Alvena seemed on edge, but claimed that there was nothing wrong when he questioned her. Kai could only assume that she was sorting through everything that had happened between them in the last two days, Kai kept walking but tightened his arm around her.
“So, lass, have you ever been to Col…” His voice clogged in his throat as he saw two men in fatigues up ahead. They appeared to be searching, walking on opposite sides of the room and scanning the people hurrying to their gates.
He froze for a matter of seconds, his whole world crashing down around him. Pulling Alvena further into him, he looked around and evaluated the situation they now found themselves in. They still had a half hour until their flight and he wouldn’t take a chance with his mate’s safety. What if the mercenaries were on the flight with them? No, he had to get Alvena out of the airport.
As his dragon spirit guardian began to stir, everything became crystal clear, send Alvena back outside to the Harley, distract the mercenaries, and then ride Alvena out of here as fast as he could. He remembered the hooded sweatshirt he had bought for her the night before, because it would be cold in Denver and he knew she would need it. The shirt would provide her some cover as she slipped back out of the airport.
As he steered Alvena back to the escalator, he unzipped the duffel and pulled out the dark green shirt, then stopped and faced her.
“Put this on and pull the hood up over your head.” He watched as she got the shirt on, the duffel still clenched in his fist. It would just get in his way, but they might need the clothes and other things he had in it. “Here, carry the duffel as well.”
He looped the duffel onto her shoulder and looked her over. He realized that she would stand out with a sweatshirt in this climate.
“Nod your head like you’re listening to music, that way no one will think it’s odd that you have the hood up.” His Valkyrie continued to handle emergency situations with a calm belying the mouse she described herself as and followed his instructions quickly. He tugged at the hood causing it to hide more of her face. His fingers grazed her skin and he prayed that it wasn’t the last time that he would feel her warmth.
“Now, I want you to head down the escalator. No matter what happens I want you to head out the doors and go for the Harley. I will be right behind you.”
He shoved her towards the escalator and then using his dragon he slid into the shadows and stalked his pray. He would create a distraction that would cause all of the men to rush to the farthest point in the airport. That would get them away from Alvena and hopefully allow him enough time to get back out to her and safely ride away on the Harley.
He slipped past a security check point, moving so fast that no one noticed he didn’t stop to run his items through the x-rays and metal detectors. Sometimes, it’s good to be a dragon.
One of the mercenaries was speaking to an airport security officer as he passed. Kai hid behind a post and watched the two men talking. The mercenary was waving his hands around a lot, but eventually pulled something from one of his pockets. He handed what appeared to be a badge or ID over to the officer. After the man reviewed it, he motioned to another officer and handed the ID off to him. The new officer went to a phone and called someone. Soon he nodded his head at his partner while hanging up the phone and returned the ID. Kai watched the mercenary’s face. He couldn’t make out most of the words he was saying, but he did see him say ten, arrest, dangerous, and stay out. The man had motioned to his side under the jacket he was wearing, when he said dangerous.
Kai continued on to the gates where he saw a map of the airport on the wall. He stopped to look at it. He had to formulate a plan to get the men to the furthest point in the terminal. As he followed the lines on the map, he saw that there was a restaurant and two gates at the far end. United Airlines was half way down the walkway. He grimaced at the half-baked idea that came into his mind. He hoped that coming up with crazy ideas wasn’t going to become a habit. Crazy or not, it just might work though. At this point anything was worth a shot.
At the United Airlines gate, Kai stood hidden behind a pillar, and watched for one of the mercenaries to come within sight of the gate. He looked around and noticed that the traffic wasn’t heavy, but there was a continuous flow of people. The Great Spirit must be with me. He thought as he saw the black fatigues. He searched those heading towards the far gates until he found a woman with short dark hair. He stepped out like he had just gotten up out of one of the chairs and into the walkway glancing around like he was searching for someone, when his eyes landed on the dark haired woman he smiled and yelled, “Alvena, lass, grab me some mints if you can while you’re getting your food.” When the woman didn’t turn to him, he waved his hand at her and laughed. Walking back to a seat and sitting down like it was no matter.
After a few minutes, he could hear several men running down the walkway. He watched and counted as nine black fatigue clad men ran past without giving him a second thought. They appeared to only care about catching the woman. He waited. If what he had seen the man say meant there were ten of them, where was the tenth? From the safety of the pillar, he looked, searching for any more men in all black. Not seeing any one and not wanting to waste time, he rushed out of the gate sitting area and headed for the lower level and the door.
Right after the security check point, he had to slow down for an older couple that were taking up most of his path. He heard a yell from behind him. Without looking back, Kai used his dragon reflexes and maneuvered around the old couple without causing them any trouble. He was soon at the bottom of the escalator and heading for the exit. He had to force himself to hurry at human speed. He couldn’t take the chance that someone caught something on video that caused attention to his people. Alvena had already pointed out the problems he could have caused at the pub and he had already been pushing his luck here at the airport. Even with his fear and worry, he had to keep in control. Kai could only hope that the stealth, speed, and movements he had used upstairs hadn’t been caught by the airport security cameras.
Another shout sounded from the upper level as he went out the door.
Once outside, he broke into a run and crossed the road separating the parking area from the building. He went in a straight line and jumped some bushes. As he landed he looked at an empty spot where the Super Glide should have been. He slid to a stop and frantically glanced around. The relief that rushed through him when he saw Alvena waving from the seat of the motorcycle with her helmet already on, almost brought him to his knees. She had moved the bike between a van and car and had it facing out ready for them to take off – his mate always seemed to be thinking. He glanced behind as he headed towards her, a feeling of resolve coming over him as he slid on to the Harley. He would keep his mate safe. Starting the motorcycle, he revved the Harley and pushed out of the parking spot. Alvena reached around him and held tight as he swerved through the parking lot and onto the road. As he passed the front of the building, he felt Alvena tense as black fatigues came running out. Not bothering with the men, Kai didn’t stop for people or traffic as he raced away on deserted roadways.
*
Under a maple tree on the side of the road approaching noon.
A noise snapped him out of his memories. He looked around, but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. It was probably just an animal.
Alvena was still lying quietly in his arms, he hadn’t even noticed her flutter an eyelash in the 30 minutes or so since she had fainted. Once again he wondered if he should try to ride the motorcycle with her in his arms. He knew it was a pointless thought, there was no way he would be able to handle the Harley one handed. It just wasn’t safe. Besides, he had no idea where they were, and what point would it be to ride blind when she was passed out. Kai started to think about where they could be, approximately, and how they could get to Tiranam Dásig.
He had driven mostly west when they had roared out of Shreveport. That would put them somewhere in Northern Texas. Kai hadn’t paid attention to any of the signs o
r the small town he had raced through. He had just kept going in the direction he had chosen. Kept heading slightly northwest of Shreveport.
Thoughts of the mercenaries had him fuming. There was no reason for them to have caught up to them. He had bought the tickets the day before, so it was possible they had used that information to find them. Damn it. He had been so wrapped up in Alvena that he hadn’t thought about the credit cards being traceable. He had worried about using their names, but knew that they wouldn’t make it through security with fake names – not without IDs. Kai should kick his own arse. He had put his mate in danger by his own stupid mistake. The credit cards had to be how they had found them, because every Dásreach that knew what they were doing would not have told anyone but those that were necessary. Kai had told Marcus, but he trusted him. Not only was the man someone on the current Council, but he was an old friend of Kai’s da. Marcus would have updated the Council and the Shaman, and most likely would have contacted Dar to discuss the situation from an Enforcer standpoint, but no one else would have been brought in on the information until the moment they needed to know. They had a traitor in the Dásreach, but Kai was pretty sure this was his own stupidity that had led the men to find them.
He would no longer take any chances. They were going to travel on the Harley all the way to Tiranam Dásig. He knew that the trip from New Orleans would take about 20 hours if he drove straight through. Based on where he thought they currently were, he was figuring they had another 15 hours of drive time. But, with Alvena passing out, there was no way they were going to drive straight through. No, they would stop for the night and take plenty of breaks to make sure she was doing alright. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again. He would call Dar and have some cash wired, so he wouldn’t have to use his credit cards. Dar should be able to make sure the wire wasn’t traced.
Kai squeezed Alvena to his chest, hugging her to him. His fears so strong, he needed to reassure himself that she was still with him. He had never felt as helpless as he did in this moment as he looked down at the fragile yet strong women in his arms. He leaned forward and as he brushed his lips over her forehead, he felt Alvena cuddle into him. Thank you Great Spirit. Pulling back Kai looked into her face. Her eyes were moving under her eye lids as she fought to come back to consciousness.
“Alvena, wake up lass.” He struggled to not shake her as she came back to him. “Come on lass. I miss those gorgeous brown eyes of yours. Open them for me.”
Alvena moaned and she grimaced. Her eyelashes began to flutter until they opened. She squinted up at him.
“Did you get the license on the truck that hit me?” She croaked at him. Her voice was raspy.
Kai smiled down at her. His relief was so great that he was stunned speechless. The Great Spirit had brought his woman back to him.
“Lass, can you tell me what you need me to do?” With one arm gripping her to him, he rubbed his other hand up and down her arm.
“Give me a minute.” She forced out.
“As long as you need.” He promised.
It took everything Kai had to stay still and allow Alvena to do what she needed to do. She stretched in his arms and began to struggle to sit up. He wasn’t ready to let her go, so he pulled her to a sitting position in his lap. She looked around and got a confused look.
“Where are we?” Her hands moved to his shoulders to brace herself as she looked up at him.
“Not sure, lass, you decided to try and take a header off of the Harley, so I thought it best that we use the shelter of this ole’ maple here for a bit.” He grinned at her. She looked so fragile that he just wanted to reassure her.
Alvena’s hand pulled back and clenched at her chest. She looked between Kai and the bike. Watching the events play out in her mind, the emotions crossing her face, until she shaped her lips into an “O” of surprise.
“Shit. I had a panic attack. I haven’t had one of those in quite some time.”
“So, you’ve had these before?” Kai asked and she nodded at him. “Do you know what causes them, what caused this one? Am I going to have to worry about it happening again? I don’t want to take the chance on the Harley if you are likely to faint while riding.”
Kai sat and stared at her, just waiting for her answers. She appeared to be processing things slowly and he kicked himself for throwing so much at her so soon after waking up.
“Um,” she licked her lips, “yes, a few times. As for what causes them? Typically stress. I’m guessing that the stress and anxiety of the last several days caught up to me.”
Kai caressed her face and ran his fingers through her hair as he waited for more information. When it didn’t appear to be forthcoming he prompted her.
“Well, will it happen again?”
“It’s possible.” She responded quietly. “But, I think it didn’t help that I didn’t eat but part of a sandwich and some water the day before last. There was the water and sandwich at the cabin. At the bar, I had the Coke. When we ran to the airport and the hotel, you picked up dinner…” Alvena blushed as her words trailed off.
“But, we never had the chance to eat it.” He supplied her.
“Yes, and this morning I just grabbed a bagel and some watered-down orange juice, before you rushed me to the airport.”
Kai reached for the bag that was sitting beside him. He unzipped it and rummaged for a bit before pulling out one of the chocolate bars he had bought Alvena. He handed it to her and then pulled out a water bottle.
“Which do you want first, lass?” He waved the bottle at the chocolate she held.
Alvena smiled at him and began to unwrap the candy. “Chocolate of course.” She said as she took a bite.
As Kai watched her enjoy the candy bar, he couldn’t help but be grateful for finding her and for having her brought back to him. It had been a quick trip, and not an easy one to find love, bumpy and uncomfortable, but he wouldn’t change a minute of it if the changes meant that he wouldn’t have her in his life.
Chapter 29
Al stormed around the hotel room. Once she had talked Kai back on the motorcycle, he had made multiple stops and had refused to drive far. At one point he had contacted Dar and arranged for some money. They were now checked into a motel that looked like it could be a stand in for the “Bates Motel.” She was restless and tired of being coddled, but the man refused to listen to her. He had left her alone in the room only because he was convinced that she needed food, and had left only after issuing strict instructions to stay in bed and rest.
She loved the man, but was beyond fed up with people who thought they could tell her what to do. Her fury was rising and she felt as if something was moving inside of her. Al paced in the small room thinking about everything that had happened, so much had changed in her life in only a handful of days. It was just over a week ago that she first saw Kai, and now she felt that her life wouldn’t be complete without him. Her life was flying out of her control and it really pissed her off. Since when did she let others make her choices? She thought and realized that she always had. When she was young her parents had been over-protective and a bit over-bearing. As she got older, her friends, teachers, and bosses soon took the place of her parents. She was always worrying about everyone else and being talked into things. She had a few good friends, like Maureen, that never pushed and liked her for her, but many of the people that were in her life had taken her for granted. And, the worst part was she let them. Look at how she had first met Kai, she had been running late because her boss had once again talked her into staying even when they both knew she needed to leave. Al growled and stomped faster on her path back and forth in the room.
“I won’t let them do it anymore!” She yelled to the room. “I will make my own fucking decisions. And, when I say no, it’s NO from now on.”
She had to find her friends. Kai had said he would put her into contact with them and still had not followed through. One more chance. She would give him one more chance and if he didn’t find her a way to
talk to Nat and Rogue, then she was leaving and going to go find them. It was her fault that they were in this situation and she had to make it right for them. That meant she needed to find them and get them safely back home. It was her job and she would do it, no matter what she had to do.
Al nodded her head to herself. Yes. That’s what I’ll do.
Three knocks, a pause, and then two knocks. Kai’s signal that it was him at the door before he opened it. The moment the door swung open she was right there in his space.
“I want to talk to my friends. Right. Fucking. Now.” She demanded as she stuck her finger in his chest.
“Um… what?” With a look of confusion and concern on his face, he walked into the room and kicked the door closed behind him.
Kai placed several bags on the small table in the corner and turned to look at her. A quizzical look in his eyes, he came to Al and felt her forehead. She jerked back from him and stomped away.
“Lass, you’re burning up.” He said as he followed her. “I think we should take you to the hospital…”
“I don’t need to go to the damn hospital. I’m feeling better than I have in a long time. I want to talk to my friends.” She turned to him, her hands on her hips. “You said you would let me talk to them, but as of right now, I have not talked to them.”
***
Kai watched as his mate paced the room in front of him. She hadn’t stopped moving since he walked in the door and when he had touched her, her skin felt like it was burning. Alvena didn’t appear to be sick, other than her behavior seeming off for her and how hot her skin was to the touch. Maybe she didn’t need a hospital, but Kai had no idea what was going on with her. His dragon spirit guardian was going crazy. Usually Kai was able to get advice from the spirit guardian, but this time all he could get was two words, over and over, mate and mine. Between his dragon and the woman in front of him, he felt like he was going crazy. When did he enter an alternate universe?
Finding the Dragon (Dásreach Council Book 1) Page 30