CHAPTER THREE
There were two main reasons Dylan chose to deal with the issue firsthand, and take the mission himself: the first being no one other than him could ask permission from the panther clan leader to cross the area and borrow one of their boats to get to the island, and the second being that his presence would put Isaac into alert at the knowledge that this was indeed a serious matter.
The third—the undisclosed one—was a completely personal reason. It was also the one that permanently cemented his decision.
Being in charge of New York headquarters meant it wasn’t easy to leave things unattended, so Dylan organized things in a way that would give all the clan leaders under him a role: he handed each leader a current political event to attend and a department to manage. They had a closed door meeting about where he was headed, and all the leaders supported the decision despite a few arguments about his safety and the need to bring bodyguards.
In the end, Dylan decided to proceed with two companions rather than bodyguards, and he chose the most unusual suggestions of the bunch—a teenage wolf shifter who was slowly growing in power and potential, and a teenage witch who was an apprentice of a close ally. He made the announcement and asked Henrik to gather the two selected companions, telling them to pack light and to bring whatever protection they could, especially the witch. They would be taking a portal the next morning to the country itself, and would take a flight to the exact area from there.
At dawn, Henrik brought forth the two companions to Dylan’s office, where they were briefed about the mission. Simon Alison looked like a normal shifter at seventeen, but based on the missions he tagged along on, he was showing real strength and quick responses to tight situations. His lanky figure and pleasant dark looks made him look dreamy and affable, hiding a very intelligent and sharp mind. It was something that would prove useful.
Robin Chelsey, the sixteen-year-old witch who was a protégé of Henrik’s witch mate, was the opposite of Simon’s dreamy dark looks. She looked like someone who could kill you with a glare or hypnotize you with her big green eyes, and it would prove to be useful, too.
But Dylan was blunt with them when he told them the purpose why they were the ones chosen for this particular mission.
“When all else fails, I’m going to need you both imprisoned with the lot as part of our cover-up. From there you will find a way out, and bring as many slaves with you as you can. Do you think you can manage that?”
Both teenagers had no protest. The three proceeded to the location of the portal that only a few shifters could access, Dylan being one of them. The teenagers held on to him and they all closed their eyes. A few seconds later, a chilling sensation surrounded them, like being wrapped in ice—then a blinding light flashed behind their eyelids, followed by an explosion of colors.
When the three opened their eyes, they were in Brazil.
*****
An hour later, they were already at the location Henrik had given him. Dylan knew the exact moment they entered the panther clan’s territory. There was a certain feeling in the air that gave it away, though he doubted other, less powerful shifters would detect it. The flight they took only had them reaching the city, so the three had to trek all the way to the mountain area where things got steadily quieter, along with the feeling that someone was watching them. They crossed over to a hilly area with trees surrounding it, and a view of the ocean and the skies opening up in front of them. The clouds were currently a dark gray, indicating that it could rain any minute now.
Simon and Robin were both as quiet as he was, neither making any unnecessary movements. He could tell Simon was doing his best not to tense up, his face holding a placid expression. Robin’s face was completely closed off and unreadable.
Dylan cleared his throat.
“My name is Dylan Masters. I would like to request an audience with your clan leader.”
Silence greeted his loud, calm statement. But a few seconds later, the trees shifted, revealing men in clothing that matched their brown and green surroundings. They weren’t carrying any weapons, but there was no need considering what they were.
A tall, dark-skinned fellow with light green eyes stepped forward.
“We know who you are,” he said, his Brazilian accent clear and heavy. “Who are they?”
Dylan nodded at his two companions, who still didn’t move. “These are my trusted companions—a wolf shifter like me and a practicing witch. They are merely kids and mean no harm.”
The man took this information in for a few seconds before he finally nodded his head. Like them, his face held no expression as he indicated with an arm for the other men to stand down.
“Follow me,” he clipped out.
Then he was leading the way towards the forest.
The three followed. Dylan took in the scene, noting down that the area was similar to Henrik’s African home, with its humidity and fog. They passed by too many twists and turns, which Dylan knew was a precaution in case intruders decided to escape with the path memorized. After what seemed like half an hour, they finally arrived at a large clearing that held a beautiful waterfall in the middle. Its water was light brown and strong, and the man quickly navigated the rocks and slipped behind the waterfall, disappearing from sight.
A few seconds of following, Dylan ducked behind the falls as well, where he finally saw the entrance to a cave that wasn’t at all visible from the outside.
The cave was huge—bigger than any he’d seen in a while, with trees and greenery growing at the entrance and a ceiling that was very high and filled with brown stalactites. It was wide, too and the line that they all followed when coming here shifted as the men who’d been watching them earlier flanked the three, while the dark-skinned man kept leading the way. They passed by low and high passages, amazed at the contrast of everything—pictures and art hanging on the rough walls, and furniture everywhere. There were enough lights to make the place bright, coming from chandeliers hanging from the low ceiling and bonfires burning here and there.
The panther clan wasn’t as huge as the population at New York headquarters with all the shifters combined, but it was enough to rival the bear clan, who had the largest population third to the wolf and rat clan. Dylan had never seen this before, and had never received intel about it, which only cemented his thought that their leader took care of his clan and kept it from going extinct—and that they kept to themselves.
They finally reached a long hallway headed towards a part of the cave structured into a room. Dylan ducked into the low entrance after the man who led the way, where his eyes were greeted with marble tiles artfully melded with the rocky floor. A chandelier made of ivory and wood hung from the ceiling, and furniture and more lights burning from torches on stilts scattered the area. In the middle was an elevated chair made of wood, almost a symbol.
Sitting in the middle of the large chair was Isaac Hart, eyeing them quietly. Based on his expression, he’d been informed ahead of their arrival.
The dark-skinned man bowed. Isaac waved a hand, his deep voice echoing in the air
“Thank you, Clay. Our men may stand back.”
The men flanking them did as ordered. Dylan and his companions stayed where they were, standing in the middle of the room facing the chair.
Isaac stood up. He was a tall, tanned man, lean and muscled, but his movements were graceful and calculated. It gave one the image of a dancer—or a swordsman, one who was absolutely skilled and would dance around you until you were dead. Just like a panther, really. His hair was black and his eyes the lightest of blue, imitating the clear sky. There was a certain gleam in them that spoke of danger and fun—like they were taunting one to take the risk and see which side came out.
Those blue eyes met Dylan’s.
“Masters,” he intoned, that sly quality of tone making its appearance.
“Hart,” Dylan returned pleasantly.
“To what do I owe this visit?”
Might as well get it over with. Dylan nodded to the panther clan leader, not breaking their gaze.
“I need your help dealing with a slavery business. And you may need mine.”