The Dragon's Charm (Elemental Dragons Book 4)

by Emilia Hartley

  “Fat chance,” Samantha replied, shaking her head, “We got one story to go on with no proof.”

  “What are you trying to say?” Connor asked.

  “What I’m saying is you’re on your own. Maybe if you had Torque to beat the story out of, then you’d have something to show them,” Samantha said as Crunch stamped the last staple in his leg.

  Connor could see the skin starting to stitch closed but he knew it would be best not to test it for a while. He was lucky to survive.

  “I’m going,” Crunch said, “My daughter is in there and I’ll be damned if I let that piece of shit Torque do anything to her. I’ll see if I can get Tess out too, and … I guess the other bears if they’re alive.”

  “We’re coming,” Alex said.

  “The letter said for me to go alone, remember? If you come then you might just put her in danger. I just got back together with my daughter. You all just stay out of it. I can handle this alone.” Torque was already walking back to his motorcycle which still sat beside the road leaning on its kickstand.

  “Like hell you are,” Connor shouted. Alex nodded in agreement beside him. “These are our girls, we’re going to get them back, even if I have to kill every last one of those damn dirty bastards to do it. If you think going alone will keep Cynthia safe then I got news for you, it won’t.”

  “You think I don’t know that!” Crunch shouted back. He flared his nostrils while plopping down on the motorcycle seat. Even though the bike was big enough for his size, it still squashed low on the suspension under his weight.

  “Crunch,” Connor said. Blood was starting to flow back into his leg. With a hand on Alex’s shoulder, he hoisted himself to his one good leg. The staples dug into his skin hard but held the wound shut. His head was swimming, lack of blood. He’d felt it before. That was the easy part, “If we don’t go together, there’s a good chance they’ll all die.”

  “Suit yourself,” he said, “But, if Cynthia gets so much as a bruise then I’ll break both of you over my knee and it won’t be pretty.”

  With a quick glance at Alex, Connor began to brainstorm some plans. He and Alex had seen the layout of the place. They knew how they were organized. There had to be something he could do to get them out. However, there was still a problem, how would they get there.

  “Crunch, do you think you could have a look at the truck? Maybe see if you can get it workin’? I doubt you have enough room for all of us on your chopper.”

  “I’m not much good with trucks,” Crunch said.

  “Let me take a look,” she said. Samantha stood up and stretched her legs. “My dad used to work on these all the time when I was a kid. I’ve picked up a few tricks.”

  She yanked open the truck hood then bit her lip in consternation. “I think I can fix this. It looks like the internals are all okay. I’ll need to borrow those tools, Crunch.” Samantha limped over with her still casted up leg, gathered the tools into a bundle, and set off to work.

  “We’ll have to keep you around,” Connor said. She smiled broadly before she disappeared behind the hood of the truck. Connor still was deep in thought over the plans to get the women out but he needed more info. “Crunch, where do you think they’d keep them in the camp?”

  Crunch thought for a moment.

  “Well, if nothin’ changed then they probably would keep them in the main cabin. It’s in the center, most secure. It’s where I’d keep ‘em.”

  Connor leaned himself against the truck bed. He gritted his teeth to fight through the pain; even standing on his one good leg gave him problems.

  “Then that’s where we need to hit. If we get lucky, maybe we can get Torque back as trade,” Connor said.

  “I need to plant a fist on Torque’s face before today is through,” Crunch laughed. Samantha giggled under the hood of the truck.

  “That would make you punch number three,” her voice echoed.

  Connor tried to bend his leg; he didn’t have the time to do a proper rehab. He needed to be ready to fight at any time. Tess was the only person on his mind. Just thinking of what she might be going through at this moment made him want to rip someone’s throat out. Eli, Scab, Torque, any of them. Connor’s strength waned. As he started to fall, Alex took him by the arm. The leg ached like nothing he’d felt before, but he could walk a little under his own power.

  What would Tess do?

  She was violent when she wanted to be, but what about when she was talking to Samantha? She was kind, calm, collected, and beautiful. Well, she was always beautiful. Maybe killing them all wasn’t what they needed. That was a lot of blood they’d have to spill. He wondered how they’d even manage that without getting shot. No, this time they needed tact and patience. His plan was coming together in his mind.

  “I could rip out their throats myself, but I know everyone here has that exact same idea. No. There’s one person that would want that pleasure more than any of us. We’ll leave them for the bear alpha,” Connor said, “We’re just going to rescue the girls. But, that don’t mean we won’t give them hell while we do it.”

  “Here I pegged you as the revenge type. Looks like you might have grown up a little bit over the past few days,” Crunch scoffed, “I’m the revenge type. So I’m goin’ to finish this one way or the other.”

  The only thought on Connor’s mind was saving Tess, if she was still alive. No, she was definitely still alive, he could feel it. That hunter wouldn’t kill them. He needed the survivors alive to hold as hostages, Crunch confirmed that much. He needed to keep the bears and the wolves fighting. Things were starting to click.

  “I think it would be best if we waited for night fall,” Alex said, “If we’re going to do something sneaky, it’s easier to get in and out?”

  “If this old truck starts running then we have a way of gettin’ them out. Tess is in there waiting for me. If I weren’t so busted up I’d just as soon go through the front door,” Connor replied.

  Alex tapped Connor’s busted up leg.

  “I don’t think you’ll be going through the front door anytime soon,” Alex said.

  “Oh shut up,” Connor replied with a light punch on his shoulder. “I’m willing to bet that Eli keeps quite a bit of ammunition inside his van. Supplying that many guns to the wolves is dangerous and he’s the type to keep that shit locked up. Now that I think about it, I might just have a plan.”

  “I’ll go with whatever as long as you make sure Cynthia is alright by the end of it,” Crunch said.

  “Provided this plan of yours works, or that we don’t get shot, or stabbed, or brutally maimed-”

  Crunch clapped Alex on the back to shut him up and it worked.

  “Sounds like a bit of fun!” Crunch shouted.

  “There is one thing we’ll need,” Connor said.

  “What’s that?” Crunch asked.

  “A distraction.”

  CHAPTER 16

  “Get out,” Scab said.

  Beth held Greta close as she hopped from the truck bed. She had been in tears the entire ride; Tess wanted to console her but couldn’t find the words as she felt the same. Cynthia tried her best at comforting the group.

  “They’ll come,” Cynthia said, “Alex would never leave me.” She gripped Tess’s knee, “I know Connor wouldn’t either.”

  “You heard me, get out!” came Scab again.

  Cynthia hopped out, leaving Tess the only one left. She edged her way to the tailgate and gingerly stepped to the ground. Doing her best to brush aside her tears she followed the other women being herded toward a large cabin.

  The area around them would have been quite gorgeous if they weren’t in their current situation. It reminded Tess of the glassy lake to which Connor had taken her on their last date. Twilight reflected off the calm water along with the roaring bonfire that tried its best to scrub out the setting sun.

  Scab gave her a rough push from behind and she fell into Cynthia who was walking just in front of her.

  “Hey,” Cynth
ia barked, “don’t you know she’s pregnant!”

  “Like that matters to me,” Scab replied.

  “Thanks for trying,” Tess whispered as they walked.

  The cabin was sparsely decorated inside. Just a few bunk beds lined the walls with blankets covering ratty old mattresses. The pungent aroma of wolf made her gag. A flood light pointed at the high ceiling, spitting out enough to illuminate the space. In the back corner, a staircase led to a loft that hovered above them. A bonfire was starting to burn through the cracked, soot-stained windows at the front of the cabin.

  Once Tess was inside, the door slammed shut. Beth sat on one of the empty beds with her daughter Greta. Greta sucked at her thumb and played with her mother’s hair with little idea what kind of situation they were in. Bless her ignorance.

  Cynthia pulled Tess over to the bed opposite the bears. Scab stood by the doorway with his pistol in hand, watching as the girls went about.

  “Listen, Tess,” Cynthia whispered, “There’s no doubt in my mind that Alex is coming for me. Hell, I’m sure that even my dad is going to join him. If they’re coming then I know Connor is coming. If they don’t, then I’m going to give them hell when I break out of here by myself.”

  Tess laughed through her tear stained cheeks but was still having difficulty allowing herself a glimmer of hope. She hadn’t heard from Connor in almost two days, he might have already been killed. She did her best to perish the thought.

  “That goes for you too,” Cynthia said, speaking a little louder, “When the time comes and they come to rescue us, be ready.”

  Beth didn’t have much to smile about. Her husband was dead, and she was trapped here with the man that killed him. Still, she tried to keep herself in a good mood for the sake of her young daughter.

  The door to the cabin shot back open. Illuminated by the bonfire, the silhouette of the hunter filled the door. He pushed his way inside and looked about the cabin before finally resting his eyes on Tess.

  “You,” he said. Tess looked up at the hunter and a new sense of dread took over. “Come with me.”

  He took her by the hand and yanked her to her feet. She would have tried to resist but there wasn’t enough fight in her.

  “Where are you taking her,” Cynthia demanded.

  “Not far,” he smiled. The sound of heavy stomping from his large boots echoed around the room as he pulled her toward the staircase to the loft.

  On the closest wall was a large bed big enough for two. Of all the furnishings she’d seen so far in the cabin it was by far the nicest. On the opposite wall sat an old blue couch. It had patchwork tape covering holes that still had stuffing jut out. A large plastic crate occupied one side of a sliding glass door that led to the balcony. A pair of massive stereo speakers sat on the balcony.

  The hunter threw Tess to sit on the couch.

  “Stay there and don’t move,” he said. She did as she was told. The hunter flicked a switch on a nearby stereo and loud music pounded from the balcony, shaking the sliding glass doors. “Now we can get some privacy.”

  Tess gulped back her fears. Eli paced in front of her. The awful power ballad music was making the wolves rowdy downstairs, somehow she could hear that much. Eli bent at the waist, bringing his face right in line with hers.

  “You’re that alpha’s bitch, aren’t you?” he said with a smile, “You know, he reminds me of someone I used to know.” He stood back to his full height before walking over to lean against the balcony window. For a moment he stared at the setting sun through the glass, the reflection dancing with the tiny waves on the surface of the lake. “Aren’t all alphas the same? They lord their strength over everyone else in the pack.” He chuckled. “How stupid.”

  Tess eyed her exit, it wasn’t being watched, but downstairs she knew she’d still have to fight her way through Scab. Maybe her and the girls could overpower him, steal his gun, and then fight their way out? No, that was her dumbest idea yet. Cynthia might have been able to do something like that, but not Tess. Especially since she was pregnant and unable to shift.

  “There are plenty strong, powerful animals out there,” Eli said, turning back to Tess. He walked slowly back toward her as he continued, “Lions, Elephants, Horses, all of them stronger or faster than people. But, guess who will always win in a fight?” The hunter tapped at his skull, “the smartest one.”

  Tess felt something poking her in the leg; it was under the couch cushion. Whatever it was, it felt sharp. She tried her best to reach between the cushions without being noticed, still keeping her attention toward Eli.

  “That’s why humans are the top of the food chain,” Eli laughed, “sorry, did I say humans? I meant Hunters.” He turned back to the sliding glass windows, stopping in front of the plastic crate.

  Tess finally found what was poking into her leg. It was an old screwdriver. She wrapped her hand around it, ready to draw it out if she needed to. Eli pulled a shiny new rifle from the crate and held it over his head.

  “This is true power,” he said, “It doesn’t matter how big you are. Everything has a weakness.” He reached into his pocket for a round of ammunition which he loaded into the barrel of the rifle. “I taught my brother that lesson. Then I went about teaching the entire rest of my old pack that lesson. But, that was years ago.” He stared off into space as though lost in an old memory.

  He killed his whole pack? He’s a monster.

  A new sense of dread was building up inside of her. This guy was unhinged. The rifle that he held in the crook of his arm was loaded and ready to take her life. Was that what he planned to do? The thought crossed her mind. She gripped the screwdriver tighter; she might only get a single chance at escape.

  “I’m not much for thinking about the past. I’ve changed over time. Now I only think about the future. And, there’s no room for any of you wolves in my future,” he said. He hefted the rifle to his shoulder. The barrel wheeled around until Tess was staring straight down.

  She coiled up her muscles to pounce, but just as she was about to make her move they were both distracted by the sound of a loud motorcycle engine clanking its way into the camp.

  “Saved by the bell,” Eli said, “Looks like my old friend Crunch is here to give me some good news. I’ll be back for you later.”

  He tossed the rifle over his shoulder as he flicked the stereo switch off. The music died but Tess’s ears still rang. He pushed open the sliding glass door, appearing on the balcony.

  “Ah, Crunch. There you are. I was starting to wonder if you’d show at all. I was just entertaining some guests,” Eli said.

  “You let them go and I’ll talk,” Crunch replied out of sight.

  “Counter offer, I shoot this one here to prove to you I’m serious, then I go find that little girl of yours and you can decide if you still want to stay quiet,” Eli scoffed.

  Tess heard a deep growl emanate from outside. She’d never heard Crunch when he was angry and she didn’t want to hear it again.

  “Fine,” he shouted, “but you gotta show me that they’re all safe.”

  “Deal,” Eli shouted. He walked back inside from the balcony, grabbing Tess by the arm as he passed. She brought the screwdriver along, tucking it inside her sleeve.

  “Bring ‘em out, Scab,” Eli said as they made their way down the small staircase. Scab waved his gun to beckon the girls outside. Beth and Greta were the first to comply, followed by Cynthia who spat in Scab’s face as she passed. Tess laughed to herself when she saw the anger fuming on Scab’s face. He lifted the gun, starting to aim at Cynthia but was stopped by the hunter who rested his rifle barrel on the pistol. “Sorry, not just yet. Not until after we’ve had our fun.”

  Scab sneered as the hunter pulled Tess outside to join with the other women who were lining up in front of Crunch. Where was Connor? Where was Alex? They were supposed to come to the rescue, but instead the only one that came was Crunch.

  “Hey Cyn,” Crunch said with a wave. She smiled and waved back.


  “Oh great, I’m glad you two were able to catch up,” Eli said. Scab stood behind the line, his arms crossed with his pistol at the ready. “Now, since you see they’re quite unharmed, maybe you could go about answering my questions.”

  Crunch sighed, then nodded.

  “Great!” Eli shouted, “First question: Where is Cliff Walker den?”

  “All real wolves know where it is,” he snapped back, “What does that say about you?”

  Boom!

  Eli fired the rifle into the air. The sound of the rifle going off sent a shockwave through Tess’s body. The bullet that before might have ended her life was gone, but he was already reloading while he continued to speak.

  “Wrong answer, Crunch. You only get one of those. The next one you don’t answer goes straight into the skull of this beautiful young woman.” He pointed the loaded gun at Tess’s head. “Did you know that she’s pregnant? I call it a Two-fer. Get rid of two mutts with just a single bullet.”

  She wailed, no longer able to hold back her fear, giving into the tears that she was barely holding at bay. She stared into Crunch’s face, hoping he wouldn’t say the wrong thing. Her life depended on him.

  “Okay, okay,” he said. One of the nearby biker’s handed him a map. He looked at it for a second before drawing a clearly marked ‘X’ on it. “A real alpha would already know.” He spat in the dirt in front of Eli.

  “Second question: Where-”

  Kaboom!

  On the far side of the campsite, by the other motorcycles, an explosion filled the night sky. A ball of fire reached toward the heavens and where Eli’s van had once stood proudly was a burning husk of metal.

  “What the hell did you do!?” Eli shouted. In the confusion, Crunch ran towards the distracted Eli and delivered a haymaker that sent him reeling back.