Fae Captive (The Mage Shifter War Book 1)

by Elle Middaugh

  Fuck, he was hot.

  I took a gulp of blazing hot coffee and barely even noticed the burn compared to him.

  Bam, bam, bam! Three pounding knocks rattled the thin door of Bodie's apartment.

  He turned around and waggled his brows at me. "Ah, that'll be Drake. Probably freaking the fuck out." Holding his cup, he shuffled into the living room and over to the door.

  How was he so sure it wasn't Easton? Coming back to deck him right in his smug face?

  Oh god, Easton… How could I have hurt him like that? Even if Bodie really was my mate, how was I supposed to be with the wolf shifter knowing full well it was killing his friend, his packmate? Easton and I had had a connection. Whatever it was… I knew it was mutual. And I knew if the situation was reversed...

  "What the fuck were you thinking?" Drake’s booming voice filled the small space.

  Good guess. One point for Bodie, I thought as I brought the cup of coffee back up to my lips.

  "Morning, Drake. I see you're bright eyed and spiky-tailed as usual," Bodie replied, unfazed.

  "I grabbed the girl and the pup," Drake said darkly, continuing his rampage. "And handed them off to you and Easton. Next thing I know, you and the faerie are fucking gone."

  "Got the fucking part right," Bodie mumbled as he reentered the kitchen, grinning over the rim of his mug at me.

  I got the sudden urge to swat the damn thing right out of his hands, but I resisted. Barely.

  "Did you seriously just…?" Drake was fuming. Literally. Smoke drifted from his nostrils as he strode into the kitchen and stared at us.

  I did my best to concentrate on my coffee instead of the pissed off dragon shifter growling in the very tiny room. The temperature rose a couple degrees. And not just from discomfort. It literally rose.

  "No, you know what?" Drake said to no one in particular, his lips curving sharply as he put his hands on his hips. "I don't even give a fuck. My packmate's alive, my hostage is alive, and I just saved as many shifters as I could from that fire. Easton’s off helping Larry now, so they can make a potion or something and end that damn fire. It's been a long fucking night, and quite frankly, I'm exhausted."

  He marched over and snatched both mugs right out of our hands and poured the coffee down the drain.

  "Now's not the time for caffeination," he informed us mockingly, setting the empty cups in the sink. "It's time for sleep. And that's not a suggestion, it's a fucking order: get some goddamned sleep. Because you and I," he said, glaring at Bodie, "have some shit to discuss when we wake up."

  Bodie sighed but nodded. "I’m only agreeing because I’m gonna sleep with Aubry."

  "Actually sleep. I don’t wanna hear anything," Drake growled before he stormed into Bodie's living room, grabbed a furry gray blanket from behind a chair, and sprawled out on the leather couch. He took a deep breath and his head jerked down toward the red rug. He must have been able to smell the sex we’d had there. He let out a low growl before sighing and closing his eyes.

  Without saying a word, Bodie stood and quietly took my hand, leading me into his bedroom. The smell in his room was so fresh, yet so distinctly male, I couldn't help but take a deep breath, smiling in contentment as it swirled around in my lungs.

  He tucked me into the charcoal gray sheets, and curled up behind me, being careful not to smash my wings, before kissing my shoulder. Then he slid his hand down my arm and rested it protectively on my hip. Exhaustion hit as soon as I snuggled back into him, despite the bit of coffee I'd managed to drink.

  And soon, I drifted to sleep… with thoughts of Easton’s devastated face haunting my dreams.

  It was dark when I opened my eyes to a cold, empty bed.

  I felt around for Bodie, but he was gone. My eyes blinked and squinted, trying to adjust to the minimal light, but the room was empty. I trained my ears, listening closely, and the faint sound of voices drifted in through the cracked bedroom door. Climbing out of bed, I tiptoed over, peering through the slit.

  Drake, Bodie, and Easton were in the living room.

  Drake paced around throwing his arms as he talked, Bodie sat on the couch rubbing his temples as he listened, and Easton sat on the other side of the couch staring blankly ahead. I couldn’t make out any words or phrases at first, but I had a feeling they were talking about me. Or at least, shit involved with my kidnapping and their future plans. Whatever the hell they were.

  I watched and listened harder, my brain working overtime to add up whispers, body language, and the moving of their lips into something decipherable, and finally I started making things out.

  "I don’t give a shit what Larry says," Drake hissed. "The mate bond can’t be real. If it was just Bodie? Maybe. But Easton, too?" He shook his head and ran a hand through his ebony hair. "Bears and wolves don’t share fucking mates!"

  "But dragons do!" Bodie said. "So, it’s not unheard of for shifters—"

  "You aren’t fucking dragons!" Drake shouted.

  The other two immediately shushed him as he paced frantically.

  My heart pounded like the soundtrack of an action movie. Hope and elation filled me, and I had to mentally slap myself in order to beat those emotions back down. I shouldn’t be happy that one of them was smitten with me, let alone two. That was just plain stupid of me. I should have turned around and tried to sneak out a window. But I was desperate to hear what the hell was going on. What the connection between Easton and Bodie and I might be if it wasn’t a damn mate bond.

  "It’s not real," Drake repeated softly.

  Easton paused at Drake’s words, sitting up to stare at Bodie with a nervous expression. Bodie glanced right back, his face still, blank, and questioning. His green eyes looked uncertain.

  And just like that, the elation that filled me like a misguided hot air balloon, popped and leaked out in waves of what almost felt like… hurt.

  Fucking Bodie, I thought shaking my head snidely. He almost had me convinced. But even he wasn’t sure, apparently.

  I turned away from the door and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. That’s when I heard a gentle tapping on my window. It was so soft, it could have been the pitter patter of raindrops, but there weren’t any clouds in sight, no wispy edges shimmering in the light of the moon.

  I took one last glance over my shoulder and out through the cracked door—gazing out at the two men I’d almost thought I liked—before moving toward the glass pane. Oh shit! Someone was out there, crouched on the ledge. A person in a black trench coat, whose feet turned out toward the street as they edged along the exterior windowsill.

  Adrenaline immediately punched me in the chest and I took up a fighting stance. I didn’t yell for the guys. It might have been because I was furious with them or because Drake had stolen my heroic win and mate bond and I was more likely to kill him than any attacker. But it was also partially because I was curious. Who was coming after Bodie? My… whatever he was. My hackles rose at the thought of someone hurting him. Or Easton. Bodie had said he’d never brought anyone here. And he hadn’t even been on the Mage Police radar. So, who knew about him?

  The figure’s thick hand moved along the top of the window. A man. He slowly pivoted. Wind tugged at his jacket, reminding me that he was three stories up and balancing on a damned ledge. One wrong move and this hair-brained idiot would find himself lying in the Southern California Hospital in a full body cast. Or worse. If the shifters in the other room got to him, I was sure it would be worse. I waited curiously as the stranger crouched cautiously in order to pull up the window.

  I was stunned by who I saw.

  I ran forward and pushed the glass the rest of the way up myself. "Triton!"

  His jaw dropped like he was surprised to see me. But then he grinned. The wind picked up and his normally perfect hair whipped in the breeze. "Aubs."

  He looked like he was halfway to the madhouse as the cold moonlight reflected in his wide blue eyes. His carefully trimmed beard had grown out some and the stale scent of smoke c
lung to his partially unbuttoned shirt. He had bags under his eyes, like he hadn’t slept.

  The relief in his tone was welcoming. "I found you! I can’t believe it."

  "You’ve been looking for me?" I asked, emotion clogging my throat and eyes. I couldn't help but feel uplifted. More than uplifted. Buoyed. Floating. After feeling so alone, abandoned by my parents, tossed aside by the Mage Council, it was such a momentous thing to realize that not everyone had given up on me. Someone had been looking for me all this time. Someone, at least, cared. My best friend hadn’t given up.

  "Is anyone else in here?" Trite said. "Where are those assholes who took you?"

  "Shh," I warned, leaning closer to him. "They’re in the living room. If we want to get away, now is the only chance."

  Trite’s eyes dilated as he peered toward the bedroom door, as if he could see through walls and determine who my kidnappers were, as if he could attack them with his mind alone.

  "Who is it?"

  I shook my head, recognizing the brutal look on his face. Triton wanted to fight. But he was too exhausted. He’d obviously been up all night. "There are three of them. And I don’t have any of my powers."

  His gaze flicked over to me and his eyes widened. He shook his head. "Shifter scum. Always out to steal other people’s magic. Okay, let’s get you out of here." Trite waved his hand in a circular motion that told me to hurry the fuck up. "We have to leave before they realize what's going on."

  For some fucked up reason, I hesitated. Biting my lip, I glanced back at the door yet again.

  My ma—No, Bodie was waiting beyond that thin strip of door. He'd feel it if I left—thanks to that fake-assed mate bond—and he'd be after us in an instant. My chances of escape were slim to none, if escape was even possible at all.

  Beyond the probability and statistics… there was a muted pain in my chest at the very thought of leaving him and Easton behind—Drake could go fuck himself. My heart didn't want to go. But my parents had long ago taught me to mute my heart. My mind was stronger.

  Go, Aubry, I pep talked myself. These men aren’t your mates, they’re your captors. You're not falling in love with one or the other, you're just drunk on a delusional cocktail made of Stockholm Syndrome and mage magic. Drake’s right. This connection isn’t real. And if it is, they still fucking kidnapped you! Now, take the fucking blinders off, and be the badass bitch you know you are.

  I took the deepest breath I could manage, fingers twitching as my body still fought against my mental argument to leave. But finally, I threw a leg out over the sill.

  "We have to hurry," I told Trite in a harried whisper. "They'll know the moment I'm gone, and I don't have the use of my wings, glamour, or fire right now."

  His eyes went wide, and his brows furrowed. "Jesus, what'd they do to you?"

  "Nothing. I'll tell you later. Just get the fuck moving."

  Before I change my mind.

  We scooted along the ledge, our backs and palms pressed firmly into the siding of the apartment building, until we came across a fire escape ladder. Triton climbed on, then helped me over, and the two of us shuffled down the stairs as quickly and quietly as we could. My freaking heart was beating louder than the gentle ting of the metal steps against Trite’s feet. My own were still bare, and I felt every tiny rough edge that fire escape had.

  Trite glanced back to check on me when he reached the bottom. "My car's parked a block down the street, as soon as we get there, we'll be golden."

  He didn’t offer to use portal magic, which surprised me. The Mage Council was able to monitor the whole world by travelling instantly with Portal Potions, which allowed the user to go anywhere they’d previously been. But… maybe he wasn’t authorized to use one. Maybe I didn’t rate that kind of magic. I probably didn’t, considering my parents had publicly fired me, probably at the Mage Council’s request. They were little mage puppets. Always had been.

  I studied Trite’s face again. Was he supposed to find me? Was everything on TV a front? Was that all just to strip Drake of negotiating power so that Trite could perform a behind the scenes rescue? Was he taking me back to my parents? A million questions flew through my head as I followed my best friend toward his fancy-ass car.

  The government made sure that MP cars were bullet-proof, magic-proof, and shifter-proof. If we made it inside, Bodie would be helpless to stop me from peeling away, leaving nothing more than a tire burn on the road as well as his heart.

  Again, my chest ached at the thought.

  Please, Aubry, don't leave him, my feeble heart begged. My pussy joined in on the pathetic pleading, and somewhere deep inside, my soul even nodded her agreement.

  You shut your whore-mouths, my brain snapped back. Leaving that wolf behind is nothing our dino dildo can't fix.

  My other body parts were not amused, nor convinced.

  Neither was my brain, if I was being honest.

  I'd taken less than five running strides toward Triton’s car when a familiar voice cut through the night like a hot knife through butter, instantly halting me in my tracks.

  "Going somewhere, little Butterfly?"

  My heart trilled at the top of her lungs like a fucking opera singer as Bodie's voice filled the air around me and infiltrated my system.

  Triton spun around, prepared to fight Bodie, and immediately came face-first with a hard-knuckled fist. Trite dropped like a sandbag, all the air whooshing out of his lungs as he gasped on the ground.

  I sighed and rolled my eyes.

  He's a council member, Aubs, I reminded myself. He can only spar with you because you’ve done it since Mag-Sorgin days. In a real fight Trite’s actually a bit of a pussy. Also in the fine print.

  My lips parted, but I didn't know what to say. What the hell could I say?

  "Bodie, I—"

  "Don't." The word was harsh and raw, spoken through gritted teeth and a thick veil of emotion. If I didn't know any better, I might worry he was on the verge of tears.

  "Aubry," Triton gasped, once he was finally able to breathe. He held up a small glass ball full of pink and purple swirling magic. A Portal Potion. So he did fucking have one. "I'll come back for you."

  "The fuck you will," Bodie growled, launching at my old friend just as the mage slammed the potion to the ground. The glass shattered and Trite disappeared in a puff of sweet-smelling purple smoke.

  While the smoke still lingered, I got the urge to run. But, the next thing I knew, rough hands had clamped around my shoulders, fingers digging painfully into my flesh as I was yanked down the street. Adrenaline spiked for just a moment, followed by arousal, and a quick mental slap to the face.

  This is not sexy time! my brain screamed at my vagina in frustration.

  Drake's menacing voice echoed through my skull as his harsh breath skimmed my ear.

  "You just made a big mistake, little fly."

  17

  Aubry

  Anger like I’d never felt boiled through my veins as Drake dragged me out of there.

  I was two seconds away from freedom. Two seconds, and this fucking firebreathing tadpole had torn it away. The anger was quickly followed by despair as Drake shifted. There was no way I was escaping now.

  The hands gripping my shoulders turned into black claws. He pulled me tighter to his chest and leapt into the sky, jerking my body up like a yo-yo handled by a toddler. He obviously didn’t carry people often. He flew away from Bodie without a word, just up, and then right through the smoke of the diminishing fires in order to hide us from view. Larry’s spell, whatever it was that Drake had mentioned, was working to stop the flames, thank fuck.

  Before my entire view was eclipsed by grey smoke, I looked down over the streets of Skid Row and thought I saw a blond head. My heart clenched. But I honestly didn’t think it was Easton; he hadn’t followed the other two outside as far as I knew. It was just ridiculous, wishful thinking on my part.

  But then I questioned myself. Why was I even wishing I saw him? What the fuck? I had
been this close to freedom, this close to never seeing them again…

  My heart punched me painfully. Not a knockout blow, but the kind that made me see red around the edges of my vision.

  Or maybe that was just a lack of oxygen due to our height?

  If Bodie and I actually had a mate bond… Did I believe in that now? That the wolf man and I were mates? Drake said no. But what other explanation was there for why I hadn’t wanted to escape? For why it had been so hard?

  Based on Larry’s constant need to redo spells, I had to assume he was some kind of shit mage—Trite never had to redo spells that often. I hadn’t heard or seen anything from ‘Larry the Ethical’ that would lead me to believe his spells were consistently renewing some ridiculous love spell.

  I doubted he’d even have the power to pull something that big off. Trite had told me once that he’d tried a Love Spell—just for shits and giggles—but it hadn’t worked… and Trite was on the fucking Mage Council. So, if he couldn’t get a Love Spell to work, the chances of Larry being successful were… none. Just none. There was no fucking way that Larry had done this to me.

  I’d done it to myself.

  With both Easton and Bodie. Why the hell had I become addicted to assholes over the years? Why was I so attracted to them? Why was I attracted to Easton even when I thought that my connection with Bodie might be a real mate bond?

  Those were questions I didn’t understand or have any answers to…

  Fae rarely got mate bonds. Our loyalties were too fickle. Our natures were so fierce that it was hard to find someone we could trust.

  Shifters, on the other hand, were loyal first and fierce second… and maybe I admired that a little. Their sense of pack. Maybe I wanted that. Maybe that desire had sparked this wannabe mate bond or whatever it was and this attraction to Easton. Maybe that’s what had drawn me to them, and now left me confused, heartbroken, and angry even.

  I’d wanted to leave with Trite. A huge part of me longed to escape and go back to the known and the safety of order and predictability. But another part of me had wept. Because I’d tried to leave and Bodie knew it.