~~
Trinity
~~
"Is it over?" Shane asked apprehensively.
"I think so." I told him.
"Stay on guard." Reece ordered. "We must stay vigilant in case someone else shows up."
"Agreed." Noah added. The two of them had shifted back and were in human form, and consequently, were very naked.
"Noah, that's not a sight I want to see." I glared at him in my wolf form. "Can someone please either get robes for us all, or go get clothes from the caravan for us."
"As you wish my queen." I heard Gabriel's voice answer my request.
"Someone keep the kids in the room, we're not in any state for them to see us. And Gabriel, ask for Griffin and Juniper to come back with you."
"Yes, milady." Gabriel nodded and left the basement.
No sooner had we decided on what needed to be done then I saw Shawn running across the hall. The battle had only ended a minute prior, and the confusion of it all was finally settling. But the moment that Shawn had recovered from the shock he was running to the back of the hall, where Dietrich had been laying on the floor.
I watched on as Shawn ran to Dietrich's side as fast as he could.
"Dietrich?" His voice was full of worry and fear and the look marring his face was so filled with emotion that it brought a tear to my eye instantly. "Dietrich?" He yelled again as he skidded to his knees.
Just as Shawn came to a stop, Dietrich sat up, a hand on his head indicating the pain he was feeling. As Dietrich raised his head to look at the man calling his name he smiled gently.
"Shawn." The tender tone of voice and the happy smile Dietrich had when looking at his mate was enviable. Anyone, no everyone, would be happy to be looked at so lovingly.
"Liebling." Shawn exclaimed in German, calling Dietrich his darling.
Once that word was spoken Shawn threw his arms around Dietrich's neck and planted his lips on Dietrich's mouth. The tender love that I could see from the two of them, the devotion that was in Shawn's eyes, it was so innocent and pure. His actions shocked a few but it wasn't a cause for concern. In truth it was just further proof that pure happiness awaits everyone when they find their mate.
Having wrapped his arms around Shawn's waist Dietrich returned the kiss his mate had planted on him. The kiss started as innocent, sweet, and romantic. But soon, it morphed into something heated and full of passion for each other.
It wasn't until Reece cleared his throat, the silence finally broken, that they separated and looked at the room around them. A look of triumph and happiness on Dietrich's face and a look of embarrassment, as well as happiness, on Shawn's.
"I'm glad you seem to be ok, Dietrich. How are you feeling?" I asked him as I was still worried about him.
"Ja, ja, I will be fine, thanks to the lovely medicine." He grinned and looked at Shawn out of the corner of his eye. Shawn blushed crimson but the rest of us just grinned at their happiness.
The chaos of before seemed like nothing but a memory now. Everything was finally settling down. Gabriel returned with the others, clothes and cloaks in hand. Most of the group left the basement, those of us that stayed dressed quickly. Reece and Juniper kept me hidden so I could dress in private.
Once the group had thinned out and we were all presentable, I once again opened the door to the room the kids were in. I could see the fear written on all their faces. These children had been through a lot, more than anyone their age ever should have to endure. The horrible thing is that we would need to find out everything before they could begin their healing process.
Griffin was already busy healing everyone that had received injuries. Most would heal over time, and the warlocks could cast healing spells, but that would be no comparison to the healing from a Goddess given power. Those that had been injured were left healed and refreshed by the master medic, Dietrich included.
I went in the other room with Juniper and a few of the others in tow. The children and the caretakers were huddled in the far corner of the room, most of them shivering in fear. The whimpers from the crying children made me feel as if there were spikes being driven into my heart.
Slowly and cautiously I approached them all, a gentle and calming look on my face.
"I'm not here to hurt you." I spoke softly. "We're here to take you all home. You want to go back to your moms and dads right?" I saw a spark of life enter the eyes of most of the children, but others were just saddened even more.
"I want to go home." A little girl said as she started to teared up.
"I miss my mommy." The smallest of the boys cried out.
"We're going to take you all somewhere safe so that you can be reunited with your families." Juniper's soothing voice had an instant calming effect on the entire group. "Can you all come with us now?" I saw many of them nodding, the calm spreading through them.
"You can trust Trinity, she is a very good person." Rawlynne smiled at them as she gestured toward me. "She will make sure you're all safe." She looked at them all, adults included, as she reassured them all of her words.
We needed to get them somewhere safe, somewhere that they could calmly relay their stories and then begin the healing process. Kanorado was a little over three hours from home, and it was late, but we still chose to drive home, those that had been rescued slept the entire way, finally able to relax for the first time in a long time.
It was just after six in the morning when we got back to the estate, but Abigail had been notified in advance so there was a large, delicious breakfast waiting for us.
"This is the Alpha House." One of the boys said just as we entered the house.
"Shhh. Be quiet Sammy." Another boy spoke in a whisper to the other boy.
"It's alright." I smiled at the two of them. "You don't have to worry about being quiet. And yes, Sammy, this is the Alpha House. Are you Ella's little brother? Sammy Taylor?" I let him know that I knew not only him but his family as well, letting him know that I was a friend.
"You know Ella?" His face lit up as he asked the question, true happiness finally breaking through.
"I do, she is a friend of mine. And after we eat breakfast she will be coming here with your mom to pick you up." The smile that spread across his face was one of pure joy.
"Really?"
"Will my family be coming too?"
"Can I see my mom and dad too?"
"I want to go home." All the children started chiming in with similar questions and statements. It was good to see them opening up even if it was just a little bit.
We sat down and ate breakfast. The children seemed to be starved somewhat and ate more than they normally would have if it had not been for the ordeal that they had endured. The adults, all witches and warlocks, seemed more reserved and scared. But the food had the desired calming effect on them all.
With help from Juniper, Abigail, and Lila we were able to get the kids cleaned up somewhat, which also made them feel somewhat better. They hadn't realized that we had framed these moments, the eating and cleaning up, to get them comfortable with the idea of talking.
Slowly, we managed to get a picture of the true events that had happened during the last month. Thankfully, the children hadn't been outright harmed in any way. Edmond had been adamant about that because their purity and innocence needed to be intact for the summoning. But that doesn't mean that they hadn't been frightened and emotionally and psychologically damaged during their time there.
The warlocks had paraded those beasts in front of the children and the caretakers, telling them if they tried to run, or even fight back, those monsters would be sent after them. They had threatened them all with torture and beatings. The caretakers had actually been beaten and tortured during their time in captivity, proving that the men and women holding them there had no problem with hurting people. Fear, threats of pain, crying, and imprisonment, that was all that they had known this whole time.
As I listened to the retelling of these events from each child, I felt my heart breaking into a million pieces. At the same time, I felt my intense burning hatred for Edmond growing infinitely stronger. I would not let that man get away with what he had done. The only good thing is that Edmond didn't appear to have visited the house personally. He left that job to Phillip as an extension of his authority. Phillip, incidentally, was the one who had delighted in terrifying the children and torturing the caretakers.
Rawlynne and Jackson were able to track down the police departments in charge of the other missing children, and within two hours, all the families were at our house. Well, almost all. It seemed that six of the children had been orphaned by Edmond and taken to his house of horror.
This turn of events meant that we had six adults and six children left with nowhere to go. The witches and warlocks could have turned to the magic council for help, but given the feudal system it ran off they would not have great lives now that they had nothing. This was something that I needed to change among the world of magic.
Just before the children were reunited with their families we had them meet one on one with Juniper. She soothed the aching they would carry in their hearts and minds because of this ordeal. They needed to have a chance at life without having to deal with this situation looming over them forever.
With Juniper's personal ability she was able to make them forget what had happened to them, replacing it with a much easier to handle memory. It would be better for their families and the authorities to believe that they had all been brainwashed in a mass child abduction scheme than that they had been taken to be used as sacrifices and were just barely saved.
With their minds and hearts healed, their families were brought in, finally. Each and every child ran happily to the arms of the family that had been waiting for them to return. Ella, Gina and her other two children Lonnie and Wendy cried with joy, love overflowing the moment they were able to hug Sammy again. This was truly the best outcome we could have hoped for, the kids were finally home and safe.
But now I had to find Edmond and make him pay.
