Chapter 7 #2
“You alright with the Variant arriving?” Findley asked Brinnley.
“We can go right home if you feel like you need to,” Three said.
“I’m fine being here with them. They were very nice to me,” Brinnley said softly.
“You sure? I can help escort you home, too,” Draven said.
Brinnley looked over at Draven shyly before looking away again. “No, thank you.”
Draven nodded, but Jack caught the sigh Draven couldn’t hide.
Moments later they heard car doors, and a moment after that a dozen Variant males and females dressed in the Variant navy blue and gray BDUs strode around the same corner of the house Niko and Rance had come around twenty minutes prior.
Jack got up and started toward them with Rance, Draven, Vance, and Three at his side. “Now it’s a party!” Jack said, already extending his hand to Frenzy since Frenzy was in the lead and his brethren were surrounding him.
“Jack! How goes it my friend?” Frenzy asked, shaking his hand then pulling him in for a hug.
Jack pounded his back just as Frenzy did his, then released him when he reached for Rance. Jack shook hands with everyone of the Variant people as Frenzy worked his way through Jack’s people, then went back to stand beside Rance.
“Welcome,” Jack said.
Frenzy addressed his people. “This is Alpha Jack Laighin of the Laighin Pride. This is my best friend, Rance. This is little Rance, also known as Vance,” Frenzy teased as he introduced Rance and his twin brother Vance.
“This is Draven, and I know you think you know this male, but you don’t. This is Three.”
“Damn, you look like Brutal,” one of them said.
“I’m nothing like Brutal,” Three said.
“He’s pretty, though. Just like you,” Frenzy teased.
Three laughed.
“If I may introduce you to my friends, I believe you’ve met Storm and Hail.”
“Sure have. Welcome back,” Jack said.
“Thanks,” they both said, inclining their heads at Jack, then at everyone else.
“This is my man Feral, wireman and technology spy extraordinaire. To his right are Savage, Rage, Grim, Menace, and Harsh, also known as SOT Team 3. Savage is their leader. And the last two over there, are Fierce and Valid, my partners in crime. Literally.”
Fierce and Valid both laughed.
“Welcome to the Laighin Pride. We’re pleased to have you.”
“Thank you,” they all said.
“This place is beautiful. Your own freaking mountain covered with trees and people that are happy to be here. No freaking military regulations or controls,” Feral said.
“We like it,” Jack said. He turned around and held out a hand, calling Bonnie to his side. She got up and went over to him. “Hi!” she said, shaking hands and hugging Storm and Hail. “Welcome back,” she said.
“This is my Reigna, my mate, Bonnie.”
“Ma’am,” Savage and his team said, inclining their heads at her.
“Hello, everyone. I think some of you may know Brinnley, who’s sitting right over there, and you met Findley, too,” Bonnie said.
“There’s my girl! Findley, hey, girl, hey! Heeeyyyyeeeeyyyy!” Frenzy said.
Findley laughed and waved back as she got up and ran over to hug Frenzy. “Hey, Frenzy.”
“For those of you who might not be aware, Findley is Three’s mate,” Frenzy said, giving his friends a knowing look.
All eyes moved to Three and a couple of pairs of sunglasses came off as they looked questioningly at him.
“Real mate, not chosen. It’s an instinct thing,” Frenzy clarified.
Savage focused his entire being on Three. “Did you know immediately?”
“Yes. And so did she.”
“So it’s not just females who’ve been at our facilities or someone we choose and pursue in the hopes of her accepting us that we can mate?” Savage said.
“No, it’s not. Do you know what these people are?” Three asked.
“We’ve been briefed,” Savage said.
“We think it has to do with the DNA that was spliced with ours. It gives us the ability to sense mates. It doesn’t guarantee that they’re out there, but it gives us the same ability to sense them as does any shifter — though we don’t shift, we have some predator’s DNA strands mixed with ours.
And despite the fact that a female might recognize us as her mate, she still has the ability to walk away. It’s not a promise.”
Savage looked at his team and Rage and Harsh were already speaking excitedly between themselves about the possibility of finding mates outside Alliance. “It’s good to know there are options,” Savage finally said.
“So, to what do we owe the pleasure?” Jack asked.
“We are here to do some investigating of the attack on the Gamieyon Pride. We are here to invite you to accompany us,” Frenzy said.
“This is about the call Rance made to you,” Jack said.
“It is indeed,” Frenzy answered.
The sliding glass door opened, drawing their attention as Gwen stepped out onto the patio, her hands still gripping the door frame. “Bonnie?” she said, her voice weak.
“Gwen! Are you alright?” Bonnie asked, rushing toward her.
Gwen shook her head as she reached for Bonnie, her eyes rolled back in her head and she went down.
Bonnie managed to lunge toward her and keep her head from bouncing on the patio pavement, while Rance made a dive from where he stood and was able to get beneath her so she landed on him rather than the pavement altogether.
“Gwen! Gwen, can you hear me?!” Bonnie said urgently, gently tapping Gwen’s face.
“Fuck! Bonnie!” Rance said, holding up one of his hands, covered in blood.
“Somebody get one of our Medibags!” Frenzy barked out.
“Storm already went for it,” Feral said, kneeling beside Rance who growled at him.
“It’s alright, my man, I’m not interested in her in any way other than helping save her life,” Feral said.
“Rance! Rance, my buddy! You hear me?” Frenzy asked, his own hands doing a quick cursory blind search of her body.
Rance shifted his attention to Frenzy.
“She yours?” Frenzy asked. “This the Reigna you told me about?”
“Yes,” Rance snarled.
Frenzy grinned at him. “Cool. Very cool. Now I’m going to need you to let me and Feral pick her up, alright?”
“Got the Medibag!” Storm announced, rushing back into the middle of them.
“Rance, let her go,” Frenzy said.
“Rance!” Jack said in his booming Alpha voice.
Rance immediately turned his head toward Jack.
“Let her go. Now!”
Rance only hesitated for a second, but eventually held his arms out to the side so Frenzy and Feral could lift her off of him.
Before Rance could even move Savage and his males had joined Frenzy and Feral and they helped support her body so she was as motionless as they could make her without a stretcher.
“Bring her in,” Bonnie said, pushing the sliding glass door open as wide as it would go.
“Firm surface,” Savage said.
“Dining room table,” Bonnie said, directing them to it.
As soon as they got her laid down, Bonnie stood back and got out of their way. Then she remembered all the kids and females in the pool and on the splash pad who’d just seen their Reigna go down. “I’ll be outside with her Pride. Anything you need…”
“I got it, baby. Go,” Jack said.