Asher’s dress shoes clicked as he stepped over the tiled entranceway, which led to three steps down to the next level, the living room where I was sitting. In front of me was a huge TV, but I hadn’t touched the controls for it. My mind was too busy working on how to convince Asher to allow me to see Mazy.
Asher’s greasy black hair bounced as he cheerfully came down the stairs. When he crossed in front of me, my back straightened and tightened. I tried my best to control my breathing. I couldn’t show him fear, even if it was running rampant through my blood. He held my life in his hands. Even though I tried to sass talk my way out of situations, I was still very hyper aware that he could destroy me and my sister.
Asher continued past me. My shoulders dropped a centimeter, but the tension reminded in the neck, a tight bundle of nerves knotting and twisting. He strode over to the end of where my chain was connected. It was a thick metal loop that had been anchored on to the wall. My cuff had been padlocked on, and I feared why the metal loop was there in the first place, but best not to think too hard about it.
The quiet clank of the metal was the only sound between us. I peeked over to where Asher was slowly moving toward me. He was gathering the chain that had my line of movement. My arm tugged toward where he wrapped the chain up.
“We’re leaving, mate. And this is what is going to happen. I will release you from the chain, and you are going to take my arm―”
I let out a scoff. There was very little chance I would be willing to do that.
“You will take my arm and walk to the car. No screams, no nothing. If you comply to all my requests, then before we leave the city I will take you to see your sister.”
A dangerous warmth of hope bloomed in my chest. Maybe it was foolish to hope he would truly keep his word, but I would be willing to do the little he asked to see her. Asher came to the end of the chain, which was attached to my wrist. The small lock that held the chain together bounced against the sharp edge of my wrist. Asher caught my wrist in a tight grip, dropping the extra slack he had.
“Do you understand?” Asher asked, tightening his grip.
“Yes,” I gritted out. He unlocked the lock and it dropped to the floor, along with the remaining chain, with a quiet twinkle. The chain slid against my jean-covered leg, pooling with the rest of the sparkling chain. My wrist felt pounds lighter.
“Let’s go.” Asher tugged me from the couch and tucked me close to his hip. I wanted to pull away from his hold, but his promise thrummed through me.
Do as he asks, and I see Mazy.
Asher led me out of the suite and into the hallway. It was the first time I would be seeing the hotel. When Asher brought me in I was still dazed from just coming out the coma. I had fallen asleep on the drive over, and the ride up to the room. Funny, after sleeping for months straight my body still demanded it.
The hallways were as ornate as the hotel suite. The entire place screamed money and made me squirm. I certainly didn’t belong in a place like this. The walls were decorated with fine pieces of modern art, and the hallways were painted with sleek, fine lines and colors. The flooring was veined marble tiles. My bare feet padded against the cool tiles, while Asher’s shoes clicked.
Why he didn’t supply me with shoes baffled me. But so far Asher had been very calculating in his movements, so there had to be a reason why. We didn’t pass anyone in the hallways toward the elevator. Once the elevator arrived and we climbed on, Asher tightened his grip. I shuffled a little closer. Disgust swamped through me, sticky and humid against my skin. The small metal box that dropped us farther and farther to the lobby left my stomach a floor above. I closed my eyes, hating the feeling of being in the elevator.
Asher’s breath fanned over the crown of my head and I pried my eyes open. My hands had tightened into fist that I loosened, willing my anxiety to drop. Asher would sense it and he would feed off of it. The thought soured my stomach and steeled my resolve. Straightening my back, I rolled my shoulders, and the movement jarred Asher’s tight hold. He let out a low hiss as a reminder, and in response I craned my neck to face him. I bat my lashes and tugged my lips into a painfully forced smile.
“Sorry, darling.” I couldn’t bring myself to say the word mate. The word did not belong to him. Something inside of me raged at the thought of using it for anyone but the man who smelled like fresh snow, and an Arctic breeze.
Asher retightened his grip, his nails biting into the fleshy part of my arm. It didn’t surprise me that he was upset with my word choice, but his pain wasn’t as bad as my insides feeling as if they were being ripped apart. Nothing quite surpassed that pain.
“Don’t worry, mate. You will learn your place soon enough.” He emphasized his use of mate, and his dark promise wasn’t wasted on me.
“Hopefully it will be behind you with a bat in my hand …” I muttered too low even for shifter ears to catch. It was something I had come to perfect in the years living with my parents and sister who could hear everything I could not.
Asher must have chosen to ignore hearing any sort of peep out of me as he didn’t press or retaliate. Good thing, too, because the doors to the elevator opened with a quiet ding. We stepped forward into the very cold, sterile lobby. The lobby had the same style as the hallways―sleek lines with cool colors. The surrounding furniture looked more uncomfortable to sit in than to stare at. Perhaps it worked in the employees’ favors as they didn’t have to deal with loitering guests. Good for them.
My parents lived simple lives, but Mazy and I never wanted for anything. We also weren’t exposed to many trinkets or wonders of the modern ages. Our parents had kept us on the outskirts of town, choosing to live near forest until I was coming into my preteen years. It was then that my mother became adamant about moving us to the city. Even then, though, our parents never pushed us into getting jobs. Mazy had gotten one while she was in her last year of high school, and I followed in her footsteps. The worst part of any job was the unrealistic demands of the customers. So, as I gazed around the mostly empty lobby, I felt nothing but envious of the horrid furniture. These employees really lucked out.
Or it was just that late in the night. The moonlight shone through the glass entranceway. The entire front of the lobby was windows; it looked out to the quiet city streets. The darkened night was lit entirely by the stars, streetlights, and the moon.
A sliver of cold fear worked its way into my veins. Asher told me he would take me to see Mazy, but why leave in the middle of the night? Logically, it felt like there was nothing to gain by leaving now. And what of Mazy? Surely, he didn’t want to do a midnight rendezvous. I scratched my forehead, the night’s activities and my lingering fever making it hard to focus.
As if sensing my thoughts went to it, another roll of nausea went through me. I squeezed my eyes tight and hoped to hold back the pain that travelled with it. My muscles ached as if I had run miles, and my joints creaked. This was how the fever originally started the night before. Why it was hitting me again, I wasn’t sure, but it made me long for the sterile rooms of the hospital.
Tucking close to his side, Asher walked to the front counter where a midnight clerk stood. The guy had bags under his eyes, and a glazed look in them. His mouth was slightly parted as his eyelids drooped heavily. I squinted, trying to figure out if he was half asleep or asleep with his eyes open. It was a great game to distract myself with as sweat broke over my skin again. The damn fever had come back.
Asher cleared his throat, unsuccessfully getting the clerk’s full, undivided attention. Asher tried again, but this time slammed his hand down on the counter, making the guy jerk into awareness.
So asleep with his eyes open then.
“Room has been paid for, but we had to leave early. I just wanted to return my keys, so it was acknowledged we left already.”
The clerk mouth-breathed at Asher for a half a minute before nodding and taking the card keys from him and slowly typing the information into his computer.
“All set, sir.
Did you get a valet to get your car?” Mouth-breather sounded professional and not like he had been caught well asleep with his eyes open.
“Yes.”
The clerk responded with a nod and got to work on his computer again. He didn’t speak for a moment or two. I swayed in Asher’s hold as the fever gripped me tighter. It had come on this suddenly the night before. I had been on the cusp of sleep, and then I was running to the bathroom, hoping I made it in time. This time while my stomach turned and twisted with gut wrenching pain, nothing felt as if it was forcing its way up. My ankles had a strange tingling pain and in a moment of complete weakness, I stumbled farther into Asher’s hold. My body had betrayed me, and I lost my balance, control, something.
The clerk looked up at me, alarmed, but Asher waved him away, with quiet reassurances that I was just tried. However, his grip was punishing and promised pain if I didn’t control myself better. Well, if he could figure out why I kept having these moments of fever, that would be just swell. Truthfully, it scared me to my very core.
Asher was not my mate. He was not the one who invoked my animal out of my dormant genes. The Arctic breeze and a fading face was, but he wasn’t here anymore and gods knew where he was. Problem was, I didn’t know what I was anymore. Was I still latent? Still practically human in every way and this sickness that kept consuming me would eventually kill me? Or was it something to do with my animal awakening?
Latent shifters existed, but rarely came out to the public as so. It was painful to know that you belonged to the shifter world but still remained on the outside fringes. It was easier to pretend to be fully human and accepted than to be on the outside of both worlds. It had been where I spent most of my life. My parents and Mazy had been my family and my only real friends. Humans might know about shifters but they still proceeded with caution. And the same would be said about shifters toward humans. Shifters might be able to take out a human with a single punch, but humans out populated shifters.
Asher tugged me, jarring me from my dark thoughts. Perhaps a human sickness wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world … if it meant I could get away from him. A frown pressed my lips into a tight line as he pulled me toward the doors.
A lustrous little car sped around the building and sat humming at the entrance. My nose crinkled with distaste. I wasn’t a car person, in any extent of the word, but the sports car in front of me made me want to cringe. It was low to the ground, the front end was overextended, the cab short and stout. It looked like it only sat two people and the valet stretched his leg out to exit the driver’s side. He looked thrilled to have been able to drive it, but I wasn’t thrilled about getting in it.
Asher opened the front door of the hotel, nudging his head toward the car. Easy enough to decipher. He wanted me to get in, but my stomach crawled. A quiet thought surged in the back of my head again. If I get into that car, I’ll never be free again. I hesitated and took a step backwards.
Asher’s arm shot out as quickly as a snake and snatched my wrist, reminding me I had no choice. Stealing my wrist back, I tilted my chin back and walked forward. I still didn’t like the car. Ugly, and stupid. The urge to kick it was strong.
The night had a little chill to it, and it wrapped around me like an old friend. I sucked in a full breath, missing the fresh air. It felt like years since I got to be outside. The moment didn’t last as Asher cleared his throat, demanding my attention. A quiet snarl vibrated in my throat. I paused. Well, that was … different.
Even as it happened my stomach twisted painfully and the aches I had been able to forget for a split second returned. Asher stepped around the car to get in. As I stepped forward, the breeze gusted by and on it was a subtle scent of snow. It was too early in the year for it, and we didn’t get much in the city, but it was there.
Mate.
The urge to flee flooded through my body; my muscles tensed as adrenaline poured into my bloodstream. The only thing that kept me in place was the thought of my sister. Mazy needed me. If she was truly being held by Asher, then I would do anything to save her. Fighting against every instinct I ducked down and got into the car.
Chapter 11
Apollo
A black 718 Cayman Porsche flew around the oval drive of the hotel, shooting out of the underground garage like a bat out of hell. My truck sat idle in a parking lot nearby. I rolled down the passenger window an inch to get a better sense of what was happening across the street. As I suspected the fucker was going to try to escape into the night. Not with my mate.
Mallory stepped out of the modern, expensive hotel looking completely out of place. Her hair was wild, long, wavy red hair twisting in the wind. Her fair skin glowed under the moonlight. If I believed enchantresses existed, I would assume she was one. She had me completely captivated. My wolf―who had been on edge, clawing to get out every moment of the day―was soothed. Quiet and stalking.
Mallory’s eyelids fluttered shut, lashes brushed against the tops of her cheeks, and her lips parted slightly. She took in a large breath. I lurched forward in my seat, my wolf demanding to go to his mate. I couldn’t act without knowing if the hotel was under Asher’s employment. Having done my research, I had no doubt that Asher was not a massive shark loan. He had his hands in my different businesses in this town though. Cooling my wolf down, I focused in on Mallory.
Mallory folded herself into the tight ride. The door shut, and I rolled up my window. The chase had just begun. The red lights of the taillights flashed, and in seconds the humming idle car roared to life. The car jerked out of the hotel and sped down the road. Fumbling with my own controls, I turned on the lights while putting my truck in gear. I followed, keeping at least three to four car lengths between us at all times. The challenge with Asher leaving at this time of the night was there was a higher chance he would realize that I was following.
If I caught the scent of his car, the unique mixture of his ownership and the car’s particular fumes would be enough for me to follow. It would allow me to take different paths if Asher started to suspect someone was following.
My hands tightened around the steering wheel until the leather creaked under my grip. The fucker was speeding down the roads with my mate in his car. If she was truly a latent shifter, she probably still hadn’t embraced her animal yet. She would still be as weak as a human. If he got into an accident with her in the car … My wolf growled loudly in my chest.
Asher slowed down some, which made me worry. What was he planning? Did he suspect me? I slowed myself and considered pulling over in front of what looked like an apartment complex. The Porsche ahead of me swerved to the left before the car righted itself. My brows pressed together tightly. What the fuck was happening in that car?
They continued through the city going at the slower pace, but no erratic movements since the once swerve. The longer I followed, the more frustrated my wolf became. He wasn’t the most patient of hunters. The frustration made me restless.
How long would it be before I could make a move?
The worry I felt for my mate, fueled my anger toward Asher. I scooted forward on my seat, and pushed the gas a little more than I should. As I tugged in a breath to cool down, the car swerved again. This time it wasn’t an accidental twist to the right. The brake lights flashed in sporadic flickers.
The roads were lined now with old buildings; some were boarded up, while others still thrived with their businesses. The Porsche was moving at too high of a speed, and I stepped on my own gas. Nothing I did could prevent the car from crashing.
Fear seized my gut as the front end smashed into a tall, metal, overhead light. The metal lamppost groaned and whined as the top half swayed until it came crashing down on top of the car. The sound of the metal on metal echoed in my ears, pounding in my head.
Mallory. Mate.
I slammed on my brakes even though I had been going at a slow cruise as it was. There weren’t any other cars out this late in the night. I didn’t waste any time. Shifting my gears into park, I slid
out of my truck.
Cautious of my surroundings, I listened for signs of police, or any other people. Although it might not look like there were people around, in this part of town there was always someone lurking. Letting my guard down would be foolish and dangerous.
The air was quiet, no breeze coming through to sweep away the smoke. That caused a problem. A quiet hum in the back of my throat sounded as I thought on it. It meant that it would give the police and fire-station an easy beacon to follow. There wasn’t much smoke fuming from the destroyed front end, but it might attract the attention of crowds. I needed to get Mallory out before then. This was my best chance to get her.
I remained low, my knees bunched as I rushed over to the crashed Porsche. Neither door had flung open. Worry trundled through me that the crash had rendered them unconscious. Asher, I didn’t give a damn about, it would be best if he was knocked unconscious. But Mallory, she was fragile.
A deep growl rumbled in my chest. My mate.
I stepped up to the trunk of the Porsche and hoped that the gods had given me one in my favor. If Asher was unconscious it would make getting Mallory away easier. Not that I wouldn’t love to slit the fucker’s throat with my claws, but Mallory needed to be safe. My hand slid against the cool metal of the car. The closer I got to the passenger side door, the hotter the metal began to burn. The insides were steadily becoming unstable.
I reached the edge of the passenger door when it creaked open. I stepped back, remaining low to the ground. In the crash, the passenger side mirror had been smashed up. The glass sprinkled the ground near the passenger side. The pieces twinkled in the moonlight.
Authorized: Mercenary Shifters (Mercenaries For Hire Book 4) Page 5