Enslaved In Shadows (Shadow Unit Book 1)

by Tigris Eden

  “Let’s go,” he said harshly.

  Faith came rushing over when Jes came out of the restroom. Her beautiful curls bouncing as she ran and leapt up into her mother’s arms. She smelled just like a little girl should, sweet and warm.

  “How are you cupcake?” Jesminda asked her daughter.

  “Oh, fine, Momma. I was just talking to Papa about meeting Nana.” Jesminda gasped and almost choked on her tongue. She’d never told her he was her father, never got the chance. Jes looked over her shoulder at Draven and glared. He had no right to do that. It was something she was supposed to do.

  “Is that right?” Jesminda said sweetly.

  “Yup, and Momma, how come you never told me Mr. Stone was my Papa wolf? I knew he was mine,” Faith said happily.

  “Uh, huh… let’s get going, okay. We’re gonna ride on a plane, baby girl, isn’t that fun?” She didn’t know what to say to her daughter. The two of them needed to have a long talk without the influence of Draven and his antics. He was trying to snowball her, push her into a corner so she couldn’t tell her daughter no. Well, she’d just have to prove him wrong.

  “Ooh, Auntie Bells, did you hear that? We’re gonna ride on a plane, a real live plane, like in them movies you and Momma won’t let me watch.” Faith hugged her so tight around her neck she had to untangle her before she lost her breath.

  Draven plucked Faith out of her arms and placed a kiss on her cheek as he headed towards the door. Royce and the others followed. Jes would deal with his actions later because right now, they needed to get back to headquarters.

  Royce took the front seat and Solon took shotgun. Faith was sitting in between Draven and Bells when she finally made it out to the car. They were all waiting on her and she didn’t really care at that moment, she was just a tad bit slow. Her entire day had come to this moment; her and her daughter would be safe from Marcus. She knew she’d be safe from everything.

  “Get your ass in the car; we have a plane to catch. Kick rocks,” Royce hollered over the sound of the engine. Solon moved over so she could get in. She was sitting next to the window, which was fine with her. Gave her time to think how she was going to handle Draven and his actions with her daughter. Royce leaned over Solon to glare at her. Then he hit the music on the radio and they pulled out.

  17

  Dietrich was waiting for them at the agreed upon spot some hours later when Royce finally pulled the car into the hanger. The man’s chocolate skin held a pale glow to it. Some people thought he was a shifter, but Draven knew differently. Dietrich was a secretive bastard, and everyone knew it. He took Dravaggio’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” clause to a whole new level. He always wore his shades, no matter the time of day. Dietrich looked over the passengers and sneered. He didn’t particularly care for women and children, and the man made it known to everyone. Dietrich had about three inches on Draven and he used every piece of his arsenal to his advantage. Height, weight, and hell, even his shade-covered glare were deadly.

  “You assholes are late, another minute and I would have left you here.” Dietrich turned and headed towards the plane. He glided when he walked, all badass predator and shit. Royce once told Dietrich he was smooth like butter. Dietrich’s response was to flip him the bird. The man had just made it to the stairs when Bells called out to him.

  “Dietrich Johnson?” Bells walked up to him and Dietrich recoiled back as if she had hurt him. He didn’t really acknowledge her as his head ducked inside.

  “You’re going to act like you don’t know who I am?” Bells followed him on board as the rest of them took the stairs. Bells knowing D was a shock to everyone. The entire team thought he was pulled off the streets by Dravaggio.

  “I don’t know you.” Dietrich turned sharply, cornering Bells against the wall of the jet. “Seeing you once or twice doesn’t make us friends, female.” He walked further into the plane towards the pit and opened the cockpit door. Bells didn’t seem to care about his disposition and followed him towards the front. The door to the pit slammed in her face, hard. It shook the plane on its wheels. Everyone tried to act as if they hadn’t noticed their interaction. Draven led Jes and Faith over to their seats. Solon and Royce followed closely behind.

  The seats inside the cabin were big enough that the men could stretch their legs. Draven should be tired, but he was hyper-aware. He needed to watch all things, be prepared. He sat next to Jesminda and Faith. His little angel was all smiles. The little girl already had him wrapped around her finger. Solon took the seat across the aisle from them. Royce and Belinda sat across from him. They were strapping in when the light dinged overhead, signaling they should buckle their seat belts.

  “This is not your fucking captain speaking,” Dietrich’s voice squawked over the intercom. “Don’t fucking bother me. If you can’t locate the exits, well, you’re shit out of luck. Head’s in the rear of the plane, and I didn’t pack shit for you motherfucker’s to eat so deal with it. This flight will take approximately one hour. Don’t make me crash the fucking plane, cause I will, if I deem it necessary.”

  Faith stared wide-eyed in shock. The women were angry, and Royce attempted to hold back his laughter until Bells popped him in the chest. After Dietrich’s announcement was finished, the loud speaker began to pump music into the cabin. It was Commons, “I Use to Love Her.” Dietrich was a walking, talking contradiction. As the plane took a turn to hit the runway, everyone sat back and let out a collective breath. Things were coming to a close. Soon everyone would be back at headquarters. Solon would get questioned again by the captain. Jes and Faith would be safe and sound at his parents’ place, and the Shadow Unit could make their move on Marcus. Faith’s hand slowly crept its way into Draven’s, it was a comforting gesture. Weres constantly needed touch for reassurance, comfort, and love. Body language and smell were the key components of communication. His daughter was comforting him and her mother at the same time. Her instincts may have been hindered by being raised in such close quarters with humans, but her wolf side was still very strong. His little girl was smart. She’d have no problem adapting; her mother was an entirely different story.

  When the plane finally lifted off, Chris Brown’s “Look At Me Now” played over the loud speaker. Faith was bobbing her head to the beat of the music and Bells and Royce had their heads bent in conversation. He couldn’t really talk to Jes because Dietrich’s ass had the music playing loud enough to make him deaf. Faith was sitting on Jes’s lap and holding his hand, and he didn’t want to ruin it. She connected them. Her strength was pouring into the both of them as they sat on the plane. Jesminda was calm and content. She kept kissing the side of her daughter’s hand, kissing the tip of her nose. Maybe she knew more about Faith’s wolf than she let on. Or maybe it was her maternal instinct. Draven felt the vibe of her affections through their daughter. It was enough for now.

  He placed his hand over Jes and Faith’s hands and rubbed them both. She stiffened when he twined his fingers with theirs. It was a perfect combination of love, he thought. It was home for him. She would eventually understand he was someone she could trust not to hurt her, or lead her on a path of destruction. He was the man, he was supposed to be with her and she was it for him. Anyone else paled in comparison. He brought their fingers to his mouth and first kissed Faith’s tiny fingers and then Jes’s slender ones. This was his family.

  He tried to reassure Jes with his eyes that everything was going to be fine. He had plans for his mate and his daughter, and all of them ended with them coming to live with him. He wasn’t going to ask her. There was no reason to. She was his and that was that. Moron. Talk to her. As his lips lingered on their entwined fingers, he flipped their hands over to expose her wrist and placed another kiss just over her pulse. He could feel the rapid beating of her heart and knew she was just as affected as he was. Once this dirty business with Marcus and the missing vampiri was over, he was going to spend the rest of his life showing her how much she meant to him. Hopefully, watch her belly swel
l at least three or four more times with his young. As he lifted his head, their eyes met. Faith was there in the middle, looking between them and smiling, showing her perfect dimples. His heart warmed. He loved them both and they were his beginning, middle, and end. Life would cease to exist without them.

  He couldn’t wait for his mother and father to meet Faith. Mara was a kind soul, and his father, well, Draven could handle the old man. The whole situation wouldn’t sit well with his father or the pack. Faith hadn’t been properly introduced. Protocol was everything to their kind. He knew Mara would see to all the details of the ceremony. His father was Alpha, and naturally, Draven was next in line to guide the pack’s next generation of offspring. Melissa was officially out of the picture. Jes wouldn’t like the new developments, but he’d find the time to explain everything he could. She was human and their traditions were different. He was expected to run the pack when the time came. Pack politics were steeped in tradition. Mating a human was not unheard of but was greatly frowned upon. His father’s council would have tons to say in that regard. He cringed. Dietrich and his fucking music wouldn’t let him think!

  The next song that came on the loud speaker had everyone turning their heads and looking at the cockpit door. Miguel’s “All I Want Is You” came on. It wasn’t hard-core at all. It was mellow, with a nice pace to it. Both women looked at each other as if they knew Dietrich’s problem. Solon and Royce looked confused. Doesn’t matter what song he plays, as long as he turns that shit down, Draven thought to himself.

  “Again this is not your fucking captain speaking,” Dietrich’s voice boomed over the speakers almost an hour later. “We’ve already gone into our descent. Children and pussies need to stay on board as we have company. Weapons are stashed under the seats and in the fucking overhead compartments. Man up and grab some shit, we’re about to have a bumpy landing. Be ready to shake the spot.”

  That didn’t sound good, what the hell did it mean? How did he know there was trouble? Draven’s fingers tightened on Jes’s and he leaned over to whisper.

  “Stay on the plane with Faith.”

  “Angel,” Draven said, “get over in your mom’s lap.”

  Faith didn’t complain. She squeezed her father tightly around the neck and whispered something in his ear, making him smile. She climbed over into Jes’s lap and put her arms around her waist. During the course of the trip, she’d expertly maneuvered her way onto her father’s lap.

  “What did she say?” Jes asked.

  “Later, baby, later, gotta go now.”

  Draven looked over at Royce and nodded. Their exchange could only mean one thing. Royce was about to put her baby to sleep again. She couldn’t get mad at that because when she and Marcus had some of their roughest fights she tried to keep the ugliness away from Faith. She didn’t want her daughter tainted with all the shit going on between them, and she certainly didn’t want her daughter tainted now.

  Faith’s head lolled to the side, she had just enough energy to get comfortable in Jes’s lap and fall into a peaceful sleep. Jes looked up at Royce and mouthed, thank you.

  “You’re welcome,” Royce said on a faint whisper as he reached underneath his seat and grabbed the weapon there. Dietrich had fully stocked the plane with an arsenal. Everything a man would need and then some. Right down to swords. Swords?

  “Remember to sever the spinal cords and remove the heads if at all possible,” Solon said.

  Should she look out the window? She couldn’t see anything, hear anything. There wasn’t anything out there but darkness. Somehow, Dietrich had known they had company. There was no point in seeing what was out there. She already knew.

  “How the fuck did they find us?” Draven asked as he drew a weapon from the overhead compartment. It was some sort of sword, thick and heavy. A sword-wielding werewolf?

  “No clue,” Solon answered.

  She watched as they got ready to exit the plane. Even Bells was geared up and ready for battle. The plane skidded on the asphalt. It jumped once as it touched the ground and then teetered on its wheels as it tried to come to an abrupt stop. Jes held on to Faith tighter and closed her eyes. She should be helping. She wasn’t one to hide and do nothing, well, not usually. She was getting used to her new bout of courage. She was tired of cowering in a corner. Fucking zombies. Very valid point, they were zombies, she wouldn’t be much use to them anyway. She didn’t know how to wield a sword or shoot a gun. That would be changing as soon as this entire debacle was over.

  The deep sigh of her daughter reminded her why she was going to stay on the plane. Her daughter needed her now, more than ever. Marcus had sent zombies after her, and she knew it was to collect Faith and kill her. That shit was not going down, no matter what.

  She reached under her seat and felt for a weapon, she wasn’t taking any chances with her or her daughter’s life. Her fingers hit the nose of a gun. She didn’t know what kind it was, only that she saw the little latch that would release the safety. She carefully unlatched it and put it in the seat next to her and Faith. She wanted to be ready for anything. Heaven help her and any person not on her team who entered the jet. She’d pop one off and ask questions later. Hopefully, her aim was good enough to cause some lasting damage.

  Dietrich opened the door to the cockpit and strolled out to meet with the others. He looked back over his shoulder and smiled at her. It was an evil smile mixed with arousal. He was aroused by this? It must be the battle; she thought to herself, it couldn’t be her.

  “Aah, I see we have a pussy on board.” Dietrich licked his lips. “Pussy is only good for two things, eating and fucking.” He laughed and kicked open the door, jumping out and into the night. The rest of them followed and she watched them leave. She gently placed Faith in the chair across from her and walked towards the exit of the plane. Curiosity got the better of her. She needed to see what they were up against. When she reached the door, she peered out into the black night and waited for her eyes to fully adjust.

  Holy shit! There were dozens of them surrounding Draven and the others. Bells had already taken her Phoenix form and had begun whipping long strands of her hair into the fray of Death Walkers. The long strands of her emblazed mane wrapped around neck after neck, severing each one. She gave a quick twist of her head and the strands returned. Draven and the others were doing just as well, if not better. Royce fought the entire time with a smile on his face. Blow after blow, zombies were falling. There were so many of them she’d lost count. The scene in front of her was complete chaos.

  Jes was so distracted she didn’t see the hand that grabbed onto her ankle and jerked her from the plane. Pain exploded as her head hit the ground. Blackness was pulling her under, but she saw the dark figure jump inside the plane. He was heading towards Faith! Her ankle hurt. Her body was sending signals back and forth to one another. Assessing the damage and calculating her next move. She could do it! Her ankle was most likely bruised from the fall. A Death Walker grabbed her by both feet and started to pull her away from the plane, away from her daughter. No one was on the plane to protect Faith. What if that man had taken her already? Shit shit shit shit! Her side started to hurt as the thing dragged her roughly across the ground. She was not about to be a victim. Not ever again! She was Faith’s mom, and she was a fierce protector of her child. Her ankle hurt like hell but she kicked out of the Death Walker’s hold and clipped it on the calf to bring it down. Solon said to sever the spinal cords or remove their heads. Well, that’s just what she was going to fucking do. The thing didn’t collapse gracefully like in the movies; instead, it stumbled a few times and then righted itself. She did a series of kicks to bring it down to its knees. Then she scooted back until she was at a good enough distance to stand, so it wouldn’t fall on top of her as it came down to the ground. She quickly tried to pull herself up but fell again. Damn, her ankle wasn’t making this any easier! She was going to have to crawl. With her crawling and the Death Walker trailing after her on hands and knees, it was like a B
-Movie gone wrong. Could tonight get any worse, she thought to herself. Adrenaline was coursing through her at a rate that had her gasping for air. Her chest hurt, and she was pissed. She needed to get back on the plane and back to Faith.

  She bumped into a pair of shit kickers. Someone grunted above her and then continued fighting. If she had to guess, it was Dietrich. Mean-ass prick! He’d called her a pussy; well, she’d show him what a pussy was. But before she could do anything, Draven was there, yelling at her and picking her up in his arms.

  “What the fuck are you doing outside the plane? Huh? Tell me why I had to look over to see my woman lying on the ground about to be pummeled?” He was running with her in his arms for the plane. He carried her as if she were as light as a feather. She couldn’t see a thing. Everything was going too fast, but it looked like her team was winning. From the corner of her eye, she saw a huge Lincoln Navigator with dark tinted windows. She knew it was Marcus, and she gasped as the car drove off.

  “Fucking get to the plane!” she screamed. The entire time he ran faster, she kept praying that Faith was still on board.

  Draven took the stairs three at a time. Oh, dear God. It was too late! They were too late! Her heart dropped out of her chest. Her entire world was crashing down around her like shattered glass. Where her daughter should have been sleeping, was one of Marcus’s goons, sitting in her place. He had a cigar in his gloved hand and a gun trained on her and Draven.

  # # #

  “Ah, it is so nice to see you again, Mistress. Meister is in anguish without you, believe me Gnädige Frau.” Oh, dear God! It was Hedrick, one of her ex’s henchmen. He was known for his love of torture. He motioned with his gun for both her and Draven to get farther inside the plane. Her chest hurt, she felt death constricting her heart in a vice grip. The bastard had taken her child. Revulsion spun its web around her; wove its way into her heart and festered. She would kill him slowly. Sever his Achilles tendon so he couldn’t run. Feed him to any animal desperate enough to eat him strip by strip until his flesh was shorn from his bones. Draven stood beside her, stone silent. No words left him as he pushed her to the side. The veins in his neck were bulged, nostrils flared rhythmical with each breath. She took a few paces back and off to the side. Something was happening. Was he was fighting the change? Did Hedrick know Draven was a werewolf? The question would be answered sooner rather than later. She felt the burn at her hip sear in pain as he let out a fierce roar. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as she felt Draven’s power blast her with a swift burst of heat. There was so much energy, she was forced to take a step back.