by Kira Nyte
“I’m listening.”
“I wanted to talk to you about our living situation…”
A small blur on the very edge of the screen caught his attention. He brought the phone closer to examine the inconsistency with the rest of the photo. The harder he tried to decipher what it was, the more elusive it became. He shifted back to him and Kaylae, noting every fine detail of the picture.
“You’re not listening to me. Again.”
Zareh blinked and looked up at Alazar. He turned the phone around. “Something’s not right with this picture. I don’t see how she was able to take it.”
Alazar stared at him for a long moment before taking the phone and looking it over. “I didn’t think she took it. I thought you had someone take it for you and send it to you. It came as a text message while you were at the bar.”
A swell of raw panic rose inside him. He snatched the phone back and went to the photos from earlier. He found the last one where he was pretending to toss her into the fountain, and picked through each and every figure in the background.
“Get Cade on the phone,” he demanded, his throat filling with heat. “Now.”
From the corner of his eye, he saw Alazar do as he was told. He enhanced the picture on the screen, zooming in and getting a better look at the tourists.
He cussed under his breath. His stomach twisted. His dragon coiled inside him, preparing to break free.
There, staring back at him, was the blurry figure of a single Baroqueth on the other side of the fountain. Dressed in a dark hooded cloak, the tattoos on his hands and the spark of silver in his eyes gave him away for who he truly was.
The phone vibrated once, notifying him of a new message.
Fingers stiff, he opened the text from an unknown number:
A perfect match. But is she worth it?
“Zareh, Cade’ll be here within the hour. He’s flying.”
Zareh looked up from the phone. The heavy thunder of his heart drowned out the noise from the bar. His skin tingled, his scales threatening to burst from his skin. A smoky essence filled his throat and his nostrils.
Another vibration, followed by two more.
“Zareh?”
He was trembling by the time he looked down.
A picture of him and Alazar glared up at him. Alazar had his phone, looking at the picture. Zareh had just returned from the bar.
We’re about to find out.
Dread rushed through him as he scrolled to the next picture.
His dragon roared.
He burst out of the booth and bolted for the bathroom.
“Kaylae!”
Chapter Sixteen
The last thing she remembered was standing in the bathroom, telling herself there was nothing to be mad about when a woman asked if she was okay. That woman reached for her shoulder as though to comfort her, and then…nothing.
Kaylae rubbed her forehead. A dull throb pulsed along her temples. It took a few more moments before she could muster the strength to peel open her eyelids. The moment she did, she wished she could shut them again.
An ache around her ribs brought her attention to a worn rope wrapped around her chest. She blinked a few times, attempting to clear the rest of the gray and haze before trying to twist free. The action got her next to nowhere.
With increasing awareness, she blinked and looked around, trying to assess the situation. It appeared she was tied to a tree in the middle of a dark forest. She sat on a large pile of dry branches and brush.
“Oh no.” As fear boiled up inside her, she tried to push up to her feet. The rope held her down. She reached around, trying to feel for the knot, but the rope was smooth as far as her fingers could reach. In a burst of desperation, she kicked at the sticks and used her hands to shove them away, trying to get as much out from under her as possible. The pile wasn’t high, but diminishing it might be enough for her to get her feet beneath her for leverage.
“Why would you do that, Keeper?”
Kaylae froze as a terrifyingly fluid, calm voice came from the night itself. A breeze lifted around her and she watched in horror as the sticks pulled back together, but this time covering her feet and legs. The breeze died down. She tried to kick the sticks away again. Her feet would not move. The branches and dried brush cemented her in place.
“Who are you?” Her voice shook. She jerked one way, then the other, trying to find the source of the voice in the darkness. “What do you want with me?”
Silly, really, since she already knew the answer to both questions.
The inquiry brought another breeze, and with it, a wispy black figure appeared to her left. The figure solidified. A long, hooded cloak flapped and fluttered as the figure practically glided to stand before her. A second figure appeared, then a third.
She gulped.
The first figure to appear lifted a hand, palm up, and danced the fingers of the other hand over it. A smoky blue image appeared. Kaylae tried to ignore it, but before she turned away, she saw Zareh in the midst of all the haze and strange magical colors.
Her heart ached at the sight of him, distraught and enraged. Blurry figures moved around him as he paced. There was no sound, but the image drove these jerks’ point home.
“You know who we are.” The magical images extinguished in a thin curl of blue smoke. “You know what we are after.”
“No.” If she could play the naïve idiot, maybe it would buy her time to figure this mess out. Or at least give her better prospects than sitting on a human-sized bird’s nest, praying a match didn’t land beside her. “I’m not sure I do.”
The hood of the figure in front of her lifted away from her kidnapper’s head before the man crouched on his haunches. Kaylae stared in mild disbelief. How could someone so evil be handsome? That wasn’t right.
Silver flecked in eyes that matched a midnight sky, hair and beard just as dark. The man had very rugged, yet attractive features. Black ink peeked out from under the collar of his shirt, sharp tips etched into one side of his neck in strange curls and angles.
Kaylae sensed an elegance in this man, this enemy. An elegance that, despite Zareh’s chivalric character, none of the dragons she’d met had seemed to master. If all Baroqueth were like this single man, they fit her idea of high society aristocrats of old while the dragons were the fierce, down-to-earth warriors.
“I can tell when you are lying, little girl,” the man taunted. The silver flared in his eyes, then dimmed. Kaylae bit her lip to keep from responding. “Shall we try to do this in a civil manner? At least until your dragon arrives?”
“He won’t come and he’s not a dragon.” Kaylae scowled. “Certainly not my dragon.” She shivered for effect. “I hate reptiles.”
The curl of the man’s lips sent a chill straight to her heart. She choked on her breath. When she tried to inhale past the invisible lump, she couldn’t. Ice slithered around her throat. Instinctively, she reached up and tried to pull away the tendrils constricting her neck, but clawed at nothing but her own skin. A raspy whimper escaped her lips, panic tearing at the seams of her mind.
“I’ll be sure to relay that message to him so that is the last thing he hears.” The man straightened and flicked his hand. The ice vanished from her throat and she gasped in a lungful of air. Bent over the rope, unable to move into a more comfortable position, she squeezed her eyes shut against the sting of tears and concentrated on replenishing her body with oxygen. “Be a good girl and I’ll bring back a present.”
“You won’t kill him. You won’t have a chance.” The words spilled out on a rush of air. When she looked up, the Baroqueth had paused. He turned enough to cast her a cold, devious smile.
“You’re right. I won’t kill him.” He pulled his hood over his head. “You will.”
* * *
Zareh couldn’t see past the sheen of fury-induced red and the dark fear that raged inside him. He couldn’t keep his dragon down. Scales rippled over his exposed skin. Every time it happened, he earned a curiou
s look from the crowd of friends and acquaintances who had converged to help save Kaylae.
Alazar managed to keep him from loosing his human skin in Howler’s long enough for Bridget to get him into the storage room, out of sight of the humans. He battled the urge to shift into his dragon and track the Baroqueth who came in under his radar and kidnapped his woman. He nearly lost that battle more than a dozen times. The talon marks on the walls and smashed liquor bottles from his growth were the proof of that.
Bridget had called her brother. Sheriff Merrow and Nick arrived together and got him out through a private back door. Alazar spoke to him in their dragon tongue, trying to soothe the beast long enough to get Zareh thinking rationally.
This was not the time to lose control. They weren’t at The Hollow. They were in the human realm, in this quaint little town he had fallen in love with. A town he wanted to live in with Kaylae for years to come.
Oh, sweet Goddess. He needed to keep his head to save her.
The thought reignited his dragon’s fear and rage and he almost destroyed Sheriff Merrow’s cruiser.
He had no idea where they ended up other than near a forest, but as soon as Alazar coaxed his dragon free, he gave in to the urge to shift. Taking on his second form alleviated the stress of his internal battle and fed him new determination to hunt down and destroy the creatures that sought to destroy Kaylae.
He stretched the wide expanse of his leathery wings, the air of his motions swaying the nearby plants and rustling the leaves in the trees.
He wanted to hunt from the sky, but Alazar pulled him back in, urging him to regain his human form so they could go to the house and regroup.
Now, he paced his living room after tearing apart his bedroom, searching for anything that could lead him to Kaylae. It was what he didn’t find that gave him the clue. The Baroqueth medallion he had confiscated from Talius’s home was missing.
It was then he realized those retched slayers had been in his home. They knew where he lived, where he hid and protected his lifemate. How long had they known? Had they been watching them, waiting for the right moment to pounce?
How the hell did they get by him? By all of them?
The enormity of his own failure laid a brutal beating on his conscience.
They had never been tracking Kaylae. They’d tracked the medallion. He had led them to his lifemate.
The Baroqueth were on his tail before they ever knew about Kaylae. He was the reason for Kaylae’s abduction. He was the reason they had been found.
That damn medallion.
He should’ve let it burn with the house.
His heart twisted and tore with the agony of knowing his sweet little Doe was in trouble and he let her fall into their hands.
Cade dropped an arm around his shoulders even as he tried to move away, and held him firm. He steered Zareh away from the people gathered in the living room and kitchen and moved them down the hallway and into his bedroom.
When the door closed, Cade blocked it. Zareh huffed. Streams of smoke and licks of flame rolled over his tongue.
“This is not easy for any of us, Zar. I know it is hardest for you, but you need to control yourself,” Cade said, his tone sympathetic but stern. “Anything with the jewel?”
Zareh shook his head. “Nothing.”
“Then let’s hope that we overlooked her purse at Howler’s and it’s safe for the moment.”
“They wouldn’t leave it lying around. Not if they suspect she carried it with her.” Zareh combed rough fingers through his hair before folding his hands on top of his head with a growl. “I can’t even get a trace on them. I have nothing.”
“Their powers have increased over the last thirty years. They can mask their presence as well as we can hide ours. Survival.” Cade shook his head. “That Hugh guy out there? The vampire?”
“Yeah. What of him?”
“Said an Alice woman will be here shortly. The little fae, Willa, and her witch friend are certain the protection amulet will keep Kaylae safe until Alice can contain the Baroqueth.”
“That amulet won’t do anything if they’ve taken it from her.” Zareh groaned and dropped his arms. “If their powers have increased, I don’t want anyone else getting involved. The witches in this town don’t stand a chance against the Baroqueth and I will not have any deaths on my conscience.” He snarled. “No. We’ll take care of this. This is our battle, our war. These folks of Nocturne Falls have nothing to do with this. I brought those slayers here, I’ll get them out.”
The door clicked and opened. A petite, middle-aged woman poked her head in. “Sorry to interrupt, but I couldn’t help but overhear your concerns. May I speak on behalf of those in your home?” She slipped into the room without waiting for an invitation. Zareh exchanged a curious look with Cade, who shrugged.
“They are here because they choose to be here,” the woman said. “The residents of this town come together to protect their own, and you are one of us. Coming together in the face of evil is much better than going it alone.”
“I’m sorry. I haven’t met you,” Zareh said. Nothing about the woman stood out as paranormal or magical. She appeared genuinely friendly and harmless. It was only after he looked her in the eyes that he saw the depth of wisdom residing there. “You are?”
“Alice Bishop—”
The room suddenly disappeared. Zareh jerked at the shift in his vision, switching to his dragon’s eyes. His skin prickled as a faint caress of nighttime air coasted over him. Strange scents of forest—damp dirt, trees, moss—mixed with the potent scent of salt struck him mercilessly. Invisible hands grabbed hold of his arms, the arms back in his home, as something unseen bit into his chest.
A moment later, he caught a split-second image of Kaylae before he could see nothing but darkness.
She had the jewel. His precious little Doe had the jewel.
The salt came from her tears. The sensation around his chest, a rope.
“I don’t know where I am. They plan on having me kill you. I won’t. I would never, but you can’t come close to me. The magic is powerful.”
He tried to calm her fears, her anxiety through mental pushes of strength and warmth. He projected the image of her in his arms, protected and cherished. He would find her and save her, if it cost him his last breath.
“I’m sorry I got mad at you. It was stupid, because really? I can’t be mad at you. I love you, too. This is not the way I wanted to tell you, but if something happens, if we don’t survive this, at least I know you heard me say it.” A soft sob filled the silence. “I know you know my feelings for you are as strong as yours are for me.”
A moment later, Zareh blinked. The forest was gone and his bedroom back. Cade came into focus first. He looked around for his other guest.
Alice removed her hand from his shoulder and stepped back, a small grin playing on her mouth. “She’s by the falls.”
Cade’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know?”
“Never doubt a witch’s magic.” To Zareh, she said, “Now, let’s rescue your girlfriend.”
Chapter Seventeen
Kaylae couldn’t feel her feet by the time the three Baroqueth returned. She tried to wiggle her toes to keep the blood circulating, but had lost sensation a little while ago. The night air had taken on a dampness that left her skin chilled and shivers wracked her every few minutes. She caught sight of more than enough insects crawling on her to traumatize her for a lifetime. At one point, raccoons padded by, taking a moment to sniff at the pile of tinder until she hissed and scared them away. The bark from the tree scraped her back through her thin shirt with any slight movement, leaving her skin raw in a few places.
Raw skin and numb feet would be the least of her worries if she ended up dead anyhow.
“As promised,” the Baroqueth said, holding out a bottle of what looked like soda. The two others had yet to speak. She took the bottle, her mouth watering, and broke the seal. She paused with the bottle close to her lips when she saw the mis
chievous grin on the jerk’s face.
“You must be thirsty,” he said.
“No.”
She turned the bottle upside down, pouring the contents over the sticks. Only a little poured out before the bottle ripped from her fingers seemingly of its own accord, righted itself in midair, and pressed hard against her closed lips. The pressure from the bottle forced her head against the tree, the bark biting into her scalp. Invisible binds held her arms down, rendering her helpless to fight.
“You are thirsty. Now drink.”
Her lips parted against her will. Inside, she screamed against the assault as the sickly sweet liquid poured over her tongue. She tried to keep from swallowing and choked. In desperation, she swallowed a large gulp, then another before the bottle flung away and her arms were freed. She leaned forward, spitting out what was in her mouth, coughing up what she had choked on. She tried to stick her fingers down her throat to make herself throw up, but those damn invisible bindings whipped over her arms again.
The man grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. She hated that his fingers were warm when she wished they were as icy as his heart.
“You have a choice, Kaylae Drayce. You will kill that dragon when he comes to rescue you or you will die from the poison you just drank. Know that your death will bring on his own, when instead you can live reptile-free for the price of his heart.”
Kaylae spit at the man.
Damn him for laughing. Damn him for mocking her.
Ugh, damn this entire night.
He shoved her head to the side and removed a cruel-looking dagger from somewhere beneath his cloak. She sneered.
“Don’t think about using it on yourself. You can’t.” He rested it on the wood beside her hip. “When he comes, which will be as soon as I give him your location, you know what to do.”