by Roxie Ray
She sighed in relief. “That’s fine by me. I have no desire to try to drive. My adrenaline is crashing and giving me a damn headache.”
Instantly, my hands went to her shoulders and rubbed as gently as I could. I didn’t like the thought of her in any pain, especially now. Dragons didn’t typically get headaches, but I had heard of female offspring getting them. Even dragons weren’t exempt from stress.
After taking her hand and walking her the few feet to my truck, I opened the door for her and didn’t move until she was buckled. Then I locked her door before closing it. Couldn’t have been too careful after what had happened. I knew she didn’t like chivalry to the point of making a woman helpless, but this wasn’t the time for chivalry. It was about protection and safety.
When we were down the road with Maverick and Jury behind us in her car, I reached over and took her hand. “I think this is my clan. I’m going to make sure you’re safe, okay?”
She nodded and squeezed my hand. “I’m not worried. I trust you.”
When we got to the manor, James and Carla met us at the door. “Come in,” Carla exclaimed. They ushered us into the living room to find Ava, Maddox, and Hailey. “As soon as Charlotte and Axel get here, we’ll eat,” Carla said.
“You didn’t have to cook,” Maverick said. “We’re probably not staying long.”
She put her arms around her son’s waist and squeezed. Ignoring the pang of regret at not having my mother there to hug me, I tried to be happy for Mav that he still had Carla, and hopefully for many years to come.
Jury tapped my shoulder and said in a voice too low for the women to hear, “They’re definitely after you.”
I sucked in a breath, dread filling my gut. I’d suspected they were, but Jury must have some information he didn’t want anyone else to hear. “How do you know?” We both kept our voices as low as possible.
“He said you had to pay for your crimes, and that you’d run long enough.” He gave me a sympathetic look. “I guess they smelled you on her.”
“The timing is suspect,” I said. “Within weeks of her smelling like me, they found me?”
Jury nodded. “He said they suspected your identity, but never could confirm without the scent. Which makes me think maybe he wasn’t a tracker after all, because I can still get your scent if I’m close enough to where you’ve been. Same thing with that Tyler dude. I was able to pick him up.”
Made sense. “So they’ve had their eyes on me but are waiting on confirmation. Why didn’t they just have a member of my old clan come to town to visually confirm my identity?”
Jury shrugged. “There wasn’t time for a lot of explanations.”
I sighed and watched Harley tell Ava and Carla the whole story. She sent me a finger-wave as they walked into the kitchen. It was too soon for her to possibly know, but my nose didn’t lie.
“Axel knew before Charlotte,” Maverick said. “And Dad always knew before Mom.”
“Why didn’t I realize it before today?” I asked.
“Because you just met your mate and you’re focused on the fun parts of making a baby, not the part where you realize you’re going to be a father.” Maverick grinned from ear to ear. “Congratulations, friend.”
My head swam with the confirmation. I already knew, but having Maverick say it out loud made it official.
“What did Axel do?” I asked, surprised at how weak my voice sounded.
“He let her figure it out on her own. We all kept silent, didn’t discuss it at all. That’s the respectful thing to do. It’s only right that a woman has that fun moment, reading a pregnancy test, wondering how she’ll tell her mate. They love that shit.”
Jury scoffed. “I’m glad I don’t have to worry about it.” Maddox nodded his agreement fervently.
Maverick and I exchanged a look while James put his arm around his grandson. “Boys,” James said. “You don’t know what you’re missing.”
“I should’ve been more careful,” I lamented. “One mess-up. It was only one.” The only reason they figured me out was because of my baby in her womb. The smell would permeate her for the entire pregnancy. It was also part of the reason I’d hesitated and hadn’t given her the claiming bite. I didn’t know if that would make her smell like me permanently.
Women didn’t react well to the scent-masking tea. It made them weak and tired. I wouldn’t have given the tea to Harley if I could’ve avoided it.
Carla insisted we eat while we waited on Axel. None of us was willing to do much until we had everyone possible to help. Maverick told us that Carlos had called in his pack to patrol the town and see how they could help, but he wanted them to stay close in case the police were needed for human affairs. Carlos’s pack members were trained as back-up deputies.
Axel came in as we finished eating, and he and Charlotte said their greetings to everyone.
“You’re both under my protection as members of my clan,” Maverick said once everyone was present.
Harley’s jaw dropped. “Me?”
Maverick nodded and Ava, sitting on Harley’s other side, grabbed her hand.
“Of course,” Maverick said. “You’re Stefan’s mate and he’s a member of my clan. I will protect you both.”
As grateful as I was to Maverick, especially for his promise to protect my mate, this is exactly what I hadn’t wanted to happen. I’d brought trouble directly to their doorstep.
If this had happened a few weeks before, I would’ve already left. But Harley was pregnant. I couldn’t run anymore. If I did, they’d try to punish her or our child for my crimes. That was not an option.
I had to face my sire’s clan. I took Harley’s hands in mine and ignored my beating heart. “Promise me you’ll stay here with the Kingstons.”
She became instantly upset. “Why? Where are you going?”
I wanted to pull her into my arms and comfort her, quiet her fears. But I couldn’t because she had the right to be afraid. “I have to try to figure this out, to stop it. Running isn’t an option, which means I have to face the music.”
“But I have such a bad feeling,” she said in a tiny, helpless voice. “I’m so worried.”
Part of me was glad to hear it. She was opening herself up to her instincts. If something happened to me, maybe it would help her know how and when to avoid danger. “Stay here, okay?”
She nodded. “Please, be safe. Don’t get killed. Not when I’ve just found you.”
My throbbing heart cracked more, but I knew the only way to keep her safe was to leave her.
After a slow, aching kiss, I left her crying in Ava’s arms. Maverick and Axel followed me out of the kitchen. “I have to go find my sire’s alpha. That might mean going back to Alabama.”
Maverick nodded. “You can’t run now. Not unless you take Harley, and she’s in no condition for that.”
Axel grinned at me. “Congrats about that, man. Rotten timing.” He put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed.
“Stefan, you have my word that if something happens to you, this family will take care of your mate and child,” James said.
Maverick smiled at his dad. “Yep. You have my word as well.”
“And mine,” Axel said.
Jury and Maddox stepped forward. “And even though we don’t want mates or kids, we’ll protect yours. And help her,” Maddox said.
“You are not alone,” Jury concluded.
Tears filled my eyes, as much as I didn’t want them to. I’d never in my life had a clan like this. Short-term friends, I’d had a few of them. But they were declaring life-long aid to my most beloved person. Soon to be people.
“Thank you,” I whispered. “I’d do the same for any of you if the situation was reversed.”
“Let’s work this out so that it’s not necessary,” Maverick said. “I think we should find that dragon and go from there.”
I nodded. “He didn’t mask his scent. He wanted us to follow him.”
Jury stepped forward. “I can find him.”
>
“No,” Maverick said. “You’re staying here. Dad, Stefan, and I will go alone and assess the situation. Axel, Maddox, Jury, you stay with the women. Keep them all here.”
Jury didn’t look very happy about it, but he didn’t argue. I knew Maverick wanted to take me and his father because we were good fighters. Axel was probably the best after Maverick and me, so he wanted him with his mate and mother. Maddox and Jury still had a lot to learn. They weren’t much younger than me, but I’d been through far more than they had, and honed my fighting skills along the way.
Maverick cleared his throat. “I’m going with you, even if you have to face your sire’s alpha in Alabama. As your alpha, I can step in and accept a challenge in your place. I sincerely doubt your old alpha is in any condition to beat me. If it comes to it, I will fight for you.”
It wouldn’t come to that. I wouldn’t allow Maverick to die for my past. If the alpha challenged me, I would accept it and fight to the death. His.
But I appreciated the sentiment more than words allowed. I held out my hand and Maverick took it, squeezing, and I clasped his forearm with my other fingers. “Thank you.”
Returning to the kitchen, I motioned for Harley. We walked into the empty foyer. “I have to go try to settle all this. It might mean I have to take a long trip. If I do, promise me you’ll stay here, even if that means weeks. They’ll make sure your Nana is okay. They could even bring her here.”
Her eyes widened. “Weeks?”
More than likely, the dragon that had confronted Harley in the parking lot would give us some answers and we could come back home before making the journey to Alabama. “Probably not. But just in case. Please trust me and stay here until Maverick or I say it’s okay to leave.”
She nodded. “I promise. I’ll keep myself safe.”
I kissed her long and hard. “I love you.”
“I love you so much,” Harley whispered against my jaw. “Come back to me, Stefan Murphy.”
“I will be back, mate.”
I just hoped I hadn’t lied to her.
23
Harley
The feeling of dread and danger wouldn’t stop. It had gotten much better, but when Stefan walked out the door, it intensified, the nausea returning. Maverick and James left with him, the squad car moving quickly down their driveway as we all watched from the front windows.
“Okay, well, we’re all staying here for a while,” Maddox said. “I’m sure you want to talk about baby stuff, so Jury and I’ll be in Jury’s room if you need us.”
Hailey looked at the worried expression on our faces. “Me too.”
I laughed as she ran from the living room, young enough to not understand the danger. Ava and Charlotte put their arms around me.
“I’m going to go shower and rest for a few minutes,” Charlotte said. “I’m coming off a ten-hour shift.”
Surprised, I checked my watch. I hadn’t realized it had gotten so late. It was nearly seven. She would’ve just now been getting off work if all this hadn’t happened.
She pressed her head to mine. “Come sit with me if you think you can. It’ll make the time pass faster.”
There would be no hope of me being able to sit still, but I didn’t begrudge her need to. Axel followed her up the stairs after telling us to yell if we needed him.
“I’m going to do the dinner dishes.” Carla gave the driveway one last look, then walked out of the living room. Her husband and son had gone with Stefan. She had to be worried.
“This sort of thing happens more often than you’d think in a dragon family,” Ava said. It was just her and I in the room now.
I gave her a surprised look. “How do you stand it? Charlotte is showering and napping. The boys are playing a damn video game. Why aren’t they more worried?”
Ava sat on the couch and patted the cushion beside her. “Because they know Maverick and James are damn strong. As is Stefan. And they’re smart. They won’t go into danger unnecessarily, and not alone. They’re just going to assess right now.”
“Stefan made it sound like he might not be back for weeks.” I sat beside her with a huff.
“That’s unlikely. He’s worried that he’ll have to go all the way back to his hometown to make the situation go away, but I highly doubt Maverick would let him. They’ll deal with whoever that man was and then come home.”
“It feels like the apocalypse,” I whispered.
My phone buzzed in my pocket as I leaned on Ava, worrying about Stefan. I pulled it out to see my sister’s name flashing across the screen.
“I should take this,” I said. “She’s been trying to sort out a time for me and my father to meet, but every time he’s free, I had to work.”
“Sure,” she said. “I’ll go help Carla in the kitchen.”
When she was through the door, I answered. “Hey, Abby.” It wasn’t a good time to talk, but it would distract me, at least. Hell, maybe she could tell my father about the situation and he’d be able to help somehow.
“Harley.” A man’s deep voice came over the line. I didn’t recognize it, but I knew it was Richard. “This is your father.”
Ah, I knew it. “Why are you calling me on Abby’s phone?”
“Unless you want Abby to get hurt, you’re going to do exactly what I tell you to do.”
“What are you talking about? Who would hurt Abby? Are you two in danger?”
He shushed me. “Listen.” I didn’t like the tone of his voice. He sounded angry, not scared. “You’re the only one who can pull Stefan out of hiding. We can’t come for him in Black Claw, not without risking that damn Kingston clan coming down on us.”
Shock coursed through my veins. Of all the scenarios I’d imagined, my father looking for Stefan wasn’t one of them.
“What are you talking about? Are you being blackmailed or something?”
“You’ll know more after you do as you are told.”
Oh, hell. I really didn’t like his tone now. He sounded furious. Could it be possible that he was working with the man who had scared me at the grocery store? It would go against everything Abby had told me about him. “Why in the world would I pull Stefan out of hiding?”
“Because if you don’t, your sister will be hurt.”
“I don’t even know her,” I said. Of course, I would do whatever I could to keep her from being hurt, but if he thought he couldn’t use her against me, maybe he’d stop trying that angle.
He laughed and the sound sent chills racing down my spine. “You want to play that game?”
The sound of skin meeting skin came over the line, followed immediately by the sound of Abby crying out and sobbing. “Harley, help me, please!”
Damn it. “What am I supposed to do?” I couldn’t let her be hurt. And even though he sounded like he was angry and in on it, it could still be that he was being blackmailed. There was a chance he wasn’t complicit in all of this.
“Get out of that manor, alone. Make sure you’re not followed. I’ll text you an address. If we suspect you were followed, we will kill your sister.” The line went dead, and when I tried to call Abby’s phone back, it went straight to voicemail.
Damn it. Looking around the living room, I considered my options. My car was parked right outside the front door, and this might be the only time I’d be alone. I’d told Stefan I wouldn’t leave, but what else was I supposed to do?
My purse sat on the table in the foyer beside my jacket, where I’d set them when we came in. As quietly as I could, I grabbed my keys and held them tightly in my hand while I slipped my jacket on and put my purse over my shoulders crossbody.
At the last second, I spotted the keys to Stefan’s truck, which they’d left here, on the other side of the foyer table. I picked them up with two fingers, hoping they didn’t jingle, then clamped my hand around them as well. Turning the front doorknob as quietly as possible, I tiptoed out the door and closed it behind me without a click.
The front porch was made up of wooden planks, bu
t I didn’t know it well enough to avoid any squeaky spots, so I took the widest steps possible to minimize the risk of making noise. Axel was only one floor up, and if Stefan was right, Axel’s hearing would’ve been good enough to hear me. I didn’t want them to hear me until I was in the car and speeding down the driveway. They’d follow, most likely, but their cars were way across the yard in the barn they used as a garage, or maybe out back. I wasn’t sure. Wherever they were, I’d have time to get down the road before they could follow. Hopefully, it would be enough.
I knew they’d follow using Jury’s tracking abilities, but my father and whoever was with him had to believe I wasn’t followed, at least at first. Otherwise, they might hurt Abby.
My car door made a popping sound as I opened it, meaning the time for tiptoeing was over. Damn old car. I slammed the door shut and turned the key in the ignition, immediately throwing it into gear and slamming my foot onto the gas pedal.
My gaze darted between the road and the rearview mirror. Sure enough, as I entered the trees and was almost out of sight, Axel ran out onto the front porch. His mouth was open, yelling something I couldn’t hear.
I hated doing it to them, making them worry and scramble to follow me, but I had no choice.
When I got to Main Street, I drove slowly, just at the speed limit. My fear was that they’d call Carlos and tell him to pull me over. But this was the fastest way out of town. I didn’t know exactly where the address was, just that it was up in the mountains a few counties over. I drove for what felt like days, keeping an eye on the time. It was two hours, almost exactly.
The cabin appeared to be lived-in and well-kept. As soon as I parked my car in front of it, the door opened and a strange man glowered at me.
Fear pounded through my body, but I couldn’t leave. Abby was inside. Still, I didn’t move.
The man turned and looked in the cabin. A few seconds later, a man I recognized as my father dragged Abby to the door. Her wrists were tied up but she seemed unhurt.
“Get out here,” the stranger roared at me from behind them.