Rheia choked back a sob. "Does that mean ... Is she?" She couldn't form the words.
Ryuu wrapped an arm around both Meryn and Rheia's shoulders. "He caught her scent, all we can do now is wait."
Rheia buried her face in her hands and prayed.
*****
Colton ran as fast as he could tracking Penny's scent. When they came to a clearing he heard the sound of a gravelly male voice.
"Come back here you little bitch! You escaped me once, you won't do it again. You better listen to me, I'm your fucking father!" the angry voice snarled. The feral was wearing a necklace; they could neither scent nor see him.
Off to his right he heard Aiden's voice as he approached. "Why do you need a child?" Aiden asked.
Laughter filled the air. "Look at you, fumbling around blind. You can't even see me, I'm invincible! Wearing this necklace hides me from the great nit warriors. If you could only see how much the rules of your society hold you back, you would embrace freedom like I have."
Gavriel stepped into the clearing, his face a hardened mask as he scanned the surrounding area. "You want us to become like you? A monster who preys on children, Why are you after your own child?" Gavriel asked, in an effort to keep him talking.
"Because she is my blood. If I kill her and add her to my collection she will tie me to what I took from her mother and her sniveling mate. It would make me even stronger. Not many have been able to collect chameleon, they're so hard to find. How lucky it is for me that my bitch ex-girlfriend and brat are both chameleon, and I knew exactly where to find them. The fact that she was mated and pregnant was a gift from the Gods!" He shouted.
Colton heard the slightest sound to the right, the sound of feet running.
Penny!
Seconds later they heard a man shout right before he became visible.
"You little bitch! Get back here!" The man turned to the left and right as the unit warriors closed in on his location.
Colton didn't hesitate, he launched himself at the man who had stalked his daughter. He clamped onto the man's arm and shook. Pain exploded over his right haunch and he let go. He immediately jumped again; this time he was able to wrap his mouth around the murder's neck. He bit down until he heard a crunching sound. He shook his head back and forth hard for good measure before he let it drop to the ground. He stepped back and let Aiden examine the body.
"Good work, Colton, next time, just let us shoot the bastard." Aiden grinned.
Colton growled. Aiden nodded. "I understand, if it had been my daughter, I probably would have mauled his ass, too. Now, we have to find Penny."
Colton opened his mouth, raised his head and howled. Seconds later a tiny, squeakier howl lifted to the treetops. Colton looked around and watched as Penny stepped forward and literally melted into sight from the trunk of a tree. She was half wolf and half chameleon.
"No wonder she kicked our ass during drills," Sascha muttered.
Penny ran forward and threw her arms around his neck. Colton whimpered and licked her face. Sascha scooped her up and took the necklace from her hand. "Guess those bell drills paid off, huh, little lady?"
She nodded.
Aiden stepped close to Penny and ran a hand over her hair. "Sweetie, why did you go with him? You did, didn't you? You took down the perimeter and went with him, why?"
Penny looked down at the ground, then looked over to Colton. She pointed to him, then back towards the house.
Aiden cursed under his breath. "He told you if you left with him, he wouldn't hurt your new mommy and daddy, didn't he?"
Penny's eyes teared up and she nodded.
"Oh baby, it's our job to protect you, not the other way around. You let Papa and Uncle Aiden deal with horrible men like that." Aiden rubbed her back.
Penny shook her head violently and pointed a thumb to her chest.
Gavriel stepped closer. "Did he tell you that it was your fault that your other mommy and daddy were killed?"
Penny covered her face with her hands and nodded.
Colton snapped and growled. He wanted to shift back, but didn't feel like flashing his daughter either.
Aiden pointed to him. "Your Papa is right. What happened to your mommy and daddy was not your fault. Do you hear your Athair? It was never your fault; it was because that creature was a sick fuck and was crazier than hell."
Keelan coughed into his hand. "Language."
Aiden flushed and turned to Penny. "Don't tell your mom I said that, okay?"
Penny smiled shyly then nodded.
Colton was about to step forward to nudge his daughter when his vision began to blur. He staggered to the left, then collapsed on the ground.
"Colton? Buddy?" Aiden knelt down beside him. "Shit, looks like that fucker bit you." He turned to Sascha. "Take Penny back to the house, tell them to prep a vehicle to take Colton to the clinic. Tell Rheia Colton needs her." Sascha nodded and took off towards the house, Penny held securely in his arms.
Colton closed his eyes and rested his head on the ground.
"Oh no you don't, you bastard. You are not leaving me alone to deal with Meryn for the rest of my life, not to mention your distraught mate and daughter. Fuck that! You better fight, brother," Aiden ordered, then gently lifted him up.
Asshole
Colton closed his eyes and darkness closed in.
*****
In the darkness he struggled to open his eyes. He looked up and saw his mate staring down at him. All he could see were her eyes, anxious and worried, a surgical mask covered the rest of her face. He blinked, he was so tired. He was just going to rest his eyes for just a moment.