Page 27 of Shadow Blind

“Not this time.” Cosky glanced toward Wolf, his face hardening. “Benioko, Wolf’s CO, who’s the base shaman, had a dream…a bad one. An end of times dream. The kind where humanity goes bye-bye.” Cosky’s helmeted head swung back in Aiden’s direction. “He says you’re instrumental in stopping the apocalypse. That’s why he sent us to rescue you. Any idea what the old guy is talking about?”

A chill swept Aiden’s spine. It quickly spread to every inch of his flesh.

Fuck.

He slowly turned his head, scanning the clearing. Dead friend after dead friend met his eyes. Double fuck.

“Maybe.” He grimaced. A horrific feeling was rising inside him. An ugly premonition. “If this damn insanity bug gets out, it could get bad fast, Cos. Really fast.” His voice tightened. “Yeah, it could turn apocalyptical. There wasn’t one survivor in Karaveht. Not one. The insanity infected the entire town. The residents slaughtered everyone—their neighbors, their families. Hell—even their kids.”

Which was terrifying. Parents were programmed to protect their children. Sure, sometimes that wiring misfired. Occasionally, a parent killed their kid. But filicide wasn’t common, and it sure didn’t happen en masse.

Not like it had in Karaveht.

His audience had swelled to all of Wolf’s warriors, along with Kait, Cosky, and Rawls. A dozen pairs of grim eyes were trained on him, waiting for more information. Gathering his thoughts, Aiden dug his fingers into the crystalized shards of field grass beside his bed of warmies and thermal blankets. The cold speared into his fingers, numbing them. But they remained steady. No trembling. Still no signs of infection.

Thank Christ.

“It spreads fast,” he continued tightly, still staring at his hand. “So fast there’d be no way to contain it. We were two hours out of Karaveht when the insanity hit my team.”

An uneasy stirring swept through the group.

“How come you weren’t infected?” Mac asked bluntly. But the question was obviously on everyone’s mind. Including Aiden’s.

“I don’t know. Hell, I can’t be sure I’m not contagious.” He lifted his chin toward Squirrel. “Or that they aren’t.” He paused, adding emphatically. “Don’t. Touch. Anything.”

“Not touching them won’t keep us safe if every time you exhale, you’re infecting us,” O’Neill ground out.

Aiden stiffened, his fingers curling into a fist. O’Neill wasn’t wrong, but hell—he could have eased back on his tone and delivery. “What the hell do you suggest? That I stop breathing?”

O’Neill didn’t respond, but then he didn’t need to. From the uneasy reaction sweeping through the men surrounding them, others were wondering the same thing. Could the infection be in the air they were breathing, the ground they were walking on? Shoulders grew tense, jaws hardened, boots shifted—crackling against the icy grass.

Wolf stepped forward, his dark gaze skipping from warrior to warrior, holding each gaze a heartbeat, before moving on. “The Taounaha saw no danger here. Not to us. This infection—the one Aiden speaks of—has passed.” He paused before adding grimly. “For now.”

The men he’d addressed relaxed, the tension vanishing. Muscles softened, faces smoothed, fingers flexed. They trusted Wolf. His declaration assured them. They trusted this Benioko, too. It must be nice to have such instant, implicit faith in one’s leaders.

Aiden doubted he’d ever trust a superior again.

Chapter twelve

Day 2

Karaveht, Tajikistan

His right hand deep in the side pocket of his tactical pants, O’Neill studied Wolf’s heralded half-brother. This was Wolf’s squid brother? The SEAL proclaimed by Benioko, Shadow Warrior’s Taounaha, as the chosen one, the protector of the Kalikoia people—hell, the entire world? He didn’t look like a savior.

He did resemble Wolf to a startling extent—minus the long hair. Their father had certainly put his stamp on the pair. Winchester was broad-shouldered and fit, with short dark hair. His eyes were almost identical to Wolf’s. Same color. Same hooded lids. What set them apart was the expression within. Wolf’s gaze was aloof, while Winchester’s was shimmering with rage and betrayal.

Still, the bastard didn’t look special. No halo of light illuminated him. No aura of power surrounded him. Judging by the blood that had flowed from the bullet wound in his thigh, the asshole was made of flesh and bone like the rest of them. He bled like the rest of them. So, what set him apart? What made him so special to Benioko and the Shadow Warrior?

Was it because he shared genes with Wolf? Or because he’d been chosen by the eagle clan? Word of mouth indicated the asshole was so fucking clueless about his heritage, he didn’t even realize the spirit eagle had claimed him.

O’Neill’s gaze shifted to Winchester’s neck. There was no leather thong. No clan totem. While the bastard might have been claimed by the thae-hrata, he’d left his induction gift at the claiming site. What a complete moron.

Hell, Aiden Winchester wasn’t even part of the Hee’woo’nee. He was jie’van, an outsider. He knew nothing of his own people, not their heritage, their culture, their origin. He was other. An interloper…or he should be.

Instead, Benioko and Wolf and every warrior had dragged him into their hearts because he was their prophesied messiah.

Nope, Winchester wasn’t the outsider. O’Neill had that honor, even though he’d been raised on the Brenahiilo among the Hee’woo’nee. Even though he’d been chosen by the heschrmal and had the totem to prove it.

---