by Shannon West
Page 23
“ Baby, he’s a very powerful and arrogant man. We’ll only be able to do so much to threaten him. The Alliance refuses to reopen the investigation into your friend’s death. ”
Ryan began to pace around the luxurious room they’d put them in. He was wearing a leather thong, like the other mates in the embassy. He’d decided on his own to wear one while they were in the embassy, or at least alone in their rooms. He did it both to please Blayde and to drive him crazy. As he paced upand down, he felt Blayde’s warm gaze on his fully exposed ass. “What if we somehow trapped him into a confession?If we went to see him, he wouldn’t be able to resist bragging about it, Blayde. I know how arrogant and above the law he thinks he is. I could goad him into a confession, and then we could take that to the police. ”
“Ryan, be realistic. We’re never going to trap him into a confession, because we’re never going to be allowed in to see him. And maybe I didn’t make myself clear, you’ll have asylum in Lycanus and its domains. Not on Earth. You step outside this embassy and you run the risk of being recognized and arrested. Once we notify the Alliance, the embassy will secure safe passage back to our ship for you, but that’s it. ”
“But wait, before the Lycans notify the Alliance, what if we could trap the judge? Sort of like you did with me at the auction? You know, like a sting. You offer him a chance at a new submissive,one he’s wanted to be with for a long time. Me!I don’t think he could resist even for a moment. He knows you’re a bounty hunter and a voyager. Many of them will do anything for a larger profit. You could tell him you faked my death only to extort more profit from him. That you’ll turn me over to him if he gives you a large sum of money. He’d believe that, Blayde! Then I could goad him into a confession of some kind. I could have a recording chip placed in me to pick it all up. When we have his confession, you could come in and get me. What do you think?”
“You don’t even want to know what I think! Of all the harebrained, ridiculous schemes I’ve ever had the misfortune of hearing…” Blayde came over to stop his pacing and take him by the arms. “You’ll go nowhere near that maniac, do I make myself clear? If I have to tie you to this bed until we leave, I’ll do it. How could you even think I’d risk you that way?”
“But Blayde…”
“But nothing! It’s out of the question!” He pulled out his communicator and punched in a number. “Nikolai? I need to get Ryan up to the ship right away. An agreement has been reached and we’ll be leaving soon. I need either you or Kyle to take him to the ship for me and watch over him until I get there. ” He nodded and then turned to face Ryan. “Prepare yourself. You’ll be taken to the ship immediately while I complete negotiations. If I hear from either of my cousins that you’ve given them a hard time, I’ll make sure you never so much as think of disobeying me again. Do I make myself clear?”
Ryan flushed and nodded, dropping his gaze. Blayde relented and pulled him into his arms. Blayde tilted his chin up with one knuckle and made him look at him. “You’re too precious to me to risk you, baby, even if that plan of yours had a snowball’s chance of working. Kyle and Nikolai will take you to the ship now and I’ll join you in a few hours, so we can head back home and get on with our lives. Be good and don’t give them a hard time, all right?”
“Yes, Blayde,” Ryan said in a sulky tone. Blayde leaned down and kissed him on his forehead, his nose, his cheeks and then finally took his lips. Ryan sighed and leaned into him more closely. “Whatever you say. ”
“Thank you, sweetheart. ” Blayde moved his hands down to cup Ryan’s ass. “Now put on some clothes before my cousins get here. I’d trust them with my life, but nobody could resist this sexy little ass of yours. ” He dropped another kiss on the tip of his nose and gave his ass a playful tap and a squeeze. “Though don’t lose your thong, darling. I think that’s a habit I need to encourage when I get you home. ”
Ryan smiled and Blayde released him to go put on some clothes before they left. He was disappointed and he sent up a silent little prayer that where ever Blaine was, he’d forgive him for not securing justice for his murder. Blayde was right,he’d probably only get himself arrested or worse if he tried to confront Judge Partland. He was too well-guarded, too firmly entrenched as a respected public official. Besides, Ryanbelieved Blayde when he said he’d punish him so badly he’d never disobey again. Of course, that might be kind of fun.
By the time he finished dressing, Blayde had packed his bag for him and was practically tapping his foot with impatience. Nikolai and Kyle were standing outside the room, ready to take him to the ship. He moved to the door and took his bag from Blayde, starting out the door to join Blayde’s cousins. Blayde pulled him back into his arms and kissed him thoroughly before releasing him. “That should keep you until I get back to the ship. ” He took a cap from the coat rack on the wall and pulled it over Ryan’s shiny curls and well down over his forehead. He pulled up his collar to try to hide his face even more. Finally satisfied he’d disguised him as well as he could, he angled a look up at Kyle and Nikolai who were waiting with twin expressions of amusement for him to finish. “Take care of my mate, cousins. ” He glanced down at Ryan fondly.
He released Ryan with another little squeeze and Ryan followed Kyle and Nikolai downstairs and out to await the transport they told him they’d already called for to take them to the spaceport. Once there, they’d find the hangar their shuttlecraft was anchored in for travel up to their ship. Ryan stood between the two tall Lycans, feeling dwarfed by their size but protected by them at the same time. He kept his eyes on the sidewalkas they’d told him to keep his head lowered quite sternly, so hedidn’t see the transport as it pulled up to the curb, hovering just above the sidewalk. He was surprised then when he heard Nikolai’s soft grunt of pain as he slumped down into the seat in front of him. His arm was jerked roughly as he was pulled forward and the transport took off and shot up at an alarming rate of speed.
When he straightened up in the seat, hecould feel Nikolai’s body sprawled out on the seat beneath him, still breathing heavily, thank the gods. Ryan lifted his head and found himself staring into a pair of cruel dark eyes, only inches from his own. The strange man looked both pissed and disgusted with him.
“Welcome back to Earth, Randy Ryan. At least for a little while. The judge will be very happy to see you again, you little bastard. Now join your friend here and take a little nap, boy, so you’ll be nice and rested for the judge. ” He touched Ryan’s temple with the stun stick and the pain seared through his head like fire, and he screamed in agony. He closed his eyes as the pain swirled around and around his brain until the blackness took over and he didn’t know anything more.
Chapter Eight
Nikolai had never felt more cold fury in his life. For the past hour since he’d awakened, he’d been tied naked to a rack in this room, his arms and legs spread wide. Ryan was tied to the rack beside him in a similar fashion. Ryan was still fading in and out of consciousness, and though Nikolai could hear his ragged breathing beside him, his greatest fear was that he would stop breathing any second. He’d been trying to talk to him soothingly, reassuringly for some time now, though Ryan never responded. He hoped that he could hear him on some level. It was imperative he keep Ryan alive until Blayde and Kyle found them. The stun gun had prevented his Lycan wolf from coming forward, and it was still doing it. The partial paralysis the guns caused had somehow short-circuited his abilities, and though he could feel the effects wearing off, he still didn’t have complete control.
He knew without any doubt they’d come for them . He only had to remain alive and keep Ryan alive until they got there. They’d already been tortured with pain sticks for over an hour. Only when Ryan lost consciousness did they stop, but Nik knew it would only be a matter of time before they returned. He heard a door open behind him and twisted his head around as far as he could to see who had come in the door. A tall, thin human male of about fifty, surrounded by severa
l other large human males, bodyguards he figured, as they swarmed around him protectively, came in the room and over to where they hung on the racks.
“Well, a Lycan,I’ve never seen one up this close. You’re really something, aren’t you?” The human ran his hand over Nikolai’s hip. “Very beautiful. I understand that Lycan males pride themselves on never submitting to another male. ” The human smiled, though the smile was only on his lips. “I wonder if that’s true. What a lovely challenge to undertake. The stun guns are pretty effective, I understand, at controlling you. I wonder how long it would take to have you on your knees to me?”
The human punched him low on his right side, a sickeningly hard punch, a mind-ripping jolt of pain as he connected with one of Nikolai’s kidneys. Nikolai hissed in a sharp breath and turned his head to stare at the human. “You’ll pay for that, you bastard. ”
The man, who he figured must be Judge Partland, put back his head and laughed. “I’d call that bold talk for a creature in your position, Lycan. You seem to be rather at my mercy at the moment. ”
“I’m not frightened of you, human scum. I can take anything you can dish out. ” “Perhaps so, but what of your lover here?”
Nikolai was quiet, knowing he meant Ryan. If he thought he was his mate, perhaps he could
somehow use it to his advantage. Then again, it might only bring Ryan more pain if he tried to hurt Ryan to get a rise from Nikolai. Uncertain of what to do, he decided to stay quiet and give the bastard no information.
“Don’t hurt him,” Nikolai said. “Do whatever you have to do to me, but leave him out of this. ”
“But what would be the fun in that?” Partland walked over to Ryan and pulled his head back to peer down in his face. Ryan opened his eyes a little and stared at him blankly.
“I’ve been after this boy for a long time. I had arranged for his demise at the prison, but you and your crew of Lycans stole him from me. Did you really think I’d believe he died trying to escape?” He laughed shortly. “I knew you must have him and that it would only be a matter of time before you came to the other Lycans for help. I’ve had my people inside that embassy for a long time. Any people with that much money and that much power over the Alliance government, it pays to keep an eye on. I knew the moment you arrived with him, and I had my men wait very patiently outside until you showed yourselves. Now that I have him, I mean to kill him myself, but not before I sample a little of him. ”