Bo veered to the right and began lowering in the sky.
Is it still getting stronger?
Yes. We’re close.
As she flew toward an industrial park, I scanned the area for any wraiths or signs of which building he could possibly be in, but they all looked the same.
Can you narrow down where their scent is the strongest?
Yes. Keep your eyes open. I smell at least seven, maybe more.
You ready to eat some assholes?
I will fry them and swallow them whole. She slowly circled the area, both of us surveying for anything unusual, for any sign of dark riders or wraiths. I sense him, ma’cordhe. He’s close.
I choked back a sob. Can you tell if he’s hurt?
She hesitated before replying, He’s hurting; scared and heartbroken. He’s in the building with the white roof. It didn’t surprise me that she could sense him. Dragons were naturally more intuitive and picked up on things on a different level than humans or riders.
Pushing back my own heartbreak at being separated and terrified of the condition my mate was in, I said, Get closer. If there are guards outside, fry the bastards.
She grunted in affirmation, then circled lower to the building. There was a car parked outside a loading bay in the back of the building, so she headed there first, but when we got close, the huge garage door opened up and three wraiths with dark riders on their backs flew toward us, shooting fire and lightning. Bo reacted instinctively, opening her mouth so her purple flame flew through the air toward the wraiths. The front wraith quickly moved out of the way, but Bo’s flame hit the second one, and a part of me relished seeing the purple burn bright on contact, leaving red, oozing lava on its mark. The dark rider screamed as the lava melted his armor, and the wraith screeched in agitation even though its scales helped protect it from being too harmed, and it flew back to lick its wounds.
As a green flame hurtled toward us, Bo spun to protect me since I didn’t have my armor or shield. As she flipped in the air, I held on tight, then squeezed even harder as she barreled into the other wraith. I was jostled, almost losing my grip. Before we could do much else, men wheeled out two mounted machine guns and rained bullets down on us.
Let me down so I can take out the guns.
If you get hurt, I’ll eat you, she promised, like she now did every time we separated in battle.
I’ll be careful.
She flew low and around the corner of the warehouse, out of range for the bullets, and landed long enough for me to dismount. Take out the guns, then find our mate.
Will do.
She took off and roared as she flew over the roof and shot out more purple flames that turned to lava on contact. With my knife drawn, I peeked around the corner, then ran to the nearest man in the Order of Amsel’s typical gear. Sneaking up behind him, I sliced his throat quickly, then ran behind some crates close by. I needed to take out as many as possible before they realized I was no longer on Bo.
There were two men between me and the guys with machine guns, so I quietly ran for the one closest to me, and since his focus was on the terrifying dragon shooting lava at them, I was able to slice his throat before he could shout out and alert the others. The next man met the same fate.
I snuck behind the two with machine guns, but the first one must’ve sensed me coming because he turned around and grabbed my wrist, trying to disarm me. I twisted under his arm so my back was to his front and slammed my heel down on his foot while elbowing his face at the same time. The guy grunted and got a good punch into my ribs, so I grabbed the arm that was still holding my knife hand, holding it out and twisting it at an odd angle, then chopped my other hand down on it as hard as I could. Something snapped and he released my hand as he yelled out in pain, but the man wasn’t giving up. He wrapped his good arm around my throat and as he leaned back to lift and choke me, I grabbed his arm with both hands and leaned back with him, then threw my legs up in the air and swung them down, throwing the guy off balance and making him fall forward with me. He didn’t release my neck, but now that I was on the ground, I was able to slip my body and legs out from under him and punch his broken arm. He screamed out and loosened his hold, allowing me to move away and punch him in the head. He was either knocked out or dead, and I honestly didn’t care if he lived or not.
The guy on the other mounted machine gun saw what happened, so he was prepared for me. Unfortunately for him, that meant he was no longer shooting at the very dangerous dragon in the air. I shrugged at the guy, then ran away from his confused face just in time as Bo swooped down and bit him. I grimaced and looked away from the blood, then ran for the side door since more people and wraiths were coming out of the loading bay.
Bo, can you get that door?
She flew in front of me and used her huge legs to knock the door down with little effort.
Thanks.
There are more men inside guarding Christian. I’ll take care of these and be right behind you.
Be careful. They probably have more guns.
I will, ma’cordhe.
It didn’t take long for men to come at me, but the small hallway worked to my advantage since only one could attack at a time. The first guy had a gun, but I ran at him and knocked the gun to the side, twisted his wrist, and disarmed him while I stabbed him in the stomach and knocked him to the side. The next attacked before Guy One was all the way down, so he was able to slice my shoulder. I saw it in time to duck before he got my throat, and I fumbled with the handgun for a split-second before righting it and shooting the guy in the head.
I shot three more before I was tackled from behind, losing the gun and my knife in the process. I scrambled on the ground, wrestling with my attacker until I knocked him out with a well-aimed punch to the temple. When I stood, I didn’t see where the gun went, so I picked up my knife and went running, somehow sensing which room Christian was being held in.
Rushing into the room, I skidded to a stop and took in my surroundings. My mate, my beautiful, sweet mate was tied to a chair with bruises marking his gorgeous face. His hazel eyes locked on me, and I saw relief, happiness, sadness, anger, and finally terror flash in them. I wanted to rush to him, hold him tight and never let go, protect him from the world forever, but he wasn’t the only one in the room.
“Well, if it isn’t Eeli Ormarr,” the creeptastic man with a jagged scar said. He casually waved a gun in the air, so I stayed glued to the spot even though I wanted nothing more than to run into my mate’s arms. “You arrived even quicker than I anticipated.”
“Eeli.” Christian’s voice was hoarse and barely above a whisper.
“I suggest you get the hell out of my way before I gut you,” I grunted out, far too riled up to care if I sounded like a crazed heathen. I took a step toward Christian, but the man stepped in my path and tsked.
He tilted his head. “He’s more than a friend, isn’t he?” When I didn’t reply, he added, “What is he to you, then?”
A scan of the room revealed nothing helpful, so I refocused on the only thing that stood between me and my mate. “Move away or I will kill you.”
“Oh, young Ormarr, you have much to learn. A prisoner that can talk is much more useful than a dead body.”
“I’m warning you; if you don’t get out of my way, you won’t like what happens.”
“Trust me, Ormarr, I know a killer when I see one, and you’re not it. You don’t have the guts to kill in cold blood.” He laughed cruelly.
Christian ground out, “You mean like you did when you killed my parents?”
The man laughed, making me clench my jaw in anger as he spoke. “I told you what their deaths meant to me, you little shit, I—”
He was cut off when I pitched my hand back and flung it forward, releasing my blade. It hit its intended target—the asshole’s throat. He gurgled and sputtered, completely shocked. I slammed the door to the room shut in case there were any more enemies around—although Bo was frying any stragglers I’d missed but I su
re as hell wasn’t about to risk Christian and leave us wide open. I walked past the dead guy to wrap Christian in my arms. He came willingly, and I cradled his head as I stood there and shifted the chair around so Christian couldn’t see the dead body on the ground, then reached around him to release his arms from the rope tying them to the chair.
He wrapped his arms around my waist, gripping me to him, and I could feel his desperation to keep me close because I felt the same way. Tears sprung to my eyes when I realized he was crying into my stomach. With trembling fingers, I brushed his hair back and rubbed his back, kissing the top of his head as I whispered, “Shh… it’s okay; you’re safe; I’ve got you, baby. Are you hurt?”
He squeezed me tighter, shook his head, and mumbled into my stomach, “I-I’m fine. I was so scared he was going to hurt you.”
My eyebrows felt like they shot into my hairline. “You were scared for me? You were the one that was kidnapped.” I ran my hand down his cheek, then gently tilted his chin up so he’d look at me. “I’ve never been so terrified in my life.”
“Me either…” I bent down to kiss his lips gently before he whispered, “I was half-praying you’d come find me and half-wishing you’d stay away so you wouldn’t get hurt.”
I wiped my thumbs under his eyes and softly kissed his lips. “I would never stay away; I will always come for you, but I’m praying I never have to again—you’re never leaving my sight.”
He searched my eyes. “Sounds good to me.”
I swallowed around the heaviness in the air, then kissed his lips and pulled him back into a tight hug. Needing to lighten the mood before I broke down, I said, “Maybe I’ll finally find that rope and tie you up in my room to keep you safe.”
“I just agreed to never leaving your sight, and you still want to tie me up?”
“Mm… maybe.”
A soft half-chuckle came out of him before he suddenly gripped me tight again. “You’re not leaving my sight, either. Ever.”
“Okay.” I kissed the top of his head. Bo crashed through the door, and Christian jumped and tensed, so I rushed to whisper, “It’s just Bo.”
She ran into the room, somewhere between wyrmling and warrior size, shrinking to fit through the door, then growing a little larger again, and stalked over to Christian. She sniffed at him and nuzzled under his chin for only a few seconds before turning around and blowing out her purple breath, leaving a line of lava across the doorway.
“What’s she doing?” Christian whispered.
“Guarding us. That’s her warning to others to stay back. She wouldn’t harm our family on purpose or anything, but she’s too worked up to pay much attention to small details like who she’s eating.”
Without turning away from the door, Bo backed toward us until she was able to touch us both but continue to stare out the door, and I took the opportunity to run my hands over Christian’s hair, neck, shoulders, anywhere I could reach. Placing light kisses all over his hair and face, I breathed him in, beyond relieved he was in my arms again.
“Can you unhook my legs?” he asked.
“Yes, of course. Sorry.” I reached down and unhooked them while he held onto my shoulders.
“Thank you.” He stood and hugged me, tucking his face into the crook of my neck.
“You’re never allowed to do that to me again,” I growled into his ear.
He hummed. “Okay.”
I kissed his temple.
“Thank god you’re all okay,” Zale said, appearing in the doorway on the other side of Bo’s barrier. “Do you need a med kit?”
“He’s got some cuts and bruises,” I said.
“I just want to go home. Can we get cleaned up there? Please?”
“Sure.” I kissed his forehead and pulled him to me.
Zale nodded in agreement with me, then focused on the dead body, shaking his head. “Eeli, you were supposed to leave one alive. Didn’t Bo give you the message?”
“Would you have let someone that not only hurt Davis but killed his parents live?” It sounded harsher than I meant it to, but I couldn’t help it.
Zale sighed and pushed a loose strand of his long blond hair behind his ear. “No, I suppose not.” He stepped closer to the barrier, then froze.
My purple dragon growled a little at my brother—something she’d never done before. Zale eyed her and said, “I’m not coming in, little one. No one will harm your and Eeli’s mate.” Bo let out a chirping growl of agreement.
The rest of my brothers showed up and were given the same reception from Bo, and I was grateful. Not because I wanted her growling at them, but because I needed it to only be us. Bo, Christian, and I. The three of us needed to be alone. I needed to reassure myself that he was really okay, and so did Bo. I didn’t want anyone—brother or otherwise—coming near him.
Azaran tried to get my attention, but I held Christian tighter in my arms, closed my eyes, and said to Az, “You can yell at me all you want later, but I need you to stop right now. Bo and I need to take Christian home.”
Az hesitated. “Alright, little brother, but let Malachite go with you as backup.”
“Fine.”
Az sighed, then added, “We’re worried about Christian, too. You know that, right? We were terrified that one of our brothers was going to be killed. I’m glad you made it in time.” He walked away before I could respond, but Christian leaned back and stared toward the door.
“Did he just refer to me as one of his brothers?”
I smiled softly and brushed my thumb over his cheek before pulling him into my chest again, unable to stop holding him. “He did. We’re not fully mated yet, but he considers you part of our family; a brother.”
He squeezed me tighter and scooted until his face was pressed against my neck, and I felt his wet tears against my skin.
After a few minutes, Bo stomped out her lava barrier so we could cross, and we headed for the nearest exit. I knew Malachite was following us, but I wasn’t concerned with him, I knew he’d stay back and give me the space I needed. Once outside, Bo shifted, and we wasted no time climbing on her back and taking off, leaving my brothers with a big mess to clean up, and Kite trailing behind us on Kesia.
As soon as we got home, we went straight into my bedroom, then into the en suite bathroom to clean up. I patched Christian up as best I could—wrapping his cut-up wrists from the ropes that had bound him almost sent me over the edge, but he kept me from losing it—and he put Steri-Strips on my gashed shoulder, then I led him into our bed where I pulled him into my arms and Bo curled up behind him with her snout nuzzled into his neck, sandwiching him between us so he’d know he was safe, and loved, even if I hadn’t said the words yet. None of us slept, we simply held each other and breathed one another in.
A knock on the door made Christian jump, but since Bo wasn’t freaking out, I knew it was only one of our family members. I kissed his forehead and called out, “What’s up?” If it wasn’t an emergency, I didn’t want to be bothered.
“It’s Kyla.”
“Come in,” I said immediately, and Christian shifted to watch her walking into our room.
Seeing her face made me feel guilty since it was clear she’d been crying, and I knew my brothers told her—through our dragons communicating—to stay away. She said, “I was so scared.”
“I’m okay,” Christian said, starting to sit up, so I sat up with him. “I’m sorry I didn’t come see you, I… I couldn’t—”
“It’s okay,” she whispered.
I patted the tiny space on the bed between my and Christian’s hips. “Come on, Ky, you’re a part of this family, too. I’m sorry I didn’t send for you immediately.”
Her eyes got all teary as she walked over, climbed over top of me, and half-collapsed on top of Christian as he pulled her into his arms. After a few whispered words between them, he grabbed onto me and hauled me closer, so I wrapped my arms around them both, and Bo came over to put her front paws on Kyla’s back and hug us all with her wings. It d
idn’t surprise me that she was okay with Kyla being near us when I knew she wasn’t ready for anyone else yet—I wasn’t either.
We all settled back on the bed with Christian between us and Bo draped over all three of our laps, and Christian asked me to read to them. So I did. I read until my voice was hoarse and everyone else had fallen asleep.
Then I stared at my mate, the love of my life, my heart song, and thanked every god in existence for getting him back to me safe and sound.
21
Christian
The next morning I jerked awake, finding my sister curled in a little ball tucked tight up to my front while Eeli was flush against my back. Bo was curled at our heads with her snout toward the door, but I knew she was only half-sleeping. I could feel the tension in her wyrmling-sized body where it touched the top of my head. Carefully turning so I could reach up to pet her purple scales, I assured her softly, “I’m okay, Bodhi. We’re all okay. I know you want to keep us all safe, but you can relax now.”
She turned her head and nosed at my wrist, rubbing gently. “She doesn’t like that you got hurt,” Eeli whispered. “She says she loves you, and it was her job to protect you.”
“Awe,” Kyla said, wiping the sleep from her eyes with her fists as she sat up on her knees to stroke Bo’s tail. “You brought them both home safely, though, Bodhi; Christian and Eeli both.”
My heart warmed at my sister including Eeli in that, and his lips quirked up into a happy grin. “That’s right. You and Eeli rescued me. You did good.” I crawled up on my knees beside my sister and kissed Bo’s head until she started cooing.
After we spent several minutes loving on her, Eeli said, “Bo says the other dragons are telling her they need to see you, too. And my brothers, they need to be able to check on you for themselves. Doc made breakfast for us all.”
“Are you and Bodhi okay for me to go out of the room now?” I teased him, nudging him in the side with my elbow.
Eeli: The Brotherhood of Ormarr Book Three Page 19