“Both have a tendency to work too hard for too long, but I plan on changing that once Taggart has finished with the owl eyes and the other shit we found, though I now have reason to believe that the ones that were killed in the hollow by Cosmo and his mates weren’t the only ones that were created in that god awful facility they held Romy captive in.”
Bash released a shuddery breath. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
“No, I didn’t enjoy hearing it, either, but Soren informs me that when the oxpeckers began warning the rhinos and the giraffes of impending danger, the owls began picking them off to keep them from relaying any of the information they learned by spying on the ones who came to their land capturing and slaughtering the larger shifters. There’s something more, not sure what. Soren made reference to something else, and it came with terror, and he shut it down before I could get a read from him.”
“Son of a….” Bash murmured, biting back the curse, which probably meant that Romy was nearby and in his little mindset.
“He says there are mass graves, but that several giraffes and possibly rhinos fled, which hopefully means that they got to safety,” Arlo muttered through a rigid jaw. “I think our alpha may need to put together a team of enforcers to gather intelligence and investigate what took place out there.”
“You mean dig up the graves,” Bash pointed out bluntly.
“We have no choice. The hope is that in their haste to hide what took place, those responsible for the slaughter buried their dead right alongside those they killed,” Arlo admitted. “Maybe it’s a long shot, but they have to have slipped up somewhere.”
“No, I hear you. Even if there is nothing to be found, we’d be remiss if we didn’t conduct a thorough search and add those atrocities to the growing list of charges against the rogue council members and the scientists they’ve employed,” Bash said, defeatedly. “Did you hear what the news is calling them?”
“No, I’ve mostly unplugged myself from the media these past few days.”
“Super shifters,” Bash informed him. “Genetically mutated super shifters. I just hope we’re able to unearth the research that went into creating them, so we’ll have a clearer idea of the threats we’ll be facing when going against this new species or any other. Raul, the fucker we killed in the caves, didn’t give us squat to go on. It's impossible to know how much further enhanced they are, beyond the venom. That thing I fought—it was… fuck knows, but it was scary.”
Arlo shuddered at the memory of the… creature. “Soren wasn’t able to give any details of the events of the assault that wiped out his people,” Arlo went on, not needing the images in his head to be shared with his mates. “He hid and remained undetected until it was safe to emerge. He either witnessed little of what happened, or he’s unwilling to share it all right now. It’s hard to say when it was difficult for him retelling what he did share.”
“Let’s hope he won’t have to carry those sights around in his head,” Bash answered emphatically. “I’ll relay the information you’ve given me and let you know how our alpha decides to proceed.”
“You’ll be happy to know I’m joining you in the ranks of crash security,” Arlo advised, knowing his friend would be happy for him. “I need to be here with my boys, especially while Taggart continues to work on decrypting the data in those eyes.”
“I noticed our Alpha had removed you last night. That also explains why he’s passed an edict that from here on out, any enforcer who becomes mated will be moved to crash security,while those who wish to step up into enforcer positions will begin receiving the proper training to fill those spots. This will give you freedom, go and enjoy it, you’ve more than earned it.”
“As have you.”
“Anything else you need?” Bash asked, raising his voice over the cheerful sounds coming from the background.
“A security team out here to install a system for the house and property,” Arlo reiterated what he’d explained to his boys. “I want my boys protected before it’s time for my first shift on Crash Lands.”
“I’ll head it up myself and see you in the morning,” Bash promised. “If it’s good with Soren, I’ll bring Romy, he’s been asking after him ever since they bonded at the club.”
Surprise hit as Arlo heard nothing about their meeting. He told Bash the names of both mates when he’d messaged. “You never mentioned you had met Soren? Are you sure it’s my mate?”
Bash chuckled. “How many guys called Soren do you know in town or on crash lands? It has to be the cutie we met.”
Arlo rolled his eyes at his friend. “I’ll speak with him and see what he says.”
“Sounds good. Either way, I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Bet,” Arlo said, before ending the call and making quick work of washing the dishes, while listening out for his boys, who remained occupied with their shower. He shook off thoughts of mass graves, his mind shifting to the few things he wanted to arrange for the evening before they emerged in their sleep clothes.
Taggart
Once more he crept out of the bedroom while it was dark and very early, his cheeks aching with how wide his smile was at being the filling in the middle of his mate’s sandwich. It would be selfish of him to wake the others when he sensed their tiredness, and it was still the middle of the night in reality. That didn’t matter to Taggart’s brain, and he’d learned long ago to go with it.
Soren’s exhaustion after his confession ensured Taggart kept his thoughts shut off. And exhaustion was how it came across to Taggart, who had done his best to help soothe Soren by washing him. He hated imagining how terrified Soren had felt during those awful days of not knowing what would happen to him while he hid. It was also part of what propelled Taggart out of the bed, he wanted to find the answers for his mate. Both mates. No shifter would find peace until those responsible were caught and punished.
In his office, naked, Taggart stretched his arms over his head, yawning, his mind already preparing for what was coming. The low lamps cast a glow over his screens as he plopped himself down on a heap of fleece blankets, and his grin returned at Arlo having placed them there for him before they’d all headed to bed after a damn near perfect evening.
Arlo had given him an evening he’d often dreamed of having, which before had fallen way short of the mark when past Daddies hadn’t put thought and attention to the details like his mate. Arlo had Madagascar ready to play on the big TV, with a pile of fleece blankets atop the beanbags, which he’d lined up. He had found Taggart’s selection of binkies and beanie babies he loved to fondle with how the beans moved inside them. There was a bowl of popcorn and a plate of delicious-looking cookies Soren had made, along with sippy cups. A Little’s idea of paradise, or at least his and Soren’s, who’d gotten as excited as Taggart as they’d curled up together on one bean bag with Arlo right next to them, constantly touching them while theygiggled their way through the movie. He'd even done the voices of penguins making them howl with laughter.
He giggled—reaching for the keyboard—at how good Arlo was at imitation. Could he do his favorite character from The Little Mermaid, Sebastian? The screens lighting up, code running up the monitor he’d left running overnight brought him back to reality with a thump. He lost his smile, scowling at the screen. “I’m gonna get you,” he promised aloud. “For my mates. Especially Soren!”
He sucked in a mate-scented breath, letting it go while tucking the surrounding fleece over his naked lap before putting his fingers on the keyboard. Using his mate's scent as a shield, he opened the file and dived headfirst into horror.
