Chapter 114 Chapter 114
As they reached the cave, he was relieved to see everyone settling down outside. The thought of so many being in there together in such a small space would have had his cat on edge. There was a reason he spent so much time alone, he wasn’t big on crowds. He noticed Shaelan wasn’t rushing over to be in the middle of them either, she seemed content to stand aside and holding his hand. Which was good, as he didn’t plan on letting go, not just yet.
She exhaled. “I suppose you should meet my mother.” Her voice was filled with tension. “I know it’s not her fault, she just tried to keep me safe,” she looked up at him, “but it’s hard right now.”
He felt like he was falling into her eyes, and actually had to blink to kick his brain back in gear. “I think she had to go through a lot and do what she needed to, so you both survived.”
Shaelan continued to look at him for what felt like an eternity, he didn’t know her well enough to understand what the changes of expression on her face meant. He stood there, not breathing while he waited for her to speak.
“I suppose she did,” she said quietly.
Dragging his eyes away from her, he surveyed the women present. When he reached one with high cheekbones and a refined aura, he studied her for a moment. She kept looking over at Shaelan, every few seconds. He leaned down, “is that woman in the blue sweater your mom?”
She gave him a shocked look. “How did you know?”
Calum smirked, “Same beautiful face as yours.” He shrugged, “and she keeps looking at you with that motherly look they get when they’re checking if you’re okay.”
She laughed quietly.
When she suddenly stepped in front of him, he jerked his head up to see why. Rayne and Kelsey were heading their way. He knew he was standing there grinning, simply because she’d moved to block him from other females, but he didn’t care. Squeezing her hand that was still in his behind her back, he leaned down. “They’re coming to see you, not me.”
“Me? Why?”
“They’re my two best friend’s mates.” He was trying not to push his face into her hair, now close to his face. “Both had similar situations as you… in not knowing they were shifters.” He clarified.
She turned, “Really?” Heaving out a breath she leaned closer to rest her head on his chest. “You don’t know how much better that makes me feel. I thought I must be the stupidest person ever for not noticing.”
He rested his chin on the top of her head, as he cradled her into his chest. “I think your situation and clan took things to the extreme, but no, you’re not stupid.”
“Calum, can we borrow your mate for a few moments?” Rayne asked sweetly.
He hadn’t realized they were going to take her. He frowned.
Kelsey grinned at him. “We’re just going to go get you some coffee and introduce ourselves.”
“Promise we’ll bring her right back.” Rayne added.
Gage and Devin started walking in their direction, he gave Shaelan’s hand a quick squeeze and released it. She took Rayne’s outstretched one and went with them, after a quick look over her shoulder at him. Giving himself a mental shake, he looked back to find serious expressions on the men’s faces. “What?” he asked when they were close enough he could say it quietly.
Devin waved his phone around. “Pulled this out to check for a signal and see if I can reach dad and one of the women said she’s seen Jerome with a phone before, but had no idea what it was until now.”
“A cell phone? But they don’t…” he scowled. “Son of a bitch. They do have people feeding them info about shifters coming up the mountain.”
Gage nodded. “Meaning they probably know we’re here. We had one of the villagers bring us up.”
“Fuck.” Calum turned around so his back was to the women and stood with his hands on his hips. “and they know my car, that you went to.”
“Yeah, so they’re going to know we were coming for you.” Gage said quietly.
Calum glanced at the phone still in Devin’s hand. “Is there signal?”
He shrugged, “Not the best, but I could get through to Dad if you think we need to go that route.”
He nodded, “I think that the more outside of here that know, the better.” Looking over his shoulder, he found Shaelan. “There’s a book with a list of women, captives and babies born. Make sure someone takes pictures in case it gets lost…” Shaelan was smiling at something Kelsey said. “This is going to get very messy.” He turned back and motioned with his head. “Lady in the blue sweater is Shaelan’s mother and the alpha’s… wife.” The word mate meant too much to his culture, he didn’t feel the man had earned the title.
Gage blew out a breath, “from what Marilyn told us last night, she’s with us.”
Devin nodded, “but she’ll be the most vulnerable, aside from Shaelan that is.”
“I want my men out of chains, we can’t do anything until we know they’re clear.” Calum looked again to check on Shaelan. “And we need to know numbers, weapons, and just what we’re up against down there.”
“Agreed.” Gage said in a hushed tone.
“Let me go wander around to grab a better signal and call dad. I don’t even know where to start to explain all of this to him.” He mumbled.
Calum nodded, as he watched Nona coming toward them. “Take Jesse with you. None of us go anywhere alone.”
Gage nodded and motioned to get Jesse’s attention. “I’m going to go chat with Marilyn, she may think she’s unequipped to help here, but she’s mistaken. The things that woman knows and does…”
Chuckling, Calum glanced over to where she was chatting with some of the other women. “I would have been scared to death to deal with her in her youth.”
“Same.” Gage said with a grin as he moved over to talk to her.
He checked on Shaelan once more before he found Nona standing in front of him.
“You two need to resolve that, soon.” She said with a knowing expression on her face.
He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Which part is that? Me losing my sanity, or are you talking about some other part?”
“Heh,” she nodded, “no that’s the part I meant.”
Jamming his hands in his pockets, he looked down as her eyes moved over his face, appraising him. From the look, it wasn’t good and he wasn’t fooling anyone but himself, pretending otherwise. “I’m trying to give her time.”
Nona folded her hands in front of her and glanced at Shaelan for a second, then looked back to him. “You think time is going to clarify and settle the emotions ripping through the two of you?”
He glanced over at Shaelan and let out a quiet breath. “No ma’am.”
“She’s the strongest person I’ve ever known.” She smiled, “Marched up my hill when she was just a child, against her fathers’ orders, then asked that I train her to be the clan’s next Nona,” she winked at him, “it’s a title, not a name. She’s fought against that man every day since. I think when she struggled for the right to go get a more advanced education, it was the start of her preparing, without even knowing it, that she’d need the strength to change her life. All of our lives.”
“I didn’t know…”
She gave him an annoyed look, “You think she ran up that hill when she saw you because she felt like going for a jog?”
Calum tried to think of something intelligent to say, but couldn’t, so he shook his head ‘no’.
Nona nodded abruptly. “She had her revelation yesterday, tore her room apart and screamed like a vengeful creature…she sat on the deck staring into the night for hours after that, even fell asleep there. Her animal took her out there to watch for yours, I believe.” She looked him up and down. “She doesn’t need time, she needs a man strong enough to let her be who she has to be.” Sighing, she searched his eyes, the expression in hers softening. “Only one thing will clarify it, make all the pieces fit together.” She pulled the collar of her jacket down to expose an aged bite mark next to her collarbone. “And after that, you’ll both be stronger and ready to face this head on.”
He looked at her neck again, even though she’d already covered it back up.
“He died a long time ago, before we grew a single wrinkle together.” She said quietly.
“I’m sorry.” He couldn’t imagine finding Shaelan then losing her. He couldn’t even stay strong for a day without her right now.
“So am I, every damn day still, but having had him in my life, even for that short a time, has given me the strength every day since.”
He stood there, still trying to process it, then looked around at everyone. “We can’t…”
She nodded, like he’d already finished speaking. “Talk to Mari, she’ll have a place you can have some quiet time together. Take the night, while we get a plan in place and get you and her settled so you can help finish this then free her people.”
Calum looked down at her, then nodded briefly. “I think the strongest person I’ve ever known is standing right in front of me.” He meant it too.
“Heh,” she grinned, “sweet talker.” She waved a hand in Mari’s direction. “Go talk to the crazy one and go to your girl before you distract everyone from the task at hand, stalking her with your eyes every two seconds.” She walked away chuckling.