Trace: Follow His Destiny (17 page)

“Shit, they look like glow worms,” Shawn said and laughed.

“Ha, just think, yours will do this too. And you shouldn’t swear in front of them, do you want their first words to be something crude?” Romy laughed but stared intently as the children began to touch his mate more. Cassandra was smoothing her hands over her leg casts and Jordan felt her eyes grow wide.

“Oh my,” she whispered.

“What?” Romy demanded and then took a step forward. A bubble appeared around him to stop him from moving any closer. “Hope, now honey, let your uncle Romy go.” Lacy whispered but the girl frowned and glared at Romy.

Shawn opened the side of his mouth and said, “Pissed off the one who can put you in a bubble, dude, really? Quin and Jaden are the only ones who can get her to let you go now. I guess she wants Cassandra and Christian to finish whatever it is their doing.” Jordan felt the tingle run through her. It didn’t hurt at all. She could feel calm and love being sent to her through Christian. He smiled and petted her cheek and then rubbed her arm. Cassandra continued to crawl over her slowly and rub up and down her limbs.

She had never felt this way before. It was like her bones were repairing themselves. She could feel the strength coming back to them. Cloe had been worried earlier today about her being in the cast for this long. He muscles would be atrophied because of inactivity; it was going to take months of therapy to build back her strength.

She felt a little panic at the thought of what they were doing. The children had the ability to heal. Why had they not healed Quin or the rest of them? Why her? She sighed as Christian petted her face again. He was trying to communicate something but she had no clue what it was.

It was several minutes before both of the children crawled off of her and lay back on the floor, they seemed tired and they closed their eyes. Romy tapped his foot on the floor and said, “Please, Hope, I just want to get to my mate.” The bubble popped and Romy was able to move. He rushed to his mate’s side and said,

“Baby, how are you?”

Jordan laughed and she felt the tears gather in her eyes. “They healed me.” Lacy stood up and picked up the children and put them all back in their cribs. They were all sound asleep. Whatever had just happened had made them all tired. Once the children were settled, they went to Jordan’s side also. Romy was firing off a lot of questions at her.

“Healed, how do you know? What are you feeling? Are you in pain?” Jordan shook her head and said, “I swear, they just healed me. If I didn’t have these things on my legs, I would hop up and walk. I can feel it. Please, Romy, believe me.” Romy looked at Shawn who shrugged and said, “Toss up.” Lacy finally said, “Take off one of the casts, Romy use your claw, just be careful, Cloe is gonna kick all our asses for this, but we need to know.” Romy looked at his mate who nodded and then said, “You sure?”

“Yep,” Jordan said and held her breath as she saw her mates hand change into a paw.

The claws were long, she knew, she loved to play with them and had on many occasions when he shifted to guard her at night.

He started at the top of the leg by her right hip, hooked his claw and pulled gently. She winced a little at the pressure but refused to let him stop. It took a few minutes to get to the point where Shawn could fit his fingers in either side and pull it apart. The cast cracked and Jordan looked at her leg. It was kinda wrinkly and white, gosh. It smelled too. Oh, how she wanted a shower about right now.

“Well?” Romy said and was ready to get a brace if it was still broken.

Jordan moved it slowly and smiled. “Nothing, no pain. It feels amazing. Get these off of me.”

The men worked silently together while Lacy went and got a clean wash cloth. She began wiping off her skin for her. It was wonderful feeling the fresh water against her skin. She almost moaned but thought it might be inappropriate to tell Lacy she loved her at that moment.

***

Bama thanked Mildred for all her help. Her wrists and ankles felt much better. Her ankles were wrapped and she wore leather cuffs around her ankles. Mildred said they were fairy blessed and would shift with her giving her the extra support she needed.

She couldn’t wear them on her wrists but they had been given a stronger healing and she didn’t use them as much.

She quickly gathered her supplies in a duffle bag, carefully balancing the weight and then removed her tear away clothes and ballet flats. Covert missions were the only time she didn’t wear heels. Stowed them in the bag and then carried it out and propped it up on a table. She then used her sharp vision, quartering the area to make sure she wasn’t observed, quickly crouched, and shifted. Leaping into the air, she flew off, circled the building, and on the pass over her garden, snatched up the bag in her talons.

It was much easier to pick up a load than take off with one. She approached a building with a line of sight to the warehouse and with a higher elevation. She first dropped her bag onto the roof, then once again scanning the area first, she swooped down, and shifted as she landed. She quickly dressed and then approached the roofline in a crouched position. She stayed below the roofline for some time and sent out a call.

Several pigeons came flying by over the next hour to tell her what they’d seen. There seemed to be some type of preparations going on. Three wolves had left and hadn’t returned. The rest seemed to be psyching themselves up for a battle, fighting, shifting and a few were taking drugs.

At ten o’clock the activity increased, large roll-up doors opened and vehicles came pouring out filled with wolves. Three hummers and ten vans, the first hummer held two, Braden and Roarke, the second held six and the vans held between ten and twelve each.

She waited for ten minutes then checked. It was reported that after looking in all available windows that there were only two women and four men remaining in the building. Her opportunity had come; she quickly shifted and moved herself and her equipment to the warehouse roof. She stealthily entered the building and worked her way through. She put at least one camera in each room as well as a listening device. She ambushed and killed the four guards and stashed them in closets or bathroom stalls, one guard downstairs she put into the trunk of a car left in the warehouse. Her Capoeira skills enabled her to fight a larger and technologically stronger opponent. These cretins were no match for her. She had been over the entire building except the one the two women were in. She had been in the building for some time and had taken the time to download the contents of every computer she found while also screening for viruses, worms and other security blocks.

***

They had just finished with the last cast when they heard the call from the cats below.

Something was happening. Romy and Shawn stood up and ran to the window.

“Fuck, they’re coming.” Romy said and went to his mate who may have been healed but had not tried to stand. He lifted her in his arms sat her in the chair in the corner, between two of the cribs. “Stay here.”

Jordan nodded. She knew she was still human, and refused to be put back into a cast again, especially so soon. But she was not helpless. She reached into the pocket of the robe she was wearing and pulled out a gun. Cloe had given it to her before she left.

They could hear the cats outside fighting, they were being overwhelmed. Shawn shifted into his bear and stood by the door. Lacy pulled out the potions she and her mother made just in case, and stood next to her mate. And Romy shifted into his jaguar and stood in front of the cribs.

“Ready?” Lacy said and they all braced themselves as they heard the fight inside the house. It was getting closer and closer.

Jordan focused on the door and held her breath again. When she saw Hope pull herself up out of the corner of her eye. The small child frowned and looked around. Her brothers also pulled themselves up looked around.

Hope raised her hand and bubbles appeared around all of them. The little girl was concentrating so hard. Her brothers yelled in anger as they tried to get out to help her, but Hope smiled sadly at them.

“NO! Hope!” Jordan yelled and tried to stand up, but she couldn’t. She frowned at her arms and legs and then saw Stephan and Marcus focusing on them too. Holy shit, they all had powers.

Romy hissed and turned in a circle, trying to claw his way out of the bubble. Hope must not have liked that very much because she raised him and dropped him back down, knocking his jaguar to the floor.

The door burst open and they all paused and looked to the door. There stood Braden, grinning with a crazy look in his eye.

“Jordan, Lacy, time to come home. I have waited so long for us to finally be together.

You know I tried to get you before your mates claimed you. They are not your true mates, I am. At my side, we will rule the Supreme Council,” he said and then frowned at the picture before him. He walked into the room slowly and kicked the bubble around Romy. It held firm and Braden yelled out in pain, “What the hell?” He called out into the hallway and several large naked men appeared. “Help me,” he said and went to where Lacy stood. Her eyes widened and braced herself when he tried to tear through the barrier. She was shaking, because she could not move either and looked around wildly. Romy and Shawn were the only ones who could move but they were trapped still, growling and hissing at Braden.

“What kind of spell is this?” Braden said and turned in a circle. “I have never seen anything like this. This is not a protective spell.” The other men shook their heads. They tried to get to Jordan but they were not able to either. They only one in the room without a bubble surrounding them was Hope. She stood holding on to the cribs edge and frowned at Braden. She was getting tired.

Jordan could tell. And there were too many of them to try and shield too. So she left the barriers up for those she wanted to protect and then turned to look at her brothers.

They nodded and cried.

Braden walked to the crib and smiled down at her. “Hope, I may have a bargaining chip after all. Little change of plans boys. Take the girl and let’s get out of here. Cami and her mates will give me anything I want to get their child back.” The men nodded and grabbed the little girl and carried her from the room. Braden tried one more time to kick at the bubble but it held. “Jordan, Lacy, I will be seeing you real soon. As for your two assholes, take a good look at me, I am their true mate, and I am the Alpha of the Supreme Council. Give your Alphas a message for me, will ya? When I call, don’t waste time telling me anything other than when they are bringing my mates to me. I will accept nothing less.”

He turned and walked out of the room. Jordan felt the tears running down her face.

They had taken one of the children. Her previous sense of calmness fell away. Moments later, she felt the ability to move return. “Marcus, Stephan, help us. We can save your sister before they get too far. Let us out.”

Marcus looked at his brother, then back to Jordan, and shook his head. He hit the bubble and she understood. They couldn’t break it either. Jordan wondered how long Hope could keep up the shield. Shawn and Romy shifted and Lacy began to cry trying to move to the cribs to get to the rest of the children who were also crying.

They all knew. Hope would release them when she was out of range or exhausted.

***

The New Council raced down the mountain with their Alpha to get to the compound.

They needed to get him back where they could figure out what had happened. The shifter who had thrown the potion had been taken into custody, but he had smiled and bitten on a pill that was in his mouth, he convulsed and died in front of them. At first, none of them could believe what was happening.

Then they sprang into action. As soon as the challenge was over, many of their people had headed down the mountain as per their plan. They all left their keys in their vehicles so all the pack members could leave in the fastest and most orderly fashion each group of three or four entering the first vehicle they came to and leaving. Instead of having to start and stop while pedestrians wove amid parked cars or competing for the exit lane.

Gathering their fallen mate and rushing for the compound. Cami and Jaden rushed to get Quin the help he needed from Lacy and her mother. They would need white magick to counteract the black. Shane and Trace left their truck for others and raced down the mountain in eagle form as they could return twice as fast that way. All of a sudden, the Enforcer driving the Alphas truck felt his tattoo and called out. Cami could see it glowing on his shoulder. She was told it had glowed like that when Hope was first born and she worried. They knew it was some kind of warning this time.

By the time they arrived at the compound the fight was still going. Devon jumped from the car and ordered that the tri-mates split up. One male to each of the women, to take them some place safe, while the other male to get out, and help defend the compound.

The shifters that had been at the challenge poured into the town and began shifting. It was chaos.

When the Enforcer stopped in front of the clinic, Teagan stopped his truck alongside Cloe and Teagan ran to help get Quin out and inside. Jaden tried to get Cami. But the Alpha female shifted and began to howl. She wanted her children and was going to get them. Jaden shifted and followed her as she took off down the road.

When they reached the compound and heard Devon, Reggie jumped out and ran to the fight. Levi had intended for Reggie to take Ruby to their just finished home. It was bare, but at least they would be safe. Lacy had put protective shields up just a few days ago on all of the New Council homes. But Reggie had already shifted and was helping Devon fight his way to the children, while Sid took Casey and left.

He had to get Ruby out of here. Looking around to make sure, he didn’t run over one of the Council as he peeled out of the lot and drove straight for his home.

“Levi?” Ruby said in a shaky voice.

“It's ok honey. I’m gonna get you home and then we will deal with all of this, you’ll be safe.”

She was silent because she didn’t want to distract him. During the challenge, she had felt the first twinges of pain. She thought it was false labor like Cloe described so she hadn’t worried. When they got down the hill, she had planned on talking to Cloe. Then the shit hit the fan and the pains got worse.