The safe house at Aberdeen was tucked into a sleepy corner of the same district as the airport. Normally I walked, but this time we took the bus to a corner two streets over. Lauren had gotten quiet during the flight from Wick. I could only hope it meant that she was coming to terms with the plan. It would be difficult enough to leave without her continuing to plead for me to concede to a different plan. That was . . .
Just the thought of Lauren’s distress made me ache to stay by her side as she asked. But, it was selfish and foolish. I simply could not do that to her. I glanced down at Lauren. She was using her crutches again, but still making good time. I needed to remind her to find a doctor to give her a walking boot when she reached the continent. It was too risky to linger anywhere in the UK or to go to another doctor here.
As we approached the safe house, I sensed watching eyes. Another glance at Lauren assured me she hadn’t noticed anything yet. Good. I found the key tucked inside a false brick and opened the door to reveal a darkened room.
I stepped across the threshold and shut the door behind us just before Lauren hissed, “Seven!”
Hands wrapped around my arm jerking me forward. Then I felt movement behind me, heard the thump of a crutch against the floor, before the hands holding onto me abruptly let go. “You little harpy in disguise! Do not hit me again!”
I found the light switch and flipped it on. Lauren slammed her crutch across the fool’s shoulders, a rather determined look in her dark eyes. I chuckled.
Lauren’s gaze jerked to me and for a moment I thought she might strike me with the crutch. “Why is this funny? I can’t let you kill him.”
“I wasn’t planning to kill him,” I stated simply as I turned my attention to the man being battered by a woman half his size. “Royal, stand up. You shouldn’t have tried that.”
Royal’s accent was more pronounced than mine as he gave Lauren a new assessing look while grumbling, “I didn’t know your little Spotter had enough heart for her to attack. To save you, it would seem.” He nodded to Lauren. “Miss Hope, it’s a pleasure. I’m Royal—”
“You’re the hunter from Inverness,” Lauren interjected, cutting off his introduction. Something that made me . . . glad. Then, she turned to me frowning. “Why is he here? Why are you treating him like he’s a friend now? You said you couldn’t trust him any more.”
“He’s the only other person I know of who will be able to keep you safe from the other hunters.” I turned to Royal. “We might have a day before hunters make their way to Aberdeen. You need to get her to the continent. I will make sure Weard is distracted. It should give you enough of a lead to make sure she’s safe and well hidden.”
“Hold on a moment,” Royal interrupted, raising his hand, as he looked at me more closely. “Has he been cold? Silent?”
“Yeeees,” Lauren drew the word out, her eyes narrowing as she watched Royal. Her grip on her crutch shifted, and I realized with some amusement that she was prepared to strike Royal again. What she hoped to accomplish by beating a dragon shifter about the shoulders, I wasn’t entirely certain. “Why do you care?”
Royal glanced at her and then he turned back to me raising his hands with a smirk. “Change of plans, Mathias.”
Lauren brought her crutch up and then swung it at him. I stopped it this time. “Enough, Lauren. It’s okay. I asked him to meet us here.” As Lauren lowered her crutch with obvious reluctance, I turned back to Royal and narrowed my gaze. “Which you agreed to do, if you recall.”
Royal shook his head. “That was before. This is now.”
“Now?”
“Now I’ve seen you, I know I can’t take over the protection detail. You are already connected to the girl. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be in such bad shape. I’m surprised you aren’t completely frozen already, trying to deny the fact that you are now a Myrmidon in dire need of a mate.”
* * *
Lauren
I looked between the men in bewilderment. The man was the same one who had been at Inverness rail station. The one who had decided to walk away. It was already confusing enough that Mathias had apparently contacted him to be my new protector, but this man had said ‘mate.’
Not knowing what else to do, I turned to Mathias. “What is he talking about? You said only distance could help your control now.”
“He’s trying to protect you,” the man, Royal, interjected. “Even though it is going to cost him his humanity and his life.”
“What?” I looked from Mathias to him and back to Mathias. “You said you were only going to try to distract Weard.”
“It’s too late for that,” Royal interjected again. “Mathias is most likely planning to go to Chicago where he intends to lose control and give in to the Myrmidon’s icy rage. Be another Achilles.”
“I won’t be like that undisciplined embarrassment,” Mathias stated frostily. “This is the only way.”
“He doesn’t seem to think so,” I stated bluntly. Despite the panic stirring at the fact I was arguing with two high numbers in the room, I couldn’t let Mathias do this. “I won’t stand by and watch you go on this suicidal mission, Mathias. Not when there is clearly another option.”
“It is too risky for you to stay with me.”
My voice shook as I met his cool gaze and hissed, “I don’t care! You lied to me about this and that is not acceptable. I want to know what the other options are to you throwing yourself on a funeral pyre built by Weard. After everything we have been through, I deserve that much from you, Mathias.”
Mathias’ mouth firmed into a line and he looked away.
I exhaled a shaky breath. “Fine. Be that way.” I turned to Royal. The man was watching me with surprising seriousness in his brown eyes. “You seem to know a lot about Mathias. You know he’s a Myrmidon. So you can tell me what the options are or I’ll hit you with my crutch again. And, I definitely won’t be flying anywhere with you.”
Royal’s brown eyes flickered to yellow with slit pupils. Definitely a dragon shifter. Then, his dark face split into a smile. “I see why this one got to you, Mathias.” His eyes changed back as his smile faded. “What our rare friend has failed to inform you of is the simple fact that he made an oath of protection. Now, his Myrmidon heritage demands he take a mate or succumb.”
“To this Biting Ice?”
Royal’s eyes flickered, and I knew I had surprised him. Then, he nodded. “If a Myrmidon binds himself with an oath of protection, then he needs to take a mate. Or he will die from exertion caused by a destructive rage, what they call Biting Ice, that will mete out justice in the coldest sense.”
My head drew back as I recalled the screams, the unanswered plea for mercy. My eyes went to Mathias. He was watching me now, but his expression was carefully blank and his gaze cold. Almost as though he were already preparing himself to be lost to the coldness. The thought made my heart hurt for him and the little voice in my mind screamed this was why smart Spotters didn’t get involved with high numbers.
So I wasn’t a smart Spotter. But, I cared. I turned back to Royal who was watching me closely. “You’ve witnessed just a taste of what will come if he succumbs.”
“I didn’t know the whole of it. I didn’t know he would die or go on a rampage.” The words fell from my lips like they were coated in the heaviest metal on earth. I shook my head as I ran my hand through my hair. Turning back to Mathias, my eyes burned with unshed tears as I hissed, “You shouldn’t have kept this from me. You said you would get better if there was distance. Why do you truly want to leave? Why do you truly want that distance?”
“To save you,” Mathias stated so quietly I almost didn’t hear him.
“Save me? From what?” When Mathias didn’t respond, I turned back to Royal. “What does he mean? What isn’t he telling me now?”
Royal glanced over at Mathias who was setting our go bags in the corner of the room. He ran a hand over his short cropped beard and then took off his flat cap to scratch the top of his head. When he turned bac
k to me, I raised my crutch. The normal fear of even considering threatening a high number had been buried by my need to figure out what Mathias was attempting to do and stop him from sacrificing himself unnecessarily. The dragon shifter only looked amused. However, his tone was completely serious when he broke his silence. “He wants distance because he doesn’t want you to fall victim too. And, you will. As will many other innocents, if Mathias doesn’t succeed in isolating himself so he only has to wait until his heart finally bursts or until someone manages to put him down but that is nearly impossible.”
“He’s planning to go to Chicago,” I whispered more to myself than to anyone else. My mind was already putting the pieces together, and I hated what I was seeing.
Royal’s voice was solemn when he answered, “Even this plan of his to unleash his rage on Weard Enterprises is precarious at best. Because he’s going to run into innocents, no matter where he goes. Even at headquarters you’re going to find innocents, Mathias.”
* * *
Chapter Fourteen
Mathias
The disapproval in Royal’s words reached me, but I refused to let them affect my determination. I avoided Lauren’s gaze entirely. “There’s a laundry on the premises if you want to use it, Lauren. I’m sure Royal will accommodate that need before you leave on your flight. Keep her out of France, Royal. Mediterranean or Eastern Europe would be better.”
“Mathias.”
I ignored Lauren’s quiet voice. Clearing my throat, I rubbed my temple. “You should probably leave before I do. Give me time to reach the States and be on the way to Chicago.”
“I won’t go with the girl,” Royal interrupted.
I turned on him. “You agreed. Or have you decided not to leave Weard after all?”
Royal folded his arms over his chest as he leaned against the wall. “Don’t threaten me, Myrmidon. You only got the drop on those oath breakers because they didn’t know what you were capable of and I do.”
“So you should know not to try to double cross me,” I stated coldly. “Lauren cannot stay anywhere in the United Kingdom, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland . . . none of it will be far enough away. She will be able to disappear if you take her east. Try to stay out of Turkey if you can. Weard will have hunters there no matter what I do.”
“Well, paranormals do have a tendency to flee to their homelands when hunted,” Royal murmured. “Perhaps that is why they’ve been able to track you here. Accents tend to give us away, don’t they?”
I scowled at him. “I didn’t have a choice. She got hurt, and I needed the pills to give me control.”
“They seem to be working quite well,” Royal countered.
I shook my head. “Dragons. Always so fickle and stubborn.”
“No more so than Myrmidons from where I’m standing,” he retorted mildly.
“That’s enough,” Lauren interjected. She turned to me, determination in her dark eyes. “Mathias, this conversation isn’t over. I want your word that you won’t leave until the three of us have agreed on a plan. One that doesn’t involve you self-destructing in Chicago.”
“Lauren, I can’t stay.”
“You should,” Royal chimed in. “Before I cut communications, a handler was ordering a full sweep of every airport in Scotland and England. It should start,” he checked his pocket watch, “now.”
Part of me wanted to risk it but if I went now, it would lead the hunters to concentrate on Aberdeen. And, they would find Lauren. I frowned and gave a curt nod. “I’ll stay until the sweep is finished.”
“I’ll go put on some tea,” Royal said before he strode to the back of the house.
I glanced at Lauren. “Do you want to use the laundry or the shower first?”
“Laundry.” She started to move away then paused, swinging around on her crutches, and fixed me in place with a steady look. Her voice was soft as she said, “You never should have kept that a secret. You should have let me make my own decisions, not try to make them for me and then lie so I wouldn’t have a chance to argue for a better way.”
I couldn’t think of a response and the disappointment in her gaze cut through even the cold. Shame washed over me, and I looked away from her. “I made the decisions that I felt would offer you the best protection.”
“But I should have a hand in making those decisions too, Mathias. I’m not someone who can’t think for herself. I’ve made the hard decisions before, and I’m prepared to make them again. But I can’t make them, if you try to take away everything except the one you’ve decided best meets your agenda.” Lauren thumped across the room, grabbed her go bag, and then continued on, no doubt to find the laundry.
“Lauren.” She stopped and didn’t look back, which was fine. I didn’t know if I could look her in the eyes at this moment. “It wasn’t my intent to hurt you. I am only trying to keep you safe.”
“Have you considered that maybe someone thinks your life is worth saving too?”
The quiet words lingered in her wake as she left the front room. A heavy sigh escaped me as I grabbed my own go bag. For a moment, I looked at the front door before turning away. I had given my word, and I didn’t want to leave Lauren alone with Royal for days. Foolish as that impulse was given that I intended for him to take over as her guide . . . and her protector. Royal was the better choice, after all.
* * *
Lauren
After a fitful amount of sleep, I gave up on continuing to try. The safe house was decorated like a bachelor’s pad downstairs, but the upstairs bedroom I had been given was covered in lace and ribbons. Walls painted the palest of purples accompanied by faded white furniture with fluffy purple and white coverings. Even the canopied bed was done up in purple. After so many nights sleeping on the ground or on hard narrow beds with scant cushions, this bed was almost too soft.
I already knew that the soft mattress wasn’t the reason for my restlessness. I limped across the lush purple rug into the attached bathroom. The pipes groaned and creaked as I turned the shower on. Soon hot water spurted from the shower head and that was all that mattered. Other than the continued inconvenience of having to protect my wrap and brace with a plastic bag, I was more than grateful to stand in the claw foot tub and let the hot water soak into my muscles.
Thoughts of Mathias and his terrible problem solving skills still haunted me. It was difficult to enjoy the simple pleasure of being able to take a hot shower without fretting about stepping out of the room and into the waiting arms of hunters when my mind was buzzing with worries about Mathias. How he thought sacrificing himself was the best way to protect me I had no idea. I disagreed with him. And, I was going to find a way to stop him. First, I needed to talk to Royal.
Showered and dressed in freshly laundered black jeans and my burgundy sweater, I decided to leave my crutches upstairs. As a sign of peace when I approached the dragon shifter. And, so I wouldn’t smack Mathias with them.
Royal was sitting in the kitchen, a book in one hand and teacup in the other. I lingered in the doorway for a moment studying him. Our brief encounter in the Inverness rail station had been stressful and brief so I hadn’t really assessed him. He was at least as tall as Mathias. I thought back to last night and amended that observation. He was maybe a little taller, an inch perhaps, than Mathias. His long legs were clad in blue jeans while a cream-colored ribbed sweater stretched across his broad shoulders and chest providing a nice contrast to his dark brown complexion.
“Should I be worried that you’re studying me, Miss Hope?”
“You may call me Lauren,” I offered as I limped into the kitchen proper. I looked around realizing that it seemed oddly empty without Mathias’ presence. My heart gave a jolt as a new thought occurred to me. Somehow I forced my tone to be calm and not nearly as panicked as I felt as I asked, “Did Mathias leave?”
“No.”
I closed my eyes and pressed my hand against my racing heart as I released a slow breath. Thank God for that. When I opened my eyes again, my che
eks grew warm as I met Royal’s sharp gaze. But he didn’t question me as I expected, instead he nodded to the stove. “Have some breakfast warming there. Figured at least one of you would be hungry after the water turned on.”
“Thank you.”
Only after I fixed a plate with bacon, sausage links, toast, and scrambled eggs, did I join Royal at the kitchen table. A full cup of tea sat waiting for me, and I added cream and sugar. After so much time with Mathias, I had given up my general distaste for tea. It was all the man ever seemed to drink after all. I ate in silence for several minutes before I eyed Royal. “How long have you known Mathias?”
“Going on seventeen years now.”
“How did you meet?”
Royal closed his book softly and set it aside, then he folded his arms on the table and leaned toward me. “Why do you want to know this?”
“Because I want to know why Mathias changed his mind about trusting you.”
My answer seemed to satisfy the dragon shifter. He gave a curt nod. “All right then. I met Mathias because I was hunting down an oath breaker. A criminal whose masters had attempted to overthrow the council of dragon elders by indulging in a war at a time when relations with the norms were already strained. When my clan found out that they were kidnapping the children of powerful paranormal species, we got involved. This one slipped away during the actual war. When he surfaced again, it was in France. It was easy to figure out he was hunting and not hiding so I followed him. I caught up in time to see a young man take out a half-shifted dragon with far more ease than anyone should demonstrate. There was only ever one species among the paranormal community who could do that to a dragon.”
“Myrmidons.”
Royal nodded, a wry smile curling his lips. “Truer words never spoken. Mathias hadn’t been able to save the girl, and I offered him a deal. He could come work with me for a while, and I would never breathe a word of his true heritage. I kept my promise.”
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