by Mikayla Lane
Chris grinned and shook his head at the unflappable female. “The suits are required! If you try to leave without wearing one, you will be left behind. We can’t allow anyone to put the others at risk, so suck it up and put them on. Ladies,” Chris said as he smiled at Lara and Dree.
“You can change into your uniforms in the privacy of the conference room. The rest of you, hit the locker room, we leave in thirty!” Chris jumped down from the crate and strode outside to check the vans. He had been dressed and ready for hours.
As part of the garden penetration team, he wasn’t required to wear one of the server or kitchen staff uniforms and wanted to be away from the Prime when he contacted the only brother missing from this particular party.
“Have you found her?” He asked through the Shengari’, hoping his brother had been able to track and contain their sister.
Several minutes later, his brother finally answered. “I have not. Her normal hiding place is empty and I’ve not been able to track her. Yet. I swear to you Chris, the next time I am called it had better be before she does something that will make father beat us all and lock us on a deserted island for decades!”
Chris flinched inwardly at his brother’s angry tone. He didn’t say anything though, because he knew that his brother was right, he had waited too long to call for assistance. Once again, he got conned into helping the little trouble maker. And once again, he was going to catch some serious hell.
Chris rechecked the vans and gear being stowed among the food and alcohol they were bringing to the party as he responded. “I know that you are angry and yes, I called for help with the little termite a little too late. Again. You know how she is brother, it is nearly impossible to keep up with her schemes and manipulations.”
His brother chuckled. “You allow her to get away with too much. Do not worry, I will find her. I know where she is going and she will not hide from me.”
Chris rolled his eyes and rubbed his hand over his face. “She may be there already in order to keep us from stopping her headlong run into an early death.” He winced when his brother cursed a streak.
“Damn it Chris! Why the hell would she be that stupid? Never mind… it’s Angel. Damn. What time does this party start?”
Chris didn’t hesitate to answer. “Seven o’clock. We’re heading there in a few minutes to begin the set up. Once we’re on the ground, we will try a search of the house and grounds for her. If we don’t find her, I’ll let you know immediately so you can intercept her before she steps a foot near a Tezarian or this Dark Prime.”
Chris paused for a moment, trying to think of the words to explain the situation to his brother. “This may not end as we wish brother. This may be beyond even us and our capabilities. I can’t guarantee what will happen when the sun rises tomorrow,” Chris said, afraid for his sister and what the arrival of the Tezarian’s among them might mean for his family.
Chris could almost hear his brother’s mind working. Although he was the oldest, Chris was also smart enough to know when to rely on the unique capabilities of each of his siblings when he needed to and was hoping for some of his brother’s wisdom.
Chris was surprised at his brother’s chuckling response. “You fool, we were born unsure if we would make it to see another day. It is who we are. This day is no different. Nor is our purpose. If you die tonight, brother, would you change who you died with? Or who you fought beside before you fell? Would you feel regret for the last words you spoke to those you loved?”
Chris didn’t hesitate to respond. “I would have no regrets for I would die trying to protect my brethren and the innocent. And all of you know how much I love you.”
Chris heard his brother chuckle again. “Trust me brother, we do indeed. And you are loved as greatly in return. What tomorrow brings, will be dealt with tomorrow. Do not manifest your fears by focusing on them. Lead brother. As you were born to do. And do not forget that we are family, but we are also warriors and you must trust in our capabilities.”
Chris felt himself nodding at his brother’s words, knowing he was right. But that feeling, in the pit of his stomach, could not be ignored. “I feel something is wrong brother and I can’t shake it. It’s like a dark dread consuming my stomach…,” Chris said, confiding in his brother his deepening fear.
His brother didn’t chuckle, his tone serious, he agreed. “I have felt it as well and it has only increased. But it must be put aside if we are to succeed.”
“Hey Chris, we need to get moving!” Cade called out, drawing Chris’s attention from his private conversation.
He looked in surprise at the group gathered at the vehicles, having been so caught up in his conversation Chris didn’t hear them approach. His brother chuckled in his mind, saying one word before he ended the conversation. “Lead.”
Chris looked at the gathered group. “Load up!”
He waited until everyone else had pulled out before he got into an SUV with two of his brothers and Dread, who had volunteered to be part of the outer perimeter penetration team. Chris was grateful that it wasn’t Drago or the Prime. He didn’t like the way the Prime seemed to see inside of him and Drago… well that was complicated, he thought with a sigh.
Chris leaned his head back against the headrest and watched the frozen scenery fly past him. It they lived through this, he needed a vacation. And Angel locked in a damn cage so he could enjoy it.
*****
2PM Thursday Afternoon
Grai T’Alq paced the empty conference room at the Headquarters building in Dillon, TX. There was a sick feeling in his stomach that he couldn’t get rid of and he had come to do a wellness check on all teams that were deployed in the field. Without exception, they had all confirmed that they were safe and their positions not compromised. It did nothing to relieve the sense of impending dread that he felt.
With everyone accounted for and well, he contacted the one remaining person that could help him figure out what was wrong and where.
Using their private connection, Grai barely kept the panic out of his energy. “Son? I need you to tell me what the hell is going on so I can help.”
There was only a brief hesitation before Grai got a response. “I believe that would be a good idea. Angel is rogue again and she hasn’t been found. From what I have learned, she has created sub missions within missions and things are now out of control. You taught her too well, father,” his son replied, causing Grai’s panic to rise.
Grai gripped the table edges in his fists as he sat down heavily in the nearest chair. “What do you need?”
“Father, I honestly am not sure. The situation requires a stealth that is already being utilized. It is the details that are the problem. And as you would expect, our Angel is right in the middle of it all. They are wearing the skin suits so you can lock in on them. I must go father.”
Grai immediately grabbed his comm and pulled up the screen that allowed him to lock in to the nano technology built into the skin suits. It would allow him to watch their movements in real time.
“System security protocol seven-four-alpha-six, seal conference room door and secure all system activity. Proceed to private channels,” Grai said aloud as the computer system sealed him in the room and locked down the systems inside so no one would know what he was doing or looking at.
Logging into the private channels, he pulled up the satellite images that showed his children in transit to the estate of the suspected Dark Prime. All but two. His precious daughter was not wearing a protective skin suit. The other, his son, that Grai knew could never wear a skin suit.
Logging into a different program, Grai pulled up the medical stats on each person wearing a suit. He watched as their heart rates, blood pressure and other health information as it scrolled down the wall he had projected it to.
Without a bit of guilt, Grai studied the stats of his sons before he looked to the Tezarian’s and the Prime to ensure they were doing well. Confident they were all fine for now, Grai logged in to another system,
one his beloved children didn’t know about.
He pulled up hundreds of pages of information, records, pictures and surveillance. Within an hour of reading, he had turned pale, the sick feeling in his stomach increasing. Hours later he knew the full extent of what his children had been doing behind his back, but it was too late to stop the disaster that had started to unfold on the screens in front of him.
Feeling helpless to protect the children he loved so dearly, he roared out his pain and fear to the empty room before collapsing into the chair. As his intelligent mind worked to find a way to save his children, he was completely unaware of the three souls who had heard and felt his pain. And sprang into action to help.
*****
Devon Sinclair admired the black dress in the mirror. Turning this way and that, she made sure that that the dress covered everything she wanted concealed. The watery black silk, hung from her shoulders by two thin spaghetti straps, the silk bodice molding perfectly to her breasts before leading to a nipped in waist and a long skirt that was slit from the bottom to right above her knee.
She nodded her head in appreciation of the well-made garment. Tasteful without being slutty and the slit didn’t display enough leg to show the tops of her black stockings. She had a reputation to uphold with the guests that would be at the party and Devon didn’t want her clothing to give anyone the wrong impression. Especially not with the boss there.
As it had all night, her mind wandered to Drago and she had to force her mind to the matter at hand. It would do her no good to be distracted. Not tonight. The boss was volatile and unpredictable on a good day and she had a feeling that today was not a good day.
Maybe it was that she’d slept poorly, or maybe it was her own paranoia, Devon didn’t know, but she felt almost sick. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach that she couldn’t seem to shake. Shrugging her shoulders, she assumed it was probably the Chinese take-out that she had barely choked down for dinner the night before and the fact that she hadn’t eaten yet today.
Devon looked at the way the dress fit one more time and shook her head. She was not going to eat before the party. With her nerves going haywire and her stomach doing flip flops, she’d end up bloated and looking like a black puffer fish before she even got there. Yeah, that was not an option, she thought with a wince. Puffer fish did not fit with the image Devon had carefully cultivated over the years.
Ignoring the growing emptiness in her stomach, Devon stepped into the handmade black heels she had chosen for the evening. She loved the damn things, she thought, as they cupped her feet perfectly. The two inch platform in the front was a perfect complement to the five inch heel in the back and she knew they would be comfortable enough to stand in for hours without killing her feet.
Looking back in the mirror, Devon inspected her appearance and while checking her makeup realized that she had forgotten to do her eyes. Mentally kicking herself, she headed into the bathroom to fix her eyes and check her hair. Stupid, stupid, she chastised herself as she corrected her appearance.
Feeling better once she’d fixed her face she stepped back to the full length mirror in the bedroom and focused on checking every inch of herself to ensure she looked perfect. She had to look exactly as the boss expected her to look or he would be pissed and Devon didn’t want to push her luck any more than she already had.
John Rothfeller was an exacting man that demanded things be done a certain way. He did not accept any form of deviance from his expectations. It was one thing that you learned very quickly about him. Devon knew she was going to have a hard enough time explaining away the Tezarian’s and didn’t need to invite any more problems.
She was so caught up in checking her appearance that when she heard the knock on the door she jumped. With one last look in the mirror, Devon pulled her shoulders back, put on a mask of confidence and strode to the door.
She nodded at the dark haired female, dressed as a chauffeur, locked her door and followed the woman out to the limousine that the boss had sent to take her to the party. She waited for the woman to open the back door, before she slipped inside and leaned back against the buttery soft, leather seats.
Devon barely registered the passing winter landscape as they drove to the estate, her mind thinking of the evening ahead and her responsibilities as the boss’s hostess. Wrapped in her own thoughts, she was completely unaware of who was converging on the estate. Or that by the end of the night, her life, as she knew it, was going to end. Badly.
Her first clue came when the driver didn’t pull up to the front of the house, but drove directly into one of the garages at the back of the house. She looked out of the darkened windows, unable to see anything in the dark garage.
Devon looked up in surprise when the door was opened by another one of John’s staff, but she accepted the hand and slid out of the car. She adjusted her dress as she stood and allowed the woman to keep her other hand as she led Devon into the main house.
She tried to hide her puzzlement over this new development in John’s ever changing plans for the evening, but couldn’t shake the feeling that she needed to pay closer attention. That something important was happening around her.
They had walked through several empty hallways and Devon could hear the activity in other areas of the house and knew that the staff was getting ready for the guests to arrive in another hour.
It wasn’t until she was walking into the ballroom that she realized why she’d been so nervous that day. Why she was sick to her stomach. John Rothfeller stood in the middle of what looked like an empty ballroom with two women beaten unconscious at his feet.
She barely recognized them as part of John’s DC staff, through the extensive swelling and the blood caked on their faces. She heard the telltale slide and click of a bullet being chambered behind her and didn’t need to turn around to know that a loaded weapon was now pointed at her head.
In seconds her sharp gaze took in the eight women that surrounded John on both sides, all of whom were heavily armed, pointing at least one weapon at her and waiting only for the order to kill her.
A strange calmness overtook Devon in the moment she realized that she would not be leaving this place alive. The jig was up. Her plans in ashes around her. But she grinned at John and walked farther into the room to stand a few feet in front of him and stared at him defiantly.
“Damn you’re a stupid fuck, John. It took you what? Almost two years to figure it the hell out!” Devon said as she laughed at the furious man in front of her.
With no thought of self-preservation, her thoughts only on protecting the others, Devon walked closer, the mocking sneer on her face no carefully contrived façade this time.
“Do you have any idea of the damage I was able to do to your plans in that two years?” She asked with a hateful grin.
John squeezed his hands into fists, his anger nearly causing him to lose control. Instead, he looked at the abomination in front of him and grinned sadistically.
With a wave of a hand, he manifested the chain around her neck and before she could reach for it, he yanked her through the air and slammed her to the floor where she gasped and tried desperately to pull air into her lungs.
John Rothfeller, the Dark Prime, leaned over Devon and his eyes flashed with pure hatred as he spoke calmly to her. “Do you have any idea what damage I’m going to do to you before your friends show up?”
Chapter Seventeen
Thursday 6pm
Drago looked around the room at the others uneasily. They had arrived behind a lone limousine that had pulled to the back of the house an hour ago. Even though Drago had known that he would have to pretend to be an actual part of the catering staff, he was having a hard time staying in the areas that were designated for the party.
There was something eerie about the women, dressed beautifully and elegantly that were standing at all of the doors not required for their use. It was obvious they were there to keep people out, which meant that all Drago wanted to do was go through th
em and find Devon.
It was Dree who had noted the expensively dressed women were also sporting bruises that had been expertly covered in makeup, in various places on their bodies. None of them, not even the Prime had been able to detect if they were hybrids or humans.
The energy had changed drastically for them all the moment they passed the gate into the estate. To Lara, it had been a confirmation that John Rothfeller was Satalis. The intensity of the power too much and too dark for it to have been created by anyone else. However, they still needed a visual of him, to know what he looked like, what his body looked like on this world.
And Drago needed to find Devon. Or they would have left. Like the Dranovian leader, Chris had suggested the Tezarian’s do when they realized the main penetration point through the garden was not only sealed, but heavily guarded by what they said were hybrids.
For the past hour, the outer penetration teams had been desperately using their alternate entry points to gain access to the estate in order to back up those pretending to be the catering staff inside.
Drago, who had access to a part of the Dranovian Shengari’ path, listened intently to what was a disturbing trend among the Dranovian’s. It was as if they spoke in a coded way that only they knew of. But Drago had been able to pick up a few things that he was sure they didn’t want him to know.
The biggest of which, was that they had a person on the inside that they were desperate to get out of there. Someone who had infiltrated Rothfeller’s inner circle and worked from the inside to bring him down.
There was much that the Dranovian’s were keeping secret from them and Drago only hoped that whatever it was, it would not endanger his family, friends or mate. He had tried to form a private path of communication with the leader Chris, to ask him what was going on, but whether it was the energy in the home, or the strength of the Dranovian energy paths, he couldn’t even use the one he was given to knock on Chris’ strands.
Drago was becoming more frustrated by the minute. More so when he continued to hear through the Dranovian path, the conversations that they were not speaking in code. The ones where they were venting over having a very difficult time getting into the now heavily guarded estate.
