by Jill Haven
“Announce yourself.” His voice shook, but there was a strength in the way he raised his chin, making it clear he wasn’t going to let me walk all over him.
I repeated what I had said earlier, except at a normal level. As he took a step forward, I could see him better now, and clearly matched his image with the one that was stapled on the inside of the folder we’d found in Beau’s grandfather’s office. He kept moving, steady steps taking him down the porch stairs and to a few feet away.
“Are you really Beau’s mate?” His eyes were boring into mine, a combination of hope, fear, and desperation lurking behind his steadiness.
“Yes.” I smiled at the thought of Beau despite the seriousness of the situation.
Harland’s eyes widened, then his face and the rest of him crumpled, like he couldn’t stay standing up.
I managed to grab him before he hit the ground, Ten was immediately on his other side and helping me prop him back up.
“Let’s get him inside,” I murmured to Ten, sliding Harland’s arm over my shoulder.
“Is Beauregard safe?” Harland asked, his tone bleak.
“He is. He’s with the Princeps Draco right now.” We urged him up the stairs, and by the time we got him sat down, tears were streaming down his face.
“That was all I wanted,” Harland sobbed as we eased him into a chair. “I wanted him to be safe.”
“He is,” I soothed, although it felt awkward comforting anyone but Beau. Giving Harland a moment to gather himself, I looked around what I could see of his downstairs. Ten already had raised his eyebrows, his face a mixture of impressed and apprehensive. The house was set up like he was waiting for an attack, with cameras pointing outside, knives and guns set within easy reach; anything and everything I would have needed when planning an op.
Ten and I exchanged a look. I was even more grateful that Beau had agreed to stay behind. I sat next to Harland, Ten taking a seat on the other side of the table.
Harland let out a shuddery breath, then looked at me, surprise easily visible on his face. “You smell like him.”
“Like who?” I asked, puzzled.
“Like Beau.” Harland’s smile was crooked.
“Oh.” I tried to discreetly sniff myself, but I was more surprised Harland remembered his son’s scent, given it had been years since they had seen each other. I gave his house another look-over.
“I take it you know about the Silver Dragons hunting your son?”
Harland’s smile disappeared, covered by anger and sadness. “It’s why I hid him away.” He let out a long sigh. “If he was with his maternal grandparents, if I didn’t talk to him, they wouldn’t find him. I knew my clan would destroy my son to save themselves, and I couldn’t let them do that.” His shoulders hunched, making him look smaller, like the weight of the world was crushing him. “They threatened to kill me if I got in their way, so it was easier to make him disappear.”
“They’re not going to stop, then?” Ten asked steadily. My stomach was doing acrobatics. I was elated to find out who was after my mate, but at the same time, the acknowledgment that they weren’t going to stop was trouble.
“I doubt it.” Harland looked at the table, tapping his fingers on the smooth surface. “The current leader, Marvin, is a mean one. He won’t stop until Beau’s his.”
I bristled. “Beau’s been claimed now.”
Harland shrugged. “I don’t think that would stop him.”
Silence lingered between us, his words heavy in the air. Rage was coloring my vision, making my hands shake. If what he said was true, the clan leader wouldn’t care if Beau was hurt or killed in the pursuit of securing his future. “That—”
“Is there anything else you know?” Ten asked, proving that he was the more level-headed one when it came to this particular topic.
Harland gave us a rundown on Marvin and the handful of remaining Silver Dragons. “There’s also a handful of Earth Dragons who have been seen with them, but I’m not sure they’re affiliated with their main clan anymore.” He grimaced. “There doesn’t seem to be the same loyalty here as there is up with the Blood Dragons.”
My phone rang, so I reached down and silenced the call as he kept talking. Then it rang again. Adrenaline spiking, I pulled it out, surprised to see it was Beau. I answered immediately.
“Beau?” What if the Silver Dragons had gone after him? What if they’d managed to hurt Carlisle or Haiden or any of the others? What if we were in the wrong place and Harland was a trap?
The screeching that came through the other end of the phone had me holding it away from my ear so I wasn’t deafened.
“You stupid fucking man and your stupid fucking dick, you should’ve kept it in your fucking pants—”
My heart threatened to burst out of my chest even as his rant continued. “You’re pregnant?” The words tripped out of my mouth.
“Yeah, and it’s all your stupid fault!” Beau burst into sobs, although he sounded less hysterical than he had a few moments ago.
“It’ll be okay,” I said, standing and moving away from the two dragons watching me. I closed my eyes, focusing on the bond between us and trying to send some calmness through it. Whether or not it did something, it made me feel useful.
“That’s what Haiden said,” Beau muttered, then gagged. “Stupid fucking nausea—” He retched on the other end for a second, then there was the sound of flushing. “No one includes this shit in the pregnancy pamphlets for men because, oh, wait, there aren’t any!” He shouted that last bit, and it sounded sarcastic.
I could feel both Harland and Ten watching me, and when I glanced back, tears were filling Harland’s eyes again.
“You’d better get your butt home,” Beau said darkly, sounding less than thrilled by my absence. I gripped my phone tighter, wishing I could be there and be by his side, even if I couldn’t do anything but hold him or rub his back. I ached to be so far away.
“I’ll be back soon,” I promised, and I meant it. Come hell or high water, I would get back to him and be there for him. “I love you.”
There was a pause on the other end, like Beau was digesting that. Then a sigh. “I love you, too.” The words were soft and sweet, tentative, like Beau wasn’t used to saying them, and my smile almost split my face in two. We ended the call and I stood there for a second, trying to look less like I was a clown. Giddiness swamped me, threatening my composure, and when I turned to look at Ten and Harland, Harland was scrubbing at his face and Ten just looked amused.
“Karma,” I mouthed to Ten, although I wasn’t actually annoyed. When Ten found his mate, I would remind him of all of this in its glory at inopportune times. Revenge was a bitch.
“Can I see him?” Harland asked, drawing my attention.
I nodded, because I didn’t have a reason to say no. “I think he would like to see you, too,” I said honestly. “He’s the one who made sure we went looking for you.”
Harland smiled, although it looked less demented than mine. I hoped, eventually, my face would calm down.
“We should leave in the morning,” Ten said, the voice of reason. “We could use the rest.”
I wanted to protest—my dragon begged me to protest—but the sensible mercenary in me overrode it for once. “We’ll leave in the morning,” I agreed, which got a nod from Harland. Stretching, I stood, letting the happiness flood me and make me more alert. “Speaking of rest, I’m hungry. Do you have any food?”
21
Beau
“We’re on our way,” Ace said, the words smooth and light. “We’ll be there soon.”
“Not soon enough,” I muttered, but it wasn’t acerbic. I missed him too much to be cranky about it. All I wanted was him there, by my side, and to help make this stupid pregnancy less stupid.
“We’ve got some extra baggage, so it’ll take a bit.” Ace chuckled like he was funny.
“Who? What?” I leaned back against the tub, looking up at the ceiling. I still wasn’t leaving the bathroom for
long periods of time.
“You’ll see when we get there,” Ace answered easily. Then his voice shifted. “Are you doing okay? Are the lozenges helping?”
“About as fine as I’ll get, and sort of,” I said honestly. The lozenges Haiden had provided helped a little, but all it took was the wrong smell or the wrong trigger and I’d throw them up, too.
No wonder women complained when they were pregnant. After this, I would be complaining right alongside them.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Ace promised. “Love you.”
“Love you, too,” I murmured, still feeling the sense of wonder that swamped me every time he said that. Then we hung up and I stared at the door like it would have answers. My stomach had been feeling better, so if I was lucky, I could venture out later. I hoped.
When I was able to stand and make my way into the kitchen for some more water, my gut cramped. Except, it wasn’t to be sick. It was like there was a heavy weight on my shoulders, threatening to smother me, making my chest ache. Something was wrong, something was coming, but I didn’t know what or when. It was like the feeling of Ace being gone, but about a thousand times worse. It didn’t help my stomach at all.
I wasn’t hungry, barely keeping the granola bar and water down with the help of the lozenges. Haiden kept assuring me that it would pass, but I wasn’t sure I believed him.
By early mid-afternoon, I was a bit more hopeful. I’d kept a sandwich down, volunteered to watch Charlotte for a bit so Haiden and Carlisle could have some alone time, and I hadn’t thrown up in two hours. I carefully stacked the blocks with Charlotte’s help, smiling at her despite the crushing anxiety that threatened to consume me. How could part of me be feeling better but also feeling worse at the same time?
“You’re so good at this,” I told Charlotte in the bright, happy voice I’d heard people use with kids before.
She beamed at me, then reached out and smacked the tower of blocks down, breaking into giggles.
I smiled, losing myself in the moment as I gathered them back so she could build them up again. Was this what it would be like with my own child? Would they look more like Ace, or me? I was terrified, I would admit that much, but there was a small part of me, currently buried underneath the anxiety, that was starting to get excited.
Then everything went to hell, because of course it did. The cloying anxiety went from ever-present to a dark cloud choking the breath out of my lungs. Whatever it was, it had taken the red alarm blaring in my mind and turned it up to high. Just as I was starting to wrap my mind around that, the window shattered and something landed on the floor, smoke immediately hissing from it.
I grabbed Charlotte up in my arms, standing and turning so that whoever was outside the window couldn’t see her. My palms were sweaty, my heart racing, and I could feel adrenaline surging through my veins. I’d gone from nauseous and tired to way-too-awake, and a distant part of me knew I would pay for it later.
“Carlisle!” I yelled, panic making my voice shrill. “Carlisle, Haiden, anyone?”
I shut the nursery door behind me, taking a moment to gather my breath. If they weren’t around, what was I—
“Gotcha,” someone who wasn’t Haiden or Carlisle crowed as they wrapped an arm around me, pulled me back, and placed a rag over my mouth.
“The baby—” Charlotte was still clutched in my arms, although sliding fast because of how they held me. I was worried about my baby, too. What drug were they trying to give me? Would it hurt my child?
“Stop fighting,” the other man said, grunting in effort. I thrashed in his hold once they grabbed me again, making sure Charlotte was out of range before I tried to kick the man who was gripping my arms.
I didn’t waste my breath on insults, instead trying to twist away from him, to get the rag of who-knew-what out of my face. I desperately wished I had more than just myself. Even one of the blocks from Charlotte’s room would have been something. I could wrestle a 500-pound steer, but whatever they’d given me was starting to knock me on my ass, and I had a baby to worry about.
I had a baby to fight for.
Kicking back for the guy’s knees, I heard a scream and then some swearing. There was just enough time for a flicker of satisfaction to cross my mind when there was a sharp needle piercing the back of my neck. “Stop fighting,” the same man said, his voice harsher. “Idiot.”
I struggled limply with everything I had left, desperation giving me some strength. My baby. I needed to fight for my baby, for Ace, for everyone here that had given me a home. I wanted to sob, but my head was pounding, darkness tugging at the edges. There was another scream, the sound of more glass breaking, and then I was pulled under, my mind going blank.
A pulse of pain in my head was the first sign I was waking up. Then there was the undercurrent of nausea, the feeling of my hands starting to move. I struggled to get my eyelids to obey, but when they did, it confirmed that I wasn’t at Carlisle’s anymore. Instead, I was in a dark room with a small window, on a bed, with a man sitting in a chair across from me. My stomach twisted into a knot. Ace. Where was Ace?
“I am Princeps Draco Marvin Halstead of the Silver Dragons,” the man said, puffing up his chest like I would care.
I didn’t pay much attention to him, my hand soothing my stomach instead. It would be okay, I told the little being growing inside me. Ace would find us; he would take care of us. He promised.
Martin-or-whatever cleared his throat, apparently irritated he wasn’t the focal point of my world. “You’ve grown,” he purred, his voice low with approval. “Your body is impeccable. You’ll make an excellent bedmate.” It was like he was trying to touch me with his words, and I fought the instinct to push back against the wall in an attempt to get away from him.
I tried not to gag, although whether it was the pregnancy, the drugs, or the asshole in front of me, was anyone’s guess. Talk about full of himself. A quick scan of the room confirmed he was between me and the only exit, and the sole window was too high to do much of anything. Even worse, there were two men standing just outside the door, clearly watching and ensuring I wasn’t making an escape for it.
Fuck.
Another throat-clearing from Mr. Important. “It’s your duty, you know,” he said like it mattered. “As part of the Silver Dragons, it’s your duty to help keep our bloodline alive. First, you’ll carry my children, and then the other clan members, until we’ve had enough hatchlings to make up for the death rate.” He sounded satisfied, like it was a plan I would be on board with.
Even with my head spinning, nausea lurking in the wings, and the fact I still felt groggy from whatever they’d given me, I wanted to laugh in the asshole’s face.
“You’re too late,” I managed. The words made me smile, and although I moved until my back was being supported by the wall, I felt safe. “I’m claimed.” My smile broadened as Marvin’s eyes widened. “You just signed your death certificate.”
Marvin went to laugh, but apparently something about my expression signaled I wasn’t joking. It would have been a dumb thing to joke about, not that it mattered. “Orion,” he snapped.
One of the men entered the room, his attention on Marvin.
“Check for a claim mark.” Mr. Important gestured to me.
Since his needs were the only ones that mattered, Orion wandered over and yanked down the neck of my shirt. A low hiss escaped him. “He’s got a bite.”
“Shit,” Marvin swore, straightening up. “Get him into the truck. We need to leave now, before we’re caught.”
I was probably borderline hysterical now, letting out a faint chuckle, especially from the way they looked at me.
“Do we need to drug him again?” Minion A—Orion—asked, glancing at Mr. Important.
Mr. Important gave me a once-over, then shook his head. “He’s obviously still loopy,” he said, although he sounded less certain about it this time.
Loopy or not, they were still screwed. I fought to stay awake as they holste
red various shiny metal weapons or whatever it was they had, then picked me up like I was a piece of luggage. I could see them scrambling to remove any trace of them being there, like that would stop Ace from finding me.
“Ace is going to murder all of you,” I murmured, and from the way they froze, they’d all heard me.
With a satisfied smile, I closed my eyes and passed out.
22
Ace
“Why are you running?” Ten easily kept up with me, but he looked baffled. The moment we’d landed I was off, a certainty deep in my stomach that something was wrong. I didn’t know what it was, but I felt uneasy, and Beau’s connection was flickering like it was staticky. None of it was good.
The moment we got on the other side of the airport, I spotted Carlisle standing near a door with his arms crossed over his chest and a grim look on his face. Something seriously was wrong, then. I raced over to him. Bags or anything else, I could worry about those later. What if something had happened to Beau? I needed to be there for him.
“What happened?” I asked harshly. Ten was by my side in a moment, his face going from teasing to serious.
Carlisle winced. “They ambushed the house,” he said, his voice low. “Beau was taken.”
Anger flooded through me like a tsunami, threatening my fragile control over my dragon, over myself. All I wanted to do was shift right there, find Beau, and kill anyone and everyone who had dared touch him. He was mine, something my dragon was very enthusiastically chanting in my head.
“Calm down,” Carlisle said sharply. “You’re starting to shift.”
“Ace.” Ten’s hand was on my shoulder. “Breathe.”
I wanted to ignore both of them. I didn’t want to breathe. I wanted my mate, my Beau, who was depending on me to save him. Instead, I was stuck here as a human and doing pointless things like breathing. “Where—”
“We’ll find Beau and get him back,” Carlisle said firmly. “We need to get out of here. We’ll go back to the house and start from there.”
