by Julia Mills
Yea, she was so not going there. She figured she had two choices; go see what was going on, or get the hell out of there. Never had she been one to run from a fight, and the thought of something bad happening that she could have prevented was almost more than she could stand. She started looking through her desk drawers for something that could be used as a weapon. Now she wished she had listened to her father’s bodyguard when he suggested she buy a gun. He had even offered to teach her how to use it. At the time, she’d never imagined having a need for a gun, and had even laughed as she told him that she would probably shoot herself before anything else. She was definitely rethinking her plan now.
Finally, she found the brass letter opener they had presented to her on her first day. It was heavy and sharp; she could make it work if she had to. She tried to remember what she had learned in the self-defense classes she and Kyndel had taken at the Y two summers ago. Mentally kicking herself, she realized they probably should have been paying more attention to what was being taught than the way the instructor’s shorts hugged his tight ass. Oh well, whatever! With the way things had been going, she was probably overreacting any way. How the hell would anyone that was not supposed to be there have gotten in using the locked elevator? No matter how logically she argued with herself, the feeling that something really wrong was going on at the other end of the office would not stop bombarding her senses.
Taking one last breath, she opened the door, stuck her head out, and looked both ways. Nothing but an empty hall stared back at her, eerily quiet except for the hum of the fluorescent lights. Thank God she had asked Alice to leave them on when she sent her home. Listening for any little sound out of the ordinary, she heard nothing, but that didn’t stop the nagging feeling that something was wrong. If anything, it got stronger. She took another deep breath, let it out slowly, pushed her back as close to the wall as she could, and crept down the hall. When she got to the break room, she ducked in and took a minute to gather herself. Her appreciation of cops grew exponentially; situations like this were part of their every day jobs. Grace thought her job was stressful, but it was nothing compared to the little adventure she was on right now. She stood up straight and steeled herself, it was now or never. Time to go see what was going on; one way or another, she had to know.
She did her imitation of a turtle again; poked her head out, looked both ways, and in the same fashion as before, headed to the back elevator. When she got to the end of the hall, she peeked around the corner and once again saw nothing. All the doors she could see were closed. As she slowly walked by each one, she reached out and grabbed the knob. All were locked, as they should be, but as she got closer to the lead prosecutor’s office, she noticed his door stood ajar, with a shaft of soft light shining into the hall. She knew Alice always made sure every light was off and every door locked before she left. It had become her unofficial responsibility since they were always the last to leave. Grace’s spidey senses were buzzing off the charts; the strongest warning she had ever gotten from her internal alarm system. Any minute, she expected to hear sirens and see flashing lights as she crept towards her boss’s door. If there was a way for ears to strain, hers definitely were, as she listened again for any signs that something wrong was happening. When she reached the door, she counted to three and then gently pushed it open. She looked all around and found nothing unusual or out of place. Walking around the desk to turn the desk light off, she noticed the bottom drawer open. She kicked it shut with her foot, turned the light off, and headed out the door, locking it on her way out. All the way back to her office, she tried to reason out what had happened. Nothing was out of place, but she knew she had heard the elevator, and no matter what she told herself, her crazy special intuition would not stop screaming that something very dangerous was in the office with her.
Packing it in and heading home sounded like the best idea. She was exhausted, and with all that had happened, there was no way she would be able to concentrate. She blamed her overactive imagination on her lack of sleep and decent food. Even as she tried to dismiss the fright she felt, a shudder ran down her back and the unmistakable feeling of dread filled her. She threw the files she wanted to read over the weekend in her briefcase, stuffed her feet into her shoes, and headed straight to the elevator. When the elevator on the far end opened, she rushed in, hitting the door close and lobby buttons at the same time. She breathed a sigh of relief as the elevator began its descent, steadying herself for about the hundredth time that evening. A chuckle at her own foolishness slipped out and she ended up laughing out loud to calm her frazzled nerves. Her goofy sense of danger had never been wrong before, but she had never been this tired or stressed; that was the only explanation she had, and she was sticking with it.
She exited the elevator, surprised to find the security desk empty. Maybe Johnny had gone to use the men’s room or was on rounds. Hurrying out of the building, through the covered crosswalk into the garage, lost in her own thoughts, she failed to notice the missing security officer from his post at the entrance. It wasn’t until she got to the second floor of the parking garage that she realized the overhead lights were not on. The only illumination came from the security lights located on each pillar. She knew from an office memo that a timer had been installed to ensure all the lights came on at dusk and went off the next morning at daybreak. No sooner had that thought crossed her mind, than goose bumps broke out all over her body and the hairs at the nape of her neck stood on end for the second time that evening. She quickened her step, listening more closely for any sounds of danger; but the sound of her pounding heart and the tap of her heels on concrete were all she could make out.
She saw the trunk of her Volvo about ten spaces up on the left, and walked so fast she was almost running. She shifted her purse and briefcase from one hand to the other, ready to unlock her doors as soon as she was close enough. All she wanted was to dive into her car and lock all the doors. Movement in her peripheral vision caused her to whip her head around. There were two men walking straight towards her. She knew from her special intuition that these men were not selling Girl Scout cookies. Way to go Gracie girl, make jokes while the boogie men are coming to get you.
She moved as quickly as possible towards her car, praying with all she was that they would just go away if she ignored them. Only three spaces from her car, she dared to look up and found the first man leaning against the trunk of her car, just staring at her. In the glow of the security light, she could see he had a baseball cap pulled down so far it almost touched the bridge of his nose. Everything but a very nasty looking scar running down his cheek, and an evil grin, were obscured from her sight. The waves of pure hate and aggression pouring from this very scary looking man caused her to stumble. She slowed her pace, but realized too late that the second man had slid up behind her. Trapped between the two men, she felt like she was drowning in the waves of evil and disgust directed at her. Her brain was running through every possible way to escape as she squeezed the key fob in her hand and hit the panic button. The siren-like car alarm screeched, reverberating off the walls of the concrete parking structure. The man in front of her hesitated, looking at his accomplice. She used their second of hesitation and dived between the parked cars on her left; with no idea what she was doing or where she was going, all she could think about was getting away.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It had taken all day but they had gotten a ton of information from the werepanthers. Now he needed time to digest it all and analyze his next move. When they had gotten to the cabin in the middle of nowhere, Aidan had scented at least ten big cats, but he only ever saw four; Max, aka Maximillian Prentice, aka the King, his sister Sophia, and their two personal guards. He had to laugh at the amount of muscle they traveled with, but he also knew having different species of cats, all vying for territory, made the prides do crazy things. It was just one of the things that made him glad the dragon clans all shared the same beliefs and goals. Infighting could tear a group apart, and it de
finitely made daily life a chore for those in power, but Max was a tough SOB. He ran a tight ship and was happy to make alliances that were beneficial for both sides. He had been a friend to the dragon shifters for a very long time. This time, just like all the others, he had not disappointed. With all the information his pride had gathered about his brother, the hunters, and even the wizards, their Force would finally be able to catch the stupid little bastard. The longer they talked, the more Aidan realized that his brother was completely insane, and definitely one of the most relentless men he had ever known; a deadly combination that had to be dealt with.
As he sped his Harley around curves and over hills, one detail nagged at him. Max told him they had caught scent of his brother downtown, with an increasing frequency, the last two days. The good news was that whatever changes Andrew had experienced with the mixture of his dragon magic and the black magic that allowed him to hide his scent from them, seemed to be wearing off. With any luck they would be able to track him and capture him very quickly now. They confirmed that he had been staking out Kyndel’s apartment, something Aidan had already figured out from the footprints in the flower beds and the broken branches on the bushes close to the windows. The bad news was the report from the werepanther spies embedded within the wizard’s coven. They had actually seen his brother meeting with the wizard leader. No magic had been used, but the spies had reported that it was a heated discussion, and the two were to meet again within the week. Aidan needed to find out where that meeting was so that he could be there; to stop it and catch his brother.
He took just a minute to focus on his surroundings and enjoy the beautiful countryside as it rolled by. He loved riding in the country. It was the closest thing to flying in the open skies he could find. He thought about Grace, longing for the day he had her on the back of his bike, her body wrapped around his while they sped across the open road. He let his imagination run wild with thoughts of his beautiful mate by his side, on his bike and in his bed. Before he knew it, he could see the lights of the city. “I’m heading to Grace’s office,” he sent to his brethren in the mind speak of the Dragon Guard. “Where are you guys headed?”
“We’ll just follow you into the city and get something to eat before dropping our bikes at Kyndel’s and heading back to the lair,” Royce answered. “That cool with you, big mouth?” he shot at Lance.
“Yea, I’m cool with that, grandpa,” Lance laughed.
Aidan laughed with his brothers as they got closer to the address the internet stated housed the offices of the State Prosecutor. It was late enough in the evening that the traffic was basically nonexistent, making the trek from one end of town to the other pretty uneventful. They were stopped at a traffic light a half block from Grace’s building, when they heard a car alarm ahead on the right. Out of habit, they all tuned in with their enhanced hearing to see if anyone needed help. Just as he was about to dismiss it as a false alarm, he heard a scream that sent his heart pounding and had him racing through the still red light. It was Grace and she was in trouble!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
She was crawling around in the dark, praying she was heading away from the men trying to get her, rather than toward them. The death grip she had on her keys was the only thing keeping her sane; at least if she made to her car she could get in and lock the doors. Her purse and briefcase had been left on the ground when she had done her swan-dive between the two cars. Following the slivers of light glowing from under the cars, she reassured herself that if she was getting closer to the security light on the nearest pole, she was also getting closer to her car. One look confirmed her thoughts; there was the front bumper of her Volvo. She stayed completely still, head down, holding her breath, trying to hear where her would-be attackers were. When she heard no sound, she raised her head and moved her right leg at the same time. She exhaled the breath she didn’t realize she was holding and started scooting her left knee forward when a large, calloused hand wrapped around her ankle, pulling her back and scraping her hands and knees across the concrete.
Her attacker landed on her back, pushing all the air from her lungs, leaving her unable to breathe or move. He palmed the back of her head, forcing her face into the concrete as she felt him raise to his knees, all the while, her mind scrambling for any way to escape. She saw his other hand planted next to her head and thought of biting him for a chance to escape, but no matter how she tried, movement was impossible. The man hell bent on hurting her was very heavy and very strong. Her mind went completely blank, all thoughts driven away by the fear of what she imagined they planned to do to her. Never one to give up, she refused to just lie there and be another victim. She may be pinned down, but there had to be something she could do. As she tried to think of a plan, the other man’s boots appeared by her head. She felt his fingers in her hair, but could have never been prepared for the pain that shot through her skull, as he used her hair for a handle to jerk her to her feet. She really wished she hadn’t wadded it all up on her head earlier; it just made it easier for the asshole that presently had her dangling in the air.
Her scalp was on fire, tears stung the back of her eyes, and Grace prayed harder than she had ever prayed before. The man’s soulless black eyes looked right into hers. “You were definitely in the wrong place at the wrong time, bitch. Pity too. If I had time, I would show you what it’s like to be with a real man,” he rasped, his voice gravelly from too many cigarettes. She froze as a sick smile spread across his face, pushing his scar into a crescent shape.
The thought of never seeing Kyndel or her parents ran through mind; would they even know what had happened to her? Then she thought of Aidan and what might have been, even for a short period of time, with a man that made her feel things she had only dreamt possible. But the worst were the images of all the crime scene photos she had viewed throughout her career, the horrible shots depicting victims of violent deaths. It was like a sick slasher film, playing on a loop, running through her mind. She did the only thing she could think of; she screamed as if her life depended on it; and in that moment, it really did.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Aidan raced into the parking garage, following the sound and scent of his mate. The rage and fear that raced through his body was unlike anything he had ever felt. He had thought nothing could be as bad as the night in the clearing when he had believed Andrew dead, but that was not even in the same universe as how he felt in the short time it took for him to reach Grace. He flew around the corner and caught sight of the asshole holding his mate by her hair. Behind her, another was man reaching in the back of his pants for what he could scent was a gun. Both men were oblivious to the three dragon warriors racing towards them, obviously thinking they were hidden within the parked cars. The dragon within and the man lost all control. They roared in unison, surprising both men, giving him the precious seconds he needed to get to Grace. He sped forward and launched himself from his bike, straight at the man holding his mate. Lance and Royce were speaking through their link, assuring him that they knew what needed to be done. The only thing that mattered was getting Grace and killing the men that dared to touch her.
Royce sped past, heading for the end of the row to come up behind the one holding Grace. If Aidan had his way, the asshole would not be alive by the time Royce got there, but the oldest of the Force always thought ahead, always had a plan B. He felt Lance jump off his bike, catapulting himself to the spot behind the man at Grace’s back a mere second behind him. Aidan made contact with the man holding Grace, knocking him into the SUV parked to his right. The dirt bag let go of his mate and he went in for the kill. The startled abductor straightened, thinking he was going to fight the man that had just ruined his fun, but Aidan charged forward, kicking the man in the stomach with enough force to break ribs, the would-be killer bent over in pain. He threw his arm around the criminal’s neck and with one quick twist; the only sound that registered was the snap of his neck. He turned just in time to see Lance finish off the second man in the same fashi
on. Royce grabbed the falling corpse and hauled it between the two parked cars, keeping her from seeing the dead body. Aidan flew to Grace, knelt down and pulled her into his arms in one motion. She wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her head in the crook of his neck. He feared she would injure herself, she was shaking so hard. He felt her fear and the strength she used to keep from breaking down. He laid his lips to her forehead, breathed in her scent, and took a minute to calm his chaotic emotions.
He had almost lost her after finally meeting her. There was no way he could ever let anything happen to her again, even if it meant locking her away from everyone and everything. She shuddered in his arms, breaking his train of thought. He had to act fast. The fear that she was going into shock, feeding his already rattled nerves, pushed his need to get her out of this garage and home where he could care for her. With his thoughts still wide open to his brothers, Royce already had his beaten and scratched bike propped up on the kickstand and his huge leather duster ready to wrap around Grace to keep her warm on the ride home. His bike was a mess, but it would get them there, and that was all that mattered.
“I’m going to take you to Kyndel’s on my bike. Can you stand so we can get my jacket on you? It’s too cold to ride in just your blouse and skirt.” He spoke with a tenderness he didn’t know he possessed.
She held his neck tighter and whimpered, any tighter and he was sure they would be sharing the same skin. He looked up at Royce; his big brethren nodded and wrapped the long coat around her the best he could, tucking it around her in between their bodies. He then followed them to Aidan’s bike, holding it steady while Aidan straddled the seat, while Grace clung to him with all her might. He settled her legs across his lap and noticed she’d lost her shoes in the fight. Reaching down, he wrapped the long flap of his coat around her feet. The movement caused her to grip his neck even tighter. He was sure he would wear imprints of her tiny fingers on his neck. He reached up, pried the keys she still held from her fingers, and threw them to Lance. A flood of emotions ran through him; anger so strong he wanted to resurrect the two assholes that had dared to lay a hand on his mate just so he could kill them again, but even more than that, he felt a warmth envelope his heart. Grace had reached for him, and thank the Universe he was there for her, as he always would be. She was clutching his neck, using him like her lifeline, a job he took very seriously. Those criminals had almost taken her from him. His rage threatened to overtake him. Only thoughts of all the things he would do to keep her safe, and the pressing issue of getting her home as quickly as possible, kept him from losing his mind. He started his bike and roared out of the garage, leaving the others to clean up the mess. Grace was all that mattered.