by Macy Blake
Henry grunted but did as he was told. Draco rubbed his back with slow even strokes even as Henry curled up against him. Draco kept an eye on Sawyer as well. His other mate was deep in thought, working his way through something. It was a pebble in his shoe. Annoying him until he was able to get it out. Sawyer paced with the bird perched on his shoulder.
“We should get him a patch and one of those fake hook hand things. He can be a pirate for Halloween,” Henry said softly.
Draco grunted. “Those are parrots.”
Henry poked him in the stomach. “I know. But it’s funny, right?”
Draco couldn’t deny that it would be.
Henry let out another sigh, and Draco tightened his hold once more. “You okay?”
“Yeah. I promise. A little shaken up. I thought he had me, you know?”
“Even if he did— which he won’t— I would search the universe until I found you. And so would all of our mates. Not to mention your pack and your uncles and all of your friends. And then there’s our mate’s sisters. I’m sure they would—”
Henry squeezed his arm, looking up at him with his crystal blue eyes. “Promise me.”
“I swear it. A dragon’s oath. I would find you and rain fire upon any who dared to hurt you.”
Henry let out another breath and tucked his face into Draco’s neck. “Thank you.”
“There’s more than one way to see,” Sawyer said suddenly.
Henry raised his head.
“Your visions,” Sawyer added. “That’s a way.”
“Right,” Henry said.
“The air found me for you,” Sawyer said. “I told it I needed you, remember? When I was with Saeward?”
“I remember,” Henry said.
Like any of them could forget Sawyer being kidnapped and them not being able to find him. Draco still had nightmares about it.
“Tell me what you saw,” Sawyer said.
Henry tensed in Draco’s arms, but then relaxed. “Okay.”
“Just describe the house. Where you saw the number.”
Henry told what little he’d seen. He was able to recall little details, like the shape of the window, then the type of trees he’d seen from the window. That there was a hill, but nothing around it. Then the number and the color of the house. It wasn’t much.
Sawyer picked up the list Eduard had printed. Eduard was going through each address, trying to narrow it down further, but he wasn’t having a lot of luck. Sawyer held out his arm and the raven hopped further down so it rested on his hand.
“You’re my eyes and ears. That’s what she was trying to tell me. I thought it was the visions, you know? But that wasn’t it. The hellhounds protect because that is my sister’s task. To protect the secret. That’s not my task. So my champions must have another duty.”
The raven sat patiently, as if waiting for a command.
Sawyer looked at the page in his hand, then back at the bird. “Find it for me. Find me the house from my mate’s vision. Tell your brothers and sisters to help. Go!”
The bird flew away, out the still open window, and began screeching into the sky. Other ravens flew to it, then they scattered. Sawyer turned back to Henry, who was practically vibrating with excitement in Draco’s arms.
“There’s more than one way to see.”
“Do you think it’ll work?” Henry asked.
“Yeah,” Sawyer said. “I do. We need to eat and plan. Can you sketch out the layout of the room for us? And Eduard, can you call your dad again? We might want to make use of those helicopters he used to fly us home.”
“I can do that.”
Draco loved this side of his mate. Sawyer wasn’t your typical general; he didn’t bark commands and he certainly wasn’t gruff or severe. But there was a toughness to him, one that Draco had always seen. Sawyer considered his options, and then took action. He was a different kind of leader. He didn’t have to command respect. It was freely given. They trusted him, Draco especially. Their years of friendship had shown Draco the kind of person Sawyer was.
After Henry sketched out what he could remember from inside and outside the house, Sawyer took the notepad to the table. He worked with Loch and Andvari on a plan, asking for clarification from Henry when they needed it.
There were at least a couple dozen guards on the premises. Henry remembered that much clearly. He didn’t know what the guards were, though. They could be facing anything from dragons to nymphs. They had no clue. They would have to go in fighting, though.
The next few hours passed in a deluge of planning. Andvari and Loch drilled them all on possibilities. There were so many alternative plans in his head, Draco wasn’t sure he even had room to remember his own mother’s name anymore. But all the plans revolved around keeping their mates safe, so he listened.
Andvari fitted Henry for a swat-level bulletproof vest. He also had some sort of metal thing underneath it that looked like chain mail. Between that and his magic, their mage would be safe. Sawyer, of course, brought out this dragon armor. He sent a proud smile Draco’s way as he slipped it on.
His mates were strong and powerful. Every one of them. He wasn’t the least bit surprised when the ravens began to return, cawing out their greetings to Sawyer. Sawyer went to the window, the sunlight glimmering off of the scaled armor. One of the birds landed on his arm and poked at the shimmering scales before it raised its head and squawked.
Sawyer closed his eyes briefly before opening them a moment later with a smile.
“Thank you, my friend. Cecil?”
“Yes, Master Sawyer?”
Draco hadn’t even heard him enter the room.
“Will you put some feed out for my birds? They’ve worked hard today.”
“Consider it done.”
Sawyer smiled and stroked the raven’s chest. It flew away, joining the others in the trees surrounding the house.
“Tell me,” Henry demanded.
“It worked. They showed me. I don’t know. It was sort of like a vision I guess. But I could, like, see through their eyes. I saw what they saw. So fricking cool. We need to find a crossroads, where Hill Valley Road meets Cross Creek Way. I saw the sign as plain as day.”
“Cross Creek Way,” Eduard said. “That’s one of the addresses.” He grabbed his laptop and plugged in one of the addresses from the list. He pulled up a map and turned the screen so they could see it. “The map shows a place that looks nothing like what Henry described.”
The image from Google maps definitely wasn’t the house Henry had told them about. It was old and run down. But Henry moved closer and leaned down to look at the screen. When he straightened, he had a beaming smile on his face. “That’s it. That’s the same hill in the background.”
Sawyer whooped before lifting Henry and spinning him around until they were both breathless. “We did it.”
“We totally did it.”
Sawyer turned to Dakota with his beaming smile. Their new guardian’s wall took another hit, crumbling a little more under the onslaught of Sawyer’s joy. Then it was down to business. They were ready to leave within the hour. Sawyer and Andvari had chosen a location for the choppers to land that wasn’t too far from the house, but far enough that they should escape notice and not trigger any wards. They were a little cramped inside, but Sawyer wanted both Draco and Eduard inside instead of in the air. Their energy needed to be saved for the fight. The strategy was actually simple. Divide and conquer. Sawyer would be with Draco, Dakota, and Loch. When they found the guardian, Sawyer would have one guardian from each element with him, just in case.
Henry had the same with Eduard, Saeward, and Andvari. They would provide cover while Dakota led Sawyer to the guardian. Sawyer would be the only one to know for sure that the guardian was real, and Dakota assured them he would be able to get through any locks keeping them out. Draco couldn’t help but be both curious and suspicious of the new guardian’s ability. He would have to borrow one of Henry’s books when they were safely home so he could le
arn more about Dakota. For now, he wasn’t particularly worried. Sawyer would have both Draco and Loch would be nearby. They would be able to get Sawyer out of there if they needed to.
They had the hellhounds on standby to portal them out if they needed, but Sawyer had felt pretty strongly about not involving them in the rescue effort unless absolutely necessary. Doing so would involve his sister. As much as Draco wanted the extra firepower, he understood Sawyer’s point. They had the same argument about the additional vampire guards. It made sense to load a bunch of them onto other choppers and go in with a full contingent of warriors. Sawyer had said no to that as well. They needed to do this. It was their duty. He insisted, and they all agreed. His instincts hadn’t led them wrong yet.
Sawyer leaned against Draco for the entire flight, absorbing what strength he could. Draco wished he could physically give it to him, but his presence had always been enough for Sawyer. His mates all depended on him, and he would see them safely through this battle.
When they finally landed, Sawyer’s ravens emerged from the trees. As with the one at their home, the one that flew to him was a bit larger than the others. Sawyer held out his arm and it landed there with practiced ease before hopping up to Sawyer’s shoulder.
“Are there wards?” Sawyer whispered.
“No,” Henry said.
The raven squawked.
Sawyer nodded. “There will be. Closer to the house. Be ready.”
Henry nodded.
The raven made another noise and several of the birds in the trees scattered. Draco had never seen anything like it. Sawyer didn’t even seem to realize he was doing it, that he’d begun communicating with them so effectively. It was second nature to him already, and Draco really didn’t think he even understood what he was doing.
He did understand that his mate was scared, though. Sawyer gripped Draco’s hand tightly in his as they made their way toward the house. The air grew more oppressive as they approached, as if giving a warning that this place wasn’t safe. Henry grunted in displeasure and began using his own magic. The pressure eased and they were able to move forward more quickly.
Then they came to the wards. This time, Henry cursed, long and loud. It was so unlike him that they all stopped and stared, waiting for him to explain. “This is dark magic,” he finally said. “That fucking prick.”
There was no doubt about whom he referred.
While Henry set to work dismantling a section of the wards, Sawyer turned to Draco and leaned heavily against his chest.
“You okay?” Draco asked softly.
“No.”
“Me either.”
Sawyer raised his head and looked at Draco’s face. “Why?”
“This is scary shit. We don’t know what we’re up against. Hell, Palinouros could be there for all we know. I don’t like us walking in blind.”
“We can find another—”
“No, we can’t,” Draco interrupted. “We have to find the final guardian. You said it yourself, that has to be our priority. The asshole has him, so we need to rescue him. Doesn’t mean I can’t be worried for my mates, though. Worried for you.”
“Ready,” Henry said.
Draco squeezed Sawyer one last time before taking his hand again. Sawyer’s raven returned and landed on his shoulder. Sawyer closed his eyes and breathed. It was truly a beautiful thing to see. “There are more of them than we anticipated.”
That’s exactly what Draco had been afraid of. But Sawyer’s eyes opened and there was knowledge there, something more that Draco couldn’t quite understand. It was like his dragon instincts, something innate that couldn’t be explained, but real nonetheless.
“Draco, I need a path cleared,” Sawyer said. “Eduard, can you get Andvari in right behind him?”
“Yes.”
“Saeward, you follow them with Henry. Henry, we’ll need cover pretty quickly.”
“On it,” Henry said.
“Loch and Dakota, with me.”
Draco nodded and those who needed to shift did so quickly. When Eduard and Saeward were in their shifted forms, Andvari and Henry climbed onto their backs.
“In and out fast,” Sawyer said.
Draco sucked in a breath and let his fire start to build.
“Go.”
And Draco flew at his command, arching up over the trees and throwing flame over the guards outside. He moved so quickly they hadn’t even seen him coming. Those who escaped him on the first pass were quickly skewered by Andvari’s sword. Saeward trampled another few while Henry began working his magic, using his thighs to hold onto Saeward’s back.
They were a sight to behold, but Draco didn’t have time to admire them more. As Andvari, Henry, Saeward, and Eduard made their way inside, Draco made sure the path for Dakota, Loch and Sawyer remained clear. He followed them into the house, and toward the hallway Henry described. Loch led the way, his sword out and deadly. Dakota kept Sawyer protectively behind him. Draco shifted back, unable to fit through the doorway in his dragon form. But he had the magical daggers Eduard had passed to him strapped to his wrists, and he unsheathed them before taking his position at the end of the hall.
The main room, where Henry had seen the bulk of the guards, was chaos. They weren’t well-trained though, even if they did have more powers than they should have. They definitely weren’t prepared for a vampire with Andvari’s skills. He’d taken down half of them before Draco even finished his shift. The other half were well on their way to death as he watched.
Henry took cover behind a decorative pillar. It wouldn’t provide a lot of protection for him, but Andvari had insisted that he not remain out in the open as he worked his magic. Saeward stood protectively in front of him, while Eduard blocked the path of any of the guards who tried to circle around Andvari.
In the end, it didn’t take more than a few minutes. They’d come in fast and hard, doing exactly as Andvari had described. Henry had a protective ward around the house, keeping any newcomers from surrounding them. But Draco didn’t sense anything else.
It was up to Dakota and Sawyer now. Draco glanced down the hall impatiently. They needed to get their asses in gear and hurry up. He wanted to get them the hell out of this place and get his mates safely home.
He should have known that it was too easy. Draco heard the shriek about the time Henry trembled and sank to his knees. “Guardians,” Draco barked. They all ran to his side and knelt around Henry, who was struggling to hold the shields in place.
“Wraiths,” Henry gasped out. “I’m not sure how many.”
“Iron works,” Andvari said. “You have to slice clean through them, though. All the way. Cut them in half. If it doesn’t go all the way through, it won’t work.”
“Fuck,” Draco said. His daggers weren’t going to do him a hell of a lot of good.
“Draco, stay here. Make sure nothing gets down that hallway. Give Dakota as much time as he can to get through the locks. Henry, stay with Draco. Hold the wards for as long as you can, okay?”
Henry nodded and Draco crouched down beside him. “Pull from me if you need it,” Draco said.
“But…”
“Don’t argue. Do it. I’m fine.”
Henry nodded and began to use some of Draco’s energy to strengthen his wards. It wasn’t much, but it was all Draco could give. Luckily, the rest of the guards had all been taken care of. Andvari gave Draco one last intense look before swinging onto Eduard’s back.
“Get it done,” Draco demanded.
Andvari nodded.
Draco could hear the shrieking from outside, and it took every ounce of control he had to remain in place. He had to guard Sawyer’s back, and Henry’s. He was where he needed to be. The wraiths were pulling at Henry, their dark magic surrounding him with the depths of their despair. Tears rolled down Henry’s cheeks, but it began to ease within minutes of Andvari being gone.
Henry began to recover quickly, but then the worst happened. One of the wraiths made it to the door and int
o the house. Draco stood and pulled both daggers into his hands as it began to fly toward Henry.
Draco stepped into its path and it hit him hard. Immediately, the energy pull began as the wraith began draining his life force. Henry screamed, but Draco didn’t fight it. Instead, he moved his arms, one behind the wraith and one in front. And just when he could feel himself faltering, he struck, dragging both blades through the wraith’s body.
It disappeared with another scream and a flurry of black smoke. Andvari bolted through the doorway a second later, covering in sweat and gasping for breath. Henry flung himself against Draco’s back and began sending a magical flow back into him. Andvari grabbed him by the neck and kissed him, deep and hard. “You fool,” Andvari said once he pulled away.
“It worked.”
Andvari scowled. “We’re talking about this later. Where the fuck is Sawyer?”
“I’ll go get him.” There was more movement from outside as Saeward and Eduard came back in. “Watch my back.”
“Always,” Andvari said.
Draco glanced at his mates one more time before going to track down Sawyer. He was more than ready to be out of this place and back to safety.
Pip
Boredom did not suit Pip at all, and neither did the so-called color of the year. Coral, his butt. It was orange, and orange was not the new black. Pip flung the latest fashion magazine aside in a huff. It landed on a growing heap of already-read books and magazines on the floor beside him. It was the only entertainment he was allowed in his jail cell. He huffed again, this time squirming around on the mattress he’d dragged onto the floor himself. His cell mate preferred it on the floor. Of course, when you were about eight feet long and probably weighed a good five hundred pounds, you wouldn’t want to try to squish onto a tiny bed meant for a human either.