Chapter Eighteen

 

 

“Where is she?”

“Maybe she’s still in the store or went back in for something. I’ll check while you two check the car.” Xander got out and jogged into the store.

Declyn and Enzo got out and approached the car from two different directions. Her groceries were sitting on the front seat along with a half-eaten Klondike.

Declyn’s eyes blazed Enzo jumped over the roof of car grabbing him around his waist. “You have to keep it together,” he hissed, “for her sake and ours.”

“That was a righteous jump,” a teen hollered from across the parking lot.

“Thanks, I’ve been taking lessons from my son.”

“You’re a cool pop.”

He laughed. “Wait till I tell Ven.”

“You better hope that jump doesn’t end up on YouTube.”

“Better than you turning into a werewolf in front of every camera phone.”

“Good point.”

They turned to look at Xander who was shaking his head. “She’s not in there.”

“One of those bastards has her. I’m going after her.”

“How?”

He dropped his teeth snapping at Enzo.”

“You can tear me apart later Alpha, but right now how do you plan to find her?”

He looked between Enzo and Xander.

“Let’s go back home. We can come up with a plan there.”

“I’ll drive Fire’s car.” His hand gripped the top of the door frame before he finally got in. Enzo slipped behind the wheel of his car and followed him back to the compound.

They parked in front of the house. Instead of going inside they went around until they came out in the yard. Everyone was sitting back there waiting for them. He handed the medicine off to Cait before he collapsed into a chair.

“She was gone when we got there.”

Chase pulled up the internet, Jasper started monitoring communications. Caden and Xander were using the ships tracking systems to try and get a location on her. They were talking over each other in their effort to find her.

The word Alpha was being spoken and repeated as each acknowledged what she was and who she was to them.

“I know how to find her.”

No one was listening each was in his own bubble the realization that they had a female Alpha was suffocating them. The realization that she would be not only their joy but their responsibility to watch over and care for.

“I know how to find her.”

The chatter increased, the buzz becoming a unified sound when they couldn’t find her. Fear was becoming real something they could reach out and touch.

“I know how to find her.” Enzo looked her way. “Shut the hell up!” Deja's eyes flashed.

There was nothing but silence as they stared at her. “I know how to find her.”

“How?”

“She was wearing my birthday gift, right?”

“Yes, she likes it.”

“I had Jasper place a chip on the stone. I was concerned because I was in here and she was on her own, and I didn’t want anything to happen to her. Jasper, can you trace it?”

“I’m on it.”

Every eye was on him as his hands appeared to be keying in thin air. “I found her. You’re not going to like it.”

“Where is she?”

“Her locator is coming from an abandoned warehouse on the southside. I’m picking up fifteen heat signatures around her.”

“Enzo I need a gun,” Deja yelled at him as he was running to the front of the house.

“Gun? Deja you’re a badass without a gun.”

“Right I’m supposed to turn into some huge alien in the middle of the day.”

“You can control your size, and you’re not coming.”

“Keep telling yourself that. Jasper send the directions to my phone.”

“Mates.”

“Ven!”

“Stop yelling, I’m sure he beat us both to the car, so he’s driving.”

“Son’s.”

“Alpha?”

“I’m holding it together. Those two calm me down right when I think I’m about to go over the edge.”

“That’s your beta’s job, and he does it well.”

Ven was driving, Declyn was following them with Xander in the car. Caden was behind him with Cole. Jessie stayed behind with both of the girls. Cait and Tristan were next with Jasper and Chase manning communications.

The trip to the Southside took longer than they wanted with traffic being heavier than usual.

When they pulled up to the warehouse, several vehicles were leaving. Caden and Cole turned around to follow them while the rest parked and ran inside. They screamed Fire’s name as they search the building until Deja screamed.

“I found her! Oh God, I found her.”

“Enzo caught her just as she collapsed on the floor.”

Cait ran in took one look at her covering her mouth and leaned against a wall choking. Tristan came in took a look and went to Cait.

“Get it together. This is the job. You never had to work the battlefield, but this is what I saw every day. You have to be able to handle this to be a doctor for the Kur’ik. Cait you can do this. Without you, she doesn’t have a chance of survival.”

“You’re right, I got this.”

“What did they do to her.” The growl that went up was inhuman.

His eyes were a frosty green. His nails were growing and curving, the way he was eyeing the door someone was about to die. Cait ran putting her body in front of his.

“Alpha if I can hold my shit together then you can get yours together. Your Alpia needs you. Our Alpha needs us, and I can’t operate if you’re out there rampaging and killing the innocent humans. So, what will it be, our Alpha’s life or some random life?”

His body changed becoming a werewolf, he looked down on Cait with utter disdain and murder in his eyes. She stared up at him before his body began to shrink.

“Did the humans teach that to you?”

“No, I learned it watching a growly Alpha.”

“Bravo, now bring your ass over here and put out girl back together.” Deja gave her a nod of respect.

Tristan had a sterile field kit in place. “Told you this bag would come in handy.” He gave her a nervous laugh.

They sterilized their hands with what was in the bag before they began to look at what had been done.

“What did they do to her?”

“Partial autopsy.” Her organs were placed on her body, but they were still connected. She was still alive but barely.

“What were they looking for?”

“Evidence that she wasn’t human.”

“Deja where are you going?”

“I need air Enzo. Lots and lots of air. My best friend is lying on that table like she’s some human puzzle that someone took apart and forget to put back together. Why? Because they want to prove that she’s not human. Not human! You want not human? I’ll give it to you. When she was fifteen, she was sitting by herself. Why because no one wanted to be her friend. Because she didn’t look like the other kids. Too big. The popular girls were making fun of her calling her names.

“The boys were talking about her. That’s not human, or maybe it is. That’s how we treat each other, and we declare it to be human to hurt and dehumanize anyone who doesn’t look like us. Now someone has taken it into their god damn head that one of the nicest people I know isn’t human and is worthy of being their science project. I need air any questions?”

Every head shook. Enzo followed Deja outside to make sure no one tried to make her into a science project.

“You didn’t have to follow me out.”

“Where else would I be, camire?”

“Did you see what they did to her?” She fell into his arms and cried. “She’s my best friend, always there when I need her and I sent her to the store. What was I thinking?”

“Tell me, what were you thinking?”

“Fire has a thing about control and giving it to another person. When she thinks she’s losing control, she gets this look on her face. I’ve seen it so many times I know what it means. She was already planning her escape, her bid for freedom just to prove to herself that no one controls her. So, I sent her to the store instead. I thought she could breathe, take a few minutes to realize she’s still in control of her life, get what we needed and come back. I thought wrong. I almost got her killed. He’ll never forgive me, and I don’t blame him.”

She leaned into Enzo’s side and waited for Cait or Tristan to come out. The sun slowly moved across the sky until the first shadow of evening touched the land.

“I figured the two of you would be out here.”

“How is she?”

Cait sat down beside them. Her face was drawn, and her eyes were shadowed.

“She’s going to live. No thanks to the butchers that tried to kill her. You saved her life.”

Her head was shaking when she looked up. Her eyes were wet even though no tears were falling. “I almost killed her by sending her to that store. Can I go see her now?”

“Yes. We can’t move her yet we need to make sure she’s stabilized then we’ll take her back to the compound.”

“Thanks.”

She stood with Enzo standing behind her. “You don’t have to come with me.”

He took her hand and walked into the makeshift operating room with her. She was lying on the bed they brought in. Her skin was so pale she almost looked like she didn’t have a color.

“I’m sorry Fire. I’ll never forgive myself for what I did today.” She turned around unable to meet anyone’s eyes. Enzo was on one side, and Ven was on the other as they walked out together.

“What are we going to do?” Ven asked. Deja was in the driver’s seat crying too hard to drive.

“I’m going to leave. I have no other choice. You’re both going to stay here where you're safe.” She wiped her eyes and turned the ignition.

 

*~*~*~*

 

“Can we move her yet?”

“Give her just a little more time, she’s been through a lot.”

He placed his hand on her cheek. “I should have been there. We should have been connected then I would have known, but we aren’t because I’ve been waiting on her. I keep thinking it’s too soon I have to give her time. How do I give her time after this?”

He scanned the room looking for Enzo not seeing him he looked for Ven.

“They left with Deja. She was crushed.”

He lowered his head. They were his people. Enzo was his beta and so was Deja rather she realized it or not she carried the same rank in the pack, but right now he hurt so much that he couldn’t reach out and offer the comfort that he knew they needed. They would talk when he could, he would tell them not that he understood but that everyone made mistakes even beta’s.

Tristan clasped him on the shoulder. “Let’s get our Alpha home.”

They pulled out a sterile blanket from the bag they carried.

“Those old-time Earth doctors knew what they were doing when they carried around a bag of supplies.”

“Tristan came over and watched a movie with my mate and me. That’s where he discovered doctors that used to carry bags to help people. He decided we needed one. I must admit it was a good idea.”

“You can pick her up now.”

He carefully picked her up and moved towards the car. He gave Xander the keys as he got into the back of the car with her.

“Drive as carefully as possible.”

“Like she is spun gold.”

Declyn caressed her face the whole ride back. “I almost lost her.

“But you didn’t.”

“You’re right, but all I can see is her lying on that table with her insides outside of her body. I think that sight will haunt me forever. Until that moment I thought I was Alpha, that I could wait with no problem for her to pick me. I was lying to myself without realizing it.”

He climbed out and picked up Fire taking her into the house.

Cait and Tristan followed him in.

“If things like this keep happening we may need a med bay.”

“This should have never happened.”

“Alpha.”

“No. Leave it alone. What does she need?”

“Nothing right now. She’s going to wake up and be in pain. Call me when that happens because then she’s going to need meds.”

“Do I need to pick them up?”

“No Deja has already picked them up.” She walked out the room and left him alone with Fire.

“I don’t know why you left without telling me. I don’t know why Deja sent you to the store. That one makes no sense to me. Deja doesn’t do foolish things or at least she hasn’t since she has come here. There has to be a reason, but it’s alluding me. Deja’s life was in danger did you know that? It was.” He undressed and got into the bed with her.

“So was Jessie’s and Mia’s. Jessie almost died on a hospital table because of what her mother did. So why am I so surprised that you almost died? Three for three, but deep inside of me is this well of anger. I’ve never felt anything like this before, and it’s all directed at Deja. I can’t understand it, and it bothers me, but I can’t get past it.”

He rubbed her shoulder and closed his eyes until he felt her hand move on his chest.

“Fire?”

She grimaced. “I bet I look like a mess.”

“You’re beautiful.”

“You have it bad.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. I need to see Deja to tell her…”

“You need a doctor.”

“Deja.”

“After you see Cait.”

She nodded her face was pinched, and her body was shrinking in on itself. He called Cait while her eyes were glazing over.

“She’s up, I think she needs the pain meds.”

“Be right there.”

“Hold on, she’s coming.”

“Don’t forget about Deja.”

“I can’t forget about her even if I try.”

“Hello?”

“Come in Cait.”

“Hey, you’re awake. I’m going to look you over before I give you this shot. It’s going to put you out for a while, but you need the sleep.”

“How bad will the scarring be?”

“Thanks to Tristan you won’t have much. He packed some of the craziest things in our bag, but we used them. One of them was sutures that won’t leave a scar on Kur’ik or human skin. Look at the light. Good. Open up for me.” She checked her vitals as well as her wound. You’re recovering nicely for day one. She pressed the needle against her skin

“I need to talk to…” she fell asleep as the medicine took effect.

“Keep her still, I’ll check on her in the morning.”

“I will.”

She closed the door behind her and came to a stop on the porch.

“How is she?”

“I think she’s going to make a full recovery.”

“That’s what I needed to hear. Tell her…tell her I love her and that I’m sorry.”

“Wait, Deja.” She kept walking until she reached the car.

“You two should stay here.” Ven climbed in the back seat while Enzo got in the front. She got in the driver seat and started the car. “Goodbye everyone, I will miss you,” she whispered before she took off.

Cait took her time walking home. When Deja first came, she didn’t pass judgment good or bad on her, and she still wasn’t passing judgment, but the humans were shaking things up. The males were acting differently, she knew it was hope. She wasn’t sure that hope was necessarily all that good. When there was no hope, everyone was the same, but now each male kept thinking he may be next.

She looked at the office she and Tristan shared and then moved to the open area where the dangerous animals roamed. Their life was so different, but even with the mishaps, the humans were fitting in like they were born to be part of their community.

“Cay,” she called out to her mate.

“I’m in the back room.”

She moved through the living room it was more for guest not that they got many. The back room was where they relaxed. In here they could be themselves take off their professional faces and just relax.

“Hard day?”

“Does it show on my face?”

“It does and through the tenseness of your shoulders. What happened?”

She kicked off her shoes and undressed down to her panties and bra before she sat on the couch next to him snuggling up. She gave him an in-depth look at the day through her eyes.

“What’s bothering you?”

“I thought the right move was to observe and treat what was happening almost like a clinical trial. Now I’m not so sure. I think staying on the outside being non-committed to making everything work isn’t the right strategy.”

“Cait you have to do what you think is right. Here’s the question I think you have to ask yourself. Can you be their friends and still do what you have to do? Like putting the Alpha back together when the need arises.

“I don’t know.”