Dragon's Challenge

by Jasmine Wylder

  She booted up a computer, the silence of the big room making her nerves jangle. But when the computer was up and she’d logged in, she was able to find what she needed soon enough. Over the past few hours since their jailbreak, she had received updates from several of her sources.

  Liam, Eugene, and Patrick had all been moved to more secure facilities. There were bounties on Adam’s and Evan’s heads now. An arrest warrant was issued for Karey.

  And the bounty on her head had been changed to dead or alive.

  Chapter Nine

  The air mattress that Maura had retrieved from the first place they’d stayed was better than laying on the cold, hard floor. Stephen tried to sleep, knowing the more rest he got, the quicker he’d heal. He briefly thought, once, how the endorphins from an orgasm would help him heal even faster, but he was in no shape for sex—the pain alone made him grimace just thinking about it—and even if he were, it wasn’t like he had options here. Taking care of himself was also not an option, partly because of his injuries and partly because it wasn’t like he had privacy here.

  Erica and Karey took turns watching over him while Maura snuck into the cafeteria to steal more food. She also brought a pillow and two blankets from a lounge, explaining how these things went missing all the time and nobody would think much about it.

  “I’ll be glad when this is all over,” Erica grumbled as she cleaned a spot on his hip that had gotten infected. “The problem is that with a dragon, once their immune systems crash, they’re open to all sorts of nasty things.”

  By this time, Adam and Evan had returned. They had brought a couple more air mattresses, too, and so Adam and Karey were spooning on one in a sleeping bag while Evan, taking a flashlight, went to explore the tunnel they were in. He said and Stephen agreed, they needed to know more about their location. If they were discovered, they needed a way to defend themselves.

  “When I was on blockers, I didn’t get sick,” Adam rumbled.

  “Blockers repress your fires and they’re not so closely linked to your immune system.” She looked up, and Stephen risked a glance down. His hip was swollen and red and the stuff she’d been using to blot up the infection was a sickly yellow-red with pus. His stomach churned, and he looked away again. Erica glanced at his face and got back to work. “It’s a complicated system. Not a lot of research has gone into dragon’s unique functions. Most is focused on your fires and that trick you guys have of not getting naked with your shifts.”

  Stephen nodded and murmured, “Not much that can actually help us.”

  “Exactly.”

  Adam snorted.

  Hours passed. Stephen dozed fitfully, pulled under by the morphine. He woke to pain shooting through his body, to find Erica cleaning out a new spot of infection, while Karey reapplied the honey and bandages on the upper parts of his side. Another shot of morphine helped him relax again, although the pain was still too strong for him to sink back into sleep.

  When he woke again, it was just him and Adam in the cold tunnel. His fires felt a little stronger, so he wasn’t quite so frozen. When he stretched his leg, it didn’t send shockwaves of pain up his side, so he risked sitting.

  “Hold on,” Adam said, leaning over to grab his shoulder. “Don’t get up, you’re not supposed to move around.”

  “How long have I been out?” Stephen stretched his back. “My spine is all kinky and not in the good way.”

  Adam huffed, rolled his eyes and released him. “We’ve been down here for almost a week now. You kept getting infections. You had us all worried here, Stephen. It’s not natural that it’d take you that long to get over some stupid burns.”

  “Well, it’s not like I was deliberately stopping myself from healing.”

  “No? Are you sure?” Despite the worry in Adam’s eyes, he smirked. “Or were you hoping from some extra attention from a Dr. Maura Rizzoli?”

  “Well, if I was conscious enough to enjoy her attention, maybe.” Stephen looked away. This was the first time he and Adam had been really alone together since Adam had clonked him over the head and took him prisoner in an attempt to free Karey from her situation. The first time since he’d confessed to having a crush on Adam. “You know it’s not like that with me, right? I don’t want to take advantage of people.”

  “I know.”

  Stephen grimaced. “I also know I go too far sometimes, and I don’t realize it and—”

  “Stephen. I know.” Adam sighed. “I also know that when you’re told you’re going too far you pull back, stop doing what it is that you’re doing and try your best to make amends. Look, I’m not going to pretend to know what it’s like for you,” he continued, retrieving a couple of water bottles. “But I do know how media likes to portray bi men. And nobody thinks that about you. I always thought you made those sex jokes to overcompensate for the fact that you never got any.”

  This was uncomfortable and Stephen laughed nervously. “We don’t need to talk about it.”

  “Right. Well. I just…” Adam shrugged. “I don’t know what I’m saying.”

  “It’s fine. We said we were good before and as long as we’re still good—”

  “We are. I just wanted to ask… Anything happening between you and Maura?” A wicked gleam came to Adam’s eyes. “I mean, you’ve been out on the run together for some time. And in close quarters. She’s not your boss anymore and—”

  Stephen held up his hand, stopping the teasing. “And it would be inappropriate. Besides, she doesn’t think that way about me.”

  Adam gave him a doubtful look. “Have you asked her?”

  “The situation being what it is—”

  “Don’t try to say that it’s not the time to be thinking about this sort of thing, Stephen.”

  “It’s not.”

  Adam snorted as he ripped the label off his water bottle and tossed it into Stephen’s face. “Come on, man. Don’t be an idiot here. So what if the timing is weird? The situation being what it is, means that now is the only time to talk about this with her. You let her slip away a year ago because you didn’t tell her how you felt. Don’t keep denying yourself companionship because you think it’s inherently predatory to be a bi man and have sexual desires.”

  “I… don’t.” Stephen blushed as he looked away.

  The truth of the matter was, it was something he struggled with. During his teen years, it had been really bad. Now that he was older and more experienced, he realized that having feelings was normal. That didn’t mean he didn’t overthink things from time to time. It was just all so confusing, to have grown up with certain expectations and then realize you don’t quite fit in them.

  Even now that he more or less owned his sexuality, he had times when he panicked that because he wanted to kiss that woman or this man, it meant that there was something fundamentally wrong with him. Ironic, considering that so much of the media about shifters that had been thrown at him since the time he was a kid was that they were supposed to be completely obsessive about sex—just not this way.

  Adam clasped his hands together. “Look, obviously as a straight man, I don’t know what it’s been like for you. And I know I’ve gone off on you sometimes. That whole porn stash debacle, for instance.”

  Stephen flushed vividly red and turned away. That still made guilt tie his stomach into knots. It had been so beyond inappropriate, and he should have known that.

  A light punch on his arm brought him back to himself. “And that’s all forgiven. I know that you regret it. I know that you didn’t mean anything by it, and I know that it’s not something you’re going to do again. So, we’re all good. But I just want to give you the same advice I’d give any of the guys. Don’t wait until it’s too late. You’re the first one in the team to have a chance at an actual proper relationship. If you don’t remember, the rest of us all went off the deep end for traitors and enemy agents.”

  He chuckled, shaking his head, and Stephen managed a smile. It was true. The Blaze Ops had a very strange record when i
t came to romantic relationships. Maura and he would be the least problematic of them all.

  “So what you’re saying is I should tell her before shit hits the fan again?”

  Adam nodded. “Exactly. And if you want, I can try to arrange it later. Give you two some privacy. Erica has been complaining about wanting new clothes, after all.”

  Both of them lapsed into silence. Stephen had to wonder how the lioness was holding up, as she was a prisoner here. They all used to be work colleagues and Erica and Karey had been good friends. That question was put on hold, though, as the others came back just then. Apparently, they’d been gone to the tunnels outside this one to make a bathroom area, only to find an outhouse.

  “Wonder what it’s there for,” Karey mused as she sat at Adam’s side. “These tunnels are really weird.”

  Erica glared at Stephen. “You lie back down this minute. I didn’t say you could sit up. You’re going to tear your scar tissue open, and I won’t be the one to stitch you back up.”

  Stephen obediently lied back down, laughing to himself.

  ***

  Things were tense and weird for the next few days. Once Stephen’s burns stopped getting infected, he healed within a matter of hours, although there was faint scarring left behind. Erica made him do stretches and therapy every so often so his muscles wouldn’t seize up and then put him on all sorts of protein drinks. Adam procured some weights while Karey insisted on leading them all through yoga every day.

  The result was that, after another week of living in the tunnel, Stephen felt like his old self again. It would take time to regain his muscle mass, especially since he’d let it fall to the side after the Blaze Ops was shut down, but he’d get back to it. What worried him more was his mental state—he had this to focus on right now, but once it was resolved (one way or another) what was he going to do?

  I’ll get myself into therapy as soon as I’m not a wanted criminal, he told himself firmly.

  At the end of the week, Adam and Evan suggested they take Karey and Erica on a late-night ‘shopping’ trip. Neither Karey nor Erica were thrilled about the idea of stealing, although Karey understood the necessity of it.

  “We also have to figure out a new location to get to. People are going to figure out we’re operating near the Academy soon,” Maura said, her brow furrowed. “Stephen and I will try to figure something out while you’re gone.”

  “You could not tell me where you’re going and let me go back home when you leave,” Erica suggested. “You know, so you’re not a bunch of bloody kidnappers still? Stephen’s all healed up and whatever injuries you get from here on out, Karey can treat.”

  Maura sighed but nodded. “I will try to make it work, Erica. I’m sorry that it’s happened this way.”

  Erica nodded stiffly. They left and Stephen’s fires burned in a chaotic butterfly mess. Adam said he’d get him time to be alone with Maura and here it was. Only the timing was really bad. They were supposed to figure out where they could go hide, not talk about feelings…

  He swallowed as Maura pulled a map out and laid it on the floor. “Okay. So, I figure if we can get a few tents, then we will be able to make it work to go live in the mountains and have actual sunlight.”

  “Maura, I want to say something.”

  She looked up at him expectantly.

  Oh boy. Considering how much practice he had at this, it was ridiculous that he’d be nervous now. And yet he was! “I, uh… I know that the situation is crazy and that things are… really messed up right now, but I wanted to say something because even though the situation is messed up, I don’t know if I’ll ever have a chance to say this again.”

  Maura’s eyes widened.

  “The thing is… I’d really like to kiss you right now.”

  “I…” Maura blinked rapidly. Her cheeks turned a beguiling pink and she ducked her head. “Wow. I, uh, I guess I should have realized that. Maybe I was just trying not to… You see, the thing is… I’d like you to kiss me, too. Well, I’ll be honest. I’d love to do more than kissing.”

  Stephen’s heart leapt, and he held his breath. Even though his fires burned so hot that they almost hurt, even though he wanted to pull her into his arms right now.

  “But?” he prompted because she wouldn’t be avoiding his eye like she was if there wasn’t a but.

  “But the situation is so confusing. I’m scared, I feel lost. I don’t know if now is the time… I mean, you do have a point, it’s not like we’ll have a chance later. I just don’t want to do something like that just because I might not get a chance to later.” She looked up at him, chewing her lip. “Do you understand?”

  Stephen nodded. Disappointment hit him hard, but he did understand. Although it did feel good to say it… knowing that Maura did want him was something he could use to distract himself, without feeling guilty about wanting her.

  “Okay,” he said, bringing his attention to the map. “Let’s figure out where we can hide, then.”

  Chapter Ten

  Getting Patrick out of jail was the next priority. Even though every member of the team was important, Patrick was a Colonel. He had more contacts, more experience and as he was the first one arrested, it was clear he was the one whoever they were fighting was most afraid of.

  They hadn’t been able to figure out where Fiona was and hoped that she was on the run somewhere. There was very little news about her and no sign of her in the jail system. With her background, Maura knew she had the contacts to disappear if need be. If they got Patrick out, she’d be able to find them.

  Maura chewed her lip as she sat with Evan in a van parked on a logging road a few miles from the prison Patrick was being held in. Her breath was short with anticipation and nerves. It felt like all her nerves were on fire and her leopard paced, wishing it could be out there with Stephen and Adam instead of being stuck here with Evan.

  He needed a second pair of eyes on the screens, though. The security system that he was going to attempt to hack was far more complicated than the ones that the Blaze Ops were used to when dealing with the Pack. It was going to take all his concentration to get into the system and stay there. So Maura was responsible for feeding the other dragons information about where to go and where Patrick was being held.

  “Okay,” she murmured. “We’re going to be okay. Karey and Erica are at our new camp. They’re setting it up. They’ll have everything ready for when we’re done here.”

  Evan drummed his fingers against his knee, which was bouncing in anticipation. “They should have hooked us up by now.”

  Maura’s throat tightened. She tried not to let her worst fears get her, but images of Stephen laying surrounded in a pool of blood kept floating into her mind. And she’d told him that they shouldn’t do anything because of timing? If anything happened to him, it would haunt her for the rest of her life. Her hands clenched over her knees.

  They didn’t have the equipment that they’d had when the Blaze Ops were operating out of the Academy. They didn’t have cameras or gear or anything else to protect them should this go wrong. They had Evan’s homemade device to crack into the security feed of the prison and his laptop, along with some sort of device that enabled him to have a wireless internet connection.

  And then this van. One that they’d bought since they’d left behind the one they’d used to get Evan and Adam out of prison. It was beat-up, gross inside and out and the only thing they had been able to get with under-the-table money.

  A sudden pounding on the van door made them both jerk and gasp. Evan yanked up the gun he had while Maura fumbled with hers. Her heart pounded and a bitter taste rose in her throat.

  “Minty fresh,” Adam shouted from outside the van. “Minty fresh, now open up!”

  Relief washed over her. She yanked open the side door, already asking what had happened. Her voice got caught in her throat as Adam heaved a bleeding, hunched-over man into the van. Stephen was behind him with another man. He shoved him inside and raced to the front of t
he van. Within seconds, they were moving.

  “What happened?” Maura asked again as she grabbed the first aid kit.

  Evan crawled out of the way, laptop clutched to his chest.

  Adam ripped the orange jumpsuit off the one who was bleeding. “Stuff.”

  Maura glared at him in annoyance but got to work trying to stem the blood flow of one man while Adam turned to the other. As she cleaned the blood up and pressed a clean cloth to the wound, she realized it was a bullet. Her stomach churned as she glanced up at the man’s face.

  “Sly Yarbo?” she gasped.

  It wasn’t Patrick—neither was the other man. Both of them were members of the Howling Ops. Sly’s face twisted with pain as he let his head fall back. The other man was unconscious but didn’t seem to be bleeding.

  “What happened?” Maura demanded once again. “And don’t be cute about it this time!”

  Adam laid a blanket over the unconscious man before he returned to Sly, pressing his hands where Maura told him. “When we got to the prison, we saw that everything was on high alert. We figured that they realized we were coming. We went in anyway, thinking that maybe we’d be able to use the chaos to our advantage. Then we saw these two making a break for it.”

  “There was a stabbing in the prison yard,” Sly said, voice heavy with pain and clearly fighting to stay still. “Your man Patrick.”

  Maura’s heart jumped to her throat as Adam cursed.

  “Nah, he did the stabbing.” Sly chuckled weakly. “Then he caused a huge ruckus. I realized that it was our chance. It was just when they were supposed to be giving us new blockers, so I took a chance. Grabbed my boy here and busted out. It was reckless, but I’m not staying in a cage.”

  Maura bit back a series of curses. She knew she ought to be thrilled to have two of the Howling Ops back. They were well-trained. Smart. They needed everybody they could get on their side. But it was a sure bet that they weren’t going to be able to get Patrick now. Even if they were able to break into the jail again, even if they were able to pinpoint his location…