Chapter 37
It had been a while, so it took Cody by surprise. Summoning Dylon through their mind link, panic was beginning to set in by the time his mate arrived.
“What’s wrong, babe?” Dylon asked.
“A vision! I have to go outside! You need to come with me now!” Cody gasped.
Dylon grabbed his mate’s hand and rushed him outside to Cody’s spot in the woods. “Everything will be okay, babe. I’m here and will be waiting for you when the vision is over,” Dylon said, releasing his mate’s hand and stepping back.
Cody knelt in a submissive pose, his hands palms-up on his thighs and closed his eyes. The glow started slowly, spreading through and around him until his body was encased in it.
As his mate withdrew into his vision world, Dylon became uneasy at his inability to protect him; Cody had gone to a place where he could not follow. His only recourse was to send his love through their life thread,
Now in his vision world, Cody opened his eyes and seeing their life thread gleaming bright silver, felt the love flowing from his mate.
As the vision began he became fixated on what the Fates were revealing.
When it was over, the glow faded and Cody, once more in the real world, found himself paralyzed.
It was Cody’s first vision since they had mated and while Dylon had absolute faith his mate would return, he worried about what the vision would unveil.
If Cody’s past visions were any indicator, pain and suffering would play a major role.
When he reached the end of his self-made path and turned to pace in the opposite direction, Dylon observed that Cody had returned from his vision realm.
Frozen and unable to move for fear of breaking into pieces, Cody couldn’t believe what he’d seen.
He and Dylon had to go now, as fast as they could get there.
If they failed in this quest, everyone he loved would be heartbroken and the cascade effect could be devastating, causing the death of one, or even two, of his brothers.
Snapping out of his daze as he felt Dylon’s hands gathering him up, holding him tight, Cody spoke.
“Babe, did you see it? The vision! Did you see the vision? We have to go now! Our pups! Oh my gods! Dylon we have to go NOW!”
With Cody in his arms, Dylon ran back to the house, kicked open the door, and bellowed for Jackson and Steel.
Wasting no time after setting Cody down, he grabbed his hand, pulling him toward Jackson’s study.
Every second they delayed could mean the difference between success and failure—between life and death!
Steel ran from his office, bumping into Dylon and Cody in the hall near Jackson’s study. “What’s the matter?” Steel called out. “Is Jackson in danger? Daniel?”
“Where’s Jackson?” Cody asked, worry and fear written on his face.
“I’m here,” Jackson said, coming from behind Dylon and Cody. “What’s the problem?”
“Cody had a vision…we need to go to Scotland immediately. Slate and Dakota are in trouble and they need our help,” Dylon exclaimed.
“Are you sure? Logan hasn’t called me,” Jackson said.
“Positive! Will you two take care of the twins for us? Steel, please book us a flight to Edinburgh immediately and figure out how we can get to the airport fast. It’s a matter of life or death.
We’ll be ready to go in ten minutes,” Dylon said.
Without waiting for a reply, he and Cody rushed to their bedroom to pack.
It suddenly hit Jackson that Dakota might die. Looking at Steel, he knew his mate felt the same about Slate. “Babe, what if Cody and Dylon can’t save them?” Jackson whispered, refusing to give weight to his words by not saying them out loud.
“Mo chroí…believe…we must believe…we have to believe everything will turn out all right,” Steel said, taking his mate in his arms, gathering him tight to his chest, and giving Jackson a kiss on his forehead. “Now, let’s help them so they can save Dakota and Slate.”
Jackson nodded, then stepping back, said, “Go book them a flight, I’ll check on the twins and make sure they’re all right. Meet you back here in ten minutes.”
Steel was dialing his phone, watching as Jackson headed toward Cody’s suite. As soon as his call was answered, Steel tersely explained he needed a helicopter at the pack house in twenty minutes and a private jet to take Cody and Dylon to Edinburgh. Then he headed to see his mother.
Knocking on Cody’s door, Jackson opened it, walked in and saw his brother packing two bags. “Hey, I thought I’d move the twins’ portable cribs into Daniel’s room while you’re gone, if that’s okay with you.”
Cody thought for a minute, then nodded. “That’d probably be for the best. It’s just been in the last week they’ve felt more secure here and the bond they have with Daniel will help them when they realize their parents are gone.”
Jackson ran to Cody, tears forming in his eyes as he pulled his brother into a hug.
“Don’t feel guilty, Cody,” Jackson said, “I know how hard it must be for you to leave your pups but I promise you, Steel and I will make sure they have lots of love and attention and Daniel will make them feel safe because he’s so protective.
And you know Carson and Zane will fight over whose turn it is to play with them.
Trust me, when you return, they’ll be over the moon to see their daddies again. ”
Dashing the tears from his eyes, Cody looked at Jackson, thankful his brother understood how he felt. “Thanks,” said Cody, “I know they’ll be taken care of. It’s just the first time I’m…we’re leaving them and I never realized it would be so hard.”
Holding Cody’s hand, Jackson said, “Of course it’s hard, sweetie, you love them so much. I know how I’d feel if the shoe was on the other foot and I had to leave Daniel. But the good thing is, you have Steel and me to fill in for you until you get back and they’ll be so spoiled, trust me.”
Sniffling, Cody nodded. “I know.”
~/~/~/~/~
Steel knocked once, then walked into his parents’ suite.
Spying his mother reading in a chair next to the window, he sat down opposite her.
Then he burst out, “Mother, Cody had a vision about Dakota and Slate being in danger, so much danger they insist on leaving as quickly as possible because, as Dylon said, it’s a matter of life or death. ”
Oracle didn’t look up from her book when she heard Steel speak. Instead, she closed her eyes, and said a prayer to the gods to please save her son and Dakota. Fighting back tears, she kept her head down, asking, “When are they leaving?”
“Mother did you hear me! Your son is in mortal danger! What I want to know is if he’s going to live! And will Dakota survive? Mother will you please look at me,” Steel demanded.
“Why are you raising your voice to your mother, son?” asked Maximus as he walked into the sitting room and stood next to his wife.
“Because Slate’s life is at risk and she won’t look at me or answer my questions,” Steel said.
“You know as well as I do if your mother won’t answer your questions it’s because she can’t. Steel, you were raised to be better than how you’re behaving right now. Stop berating your mother for things she has no control over and apologize,” ordered Maximus.
Embarrassed at his father’s rebuke, Steel said, “I’m sorry Mom. My only defense is my worry about my brother and his mate.”
Oracle raised her face, tears rolling slowly down her cheeks, pain reflected in her eyes. “Would you please tell Cody and Dylon I would like to speak with them before they leave?”
Steel was unnerved. Never in his life had he seen his mother cry.
Shaken to the core, dread filled his mind at what might happen to his brother.
Incapable of speaking lest he break down, Steel nodded as he rose and, kissing his mother on the cheek, left the suite, needing time to compose himself before Jackson saw him.
Maximus watched his son leave, then, turning to his wife, scooped her up and carried her over to the love seat, placing her on his lap.
Her sobs hurt him deeply, but he could do nothing except hold and comfort his mate as best he could.
Time after time, he’d seen the impossible situations being an Oracle placed her in, and while at times, he wished she wasn’t one when he saw her suffer, Maximus was very proud of her ability and loved her deeply.
Her honor was beyond reproach; she was the voice of the Fates on earth.
But when she suffered during times like these, it was painful for both of them.
~/~/~/~/~
Cody was crying as he cuddled Jessica in his arms, kissing her all over, then whispering how much he loved her and promising he’d be back.
After handing her to Dylon, he picked up Jake, cuddling and kissing his son, giving him words of love and a promise to return.
Then, wiping away his tears, Cody took Jake, followed by Dylon and Jessica, to Jackson’s study where the twins were placed in the playpen with Daniel.
After blowing kisses to their pups, Cody and Dylon joined Steel for a briefing about their travel arrangements. Along with credit cards, cash and other documents, Steel handed them a letter for Groose, informing him that Dylon was in charge.
“Thanks,” Dylon said, “I’ll call you once I’ve assessed the situation.”
“I appreciate that. My mother has asked to see you before you go; you have about ten minutes before the chopper lands,” Steel said.
“Okay, we’ll go see her now,” Dylon said, then he and Cody were gone.
Steel had avoided looking at Jackson since he left his mother, but when his mate walked over and gave him a hug, he finally looked at the face of the man who he loved with every fiber of his heart.
“Babe, what did your mother say? Is it bad?” asked Jackson.
Thinking about his mother’s tears, Steel choked up, unable to give voice to his deepest fears—that his brother would die.
Shaking his head, Steel could only return Jackson’s hug, holding his mate tight to him, burying his nose in Jackson’s hair, wanting?no, needing his mate’s scent to calm him down, to give him hope his brother and Dakota would make it.
When Jackson felt some of the tension ebb from Steel, he drew his head back and, looking his mate squarely in the eye, said, “You listen to me, babe. Slate and Dakota will be all right. I know this…I can feel it…so I don’t care what your mother said because Slate and Dakota will be coming home. You hear me?”
Nodding, Steel felt his mate’s Alpha power surrounding him, infiltrating his heart, fortifying his soul and filling him with certainty that Jackson was right. Letting out the breath he’d been holding, he whispered words of love in his mate’s ear.
~/~/~/~/~
The door to Oracle’s suite was open when Dylon arrived with Cody. Giving a few raps with his knuckles against the door frame first, he called out, “Hello, Oracle? You wanted to see us?”
Maximus stepped out of the sitting room and said, “Go on in, Oracle is waiting for you in there. If you’ll excuse me, I have to make a call.”
Taking Dylon’s hand, Cody led them into the sitting room and found Oracle standing, gazing out the window. She turned around and looked at them. “Oracle,” asked Cody quietly, “what can you tell us about what’s happening to Slate and Dakota?”
“You must use every resource you have available to save my son and Dakota,” she implored. “Unfortunately, I can say nothing else.”
Cody let go of Dylon’s hand and walked over to Oracle.
Her face was etched in pain at the thought of losing her youngest son.
Cody reached out to embrace her, pulling her to him, hugging her, offering his support as one parent to another, acknowledging the burden she carried and her helplessness in this situation.
Finally, knowing he had to go, he stepped back and said, “I promise you, I will do everything possible to bring your son and my brother home alive.”
Reaching up and cupping Cody’s cheek, Oracle said, “And I promise you that I will take care of your children as if they are my own. May the gods and the Fates be on your side.”
“Thank you,” Cody said, as he and his mate left Oracle alone with her unsettling thoughts.
When Cody and Dylon entered the great room, they found Carson and Zane, each holding one of their pups, Steel trying to hold on to a wiggling Daniel, who was struggling to get down on the floor, and Jackson, trying valiantly to hold back his tears.
Carson came up to them holding Jessica, “Bro, don’t you worry about your daughter cause she and I have lots of things planned.”
“That goes for me and Jake, too. I designed a computer game for infants and he agreed to be my beta tester,” he laughed, walking over with Cody’s son in his arms.
“So you’re turning my son into a computer geek like you,” Dylon said as he held Jake one more time.
“If the shoe fits…” Zane said, chuckling.
“And what are you planning to do with my daughter?” asked Cody.
“She and I are going to have a tea party. You know it’s never too early to learn how to conduct yourself in a business meeting. Someday, she may have to drink tea in order to make a deal,” Carson said.
“Why don’t you have a coffee party instead?” asked Zane, “Seems like that would be a lot more fun.”
“More people drink tea in the world than coffee,” smirked Carson, “which you would know if you ever did anything other than sticking your head inside a computer.”
“A tea party sounds perfect,” Cody said, giving each brother a hug while whispering thanks for their help.
Cody moved over to Steel, and reached for Daniel. Cuddling him close, he whispered in his ear and received a big smile in return. Then giving his nephew a kiss on his tummy, he handed him back to his father. “Thanks for your help, Steel...take care of my brothers for me, please.”
“I will. Have a safe trip,” Steel said.
Jackson opened the front door; the helicopter had landed. Cody reached over to give Jackson a hug and together they stood, holding each other tightly. Moving apart, they both knew it was time to go. Giving Jackson one last look, Cody walked outside with Dylon.