by Lynn Hagen
Hilton joined Johnny, Cecil, and Blair at the diner for dinner. After head examinations, treatment, and a thorough warning to both young men, Dr. Sheehan had released Dexter and Terry. After that, the day had dragged by.
Hilton had felt Jaden’s presence on and off the entire day, but his mate had never once revealed himself. He wasn’t sure if it was comforting knowing Jaden had stayed so close, watching for any threat, or if the attention was creepy because Jaden had stayed hidden the entire time.
“Did you tell them?” Johnny bounced in his seat before Tangee came over and took their orders. Hilton settled for the house salad and lemon water. Cecil, Blair, and Johnny ordered as if they didn’t have to worry about their caloric intake or dying of a heart attack from the amount of grease in their burgers.
They didn’t have to worry, but for Hilton, old habits died hard. He’d grown up in a community of bunny shifters, and eating a healthy diet was ingrained in him.
“No wonder you’re so skinny,” Blair teased. “Do you ever eat meat?”
“Why would I eat animal flesh?” Hilton crinkled his nose. “The thought is disgusting.”
“When you put it like that,” Cecil said, “yeah, it sounds nasty as hell, but I’m still going to enjoy my burger.”
“Tell us what?” Blair asked Johnny.
“Who Hilton is mated to. Duh.”
There were times when Hilton wondered about Johnny. Cecil and Blair clearly had no clue what he was going on about. He hadn’t talked to either of them since finding out who Jaden was to Hilton.
“You’re mated?” Cecil’s brows shot up before a wicked smile surfaced. “We have to celebrate.”
“Uh, no.” Hilton had heard about how Cecil “celebrated” things and Hilton wasn’t into fighting demons or going to strip clubs. Cecil might look like an angel, but Hilton had heard how devilish the human could be.
“Oh, come on,” Cecil needled him. “You only get mated once.”
Thankfully. Jaden was all Hilton could handle. He couldn’t see having another mate in the mix. “We can celebrate with this dinner,” Hilton said.
Blair nudged Cecil’s arm. “We’ll go out later and celebrate for him.”
Troublemakers. Hilton smiled. “Let me know how much fun I had.”
Johnny snickered as Blair grinned.
“So who’re you mated to?” Cecil grabbed his soda and took a long drink. The ice clinked as he slowly sucked the liquid away.
“That stuff’ll rot your teeth,” Hilton pointed out.
“But it tastes so good.” Cecil winked at him. “And stop avoiding the question.”
“He’s mated to Death,” Johnny whispered across the table, cupping the side of his mouth with his hand. “You know, Jaden.”
“No shit.” Cecil’s mahogany brows shot upward again.
“Wow.” Blair just blinked at him.
“On second thought,” Cecil said, pushing his glass away, “I think we’ll leave you behind when we go party. I’m brave and all, and not a lot scares me, but no way in hell am I getting Jaden mad at me.”
“Not a chance in hell,” Blair said. “He’s Death. When he gets pissed, bodies drop.”
“In fact,” Cecil said as he pushed Blair from the booth. Both men stood. Cecil pulled out his wallet and dropped some money on the table. “Dinner is on me. Have fun and nice knowing you.”
“Pussies,” Hilton called after them as Cecil and Blair strode from the diner. He looked at Johnny, who was slurping at his soda as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “You’re not afraid?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
“’Cause Hawk’ll kick Jaden’s butt if he lays one hand on me.” He beamed at Hilton.
Hilton chuckled. “You’re adorable.”
“Thanks.” Johnny grinned when Tangee brought their food to the table.
Tangee frowned. “Where’re Cecil and Blair?”
“Running for the hills,” Johnny said. “But I’ll take their food. Just box it. I can give it to Hawk when he picks me up.”
Hilton dug into his salad. He was enjoying his meal and Johnny’s company when a stranger slid into the seat across from them and smiled.
Johnny and Hilton looked at each other before Hilton turned to the stranger. “Can I help you?”
The stranger with slicked-back hair, large brown eyes, and a full beard smiled again. Hilton’s insides clenched. It wasn’t a pretty smile. In fact, it was downright scary.
“Oh, I’m betting on it,” the man said before he grabbed Hilton and Johnny’s wrists and they disappeared.
* * * *
Hawk had just pulled up to the diner and got out of his car when Tangee ran outside, looking flushed and panicked.
“Someone just kidnapped Hilton and Johnny!”
Hawk spun, looking up and down the streets.
“No, he didn’t force them from the diner,” Tangee said. “He grabbed them and just vanished.”
Hawk’s heart felt as if it would give out at any second. “Do you know who it was?”
Tangee shook his head. “No. I didn’t recognize him.”
Hawk had no idea where to begin searching. Panic and rage settled into his stomach. He’d pulled his phone out, ready to call Maverick when Jaden appeared in front of him.
Tangee’s eyes widened and he took a step back. He looked between Hawk and Jaden before hurrying back inside.
“I don’t feel Hilton,” Jaden said. “It’s as if he’s vanished off the face of the planet.”
Hawk curled his fingers around his phone. “And Johnny is with him. You better use every trick up your sleeve to find my mate, or so help me….”
Jaden narrowed his eyes. If Hawk hadn’t been so afraid and angry, that look might’ve scared him.
“Do not threaten me, wolf.” Jaden bared his fangs. “I’ll find whoever took them, mark my word. And when I do—” Jaden disappeared before he finished his threat, leaving Hawk standing there on the sidewalk seething.
* * * *
Hilton knew where they were. The demon realm. He also knew that not too long ago the demon warriors had nearly died by Jericho James’s hands.
Where were they now when Hilton and Johnny needed them?
“Don’t you push me,” Johnny said as the man led them into a dilapidated building. “I’m a godfather. I’ll have you whacked!”
Hilton had a massive headache. If the situation weren’t so dire, he would’ve laughed at Johnny’s threat.
“Shut up and move along,” the stranger growled.
He led them farther into the building and into a room filled with bodyguards who looked every bit the part, from their black suits and their muscled bodies down to their mean expressions.
“Top floor,” the stranger said.
Hilton and Johnny climbed the stairs. Hilton felt as though they were walking to their doom. His body was tight with fear and his heart pounded as the man led them upward. His pulse thrashed in his ears as he passed a salivating hellhound that snapped its sharp teeth at them. The hound’s hot breath rolled along Hilton’s arm.
“Hawk’ll get us out of this,” Johnny whispered. He grabbed Hilton’s forearm as he stared wide-eyed at the hound. “I hope.”
So did Hilton.
A hush hung in the air of the tomblike hallway, and the only sounds Hilton could hear where their footsteps. Hilton trembled as they reached the top floor.
“Jaden,” Hilton said under his breath, but his mate didn’t appear.
The stranger spoke from behind them. “That won’t work, Bunny. These walls have some pretty heavy mojo protecting them. Death won’t be able to save you.”
“I take it back. I’m not so optimistic that we’ll get out of this,” Johnny said, looking downright terrified. Hilton knew the feeling.
They stopped in front of a door, and the stranger knocked, his beefy hand making the door tremble. Someone on the other side called for them to enter.
Hilton grabbed Johnny’s hand as th
e door swung inward.
Chapter Seven
Gabriel headed home, cutting through a part of Serenity City that was sketchy as hell. He was still getting used to living there full-time, but he hadn’t regretted a single moment with Roxy. He’d live in the bowels of hell if that was where his mate wanted to live.
Besides, the demon realm wasn’t that bad. Gabriel already had routines, like going to the movies and hanging out at Roxy’s new hair salon. They’d even become regulars at Malcor’s Melting Pot. Gabriel got in a game of basketball at least twice a week at the park and had gotten a job bouncing at Diablo’s.
Life was pretty good.
He rounded a corner and came to a hard stop at the sight of a man taking Johnny and Hilton into a run-down building. He’d visited Brac Village enough times to know who they were.
Why were Johnny and Hilton in the demon realm being escorted by a thug?
Gabriel had to find out what was going on. Although he didn’t know Hawk too well, he refused to allow anything to happen to the human and bunny shifter. He knew that building. Mr. Ezra conducted his business there, and the demon was one nasty piece of work. Gabriel had run into his men before, and it hadn’t been pretty.
Gabriel changed direction and walked past the demons and hellhounds standing out front, covertly checking all exits and windows. He couldn’t possibly rescue the two on his own.
From what he’d heard, Mr. Ezra ruled with an iron fist. If Gabriel was found trying to rescue them, he could only pray he would die a quick death. Hopefully no one caught on to what he was doing.
He slid down the alley before pulling his phone out and sending Kota a quick text, giving Johnny’s location. Gabriel had no idea why Mr. Ezra wanted Johnny and Hilton, but they’d looked about as criminal as two puppies tearing apart a pillow.
As Gabriel tucked his phone away, one of the hellhounds from out front came around the corner. His chilling smirk promised Gabriel pain.
“Someone is being a naughty boy,” the guy said.
Gabriel rolled his shoulders, readying himself. “Then try and spank me, motherfucker.”
* * * *
Jaden heard Hilton whispering his name, but he couldn’t get a lock on Hilton’s location. He had no idea where to even begin searching for his mate.
Jaden stood in the park across the street from the diner, invisible to everyone around him. He closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and opened his mind.
He could barely concentrate with so much rage emanating from him, but he forced the anger away, forced it to bleed from his fingers as he searched for Hilton’s soul.
Millions of voices cried out to him, screamed for him, begged for his wrath. Jaden’s skull felt as if it would explode. He used a technique Panahasi had recently shown him. Jaden envisioned a dial and mentally fought to turn it until the voices were mere background noise.
Next, he thought of Hilton’s beautiful smile, his light laughter, his scent, and the way he nibbled on his carrots as he flipped through his magazines while sitting behind his desk. He filled himself up with Hilton until that was all Jaden saw.
His heart ached to feel Hilton’s arms around him again. His body burned to have Hilton under him, crying out his name. Jaden lost his concentration as his chest tightened and his stomach tied into a thousand coiled knots.
He remembered Panahasi telling him once that what Jaden felt for Hilton was love. Jaden had denied it at the time, not believing he was capable of the feeling such a thing. But as he thought of the little bunny shifter, he began to think that maybe, just maybe, his feelings could be love.
A voice whispered through Jaden’s mind. The demon realm.
It was Panahasi.
With a snap of his fingers, Jaden was outside the demon warriors’ apartment building. Before he could call Panahasi, his brother appeared next to him.
“Where is he?” Jaden growled.
“I don’t have him,” Panahasi said with a scowl. “But I know where he is. I just got a call from Gabriel.”
“Who?” Jaden’s anger rose higher and higher. “Is he the one who took my—the bunny nurse?”
He still wasn’t going to admit to Panahasi that Hilton was his mate. In truth, Jaden feared that if he said those words to another living soul, more enemies would come out of the woodwork.
Like that theory hasn’t been blown out of the water. Someone already has your mate.
“Just tell me where he is,” Jaden said through gritted teeth. He had to calm down. If his anger got the best of him, he could inadvertently kill this entire city.
Jaden was many things—many of them not nice—but he had never harmed an innocent and he wasn’t going to start now.
“Even better,” Panahasi said. “I’ll show you.”
* * * *
“So.” Hilton sat on the couch, strumming his fingers against his knees. “Is anyone going to tell us why we’re here?”
For the past hour the man behind the desk had made numerous calls while Hilton and Johnny sat on a leather sofa, doing nothing. They hadn’t been mistreated. In fact, the man on the phone had done his best not to look their way.
Hilton didn’t understand what was going on. Jaden had said he had enemies who would try to either hurt Hilton or use him as a bargaining chip. Since Phone Man hadn’t touched them, Hilton was guessing a bargaining chip in this case.
“Can I go now?” Johnny complained.
Phone Man cut a glare at him but kept talking on the phone.
“That’s rude,” Johnny huffed. “Would you keep ignoring us if we got our butts up and left?” He stood, but the guard standing by the door gave a quick shake of his head.
Johnny dropped back down. “I’m bored. Bored, bored, bored.”
“I think I’d rather have that guy keep ignoring us until we can figure a way out of this.”
“He does look scary,” Johnny whispered. “You didn’t date him and try to bend his arm, did you?”
“I told you that wasn’t me,” Hilton argued. “I don’t know what happened to Chip.”
“Chuck.”
“Whatever.” Hilton slouched on the sofa. He’d already scanned the room twice and still couldn’t figure a way out of there. Then again, looking through the window at the derelict streets, Hilton wasn’t too sure he wanted to go out there.
He knew they were in the demon realm. He just didn’t know what part. If they weren’t in Serenity City, their best bet was to stay put until someone figured out where they were.
Hilton slid his hand over the leather couch and realized he was just as bored as Johnny. He was used to moving around, doing things, not sitting on his butt while being held prisoner. Hilton wasn’t even sure how long they’d been sitting there. There was no sunset in the demon realm, nothing to indicate the passage of time except the clock on his phone—and Phone Man had taken Hilton’s from him.
“Are we gonna be served some grub?” Johnny asked, breaking the silence. “I didn’t get a chance to eat at the diner.”
Phone Man finally turned toward them. He set his phone down and glared at Johnny. “And what would you care for?” His tone was pure sarcasm. Hilton didn’t believe in using fists to solve problems, but he definitely wanted to pop the guy in the mouth.
“You wouldn’t happen to have a sandwich shop around here, would you?” Johnny asked, apparently unfazed by Phone Man’s menacing stare. “But I’ll take a tea, or even water, instead of soda. My stomach feels a little bubbly.”
“I’ll be sure to get on that right away.” Phone Man stood and exited the room, his guards filing out behind him.
“You know he’s not gonna get your sandwich, right?” Hilton stood and starting searched the room, hoping to find a lever to pull or a hidden staircase behind one of the walls. “And even if he did bring you some food, I’m not sure you should eat it.”
Johnny snorted as he stood. “I know better than to take candy from strangers. Or a sandwich in this case."
If only Hilton had his phone.
Johnny went to the window and tugged at the frame, but it wouldn’t budge. “How long do you think we’ll have if I break this window?”
Hilton peered through the glass down to the street below. “Even if we managed to jump before anyone came into the room, we’d break something hitting the ground. Like our necks.”
“Well, we can’t just sit around,” Johnny said.
Hilton heard the worry in the man’s voice. Hilton was worried, too. So far Phone Man hadn’t done anything to them, but that could change in a heartbeat. He didn’t want to stick around to find out why they’d been taken.
“I want Hawk.” Johnny dropped onto the leather couch.
Hilton wanted Jaden. As much as he questioned being with Jaden, as much as the life the man led scared Hilton, his body ached for his mate to hold him. He recalled the first conversation they’d had. Jaden had admitted he scared people whether he wanted to or not. He had a sadness about him, too.
The door opened and Phone Man returned, carrying a walking stick. He wore a deep scowl as he went to the window and glanced outside. “Looks like the show is about to begin.”
“What show?” Johnny asked. "Can I get some popcorn?"
Hilton would’ve gone to the window to see for himself, but that would’ve meant getting close to the demon. He’d rather keep as much distance between them as possible.
The demon turned his head, a wicked smile on his face. “He’ll either meet my demands, or you will suffer.”
Hilton took a step back. “What’re talking about?”
Phone Man waved a hand to encompass the room. “This building is protected by ancient spells. He won’t be able to get inside. He won’t be able to get to you. Either Jaden bows to what I want, or I’ll let him watch me tear you apart right here at this window.”
“You’re not touching him!” Johnny jumped from the couch and moved in front of Hilton.
A knock sounded on the door. Hilton swallowed as a large hellhound stepped inside. “Jaden is outside, Mr. Ezra. He’s demanding you return Hilton and Johnny to him.”