“No one else. Yes, sir! Not even Dr. Badger,” Chan repeated with an eager nod. “Thank you, sir.”
“Goodnight, Chan,” Ty said with a pointed look toward the door.
“Oh, goodnight, Mr. Bearclaw. Thank you again,” Chan said with a broad grin.
Ty watched as the eager young technician hurried away. He had to remind himself that he hadn’t been all that different ten or so years ago. Shaking his head, he grimaced and hoped he hadn’t been quite that bad when his dad had started training him to take over the Observatory.
He returned his attention to the matter at hand. His gaze lifted to the cameras positioned outside of the room. It had never been necessary to have security cameras in each of the rooms. Ten years ago, the security systems were modified, and cameras were installed in the basement, but only in the corridors. It appeared that he would have to get the system upgraded once again.
His hand automatically went to his pocket when he felt his cell phone vibrate. Pulling it out, a smile curved his lips. Ella had learned how to send him texts. Her favorite thing at the moment was the emoticons. This text contained a series of hearts and smiling faces with hearts in them, as well as a bear. Despite everything that was going on, he felt the tension melt from his body.
His fingers flew over the keypad. What are you doing? He typed.
Shopping. Rhyanna showed me how to use a computer, Ella responded.
He chuckled. Ella and Rhyanna had hit it off the morning after Rhyanna had spent the night. They had been wary of each other at first, but the moment they had discovered they both loved Martha’s pancakes and eggs, the tension had melted away. The past week, Rhyanna had practically lived at his house. Ty wasn’t sure if it was because she wanted to learn more about humans or because she liked showing Ella how to use his credit card.
Buy something sexy, he typed.
A few seconds later, a soft groan escaped him when a picture of a sexy, and very sheer, nightgown appeared from one of the famous retailers. He could just imagine Ella wearing the light green silk – for a short while before he tore it off of her.
You’d better order two of them, he advised.
That’s what Rhyanna said, Ella typed back. See you when you get home.
See you soon, he typed. Love you.
Love you, too, Ella responded, followed by a string of hearts.
It took a few minutes for Ty to realize he was just standing in the empty room grinning like a loon. He returned the phone to his pocket and looked around. Turning in a slow circle, his gaze narrowed on the camera in the hallway again. A ruthless smile curved his lips. If the door had been left opened, it might have caught what happened in the room.
Turning, he quietly left the room, locking it behind him. He wanted to check the security tapes before he left for the evening. Ignoring the elevator, he pushed the door to the stairwell open. He took the steps, two at a time, to the third floor. He stepped out onto the main floor and turned left. Walking down the short hallway, he paused outside the security office. Swiping his badge, he pushed the door open.
A frown creased his brow when he saw the monitors were black. His gaze swept around the room. Concern darkened his eyes when he saw the slumped figure of the night guard. He instinctively he took a step toward the man when his bear suddenly roared out a warning.
Ty twisted and raised his arm as a dark object swung toward his head from behind the door. A grunt escaped him when he felt a knee connect with his side. The force of the blow knocked the wind out of him. He was off balance as he struggled to grab at the figure attacking him. His fingers closed around the black material covering the thick forearm, even as his head jerked back when the man’s elbow struck him in the jaw.
Ty stumbled backwards. In the narrow confines of the room, he couldn’t call forth his bear. He cursed when he felt the booted foot strike him again, this time in the chest. The blow knocked him backwards into the control panel. The dark figure turned and grabbed the door. Before Ty could straighten, the figure had disappeared through the door, slamming it behind him.
“Son of a bitch,” Ty growled, pushing up from the console.
He hurried to the door, cursing even louder when he realized that he needed his badge to open it. Fumbling for it, he pulled it forward, swiped it against the pad, and jerked the door open. He stepped out into the hallway and glanced both ways in frustration. He was about to pick a direction when he heard a soft moan behind him. Torn between chasing his attacker and taking care of the guard. A second moan and the crash of the chair in the room behind him made the decision for him. His first concern was for the employees. He slowly backed into the room, rubbing his side and turned. The guard sat on the floor now instead of draped over the console.
“What happened?” Ty demanded, striding forward to kneel next to the man who was rubbing the back of his head.
“I don’t know,” the man said, wincing when he tried to shake his head. “I thought it was Benie when the door opened and I didn’t turn around. The next thing I know, I’m out cold.”
Ty pulled out his cell phone and hit the emergency button. His gaze flashed to the bank of drives. All of them were empty. Whoever had come in here had done so with the sole purpose of one thing and one thing only – covering the theft of the artifacts. Whoever had stolen them must have realized the same thing that he had – the camera was aimed at the doorway of the downstairs vault.
“Emergency,” the voice on the other end said.
“I’d like to report a theft and assault at the Observatory,” Ty said, glancing at the guard when the operator asked if a medical unit was necessary. “Yes,” he replied in a clipped tone when he saw blood on the man’s hand after he pulled it away from his head.
“Please stay on the line until the officers arrive.”
*.*.*
Ella bit her lips and clicked back and forth between the two pictures. Did she want the green top or the blue one? There were so many choices that it made her head hurt! She flicked back and forth before she released a growl of frustration and added both of them to the cart.
A loud groan escaped her when the power flickered before going off, as did the computer in front of her too. If she lost everything in the basket that she had been working on for the past hour, she would scream! A grin curved her lips as her head fell forward to rest on her arm.
“Or, I’ll just have to shop for more things,” she whispered, lifting her head to stare at the dark screen. “You will not defeat me, magic box.”
“Ella!” Rhyanna’s voice called out from the hallway.
“I’m in Ty’s office,” Ella responded, pushing back from the desk and rising to her feet. “What has happened?”
“It must be the storm,” Rhyanna muttered, fumbling for her phone and turning on the light.
“At least the house will stay warm with the fireplaces,” Ella replied. “How do you make light with your box?”
“With my… Oh, you mean the flashlight on the cell phone,” Rhyanna laughed. “If you swipe your finger up, you’ll see a picture that looks like a flashlight.”
“I have this on my box as well?” Ella asked, picking up her phone.
“Yes, you have one as well. Here, I’ll show you. I have to warn you, though, it will drain your battery pretty fast,” Rhyanna said, holding out her hand.
“This is a very powerful tool,” Ella murmured, taking the cell phone again once Rhyanna had shown her how to turn on the light. She held it up to look around the room. “This is very bright!”
Rhyanna laughed and nodded. “Yes, it is,” she said with a grin. “My phone is almost dead, so I’m turning mine off. I swear something like this always happens when my phone needs to be charged.”
“Mine is almost full,” Ella commented, turning hers off as well and sliding it back into her pocket. “The fire puts out more than enough light for me.”
“I guess you are more used to seeing by the firelight than you are from the electric ones,” Rhyanna reflected with a s
igh. “I know we shifters have our animal halves, but I have to admit I like having all the amenities that we do.”
Ella glanced at the fireplace before turning to walk over to it. She missed the smell of burning wood. Here, they used gas and logs that were not real. She sank down on the carpet in front of the fire and held her hands out as a chill swept into the room.
“They are nice, but it is also nice being outside. I miss the scent of the fire, the light of the stars, and even the coldness of the air. At night, we would sit around the fire and listen to our parents or the elders tell us stories. Sometimes, my mother or father would work with me on learning how to read and write your language,” Ella murmured in a soft voice, staring at the flames.
“How did they learn it?” Rhyanna asked in a curious voice.
Ella’s lips curved, but she didn’t look at Rhyanna. Instead, she shrugged as she tried to remember any point in time that her parents or the elders may have shared where the knowledge came from.
“I don’t know,” Ella finally admitted. “The knowledge has been passed down from parent to child for centuries. When we came across new words or symbols along your roads, we would study them until we figured out what they meant. In the old days, some of the older scouts would travel closer to your villages. In recent years, there have not been….”
“There are more of you!” Rhyanna breathed in excitement, sliding closer to Ella.
Ella bowed her head so that her hair fell forward to hide the dismay on her face. She vigorously shook her head. Once again, she was a danger to her people.
“No,” Ella whispered to herself as she closed her eyes.
“Oh, I thought from the way you were talking… What happened to them?” Rhyanna asked with disappointment.
Ella breathed a sigh that Rhyanna had misunderstood her denial. She opened her eyes and looked at the fire again. She needed to be very, very careful. Her father had once told her that a shifter could smell a lie. She needed to make sure that she told the truth, but not necessarily all of it.
“I lost my family five years ago,” Ella replied in a thick voice. “It is not something that I like to speak of.”
“I’m so sorry, Ella,” Rhyanna murmured in a sympathetic voice.
Ella shrugged. “It is life,” she replied.
“If there is anything I can do…,” Rhyanna started to say when the door opened behind them.
Ella started to turn, then she hissed as something sharp struck her shoulder. Her fingers automatically went to the sting. She blinked when her eyesight blurred. In the background she heard Rhyanna’s enraged hiss.
Ella gripped the small needle and pulled it out. She twisted and tried to rise, but fell back to her knees. Lifting her head, she tried to focus on the shadowy figure, but couldn’t. She shook her head, trying to focus. She released a low cry when she saw Rhyanna fall to the floor next to her.
“Rhyanna,” Ella whispered as she sank down next to the woman.
“Ella,” Rhyanna mumbled in a slurred voice. She blinked several times before her eyes closed and then she lay still.
Ella fought the feeling of lethargy threatening to overwhelm her. She rolled onto her knees again and tried to force herself up, but her arms trembled and she slid back to the floor. Her body felt like it was weighted down. She tried to blink again, but her eyelids refused to lift.
Chapter 22
Ty’s fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly as he turned into the driveway. Through the darkness and trees lining the long driveway, he could see the bright, flashing lights. Dread clawed at him, and fear threatened to choke him.
He pulled his truck to a stop behind one of the police cars. There were four of them there. He was just getting out when he saw another set of headlights coming up the drive. This one was driving like a bat-out-of-hell. He turned when one of the police officers and his father came down the steps.
“What happened? Ella…,” Ty asked, starting for the house.
“She’s gone,” Art replied.
“Ty,” his mother started to say in sympathy before her voice died.
Ty could see the tears glittering in his mother’s eyes even in the dim light cast by the front porch lights. His father wrapped his arm around his mother when she shivered. He watched as his father murmured something to his mother, and she nodded before disappearing into the house.
He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, keeping his focus on trying to calm both himself and his bear as the magnitude of his father’s words sank in. Fury exploded through him, and his bear roared in rage and pain. He fought to control the powerful beast inside him. He knew that if his bear took control of him, he would end up ripping the house apart trying to find Ella.
“Tell me,” Ty demanded, opening his eyes to stare at his father.
The sound of car doors slamming behind him made him glance over his shoulder. Van and Peterson were striding toward them. Their hands shoved into their pockets and their shoulders hunched against the blistering cold. Another truck slid to a stop behind theirs, the lights blinding him for a moment until he turned away. The lights cut off at the same time that the truck’s door suddenly opened.
“Ty!” Tracy called to him.
“What the hell is going on?” Art demanded, seeing the bruise on Ty’s cheek.
“Perhaps we can take this inside where it is warmer,” the officer stated.
Ty nodded and charged up the steps to the house. Inside, he could hear several other men talking before he heard Rhyanna’s soft voice. He turned and stepped into the small den.
“Rhyanna,” Ty greeted, staring at her pale face.
“Ty! What happened to you?” Rhyanna asked in confusion.
“There was a break-in at the Observatory – more pieces were taken. What the hell happened here?” He demanded, running his hand down over his face. “How could anyone take her? Where was she?”
“She was in your office, shopping online,” Rhianna,” Rhyanna said, shivering when the front door opened and several detectives went outside. “The lights went out. We thought it was because of the storm. We were talking and suddenly the door opened. We thought it was either Martha or your parents.”
“What about the security system? It shouldn’t have been knocked out!” Ty growled.
“It wasn’t on,” Art said with a sigh. “Your mother and I had just gotten home and we were unloading the car. When the lights went out, I went to check on Martha, then Rhyanna and Ella. I found Rhyanna in your office, unconscious. She had been knocked out with a tranquilizer dart.”
“We’ll see what we can find,” Van said in a grim tone, glancing at Peterson. “Even with the power out, the video feed should still be going.”
“I’ll check the feed while you two see if you can get a lock on the intruder’s scent,” Tracy said.
“This is a matter for the police,” the detective, who had been silently listening, interjected.
“Not anymore,” Art replied. “This is a matter of national security. I’ve notified President Kodiak of the situation. This is a direct attack on our family. The Central Species Unit will take over. They should be here any minute.”
“I want Van and Peterson to see what they can find,” Ty said with a nod at the two men. “They are our security experts and I trust them.”
The detective’s face tightened and he nodded. “We will still do everything we can to help you. Do you know why they would target Ella…?” the detective frowned when he looked down at his notes. “What is her last name? Do you have a photo of her, as well?”
“Her last name is Bearclaw,” Ty replied in a clipped tone. “She is my mate.”
“What type of shifter is she?” The detective asked, making a note in the notebook he was holding.
Ty’s mind raced to find a way to keep Ella’s identity secret, but he knew the longer it took to find her, the greater the chance that he would never see her again.
“She isn’t a shifter,” Ty finally replied.
“W
hat do you mean she isn’t a shifter?” The detective asked with a confused frown.
Ty glanced at his father before he turned his attention back to the detective. For a brief second, despair washed through him. He had promised to keep Ella safe, and he had failed her.
“My mate is human,” Ty said quietly. “For her safety, it is crucial that her identity be kept a secret as much as possible.”
The detective’s mouth dropped open before the look of astonishment turned to anger. His mouth snapped shut and he stared intently at Ty. The anger in his eyes didn’t dissipate until he saw the grim expressions on all of their faces.
“You… You’re serious, aren’t you?” The detective finally asked. “I thought they were all extinct.”
“So did we,” Rhyanna murmured. “If we don’t find her….”
“We will. I will,” Ty said, cutting off Rhyanna’s husky words. “I promised her I would keep her safe.”
“We’ll find her, son,” Art said, turning when the door opened and several men stepped inside. His eyes widened when he saw the slender figure in the middle of them. “Michaela!”
“Hello, little brother,” President Michaela Bearclaw-Kodiak greeted, pulling off her black gloves. “Would you mind telling me what in the hell is going on? I leave the country for a week and now I have a national emergency on my hands! Fortunately for you, I was already on my way here because of your earlier messages.”
Ty turned to see his aunt step into the room. Michaela had a charisma that surrounded her whenever she entered a room that caused people to stand a touch straighter and to pay attention. She was older than his dad by almost ten years. Even so, she was only just beginning to develop a line of gray near her temples.
“Hello Ty. Congratulations on finding your mate,” Michaela greeted, coming forward to kiss him on his cheek. His throat tightened when she laid her hand on his arm. “We’ll find her, Ty. I won’t leave a stone on this planet unturned. No one messes with my family and gets away with it – no one!”