by Leilani Love
Amy frowned shaking her head, “No, of course not. Why?”
He grinned. “You look a little nervous, and I was thinking that I must’ve stepped on your foot earlier and you’re worried I will again.”
Shaking her head, he noticed her cheeks pinking. When the song ended he saw her looking around. When she spotted Eva, Amy said, “Thank you for the dance.” before releasing his arm and walking toward her friend.
His dragon was just below the surface, trying desperately to listen to the conversation between the girls. When he suddenly felt a hand on his arm, he did everything in his power not to growl at being interrupted. As he turned, he saw it was simply Kassandra. “Are you having fun, Viktor?” She asked with a knowing grin.
Viktor noticed the laughter in her voice and raised an eyebrow. “Surprisingly, yes.”
Kassandra laughed at that. “Gee, thanks Viktor, I’m glad you have so much faith in me.”
“I have absolute faith you can find the information I need Kat. I just wasn’t aware you could double as an event planner.” Viktor laughed when her eyes narrow. Her little spark of anger amused him.
“I wouldn’t have to if you would look for a mate.” Kat looked in Violca and Chase’s direction. “Chase found one, maybe it’s time the king found his.”
Raising an eyebrow at her words, he turned to see Amy and Eva. He watched them for a moment before he heard Kassandra clear her throat. “Who knows, maybe your mate is closer than you think.” With that she walked away, leaving him staring after her.
Looking back in the direction of Eva and Amy, he saw them both walking out of the ballroom. Curious where they were going, he moved toward them until he felt a hand on his arm. Looking down he smiled when he saw Violca. “Violca, if it’s even possible, you look more beautiful than when the party first started.”
Her smile widened, and she kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you, Viktor.”
Watching her eyes twinkle, he couldn’t help thinking how lucky his friend was. “Think Chase would mind if I stole you for a dance?”
Winking at him, she said, “Probably, but you’re his king so…”
Chuckling, he took her in his arms, gliding her effortlessly across the floor. “Are you enjoying yourself tonight?”
Her eyes drifted to the hand where the ring Chase had given her rested. Viktor watched as the look on her face softened. “It’s been a perfect night.”
As they danced, Viktor saw Eva come back into the room alone. In that moment, he also noticed Devin wasn’t in the room anymore either. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he turned his head to see Chase standing next to him. “Would you mind if I cut in?”
Stepping aside, he headed toward Eva. Seeing her grab a glass of champagne from one of the passing servers he grinned. “I thought you had to be 21 to drink?”
Eva smirked. “The people walking around or at the bar don’t ID.”
Viktor laughed.
“I promised Violca I would stay here tonight.”
Viktor nodded. “Probably a good idea.” Looking around for a moment, he asked, “Is your friend Amy staying with you?”
Taking a sip of her champagne, she shook her head. “No, she just left actually.” Her blue eyes twinkled when she added, “We ran into Devin at the door and they both headed out. They look cute together, don’t they?”
Trying not to grit his teeth, he shrugged casually. “Sure.”
Eva smiled at him, then with a glance past him, she said, “Oh, Kati is signaling for me.” Excusing herself, she walked over to her sister. Looking around for a moment Viktor wondered what time he would be able escape his own party.
Scott stood near one of the doors leading out to the gardens. A scotch in his hand, he tried not to turn and watch Kati. He could still smell her scent on his arms and reminisced of the feel of her in his arms. His panther understood their need to wait before pursuing her, but that didn’t make any of this easier. He was still a little worried. Out of all the sisters, she was the most timid and unsure of herself. He wasn’t sure why fate chose to match him up with such a timid girl. He was happy she was learning to defend herself. In his world, you were either considered hunter, or prey.
Again, he moved his eyes to find Kati on the floor. He softly growled when he saw a young man ask her to dance. Grinding his teeth, he took a deep breath, remembering his promise to Violca. He then turned and smile at one of the women near to him.
Taking another sip of his scotch, Scott turned to head outside. Inhaling deeply, he leaned on the railing. Hearing footsteps behind him, he glanced over his shoulder. Seeing Chase walking toward him, he pivoted around to greet him.
Scott raised his glass to his friend. “Congratulations, old man.” Chase grinned, and also raised his glass, they both took a drink. He smacked his friend on the back jovially. “I’m really happy for you both.”
Chase smiled bigger. “Thank you, even knowing she loves me, I have to be honest, a part of me thought she still might say no.”
Laughing, Scott shook his head. “I can’t believe you thought she would say anything but yes.”
Chase glanced back in the direction of the ball, frowning a little before he looked back at him. “How are you doing with…”
Scott shrugged, his cat pacing near the surface, wanting nothing more than to rip to shreds, the boy who was currently dancing with Kati. “I’m dealing.”
Chase gave him a look of understanding. Both were silent for a few minutes, sipping on their drinks. Viktor came out and grinned broadly at them. “Can I join you guys, or is this only for the guys who have found their mates?”
Scott growled at him and Viktor held up his hands in surrender. “Well, at least you know where and who she is.”
“Doesn’t do me any good.”
Viktor raised an eyebrow and Scott lowered his head. Viktor was not technically his king, but when Chase found him and Eryk, helping save them from the hunters, the dragons took them both in. Hunters were a growing a problem for their kind. They were growing in numbers and his people had almost been hunted to extinction.
“What are you boys doing out here?” Violca said, walking toward Chase.
Chase wrapped his arm around her, pulling her against his side, and Scott wondered what it would be like to hold Kati like that. Wondering if her face would light up like Violca’s does, or if she would be one of those girls who didn’t show affection in public.
“Chase, you really need to explain to your mate here that after a certain age it’s impolite to call a man, a boy.” Viktor said with a smile on his lips.
Violca raised an eyebrow playfully. “I’ll remember that next time I’m baking and you come in and put your finger in the cookie dough.”
Scott and Chase took one look at Viktor, before they both burst into laughter. Viktor shook his head and mumbled something that Scott didn’t quite catch, while he continued to laugh. Viktor took a step toward Violca, kissing her cheek before whispering something in her ear. The sound of her soft laughter filled the night air. Smiling at both of them, he raised his glass. “I’m going to get another drink before I can see if I can slip away. Congratulations again, have a good night.”
They watched him walk away before Chase looked at Violca. “What did he say to you?”
Grinning, she shook her head. “Wouldn’t you two like to know?” Smiling she looped her arm through Chase’s, then turned and slipped the other through Scott’s, leading them both back into the ballroom. “Now, which one of you handsome men are going to dance with me?”
Chapter 20
Aithne took a deep breath. When her mother found out the Romans were coming to attack them, she had tried to hide her daughters. Aithne was only five at the time, so her mother chopped off her hair and dressed her as a little boy. Her two sisters were much older and were already renowned for their beauty. When the Romans showed up, they almost stoned her mother to death and raped her sisters. Aithne, dressed as a boy, was beaten. When the Romans felt they had killed her moth
er’s spirit, they left them in the middle of the tribe, bloody and broken. Aithne was never quite sure what had truly happened, but the Celtic Goddess Badb Catha found them. Badb Catha was moved by her mother’s love for her children. She had them drink from the cauldron that produced all life, making them practically immortal.
From that moment on, Boudica decided her daughters would never again suffer at the hands of men, and trained them to be warriors. Spoiled and pampered, Aithne’s two older sisters soon gave up, but Aithne excelled in her lessons. She eventually became so good, her skills were sought out. Aithne was selective in what jobs she took, doing her research, but when she was tricked into killing an innocent man, she quit. The guilt was too much for her. That same feeling hung over her with what she was about to do.
The locker was rented under her assumed name, just in case anyone looked it up, since they were doing their homework on her. Arriving at the locker a little early, she double checked that there were no security cameras or anything that she might have missed.
Tucked in her pocket was a syringe filled with a tranquilizer strong enough to knock out both Chase and his dragon. With a blade strapped to her leg, she’d already packed up her stuff and loaded it into the vehicle she kept on the outskirts of town. Just in case something went wrong, she had a Beretta loaded with tranquilizer tipped bullets.
Hearing a car pull up on the gravel road next to her, Aithne closed her eyes, that uncomfortable feeling coming back to her. This was for her sister, she reminded herself. Maybe she could find a way to save her sister, without actually turning him in. “Hey Amy, I brought Viktor to help.”
Swearing to herself, she turned on a fake smile. “Oh, thank you so much Viktor. Let me just grab the keys.” Reaching under the seat, she pulled out the Beretta and tucked it into her pants, double checking to make sure her shirt and jacket hid it. Then she grabbed the keys she had dropped on the driver’s seat.
Turning back around, she saw Viktor watching her, and her heart sped up. Aithne could feel her adrenaline kicking in. When he grinned at her, she let out a slow breath, trying to calm herself. Walking to the door, she bent down, unlocking it and loudly raising the storage door.
Turning to the guys she smiled. “Viktor, why don’t you climb up in the truck, and I’ll help Chase down here so we can get it in.”
“Sure.” Viktor said and his deep voice caused a shiver to run down her spine. With her adrenaline pumping, her attraction for him seemed to be in overdrive, and she watched as he got in the back of the truck.
Chase came up next to her and she realized she only had one chance to put the syringe in his neck. The goal was to stick the syringe into his neck and shoot Viktor with a tranquilized bullet before he had time to react. Her heart clenched when she saw Viktor bend down to push the couch to the end. Chase leaned forward grabbing the edge of it, trying to help pull as Viktor pushed.
Her hand in her pocket, Aithne quickly pulled out the syringe and stabbed Chase in the neck. His dragon growled as his arm instinctually swept out, hitting her hard in the stomach and flinging her back. The force of his hit caused her head to hit the storage door.
Trying to focus, she saw Viktor looking at Chase who had grabbed his neck, pulling out the syringe. Reaching under her shirt, she grabbed her gun and took aim, but he jumped at her in the same moment as she fired.
Hearing a grunt as the bullet hit him in the thigh, she aimed higher. Before she could fire the second shot, she felt his hand smack the gun from her and pin her to the wall. Breathing hard, her eyes met Viktor’s a second before she brought up both her legs, and using the wall behind her to hold her weight, kicked out.
When he grunted in surprise, she felt him release his grip on her. She dropped to the ground, swinging out a leg to knock him off balance. Dragons are by far one of the strongest supernaturals. Aithne hoped the tranquilizer didn’t take too long to slow him down. Retrieving her gun, she shot again, this time hitting in him in the arm.
When Viktor fell to the ground, she saw Chase leaning against the truck, trying to keep himself up. Surprised he was still standing, she made a dash for the truck, only to be hit from behind. Squirming under Viktor, the weight of his body caused the air to leave her lungs.
Aithne heard Viktor growl in her ear, “If you move, I’ll hurt you.” Viktor’s tightened his hold on her wrist. He pinned one hand to the ground as he pulled her other arm back. Aithne struggled to twist out of his grasp, but he pulled her arm so far around her back, she cried out in pain.
Viktor growled again, and Aithne lowered her head into the dirt. She felt tears gather in her eyes. A huge part of her was worried about her sister, but there was a small bit of relief that at least for a moment, she was not in control. Viktor pulled her other arm back behind her, before picking her up gently. Surprised by the move, Aithne looked at him. The hard set of his jaw caused her to wince and look away. Viktor led her back to Chase who had fallen on the ground behind the truck. “What did you give him?”
Aithne debated whether to answer him as he forced her to look at him. The sparks flying from his eyes caused her breath to catch when he asked her again. “What did you give him?”
“A tranquilizer.” His eyes narrowed on her, both of them knew that most tranquilizers wouldn’t affect his dragon. “One strong enough to keep them both out for most the day.”
Pulling her roughly to the SUV, he opened the back and grabbed a pair of flex cuffs from a bag Chase kept in back. When the hunter attacks had increased, they had opted to keep all the vehicles equipped with detainment materials. With a zipping sound, he secured one hand, then the other behind her back before leading her to the back seat. Despite the anger coming off him, he opened the door and carefully put her on the floor between the seats. Growling once, he closed the door and she heard the doors lock and the alarm go off.
Aithne almost laughed, guessing the grunt was his way of telling her to stay put. Pulling on the flex cuffs, she felt the plastic biting into her skin. She missed the days of regular handcuffs. She could pick those locks easily. Struggling, she raised herself up, bending her knees to get her arms out from behind her back. Sitting up, she thought to herself that she needed to start her yoga again, then sighed in relief when she finally got her legs through her arms and around her feet so that she was sitting properly.
Chapter 21
Gripping the side of his SUV Viktor let his dragon come close to the surface. His vision doubled for a moment as his dragon worked out whatever tranquilizer was in those bullets. The dosage was strong enough to bring a younger dragon down, but Viktor was older and stronger than most. It took a moment before he could shake off most of the effects and walk over to get Chase.
Viktor opened the door and his eyes instantly went to Amy on the floor. For some reason he doubted that was her name. Seeing her hands in front of her now, her face red from the exertion, he carefully put his friend across the bench seat in the back above her. From her smell, he knew she was human. Some supernaturals were able to mask their scent for a short period of time, but he had been with her long enough that he would have been able to pick up a scent if she was anything other than human.
Locking the child lock on the door panel, he closed it before walking around to the driver’s side. Opening that door, he did the same thing before looking down at her. “If you try to get out of the car, I will bind and gag you. Do you understand?”
Amy nodded her understanding and Viktor noticed the small tears in the corner of her eyes. He swore softly and slammed the door. Getting into the front, he started the engine and called the guards at the house. “Head out to the storage rentals. I need you to get the truck you find out there. Bring it and everything around it back to the garage.”
Hanging up, he drove out of the storage area. His skin itched. His dragon, roaring with anger inside him, wanted nothing more than to come out. Why the hell was she trying to kidnap Chase? How did she know she would need to use a tranquilizer strong enough to take down Chase’s dr
agon? Chase was not a young dragon, and if she had only used enough to bring down a man, the dragon would have come out and taken over.
Viktor’s hands tighten on the steering wheel, so hard his knuckles turned white. Hearing some movement behind him, with a growl he pulled off the road. Getting out, he went to the back and grabbed a rope and some duct tape. Opening the passenger door, he reached for her legs, but she pulled them back, causing him to lose his balance. Keeping her legs together, they hit the center of his chest and push hard.
Viktor fell back as Amy quickly followed him, trying to get out of the SUV. He reached up, grabbing her ankle as she started to run away. Hearing her sharp exhale as she hit the ground, he rolled onto his stomach, crawling after her. Finally pinning her, he growled in her ear, both in frustration and at how good it felt when her ass came in contact with his groin.
“Stay still Amy.” Viktor managed to get out between gritted teeth.
He felt her struggle a little more under him. When she finally stopped moving, he held himself still, trying to get all his conflicting emotions under control. “Are you finished?” When she mumbled something that sounded like a yes, he picked her up and effortlessly threw her over his shoulder. Carrying her back to the car, he heard her make a sound of frustration and he smiled, satisfied when he jostled her just enough that she let out an umph.
Dumping her back on the floor of the SUV, he grabbed the rope and bound her feet together quickly. The sounds of distress that she made, brought feelings of guilt to the surface, until he looked up and saw Chase lying above her on the seat. “Next time, I’ll hog tie you and put you in the back.”
Slamming the door, he went back around to the driver’s seat, climbed in and took off, tires squealing. The whole drive to the house, he didn’t hear anything behind him. Driving around to the side of the house he opened the garage and got out of the SUV, he was not surprised to see two of his men standing there in the doorway. “Carry Chase to my wing.”