A couple of hours later, Khloe and I were waiting next to the two Fenris Security vans. We held hands with our bags on the ground as we looked around and took in the team that would be going with us to South America. Talia stood with Joseph. She had a light in her eyes that I hadn’t seen in a long time. Judging by the look on his face, that battle is over. Kim, Steven, and Alan all looked happy to see their team leader this relaxed.
I leaned over close to Khloe and whispered, “Looks like they are both happy. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her look like that.”
Khloe turned her head and pulled me down for a kiss and said, “She’s not the only one.” Her eyes sparkled just as much as Talia’s.
My parents held hands as they came out a few minutes later and my dad had a long case in his left hand. As they approached, they first went over to Talia and Joseph. They both hugged Talia and spoke quietly with the two of them before my mom spoke to everyone. “Let’s load up and head to the airport.” She looked over to Khloe and I and winked.
We arrived at Logan Airport and went over to the private aviation terminal. This is where the pack keeps a couple of corporate jets and a cargo plane available for instances like this. As we drove up to the security checkpoint I saw that it was Fenris Security that worked the gate. Nice! I thought as the van in front came to a stop and checked in with the guard. I glanced into the rearview mirror at Talia. “We handle the security at Logan?”
She shook her head “No, just the Private Aviation Terminal. TSA and the state handle the rest. Most of the people who travel through this terminal like our company’s discretion.”
After our dad checked with the guard we were waved on through and headed out onto the tarmac. It looked like we were headed toward mom and dad’s Bombardier Global 7000 business jet. “I was expecting the cargo plane not the jet.”
“Maybe they want to send you off to meet my parents in style,” Khloe said laughingly as Talia joined in.
“Hey, what if they don’t like me?”
“My mom is going to love you. It’s my dad that you are going to have to worry about.”
Joseph picked that time to pipe up too. “I’ve got to see this. Alpha werewolf meets world class shifter-witch’s, even more, world class witch father.” He held up his hands in surrender as I eyed him in the mirror. “I get it. I was genuinely worried about you and your dad when it got out about me and Talia.”
I chuckled “Fair enough.”
We pulled up near the steps to the plane and as we got out, some of the ground crew came over to grab our bags, which were hard-shell cases that were sealed with diplomatic tape to protect them from inspection by customs.
I walked around to Khloe and grabbed her hand as we went over to the steps where my parents were waiting for the four of us. The rest of the team was already on the jet. My dad held a long black case. I had a strange feeling about what was inside. As we approached, my mom was handing Talia and Joseph their passports. I noticed that they were the red Diplomatic passports. I wondered how she managed that? Mom hugged Talia and Joseph and then they said goodbye to dad as Khloe and I came up to mom and she handed us our passports.
“Diplomatic passports mom?”
“Yes, I have a few friends in the state department that are members of the Mid-Atlantic pack and I asked for a few favors to help expedite your journey.”
I shook my head as I leaned in for a hug and a kiss. “Thanks, Mom.”
“You just make sure you bring them home. I’m happy that you two have found someone.”
My mom hugged Khloe as I walked over to my dad. “Is that what I think that is dad?” I pointed to the case in his hand.
He looked down at the case then back up to me, “Yes, it is. Talia has her short swords and Khloe has her magic. You and the others have your firepower but I had a feeling that you might need this. I hope that you don’t but I’d rather you take it and not need it.” He left the rest unsaid. I took it and hugged him.
“I’ll do everything in my power to make sure we all make it home.”
“I know you will, son. I’m proud of the man you’ve become. Take care of my girls.”
Khloe and I headed up the stairs into the jet. Inside Kim, Steven, and Alan were sitting at one of the table areas talking and joking around, just like I did a hundred times while being deployed. Talia and Joseph were sitting together talking quietly. I pointed out the seats in the back to Khloe and followed her over to them. The hostess came over and took our drink orders and asked if we were hungry. As we sat down Khloe looked at the case.
“What’s inside the case? Seemed really important to your dad.”
I placed the case on the table before us, flipped the latches up, and opened the case. A soft actinic light lit up the area around us. Khloe sucked in a sharp breath when she realized what was inside the case.
“Is that what I think that is?” She asked.
I nodded “Yes, it’s my father’s angelic blade. It’s called ‘Nightbane’.”
“Why did he give it to you? Can you wield it?”
“Yes, I’m the only one besides him that can wield it. Talia tried once when we were teenagers while learning how to use swords and other blades. Our dad was sure one of us could wield it. He thought it would be T because she has always had a proficiency with most blades, but when she picked it up it burned her. I have never had any problem using it. Dad thinks it’s because I’m male.” I paused and bit my bottle lip for second before I shook my head. “I’m not sure. All I know is he had a ‘feeling’ that I would need it. I’ve learned to never doubt his ‘feelings’.”
Khloe reached out with her hand toward the Nightbane and before I could stop her she gripped the pommel and lifted the sword out of the case. Her eyes were full of wonder. I sat there with my mouth hanging open as I realized that dad had never intended me to use the sword. I looked over to where Talia and Joseph were sitting and saw that she was watching Khloe too.
Khloe slipped out of her seat and into the open area in the back of the cabin. She began to test the weight of the sword and get a feel for it. It looked like an extension of her arm as she went through a couple weapon katas. She returned to her seat and placed the blade back into the case after the pilot said that we have been cleared to depart. I closed the case and placed in on the floor next to my seat. I leaned over and kissed my surprised and shocked girl. I took her hand as I laid back, put in my ear buds, pulled up Barbarians by Sixx AM, and closed my eyes as we took off headed to god only knows what.
About two hours later Khloe woke me up for dinner. “How’d you sleep?”
“Not bad. I’ve never flown in mom and dad’s jet. This is nice. Did they say how long the flight will be?”
“About 6 hours or so. Hell of a lot better than how I got to Boston from home.”
“Yeah, I can imagine. This sure would’ve been nice on some of the ops they sent me on. What’s for dinner anyway?”
“Roasted lamb, garlic mashed potatoes, and asparagus. Talia said that your mom requested it because it was one of your favorite dishes.”
“Oh, yes!” My mouth began watering at the thought of roasted lamb. I raised my seat up and began looking around the cabin to see how everyone else was doing. Looked like everyone else was sleeping as well. I looked back at Khloe and kissed her. “What can we expect when we get there?”
“In Lima or when we get to Tabatinga?”
“I guess both. I mean, I know we’re meeting your parents and Lima is a big city like Boston. So, I’m probably more interested in Tabatinga. What kind of supernaturals live there?”
Khloe laughed placed her hand on my leg and said, “Oh, my sweet boy, Lima is more like New York City than Boston. It even has a population of over 8 million. I get your point though, and yes, Lima will be like any big city so we should be able to get in and out without too many eyes seeing us.”
I looked chagrined and continued “’Sweet boy’, seriously?”
“Yes, I haven’t thought of an adequate nickname for my cuddly wolf yet.” She said rather smugly.
I just shook my head and grabbed her hand. My wolf seemed to settle into contentment whenever Khloe and I touched. The hostesses woke everyone up for dinner. As I looked around the cabin I thought about the recent changes my life has taken. Just then I looked over at Talia and she was looking at me with much the same expression on her face. I smiled at her and she nodded. She understood what I was thinking and that she was thinking the same thing.
After dinner, the seven of us all gathered around the small conference table that was behind the seating area. Damn if my parents didn’t have everything on this plane. Talia pulled out a briefcase and produced maps and satellite images of the area where the mysterious temple was said to be.
“Looks to be mostly unpopulated and off one of the tributaries that flow through the area,” Joseph said as he looked at the satellite photos.
Alan looked up at the map and asked “How are we getting there? None of us were in the Navy.”
I looked to Khloe “He has a point. I mean I know how to operate a boat but we’re going to need someone who we can trust and knows the rivers.”
She stared down at the maps in thought. “My dad knows a couple of retired Navy guys who live here.” She pointed to what looked like a village across the river from Tabatinga. “They are what was called ‘Brown Water Navy’, you know, river patrol. My dad grew up with them back in Salem when they were kids. They run a charter fishing boat that runs the rivers in the area.”
Talia and Kim both asked, “What kind of supernatural population is there in Tabatinga?”
Khloe pulled out her smartphone and typed a few things before speaking. “It looks like there is a population around 100,000 or so. I would expect the usual collection of vampires and who knows how they are going to respond. They could either be with Kirin or not. There is no way to tell. My concern is for the witch circles in the area since a large portion of them practice death magic. It’s been a holdover since the days of the Mayan, Incan, and Aztec civilizations. Blood sacrifices provide powerful energies to fuel spells and enchantments. Most shifters and Were’s will not pay us any attention unless it’s an Alpha since both Dorian and Talia have that aura about them. They might feel threatened that you’re going to challenge them for their pack.”
I looked at Talia. “Hopefully our mother has sent word to the packs down here that we are going to be in the area for a visit and are not interested in staying any longer than we have to.”
“Ok, that’s about all we can go over until we get to Tabatinga. Kim, Alan and Steven, I want you three to secure our cargo when we land. I trust the diplomatic seals to work with the human customs officers but I don’t trust the seals with stop anyone else who might be curious. As much as I would like to take this jet to Tabatinga, I think it would be like sending up a giant flare to anyone looking. We are going to secure something less conspicuous to travel there. There are several air freight companies to choose from. We’ll worry about that after our meeting with Khloe’s parents and her clan.” I said as I looked at her for any idea what to call them. Last time I checked bird shifters didn’t call themselves a pack but who knew.
“Cast. We are called a cast but clan will also work. You would be right in thinking that no, we don’t refer to ourselves as a pack. That’s for the furry ones, like you guys.” She said as she laughed at our expressions.
With that, we broke up and settled in for the remainder of the flight.