Trinity: Heart of the Shifters (8 page)

Many of the shifters who wanted to remain hidden would accept him, but they would not like it if they knew he was torturing people who disagreed with them. Although that is exactly, what he was going to do.

One of the peons who pledged his obedience turned to him excitedly. “Master, they are talking about the wounded now.”

Braden walked to the radio and listened. He roared in frustration when he heard that so far all the Chosen had survived, although they were injured. Finally, he heard the two Alphas Quin and Jaden were missing. At least that was something. He hoped by the end of the day their deaths would be confirmed.

He waited to hear about his mates and then yelled again in frustration when he heard that Jordan was in critical condition in the clinic. Her list of injuries was extensive.

Lacy was just removed from the triage to the clinic. She seemed to be a little better off, although she had a few broken bones. Shifting would help her. He stepped back and contemplated his next move. Right now would be the perfect time to get his mates, while the chaos was fresh. Then he would provide them with all the care they needed.

Of course, they would be grateful and beholden to him. Yes, this may work out in his favor. Now he had to think of a plan and quick. Strike while the iron was hot. He was sure the Alphas had not had enough time to get the word out yet of his role in the murders of the humans yet. They had found out just a few hours before the explosion.

Besides, with all the chaos, he may have an easier time getting in the compound and back out without anyone noticing.

They had said that Cami was awake, but wounded. She would be in no condition to make any orders. With no one in charge at this moment it was a prime opportunity. He turned to Roarke and said, “I need a few of your best men. We are going back to Milliken and getting my mates.”

Roarke frowned and thought for a moment before he opened his mouth. He knew what would happen if he disagreed with The Master. It had only taken one time for him to be beaten before he realized that The Master did not accept anyone questioning him.

“Master, Jordan is very injured. How will we take care of her?” Roarke said.

“Reggie"s mother, of course, she is more than capable of first-aid.” Braden said and waved his hand in dismissal.

Roarke wanted to roll his eyes but he held himself back. The woman was bat shit crazy, all the Rogues new it. That is why they left her alone as much as possible. “Sir, have you visited her recently? She is a little checked out.” Braden swung back around and raised his hand like he was going to hit him. “You will do as I say. Now, have the men ready to leave in the next thirty minutes. I want my mates where they belong, at my side. I don"t trust those hacks at the compound. Hell, they will probably try to take her to surgery and fix her themselves.” Roarke nodded and bowed his head. He was going to keep his opinion to himself about this. Roarke had little hope that Braden would be able to get back into the compound.

Even with their Alphas missing, they would be locked down tighter than a tick. The Master did not give them enough credit. Soon he was going to have to talk to Braden about his misconceptions regarding the Chosen. Time and time again, they had been thwarted for getting what they wanted. Braden was going to have to pull back and regroup before he attacked again. There was no other way. Maybe with a failure today The Master would finally listen to him.

Braden walked from the room and went to prepare for his mates arrival. They would be happy here. With their combined powers, he would have no problems taking over the New Council. Once he did that, the rest was only a step away. Braden would be the leader of all the shifters and have powerful allies to obtain his human domination.

Chapter 8

Lagon had found six men and one woman. All of them had been severely injured. He was not sure they would all make it. Lagon went back in and searched again. Before he shifted, he wanted to make sure he had gotten everyone out. The people lying on the ground needed medical attention quickly, which made him move faster.

He flew into the center of the debris from which he had pulled the older people. He did not want to miss an elder. They were to be revered. Slowly he picked his way through the papers, boards, and plaster. He could only smell the burning of the building around him. It was frustrating not being able to use his nose to find the people who were still in here.

Moving slowly so he would miss anything, Lagon worked his way father into the flames.

Then it was like he got a breath of fresh air. Something so sweet smelling he almost flew up to see if he could find the smell. Then he realized it was coming from underneath him. He stood there for a moment and thought, it is my mate. It had to be, this was what the Gods told him would happen when he found his mate. He had the irresistible need to find where the scent came from.

He bent over and began throwing things out of his way, regardless of who the hell saw him. His mate was in this fucking mess and whoever they were could be hurt. They could be dying before he even had the chance to meet them.

Finally, he found a shoe; wait, there were two of them. One male and one female. He slowly moved the last of the barriers and saw a large man curled around a small female like he was protecting her. He bent down, smelled them both, and stood in amazement.

They were both his mates. One male and one female. The Gods had gifted him with two mates. The thought had never occurred to him. Lagon had little time to think. He needed to get them out of here. He could see they were both injured, to what extent he had no idea, but if the Gods thought they would give him his mates and then take them away, they were sorely mistaken. He would raise such hell if either of them died; the Gods would have no choice but to bring them back.

He gently picked them up as one and curled them in his large arms. He looked down at their ash covered faces and smiled. His mates. Lagon flew straight up and off to the side where he had left the others. Shifting quickly he snapped his fingers and was suddenly dressed in clean clothes. Rubbing against the dirty building quickly while he began calling, he made sure that he looked disheveled and dirty, like he had been in the building. Soon he would go and get the children and return them safely to the compound.

He heard the pounding feet as the people who were digging through the building on the other side came running.

A large man that Lagon could tell was a cat came around first. He ran to Lagon and put a hand on his shoulder. “Tonight you will be hailed a hero. You saved not only the Old Council members and one of the Chosen, but the Alpha Chosen as well. Not to mention my gratitude for finding my best friend.”

Lagon raised his eyebrows but nodded and knelt next to the woman and man. He wanted to ask who they were, but he wasn"t sure if they were well known. Men rushed to carry all the injured around to the front. Lagon helped the large man with his mates.

He carried the male while Lagon carried the female. She looked so small. He could feel some of her bones shifting against each other where they were broken. Had she been awake, Lagon was sure she would have been screaming in pain. Thank the Gods she was passed out. He would hate to hear either of his mates in that much pain.

One of the men who were standing at the triage pointed to where they should lay his mates. “This is all of them. All except the babies. We have been unable to locate them yet. Cami is getting pissed and impatient. I don"t think I can hold her off for much longer from going back in herself, no matter her pain. She needs to know the triplets are safe.”

Lagon nodded and said, “Babies? When I was in the rubble, I could hear crying. I will show you. It will take a few men to get them out. Why don"t you gather your men and meet me where I laid these people.”

The man"s eyes lit up and nodded. The cat turned to him. “Come back here when you are done. I want to introduce you to the female Alpha.” Lagon nodded and ran off to the side of the house. He quickly changed again and flew directly to his cave. It was only a matter of minutes because of his speed, but he knew he had little time to spare. Grabbing all the children and nannies in the blanket he brought them in, Lagon flew back to the room he had taken them from. Filled with smoke, he gently put them down in a closet that seemed the most clear from smoke and covered them up. Once he was sure that they were safe, he jumped out the window, landing just before the men rounded the corner. Thank the Gods he had changed already. That would have been a little hard to explain.

“Up there, it was in that window.” Lagon pointed to where he had just jumped.

The men nodded and quickly grabbed a ladder. One by one, the men climbed up until they were in the room. One of the men cried out, “Here!” And Lagon took a deep breath of relief that they had found them so quickly. It was a matter of moments before the first child was lowered down to waiting arms. The nannies were woken by the rescuers and seemed confused about what happened.

One of the men tried to assure them it was probably the smoke. They needed to be checked out. The children were carried to the triage and Lagon heard a cry from a small female who was sitting in a wheel chair. “Thank you! Please bring them here.” The men took the children to her and she kissed them each. The children looked around wide eyed like they had woken from a peaceful nap. They frowned at the confusion and the smell and then they began to cry. “Take them to the Bed and Breakfast. There is a room already set up for them. Nurses will check them all over. Now where are my mates?”

Lagon smiled at the bossy little woman. She was in obvious pain but refused people fussing over her. She rolled herself to where two men were laying. They were ones he had pulled out of the building. They were the Pack Alphas. Lagon smiled when she took each of their hands gently and whispered something in each of their ears. They were still unconscious and people were readying them to be taken to the clinic but she did not care. She had to tell them something important. He assumed what it was. Because since laying eyes on his two mates he was ready to declare his undying love and devotion.

He looked around and his gaze settled on his mates. People were working on them quietly. Lagon walked to their side and stood staring. He heard someone clear their throat and he turned. A female cat stood next to him, looking at his mates. “Hi, my name is Ariel. My husband was the one you were talking to earlier. His name is Ryan.

We were here with our friends and ended up being the highest ranking shifters in the compound that were not injured. So we were tagged. Apparently, you know either Blaze or Trinity; I have not actually met her. Blaze just found her this morning and went to the house. He stopped by to tell us he found his mate and was going to find her. We were waiting for him to return when the house exploded.” Ariel wiped a tear from her eye. “You know, my husband will be forever in your debt because of this. Blaze and he are childhood friends. When Ryan told me you found Blaze, I was relieved. I could see his relief too. Ryan and Blaze are like brothers.” Lagon listened to the woman ramble as his mates were worked on. He waited for someone to tell him they were going to be all right. From the activity around them, it was still in question. Ryan came and stood next to his wife and stared at the woman and man also. “They are my mates.” He whispered and looked at the cats.

Ariel gasped and Ryan laughed. “Holy Shit.” Ryan said and slapped him on the back.

“This is gonna be fun!”

“Why?” Lagon asked worried. What if his mates refused him? What would he do?

Ryan must have realized how he sounded and said, “No, I did not mean it that way.

Blaze is a great guy. I meant that you were going to be part of the Council now. You know Trinity is one of the Chosen?”

“Oh, no, I didn"t know that.” Lagon said frowning.

“Yep. Welcome to the loony bin. What was your name again?” Ryan said. “Let's go and make sure your mates are well cared for.”

“Lagon.” He said and smiled a little. His mates, he thought.

Ryan and Ariel each took an arm and drug him behind them as they walked towards a building they had been taking the injured into. The front sign said Bed and Breakfast, but it had apparently been turned into a hospital. People ran around the foyer with medical supplies and sheets. The small woman who they said was the Alpha female, Cami, sat in the middle of the room with tears running down her face as she looked around helplessly.

Ariel ran to her side and said, “What happened?”

“Everything. Nothing, I don"t know. I"m the only one who is awake besides Casey and her mates, and they are busy giving birth. I"m here by myself, with everyone"s life hanging in the balance. How am supposed to make all these decisions? What if one of them dies? What the hell am I going to do?” She said dramatically and Lagon and Ryan shifted uncomfortably on their feet. They hated when woman cried.

“Cami!” Ariel said firmly. “Who are you?”

Cami raised her singed eyebrows at her tone. “Uh, Cami?” She said uncertainly.

“No. You are Cami, the female Alpha of the Denver and New Council Pack. You are one of the most powerful and influential wolves of the century. You are the heart and soul of the Pack, look around you. These are your wolves. They love you and would do anything you ask them. Don"t let them down now.” Ariel said fiercely.

Cami sniffed and looked around. “Oh fuck, you"re right. Ok. Nervous breakdown has to wait for a while.” Cami said and straightened as much as she could in the wheelchair she was in. “Thank you, Ariel.” She whispered and then cleared her throat. “Listen up everyone. I need medical updates on everyone brought in here. Also, there are reinforcements coming. I need a list of details completed. As you know, most of the leadership was in the blast. I need volunteers. Right now, until further notice, Ariel and Ryan are going to be my official Beta"s,” She announced.

Ryan almost laughed out loud when he realized that he was just demoted. Ariel hit him in the ribs and whispered, “Feel honored, dipshit.” Ryan did laugh a little then. “Yep.” He whispered back.