by Vella Day
“Bottom line, Dad, is that we believe she’s in the castle,” Declan said. “I think I have a plan. Want to hear it?”
After two hours of back and forth debate as to the best way to help Kaleena, they came to a consensus—more or less.
Only Finn disagreed with the decision. “I still think I should be the one to go in. They won’t suspect a wolf shifter. You even said my scent is different from those shifters on Tarradon. Besides, I know I’ll be able to sense where she is, assuming I can get close.”
Jamison’s cheek twitched. He looked around the room as if he was waiting for confirmation before swinging his gaze back to Finn. “Are you saying you and Kaleena are mates?”
Finn sat up straighter. “Yes, sir. I’m sure of it. At least my wolf is.”
His features relaxed. “I’m happy for you two, but if you’re caught, you’ll be no match against a dragon.”
“I’m aware of that, but I came here to find Kaleena, and I aim to do just that.”
All eyes were on Jamison. “I appreciate that more than you can know. We’ll first survey the area to see how many guards King Edwardo has this week before we make our final decision. Last time I checked, he was running a little thin. If some opportunity opens up, we can always change our minds and let you go in and find her.”
The group stood, acting as if Jamison’s word was final. Finn would do whatever they asked, but it didn’t mean he had to like it—unless he was allowed to find her.
Because the castle was situated several miles outside of town, most in the group said they would fly there and then wait for Finn and Jamison on the edge of the property. Probably because Finn had been a bit squeamish on his first dragon ride that Jamison suggested the two of them drive. Most likely he was just being nice. He told Finn he’d take the car because it never hurt to have a vehicle nearby in case someone became severely injured.
The ride through the bustling city into the countryside was pretty, but it was hard to focus knowing his mate was in so much pain. Twenty minutes later, Jamison parked along the roadside near where the others were huddled together. Once Jamison went over his ideas once more, they split up. Declan and Griffin stayed with Finn, while the others planned to circle above, ready to help if need be. They would keep hidden by the dense forest until they were alongside of the massive castle, and then move in after cloaking themselves. Jamison explained that their ability to become invisible required a lot of energy and often failed at the most inopportune moment, which was why they would wait until the last possible minute to cloak. Stress, he said, was often the culprit that broke the ability to keep the shield.
Finn watched while the men shifted and then lifted gracefully into the air.
“Come on,” Declan said, nudging his arm. “Remember, it’s up to us to scope out any escape routes. And don’t forget this is a reconnaissance mission only.”
“Got it.” Finn was on unfamiliar territory and had to defer to them.
They made their way near the castle entrance, ducking behind bushes and hiding behind trees. Once close, they waited until the guards disappeared around a corner. Declan leaned close. “Griffin and I will shift and put up our shield of invisibility but rest assured we are nearby.”
“Okay.”
Finn was to head in on foot and pretend to be sightseeing. Just as Finn was about to head out, Declan grabbed Finn’s arm. He motioned to a guard, smoking a cigarette, whose back was to them. “I just thought of something,” he whispered. “Finn, can you incapacitate him? The guard won’t be expecting a wolf shifter. Given your scent is different, it gives you a better chance at avoiding notice.”
“Piece of cake,” Finn responded. When Declan’s mouth twisted in confusion, Finn realized he must not know that idiom. “Sure, no problem.”
“Good luck.” With that both he and Griffin shifted then disappeared.
This was it. Show time! As quietly as any animal could move, Finn snuck up behind the guard and cut off his air until he dropped, nearly taking Finn down with him.
“Let us move him,” came a voice out of thin air.
Not having any idea where they were, Finn stood still and watched the guard’s body move on its own into the bushes. Finn followed.
In a flash, both men reappeared. They were out of sight from the entrance, and no other guards seem to be about, so Declan and Griffin must have deemed it safe.
“Help me undress him,” Declan said.
“Why?” Finn asked.
“New plan. Put on his uniform. It’s the perfect disguise. I want you to go in and look for Kaleena.”
Adrenaline shot through every vein. “What about what your father said?”
“He said we could improvise. Listen, all we need is a location. With that knowledge, we can hopefully free her. No heroics, do you understand?”
This was what he’d wanted in the first place. A short while ago they’d said it was too dangerous for a wolf to be inside the dragon’s lair, but that was before he had a legitimate uniform. “Yes.”
He donned the rather over-sized clothes and hoped no one noticed they didn’t fit. At six-two, Finn felt short among these giants. From the looks of satisfaction on Declan’s and Griffin’s faces, however, he might pass for a guard, though the khaki outfit didn’t exactly scream castle guard to him. Back home, many mechanics wore clothes like this—only with more grease stains. If he’d had a baseball cap to shield his face, he’d have felt better.
“If anyone stops you,” Declan said, “tell him this is your first day on the job and that you’re filling in for someone. Act as if you’re totally taken by the grandeur of the place.”
“Not a problem.” He wouldn’t have to do much acting. Finn was already in total awe of it all. It was almost as if he was in the Scotland highlands hundreds of years ago.
“We’ll give you fifteen minutes tops,” Declan said. “If you’re not out here by then, we’re coming in. But if we do, it will get ugly.”
He understood the warning. “I’ll locate Kaleena and nothing more. Can you give me twenty minutes? This is a big place.”
Declan flashed him a brief smile. “Go with speed.”
Kaleena’s heart rate spiked, and something akin to lust shot throughout her. The strange sensation was so out of place in this hellhole that she sat up and tried to figure out what was happening to her. Was this another cruel joke by that bitch Sanditra? Did she think if she turned Kaleena on that she’d cooperate?
Your tormentor isn’t that creative, her dragon said.
You better be right.
When no one appeared in the corridor, Kaleena chalked it up to her over-active imagination. Enclosed spaces filled with knife blades had a tendency to make her thoughts go wild. Add in her growing weakness from not eating enough, and she was probably hallucinating.
Just as Kaleena was about to continue her much-needed rest, her whole body shot to high alert again. What the hell was happening to her?
She used the rest of her energy to stand, needing to cling to the iron bars for support. Listening intently, she heard slow moving footsteps off in the distance. They were too light to belong to the mute or to the scar-faced guard. While she assumed the castle had several shifts assigned to watch the prisoners, she had yet to meet any other than those two.
From the left, heavy footsteps sounded and she tensed. When the mute’s face came into view, she moved back. While he’d not done much to harm to her, she didn’t want to piss him off, so she sat down on her cot and looked off to the side. Thankfully, he passed by without a second glance.
No sooner had she let out a long-held breath than the hair prickled on her arms and her pulse sped up again—almost as if the poison had miraculously disappeared. As much as she wanted it to be one of the Guardians come to save her, she didn’t sense any new dragon signature close by.
A shadow formed on the far hallway wall opposite a corridor. A second later, a guard she’d never seen before appeared. Crap. She’d been hoping for a miracle.
Sure, she’d never met him face-to-face, but she’d know him anywhere. While he was not much above six feet, Finn was muscular without being bulky, and his gaze was bouncing around in a tentative manner.
Mate, mate, her dragon said with wonder and awe in her voice.
Before he reached her, the guard with the scarred face entered from the left. He looked at Finn then stalked toward him. Kaleena held her breath and prayed.
“Who are you?” Scarface demanded.
Oh, shit, oh, shit.
She stood and gripped the bar hard, awaiting Finn’s reaction. Kaleena debated causing a distraction, but she was certain Scarface would ignore her.
“One of the guards took sick, so they pulled me off the landscaping crew and told me to report to duty,” Finn said. Just hearing his deep, rich voice in person made her body tingle.
“That so? Did they tell you what your duties are?”
Please Finn don’t mess this up. If only both of them had been asleep, she could have coaxed him.
“Just to make sure no one escapes. Seemed simple enough to me.”
Scarface huffed. “Then get to work.”
Finn saluted and moved toward the cells. She had to admit he thought rather well on his feet. He glanced at her and nodded but said nothing. He then moved out of sight. Come back, Finn!
Finn said something to the occupant in the cell next to hers before stepping in front of her.
“Kaleena, is that really you?” he whispered. His eyes widened with surprise.
“Yes, it’s me.” Her dragon became wild with excitement, and joy raced through her at a speed faster than that dark lighter could throw a stone. Kaleena reached out to touch him just as Scarface returned.
“No patronizing with the prisoners, garden boy. Get moving.”
“I was just telling her to keep away from the bars. Insolent prisoner.” Such convincing vitriol. Oh, my. Kaleena had to fight a smile.
The regular guard nodded, and then headed back the way he came.
Finn returned his gaze to her and pumped his fists. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back,” he whispered before turning around and rushing back the way he came.
As much as she wanted to yell after him and tell him that finding his way there meant the world to her, she didn’t since it would arouse too much suspicion. It was possible Finn was working alone, but she doubted it. The Guardians had to be behind this. It screamed of a Declan plan.
She sat on the cot with her hair covering her face to hide her excited smile. Finn was here! His presence gave her a strong sense of comfort, as if a positive light of hope had been lit inside her body and overpowered the poison for a bit.
She opened herself to her dragon and shared these feelings, hoping it would give her some peace as well. Then she leaned back on the cot and closed her eyes.
Together, Finn and her family would save her.
Chapter Eight
“I found her,” Finn said once he reunited with Declan and Griffin, who thankfully had disengaged their invisibility shield. His heart was still galloping from the ordeal after finally meeting the literal woman of his dreams.
What’s wrong with you? his wolf whined. We were so close. Not even a kiss! Not even a touch!
You don’t think I wanted to? I didn’t want to get caught!
Declan motioned they move out of sight of the entrance. Once on the side, he faced Finn. “Where is she?”
Only now did the conditions under which Kaleena was being held hit him. Finn had mostly been oblivious to the surroundings, because he had been too focused on looking at her. If any of his brothers had been in this situation, they wouldn’t have become sidetracked. Finn’s only excuse was that he wasn’t trained for this kind of stealth mission.
She’s our mate. You were overwhelmed by her, his wolf shot back. No one can blame you.
He did blame himself, but in his defense, it had taken all of his energy just to keep his wolf in check. His animal had been so desperate to be with her that Finn’s teeth had sharpened to a point, and his beard had thickened. He was actually surprised Kaleena recognized him.
Answer his question, his wolf growled.
“Kaleena’s in a cell down one flight of stairs through a long ass maze.” He detailed the circuitous path he had to take to reach her. “In all honesty, if I hadn’t felt Kaleena’s pull, I’m not sure I could have found her. It must take weeks for the guards to learn where every corridor leads.”
“How the hell did you find her then?” Griffin asked with a hint of awe.
“Like I said, Kaleena is my mate.” Finn lifted his head and dared either one to deny it. They didn’t. “The moment I reached the bottom of the steps, it was as if she’d attached a string to…” He’d been about to say his cock, but he refrained. “…to my body and reeled me in.”
Declan patted him on the back. “I’m glad that Kaleena will finally mate, but there can’t be any celebration until we free her. Understand?”
“Absolutely.” He hadn’t realized until Declan’s comment just how excited he must have sounded about having finally connected with her in person. “I don’t think I can pull it off again though.” He then explained how one of the guards had already questioned him about why he was there.
“We’ll figure something out, and I’d like to do it with as little bloodshed as possible.”
Jamison stepped out from a wooded area and moved toward them. Two dragons flew overhead, dipping their head before moving on. Finn suspected they might be Kaleena’s family.
“Did you find her?” Jamison asked in a voice raspy from the strain.
“I did.”
“I saw you disable the guard, but I don’t know what happened after you entered the castle. Tell me what you saw, and how hard is it going to be to free my daughter?”
Finn gave him as much detail as possible, including the location of a box he’d spied on the wall. “Someone must have been careless when closing the door, because I could see a row of keys inside. Possibly, they open the prison cell doors.”
“Excellent. That actually gives me an idea.” He turned to Declan and Griffin. “Meet me at the Four Sisters Pottery Shop.”
Ten minutes later, Finn and Jamison drove through a small town that couldn’t have contained more than five streets. He parked in front of a pottery store and cut the engine.
“Let’s go inside and I’ll explain everything.”
It was about time. Once they entered, Finn was more confused than ever. Why were they in a pottery store? Sure, the handmade pitchers, plates, bowls, and cups were exquisite, but how was this visit going to help free Kaleena?
A tall woman with light brown hair braided in back, wearing a tie-dyed Tshirt and white jeans streaked with clay came out from the back.
She beamed then hugged Jamison. “My, my, but this is a pleasant surprise.”
Jamison introduced them. “This is Acacia, a wonder with clay.”
“Jamison, you flatterer.”
“I need your help.”
She smiled sweetly, acting as if this were an everyday occurrence. “What can I do for you?”
Jamison introduced Finn to her, and then explained about Kaleena’s capture.
“That’s horrible! Do you know where she is?”
“In the castle cellar,” Jamison said. “A few of us went there to scope it out, when Finn here knocked out a guard and was able to sneak in. He found Kaleena. We’d like to go in again, but we fear he’ll be recognized. I was hoping you could do one of your face swaps for us, so he can return without arousing suspicion.”
Face swap? Finn must have heard him wrong. “Excuse me?”
Jamison’s grim expression brightened for a moment. “It’s an illusion, that’s all. Anyone looking at you will see the other man’s face. It’s magic if you will.”
“I can help,” Acacia said, “but the spell will only last a few hours. Are you sure this man is still unconscious?” She waved a hand. “I only ask because we don’t need two men who look alike to be in the same place at the same time.” She giggled. “I bet that would give somebody a scare.”
It would creep him out that was for sure.
Jamison looked over at Finn. “Do you think he’s still unconscious?”
Finn shrugged. “I’ve never strangled a dragon shifter before. I don’t know how long he’ll stay out, but he did drop like a stone.”
“Then I’ll go now and make certain he doesn’t move,” Acacia said. “I’ll return shortly. Where exactly is he?”
Finn explained the best he could where the man was located. She assured him everything would be okay and then disappeared right before his eyes. Holy hell! He glanced over at the door, but it didn’t swing open like it would have if the person had merely become invisible. What was going on?
“Can all white lighters here to do that?” Finn asked.
Jamison chuckled. “Hardly. These sisters are…unique.”
Five minutes later Acacia reappeared, right where she’d been standing before.
“The guard will not give anyone any trouble for the next few hours,” she stated sweetly.
“Thank you, Acacia,” Jamison said.
Before she could perform this very strange face swap thing, the rest of the crew arrived, and Jamison outlined his plan.
“Dad, don’t you think one of us should have the face swap?” Thane said. “I mean Finn will be impersonating a dragon, but he won’t have a dragon shifter signature. Someone is sure to notice.”
“From the way Finn described the passages, I’m not sure any of us can find Kaleena.”
During their discussion, another woman, taller with darker hair, had come out of the back and had been arranging some pots on the shelves. She stopped doing her chores and came over. “I overheard your concern. I might be able to help.”