by Mary Rundle
Slashing, ripping and tearing, Hunter continued, finally making some headway through the sea of bloodthirsty attackers. Dropping his latest adversary at his feet after ripping out his throat, Hunter caught a glimpse of Dylon, using his Herculean strength, to cut a swathe through a cadre of snarling wolves, leaving a pile of bodies behind him as he advanced. Turning around, he found Fionn still in the elevator, his face frozen in fear at the sight in front of him.
Desperate to get back to his mate, Hunter picked up a dead wolf in front of him and swung him like a club, knocking down several attackers. Tossing him aside, he then headed back into the elevator, but before reaching it, he saw his mate crumpled on the floor and a wolf standing over him holding a hypodermic needle. “NOOO! DYLON, GET FIONN!”
Hunter felt four attackers jump him, dragging him down to the floor. Frantic with worry about his mate, he suddenly realized there was only one way out of this if he wanted to rescue Fionn. “White…” but before he could say ‘Knight’, Hunter’s world went black.
~/~/~/~/~
Hearing Hunter shout, Dylon ripped out the throat of his attacker. Then, turning toward Fionn, he quickly sized up what was happening. Rushing into the elevator, he grabbed the wolf bending over Fionn, lifted him off the floor, snapped his neck and, after tossing him aside, hit the ‘close-door’ button. As Dylon lifted Fionn from the floor and threw him over his shoulder, Cody became visible next to him. “Where’s Hunter?” he asked.
“Four attackers...one of them had a hypodermic needle and used it on him,” his mate said. “I couldn’t break through the ring of wolves around him, so I jumped in the elevator just before you closed the door.”
“Grab the needle from that asshole, will you?” Dylon said, tipping his head at the dead wolf on the floor. “Maybe Ian will be able to tell what they used.” Then he punched the button for the parking garage after which, he used his phone to text, their driver to meet them there.
“What about Hunter?” Cody asked, as the elevator descended. “Are we going back for him?”
“Yeah, but not until Fionn’s safe and on his way back to Jackson,” Dylon said, as the doors opened. Exiting the elevator, Dylon spotted their car pulling up for them. “Get in babe,” he said, laying Fionn down on the back seat before climbing in himself. Giving the driver an address, he turned his attention to the white dragon, sighing in relief when he discovered a pulse. “Robert will be waiting for us close by, so as soon as you and Fionn are aloft, I’ll head back to get Hunter.”
“Do you think he’ll still be at the courthouse?” asked Cody.
“Don’t know. But he’s wearing a tracking device I gave him so I’ll be able to find him,” Dylon replied. “Contact Jackson on your way back and let him know what happened. I’ll be in touch once I have Hunter. Here we are.”
Opening the car door, Dylon got out before turning around and lifting Fionn to his shoulders in a fireman’s carry. When his mate climbed out and joined him on the sidewalk, Dylon told the driver to wait, then led Cody inside to an elevator. Once safely inside, he hit the button for the roof. When the doors opened, Dylon found Robert standing there.
Adjusting Fionn on his shoulders, Dylon nodded to Cody to go ahead of him. Before leaving the elevator, he hit the stop button to keep it there. Only after Cody and Fionn were safely aboard the chopper and aloft, did he turn toward the elevator.
~/~/~/~/~
Listening to Ian explain what happened that morning, Jackson kept his eyes on his mother, trying to see any difference in her but found none. She looked as she did the last time he visited—eyes closed, no movement—nothing that would indicate she’d come out of her coma. Finally, he said, “Ian, I hear what you’re saying but I’m sorry…I don’t see any sign she’s come back to us. Are you sure she hasn’t relapsed?”
“Trust me, she hasn’t. The reason I asked you to come down is Hope should be waking soon and I thought you should be here for it…along with Daniel. According to Dakota, it was the mention of his pup that did the trick in pulling your mother out of her depression. Seeing Daniel would be the best medicine for her right now.”
“Okay,” Jackson said. Using his mind link with Steel, he asked him to bring Daniel down to him. Getting a response, he said to Ian, “Daniel will be here shortly, but have you considered he might be a bad reminder to my mother of the pups she lost?”
“It’s a possibility, of course, but after listening to Dakota, I’m betting it’s exactly what Hope needs to give her the will to recover. I’m not saying you and your brothers won’t achieve that, but having a pup to cuddle and mother will give her a purpose, similar to what she had with your younger siblings. Losing that pushed your mother to the edge of giving up.”
Glancing over Ian’s shoulder, Jackson smiled, as Steel walked toward him holding Daniel. “Well, I’m willing to try anything if it will help my mother recover and find some happiness.”
“Good,” Ian said. “It’s time to check Hope’s vitals, so give me a minute. Once I start, she should wake up, so come in then.”
Taking Daniel from Steel, Jackson said, “Will do.” Giving his son a belly tickle and a kiss, he grinned at Daniel’s giggling, before turning and pointing at his mother. “That’s gramma, baby. Can you say gramma?”
Placing a blood pressure cuff on Hope, Ian wasn’t surprised when she opened her eyes, blinking several times before looking at him. “Hi Hope, I’m Ian, your doctor…”
“W-w-where’s Mac?”
“He’s here, do you want to see him?”
Licking her lips, Hope said, “W-w-water?”
Picking up a pitcher of ice water, Ian poured some in a plastic glass, then added a straw. Holding it up for her, he said, “Tiny sips, Hope, okay?”
Sucking on the straw, Hope felt the cold water trickle down her parched throat, soothing it, but mindful of the doctor’s instructions, she stopped and asked again, “M-m-mac, please?”
Setting the glass down, Ian replied, “Give me a minute to finish taking your vitals and then I’ll get him, okay?”
Giving a small, nod, Hope watched Ian for a few moments before looking around her room. When her eyes landed on the hall window opposite her bed, she was startled to find someone staring at her. Unable at first to clearly see who it was, she narrowed her eyes, then gasped as she realized it was her first-born. Reaching out with one arm, she cried “Jackie!”
Hearing Hope call out, Ian quickly looked at her, then at the window, aware of what had happened. “Do you want to see Jackson?” he asked.
“Y-y-yes, please…my Jackie.”
Walking over, Ian opened the door, and smiling at Jackson, said, “C’mon, your mother wants to see you.”
Shifting his glance to Ian, Jackson asked, “How is she?”
“Good, but still weak,” Ian said, as Jackson walked past him into the hospital room and over to his mother’s bed.
“Hey, mom, how are you doing?” he asked softly.
“J-j-jackie, baby, is that really you?”
“Yup, it’s me,” Jackson said, “And this big fellow is my son, Daniel.”
Hope’s eyes grew round at that. “Y-y-you named him after your grandpa?”
Reaching out with his chubby arm and pointing at Hope, Daniel said, “Gramm, gramm.”
“T-t-that’s right, sweetie, I’m your gramma,” Hope said, raising an arm, trying to touch her grandpup.
Seeing what his mother wanted, Jackson set Daniel down on the bed alongside her. “Be careful, Daniel. Gramma’s not well yet.”
Grinning at his gramma, Daniel patted her hand before grabbing one of her fingers, he promptly put it in his mouth and started gumming it while drool ran down his chin.
“Oh jeeze, Daniel, no. Gramma’s finger is not a chew toy,” Jackson admonished.
“L-l-let him be, Jackie…he’s not hurting me,” Hope said. “He’s got your blue eyes.”
“That’s what Steel claims,” Jackson said. “Steel’s my mate, mom.”
“D-d-dakota told me…whe
n will I see him?”
“As soon as Ian says he can visit,” Jackson replied, smiling at his mother.
“Hope,” Ian said, “Five more minutes and then I want you to get some rest, okay?”
“N-n-no, I want Mac first,” Hope insisted.
“I’ll go get him now,” Ian said, smiling at Jackson. “I’ll be right back.”
“Don’t worry, Mom’s having a good time with her grandpup,” Jackson said.
Nodding, Ian hurried out of the room, grinning at the sound of Hope’s soft laughter. Heading toward Mac’s office, he stopped when he heard Colton call his name. Turning around, he looked at his mate running toward him, wondering why he was in such a hurry.
“We’ve got incoming!” Colton said, “Fionn…they were ambushed at the courthouse. Cody’s bringing Fionn back—he’s unconscious. The chopper will be here in a few minutes.”
“Find Mac and send him to Hope’s room, tell him ‘five minutes’. I want everyone out so she can get some rest. Then get the triage room ready. I’ll go meet them. Does Jackson know?” asked Ian.
“No, not yet.”
“He will, shortly,” Ian said, brushing past his mate and on his way to meet Cody and Fionn.
~/~/~/~/~
The helicopter was fast disappearing when Dylon took out his phone and opened the tracking app, looking for the blinking red dot that would tell him where Hunter was. Finding it, he sprinted to the waiting elevator. Once down and in the car again, he gave the driver instructions, then sat back, drumming his fingers on his knee.
Dylon had no doubt Eideard MacDùghlas was behind the attack, but why? The easy answer would be the judge denying MacDùghlas’ claims but that wasn’t it because this attack would take time to plan. And besides, MacDùghlas expected the judge to approve his claims. So that left the only other possibility—the uncle wanted Fionn because he was a white dragon. Damn! Dylon realized at that moment the claims were merely a distraction—and it had worked. He was so focused on stopping the judge from allowing the late claims, he failed to consider the possibility it was the white dragon’s power MacDùghlas was really after.
It was now late afternoon when the car stopped at the entrance to the courthouse. Dylon climbed out, instructing the driver to wait for him and keep the car running. Looking down at his phone, he tapped a few keys before entering the building which was deserted. Strange. There should’ve been at least one security guard, but as before, when they were attacked, there wasn’t anyone around. Bypassing the elevators, Dylon opened the door to the stairwell, sniffing for residual signs of the attackers, but finding nothing, he quietly closed the door behind him before ascending the stairs to the floor where they’d been ambushed.
Pausing before opening the door at the top of the stairwell leading to the hallway, Dylon checked his phone and, according to the red blip, Hunter was close by. Cracking the door open a bit, he peeked through it, looking down the hall toward the banks of elevators. What he expected to see wasn’t there; no bodies or blood—just a clean quiet area. Not a sign that anything out of the ordinary had happened. Sniffing again, Dylon detected faint scents of other shifters but none strong enough to indicate any were lurking around.
Opening the door wider, Dylon entered the hallway, his wolf on alert but not detecting any threats. He headed for the elevator they’d been in and stood in front of it, scanning the floor for any tell-tale signs of blood, but whoever cleaned up the carnage was thorough. Pressing the button for the elevator they’d been in, he watched as the numbers lit up, showing it was coming up from the parking garage where they had left it.
While waiting for it, his wolf’s ruff stood, alerting Dylon that he wasn’t alone. Quickly turning around, his eyes surveyed the hallway, but found it empty. Walking over to a door opposite the elevators, he yanked it open, claws extended, ready to defend himself, but found only a closet filled with brooms, mops and pails—and a strong smell of blood. Flipping on the light, Dylon grimaced at blood-filled pails on the floor. Someone has been busy. His phone sounded, signaling the app had located Hunter, but something wasn’t right. Moving everything aside, Dylon finally found what triggered the alarm. Tucked away at the rear, under a pile of rags, were Hunter’s clothes—along with the tracker. Fuckingbedamned! Now he was back at zero.
Grabbing the clothes, Dylon turned to the elevator after hearing it ding, arriving at it just as the doors opened. Grunting at what he saw, Dylon walked in, punched the ground floor button and, as the doors closed, lifted a dead wolf off the floor, tossing him over his shoulder.
Now it was the only lead he had to help find Hunter.
Chapter 38
Ian squinted into the waning sun, watching the helicopter set down. Feeling a hand on his back, he looked over his shoulder, finding Colton standing behind him. “Is everything ready?” he shouted over the noise of the rotating blades.
Leaning in, Colton cupped his hand around his mouth. “Yes, Mac’s standing by and Jackson’s been told what happened.”
Nodding, Ian’s focus turned back to the chopper, now on the ground. As soon as Robert opened the passenger door, he saw Cody descending with Fionn in his arms, walking toward him. Grabbing the gurney, he glanced at Colton and shouted, “Let’s go.”
Taking Fionn from Cody, Ian laid him down, then began his assessment while Colton strapped the white dragon in. “Pulse thready, shallow respiration, he’s not reacting to pain.” Grabbing one side of the gurney, Ian gave Colton a nod, and they began rolling it toward the pack house with Cody following.
Waiting on the front porch, Jackson saw the grim look on Ian’s face as he rushed Fionn inside to the hospital. Grabbing his brother’s arm as Cody passed by him, he said, “Just a minute, bro. What the fuck happened and where are Hunter and Dylon?”
“We were ambushed…look, I have to give this to Ian,” Cody said, holding up the hypodermic needle. “Fionn was injected with something and he’s barely hanging on.”
Releasing his brother’s arm, Jackson said, “Go, I’ll be right there.” After Cody entered the house, he headed over to Robert who was waiting near the helicopter. “Did you see Hunter and Dylon? Are they okay?”
“Dylon is, but I don’t know about Hunter. Just before I got here, Dylon sent me a message, asking to be picked up as soon as I delivered Cody and Fionn,” Robert said. “He didn’t mention Hunter.”
“Go get him,” Jackson ordered, before turning around and jogging back to the house. Once the noise of the helicopter faded, Jackson reached for his phone and turned it on. Groaning as it lit up with numerous messages and voice mails, he ignored them, tapping in a call to Dylon. Waiting for an answer, he scrolled through his messages, getting the gist of what happened at the courthouse.
“Is Fionn okay?” Dylon asked, when he answered.
“Fionn’s with Ian. Where’s Hunter?”
“Don’t know. When I went back to get him, I found his clothes along with the tracker I put on him, but no sign of him.”
“Who’s behind this? Fionn’s uncle?” asked Jackson.
“That’s my guess,” Dylon said. “He had an army of wolf shifters who attacked us.”
“Any idea who they are?”
“No. I didn’t recognize any of them. Everything was cleaned up when I got back to the courthouse…no one was around…not even security. The whole thing is weird because I left a pile of dead shifters in the hallway before I escaped with Cody and Fionn, but they were gone, too, except for one.”
“They left one behind?”
“I don’t think it was intentional. During the battle, Hunter yelled at me to save Fionn who was still in the elevator and when I got to him a wolf was standing over him with a needle in his hand. I broke his neck and left him there when I got off in the garage with Fionn and Cody. It was by only chance I decided to check the elevator. I’m bringing him back. I also sent a photo of him to Zane, asking him to find out who he is.”
“Robert’s on his way to you. Where are you now?”
&
nbsp; “Back where he left me, on the roof. I disabled the elevator so no one can get to me.”
“Do you think Fionn’s uncle has Hunter?”
“That’s my guess. Cody told me he saw one of the attackers give Hunter a shot…probably the same stuff they used on Fionn. Does Ian know what it is?”
“Don’t know yet. Cody just took the needle down to him. What’s your best guess…will Fionn’s uncle kill Hunter?”
“Have no idea…but seeing how the shifters only gave shots to Hunter and Fionn, I’m guessing the uncle wanted both of them…alive.”
“Wanted them for what?”
“For Fionn’s power.”
“Not for his father’s hoard? Isn’t that what his uncle was upset about when he confronted the judge after the last hearing?”
“Yeah, but after what happened today, I’m pretty sure that was a red herring…a carefully constructed diversion,” Dylon said.
“So you believe his uncle knows about Fionn’s white dragon?”
“Yup…that’s the real reason he wanted custody. Somehow he found out about Fionn’s white dragon and figures that’s the ultimate prize.”
“So why did he want Hunter? Does he know about his power?”
“No. When Fionn’s uncle approached us outside the courtroom, he was surprised to learn who Hunter was.”
“Fuck…”
“Hey, gotta go. Robert’s about to land. Do me a favor and see if Zane got the picture I sent him, okay?”
“Will do. Be safe.”
“Yup. Bye.”
Pocketing his phone, Jackson headed inside to see Zane.
~/~/~/~/~
Working feverishly, Ian tried to prevent Fionn from crashing. Barking orders at Colton to intubate their patient, his mind quickly sorted through what might have been injected to cause the symptoms the dragon had. Once the ventilator was connected to Fionn and was breathing for him, Ian paused, pleased to see some color back in his face. Looking up at Colton, Ian asked, “Where’s Mac?”
“Cody brought back the needle used on Fionn and Mac took it to the lab to analyze. He should be back shortly.”