Kith and Kin

Chapter 3

So in my fight to get my original novel released, this got shoved to the back burner a bit. Now that I've hit publish on A Demon in My Bed I'm going to entertain myself with Ven until my book goes live! Hopefully I'll have another part of Kith & Kin up really soon! For now, enjoy!

Chapter 3

Kiri pressed the wadded up kleenex to her tear stained cheek as another sob hiccuped up her throat. She tried to hold it back, but the effort was futile, and the two New Species males who watched her warily startled. They looked like they wanted to be anywhere but here.

"Will she ever stop?" The one who'd been introduced as Tree hissed in a whisper.

Zest shook his head in bafflement. "I don't know." He whispered back.

The two males eyed her like she was a grenade with the pin pulled, just waiting to go off. They might not be too far off the mark either. She'd been sitting here for 27 minutes slowly going crazy. Jamie was still missing and it took every ounce of self control she had to not rush past the New Species officers and find him herself.

It had taken a few minutes for the New Species officers to talk it over and determine she was no immediate threat. Zest had explained their security procedures as quick as he could, patted her down and finding nothing, invited her to tell them what was wrong. If throwing herself at the poor man when he'd open the gate hadn't disturbed him enough, she had sobbed through both the pat down and the explanation. After he'd guided her into the small guard shack and hastily shoved a box of tissues at her, he'd left her to sit while the two New Species contacted the head of security and proceeded to watch her unravel.

The digital clock on the opposite wall ticked past another minute and she couldn't take it anymore. "Who is going to help me find Jamie?"

Tree looked to Zest who grudgingly answered. "The head of security is coming. He'll be here soon."

"Why can't we start looking for him?" She asked, twisting her hands in her lap.

"We're not allowed to leave out post without someone covering for us." Zest replied.

"Well then I'll start looking for him!" Kiri announced, getting to her feet.

Zest shook his head as he came around the desk, hands up in placating gesture. He opened his mouth to speak, but Tree beat him to it. "You can't. It's not safe for a human to go wandering around with the Wild Zone."

Her heart missed a beat. "What do you mean it's not safe?"

Zest shook his head at Tree vehemently, but the other Species just plowed on. "Not only are the residents in the area not welcoming to humans, but we take in wild bears and wolves as rescues."

Kiri's knees gave out and she sank back down into her chair. Oh god, Jamie was lost in the woods with wild animals and crazy New Species. The tears welled up again, but so did a fierce drive to find her child. She rushed for the door, intending on hunting Jamie down by herself, regardless what these men said.

Zest was in front of her in a heartbeat, barricading the door with his unusually large body. "Please Miss Kiri, you can't go out there."

"Get out of my way!"

"No. Tiger is on his way with more men. We'll find your child. Please remain calm." Zest tried to reassure her while countering her escape attempts. "Tree didn't explain it very well. The animals are very well fed. They would have no reason to bother your child. If a Wild Zone resident finds him they will just contact security and he will be brought to you anyway."

The door at Zest's back opened and another large man in an NSO uniform took in the scene. "What's going on here?"

Zest breathed a sigh of relief at the arrival of the cavalry but still wouldn't let her pass. "Tiger, this is Miss Kiri. Kiri, this is Tiger. He's head of security for the NSO."

Kiri poked her head around Zest's burly arm and fixed her tearstained eyes on the newcomer. "I need to find my Jamie!"

"Your Jamie?" The new male,Tiger, repeated, pushing past Zest and into the room. "Who is Jamie? Tree said there was a problem at the gate, but never mentioned a male human."

"My baby is lost in your - your wilderness!" Kiri tried to explain through her tears.

"There's a baby lost is in the Wild Zone?" Tiger blurted, horror in his voice as he looked to Zest for clarification.

"Jamie is five years old and has gotten lost in the woods beyond the Wild Zone wall." Zest filled him in.

The cell phone at Tiger's hip rang and he ignored it, too distracted by the crying human female and the two discomfited males. "You're the child's mother?" Tiger inquired, eyeing the weeping woman.

She nodded frantically. "Please! I need to find my son!"

"Okay, we'll organize search teams." Tiger eyed the two males who were supposed to be manning the gate. Zest, who seemed to be steadying the human with an arm across her back, seemed the least disturbed by the scene. Tree looked like he was ready to climb the walls in an effort to get away. "Zest, you're with us. Tree, call in and get them to send another guard over to watch the gate you. Tell them to contact the Wild Zone residents and alert them that a young human child is wandering around."

The sound of a door closing proceeded Timber as he came in behind Tiger. "Tiger, you're not going to believe this!" He said waving a cell phone in their direction.

"This isn't really the time." Tiger growled.

"Vengeance tried to call you first, but when he couldn't get through he called me." Timber tried to explain.

"I don't have time for Ven right now!" Tiger growled in irritation.

"Oh you'll have time for this!" Timber chuckled. "Apparently Vengeance was walking in the woods and found a small human child."

"Jamie!" Kiri gasped, her tears fading in the wake of possibly having her child back.

Timber shrugged. "He didn't give a name. Just told us the child has a phone number for his mother in his shoe and that we should bring her to Reservation. They're at Ven's house now."

Kiri felt her legs go weak as relief washed through her. Zest caught her falling body easily and guided her back to a chair. Her child was safe and being watched over. She really couldn't have hoped for a better outcome.