“Okay,” I said. I didn’t want to second guess it, to mine is tone for nuance and ulterior meanings. I wanted to rest, so I curled in his arms and dozed off. All this emotional angst was exhausting.
“Wake up, Tiger.”
A warm cheek rubbed against mine. I blinked my eyes open, and noticed the sun just peeking over the tops of the skyscrapers. The left side of my body felt like I was sleeping on a hard hot-water bottle. I shifted in Rouen’s arms and looked up into his pretty gold and brown eyes. I’d been dreaming of dragons, and sex. Luckily not at the same time. Dragon sex was probably a little wild even for me.
“Is your dragon as pretty as Rom’s?” I asked sleepily.
“Nah. Everything is a lot more subtle unless I’m in the sun. He’s more vivid because he’s an Alpha. Better to attract the ladies,” he said.
Romanus laughed. “And the Beta males.”
I swallowed. If I spent too long thinking about them having sex with each other, I’d smell horny all over again and everyone would be distracted. Besides, it sounded like they’d come to some kind of agreement last night during their little chat.
“So, you guys are kind of like peacocks? The females go for the prettiest plumage?”
Romanus screwed up his face. “I am nothing like a peacock.”
Rouen laughed quietly. “I don’t know dude. All that green and blue? And there was that one time 300 years ago with that bird shifter…”
Romanus’s eyes turned into daggers and Rouen laughed, and I laughed along with him. Together, just the three of us, it was kind of nice.
“Volchek has left the building.” Nazir’s voice came through our earpieces. “Make it quick and thorough, but be stealthy. We don’t want to blow our element of surprise for nothing.”
“Ten-Four,” Romanus said as he stood. “Let’s go.”
We walked to the edge of the building, keeping low. Romanus looked down onto the balcony below. It had a six-foot tall glass railing, but it was quite wide. Romanus hopped over the side and made the fifteen-foot drop like it was child's play. Like he was jumping over a puddle or something.
“You’re turn, Rella,” Rouen said, helping me up onto the edge.
“You want me to fall fifteen feet? I’ll die?”
“How’d you think we were getting down there?” he said, his arms around my waist.
“A ladder?”
Rouen laughed. “Don’t worry, we wouldn't let anything happen to you.”
“Because Luc would feed you to the demonesses?”
“Uh, yeah. Exactly. Okay, close your eyes, it’ll make it easier. On the count of three. One-” Then he dropped me. I freefell for what seemed like an hour and landed with an ‘oomph’ into Romanus’ arms. He put me on my feet as Rouen landed beside us.
“See? Easy.”
My thumping heart would disagree.
I scowled at him, but walked to the sliding door, opening it quietly. It wasn’t locked. Who was going to get in twenty-seven stories from the ground?
Romanus stepped in first. “There’s someone in the bedroom. Rouen, go.”
Rouen moved like a shadow through the light filled apartment. He appeared moments later. His face was livid.
“It’s a woman. She chained to his bed, and she’s covered in bruises and cuts. I put her out, but we’ll have to be quick.”
“We can’t leave her here,” I whispered furiously.
“We’ll have to, but we’ll come back for her, Rella. I promise. She's an unknown variable. People who have been prisoners too long, well, sometimes their minds are all screwed up. We can't take the chance. We’ll take out Volchek and then let her go, but if we try now, she might turn on us.”
I sighed. I knew they were right, but the thought of leaving her chained here made my blood boil.
We moved through the apartment silently, finding his office easily enough. A laptop was on the desk, and I picked it up, putting it in my pack.
“Naz said stealth.”
“Volchek isn’t going to live to come back here.” My voice trembled with cold fury. Romanus’ jaw tightened, but he didn’t disagree. I would deal with Naz when we got back to the hotel, but it wouldn’t matter by then. I turned back to my search. Moving aside a picture, we saw a safe.
“How very Hollywood of him. A safe behind a painting,” Rouen sounded amused. “Well, if we aren’t covering our tracks.” He put his fist through the safe door. We emptied the contents of the safe into the backpack, including a couple of hundred grand in cash, several key drives and some old-fashioned ledger books. Probably a good idea to keep things off the networks where hackers could get them.
Romanus growled. “Better hope that wasn’t alarmed. Let’s go before the cavalry arrives.”
We moved back out of the room, but I handed Rouen my pack and moved toward the bedroom. We walked quietly, but the girl was still out to it. Rouen hadn’t been kidding. The girl looked like someone had taken a whip to her.
“Snap the chains. Then it’s up to her,” I whispered.
Romanus inclined his head and snapped the chain like it was nothing more than thread. That was some seriously impressive strength.
Rouen was waiting for us on the balcony. He handed me back my pack, and I strapped it tight to my body. He leapt to the top of the railing, balancing like a cat, then sprang up to grab the edge of the roof. He must have jumped eight feet straight up. He pulled himself over the ledge, and his torso dangled over the edge.
“Throw her up.”
I turned to Romanus. “He’s kidding, right?”
“Nope.”
“Can’t you just fly us up?”
He shook his head. “It’s the middle of the day.”
He put his hands around my waist. “Arms up. Ready. Set-”
Then he tossed me up to Rouen, who grabbed my outstretched hands and dragged me up over the edge. Seconds later, Romanus was up there beside us.
“Okay, we are going to climb down the ladder on the other side. That should lead us to a service balcony, then down the elevator and out the front doors. Easy. Why was I even worried?” I grinned.
Famous last words.
“We’ve been made,” Nazir’s voice came over our comms. “Fuck.” There was the sound of metal crunching, the screech of tires, then silence.
“Naz? Nazir? Charlie?” I screamed down the comms. No, no, no. I looked at Romanus. “Shift. Both of you. We need to go.”
Neither of them protested, bowing their heads in time. Romanus shift was instantaneous again, but Rouen’s was slower, his body stretching in the haze that surrounded him, like a mirror reflecting reality back at me. Eventually, a slightly smaller dragon stood before me, slate grey as well, though there was a hint of gold running in stripes down his spine.
I climbed onto Romanus’ back. “I need to drop this pack on the roof of Hope’s apartment. Someone needs to have this information, just in case…” I didn’t finish the sentence. “Then we need to go to the address where the DotBot pinpointed Volchek.” I opened my phone and looked at the address the DotBot had messaged through to me. “Let’s go.”
The heavy flap of wings lifted us into the air, and I was kind of glad that this was the highest apartment building in the area. Hopefully their natural camouflage would hide them from people on the ground. We flew high, and it was bitterly cold without Rouen wrapped around me, but I laid along Romanus’ neck and tried not to look down. We circled down low to the roof of Hope’s apartment building. I lowered both mine and Rouen’s packs down gently but quickly with a rope from Rouen’s bag, and then let the rope go. As Romanus took off, I reached out to Hope.
I’m leaving a backpack on the roof of your building. I need you to get someone to go and get it immediately. If I don’t contact you by tonight, I need you to give it to Lux or the cops. Bernie maybe, or someone here in the NYPD that you trust implicitly. It’s important Hope.
Hope’s startled mind connected with mine. Rella, what’s going on? Are you okay?
&nbs
p; I didn’t say more. I love you, Hope.
I cut the connection. I couldn’t block her completely, but I could make the connection weaker.
I knew we were travelling faster than any car could, but the slow beat of their wings drove me insane.
“Faster,” I shouted over the wind.
“If we go any faster, you will fall off. We are minutes out, Estrella. Hold strong.”
We circled a decommissioned dock, just down the coast from Jersey. Huge warehouse buildings crowded the docks, and the dragons’ dead dropped into one of the narrow pathways between them. I slid off and pulled my gun. Romanus changed instantly, his huge knife in his hands and Rouen was beside me moments later with his own knife. “Can you smell anything?” I whispered.
“Fresh scents. The smell of terror is coming from that building, but it’s old, stale terror.”
A shout of pain tore through the silence, and we all turned in the opposite direction.
“Charlie.”
I ran down the rows towards the scream, until someone caught me around the waist. “Slow, Tiger. We will get them back.” I took a deep breath and tried to remember my training.
Romanus took lead, and Rouen brought up the rear, and we crept through the docks. Every so often, a very male cry of agony would echo around the buildings and make me flinch, but I tried to block it out. They needed me on my A-Game.
Eventually, Romanus narrowed it down to the right building. We looked through the windows at the rear. Naz and Charlie were tied to chairs, and a man was twisting a knife sticking out of Naz’s thigh. Volchek.
Volchek was talking to Charlie, whose face was battered and swollen, but I couldn’t make out the words. When Charlie just shook his head, Volchek reached over and twisted the knife in Nazir’s thigh. His scream rattled the windows and then his head slumped forward. He’d passed out. Thank god.
I was going to throw up. Naz had been right all along. I didn't have the stomach to watch a man being tortured. Especially not one of mine.
Romanus turned from the window. “There’s twelve in there including Volchek. Rouen, take the left, I’ll take the right. Red, you must stay covered or behind one of us at all times. Our hides are like Kevlar. Ordinary bullets can’t pierce it. Can you do that?”
When I didn’t agree quickly enough, he grabbed hold of my shoulders and lifted me up to eye height. “Can you do that? Because if not, I’m leaving you outside tied to a tree. I need to know you’re safe, Estrella.”
I nodded. “Fine, I get it. Hide behind you guys. Let’s just get them the hell out of there now!”
He nodded. “Good. Try and keep up.” He walked to the door, and kicked it hard, making it slam open with a thud and every man in the warehouse turned at the sound.
But it was already too late for them. The Gargoyles moved like death, their movements too fast to track with a gun, which meant bullets just went flying around the room. I took cover behind a crate, not even close to being able to keep up to the demons as they whirled and sliced their way through the warehouse. I leaned around and shot at a guy who’d circled around, and another who was trying to run. Fuck that shit. No one was leaving here alive.
When it fell silent, I looked cautiously around the crate I was using for cover and saw a blood bath. But the Gargoyles were both standing proud in the center, covered in blood and chunks of things I didn’t want to think about too hard.
I ran down the battlefield, jumping over body parts, until I reached Charlie. Naz was still thankfully passed out.
I dropped to my knees in front of Naz, but my eyes were on Charlie. “Are you okay?”
It was a stupid question, of course he wasn’t okay, but he nodded anyway. I searched his body for any sign of serious injury, but nothing was oozing blood, which is less than I could say for Naz. I could only assume that the last twist of the knife nicked his femoral artery because blood was oozing out around the edges of the blade. “Shit, shit, shit,” I chanted as I took off my shirt to pack it around the wound. If we shifted him, or the knife, he’d bleed out in minutes.
Volchek was down, unconscious on the ground but still alive. I assumed he was still alive anyway. Rouen was watching him. Romanus stood behind me. “That is not a good wound. It has hit the muscle and severed the tendons. If he makes it to hospital, he will never have full use of it again.”
His words hit me like a sledgehammer to the gut. So many missions as a mercenary and he’s going to die because of me.
“Can you fix it? With your healing saliva or whatever? Can you heal the wound?”
Romanus reared back in shock. “It doesn’t work like that, Estrella. It only works on the Queen or pack. Otherwise we’d heal things as we ate them.”
I stood. “Then make him pack!”
“It’s not that easy. I can't bind another member to the pack. We have no Queen.”
I pushed into his space. “Then make me Queen and him pack and we’ll heal him together. I can’t let him die, Rom.”
Romanus sighed, looking at Rouen, whose face was unreadable for once. But he gave a single nod.
“I don’t think you understand what you are getting into, this isn’t something you can take back when the heat of the moment dies down. You are making the decision for him, too.”
“It’s better than dead,” I whispered. “Please, Romanus.”
He sighed, rolling up his sleeves. Rouen came over and untied Charlie, taking my gun from me and handing it to him. He bent down and looked Charlie in the eye. “You did good, human. Watch him. This might get messy.”
I looked over at Charlie and silently begged him to understand. He just stared out at me through swollen eyes, blood still dripping into one and nodded. I let out the breath that I’d been holding.
Rouen and Romanus knelt before me. “With our blood, we pledge to you our lives as our Queen.” Then Rouen sliced both their wrists and they held them out to me. “You have to taste our blood to cement the bond.”
I should have told them that blood kinda made me woozy, but I steeled my spine. I leaned forward and lapped at the gash on first on Romanus’s wrist, proud that I didn't gag. “My Alpha.”
“My Queen.”
Then I licked the blood from Rouen’s wrist. He bowed his head.
“My Queen.” He looked up into my eyes. “This is not how I wanted this to be,” he murmured, and I stroked his dark hair.
“I know.”
Romanus held out his hand for mine, and I gave it willingly. He placed the tiniest cut along my wrist, and I winced at the sting. “We take your blood to tie us to you forever.” He put emphasis on forever, but I just nodded. I got it. Still wasn't much of a choice in my opinion. He lifted my wrist to his mouth and sucked, and boy, it tugged all the way to my center, shooting pleasure through me. Rouen cut my other wrist, and sucked as well, and I knew I was going to cum. I let out a long moan that echoed across the warehouse, as an orgasm swept over me like a wave.
Woah.
I could feel them in my head now, a new bond pressed close to the one I had with Hope, separate and different but just as strong.
“We have to hurry,” I said, shaking myself from my fugue.
Romanus stood and went around to Naz’s head. He gently tried to wake him, but he’d lost too much blood. Rouen moved to beside his leg, ready to heal him as soon as he was pack.
“I can tie him to the pack for both Rouen and I, but you have to claim him first.” He nicked my wrist again, and I held it to Naz’s lips which had turned a grey color.
“Sorry, Naz, but it’s better than dead.” I dripped some of my blood into his mouth, and he swallowed reflexively, and Romanus chased my blood with his own.
“Now some of his,” Romanus instructed, his hand over the knife. “As soon as the bond is in place, we can begin to heal him.”
I swiped at the blood on his leg with a finger and placed the red liquid in my mouth. I felt a golden thread snap against my bond with the guys, making it thicker, stronger.
�
��It’s done.”
As I said the words, Romanus pulled the blade and blood started pouring from the wound. Rouen pressed his mouth against the wound, catching the blood, and I assumed began to work his magic.
Then I felt a presence behind us. I whirled around, Romanus’s blade suddenly in my hand. Azriel, Angel of Death, stood behind us, his own dagger hanging loosely at my side.
I took a step forward, raising my knife. “No. This one is mine. You can’t have him.”
He looked past me to the Gargoyles, one of whom was healing Nazir more by the second. He gave me a disgusted look.
“The other twin. I should have known. Your family is the bane of my immortal existence.” And then he disappeared.
I turned around and nearly fell over when I saw the wound in Nazir’s leg had almost healed completely. Naz was still passed out, but he wasn’t the grey of death.
I wanted this done, and I wanted it done now. I turned toward Volchek.
“Rom, can you shift for me please?”
He shifted mid step. I kicked Volchek in the side, and he came awake with a start. He looked from me, to Romanus, who was glaring down at him with sharp teeth and eyes like death.
“Answer my questions or I’ll let the dragon eat you piece by piece. Got it?”
Volchek just stared at Romanus, until he growled low, and then he was nodding furiously.
“Why did your organization abduct Hope Jones from Geneva?”
“I don’t know.”
“I don’t believe you. Rom, eat a foot.” Rom opened his mouth wide, and perfect sharp, serrated teeth glinted in the fluorescent lights.
“Okay, okay. We were paid to abduct the girl. $30 million dollars, and we got to keep her as long as she disappeared for good. A big pay day and we got to keep the merchandise? It was too good to say no.” His accent got thicker as he stumbled over his words.
“Who paid you?” I sounded way too calm. Calmer than I felt.
“I don’t know. It came from the top. I had nothing to do with the actual grab. I just kept an eye on her here, I swear.”
“I don’t believe you.”
Volchek tried to scoot away, switching to his native language as he begged. Begging sounds the same in every language.
Hell's Redemption- The Complete Series Boxset Page 40