Chapter Eleven
The trip to the main house was quick. Dinner was a boisterous affair with everyone talking at once. By the time Calloway and Darby finished and headed to the front room, he had been formally introduced to everyone currently on the property. He had plans with Reno, Tah’s second-in-command, to visit the next day to discuss what he could do to help the pride.
They seemed to have a good setup on the ranch. The lack of big forests or hills made for an easier defense. Visitors could be seen for miles before they ever reached the pride’s home. They had a fully functioning medical center manned by Gideon, Diane and the professor. Dr. Jensen worked there, as well, when he was on site. He still traveled quite a bit, and often, he now took a shifter named Griffin with him. Both were gone at the moment, having been called to check on a coyote shifter who’d been injured in a fall. It appeared the man had broken bones which had healed too fast without being properly set. A complication shifters had to watch for. He didn’t envy the other man the pain of having the bones re-broken.
Murphy Dockery and Daniel Erikson were also away. The official story was that they were searching for information on a lab where one of their members had been held, but Calloway had the impression there was more involved than that. He was still trying to place everyone and envied his mate’s ability to know them all immediately. There were several sets of siblings, and the interweaving of them all was enough to make Calloway dizzy.
He knew Murphy Dockery was the brother of the red-haired man he’d met named Finn. They were Irish and most likely played into why Darby’s father was in Ireland at the moment. Finn was mated to a female shifter named Laura, who was also the shifter who’d been held prisoner. Laura was the sister to one of Tah’s closest friends, Logan Dobson. He was the blond male who’d joked with Tah when Calloway had first come face-to-face with the alpha and the one Gideon had told them had only recently had his animal come out of regression. Calloway knew Darby had been startled by that bit of information.
There were others. Ones he didn’t remember and some whose names he could: Reno, Amia, Clara, Zane and Vic, Gideon’s mate whom he’d met before. The liger shifter was Gabriel Erikson, more commonly known among shifters as the Angel. He was mated to Kenzie Marshall, the tiny brunette Abby had mentioned they’d almost lost when Isaac Erikson had died. It appeared this Kenzie was somehow related to Clara. He was still confused on that whole story. There was a short blond who could have passed for Vic’s sister but wasn’t related. Her name was Ariel. There was something about her that made Calloway very cautious when anywhere near her. She had an air of fragility she tried to hide behind a veneer of strength. In his opinion, she was one strike away from shattering. He hoped he was wrong.
He stood along the wall, arms crossed as he watched everyone. It wasn’t that he didn’t feel included. They’d all gone out of their way to welcome both him and Darby to the pride. He watched because of the way they all interacted with one another. This pride really was a family. The laughter and jokes and the way the two little girls were fawned over by every member was just a brief example of how much of a unit they were—a unit he was now part of. He never would have thought it was possible.
“My head is spinning,” Darby said as she joined him.
“I was just thinking the same,” he joked.
She grinned. “My fingers are itching to jot down everything I’ve learned since we’ve arrived. Plus, after meeting a few of them and speaking one-on-one, I think I have access to information that could help some of those here. Clara’s asked me to see what I can find out about her uncle. I think she fears the worst. I promised I’d look into it.”
She was excited. Her face practically glowed with it. This was her element, gathering facts and helping others.
“Her uncle, a shifter named Thomas Walker, is the man who helped you and Gideon escape.”
Calloway nodded though he didn’t quite agree. Thomas had freed Gideon and had seemed content to do that. Gideon had been the one to free the rest of the shifters, refusing to leave without them. It was a distinction Calloway would never forget.
Tah whistled, gaining everyone’s attention, and Darby moved closer to Calloway’s side. He smoothed his palm down her spine before cupping her hip and holding her to him.
“You’ve all had a chance to meet Calloway and Darby, our newest additions to the pride” Tah stated. “I know there are a lot of questions, but tonight, we’re going to listen. I’ve asked Darby to give us a rundown on what she knows of our history, starting from the very beginning. There’ll be time for questions later.” He turned toward Calloway and Darby and nodded. “Darby, whenever you’re ready.”
Calloway gave her a squeeze then watched with pride as she stepped away and moved toward the center of the room.
“It all began a long, long time ago,” Darby began. “History tells of a time when a tribe of nomadic people lived on the African plains. They were strong and fierce warriors, taking only what they needed from nature and always giving back. The Great Creator smiled down on the people and decided to give them a gift to show his pride in them.
“Each member of the tribe would be blessed with a spirit guide who would share their form and allow them to shift at will from animal to man. They became the paka watu or cat people. The tribe leader accepted the spirit of the lion and lay the foundation for his pride. The spirits of great cats called to the people from far and wide, and the people opened their bodies offering refuge. They aligned with lions, tigers, panthers, jaguars, cheetahs, pumas and leopards. All cat spirits who called found safe haven.
“The great pride leader, with his lion spirit, guided his people with strength and cunning. They guarded the secret of the Creator’s gift from all others, understanding that jealousy and hatred could brew from those who had no such gifts. As often occurs though, jealousy and hatred can form in those you never suspect.
“The pride leader lost his young wife during the birth of their child. She labored for hours, but the baby would not come. As she felt her spirit waning, she took a knife to her swollen belly and cut free her son. The whole pride mourned the loss. Even the lands rebelled, and famine struck a deep blow. Many feared this was an evil omen. Rumors spread that the mother had been poisoned, and fear grew as the child seemed to struggle to hold onto the life he’d been given.”
Calloway was as wrapped up in the story as everyone else. It was more than just the words, the history he hadn’t known. It was the way Darby shared it, the animation and passion in her voice. It brought everything to life as if he were seeing the beginning playing out behind the lids of his eyes.
“That was when a pale mwanamke, or woman, was found in the bush beaten and close to death. The people took her in and nursed her back to health, though some whispered it was another bad omen. She fought many demons as her body and mind struggled to heal. The fever was strong, and many nights they prayed to the Great Creator to watch over and protect her as she fought in the spirit world.
“Then she awoke, weak of body and spirit, but alive. And with her waking, the land awoke. The rains began, and the people rejoiced. The pride leader came to see her and saw beauty in her heart. Her laughter warmed him, and as his people grew to love her, so did he.
“The family of his deceased wife had another daughter and offered her to the pride leader many times to take the place of her sister. She was beautiful to look upon, but he found no love in her heart and didn’t want her. He took the pale mwanamke as his second wife, and the Great Creator blessed him with another son with skin pale like his mother and eyes of amber. They called him Tau,” Darby paused and stared across the room at Tah and Abby, “after the great lion spirit of his father. The land rejoiced with them. Food and water were plentiful, and the people wanted for nothing.
“Tau grew as big and strong as his father, and more and more, the people turned to him for answers when his father was busy or away. It was rumored that the poison had festered inside the eldest son, leaving him frail and weak. Hatred for all but his cherished aunt seemed to burn from his eyes.”
Many of them were leaning forward, on the edge of their seats as Calloway’s mate continued speaking. Abby and Tah both sat quietly, nodding every once in a while as if Darby had confirmed something for them.
“Then came the day when Tau reached manhood and spoke of a dream sent to him in the night by the Great Creator. He was to be blessed with the same spirit as his father, a lion, fierce and strong.
“While holding the people spellbound, Tau shifted, taking the shape of the great lion he was named for. The people celebrated, understanding the significance of his spirit guide and rejoicing in the knowledge he would be the next to lead them.
“His older brother was enraged. Not only had the Creator not gifted him with a spirit animal, but now, his younger half-brother was being proclaimed the one who would follow in their father’s stead as pride leader. The pride leader was urged by those closest to him to banish his eldest son, but he refused, seeing his first love in the boy.
“Then things began to happen that could not be ignored. Attempts on Tau’s life, one killing the man who’d been walking next to him. A guard was given to the next leader, a young man who possessed the rare spirit of a white tiger.”
“Jesus,” Reno muttered.
“His name was Ren. He swore a blood oath that he and all who came of his blood would protect the pride leader until the last breath left their body.”
“I knew it,” Abby said, and Calloway almost shushed her so Darby could continue. He needed to hear all of it. Every moment of what had happened. Apparently, the professor felt the same way.
“Keep going,” he urged, all but dancing in his seat.
“The pride leader went to the Great Creator and asked for help. The Creator warned that if he placed this into the hands of the gods, their sentence would have to be carried out. The leader agreed. Two days later, he had his answer.
“The gods had found among the people a mabaya moja, an evil one. So deep was the evil that he had been denied a spirit guide. It was this evil one who had risen up and sought to destroy what he could never have. The gods proclaimed a sentence of death, but when the leader found out who it was, he couldn’t follow through. The gods warned him, reminding him of the promise to obey their sentence, but still, he wouldn’t.
“Instead, his heart heavy with guilt, he sent away his eldest son, banishing him from the people. Two days later, the leader’s wife died when her water was poisoned. He sent Tau and Ren, along with a group of young warriors, to take his beloved’s body and bury it in the way of her people.
“It was while they were gone that the eldest son returned, bringing with him the wawindaji kubwa nyeupe, or great white hunters, who carried with them weapons of death and torture . The pride leader and those with him fought valiantly, but they were outnumbered. It’s said his roar split the heavens when he fell under the weight of many spears, helpless to heed the cries of his fallen pride as he lay broken and dying. Many of his pride fell with him that day, and their spirits cried out to the Creator who took mercy on them and sent chaos amongst the hunters, scattering them from his people.
“It was then that Tau returned, the bodies of the fallen not yet cold. He searched amongst the dead and dying until he found his father. He let his animal guide lead him then shifted from man to lion, so both could mourn the loss. He poured out his grief to the heavens, his roar shaking the earth, as he cried out his sorrow and anger. The night filled with the growls of many cats as the remaining pride joined him.
“When morning came, Tau went to his pride with a heavy heart and explained how the paka watu must no longer be. He explained that the Great Creator had visited him in the night and stated it was no longer safe for them to remain. To save the spirits that guided them, they must do the unthinkable. They were to sing their spirit guides into a deep sleep. Once completed, the remaining pride members would flee to different parts of the world, finding solace in blending with those around them.
“Each remaining member took a different path, walking alone on a voyage that would see them spread across the earth. To protect them, the passage of time would allow the knowledge of what slept within them to fade away.
“It is said the Creator promised that a time would come when one who bears the mark of the beast would search out the new Tau. The marked one would wake the beast, and the pride would rise again.”
Calloway caught movement out of the corner of his eye and noticed Abby dropping her hand to cover her side. He’d heard from Darby about the scar Abby had from where an injured lion’s paw had swiped across her. It had happened when her parents had died, if he remembered correctly. His mate had informed him that many hunters had believed the one bearing the mark of the beast would be the shifter. Tah did have a tattoo of a lion’s head on his side, but Darby said that was manmade while Abby’s was a literal mark of the beast. Darby’s logic made sense to Calloway.
“It was also said that there would be those sent by the gods to watch over the sleeping pride, offering guidance and protection when most needed.
“There was also a warning. The hunters, though scattered, would never forget the paka watu and what they represented. With each new generation, they would seek to destroy the descendants, in the hope the Tau would never awaken.”
“Have there been others?” Reno asked. “Before Tah? Were there other descendants?”
“Yes,” Darby answered with a slow nod.
“What happened to them?” Tah demanded.
“We’re not sure. We have record of them then they…disappear. The one who came to our attention before you was a man named Dale Tahmond.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. When she found what she looked for, she carried it over to Tah and Abby and held it out for them to see.
Abby gasped, eyes going wide. Calloway remembered Darby mentioning Dale Tahmond’s name to Abby and Tah, but she hadn’t gone into much detail or shown a picture.
“As you can see, he looks remarkably like you, Tah.”
The others crowded around, each wanting a look at the man Darby spoke of. Calloway kept his position against the wall. He’d have plenty of time to look later, when he and Darby were back in their cabin.
“He disappeared?” Abby asked.
“It was the early 1900s. He mated and began gathering a small pride of followers. They traveled and ended up in New Mexico, but the Native Americans were unwilling to have what the Navajo referred to as skinwalkers close to them. They feared Tah and his pride until the night they saved a young Navajo boy’s life. No one ever spoke of what happened that night, not even the watchers who witnessed it. The boy was close to death when Tah and his two best friends came across him. They saved his life and returned him to his family. The boy’s grandfather was a respected tribal elder. The tribe still refused to allow the pride to settle near them, knowing their people would never believe skinwalkers wouldn’t hunt them and kill them in their sleep. There was a secret tribunal though, one the boy’s father was a part of. It consisted of members from several Native American nations. They promised the pride a place of refuge. Two days later, Dale Tahmond and the shifters he’d gathered to him disappeared. They were never seen again. Two watchers disappeared with them.”
“And none other appeared until our Tah?” the professor asked.
“No,” Darby confirmed. “I believe it was with his disappearance that things first began to change and watchers took a more active role. It was his watcher actually, who changed it, a man named Ebidiah Lane.”
The words seemed to hit Abby hard, and Calloway practically saw her mind spinning.
“We were only to watch and record, but Ebidiah changed that when he stepped in for Dale Tahmond and saved his life. I’m afraid most of his journals were lost, Abby, but I’ll share everything I can with you.”
Abby nodded. “I have several things I can share with you, as well.”
“Tell them what else the watchers have done,” Tah ordered Darby.
“We’ve followed Ebidiah’s lead. We not only record, but we step in and protect when we can.” Darby paused and took a deep breath. “We’ve even infiltrated the enemy, joining with hunters when the opportunity presented itself.”
“What the fuck?” someone muttered.
“It allows us to have inside sources. These are the people who contact you with information when one of you is captured. These are the people who risk their lives to help set you free. They blow up labs, foul up testing and information and do it all at personal risk. We don’t just watch. We’re in the fight with you.”
“That explains the contacts,” Gabriel muttered, and several heads nodded as if that were something they’d been wondering about.
“Some of them,” Tah agreed, glancing toward Gabriel. “But there’s more.”
“And it involves my father,” Gabriel stated with a grunt. “I knew the bastard was up to no good. It has to do with all those codes we found, doesn’t it? What did the bastard do?”
“Isaac recruited people and sent them to join with the hunters. Civilians with little to no training.”
“Fuck,” Reno swore.
“We’ve received an SOS about one of them,” Darby said.
“Someone we believe to be the MQJ mentioned in Isaac’s papers,” Tah added. “Darby made a phone call, requesting help and information. We’re waiting to hear back from them now.”
“Daniel and Murph are still out in Montana. Dusty and Reed left a few days ago to check on them. That gives us four in the field when you get a call, Darby,” Reno said.
Calloway had forgotten about the two Native American members of the pride. Darby had been looking forward to meeting them. Calloway’s guess was she thought they were either linked to the original Navajo family Dale Tahmond had helped or to the tribunal that had helped the earlier pride disappear. Possibly both.
“And I’ll need to know everything you’re told,” Reno continued. “This could be nothing more than a trap. Send out a distress signal and wait for one of us to respond. We’ve been through too much to take any of this at face value. Hope that doesn’t offend you, Darby.”
It was funny how Reno’s thoughts were the same ones Tah had expressed when Darby had explained it all to the alpha. Of course, Darby believed such a trap would be for the watchers and not for the pride, but she’d already expressed that to Tah so Calloway doubted she’d bring it up again.
“Of course not,” Darby assured Reno. “I’ve already promised Tah I’ll inform all of you as soon as I hear anything, but I may not know much until this MQJ has been found.”
“By those on the inside, you mean?” Reno questioned.
“Yes. They’ll evaluate risk and see if it’s possible to extract. By the time I hear back, it will all be decided. If they can get to her or him, they’ll be in touch with when and where to pick them up.”
“I think this is enough for tonight,” Tah announced. “I know there’s more you can tell us, Darby.” He shared a glance with his mate. “There are things we can disclose, also. Let’s meet again tomorrow after dinner to go over the more current stuff. See what you can divulge to us about the watchers intel since they infiltrated differing hunter sects. We’ll share what we can.”
Darby nodded, and when Tah stood, everyone began dispersing.
“Darby,” Abby called as Calloway’s mate headed toward him.
He walked to Darby instead, linking their fingers as they waited for Tah and Abby to walk over to them.
“Tah has something to share with Calloway first,” Abby said and glanced at her husband.
“The professor didn’t find anything concerning in your lab work,” Tah rumbled. “There’s an increase in certain markers to show you’ve newly mated. The professor has noted that specific enzymes multiply at that time. He believes it’s in preparation for the transference of that material to the mate. He found very minute traces of a grade of feral fever in your blood, but not enough for alarm.”
“Thank you.” Calloway felt his knees get a little weak at the news. Knowing that brought him so much relief. He’d been doing his best to hold the beast in rein since he’d been on the ranch, refusing to shift when his cougar called. Maybe, he could now. Maybe, it was time to truly introduce his mate to the other half of him.
“We all go in for routine lab work to make sure nothing arises. The professor will set you up on a schedule and keep you informed of the results. You’re not alone anymore, Calloway,” Abby assured him, placing a hand on his forearm and giving it a squeeze. Then she turned to his mate. “Would you join me for a few minutes? There’s something the professor and I have decided to share with you.”
“Of course,” Darby agreed.
“Good. Follow me,” Abby urged and headed from the room. She led them down a hall, past the office they’d first been led to and into another room. The professor was already there. It appeared to be a small library of sorts with several bookcases, overflowing with material. Darby seemed to know exactly what they were.
“Oh my God,” she uttered on an indrawn breath. “Where? How? Whose?” She couldn’t seem to get out a complete sentence, but Abby apparently didn’t need her to.
“From all over,” Abby answered. “The professor collected most of them. There are some from Africa and even a few from Ebidiah Lane.”
“It was all lost,” Darby said, shaking her head in wonder. “I’ll want to read them and record them in the database. They need to be recorded.” Darby seemed ready to argue that point, but Abby nodded.
“We figured as much. I’ve also spoken with Tah about you recording what you see here. He’s agreed, though we will have some conditions we’ll want you to follow,” Abby stated.
“Absolutely,” Darby agreed, without asking for more information. She just seemed excited that she would be allowed to write everything down.
“When you left earlier, I did some research of my own into Dale Tahmond, though I didn’t come across any pictures of him.” Abby still appeared a little shocked at how closely the earlier alpha resembled her own mate, Tah.
“The one we have is the only one in existence that we know of,” Darby explained.
“I know the importance of information,” Abby continued. “It’s what led me to the legend and the man I love. It’s also the way we learn so we don’t repeat the mistakes of those who came before us.”
“Yes,” Darby agreed.
“I’ll work with you on all of it,” Abby said. “That’s non-negotiable. From this moment on, we’re a team. I get access to the database and all it offers, and you get access to this room and all we have to offer.”
Darby nodded. “Agreed.”
Calloway wondered if Darby knew what she was promising and if she even had the ability to make such a promise without consulting her father.
“Meet me here first thing tomorrow morning,” Abby ordered, sounding very much like her mate. “We have a lot to teach one another.”