Chapter 87

(**Rayne**)

Three familiar faces stand out in the crowd when Rayne enters the taproom at Shadow’s Retreat. Devon Sawyer is standing at the bar with a drink in one hand while the fingers of his free hand tap along to the music. Standing next to him are two other men she met in France, but the two women with them she doesn’t know. However, but the way the women are pressed close to those two men, she has a good guess as to who they are.

Dominic has his arms wrapped around an extremely beautiful redhead. Her golden eyes flick towards Rayne, then she leans into Dominic to whisper in his ear. When he looks at Rayne, his eyes are no longer haunted and angry like they were when she met him in France. Being reunited with his mate gave him his life back.

“This is a marvellous place you two have here, Rayne.” Kincade says. He nods to her from his spot at the bar.

The dark-haired beauty next to him snuggles closer to his body as Rayne and Parker approach the bar. A low rumbling purr leaves her full pouty lips when Kincade strokes her cheek. It is clear to Rayne who this woman is.

“It is nice to see that the two of you have been reunited with your mates.”

Dominic gestured towards his mate to introduce her. “Rayne, this is Evangeline.”

Rayne nods her head toward the beautiful weretiger. She looks away when Evangeline buries her face into Dominic’s neck. Her eyes flick to the woman pressed against Kincade. This one isn’t shy like Evangeline and instead of waiting for Kincade to introduce her, she reaches out a pale hand to shake Rayne’s.

“Hello, I'm Tamar.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you both,” Rayne says. She steps closer to Parker, then puts her hand on his back.

“How was the end of battle?” Parker asks.

“It was touch and go there for a while, but thanks to your friend Monroe, we could accomplish what we were there for.” Devon says.

“What happened to all of Treadstone’s guards?” Parker asks.

“I there somewhere quiet we can talk about it?”

Rayne uses her index finger to point at the ceiling.

“Evangeline and I will stay down here,” Dominic says. His eyes never leave his mate’s face as he speaks. It is like he is afraid that if he looks away from her, she will vanish.

Devon nods his head to Dominic. Then he, Kincade, and Tamar follow Parker as he leads them upstairs. Rayne follows behind them but pauses as they pass the kitchen. A smile crosses her lips as she sees a red scarf tied to the shelf next to the door of the sanctuary.

That is Arabella’s way of letting her know she is downstairs waiting for them.

*Arabella is in the sanctuary, Parker.*

*I didn’t think she was coming back here until you give birth.*

*We will have to find out what she needs to tell us after we hear what Devon has to say.*

Once the doors to the meeting room close and everyone gets comfortable, Devon and Kincade get straight to their story. Kincade told them that once the EMP went off and all the electronics went down, everything was chaos for the first twenty minutes. Treadstone’s guards were confused at first once their collars were no longer working.

“The moment they realized we were there to help them all, they turned to our side, then helped lead us to the cells.” Devon says.

“That was where we found Treadstone,” Kincade explains.

They found him in one cell with a very weak vampire. Edgar went ballistic on him. However, in the chaos that ensued after that, Treadstone slipped away and hid. Edgar lost his scent among all the others in the tunnels.

“Tell her what happened, Devon.” Kincade says. He looks from her to Devon, then back again.

“Once we freed everyone, we had trouble finding Tyson, but we found him behind a metal door with a keypad for entry. Since the power was down, we just kicked the door in. That was where we found Treadstone again. We thought he got away, but he went after his biggest prize.”

“He was already bleeding profusely from most of his wounds. Tyson was too weak to fight him off, and we were kind of at a standstill in that room. We all got a surprise from a weretiger. She came out from behind the small bathroom and tore into Treadstone’s arm.” Kincade tells them.

“Evangeline?” Rayne asks.

“Treadstone kept them in the same room, which surprised us, since Dom was going crazy looking for her in the rest of the cells. Vangie practically tore Treadstone’s arm off.” Devon says with a smile on his face.

“Then how did he get away from you?”

Devon and Kincade look at each other briefly, both shaking their heads, then they look back at Rayne. She could tell that they couldn’t believe that Treadstone had escaped. Anger crosses Kincade’s face, but he quickly covers it before he speaks again.

“Dom picked up Evangeline’s scent from the hallway and chaos is all I can say to describe it. He found my mate, and I found his. Tamar was behind him when he came into the room. Treadstone used those distractions to slip away.”

“We had been apart for so long that when I saw you again, I couldn’t help but rush to you.” Tamar tells Kincade with a blush staining her cheeks.

Rayne looks over at Parker with a smile. She walks to him, then settles on his lap. He leans forward and kisses her softly. “The mate bond is a powerful thing. We understand your joy at seeing your mates again after everything they have been through. How badly injured would you say he was when you lose sight of him?”

Devon gives that sinister smile again before he answers. “If he manages to not bleed to death from multiple lacerations, puncture wounds, and a nearly severed arm? If he manages to get to a safe hideout, then he will need some serious medical attention, before he will be a problem for anyone.”

That is great news for everyone here as well as Sebastion and his family. This will give them all some breathing space to plan for Treadstone’s return. Though admittedly, and to her shame, Rayne says a silent prayer to the Moon Goddess that the man dies of his wounds.

However, she knows, as does everyone else here, that even if he dies, it will not be the end of The Collectors. Treadstone is only one head of the snake. Now, thanks to Declan, they have another name to add to their list.

How many Collectors are there in the world? That question is hard to answer. There could be only the two they know of. Or there could be twenty more. All she knows is that until it is safe to go public to the human world about the world of supernaturals, the Collectors will just keep hunting.

What would the world be like if humans and supernaturals lived together in peace? Rayne fears that may never happen. From her limited experience with humans, she has learned a few very important things. One is the most important of all.

What most humans don’t understand, fear drives them to destroy.

One day maybe, but that day won’t come soon enough for those that are already suffering at the hands of the Collectors. So, until that day comes, there will still be a need for people like the ones in this room with her. Other supernaturals fighting to free their people.

“What will your group do now, Devon?” Rayne asks.

“We will take those we rescued to Canada. Monroe has a very impressive compound up there with doctors who can help them. Not just heal the physical, but the mental wounds as well. Then we will keep doing what we were doing. Helping free others from the hands of The Collectors.”

“Tamar and I will join Devon’s group. After spending all that time with them, I find that we all work well together.” Kincade says.

He looks to Devon, who nods his head, then he looks at his mate. Tamar leans in to kiss him softly on the cheek. When she pulls away from him, there is pink blush staining her cheeks.

After a few more minutes of going over what their next move would be, the five of them went back downstairs. Devon, Kincade, and Tamar went into the taproom to sit with Dominic and Evangeline. Parker pulls her into Argyle’s office.

He pins her to the wall, then takes full advantage of her shocked expression. His mouth descends on hers swiftly in a heated kiss. It isn’t a demanding kiss, but a passionate one. After seeing two mated pairs reunited, Rayne knows where his mind has gone.

“I am not going anywhere, Parker,” she says when he pulls back. The look in his eyes proves his mind went back to her kidnapping. His eyes are glossy with unshed tears.

“We can’t know that Rayne.”

“I will not live my life in fear ever again, Parker. There was too much of that with Wilson. Please live in the right now with me.”

Parker leans his head down to rest his forehead on hers, then lets out a shuddering sigh. When he lifts his head, the tears are gone, but there is a new look in his eyes. Determination. He is determined to keep her and their baby alive and safe.

“Come, let’s go see what Arabella wants to talk to us about.”

He takes her hand, then leads her to the kitchen. Once the door of the kitchen swings shut behind them, Rayne walks to the hidden door of the sanctuary. She presses on the brick that triggers the door to open, then waits.

After it opens, they walk down the stairs; the door closing quietly behind them. The sound of feminine laughter greets them when they walk into the living room of the sanctuary. Arabella is seated on a stool at the bar with a glass of wine in one hand.

“Ah, I see you two decided to join us.”

Rayne’s eyes follow the direction that Arabella gestured to. Cyra is sitting on a sofa with her eyes now on Parker. Her blonde hair is clean and shining with health. All her wounds have healed and there is a glow to her pale skin. The man sitting next to her must be Tyson, her mate. He looks equally healthy with his dark brown hair, chestnut-colored eyes, and caramel colored skin. They complement each other perfectly.

“You have your mother’s eyes,” Cyra says. She stands up, then slowly walks to Parker. “She would be proud of what you are doing with your life. It saddened me when I heard of your parents’ deaths.”

Parker looks at Rayne briefly, then looks back at Cyra. “How did you know my mother?”

“Come, sit with me and I will tell you all about how I met her and your father.”

*Declan is here with Owen. Should I have Argyle bring them down here?*

Parker turns to look at her as he walks to the sofa. *Not just yet. I want to know how she knew them first. She thinks my father and mother died in the crash like everyone else.*

He then turns back to Cyra as he takes a seat on the sofa. Rayne comes to sit next to him, then turns her attention towards both phoenixes. Their outward appearance makes them look human, like most other supernaturals. However, knowing how rare phoenixes are, it makes that fact that there are two of them here an amazing thing.

“Are you two doing much better now?” She asks Cyra.

“Yes, once we could recharge each other’s life energy, the healing process was instantaneous.” Tyson answers her.

Rayne glances at Cyra, but her eyes are locked on Parker. It is as if she is searching for something in his eyes. Her eyes are a beautiful golden color that humans would think were contacts. No, those are her natural eyes. They are amazing.

Parker’s hand on her thigh causes her to turn to look at him. She can sense his excitement to learn about his mother, but there are nerves laced with it. She places her hand over his, then laces their fingers together.

“How did you know my mother?”

Cyra blinks, looks at Tyson briefly, then turns those beautiful eyes back to Parker. “Since we don’t age like humans do, we move around often, about every ten years or so. This time we picked Ireland. We found a nice little cottage close to your parents’ place. We met in town one day and became… friends.”

The way Cyra hesitated at the word friends makes Rayne think there was much more to it than that.

“We were all a lot more than friends,” Tyson says. This causes Cyra to blush and look away from Parker.

Parker grips Rayne’s hand when Cyra looks away. Tyson’s words interest Rayne. Just how close were these two people to Parker’s parents? With Declan and Owen just upstairs, it makes her want to have him come downstairs just to see how Cyra will react.

Rayne turns her head when Arabella stands up. There is a smile on her face, but curiosity in her eyes as she leaves the room to go upstairs. Turning back to the phoenixes, she tilts her head to the side.

“Just how much more than friends were you with my parents?” Parker asks. “You were lovers, the four of you together, weren’t you?”

The way Cyra’s breath catches and Tyson smiles, Rayne knows Parker is correct. His parents were in a polygamous relationship with two phoenixes. “Did they know what you are?”

Before either of them can answer her question, Cyra gasps, then stands up. Her eyes move from Parker to Declan, who is now standing in the doorway. His expression is one of pure shock. However, what shocks Rayne the most is the way both Tyson and Cyra rush to Declan.

Tyson pulls Declan in for a kiss, which Declan returns with equal passion. When the kiss between them ends, Cyra pulls Delan’s mouth to hers for a kiss. Then the three of them embrace in a group hug.

Owen and Arabella are still in the stairwell with surprised expressions on their faces.

Cyra pulls away, then leads Declan to one bedroom. Tyson stays back for a moment. His gaze locks with Parker’s. “Where is Fiadh? Where is your mother?”

When Parker doesn’t answer him, a single tear rolls down his cheek.

“You were all ...”

“Lovers, yes, all four of us.” Tyson turns away to join Declan and Cyra in the bedroom. He closes the door behind him.

Rayne looks between Parker and Owen with a bewildered expression. Now she understands where Parker got his early polyamorous lifestyle from. His parents were the same.

Talk about truth bombs.