Chapter 19
I was somewhat stunned. A god answered my summons. However, now that he was here, I scrambled to recall what I had planned to ask. Not wanting to offend, I hastened to bow.
“Fiona, again, there is no need for you to bow. You are Sentinel Keir’s beloved mate. Come.” Apollo held out his hand to me.
I hesitated for a second. I was scared to take longer. What if I offended him that way? When his hand enclosed mine, there was a tingling vibration that shot up my arm. He drew me close. Apollo smiled at me before speaking directly to me.
“I see that you’ve all been busy. And these two humans clearly caused problems. Tell me how I may be of service.”
“Mighty Apollo, these men were part of a force that came here to capture my family and me. All but these two were killed in the fighting. They’ve shared what they know.
The Sentinels were about to dispose of them, but they recalled that you had taken a woman named Irene when she was captured some time ago.
They were unsure whether they should turn these men over to you as they did her. None of us wants to displease you.”
I shut up after that. My mouth was as dry as the desert. Apollo laid his piercing gaze on Carl and Hank. Both men were deathly pale, eyes rounded, mouths hanging open, and they were hyperventilating.
“They are agents of Pytho and his Knights. More humans were recruited to this terrible war. They should never have been brought into it. Alas, they have. This raises questions and necessitates adjusting how we deal with the war. I believe for now, any living enemies are to be given to me. For how long, I do not know. I must think upon the right course to take. The others who have been killed may be disposed of as you see fit,” Apollo declared.
“Apollo, forgive me for asking. Do you have any other instructions for us?” Brax inquired.
“Not at this time. You are making me proud with how you are protecting my children. I am delighted that there are three fated mates among your phalanx. Oh, and I look forward to meeting your twins when they arrive. If there are no other inquiries for me, I will take these two and leave you to get on with your work.”
Apollo let go of my hand after giving me a beautiful smile, and he walked to stand closer to Hank and Carl. They squeaked, like mice, and passed out. Apollo frowned at them. Then, he faced the Sentinels and me. He raised a hand, but before anything happened, he spoke one more time.
“Tell Sentinel Nico when it comes time to heal from this fight, not to say no finally. He must accept, no matter his personal feelings.”
Before any of us could ask what he meant, Apollo waved his hand in the air, and there was another flash of golden light, then all three were gone.
“I’ll never get used to him doing that,” Gunnar muttered.
“You and I both. Fiona, you’re crazy,” Royal said in awe.
“Not crazy, just not wanting you guys to be in trouble. Now, we know. What do you think he’ll do with them?” I asked.
“I don’t know or care,” Keir said.
“I wonder what that cryptic message for Nico means,” Brax mused.
“Hell if I know. Well, it looks like we’re free to get out of here. Let’s get those bodies loaded, the mess cleaned up, and this shed back in order. I want to get them to the crematory as fast as possible,” Banner chimed in. There were no objections, so we got to work.
?
It was eight o’clock in the morning. Brax, Keir, and Royal hadn’t arrived back at our house from taking the bodies to the mortuary and ensuring they were burned to ashes. The rest of us were at the house. Nico, Gunnar, and Banner snuck in the back way while it was still dark.
Granddad had checked Nico’s dressings before he went to lie down. There was a small amount of bloody drainage on the bandages, but nothing to worry about. His friends told us to get some sleep, and if we were needed, one of them would get us.
Granddad, Nico, and Gal were in bed. I tried to sleep, but all I did was drift. I was too anxious to fall totally asleep. I had to be sure everyone made it home safely. I kept having visions of the cops coming to arrest them.
With the disappearance of the Knights’ Liberator team, we were concerned that another team might be sent or the Watchers would return, if what Hank said was true.
If that happened, we couldn’t leave Phoenix.
The last thing I wanted was to lead them to Needles, where there were so many shifters and a phalanx of Sentinels.
With the arrival of daylight, our neighborhood came to life.
People were up and about. It was the weekend.
They had errands to run, plans to have fun, and more.
I was about to try and reach out to Keir psychically, to see if everything was okay, when the back door opened.
I knew that sound well. I dashed from my bedroom to the door.
The three of them looked no worse for wear than they had when we split up. I threw myself into my mate’s arms. Keir crushed me to him, and without saying a word, our mouths met. The kiss was edged in relief. I had no idea how long we kissed before Banner eased us apart.
“Lord, it’s becoming so that nowhere is safe to look. When we get everyone back home, I can see we’ll be tripping over three couples devouring each other’s faces. Better watch it. You might get stuck that way,” he teased.
I giggled as we drew apart, but I giggled louder when I saw Keir give Banner the middle finger. Banner snorted and rolled his eyes. Brax and Royal were in the kitchen pouring themselves cups of coffee.
“How did it go? Any issues?” I asked.
“Nope. The funeral director was more than helpful. He was efficient. And even better, he asked no questions,” Brax stated.
“Do you want coffee?” I asked Keir.
“That would be wonderful, but I can get it,” Keir said. Before he could pull away from me, I held him in place and shook my head.
“I’ll get it. Have a seat at the table or in the living room,” I ordered.
It took no time to make both of us a cup. The others were seated at the kitchen table, so I ended up there as well. I set down the cups. Keir smiled, then pulled me down onto his lap.
“How is Nico?” Royal asked.
“He’s in Gal’s room. He took the bed, and Gal is on the cot. They’re sleeping and so is Granddad,” I informed them.
“Did you get any sleep?” Keir asked. He ran a thumb underneath my eye. I knew I had faint dark shadows under them.
“I tried, but it was in and out. I was too restless. You guys have been up all night. You should try to get some sleep,” I countered.
“Not right now. We need to make plans,” Brax stated.
“What kind of plans?” I asked.
“To get out of Phoenix. We want to get your family to Needles. We can come back later to get the rest of your belongings. Right now, taking what you need is the most important. We can carry that between the vehicles,” Keir answered.
I shook my head. “We can’t. What if the Watchers come back or another team of Liberators? We can’t risk leading them to Needles.”
“On the flip side, we can’t stay and give them time to send another team here.
They’ll wait to hear of your capture. Who knows how long they’ll do that?
Carl said they weren’t to check in until they had you, but the leaders may get impatient and reach out for an update themselves.
If they do and can’t raise anyone, they’ll send in more people.
We want to be gone before that happens,” Brax explained.
I understood his logic, but I was still concerned. What if Carl and Hank lied?
“It’s not ideal, but it’s all we have,” Gunnar added.
“At least we can leave knowing the group terrorizing Phoenix seems to have been dealt with. We’ll have to stay alert to see if any come back or pop up somewhere else.
I wish we could remove them all, but it’s not realistic.
We’ll have to play catch-up rather than be on the offensive,” Banner muttered.
We discussed it for another ten minutes before I conceded they knew best. The sound of footsteps coming down the hallway drew our attention. I knew who it was. Granddad came around the corner moments later.
“Good morning. Glad to see you made it back. I assume all is well since I heard you talking about heading to Needles,” he said as he went to the coffee maker.
“Morning, and yes, it went fine. We want to get your family out of here today, if possible, but no later than tomorrow. We can come back for the bigger items. Take your personal effects, important documents, and anything sentimental, such as pictures or mementos,” Royal informed him.
“I’m worried we might lead the enemy to Needles,” I added.
Granddad sat in the chair Fennick gave up after nodding his thanks. He took a sip of coffee before responding.
“There is always a risk that could happen, Fiona. However, I believe waiting around poses a bigger danger. I have to agree with the guys. We should move.”
“Is Nico okay to travel?” Keir asked.
“We’ll need to stop a few times so I can check on him.
As long as he remains lying down and doesn’t move a whole lot, he should be fine.
Worst-case scenario, if we find he isn’t, we can pull off somewhere and hole up for a few days.
I’ll stay with him and let the rest of you get to Needles, minus the guard you’ll leave behind.
Then, once he’s ready to travel, we’ll resume the trip,” Granddad said.
No one objected to the plan. Within the hour, we had Gal out of bed and were all working to load the essentials and get on the road. I was equally excited and scared. I was leaving behind the place I’d known all my life. But I couldn’t wait to see our new town and Keir’s house.
?
The drive that would’ve taken just over four hours without traffic lasted six and a half hours. We got on the road at noon. The extra time was due to stopping to let Nico rest and have Granddad check his wounds. We were all exhausted when we got to Needles.