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take you to the place where we buried the Vessel so you can see for yourself that the evil is so far under no one can get to it. I think it’ll help you feel whole again, brother. And it’s going to be better, Dji, once we get back to America. I promise you.”
    Some of the fog he’d been under was lifting. He didn’t fully believe that things would magically be okay once they left Africa, but it might be a start. When he got back he’d have to decide what he wanted to do. It might be best if he left and sequestered himself from people. Maybe he’d live fully as his cat, but he wasn’t making any decisions while he wasn’t yet fully functional.
    He began to pace the camp and wondered when they could start moving to the place where the Vessel was buried. They should go now. There was no need to wait. Ive came out of the bush looking fresh and a bit happy. She walked right up to him.
    “It’ll be fine, my mate. Let me help and things will be okay.”
    She smelt heavenly and he must smell horrid.
    “We’re going to bathe. I think we’ll all feel better.” Zareb gestured for Dji to follow him.
    Not really having much choice, he went. If he’d known where the site was he’d have started off there and then. He might stink, but it was better to have the evil in a place no one would find it again.
    The women had left the soap on a rock by the edge of the water. Dji didn’t spend much time bathing, his mind on other things. Like how it would feel to finally be completely free and live his life. He remembered a time when he’d been happy. He’d been ready to be a protector of his tribe and do the right thing. The song from the Vessel had been too strong and he’d opened it only to lose his life. There was no other way to explain being awake and not able to control your body. To go against everything he’d ever been taught. He’d tried time and again to wrestle control away, but Dmitri had always been too strong. It had taken another shifter’s mate to bring him back to the world of the living. Something he’d never have been able to do for himself.
    Zareb brought him out of his thoughts by tapping his shoulder. It was then that Dji noticed the other two men in the water with them. He wondered who they were, but didn’t have time to question them. It was time to be done with the Vessel.
    They made a formation with his brother, Kir taking the lead. The two unknowns were in front of him, with Zareb and Joy taking the rear position.
    “Ive—who are those two men?” There was time now that the trek had begun.
    “The small redhead is my twin, Greycen, and the other is his mate, Peter.”
    “Two men?”
    “Yes, that isn’t a problem, is it?”
    Ive bristled. Dji didn’t think he’d ever seen that before. His mate was usually so calm and in charge.
    “No. I’ve just never seen it before.”
    He really didn’t care. It was an oddity to him, nothing more. Fate put mates together and, if the Ancients decreed it so, who was he to make judgement? He was weak and he stumbled. Ive came closer to support him. The power he’d used was a little too much for the state he’d been in. He hated feeling weak.
    The man Ive had said was her brother fell back to help, supporting his other side. He could see the resemblance now. Peter, Greycen’s mate, kept looking back to check on them. He hoped he could have that with Ive, but he was beginning to think that having a mate was lost to him. He had too much to do to redeem himself.

Chapter Six
     
     
     
    Grey was ready for this nightmare of a mission to be over. They were all tired and Pete wasn’t talking to him, again. After they’d woken up, they’d headed in the direction the necklace had indicated. Pete was as surly as ever, like the night before hadn’t happened. It broke Grey’s heart. It was as if they’d taken one step forward, then two back. He was beginning to think he would have to go home to his den. He didn’t want to live with the other foxes. He