As Colin walked into the safehouse, with several people following him, he was tense; he felt for his mate.
She was in an awful state, not only physically but mentally too, and now Colin had trouble deciphering what was wrong with her.
It was as if she had a broken heart so utterly that the pain made even his leprechaun cringe.
Well, first up, it was transporting everyone via teleportation crystals into Chicago’s large base, which he had chosen and made sure there was enough room and staff for everyone.
And then it would be time for medicine, and maybe at some point, he might get an idea of what was wrong, why she was in so much pain, such a deep, throbbing sorrow.
When he walked into the bedroom, he was surprised to see everyone sleeping in the same bed.
Mimi, his secret mate, was in the middle of it, and many pack members had a hand or some body part touching her or reaching for her, except Wulfe.
He was sleeping on one edge, his back turned to Mimi.
Colin felt in that moment an icy dread flooding his heart.
If this were true, something had happened between those two; the pain would be immense, and he felt he might want to nest with her mate in order to ease the pain.
But he was now focused not only just on Mimi but also on all of his pack members who were in a terrible state.
He said, “Now, let’s put them in about five-person bundles and move them into the base. I will take care of Mimi last. I will transport her via car, as she can be unpredictable, and I can smell so damn many drugs on her. Now I am not sure if the resetter will hold her for 18 hours. We are not taking chances here.”
He talked calmly, yet with authority, and soon men arranged limp, sleeping pack members into groups and then placed teleportation crystals around them and informed the base who was coming, and once they had the green light, they sent each group away.
Meanwhile, Colin had gotten a few more blankets and sheets, and he lifted still-limp Mimi into a sheet and wrapped her warmly, as this resetter disabled her thermoregulation.
Meaning she had no means of keeping warm, and since room temperature was way too cold for her as the warmth of others was moved away, he made sure she was not too cold.
She was in an awful state, and Colin had arranged it so he had time to care for her, at least for a few days, and for others there were medics reserved; he had also called in all medics and put a kind of broad alert, and that kind of alert went out to everyone, no matter if they were logged as being on holiday or inactive or on missions.
Staff was needed, as no one here was in good shape, and it would take a hell of a lot of work to get them over this, but they had done well, saved so many, and blown the whole thing wide apart, and now it was also one thing that strained this organization, as there was so much to do.
As everyone else had been moved away, Colin picked up her mate very tenderly and tutted softly as the scroll in his arms weighed nothing; he walked to his car, strapped her in a special gurney, and informed the cleaning team that the safehouse was ready for cleaning and resupplying.
They would clean and remove all the scents, as well as pheromones, and all the biologicals in the sewer pipes as well, so the house would be ready until the next time it would be needed.
He started his drive back to base, which would take about 35 minutes or so, but then he would be busy with her, as she was his priority.
As he finally reached the base, he parked the car near medbay, entered the garage, and shut off the engine.
He exited the car and went to pick her up again in his arms.
He had missed her, and this mission had been cruel and nasty, and all the pack members were more or less in dire straits, and recovery would take time.
Colin thought bitterly that fuckers could go for the next few months in the Azores with no worry as the rest of the pack were recovering.
He carried her ever so gently, keeping her really close to himself so she could hear his double heartbeat.
Maybe it would help her even a little.
But he was determined to keep her asleep; no need for her to crawl into a ventilation shaft or whatever.
This was a base, and God knows there could be so many good hiding spots for her.
She was his as much as he was hers, and now he would dedicate himself to her.
Will would be in charge of the rest of the pack members, and Fred and Thomas, two medics, would be in charge of staff where it was needed when his alert might ping off and bring additional staff to them.
He was now focused on only one thing, and it was currently in his arms as he walked to medbay, to a private room that he had prepared for her.
He laid her in bed and uncovered her.
Slowly and carefully, keeping her warm, exposing only a little of her skin at a time.
He had already changed into scrubs, and now he was trying to find a decent vein for cannulation and take some blood.
He was talking too softly to her, partially in Irish and partially in leprechaun language, and everyone knew not to disturb him as he was not free now.
“My love, let me see. Hmm, let’s take a quick scan, shall we? Then I can assess just how many bullets you have in you, and this is a new machine; it analyzes the composition of bullets, so I will know then which ones will be first to come out, as you know, my love, not all metals are good for you.” This chapter was copied from novelping . com without permission.
He had hooked her into chelation already, as he had smelled metals in her.
And now, as a few hours had gone by, soon he could dare to scan her after she had a good dose of chelation and binding substances in her body.
Getting those nasty metals into inactive form so they would not harm or hurt her or stress her straps, which had quite badly taken a hit.
So this would take time, and it would be a very delicate and critical situation for a long time until her system had something to recover with.
THREE DAYS LATER
Colin sighed and, in a gentle voice, addressed Taylor, who was struggling to stay awake.
Taylor had already told Colin everything he could recall about what had happened, including Wulfe’s situation and Mimi’s darkness, along with the other aspects that had flooded into them, though Taylor could no longer feel them.
To ease Taylor’s distress, Colin said, “Sleep. Everything will be all right. Maybe those drugs will have no lasting effects on Wulfe, and he will shake them off once he’s a bit better. It’s good that you’ve told me this much; now I have something to go on.”
He adjusted the IV once more, and finally, the tall, blonde man in bed sighed as his eyes rolled back, and he passed out.
Colin felt like a liar.
He had absolutely no idea if Wulfe would ever be okay, nor how Mimi’s darkness had affected him.
However, he had needed to reassure Taylor, who was also in poor condition, and now it was time for Colin to step up.
He just had to do his very best and hope for a good outcome.
If not, he would have to be there for his mate, as this would be a devastating blow to Mimi, and he was unsure of its impact on her.
Meanwhile, Number Four was restless in the Azores.
He hadn’t been indulging in carnality and fucking, but rather cooking or studying their various projects.
As he searched a notepad for progress on a certain type of pheromones, his work phone dropped out of a drawer.
He sighed, and out of habit, opened it to check the messages.
To his great surprise, he found an alert for medics, stating that everyone was needed.
He sat down, phone in hand, wondering what on earth had happened.
This felt like a much more worthwhile endeavor than lounging on a “sex island” while Mariella ran rampant and Number One failed to rein her in.
He called Johnny, who briefly explained the situation: eighteen weeks ago, Mimi and the rest of the pack had embarked on an extremely dangerous mission into Sark’s lair.
They were captured and escaped a week ago, all except Colin, who was tending to Mimi.
Number Four’s expression tightened as he heard the main points: metallizing, poisoning, Krycheck, Wulfe, their new bond, and Mimi’s darkness.
Rage had fueled them, yet they had saved over 500 victims, filling every base and causing the immediate need for medics.
As he ended the call and looked at his phone, contemplating his next move, a soft voice from the doorway spoke.
“I guess we’re needed. This is all my fault. Once more, I just can’t get my urges under control.”
It was Mariella, standing with others who had overheard the situation via hive.
It was obvious the pack was desperately needed, but little did they know at that moment that this would be the last time Mariella would decide how long they stayed in the Azores or what they would do there.
What happened next changed pretty much everything.
Number One, focused, felt something within him tell him it was time to accept something new that had been brewing.
This would be part of his evolution and also part of the pack’s evolution.
He discovered his feline side, stronger than ever and yearning to help his mate.
His demeanor, scent, and expression shifted dramatically as he addressed his pack for the first time as a proper Alpha male.
“Now,” he declared, “we shall go shower and wash ourselves, and then we’ll head to Chicago’s base.
The pack is there.
I will take care of my mate; I will take her away from there.
Number Two, you are the pack leader until we return.
Mariella, as the beta female, it is now your duty to care for the pack.
This means you all focus on the pack.
It won’t be fast or easy, but Colin is also part of the pack, and as a pack, our own come first.
We take no supplies from here, but you can fetch more once you’ve assessed everyone.
Healing this kind of trauma is slow; there are stages.
The first stage is physical.
They are in a bad way, and it will take time to recover from.”
His ice-blue eyes scanned everyone, then slowly morphed into golden feline eyes as his feline side emerged further.
“Use your contacts to get more medics. This is our organization, too, and these are our people. Use Magic House if you can, unless it is already there. The next level is mental healing. I have no idea what Mimi’s rage and her other aspects did to them. That is up to you. Try to get Wulfe back; we need him. But if not, we’ll just have to deal with the situation, which won’t be good for anyone.”
United as a pack, everyone listened, unaware of Number One’s plans for Mimi.
His feline side, rather than his normal vampire side, or his normal side known as Number One, was now in charge, guided by ancient ways and an instinct to heal his mate.
He intended to keep his plan private.
As the other pack members cleaned themselves thoroughly, Number One sent a brief message assuring them he would handle Mimi, followed by a burst of power to Colin via the hive, confirming his sincerity.
He was telling him to back the fuck off from his mate.
With the pack’s preparations complete, Number One was ready to take charge of their new bond.
He planned to extend it to the entire pack, ensuring those with the best control would be with Mimi.
Healing his mate would require time; love—a unique feline love—privacy; and much more.
He felt his vampire side receding as his feline nature grew stronger, simultaneously shedding Mariella’s influence.
It was time to end her manipulation and re-establish her role as a beta female with duties to the pack.
He knew this healing process would take months, keeping Mariella occupied.
Number One resolved to spend every moment with Mimi in places she could never have imagined, embracing his feline side to fully integrate it and become a true chimera, not merely a vampire with feline traits.
Ready at last, they used the portal room to reach the nearest house for a substantial meal, anticipating future scarcity.
Then, it was time to head to the base.
Damon’s eyes remained golden and feline, while Mariella, subdued, understood her diminished status.
Though the pack leader would defend and protect her, she was now primarily designated for breeding with other males.
Surprisingly, this didn’t bother her; instead, she found comfort in clear boundaries and limits, a necessity she now recognized.
Her feline side instinctively desired to please the alpha male, motivating her to contribute fully to the pack’s efforts.