26 : Lets Agree to Disagree

A gentle knock came from the door. Henry didn’t even stir as she pulled away from his embrace. Pulling her clothes back on. Peaking out the window, she could tell it was still light out. And there was a crowd of men standing in the yard.

It was Kai, his blue eyes large. “I think we’re going to need to wake Henry up.”

“Is it the reinforcements he called for?” Rose asked, looking back into the room. She noticed the soft glow of the alarm clock. It was only 12. Which meant he’d only had, maybe, 4 hours of sleep. It definitely wasn’t enough.

Kai’s head shook slowly. “No. It’s sperm donor. He’s got the other mechanics from Henry’s shop. He’s here to make a deal.”

Rose’s stomach dropped, “Oh, no.” She went to Henry, gently shaking him awake. There was no way she could face Carlyle alone. “Hey, babe, I’m sorry, but we need you to get up.”

It took him a bit to finally open his eyes. “Sorry, I’m getting there. Fuck. I feel like shit.” Rose, could also feel it now that he was awake. The sluggish feeling in his limbs, the pain radiating through his muscles and the fatigue that over swept everything.

Kai stepped into the dark room. “Yeah, but we need you to get there more quickly. They gave me five minutes to wake you up.”

“What happens in five minutes?”

“Well, you have two and a half minutes now, but they have your guys from the shop at the door. They want to make a trade.” Kai said, looking around the room nervously as he fidgeted with his hands.

Swearing under his breath, Henry pulled on his boxers from the day before. Not wanting to try to go for anything further away while Kia was standing there. Then he grabbed for his phone lying on the bedside table.

He opened his side drawer, putting a small device in his ear. “Where are you en route?” He bee lined for the closet. Disappearing into its depths. He came out carrying two cases and dropped them on the bed before dipping back in. “Since the perimeter has been secured, I need to know, how many of the men out there are shifters?” Rose and Kia were leaning in, listening to what he was saying. “And what about the captives? Are they or are they not shifters?”

Rose and Kai dodged him coming back out by mere seconds. He dropped two large bags on the bed and started to unzip one. “So, I need to understand that you have no doubt, they’re shifters? My friend’s lives depend on it.” Henry stepped up to the window, opening it silently. “Understood.” He looked out for a moment before going back to the bed and plucking a long barreled gun from one of the sacks on the bed.

As she scurried to the other window to look, Rose saw people she loved and cared about. The moment she realized what he was about to do, she panicked. “Henry, NO!”

At the same moment, a shot rang out, and a second later he cursed. “He just got away.” He took three more quick shots and three of them dropped in the yard. “Damit!” As he ran from the window, a team of things came from the edge of the woods and swarmed everyone standing in the yard. Rose watched in horror, not sure what to think as she watchedthe bloody scene before her unfold.

***

Henry took the shots he had, then turned on his heels, dropping the gun on the bed. Looking right at Rose and Kai he pointed at them, “No matter what, do not engage the doors. If I need in, I will get in. If you think for a moment you’re compromised, head to home office.” Then ran for the spare room. “Lock down, Anna. Only allow print access!” That was the closest exit. But only for someone with his type of ability. If Kai and Rose couldn’t exhibit that trait, this wouldn’t be an option for them. Changing into his second smallest form, he climbed up the chimney. His sleek black fur being dirtied by the little bit of soot and the ton of dust that had accumulated.

Cresting the bricks, Henry extended his tail and flipped his ears. Jumping onto the red roof. He hugged toward the shadows, trying not to be seen. Yet racing still toward the yellow swatch of hair that he missed. That it was Rose who saved him with her yell made Henry even angrier. As Henry leapt from the roof of the house, Sperm-doner was running into the thicket between his and Rose’s homes. His men would be fine. They already knew he would go after the other alpha. He always did… why was he hesitating?

Shaking himself, his fur cumulated into feathers, shrinking him down to the smallest possible size he could go. Which was a large black raven. Then he took off, flapping his wings to get the lift he needed before diving toward Carlyle. Just as the beast of an alpha was halfway through the woods between the two houses, Henry found his chance, swooping down. Extending his long hard claws, he maneuvered through the trees, lancing into the yellow swatch of hair at the base of the other alpha’s neck. Though his raven form was his smallest form, he wasn’t nearly as small as an actual raven. So, once he latched onto Carlyle’s yellow main running down his spine, he twisted and threw himself to the side.

This was enough to unbalance Carlyle. Once he stumbled and started to fall, Henry shifted again. This time, he went back to being a cat, but on a much larger scale. Taking the cat form, he didn’t shrink it down as he had earlier, instead putting his weight and size into the shift. It brought Carlyle down to his knees, until Henry jumped off and started pulling him sideways. From there, he was practically pulling sperm-doner through the woods. He had him. There was no doubt in his mind.

Then he was yanked from his attack and suddenly dangling in the air looking around. Certainly unexpected. A man with red hair, swatches of white growing at his temples stood. His arms crossed over his chest while holding Henry in the air using a long tentacle that protruded from his back. Why did this seem all too familiar?

“Who are you?” Henry demanded.

“Why are you so enthralled with that worthless female? She would be the end to us all. You can’t expect—”

“She’s my mate. I won’t allow any harm to come to her.” Henry growled. He couldn't allow it. It might be a short time to her, but Henry had been obsessed with the girl near the ocean since he could remember. He had refused to kiss another girl until he was seventeen for her. He'd known even then that she was the one he wanted. It had all gone wrong after that day, and he'd waited waited half a lifetime for this. “And Kai? You don’t know what you have. Or you do. Either way would you really rather destroy them?” Henry looked over at sperm-doner laying in the grass. “Because I love them. Let me bring them up. Let me help them.” Henry struggled against the hold on him, hoping to find a spot that may allow him escape in the right moment. “Do you not see their worth? For someone who has done what you’ve done—”

“You, my boy, have no idea what I’ve done. You can barely scratch the surface. Therefore, you cannot even begin to see what I see. She has one final use. And that is to ascend her son into the elite. With her sacrifice, Machias can become one of us. Your own parents could have surrendered you to us, but they decided not to. So, you’ll never be more than what you are. Though, you came so close.” Henry bristled. This man knew his parents. They apparently knew who he was too. “I’m Machias Vanderbend the II.” The man laughed. “The Apha’s apha. Otherwise known as the Alpha King. The notion is much more widespread in Europe though.” His tentacles receded as he paced in front of Henry, leaving only the one that was holding Henry. Carlyle was starting to stir from being taken down earlier but he didn’t look to be in a hurry to stand up in front of this guy.