CHAPTER SIX

"M ichael received the report from Saphir," Josef announced as he entered Nik's office. "It's as bad as we thought. The shifter population in the forest has been infected, and the number of diseased is growing. Those not touched by the evil have made a run for it, and the dragons are sheltering some."

"Will this menace never end?" Nik spoke in a whisper and leaned back in his chair.

"The evil was old and powerful and even though it is now gone its sickness remains and must be eradicated from the forest or nothing will be able to survive there." Josef stated the truth as he knew it and Nik pulled his mind away from the clouding doubts and back on task.

"What about Gage and Dumas? Were they able to find out anything about their condition?"

"The dragon soldier did a flyover of the Lodge and felt three life forces within. They were identified as a hellhound, a vampire, and a human." Josef told him.

"That's why they couldn't make their escape; they were protecting a human." Nik surmised, and Josef nodded.

"Make ready two units and have them prepared to leave in an hour." Nik stood and walked over to his munitions closet and began selecting weapons for this particular battle."

"I'll have them ready, and I request to join you." Josef asked and Nik turned to him.

"I want you to stay here Josef and protect my people and to protect Walker. We don't know what's out there and I will not risk us both. Magics are insidious and there is no telling what the outcome will be. I need you here." Nik explained the reasoning and although Josef understood he hated not being at the Master's side.

"Conrad and Evan will be returning tomorrow. Evan can finish whatever you start today. I know we can't wait. I know from talking to the dragons and just the fact that we have lost contact with Dumas and Gage that this thing is moving quickly. But do wish we had more options." Nik smiled and patted Josef on the shoulder.

"We'll have this blight under control soon, and magics of any kind will never again be allowed in my city."

"What was that?" The three of them pressed up to the windows staring up at the sky as something huge flew past. It was so huge it briefly blocked the sun. Harley took Gage's hand on instinct and soaked in the calm that always came with his touch.

"It's a dragon." Dumas stated and Harley should have been surprised but after the day he'd had there were no more surprises left in this world for him. "Michael contacted the dragon circle when we fell out of contact. More soldiers will be arriving."

"I hope they realize the number of infected that exist in the forest and come prepared," Gage commented.

"The dragons know." Dumas was certain, and for some reason, that made Harley feel better about the whole thing even though he really didn't understand half of what was going on.

"Things are going to start to happen pretty soon, and I want you to stay close to me no matter what." Gage held Harley by the shoulders as he made himself clear. "Can you do that?"

"Yeah, I can do that." He answered and then asked. "What's going to happen?"

"A bloody battle for the forest," Dumas replied.

"I need you to stay behind me at all times and be within reach unless I tell you otherwise. Do exactly what I tell you to do when I tell you to do it; no reacting to the situation, you simply follow me. Okay?" Gage was really hammering, but Harley got the message it was serious and deadly, and Gage didn't want him to die. Harley had no problem agreeing not to die.

"I promise," Harley told him and meant it.

"I'm going up to the observation deck," Dumas announced. "Why don't you spend some time with your beloved." He said to Gage and quickly vacated the area, leaving them alone. Gage seemed pleased to have this time together, and Harley was just as pleased and didn't wait to slip his arm around Gage's waist, leaning into his warmth and security.

"A beloved is like a mate." Harley stated as they stood together by the windows wrapped in each other's arms.

"Yes, but a beloved, I believe, is a deeper bond." Gage had his prejudices, but they were small. There was a sense of pride and camaraderie present between Gage, the vampire, and Dumas, the hellhound, which he had never seen with the foxes. They were proud of who they were, and they were proud of their species. Ashton always came off as semi-embarrassed about who he was and his family.

"Ashton said Ally was his mate, but they never acted like they were a Fated couple. I know what I'm feeling, and it is intense. Whatever is going on with them is either low key or they're lying." Harley was off-subject, but he just wanted to talk about something other than the monsters outside their door.

"I don't know too much about shifters and foxes in particular, but I know some wolf shifters and their mates are the center of their universe, and their connection is obvious." Gage let him ramble, and God, he loved him for that.

"He's shown more enthusiasm with past girlfriends than he has with his fiancé."

"Some paranormals decide not to wait for their mate or beloved or their chosen and bond with someone they think will be suitable." That sounded crazy even to Harley and he was new to the whole concept.

"One can wait for ages before finding their intended. Some run out of patience and are not willing to wait." Gage looked down at him with a tenderness that melted Harley every single time. "I waited for you. I waited a hundred and thirteen years for you."

"A hundred and thirteen years?"

"That's another perk you get for being my beloved." Gage grinned. "You age with me and vampires live for centuries. Master DuCane from Michigan is nearly a thousand years old. He started life as a medieval knight the son of duke in France." It was clear he had a lot of respect for the man that he spoke of, it showed in his expression and his words. "That man found his beloved four years ago."

"He waited centuries," Harley whispered.

"Centuries." He reiterated. "And it was worth it, just as my one hundred and thirteen years was worth it to have you here by my side in my life forever." Harley's understanding of Gage's world was opening up, and his place in that world became clearer. For some reason, things made sense that seemed bizarre before, and peace filled his heart.

"I'm starting to get it, I really am." He gushed, excited by the way the doors and windows of his mind had just started opening up. "Also, I'm certain Ally is not his mate, and it's not just because I fucking hate her. He's going to regret marrying her."

"They will both have regrets. He's going to regret losing your friendship most of all." Gage came back with his own observation.

"Thank you, Gage."

"You're welcome, baby."

Master Hadden held his beloved and promised to be home as soon as possible. "I need to handle this myself." He explained. "I have to end this my people need to be secure and free to pursue their lives and goals without the constant threat of magics."

"I know." Walker responded and then kissed him hard. "Do what you have to do, and I'll be here when you get back."

"Thank you, sweetheart."

"The men are ready, Nik." Josef appeared at the door. Nik gave Walker one more kiss before heading out. The plan was to take the fleet of armored SUVs to the Mountain Lodge and stage the battle from there.

Nik was able to contact Gage when they entered the forest. It was telepathy, a connection that Nik had with all his people. They couldn't share specifics, but Nik was able to make it clear that help was on its way, and Gage informed him that they were well and holding their own. He had allowed many of his leadership to take time off following the expulsion of the curse and the cleansing of Pittsburgh. He didn't realize at the time that there would be a part two to the disaster.

The majority of the men with him today were the new recruits. They were good men, all of them, and Nik vowed to bring all of them home today. It was going to be rough and bloody, but he refused to lose anyone.

They were approximately twenty miles from their destination when Nik received a call from King Bazil of the Allegheny Dragon Circle. Needless to say, he took the call immediately. They discussed eradicating the evil from the forest.

The dragons had discovered the diseased shifters were occupying a section of the forest which was approximately twenty square miles. Considering the size of the forest that was a small section. They both understood the need to strike soon to keep it from expanding or leaving the forest.

No sooner had he closed the call than they were inundated by the beasts. They stayed in the vehicles and pushed forward until they were able to break through and continue on to the Lodge.

Gage informed Dumas that help was but a few miles away. "Master Hadden is leading them. I've never known a Master to be so hands-on with his people." Gage marveled at his sense of leadership.

"He doesn't just hand out orders; he leads. His method of command was one of the reasons I petitioned here. He never sends his men somewhere he isn't willing to go himself." Dumas added his opinion.

"He brought a couple units with him, so the plan is to rid the woods of those creatures," Gage stated, and Dumas nodded.

"We don't want them making their way into a populated area." He added.

"Oh my God, that would be horrific." Harley shuddered. Gage pulled him close to his side and dropped a kiss to the side of his head. He relaxed some, but tension remained. He was worried, but he was leaning into Gage for comfort, which was exactly what he should be doing.

"The forest is vast how are you going to get them all how are you going to find them all?" Good questions and Gage was confident that Master Hadden had a plan. This wasn't the first time he came against evil he'd battled it before.

"Master Hadden knows what he is doing." He stated.

"They're near." Dumas announced and opened the inside door just as Master Hadden unlocked the outside door and stepped in. "Master Hadden." He acknowledged.

"Dumas." Master Hadden responded and stepped into the main room. Over twenty men followed him into the Lodge, and many more were stationed outside, keeping watch.

"It's good to see you, sir," Gage spoke up and he noticed when the Master saw Harley.

"There was a report that there was someone here with you. I assume he knows who we are and is aware of the situation." The Master was making sure he was informed before speaking freely.

"This is Harley Fraser, and he is my beloved." Gage got right to the point.

"Well, that was unexpected, but as we all know, Fate works in her own way and in her own time." He smiled, took Harley's hand, and held it for a moment. "Welcome, Harley, and congratulations on finding such a suitable and loving man as Gage Novak."

"Thank you sir." Harley was star struck and had difficulty finding his words but handled himself impeccably. Gage was very proud of his man.

"We'll get through this and then you two can take some time to get acquainted and get settled. But for now we need to keep our heads and train our focus on defeating this threat." Master Hadden, Micheal and another commander by the name of Kash met and made plans to apparently comb through the woods and take out the mutant shifters. They had them isolated to an area of about twenty miles according to what Gage overheard.

It seemed to be a go but then Master Hadden voiced his concerns. "We may simply push them and end up expanding the territory they occupy, if we don't get every last one. We could be hunting them for ages. Is chasing them really the best option?"

"What are they after?" Micheal spoke up. "What do they want from us? They hunted Gage's beloved Harley. They attacked the Lodge, and they went after Dumas repeatedly when he was searching the area. They kill. That's clear. Dumas found evidence during his search of both humans and other shifters having been killed by these things."

"My killing them as they attacked did not deter others from attacking." Dumas pointed out. "They just kept coming mindless and bloodthirsty."

"They will come to us." Master Hadden stated.