True Traitor (First Wave Book 7) (11 page)

Decano saw Grai trying to juggle the boy, and he walked over to him and held his hand up to Tristan until he got the child’s attention. He knew by the skip in Tristan’s hand movements that he was listening.

“Let’s go check on your mommy and baby sister while your daddy deals with this and gets a Situation Report from the . . . fool,” Decano said.

Tristan grunted and bucked against his father while Grai stared daggers at Leif, who was unnerved by the large, powerful man in front of him—even with the barrier. It was like dealing with Ass 1 . . . only Grai exuded a deadly energy thread in him that Fiorn didn’t possess. It made Grai the biggest threat in the place as far as Leif was concerned.

Grai finally relented for his son, and he placed the boy on the floor. Without looking up, Tristan startled Grai and Decano by taking Decano’s hand and leading him towards the covered area where his mother was laying.

Decano gently held the little boy’s hand and walked with him, turning around to look at Grai in stunned amazement that the child had initiated contact and was still holding his hand. The grin on Decano’s face was mirrored in Grai’s, and he watched his son with pride.

Worried for his family, he turned back to the boy.

He hardly qualifies as a man, much less a worthy mate for True,
Grai thought.

Without warning, Grai unleashed all of the extra power he’d amassed within himself from the ley lines at the nervous Leif.

Chapter Nine

Countdown Clock to Human Discovery

16:00 Hours

This is WFWZ radio news. Federal and local authorities are anxiously awaiting full daylight to assess the damage near Burnt Tree Ridge. We are expecting more updates on the situation as the morning progresses. Internet and cell phone service is still impacted and repair estimates are unknown at this time. Authorities are asking that you avoid the area as I-70 is closed between exits 129 and 133. Stay tuned to WFWZ for updates as they come in.

Leif flinched at the invasion of energy easily penetrating the barrier. It wasn’t that it had hurt; it had just been more powerful than Leif had expected, but it was just the beginning. With an angry twist of his fist, Grai yanked the energy back to himself. With it came part of Leif’s.

“Damn it, man! You could have asked!” Leif said as he clutched his chest.

Grai grinned as he sifted the energy he’d pulled from the man. Normally, sifting someone’s energy was a very pleasant and calming experience as long as the person wasn’t evil, but Grai in his anger wanted to make damn sure the man remembered he’d been there, and he smiled that he’d succeeded.

True put her hands on her hips and faced Grai.

“There’s no reason to hurt him, he’s trying to help!” True said, defending the poor guy—much to her own surprise.

Leif stared at True open-mouthed for her defense of him and admitted he’d have gone through the energy rip again if it meant that his mate would give him the reassurance that she was starting to actually like him. Even a little.

Hell
, he thought.
It’s a long way from torching my junk. I can be happy with the baby steps!

Grai’s gaze remained fixed on Leif as he sifted through his energy, and he felt like punching the man all over again. Mates! The damn fool was True’s mate! Grai growled and turned away from them while he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, trying to release his anger.

Fuck it
, he thought as he turned back towards Leif and gestured to the golden aura of protection that Tristan had put around him.

“You better hope that I calm down long before that wears off, or I’m going to beat you into becoming the man she deserves to have. Do you understand me?”

Leif saw and felt Grai’s power and anger.

Fuck
, Leif thought.
I really need to get on this guy’s good side
.
He’s the first person I ever met that might stand a chance against one of the Legends.

Leif nodded his head and amended that thought. This guy could take on both of the legends at the same time.

No wonder his kid is so damn powerful
, Leif thought, as a shiver of real fear went through him. Until True ruined it all by stomping on Grai’s foot.

Grai barely flinched and looked at True who was now stomping her feet, a hand on a hip as she used the other to stab at Grai’s chest.

“Don’t you dare start all that male crap! And leave him alone! You understand me? I can take him on, all by myself, if I have to! I don’t need help!” she yelled.

Grai smiled down at True.

“I know you can, honey,” he said patiently. “But, as your highest-ranking male family member here, I am going to personally ensure that he is good enough for you. Now we can start talking about the defense in here so I can get back to my mate, or I’ll do it myself, and the little man can watch and learn.”

Ok,
Leif thought, listening to the gasps of his people,
this had gone far enough
. With a boost of confidence from the golden aura still surrounding him, Leif stepped up to Grai and looked him in the eyes.

“You can stand there and beat your chest all you want—it won’t change the fact that we’re trying to help you. I can understand your concern for your mate and family, but attacking each other won’t get them out of here alive. Fiorn has initiated a protection protocol that will incinerate anything with a drop of Relian blood that tries to leave this place,” Leif said, watching Grai’s eyes widen almost imperceptibly when he said the last.

Leif sighed and continued.

“Look, my Nana, the DF, or Delicate Flower, is coming. She is the only one besides the Legends who have the code to disable that protocol. You’re here because it is the most defensible spot in this place and the closest to the portal room where she will be arriving. You can threaten me all you want later, but right now let’s get all of our people safe,” Leif said, hoping that teamwork could forge a truce that wouldn’t require him getting beaten later.

Grai’s fists clenched as he looked over to where his mate and child were before turning back to Leif.

“Where’s Fiorn?” he growled.

Leif shook his head and held up his hands.

“Don’t go off halfcocked. I have no doubt you could kill him, but you’d have to tear through some hybrids that are still loyal to him in order to get to him. Surprisingly enough, some of the hybrids from the old world still follow him and my father without question,” Leif said.

Grai roared loud enough to startle everyone in the room, and he looked at Leif with his chest heaving with fury.

“When is this Nana arriving?” Grai growled out through gritted teeth.

Leif understood the man’s rage, but wished he’d calm down. He was pretty scary like this, and his people were nervous enough over their partial mutiny.

“Grai, she’s hours away, but coming. Please, try to control yourself. Not just for your people, but mine. My people are taking a huge, huge risk to help you. They need leadership and confidence right now, not anger and dissention,” Leif said, hoping to get through to the angry man before his people rushed to his defense and this sanctuary turned into a war zone.

Grai looked at the man calmly.

“Connect with me, boy, so we can speak privately next time,” he said with a challenging gleam to his eyes.

Leif sighed, but nodded his head. Within seconds he felt the request for connection in his mind and accepted it. Leif expected Grai to use it immediately and the man didn’t disappoint him.

“When this is over, you and I will have a private discussion regarding the care and needs of your mate. Ones that you will meet or I’ll have our doctors rip you apart for your sperm so she can have a child. Then I’ll kill you. Personally,” Grai growled through the Shengari’.

Leif nodded, not really afraid of the threat. He knew it was going to take a damn miracle to live through this as it was.
Besides
, he thought,
with my junk already slow roasted, it’d take a while to get body fluids anyway
. He’d worry about that future, if they ever got to it alive.

Leif stepped back to the vehicles and the map of Fiorn’s Folly.

“We’re right here,” he said, pointing at the almost perfect center point of the place.

Grai walked forward to look at the map and was more than a little surprised at the size of the place. The miles of tunnels he’d run were nothing compared to the rest of the underground facility and tunnels that Leif was showing him.

Leif grinned and moved his fingers over one side and erased some tunnel systems there.

“Your little guy took out that section getting inside,” Leif said with a grin.

Grai looked stunned at the large section that Leif erased and claimed his son had taken out.
What the hell did that mean?

“What do you mean he ‘took it out’?” Grai asked.

“The kid did something with the energy. Blew through barriers we’ve had up for hundreds of years and took out half of that mountain in the process. By the way, I’m Slate.” One of the other hybrids smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

Grai looked at the man and held out his hand.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Slate. I really wish it would have been under better circumstances, but I’ve met some of the best people on this planet under worse. It’s an honor to stand beside you all,” Grai said, looking around at the expectant faces of the mountain hybrids.

Leif smiled and nodded.

“That’s the leader we’ve admired for years. You keep that up and they will give their lives for you and yours. As will I,” he told Grai through the Shengari’.

Grai stared at the man for a moment with narrowed eyes.

“Years? Explain,” he asked out loud.

Leif sighed and looked around at his people before he said, “When you first came with the psychometry child, Rebecca, to the cave years ago, and we found out you were half Relian, Fiorn made it a mission to find out everything he could about you. He was obsessed. We’d been documenting the other ship sightings on the planet long before that and had been wondering who it was that was helping our people.”

“We’d watched some of your missions live and couldn’t believe what you guys were doing. We saw that one in Africa where you threw yourself over that blond guy and the chopper crashed into you!” Slate said with a smile.

“We swore you were dead, but then we heard you were in DC,” another hybrid added. “Fiorn cursed that you were still alive, but the rest of us . . . we were cheering you guys on.”

“And wishing we could help,” a third hybrid said.

Grai shook his head, unable to believe that even with all his contacts and technology he’d never known these people were here. To him it only verified that there were mysteries in life still left to discover, and he wondered what else was going on that he was unaware of.

He stared at Leif for a moment before speaking a little louder so the crowd that formed around them could hear him.

“I’m a hybrid, no different than any of you, except my other half is one I am not proud of, nor ever will be. My two brothers and I are proof that not everything is as it seems, and we appreciate your open minds and the chance to prove ourselves as worthy allies and friends.”

The small crowd of hybrids cheered.

“For now, let’s figure out how to keep all of our people alive, while we await your true leader,” Grai said.

There were several shouts of “Hell, yeah!” and “About damn time!” while Grai and Leif plotted the best way to keep the Legends and their strike teams at bay while they awaited the Delicate Flower.

Twenty minutes later, everyone was dispersing when Lauren walked up to Grai.

“I’m Dr. Lauren Campbell,” she said, holding out her hand to the mutant and wondering if he’d repel her due to his Relian blood.

Grai gently shook her hand, and Lauren smiled when she felt nothing in his energy but strength and concern—for all of them, not just his own people. She was much more impressed by these mutants than she ever expected to be and was more convinced than ever that helping them was the right thing to do—not just as a doctor but as a person.

Lauren realized she’d been staring and cleared her throat.

“I was able to fix the tear. The birth of your daughter will continue to progress naturally and normally. Tricia is resting at the moment with your son beside her. I know you will be busy, but if you will allow a connection with me, I will be able to keep you updated on her health no matter what you are doing,” she said, not wanting the man to worry more than he already was. This was a hell of a time and place for the poor family to be trying to welcome a new baby, and she felt terrible for them.

Grai nodded his head and held out his hand, the physical contact allowing the connection to occur more quickly. He accepted the request in his mind and Lauren nodded and smiled, letting go of his hand.

“I will keep Tristan near his mother. He’s doing much to help her through her pain,” she said with a nod before turning away.

Grai moved to walk beside her.

“Thank you. I couldn’t help but notice you have questions. We have a moment; please feel free to ask anything that will make you feel more comfortable,” Grai said, not wanting the woman caring for his mate and unborn child to have any reservations about helping them.

Lauren looked up at the large man and nodded her head.

“How did you come to be? Fiorn says that you are proof that the Valendrans betrayed their people and joined the Relians—proof the Valendrans have no honor and can’t be trusted,” she said, ignoring all the curious people waiting with bated breath for his answer. It was something the whole of Fiorn’s Folly had been curious about since the moment they’d first seen Grai with little Rebecca so many years ago.

Grai laughed without humor.

“He is a fool who refuses to face the fact that his own failure is the reason I and my brothers exist. My mother was kidnapped from Valendra while he was in command of the planet’s defenses.”

Grai looked around at the rapt faces listening to every word and continued.

“She endured hundreds of years of violence and abuse at the hands of my father. She was a blessed goddess for even caring for children born of such a thing, and she’s the very reason why I and my brothers are the men we are,” Grai said honestly, allowing the truth to bleed through his energy for those around them to feel.

Lauren was shocked.

“How was such a thing even possible?” she asked, unaware that such a thing could happen between the two species.