BK 3 - Chapter 46 - The Man In Charge
"Has anyone seen inside the buildings?" Wesley asked the men who had been waiting for them.
"No. The security has been too tight. We didn't want them to know we were here. I think it would be best to do a surprise attack. Maybe have several shifters run out at them, and we attack before they know what's happening." One of the men answered him.
"I have a better idea," Vilma said, pointing to a few of the witches. They flew into the air flying above the armed guards. Within seconds the men were all lying on the ground, and the witches returned.
"Did you kill them?" Wesley asked.
"No. I'll let you do what you want with them. We just made them take a nap." She answered. Wesley looked at the people behind him. He was tired and wanted to get back to Mindy.
"Finish them," He said. Several shifters he didn't recognize shifted and killed all the men while the rest of the group headed to the buildings.
"Spread out. There are probably more guards inside. Kill them all. If you see any scientists or people that don't look like guards, detain them. I want to question them before you kill them. Release all the shifters, but be mindful that we don't know their condition. Let them know you're there to help, not hurt them." Wesley looked around, and everyone nodded. They stayed in human form as they approached the six buildings. Wesley headed for the white one Tom said would have the records. Cat, Kitty, Janel, Daniella, and a few other women stayed together and set up an area to care for anyone injured.
Saxon and Melanie went to a long, narrow building. Mario went in first, ready to attack anyone on the other side, but it was eerily quiet. Their group stayed alert as they entered. The inside looked like it had once had horse stalls, but they had been converted to cages. There were one or two shifters in every cage.
Melanie's heart broke as she opened the first cage. There was a young girl that looked to be no older than six or seven inside. She was unconscious but still breathing. She lifted her out and took her outside to her mother.
"Mom, there are dozens of shifters in there. I think some of them may be dead. This little one is still breathing." Cat took the girl from Melanie and laid her on the ground to check her out.
"After this is over, I think we need to consider revamping our group homes. I was so focused on helping human children I didn't think about the shifters, vampires, and witches that might need a safe place to go. I think it's time to get a few more houses when we get home." Cat stroked the child's hair while she tried to ease her pain. Melanie looked at her mother with a smile. No one had a bigger heart than Caterina Galloway.
"That's a great idea. Saxon and I would love to help you. Now let me get back in there to see who else we can save." Melanie passed several others carrying children and some adults out to the waiting women.
When she returned to the building, she saw Mario sitting in a corner, holding a young woman. He was crying as he rocked her back and forth.
"No, no, no. I'm so sorry I didn't get here in time." He sobbed. Melanie ran over to him.
"Do you know her?" She asked with tears running down her face.
"No, but she's my mate." Melanie looked at him, confused.
"You can still feel the mate bond?" She questioned, reaching out to touch the woman's wrist.
"Yes. I feel all tingly, but she's already gone." He cried as he held her tightly.
"No, she's not. You wouldn't feel the bond if she was dead. I can feel a faint pulse. Let's get her outside." Mario didn't need to be told twice. He jumped up, ran outside to Cat, and laid her on the ground. Melanie followed behind, kneeling next to the young woman. Kitty took the small girl Cat had been with and carried her to a makeshift tent.
"She's Mario's mate. I feel a faint pulse. I think she may need both of us." Melanie said, looking at her mom, who nodded. They gently ran their hands over her feeling her pain.
"Go get her some water. She's dehydrated." Cat said to Mario. He hesitated, not wanting to leave his mate's side. When Cat continued to stare at him, he jumped up and went to find some water.
"Do you think we can save her?" Melanie asked quietly.
"We're going to try. She's really broken. Project your healing abilities. They should be stronger now that you're fully mated." Cat said to her daughter. They closed their eyes and focused all their energy on the woman before them.
Mario ran back with a bottle of water but stopped when he saw what they were doing. He sat beside them without making a sound keeping his eyes on his mate. She was in bad shape, but he could still see how beautiful she was. Her matted hair was a dark chestnut brown, and she was almost as petite as Cat.
"Touch her, Mario. Your mate bond may help her pull out of this." Cat said without opening her eyes. He gently touched her head, stroking her hair. He could feel the sparks with each stroke, letting him know she was still there. Mario's tears wouldn't stop. If only he had gotten there sooner, he could have saved her. If Lorin wasn't already a pile of ash, he would bring him back to life just to kill him again.
Mario looked around and saw dozens of shifters in all conditions being brought out of the buildings. Some were placed near the edge of the property; he assumed they were already dead. Others were in decent enough shape to walk, while the majority of them looked like his mate. When he heard a soft moan, he looked down and saw her eyes fluttering.
"She's going to be in a lot of pain. I can't tell you what they did to her, but please be patient. She may be fearful of you at first." Cat said as she continued stroking the young woman.
"I'll do whatever she needs," Mario said as his mate's eyes opened. He smiled when she focused on him with the deepest blue eyes he'd ever seen. She cringed when he touched her, making his heart break.
"I won't hurt you. You're safe now. My name is Mario." He spoke as softly as he could. Cat and Melanie got up to help more injured people, leaving them alone.
"Water," She mouthed to him in a raspy whisper. Mario opened the bottle of water and raised her head up slightly so she could sip it. After she'd had enough, he helped her lay back down. She winced in pain each time she moved.
"Can you tell me your name?" He asked, keeping his voice low so he wouldn't scare her. She looked two seconds away from trying to run with the way her eyes darted around.
"Irina. Are you really here to save us?" She asked, focusing on his face. Irina didn't understand why, but she felt safe with the large man.
"Yes. We've been traveling all over helping shifters that have been trafficked and experimented on. Irina, do you feel anything when I touch you?" Mario asked, his heart pounding so loudly he was sure she could hear it.
"I feel sparks or something, but I thought that was the drugs they gave me wearing off." She looked into his dark brown eyes. Her bear Lila suddenly perked up excitedly.
*"Irina, he's our mate."*
"You're my mate?" Irina asked, trying to sit up. She felt lightheaded, and the pain in her body was excruciating, but she didn't care. She had been looking for her mate since she turned eighteen six years ago.
"Yes, I'm a grizzly. What are you?" Mario asked.
"A black bear. You're not going to reject me, are you?" She asked cautiously. She hadn't fought with the bastards to keep her virginity just for her mate to toss her aside. It seemed ridiculous in the scheme of things, but it was the one piece of herself she wanted to save for her mate.
"No, sweetheart, I'm not going to reject you. I came a long way to find you. We have a lot to talk about, but can you tell me what they did to you? We've killed all the men we've found so far." Mario asked.
"They were experimenting on us. They took some of my blood to the point I passed out. When that sick freak tried to rape me, I attacked him, so he had me beaten and put in a cage. I don't know how long I was there, but I attacked them whenever they tried to touch me. They were too scared to do much because my bear Lila killed one of the men who kidnapped us. They starved us and withheld water to try and make us break. I was lucky. Many of the others didn't have any fight left in them." Irina looked around at the others who had been freed. She knew some of them wouldn't make it, but she appreciated those who were trying to help them.
"Was this the man who was in charge?" Mario pulled out his phone and showed her the picture of Lorin that Wesley had sent to all of them.
"He was one of them, but there was another that was more powerful than him. Did you kill that man too?" Irina asked hopefully. Mario looked for Wesley, and when he saw him, he waved him over.
"What's wrong?" He asked, glancing at the woman next to Mario.
"This is Irina; she's my mate. I showed her the picture of Lorin, but she said he wasn't in charge." Mario said.
"Do you know the man who was in charge?" Wesley asked.
"I don't know his name, but they called him boss. He's tall, thin with black hair. I believe he was human, but I'm not sure. Someone drugged me each time he came around, so my senses were off." Wesley listened to her description, and there was something familiar about it. He began studying everyone, both those rescued and the rescuers. When his eyes locked with the man he was looking for, Wesley felt sick. He knew him.
