Forever's Fight (20 page)

“You’ll see from the paper I handed you that they’re determined to free the world of our
disease
. Right now, they’re still small, but they won’t stay that way for long. There will be people joining their ranks by the droves.”

“But there will be others who will remain neutral or will throw their support in our direction. This just makes things more desperate. Remember us discussing emailing the president…are you
sure
it won’t be traceable?”

“I’m positive. Why? What are you up to?”

Before Patrick could answer, the camera adjusted, getting a better view of Andrew strapped to the bed of a truck. He fought hard against the restraints, but even with his shifter strength, he was no match to the heavy chains. SFW had done their research on what would hold a shifter—or maybe this wasn’t their first kill.

Light glistened off a blade as it was brought down between his pecs, quickly slicing through his skin as it was drawn in a downward motion to his navel. Growls echoed through the speaker and there was no doubt the bear within Andrew wanted to come out. Something was holding it back.

“Why hasn’t he shifted?” Patrick leaned forward, trying to get a better look at Andrew’s face. He needed to see his eyes to know how close the beast was to the surface.

“What I found online is on that paper. SFW claims the chains they are using are special ones that have been cursed to encase the beast within the body. The chains won’t let him shift.”

“You believe this?”

Luke handed him another page, but this time it was a closer look at Andrew’s face. There was no doubt the beast was upon him, but he’d been unable to shift. There would have been no way Andrew could have held it back on his own, probably not even with the aid of an Alpha. He was just too close to the transition. It
had
to be the chains.

“Centuries ago, there were said to be chains that would encase a demon, making it impossible for them to use their powers.” Patrick tossed the papers on the sofa. “I never believed it before now since nothing was ever discovered but…”

“This seems like proof chains like that exist. But we’re not demons.”

Patrick nodded in agreement. Unlike what some people thought shifters were cursed, or demonic. Their roots could be traced many centuries back, and their second nature was the result of a spell cast by witches who were captured to be put to death. Those witches would cast spells to try to escape their fate, turning themselves into animals and taking off before they could be held accountable for their so-called sins. Only, they didn’t know their spells would become a permanent feature of their lives. Whatever animal they chose would be passed on through their future generations.

“The question is…how…how did they come up with these chains?” Patrick couldn’t take his gaze away from the screen as they continued to slice Andrew to pieces. His chest was spread open, exposing his heart, but they hadn’t taken the final blow yet. Shifters were harder to kill and it would take their bodies longer to shut down from the lack of blood, but once the heart stopped even a shifter would be dead.

“I’ll see what else I can find out.” Luke plopped down on the sofa and turned to face Patrick. “The government has been an evil we were expecting, but this…” He waved a hand at the television. “This is taking it another step. What are we going to do about this? It’s another threat we’re going to have to worry about every time we leave here. We have no protection against this. With LUNA, Clarissa came up with something that will work, but this…with this, we have nothing.”

“We’ll deal with it.”

“Patrick, what are you considering? You asked about emailing the president again. I thought you didn’t send the one you wrote before you went to look for Clarissa. You said you decided it was a bad idea. What changed?”

“We can’t continue on the path we’re on. We’re going to have to do something different if we’re ever going to reclaim our freedom. Our best bet is to take our demands to the highest authority because taking out one lab at a time does nothing for the overall problem. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my children to grow up in fear. I don’t want Jade or any of us, to have to live like this.” As the final blow sliced Andrew’s heart from his chest, Patrick grabbed the remote and muted the reporter. “This can’t go on. Next time, it might be one of us.”

“Think about this before you do anything. I don’t want you to do something stupid and get us all killed.”

“Don’t you think I’d do everything I can to protect you and the rest of our siblings?” Patrick glared at him. He was beyond tired of having to defend his actions. “Every decision I make is to make a safer world for all of you, to protect each of you.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Luke pushed off the sofa and strolled toward the window. “You don’t need to protect us. We all know what’s out there, what the risks are, and we’re all willing to do what needs to be done.” When Patrick started to say something, he cut him off by adding, “I know you suffered with Jade. The connection with you being her Alpha
and
her brother, made things worse. Not to mention the fact that you shielded the rest of us from it. But you can’t do it all yourself, and like you said we can’t live like this forever. All of us deserve to have a life again.”

“Do you honestly think we’ll ever be able to go back to our lives? That I’ll be welcomed in any town as a doctor? Don’t tell me you think you can go back and work for one of the top companies as their IT specialist again.” Patrick didn’t give his brother a chance to answer. “No, none of us will ever be able to reclaim the lives we had. Jade will never be able to finish her college degree or become a teacher. I might be able to use my medical training again, but I’ll never have my own practice. The only patients who will come to me are shifters or their mates, and even then it will only be for wounds. We don’t get sick and our bodies heal quickly. My training is of little value to shifters. The best I can offer is delivering babies. Each of us needs to start to accept that our lives will never be the same.”

“We already know that. Maybe we do hold out some hope that we’ll live normally again, and maybe it’s just a dream, but when you give up hope you have nothing.”

He rose from the arm of the sofa and looked at his brother. “Then do us all a favor and hold on to your hope. Hold on to it for the sake of all of us who have lost it.”

“What happened to you, Patrick? You used to be the most optimistic one of us.”

“Real life.” He slammed his hand down on the back of the sofa. “I’ve made some horrible mistakes since I took over for Dad. He’d have never let Jade go out on that mission, and she’d have never been captured. I didn’t send anyone after Andrew and look where that got him. Now I have a human mate who was in danger already, but by being mated to me, marked by me, it makes it so much worse.”

The door pushed open and Clarissa stood there with a silk rope tied loosely at her waist. “Worse for who? You or me?”

“Clarissa, go back to bed.”

“No, I want to know. Why is being mated to me so bad?”

Luke glanced at his brother before trying to stop the fight that was brewing. “That was taken out of context.”

“Luke, I know you mean well, but I highly doubt it. So,
mate
….” She spit out the word like it left a bad taste on her tongue.

“Being mated to me has put you in more danger.” He decided to be honest with her, to let her know just what type of risk she had taken. “If something happens to me, I won’t be able to protect you.”

“Protect me from what?” She wrapped her arms around herself. “From the government? Don’t worry about that, because if there were no chance you were alive and coming back to me, I’d do what I had to do to ensure they never got their hands on me. Even if that meant taking my own life. I’ve seen what they’re capable of, and I won’t be at their mercy.”

“My sweet angel, you have no idea how much they can make you wish you were dead and yet be nowhere near you.” He reached over, grabbed the pocket knife that was sitting on Luke’s desk, and flipped it open.

“This isn’t necessary,” Luke stated, taking a step toward Patrick.

“I think it is.” He dropped the shields that were like a second skin to him, protecting her from the worst within him. The constant strain of decisions, fears, and worries. He kept up the shields protecting her from the rest of the pride. Those wouldn’t matter now. He watched as the way she looked at him changed. The anger she’d held only moments before was gone, but before she could say anything, he turned the knife on himself. He drove the blade into his stomach, careful to miss his organs.

Even though it was a small stab wound, the pain exploded through him, shaking his knees. Clarissa curled forward, grasping the area on her own body where he’d stabbed himself. Even as she slipped her hand underneath her robe to check for blood, tears spilled down her face. It broke his heart and he quickly slammed the shields back into place, taking the pain from her.

With her breath back, her legs would no longer hold her, and she sank to the floor. “What the hell happened?”

“My shields protect you from me. Some mates aren’t able to build shields like the ones I’m able to, but since I’m an Alpha it’s practically mandatory. Otherwise, no one would survive the mating, especially not a human. There’s too much turmoil going on within me to let it go unshielded. Even though I dropped the shields, you only felt part of it because I was focused.”

“What was the point of that, to cause me pain?” She sobbed. “So I could see what’s within you?”

“No, my angel, I’d never want to cause you pain.” He dropped the pocket knife to the corner of the desk, careful to ensure it didn’t drip blood onto any of Luke’s papers. “I did it so you’d see what would happen if they captured me. Eventually, they’d tear down my shields and I wouldn’t be able to protect you from it. I wouldn’t be able to shield my siblings. Austin would step into the position of Alpha, and then he could take the brunt of the assault, as I did when it came to Jade’s torture.”

He closed the distance between them and knelt in front of her. “Even Austin wouldn’t be able to help you. He couldn’t protect you from the bond between mates. Do you understand the risk you took accepting this mating? Do you see why you’re in more danger than ever before?”

“I see that you tried to scare me, but it’s too late. If you wanted to scare me away from accepting what’s between us, you should have done it before the mating. Now you’re stuck with me.”

“That wasn’t the point of this.” He took his hand away from the stab wound, revealing the blood that had seeped through his shirt and onto his fingers. “I wanted you to comprehend how dangerous things are. Each day I do my best to protect you and my pride, but with the way things are going I don’t know what the future will hold.”

“What are you talking about? What happened?” When he remained silent, she glanced up at his brother. “Luke?”

“Andrew was killed.” Luke, who had remained silent, answered.

“Not just killed,” Patrick said. “Fucking hell, he was tortured.”

“Oh, hell.” She rose up onto her knees. “Did they capture him when he checked out the camp?”

He quickly brought her up to speed on the situation, and what had happened before he grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. “Now, go back to bed. I’ll be there shortly.”

“We need to see to that.” She glanced toward his stomach. “I can’t believe you stabbed yourself. Come on, let me patch you up.”

“I’ll take care of it in a bit.”

“Go ahead.” Luke nodded to the door. “There’s nothing more that you can do here. I’ll see what I can find on SFW, and I’ll let you know when I learn anything important.”

“Bring Austin up to speed, and if you need help, get him to help you,” Patrick ordered Luke before putting his arm around his mate and leading the way out of Luke’s office.

“You know, there had to be a better way than stabbing yourself,” Clarissa said, not bothering to hide her annoyance.

“It brought home the point, but I’m sorry that it hurt you.” Subconsciously, his hand returned to the wound. “Shifters heal quickly. The skin will be closed by this afternoon, and completely healed tomorrow.”

“Forty-eight hours…all to prove a point,” she bitched.

“You’re worth a lot more than a little stab wound.”

“If so, then you’ll make sure you keep yourself alive and free. Remember that, mate.”

“Yes, my angel.” He’d do his best to ensure he was always there for her, and everyone who depended on him. He wouldn’t be like his father and desert his family.

He didn’t desert us
. Even as he told himself that for the millionth time, he couldn’t convince himself, because part of him believed his father had abandoned them. Even if it was subconsciously.
Not me. I’ll stand for my pride.

Days had passed since Andrew’s execution, and a gray cloud had settled over Patrick and the family. Even Nolan seemed to feel the unease and had stayed out of Patrick’s way. Not that he was down on the main floors much. Patrick was up in his office working on strategies, in between the trial runs of LUNA’s counteragent. He was working on a plan to take to the president. Something that would eliminate the threats, and hopefully destroy all the labs once and for all.

“Here’s the information you requested on Parachute, Colorado.” Austin placed the computer printouts on Patrick’s desk, next to the keyboard. “What’s this about?”

“I’ve got to have all my bases covered.” He laid a hand on the file and looked up at his brother. “Do you think you could find me two or three other small towns that would be habitable for a large group of shifters?”

“You’re not seriously considering suggesting to the government that we set up towns of shifters? How is that better than the camps they already have?”

“There’s no way the government and the rest of civilization are going to let us just move back into our old lives. If we could establish laws of protection, homes, and employment again, maybe we can get some resemblance of our old lives back.”

“What do you have in mind? Go through it step by step with me.” Austin lowered himself into the chair across from the desk, crossed his ankle over his other knee, and settled back to listen.

“If we establish a land that is just ours, like our own country, maybe we can begin to live again. Establish a town of our own, set up security around the perimeter to keep outsiders out, law enforcement to keep everyone in line. We can have everything we need right there. Our people will be safe.”

“What about the fact that more than a third of the United States is either a shifter or mated to one? There’s no way we could put that many people in Parachute. The different animals won’t live in harmony like you want. Not to mention that some just won’t accept it.”

“I’ve considered that, and I’ve laid it all out in the plan I’ve spent the last few days devising. Multiple towns will be required, many of them will have a dominant animal in charge. For those who are unwilling to live like this, I have no doubt the government will keep them in the camps, unless they can live under the radar. Though, once they’re captured, law enforcement would have no choice but to either send them to one of the shifter towns or imprison them in one of the camps.” He noticed that Austin didn’t seem convinced, but it was the only way. “It’s either this or we continue being hunted down like rabid animals. The camps and labs will continue to exist. If we present this in a way that makes it sound like it’s to their benefit, we can get them to approve this. Think of how many we’d be able to save, how many we can free from those camps.”

“It’s going to take more than just you to make this happen.”

Patrick nodded. “I need you on board. Your military experience will be an advantage, and if I get them to approve this, I’d like you to head up security for us.”

“You think they’ll let us stay here?”

“Why not? They haven’t put anything into writing that a shifter cannot own land, and this is our home. We’ll fight to keep it. I’d like to have them transfer some of the land around here or the town of Parachute for the other members. This way they’re not in our home. It would be safer for us. It will also allow for families to have their own home and privacy, something they couldn’t have here, and would give them a sense of freedom.”

“It sounds like you have this all thought out.” Austin leaned forward. “You’re going to need a detailed security outfit for each of the towns, especially here. If we’re going to do this, it won’t be long before every shifter knows we’re the ones behind this idea. You realize there will be death threats?”

“I know I could be digging my own grave with this. Especially if I can’t convince the government.” He dragged a hand through his hair. “I can’t see any other way, though.”

“Not just you. We’re all in this together. We vowed to stick together, and we’ll all have your back for this.” He slapped his thighs and started to stand. “Send me what you have already, and I’ll go over the security aspects, add my suggestions, and get it back to you.”

“Thanks, Austin. I mean it. I couldn’t do this without you and the others behind me.”

“We’re family. We’ll always have each other’s backs. That reminds me, when are you going to tell the others?”

Patrick glanced at the picture of his family on his desk, stared down at his father’s smiling face for a moment, and hoped he was doing what his father would have wanted. “Let’s get things ironed out more before we tell everyone.”

Before Austin made it to the door, he turned back. “Have you discussed this with Clarissa? She might have some insight on aspects that should be covered in the proposal before we take our case to the president.”

“She knows I’m working on something that will hopefully make our lives easier, but I haven’t gone into any details with her. Though, you do have a good point. I’ll speak with her and see if she can think of anything I’ve missed. Sometimes we forget what it’s like to be human. All I can think about is how my beast is on edge with all the developments recently. SFW and those demonic chains aren’t helping anything. All over the web, people are discussing the possibility of being able to make them and have them enchanted by a witch or a shaman. Others have tried to find their own.

“There’s so much hatred toward our kind right now that it makes me sick. My lion wants to rip through and show the world what real dangers could await them if they continue on this path. More and more shifters will let their beasts gain control, and eventually there will be so many rogues the humans will be in real danger.” Patrick leaned back in his chair and sighed. “The world is going to Hell, and this is our last effort to pull it back from the brink.”

“We’re going to be the saving grace.” Austin smirked before growing serious. “I might not have been on board before, but you’re right. There are no other options. We can’t live in a world where we have to worry about the labs, camps, LUNA, SFW, and now public executions. We need a safe world for future generations.”

Clarissa pulled off her lab coat. She needed a break, anything that didn’t have to do with this lab and LUNA. She had been at it since daybreak, and now the sun was long gone. Patrick was still in his office, working on this secret project. She debated about going to him, to pull him away from his work, and slip back to their room for some quality time. Before she could, Jade burst through the door, out of breath, her face flushed.

“Where’s Patrick?”

“In his office. Everything okay?”

“I found her!” she hollered, dashing toward Patrick’s office.

Eager to know who Jade had found, she followed.
So much for quality mating time.
“Found who?”

“What’s going on?” Patrick looked up from the computer screen, the pinch of skin between his eyebrows seeming to say he would have preferred not to be bothered.

“I found her…” Jade tossed the papers on his desk. “I found Andrew’s niece. She wasn’t at the camp after all. His sister sacrificed herself to save her little girl, giving her time to run. She’s only eight, but she’s smart enough that she was able to hide out, steal the food she needed, and find a place to stay warm. She was on the run for two weeks, moving from place to place, never staying too long for fear she’d get caught. She finally found a family to take her in.”

“How did you find her, then?”

“The family who took her in are human. They didn’t know what she was until Andrew’s death, when MaKayla saw it on the news and got upset. At first the family thought it was because of what she’d seen, but she eventually told them the truth. I received an email through Shifters Underground from them this afternoon, and just got off the phone with them.”

“Please tell me they aren’t turning her over to the authorities,” Clarissa begged. Needing his touch, she stepped around the desk to stand beside Patrick.

“They care about MaKayla, but the news announced that school children will now be tested with LUNA, and they’re afraid for her safety. They have a toddler of their own and have asked that we find a place where she’ll be safe.”

“How did they find out about Shifters Underground?” He pushed back from the desk and pulled his mate down onto his lap.

“MaKayla. Her mother had an account on the site, and that’s how they contacted us. I told them we’d put together a plan and come get her.” Jade took a deep breath and placed her hands on the desk. “I want to be the one to go get her.”

“Absolutely not.” He nearly pushed Clarissa from his lap before he caught himself. “You’re more valuable here. You’ll stay. Blake and Chase can manage this. Or Chase can take Nolan. Either way, you’re staying here.”

“She’s scared. Having two burly lions show up isn’t going to put her at ease.” She stepped away from the desk. “Patrick, I know the risks, but we’re talking about a little girl. She’s terrified, and her family has been killed by these assholes. We need to put her at ease from the beginning. Chase isn’t as intimidating, but he won’t have time to comfort MaKayla.”

“Not after last time, Jade. I want you right here where you’re safe.”

“It’s not like I’m happy about it, to go out there, and put myself in danger again.” Fear sparkled in Jade’s eyes before she was able to blink it away. “Eventually, I’m going to have to go back out there. You can’t expect to ask everyone else to go but me. You
know
I’m right.”

“No, what I know is I won’t put you back out there for something to happen to you. Things are too dangerous, especially now with SFW.”

“We’d only be gone a few hours. She’s a little over an hour away. If we go at night and stick to the back roads, we’ll be okay. Send whoever else you want, but let me go to her.”

“If you don’t want Jade to go, then let me,” Clarissa offered, knowing he didn’t want Jade in danger again. Especially without him there to keep her safe. “I agree, having a female will help MaKayla.”

“Don’t you start.” He growled at his mate. “You’re not going anywhere, either.”

“You know we’re right,” Jade added. “Put your worries about me aside, and think about that little girl. I need to do this for her.”

“Then I’m going with you.”

“What?” Both of the women asked at the same time. Clarissa turned in his lap to look at him.

“You heard me. If Jade’s going, I’ll be there to make sure she’s safe.” After last time, he wasn’t ready to take any chances.

“We’ll keep her safe.” Austin drew the attention to him while Chase stepped up beside him, and the two of them strolled in. They must have heard the ruckus. “If she’s going after MaKayla, let Chase and I go with her. We’ll keep her safe, and you and Clarissa can keep working. We can leave tonight.”

“We’ll make sure she gets back okay.” Chase leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest.

“Shit, I don’t like this,” Patrick said.

“I know.” Austin nodded. “You have more important things to deal with, and we’ll be back in a few hours.”

“Take Blake with you, too.”

“Four of us, for one little girl?” Jade shook her head.

“Not just for her, but also to keep you safe,” Patrick told her as he ran a hand up his mate’s back. “I guess you’re stuck with me tonight. Can’t say I’ll be very good company until they get back.”

“Then how about I help you with whatever you were working on?” she suggested.

“I think that’s a very good idea,” Austin said, smirking before nodding to Jade. “Let’s go. You contact them and let them know we’ll be leaving in thirty minutes. I’ll get Blake and Chase, grab the supplies, and we’ll meet downstairs in twenty.”

She waited until they were alone again before she looked back at Patrick. “What did Austin mean?”

“I’m working on a proposal to contact the president.”

“You what?” She jumped off his lap to look at him. “Are you insane? Going to the man who’s responsible for the labs and camps? He must have approved them, provided the funding, and his people are the ones demanding more.”

“Come here, angel.” He held out a hand to her but she didn’t take it. She needed to move around. “I’ve considered all of this.”

“Yet you’re
still
considering this?”