“Nope…but other than my sixth sense telling me this isn’t the end of humans infiltrating our world, everything else is simply a guess…for now,” growled Glenn, frustration evident in his voice.
Sawyer’s wolf was in agreement with Glenn but that gave him scant relief; he was sure his tiger mate wasn’t revealing everything. Whether it was Glenn’s need to keep secrets or protect Alex—Sawyer wasn’t sure which—but he wasn’t buying it. Alex deserved to know everything, as did he. Deciding to wait until he was alone with Glenn, Sawyer asked, “Did you guys come up with a code name for Fionn yet?”
~/~/~/~/~
While Hawkeye searched, Smokey and the rest of the men lugged the bodies up and into the second cave opening, packing them deep down in the narrow tunnel that connected to the larger cave Kevin’s parents were currently in. He’d have preferred to bury the dead men, but without any shovels, it would’ve taken too long to dig the graves in their animal forms. Turning to Ivan, Smokey said, “Use some brush to hide the cave opening.”
“Will do, boss.”
After Ivan was finished, Smokey nodded his approval. It would be a while, if ever, before anyone discovered the cave opening and the gruesome secret it concealed. While heading back to Elen and Harte, he laid out his plan to Ivan, assigning him to head up the first team waiting to descend the mountain. “Ghost will be waiting at the bottom so all you have to do is get everyone down safely.”
“Is Hawkeye staying with you?”
“Yeah…he’s gonna be our link. If somethin’ changes, I’ll send him to let you know.”
“Do you expect trouble?”
Shrugging, Smokey stopped, looking around intently. “Don’t know…just stay alert. Ghost doesn’t like it and neither do I…humans with tracking devices hidden on them? That just ain’t good…no matter how I spin it.” Approaching the clearing, he found Hawkeye waiting for him.
“I found how they got up here…there’s a path…more like a single-file trail that winds down through the thick brush. It’s rocky and steep so it’ll take time to get down it.”
“Are you sure that’s how they came?” asked Smokey.
“Yeah…their footprints are visible on the dirt parts of it.”
“Did you check to see if anyone is waiting for them below?” asked Ivan.
“Sure did,” Hawkeye responded. “Other than a deserted car, there wasn’t anyone or anything around.”
“Good.” Smokey glanced at Ivan. “You better get started. I’ll send word to Ghost.” After getting a nod, Smokey watched as Ivan called his team together and handed out the trackers, explaining what to do with them. After Ivan’s group had left, he told Hawkeye to get the other team ready to leave after which he headed to the mouth of the other cave. Hopefully Harte would be able to travel; there was no more time to waste.
Entering the darkness, Smokey paused, letting his eyes adjust before calling out, “Elen?”
“Still here.”
Making his way over to her, he knelt down beside Harte, checking his pulse. It was stronger but he was still unconscious. Peeling back a corner of the bandage, he was relieved to see the bleeding had stopped. Then, looking up at Elen, he said, “We have to go…it’s not safe here anymore.”
Fear pierced her heart at Smokey’s news. “Are you sure, Gabriel? I thought you killed the men who were after us.”
“I did…but I’m pretty sure more will be heading this way. I stopped the bleeding and that will have to do for now…he needs to shift and the only way that can happen is if he is in that river down below.”
“He isn’t strong enough to hold onto my horse,” Elen murmured, her voice wobbling with emotion.
“I know.” Smokey covered her hand with his and gave it a squeeze. “I’m gonna carry him. Go get your stuff…make sure there isn’t anything left behind…then set it outside the cave. My men will take it from there.” He waited until she finally left before leaning down close to Harte’s ear. Placing one hand on the man’s forehead and the other on his heart, he murmured the words he learned from his grandfather many years ago, his voice fading as he uttered the last one. Sitting back, Smokey watched Harte’s face reflect the easing of his suffering and knew the incantation had worked. Harte would feel no pain during his journey down the mountain.
Glancing at Elen, who was almost finished, Smokey had just enough time to do one more thing. Lightly pressing on Harte’s shoulder wound, he called forth the Great Spirit of his people, asking for help. A faint white glow surrounded his hand before seeping into Harte’s skin below. When it finally faded, Smokey removed his fingers, satisfied he’d done everything within his power to make sure Harte would survive the journey. Then carefully lifting him up, he settled him into his arms before heading to Elen and the rest of his men. It was time to go; his bear was warning him of danger heading toward them.
~/~/~/~/~
It took several knocks before Vasile heard Lucius’ voice inviting him into Brady’s study. Wondering why it took the young vampire so long to respond, he carefully opened the door, making sure he appeared as non-threatening as was possible for a vampire of his age. What he found was totally unexpected. Instead of fear, he saw curiosity in Lucius’ eyes along with a welcoming smile.
“Hey, just the person…I mean, vampire…I want to see,” Lucius said excitedly. “Do you belong to a coven? What’s it like? Are all the vampires like you? Or are there mean ones like my master? How many humans have you turned? Do they still like you? Do they need your blood to survive? What happens to them when you leave? Will they die? Gosh, I have so many questions.”
Smiling at the rapid-fire questions tossed at him, Vasile was relieved to see that Lucius seemed more at ease with him. Entering the study, he walked over to him, noting the title of the book he held in his hands. “The History of Vampires…are you enjoying it?”
Looking down at the open book, Lucius reverently ran his fingers over a beautiful illustration. “Very much…but I have so many questions.”
“I’d imagine. Let’s see if I can answer a few of them. I have a coven…”
