by Jill Haven
23
Carlisle
“Don’t you move.” Jade sat on the back of a man who appeared to have collapsed on the porch of Go Wild with a knife point resting against the back of his neck. She wielded that same wicked blade I’d been on the receiving end of once, only there was a small stream of red blood pooling on the wood underneath the man. He moaned, but his nose appeared to already be broken, and I wasn’t entirely sure he was conscious. Broken bits of wooden rocking chair surrounded them. It looked like maybe Jade had picked it up and broken it over the man’s body.
Good.
I’d done something stupid; I’d run here, and I had no idea where Mason was, but I assumed he was following with the car.
“Where’s Haiden? Is he all right? What happened to him?”
She looked up and grimaced. “Gone. Not sure. Workin’ on it.”
“Gone?”
She nodded.
My entire body tingled and flashed fire-hot. Ash filled my mouth and I wanted to light the world ablaze and watch it burn. My mate. The world echoed in my head as if I’d screamed it into a cave, and I swore I could feel pain in my chest, a tug right in the middle of it, in that spot that I’d grown to realize was only content when Haiden was around. Mason pulled my car into the parking lot and jumped out almost before he had it in park. His eyes were wide and frantic.
“What happened?” he called, but I held up a hand. I didn’t have time to explain it all again.
“Bring that piece of shit.” I pointed at the dragon under Jade and Mason’s eyes widened for a second. His jaw went hard.
“Yes. Of course.”
A big man who I had seen at the diner waiting on customers walked out the front door onto the porch. “You’re talking about who took Haiden? I saw. What’s going on, do you know? He’s such a sweet kid.”
“Tell me what happened?” I walked toward him, and I wasn’t sure what I looked like, but he backed off a few feet.
“Yes. Two men shoved him into a van and then they tore off like a bat out of hell from the back parking lot. I was about to call the sheriff, but who knows how long it will take them to get out here. I’m all for a little country justice if you think you can find him. All the folks around here know Haiden. He’s never mean, that kid. Always tries his best.”
“I will find him.” Or die trying. I didn’t add that part out loud.
“Carlisle’s the kind of guy who can do what he says, Eric. Don’t call the cops,” Jade said from where she sat hunched over her captive. “Tell the people in there not to.”
“They was all waiting on me to do it. Most don’t carry cell phones around here the way you kids do. I’m seeing that I don’t know too much about anything,” Eric said with a stilted laugh, “but I know Haiden didn’t want to go with those men. If I’d have been a little faster, I’d have gone after them. They were just out of here before I realized anything was happening.”
I checked around the back of the building where Haiden’s coworker had indicated but didn’t find anything more interesting than some rubber marks from the tires on the pavement. I at least had a good indication of which direction they were headed. Not that direction helped when I was unfamiliar with the territory. I growled out my rage, and by the time I made it back to the front of the building, Mason and Jade were tossing the captured dragon inside. There were a few human gawkers sitting inside the restaurant staring out the big windows, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. My hands trembled so badly that I allowed Mason to drive.
We took the unknown dragon back to the motel. Jade and Mason brought him in and dumped him into the bathtub. “This is going to drive me nutso,” she said as she backed away from him while heaving a large sigh. “He’s so familiar. I feel like I should know his name, but I just can’t think of what it is.”
“I want room to maim,” I growled. My shoulders expanded and the sound of ripping material was music to my ears. My talons emerged, sharp and long, and I used them to shred the rest of the shirt away from my torso.
Mason muttered something that sounded like overkill, but I couldn’t help it. I needed to destroy something, and better a shirt than the whole town.
Jade smirked. “The tub is easy clean-up. Rip him to pieces.” She leaned down to twist the cold water knob. Water sprayed down on the man and he groaned, sitting up a little. He blinked at us.
“Don’t forget to get answers before you kill him,” Mason said. He had his usual cheer, but his eyes were dead serious.
The man stiffened and blinked at me. I shifted out my talons until they curved and glittered, sharp and deadly. “Who took my Haiden?”
“Fuck you,” the dragon said.
I struck and slashed at the man’s face, leaving raw meat wounds behind on his cheek. He gaped at me and stuck trembling fingers to his face. He pulled them back. Blood ran down his body, the way slicked by the water still running.
“Who took my mate?” I yelled so loud the room shook.
The man didn’t answer. I raked my talons across his chest until I hit bone. He shuddered and groaned. “He’s ours.”
Three more blows, each more vicious than the last, and the man coughed blood and then whispered the word, “Vladimir.” His eyes rolled back. Mason rushed over and checked his pulse. He seemed relieved. I only felt disappointment that I hadn’t ended him.
“He’ll have trouble healing from that.”
“Damn it,” Jade whispered. She slammed down the lid on the toilet and sat hard on it. “I always suspected Vlad was behind killing Haiden’s grandmother. He wanted to take over the clan, thought he could run things better. He’s not that old, a few years younger than me. I left to stay with Haiden, so I don’t know who defected to go with him, or if he just ended up in charge of everyone somehow, but this fucking sucks.”
“Tell me about him.”
Jade shrugged and dug a hair tie out of her jeans pocket. As she spoke, she wound her hair onto the top of her head in a messy bun. “He’s a typical alpha dragon—ruthless. His goal was to eventually become the elder of the entire Northeast. Your job, right?” She smiled, but her usual fire wasn’t in it. “Rouse our guest,” she said, sitting up straighter. Mason poked at the man, and eventually he was sitting up blinking blearily at all of us again.
She stood and hunkered down with her arms resting on the side of the tub. Water dotted her shirt. “Hey. You know me, right?”
“Jade,” the man said weakly.
“How did you find out about Haiden? I’m your clanswoman. You tell me and I’ll maybe keep the Princeps Draco from ripping your head off and using it like a football for taking his mate.”
The man was a ruin, but apparently doing well enough that he thought he would make it because he began to talk. “The Divine Omega’s father.” The man went on to speak in a reedy voice about the way that they’d been approached by the elder, Poole, and I wished more than ever that I’d simply ended him the day he’d struck Haiden in my presence. My blood boiled in my veins.
I left the bathroom, unable to keep myself from shifting more into my dragon. My teeth were sharp in my mouth and I trembled. Mason came out and landed his hand on my shoulder.
“I’m going to fucking kill him.”
“Vladimir?” Mason asked.
“Yes, but also Haiden’s father. How could he do this to his own son?”
Mason nodded seriously. “I’ll help.”
“Get our trackers in here. That’s how you can help.”
“Bishop’s already out there looking.”
I stepped toward him and backed him against a wall. Mason held out his hands in the universal sign of surrender, but I was ready to destroy everything and everyone until I found Haiden. A small part of me in this moment even wanted to damage Mason. I took a deep breath and forced myself away from him.
“Call in everyone in the region. Don’t tell them why they’re looking, exactly. Tell them there is an omega who has been stolen. I want Haiden found. Now. I’m going.” I headed for
the door, not even caring about the blood splattered on me or my half-dressed state, when Jade hustled out of the bathroom directly to me, her face pinched and scared.
“You have to find him.” She reeked of fear for once.
“I will. We’ll get him back. You’ll have your best friend again.”
“No, I mean, yes, I want that, but we need to find him now.” She shook her head until the bun on top slid down a little. “He’s pregnant, Carlisle. I’ve been smelling him the last few days at work. He smells like Bree did. He smells like he’s carrying a child.”
“What?” Tears prickled my eyes. I wanted to go back into the bathroom and rip that other dragon, barely fit to feed fish, to pieces. “He’s pregnant with my baby?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, unless you know some other alpha he’s been fucking nonstop whenever he can. Go get your mate.” She smiled and I hoped her trust in me wasn’t misplaced.
“I’ll bring him back safe. I promise.”
And if, for some horrible reason I couldn’t, I’d make every last one of these assholes wish they’d never hatched.
24
Haiden
My stomach was all over the place. Vladimir hoisted me to my feet with a hand on my elbow, and I jerked my arm back. His face tightened, and he made a show of taking my arm again. His fingers dug painfully into my bicep. He smiled, flashing those dimples again.
“I’m sorry it was necessary to do things this way. You’ll see, in time, that this is for the best. You shouldn’t have gone through this. Walk with me now.” His tone made it clear that he wasn’t requesting anything but telling me what to do.
I thought about fighting again but didn’t feel that great and besides, he probably had more guys hanging around. What could I hope to do by myself? Feeling hopeless, I followed along with him as he led the way through what I realized must be an abandoned house to a room that was dark in spite of the time of day.
“My people are everywhere,” Vladimir said, as if he was reading my mind. “There is no reason to attempt to get away from us. I’ve got your best interests in mind. I’ll make you happy, keep you bred, see to your physical needs. From what I understand, omegas prefer large families, and that suits me fine.”
My stomach hitched hard. Was this psycho serious? Did he think I’d let him do that to me? There was a bed in the corner of the room and my heart raced painfully. Would he try to force me right here? I closed my eyes and wished with all I had in me that Carlisle would bust through a wall and eat this scary jerk, but of course, nothing like that happened.
“Rest. All this excitement probably isn’t good for you,” Vladimir said darkly and cast a long look at my stomach, which was weird. “We’ll be moving soon, but we’re waiting for some of the heat to die down first. No one knows we’re here, so we’ll be safe enough.” He spoke as if I actually wanted to stay with him. What the hell?
He seemed to be waiting for me to answer him, so I mumbled, “okay.”
Vladimir sighed and turned to go. “I regret the need to lock you in. We are your clan. Carlisle isn’t. Think about that while you wait to be moved. Think about your loyalties.” He smiled and it made my stomach twist harder that he was handsome when he did it. He didn’t look evil, and that almost made this worse. He left with long smooth strides and the other dragon scuttled after him. Obviously, Vladimir was calling the shots. I had no idea what to do with that information.
The door closed and some sunshine slipped in through cracks in the boarded-up window. There was wood nailed over the window on the inside. I went over and tried to wiggle one plank loose, but there were boards on the outside too, and right beside my window I could see a tiny sliver through the cracks of what appeared to be another dragon standing out there.
My stomach bubbled in a bad way. I barely made it to a corner and vomited. The mess was gross and now I was trapped in here with that smell and no water. I gagged and felt sorry for myself and wasn’t really sure what I could do to get away. I scoured every inch of the room, but other than the window and the door, there didn’t seem to be any way out or anything to use as a weapon.
“Carlisle, where are you?” I whispered. Exhausted, I went to the bed and sat down on it. I felt so tired and hungry and sick. I closed my eyes. That electric spot in my chest was going crazy and I almost felt like I was having a heart attack. I needed Carlisle right now and there was no way to get to him. I rubbed at my chest.
A while later the sounds of someone cursing a blue streak startled me. The swear words were so vile they would have made my dad on a drunken rampage seem like a nun. The room was dark. It took me a second to decide, based on that and how I was feeling, I must have been asleep for a couple of hours. Thankfully, I was less tired. The door burst open and light streamed in. Someone flipped up a big old-fashioned light switch, high on the side of the doorframe, that I hadn’t noticed earlier. Overhead, a light blazed on and seemed like the sun to my poor eyes. A small man about my size came sailing through the air from the doorway. Instead of landing hard, though, the way that I probably would have, he rolled and was on his feet in an instant. One of the dragons had stepped in after him and pointed a gun at his face as the man hopped smoothly to his feet. They must not have thought I was dangerous because I hadn’t seen a single weapon earlier.
“Tell me what the hell is going on, you fuckin’ salamanders. Not even dragon enough to use your goddamned teeth. Gotta use guns.” I couldn’t see the man’s face, but he was stripped down to a torn and dirty undershirt and boxers. His dirty blond hair was styled up into a spiky faux hawk.
“You settle down right now, or there will be hell to pay.”
The man flipped them off. He didn’t even have shoes on, but he wasn’t backing down. “There’s already going to be hell to pay.” He motioned from himself to the guy with the gun.
The men laughed and slammed the door closed.
“Motherfucking fuck!” The new guy yelled, jumping up and down with each word, but he stopped when he seemed to notice me for the first time on the bed. His eyes bugged. They were such a striking dark brown, they would have been difficult to miss anyway, but he stared hard at me. “Shit, are you Divine?”
The rapid-fire question hurt my brain a little, and my stomach was still queasy. He walked toward me, and I clenched my hands into fists, getting ready to defend myself.
“No, no, no.” The guy held out his hands, and I noticed he looked like he’d been through a lot already, clothes aside. He had a black eye and his curved pink lips were cracked and swollen on one side. “I’m not like them. My name’s Seth Preston. I’ve been in hiding with my dad. I’m a Divine Omega too.” Tears suddenly bubbled from the corners of his eyes and trickled down his cheeks. “I’m pretty sure Dad’s dead. He was trying to protect me, and they just ripped him the fuck apart like chuck round.” He gasped but forced a horrific smile.
My heart hurt for him. “At least your dad tried to protect you. Mine’s the reason I’m here. He ratted me out.”
Seth grunted. “Low. That’s the worst shit I’ve heard tonight, and I had a guy threaten to turn me over in the back seat of the van. God knows what these fucks are capable of.”
“Yeah.”
He tilted his head and took a deep inhale of the air, something I’d seen all the other dragons in my life do from time to time. “Well, fuck dude. We gotta fight back. You gotta snap out of whatever this is here,” he said, gesturing vaguely toward where I was sitting.
I scowled and sat up straighter. “How?”
He ignored me and kept talking. “Especially if you don’t want those jerks getting ahold of your baby.”
“What are you talking about?” He stared at me for longer than I was comfortable with. I glanced down at my stomach. “How would you know?”
“You want to know how I know?” He tapped his nose and gave me a wink. “I smell it. All pregnant people get a little bit of a twang to their scent. Like someone who’s been eating cotton candy. It’s just sweet, sweet. Yo
u smell that way.” He shrugged. “Like babies. Only it’s dragon babies so it’s sweet, sweet and like… applewood smoke.” He shrugged again. “That’s a weird one.”
Hands shaking, I rested them on my stomach and doubled over to stare at the bare wood floor, surprised, but not really. I mean, Carlisle and I hadn’t been using anything to stop a pregnancy. As long as he was negative, which he was, I didn’t care. I was still half convinced the whole baby thing couldn’t happen.
“You’re sure?”
“Yeah, bucko. Sure as a bet on aces.”
I nodded and sat back up. My anxiety raged in the back of my mind, but strangely enough, now that the worst possible thing was happening, it seemed more manageable, almost as if all my other anxiety and panic had been to prepare for this moment. I wasn’t sure what I would do, but I wanted to get home to Carlisle and keep our baby safe.
“Okay, you’re right. What do you think we should do?”
Seth grinned and he looked feral with his hair spiked, bleeding, bruised, and nearly naked. “Whatever happens, we work together and we’ll be fine. Hell, this will be fuckin’ fun. You ever run a job with anyone?”
“A… a what?” I patted my stomach. We’ll keep you safe. “I’ve waited tables when it’s busy before. Coordinated, if that’s what you mean.”
He hung his head and moaned. “Jesus, save me from the sweethearts of the world.”
“Hey!” I wasn’t sure why I was suddenly so irritated, but he grinned. “It’s fine. They’re not going to keep us here forever. They wanna fucking rape us, and that prick in charge seems like he wouldn’t want to do it in a flophouse like this. That’s a two thousand-dollar suit he’s got on. You know?”
I shook my head. “I had no idea.”
“Well, I do,” Seth said, and paced a circle in front of me. “So, our chance is when we’re moved next, right?”
“That makes sense.”
All at once the house shuddered like there was an earthquake happening. Seth crouched low. Even the floorboards rattled. I dropped to the floor from the mattress and stared around, waiting for the ceiling to collapse or something, but it didn’t happen.