Spencer frowned and then spoke up. “Oliver, here?”
“Yes, he is downstairs in the cells. We are following protocol for this.” Quin said and looked around the table, his eyes settled on a female wolf that looked sick. She was underweight and had bags under her eyes. Trinity wanted to go and hug the woman who looked like she would fall apart at any moment, but she held on. She had no idea what was going on, and she did not want to over step her bounds.
Trinity looked at the rest of the people at the table. All of them had grim expressions on their faces, like they were going to be forced to do something they did not want to do.
Three shifters sat away from the rest. Trinity could tell the men were cats of some kind, and the woman was a human. She looked at her mother in
surprise who smiled back softly. There was a human on the Council? Wow, she had really been in the dark about all this New Council business. Although the only thing she ever heard were whispers from the rest of the servants. She would think that a human on the New Council would have generated some gossip. Trinity looked back to her father who once again was whispering to Spencer.
“Uh, before I tell you the rest of the story, I have a request.” Her father said. “I need to know who is in the house right now from the Old Council.” Jaden frowned and looked at his mate then to the Pack Beta, Devon. “Who is here, Devon?”
“Well, Oliver is in jail, of course. And the only other one on the premises is Braden, the Beta from the Old Council. He is supposed to be leaving to find evidence of Oliver"s innocence. Why?”
Her father reacted quickly and turned to Spencer who nodded and she felt the tension in the air grow thick. “He needs to be taken into custody.” Quin froze and held up his hand. “Why?”
“Braden is the one who killed the humans that night and framed Oliver. My wife and I were the only ones who knew the full story and he threatened us. Spencer protected us all these years, hiding us at his retreat in the mountains.” Her father said urgently.
The sick looking woman gasped and held her hand to her mouth, in an attempt to keep her voice from screaming. The other woman who was human sat straight and looked forward without saying a word. Her mates took her hands and held on tightly. Trinity realized something huge was going on around her.
Devon and another man jumped up from the table and left the room quickly without saying another word. Her father came to where they were sitting and stood in front of her and her mother as if to protect them from some imaginary threat. No one spoke, instead apparently waiting to see what Devon and the other man had to say.
Trinity leaned around her father and watched a man take the frail looking woman into his arms and try to soothe her. She wondered why this woman had such a huge reaction. It seemed a little surreal. Trinity gathered her things assuming that they would be leaving now. Hopefully, they would at least feed them before they left. She was starving.
Trinity: Heart of the Shifters Page 2
