Argus: Accepting the Challenge (11 page)

She cleared her throat and said.  “So, how is this supposed to work?  There are two of you.  Why would both of you want me?”

“Like I told you before, it is our destiny, trust me that story is a long one.  I think, better explained when we have more time.”  Argus said.

“Right, I think I would like to hear this explanation now.”  Skye said.

Argus growled and glared at her.  She was so stubborn he thought.  Did they not just say that they would explain later?  She should trust in them that they would take care of her.  “Skye, we are unfortunately on a short time table.  I will give you the brief version and explain more later.  The shifter community is run by a Council.  The first shifters were not from the United States, the Old Council was in Europe.  Then the Old Council Seer made a prediction.  It was to establish a New Council with 13 of what are called the Chosen.  Different shifters and magical creatures that would lead us to coming out to humans.  A group of shifters went rogue, they wanted nothing to do with it and in fact tried to stop the Seers prediction by kidnapping one of the Chosen.  Well, they finally have found the lost Chosen and are establishing the New Council in Milliken.  Each of the Chosen has a special task to perform on the Council.”

“Okay.  So, what does this all have to do with you guys?  I mean it sounds like politics, you don’t really strike me as a political type of guy.”  Skye smirked and leaned back in her chair crossing her arms.  The story just kept getting better and better, she was not sure where these guys got their imagination but they were good at weaving a story.

Jacob leaned forward and said quietly.  “Argus is one of the Chosen.  He’ll be part of the New Council.  Our Pride is moving because they all want him as their leader still.  As his mates, we’ll also be part of the New Council and will help Argus with his destiny.  We are going to take care of the Pride business while he is working with the Council.  We’ll be a team.”

Skye snorted again and looked at them incredulously.  It was amazing to think they had woven together such a huge fantasy.  She should be running for the nearest door, but for some reason she was rooted in this spot.  When she looked into Argus and Jacobs eyes, she was drawn to them.  What if she did believe what they were saying?  No, she thought, they were crazy.

“Well, this was such a nice discussion and I am glad to have met you both, but if you excuse me.  My car is across the road there, and I have to go and get it.”  She said and tried to stand up.  Argus put his hand out and placed it on her forearm, stopping her.

“Please, give us a chance to show you what we are talking about.  Come with us to the compound.  If you don’t believe us then, we’ll let you leave.”  Argus said firmly.

She looked into both of their eyes and knew she was going to go.  It was crazy, but she felt something, something that was compelling her to actually want to follow them.  Skye sighed and looked across the road; she could see her car from here. 

“Fine, I will come with you for today.  I have some thing’s I need to sort out before I leave.  I need to get my last paycheck from Ronnie anyway.  But if I ask to come back tomorrow you must promise me that you will let me go.”  Skye said and looked at them for confirmation of their agreement.  Both of them nodded and looked so sincere.  She hoped she was not making a mistake. 

Jacob took her hand, pulled her up, and hugged her to him.  Argus stood and walked around the table and waited patiently for Jacob to release her.  When he did, Argus pulled her into his arms and she sighed.  He was gruff and demanding, but she was so attracted to him that she felt the moisture leaking from her pussy.  Maybe she would at least get to have some fun with them if nothing else.

Chapter 8

Bob stood across the street watching Skye; she thought she was so smart leaving the motel she had been staying in before he could catch her.  Thank goodness, he had been watching from the window of the restaurant.  That dumbass Ronnie was worthless.  He just kept going on and on about how he could get Skye to work late so he could surprise her.

They would have had the whole place to themselves, and he was ready to teach the bitch a lesson.  She was not good enough to dump him.  When he was sick and tired of her then she could go, but not before then.  Bob thought that he had it half way decent for now.  She worked and provided him with booze and cleaned up after him.

He saw two big guys hugging Skye, and he frowned.  She had better not think about sleeping with either one of them.  She was his.  Bob stepped back into the shadow of the building and watched Skye get into the cab of the large truck that had been in the parking lot.  It was nice, they obviously had money.

Bob smiled and thought of a plan.  He would let her go with the rich fucks.  If they screwed her, maybe they would pay to keep her.  He had already gotten his car from the mechanic.  Skye had left a bill, and he paid it.  Hell, his friends had given him the money to come on this little chase.  Of course, he had offered Skye up for grabs when they got back.  She was gonna pay his debts on her back whether she wanted to or not.

The anger burned in his stomach, she was making this harder than he wanted it to be.  Bob planned on dragging her by her hair back to Florida, but maybe he could make a little money before he did.  Then he could let his friends fuck her and he could have money for booze.

***

Blaine sat up in bed and frowned.  He had no clue who the woman was he was dreaming about.  Kira and Dalton both stirred and he looked down at his mates.  He should wake them up and talk to them about this vision.  This was the clearest vision he had been given in a while. 

Kira and Dalton had been more patient than he had been these last few days.  Why give him the power of sight and then not allow him to use it.  His visions had been cloudy and short.  If it were not for the fact that they had proven he was one of the Chosen, he would be questioning it right now. 

There had to be something they were missing.  Jordan’s mates were going though all the documents that Trinity and her family brought.  Hopefully, there would be an explanation.  It was driving him crazy.  The rest of the New Council had been having similar problems, but their situations were different.  Each of them felt their destiny, but it was like there was a barrier of sorts stopping them from moving forward.

Quin assured them that once all the New Council was found that things would change.  His father said the New Council would not have their complete power, until they were all together, though the whole shifter community accepted their control. 

Quin was Alpha, and his power was true.  He would not have been Alpha of the Denver Pack without it.  But he could see the sparks of power beneath the surface waiting to get out.  When they did become a complete Council, there would not be much that could stop them.  Thank the Gods their hearts were true and their loyalty unwavering.

The girl bothered him.  She was in trouble, but did not know it.  Blaine leaned back on the head board and looked around their temporary room.  It was comfortable, but right now he was feeling hemmed in.  The vision was giving him an itch to do something.  He just was not sure what.

Kira rolled over, put her hand on his chest, and rubbed gently.  “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“A vision.”  Blaine said simply and Kira sat up.  Dalton stirred and groaned. 

“Do we need to help you?”  Dalton asked and wrapped his arm around Kira and put his hand over hers.

When the three of them joined, they were able to focus and see the vision together.  Kira gasped when she saw the small woman.  She was tied to a bed, beaten and bloody.  A strange man was pacing and yelling at her.  Kira looked closer; she was not one of the Chosen so why would they be having a vision about her.  And where was she?

“I can’t tell where she is or what she means to the Council.”  Dalton said.

“Me neither.”  Kira said.  “Maybe we will need to have another vision?”  Kira said.

“Yeah, but we have not been graced with them.  We can’t force it.”  Blaine said and then thought about what they saw.

“Maybe she is the mate of a Chosen.  That is why they are showing us this.  She needs help.  What do we have on the rest of the missing Chosen?  Maybe we can put things together.”  Kira said.

“Wait, Ryan said there was someone who was coming to the Council to talk.  Someone from the Southern Pride.  Maybe it’s one of the Chosen.  We need to talk to Ryan and Ariel.”  Dalton said.

Kira laughed and said.  “Honey it’s the middle of the night.  I don’t think they would like it too much if we went pounding on their door.  I think we’ll have to wait until morning.”

Dalton shrugged and then settled back down in the bed and snuggled up to her back side.  “Fine, but now I’m awake, and have nothing to do.”  He whispered in her ear.

Blaine rolled his eyes and laid back down facing his two mates.  There was nothing they were going to be able to do until morning.  He watched as Dalton began kissing his way down their mate’s throat.  He wished it were time to have them claim him.  That he was sure about, he was going to have to wait.  The Gods had already shown him when the time would be right, but it did not make sense.  Although the time was drawing closer, Blaine could see what would happen if they claimed him too early.  All would be lost, and that was not acceptable.

Chapter 9

Skye sat back in the truck and watched as they approached a gated community.  Wow, these houses were beautiful.  She looked at the tall trees that hid the wall and wondered how large the cult, oops, community was.  The trees went as far as the eyes could see.  When they approached the gate, Argus rolled down his window.

She leaned forward curiously and saw a small gatehouse.  A man stepped out and she gasped.  “Hey, that’s the guy from my room.”  She said indignantly.

The man looked at her sheepishly and nodded.  “Sorry.”

Jacob chuckled and said.  “Skye, this is Warren.  He is one of our Warriors.  When we discovered that you were our mate, we just wanted to make sure you were safe.  So we sent him over to the room to check it out.  He was not going to take anything.  I guess since he was arrested and taken out by your purse, he has been busted to gate duty.”

Argus actually smiled and said.  “We should be safe as long as no one is going to come to the gate wanting to do laundry.”

Skye snorted and folded her arms across her chest.  “Assholes.”  She muttered.

Warren stepped forward and said.  “I am sorry if I frightened you.  I swear I was just trying to make sure our lead Lioness was safe.  You don’t know how long we have waited for you.  I am at your service.  I hope when you pick your Warriors you would consider me.”

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye.  Who the hell were these people?  They did not know her, why would they want to accept her as some kind of leader.  She was not qualified for that role.  “Uh sure.”  She said and looked ahead again.

Argus chuckled and she elbowed him in the side.  “Ass.”

“Yep, I’ll take that sweet little ass baby.”  He said quietly and kissed her on the forehead.

She sprung back in surprise.  It was the first time one of them had kissed her.  It felt right, and she smiled.  What was happening to her?  She felt like she was coming home as they drove past the large gates.  They had hypnotized her, she was sure of it.  Maybe their plan was to hypnotize her and bring her back to the cult, where they would finish brainwashing her, then use her as a sacrifice.

Shit, what the hell was she thinking?  Her imagination was working in overdrive.  But it was better than accepting the reality.  If she did, then she was going to become a lion and be the mate to these two handsome men.  Not like it would be a chore, but it was a fantasy. 

Skye settled back again and watched as they drove past huge homes and bright gardens that were obviously taken care of.  She couldn’t see a central meeting place where they would have an alter, but that did not mean it wasn’t there, she thought.

They drove for a few miles deep into the gated community and she was surprised that it was so large.  When she commented on it, Jacob said it was so they had wide open areas they could run, away from humans.  She laughed and patted his leg.  The padded room was going to be such a shock for him.

Then she saw them.  Skye had to hold back her scream when she saw the menagerie of animals that were running next to the truck.  When had they gotten there, and where had they come from?  They were smaller, and she realized that they were cubs.  Ohh, how cute.  There was a lion, a cougar, a wolf, and what looked like a leopard.  She laughed as they bounced and jumped to the side of the truck as they drove slowly.

She saw a huge house looming before them and she stared open mouthed as they pulled up front.  This was where the crazy men lived?  She thought.  Well at least they will be able to get the best care. 

Skye turned to get out of the car, Jacob was holding the door open for her, and she heard Argus telling the small animals to go home to their parents.  Wow, wild animals trained.  Nice, it was like living in an animal reserve of some kind.

She looked around and smiled.  It was so beautiful, she really wished that she did live here, she would never leave.  The house overlooked the entire community she realized.  There were a lot off houses scattered across the valley.  She could see a small lake that was surrounded by trees and pathways that appeared to lead from one house to the next.