51. Chapter 51
Chapter fifty-one
Day 24 Denali, Alaska
The strangeness of the day started before Aiden rolled out of bed.
The cell phone he’d pulled from his tactical pants and dropped on the nightstand woke him from a fragmented sleep. That weird shadow world, with its terrifying residents, had taken over his dreams again. The certainty that they wanted something from him…demanded something from him…followed him into wakefulness. The tension from the dream still pressed against his chest as he reached for the lit-up and vibrating phone.
The message icon showed someone had texted him, but he didn’t recognize the number the message had come from. After reading the text, he blinked and read it again. He closed his eyes, counted to ten, and read it a third time. The message hadn’t changed. And the damn thing still made no sense.
I am informed that you have need to speak with me.
1301. In the old section. Come now.
--Benioko
What? Who the hell told the shaman I needed to talk to him? He scowled, his fingers tightening around the phone. Is this summons about the damn dreams?
It couldn’t be. The only one who knew about them was Demi, and she’d been with him all night. Besides, she wouldn’t contact Benioko behind his back. Maybe Wolf was behind the summons. Because that’s what it was. A summons.
But that didn’t track either. While Wolf had brought up Aiden’s lack of knowledge regarding their shared Kalikoia heritage, he’d never pushed—at least not hard—for Aiden to learn their tribal history. And he’d sure as hell never suggested that Aiden meet with the base shaman.
So, who the hell had gone blabbing to the Old One?
The shadowy dreams with their stretchy inhabitants flashed through his mind. Demi had made a connection between the shadows in the dreams and the Shadow Realm. But according to Wolf and everyone else in this damn place, Benioko was the only mouthpiece of the Shadow Warrior, which meant he was the only one who interacted with the elder gods and knew what they looked like.
Was it possible?
Of course not!
He grunted in annoyance and glared at his phone. Those damn dreams were fucking with his mind. The note said ‘come now,’ but no way in hell was he leaving Demi to wake up alone. They’d just patched things up. He wasn’t letting anything come between them. Certainly not this unexpected and unwelcome summons.
He switched on the lamp next to the bed and rolled over. Demi was lying on her side, her back to him. His roll had taken him so close, her ass cradled his cock, which had warped awake and was ready for action. You’d think the damn thing would be fully satiated after the marathon of sex they’d enjoyed the night before. But no, it was all revved up and raring to go. No surprise. His cock had been hyper-focused on her since their first meeting all those years ago.
He wrapped his right arm around her waist, his hand sliding up to cup her breast. Squeezing gently, he buried his face in the curve of her neck and suckled the silky skin. She stirred against him, the movement languid and sleepy.
“I see someone’s having a good morning,” she said in a sleep-thick voice, as she cuddled her ass against his crotch.
“Any morning I awake with you is a good morning,” he mumbled against her neck. Christ, she felt good—soft and warm and silky. But she tasted even better; a little salty, a little sweet, with a hint of flowers.
He barely got a couple of nibbles in before his phone rumbled against the nightstand again. He pulled back with a scowl. Worst. Timing. Ever.
“Ignore it.” She twisted until she faced him, her arms twining around his neck.
Good idea.
Her face rosy with sleep and growing desire, she leaned in closer. Cupping her cheeks, he bent to take her lips just as the phone rumbled again. And damned if it didn’t remind him of a summons, which reminded him of Benioko’s text.
Fuck.
He froze, releasing Demi’s cheeks.
“What’s wrong?” Worry replaced the desire in her eyes.
Double fuck!
“I need to take this.” With a frustrated growl, he rolled back over and grabbed his phone. Two more texts, same number as earlier.
Come now.
And then…
Now.
Neither text had a signature, but Aiden knew who’d sent them. What was so damn urgent Benioko needed to see him immediately, in person? Why couldn’t he wait a damn hour?
“Aiden?” Demi’s voice rose. Worry darkened her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
He flopped onto his back, thumping his head against the pillow. “I’ve been summoned by Benioko.”
“Really?” Surprise nudged aside the worry. “Why?”
“Hell if I know.” Scowling, Aiden turned to face her. “He says he’s been informed that I need to speak with him.”
Her brows drew together. “By who?”
He shrugged, trying to squelch the irritation. “No clue. Guess I’ll find out when I meet with him.”
A frown pulled at the corners of her eyes. “Which is when?”
“Apparently now.”
“Oh.” Disappointment echoed through the word.
“Yeah.” After another annoyed growl and a head thump, he rolled out of bed. Damn, she looked so adorable lying there, the covers pulled up to her chin, her face flushed and mildly disappointed, her hair an aqua blaze against the white pillow. Every fiber in his body and synapse in his mind urged him to say fuck Benioko and rejoin her beneath the blanket.
But duty called. In the Shadow Mountain hierarchy, Benioko was the top dog. Wolf was his war commander, but the old man oversaw everything, which made him Aiden’s current CO. Hell, maybe this summons was about the nanobot weapon. If so, he couldn’t afford to miss it.
“I’d invite you to join me in the shower, but then I’d never make it to this damn meeting.” His good mood had soured amazingly fast.
He showered in record time and returned to the bedroom. Demi had already rolled back onto her side and fallen asleep. His chest warmed as he stared down at her. She looked so relaxed and comfortable. But even more importantly, she was back in his bed.
His. All his. Forever.
Because he wasn’t fucking things up this time.
He dressed as quietly as possible, then stopped at the desk in the living area long enough to write her a quick note and backtracked to the bedroom to drop it on the pillow beside her.
Don’t go. When I get back, I’ll make you my special French toast for you. PB bananas—the works.
Love you.
A
Love you was increasingly easy to say. A relief, as he intended to say it often.
He grabbed a utility vehicle and headed for the ramp and the main level. The old section of the base was easy to differentiate from the new. The tunnel was darker, the lights dimmer, the walls grimy and formed from stone, rather than that weird spongy shit. Numbers ran along the tops of the buildings in red-glowing paint. 1000…1100…1200. He slowed when he reached the 1300 block. He pulled in next to another vehicle.
The cold was more intense out here amid the stone and grime. Why the hell did Benioko live all the way out here? As the top dog on base, he could have any quarters he chose. One of the newer, brighter—hell, warmer—apartments was his for the asking. Yet he was buried out here in the bowels of Shadow Mountain.
He stopped in front of the first unit to the right. According to the 1301 stenciled above the door in red—faded to pink—paint, he’d arrived at Benioko’s quarters. The old man was obviously expecting him, as the door was propped open by a worn leather boot. A flash of irritation brought a scowl. Apparently, the old shaman was so certain Aiden would jump at his summons, he’d left the goddamn door open.
He almost turned around. But maybe the shaman had bot-related news to impart. Shoving the door all the way open, he stalked through, his patience for autocratic personalities at an all-time low. He stopped dead at the sight of Wolf.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Aiden’s tone skated awfully close to an accusation. Had Wolf been behind the texts?
A look of irritation flashed across Wolf’s face before it smoothed again. “I had business with the Taounaha .” He paused, his thick eyebrows quirking. “What of you?”
“I was summoned,” Aiden drawled.
Wolf cocked his head. “Summoned? Why?”
“Hell if I know.” Aiden mirrored his brother’s stance—shoulders back, feet spread, hands clasped behind his back. He strove for the same expression of bland indifference. “Ask your pet shaman.”
Everything about Wolf—his face, his body, his eyes—hardened at Aiden’s flippant response. “You would do well to mind your tone.”
“Enough.” A screeching-scraping sound came from around the corner to Aiden’s left. The shuffle of footsteps followed. Benioko’s fragile frame rounded the corner. The Old One split his disapproving gaze between Wolf and Aiden. “We have no time for squabbling.”
A flush heated Aiden’s face. Okay, yeah. He might be letting his annoyance with his recently fucked up morning sour his mood. With a grunt, he scrubbed his palms down his face and worked on an attitude readjustment. Time to get this meeting over with so he could get back to pampering his woman. He dropped his hands and raised his eyebrows at the shaman.
“I got your message.” Had he ever. He frowned when he remembered the wording of the first text. “Who told you I needed to speak to you?”
“Come. Sit. This concerns you, too, Ho'cee. ” Benioko turned and shuffled back around the corner.
Wolf and Aiden followed. The kitchen the old shaman retreated into was even smaller than the one in Aiden’s quarters. It contained one short counter, which housed a surprisingly fancy coffee pot—which currently sat full and steaming, a well-scrubbed stainless-steel sink, a stove with two burners, and a tiny, dorm style fridge.
That earlier screeching came again. He turned as Benioko sat and scooted his mint green chair beneath a red Formica table. A pair of empty Styrofoam cups sat on the table. It looked like Wolf had been with the shaman long enough to finish a cup of coffee.
An off-putting smell suffused the room—a combination of dust, burned coffee and old cooking, with the acrid undertone of incense, or maybe weed?
“Sit.” Benioko gestured to the empty chair across from him.
Aiden hesitated, then took the chair the old shaman indicated.
“ Ho'cee, coffee.”
Wolf took a ceramic cup down from the open cupboard above the counter, grabbed the coffeepot and returned to the table. He filled all three cups and took a seat. With a distant expression in his eyes, Benioko gazed into the steaming Styrofoam cup Wolf placed in front of him. Aiden glanced at his big bro, who shook his head.
The seconds ticked past. Aiden fidgeted, frowned, and glared at his wristwatch. He could be in bed with Demi right now instead— The Old One suddenly lifted his head, pinning Aiden with surprisingly sharp eyes, considering the film clouding them. “Your le'ven'a will wait for you.”
What the hell was a le'ven'a? Although he suspected the word had something to do with Demi. He shifted uncomfortably beneath the shaman’s scrutiny.
“The Shadow Warrior grows impatient,” Benioko said, his gaze still locked on Aiden’s wary face.
Okay, and this concerned him how? “With what?”
“With you,” Benioko snapped.
“Me?” Scowling, Aiden pulled back.
“It is time for you to step past this stubborn selfishness and accept your role among the Kalikoia. The Shadow Warrior is done waiting,” Benioko announced, his gaze hard on Aiden’s face, his voice flat, yet somehow cutting.
Selfishness?
Aiden stiffened. “I have no role in your tribe.”
He didn’t soften the rejection. This was his life, his choice, not Benioko’s, and not the fucking Shadow Warrior’s. Aiden turned to Wolf, who stared back with his usual impassiveness.
A long, weighty silence fell. Benioko finally turned rheumy eyes toward Wolf. “How much of the old times have you told him?”
Wolf stirred. For the first time in Aiden’s memory, his brother looked defensive. “I have not forced our history on him. Allegiance and belief are not forged through force.” He paused. “This you taught me.”
The shaman nodded, but almost immediately shook his head. A weary expression settled across his face. The deep crevices bracketing his nose and mouth deepened even further. “There are exceptions. Your javaanee is such.”
Aiden had heard the word Benioko used enough to know it meant brother. In this context, Wolf’s brother. Which meant the old man was talking about him. Yeah—fuck this bullshit. Aiden shoved back his chair and rose.
“Sit.” Benioko said without raising his voice.
But there was power in the order. Immense power. It reached out and snared him, slamming him back down in his chair where he sat frozen, unable to move, his body under someone else’s—or something else’s—control.