Page 49 of Enter the Lair
Devon turned back to Ryan.“Is there a stretcher?”
“No.We never needed one.We healed,” he said.
Devon threw on a shirt as the vehicle pulled up beside the building.“Let’s get him in the truck.”Hunter and Devon positioned themselves on either side of Aiden, lifting him from the floor.Ryan held his head which left his arms and legs dangling below his body.
Buck grabbed Aiden’s legs.They maneuvered Aiden into the back seat of the SUV.Devon turned to Hunter.“I’ll take Ryan with us.Have Buck take you to the other vehicles and meet us back at the house.”
Ryan got in the back with Aiden.Devon and Sarah got in front.They were on the road in seconds, avoiding the roughest terrain of the old road.Aiden groaned when Devon hit an unavoidable pothole, forcing him to slow his speed.
Hunter and Buck caught up to them at the house.They moved Aiden to the downstairs bedroom.
Over the next few hours, they removed Aiden’s clothes, cleaned every wound, and redressed them.Aiden was sleeping under the handmade quilt his mother had given him for his birthday when Devon finally turned to Ryan.“Do you know what he was injected with?”
“No, and it wasn’t just injections.Sometimes Razel would take spinal fluid from him.I have no idea why.”
Devon swore under his breath.“I have a pretty good idea where those samples went.”
Sarah rubbed her eyes.She had worked beside him tirelessly.“We need to find Racheal.”She had put Devon’s need to save Aiden above her own need to save Racheal.Now that Aiden was safe, her patience was running thin.
“Yes.She’s probably the only one who can save Aiden.He isn’t healing as he should and if he can’t shift well...”
Devon understood Ryan’s guilt and despair.He sat beside the worried man, watching Aiden take a ragged breath.“How much did Razel know about other shifter species?”
Ryan sat back in his chair.“We’ve had limited contact with other shifters since the wars.We know that all shifters have healing abilities and that cougars have longer lifespans, that the wolves have psychic abilities, and that the bears have superior strength.I doubt he knew more than that.He told someone about the emotional bonds we have with our families and our mates, didn’t he?”
“I’m sure he did,” Devon thought about Ryan’s words.“Your emotional bond is with all animals.I mean you sense everyone in your pack’s emotions, don’t you?”
“No.We sense the emotions of those with blood ties and our mate if we are lucky enough to have one.I was told it’s similar to the wolves and their psychic connection, but I have never talked to a wolf shifter myself.”Ryan scratched his neck.“Razel said he could feel an animals’ pain, but we have no proof if it was true.”
Perhaps Razel’s gift was an aberration as well.He wanted to ask more about the emotional bond, but knew he couldn’t without revealing his own ability.He wasn’t ready for this coyote to know that yet.“So Razel knew the basics about the shifters in the Cascade region.What about the species in other countries?”
“When we were kids, we were told there were other shifters in Africa.Lions, tigers a few others.I can’t say for sure, none of us ever met any.We only stopped fighting in the wars a hundred years ago.”
“I was a boy when they ended.Two of my uncles were killed.Only my father and my uncle survived from our original pack.”
“My father was also killed.When Aiden’s father, Darnel, took over the pack and ended the war he said that the Cougars were to be left alone.We didn’t know about Razel’s jealousy until he took you.”
“His jealousy?”
“He wanted what Galen had.A lair with eight children.Aiden told him that Galen had eight children because Mother nature was replenishing her ranks.Our pack was small, but it hadn’t been decimated like yours.”
Devon’s uncles had died prior to his birth.Galen started this lair for his sons to have a community.One he and his remaining brother lost.Their lair was small, but thrived, growing with new life about to replenish it.
Galen had done everything he had set out to do and Kevin Kallan wanted to tear it down.A new war had started.He looked at his worried mate.He didn’t need to feel her emotions to know what she was thinking.If they didn’t get Racheal, Aiden was going to die.
* * *
Sarah felt Devon’s anxiety.He was worried about Aiden.She wished she could tell him it would be all right, but she couldn’t lie to her mate.She would get Racheal back and Racheal would help the ailing coyote if she could.
“Should we call Talen and see if he has any new info,” she said.
Hunter got up from his chair.“I’ll go check in with him.”
“What’s our next move...”She stopped as her cat surged to the surface.She felt fur ripple along her skin before receding.
Devon had his arm around her.She hadn’t even seen him move.“Sarah, what’s wrong?Is your cat upset?I sense confusion...”
He looked into her eyes trying to sort out her emotions.She didn’t understand what was happening so she couldn’t enlighten him.