Effie smiled, and she turned around to face her mate, wanting to see his face in this moment. He was smiling already, and when their eyes met a new warmth pulsed through her body, and she knew he felt the same rush.
"So," she said, teasing, "you first saw me when we were in kindergarten. You knew then?"
"No," he said, "I wasn't, uh, mature yet. So I couldn't sense you were my mate."
"Did you ever think of me, between then and now?" Effie asked.
"Yes," he said, "sometimes. I'd always liked you, the way kids do. I just never would have guessed this would happen. That you'd be the one."
Effie grinned ear to ear as she looked at him. She looked down at his body, also in disbelief, and she said, eyelids suddenly heavy, "I always liked you too."
—
Effie awoke to see Abel standing bolt upright beside the bed, body tense.
"What is it?" she asked. She hadn't heard a thing, but she couldn't hear nearly as well as he could.
"Iosef," he said. "Said he saw something."
"Did you hear anything?"
"No, but Iosef's at the door. I'll go down and check, you stay here. I'll be right back. If there's anyone nearby, I'll come back to protect you while Iosef guards the door. You probably want to get dressed."
He kissed her, and then he was out the door. She heard him barreling down the stairs, as loud as…a bear.
Effie put on a fresh robe, and walked toward the window. Before she could get a good look outside, the window shattered, and a giant red tail swept across the room. When it hit her, it snapped around her waist, and as soon as she felt it tighten, it ripped her through the window and up into the night sky.
CHAPTER TEN
Abel
As soon as Abel reached the door and saw Iosef just outside, he knew something was wrong. Iosef's face was covered in a smug grin, and when he looked at Abel, the grin widened and became even more condescending.
"I bet I can get her first," Iosef said.
Abel—suddenly realizing the danger Effie was in—gave full control to his bear. He needed not just the speed of his bear, but also the animal instincts. He couldn't let his slow human decision-making get in the way.
He became full grizzly in an instant, but Iosef's wings were already out. Abel roared and charged at Iosef. In a few heartbeats Abel was halfway to the door, and in another breath he'd be atop Iosef, mauling him. Even if Iosef shot a blast of fire through the door and into Abel, he would run through it. Nothing would stop him from protecting his mate.
Iosef's bottom half was still human, and he bent down as if ready to jump. He wasn't going to stay and fight Abel, he was going to fly straight for Effie. Realizing this, Abel ran faster, his four legs working quicker than they ever had before, and he leapt into the air just as a powerful gust of air from Iosef’s wings rushed across Abel’s fur. Iosef was now fully dragon, and Abel sunk his teeth and both claws into Iosef's leg as he took flight. The scales were thick, but Abel tore at them with his teeth, and he shredded through with his claws. Abel soon tasted blood, and he bit deeper still, then tore. He’d injure Iosef so bad that he couldn't fly.
Abel ripped back with his teeth and tore the wound open. He'd bite off the entire leg if he had to, but Iosef slammed up against the house, and he crushed Abel between the wall and his bloody leg. The friction burned as it ripped Abel's fur from his body, but he clawed deeper into Iosef's leg and ignored the pain. Wood panels splintered off and jammed into Abel's side, and still he held on. Protect Effie at all costs. He looked up and saw the overhanging roof approaching. Even with more time to react, there was nothing more to do than hold tight, and so Abel squeezed tight and braced himself.
He slammed into the roof, and the full weight of his bear form slowed Iosef's ascent, but Abel heard Iosef flap his wings faster, and Abel dug the full length of his claws into Iosef’s leg, and his teeth tasted muscle and tendon as they tore through dragon flesh. The roof slammed hard into Abel, and though he took big chunks of dragon flesh off as he fell, he still fell. He clawed the side of the house as he fell, slowing himself slightly, and then he crashed into the ground. He heard the window break, and he heard Effie scream. The ground hit hard and knocked the air from his lungs. He shifted back to human form, gasped, and looked up to see Effie being taken from him.
He roared into the air, "I will find you, Effie!"
Iosef whipped back around and flew straight toward Abel. Abel ducked down and prepared to leap into him and claw his eyes out if he came close enough. But fire lit up the sky, and Abel dove out of the way. He rolled across wet grass, and the flames scorched the side of the house and the grass next to him. By the time Abel’s eyes readjusted to the darkness, Iosef and Effie were gone.
***
"I understand your concern," Dragomir said, cool and collected in his fancy office.
Abel grabbed Dragomir's desk and flipped it over. It was at least 500 pounds of solid, polished oak. The computer slid off and broke into pieces across the floor, and Dragomir's fancy fountain pen ink splashed across the polished marble floor; black on white. Abel’s mate was gone. How dare Dragomir stay composed. Abel would shake him up.
Dragomir grinned and ignored the mess. Abel ducked down and prepared to lunge into him and choke the cocky bastard, but just before Abel leapt, Dragomir said, "We're going to attack them."
"Them?" asked Abel.
"Let me tell you what we learned from the wolves that you caught."
"All I want to know," Abel said, "is where Effie is. And after she's safe, if I see Iosef, I'll tear his throat out."
Dragomir nodded. "We agree at least on what to do about Iosef. I assure you I had no idea he had betrayed us."
"Tell me where Effie is," Abel said.
"She's with the other women that were taken. They're all still alive," Dragomir said. "They're being given out as…rewards."
Anger flooded so hot through Abel’s body that he felt dizzy. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, but Dragomir continued.
"Surely you can understand? Full women with generous curves are desirable to all shifters, and yet it's frowned upon to breed with humans. The captives are all sterilized so as not to corrupt the genepool, and they are given out as playthings to high-ranking members of the One Pure Clan."
"The One Pure Clan?" Abel asked.
"The panthers started it, but now it’s shifters of all kinds uniting together. They think shifters are superior to humans, and that shifters should rule the world. Treating human captives as playthings shows that they are serious…that they have no regard for human life. Dragons are naturally drawn to power, so I can understand why Iosef was persuaded by them."
Abel flashed his teeth at Dragomir, and glared at him.
"So you are wondering if the rest of us dragons have been persuaded. When two dragons breed, there's still only a small chance the offspring will be able to shift. Less than one in ten. So dragons will always be a small minority, and we have a great amount of power for how few we are. Most shifters don't even know we exist, and we'd like to keep it that way. This One Pure Clan might be together now, but they will splinter and fight each other soon enough. If we dragons left the shadows to join this moment, even as powerful as we are, we’d simply lose to greater numbers when the civil war inevitability starts. Iosef is a fool."
"How are you going to stop them?" Abel asked. He didn’t care about power dynamics, only about how to get Effie back. Grizzly bears were simple like that.
Dragomir led Abel into a big meeting room, Serghei and Alex were already inside. Alex nodded to Abel. He seemed fully healed. Could dragons heal even faster than other shifters? Another man and two women were also seated, and Abel knew from their smell that they were dragons. There were screens all over the wall, full of maps and data.
"In three days," Dragomir said, pointing to the largest map, "the encampment where your mate is will send about half of its numbers out on a raid. The captive human women will remain behind, of course, and there
will be only a few dozen shifters left behind to guard them..."
In three days.
In three days, Effie didn't have three days. Abel studied the map, memorized it. The clan's encampment was two hours outside of Oakgate. He could simply tell the police that the missing women were there, but that would create a hostage situation. He had to get to Effie undetected. Sneak her out. He'd lead the police raid himself after that, or he'd help the dragons. He didn't know yet, but all that mattered right now was to get Effie out before they touched her.
He got up and left the briefing. Alex followed him out.
"Abel!"
"Three days?" Abel said, "If it were your mate, would you wait three days?"
"Tonight," Alex said, "We'll rescue her just before dawn. Just you and me."
"At dawn?" Abel said, "Now! We have to go now, in the dead of night. I know where she is, I can't wait."
"There's at least twenty of them there, and just two of us. We need to sneak in, and we need a plan. We’ll get in before sunrise.
"They'll smell us anyway," Abel said.
"So what's your plan?" Alex asked. "We just charge into the front door, tear up twenty shifters, and pull Effie out unscathed?"
Abel grunted.
"I can fly," Alex said, "and we have ways to mask our scent. We can think of a real plan, one that will minimize the chances that Effie is hurt. That anyone is hurt."
Abel took a deep breath and forced himself to be calm. “Fine,” he said, “let’s make a plan.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Effie
Iosef landed in a grass clearing and set Effie down. She collapsed as soon as his tail released her. She had passed out dozens of times mid-flight, but the cold rush of air had woken her back up every time. She shivered on the ground.
"Sorry," Iosef said, "but you'll live."
Her face was wet with cold tears, and her jaw clattered as she looked up at Iosef.
"Come on," he said. "We can walk the rest of the way. I'm guessing you don't want to fly again."
"Where are we going?" she asked. "Why did you take me?"
"I don't answer to humans," Iosef said. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled. She tightened her robe and followed behind him. She thought about running, but he was a dragon, and she couldn’t even see ten feet in front of her. Abel said he would find her, and so she simply believed that he would. It was her only hope.
They walked and walked, and Effie’s mind raced as she thought of ways of escape, but Iosef was a dragon, and she couldn’t even see ten feet in front of her. Where would she run, and how many steps could she take before Iosef was on top of her? Five steps? Ten?
No…she couldn’t escape while Iosef held her by the arm. Even if she had a ten-minute head start, she doubted she’d get away from him. Abel said he would find her, and so she simply believed that he would. It was her only hope.
“We’re here,” Iosef said.
"Where?" she asked. She saw nothing, just trees and hills.
"Humans may as well be blind," he said, tugging on her arm.
He brought her toward one of the hills, and once they were close enough, she saw the door. It was a building inside a hill, and even the door was covered in grass. Effie looked around again, and there were dozens of hills like this, probably all were hidden buildings.
"Since you're never going to get out of here," Iosef said, laughing, "I might as well tell you our evil plan." He paused, waiting for her to laugh or smile, but she just glared at him.
"Anyway," he said. "We're building hidden encampments like this all over the world. They’re all independent with almost no contact between encampments…like terrorist cells. This cell operates from here, near Oakgate, slowly converting shifters who live nearby to our cause. It might take a few decades, but once we have enough shifters on our side, we'll strike all at once. Everywhere. Humans have ruled the world long enough, and you're really not very good at it."
He opened the door and dragged her inside. There was a dimly lit hallway with doors on both sides. It looked like a mix between a hotel and a prison.
"This is where we keep the humans," he said. "There's only women in this building, but we have men held captive too in another building. You'll never see the human men, of course. You won't get to do your duty until you’re sterilized, but once you are, you'll see a lot of shifter men, maybe even some shifter women who are into that kind of thing. Good thing you like fucking shifters, because it's all you're going to do from now on."
She believed that Abel would save her. She had to believe it. But how would he find her? She trusted Alex, but what if all the other dragons were traitors? Had Alex and Abel handed the captive wolves right back over to their bosses?
"Dragomir will kill you for betraying him," Effie said. She needed to know if Dragomir was on Iosef’s side or not. Let Iosef’s cocky bragging give it away.
Iosef had been smiling, but in response to her, he let his face go perfectly neutral and looked her in the eyes. She could see nothing through his expression. He wouldn't take the bait. Wouldn't reveal if Dragomir was also a traitor. He stared at her with a dead expression until she finally looked away.
Iosef grabbed Effie's arm and turned her around a corner, then he led her further down another hallway of doors.
"Here's you," he said, unlocking one of the doors. He opened it up to reveal a drab room with concrete walls and a simple bed with white sheets and pillow. There was a small door to the side of the room which likely led to the bathroom. As someone about to open her own bed and breakfast, it was appallingly bleak.
Iosef continued, "There's stuff for you to freshen up in the bathroom. You're expected to keep yourself clean and well cared for. Sleeping with you is being offered as a reward to those of us who do well and earn favor, so act nice to those who visit you, or you'll be punished harshly. Sometimes you may be offered to someone who likes you dirty, in which case we'll notify you in advance."
Her stomach sunk, and she forced herself to keep her face calm and her voice level. She wouldn’t let Iosef know how scared she was.
"Where do I go to eat?" Effie asked. She hadn't resigned herself to being a prisoner, and she needed as much information as possible. Abel would surely try to rescue her, but she wouldn’t just sit there and wait for that to happen.
"Food is brought to you here," Iosef said, "enough to keep you in those curves, but don't expect it to taste good. Aside from exercise just outside, the only other time you'll leave this building is when you're given to someone with certain tastes. Expect to be chained up in the basement for days at a time when that happens...one time like that and this place will look like the Ritz Carlton afterward."
"When will they sterilize me?" she asked.
He squeezed her cheeks and titled her head so she was forced to look directly into his cold eyes. She felt his breath hot on her face as he studied her.
Finally he spoke. "I can see right through you humans. That is why we are doing this: you're all weak and pathetic. Why should we hide in the shadows while an inferior species rules the world? You think I'll tell you when we're going to rip out your ovaries? I might as well tell you just how long you have to try to escape, or to kill yourself. Whatever you plan to do, it won't work. Resign yourself to this life, it's better than you deserve."
He slammed the door, and then she heard keys jangle and a lock engage. Effie had planned to stay awake and alert, to start planning. All she knew now though was that she had very little time. She decided that she might as well rest. She’d need to gather more information tomorrow, and it wouldn’t help to be sleep deprived for that. She fell asleep, but she didn’t cry. Despite what Iosef said, she would not resign herself to this.
***
A loud knock jolted Effie awake, and before she could sit up, the door swung open, and harsh light flooded her room. When she remembered where she was, her blood turned to ice in her veins. She squinted as her eyes adjusted, and she saw a huge man built like a keg enter her room wi
th a tray in hand.
He placed it on the floor, as there was no table anywhere in the room.
"Your food," he said. “I’m Jack. I’ll be, uh, taking care of you.” He grinned wide, his teeth looked almost sharp, and there were way too many of them.
They'd taken Effie's robe from her, and she was completely naked beneath the blankets. She stared at Jack, who was balding but thick with muscle and sinew. He wore a black wife beater from which his ample chest and back hair burst out. Had she not just seen him holding the tray, she'd have thought his fists were permanently clenched.
"Eat!" He shouted.
Terror shot through her, but she forced herself to stand up to him. “I’ll eat later.”
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