Page 15 of Mountain Air
Chapter Ten
Garrett looked around the gathering. His uncle was standing at the front, watching the conclave enter. The Quad was on either side of him. It was definitely a show of force, but Garrett wasn’t sure who they were showing it to. It wasn’t like someone in the conclave was going to attack his uncle.
The members of the conclave were all gathering, including the cubs. His uncle didn’t want to leave their young unprotected, fearing that they would be taken to gain leverage against the adults. Leaning down, Garrett placed a kiss on Erin’s head. The girls were either glued to him or his parents. It had been a week since the girls were kidnapped and Kim was still missing. Someone sliding onto the couch next to him had him looking to his left and smiling as Rob sat down and within ten seconds, Kelsey had climbed into his lap.
A slight smile crossed Rob’s lips before he brushed a kiss across Garrett’s mouth. “Your mother said to tell you that the girls have been asking to go to Unchi’s.”
Chuckling Garrett smirked at Kelsey. “Did you tell Gamma about the cookies?” His niece smiled really big, shaking her head. Before he could tease her more, the sound of a throat clearing had the room quieting.
“Mea conclave, thank you for coming on such short notice. I wish we were gathering for our normal check in and fellowship,” his uncle paused before continuing. “Recent events have brought trouble to our doorstep. The council informed me a few weeks ago of a faction that has been targeting shifters, trying to control our animals with a new drug. The substance brings our base nature to the forefront, but our human side fights the control. Research is being done to understand where the drug is coming from and how it is made. I held off informing the conclave as I believed that the drug hadn’t made an appearance in our area. I’m sad to say that I was incorrect.”
Garrett watched as what his uncle said sank into those gathered. After a few minutes, one of the men from the back asked, “How is the drug taken? Is it a pill? Injected? How do we know if we’ve taken it?”
Thiago stepped forward after Uncle Mario motioned him. “From what we’ve learned it is a pill. The tablet is about half an inch long, blue, with the letters ‘JK’ on it. If swallowed whole, it takes a few hours before the effects hit your system. If the pill is ground up and put in a liquid, it’s only about ten minutes before you’re forced into a shift. Your instincts to protect and kill are intensified.”
“So you’re telling us that someone could spike a drink they give us and control us?” a woman asked from Garrett’s left.
Thiago looked at Uncle Mario, obviously asking for permission before answering. “It is possible that someone could drug you without your knowledge. However, from what we’ve been told and have witnessed, your human and lion will fight the drug.”
“Witnessed?” another interrupted.
Sighing, Garrett knew he was going to have to say something. “I witnessed one of us under the influence of this drug. They were extremely protective and when faced with a choice, ran.”Way to go, Garrett. Could you be a bit more vague?
He could feel his lion close and took a deep breath to calm himself. Garrett felt Erin rub her head against his chest as Rob reached over and grasped his hand. Yup, his lion was close if they were comforting him.
“One of our own has been exposed to the drug and has disappeared. We are not sure how Kim was given the substance. Approximately a week ago, she was seen in lion form protecting her cubs from an outsider that posed no threat to her or the cubs. She was persuaded to leave the vicinity and hasn’t been seen since. Her cubs are being cared for by family. If anyone has any information regarding Kim or any strangers in the area, please speak to one of the Quad. I ask that you are all more vigilant in your daily routines and keep our young closer to home.” A few of the teens started making noise as Uncle Mario made that request. He chuckled as he continued, “Yes, you are on the verge of adulthood, but you are still our young.” A few of the parents murmured in agreement.
“A happier note before we adjourn, I am pleased to present Doctor Robert Brown to the conclave. Doctor Brown came to the area to complete his study on invasive plants in the state park and has since found his fated mate in mynepot, Garrett, and his lion. It is rare that a shifter is unaware of their animal until later in their life, but this is the case with Rob. From what the council has been able to figure out, his parents were killed in the shifter attacks in Mexico decades ago. His brother and he were placed in a human orphanage when no family stepped up to claim them. Please join me in welcoming him to our conclave and my family,” Uncle Mario said, causing the conclave to break out in applause.
“You’re stuck with me now, Doc,” Garrett whispered in Rob’s ear.
“I still have to check out your capacitor,” Rob replied.
§ § §
Rob stepped out of the shower, pulling the towel around his waist. He still couldn’t believe he was a shifter. He’d only let his lion out one time since they rescued the girls and he’d almost ripped out that man’s throat. It had been a bit painful, but Garrett had told him that he needed to present himself to the Alpha now that his lion was out. Standing in front of Garrett’s uncle with them all naked was a tad awkward but when his uncle had commanded him with a “Muto” Rob’s lion knew what to do.
Once he had shifted, his lion had immediately offered his throat to the older lion. A quick swipe of his jowls across Rob’s neck and that was it. There wasn’t apparently a big ceremony, just Rob’s lion showing respect and submission to the Alpha and Rob was a part of the conclave. Not like he was leaving any time soon. He still had to finish his research. They hadn’t gone into the park to look for the knotweed yet. The Alpha had asked them all to stay close to their houses, so Rob had set up an office in Garrett’s den and was crunching the data he’d gathered already. Just a change in his timeline for the project. A quick email to the grant oversight committee and all was fine.
“Going to stay in there all night? Sleep in the tub?” Garrett called out from the hallway. Rob pulled open the door and stared at him. They hadn’t settled the whole “fated mates” situation. While he was now a shifter, he’d still been brought up human. Instant attraction and a blow job? Sure, that’s fine but something permanent? Yeah, he needed more before that line was crossed.
“Porcelain isn’t the most comfortable of a bed. I’ll pull on some shorts and grab a pillow for the couch. The girls all settled?” Rob asked as he moved passed Garrett peeking into the spare room. Rob had been staying in the room, but the girls wouldn’t let them go tonight so they’d brought them to Garrett’s tonight. The girls were cuddled in the middle of the bed, just their little blonde heads visible above the covers.
Garrett stepped up behind Rob and wrapped his arms around his waist. Placing a kiss against Rob’s shoulder, he said quietly, “You know I’m not letting you sleep on the couch. My bed is big enough for both of us whether anything happens between us or not.”
Rob closed his eyes and leaned back, dropping his head against Garrett’s shoulder. “I didn’t want to assume.”
“Assume all you like. I’ve been fighting my lion for the past eight days. He’s an insistent bastard and doesn’t understand why you’re not sporting our mark on your neck. He wasn’t too pleased that you were around all those unmated lions tonight. I think the only thing that kept him in check was that you were drowned in our scent and didn’t move far from our side.” Garrett pulled him down the hallway toward his room.
Rob stopped him just inside the room, pushing the door closed and leaning Garrett against it. He put his forehead to Garrett’s, closed his eyes and breathed him in. “Thank you for the past week. I know it hasn’t been the easiest with everything that’s been going on around us for you to give me time to adjust. It is so weird feeling my lion pacing inside. I needed to know you as you. To know that we were compatible. That we could stand each other outside of reacting to our animals and their demand we mate. Probably doesn’t make too much sense to you but I needed that reassurance.”
He waited to hear what Garrett would say to that. Rob didn’t think he’d make fun of him or brush off his feelings. The wait wasn’t a long one. Garrett rubbed his lips against Rob’s before running his cheeks over Rob’s.
“It’s okay. I understand. Yeah, I grew up around this but getting to know you and you me? That’s important. Fate, Karma, the gods, whoever decided we were perfect for each other could’ve gotten it wrong. We’ve got a foundation to build on from the past week,” Garrett said as he pushed Rob off him and reached for his shirt.
Okay, Garrett in uniform pants and nothing else? Yup, Rob approved wholeheartedly. Rob reached for the towel at his waist and laid on the bed.
“My puma has decided your neck is too smooth and enough is enough. Come here,” Rob demanded, holding out his hand.
