Mikal (Second Wave Book 3) (5 page)

“Chris . . . I need help. Really quick,” he said.

Mikal sighed in relief as his brother immediately replied.

“Where do you need me?” Chris demanded.

“I’m going to send you the coordinates. I need you to be as calm and cool as you can brother, this situation is very . . . tenuous,” Mikal warned.

“What is going on?” Chris’s voice softened.

Mikal sighed and smiled down at Alpha Two as he responded to his brother.

“I have found my people. A female. She escaped a military controlled lab where she was created. She has sisters still inside . . .” Mikal began before Chris cut him off.

“Give me the coordinates. We’re coming, brother. We’re coming now,” Chris said, his love and happiness for Mikal clear in his tone of voice.

Mikal smiled, pulled out his comm, and acquired the GPS coordinates for his brother. Now, he had to convince Alpha Two to let them help. Somehow, Mikal knew that was going to be harder than getting information from the doctor.

While the doctor whimpered quietly, Mikal pulled Alpha Two outside.

“Do you finally believe that I am not from a lab?” he asked her bluntly.

Alpha Two thought about it for a moment and nodded her head.

“Good. I was telling the truth about being adopted. I have 22 brothers and one sister who were also adopted by my father, and a wonderful baby brother and new baby sister from his mate. Let me show you pictures of them,” Mikal said proudly as he pulled out his comm again, flipped through his pictures, and told her who was who.

Alpha Two was stunned as she looked through the pictures showing Mikal smiling and joking around with a bunch of other guys, none of whom looked anything like him. When he got to the picture of him holding his new baby sister, he stopped and smiled broadly.

“This is our new baby sister. Her name is Grace. She’s a little over a week old now. That was taken only hours after she was born. You should see her close up! She’s just gorgeous. And so smart! And Tristan! He’s . . . everything to me. We have a bond I’ve had with no other,” Mikal said, unable to keep the pride and love for his family out of his voice and energy.

It was exactly those emotions that convinced Alpha Two that he was telling the truth—that and the hundreds of pictures of him and his family in dozens of different places. Although she was very happy that he’d never had to know the humiliation and pain of being held captive, tortured, and treated like an animal, she was a little jealous that she and her sisters had never been able to know such freedom and joy.

Alpha Two smiled at him briefly.

“I am very happy for you, but I really need to get back in there,” she said as she went to head back inside.

Mikal held his arm out to stop her.

“Wait . . . I’m telling you all of this to convince you to trust me. To trust us. We aren’t from here. The doctor was right about that. My family is special. We have resources, and we can help you get them out of there,” he said, his eyes pleading with her to trust him.

Alpha Two looked at him suspiciously.

“Why? Why would anyone risk themselves for us? Why would you?” she demanded.

Mikal sighed. He understood why she would have problems trusting anyone, but he didn’t have much time to convince her either. If he knew his brothers, they had another five minutes—maybe 10—before the place was swarming in well-meaning siblings. Mikal gently took her hands in his own and opened his energy to her.

“Listen to me. But not just my words, listen to my energy. I would help because you are my people, and I want to learn everything I can about who I am. What I am. I will help your sisters because they are also my people, and from what I can tell, we’re all that there is of us.”

“My family will help because they love me, and that’s what family does. It’s why you’re doing what you are for your sisters—because they’re family. Please, let my family help our family,” Mikal said.

Alpha Two shook her head slightly, overwhelmed by the emotions and feelings that she could feel radiating from Mikal.

“I . . .” Two began when she felt the air above them begin to churn.

Two ducked and started to disappear when Mikal grabbed her arm and held her tight, his energy somehow preventing her from dissolving into the air. She looked at him with fear-filled eyes.

Mikal shook his head at her.

“Stop! Don’t be afraid. It’s my family. They’re here to help,” he said, sending her calming energy as his brothers began dropping into the clearing from the now uncloaked ship above them.

Chris was the first with boots on the ground, and he ran over to Mikal and the strange female. Without a second thought he grabbed Mikal into a hug.

“Brother!” Chris said.

Two stared in amazement as the people in Mikal’s pictures began dropping from the ship above them, filling up the small clearing. She was getting ready to try and slip into the cabin when a woman with long chestnut hair grabbed her into a hug.

Angel squeezed Two then pulled away, looking, for once, eye to eye with another female. It was rare for Angel to meet another woman as tall as her six-foot self.

“I am so glad he found you! What is your name? In case he didn’t tell you, I’m his sister, Angel. This is my mate, Drago . . .” Angel said, her smile and happiness for her brother pouring from her.

Two was beyond overwhelmed. It was hard not to be when the quiet of the clearing was now alive with voices and a happiness throbbing among Mikal’s family that couldn’t be faked—or ignored.

Without meaning to, Alpha Two found herself caught up in the teasing and easy camaraderie she felt and heard among the strange family. Only a few of them actually looked like they could be related, but Two could tell from their energy that none of them actually were.

It didn’t seem to matter to any of them though, the love and affection Two felt was stronger than anything she’d ever felt before, and it was humbling and frightening to be surrounded by it.

While Mikal began explaining things to his family, Two decided it would be a good time to get the doctor and find another place to continue her interrogation. This time, she easily slipped away from Mikal and went back in the cabin, leaving Mikal with his family outside.

She walked up to the doctor who was trembling a little.

“Who’s here? What’s going on? What are you going to do?” Dr. Mussberger asked fearfully, trying to see around her to what and who was outside the door.

Chapter Five

Alpha Two stared dispassionately at the doctor for a moment while she considered where she could take him next. If she could even get away with him while surrounded by Mikal’s family.

“Man, if I were you, I’d be thinking about how the hell to get away from everyone. We’re loud, we’re annoying . . .”

Alpha Two swung around to the door and was surprised to see the odd couple in the doorway. It was the very large man who had obviously spoken while the small, delicate-looking Dree held his hand and nodded enthusiastically.

Liam smiled at the frightened woman and tried to ease her mind.

“We’re also loyal. And when Mikal said you needed help, we came to help. We will do everything we can to save your sisters. I promise you that,” Liam said softly.

“What are you? Who are you? Where did you come from?” Dr. Mussberger asked, unsure what to think of the strange people who’d come inside the cabin.

Dream fle’ te’ Brazar, Dree for short, giggled and skipped around Alpha Two to look at the doctor.

“Oh, look! A doctor! I bet Blade could have a field day with this one! We’d know his whole life story in five minutes!” Dree said excitedly.

Two turned as Mikal’s strong voice came from the doorway.

“That’s exactly what we don’t want. The humans die too easily when Blade gets ahold of them. We need answers from him so we can get her sisters out-and find out who we are and where we came from,” Mikal said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Two felt a little freaked out. Not because of Mikal, but because the cabin was too small to hold everyone, and she could see the faces of Mikal’s family outside of the windows, looking in and listening as the others filled the room around them.

She had known immediately that none of them were human—at least not fully human anyway. Two could definitely understand how they formed close bonds because of how they differed from everyone else. She felt safe and strangely comforted by their presence, as if a part of her knew them and knew they were friends.

Chris snorted.

“If it’s answers you want, then let’s pump him full of human truth serum and get him talking. Amun can make sure he doesn’t end up dead before we find out what we need,” Chris suggested, staring with disgust at the doctor.

“Can’t you do something, Angel? You know, play the prime card? Rip it from his head or something?” Reign asked as the doctor whipped his head around, staring at all the heavily armed people.

Angel winced and shook her head.

“You don’t want me touching the guy. I’m too new at this shit and could just as easily turn his mind to mushy goo before we got anything out of him. We can’t take that chance,” Angel admitted.

“I’m right here! Talk to me! Who are you?” Dr. Mussberger said, his fear and frustration causing his outburst.

Alpha Two grinned for a moment at the fear she could feel in the doctor before she turned to Mikal.

“We don’t have much time. If we take too long they could move my sisters . . . or worse,” she said, ignoring the doctor the way everyone else was.

Mikal nodded his head and walked over to Alpha Two.

“I know this is a lot for you right now. But I promise you, my family will help us get our sisters out of there. Please, trust us,” Mikal said, speaking to her mind.

“I said: I’m. Right. Here! Talk to me! What are you going to do? Who the hell are you?” Dr. Mussberger demanded, rocking the chair back and forth as he screamed in frustration.

Alpha Two was getting ready to say something to him when Dree slapped the doctor across the face so hard the sound echoed around the room as several of the brothers uttered “Oh!” and “Damn, girl!”

Two watched in surprise as the small woman leaned close to the doctor.

“I bet this is exactly how you treated her and her sisters. Isn’t it awful when you get to be on the other end? Tsk, tsk. Embrace the suck, asshole. This is your life now, and I’m the bitch Karma warned you about,” she said before leaning on the knife handle, still embedded in the doctor’s thigh.

The doctor screamed in pain before one of Mikal’s brothers wrapped some duct tape around his mouth and his head, uncaring that his hair would be ripped out when they removed it later.

Alpha Two grinned, liking the tough little blond and Mikal’s family more by the second.

“Mikal, let’s get him to Amun and make sure he isn’t carrying a tracker and get him on the truth serum. The faster we get the truth, the faster we get those girls out,” Chris said, not liking that they were wasting time.

If there was someone after the female, then they could all get caught in a trap, and Chris wouldn’t take that chance with his family.

Gunnar, called Gun by everyone, cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention.

“In case you guys didn’t notice, we have an advantage that we’re losing by the second. They are expecting her and Mikal, not all of us. If we move quickly, we can take them by surprise and get everyone out safely,” Gun suggested, hoping they could leave soon and get moving on the labs.

As much as he and his brothers wanted to help Mikal and his people, they also wanted to find their uncle, Koda, and they were hoping the labs would lead them to him.

Mikal nodded and spoke to Alpha Two through their private connection.

“We need to take him to a place where we can force him to talk,” Mikal said, hoping she’d agree and not force him to do something drastic.

Alpha Two nodded her head.

“Where will you take him?” she asked.

Dree put an arm around Two’s waist and chuckled.

“Girl, we got better digs than this! Come on, you can bunk with me until we get your sisters,” Dree said as she looked up at Two with a bright smile.

Alpha Two just nodded her head at the adorable woman and looked up in surprise as two of Mikal’s brothers picked up the chair with the doctor still tied to it and headed out of the door. Dr. Mussberger immediately started screaming behind the tape.

Jason shook his side of the chair until the doctor shut up.

“Don’t make us drop you, idiot. We still haven’t got you in the ship yet. That would be a hell of a fall,” Jason said with a nasty grin.

“Ship?” Two asked Mikal.

“That’s how they get around. They can’t walk the wind like we can. They have other gifts,” Mikal said with pride as he looked at his siblings heading back to the clearing to hop the transport.

“Where are we going?” Two asked, suddenly feeling nervous now that they were alone in the cabin.

Mikal chuckled softly.

“We’re going to one of our bases. We conduct operations from there and can plan the best way to get our sisters out. There’s less of a chance you or them will be found there. You’ll see,” Mikal said honestly.

“Come on guys! Amun is going to meet us there!” Chris called from outside.

“Amun is one of our doctors, he’ll help us make sure the doctor stays alive while we get what information we can from him,” Mikal explained.

Alpha Two knew she had no chance of getting her sisters without their help and sighed, nodding her head.

“Let’s go. What’s it like to fly in a ship?” she asked curiously as she headed towards the bedroom and quickly packed her weapons.

“It’s a lot more confining than when we walk the wind, but much more entertaining with my siblings in the ship with us,” Mikal said as he grabbed the two duffel bags from her and led her into the clearing.

Alpha Two looked up at the bottom of the ship and saw Dree’s face peeking over the edge of an opening at her. She waved her hand, motioning for them to come up, and Two dissolved and reformed inside the ship next to Dree.

Two looked around in surprise at the confined space of the craft and started to panic until Mikal came inside and sat down beside her as the door closed behind him.

Mikal smiled broadly at her, strangely proud of how brave she’d been. He knew that she was nervous and a little afraid; he could feel it in her energy, but her love for her sisters and her determination to save them was driving her on and he admired that. He felt the same way about his own family. Mikal gently took her cool hand in his own and squeezed it gently until she looked at him.

“We’ll be there in a few minutes. It’s a much bigger place and a whole lot more secure than that cabin. You and your sisters will be safe there,” he said in her mind.

Alpha Two nodded her head absently as she looked around the ship and Mikal’s interesting siblings.

“Are they always so . . .” she asked Mikal, surprised that most of them laughed and joked with one another almost non-stop.

Mikal chuckled and gently squeezed her hand again.

“Like you and I, they are different as well, even from their own. We’ve found a family together—people who love us and accept us as we are. We’re there for one another no matter what.”

Mikal looked around at his teasing and playful siblings.

“We’re all we have, so we try to spend our time together in fun and laughter because there’s always a chance that one of us may not make it back from a mission, and we want our memories of one another to be of joy and love,” Mikal explained.

“What missions?” Two asked nervously, wondering if she’d just turned herself over to yet another group that would try to use her for their own purposes.

Mikal sighed heavily, knowing it would be hard to explain.

“You know that you and I, your sisters, are not human, right?” he asked.

Alpha Two nodded her head slowly, wondering what he was getting at.

“My siblings are half Valendran—an alien species that crashed here long ago—and half human. We’re called Dranovians because we’re different, even among our Valendran brethren. We have a mutation in our bodies that separate us from them. There are a lot of hybrids here on the planet, and we try to save as many of them as we can. The government and other individuals are after them for the same reasons they want you and your sisters: they have special abilities,” Mikal explained.

“You said they were different from their own. How?” Two asked.

“The Valendrans and Tezarians are part of a beast species. They have a parasite in the brain that gives them heightened senses and abilities. When that parasite, the beast, creates an imbalance in the mind of its host, it is our duty to destroy the beast,” Mikal said.

“What is a Tezarian?” Two asked, wondering how many alien species were on the planet.

“I’m a Tezarian!” Dree exclaimed with a grin.

Mikal chuckled at Dree and turned back to Two.

“When the Valendrans found out they had people here that were in danger, they came to rescue them. The Tezarians came to help,” Mikal said.

Trick, Dree’s brother, snorted.
“They needed our mad skills to bail their asses out,” Trick said with a snicker.

Cade playfully punched him in the arm.

“Yeah, we needed someone dumb enough to be cannon fodder and look who volunteered first,” Cade said as he and Trick dissolved into a mini play fight in their jump seats.

Most of the others shook their heads at the two playfully fighting.

Dree giggled at them and turned to Alpha Two.

“Don’t worry, these idiots fight all the time. They call it training. I call it too much testosterone. I damn sure love the idea of having some more girls around; Lara will too. You’ll get to meet her when we land,” Dree said excitedly.

Alpha Two was overwhelmed. She’d seen television shows and movies to learn about the humans and how to interact with them, to blend in with them so when she went on a mission she wouldn’t stand out. But these guys . . . she’d never seen anything like the way they interacted together.

The love, respect, and affection between them was so thick that it was hard not to feel caught up in it, but they also played together like she’d seen human children do in the shows she’d seen, yet they were grown. It was all very confusing-more so because she wished she knew how to play too.

Deacon, who had been flying the transport, broke in on the speakers.

“Landing in 5, 4 . . . if you want to drop the doc a few extra feet for the heck of it, now’s the time to do it, 3, 2 . . . damn—lost your chance. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome home,” Deacon said as the ship touched down and he opened the landing door.

Mikal held Two’s hand, keeping her in her seat while the rest of his siblings piled at the door, fighting to get out first. Jason and Cade carried the doctor out, followed by Deacon, who saluted Mikal with a grin before jumping out of the ship.

When they were alone on the ship, Mikal turned to Two.

“I know this is going to be really strange and overwhelming for you. We’re like a hybrid military unit, so don’t be too surprised that this looks like a military base on a smaller scale,” Mikal explained, hoping she wouldn’t panic and leave when she saw their base of operations.

Chris and Mikal had both agreed that the best thing to do, under the circumstances, was to take her and the doctor to a little-used base they had in northeast Tennessee. The old airport still looked like a dilapidated wreck from the outside, but their father had outfitted the place with the latest and greatest things he could make to protect his children.