Chapter 839 Chapter 839
He turned and found his way back outside like his ass was on fire. He’d seen some pretty bad things in the last year, and they were horrible, unreal things, but this here—he didn’t know whether to cry, scream, or kill something.
“Adam says you guys robbed a store.”
He turned to see the boy, Wyatt, walking toward him. He pointed to the door. “Go grab something to eat.”
He stopped beside him and looked at the door. “The little ones get some?”
“There’s enough for everyone.”
Wyatt nodded. “That’s what I like to hear.” He walked in, humming softly.
Uri blew out a breath and then sucked in some more fresh air. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and turned it on. He didn’t care if he had to climb the tallest tree he could find to get a signal. He’d do it.
The door opened and he glanced to see Oryn was coming outside. She gave him a careful look. “They’ll sleep tonight.”
He nodded. “Or be hyped up on the sugar from the juice.”
She did smile at that. “I’d be okay seeing that.”
His phone buzzed. He looked at it. Three bars shocked him, but he’d take it. “How long have you had them?”
She put her hands in her pockets and constantly scanned the area. “About a year now.” She stepped down off the small deck and stood there with her back to him. “I was out hunting. Sometimes, I’d be gone a day or so because it was winter, and game is scarce.” She kicked at the snow with her foot. “When I got back, my clan had been slaughtered. My parents, two sisters, and my brother.” She glanced to the left. “I never found his body, but I came back after they left and waited days, and he didn’t come back.” She sucked in a breath. “They were still there when I got back, and they tried to shoot me too, but I flew up into the trees and waited them out.” She looked in the other direction. “All their families are dead too. Ben is Charlotte’s sister. Emma and Adam are family. Tony and Mila are too.” She blew out a breath. “Ben and Wyatt grabbed up the others and hid in an old underground cellar that Kenric didn’t think to look in.”
Uri clenched his teeth together. Kenric had slaughtered a clan of his kind. “Was your clan near here?”
She shook her head. “Not really. I was determined to track him down, and I couldn't leave the kids behind.” She shrugged. “We found this place, and I thought it was a safe place for them until I figured something else out.” She turned and looked at him. “I’m really worried about Charlotte. I think there is something serious wrong with her.”
He nodded. “I wondered the same.” He glanced at the door. “How long has Mila been sick?”
“About a week.” She sighed. “Can you help them?” She lifted her hands. “I thought you were a lunatic, but if you’re not and can really help them—” she blew out a breath and looked at the building. “Charlotte needs help.”
“They all do.” He looked at his phone. “I can have team members come and transport them. They’ll have warm beds, hot water, and whatever they need…”
“I don’t want them all separated and shipped wherever.”
He could see the pain in her eyes. “No.” Tucking the phone in his pocket, he went down the steps and stood in front of her. “When I was younger, I lost my clan.” He scoffed. “Or they lost me, I don’t know which.” He glanced at the sky and knew darkness would be here soon. “I was probably Adam’s age. Nearby clans were vanishing, and my alpha panicked, packed everyone up, and decided we were moving. Some of the clan stayed behind, but as a kid, I don’t remember the details.” He shook his head. “A few days into trekking across the country in too few vehicles, I got left behind when there was a big scare about hunters or something.” He blew out a breath. “I roamed around for a while on my own, and then someone from a clan in Manitoba found me, and they took me in.”
“This clan is our kind?”
He nodded. “Yeah, they’re pretty great too.” He looked at the building again. “They would have no problems taking them in and caring for them.” He turned back to her. “They’re good people, Oryn. They’d take you too.”
She looked down at the ground. “No. I can’t go with them right now, but I need to know they’ll be okay.”
Later, when his emotions were behaving, he’d ask more. “I can call now and get some teammates on the way here.”
She blew out a breath. “I gotta talk to them and tell them, but um, yeah, let your teammates know.” She looked into the trees. “I’m going to go set some perimeter noise makers, and then I’ll bring the boys in, and I’ll tell them.” Her voice was filled with emotion, but she kept her eyes down so he couldn’t see them.
“All right. I’ll get in touch with my team.”
She nodded, glanced at him, and then turned and went toward the trees.
Uri blew out a breath. He needed to get in touch with Raymond or Devin and tell them how bad this Kenric was. From what she said, they weren’t trying to abduct anyone, just straight out kill them. Anger replaced the other emotions he’d been swallowing down. He could work with that a lot easier than wanting to cry because of some brave little faces.
He walked away from the building in case any of them were listening inside. He’d been a kid once; he knew they had ways of hearing things they shouldn’t. He needed medical advice too. He didn’t like the sound of the coughs, and if Charlotte had a more serious problem, he wanted whoever came to transport to be aware. Maybe they could fly Shaelan in somewhere closer to take a look at her?
Unlocking his phone, he brought up his call list and then decided he didn’t know who to call first. That was rare. When in doubt, you contacted tech, and they would work their magic and get everyone on your list on the line. He nodded. That sounded like the way to go this time. He brought up Fallan’s number and started typing names. In addition to Devin and Raymond, he asked for Tait, Shaelyn, and Wynter to be connected. One thing was for sure, he wanted these kids protected for the entire trip. It was a long haul back to his clan, but they’d have whatever they needed for it. Once he got that in motion, he’d have to call his Alpha. Esen was the daughter of the alpha that had taken him in. She was a fair person, and he already knew she wouldn’t turn away eight kids of their kind.
Sending the message to Fallan, he sighed. He had no idea how he was getting sick kids down the mountain, but if he had to piggyback them, he would. He glanced at his phone when it buzzed. Fallan was on it.
Tucking his hands into his pockets, he looked around again. The fact that Oryn had been traveling with eight kids for a year and managed to stay off the radar was pretty amazing. He doubted he would have been able to do it. Judging by the way they were, she’d done a good job of raising them, too.
His phone buzzed. He looked at it and shook his head. She was fast. He answered it and put it to his ear so no one would hear the other side. “Fast, work, Fallan.”
She laughed. “Expect nothing else. Tait and Wynter will take me a second more, but the rest are here.”
“What's going on, Uri?” It was Raymond.
“I walked into something unexpected, Raymond.” He didn’t know how else to explain it.
“Devin said you got shot. Are you all right?” He recognized Rayne’s voice, which didn’t surprise him at all. They were a package deal their prince and princess.
“I’ll be able to shift in the next day or so.”
“Good to hear. Are you at Kenric’s location?”
“I am, Raymond, well—” He looked around. “Pretty close.”
“I’m here. What’s going on?” It was Tait.
“I was just about to explain that to Raymond, Tait.” It was his way of letting him know this was a group call.
“Sounds good.”
“Sorry I took too long. I had to find a signal. Damn trees.” Wynter was there now.
“Uri was just going to explain what’s happening, Wynter.” Rayne said in a pleasant tone.
“I’m all ears. Give it, Uri.”
Uri nodded. “When I got shot, another flier of my kind helped me out.”
“There’s a grey owl clan out there?” That was Devin.
“No, sir, there is not.” He looked to see Oryn coming back with Ben. “Not anymore.”
She gave him a careful look and then pointed to the building, and Ben went toward it without question.
“I’ll explain more about the reason in a second.” He didn’t want to share her story when she was walking by him to go and get Adam.
“Take your time,” Rayne said.
He blew out a breath. “The woman that helped me has been keeping some kids safe and off the radar for about a year now…”
“I don’t like the sounds of that. Clans no longer there and hiding kids.” Wynter didn’t have a problem saying what she thought.
“It’s not good, Wynter.” He looked over his shoulder and didn’t see her. “Kenric slaughtered her clan. A couple of teens hid the kids.”
“Sweet Jesus,” Wynter growled.
“Oh my god.” That was Rayne.
“How are the children?” He recognized Shaelyn’s voice.
“Two have coughs that really concern me.” He closed his eyes. “Ah, I’d say the girl is five and the boy around seven.”
“How long have they had it?”
“The girl about a week, the boy just started coughing.” He stared straight ahead in case she gave him instructions he’d need to remember. “We gave them the cough meds and some of the kids stuff for pain and fevers.”
“That’s a start.”
That was encouraging. “There’s another girl. She’s around eight, maybe. Chronic stomach ache. From the sounds of it, food is a problem.”
“Does she have a fever?”
He turned to see Oryn walking toward him. Adam was going into the building. “Does Charlotte have a fever?”
She gave him a curious look and then shook her head.
“No.” He turned so his back wasn’t’ to her.
“Okay. How long has she been like this?”
“How long has she been like that, Oryn?” He wanted them to know who he was speaking to, maybe Fallan would search the name. He needed to know how many had been in her clan.
“A few months. She had a couple of days where it wasn’t too bad, but then it came back.”
“It’s been…”
“I heard her, Uri,” Shaelyn said quietly. “I’d really like to get an ultrasound and examine her.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I figured you would.” He cleared his throat. “Fallan, I left a chip in my ride. C567DR, can you track it and get the coordinates to Tait? Tait, I need you and Wynter or another armed person to come and pick up these kids. I’m going to call Esen. She’ll take them in.”
“Arrangements will be made; don’t waste your time with that,” Raymond said.
“I’ll meet them as close as I can, Uri, and if needed, I will transport Charlotte and the other two to the closest medical we have to your clan.”
“Thanks, Shaelan.”
“Are you able to stay on task, or would you like Tait to stay and you do the transport?” Raymond asked.
He looked at Oryn. “No, I’m staying, Raymond.”
“Uri?” It was Calum. “Shaelyn and I will fly to the closet clan with Tait and Wynter and head to you.”
“I’ll have emergency gear with me and an ultrasound,” Shaelyn said.
He nodded. “One sec.” He put his hand over the phone. “They’re flying to the closet clan and then coming here with medical gear and supplies to get the kids to my clan.” The shock on her face wasn’t something he thought he’d see. “They’ll be safe.”
She nodded. “When?”
He uncovered the phone. “Do you have an ETA? We’ll need to get them to my ride and it’s a rough trail down a mountain.”
“Hold on, Fallan just brought up the pin of the chip on the screen.” It was Devin.
“Toboggans,” Tait said. “We need some of those flexible toboggans; we can bring the young ones down on those.”
“I’ll buy them myself, Tait,” Wynter said. “Young ones going through all of that and one woman looking after them. Makes me proud I don’t have a penis.”
Uri looked at the ground. He was really glad he didn’t have the call on speaker now.
“While they figure out things, Uri, can you give me the kid's sizes? I’ll send some boots and warm clothes for them.” Rayne asked.
He hadn’t thought of that. “Uh, hold on, Rayne.” He covered the phone again. “Rayne wants their sizes for boots and warm clothes for the trip.”
She looked at the phone and then nodded.
He lowered the phone and hit the speaker button. “I put you on speaker so Oryn could tell you, Rayne.”
“Thank you, Uri. Hello, Oryn, I’m Rayne.”
Oryn looked at the phone for a second. “Hello.”
“Do you know the kids’ sizes? I’d like to send some new jackets and boots and things so they’re warm for the trip down the mountain.”
“We’re putting them on toboggans and bringing them down. Poor babies.” Wynter said.
Oryn gave him a look, and he just shook his head. There was no explaining about Wynter. “I have a good idea for sizes. It's hard, though; different brands and the sizing are all different. I don’t know why they don’t make them all the same. And footwear, especially rubber boots, you have to go up a size with those or they get blisters or-or can’t get their foot past the ankle. To buy kids clothes you need to know a whole other language.”
Rayne laughed. “It is ridiculous. I’m one size in one brand and three sizes bigger in another. You just tell me your best idea, and I’ll write it down as you tell me.”
Wynter snorted. “What about size zero? What is that about? I mean, how is that a size? Are the bodies so malnourished that they can’t even add up to a number? My toe big toe has more girth than a zero.”
Rayne laughed. “Perhaps we should focus on the children for now, Wynter.”
“Yeah. Sorry. Drives me crazy. Oh, dolls and trucks. The little ones need those. And a gaming system for the older ones. I prefer the Xbox, but my nephew says—sorry. I’ll just focus on loading some ammo while you talk that out.”
“Okay.” Oryn nodded. “Mila, she just turned five. We had peanut butter cups to celebrate. She’s a size six, and her feet, I figure, are around an eight; she’s very delicate. If the boots are too big, we’ll just add extra socks in the toes of them.”
“You know best.”
Oryn stood straighter. Uri should have known that if anyone could disarm her, it would be Rayne.
“I’m going to go in order, or I’ll get mixed up.”
“Sounds good.”
No one else made a sound. It was like there was only Rayne on the call with her.
“Emma is six, and she’s about a size bigger than Mila in clothes and boots. Maybe one and a half bigger. She comes from tall people. Dylan is seven, and he’s built narrow, so I would say he’s a half a size more than Emma.”
“Got it.”
Oryn nodded. “Charlotte is eight and the same size as Dylan. She’s going to be petite.” She nodded and glanced at the building before continuing. “Tony is nine, and he’s a tall one, so you have to go big. His pants have to be tied on if I want the legs to fit. His feet are long too, so I’d say—” She stopped talking and looked at the building. Ben stood in the door.
“I’ll go talk to him, you finish up with Rayne.” He held out the phone.
Oryn looked at the phone and then nodded.
Uri hurried toward Ben.
“What’s going on?”
Uri glanced back to see if she was still talking. “She’s talking to a friend of mine, telling her about you guys.” He smiled.
“Why?” Ben didn’t smile.
Uri blew out a breath. “Charlotte needs medical attention, Ben. I think you know that.”
Ben nodded and jammed his hands in his pockets. “Yeah. She hasn’t been doing good.”
“Right, my friend will get her looked at and see how we can help her.”
Ben looked at Oryn. “What about Mila and Dylan?”
“They’ll get help too.”
He sighed. “Do we have to leave here?”
Uri nodded. “Yeah, to somewhere warm, but you’ll stay together.”
Ben held his look, and Uri could see that physically, he was just a kid, but mentally, he’d had to grow up too soon. He knew what that was like. “Okay. Do I tell the others?”
Uri shook his head. “I think Oryn wants to do that.” He looked over at her. “Did you need her for something?”
He shook his head. “No. Just checking on her is all.”
“I’m sure she’d be lost without you.”
Ben shrugged. “We only have each other, right?”
“Right.”
“I’ll wait inside.” He turned and went in.