by DJ Michaels
Tansy ducked under the water and came up, her hair slicked back and her eyes large and clear. “Hello, Sorcha, I’m Tansy. Pleased to meet you.”
Sorcha smiled. “Finally. I’m glad you’re still in there.”
“These are my friends Kate, Sara and Mackenzie. Kate’s from Wellington, Sara’s from Bristol and Mackenzie’s from Portland.”
“Wow, two Americans, two Aussies and an Englishwoman. Sounds like the first line of a lame joke.”
“Except I’m not an Aussie,” Kate said. “I’m from New Zealand.”
“Oh.” Sorcha wasn’t sure if that was a small mistake or a big one. “Sorry. Your accents sound the same to me.”
“They’re similar but not the same.” Kate’s soft hazel eyes pinned Sorcha to the spot. “But we’re not here to discuss geography.”
“No, we’re not,” Tansy said. “Why don’t you tell us about your experiences on Gemarra, Sorcha? And how you came to be here now.”
She did her best to stick to the facts and she tried to keep her narrative in mostly chronological order. She told them about the Enforcer’s daring shuttle rescue, her time at Addestet House, Chelsea’s marriage and the fiasco that followed the attempted annulment. Rounding off her story with her abduction and instalment in the Residence left her with a hollow sensation prowling around in her belly. She rubbed her abdomen, trying to ease the ache.
“Dragons?” Tansy asked.
“Yes. Living, breathing, flying sentient dragons. And they’re color-coded if you can believe it.”
Sara’s blue eyes were popping almost out of her head. “Color-coded how?”
“From what I’m told, the greens are big, strong and dumb. As long as they’re fed and cared for they’re happy to do all the heavy lifting. Kind of like oxen, only they’re the size of a small house. The red and blue dragons like to fly so they act as couriers, ferrying messages, people or goods from one settlement to the other.” Sorcha took a breath. “And then there’s the battle dragons. They come in all shades of gray and black and they are born for warfare. They like to fight, they’re belligerent and aggressive to anyone or anything they don’t claim as their own. But they’re also extremely possessive and territorial. Once a black stakes a claim it acts like a spoiled child with a favorite toy.”
“And one of these black dragons talks to you? In your head?” Mackenzie asked.
“Two, actually. Tengale and Jaysada are a mated pair and they’ve both laid claim to me.” The thought of the bossy dragons set off a strange ache in her chest and Sorcha blinked against the unexpected prickle of tears. “They think having a human pet is some weird-assed dragon status symbol.”
“Like Paris Hilton and her dog-in-a-handbag.” Tansy chuckled and it sounded rusty, as though she hadn’t found anything to laugh about lately.
“It’s not as funny as it sounds. Having an arrogant Jurassic Park reject blabbing away in your head at all hours is a pain in the ass. If I had a dollar for every time I yelled at Tengale that I was not his pet, I’d be a billionaire by now.”
“Wait,” Sara turned and clutched at Sorcha’s forearm. “You can talk to each other?”
“Yes.”
“Have you tried getting in contact with him them since you’ve been here?”
Sorcha did her best not to roll her eyes. “Of course I did, I’m not an idiot. The first night I was here I almost gave myself an aneurism trying to make Tengale hear me. I think I’m too far away to make the connection.”
“Or,” Tansy said, sculling around to form a huddle, “he was asleep. Or he didn’t know you were missing and wasn’t listening for you. Or the drugs they used to put you to sleep hadn’t flushed from your system.”
Sorcha’s stomach dropped. “Holy Mary, maybe I am an idiot. None of those possibilities even entered my head.”
Tansy slammed her hands on Sorcha’s shoulders and brought them close, face-to-face. “You need to try again. Right now.”
Jesus, no pressure. “Okay, okay. Just give me some room. I can’t do anything with you four hovering over me.”
Mackenzie eased her out of Tansy’s grip. “There’s a cavity of sorts behind the waterfall. It will give you complete privacy and the water curtain will provide audio and visual privacy.”
Sorcha gave the women what she hoped was a confident nod before turning to push her way under the waterfall. When she came out on the other side she was in a long, narrow space with a tiled wall on one side and a torrent of water on the other. Gliding over to the pool edge, she lifted both arms to rest along the tile, took several deep breaths and did her best to calm her mind. She let everything go and created a large, blank, empty space. Then she filled that space with Tengale. His size and texture, his smell, the sound of his voice in her head, the timbre and texture of him in her mind. When she’d built his image as clearly as she could she sent to him. One word, over and over. Tengale. Tengale. A sound loop that resonated with every beat of her heart.
Kae had gone to sleep tucked tight and warm in Jaysada’s arms, her wing cocooning them both in the dark. But instead of the slow, drowsy awakening he was used to he was jerked out of sleep with the brutal speed and efficiency of a battle drill. He managed to flex into a crouch as his feet hit the floor and it took him a moment to realize the klaxon wasn’t sounding.
He looked at Jaysada who was almost vibrating with excitement and Tengale who was hopping from one foot to the other. Then he looked at Jax who was flat on his ass on the floor. Apparently Tengale was too excited to be gentle with his rider.
What? He addressed the question to both blacks.
I found her. She’s in my head.
Kae tried to shake the sleep off. Clearly he wasn’t awake enough to deal with a dragon word puzzle but apparently his den-mate was.
Sorcha? Where is she? Jax scrambled to his feet.
Tengale lowered his nose to the floor, angling his head so his eyes were only a little above Enforcer height. Come closer and I can bring you into the link. One yellow eye swiveled to include Kae. You too, little brother.
Neither of them needed a second invitation. Slipping an arm around each other’s waists, they plastered themselves front first against Tengale, foreheads to foreheads. Kae circled his free arm around the bottom half of Tengale’s cheek and when he had maximum physical contact he opened himself up to the mental connection.
Tengale, are you still there?
Sorcha. She sounded so lost and alone he wanted to weep. But she also sounded safe and whole, which made him want to weep for an entirely different reason.
Yes, Tengale’s still here, Sorcha, Jax said. And so are Jaysada, Kaelum and me. We’re here. Now tell us where you are so we can come and bring you home.
She was crying. Kae could feel her pain through the link. It’s all right now. We’ll fix whatever’s wrong. She cried even harder and every protective instinct Kae had demanded he take action. Don’t cry. You’re not on your own now. We’re here.
Jax obviously decided the soft touch wasn’t getting them anywhere and his voice held a touch of command when he spoke. You have to pull yourself together long enough for us to help you, Sorcha. What happened to that gorgeous ball-breaker I had in my bed?
She got kidnapped, you bastard. What the fuck do you think happened?
Kae felt some of the tension ease out of Jax’s body. There you are. I knew our little cat was still in there.
Asshole. Somehow Sorcha made the insult sound like an endearment.
Kae grinned. In less than two breaths she’d gone from desolate to angry to amused. She was going to be hell to live with and he couldn’t wait.
Tell us what happened to you and where you are now, Kae said.
When Ari and Tarkan took me back to town, Medalyn Consbaregh was waiting for me. He drugged me and when I woke up I was tucked away in an apartment in Allsgate. I’m on the forty-eighth floor of a building called the Residence.
At the mention of Allsgate Jax’s whole body jerked and fine tremors ran thr
ough his muscles. Unfortunately Kae didn’t have the time or the focus to help him right now. He didn’t know how long Sorcha and Tengale could maintain the link so getting all the pertinent information had to be his priority.
If Sorcha was in Allsgate because of Medalyn Consbaregh then Jax had inadvertently helped the councilman’s cause. Because of the beating, Medalyn had a perfectly legitimate excuse to be in Allsgate. The Brightstar stronghold offered medical care far beyond what was available in Sapphire, and the councilman had the money and contacts to access the best facilities. And his subsequent recovery would give him a legitimate excuse to linger in Allsgate for as long as he liked.
They needed to make a plan to rescue their woman and they needed to make it fast.
There are six other women here, Sorcha continued. Two have chosen to be here but the other four are unwilling captives, like me. When you come to get me you have to rescue them too.
The mention of other women sent Kae’s stomach plummeting. The more people involved in this mission, the more difficult it became. While he and Jax might have a chance at rescuing Sorcha, they didn’t have a hope of delivering four other women to freedom. He didn’t know whether to be proud or appalled that Sorcha simply assumed they’d come and get her and everything would be fine.
Also, you have to tell Chelsea I found Tansy. She’s okay and she can’t wait to come back to the den.
Kae knew how much that information would mean to Chelsea. It also guaranteed Ari and Tarkan’s willing participation in any rescue attempt.
I’ll tell her. She’ll be delighted to hear it. Kae thought for a moment, mentally listing the information he’d require. There are things we’ll need to know to form a rescue plan. If I give you some questions can you ask the other women to help you answer them?
The other women are here now. Do you want me to talk to them?
Yes, please. Just keep the link with Tengale open. I’ll be back with you in a moment.
He dropped out of the link just long enough to check on Jax. He was breathing fast and his skin was waxy but his dark-green eyes were fiery and lucid.
Kae stood close and rubbed a soothing hand over Jax’s shoulder. “You with me, my brother?”
Jax nodded. “I’m all right. I was listening to the conversation but I didn’t want to push myself into the link in case Sorcha sensed my emotions. We need her calm and thinking straight. I don’t want her tapping into my panic and thinking it’s about her situation rather than my ghosts.”
Not ghosts to Kae’s way of thinking. What Jax carried around were demons—active, vicious demons that clawed at him every chance they got. Kae pulled him forward for a kiss, stroking tongue to tongue, pulling their bodies tight to help ground Jax and keep him in the here and now. It wasn’t a long kiss but they were both breathing hard by the time Kae lifted his head.
He stroked the back of Jax’s neck, breathing in his distinctive scent. “No one will give it a second thought if you sit this one out.”
Jax blinked, once. “For the sake of our friendship I’m going to pretend you never even thought that let alone said it out loud.”
Kae sifted his fingers through Jax’s hair. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. Unless you think I’m going to be a liability.”
That was a possibility and they both knew it. Going back to the city would be hard on Jax, even if the rescue went smoothly. But if they had to wade through Brightstar security or fight blue-soldiers, they ran the risk of triggering Jax’s nightmares. And he had the kind of nightmares that didn’t wait until he was asleep to strike.
Kae leaned forward and rested his forehead against Jax’s. “Taking you to Allsgate has its risks, we both know that, but you will never be a liability. You are the best and smartest fighter in the den and Tengale is our strongest dragon. I’ll be there to help you if you flip out and I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you.”
“Not at the expense of the women,” Jax said. “We need to get them out and bring them back to Sapphire.”
“Deal.” Kae would have a quiet word to Ari, and Dev if he would come. As den captains they had certain rights and privileges regular Enforcers didn’t. But there was no way Kae would ever abandon Jax because he knew his lover wouldn’t survive another incarceration under Brightstar’s not-so-tender care. He wasn’t about to swap one lover for another—this wouldn’t work for him unless he had them both.
Chapter Thirteen
It turned out that distance played no part at all in Sorcha’s ability to speak to Tengale or Jaysada. Having their rumbling dragon voices in her head anytime she needed them proved to be an invaluable lifeline and genuine comfort.
They’d had several conference calls with Sorcha acting as the conduit between the kidnapped women and the Enforcers who were coming to rescue them. Strategies were discussed, guard placement and shift changes noted and redundancies built in. It took three perilous days of planning but the Enforcers were making their move tonight.
After her evening meal and two solid hours of not pacing in front of the cameras, Sorcha made her way up to the top floor. She met Tansy on the stairwell and they entered the humid warmth of the pool chamber side by side. Sara, Kate and Mac were already there. All three were nervously clutching pillowcases half-filled with the few possessions they wanted to take with them.
Dragging the chairs around in a tight circle, they stuffed the bags out of sight then hunkered down to wait.
“Anything?” Tansy whispered.
Sorcha shook her head. Tengale had been giving her updates throughout the day but once he started flying there was really nothing much to report. “They’ve been in the air for five hours and Tengale thinks it will be another hour before they arrive here.”
Sara pushed a stray pin back into her shiny auburn hair. “A six-hour fight seems pretty strenuous to me. Are you sure these dragons can manage the return flight?”
“I asked Tengale that question and he was so affronted by my lack of faith I wasn’t game to push him. He told me a battle dragon can fly for days and not tire.”
“You don’t believe him?” Mac asked.
“It’s more like I don’t trust him to tell me the whole truth. He’s so bloody arrogant it’s hard to know what’s fact and what’s hyperbole.”
Mac crouched forward even farther. “There’s only one way to find out I suppose. It beats the hell out of waiting around here for our owners to come calling.”
“I don’t care what the risk is,” Tansy said. “I’d rather die trying than spend another night here.”
Everyone agreed with that sentiment and there was a moment of mutual determination so palpable Sorcha just knew everything would turn out all right.
Then she heard the door at the bottom of the stairwell open.
Tengale, are you here yet?
No, pet, but we can see the lights of Allsgate in the distance. We won’t be long.
Someone’s coming. Stand by.
Footsteps echoed up the stairs and five sets of wary eyes turned toward the entrance. Sorcha was worried she’d see a guard coming into view but her new friends had assured her that they came up here so rarely it was really no risk at all. Then a man stepped over the threshold but he was no soldier.
“Medalyn.” Sorcha breathed his name as if the syllables themselves had some evil power.
He walked over and made a courtly bow to the small gathering. “Ladies, do excuse the interruption but I require the services of my slave.”
Sorcha stood and hoped the panic didn’t show on her face. “I wasn’t expecting you so soon, Councilor.”
“And I had intended to wait a few weeks but your lover decided to make things a little easier for me. And harder for you.”
“I don’t understand. I don’t have a lover.” Because to her mind a one-night stand did not a lover make.
“I think Jaxmyre Randovar would disagree. He seemed very upset to find you missing. In fact, he became so enraged he beat me unconscious. I have no idea how he made t
he connection or how he knew I had you but he was angry enough to almost kill me. A terrible mistake on his behalf and one you’ll both pay for.”
Sorcha looked him up and down, playing for time. “You don’t seem any the worse for wear to me.”
He waved a negligent hand. “It took a full day in Brightstar’s best medical facility to put me back together and another day to heal the breaks and bruises. It cost me a great deal of time and money but worse than that it diminished my authority. None of those things can be allowed to stand.”
He held out his hand. “Come here, slave. You can begin the reparations.”
Sorcha’s heart raced and her stomach went into free fall. If Medalyn forced her from this room her chance of rescue, or her chance of a bloodless rescue, diminished rapidly.
She lowered her head and pretended obedience. “Of course, Councilor.” And then she reopened her link to Tengale. Medalyn’s here. He’s angry that Jax beat him up and he wants me to go with him, I assume back to our apartment. I was planning to stall him unless you have a better idea.
There was a slight pause then Tengale’s deep voice rumbled in her head. Jax says to hold him off if you can and keep him on the top floor. If he gets you down to the apartment, his guards will see you on their surveillance equipment and we’ll have to fight every man in the building to free you.
Okay. Give me a minute.
Sorcha could only think of one way to stall Medalyn and keep him in the bathing room. Ignoring the other women and resisting the urge to throw up, she walked forward. Pulling on every scrap of courage she owned, she sidled up to the disgusting blond snake and undid the tie on her robe.
“You must be very angry right now,” she said, easing the robe from her shoulders and allowing it to pool on the ground.
“You have no idea.” Medalyn watched her with flat, emotionless eyes. She had no clue if this was going to work or even if she could go through with it and his closed expression wasn’t helping.