Gabriel Elder book II of the Warlock Series

Zeus woke to find himself in his bed with only his pants on. Fortunately, he had purchased suit pants and jackets made from a combination of amazing silks and a blend of experimental fibers. They were so stretchy, they could expand to more than four times their original size and then shrink back down again without restricting the wearer in any way.

The master warlock laid still, remembering the events of the previous evening. Suddenly, he was aware he wasn’t alone in the bed. There was someone else with him! Slowly he turned his head to see who was curled up and sleeping so silently beside him.

He had just recalled the American twins had shown up at the mansion the previous evening. Now, he saw his bed-mate was indeed, the female Jaida. But why was she in bed with him? She must have laid next to him while he was still in his shifter form. This one was either completely crazy or completely fearless. But, why was she in the bed with him?

Obviously, she was just making sure Zeus had remained in his room while he was in his shifted form. That had to be it, why else would she have been here? Still, there was no denying the bravery in this one. He couldn’t think of another person who would have dared to do exactly what Jaida had done. Oz might have stayed in the room and kept watch over him, but even he wouldn’t have laid next to the master warlock in his shifter form.

Zeus was impressed at the American’s bravery and disappointed in her possible stupidity. As he was trying to understand what she had been thinking, life became much more complicated. At that moment, the female warlock opened her eyes and looked directly into his. As he stared at her, she moved quickly toward him.

Before the master warlock could move... she kissed him. Not a peck on the cheek, but a deep soulful kiss, full on the lips. Before he could stop himself, Zeus had his hand on the back of Jaida’s neck. Instead of pulling her off him, he turned her head slightly so he could kiss her even more forcefully. The kiss lasted a full minute, but it seemed like a lifetime.

How long had it been since either of them had kissed another person? Neither of them could remember. As one, they broke off the kiss. Breathing heavily, they both sat up and swung their legs off the bed, facing away from each other. They were both trying to gather their thoughts and at least understand, if not control, the feelings coursing through their bodies.

“Why did you do that?” Zeus asked quietly, still shaking from the experience.

“Two reasons,” Jaida began, “First, as I lay beside you last night in your shifted form, I promised myself the next time I saw you as Zeus, I would make sure you understood how I felt about you.”

“And the second reason?” Zeus asked.

“Because, I promised Isabella if anything ever happened to her, I would look after you,” Jaida answered truthfully.

Zeus was surprised by the mention of his late wife’s name. He knew the two women had taken several long walks in the evenings when the twins were here training, but there had never been any mention of the conversations they had. The two had become fast friends, but that was many years ago. He had no idea they had ever discussed him or the possibility of something happening to Isabella.

“I’ve broken my promise for far too long,” Jaida started, “I had a hard time dealing with the killer you became after her death. I had an even harder time dealing with the fact you had become infected. I convinced myself you could never be anything but a shifter. Now I realize I was wrong, I was so very wrong.”

“Why? Because you saw I am in control now?” Zeus asked quietly, his voice still calm.

“No, the moment I saw you last night, I realized I didn’t care. I didn’t care you were a shifter, I didn’t care you were going to kill my brother; the only other person I love in the whole world…I didn’t care. None of that mattered. When I looked into your eyes, even as a shifter, I knew I loved you more than life itself,” Jaida answered.

Zeus stood slowly and then walked quietly out the door. Jaida was afraid she had upset the man she so dearly loved. As she sat there on the edge of the bed, on the verge of tears, Oz entered the room.

“I believe you may have saved his life,” he told the American warlock.

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“I just saw Zeus headed down the hall to another suite where he prefers to shower. He is getting ready for the day,” Oz explained.

“And what does that have to do with my saving his life?” Jaida asked, still confused by the little man’s statement.

“Because my dear lady, he was smiling, and oh what a smile! The last time I saw a smile like that on Zeus’s face was the night he met Isabella. I do believe between you and Gabriel, he might have just found his will to live once more,” Oz answered happily.

“Well, I hope he has the will to live. I’m going to make sure he is around for a very long time,” Jaida proclaimed.

“As I told Zeus, breakfast is ready and will be served in five minutes,” Oz said as he turned and walked out of the room.

He had already notified Anthony who was reading some emails and then would meet everyone in the dining room. The male half of the American master warlock twins had spent the night on the computer and phone in Zeus’s office. Afterwards, checking on the information he was able to obtain, he checked on Zeus and Jaida.

At first, he was concerned for his sister because he couldn’t find her in any of the spare bedrooms. Finally, he looked in and saw the sleeping form of the shifted Zeus and assumed he was alone until he noticed the small arm draped over the massive werewolf’s chest. His sister’s lack of fear would forever mystify him. She was so small, and yet so full of courage. He feared it would someday get her killed.

He was so glad he hadn’t killed the master warlock. He was even happier the shifted Zeus hadn’t killed him. In the light of the early morning, Anthony had full recollection of the events of the previous evening. He was fully aware the shifted Zeus had been in total control and he could have easily destroyed Anthony if he chose to do so.

As the night wore on, Anthony was also aware Zeus could be the ultimate weapon, or controlling influence, over the shifter population. Anthony had never seen a shifter who could hope to stand up to the Zeus he experienced last night. He was also aware shifters were basically animals, wolves in human form. They would follow an alpha leader, just like their four-legged cousins, and there was no one more alpha, than Zeus!

Unfortunately, Anthony didn’t realize there was already another alpha, the white Alpha, and she was even more formidable than Zeus. Much More! When Zeus was developing his concoction of steroids, growth hormones and gene suppressors, he had to be meticulous and scientific. His life, and the life of his daughter were at stake. Throughout the trials, his only safety net was Oz.

Grace didn’t have that problem. Once she stole the formula, it was enhanced and injected directly into the embryo of the current Grace. Once she was fully aware of the properties of the formula, she could increase the doses and the effectiveness ten-fold. If she went too far and perished, her next incarnation would have made the proper adjustments and she would have essentially ended up back at the beginning.

It was this manipulation of Zeus’s formula that made Grace so powerful. Especially since many of the enhancements were made by giving the formula directly to the embryonic clone, allowing the formula to work on the cellular level of the developing fetus. This more than tripled the effectiveness of the formula. No matter how much of the formula Zeus had administered to himself, he would always pale in comparison to the white Alpha. It was simply science.

Anthony had awakened to the chime of the computer. He glanced at the clock on the wall and realized he’d been asleep for several hours. Oz came in to inform him breakfast would be served shortly. As he watched the ancient man glide across the floor and out of the room, he read the incoming brief.

It was bad. The news from the American warlock council would require he and his sister to return immediately. He knew Jaida wasn’t going to like it. She had finally mustered the courage to tell Zeus how she felt and now they were needed back on American soil as soon as possible.

A part of Anthony was suspicious of the message he had received. If someone could infiltrate the council and order them here to bring down Zeus and then erase all evidence of the order, then they could order them back home for a made-up emergency. He had to keep that in mind when he discussed this with Jaida.

Anthony washed up in the small bathroom off the main hall and headed for the dining room where he heard the others talking. As he entered, he was taken aback by the scene before him. Zeus was sitting at the head of the table, looking impeccable in a silver suit with black silk shirt. Jaida was sitting as close to the master warlock as she could and even had her arm wrapped around his as they ate. Both were smiling, as was the tiny man sitting at the other end of the table.

As Anthony stood staring at the jovial group, Oz motioned for him to come in and join them. As he entered, Zeus became quiet and Jaida was suddenly on edge. She wasn’t sure how her brother was going to handle her newfound relationship with Zeus. As the two of them watched Anthony and waited for the questions and accusations, he simply sat in the chair next to Oz and began to eat.

They watched quietly as he ate four eggs, four strips of bacon and drank two cups of coffee. He seemed to be fully engrossed in his food and showed no interests in any of the rest of them. Finally, he dabbed the corners of his mouth with the fine linen napkin provided and turned toward Oz.

“Thank you, Oz. That was the best meal I’ve had in quite some time,” said Anthony.

“You’re quite welcome young man, now why don’t you tell everyone what you found out last night,” Oz responded.

“Yes, I guess we might as well get to it,” Anthony began, “I spent last night trying to track down where the order came from to bring Zeus in.”

Zeus and Jaida were staring intently at Anthony as he paused.

“As Oz had guessed, there is no record of the order. Well, there was originally, but then it was rescinded and all proof erased. There’s no proof it ever existed at all. Our council has been infiltrated by someone intent on seeing Zeus destroyed at a minimum, but most likely intent on the destruction of the entire warlock corps,” Anthony explained.

“The Canadian council was also infiltrated,” Zeus added. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the same was true for every major council in the world. Whoever is doing this is very powerful, with a great deal of money and influence. They even tried to set me up as a traitor in the Canadian council.”

“Are you sure there was only one traitor on the council?” asked Oz.

“No, I’m not. That’s why I decided to withdrawal from the council. I am no longer officially a warlock,” Zeus answered.

Jaida gasped, “But that means you can be sanctioned just like any other shifter! They can force you to be locked up or added to the Angel List.”

“I’d like to see them try! I have stayed hidden for far too long. I acted like I was guilty when I was innocent. The only thing I’m guilty of is obeying the council! It was obedience that destroyed my family,” Zeus said angrily.

“Yes, that is true,” stated Oz, “but don’t forget, out of all this came Gabriel.”

“Who’s Gabriel?” asked Jaida.

“The apprentice warlock Zeus has been training for quite a few years now,” Anthony answered. “I even heard he had adopted him.”

“I did adopt him, but I didn’t have too. He was already the rightful heir to all I have. He’s my grandson,” Zeus declared.

Both Jaida and Anthony looked at each other. This was a new development. Very little information ever made it out of Zeus’s compound in the north, but Anthony had heard rumors of a new warlock being trained by the master. At first, he didn’t believe it. Zeus rarely ever trained anyone and most certainly not after losing his daughter to the shifters. Once he learned Zeus had adopted the young man, he started to believe the rumors just might be real.

Zeus looked at Jaida and she smiled at him.

“So, you do have a family after all. I’m so happy for you,” she said.

“You’re forgetting Oz, so long as he is with me, I’ll always have a family,” Zeus added.

That made the ancient one smile from ear-to-ear. He knew he was part of the family, but to hear Zeus say it to these two, made it even more special.

“I plan on being a part of your family from now on too,” Jaida added, “for as long as you’ll have me.”

Anthony was shocked! What was she saying? The two of them had been together since birth. Sure, he’d dated a lot of women and they had talked about a time when one or both would meet someone special and settle down, but deep in his heart he knew it would never happen as long as he was a warlock. What was Jaida saying? Was she planning on staying with Zeus?

Zeus was also shocked, not by the words, but by the matter-of-fact way Jaida said them. He knew what this would mean to Anthony. He’d be lost without his sister, not unlike how Zeus would be lost without Oz. Still, she had added the caveat that is was up to Zeus if she stayed. Could he take that chance again? Could he endure another loss? If he went through with his plan to take on the white Alpha, would any of this even matter?

As the three of them sat there quietly, each thinking of the implications of Jaida’s announcement, Oz broke the silence.

“What else did you learn from your evening’s research Anthony?” the little man asked.

Anthony was suddenly reminded of the morning’s email. Jaida wasn’t going to like it.

“It seems as though there is an emergency of sorts and we are to return to Chicago immediately,” he explained.

“What sort of emergency?” Zeus asked.

“It seems as though there are quite a few missing shifters in America at the moment,” Anthony began.

“Missing?” Zeus interrupted.

“Missing, but it’s not just America. The same is being reported in Central and South America as well. It seems as though hundreds of shifters have suddenly vanished,” Anthony answered.

“I’d be willing to bet the same is going on in Canada as well, perhaps even Europe, Africa and Asia,” said Zeus, “and, I have a pretty good idea where they are going.”

“Where?” asked Anthony.

“They are coming here Anthony. At least the ones from North and South America are. They are being summoned by the white Alpha to put me down once and for all. My guess is she’ll follow that up by trying to take down all the remaining Canadian warlocks first. Then, she’ll move into each region, one by one, until all the warlocks have been destroyed by her shifter army,” Zeus answered.

The more he thought about it, the more he was sure he was right.

“Zeus, please don’t take offense to this, but if this white Alpha is so powerful, why would she need an army of hundreds, perhaps even a thousand shifters, just to bring you down? I mean, I saw what you are capable of last night, but even you wouldn’t last very long if you were confronted with that many shifters,” said Anthony.

“I take no offense to what you are saying, I only know what I feel,” Zeus answered.

“He’s right,” Oz interjected. “They are coming to eliminate Zeus, but not just him. They are now aware of an even greater threat…the combined might of Gabriel, Apollo, and Breena!”

“The young warlock? How could he be more of a threat than the shifted Zeus? And who are Breena and Apollo?” asked Jaida.

“Apollo is Gabriel’s brother and warlock partner.” explained Oz, “He’s a massive grey timber-wolf who’s been trained and accepted as a warlock in his own right. As for Gabriel, he is the only warlock I know who could defeat Zeus in his shifted form. Breena is his new girl-friend and she is quite possibly just as deadly as the young warlock.”

Both Jaida and Anthony kept looking back and forth between the two men. Surely, they had to be kidding? A wolf who was a warlock? A young warlock who could defeat the shifted Zeus, and a young woman who was just as deadly? None of this was possible!

“Tell me this is some kind of a joke,” demanded Anthony.

“No, everything Oz is saying is true. I have seen their abilities with my own eyes,” Zeus assured him.

“Do you remember your attempt to move me from the doorway last night?” Oz asked Jaida.

“I remember it felt like I was pushing on the side of a mountain. Exactly how did you do that?” Jaida asked.

Zeus interrupted, “I saw Gabriel knock Oz ten feet across the room and halfway through one of our titanium window-screens. He actually knocked our old friend here out cold.”

Jaida was struggling to grasp how anyone could be that powerful. Anthony only stared at her because he had yet to test himself against the one called Oz.

“He didn’t mean too, I caught him off guard,” Oz said. “He is not a violent individual by nature, but you don’t want to anger him. As for the wolf, Gabriel saved Apollo from a trio of shifters who killed his mother and sisters. Since then, the two have grown up together. The wolf now considers the young warlock to be his brother. Apollo has been trained and given Zeus’s special growth formula. He will kill to protect Gabriel or Breena from any harm. As you can imagine, he has little tolerance for shifters.”

“So, let me get this straight, you were knocked ten feet across a room and halfway through one these titanium window screens and you’re still alive? Forgive me old one, but that would have killed most men and well…I mean…you’re not exactly young anymore,” Anthony exclaimed. “How is any of that possible?”

“I am Oz,” answered the ancient one.

Neither of the twins seemed to be able to accept that any of the three could be that powerful. There was much to consider for each of them. As if on cue, all of them got up and moved out of the dining room. Zeus went to his office and the twins headed to one of the second- floor bedrooms to discuss everything they had heard.

Oz made quick work of the dishes and then disappeared to his own room. He had much to think on and a few calls to make of his own. His actions in the next few days might mean the difference between life and death for all humans on Earth. It might also mean the end of his time on this plane of existence as well.