Chapter Twenty-seven
Hamel woke up completely in love and satisfied. Last night was the most amazing everything he’d ever had. All due to his beautiful mate. He lay on his back while she snuggled to his side, leg thrown over his. This is how he wanted to wake every morning for the rest of his life. Wouldn’t that be fucking awesome? Man, the guys just didn’t know what they were missing. Hopefully his friends and team members would find their mates and be as happy as he was.
Her arm over his chest moved. She started to pull away, but he’d have none of that. His arm wrapped around her back and pulled her closer. Her breast pressed against his side, making him harder than he already was. Morning wood was now a gift instead of a curse.
“Morning, beautiful,” he said.
Her head tilted back to see his eyes. She smiled while her cheeks turned red, then buried her face into his shoulder. “Good morning to you, too.”
He laughed and scooted to the side to bring her face into view again. She was a bit resistant, but gave in. “Are you embarrassed?” After she nodded, he smoothed her mussed hair back and kissed her. He wanted all his love to go into that kiss to tell her she needn’t be shy around him. In fact, the bolder the better. With time she’d get there.
When he pulled back from her, she sighed and kept her eyes closed as if trying to hold on to the bliss. No worries there. Plenty more where that came from. She gave a little laugh. “I’m surprised you’re still here. Most men would’ve been gone before the first hint of light.”
“First off, I’m not most men. Secondly, I’m here to protect you. No place better than your bed to do that.” He slid his finger along her smooth cheek and jaw. “Thirdly, I really like you, Melinda.” His finger pushed her chin up so he could see her eyes. “I really, really like you, Melinda.” Her eyes showed happiness, as did her smell. But what would she say?
She gave him a peck on the nose and rolled away before he could grab her. “I like you, too, Parish. I’m taking a quick shower. Alone, for right now.”
He knew what that meant, hopefully.
He threw off the covers and dropped his legs over the side of the bed. It was nice to sleep in a bed. Luckily the cat enjoyed sleeping outside, or these past few nights would not have been very fun. His phone flashed a red light indicating he had a message waiting. Probably the office checking in. They needed updating after Thursday night’s fiasco.
He listened to the voice mail then speed-dialed the boss.
“Hey, Tumbel. Got your message.”
“Good. How’s it going?”
“Thursday night we caught the thief and learned a lot of backstory that they neglected to share with the agency before we took this job. But it was still the right move to come down here.”
“What kind of backstory?”
“Seems this same virus was first discovered forty years ago then quickly destroyed because of its effect on the human brain. Seems Kintu was part of the original story. He mentioned witch doctors and the ‘other side.’ I’m really hoping that doesn’t mean some spooky shit. What do you think?”
Tumbel was quiet for a minute before responding. “I see.”
Hamel didn’t like the tone in his boss’s voice. “You see what?”
A sigh met his ear. “We received more intel, but pretty much dismissed it as bogus because, at the time, it didn’t fit with what we had.” Hamel waited for the man to continue. “Lately, women and a few men have turned up missing after visiting or talking to certain people.”
“Certain people as in witch doctors?”
“And voodoo priests, spiritual guides, anyone connected to what’s on the other side.”
“Is there really a complete ‘other side’? Ghosts and shit don’t just float around in our world waiting for some poor sap, there’s actually a world of their own? I thought the full-blown monster world was all bullshit made up to scare kids into eating their broccoli.”
Tumbel laughed. “That doesn’t work anymore. You have to threaten to take their phone away, then they’ll listen.” Hamel needed to research how to raise kids. His would be coming soon. Once he mentioned to Melinda she was his mate. A sting touched his chest. Would she love him back? What if she didn’t want him? What if she couldn’t understand or accept the fact that he was different? That he was more than human. He was a shifter. And his animal wanted her love just as badly as he did.
“Hamel? Still there?”
He shook his head to clear his thoughts. “Yeah, here; sorry. Just thinking . . .” About my mate. But didn’t say. He didn’t want the boss thinking he wasn’t doing his job.
Tumbel laughed heartily. “Goddamn, Hamel. Get your ass out of your mate’s bed. Is she coming back with you?”
“Well, I, uh . . .”
Tumbel chuckled again. Hamel was starting to hate the sound. “Let me guess. You haven’t told her yet.”
He grumbled. “I’m working on it. You have to be gentle with this kind of thing.”
Tumbel hooted and laughed on his side of the phone line. “Shit, Hamel, you crack me up. If you need to, take her to your home. Get her settled in, then call me. We’ll see what’s next. May be time to bring in a new recruit.”
Hamel was speechless. He’d been on the ALFA team for so long, he didn’t remember what civilian life was like. He’d saved enough money to retire with a cushy life, but he never really thought the day would come. It was sorta like dying. You knew it would happen, but didn’t think about it.
“All right, sounds good,” he finally said. “I’ll work on getting us a flight out in a day or two.”
Tumbel laughed again. “Better make it three or four days since you haven’t told her that her life is about to totally change. I hope she’s easygoing, for your sake, Hamel. Keep me updated.” Call ended flashed on the screen.
Melinda was as far from easygoing as one could get. She was a research scientist with process and procedures drilled into her skull. He bet she hated change. He was so fucked. Living in Uganda wasn’t a bad idea. The weather was great.
“I’m out of the shower, Hamel,” Melinda hollered. “It’s yours. I’ll start breakfast.”
“Sounds great. Thanks.” He hopped into the small shower, still thinking about how he was going to break the news to his mate. Maybe he could do it the human way. Go out on a date a couple times, get engaged for a week, then married. That didn’t seem bad. He could handle a week and a half. Two at the longest. But what would she do when she saw him shift into his cat? That was the question of the century.
A strange sound came from the other room. He stuck his head out of the shower. “Melinda? Everything okay?” When he didn’t get an answer, he turned off the water and grabbed the towel she’d left out for him. “Melinda?”
As soon as he stepped out of the bathroom, the scent of fear bombarded him. She wasn’t in the room. The balcony doors had been pushed apart. Melinda always had them fully opened or closed. He hurried through them. “Melinda!” His cat senses picked up her smell downwind and caught movement in the woods, not far off.
He leapt off the balcony, sliding down the hill to the flatter ground. With his first step, he was in jaguar form. He’d never changed that quickly in his life. And now was the time he needed it. Whoever was in front of him was fast. Faster than a human could move. That didn’t sit well in his stomach.
His jag gained enough ground to hear Melinda fighting back. Yes, that’s it, baby. Fight as hard as you can. The cat’s nose scented blood, but not Mel’s. Hopefully she could hold her own until he got there.
So much for thinking the threat was over. Who was this second person? Where did he come from? Why hadn’t he or his animal picked up on a partner earlier?
He realized this other person had no scent. Was he using block also? How many people knew a shifter was there? Getting closer, he saw two people break from the trees into an open field. A man had Melinda over his shoulder, her fists pummeling his back, nails scratching at his skin. Even his tighty–whities had been pulled way up in the back.
Hamel shot out from the trees, sights set on taking down the douchebag without hurting his love. He’d have to go for the knees. Sideswipe.
Ahead of them, large stones resembling Stonehenge, but not as dramatic, sat barren with an altar in the middle. This guy was heading for that. Good; he’d pounce and rip the fucker’s head off his body. Nobody touched his mate and lived.
The man didn’t slow, still moving faster than a normal human. Hamel watched as Melinda’s kidnapper leapt onto the altar, then turned and jumped off the back. But they never landed. Instead they disappeared. Gone. His mate was gone!
He came to a sliding stop, panting, not understanding what he saw. The cat smelled for their mate. She wasn’t there. Her scent had completely vanished. How could that be? Anger and fear ripped through him. Shifting back into human form, he roared and systematically tore the rock structure to pieces. When he finished, only small boulders and rubble remained.
Bent over with hands on his knees, he sucked in breaths. Everything in him hurt. Not from breaking rock with his hands, but from his mate being gone. He couldn’t feel her anymore. That could only happen if her soul was gone, if she were dead.
He fell to his knees and roared to the sky. Why did they take her from him?
Behind him a twig snapped. He turned to see the old man from the medical clinic. The one who was supposedly a witch doctor. Without thinking it through, he sprang to his feet and dove at the human. Death to all humans.
The witch doctor put his hand out and a lightning bolt came from his palm and connected with Hamel’s forehead. Next, he found himself staring at the sky from flat on his back. The old man leaned into his sight. “You done?”
“Yeah,” was all Hamel could think to say. His brain must’ve been fried with the strike. The man walked away. Hamel got to his feet and shook his head. That was intense. How did he do that? He jogged to catch up with the witch doctor.
“Wait up. I need your help. Do you know what happened back there, to my mate and whoever took her?”
The witch doctor nodded. “I do. And you’re leaving to get her back.”