The Shifter's Catch

by T. S. Ryder

  ***

  Grayson finished double-counting the money and stuffed the last bills into a duffle bag. Arabella strapped the bullet-proof vest around Henry's torso, trying to keep her face blank. This whole plan was risky, but what choice did they have? Kennedy was out of control. Who knew when the organization would come in and take her out?

  "If we found Kennedy's connection with the senator, so can they," she mumbled. "Although they might not be able to get at him in a shifter jail. I don't know."

  "Take the money in and get back," Grayson said, ignoring Arabella's words as he focused on Henry. "Don't stick around chatting. Understood?"

  "Aye, aye captain," Henry said with a small grin.

  Arabella opened her mouth to scold the dragon for being so casual but stopped herself. She could see the sweat beading his brow and the slight shake of his hands. Kennedy had called again to demand that Henry, not Grayson, make the money drop. Arabella guessed it was because of Henry's state of health. He was weak for a Dragon and thus was less of a threat.

  "The vest will protect you a bit if she decides to shoot," Arabella said, finishing securing the vest. "But if you see a gun, run. We were always taught to aim for the head. There's nothing to protect you if you get shot in the skull. This is a risky move."

  "Right." Henry glanced at her. "And trusting the kidnapper-assassin isn't risky at all."

  A spike of annoyance went through her, though she knew she didn't have any reason to be so annoyed at his lack of trust. He was quite right and the whole stupid situation only proved it. If it wasn't for her, the twins would have been home safe with their father . . . or would they? If the organization had sent somebody else, that person might not have developed these feelings and then where would the twins be?

  Doesn't matter. Right now I am to blame for their current situation, and I have to get them back.

  "How do we know she's still not in on it?" Henry asked, repeating the accusation he'd brought up since they came to him with the plan.

  "You don't," Arabella said shortly. "But what do you want to do, wait for me to fetch the Golden Fleece to prove I'm on your side while Olivia and Hudson are kidnapped? I love those children. I would die to make sure they get back safely."

  And the way things were heading, she would.

  "Henry, I've had enough of your paranoia," Grayson said, his voice calm. "This is our best chance at getting the twins back. Now let's go."

  Arabella opened her mouth, looking at Grayson's departing back. There was so much she wanted to be able to tell him . . . but right now, she had no right. Holstering a gun at her thigh, she followed after him, Henry taking up the rear.

  Chapter Fourteen – Grayson

  Grayson's hands clenched and unclenched as he watched the video feed from the camera connected to Henry's vest. He and Arabella sat in a café across the street, a laptop propped between them. Arabella had wanted to have a better setup, but Kennedy had only called them with the drop-off point an hour ago and they had just barely made it to the park on time.

  "I don't see her," Arabella mumbled to herself. "But she might wait until after we're gone to pick up the cash."

  His stomach twisted. "What if—"

  "She'll come and she'll tell us where the twins are," Arabella interrupted. Her gaze was fixed on the screen.

  "But if she gets what she wants—"

  "Shh." Arabella pressed a finger to his lips, though her gaze didn't move from the screen. "She'll tell us where the twins are. She's not stupid enough to cross me now."

  Grayson clutched her hand, grateful for her reassurances. She ran her thumb over his knuckles, and a soft sigh escaped from her lips. Despite what happened between them, he wanted to kiss her. It was ridiculous. Henry was right, it was Arabella's doing that they were here now in this situation. What happened between them was a lie. He shouldn’t be having these feelings – like he just wanted to pick her up and carry her to bed and forget about everything that went wrong between them. It was making him crazy.

  Even if there weren't those lies hanging between them, she had made it clear that she didn't actually want anything. Hadn't she? He shook his head to clear his racing thoughts and pulled his hand away. There would be time to figure this out after his children were returned safely. Not before.

  "There she is," Arabella whispered urgently.

  A mousy-looking girl in a loose tank top and tight biker's shorts jogged over to where Henry was walking. Grayson tensed, his hand seeking out Arabella's once more. Kennedy stopped at a bench and pretended to do a few stretches before falling into step next to Henry. Her position was so that the camera couldn't catch her face.

  "Is that my money there?" she asked in a bright, chipper voice.

  "Give her the bag, don't say anything," Arabella coached. "Just keep walking."

  He turned to face her. The growl was obvious in his voice when he spoke. "Where are Olivia and Hudson?"

  Arabella groaned. "No! We went over this. You don't push her. Give her the bag, now."

  "You're not getting this money until after we know where the children are."

  "Stop!" Arabella hissed.

  Kennedy grinned. "Is that so? Well. They're safe and sound. You'll find them here."

  She dropped something to the ground. Henry bent over. Arabella gasped. Grayson didn't see what happened next. Arabella flew to the exit of the café and charged towards the park. The sound of gunshots came from both the laptop and from outside. Grayson threw himself from the booth and crashed through the door. He may have broken it, but he didn't care. He overtook Arabella. Henry lay on the ground as Kennedy's form ran away from him, carrying the bag of money.

  Grayson wanted to go after her, but his friend was lying motionless on the ground. He skidded to a stop by Henry and was relieved to hear his friend moaning. There was no sight of blood, but Grayson still ripped off Henry's shirt, looking for the injury.

  Moments later Arabella was next to them. She bent over Henry, then shook her head.

  "Vest stopped it," she said. "You're lucky she didn't aim at your head, you idiot!"

  "I feel like I was kicked in the chest by an ox," Henry gasped out.

  "Getting shot close-range will do that." Arabella snatched the thing Kennedy had dropped and peered at it. It was a key with a tag attached to it. She read what the tag said and stood. "Storage locker. You should get him to a hospital in case he cracked a rib. I'm going after Kennedy."

  "I'm going with you." Grayson scrambled to his feet. "My children could be with her."

  Arabella shook her head. "Or she could be setting another trap."

  Grayson grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop. "Don't you remember how you survived last time?"

  She hesitated and licked her lips. Her glance went to Henry, and the other dragon laughed.

  "This isn't bad," he grunted. "Broken rib? It'll heal in no time. Don't use me as an excuse."

  "I'm going with you," Grayson added, his voice low. "They're my children."

  Arabella ran her hands through her hair then nodded. "Okay. Just do what I tell you to. No running off this time, got it? If Kennedy and I end up fighting, you need to take the children and run. Understood? No waiting around. Just get them out of there."

  "Yeah," Grayson agreed, though his brow furrowed at her earnest expression. "I understand."

  ***

  The storage locker was easy enough to get to. The information to find it and get in was all written on the tag attached to the key. Grayson kept the gun Arabella had given him in his hands and they walked down the line of lockers. It was an indoor locker, but worry still twisted Grayson's gut. Were his children warm enough? Had Kennedy fed them? What if the locker was air-tight? Dread filled him as they got closer to the locker number Kennedy's key would open. What if they weren't there? Or worse. What if they were there, but . . .

  "Arabella," he blurted, hands shaking, eyes wide.

  She knew what he feared, he could see it on her face. She swallowed hard, then with
a shaking hand unlocked the door. Grayson's heart slammed into his ribs as she raised the locker door.

  Inside was a single crib sitting in the middle of the room. The black hair of his children could be seen through the slots, but when he tried to run in, Arabella grabbed his arm, pulling him back. He remembered her earlier admonishment and stayed where he was, though it was physically painful not to run to his children. She slipped in at the side and viewed the crib from every angle, checking it closely.

  "You can come in," she said, and both of them rushed to the crib.

  Olivia and Hudson were inside, curled up against each other, eyes closed, chests rising and falling softly. Tears poured down Grayson's face as he tried to gather both of them into his arms. They had a single blanket over them and a stuffed bear at their heads, and that was it. Arabella picked up Olivia and cradled her while Grayson hugged Hudson to his chest.

  "Wake up, Daddy's here," Grayson said, tears running down his face. "Wake up, Hud."

  "I think they've been drugged," Arabella said softly, checking Olivia's vitals. "We have to get them to a hospital right away to make sure they're alright."

  Grayson nodded. He hurried out of the locker, Arabella close behind. He had to resist the urge to just fly them to the hospital, but Arabella couldn't hold both unconscious children while riding on his back, so they drove. Hudson was beginning to wake by the time they got there, and Grayson hugged him tightly, sobbing in relief.

  If he hadn't gotten them back, he didn't know what he would have done. There would have been nothing left for him to live for.

  "Dada," Hudson mumbled. "Dada."

  "I'm here," Grayson whispered, his heart so full of relief to have his children back he thought it might burst. "I have you."

  Hudson smiled and drifted back to sleep. Grayson smiled up into Arabella's eyes. She smiled back and a rush of gratitude filled him.

  It didn't matter what her past was. She had already gotten shot because she didn't want the twins to come to any harm. She had already turned against the organization that trained her to get them back. And it didn't matter if the reason she came to him was a lie.

  The love they had found afterward was real. And he was going to help her see that, no matter what.

  ***

  There would be legal repercussions to kidnapping and threatening to torture Senator White, but Grayson didn't care at the moment. He was still in jail right now, and by the time charges were brought against Grayson and Arabella, they'd have a plan to confront them. Right now he just wanted to be with his children.

  It had taken them hours to bring the twins home from the hospital since the police were called and they had to tell their story a hundred times. Only after the investigators who were looking into the original kidnapping came by and confirmed Grayson's story that they had been taken were they allowed to bring the twins home.

  Grayson, as anxious as he was to have his babies safe and sound, understood their precautions. Bringing two drugged toddlers to the hospital was bound to raise red flags, and the staff was only looking out for the twins' well-being. But they were safe and there would be no lasting damage from the drugs.

  Once they were back home, Grayson spent hours just holding his babies, listening to Olivia chatter. Kennedy hadn't hurt them at all besides drugging them, and neither seemed to have any psychological trauma from the ordeal. At least, nothing that was readily noticeable. Both went to their beds just fine when the night started to fall. Grayson disabled the elevator, locked the windows, and made sure the house was secure. Kennedy was able to get in the first time because she had convinced the guards she was a maid. That wasn't happening again. Tonight nobody was getting into this house unless they could fly.

  "I'll keep watch from outside," Henry promised. "I've got a great tree picked out already. Anybody who tries to come in on a helicopter will have to deal with my fire."

  Grayson clapped a hand to his shoulder, grateful that he hadn't had to ask his friend for help with this. It would have made him feel guilty, especially since Henry still had all his health problems. Adding broken ribs to the mix and then camping out in a tree overnight? It would have been a terrible thing to ask of him. But Henry loved the twins as much as he did and Grayson knew him enough that if he tried to talk him out of keeping watch, Henry would pretend to back down and do it anyway.

  "I'll take over at midnight," Grayson told him. "You still have to take care of yourself."

  Henry shrugged. "I haven't had an attack in a couple weeks. No biggy. These blood transfusions I've been getting have really helped me bounce back. Doctors say my kidneys might start functioning again on their own."

  Grayson shook his head but let it slide. Henry went out to the flight patio and shifted, lifting into the air. Grayson locked the door and went back in to find Arabella. She stood in the doorway to the twins' room, looking in on them. Tears streamed down her face, her arms wrapped around her middle.

  "Hey." Grayson slid an arm around her.

  She tensed briefly before turning and flinging herself into his arms. Sobs wracked her body and she clung to him like he was a life raft. Grayson pulled her closer, rubbing her back and whispering soothing words into her ear.

  "They could have been killed and it's my fault," she whispered. "Kennedy only went after them because of this feud that we built between us. I don't care about her going after me. With the organization, I don't have a future anyway, but the twins—"

  "No." Grayson pulled back slightly so he could look into her eyes. He kissed her gently and shook his head. "This isn't your fault. They're safe and that's because of you. Because you knew what to do. And as for you not having a future, that's ridiculous. You have a future here. With me."

  Arabella shook her head, more tears streaming down her face.

  "Yes, you do. Because I love you, Arabella. I never thought I'd love again, but I love you. And I will always protect you."

  He kissed her again, and this time she melted into his arms. She kissed him back fervently, and Grayson picked her up, heart singing with the joy of having his family back together, and carried her to his bed.

  Chapter Fifteen – Arabella

  She wanted this more than anything.

  The twins were safe. Grayson's arms were around her, and at that moment she didn't care about anything else. She wrapped her legs around Grayson's waist as he laid her down on his bed, her fingers seeking out the buttons on his shirt. His kisses varied from soft to passionate. Each one left Arabella breathless. Every cell in her body cried out to be joined with Grayson's, her core tightening as his hands coasted along her body.

  "I love you," he murmured again.

  "I love you, too," Arabella whispered back. Warm, giddy relief swept through her as she admitted the truth she had been trying to deny to herself. "I love you. I love you."

  She couldn’t remember ever telling anybody that before. That warmth and giddiness stayed with her as she pulled her lover down over her. The pain and barriers choking the space between them melted away. Her eyes fluttered closed and her hands worked automatically, yanking the shirt from his shoulders and exploring his body with greedy fingers. His muscles were smooth, his skin supple, his touch perfection.

  Everywhere his skin met hers, sparks erupted just below the surface. She had never experienced this before. Was it because he was a dragon? Or because she loved him?

  He undressed her slowly, almost reverently, and she opened her eyes again to watch the building lust and awe in his gaze. A tender smile remained on his face, even as his pupils darkened and his gaze swept over her naked body. She wrapped her hands in his hair as he returned to kissing her, this time trading kisses between her body and mouth. A hand slid between her thighs and she reached for him.

  Arabella's core tightened even more. Her head fell back as trembles ran up and down her body, her heart pounding in her ears. A glance at Grayson showed him grinding his teeth together, a look of exquisite torture on his face. Using her body as her tool, Arabell
a flipped him onto his back.

  The dragon grinned up at her, a chuckle bursting from his throat. Arabella rose a brow at him as she began to swivel her hips, grinding against him. His chuckle turned into a moan and his back arched.

  "What's so funny?" she asked, her voice husky.

  "Nothing. I'm just—" He grasped the bedclothes beneath him and let out another moan. His face turned red, chest heaving. "I'm just so—I love you!"

  Arabella threw herself over him, kissing fiercely, as she found him with her hand again. She eased him inside and sat, starting a steady rhythm. Grayson's hands shot to her hips, fingers digging in. He matched her rhythm. Everything continued to tighten inside of her, and it was all she could do to hold on. Bright lights flashed before her eyes, her jaw hung slack, and her shoulders shook back and forth.

  Everything came undone. Pleasure ripped almost violently through her body, exhaustion chasing quickly after it. Her body thrashed, held in place only by Grayson's grip. She collapsed over him and he flipped her back around, thrusting hard while he cried out in her ear. Arabella clung to him as he pushed her higher and higher, filling her with more pleasure than she thought was possible.

  She cried out and he collapsed. Sweat cemented their bodies together. For a long moment, all they could do was just lay there, moaning and panting. Eventually, Grayson moved onto his side and Arabella peeled herself away from him.

  A smile passed over his face as he touched her lips. "Wow."

  "I agree."

  His eyes fluttered closed, his whole body relaxing. "You love me."

  "I do." Arabella kissed him. "I love you."

  He drifted off quickly, the stress from the last few days having taken their toll. But the twins were back, and he could sleep.

  Arabella longed to follow him into sleep the way he had followed her to completion. But as she lay in the dark room, Grayson's soft snores beside her, the peace and contentment that had filled her when Grayson first started kissing her trickled away.