Chapter 17

Blake

"Blake."

Blake searched for his brother and saw Tristan running across the field. "What the hell are you doing here? I thought you couldn't get through the spell."

"I don't know what happened. We've set up monitors outside the parameter and monitored the spell's intensity. When it disappeared, we advanced."

"The spell is gone?"

"It weakened then disappeared altogether. My first thought is whoever laid the spell stopped feeding it, so it died. It's like an invitation. Did you see who ran this place?"

Blake stood straighter and shifted his gaze up, thinking. He remembered talking to two women but couldn't picture their faces. It was like a fly buzzing around in his brain that he couldn't catch. Spots appeared in Blake's vision, and he held on to his brother to keep him from falling.

"What's going on?" Tristan asked him.

Blake shook his head and waved his brother off. "Don't worry about me. There are a lot of shifters here." He glanced around at the chaos. "You need to round up all the people dressed up. They were spectators and may be able to give you answers. I need to find Nikki and Reagan."

Lincoln stopped in front of them. "Where's Reagan? Did you find Jada?"

"I don't know where Reagan is, but the last time I saw her, she was unable to shift and not doing well. I never saw Jada," Blake said.

He checked out the area around them. Three giant polar bears were corralling everyone who hadn't run away. Emergency medical teams were trying to get the shifters to stop and be examined, but most were running as if they were on fire.

They heard Washington call out for Lincoln, but they didn't know where he was.

Blake, Tristan, and Lincoln searched for him. Blake spotted him behind the bleachers. He backhanded Lincoln's arm and pointed. "There."

They ran over to Washington, who was with Nikki and Reagan. Reagan was still in wolf form.

"How bad is it?" Lincoln kneeled, picking up Reagan's snout.

"I've done everything I could do, but she won't shift," Nikki said. "She doesn't seem injured, but it's the Carfentanil. She can't shake it off."

Washington and Lincoln exchanged glances.

"What do you know that we don't?" Blake asked.

"Her alpha can force a shift," Washington said.

Lincoln sat back on his heels. "You know I hate doing that."

Washington scoffed. "It doesn't matter if you don't like doing it. You need to."

"I'm not a real alpha," Lincoln said.

"You are the closest thing she has to an alpha."

Nikki said, "I don't care what you do, just do something. Her breathing has been slowing down, and it's almost stopped." She turned her head to the side.

Blake thought he saw a tear slip out of the corner of her eye, but she quickly brushed it away with her shoulder.

Ford and Madison joined them, kneeling on the ground.

"Wow, this looks bad," Ford said.

Madison said, "What's wrong with her?"

"She was drugged," Lincoln said.

"He needs to force a shift, but he doesn't want to," Washington said.

"Well, that's stupid, Dude," Ford said. "Make her do it."

"An alpha forces a shift. I never wanted to be an alpha."

Blake didn't understand what was happening. The way this team acted with each other wasn't like any pack he'd seen before. "I don't get it. I thought all packs had alphas."

Madison gave him a nasty look as if he had just cursed the Goddess herself. "We aren't like a regular pack."

"Are you the alpha?" Blake asked Lincoln.

Lincoln didn't respond.

Tristan said, "We have alphas with us. I can get one, but it might not work if it isn't her alpha."

"Lincoln needs to do it," Washington said.

"Reagan should be the one to make that choice," Madison said.

Ford let loose a sarcastic chuckle. "You do see Reagan there in wolf form, right? How is she supposed to give her consent?"

"You're running out of time," Washington said.

"Let me find another alpha." Tristan stood, scanning the field.

Lincoln stood and glared at them. "Will all of you shut the fuck up? I can't think." All of them froze. "I never wanted to be your alpha. Each of you had a free choice to join and stay on this team. If I do this, it's going to change everything. I won't do it unless all of you agree."

Washington said, "It's the right thing. I say do it."

Ford said, "Ditto."

Madison stood, walked, and stepped close to Lincoln. "You don't know the things about her the way I do. Her last alpha was an asshole. I'm not sure she'd agree to this."

Ford stood, saying, "If he doesn't do this, she might not make it long enough to agree to anything."

Madison made eye contact with each of them. "You're men. You don't get it."

Nikki said, "I get it. I know about her past, too."

Madison sneered at Nikki. "That's funny, Ponygirl, because she never mentioned you."

"I'm not surprised," Nikki said. She turned her attention to Lincoln. "Most of us are born shifters. Did you know she was forced to become a shifter?"

Lincoln said, "I did."

"Well, I didn't," Ford said. "That makes a lot of sense now that I think about it."

Lincoln said, "We all have things we want to keep hidden."

Madison said, "I'm not sure she'd agree to this, but if it keeps her alive, I say do it."

Lincoln nodded and pointed to Nikki. "Are you strong enough to hold her because this isn't going to be pleasant? It's going to hurt like hell for her." He jutted out his chin to Tristan. "Get one of those medical people over here in case this goes wrong."

Tristan nodded and took off.

Blake tried to put his hands in his pockets. It made his jeans even tighter. He hated tight jeans, but Nikki told him the tighter the jeans were, the better for this area. "What could go wrong?"

"She hasn't acknowledged him as her alpha," Washington said. "Lincoln may not have a strong enough connection to complete the shift."

"Oh," Blake said.

Tristan returned with a medic.

"What do we have?" The medic asked.

Washington explained the situation.

The medic raised his eyebrows. "Okay, let's do this. I'm ready."

Lincoln kneeled over Reagan's body, closed his eyes, and placed his hands on her chest.

The power he sent into her body made all of them rock back. The hairs on the back of Blake's neck rose, and electric tingles raced through his body. Reagan's body convulsed, and a loud moan that wasn't human or animalistic escaped her body. Nikki tried to keep a tight enough grip on Reagan's body, but the violent convulsions made it too hard. Her legs elongated, and the fur turned into skin, but her head was stuck in wolf form.

Lincoln opened his eyes and found Washington.

Washington nodded and said, "You have to step completely into your role."

Lincoln closed his eyes and increased his power. It was so powerful that Blake stepped back to escape the heat.

In a loud pop, Reagan's body curled in on itself, and the shift was completed. She opened her eyes but seemed disoriented and panicked, fighting off Lincoln's hands.

Nikki grabbed Reagan's face and forced her to still, "Hey, hey, you're okay. I've got you."

Reagan stared into Nikki's eyes. Nikki nodded and smiled. "It's okay. I've got you."

Reagan's breathing normalized.

Nikki nodded and emphasized her breathing, encouraging Reagan to calm down. "There you go. Do you know where you are?"

Reagan glanced around and shook her head.

"Do you know who I am? Who we are?" Nikki said.

Reagan made eye contact with everyone and nodded.

The medic reached over and said, "Hi, my name is Paul. Would it be okay if I examined you?"

Apprehension filled Reagan's eyes, and she gripped Nikki's arm but nodded.

Paul pulled out a small pen light, checked her eyes, and continued his exam.

Lincoln stepped off to the side and vomited before walking away.

Blake asked Washington, "Is he okay?"

Washington let out a long sigh. "He will be. With great power comes great responsibility." He winked.

"Dude, you did not just quote Spiderman," Ford said. "I always knew you were a nerd. This just proves it." He waved a finger between them. "You will not turn me down the next time I ask you to go to the movies."

"What can I say? You don't know everything about me."

Paul said, "She's going to be okay, but I'd like to get her to the medical tent and keep her there for an hour or so just to be on the safe side."

Nikki helped her stand.

"Can you stay with her?" Paul said, and Nikki nodded.

Washington, Ford, and Madison walked behind Reagan, who leaned heavily on Nikki.

Blake and Tristan watched them.

Blake said, "I don't get how that team functions."

Tristan said, "I don't either, but they make it work. They've done some great work."

A young man walked up to them.

Tristan said, "What have you found so far?"

The man opened a small notebook. "We've detained and started questioning at least seventy-five people. Unfortunately, none of them remember why they are here. We have no idea how many shifters were held captive because many escaped as soon as the spell dropped. We did find a panther shifter that matches the description you gave us."

"That sounds good, but did you find what we came here for?" Tristan asked.

The man shook his head. "We haven't found it. We're still looking for it, but I don't think it's here. It does appear that someone left in a helicopter right before the spell fell."

Tristan clenched his hands. "Shit."

"The nanotech?" Blake asked.

"Yeah, I feel like this keeps slipping through our fingers." He asked Blake, "Did you see Heather? Was she the one running this mess?"

Blake gawked at his brother. "Who?"

"Heather Fairchild. You ex-girlfriend."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Blake said.

Tristan stepped close to his brother, put his hands on Blake's face, and stared into his eyes. Blake slapped away his brother's hand.

"What the hell?" Blake asked.

"You've been spelled," Tristan said.

The man said, "We're seeing signs of that in everyone."

"Fuck," Tristan said. "We still have no idea who is running all of this."

"Is there a way to counteract the spell?" Blake asked.

Tristan ran a hand through his hair. "We can try. But if the spell is anything like the one protecting this area, we won't be able to break it."

Blake started to speak, but then he heard a noise that was too good to be true. He heard it again, closer this time. He glared at Tristan. "You brought her to this mess?"

"Have you ever noticed how stubborn she is? I fought her for half an hour. Hell, I can't even make her stay with her security detail."

Angela almost knocked him down when she ran up and tackled-hugged him, wrapping her legs around him. He wrapped his arms around her and swung her around. She kissed wherever she found skin.

"You shouldn't be here," he said.

"I never want to let you leave me again. When they told me you'd been captured, there was no way I could stay in DC."

"It's still too big a risk."

"Good to see you, Blake, Ole Man," Doyle stood next to them.

Blake let go of Angela and glowered at his brother. "I can't believe that's who you got to keep her safe. Are you fucking kidding me?"

"It wasn't your decision," Tristan said. "He was the best man for the job. You don't have to like it."

"It was fine, Blake. I'm still here and in one piece," Angela said.

Blake looked down at her. "I wouldn't have let you come here."

Angela stepped back and put her hands on her hips. "Listen here, Mr. Sullivan. I've had enough men telling me what to do or trying to control me. I understand I'm the president, and I fully accept that comes with a lot of crap. But I'm a person first. I'm a woman who couldn't stay away from her mate any longer."

Blake's stomach tightened. "Wait a minute. Did you just say, mate?"

Angela huffed. "Did something damage your hearing? Yes, I said, mate. That's what you keep saying. I have no idea what that means, but I'm ready for whatever happens."

Blake picked her up again and squeezed her, holding her as close to him as he could. Angela patted his arm.

"I, can't, breathe."

He laughed and put her down.

Tristan put one hand on Blake and then one on Angela. Blake growled, and Tristan quickly took off his hand.

"We need to get you out of here, Madam President. My people will take care of cleaning up this mess. I don't like you being exposed like this."

"Agreed," Blake said. "How did you get here?" He put an arm over her shoulder, pulling her in as close as possible to protect her from everyone.

"Marine One," Angela said.

Tristan pointed. "It's over there."

Blake and Angela walked toward the helicopter. Doyle followed. Blake stopped and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Protecting the President," Doyle said.

Blake let go of Angela and puffed out his chest. "Your services are no longer needed. Angela is my responsibility."

Doyle held up his hands. "Hey, as long as I get paid for the entire contracted time, that's fine with me."

Blake looked at Tristan.

Tristan said, "I'll take care of it."

Blake held Angela close to him again, and they continued walking. "Coming here was reckless. If anything happened to you, I would have never forgiven myself."

Angela snuggled closer to him. "I wouldn't say it was reckless, but it was probably crazy. I don't know what came over me. It was like I was being pulled to you."

"That was our bond."

"You mean as in mating bond?"

Blake kissed the top of Angela's head. "What do you know about a mating bond?"

"Only what I've seen in movies and TV shows or read in books." She stopped, put a hand on his chest, and pushed away enough to see him. "Do you have to bite me?"

Blake chuckled. "It's not like that. But I will bite you if you want."

He enjoyed feeling her body warm against him as she hid her face from him.

"We can't do any of that until we get home."

"Home?"

She looked up at him again. "Yeah. I'd like it if you moved in with me for the sake of just being with me and not being my bodyguard."

"That's a big step. What do you think people are going to say?"

She sighed. "I don't know, and I don't care. People are talking about me anyways."

"What will Benji think?"

"I don't know. He's the only one who I'm really worried about."

Blake placed a gentle kiss on her mouth. "We'll handle it together. I'm a patient man who can wait until everything is right for you."

A Marine dressed in a formal uniform stood at attention outside the helicopter.

Angela stepped away enough to salute the soldier. "Thank you," she told him.

He helped her onto the helicopter and nodded to Blake.

The helicopter took off once they were settled in their seats with their headphones on. Blake noticed all the people on the ground.

"How many people did my brother bring?"

"I'm not sure, maybe all of Operation Excalibur. I saw many of the same people who helped us with Benji."

The helicopter frame groaned when the pilot turned. Blake gripped Angela's arm, turned his body to shield her, and held her tight against him.

"Blake, relax. It's okay. That noise is normal."

Blake didn't move for an extended moment before he returned to his seat. "The last time we were in this didn't end well."

"I know." Angela squeezed his hand. "Speaking of that. The final report is bogus."

"Huh?"

"Senator Van Houten showed me the final report before it was presented. It showed the investigation found evidence of mechanical failure, but that's not true. I saw the original report. Blake, someone, indeed, tried to kill me."

A nagging thought went through Blake's mind at the mention of the Senator. It soured his stomach, but he couldn't find the words, so he dropped it.

"I would think, given your position, there are a lot of death threats."

"There's at least two a day, but nothing ever comes of them. This was the real deal."

"How do you know it won't happen again?"

Angela pointed to the two pilots and the soldier sitting in the back with them. "Tristan assigned these soldiers specifically to guard this helicopter. They're elephant shifters. Elephant shifters. I can't comprehend how they even exist."

"Elephant shifters make sense."

"That's what Tristan said. It's their sense of smell, he told me." She pressed her back into the seat. "I can't even begin to understand the depth of your world."

"Are you still planning on creating your legislation?"

"I am, but I don't want to argue about that right now, please."

Blake turned his head to see her, held her hand up to his mouth, and kissed the back of his knuckles. "I've changed my mind. I think it could turn out to be a really good thing."

"Yeah? I'm not as sure as I was before."

"What changed?"

Angela shrugged. "I never thought about the danger some supernaturals present to humans."

"That danger has always been there, though."

"True, but once you shine a light on something, you can't put it back in the dark." She leaned her head on his arm.

He let go of her hand and opened his arm for her to snuggle against him. "It's going to be okay."

But as soon as the words left his mouth, doubt clouded his thoughts. He couldn't help but think Pandora probably thought it would be a good idea to open that damn box, too.