Chapter 59
Aiden couldn’t get his mind to quiet down for sleep. He and Jamie lay in one of the guest rooms at the Jensens’ home. They agreed to stay at Ted and Annie’s place for the evening; Iris and Deacon stayed over too. Aiden could hear Jamie’s steady breaths as he slept like the dead with his back to him. Poor guy deserved all the rest after the crazy day they had. He snuggled closer to his mate and breathed him in.
He smiled thinking about how they had flown together earlier. It was such a unique experience to be so free, soaring through the air, but to feel connected with another soul at the same time was indescribable. He was glad Jamie had become more comfortable the longer they’d been in the air. The man still feared heights, but maybe not as much as before. His phoenix had been so ecstatic to spend time with his mate like that. He was stunned to find out that such a ferocious creature could be such a patient, caring support.
After their flight practice, Aiden followed Jamie to meet Jasper. Jamie had dutifully scanned the five Lakers that his father had corrupted into becoming hired killers. He hadn’t needed Aiden to boost his powers; these shifters were just terribly unhappy people that were ripe for manipulation. Jamie had said they’d been easy to scan. Unfortunately, none of them had any useful information. They’d been told the bare minimum to do the jobs they had been assigned. They were now the SCB’s problem.
Aiden’s chest burned. It was still hard to believe his own flesh and blood could just callously order his friends to be murdered.
“He’s going to pay,” his phoenix whispered.
“So, you can’t sleep either?”
The beast grunted. “I feel unsettled. I think the battle is closer than we thought.”
Aiden sat bolt upright and glanced at the windows. It was still dark outside. Of course, it was. He hadn’t even fallen asleep yet. He looked at the bedside clock display: 2:30.
“What?” Jamie mumbled. “What’s wrong?” He sounded more alert than Aiden felt.
“What should we do?” Aiden asked his phoenix.
The beast was slow to answer, as if considering. “Gather the others. I think I should go scout the skies.”
“Aiden?” Jamie placed a hand on his shoulder. “What’s happening?”
Aiden forced all traces of fear from his expression. “Let’s get everyone up. My beast is itchy. He thinks something’s happening.”
Jamie nodded.
They got dressed quickly, and Aiden grabbed a bag of extra clothes for both for post-shift changes. Jamie’s hand was on the doorknob when Aiden stopped him with a hand on his arm.
“What?” Jamie asked.
Aiden pulled him in for a tight embrace. He kissed his mate, a deep passionate kiss that said everything he didn’t want to put forth in words.
This was it.
People would die.
They could die.
Whoever was left had to win no matter what.
They had to kill his father.
Less than twenty minutes later, the coffee was brewing and the skillet was fired up. Bleary-eyed bodies filled the kitchen and living room.
May, Beau, and his sisters were headed over in his truck. Heath had given them one of the phoenix fire guns Jasper’s men had taken from one of the would-be assassins. As soon as Jamie told May it was time, the plan was for Beau to immediately send word to his network of bear shifter friends to immediately hunker down.
Aiden needed coffee before talking. He zombie-walked into the kitchen behind a much more alert Jamie. In the kitchen, Iris was already dressed with a phoenix fire gun tucked into one of Deacon’s shoulder holsters. “Hey,” she said.
Jamie grabbed her into a hug.
Aiden smiled at the two most important people in the world to him.
Once Jamie released her, she crushed into Aiden’s wide-open arms. He leaned down and spoke quietly into her ear. “You’ll be OK. The baby will be OK.”
She pulled back, eyes wet, and nodded. “I know.” She grinned. “You’re going to kick his ass.”
“Love her,” his phoenix chuckled. “Sister is tough.”
Aiden laughed.
Iris tilted her head.
“My beast loves the blood-thirsty side of you,” he said.
She beamed.
Pop!
Leah appeared in the middle of the kitchen. She appeared exhausted. Her hair was in a thick, ragged braid, her dark blue hoodie and jeans rumpled like she’d slept in them, and her combat boots were smoking.
Pop!
Quinn appeared at her side in a similar but darker outfit. He looked similarly fatigued.
“What’s happening?” she asked.
“My phoenix thinks it’s already starting. He told me to get everyone ready. He’s… unsettled. He thinks something’s about to happen.”
“Have you guys been working all night?” Jamie asked.
They nodded. “All the seniors have been evacuated. We took care of them first so they could help orient and organize the college students. We moved them next. Frankie’s in charge with Edie as her first officer.”
“They’re something else,” Quinn said. “Are they always like that?” he asked his sister.
Leah barked out a laugh. “Yeah, pretty much. The last thing I heard her say before we teleported away was ‘I’m not taking any crap from any little baby shifters so you all better listen up good.’” She yawned.
Quinn shook his head as if he couldn’t believe it. He then addressed the others. “We’re going to move the patients as soon as Mac gives the word. She’s at the hospital right now,” Quinn said.
“Wow, she’s still there,” Iris said.
Heath walked into the kitchen and went straight to the coffee machine. “She never came home.” He looked like a mess.
“Were you up all night, too?” Iris asked.
“Yeah. There’s a lot of stuff to plan,” he said. “Before you ask, Deacon’s on his way back from the station right now. He and Finn are switching out.”
Iris’s shoulders slumped as she let out a big breath in relief.
Piper and Jasper walked into the kitchen next. Jasper had his hand on the back of his neck. “I shouldn’t have tried to get some shut-eye,” he said to Heath. “I think I got forty-five minutes.”
“That’s worse than nothing.” Heath chuckled.
“Piper, how’d it go with the changeling?” Jamie asked.
“Oh, yeah,” she said. “You were asleep before I got back here last night. Let me show you. I’ll go get it.” She hurried from the kitchen.
“Wait until you see this. It’s so creepy what she can do,” Jasper said, smiling.
“I heard that,” Piper said as she burst back into the kitchen. “It’s creepy amazing!” She was holding something wrapped in her arms in a pink blanket. “Meet Baby Tree.” She handed Jamie the object. Aiden glanced over his shoulder.
“Oh, my God!” Aiden said. He looked at the bundle then at Jamie. His mate’s mouth was wide open, his eyebrows high.
“It looks just like—” Jamie started.
“A baby,” Piper said. “I know, right?”
“Ah! Oh, my God! Did it move?” Jamie screeched. He held the bundle away from his body.
“Yes, it can move. It’s part of the spell,” Piper huffed.
“Oooh, Piper! This is good,” Aiden said. He leaned closer and ran a finger over the changeling’s cheeks. “It almost feels like real skin.”
“I know. If I had more time, it would have been even closer to the real thing,” Piper said.
“It’s perfect. It’s just what we need,” Heath said. “Now, where to position it as bait?”
“We need to place it somewhere where one of us’s going to be. We can’t just leave it alone in the house. They’ll know it’s a trick,” Iris said.
“Why don’t we just keep her on one of us?” Jamie said. “You know, in one of those baby carrier things.”
Heath scrunched up his eyes as if studying for an exam. “I’ll have to do it then. It would make sense as her father. Let me go get the Baby Bjorn.” He left the kitchen.
“What the hell is a Baby Bjorn?” Aiden asked Iris.
“You’ll see,” she teased.