BK 4 - Chapter 37 - Come Home
**Somewhere in Northern California**
"It looks like we need to cut this trip short. My grandpa Trey says we need to return home immediately. I'll take you back to the reservation on the way." Alex said to Kele and Tom. He didn't want to go home, but if Trey believed they were in danger, he wasn't going to question it, especially with Kiersten and his unborn cubs.
"We'll go with you if you don't mind," Kele replied. She felt it was necessary to stay with the young couple.
"Mom, are you sure?" Tom asked, looking at her in disbelief. He could understand why she would go to the other reservations, but he had never known her to go to any city.
"Yes. I want to stay with them. If they're okay with it." Kele said from the backseat.
"Thank you. I was hoping I could introduce you to our family. We should be there in a few hours." Alex took Kiersten's hand and brought it to his lips. He couldn't wait to share everything they had learned with their family.
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**Albuquerque New Mexico**
Dustin drove as fast as he could to the reservation so Atzi could check on Breanne. He almost jumped out of his seat when his phone began ringing.
"Hello." He answered anxiously, looking behind him to ensure no one was following them.
"Dustin, Grandpa Trey says everyone needs to return home now. He said we're all in danger. Can you and Breanne come back?" Lisa asked, frowning. Why did Dustin sound frantic?
"We were in an accident, and Breanne is in bad shape. She was at the hospital, but a Native American witch who we had talked to told me I needed to get her away from there and take her to the reservation. We're almost there now. Once I know she's stable, we'll come home." Dustin spoke in a rush as he pulled up to where the accident was earlier. Everything was already cleaned up. There was no sign of what had happened, and it hadn't been more than an hour. How did they get rid of the evidence so quickly?
"What? Did you mark her already?" Lisa asked while gripping Jayce's hand.
"Yes, I think that may be the only thing that saved her. We're at the reservation now. I'll call you when we leave." Dustin hung up and jumped out of the car. Atzi and Xipil were already walking toward him.
"Do you want me to carry her into the house?" He asked, getting ready to open the back door.
"No. I believe you need to return home. We want to go with you if it's okay. I promise I will make sure Breanne is taken care of." Atzi said while opening the back door. Dustin noticed they were both carrying bags.
"How did you know that we needed to go home?" He asked as Atzi checked Brenne. She pulled a little vial of something out of her pocket and began chanting.
"We know many things, young man. You drive. Atzi will sit in the back with your mate." Xipil replied as he went to the passenger side of the car.
"What about Johnny and Cole?" Dustin asked, noticing the two boys watching from a few yards away.
"We didn't want to overwhelm your family. They can stay here with the neighbors." Xipil answered.
"They can come. Our family is big and won't mind a couple extra kids." Dustin wondered where Johnny and Cole's parents were but didn't feel it was his place to ask.
"Come on, boys," Xipil said, and they ran over happily. Cole sat in the back with Breanne's legs across his lap. Her head was on Atzi as she continued chanting over her and rubbing oil from the vial on different areas of her skin. Johnny sat in the front between Dustin and Xipil. Dustin was glad to be getting out of there. Something was telling him they were being hunted.
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**Eureka California**
Wesley and Mindy pulled into the parking lot of a small diner and parked. He had called the man they were supposed to meet as soon as they arrived in Eureka. He said his name was Gerard, and he gave them the name of the diner where he was going to meet them.
They saw an older man sitting in the corner when they walked inside. He waved them over as soon as he noticed them. Just as they were getting ready to walk over, Wesley's phone rang.
"Hello?" He answered while staying near the door.
"We need you and Mindy to come home as soon as possible. Trey says we're all in danger." Kitty said into the phone. Wesley sighed as he took Mindy's hand.
"We're in Eureka. We'll be there as soon as we can." He replied.
"Okay. Be safe." Kitty hung up, and Wesley turned toward Mindy.
"Trey wants everyone home. He says we're in danger. So let's see what this guy says and get out of here, okay?" He whispered to her. She nodded as they headed to Gerard's table.
"If you need to leave, we can do this another time," Gerard said nervously, looking around as though he expected someone to jump him. Wesley was curious about his reaction. He decided it was better to leave immediately.
"Would you be willing to go with us to Sacramento? I think it may be safer for all of us." Wesley asked him. Gerard sighed in relief.
"Yes, please. Can I ride with you? I walked here." He stood up and followed them out of the diner.
"I think that would be best," He said as Gerard got into the back seat. Wesley stopped Mindy from getting in and whispered to her.
"Watch your back. Right now, I don't trust anyone." He said before kissing her forehead. Mindy smiled and nodded as she got into the car.
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**Sacramento California**
Travis looked around at the men sitting in his house. They were all hunters and were excited when he told them about the possibility of having a bear to hunt. He hoped to have a whole zoo for them to hunt soon.
"This is the house where I saw the grizzly and lioness. We need to take turns watching the house to see when they leave so we can trap them. I know they're on to me, but they won't suspect any of you. Here's the grid I've made, so I want you to sign up for times when you're available." Travis showed them the board he'd made with the location of the house and lines with available time slots. He watched as they signed up for their shifts.
"Do we have anyone close to the family that can help?" One of the men asked.
"We have a couple, but I don't know how close they can get. This family isn't like your typical shifter family. It's not just lions. They have bears, panthers, tigers, wolves, witches, and vampires. Those are only the ones we know about; there may be more." Travis answered.
"Why don't we just show up at their houses and kill all of them?" Another man asked, and everyone nodded in agreement.
"We can't do that. They were able to pick up on the fact that I wasn't there to pay my condolences the second they laid their eyes on me. They're already on alert, and I guarantee they expect an attack. We have to be sneaky to beat them at their own game." He replied, making sure they understood. He didn't need anyone going off half-cocked and getting themselves killed.
"I think you're giving them too much credit. We can spread out and kill them all. I say we trap a few to hunt, and the rest we'll slaughter like the animals they are." Travis glared at the man standing at the back of the room. How dare he question him? Who was he anyway? Travis didn't remember seeing him before.
"How would you know? You've never done this with us before." The man smiled at Travis.
"No, I haven't, but I've been after this family for a long time. They have meddled enough, and I want them all dead. Besides, I have something they want that will set the perfect trap." The man responded.
"Oh yeah, what's that?" Everyone watched as he pulled a girl out from behind him. She didn't look to be any older than twelve, and she was crying.
"I have one of their children."
