16. Sixteen

sixteen

The return trip to Kendal's apartment parking lot was done in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts. Kendal was my mate. It felt right, but I wanted to know more. Were fated mates bound together in some way? Could she reject me?

My chest twisted at the thought.

Beyond the issue of Kendal being my mate, there was the entirety of Society for my brothers and me to wrap our heads around. Even though Zeus seemed willing to accept us, would the larger supernatural community be as open? Zeus said there were others like us, who couldn't hide among humans, so at least there were precedents for our situation. That didn't ensure we'd be treated like those others.

We weren't natural. We were created. Even we knew that meant we'd be treated differently. We hadn't been formally educated about Society or normals, beyond being taught to read and write. I remembered the debate among the scientists on whether even that education was wise. In the end, they decided if we couldn't read or write, then our functionality as weapons diminished.

We couldn't very well infiltrate a facility if we couldn't read which door was the entrance and what exits existed.

What little history, culture and manners we'd learned were self-taught. We listened closely to our captors, and we watched. We shared our observations and that's how we built an education beyond the limits the scientists set.

Kendal parked the van at the edge of the forest and opened the back doors for us. Kragen didn't hesitate, disappearing into the dark woods. I tilted my snout to look into Kendal's eyes. "I want to stay with you."

I shifted from paw to paw, nervous while she thought. She didn't look away, and my heart swelled.

"I don't think that's wise."

My ears flattened. "Can I ask why?"

"Of course you can. You can always ask questions. There are two main reasons. The first is that I don't think you'll be happy cooped up in my apartment alone all day. I have to go back to work tomorrow, so you'd be alone most of the time. And the second reason is that I think your brothers need you. Right now, everything is unsettled. Until there is a clear path forward for the wyrfangs, you should be together."

My entire head sank, the weight of the rejection not lessened by her sensible logic.

Her hand beneath my chin lifted my eyes to hers. "That's not to say I won't visit, or that you can't come here sometimes."

The world lifted and my eyes glowed bright. Given leave to visit, I could admit she was right. "Both of your reasons make perfect sense." I looked over my shoulder, spotting Kragen waiting patiently in the dark. "You know the way to the caves? For when the were-creatures contact you? Or should I come by each night?"

She smiled. "I know the way, but if you want to come by, I'll let you know when it's safe to come up."

I tipped my nose to her window. "How?"

"Umm," she thought a moment, "I'll turn the light on. The one next to the window. That will let you know it's okay to come inside."

I nodded and ran my nose up the side of her neck, paused for a fraction of a second, then turned and caught up with Kragen.

"Everything good?"

I nodded. "Everything is fine."

He grunted in response. "Good, because I need my second. Even though we don't know how Society will react, or what they might rule in our case, we need a plan. I don't want to wait for their decision to track BioSynth."

"Neither do I. We have the laptops from the lab. We can start combing through the data and compiling any information we find."

He nodded. "That's a good start, but we need to loop into a wider network."

I tapped a claw against my snout. "Kendal might know a way. I'll return tomorrow night and ask for her help."

We were almost at the cave entrance when I stopped him. "I need to find the men who took her, and make sure they never hurt her again."

Kragen licked his snout. "We'll consider them a trial run for taking on the rest of BioSynth. It will be good to go on a hunt of our own choosing."

We waited until we'd entered the main cavern and were surrounded by our brothers to lay out our initial plans. Ever the leader, Kragen immediately took control.

"We met three supernatural creatures tonight, and their leader agreed to help us. He will take our case to the governing council and report back through Kendal. While we wait, we will move forward with two primary objectives. The first is finding the men who held Kendal captive. Drym will lead this effort and when he has a working plan in place, we will use those men as a trial hunt.

"The second is finding what remains of BioSynth and ensuring the wyrfang data is destroyed. Cavi and Quin, you will help me go through the laptops we took and organize what we find. Roul and Thurl, you will get us ready for the initial hunt. Outfit us in gear as you see fit. We'll help with resources as we find them."

He paused, his gold eyes sweeping over each of us. "Does anyone have anything to add at this point?"

Our brothers shook their heads.

"Good. Then let's get these fuckers and ensure they can't do this again."

I joined the chorus of howls that echoed through the caves.

I grabbed my horns and let out a grunt of frustration. I never appreciated how complicated the human world could be. It seemed so easy when the scientists brought them a file with target information. The address, entrances, exits, and weaknesses and strengths all laid out for them in neatly typed pages.

I'd gone to the mansion where they held Kendal, hoping to find the names of the men who'd hunted her. I searched the entire house, top to bottom, and came up empty. The house was simply a staging ground. No personal pictures on the walls, all the decorative touches generic. The only room that seemed used was one that housed several leather chairs and a large fireplace.

A display above the mantle held a rack of guns, and a bar with gleaming crystal glasses and various decanters of alcohol stood to the side.

The chairs were worn smooth where a man would sit, testifying to their extended use.

Other than that, the house was clean. Sterile. No papers in the drawers of desks, no drawer filled with random items. I even walked the winding driveway to check the mailbox. Empty.

The last area I searched was the basement. Rage coursed through my blood as I stood in the middle of the cages. Cages where Kendal and other women had been kept like animals.

Like we'd been kept.

The metal bars were no match for my strength. I ripped the doors off their hinges. In contrast to the upstairs, each of these cells held mementos. I carefully gathered what I found. Kendal would want to contact anyone who might miss these women.

I knew they'd had no family, but there might be friends, coworkers, someone.

If nothing else, I would remember them.

A locket with the picture of a smiling woman inside. A hair clip that sparkled in the dim light. A heart-shaped stone, worn smooth in the middle. A coin, one edge worn from being used to scrape lines in the stone wall.

A small bag held the treasures of these women as I made my way back to the caves. Every step increased my anger, the fog pushing at the edges of my vision. I took a deep breath and counted to ten as I exhaled. Losing myself wouldn't help Kendal.

Her soft curves and intoxicating scent filled my mind. At the last minute I cut right, skirting the cave entrance and heading toward her apartment. It was late, and I hadn't meant to come so soon, but I couldn't stop my paws from turning in her direction.

I stared at the ground for a long time before gathering the courage to look up. I wanted the light to be on. I wanted her to invite me in. My eyes scaled the beige brick of the building an inch at a time until the glow from the window snapped them upwards.

I started for the door, only to retreat when a laughing couple pushed their way outside. I thought I'd wait until they got into their car and drove off, but they stood beside it kissing for so long I said fuck it and slipped past. They were too caught up in each other to notice me.

I knocked on Kendal's door as gently as I could, but the sound still echoed through the hall. Three locks turned before the door swung open and she launched herself into my arms. I curled my body around her, backing her into the room before a flick of my tail shut the door.

Her hands fisted in the fur at my back and she pressed her nose to my chest, inhaling. My cock threatened behind my seam, but I managed to keep it contained. "Shh, you're safe. I've got you."

She nodded, but didn't let go or ease her grip.

"What happened?"

She shook her head so I lifted her and crossed to the couch. I settled her on my lap, guiding her legs to the sides of my hips. She pressed closer, as if she needed to crawl beneath my fur.

We sat like that for a long time until finally, her fingers eased and she sat back to look up at me.

"I went back to work today."

My arms squeezed her in encouragement.

"I thought I would be fine. I felt strong, confident. Then my coworkers kept asking how I was, what happened. Every time they asked a question, images flashed through my mind. The other women, the sound of the men shouting, the dogs barking."

I rested my lower jaw against her back and hugged her to me.

She shivered. "I started thinking things… paranoid things. They were just curious, maybe even a little concerned for me, but it was like being on high alert all day. It was exhausting. All I could think about was coming back here, switching the lamp on, and hoping against hope you'd see the light and hold me."

"I'm never far. You can always come to me."

"I know, but …" she turned her face away, her eyes at the floor. She whispered, "I'm afraid to go into the woods."

I tucked my claw into my palm and lifted her chin with the flat of my finger. "It's a reasonable fear."

"You have your own issues to deal with, you and your brothers. I hate to ask anything more of you."

"Ask for the world, Kendal, and I will give it to you." My heart cracked when she looked at me. Her eyes swam with tears and she blinked rapidly before they spilled down her cheek.

"Will you come every night? Maybe one day I will be brave enough to leave the light off, but until then, can you come?"

I ran my fingers through the silken strands of her hair, watching the light play in the dark strands. I wanted to tell her I couldn't stay away. I wanted to tell her I loved her, but I knew it was too soon. I needed to wait for her. To move at her pace. "Yes. I will come every night."

She sighed and relaxed into my arms, and it felt like heaven.