Suddenly, Gorman lifted his face toward the sky and issued a stuttering hoot that was answered from the interior of the forest. Gray let out a very distinctive primary call, one that declared in no uncertain terms he was proclaiming the territory as his, and he would defend his mate and nest from all other raptors.
Kyle, break off. Break off now, Camellia ordered. Gray’s going to attack.
Gray was already in the air, flying straight at the large owl coming off the branch of a tree in the forest. The two combatants met in midair, Gray slashing viciously at the raptor’s breast and eyes with his curved razor-sharp talons and his hooked beak. He was an experienced fighter and went in low and fast, like a heat-seeking missile. A formidable bird of prey, Gray didn’t break off for more than a moment to turn and come back at his foe. The owl had dared to come into his territory, possibly to lay claim to his lady or kill any owlets Gray might have.
Gorman screamed and collapsed, one hand covering his eyes and the other his chest. Blood trickled from between his fingers. He hadn’t retreated fast enough.
“Shit, Gorman, do you want me to shoot that thing?” another one of the enhanced commanders asked while the others all stared in shock.
Camellia wasn’t certain she could call Gray back. He was in full defense of his territory and family mode. His instincts as a predator had taken him completely over.
“No, he’s just defending his nest, Lewis. It’s what they do. Look at him. He’s the coolest. If I’d seen him, I would have chosen him, but he was so still until he actually moved, I didn’t know he was anywhere close.” There was real admiration in Gorman’s voice.
Camellia could tell it didn’t occur to him that anyone had used the owl to study them. He kept his hand over his eyes, peeking out through his fingers. She knew, being inside the owl’s body, using its eyes when Gray struck, Gorman had been injured as well. He was lucky the owl hadn’t torn out his eyes. Had he been any slower, he certainly could have lost them.
How can Gray claim this territory as his? He just got here. And he’s serious, Jeff said.
Blue’s with him, Camellia pointed out. It’s instinct to protect her.
“Are you going to be able to see?” Shaker asked. “I need you to be able to carry out your orders.” He might’ve sounded annoyed, but he was hovering over Gorman, snapping his fingers and pointing toward a duffel bag.
The man they’d identified as Lowell hurried over to it and returned with a first aid kit. It was Shaker who very gently attended Gorman’s wounds.
“Yeah, Shaker,” Gorman said. “I can carry out orders.” He took the cold pack from his commander and pressed it to his eyes. “That owl is damn beautiful.”
All of them turned to watch the raptors conducting their battle low to the ground, only a few yards from them. At times they seemed to get lost in the fog, but then they would break apart, go to ground hissing their challenge and once more lock beaks or talons, usually Gray as the aggressor.
“Let’s get back to it, gentlemen,” Shaker said, turning to the table with obvious regret.
I’m going to access Blue, Kyle said. We need to see what they’re doing.
She’s not happy and wants to join her mate. Camellia soothed the female owl. Let me talk to her first, Kyle. She knows Gray has helped you before. It took a moment to get the female’s cooperation.
Luckily, Gray had pinned the great horned owl down, and the two raptors were clicking beaks angrily, wings spread wide, Gray blanketing his opponent, making it nearly impossible to look away. That gave Camellia the necessary time to convince Blue to let Kyle use her vision to read the map and send the information to everyone.
She’ll do it, Kyle, but she’s reluctant. She wants to be watchful of Gray in case he needs aid. I promised her I would alert her if he does. If I indicate for you to remove yourself, do it fast.
I will. Kyle took over the female owl’s vision and hearing quickly, before she could change her mind.
“Lewis, you’re going to take your men straight up the trail and hit Team One’s compound. Word is, they haven’t had time to establish themselves there yet. Hit them hard and take out everyone. No prisoners. Kill them all,” Shaker directed. “You should have very little trouble. The men we sent ahead should soften them up, if not kill quite a few. There aren’t very many of them. Ten at most. Our numbers will overwhelm them. Some don’t operate well in chaotic conditions.”
I’d like to know where he heard that bullshit, Jeff said.
Apparently, we’re known far and wide the world over, Kyle replied.
Jonas was just leaving the second helicopter, boots back on the ground after being on top of it and applying the acid to the main rotor blade and swash plate. Camellia was just grateful he was on the ground, where she could better monitor him. If he was spotted, Red and the underground network would help her protect him, she counted on that. She told herself if she was looking for him and she couldn’t see him, neither could their enemies, but her anxiety was high.
The female owl flapped her wings, signaling her mood and drawing the attention of the seven men gathered around the table. Gorman removed the cold compress and peered into the dense blue-gray fog, spotting the female sitting atop the snag.
“That’s the reason the male got so upset. His mate is there. He’s not happy with another male anywhere close to her.”
Blue called to Camellia, shaking her head, trying to dislodge Kyle. She turned her head in Camellia’s direction, looking up toward the rocks and trees above them rather than at the fight the two male owls carried on.
Kyle, break off right now. She can’t handle the stress of so many things happening at once. Jonas is out of her sight. She believes I’m in danger. Her mate is fighting. Get out of there.
Kyle did as she said, retreating. Camellia assessed his condition. He hadn’t been utilizing the raptor’s vision and hearing long enough to have damaged anything. She could turn her attention to Blue. The owl called to her repeatedly as she would to an owlet in danger. That only increased Gray’s ferocity.
Camellia sent soothing messages to Blue, trying to connect to her without giving a verbal call that a young owlet might make. To her dismay, Blue’s head continued to go down and she spread her wings wide in the classic threat/aggression manner, clacking her beak. Her eyes were definitely searching the fog to find Camellia, as she turned her head this way and that.
Camellia, Shaker and his men are picking up that something’s wrong, Jonas warned.
Camellia turned her attention back to the clearing. Shaker and the others were showing the same signs of uneasiness that Gorman had displayed earlier. His radar may have gone off first, but now all of them were looking around, casting wary, prolonged looks into the forest and then up toward Camellia’s vantage point.