Page 16 of Hammerhead (Kinkaid Shifters #4)

“I got no farther than the beach,” Miguel explained to the High Priestess. “I found Deidre, and she was dazed by having eaten a bite of some kind of fruit I’ve never seen before, though it looked a bit like an apple, as did the tree it came from. Then a woman appeared. She said her name was Lady Mirabella of the White Tower of Aidel. She claimed to know you and gave me this token by which she thought you might recognize her and be able to vouch for her.” Miguel held his pinky finger up to the phone’s camera so the High Priestess could see the ring perched between his first and second knuckle. “She claimed she had been opening a rift between the fey realm and here for the past few days in order to meet with a shifter male. She thought at first that I might be the one, but decided I wasn’t and asked if I had a brother or other male relative. As it happens, my little brother is also on this boat, and she wants me to send him to her the next time the island appears, but I really don’t want to send him into danger. The lady seemed all right to me, but we were only on that beach for a few minutes, yet two days passed while everyone was looking for us.”

“I’m sure you’ve heard that time moves differently in the fey realm,” the High Priestess said softly. “Do me a favor. Give someone the phone to hold and rub the tip of your left ring finger over the stone of the ring where I can see.”

Miguel did as she asked, handing the phone back to its owner and maneuvering so she could watch as he rubbed the stone. He thought he saw a flicker of light as he did so, but the ring was facing away from him, so he couldn’t be sure. He did note the widening of both Sam’s and Tom’s eyes, though. Something had happened when he’d done as Betina instructed. He waited to hear what she would say.

“That is the ring I gave to Mirabella, many years ago. I have no doubt. It was imbued with protective magic and the Light of the Goddess. It cannot be faked.” Her melodic voice sounded with surety.

“The lady gave the ring to me to give to Deidre, but if it is yours, ma’am…” Miguel began, but the High Priestess cut him off with an elegant gesture.

“If Lady Mirabella gave it to you, I’m certain she had good reason, my boy. Do as she willed and give it to your Deidre, with my blessing. It will help protect her and those around her, as long as she wears it.”

“Thank you, milady,” Miguel said, bowing his head slightly in both thanks and respect.

“As for the rest, I believe you must send your brother to the island, hard as that might be for you. Lady Mirabella is one of the greatest fey mages of all time. She is very ancient and has been around longer than almost anyone in the fey realm. If she saw fit to interfere to this extent, it must be very important to both our realms.” Betina paused for a moment before continuing. “You’ve already experienced the time lag. When your brother meets with Mirabella, you may not see him for a very long time thereafter, but he will be in good hands, doing good work. Of that, you may be assured.”

“She said something about him leading the water forces of the fey realm in the coming battles,” Miguel revealed, judging it important to tell her and hoping that Tom and Sam would keep this news under their hats. Both men drew in a breath at Miguel’s words. Betina looked surprised as well.

“Now that’s something,” she mused. “I would have figured other men would be more suited, but then again, the others I had in mind would be watched for just such a thing. By choosing an outlier—a shark, at that—of dubious loyalties, Mirabella is doing something wholly unexpected. Sam, Tom, I expect this to go no further. The less who know of this plan, the better. Do you understand?”

Sam turned the phone back to himself and Tom, who were on the other side of the table from Miguel. Both men were nodding.

“Yes, milady,” they replied in turn.

“Mum’s the word,” Tom said.

“No one will hear of this from me,” Sam promised.

“Good. Now, Miguel, it is imperative that you get your brother out to that island the next time it appears. I can’t tell you how much magical energy it’s taking Mirabella to open that rift time and time again. And though I’m sure it will be hard for you to be separated from your brother, you must do so. The fate of more than just our world may depend on it. Do you understand?”

“Yes, milady,” Miguel replied when Sam turned the phone back to him.

He wasn’t exactly happy about it, but he was beginning to come to terms with the idea that he and Jose could no longer go on as they had before. Things were changing, and he had to keep up.

“Good. And take heart. This is a positive move for our side, and for your family. Hammerheads are some of the most ancient shifters. In fact, many shifter scholars believe that they were one of the first species to shapeshift and were among the predecessors of all shifters living today. You have a proud heritage, my new friend. I expect great things from you and your brother.”

They ended the call not long after, and Miguel was eager to hear what the lion Alpha might have to contribute. He didn’t have long to wait.

“Well, that puts a whole new spin on things, I think,” Sam said as he put away his phone. “There is no better person to speak for you than the High Priestess, and what she had to say about you and your kind—not to mention your brother—says a lot. Not that I wasn’t getting similar reports from Tom and his people about you and yours, Miguel. You’ll have to forgive my suspicious nature where sharks are concerned. After hearing about the trouble with a great white shifter who had corrupted a mer pod from my friends in Grizzly Cove, my opinion of sharks lowered. I’m also land-based, of course, and I don’t know as much as I probably should about the shifters from the seas, other than my selkie relatives. I hope you will accept my apology for assuming hammerheads were more like those great whites than not.”

“There is nothing to forgive, Alpha. Sharks are sharks. The great whites are definitely assholes, but not all of us are willing to walk the line on the side of Light. Most of my life, I admit, I’ve straddled that line a bit, but now…” Miguel tilted his head. He didn’t want to say more about his change of heart and the woman at the core of it until he’d had a chance to cement things with her, and thankfully, the Alpha seemed willing to let it go for now.

“Now is the perfect time for you to make your stand and declare yourself as a servant of the Light. Now is when you’re needed—when all of us are needed—most. When the armies of darkness are gathering, poised to take over should we fall in battle,” the Alpha said, his tone just a little bit grim.

“And I did my research on you and your men, you know,” Tom said quietly. “I have contacts in the larger mercenary groups, and I heard all about your career. Especially the things you would, and perhaps more importantly, would not do.”

The sneaky bugger had been digging into Miguel’s past, had he? Miguel wasn’t altogether surprised, but he’d expected to hear about it sooner than this. Tom was cagey, that was for sure.

Miguel knew that this was the chance he’d been looking for to tell the Kinkaid Alpha about the threat to the oil rig. He just still wasn’t sure how to broach the subject without admitting to doing some shady things—including having the burner phone. Damn. Just when he’d gotten on their good side, he was going to risk ruining it all, but it had to be done.

“There’s something else we have to talk about,” Miguel said, hoping he wasn’t messing up the good he’d done.

“That sounds serious,” Tom said, half-joking.

“It is. And I’m afraid I have to admit to some things that may renew your suspicions about me, but you need to know.” Miguel took a deep breath before continuing. “The threat to your oil rig is real and ongoing. I got a call from a contact who is brokering for Abdul Kettering. He’s actively looking for someone to sabotage the rig so it falls into the water and causes an environmental disaster. I was told he wants to ruin your business, but it’s just as likely that he wants to cause you trouble, so you’ll be distracted.”

Sam eyed him warily while Tom cursed under his breath.

“You said no.” Why was the Alpha so sure about that? Surprised, Miguel nodded.

“I told him I’d think about it. I know he’s approached others. The initial bomb that went off was paid for by Kettering, in fact. At least, that’s what Luis claimed. Luis is a mercenary broker of sorts. He’s the one who first introduced me to Abdul Kettering. He also claimed that the young man who took Abdul’s money wasn’t alive to spend it. They’d told him there was a delay timer on the bomb, which there wasn’t. They never intended on him living through the blast.” Miguel paused to let that sink in. “That’s the kind of people we’re dealing with.”

“I knew that already,” Sam said quietly, just watching Miguel with a calm expression that Miguel couldn’t read. This man would be hell to play poker with.

“Can you call this Luis back?” Tom asked.

Miguel shook his head. “I threw the phone into the sea.”

“Where’d you get the phone in the first place?” Tom followed up.

“It was passed to me at a rest stop on the way to Texas,” Miguel admitted.

“So, you’ve had it for months,” Tom surmised, his lips drawn into a tight line of displeasure.

Miguel nodded. “I have. I hadn’t used it until the explosion. I thought I could get more information, but I want no part of any mission that takes out an oil rig and pollutes the water. Nor do I want to be involved in anything for Kettering ever again. I told Luis that he’d have trouble finding any water-based shifter to cause that kind of damage to the ocean and he said he’d already learned that, so he had to have been asking around for others to do the job. He’s a jackal shifter, so he didn’t understand how polluting the water we live in is something even those sharks sworn to evil would find inconvenient. Regardless, I don’t want to deal with the likes of him anymore. He’s slimy, even for a jackal.”

“I hear what you’re saying,” Sam said slowly, his eyes sharp as they met Miguel’s. “But I can see there’s a really good opportunity here to insert a spy into the enemy camp, so to speak.”

“Maybe, but not me,” Miguel protested. “I’m out of that game. If Deidre agrees, I won’t be taking those kinds of risks ever again. Not on purpose.”

Tom nodded. “Of course not,” he agreed. “But that’s not to say one of your pod mates might not be able to help in that regard.” Tom looked over at Sam and they nodded at each other.

“It’s something to consider,” the Alpha allowed. “But it can’t be you or your brother. I see that. We’ll talk again about who among your number might be willing to go undercover for us, if that’s even a possibility. For now, I think we have enough to chew on. Thank you for the warning about the rig. I’m going to go over security and have a few words with the men working up there.”

Miguel stood from the table. “Please excuse me, then. I must talk with my brother.”

“By all means,” Sam said, nodding. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”

There wouldn’t be, but it was nice of the Alpha to offer, Miguel thought. His head was spinning with all that had happened and all that had been said. He wanted to go straight to Deidre, but she was probably still asleep, and Miguel really had to talk to Jose. Urgently. Nobody knew when the island would reappear, and Jose had to be ready to go when it did.

Saying goodbye to his kid brother was going to be hard. Miguel wasn’t looking forward to it, but after hearing what the High Priestess had to say, he thought it would be necessary.

Miguel found Jose on deck, just as he came out of the galley. Apparently, his brother had been waiting his turn to talk to Miguel.

“Where were you, bro? I looked everywhere for two whole days.” Jose’s voice held hints of both anger and relief.

Miguel moved closer to his little brother and put one hand on his shoulder. “It’s a long story, and you’re going to hear it all because I believe you’ve got a mission, brother, if you’re brave enough to take it on.”

Jose frowned but allowed himself to be led over to the rail where they could talk privately. Well, unless there was a nosey selkie bobbing in the waters below, which was very possible. Miguel would choose his words wisely, and when it came to the top-secret part, he would speak them so only Jose could hear. That thought firmly in mind, he began with his arrival on the fey island and described what, and who, he had found there.

Jose listened as if they were back in the mercenaries and he was attending a mission briefing. Come to think of it, that’s how Miguel was running down the occurrences on that mysterious island. Old habits died hard, apparently. And it really was like they were back in action for the first time in a long time. Or, at least, Jose would be, once he got to the island and met with that fey lady.

Miguel didn’t feel the expected pang of regret that he wouldn’t be in on the action. No, his days of chasing adventure were over for good, though he hadn’t quite realized it fully until this moment. He would much rather be with Deidre, his only mission to make her happy and to protect her from all harm.

“How long were you on the island?” Jose asked, a frown between his brows.

“On the beach? Altogether it couldn’t have been more than fifteen minutes. The swim there and back took about a half hour. The influence of the island dissipates about a hundred yards or so from the shore, I think,” Miguel answered as precisely as he could.

“And yet you were missing for two days,” Jose mused. “So, if I go out there and end up in the fey realm for any length of time, weeks, months, or even years could pass here while I was hanging with the elves.” A wry smile twisted Jose’s lips.

“That’s true, and I’m sorry, but after hearing what the High Priestess had to say about the lady on the island, I think it’s something you have to do. For all our sakes. It likely won’t be easy, and it may take all of your skill, but I believe in you. I always have. You’ve got what it takes to do anything that needs to be done,” Miguel told his brother, meaning every word.

“I guess this puts us both firmly on the side of Light from now on,” Jose said quietly.

“With everything that’s going on in the world right now, we weren’t going to be able to straddle the line much longer anyway,” Miguel reasoned. “We were always on the right side, though it suited me to let others wonder where we really stood.”

“Yeah, you’re right, of course,” Jose agreed readily. “It’s just hard to come out of the shadows.”

“Well, if it’s any consolation, I think at least part of your value to that fey lady lies in your morally gray reputation, so I think you’ll be able to keep it under wraps a bit longer than me. If Deidre accepts me, I will declare my allegiance publicly among the Kinkaids. I can do no less with her in my life. I can’t really hide my true beliefs any longer. But you, my brother, will be operating in the shadows for a while yet. Only a few will know you’ve gone to the fey realm, and from what the lady said, when you return, you’ll be at the head of an army.” Miguel had lowered his voice so only Jose could hear.

“Are you serious?” Jose asked, looking astounded.

“You always were the best strategist I’ve ever known. There is no one more suited to lead the sea-going forces of Light against the darkness, which is the role I think is intended for you.” Miguel was careful to keep his words barely audible only to Jose. “It is a great secret. The High Priestess thought that perhaps our morally gray reputations might fool the enemy. They’re probably expecting someone like the water elemental admiral or one of these selkies to lead the resistance in the ocean. While the enemy is watching them, you’ll be free to train your forces and be ready to act when needed. That much was obvious once I had a chance to think this through.”

“I don’t think I’m worthy of such a task,” Jose objected quietly.

“You are,” Miguel said, putting his hand back on his brother’s shoulder and looking deep into his eyes. “You are the best man I know. The best brother. The best soldier. The best leader of men. You will be magnificent. I am sure of it.”

They spent a bit more time together, just enjoying one another’s company while Miguel told his brother everything he could about his limited experience with the island. Then they went below so Jose could pack up. He had to be ready to go when the island next appeared.

It was clear that Jose also wanted to spend time with his friends and fellow hammerheads, since it was unlikely he’d be seeing them for a while. The group had formed a little family of bachelors that had been together a long time. It was going to be different now, but Miguel hoped he could keep the group together and working toward the common goal of finding mates and a steadier life for them all.

His brother took what he could with him in a waterproof satchel that they sometimes used when traveling from place to place. It was easy enough to snag the straps in either their mouths or on their hammerhead, though that looked a bit silly. Still, it meant that they could bring clothing, weapons, and other gear with them for when they shifted back to human form, so it was worth a bit of discomfort.

Jose gave the rest of the few belongings he’d had on the boat to Miguel for safekeeping. It wasn’t much. They’d learned to travel light during their years as mercenaries. Still, Miguel would keep his brother’s possessions safe for him, no matter how long it took for Jose to return.

The other guys realized Jose was leaving, but they didn’t ask questions after Jose said he had a mission from the Alpha. They understood missions and the need for secrecy. One by one, they said their goodbyes and wished Jose well. Then it was just Jose and Miguel up on deck. The island could appear at any moment, and Miguel had a feeling it wouldn’t be long now, though he couldn’t say exactly why he thought that. Still, it was best to be ready. He would wait with his brother until the island appeared and see him off. It was the least he could do.