Episode 70: Hunter's Trap

Genre: Supernatural/Drama
Characters: Kaya, Caleb, Vaughn, Joey, Jolene, Mark
Word Count: 3,971
Rating: R
Type: Series
Summary: A couple who ran into the Night Shift lead singer gets a nice surprise. Vaughn tells Kaya he's known her since childhood. And after a wolf scout goes missing, Caleb and Kaya go to track him down only to realize they've just stepped into a trap.
Warnings: Language, suggestive material, violence, strong sexual content, adult content, adult situations, nudity

“Mark!” Jolene yelled as she opened the door to the delivery man. “Mark! Come quick!” Mark rushed to his wife’s side to find a few large boxes sitting on their front stoop.

“What is all this?” he asked, checking for the sender information on one of the labels and noticing it was from various children’s stores. “Did you buy stuff for the new baby?”

“I didn’t do this! I have no idea where this stuff came from.”

“Sign here please,” the delivery man handed Jolene a clipboard and waited on her to fill in the information.

“Wait, are we going to be charged for this stuff?” Mark inquired as he pushed the clipboard closer towards his wife.

“No Sir, it’s bought and paid for. I just need an authorization on the pad here please.”

“Where did it come from?”

“The labels are on the box. You should also find the gift notes inside.” Jolene handed the electronic pad back to the man and sighed. “Thank you. You two have a good day.” Stepping back inside their home, she waited for her husband to cart the boxes to the living room before both tore open the mysterious delivery.

Inside the boxes were a few packages of disposable diapers, bottles, toys for the newborn and the older children, child-sized band t-shirts as well as one for Mom and Dad. Also included were $100 gift cards to Home Depot, Target, Babies-R-Us and Chuck-E-Cheese, an $800 certificate for the Serenity Day Spa, an $800 certificate for the Pebble Bay Golf Resort, a $5,000 cashier’s check and a $1,000 family vacation package for Walt Disney World including roundtrip airfare for a private charter and 3-day hotel stay. Jolene gasped as she read the gift card in her hand and her husband came up behind her to see. “Mark, I don’t believe it! ‘For the little rockers from Night Shift’.”

The sound of wood on wood echoed over the splashing waves as Kaya stood on the dock of the boathouse behind the manor. She watched as her redheaded best friend ducked a forward attack from a newbie armed with a Kendo stick, sending him flying into the water. She laughed when Charlie was struck in the face and how he angrily tackled another wolf beneath the tide. Caleb, too, had joined their Betas on the beach. He practiced in the sand, ordering the new recruits to run the length of the shore with parachutes attached to their backs, testing their strength.

They had been at it the better part of the morning and she had worked up an appetite just from watching. The wooden dock groaned behind her and Kaya inhaled the scent that carried towards her with the breeze. “You knew…” she spoke without turning around at the approaching footsteps. “You knew who I was the moment you said hello.” Vaughn moved closer and she turned with a scowl as she met him. “So what was up with the cryptic crap?”

“I didn’t want to alarm you.” Kaya scoffed, throwing her hands up in a huff at the elder Savage’s words.

“I don’t like games, Vaughn. And I don’t have time for people who play them.”

“Then we have that in common. Look at it from my perspective. In your mind, what’s more frightening: a stranger on the street asking about his long lost family OR a stranger on the street, recounting every detail of your childhood beat-by-beat? I was trying, and failing miserably I suppose, at gaining your trust or at the very least putting you at ease. I used to be so good at it.”

“Well if that’s what you call comforting you definitely need to brush up on your skills.”

“And again, I am deeply sorry for the distress I may have caused you; especially considering how detrimental to your health the stress could have been.”

“And stop that! Stop alluding to my ‘you-know-what’. I haven’t said anything to Caleb yet and I don’t want him feeling left out when I do tell him.” 

“When are you telling him?”

“Tonight at dinner. Amanda is helping me set up a nice little candlelit deal.” Vaughn’s eyebrow raised and Kaya nodded bitterly. “Yeah, she knows too; found out the same day you came back in fact. And she’s overly excited about the prospect of pups.” Kaya turned back towards the water where he and the others were fighting. The new recruits had been in training since before their surprise visit from Aleister. But thanks to his warning, the guys had ramped up their efforts to get everyone ready for the days to come. “This is going to be really bad. I fear we’re going to lose a lot of wolves, many I’ve come to know and love.”

“Wars are never easy, Kaya. There is always a great deal of loss on both sides. And what’s worse is fighting against your own kind. But the thing you have to remember is you’re fighting for your freedoms and your lives. No matter the outcome, you get to live and die by freewill.”

They stood for a moment in silence, watching the wolves learn how to balance themselves against Connor, Charlie and Caleb’s attacks as wave after wave came crashing down on where they practiced. “Vaughn?”

“Yes, Kaya?”

“What do you mean you used to be good at it? Good at what exactly? Comforting people in general or me?”

“You.” Vaughn smiled as he stepped closer, his shoulder lightly brushing against her as he did. “Kaya, there was a time when you referred to me as Uncle V. Our families had never met. My sons were grown men doing their own things when I met Armand and Kaelani, but your father and I were once good friends. And you and I put on one of the most epic tea parties in the world.”

“I remember that,” she laughed lightly and shut her eyes. “Beary Bear’s 4^th birthday party. He jumped up on the table and started dancing and spilled blueberry juice all over your shirt! Mom…” she paused a moment with a sigh. “Mom took it to wash and underneath it your stomach was all purple. Beary thought it was hilarious. He couldn’t stop laughing.”

“I know; his little friend thought so too. And she fell out of her chair, hitting her head on the bedrail and started to cry. It only took one hug to get her to stop. Your shirt turned purple too.” Vaughn smiled thinking over the events that followed between their two families. “No one knew then what lied ahead in our futures. Your father and I fought a few wars together. We parted ways when he disagreed with my strategy on bad wolves but it was really a blessing being around you. I’d lost Clarissa by then so it was nice, feeling a part of your life.”

Caleb waved at Kaya, excused himself from the others and rushed over to the dock where she and Vaughn stood. “Hey Babe,” he kissed her sweetly on the cheek.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” she asked, waiting on him to catch his breath.

“Uh…hopefully nothing. But, uh, I sent Joey and Braedan out to the city to scout the area. I just saw Braedan walk up a few minutes ago but Joey’s still not back yet. I’m about to head up and see if I can find him.”

“Oh. Well ok,” she sighed somberly and he moved closer, pulling her into his arms.

“What’s up?”

“Nothing I just sorta had something planned for us. But it’s ok. Alpha duties and all; I understand. When do you think you’ll be back?”

“Depends on when I track him down. It could be late. Braedan went as far as the county line. I think Joey did the same in the opposite direction.”  

“Oh. Well is there anything you need me to do?” Kaya asked, reflexively caressing his cheek as she spoke. Caleb smiled at her before kissing her hand.

“That’s up to you. Do you want to come with me to town or do you want to help Rosette in the kitchen getting dinner ready for the pack?” Kaya’s nose scrunched at the thought of cooking for a horde of voracious animals and Caleb laughed. “Just what I’d thought you’d say. Alright, I’m going to go toss on some clothes and I’ll meet you out front.” He quickly pecked her lips and started for the manor. 

“It’s nice seeing him so happy,” Vaughn spoke, placing his hand over Kaya’s. “Both of my sons have done well for themselves.”

“Yeah, Caleb and I are…happy.” Kaya looked up into Vaughn’s eyes and briefly felt the magnetic draw of his smoldering gaze and looked away. “One of these days, you’re going to tell me how you do that,” she sighed, pulling her hands out of his and rubbing them together. 

“And one of these days I’ll remember to turn it off when I’m around you. Kaya, no one else knows about what I can do. It’s a secret I’m sure you can understand I’d prefer to remain that way. Whatever you can do to ensure that happens would be greatly appreciated.” His eyebrows furrowed faintly and his slight grin was haunting. Vaughn was threatening her! Kaya skimmed her hands over the goosebumps forming on her arms as she stared into his cold eyes.

Involuntarily, she felt her head nodding, acquiescing to his request. A dizzying feeling suddenly overwhelmed her and she stumbled forward. Vaughn reached out, catching her against his chest and Kaya hurriedly pulled away. “Are you sure you should go out this evening? Perhaps it would be best if you got a little rest.”

“Thank you for your concern,” Kaya answered, avoiding his gaze again. “But I’ll be just fine.” Seeing Caleb exiting the front door, she withdrew from Vaughn’s side, taking a cautious glance in his direction before quickening her pace to reach her mate. Something wasn’t right about this man and although he tried to stop her from seeing it, she was certain he wasn’t telling the truth.

“Ready to go?”

“Yes, please,” she whispered the last word, taking Caleb’s hand and he led them through the wood path heading away from the beach.

Night fell as they walked through the small town. Caleb was following Joey’s scent and it was leading them through the derelict section of Mystic Springs and towards the outskirts of Garden County. The cool, crisp night air whisked through the finely woven threads of Kaya’s large overcoat and the wind blew her hair carelessly across her face. She rubbed her arms for warmth as they neared the water.

Caleb wrapped an arm around her shoulders and Kaya leaned into him, delighting in the heat of her mate’s body. His masculine scent permeated her senses and she briefly closed her eyes. “You and Dad seem to be getting along well,” his voice rumbled beside her and she pulled away slightly to look up at him. “I think he really likes you.”

Kaya could only nod. Certain that her mate could always sense when she was lying she wanted to avoid putting herself in a situation where she would not be able to tell him the truth. “I’m glad,” he continued, smiling down at her as they walked. “I gotta admit, I was a little nervous about introducing you.”

“Really? Why’s that?”

“Because I wasn’t sure how he’d react.” Kaya looked at him in bewilderment, waiting on Caleb to elaborate. “I’ve always…my Dad is a great man. He’s done it all! And despite being damn near his clone in looks, I’ve always felt as though I didn’t measure up.”

“Has he ever told you that?” Kaya asked, feeling hopeful that perhaps she could find some common ground and tell Caleb how Vaughn made her feel as well. But his next words dashed all prospects of that.

“Oh no, never. He was always great. Dad’s a very patient man and he had high hopes for Charlie and me but it was just the way I felt I guess. Like nothing I did was ever good enough. It’s crazy to say being that I’m well over three centuries old but, I feel like a child when he’s around.”

“You mean like having the constant need to impress him? For instance, your sibling rivalry with Charlie?”

“Exactly. I know he doesn’t care about that stuff but I can’t help myself. It’s silly to think he’s comparing his sons because of our achievements; although if he is, then I’m winning. And with you being my true mate, it did give me a one up since Sophie and Charlie aren’t.”

Kaya shook her head and laughed earning Caleb’s self-conscious frown. “Your Dad isn’t concerned about that stuff. He told me he’s equally proud of you both. But I think it’s a child’s dilemma to always want to prove themselves to their parents. I think it’s cute he makes you nervous though. It makes me feel better about feeling so intimidated.” 

Caleb stopped dead in his tracks. A thick, metallic odor drifted from a building not 10 yards away from where they stood. He looked at Kaya, his expression stern and bleak. Gripping her hand tightly, he practically dragged her behind him as he rushed towards the rusted wire fence. Caleb gave Kaya a boost and she landed on the other side, waiting for him to scale the wall before they both reached the double door entrance. 

“Oh god,” Kaya gasped, the smell of blood causing her stomach to pitch as they entered the building. The scent grew stronger the further in they walked and Kaya’s breathing escalated as she worked on keeping the contents of her belly down. The factory was once a working shoe plant and the leathery aroma thickly clung in the air. Broken windows allowed small bursts of light to penetrate into the otherwise jet black area. Inside, the air was much colder and had another strange odor which was harder to place. It was quiet; a little too quiet. The shuffling of their shoes on the cement flooring seemed to echo noisily through the vacant halls. 

Kaya’s heavy breathing and the beating of her heart pounding in her ears only added to the anxious feeling of being inside the place. The only other sound was coming from the few pigeons occupying the upper rafters. Caleb kicked a fallen support beam and the noise startled them. Half a dozen grey and white birds flew out of their hiding places and out through cracks in the roof. Slowing his steps, he listened for anything unusual as they quietly made their way to the back of the lot. It seemed as though they’d been walking for ages and Kaya’s imagination was running wild, inventing monsters in the shadows. 

The air was acrid with the scent of old death. Caleb’s hand tightened around Kaya’s. Unsure of what they were about to find, he wanted to make sure she stayed safe and close beside him. Turning a corner, the two were met with a hallway full of corpses and again Kaya nearly retched at the stench of decay. They’d found the source of the unknown smell. Decomposed, dried bodies littered the floor, callously spreading across the narrow passage. Skulls of the long dead were contorted into silently screaming masks. Bones hung from the ceilings still chained at the wrists and other brittle skeletons were scattered nearby as though this was some sort of burial ground.

Near the end of the tunnel, Caleb noticed a few dots of fresh blood. He swallowed hard as he recognized the scent and hurriedly moved along, watching everything around them. They turned another corner, tracking the aroma through the abandoned structure and passing several other doors with no clue of what was behind them. Reaching the hot spot, Caleb opened the door at the end of a long corridor and held his breath. A rush of air reached them and the scent of the missing wolf followed along. Just inside the small room, a man lay lifeless beside a stack of pallets and Kaya’s eyes closed as Caleb led her inside. 

The closer they got, the more afraid she became. Finally, a tuft of blonde hair came into view and she released a panicked breath. “JOEY!” Kaya yelled and rushed to the wolf’s side. His leg was caught in a trap and he lay in a pool of blood beneath a broken window. He was unconscious, which she guessed was from the amount of blood loss, his heartbeat was erratic and his breathing was uneven. Pulling him into her lap, she gently caressed her friend’s cheek and checked for other injuries. “Joey?” Kaya shook him, trying to get his eyes to open but to no avail. “The poison must be ravaging his system. We need to get that thing off!” 

Caleb dropped to his knees and pressed his hands on either side of the steel trap. Truesilver seared into his palms as he held the trap wide enough for Kaya to reach in and remove the leg. The bone had been severed cleanly but the skin on the other side held on by thin strips, bringing back memories of her first ordeal with the deadly weapons. “He’s not going to make it, is he?” she asked worriedly, hearing his sighs of pain as she gently rested him against her chest.

“I don’t know. There’s no telling how long he’s been here, stuck in this thing with that toxin seeping through his veins.” 

Thinking quickly, she ripped open her vein and began feeding the unconscious wolf, hoping her blood would help the metal clear his system faster. “We have to get help so we can get him out of here. We have to…”

“Shh, you hear that?” Caleb asked, pulling to his feet as he focused his hearing. The sound of impending footsteps crunching over twigs just outside the back wall caught his attention and he lowered himself in attack position. “Someone’s coming. We need to get out of here.”

“What about Joey? He’s hurt, we can’t move him alone.”

“We’ll come back for him.”

“What!? No! I won’t leave him like this, Caleb!”

“Kaya, there’s no time to argue about this. He’s too badly wounded to move on his own and…” Caleb sighed and backed off. Looking down into the eyes of his mate he realized trying to reason with her was moot, she was not budging; not without Joey. “Alright, alright. Maybe we can hide him.”

“Hide him?”

“Stash him in a room or something somewhere until we can get help and get him safely out of here. Kaya, please. There’s no telling what is out those doors. We can’t risk running into a group of hunters with an injured wolf in our care. You and I can go out there, fight them back and get Joey some help.” He started towards a door on the opposite side of the room. After prying open the small storage closet, he rushed to Joey’s side and lifted him from Kaya’s arms.

“Your shirt,” she demanded as he settled the wolf inside the small room. Caleb tossed his t-shirt at her and she balled it beneath Joey’s head. Beads of sweat collected on his forehead and he shook violently as muscle spasms tore through his body. “Caleb…”

“The quicker we get out of here and back to the manor, the quicker we can get him help.” His eyes pleaded with her and she silently nodded, stepped out of the room and closed the door. Tossing loose packaging crates and boxes against it, they made the door appear blocked. And by smearing some of Joey’s blood on the wall beneath the window, it was their hopes that whomever had laid the trap for him would buy that he was somehow able to get loose and make it out of the room.

“You ready?” Caleb asked, holding Kaya’s hand and leading her forward. Opening the door leading out into the hall, he took a breath and stepped out. Kaya took a foot and quickly froze in place. A loud shot ripped through the stillness of the empty room and her hands instantly gripped her belly and her eyes moved towards her mate.

“We can’t go out there, Caleb, please. We have to get out of here!” He closed the door and hurried over to her, doing his best to calm her shaken nerves.

“That’s what we’re doing. Kaya, it’s the two of us versus what sounds like three of them and out of those odds I have to say, I don’t like their chances.”

“Please, you have to listen to me, we can’t do this. I can’t go out there Caleb, it’s too dangerous!” she begged, grabbing him and holding on for dear life.

“Baby, look at me, I will never let anything happen to you, I promise that. But we can’t stay in this room. Joey needs help and we need to figure out what’s out there!” Caleb pulled his arm away and started for the door only to find Kaya still cowering beside the window. He reached for the handle and watched her shake her head no continuously.

“Caleb, don’t go out there! Those hunters have that weapon and I’m betting they would love to test it on a Shifter! I can’t go out there, I won’t risk it and I won’t let you.”

“They can’t hurt us if we stick together, Baby.”

“CALEB!” she growled and he noticed her eyes infuriate as they fused with crimson. At once he let go of the door and leaned against it waiting on her to relax a little. “I’M PREGNANT!”

“You’re what?” Throwing a stack of crates in front of the door, Caleb secured the entrance from an attack on the other side before moving towards his mate. His eyes were wide with wonder and confusion and he pressed a hand to her stomach as if he could deduce an answer by touch. “The mood swings,” he whispered, coming to a conclusion about her irregular emotions the past few weeks. “How long have you known?”

“Four days, I didn’t want to say anything until I knew for sure. When I suspected, I made an appointment at the women’s clinic and yesterday the doctor confirmed it. I’m three weeks along.”

He laughed lightly, his eyes flitting from hers, to her stomach and back again before a full bout of laughter accompanied with a huge smile erupted from his belly. “I can’t believe it! Kaya! We’re…we’re starting a family?” he whispered the last part, pulling her into his arms and crushed her mouth with his and Kaya wrapped herself around his neck before he eagerly swung her around a few times. “This is amazing! I’m…I…I don’t know what to say! I’m gonna be a daddy! This is just…I’m stunned! I just, I don’t think the news could have come at a better time,” he joked and squeezed her tighter against his chest.

“Well I wanted to tell you tonight at dinner but…” Another gun blast exploded just outside the door, interrupting their happy moment and Caleb placed Kaya back to the floor. “We need to get out of here!” she urged again but this time Caleb was on the same page.

Stepping on top of an empty crate, he broke the glass from the window above them, carefully knocking the shards away. Kaya removed her coat and Caleb laid it on the windowsill, covering the jagged fragments that remained in the sill. He reached his hand for Kaya and pulled her up the wall towards him. “Be careful,” he cautioned as she slid her legs through the cracked frame. Slowly he lowered her down to the ground and quickly followed after her.

Continue---->