Shea: The Last Hope (19 page)

"Hi Mom, hi Dad, have you come to see the grandbabies again?"

Bryan walked to the bassinets and growled. "Of course we have, I never actually thought you would give me grandkids. Remember when you were younger and had to go through the rounds in the maternity ward. Two days and you called you mother and I and told us you were adopting."

Cloe laughed and said, "I would have to, if the whole destiny thing had not gotten in my way."

Her mother chuckled and said. "But you make such cute babies. You can't deny that."

Cloe rolled her eyes and then whispered, "Don't let the guys here you say that, or they will get big heads"

"Too late, we heard," Teagan called from the doorway. "Bryan, would you come out and talk to us for a minute?"

Cloe turned and frowned at her mates. They were keeping something from her. She knew it. Since the meeting, they had been all protective, telling her she needed to rest.

She agreed because she had been tired. But the phone started ringing an hour ago, and she was sure something had happened and they were hiding it from her. Because they knew, she would want to go and help.

Her mother sat down with her, looked at the sleeping babies, and sighed, "It is so easy when they are small."

Cloe laughed, "Sure thing ma."

"Seriously, just wait. When they grow up and are hard headed like you were. I will remind you the good thing about being a parent is when your children have children you can remind then what comes around goes around."

Cloe laughed and then her mother talked about what they were going to make the men make for dinner. Bryan agreed to help cook tonight. But the way the conversation in back of them was going, it may not be happening.

Finally, her mates and her father walked back into the room; all of them had tense looks on their faces, and Cloe knew they were going to deliver bad news.

"We have to go to the Pack House, Quin and the others have run into some problems, and we need to help." Darien said. "My little brother is in Ireland, there have been a lot more issues going on than we knew about. Bryan is going to stay with you and your mom; we’ll call when there is news."

"Hell no you don't," Cloe said and struggled to get up off the couch. "I may have just given birth, but I am a part of this too. The babies and I will be coming with you. If my parents want to come and use the nursery to help them fine, but you will not leave me."

Teagan closed his eyes. They knew their mate would never go for what they suggested.

She was not like that. From the first day, he met her when they were children she had shown her strength. It was what he fell in love with. She was Beta, and an Enforcer as well as a doctor.

"Can you guys watch the babies for us?" Darien said with a resigned tone. He knew there was no talking his mate out of her decision.

"Of course we can," Her mother said briskly and said. "Let me gather some things, Bryan help me."

Her father nodded, and they walked out of the room; one, to give them a moment alone and two because they had to get things for the babies. Teagan walked to the bassinets and looked down at their sleeping children. He never thought he could love anyone as much as he did his family. Darien and Cloe had been the center of his world since they found out they were mates.

It was hard. They were not mated traditionally. But they were true mates none the less.

Darien had always insisted that if Cloe and he had not shared blood; they would have been mates anyway. Teagan had not been so sure, but Darien had gone a long way to convince him.

'"Remember when we first met that day in the Diner," he said quietly.

Cloe laughed. “Of course, Darien and those other wolves sitting there at that table looking like they were all that and a bag of potato chips. I wanted to knock him on his ass. Then I scented him. I was ready to ride out of town and never look back, at first. I would have too if it hadn’t been for the fact that I felt the pull."

Darien chuckled. "When you were shot and went down, I thought we would never be mated. But when I saw you had killed the Rogues, who attacked you; I was so hard. I thought there was something wrong with me."

"Hell yes, she was so sexy when she fought them off." Teagan said and turned to his mates. "Still is."

Cloe blushed and then said, “Damnit don't make me cry, or you’ll be sorry."

Teagan laughed, "Yes, dear."

Cloe chuckled and pulled him down to kiss her. She knew that they could not have sex for a few more weeks, but her hormones were raging already, even when she looked at her mates they made her hot. Darien growled at her side, and she turned and grabbed him and pulled him in for a deep kiss also. Damn she wished time would go faster. If it wasn’t so selfish, she’d go visit with Christian and Cassandra to see if they’d heal her.

Darien pulled them into a hug after he released her mouth, and they stood together for a few moments in silence. Cloe felt their connection and sighed, "Tell me."

Darien paused and then answered her while continuing to hold her and Teagan. "Shea's clan are all gone; their village burned. We’re going to help Jordan do some research into why the Fae refused to come back into the magical community. Something is going on there. Also, they locked down the compound. That’s what I was talking to your father about, they are gonna have to stay here with us until it is safe."

Cloe shivered, "Damnit can we ever catch a break?"

Both of her mates were silent as since they agreed with her. Her father cleared his voice from the doorway. "Sorry, couldn’t help but overhear. Did you say Fae?"

Darien looked at his father-in-law and nodded. “The last Chosen is a Fae, the girl found here when they were in Denver. We have not made the official announcement to the Pack yet. Why?"

Bryan stepped into the room and rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. "Well now, a few years back we had a man and his mate traveling through the country and stopped here. He was Fae; we talked for hours at the Diner. It was funny; he said he had no clan because he had chosen to leave the clan with his true mate. The woman was human, and they didn’t allow anyone to tell the outside world of their existence, he disagreed and said he was ready to join the magical community again."

Teagan said, "Why do you think he told you all that?"

"Because of Blaine's tattoo he saw the mark on his arm and asked why we had a Fae symbol on a shifter." Bryan said, and Cloe looked at him in surprise.

"What are you talking about? This tattoo?" Cloe said and pointed over her shoulder where she, and the rest of the Enforcers had gotten a tattoo when Blaine had one of his dreams. It was two wolves howling at a red moon. It was pretty basic, nothing really exciting. She turned Teagan around and pulled his shirt aside so she could see it up close.

Her father nodded and then pointed to the outline of the tattoo. Around the entire border were small designs; she assumed it was for looks. He stepped closer and pointed at the bottom of the tattoo where there appeared to be a bell-like shape.

"That is what he was talking about. I have no clue what it means, but he said it was a Fae symbol. The rest, he said were shifters and other symbols, hell I have slept since then, and I don't remember everything he said. But the gist of it was the tattoo is what got him talking." Bryan said.

Cloe let Teagan turn back around, and she looked at her mates, “How many have the tattoo now?"

Darien thought and then said. "All the Enforcers, and most of the other shifter Warriors though most changed the wolves to their own animal shift the rest of the tat is the same on them all. Everyone seemed to think it was the mark of the New Council Pack guards.

So, there’s a lot."

"Fuck a duck,” she said as she felt a tingle and grabbed her shoulder. Teagan turned back around and pulled his shirt aside, and she groaned. "Yep, going all glow wormy on us again."

Chapter 16

Shea and the others had gone through the rubble, but found nothing that they could use to tell them where the clan had gone, or who took them. She was feeling depressed, and Lev and Griff had tried to comfort her. She felt strange at first, having them touch her so much in front of the others. Now she needed it. She craved it.

Shea looked down and focused on the way they held her hands like the connection between them all would flow through them. When she relaxed enough and concentrated it did. This what her mother had talked about when she found her true mates. She wished she were here right now so she could share it with her.

They had called all the people on the list she had, including her sister and explained to them that Warriors and Enforcers were on their way to get them. Her sister had been panicked, but she told her that she would meet her at the compound when she arrived.

Cami and the girls were amazing; they had taken everything over planning on places for all of them to stay with one phone call. Quin and the men concentrated on the security.

The Alpha had even called his father and asked that Aiden be allowed to come with them back to America. Dalton was grumbling about having extra baggage. He was glad that his powers had increased since his mating. Shea wondered if hers would also, she was not sure; if that was a good thing or not considering what she had made the Enforcers do when she was drunk.

They would probably want her to put a leash on her powers, so they would not get out of control. When she had said something about it, Cami had laughed and said that she thought it would be fun to see if the guys all reacted the same way to her influence.

As they neared the Pub in Kilkee, she felt a familiar Fae energy coming from the Pub.

She shook it off, thinking that she had to be imagining it, since she was tired from walking. It was a seriously long day.

Devon and Aiden walked into the Pub first, telling them all to wait until they were sure things were okay in the establishment. Quin nodded reluctantly, Devon and he had been arguing already about the security. The Alpha apparently felt like he could take care of himself. His mates were trying to sooth his irritation at being left outside.

Devon opened the door for them and nodded. The Pub was big, and decorated in dark mahogany floors and tables. The sports jerseys that hung around the walls in glass frames showed that whoever owned the place loved the Irish football team. The lights we dim from artfully decorated lamps that hung from the ceiling. It was just as you would picture a Pub in our head. The barkeep in white cleaning glasses and talking to men seated at the bar on stool, and all.

Aiden was standing just inside the Pub looking around for someone who would catch his eye. The man who called in the problem said he would be here at this time. Shea swept her gaze over the patrons of the Pub and landed on a younger man in the back; he was in a tall booth, but he was leaning out to see who had entered the Pub. She breathed a sigh of relief at seeing he was actually still safe.

"There he is," Shea said and pointed to the booth where Derek sat. The younger Fae looked upon, and his eyes widened when he saw Shea and the others that were with him.

They were drawing attention with the other patrons. This large of a group could only mean one thing; a football game was on the telly. Most of the men eyed the guys to see if they could tell which side they were falling on with regards to the game.

Derek stood up and for the first time she realized he was not alone. A couple who had been sitting in the tall booth slid out also, and she gasped and cried out in surprise.

"Ma, Pa," she yelled frantically and ran into the Pub before her mates could catch her arm. She was taking in their disheveled appearance as she ran to them. Her mates tried to grab her, but they missed and had to follow quickly behind.

"Shea!” Her mother cried out and sobbed as her oldest daughter got to her and fell into her arms. "Thank the Gods, you’re safe. We were so worried when you, and your sister, did not answer your phones."

"We shut them off for security," Shea said and pulled back, and her father who was equally emotional pulled her into his arms next. She could smell the smoke on his jacket and pulled back.

"Who are all these people 'A chroi'?" Her mates tried to grab her, but they missed and had to follow quickly behind.

Shea stepped back and said, "They’re friends. We have a lot to talk about, but first introductions. Maggie and Tommy Bryne this is Lev Adler and Griff Blask; they are my mates."

Her mother gasped and held a hand to her chest and looked at her father who was frowning. Quin stepped forward and said, "I’m Quin, Alpha of the New Council these are my mates Jaden and Cami our Beta Devon and his mates, Casey and Sid. Our White Wolf Josephine and her mate Tey. And Dalton is a Sidhe, he and his mates are the Seers of the New Council. Finally, this is my brother Aiden; he has been sent by the Elders of the Old Council to look into what happened here. We came because Shea couldn't get hold of you and was worried."

Her father's frown deepened, and he looked at his daughter. "What have you done?"

Shea stepped back like he had slapped her, all of her fears of being responsible came crashing down on her. Lev and Griff stepped in front of her to create a barrier.

"Whoa there sir," Griff said holding up his hand and shaking his head. "Your daughter has been through hell over the last several hours, cut her some slack. Yeah we know all about the secrecy thing, but don't you think that is kind of a moot point now that your homes have been ruined, and you’re on the run, so to speak."

"We need a place to talk privately." Quin said and turned to the barkeep and asked if there was a meeting room. The man grunted waved to the door next to where they stood.

Quin thanked the man and then led them all into a small room that looked like it was designed for men. There was a bar and huge television in the corner. "Her father held on to his wife's hand and turned to look at his daughter.” Shea, I wasn’t trying to say you had done something wrong. It came out that way I know. It’s just, your mother and I had been on a business trip, and when we returned we found the village like that. No word, nothing. Then Derek came to visit his parents, and we called for help. It’s time the leader allows the Elder Old Council to help us. Too much time has passed for there to be hard feelings."