Chapter One

 

The conference room had gone deathly quiet, and Declan looked at Chris and Mikal to see who would try and explain things first. He wasn’t surprised to see Mikal, their Sotier, stand up and clear his throat. Declan was more relieved than he cared to admit having someone else try to explain the news to their close-knit family.

“We need to divide our resources in three different directions. With Satalis back underground, deeper than before, all we need are the computer geeks to find him, and Fiorn’s people are already on it.” It was all Mikal got out before the room erupted.

“No, you get back to explaining what’s going on with Dad!” Reign snapped.

The grumbles of agreement around the room had the three oldest brothers all looking at one another, and when the siblings got louder, Declan finally stood and whistled to shut them up.

“Dad got in over his head trusting someone else to find this Sundashi flower on the Tri-worlds. He accidentally created a criminal organization that’s terrorized the beast worlds for a decade now. They’re called the Triad, and they’re headed here, to Earth, and we have to stop them,” Declan admitted, hoping the explanation would suffice. He should have known better.

“No way is Dad involved in anything like that!” Shane crossed his arms over his chest, refusing to believe any of this.

“It’s true and if we don’t deal with it and Alderic finds Dad before we end this . . . do you want to take that chance? Do you remember meeting that guy? I do, and he scares the hell out of me,” Chris admitted the last to ensure his family understood how important this was. To all of them.

It must have worked because the room became silent for several minutes while everyone considered Chris’s words. Declan knew that now would be the time to drive home the point to all of them just what was at stake.

“Dad screwed up trying to save the world. After everything he’s done for all of us, I have no problem doing something to save him for once. Even if it’s only from himself and plans that got out of his control,” Declan said as he watched each of his sibling's cave in.

“All right, so how do we do this and keep it from the Tezarians and Lara?” Dane asked.

Like all his brothers, he was willing to do anything to save their father.

“What about Alderic? How the hell do we get Maccs and training to take on the Triad while lying to him about who’s heading up the group terrorizing the beast worlds?” Siggy shook his head, not sure he wanted to be one of the siblings picked for that mission.

“Tristan and Tiernan have already spoken to Lara. She and Liam will stay here at the Washington DC compound with the Tezarians and Angel to continue hunting Satalis. Siggy and Dante will back them up computer-wise if they need it and those who remain on Earth can help when necessary,” Chris explained. “Declan’s team will work out of the Canadian compound for a while, and Mikal’s will be staying at the Human Integration Center on Dranar.”

Chris didn’t like any of this either but was willing to do whatever it would take to save his father and sister, Grace. Not including Koda’s unborn child and countless others on this world that could be afflicted by the same brain-wasting disease the flower could possibly cure.

“So we either hunt flowers, do computer work, or space combat? Count me in on the Maccs!” Gunnar exclaimed.

Declan shook his head when almost all of his brothers agreed with Gunnar. Not that he could blame them. Declan had lost the coin toss between him and Chris on this one. Mikal, as the Sotier, would lead a group to Dranar for training and Macc integration. Chris would stay in DC and be the go-between for Lara, Mikal, and Declan.

I get the damn plants, Declan said to himself with a disgusted shake of his head. Might as well be hunting butterflies while everyone else gets to do some real work.

“You’re being divided up based on skill set, then mate status,” Mikal said. “We’ve put careful thought into this, and we know at some point, the teams will have to shift. So bear with us for now.”

“Alderic already promised us all Maccs, so no one is being left out,” Chris added to the delight of his siblings. “Everyone will get a Macc designed specifically for each of us and Earth’s energy.”

“Does Alderic know the Triad is coming here?” Luca asked as his brow furrowed in concern.

Mikal nodded his head, and several of the brothers groaned at the news.

“Alderic thinks it’s because some of the humans sent through the portals to the beast worlds are in the Triad and have promised the Triad the planet’s resources for the chance to go home. Alderic doesn’t know about Dad, and we need to keep it that way until we can find this other leader and kill him. Those of us going to Dranar will have to watch our words and thoughts very carefully,” Mikal warned his family.

“I got a big mouth. Even when I try not to,” Shane admitted with a sad shake of his head. “I’ll take the plants.”

Declan knew when his brothers figured out what was at stake that they would divide themselves up. Mikal, Chris and he had hoped they would since the only real decisions they’d made was what the three of them would be doing. Mikal had only threatened the others to get everyone under control and focused on the mission.

It only took five minutes before the brothers were divided up into three groups but another hour to deal with all the questions. Already irritated, Declan had enough and whistled again.

“Enough! Damn, let’s get the plant group into another conference room, and I’ll go over everything with you,” Declan snapped at his siblings before he stormed down the hall.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he moved to the front of the meeting room and laid his comm on the table. Declan glared at each of his siblings as they came in, letting them know he wasn’t in the mood for their usual games.

When everyone was seated and quiet, Declan tapped on his comm and put a picture on the wall behind him.

“OK guys, this is all we got right now,” Declan began and turned to look at the picture of the Sundashi flower on the wall. “Yeah, we got shit.”

“How do we find something the humans haven’t found in all these millennia?” Siggy asked with a quirked brow.

Declan shook his head and shrugged.

“All I’ve come up with are legends, myths and mumbo jumbo that means nothing to me. I’ve searched every botanical reference available, and there’s nothing already discovered that looks like the Sundashi flower or is known to have its medicinal properties,” Declan admitted, throwing his hands up in the air.

“Wait, you may have something there,” Dante muttered as he pulled out his comm and tapped furiously on it.

With no real plan and nothing to add, Declan watched Dante to see if he could come up with a direction for them to take.

“Here,” Dante finally said with a grin and flicked the information from his comm to the wall. “These are all mythical flowers or plants talked about in ancient texts, and this is only a brief search, I’ll have more in a few days.”

The brothers stared in awe at the wall of flowers while several also groaned.

“How are mythical plants going to help us?” Luca asked with a shake of his head at the idiocy of this.

“Because if it doesn’t exist in current records, it hasn’t been discovered yet. If we’re going to find it, we need locations to begin searching. That leaves us with myths and legends as a starting point rather than foot searches all over the planet,” Dante explained, still typing on his comm.

Declan nodded his head, feeling better that they had a viable direction to start in since he, Mikal and Chris didn’t have time to figure it out.

It’s like looking for a needle in a planet-sized haystack, Declan thought, feeling a little overwhelmed as he glanced at the wall of mostly hand-drawn flowers from ancient texts.

“This wasn’t supposed to be a life mission! Come on guys, really? This could take us centuries!” Shane complained.

Declan rubbed a hand down his face in frustration as everyone started talking at once. Finally, he slammed his hands down on the table, getting their attention and blissful silence.

“Right now,” Declan growled and gestured to the wall of flowers behind him, “this is all we have to go on. Unless one of you has a better plan to find this flower, shut the hell up.”

Declan glared at Shane and Luca when they muttered under their breath.

“I can narrow it down with more parameters, genius, but I need you guys to help me with that,” Dante said with a snort at Shane.

“It’s got to be old if it came here with the pieces from the Prime planet. So only look for references in texts older than say, 500 years,” Grant suggested as several brothers nodded their heads and Dante began typing.

A few minutes later only a few pictures disappeared from the wall, and several growls of irritation were heard around the room.

Declan ran a hand through his hair and blew out a breath of frustration. He was just as unhappy about this mission as his brothers and really couldn’t blame them for their attitude, but they didn’t have time for the wasted emotion.

“Guys, this sucks ass,” Declan admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. “But we have to do this for Dad. That’s all there is to it. We can either make this as miserable as possible, inadvertently dragging it out or making mistakes. Or we can work together and find this damn flower before it kills our baby sister, Grace. Or Dad, Traze, Koda, Koda’s baby . . .”

Declan let his voice trail off and watched his brothers sigh heavily and nod their heads.

“Wait, is the plant similar looking on the other beast worlds? Wouldn’t it still look a lot like the original flower? We could narrow it by basic descriptions if we can figure that out,” Luca suggested, agreeing that it was time to suck it up and get this done.

“The only one we know of is the Sundashi on the Tri-worlds, no other world knew of the flower until Tristan told Alderic about what it could do. The other worlds are looking for its sister flower on their worlds now, but it’s a good idea, Luca. We can start with the ones that look the most like the Sundashi,” Declan agreed, glad to see the excited gleam come back into his brother’s eyes.

It didn’t take long for the brothers to begin a spirited debate over what parameters they needed to look for in the plant so they could narrow down their search. Six hours later, the brothers broke up, each with a different flower to search for across the planet. There were still hundreds more they needed to look for, but they’d chosen the most likely candidates to start with.

When the room emptied, Declan looked at his comm and the information regarding the plant he was to start looking for in the morning. From the hand-drawn pictures, it was a beautiful flower, but he wasn’t going to hold his breath that it was the one they needed.

Declan stood and made his way to his room to get his gear packed when he was stopped in the hallway by Mikal.

“I heard you assigned yourself a plant.” Mikal posed it as a question, a brow quirked in curiosity.

Declan wasn’t too surprised that the news had gotten to Mikal in only minutes and held up his comm with the pictures on it.

“We need all hands on deck for this, and I can’t expect anyone else to do it if I won’t.” Declan could feel the importance of the situation vibrating through his energy in a way he’d never felt before, and it scared him more than he wanted to admit.

Though he didn’t have much hope for finding the plant, Declan knew that what he was doing was going to be a pivotal moment for them all. He didn’t know how he knew, but Declan felt it in every fiber of his being.

“What’s going on?” Mikal asked.

Declan was taken aback by the question.

“Nothing. I’m just trying to get this mission off the ground,” Declan replied, avoiding Mikal’s questioning gaze.

“Where are you going?” Mikal finally asked.

Declan forced a grin then showed Mikal a few more pictures on his comm.

“The Himalayas. A pretty little place called Kedarnath. There’s a lot of history about some Hindu Gods and a special lotus flower that can be used for brain ischemia. A condition where blood doesn’t get to the brain and causes tissue death. Since we really have nothing to go on with this mission, we’re kind of winging it until we can narrow it down more,” Declan answered with a shrug.

“Just make sure you follow check-in rules with Chris or me,” Mikal advised, then looked more closely at his brother. “Watch your back, and make sure you’re well-armed.”

Declan burst out laughing at Mikal’s warning.

“You have been hanging around the girls too much, man. I think I’ll be fine hunting a damn flower on my own planet,” Declan chuckled as he headed back down the hall to his room.

Once inside he shut the door and tossed his comm on the bed before he sat down beside it. Declan ran his hands through his hair and allowed his mind to race with thoughts of the mission and what was at stake for his family. Pushing the information to the back of his mind, Declan stood and began packing his bags.

An hour later, he was in the docking bay going over the small transport craft he was going to set down in the mountains near where the legends stated he would find a mythical lotus flower.

“You sure you don’t want back-up? I really think it’d be better if we worked in teams.”

Declan turned to Chris with a snort and shake of his head.

“You think I need a babysitter for a flower hunt? What’s with you and Mikal and the fretting mother routine? It’s not the first or last time I’ll be on a solo mission so what’s got your panties all twisted up this time?” Declan shot back with a grin as he turned back to the safety checks on the ship.

Chris sighed and leaned up against the transport casually as he studied his brother.

“You’ve been too quiet since we found out about Dad and what he’s been up to,” Chris said, then quickly added, “more so than normal. You need to talk about it?”

Declan shook his head at his brother.

“Seriously? Dad screwed up and made a mistake. He’s allowed a few in his life after all he’s done for so many people, including all of us. I have no problem doing whatever the hell it takes to make this right. Not just for him, but for all of us. That plant will save little Grace too. If I’m quiet, it’s because I’m determined. Feel better now, Mommy?” Declan teased, hoping his brother would leave him with his own thoughts.

The look Chris shot him told Declan that his brother wasn’t buying what he was selling.

“Mikal and I have been with you from the beginning, and we know better than that,” Chris argued, then held his hands up in front of him. “But I’m not going to give you shit about it. Come talk to one of us when you’re ready. If you need anything while you’re gone just call, and we’ll come running.”

Chris held out his arms and Declan went ahead and gave him a quick hug.

“Take care of our girls and the kids. I’ll go play with some flowers and maybe bring some back for them.” Declan grinned at Chris then boarded the ship, closing the hatch behind him.

He quickly started the engines, hoping to leave before anyone else decided to have a chat with him. It wasn’t that Declan didn’t want to talk, he just wasn’t ready to try and sort through the multitude of emotions cascading through him at the knowledge of what his Father had done, and why.

Declan lifted off from the docking bay, and once he cleared the building, he set a course for the Himalayan mountains. With the cloaking on and the course set, Declan headed back into the kitchen area and made himself a pot of coffee before rechecking his stowed gear.

He didn’t expect to be gone more than a week and had packed a few extra provisions and gear just in case it took longer than he anticipated. Luckily, Siggy and Dante had given each of the brothers the information on the climates and terrain for each of their searches. Declan wouldn’t have thought the temperature would be so cold this time of year and was glad for the information.

Bad enough to be looking for a mythical flower, don’t need hypothermia because I expected warmer weather and didn’t pack for it, Declan thought to himself as he poured a cup of coffee and headed back to the cockpit.

Grabbing his comm before he sat down, Declan got comfortable then began looking at the other topographical information on the tiny mountain settlement. He didn’t expect any trouble from the thousand or so residents of the quiet religious town but felt that being forewarned was forearmed.

Although he wasn’t thrilled about the mission, Declan was looking forward to seeing the Himalayas. He’d always wanted to climb the majestic mountains and had chosen this particular plant so he could.

Kill two birds with one stone, Declan thought with a grin as he looked at the pictures of Kedarnath Mountain and Dome.

He quickly rechecked where he would be landing and hiding the transport craft while he trekked the local mountains for the flower. Still happy with the choice Siggy and Dante had made, Declan sat back in his chair and relaxed while he went back to looking at the information on his comm.

Even though he knew the mission would be one of the easiest he’d ever done, Declan couldn’t rid himself of the uneasy feeling tracking through his energy. Or the sense of impending doom.

Now they got me acting like a nervous idiot, Declan thought with a disgusted snort.

He shook off his thoughts and blocked his energy, concentrating only on studying the information on his comm. Declan didn’t have time for worrying about the little things. There were too many big things to waste his energy on. The top of the list was saving his beloved father, from himself.

*****

 

Mikal met Chris on the roof of the Washington DC compound and turned to look at the darkening sky, sighing heavily.

“What do we do?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Chris replied looking at the incredible sunset.

“Don’t tell me that, I know you feel it too,” Mikal argued, irritated that this was happening when he had to leave for Dranar in the morning.

Chris turned to Mikal, his eyes blazing with anger and frustration.

“Don’t you think I know that?” Chris snapped. “I can’t stand feeling helpless either but what the hell are we supposed to do? Put him in a damn bubble until we figure out what’s going on and why we feel this way? He’s already pissed at us for mothering him!”

Mikal ran his hands over his bald head then threw them up in the air.

“We can’t just do nothing. He’s in danger. How I don’t know, but you feel it too, and we can’t ignore it,” Mikal argued, fear for his brother skittering down his spine as he spoke.

Chris turned to Mikal and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“This thing the three of us have had since we were kids doesn’t always signal bad things. Declan and I felt this way before you found Chance and you told me yourself that you and Declan felt it before I rescued Quinn. With everything going on with Dad, we probably see this as bad when maybe he’s getting ready to find his mate,” Chris suggested, praying that he was right and scared to death he was wrong.

Mikal thought about it for a moment then shook his head in sadness.

“No, this is too different from that. It’s dark and ominous. There’s only a glimmer of hope that seems to shift in the energy continuously. If this is Declan meeting his mate, then it’s going to be hell for him with only the slightest of chances of working out or both of them coming out of it alive,” Mikal whispered in deep sadness for his brother.

Chris shivered at Mikal’s words and shook his head in denial.

“There’s no way I’m going to let that happen. Get your team to Dranar and worry about training with the Maccs. I had Siggy activate the beacons on all the transports that left for the flower missions so I’ll personally track Declan while he’s gone. If anything comes up, you’ll be the first one I call,” Chris promised, determined to keep Declan safe.

Mikal considered Chris’s suggestion for a moment before he nodded his head in agreement.

“I’ll be here in an hour if necessary. Keep me updated as well. Anytime Declan checks in, I want to know how he sounds and any concerns you may have. If he appears to be in the slightest danger, get me immediately. I refuse to lose a brother,” Mikal said, his eyes boring into Chris’s until he nodded in agreement.

“The moment I get an inkling something is wrong, I’ll contact you,” Chris promised, hoping he wouldn’t have to make that call.