This story contains m/m and m/f relationships and sex scenes.
Hopefully you've already seen chapter 9 which should have been posted a day or two ago. If you start reading this and wonder who the new characters are, you've missed one... As I have no idea what comments might have been made on that, I'll just assure you that I am getting there with the ending and I really appreciate knowing that so many of you have stuck with this story and presumably enjoy it!
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10
Two hours after Tilly first called them, Peter and Michael were no nearer to finding out where the other van might have gone, and there had been no word from the field teams either. Peter ran his hands through his hair and sat back from the table.
"I have no idea. There are so many routes they could have taken, all the labs we know about have been destroyed, so basically they could have gone anywhere. Any one of tens of thousands of buildings we can see on the maps could be it, but there is no way of knowing."
"Maybe Sam or Tom have already found them."
"They would have called in. Realistically we have to hope that they took those guys for a reason and they make a ransom demand. They won't be stupid enough to let them wake up in a room they can see out of and give us directions to find them."
"Unless they are just the bait for a much larger trap."
"That's the best you can do?" came an angry voice from the door. "All that fucking training to be so special and the best you can hope for is the bad guys contact us or lead us into a trap. They have my mate," Adam screamed.
"They have my brother and my best friend," countered Tilly rather more calmly as she came up behind him. "I guarantee we are doing everything we can. But the guys are right, I'm sorry. The positive thing is that every other person who was taken was at random, wherever they could find them. This was targeted, so there is a very good chance they will let us know the reason. We will get them back," she finished firmly.
Adam looked distraught, and the other three all understood how he felt, Tilly probably more so because her mate had so nearly died not many months ago. She hugged him as he stood there shaking, and started to give orders to the others.
"Get the doctor here, he is going to need to sedate Sky, she's going crazy. Sam and Tom are on their way back and should be here within the hour. We will have a debrief when they get here. Once you have the doctor sorted get some food ready in the main hall, whatever you can find that will be quick and easy. No-one will want to eat but we have to. I realise waiting is the worst possible thing to have to do, but that is our only option right now. Oh, and get Chris and Jamie down here for food too, warn them this is not going to be a happy family meal.
There is no time for anything else right now, understood?"
"We're on it," replied Peter, quite aware of the meaning in her last comment that she shot direct to them. No time to sort out what was going on with their mates. "Who is with Sky?"
"Rob's mate. She's coping, just about, but Sky is having flashbacks to what happened to her, and she's terrified of Finn going through that."
The two lions left the room, heading straight to the phone to contact the medic. Peter explained the situation and he agreed to come immediately. The priority over, they looked at each other, both feeling the yearning to get back to the men that had them entranced.
"How about we see if they can help? It will be done quicker and we can explain what's going on at the same time."
Peter smiled. "Good idea. Not what I'd like to be doing, but they might as well learn right from the start that sometimes they can't be the priority we'd like them to be."
They mounted the stairs eagerly, amused at each other's reactions as much as their own. The trail of scent that led down the corridor aroused the pair, and they glanced at each other, sharing the frustration for a moment and each grateful they had someone else to go through this with. The sound of chattering voices met their ears, and they had to contain their laughter.
"They're discussing what they want to do with us. Sounds good!"
"Would be if we didn't have to wait. I'm not sure I can take hearing about cock sucking that I can't partake in right now."
Michael opened the door and led the way into the room, the conversation ceasing immediately and Chris's eyes meeting his with desire and hope in them. He groaned, and heard a similar sound coming from Peter beside him.
"We need your help," Michael began. "Our next important task is getting dinner ready, and we thought you might like to give us a hand, seeing as the best we can offer right now is a chat and food, not 'sucking him dry'."
It was Jamie who went the most red at the words from their recent conversation being repeated, and Peter smiled at him, wishing he could take him up on that offer since it sent a shiver down his spine, but needing to concentrate on what had to be done.
"I told you that two wolves were taken before we found you. They are still missing and the rest of the team have been out looking, with no luck. They'll be back soon and we need to get some food and drink out ready for the meeting. There is a fair chance that the wolves have been taken to ransom or to get to the team in some way, and the van carrying you was used as a distraction. It's likely to be tense. One of the guys is on the team so we all know him and work with him, the other is the Alpha's brother, and his mate is already going nuts with us."
"If it was anything like with us, it's not as if anyone could have stopped them. It was so fast. She shouldn't blame anyone here."
Peter and Michael shared an amused look at Jamie's comment, before Peter replied to his mate.
"Adam doesn't blame us, but he doesn't think we are doing enough to find Jake."
"No," Michael interrupted, "he's upset, and he's lashing out because that is all he can do right now. Anyway," he continued, looking at two surprised faces, although one took most of his attention, "we have to get dinner ready or Tilly will skin us. We are under strict instructions not to get distracted, and you have no idea how sorry we are about that. Do you want to help?"
"Sure. It beats sitting up here getting frustrated, plus we can get to know the place a little. You live here?" Chris asked.
"Yes. It's a huge house, so we have plenty of room and space outside. I'll show you when I can, it's lovely out there."
"Is this your room?"
Michael considered that for a moment. "It is now. We have to get out of it and downstairs for a while though."
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Four people made light work of getting the table laid with food and drink ready for the team to return, and having a job to do helped take their mind off other things, although there were a lot of heated glances. They pretty much ended up working in two pairs, unable to focus on anyone but the object of their desire. By the time Tilly came to check on them they had finished and were sat waiting for the rush, not too close to avoid temptation, but on opposite sides of the room in their new couples.
"Thank you so much," Tilly said, grabbing some crisps off the table. "Adam has calmed down a bit, and the doctor has seen Sky. Everyone else should be here in the next few minutes. Tuck in if you guys are hungry." She looked around the room, taking in the two new men and the emotion floating in the room. Strange situation, but it made sense to them so she wasn't going to get involved, beyond a gentle warning.
"I don't suppose with all that is going on any of the team are really going to notice, but please try and keep control for now. If any of you know how to shield your emotions that would be much appreciated from my point of view as well. I'm going to sit with Adam until the others get back, and then everyone will be directed in here so it will get pretty busy."
Once she left the room, Jamie was the first to ask Peter the question.
"What was that about?"
"Tilly is a very good empath, so she can sense feelings. I'm guessing there are far too many floating around here right now. Plus there's going to be a lot of fear and anger too, it will be hard enough on her without us giving off too many vibes."
"So she knows what's happened?"
Michael responded to that one, even though they seemed to have started a pattern of replying to questions from their own mate. "Took her a couple of minutes to work it out, but she was slightly distracted at the time due to the missing men."
The conversation was ended by the sound of a car coming up the drive, and both Peter and Michael jumped to attention, looking outside to see who had returned. It was Sam and most of the wolves, although as it turned out Tom and the remaining men were only a couple of minutes behind them. They heard Tilly directing the team through to get dinner, but Sam didn't appear with the others. The sound of raised voices could be heard coming from the office, and everyone seemed aware it was Adam and Sam arguing. The best they could all do was stay out of it, particularly as Tilly seemed to have chosen that course of action.
When Tom and the remaining men arrived the room got busy although it was quiet. The voices from the office had died down, but no-one seemed in the mood to talk. They ate because it was in front of them and they had to wait for further orders, but most were keeping to themselves. They all felt failure keenly, and feared what was happening to the captives. Everyone there was acutely aware of what had happened to those used in the research.
Heads were raised when first Tom and then Tilly and Alex left the room, but it just heightened the anticipation for everyone else. Waiting was not something anyone there enjoyed, and knowing that every moment that went by anything could be happening to Finn and Jake made it worse. Even Chris and Jamie kept quiet, sensing the mood of the others and glad that they had been warned about what had gone on. They were also very glad that it was not them that had been carted off, because the mood of the men made it clear how bad being captured was.
After what seemed like an hour, but was probably only around a quarter of that, Tilly and Alex came back into the room. The team instantly were on alert, waiting for instructions.
"I know you all want to do something, but your instructions right now are to eat and sleep. It is likely that because this was a targeted capture either those responsible will contact us, or they will allow Finn and Jake to. Until that happens there is very little we can do. Tomorrow morning we will all start going back through every piece of information we have to see if there is anything we have missed. Meanwhile Sam, Adam and I will stay up through the night to ensure that if they are able to contact us there is someone to get through. Tom and Alex will take charge of the research in the morning. If any contact is made we will work out what to do based on the information we get."
