Chapter Nine
Since they had been walking and talking, Kiki really felt the connection between them grow and strengthen. Thomas opened himself up to Kiki and explained some things he had not known about. His childhood hadn't been the best nor had it been the worst—it just was.
His cousins on his mother’s side raised Thomas. They had a lot of children so Thomas had just kinda gotten lost in the shuffle. Well no more, Kiki was going to make sure the man knew he was the most important person in the world to him.
As they had walked, Thomas had taken his hand and held on firmly. The touch had felt wonderful and he smiled when he remembered how almost unconsciously his mate had rubbed the back of his hand. It made him feel like they were the only two in the world.
Kiki and Thomas only had to walk about ten miles and they could see the chimney smoke rising. The clan they had been searching for was right there, they could both feel the wards the witches had put into place. Thomas held up a hand and Kiki stopped.
“Let me go first,” he whispered.
“Well duh,” Kiki laughed and rolled his eyes.
“Behave, or I will deal with you when we get home.” Thomas laughed. Kiki winked at him and smiled.
As they entered into a clearing Kiki was pushed a little behind his mate, and Thomas didn’t let go of his hand. No one was there and they couldn’t see anything; however, Kiki could sense the presence of more than one magical creature, as well as the ward pushing them back.
Thomas closed his eyes and searched out with his senses and then turned and looked to the left and smiled. “Breitney?”
Kiki stiffened. Just when he was going to say something smartass, a woman appeared out of thin air. She walked toward Thomas with a sway in her hips and all Kiki could think of was ‘cat fight’ if the bitch touched her mate. When she stopped in front of them the woman looked up, smiled, and said, “Cousin, it has been too long.”
Thomas laughed and said, “Yes it has, and what the hell are you doing all the way up here? Last I heard, you and the others were in the west, hiding in the mountains.”
Breitney smiled and nodded. “Mom and dad brought us up here when we heard the Drekinn moved, we wanted to be able to help if needed. We were trying to find out if you were okay, but there is not much information coming out of the city right now. The Prentiss has it locked up tighter than a tick. Well come on, bring your mate, and let’s get you settled.”
Thomas laughed and Kiki froze and whispered, “How did she know?”
“I can smell Thomas all over you, cousin, welcome to the family.” The woman laughed and led them through the barrier that surrounded the small town. When they passed through Kiki grinned, at least they weren’t going to have to sleep on the ground tonight. There were about fifteen homes and two other buildings in the area.
“We all came here over the last few months and made camp. There was word the Drekinn would be here soon. I am assuming because you are here, that it means the rumors are true, since you worked with them,” Thomas’s cousin said and led them to one of the larger buildings that Kiki assumed was a meeting hall of some sorts.
Kiki shook his head. It looked like the people here were working hard to be prepared if something happened. There were various weapons and other things set by the door when they walked in.
A large man sat in the front of the room in a nice, cozy chair and he smiled when they entered. “We have been waiting for you all,” he boomed and stood up.
Thomas and Kiki looked confused but continued into the room until they were in front of the man. “I am Fretride, and Alpha of the Montana Pack,” he said and shook their hands.
Thomas introduced both of them and the man grinned bigger. “Like I really needed to know your names, son, they are posted from the east coast to the west coast, on wanted posters. It isn’t hard to figure that you are part of the Drekinn,” the older man said.
“Oh! Did they get my good side?” Kiki blurted out and looked around at the pictures laying on the tables.
“Don’t know about that, but if we wanted to make some good money, we could turn you over right now and live happily ever after,” the man said smoothly and Thomas and Kiki froze in place. “HAHA, not that we would, just saying.”
Thomas looked at his cousin who was shaking her head, “Please, ignore them. No, but it is getting bad out there if you are a shifter, or magical. The Prentiss will have you bagged and tagged before you know it. They said if you step out of line that you will be taken to one of the work camps. Owen was taken last month according to mom.”
Owen was one of his loud mouth cousins who Thomas would not normally care too much about, but he was family even though he was an idiot. The last time he saw Owen, he was trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey by one of the females he had dated and cheated on.
“Where is he?” Thomas asked quietly, wanting to punch something. Kiki could feel the anger radiating off him as he stood beside his mate. Someone slipped in behind them and the older man waved.
“Come over here, Giovanni, let me introduce you to two of the most wanted,” the old man said. “Giovanni Castrella is doing what many of the people are right now, looking for answers.”
“You are a vampire?” Kiki whispered and hit Thomas on the arm a few times as if it was as secret or something.
The tall dark haired man nodded and said, “And you are?”
“I am Thomas Grate and this is my mate, Kiki ‘Christopher’ La Rue,” Thomas said and held out his hand. The vampire shook it and stepped back looking at them curiously.
“Giovanni came to us last week searching for anyone who could tell them where the Drekinn were,” the older man said.
“Why are you looking?” Thomas said suspiciously.
“Simple, we want to help. My clan is in Europe and they are beginning to feel the pressure like the magical people over here. The Prentiss have instituted many of the same policies there that they have here. We are losing people who are being captured in the name of peace, saying they are dangerous. They are not. Many of the vampires are being taken to secure locations and being tested on,” Giovanni said.
“Please come and sit, we can have some of the fine wine that Giovanni brought us as a gift,” Breitney said and motioned toward the table. “There's a lot of things the Drekinn doesn’t know, things that have been going on for the last few months before the Prentiss took over. They have been covered up well, but we have pieced together a few things.”
Thomas and Kiki nodded and allowed themselves to be led farther into the building where there was a full dining room and kitchen set up, there were several members already preparing food and Kiki asked, “When did you build all of this?”
“It was already here, we stumbled upon it when we were searching for a way to get into NYC, it was an old hunting lodge, and we just converted it to a safe haven for those who needed it. If someone is seeking help, they will be able to enter. If the Ulfer are close, they will be steered around our little haven. So far it has seemed to work.”
“Have there been many Ulfer out here? As far as we knew they were in the city keeping the shifters in control there,” Thomas argued.
“Oh no, they have more than you think and they are looking for anyone who would hide or help the Drekinn. My own brother has been taken just because he said he would welcome any of the Drekinn into his house or at a pub,” the older man said.
“Good God,” Kiki muttered.
“It has gotten worse than even I can remember. Before the war, we at least were allowed to live in peace without any interference. They are talking about putting tags on us like cattle so they can find us,” Breitney said.
“I know you have limited information where you are, but things have gotten so much worse since you have been forced from the city. It is going to only get worse if they find what they are looking for as well,” Giovanni said and put a bottle of wine on the table.
Kiki glanced at it and recognized a nice year, and vintage from a well know win
ery in Italy. He sipped the fruity red Ambrosetti wine and sighed. At least some people still had taste.
“So what were you planning on doing?” Thomas asked.
“If I can get into contact with the leaders of the Drekinn, I would pledge my support and those who are in my clan. I would also aid in trying to figure out who or what the Prentiss is trying to find,” Giovanni said.
“How do you know they are trying to find something?” Kiki asked and wished the girls had made the trek with them for this. It would make it so much easier to relay all that was being said.
Most of the people in the room looked at Kiki with an incredulous look on their faces. “Really?” A small woman in the back of the room asked. She reminded Kiki of Syd for a minute.
“I mean beside the obvious of them looking for something.” Kiki rolled his eyes.
“Looking for something? They are torturing people to find the location of some book or something,” the older man said.
“How do you know?” Thomas said quietly.
“One of the wolves in the camp escaped, he is in bad shape, we are taking care of him,” the woman whispered.
“Where is he?” Thomas asked standing up.
“I will take you to him after he has been fed and cleaned up again. His wounds are extensive and we have to change the dressing often to avoid infection,” the older man said.
“Why not use magic?” Kiki asked, most packs had healers and it made sense these people who were on the run, would want to have a healer as well.
“It won’t work, every time our witch tries it makes it worse, we don’t know why,” the woman said and Kiki and Thomas sat down and listened as they explained how they found the man wandering the woods in a terrible state.
Then others began to tell them of things that happened in their home pack or clans that made both of the men horrified.
Chapter Ten
Syd was waiting in the hallway while the Drekinn Council was talking about her. She was trying to figure out how she could get Kiki and Thomas to come back. It was driving her nuts that she had screwed up that bad. Talk about a bonehead, Rissa compared her to an oblivious man, and she fully accepted the comparison. She was very shortsighted.
When she was growing up, she convinced herself she would never have a mate, how could she? She was a freak of nature, at least that's what they called her. Since coming here though, she had been accepted, then threw it away by being an idiot. Well no more, when the guys came back, she was going to grab them, lock them in a room, and apologize to them.
She thought about the way they made her feel, and the ways she pushed past her arousal in order to make it easier. Just thinking about them mating without her broke her heart, but she understood it, plus she really wished she could have seen it. Thinking of the two men naked and claiming each other made her pant. It had to be sexy because they were so freaking hot.
“You can worry all you want, but it won’t change anything. Everything will work out the way it is supposed to,” Vivi said as she walked down the hall. “So, you are stuck out here instead of being in the Mystery Incorporated meeting. I am sure Scooby and the others with figure it out.”
Syd laughed and said, “Why are you being nice to me?”
“Because I can be, and because I see a young woman who needs to have a friend, someone who could use a little advice.” Vivi shrugged.
“What the hell am I doing?” Syd groaned and put her hands over her face.
“Well, I can tell you what you are not doing. You are not giving up. One thing I know about those two wonderful men is their hearts are huge. They will forgive you. But you need to remember that you have to suck up, but not appear to be sucking up too much. You don’t want them to think they can walk all over you,” Vivi explained.
“Uh…okay,” Syd said.
“Why is it so important to you that you join the Drekinn?” Vivi asked.
“I don’t know. I just know that since I was young my grandmother told me that it was important that I find my place. When I saw some article on the Drekinn years ago, I knew this is where I belonged. Where I had to be. So here I am, screwing things up and waiting to see if they are going to allow me to even be here. I wouldn’t blame them if they didn’t. I mean it is so screwed up. My parents would be so disappointed,” Syd said.
“You said they were dead?” Vivi asked curiously.
“Yes, plane crash, never found their bodies, but my grandmother identified their belongings. You know I am from the Black Fairy Line? I am the last in the line according to my grandmother. It is important that I make something of my life, I can’t just let the line die without making them proud,” Syd said desperately.
Vivi sat quietly and looked off into space thinking. Sydney had no clue what was going through the older woman’s mind, but whatever it was—it disturbed her. She was frowning and she looked like she wanted to say something.
The door opened to the conference room the council was in. Cherri popped her head out and nodded. “Come on in, Syd, we need to talk.”
Sydney stood and walked to the door. “Hey,” Vivi called after her. “When you are done, come and find me, I can help you with the guys.”
Cherri snorted and said, “Gonna give her your spare crop?”
“Blah,” Vivi laughed and stuck her tongue out at Cherri. “Hush up you.”
Sydney laughed and walked into the room and any moisture in her mouth left as soon as she saw the people sitting in the room with solemn looks on their faces. Calli and Kade sat at the head of the table. Cherri on the left with her mates, and Rissa on the right with her mates. Pilar, Trina, Sabrina and a man she assumed was Brooks sat in the other chairs.
“Come in,” Calli said gruffly and looked at the others at the table. “Look, I will be the first to apologize for being such a bitch.”
“It was my fault, Alpha, I never should have challenged you like that. I apologize for it, and I acknowledge you are the leaders of the Drekinn Pack, and ask for admittance into the pack,” Sydney said formally. She knew she had to play this right or she would be out on her ass, quicker than she could turn around.
“We have already voted on that. Kiki and Thomas are your mates, they belong to the pack, and so you are a member. However, you denied their mating and so we are trying to figure out what to do,” Kade said slyly.
“NO! I never denied it…I just fucked it up. I want them as mates, I know they are my mates, just give me time to fix the whole thing,” Sydney cried in outrage. How dare they think they can make a decision about mates? That is not their place, they are only the leaders. They don’t control mating.
“While I appreciate your concern, I would also appreciate you allowing me to sort out the mess with my mates. I will get it taken care of when they return,” Sydney said and kept her head high.
“Thomas nor Kiki told us how long they would be gone,” Calli said slowly.
Sydney nodded and sat down at the table. “I will wait. Until then what can I do?”
Calli smiled and looked around the table and nodded. “We will be more than happy to take you up on your offer of helping us out. We are short someone in the Enforcers since Thomas is gone, you can begin your training with Kade and Dec tomorrow.”
Sydney felt her stomach sink, this is not what she thought of doing when she wanted to go undercover and do something useful. They were not using her to her potential. “But…” she said and Calli held up her hand.
“Train, then we will see. Until Thomas and Kiki get back, you can get to know us more.” Cherri grinned and Sydney felt a little threatened.
*****
This was taking too long, Kiki thought as they waited outside of the room of the wolf they really wanted to talk to. He had been tortured and so far, for the last few days, they had only been able to help them take care of him. Kiki felt terrible when he saw him for the first time, although something looked familiar and he wondered briefly if he was someone he had run into from the Drekinn, Kiki had quickly forgot th
at when the man began to bleed once again from a wound in his stomach.
They tried everything and nothing seemed to help. Sometimes they thought the healing spells were working and then they would suddenly make the poor guy worse. Thomas and Kiki had jumped right in with helping. All of the people were surprised, including Giovanni, who seemed to become a bit more relaxed when he realized that Kiki and Thomas were as real as it gets.
They were not afraid to get their hands dirty and few a few times Kiki could have sworn he saw the look of admiration coming from the man's eyes. Kiki only hoped it would help the relations with the magical community overseas.
Thomas stood next to him, their connection just kept growing and growing as the worked side-by-side, helping those who needed it. It was amazing, and Kiki had only thrown one small little fit when Thomas tried to tell him the fingernail polish he wore had to be removed when helping taking care of the wounded.
Finally, they had compromised and Kiki had worn gloves for everything so he could save the manicure. Even though it had only been a few days, the hair was fading, he needed to rinse and set. However, making sure this wolf lived was more important.
“We may need to get someone from the compound to come out here and help,” Thomas whispered.
“The grounds have several thousand square miles. I think we need to put out the word and open the gates, people should not be left out there on their own. Look at the shit the Prentiss are doing. If the humans want us back in hiding, then so be it. We can hide forever from them,” Kiki announced and looked around. There were approximately fifteen families, they were going to have to get busy, and he knew the people to get to help. “Let me go back, I will bring help.”
“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Thomas whispered loudly.
“Kinda, but seriously, I can shift, I know the way, both of us can't leave and we can’t stay here forever. Calli and the others need to know how bad it is out here. We were only getting part of the picture. When they find out, you know they will help. Let me get them,” Kiki said reasonably.