Chapter 43

I was back in the cell when I awoke. Shawn was awake. He was anxious. He was scared.

"I saw them cut you open. They cut you open. I couldn't see what or why. They just cut you open. It looked like they were putting something in you." He stammered.

"I'm fine Shawn. I'm fine. Okay. Calm down. We're going to be okay."

Silence fell over us as we tried to settle ourselves. I tried again to contact Ben.

*****Ben's perspective*****

I made a conference call to my dad and Kyle.

"You guys, I hear Strix. She says they are underground in some sort of testing facility."

"Let's go get them!" Billy said.

"Backup is on the way guys!" Kyle said.

We arrived at a warehouse. This is where she has to be. I can hear her much stronger here. No guards can be seen.

“Dad, we can go in through the front. There are no guards present. Strix said she was underground, so we just have to find the stairs.”

“Alright, Ben. We'll wait for the others. There might be guards inside. We don't know exactly what's going on.”

"Alright guys, we'll pair off and go in. We'll signal each other if we run into trouble. Let's go. " Kyle said.

It's an abandoned warehouse. I'm sure she's here. Gotta find those stairs. There behind the wall. It's a secret passageway. Almost got it opened. There.

"Hey I found the stairs! Listen! She's down there and so are a lot of humans and half breeds alike. What the hell is this place?"

"Don't know son, but we need to save them all."

Out of nowhere, we were jumped. I saw Alpha Seki, I thought he was dead. Strix was right, it was him, alive. The alpha tried to flee the scene as his pack attacked us. I saw Kyle go straight for his jugular. Kyle ripped his head off, he was definitely dead this time. We finished taking out the rest of the Dark Moon Pack and headed downstairs.

What we found was the stuff of nightmares. It was disgusting. Kyle and I went to get Shawn and Strix out of their cell while Billy, Taylor, Donnie, and Phoenix opened the other cells. The smell was overwhelming.

Billy and Donnie looked everyone over. They all seemed fine, a little sick from dead man’s blood, but otherwise okay. When we got to Shawn and Strix, Shawn told us what he saw Seki do to her. He said they may have done it to the others as well. What the hell did they put in my sister?

Donnie ran off to get a u-haul truck so we could transport everyone back to the estate. Before Donnie and Billy did any tests or procedures, everyone would be allowed to shower, rest, and eat. It seemed most of them hadn’t gotten that in sometime. We would need to find a mind eraser for the humans, at least they would forget what happened there.

I wondered what this would do to the half-breeds like my sister, and Shawn also. I guess Nathan Morgan can erase their memories of all of this, too. We will ask each one if they want to forget first of course.

I was anxious to find out what that maniac put in my sister. Dad said he would start the exam with her. If he found it to be benign, he would ask each of those infected if they wanted it removed or not. Otherwise, it was coming out whether or not they wanted it to. They wouldn’t remember anyway.

I watched as Dad took x-rays of Strix. The x-rays showed a solid round object. Strix laid down on the table and Dad cut open her abdomen. He took it out. It was an egg of some kind. He told me to go get Phoenix. When we came back downstairs, Phoenix ran to the egg.

“It’s a dragon egg,” Phoenix exclaimed.

“A what,” I asked.

“I thought dragons went extinct thousands of years ago.” Billy stated.

“So did I, but this is a dragon egg. The only way it will hatch is if a dragon incubates it.” Phoenix said.

“So I’m a dragon now, too,” Strix asked.

“No, but you may have an ancestor who was. What did Seki say to you?” Phoenix asked.

“He said he had plans for me. I was the key to unlocking something. And something about genetics and bloodlines. I thought he was trying to create a hybrid.”

“He must have discovered a dragon in your family tree. Dragons were fae. They lived almost exclusively in this world instead of the fae realm. They looked human but were mute. They bred with humans which led to their demise. The humans turned on them first, wiping them out entirely. Some people stole dragon eggs in the hopes that they could enslave the last generation of dragons. But none of them hatched, they lay dormant. Most of them were destroyed over the years. Somehow Seki got his hands on some. We must remove them from everyone. If they have a dragon ancestor, it is possible for the eggs to hatch. Dragons inherit memories from their parents. It will be horrible if one hatches.” Phoenix explained.

Dad and Uncle Donnie went to work. No one wanted the dragons to come back. After they were done, we destroyed the eggs and buried them deep in the mountains. Hopefully that was the last of them.

EJ was now a month old, although he looked nine. My nephew was growing and learning fast. He had an amazing appetite for knowledge. Always asking questions, curious about everything. I caught him taking a phone apart and when asked why he said, “I want to know how it works.” He then put it back together and it worked just fine. I was rather amazed by that.

*****Shawn’s perspective*****

“EJ, we are going to start your training today.” I said.

“That is good, daddy. I have wanted to train for a few weeks now.”

“We had to wait til you were a little older. We will start with your stance.”

“Like this, daddy,” he said as he took a boxer’s stance.

“Not quite. Like this. See left leg in back, right leg in front. Almost like you are going to do a lunge, remember stretching with mommy.”

“Yes.”

“Okay, now put your hands up like this.” I showed him. “With this stance you can kick or punch and also block. We will work on blocking and switching up your stance today.”

“Yes, daddy. We will have fun together.”

“It’s not meant to be fun, but I know learning new things can be lots of fun if done right.” I said.

We practiced for about an hour and then I made lunch for us. After lunch we were going to see the Alpha, my dad. During lunch EJ kept fidgeting while we talked about his lesson, I thought he was going to grow again. I was wrong.

His eyes started to glow and his voice got deep as he proclaimed, “One day I will save the world from Khenzu. Let it be known, that from this day forward, all supernatural kind will be united as one. There will be no more fighting between species, packs, clans, covens, or otherwise. As King of All and future savior of the world, I declare it. All problems between the aforementioned shall go through the council where a solution will be reached.” Then EJ’s voice went back to normal as he finished talking about his first lesson, as if nothing had happened. Did my son have a split personality, I wondered.