“What do you mean? Do you know something?” Kane didn’t mean to sound so sharp, but the way he’d handled the Wesley incident didn’t sit well with him either.
“If I knew something, you’d know about it,” Nereus said calmly. “But I mean, it makes sense if you think about it. The dark ones have been dead three months now. If Wesley was being held somewhere, then what is he doing for food and water? We only know he’s not dead, because a spirit wouldn’t be hampered by any ward, and Thanatos would be able to sense Wesley’s spirit as he passed. But we have no idea what state Wesley was in when he was captured. If he’s been caged up, and one would assume he had been, then what would that enforced confinement be doing to his wolf?”
“In the Underworld, Wesley would have no other wolves to call on,” Shawn said. “He’s likely isolated, in a realm he doesn’t understand. The wards the dark ones put up might disintegrate over time now they’re in stasis, but there’s no guarantee they will. He could effectively be buried alive under wards, waiting for someone to come for him.”
“And he’d imagine we would come,” Matthew said gravely. “There’s a good chance he doesn’t know what happened with Marius and Cathair. He was kidnapped and taken against his will. He’s going to believe, because he’s part of a pack, that someone will search for him.”
“Please.” Luke had tears streaming down his handsome face. “Kane, Shawn, someone please give the orders for the demon to find him. No one should be left alone, possibly hurt or dying. Kurt, do you know any demons? You know I’d go, but I can’t leave you or Tobias, or Baby Ollie, because he wouldn’t understand, but I can’t bear it, I just can’t stand the thought of that poor man, wolf, dying alone in a big scary unknown world. It’s not right. It’s not fair. Our pack is better than that. Please.”
“Luke, Luke, it’s okay,” Dean said quickly as Kurt and Tobias wrapped themselves around their sensitive mate. “We just have to find the right demon, isn’t that right guys?”
“And I know just where to start,” Vassago said firmly.
“V, babe, you know I love you and all that, but I am not sure Myka is the best choice for this job,” Adair said, biting his bottom lip. “He’s flighty and unpredictable and…”
“He got in my pants once. Gods, get over it, babe. The only one plowing my ass now is you.” Vassago slapped his mate and then pulled him in for a scorching kiss that caused most of the pack members to avert their eyes.
“Besides,” Vassago said, after he pulled back, his lips puffed and nostrils flaring. Adair was in the same state. “Myka comes from a big family. I’m sure he’ll know someone who can do this job for us who won’t make you feel all growly and protective all the time.”
“Then it’s decided,” Kane said, trying to hide his relief. “Vassago and Adair will contact their demon and get someone to search the Underworld for Wesley.”
Before it’s too late, was left unsaid, but everyone in the pack felt it, and no one blinked twice when Vassago and Adair disappeared.
Chapter Five
Castor stood at the bright blue door to the ranch house. “Not exactly the hell hole prison V was going on about,” he muttered. “It needs a spot of landscaping – some flowers perhaps. A lawn would be nice too.” With a snap of his fingers, a landscaped yard appeared complete with trees and a nice white picket fence. Castor beamed. The place looked so much better now.
It hadn’t been an easy search. Castor had zapped to every corner of the Underworld in his bid to find a missing wolf of all things. Of all the things his brother could’ve demanded as payment for that damn bet. Nope, Castor wasn’t going to think about that. So embarrassing. But yeah, finding one solitary wolf, under a mix of demon/elf wards, that no one was expected to find, wasn’t a walk in a park.
But he was here now. It’d taken him a while to realize that looking for what was missing, rather than what was there, would find him a wolf. And now, all he had to do was knock on the door and…
Castor was in his demon form. That might not be the best first impression to make, especially in this bubble realm. The last thing Castor wanted to deal with was a wolf meltdown. He shifted into his human form, and then, because he liked a laugh, he added a suit and a briefcase and raised his hand to knock on the door. Hey honey, I’m home. Did you miss me?
But he didn’t even get a chance to knock. The door opened and instead of a wolf, Castor found himself confronted by three little kids who smelled of cheetah. Rug rats? No one told me there’d be rug rats.
“Who are you?” The middle one demanded.
Taking a step back, Castor said, “I’m here to rescue Wesley.”
“Well, you have to rescue us too. We’re stuck here, just the same as he is.” The one on the right informed him.
“And I hope you brought a fucking beer. I heard Wesley say he could use a fucking beer when Tommy threw up on him. He didn’t think we could hear him, but we did.” The left one nodded.
“Come on.” The middle one led him into the house. Castor couldn’t believe his eyes. There were kids everywhere. All shifters, and of all types from the smell. A small brown-haired boy was leaning over the couch. As soon as he saw Castor, he gave a chirp and shifted. Castor was now looking at a baby Sloth.
“It’s okay, Zeke,” one of the cheetah’s said. “He said he’s here to rescue us.”
Zeke shifted back. “Where there trees out there? I thought I saw trees. I smelled grass and everything.”
Castor felt a small shaft of pride. “Yeah. You’ve got a garden now, with trees and grass and...” That’s all it took. Zeke tumbled off the couch and ambled to the door followed by the rest of his pack, tribe, herd or whatever Castor could call a group of mismatched shifters.
“Is it safe to go out?” One of the cheetahs thought to ask.
“Yes, you can go out, but don’t go out of the yard. The fence is the border.” Castor had a feeling the wolf… Wesley… would be pissed if one of them got lost.
That was all it took. A stampede for the door almost knocked him over. With the bulk of the kids outside, Castor sniffed the air again, searching for the wolf. Yep there was a wolf and… he sniffed again. Mate? He had a mate? Castor looked at the kids as they ran past, spotting a couple of wolf pups. Oh God… not a kid. Please not a kid. Castor wasn’t up to waiting for his mate to reach adulthood. His balls would be so blue. A fawn loped past him.
The head cheetah who was still hovering by the door with his brothers yelled, “Don’t go outside the fence, Carrie.”
She looked back and nodded then ran.
“Wes is back here with the littlies,” the cheetah informed him.
A loud wailing made Castor want to take a step back. Then another joined in. It sounded like Naamah on a bad day when his wife found out he did something he shouldn’t, or he wanted to scare someone. Castor had to force his feet to follow the boys down the hallway, thinking to himself that Naamah was actually quieter than what was waiting behind the door the boys stopped in front of. The noise got louder.