by Vella Day
While it was hard to believe the universe would do this to him, the more time he spent with Zulema, the more he was ready to accept that she was his mate. How ironic was that? The woman had been on a mission to kill him. What kind of gods did that to a person? Right now, he had to push aside his desires and concentrate on finding her sister.
“Tell me again where you were when you were captured.” Bevon had teleported them back to his place so they wouldn’t be disturbed. Not only that, being in her sister’s house appeared to distract Zulema.
“Why does it matter now?” Zulema asked, sounding both defiant and a bit defeated.
“It might give me a clue as to Derrick’s abilities.”
She exhaled. “Fine. All I remember was that I was in town at a bar. I left by the back entrance so I could teleport home. Someone must have drugged me, because the next thing I knew, I was waking up in a cell with my ankles and wrists chained to the floor.”
His fists clenched. “Dear goddess.”
“Tell me about it. I tried to teleport, but Derrick somehow had managed to block my powers.”
Bevon paced. “That means he could have teleported you anywhere. It also means he’s quite powerful if he was able to block your ability to teleport.”
“And shoot fire from my hands.”
He couldn’t imagine the horror of losing so much of her identity all at once. “Did you at any time try to shift?”
“No, the ceiling was too low.”
He nodded. “I wonder how he knew you could teleport. It’s rare for a dragon shifter to have that ability.”
“That’s true, but he said he’d been watching me. It was why he picked me to kill you—or rather try to kill you.”
“That’s wrong on so many levels. What else do you remember? Even the smallest detail might prove beneficial.” He grabbed two beers from the refrigerator. “Want one?” he asked.
“Absolutely.”
He liked a woman who didn’t mind a man’s drink. “If Derrick gave you an assignment, he must have told you how to contact him once you killed me.”
She snapped her fingers and then pulled out a medallion from her inside pocket. “Yes. Tamarella gave this to Derrick so he could create a portal to Feyrion. He then gave it to me since he knew I’d have to go to there for the treniam. He also said I could use it to contact him.”
“So that’s how you made it to my home world without my knowledge. May I ask where you landed?”
“Some place high on a mountain overlooking a lake.”
“We have many such locations, but it was smart of Tamarella to have him land away from town,” he said. “Until we figure out a few things, let’s not contact Derrick.”
“I too want to have a plan in place before we do. If we rush in without much thought, he could kill Maylora.”
Her level-headed approach impressed him. “I imagine if Derrick ever decides to kill your sister, he will contact you first to demand that you speed up your mission.” At least he hoped that was true. If anything happened to Zulema’s sister though, it would devastate her.
“He gave me two weeks. I’m hoping he honors that timeline.”
“An honorable man would.” The only thing that gave him hope was that Tamarella seemed to desire Derrick. He couldn’t be all that bad.
Zulema tossed back her beer and nodded. “Your sister knew about my mother’s illness. Do you think she might know something about the whereabouts of Maylora?”
Bevon smiled. “You are good. I will ask her.”
“Sweet sisters. I need your help. Could you join me and my mate at my house?” He figured the mention of his mate would get them there. “But whatever you do, don’t mention…” Before he could finish his sentence both of his sisters appeared. “I was about to say, don’t mention that she is my mate. We have not discussed it yet.”
Neither of his sisters even glanced his way or acknowledged his request. Instead, they rushed over to Zulema. Oh, boy.
“Nice to see you again, Zulema. I have to admit, this is a bit of a surprise,” Fay said.
“For me, too. I trust your brother filled you in?”
Fay looked over at Bevon. “Not exactly. Bevon is not the overly sharing type.”
“I share,” he said.
Meena laughed. She turned to Zulema and introduced herself. “I imagine you’ve heard of Tally, our sister who prefers Feyrion to here?”
“Yes, but I don’t believe I’ve met her.”
He needed to intervene. “We weren’t at home for long.” Since he wanted their help, he motioned they all take a seat. Bevon then detailed everything he could. “Now that Zulema’s sister is missing, we need help finding her.”
“Are you sure that Valoric—or rather the Zon—took her?” Meena asked.
“Almost positive,” Zulema chimed in. “I spoke with Maylora earlier in the day and outlined the danger she was in. Her suitcase was by the door when Bevon and I arrived. To me, that implied she was ready and waiting for me to take her to safety, so it stands to reason that the Zon intervened.”
“I’m sorry,” Fay said. “We’ll find her.”
“How? The Zon could have taken her anywhere.”
Fay smiled. “Leave that to us. Do you have anything that belongs to your sister?”
“Not with me, but I can get something. Are you saying you can touch someone’s belongings and learn about their whereabouts?” she asked.
“Usually—when Meena and I combine our talents.”
“Since when?” Bevon asked.
“Brother, brother. This is what happens when you don’t pay attention. Your sisters can achieve a lot when we work together. You and Kenton should try it.”
He didn’t think a Fey’s powers worked that way.
Zulema stood. “I’ll retrieve my sister’s suitcase. Once we find her, she’ll need it anyway.”
The idea that the Zon might be watching troubled him. “I’ll go instead.”
Before Zulema had the chance to argue with him, he teleported to Maylora’s house. If the Zon were watching or tracking her, the less they saw of her the better. At least his home was immune to all tracking.
Once in her sister’s house, he grabbed the suitcase and returned. “Here it is.”
“I was going to go,” Zulema said.
“I know, but who’s to say the Zon aren’t watching your sister’s house.”
“Do you think they are?” she asked. “Dumb question. They’ve already taken her, but they wouldn’t want to harm me until I’ve killed you.”
Bevon didn’t like the quick shot of fear in her eyes—or perhaps it was anger. He held out his hand. “May I see the portal device. I’m hoping there isn’t a tracking device on it.”
Zulema’s mouth opened. “Oh, shit. I didn’t think of that.”
As soon as she gave it to him, he handed it to Fay. “What can you tell me about this?”
Fay held it in her palm and closed her eyes. “I’m feeling evil.”
That wasn’t a surprise. “Can you tell the location of its origin?”
“Not precisely, but it’s somewhere on the west side of Avonbelle.”
“That’s where I live,” Zulema said. She turned to Bevon. “I should have thought to ask Tamarella’s handmaiden where Derrick lives.”
“I’ll contact Tally and ask her to check,” Bevon said.
“Is everything okay?” his third sister asked.
He explained the need to ask Betina if Tamarella ever mentioned where she met up with Derrick Valoric when she visited.
“I can ask, but I believe she’s retired for the night.”
“Wake her. A woman’s life might be on the line.”
“Okay.”
“Tally is asking Betina,” he told Zulema.
“Thank you.” She placed a hand on his arm, and lust shot up his spine. Whoa. That reaction was unexpected but not surprising. She was his mate after all, but if they were going to save Maylora, he needed to shut down his urges. “When you
picked up the suitcase, did you sense anyone watching the house? Or could they have installed some kind of security system to watch my sister’s comings and goings? I don’t want to believe they are all-knowing.”
That was a disturbing thought. “I didn’t, but I will check. His mind had been too focused on other things. “Kenton, you up for a little reconnaissance?” he telepathed.
“Now?” his brother shot back.
“Yes. Zulema’s sister was kidnapped. I think the Zon might have been watching her sister’s home, which was how they knew when to grab her.” It didn’t matter that Zulema had called her. They could have tapped his mate’s phone.
“Be right there, just as soon as I speak with Tory.”
Bevon was a little jealous at how well his brother and his mate—the future queen of Feyrion—shared things.
A few seconds later, both Kenton and Tory appeared. Both were flushed, as if they’d been engaging in some fun activity. “Sorry to disturb you two,” Bevon said, a bit embarrassed.
“No problem.” Kenton turned to Zulema and introduced himself and his mate.
“It’s nice to finally meet you both, though I apologize for you even having to be here.”
Kenton held up his hand. “We understand. Bevon explained why you were sent, and I’m sorry you were put in such a situation.”
Bevon turned to the side. “Betina doesn’t know where Valoric lives, other than it was in Avonbelle Province,” Tally telepathed to all but Zulema.
“Thanks.” He faced his mate. “Betina has no idea where Valoric lives.”
“Oh.”
Kenton placed a hand on Bevon’s arm. “Ready to check out Zulema’s sister’s home?”
“Yes, but let’s cloak ourselves until we know what we’re up against. And Zulema?”
“Yes.”
“I’d like you to stay here. I don’t trust Valoric.”
“No way.”
“You’re safe here. We won’t be long. No telling if he’s tracking you. I’m guessing it’s either with the medallion or your phone. He could have listened in.”
Her shoulders sagged. “That bastard.”
Bevon wanted to hug her, but he doubted she’d appreciate it. “We won’t be long.”
Kenton held Tory’s hand and placed his other hand on Bevon’s shoulder. A second later they were outside of Maylora’s house. For the next few minutes, they searched around the outside of the house. He could sense a trail of someone who’d been there.
“Let’s go inside,” Bevon said.
The three teleported to the living room. He turned on the light, in part to see if the Zon would suddenly come out of the woodwork. Thankfully, they didn’t, though it was possible they were aware of the new arrivals.
“They had to have known Zulema’s sister was about to leave since they’d done nothing for days,” Bevon said. “Unless they tapped her phone.”
“Or there could be a surveillance system.”
“All the more reason to telepath,” Tory said.
Bevon should have thought of that. “Good point.”
Like a well-oiled team, they spread out and searched, looking for any cameras, recording devices, and the such.
Ten minutes later, Tory called to them. “Found something.”
He and Kenton located her on her knees by the front door. Tory lifted the entrance mat to expose a small plate. How simple. “I’m guessing that when someone steps on it, it sends a signal to their headquarters—or directly to Derrick’s house.” Bevon spoke out loud, not seeing the need to telepath anymore.
“Agreed,” his brother said. “I wonder if we can find where the signal is coming from.”
“I don’t have that talent,” Bevon said.
“We should ask my cousin, Logan. Or better yet, his brother Camden. I bet he’s designed stuff like this before,” Tory said.
He liked that idea. “How about taking a picture of it and asking one or both of them to check it out? If you remove it, Derrick might notice it and harm Zulema’s sister in retaliation.”
“Sounds good,” Kenton said. “Tory and I will head back and ask for Camden’s help. Let’s hope our sisters can be more productive.”
“Let’s hope. And thanks. Tell Camden I’ll stop by tomorrow with a portal device Derrick gave Zulema. I’m thinking it might also have a tracking device inside it. That, or the Zon have eyes and ears everywhere.”
“Will do.” Kenton squeezed Bevon’s shoulder. “Just remember to treat your mate well.”
“How did you—?”
Kenton grinned, and then he and Tory disappeared. His two sisters must have spilled the beans. Nothing was sacred anymore. He teleported back to the woods.
Zulema jumped up. “Well?”
He told them what they’d found, and that Tory would try to find more information on the transmitting device located under the welcome mat.
“Bastard. Now what?” Zulema asked.
“Unless my two lovely sisters here have a plan, I don’t see what more we can do tonight.”
Meena smiled. “We believe we know where Maylora is.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Zulema said.
“What would you have done if they had?” Bevon said. “Knowing how stubborn you can be, you would have gone after her—without me.”
She huffed out a breath. “Maybe.”
He loved her spunk. “Where is she?” he asked his sisters.
“We’ll show you. It will be faster than explaining where she is. We don’t do addresses very well,” Fay said.
Bevon faced Zulema. He wanted to tell her to stay put, but he didn’t think she’d listen. “You can come with us, but how about we go in cloaked, assess the situation, and then regroup? This is not a snatch and grab mission. We don’t need him to retaliate if we do.”
Her face scrunched up for a second, and then she let out a breath. “If I know Maylora is okay, I can wait a bit longer.”
That was a relief. “Good. Make sure you don’t do anything rash.” Bevon smiled so as not to piss her off.
“I have a question for you, brother,” Fay said.
“Yes?”
“Suppose you eventually save Maylora. Valoric will assume Zulema is no longer planning to kill you, which means he’ll send someone else to carry out his mission.”
“Let him,” Bevon shot back.
“What if he sends someone to kill Zulema instead? She’s not as powerful as we are.”
“Shit.” He faced his mate. “She’s right. I’m all for making sure that your sister is okay, but let’s make sure we save her after you kill me.”
Chapter Eleven
What was Bevon talking about? “I couldn’t kill you even if I tried.”
He chuckled. “I wasn’t being literal, but I’m hoping you don’t want me dead.”
The time for playing the tough warrior was over. As much as Zulema didn’t want to admit it, the only way this mission was going to end well was if she was honest. Besides, Bevon had proven that he wanted to help. “I don’t.”
Bevon smiled. “Good. I meant that we should play act at killing me. You can pretend to run some treniam down my arm, I’ll fall to the ground, and then you take out your arrow and shoot me.”
“No! You’ll bleed.” Bevon clearly didn’t understand what an arrow to the heart at close range would do to a person.
“I’ll wear protective gear, princess.”
“Oh. And then what? You’ll lie on the ground for a week or so? It’s possible that Derrick will send someone to confirm you’re dead. So what if he said the Zon is supposed to be everywhere. He probably said that just to scare me.”
Bevon shook his head. “I’m hoping he knows that when a Fey royalty dies, his relatives take his or her body into their home—or estate as the case may be. There will be a small viewing on Feyrion followed by a burial. That’s what happened when Tamarella died. As I am lying on the ground dying, I’ll telepath to my sisters to help me. They will rush out and immediately teleport
me to Feyrion. I’ll work something out from there.”
She thought about it for a moment. “I guess that could work. Even if Derrick insists on seeing for himself that you’re dead and manages to reach Feyrion, he can’t get into your house, unless he can teleport inside, right?”
Bevon shook his head. “Not even then. We have what I would call a magic shield around the property. A person has to be accepted before we allow him in. Trust me, Derrick Valoric will not be allowed anywhere near us.”
The plan had merit. “How about we make sure that Maylora is safe first?” Zulema asked. “Then I’ll worry about what happens next.”
“That works. I just wanted you to understand Maylora’s role in the big scheme of things.” He turned to his sisters. “Ready, ladies, to guide us to Zulema’s sister?”
“Of course.”
Bevon grabbed Zulema’s hand, surprising her in its strength and comfort. Only at the last second did she remember that she needed to cloak herself once they arrived. When they made it to their destination, she was sure they were at the wrong place. In front of them was a rather large house. To be honest, she’d expected something a bit more sinister.
“You said you’d met Valoric, right?” she whispered.
“Once.”
“Did you get the sense he lived in a place like this?”
“I only met him briefly, but yes. The man was arrogant enough to own a nice place—even if he couldn’t afford it.” He tapped her nose. “We should keep talking to a minimum, my warrior. The last thing we need is to alert any guards.”
His comment stung, mostly because he was right. Zulema nodded.
He leaned in closer. “If you feel your cloaking is requiring too much energy, just hold onto me. My shield can cover both of us.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Zulema had a lot to learn about this man. Since she didn’t see either of his sisters, she assumed they’d just been the guides and had returned to the forest.
With a hand to her back, he teleported them inside the dark home. She had no idea if anyone associated with the Zon lived here, let alone if her sister was being held in the home, but Zulema was game to look around. Since no one could see them, her sense of well-being remained intact.