The trip to the main house was quick. Dinner was a boisterous affair with everyone talking at once. By the time Calloway and Darby finished and headed to the front room, he had been formally introduced to everyone currently on the property. He had plans with Reno, Tah’s second-in-command, to visit the next day to discuss what he could do to help the pride.
They seemed to have a good setup on the ranch. The lack of big forests or hills made for an easier defense. Visitors could be seen for miles before they ever reached the pride’s home. They had a fully functioning medical center manned by Gideon, Diane and the professor. Dr. Jensen worked there, as well, when he was on site. He still traveled quite a bit, and often, he now took a shifter named Griffin with him. Both were gone at the moment, having been called to check on a coyote shifter who’d been injured in a fall. It appeared the man had broken bones which had healed too fast without being properly set. A complication shifters had to watch for. He didn’t envy the other man the pain of having the bones re-broken.
Murphy Dockery and Daniel Erikson were also away. The official story was that they were searching for information on a lab where one of their members had been held, but Calloway had the impression there was more involved than that. He was still trying to place everyone and envied his mate’s ability to know them all immediately. There were several sets of siblings, and the interweaving of them all was enough to make Calloway dizzy.
He knew Murphy Dockery was the brother of the red-haired man he’d met named Finn. They were Irish and most likely played into why Darby’s father was in Ireland at the moment. Finn was mated to a female shifter named Laura, who was also the shifter who’d been held prisoner. Laura was the sister to one of Tah’s closest friends, Logan Dobson. He was the blond male who’d joked with Tah when Calloway had first come face-to-face with the alpha and the one Gideon had told them had only recently had his animal come out of regression. Calloway knew Darby had been startled by that bit of information.
There were others. Ones he didn’t remember and some whose names he could: Reno, Amia, Clara, Zane and Vic, Gideon’s mate whom he’d met before. The liger shifter was Gabriel Erikson, more commonly known among shifters as the Angel. He was mated to Kenzie Marshall, the tiny brunette Abby had mentioned they’d almost lost when Isaac Erikson had died. It appeared this Kenzie was somehow related to Clara. He was still confused on that whole story. There was a short blond who could have passed for Vic’s sister but wasn’t related. Her name was Ariel. There was something about her that made Calloway very cautious when anywhere near her. She had an air of fragility she tried to hide behind a veneer of strength. In his opinion, she was one strike away from shattering. He hoped he was wrong.
He stood along the wall, arms crossed as he watched everyone. It wasn’t that he didn’t feel included. They’d all gone out of their way to welcome both him and Darby to the pride. He watched because of the way they all interacted with one another. This pride really was a family. The laughter and jokes and the way the two little girls were fawned over by every member was just a brief example of how much of a unit they were—a unit he was now part of. He never would have thought it was possible.
“My head is spinning,” Darby said as she joined him.
“I was just thinking the same,” he joked.
She grinned. “My fingers are itching to jot down everything I’ve learned since we’ve arrived. Plus, after meeting a few of them and speaking one-on-one, I think I have access to information that could help some of those here. Clara’s asked me to see what I can find out about her uncle. I think she fears the worst. I promised I’d look into it.”
She was excited. Her face practically glowed with it. This was her element, gathering facts and helping others.
“Her uncle, a shifter named Thomas Walker, is the man who helped you and Gideon escape.”
Calloway nodded though he didn’t quite agree. Thomas had freed Gideon and had seemed content to do that. Gideon had been the one to free the rest of the shifters, refusing to leave without them. It was a distinction Calloway would never forget.
Tah whistled, gaining everyone’s attention, and Darby moved closer to Calloway’s side. He smoothed his palm down her spine before cupping her hip and holding her to him.
“You’ve all had a chance to meet Calloway and Darby, our newest additions to the pride” Tah stated. “I know there are a lot of questions, but tonight, we’re going to listen. I’ve asked Darby to give us a rundown on what she knows of our history, starting from the very beginning. There’ll be time for questions later.” He turned toward Calloway and Darby and nodded. “Darby, whenever you’re ready.”
Calloway gave her a squeeze then watched with pride as she stepped away and moved toward the center of the room.
“It all began a long, long time ago,” Darby began. “History tells of a time when a tribe of nomadic people lived on the African plains. They were strong and fierce warriors, taking only what they needed from nature and always giving back. The Great Creator smiled down on the people and decided to give them a gift to show his pride in them.
“Each member of the tribe would be blessed with a spirit guide who would share their form and allow them to shift at will from animal to man. They became the
paka watu
or cat people. The tribe leader accepted the spirit of the lion and lay the foundation for his pride. The spirits of great cats called to the people from far and wide, and the people opened their bodies offering refuge. They aligned with lions, tigers, panthers, jaguars, cheetahs, pumas and leopards. All cat spirits who called found safe haven.
“The great pride leader, with his lion spirit, guided his people with strength and cunning. They guarded the secret of the Creator’s gift from all others, understanding that jealousy and hatred could brew from those who had no such gifts. As often occurs though, jealousy and hatred can form in those you never suspect.
“The pride leader lost his young wife during the birth of their child. She labored for hours, but the baby would not come. As she felt her spirit waning, she took a knife to her swollen belly and cut free her son. The whole pride mourned the loss. Even the lands rebelled, and famine struck a deep blow. Many feared this was an evil omen. Rumors spread that the mother had been poisoned, and fear grew as the child seemed to struggle to hold onto the life he’d been given.”
Calloway was as wrapped up in the story as everyone else. It was more than just the words, the history he hadn’t known. It was the way Darby shared it, the animation and passion in her voice. It brought everything to life as if he were seeing the beginning playing out behind the lids of his eyes.
“That was when a pale
mwanamke
, or woman, was found in the bush beaten and close to death. The people took her in and nursed her back to health, though some whispered it was another bad omen. She fought many demons as her body and mind struggled to heal. The fever was strong, and many nights they prayed to the Great Creator to watch over and protect her as she fought in the spirit world.
“Then she awoke, weak of body and spirit, but alive. And with her waking, the land awoke. The rains began, and the people rejoiced. The pride leader came to see her and saw beauty in her heart. Her laughter warmed him, and as his people grew to love her, so did he.
“The family of his deceased wife had another daughter and offered her to the pride leader many times to take the place of her sister. She was beautiful to look upon, but he found no love in her heart and didn’t want her. He took the pale
mwanamke
as his second wife, and the Great Creator blessed him with another son with skin pale like his mother and eyes of amber. They called him Tau,” Darby paused and stared across the room at Tah and Abby, “after the great lion spirit of his father. The land rejoiced with them. Food and water were plentiful, and the people wanted for nothing.
“Tau grew as big and strong as his father, and more and more, the people turned to him for answers when his father was busy or away. It was rumored that the poison had festered inside the eldest son, leaving him frail and weak. Hatred for all but his cherished aunt seemed to burn from his eyes.”
Many of them were leaning forward, on the edge of their seats as Calloway’s mate continued speaking. Abby and Tah both sat quietly, nodding every once in a while as if Darby had confirmed something for them.
“Then came the day when Tau reached manhood and spoke of a dream sent to him in the night by the Great Creator. He was to be blessed with the same spirit as his father, a lion, fierce and strong.
“While holding the people spellbound, Tau shifted, taking the shape of the great lion he was named for. The people celebrated, understanding the significance of his spirit guide and rejoicing in the knowledge he would be the next to lead them.
“His older brother was enraged. Not only had the Creator not gifted him with a spirit animal, but now, his younger half-brother was being proclaimed the one who would follow in their father’s stead as pride leader. The pride leader was urged by those closest to him to banish his eldest son, but he refused, seeing his first love in the boy.
“Then things began to happen that could not be ignored. Attempts on Tau’s life, one killing the man who’d been walking next to him. A guard was given to the next leader, a young man who possessed the rare spirit of a white tiger.”
“Jesus,” Reno muttered.
“His name was Ren. He swore a blood oath that he and all who came of his blood would protect the pride leader until the last breath left their body.”
“I knew it,” Abby said, and Calloway almost shushed her so Darby could continue. He needed to hear all of it. Every moment of what had happened. Apparently, the professor felt the same way.
“Keep going,” he urged, all but dancing in his seat.
“The pride leader went to the Great Creator and asked for help. The Creator warned that if he placed this into the hands of the gods, their sentence would have to be carried out. The leader agreed. Two days later, he had his answer.
“The gods had found among the people a
mabaya moja
, an evil one. So deep was the evil that he had been denied a spirit guide. It was this evil one who had risen up and sought to destroy what he could never have. The gods proclaimed a sentence of death, but when the leader found out who it was, he couldn’t follow through. The gods warned him, reminding him of the promise to obey their sentence, but still, he wouldn’t.
“Instead, his heart heavy with guilt, he sent away his eldest son, banishing him from the people. Two days later, the leader’s wife died when her water was poisoned. He sent Tau and Ren, along with a group of young warriors, to take his beloved’s body and bury it in the way of her people.
“It was while they were gone that the eldest son returned, bringing with him the
wawindaji kubwa nyeupe
, or great white hunters, who carried with them weapons of death and torture . The pride leader and those with him fought valiantly, but they were outnumbered. It’s said his roar split the heavens when he fell under the weight of many spears, helpless to heed the cries of his fallen pride as he lay broken and dying. Many of his pride fell with him that day, and their spirits cried out to the Creator who took mercy on them and sent chaos amongst the hunters, scattering them from his people.
“It was then that Tau returned, the bodies of the fallen not yet cold. He searched amongst the dead and dying until he found his father. He let his animal guide lead him then shifted from man to lion, so both could mourn the loss. He poured out his grief to the heavens, his roar shaking the earth, as he cried out his sorrow and anger. The night filled with the growls of many cats as the remaining pride joined him.
“When morning came, Tau went to his pride with a heavy heart and explained how the
paka watu
must no longer be. He explained that the Great Creator had visited him in the night and stated it was no longer safe for them to remain. To save the spirits that guided them, they must do the unthinkable. They were to sing their spirit guides into a deep sleep. Once completed, the remaining pride members would flee to different parts of the world, finding solace in blending with those around them.
“Each remaining member took a different path, walking alone on a voyage that would see them spread across the earth. To protect them, the passage of time would allow the knowledge of what slept within them to fade away.
“It is said the Creator promised that a time would come when one who bears the mark of the beast would search out the new Tau. The marked one would wake the beast, and the pride would rise again.”
Calloway caught movement out of the corner of his eye and noticed Abby dropping her hand to cover her side. He’d heard from Darby about the scar Abby had from where an injured lion’s paw had swiped across her. It had happened when her parents had died, if he remembered correctly. His mate had informed him that many hunters had believed the one bearing the mark of the beast would be the shifter. Tah did have a tattoo of a lion’s head on his side, but Darby said that was manmade while Abby’s was a literal mark of the beast. Darby’s logic made sense to Calloway.
“It was also said that there would be those sent by the gods to watch over the sleeping pride, offering guidance and protection when most needed.
“There was also a warning. The hunters, though scattered, would never forget the
paka watu
and what they represented. With each new generation, they would seek to destroy the descendants, in the hope the Tau would never awaken.”
“Have there been others?” Reno asked. “Before Tah? Were there other descendants?”
“Yes,” Darby answered with a slow nod.
“What happened to them?” Tah demanded.
“We’re not sure. We have record of them then they…disappear. The one who came to our attention before you was a man named Dale Tahmond.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. When she found what she looked for, she carried it over to Tah and Abby and held it out for them to see.