Werewolf's Way [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 1] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) (10 page)

Shaking himself, Philip moved toward the back of the plane. “I’ll be right back,” he told Cal. “Need to make sure we get paid.”

Cal nodded and returned to watch over the group of ex-prisoners. Meanwhile, Philip retrieved the tiny pearl he’d kept close to him ever since he’d received it. After careful consideration, he pulled off his mask. When he spoke to this particular person, it was useless anyway.

Leaning against a box, Philip studied the flawless surface of the pearl. It was always strange for him to contact someone like this, but his employers had insisted, and Philip had to admit that, this time around, it was much more practical than a cell phone, especially since, up here, he likely couldn’t have gotten reception. Wanting to get it over with, he brushed his thumb over the surface of the pearl and willed it to contact its creator.

Instantly, the tiny sphere began to glow and grew larger. A lovely woman appeared, the gem adorning her forehead shining so brightly Philip winced.

“Congratulations on your success,” she said. “My son is most pleased.”

“Thank you, Your Holiness. It was not easy, but we managed to escape with minimal casualties.”

There had been several injured, but no dead, so on the whole, Philip was satisfied with the way the operation had gone. “Very good,” she said. “I expect I don’t have to stress again the importance of secrecy in this matter.”

“No, Your Holiness,” he replied. He found himself swirling his tongue over the stud in his lower lip, like he always did when he was deep in thought or worried about something. This was the habit that had earned him the nickname “Lip” from Graham, although he didn’t really like being called that. Immediately stopping himself, he added, “I understand entirely. Besides, that’s why you hired us. Because we can keep our mouths shut.”

She laughed lightly. “No, I hired you because I knew you’d want to help. I might be paying you, Mr. Strange, but you’d have never risked an incursion on a draechen property if your friend hadn’t been involved.”

Philip might have tried to deny it, but there was no point. She could see right through him. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want my payment,” he shot back.

She smiled again, but ended up providing a serious reply. “It’ll be waiting for you when you land in New York. Raul will meet with you. Thank you again, Mr. Strange.”

With a jolt of panic, Philip realized he was being dismissed. Mentally, he cursed himself and his abruptness. This was a unique chance. The High Priestess of Jenarra was perhaps one of the most hidden figures in the entire paranormal world. She could answer the question burning in his heart. He just knew it.

“Wait,” he said. “I need… Could you answer one question?”

The priestess arched a perfectly defined brow. “Tell me.”

After throwing a brief glance toward Graham and Caelyn, Philip dared to speak once more. “Will I ever find my mate?”

“I’m not an oracle, Mr. Strange,” the priestess replied. “I don’t know the future.”

Was that a no? Philip couldn’t tell. “But you see many things.”

“I see what Jenarra shows me,” she answered sternly. “We mortal creatures aren’t supposed to know everything the future holds.”

She was probably right, but Philip tried one more time. “Can you tell me nothing at all?”

The priestess frowned, and for a moment, her expression went curiously blank. The instant passed in a flash, and she smiled. “Be patient, Mr. Strange. Your mate will come to you when the time is right.”

Philip opened his mouth to thank her, but he didn’t get the chance. The priestess’s figure vanished, the sphere dissipating into thin air. The pearl was also gone without a trace.

“Fae,” Philip mumbled, exasperated. “Why do I even bother?”

Or so he said, but in his heart, hope had reemerged. Perhaps he had a chance to find what Graham had after all.

“Whatever you think you saw in that wolf is a lie. Remember your position. If you don’t, your life will be forfeit.”

Karein glowered at Caelyn, squeezing his wrists in an unbreakable hold.
“You’re not getting out of this so easily.”

Caelyn tried to tell him he was mistaken. The words wouldn’t come.
“I’m not the one you need to fear,”
the draechen prince insisted.

Caelyn fought him, attempting to free himself from the iron-like vise. He probably wouldn’t have had a chance, but out of the blue, Karein released him. Rubbing his wrists, Caelyn tried to find a way to escape, but it was so dark. He couldn’t see anything around him. And then, Karein simply vanished. In front of him, a huge dragon stood, pinning him with baleful eyes.

Caelyn froze, terrified. There was such cold hatred in that gaze that he simply couldn’t move a muscle. An image floated in front of him, more horrifying than the death he saw in the draechen’s gaze. He spotted his mate in shifted form, lying in a pool of blood. With a cry, he tried to rush toward his other half, but the world around him seemed to collapse upon itself. A whirlpool of darkness swallowed him whole, separating him from the man he craved so much.

And then, a beam of light passed through the darkness, and a voice reached out to him. “Angel… Caelyn, can you hear me?”

The shadow of the draechen vanished, and Caelyn opened his eyes, only to find himself facing his concerned-looking mate. Instantly, Caelyn wrapped his arms around Graham’s neck, hugging him tightly. “Oh, thank Jenarra. You’re all right.”

“I’m just fine, angel,” Graham said, caressing his hair. “It was just a dream.”

Just a dream. Yes, of course. It hadn’t felt like only a dream, though. Shaking himself, Caelyn reluctantly broke the embrace. “Where are we?”

“We’ve just landed in New York,” Graham replied. “Everyone is leaving the plane.”

“Oh.” The abruptness of the landing must have been the shock Caelyn had experienced in his dream. “I guess we should go, too.”

As Caelyn got up, he realized that, at some point, Graham had put his clothes on. Caelyn, on the other hand, remained naked. His face heating, Caelyn looked for the garments their mysterious savior had given them earlier that night. Graham grinned and offered him the clothing, a sweater and a pair of jeans. As quickly as possible, Caelyn pulled them on. He had to fumble with them a little as he wasn’t used to human-style clothing. Or perhaps it was his natural shyness getting in the way. By the time he finally managed, he was acutely aware that he and Graham were the last ones in the cargo plane.

Caelyn clenched his hands into fists, frustrated with himself that he couldn’t manage something so simple. The last thing he wanted was to become a burden for his mate. And then, Graham wrapped an arm around his shoulders and kissed his temple. “You’re so beautiful you take my breath away,” he whispered. “I can’t wait to get you alone.”

Just like that, Caelyn’s apprehension melted into arousal. He was truly eager for that moment, as well, and he’d have loved to confess it, but he was still very shy. The cargo hold might have been empty, but everyone could undoubtedly hear them. To a certain extent, he felt thankful that Graham had been strong for both of them the night before, because if not, he’d have been even more mortified now.

But then again, he had nothing to be embarrassed about. He was proud of his mate, proud of the strong bond that was already growing between them. Why shouldn’t he tell Graham that? If someone didn’t like it, it was their problem.

With that in mind, he replied, “I want that, too.” In spite of his decision, his voice still came out a little shaky, but he supposed he couldn’t expect himself to make a complete change overnight.

His effort was, nevertheless, acknowledged. Graham’s grin lit up his entire face, impossibly making him even more handsome than before. Wordlessly, he led Caelyn out of the plane.

On the runway, the still-masked mercenaries were clustered around a tall, dark-haired man. Caelyn was struck by a feeling of familiarity that actually had very little to do with the stranger himself and a lot with his species. He was fae.

“Do you know him?” Graham whispered in his ear.

Caelyn shook his head. “No. At least I don’t think so.”

He didn’t remember ever meeting the man in his visits to the Ivenian palace. But then, while fae royalty and nobles had largely retreated from the human world, there were those who remained to live here, acting like agents of people more powerful than them. Undoubtedly, this man must have been one of them.

Caelyn and Graham made their way toward the group. He wondered how he could intervene in the conversation without being rude, but in the end, he didn’t even have to come up with a way. Everyone stopped speaking when they saw him.

The leader of the mercenary group—Caelyn thought he remembered his mate calling the man Lip, although that must have been a nickname of sorts—turned toward them. “Oh, here’s the star of the show now. Glad to see you up and about.”

Caelyn smiled slightly. “Thank you for all your help and your patience. I realize it hasn’t been easy.”

“Lord Caelyn, if I may,” the fae piped up, “I have a message for you from our common friend. If you’ll come with me, I will provide you with certain things you might need.”

Caelyn threw a gaze toward the other prisoners, and he realized many of them had already gone. Those who had stayed were thumbing through envelopes, seemingly counting money. But would coin suffice to help them from here?

Obviously guessing his thoughts, Graham murmured, “We’re used to this sort of thing, angel. At this point, they can’t possibly ask or expect anything more than they’ve been given.”

Caelyn bit his lower lip. He’d been privileged all his life. He didn’t want the unfairness to continue. However, he had to be realistic. Compared to Graham and the rest of their companions, he knew nothing of how to handle such a situation. He needed all the help he could get.

“All right,” he finally told the fae. “We’ll go with you.”

Graham briefly released Caelyn and hugged Lip. “I appreciate you coming to lend me a hand,” he said to the mercenary. “It means a lot to me.”

“I got paid for it, Graham,” the other man replied. “Don’t you forget it.”

Graham chuckled. “Sure, Lip. Whatever you say.”

Was it Caelyn’s impression or did that embrace last a little too long? He frowned, a dark emotion rearing its ugly head inside him. At first, he had trouble identifying it, but then, he realized. He was jealous.

His frustration didn’t go unnoticed. “You’d better let go of me now, Graham,” the mercenary said. “Your mate looks really pissed.”

Instantly, Graham broke the embrace. Caelyn wasn’t sure if that pleased him or worried him. He had thought the mercenary had just been an envoy from Sari and his mother, but obviously not.

Graham smoothed his thumb over Caelyn’s forehead and then kissed his nose. “Don’t frown so, angel. I assure you, you’re the only one for me.”

The werewolf’s smile almost seemed to have a magical effect on Caelyn. A small part of him remained unsettled, but he decided he’d ask all the questions he had at a different time.

Besides, he was mature enough to understand that a man like Graham must have had several relationships before Caelyn. But they couldn’t possibly compare to a true mate bond.

Of course, those thoughts only made Caelyn’s possessiveness stronger. He found himself grabbing Graham’s side and clinging to his mate’s shoulder. “That better be true or else.”

“Looks like this is our cue to leave, boys.” Graham’s mercenary friend laughed. “Congrats, by the way. You two make a wonderful couple.”

With that, the masked men walked away, leaving only Graham, Caelyn, and their new fae friend on the runway. “We should head out as well,” the fae said. “But first, let me introduce myself. My name is Raul Gomez, and I will be providing you with the things you need.”

“Like what?” Caelyn asked as Raul led them toward a waiting vehicle.

“Fake IDs, weaponry, phones, money, clothing.” And the list went on and on. “I assure you that whatever you require, I can provide.”

They slipped into the car, with Raul in the driver’s seat. “You do this a lot, I take it?” Graham inquired.

“Among other things,” Raul replied. “My job is to be here for whatever our common friend commands.”

Caelyn didn’t prod further. He was actually overwhelmed by the lengths to which Sari’s mother had gone to assist him. He wondered if that should worry him. After all, her deciding that all these precautions were necessary couldn’t be good.

Now more than ever, Caelyn felt like he was in over his head. But as he stole a look at his mate, he knew that he’d made the right choice. Gripping Graham’s hand, he smiled to himself. He had faith that, as long as he and Graham stuck together, everything would be all right. Ironically, in spite of all the uncertainty, he’d never felt safer.

* * * *

That afternoon

As it turned out, their new friend was very efficient in providing them the items he’d promised. A few hours after their arrival in New York, Graham and Caelyn found themselves leaving it.

The trunk of the car they had been given now held bags filled with all sorts of supplies. Somehow, Raul had managed to acquire special weapons with bullets that could even pierce dragon scales.