CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Liam and the other man came up the ramp together, then the new guy hit the button to retract the ramp and seal the compartment. After which, he gave the pilots the signal, and they were airborne. Wil was surprised he’d left his people behind, but in another way, he was glad somebody with some firepower would be there to help the wolf Pack, in case more trouble started on the mountain after Wil and his party left. He didn’t like leaving the wolves who’d been so good to his dad in the lurch.

Wil was seated next to Liam along one side wall of the chopper, while the other man sat next to Senior. Liam leaned in to make himself heard over the noise of the spinning blades.

“That’s Major Moore,” Liam said, indicating the man who had come in on the chopper. “He left a squad of his people behind to secure the area, and he’ll liaise with the shifter hierarchy and my dad. They’re old friends.”

“Who’s his CO?” Wil asked, a bit confused by the way Liam referred to the new man. Was he legit military? If not, why was Liam giving him the rank of Major?

“Nobody, now, though his group has been known to work missions for Admiral Morrow on occasion. Major Moore retired from the Army several years ago and formed a specialized mercenary group known in shifter circles as the Wraiths. All of his guys are ex-Special Forces and shifters, as well. They’re on the right side of the battle between good and evil.” Liam looked at Moore, who was speaking with Wil’s dad as if they were old buddies. “You know, when the major heard your dad was involved, he decided to fly out with the squad. Seems he and your father go way back.”

“Seriously?” Wil asked, taking a fresh look at the way the men across the way were interacting. They certainly looked as if they were reminiscing. Both were grinning and seemed easy in each other’s company.

“Moore doesn’t look it, but he’s probably quite a bit older than your dad. We don’t show our ages the way you guys do. We hit prime and stay there for a few centuries, if we’re lucky,” Liam clarified.

Wil looked at Liam sharply. “Centuries?” Wil had realized shifters lived longer than regular people, but he hadn’t quite appreciated how much longer. The idea of these people living for hundreds of years blew Wil’s mind.

Liam shrugged. “If we don’t get killed in battle or some other way. It’s the magic, you know? It’s just the way we’re made.” He said that as if it was no big deal, but Wil was impressed. “We’re headed for Wyoming. That’s where the Wraiths are headquartered. Major Moore said he’s still working on coordinating transport from there back to our base, but it should be sorted out shortly. In the meantime, we’re welcome on his mountain, but I wanted you to understand the setup they have. The major’s the Alpha of the mercenary company, and his brother is the Alpha of a large wolf Pack that lives on and around the mountain. We’ll be their guests, and we’re lucky that your dad already seems to understand wolves, but you, Rick and especially Mandy are going to have to adapt. If you need help with shifter etiquette, I’m your man. Better to ask me than to make a blunder that gets the whole Pack up in arms, all right?”

“Got it,” Wil replied, almost, but not quite, insulted that Liam expected him to need guidance on how to be polite.

Still, shifter culture was still a new concept to Wil, and he suspected there were very different codes of conduct among them. At least Liam was offering to act as a guide, of sorts, to prevent any misunderstandings. Wil knew Liam didn’t have to do that, and he appreciated the gesture.

 

Mandy’s mind was working overtime trying to come to terms with everything that had just happened. She’d barely had a chance to catch her breath, and now, she was flying in what looked like a military helicopter, though it had none of the official markings she would have expected. So, it was a privately owned military helo? Did these people have their own private army? And, if so, was there a battle going on that the rest of the world seemed to not know about at all?

She was very much afraid that was exactly the case. She watched the men talk but didn’t participate. The noise from the blades of the helo were just too loud. And, honestly, she felt a bit shell-shocked after all that had just taken place. Better to sit quietly and try to regain some sort of equilibrium.

As it was, she had only a vague notion of where they were going. A mountain in Wyoming, she’d been told. Great. There were a lot of mountains in Wyoming. Which particular mountain they would be landing on remained a mystery.

When they began to descend, she felt the change in air pressure in her ears. She’d always been sensitive to altitude and pressure changes that way. A few minutes later, she felt the chopper jolt a bit when it touched the ground and then finally settled as the blades began their long spin-down.

The men rose, and the man who had come in with the enormous helicopter lowered the ramp. William touched her arm, getting her attention as the noise level lowered and she was able to hear herself think again.

“You okay, sweetheart?” William asked, his old eyes filled with kindness. He was such a good man. His son was proving to be a lot like him.

“I’ll be okay,” she replied. She wasn’t sure how it was all going to work out, but she had learned to keep a positive attitude over the past months.

“Stick with either myself or my boy, and you’ll be fine.” He patted her arm twice then removed his hand. He was so much stronger than he had been. She marveled at the change in him as she watched him walk down the ramp next to the mission commander.

Mandy had never been in the military, but she recognized the manner and stance of the men all around her as she walked down the ramp into the late afternoon sun. They were either current or retired military. Of that, she had little doubt.

It was fractionally warmer here, a little farther south as the chopper flew. The sun was shining, and the men were in earnest discussion just a few steps ahead of her. Only when she caught sight of the woman waiting for them on the wooded path that led away from the helipad’s clearing did Mandy think about how outnumbered by men she’d been this whole time.

She’d gotten used to being one of the few female officers in her department, but it had been a while since she’d been in that sort of situation. She’d been a civilian—well, a ranger—for a while now, and the civilian world was a lot more diverse gender-wise than her former profession.

The men stopped when they reached the woman who waited just under the cover of the trees, and the man who’d been on the helicopter stepped over to her and put his arm around her waist. He made the introductions while Mandy paused to listen along with the others.

“Everybody, this is my mate, Maria.” He turned a loving look on the woman and spoke directly to her. “Maybe you could take charge of Ranger Clarke and help her get settled in the guest cabin while I show the men the barracks?”

Smiling, Maria broke away from her mate and walked up to Mandy. “Is that all right with you, Ranger Clarke? I’m sure once you all have a chance to catch your breath, there’ll be some big debriefing, but you’ll probably want to see where you’ll be sleeping first, right?”

Mandy looked at Wil, receiving a reassuring nod. She was in these people’s hands, for better or worse, and Maria seemed like a nice woman. Mandy certainly didn’t sense any threat from her. Not like the military men all around. Maria was most definitely a civilian. Mandy found that reassuring.

“That sounds good, Maria. Call me Mandy,” she replied, trying to sound casual, when in reality, she wanted a few precious minutes alone in a quiet place to try to gather her spinning thoughts.

Maria’s smile brightened further. “Great. Follow me.”

 

The guest cabin appeared both rustic and charming as they approached. Maria was chatty enough to set Mandy more at ease. She gave Mandy a little tour of the area as they walked and indicated that the smaller structure she’d be using was situated next to the so-called barracks that would serve for the men tonight.

“Most of the regular guys have their own cabins all over the mountain,” Maria said. “And I have a rehab center closer to the road that connects us with civilization, but I bring the more serious cases up here and treat them in that barn over there.” Maria pointed toward a giant barn just visible through the trees. “I’m a veterinarian,” she clarified. “I treat mostly wild animals that need rehab before being reintroduced into the wild, but I do get the occasional exotic or domestic down at the clinic.”

Mandy was intrigued. “What sorts of animals are in the barn?”

“Currently, I have a juvenile black bear, a senior bobcat and a cougar that all need a bit more time here before they can go back out on their own. Then, there’s a young eagle who flew into some barbed wire and got stuck.” She shook her head. “Poor thing. I get a lot of raptors this time of year for some reason,” she went on as they neared the cabin. “If you’re interested, I can give you a tour of the barn later. We make them as comfortable as possible, so they all have big areas to themselves. We’re lucky that we don’t have to put them in small cages, but that also means that I have to warn newcomers not to go into the barn unless I’ve shown them how it’s all set up first. Of course, the shifters are fine with wild animals, but you and I might have a problem if we ended up in the cougar’s area without realizing it. Even half-healed, he still likes to pounce,” Maria said with a toothy grin.

Maria left Mandy to get settled, and Mandy gratefully sat in the room’s single easy chair, placed by the front window. She just needed a few minutes to catch her breath and figure out what in the world had happened today.

The next thing Mandy knew, there was a loud knocking on the cabin door as she roused from a totally unplanned nap in the easy chair. The action of the day must have taken more out of her than she realized because a quick glance out the window told her it was nearing dusk. She stood and shook off the last of the sleep that had snuck up on her and went to the door.

“Who is it?” she called out as she neared the wooden door.

“It’s Wil. Are you okay?” He sounded concerned, and she opened the door to find him frowning.

“I’m fine. I just took an unscheduled nap.” She still couldn’t quite believe she’d fallen asleep, but stress had that effect sometimes.

Relief shone on his face. “When you didn’t show for the debrief, I wondered, but Maria said to let you rest. They’re getting ready to serve dinner now, so I figured I’d better come check on you.”

Suddenly, her stomach rumbled, and she realized she hadn’t eaten much today with everything that had happened. She rubbed her abdomen and stifled a yawn.

“Good call,” she told Wil, shooting him a rueful glance. “Let me put my boots on, and you can show me where the food is. I’m afraid I don’t really know my way around, except to stay out of the barn where Maria keeps the wild animals.”

“Wild animals?” Wil looked surprised as Mandy went to fetch the boots she had kicked off before collapsing in the easy chair earlier.

“She’s a veterinarian. Didn’t they tell you? She rehabs wild animals, and they’re kept in that barn. They’re not in actual cages, so don’t go in there unless she shows you how it’s set up, she said.”

Wil looked intrigued. “Nobody mentioned it,” he replied.

“Maria said the shifters don’t have any problem with the animals, but regular people need to be wary,” she added as she slipped on her boots.

“That’s probably why nobody thought to mention it. Dad, Rick and I have been holed up with Liam and Major Moore, plus a few of his men since we got here. They’re all shifters here,” Wil said in a low voice.

“Except for Maria, I think,” Mandy said thoughtfully. “She may be with Major Moore, but I don’t think she’s one of them.” Mandy still couldn’t really believe they were having this conversation, talking about magical creatures as if they were commonplace.

“Look, Mandy, about what you saw before…” Wil ran one hand through his short hair, wincing as he seemed to search for words.

“You mean the way you crooked your little finger and moved an entire storm system out of the way so the helicopter could land? Or maybe the lightning that came out of nowhere to hit those five people—and only those five people—then fizzle away at your command? That was you, wasn’t it? Or is my imagination even wilder than I thought?” She sounded a little hysterical, but she still couldn’t quite believe what she’d seen.

Wil sighed and came closer. He reached out to her, touching her shoulders lightly with both of his hands. His gaze met hers, and his expression was very serious.

“It was me,” he told her in a quiet voice. “Since an incident overseas, I can…” He faltered then tried again. “I can control the weather.” He shook his head and let go of her shoulders, turning half away from her. “I know it sounds ridiculous.”

“If I hadn’t seen it myself, I’d think you were bonkers,” she agreed.

He turned back, meeting her gaze with a flicker of hope in his own expression.

“It’s crazy, right?” he said, chuckling wryly. “I mean, it’s like something out of a comic book.”

A thought occurred to her. “This somehow has something to do with why your father is suddenly so much better?”

Wil cringed a bit. “Not so much me, as Rick. He got…changed…a little, too. We’ve been in the same unit together for a few years, and he really does have a medical degree. He’s our bioweapons specialist and medic, but when we encountered something magical in the ancient city of Babylon, suddenly Rick could heal without the use of medicine. That’s how the rest of us knew that something truly amazing had happened to us all.”

“All of you?” she asked, and he shook his head, looking torn.

“This is all strictly Top Secret, but since you saw what you saw…” Wil trailed off, turning toward the window and gazing out, his expression troubled. “I’m not supposed to tell you much—or anything, really—but I think you have a right to know. My dad isn’t going to die, now. At least, not anytime soon. Not from illness. Rick took care of that, and he’ll continue to keep an eye on Dad while we’re traveling. I’m not sure where Dad’s going to end up, but I think you can see that he can’t go back to the mountain. Not without a whole lot of uncomfortable questions.”

She nodded. “That makes sense.”

“I think you’ll have to come with us, back to base,” he said, turning to face her again. “I’m sorry for disrupting your life, but my commanding officer will want to talk to you, and honestly, I want to be certain you’re absolutely safe. There is a history with the people who have been hunting us. They like to use our friends and family against us.” His expression turned grim.

“I’m not family,” she protested without thinking. Only as she said it, did Mandy realize how much she’d like to be a part of Wil’s family. To have William as a dad and Wil as a… A husband? A lover? The idea sent a ripple of awareness through her body.