Forever's Fight (21 page)

“Because I see no other option on how to make us safe. Not just us, or the pride, our other contacts, but my species in general. If we don’t do something, more than a third of the United States population will be wiped from the face of the Earth. I’m not talking about through a virus that will kill us quickly, but at the hands of the government or SFW. If we can get President Ashworth to agree to let us live in peace, it’s possible that other countries will do the same.”

“More than a third of the population.” She shook her head in disbelief.

“Not all of them are shifters, but most. The others would be our mates. I’m not even counting the family members of the human mates who might be supportive of our kind.” He rose, went to stand before her but didn’t touch her yet. “It’s amazing to think how this all happened because of witch trials all over the world, for centuries. They turned into animals to try to hide from their supposed crimes. We don’t even really know how many witches worked the spell, and now look at the population of shifters.”

“So you’re going to what? Ask the president to just let you go back to the lives you had before?”

“No, we’re going to ask to create shifter towns. It will be a few steps above the camps they have now. We’ll request to be in charge of our own security, and monitoring the shifters who live within the town to make sure they’re not causing any problems.”

She shook her head. “With what they’ve seen the shifters in the labs do, the rogues, and those in camps, you think they’d actually let this happen?”

“We’ve got to try. I’ve put together a twenty-page proposal. It goes over everything from what we’d need in the towns, the security, the monitoring, to what we’d expect in return and can give them. As well as why they should approve this.”

“And why should they?”

“If they don’t, they’re declaring war on themselves. We will make sure our women, and children are somewhere safe, but then we’ll be left with no choice but to go to war. Even with the counteragent to LUNA, we don’t stand a chance. Not with SFW and those damn demonic chains. I believe if we can’t find a common ground with the government, war will be in the near future.”

She stepped back and leaned against the chair. The thought of them going to war scared the hell out of her. They weren’t just talking about a minor skirmish if such a large chunk of the population were shifters or related to shifters. They were talking a full-scale war. That didn’t even count those who were human, but would ally themselves with shifters. There was no doubt that thousands would die. On both sides.

“Austin knew about this?”

He nodded. “I discussed it with him after he found the information I needed on a couple small towns we might be able to use. The first being Parachute so we can stay here in our home. But we’d need other locations as well. Many shifters will prefer to mostly stick to their own clans. There will be some with mates of a different breed. Others who have been accepted into another clan. We won’t make it mandatory to divide into breeds, but we need to make sure it’s an option.”

“Throwing different clans or prides together, won’t that cause fights for dominance?”

“It could, but I believe I’ve covered that.”

“How?” She eyed him, not at all surprised he’d thought of just about everything.

“Each town will have one Alpha, one who will be in charge. He’ll have to monitor his own town, set up the security that would be needed to keep his members safe, as well as keep them in line. Each town Alpha will be directly responsible if the members are causing an uproar. They will be held accountable by the government if they let their members go wild and cause problems, especially if they have a shifter who goes rogue.”

“You’d be willing to live under someone else’s control?” She raised an eyebrow at him because she knew the answer.

“No, but my plan is to keep Forever Creek. Each town will have a maximum number of shifters allowed there. Hopefully, we can keep the castle for ourselves, and take over some of the surrounding areas and set up a shifter town. There’s plenty of land around the castle that we can build on, but that will take time. Most of the other resort buildings need work, while some aren’t even standing. Parachute has a lot of space, empty buildings and houses, since so many have left the area now that the ski resort has been shut down for so long. It would be the perfect place to use.”

“What of the people who have remained? Would you evict them from their homes?”

“That would be the government’s choice, however, we could live here in peace with the human residents. Just as we did before we were forced into hiding.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and slowly dragged them down her arms. “My angel, I’m not saying this will be easy or even that there aren’t serious dangers in doing it, but I have to do something to make a better world for us, for all of us.”

“At what risk to yourself?” She placed her hand on his chest. “You’ll be putting yourself in jeopardy. If the president doesn’t approve this, he could try to eliminate you…all of us…before you could even start a war.”

“I know.” He pulled her tight against his body and held her. They clung to each other for a long moment before he pressed his lips to the top of her head. “It’s either this or we’re picked off one by one as the powers that be find us. My sweet angel, we’re out of options. Both are awful choices.”

“A real rock and a hard place situation.” She tipped her head up to look at him. “Until I started on my destiny to find you, I never really understood that saying. Now…now I wish I still didn’t.”

“I know, my angel. I’d shelter you from all the dark spots of my world if I could.”

She gripped his shirt in her hands and admitted her greatest weakness. “I love you…and to think of what could happen to you terrifies me.”

“I’m going to be okay.” He used his index finger to draw her mouth up to his. “We’re all going to be okay.” With that, he kissed her.

She met his lips with an eagerness of her own. Letting her tongue slip between his lips, she devoured him and forced her fears back into the dark corners of her mind to deal with later. Right now, she just needed him. To feel his body against hers and meet the desire that was constantly rushing through her. Tomorrow, they’d deal with everything else.

A few hours of quality time with his mate had Patrick energized, even his lion felt full of energy again as his beast paced within him.Now he sa
t
in front of the fireplace in the family room with his arm around Clarissa’s shoulders, waiting for Jade and the others to return with MaKayla. With every minute that ticked by, he tried not to worry. Even if his connection to her and the others let him know they were safe, he wanted Jade home. He didn’t like taking risks when it came to her. She was the only sister he had, and even with five brothers, he took it as his personal mission to ensure her safety. Maybe he sheltered her, but with what had happened to her, no one could blame him. At least, that’s what he told himself.

“I thought I relieved your stress earlier. Do we need a refresher course?” She snuggled into his embrace. With her eyes fluttering shut, she didn’t look like she was up to another round of lovemaking, even if he carried her up to their room.

“I’m not stressed, just uneasy that Jade is out there. She might be getting her strength back, but she’s still vulnerable. If she got captured again, she wouldn’t survive it.” He hated to admit it, but it was the truth. Even if they didn’t kill her on the spot, she’d never survive being held in one of those labs again.

“I know you went to her the other night. Is she having nightmares often?”

He nodded. “Almost nightly. She tries to hide them, but when she wakes up screaming she can’t deny them. At first she wouldn’t let anyone in, but slowly she opened up to me. Our bond has become stronger. Even though I wasn’t there, I suffered right along with her.”

“For her to put this behind her, she’s going to have to face up to what happened to her. She’s going to need help to get through it. Possibly professional help.”

“That’s not so easy to do right now.” He shook his head. “I’ve been trying to help her as much as I can. I know she’s suffering from PTSD, but she’s only willing to open up so much, and to push her will make things worse.”

“Have you thought that maybe you’re not the right person for it? Maybe she’d open up to someone else?”

He had thought about all of this before, but always came back to the same conclusion. There were only a handful of them who could help her. “She’s only spoken to me about it. Austin and everyone else have tried, but she clams up. Chase has gone to her in his lion form, curled up with her, and that has helped her calm down from the nightmares. She tell him bits and pieces, but very little.”

“We’ll figure something out,” she reassured him, as the front door opened.

Patrick didn’t know what to expect as Jade led MaKayla inside.

“Welcome to Forever Creek,” Jade was saying to her. “You’ve had a long night, so we’ll get you settled and tomorrow I’ll show you around.” She turned as Patrick slipped out from Clarissa’s embrace. “Patrick, I didn’t expect you to be down here.”

“Welcome, MaKayla,” he said, offering a warm smile. Her bleached hair with pink and purple highlights were even more vivid in person. “I knew your uncle, and it’s a pleasure to have you here.”

“MaKayla, this is my brother, Patrick. He’s the Alpha here.” Jade nodded to Clarissa, who had climbed off the sofa and was standing a few steps behind him. “That’s Clarissa, his mate.”

The little girl seemed to close into herself more with Patrick standing before her. She shrank back at the word
Alpha
and fear poured off her. The poor girl was terrified, and seeing him before her was doing nothing to put her at ease.

“Jade, I’ve made up a room on our floor. My former suite.” Clarissa tipped her head. “Why don’t Jade and I help you get her settled?”

“Come on, MaKayla.” Jade grabbed the bag that Chase had placed near the steps. Chase, Austin, and Blake stood near the bottom of the steps waiting.

With the women gone, Austin sank onto one of the sofas and let out a long yawn. “She hasn’t spoken since we picked her up. The family said that since she found out about Andrew, she’s spoken very little. She’s having a hard time, but Jade was able to make her smile. Even if it was just a small one, it’s something.”

“With everything that’s happened in the last few months, we can’t blame her for being scared.” Patrick took the seat he had vacated only moments before.

“Why’d you give her a room on our floor?” Blake leaned against the corner of the sofa, looking exhausted.

“Clarissa convinced me.” He shook his head at his mate. “She was like a dog with a bone.”

“Rumor has it that mates can be like that,” Austin joked.

“With MaKayla being so young, Clarissa said she’ll be scared being in a new place and having others close will help her feel safe. Plus, no one will be on the floor except us. Right now, Nolan’s the only other person here, until more join us. It’s just easier to have her with us now, instead of having to move her later.” He picked up the mug of coffee he had set aside earlier. “There’re no other children her age to play with, which is going to make it rougher for her.”

“What about her hair?” Chase smirked. “That hair makes her unforgettable for sure. We’re going to need to be careful with her.”

“It’s unforgettable, that’s true, but she’s not going to be leaving the castle.” He set the mug aside and looked at each of his brothers. “We’ll have to keep her hidden from anyone who could come our way. At least until we can make sure we can trust each of them. I’m sure that by week’s end, the authorities are going to be spreading the news of a missing eight-year-old matching her description. I hope you’ve warned the family that it’s likely they’ll be tested with LUNA due to the timing of this.”

“We have,” Blake affirmed. “The husband is a teacher, so he’ll be tested anyway. Thankfully, they’ve been using the story that it was a friend’s child who was staying with them temporarily.”

“One problem at a time. We need to focus on things here, so we can’t worry too much about them.” He leaned back against the sofa and decided now was as good a time as any to unveil his plan. “I know you’re tired, but there’s something I wanted to tell you before you retire for what’s left of the night.”

“Should we get Jade, Luke, and Clarissa?” Blake asked.

“Clarissa already knows, and I’ll speak with Jade when she’s done. Luke just fell asleep, so I’ll talk with him in the morning.”

Over the next twenty minutes, he went over all the details of the proposal he was sending to the president, the plans, and answered their questions. Even as he said it aloud for the second time, he couldn’t shake the doubts that were lingering in the back of his mind.

He thought telling his brothers the plan would help confirm his desire to do this, but as he watched their faces he could see the doubt in their eyes. The only one who had remained neutral was Austin, since he already knew what Patrick had been up to the last few days.

“I know this is a surprise, and I know it brings more dangers to all of us. So, I’d like all of you on board before I do this.”

“You have my support.” Blake leaned his head back against the sofa. “But just in case this doesn’t work, I’ll make sure I’m ready for war.”

“We’re already living that way, the way we would in these towns you have in mind. So, go for it.” Chase shrugged. “If they come after us, we’ll be ready.”

“I want to do everything we can to avoid a war with the humans,” Patrick reminded them.

“We all do, but it might not be an option. In the end, it will be their choice. We can only do so much, put up with so much, before we have no choice but to strike back.” Austin turned to Chase and Blake. “We all need some sleep, but after lunch we’re going to increase the training sessions. There’s more danger coming our way, and I want to make sure we’re ready.”

“You’ll take the women as well.”

“What?” Austin turned to Patrick. “I know Jade’s always participated in the training sessions, and has even gone on some missions, but to involve them in the fight that’s coming our way…you can’t be serious.”

“I would never want them on the front lines. Jade isn’t ready, even if she wanted to be. But I want each of them to know how to defend themselves.” Patrick leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. “I’ll take Clarissa. Austin, I might need your help with her. My natural instincts are to protect her, so I know it will be harder to work with my own mate.”

“She’s human…” Austin started before Patrick’s growl cut him off.

“She is, and even though she won’t stand up in hand to hand combat with a shifter, there’re other ways. She’s a scientist, so it’s unlikely she’s spent much time in a gym learning self-protection. Her father and brother taught her some, but not enough.”

“Very well, whatever you need.” Austin nodded. “Has her brother arrived yet?”

“Not yet. He’s still got a little more than twenty-four hours.” He glanced at Chase and Blake. “I think right now MaKayla would feel better if with Jade or Clarissa were with her for these sessions. We’re going to have to teach her, too. So, since she’s a shifter, I want her with Jade. MaKayla doesn’t know her own strength yet because she’s still coming into her beast. It’s growing and maturing with her as she ages, so you could say she hasn’t completed her transition yet, and that will make it harder to determine where her true strengths are. I want the two of you to tag-team with Jade and MaKayla. Build on Jade’s strengths, and do what you can with MaKayla.”

“I’ll pop in to oversee your session with MaKayla, maybe I can give you some pointers on what areas would be the best to work on with her,” Austin added.

“Just remember to take it easy on her,” Patrick ordered. “I don’t want her to suspect anything, because we’re not telling her the plan yet. It would be best to divide Jade’s training so that only part of it is with MaKayla, then you can work Jade harder.”

“Jade relies on her beast too much. If you can show her that she can defeat someone even without her beast, it will give her more confidence,” Austin suggested. “Now, if Patrick’s done, you two can go get some sleep. I’d like to have another word with our Alpha.”

The younger brothers rose when Patrick nodded. “Get some rest.”

When they were alone, Austin leaned back against the sofa. “When are you sending the proposal to the president?”

“Not until after Dean arrives. He said he found something that I’d want to see, but wouldn’t go into any additional details. It might be something that would be useful for this proposal.”

“Are you going to tell him your plans?”

Patrick leaned back and thought about that for a second before he finally answered. “I haven’t decided yet. I need to see his attitude when he arrives, and what he’s found. Hopefully, he will see that his sister is happy and won’t make an uproar.”

“If he causes a problem?”

“Then I’ll deal with him, and yes, even if that means removing him from the castle. Now, is that all you’re concerned about?”

Austin shook his head. “Giving him our location and then forcing him to leave could cause issues, but that’s not my only concern.”

“I don’t think he’d put his sister in jeopardy. Despite his faults and his attitude, he cares for her and would protect her with his life, just as I would. What else is on your mind?”

“Has Luke made any progress on the child they experimented on?”

“Not enough for a location. He believes the mother is alive, and thinks the child must be as well. He’s still a few steps behind, and will most likely need a few more days before he has anything solid.”

“Jade wanted to go get MaKayla. Instead of two of us going, four of us went. You need to be ready for her to fight again. I don’t think you should let her go on missions yet.” Austin let out a deep sigh. “She’s not ready. The whole drive to pick up MaKayla, her nerves and fears clung to the air like a sickly gas, putting all of us on edge. She’s hiding it, but she’s still terrified, possibly more than before, now that the nightmares are more frequent.”

“I knew she wasn’t ready, but she needed to see it for herself. The mission was only a few hours, so it was the best chance to give her the opportunity to see it for herself. Hopefully, she’ll accept her limitations now, and stay here.”

“Until MaKayla got into the SUV, I think Jade had to bite her tongue to stop herself from demanding we turn around. I hated to see her like that, but like you said, she needed to know what it would be like. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have faced it.” Austin slammed his hand onto his thigh. “Hell…she’s pushing herself too hard and too fast.”

Patrick nodded in agreement. According to the calendar it had been months, but to him it only seemed like days ago. She had come a long way in the weeks since she had been back home. Being surrounded by her pride had helped her heal, but there were times when she didn’t think anyone was looking that he could see her deep sadness. She was starting to remember more than he had hoped she would. He’d have to decide whether or not to reveal what he had found in her file. She might need to know everything in order to put it behind her.

That was a decision for another day. Instead, he rose from the sofa and glanced at Austin. “I’m going to find my mate. I suggest you get some rest as well.”

“In a bit. I want to do my pass on the grounds and make sure nothing has come by.”

“Since you weren’t here, I did it earlier. All is well, but knowing you I just wasted breath by telling you.” Patrick shook his head. “Careful out there, the fresh snow has made the mountains hard to trek through.” With that, he headed toward the stairs, determined to find his mate, and get a few precious hours of sleep. It would help pass the time until Dean arrived, and resting would keep his thoughts from wandering to unanswerable questions.