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“You sure about this?” Clark asked as he eyed the jungle. “We have no idea what’s in there.”
“I’m here, so it’ll be okay,” Caleb said confidently. “Let’s make a temporary shelter to store the luggage, ensuring it’s safe from waves or creatures nearby, and then we’ll head in.”
They used vines and tree branches to make a platform that hung from one of the trees and put all of our luggage inside. I put my backpack with healing and medical supplies on and Branson put on his pack that had food and water. Triston and Ezio also had water and food rations in their bags and Ezio had emergency clothing for Lily.
Caleb turned to me. “Ember, you walk behind me. Ezio, you and Lily stay in the center of us. The rest of you, make a protective circle around the girls.”
Everyone nodded and we headed into the jungle.
Lily stayed in her snake form, but coiled up around his neck, raising up to look around as we walked. She was clearly more comfortable in this environment than most of us, except for Triston.
“I feel … at home,” he whispered and shook his head. “This place really calls to my beast side.”
“Not mine,” I whispered.
“Well, since most things here could kill a rabbit, that makes sense,” Riddick said behind me.
I spun to glare at him. “Not helping.”
Caleb held up his hand and everyone froze. Tilting his head back, he sniffed the air. “Show yourself,” he called out. “We mean you no harm.”
Stepping from the trees before us was a huge black panther and just behind the panther slithered an at least twenty-foot-long green python. I felt the pull towards them … hybrids.
Lily perked up more, but Ezio shook his head and she stilled.
“I am Caleb, King of Hybrids. Who are you?” He spoke politely and I could tell was holding back his aura.
The panther shifted into a male warrior form, a combination of man and panther, with beautiful dark skin and hair in thick, braided rows. “King? You do not seem strong enough to be king.”
Caleb smiled. “I didn’t want to let my aura out to ensure you didn’t view me as menacing. I am here as a friend, not enemy.”
“Prove your status as king,” the python said as she shifted into a snake-woman form. Her green scales still covered most of her body and she kept a few feet of tail behind her.
Caleb inhaled and as he exhaled, his aura pressed down upon us all.
Thankfully, as part of the clan and his pack, it didn’t affect us much, but I saw Clark and Stan flinch a step away and their shoulders hunch a bit.
The panther and python dropped to a knee and bowed. “Your Majesty,” they both gasped.
“Please, stand,” Caleb said as he subdued his aura again. “We weren’t certain who or what we might find here. I’m excited to find more hybrids. How many of you are there?”
“Twenty,” the panther answered.
My eyes widened. Twenty hybrids lived here?
He stood and held out his hand. “I am Paul. This is my mate, Mercy.”
She dipped her head to us. “It is a pleasure to meet more hybrids.”
“This is my mate and queen, Ember,” Caleb introduced and held his hand back for me.
I stepped forward and smile. “Hello.”
“Please, follow us and we will take you to our pack,” Mercy said and started leading the way.
Paul waited for Caleb and asked, “What is the status of things over there? Are we still persecuted?”
“Things have changed recently,” Caleb said with a smile. “We are accepted by most now and we have our own lands, including this island.”
