The Water Dragons Box Set: Books 1 - 4 (Complete)
Page 65
“How do you know you’ll even get him to agree in the first place?”
“He’s desperate.” She had to work not to fidget.
“I don’t know.” She’d rarely seen Angelo Bell so indecisive. “I don’t like the risk involved, but the plan does have merit. We could track it to its lair before sunset. Plan our…put the rest of our plans into action within twenty-four hours of that.”
“The sooner innocent women and children are safe the better,” Alex said. She took her father’s hand, seeing his shocked expression. “Please promise me that no one will be hurt unnecessarily.”
“Not this again, Alex. We’ve had this discussion before.” He pulled his hand away. “You know my position on this.”
Unfortunately, she knew all too well. Now that the wool had been removed from her eyes, she wondered how she’d ever bought into all of this. “I know, daddy. I just needed to be sure. I can do this…I’m determined to prevent those beasts from carrying out their heinous plans.”
“You’ll get it to agree upfront? The shifter must swear.”
“I will get him to swear.”
“I’ll clear your way once I hear those words.”
“Understood.” Excitement rushed through her.
“Don’t let me down.”
“I won’t.”
Chapter 15
The female was back. Unexpected. It had to be after midnight. Then again, his internal clock could be off.
Even more unexpected was how happy he became when he caught her scent, as he got an eyeful of her as she rounded the corner. She wore the same jeans and sweater. Only this time he picked up the scent of perfume and she wore face make-up. Had even tried to cover the bruise on her cheek.
He was an idiot for feeling anything.
This female had nothing to offer.
She strode right up to him. So close that he could harm her if he wished. “I’m here to make a deal.”
Okay, now that was not what he had expected her to say. He felt himself frown.
“You look surprised.” She smiled for a brief moment.
Begrudgingly, he found himself liking this female. Or liking certain things about her, even if he did ultimately hate her. She was his enemy after all. “Straightforward as always, slayer.”
He doubted very much that he was going to be interested in anything she was selling. He’d let her have at it anyway though. It wasn’t like he had anything better to do. “Tell me this deal of yours.” He sounded skeptical. Good! It was exactly how he felt.
“You were right. Greed is the motivator. I overheard my father and a senior member of a founding family talking earlier.” She swallowed thickly, looking disappointed. “They plan on finding your lair, killing your people and taking all of your riches.”
“And I’m supposed to believe that you changed your mind since the last time we spoke? That you’re on my side now? So, what’s this plan of yours? We join forces…I spill the beans, or better yet, take you to my lair perhaps?”
Her eyes flared and her jaw tightened.
Bingo.
“I got suspicious after we spoke earlier. I…I spied on them…heard them talking.” Her eyes flicked up to the ceiling once or twice as she spoke. She made a noise borne of frustration. “Look, I’ve unknowingly harmed your species. I thought I was helping humans. I believed your species to be evil. That it was you planning an attack on us. Never the other way around. I would never have…” She pushed out a breath, looking so sincere, that for a moment he was tempted to believe her. “You have to believe me.”
The moment passed.
“I don’t have to believe shit.”
Frustration bled into her features. “You need to trust me here. I know that’s a lot to ask. I want to get you out of here, tonight. I won’t have any more access to you after that. It’s now or never. I don’t have the authority to protect you. We may not get another chance.”
Beck narrowed his eyes. He was interested. Of course, he was interested. He didn’t believe a word that was coming out of her mouth. He’d be a fool if he did, but he might just be able to escape. This whole thing was hinky. It stank but it was the best he had and he’d most likely take it, once he heard the details. Of course, he’d probably end up right back there with a few more bullet holes for his trouble.
“You told me dragons are creatures of honor,” she raised her brows in question. “Is it true?”
“We are!” He snarled the words, feeling like he needed to defend his species to this…this female.
“If that’s true, then you need to promise me something if…if I help you. You need to swear.”
“First tell me what it is and then I’ll decide.”
She pushed out a breath. “If I help you escape, you have to take me with you. You can’t leave me here. My father would kill me if I orchestrated your escape.”
“Now that I believe. I had the pleasure of meeting him after my arrival this morning.”
“Does that mean you’ll take me with you?”
“No, slayer!” There was no way in hell he was taking her to his lair. Not after the others had found her before. There was no explanation other than that she had a tracking device. Even if he stripped her bare, checked every inch of her, it still wasn’t safe. It could be implanted under her skin. There was no way of knowing.
“I can’t help you unless you help me too.” Desperation was etched into her words.
“I knew it would be something like this. Should’ve known…”
“You don’t have to take me to your lair.” What? This was certainly interesting. Maybe she was telling the truth? No, no way! There had to be a plan. Maybe she planned on getting back on his dick. To try and boggle his mind. Confuse him. Get him to trust her and…shit…his groin began to tighten at the thought of getting back between her thighs. It was his injuries fucking with him all over again. He grit his teeth, pulling his mind from the gutter. He didn’t need the distraction right then. He needed to think.
“We can head to neutral ground to regroup. We can discuss it and take it from there.”
Discuss it. Right!
His chest heaved, his eyes never leaving her face. Beck searched her features, trying hard to gauge whether or not she was lying. Although she looked like she meant it, he still sensed that something was off. “This isn’t a trick?” Such a bullshit question but he still asked anyway.
“No! I will get you out of here if you agree to take me with you.”
Fuck! He knew this wasn’t legit. There was just no way. There had to be an ulterior motive. He couldn’t see it though. So long as he didn’t head back to his lair, he couldn’t see the risk to his people. “If I had any other choice, I would tell you what you could do with your, offer, but as it stands…” he sighed, “…I don’t see any other option.”
“Do you swear?”
“Yes,” he growled the word. “I swear.”
“You swear you’ll take me with you? We escape together?”
“I swear I’ll take you with me.”
Her shoulders sagged in what looked like relief. She ran back to the door and produced a bag. Inside the bag was a set of keys. She held up one of them. “Let’s get you out of those restraints then,” the slayer smiled.
A siren?
The devil?
His savior?
Beck had no idea if they all applied, or if only one did. He had a feeling he would soon find out.
Chapter 16
The female closed the cage door with a clink and headed down the hallway that led to the stairs. “You’re sure this place doesn’t have guards, or some sort of an alarm system, at least?” he whispered.
“No guards. The alarm system has been disabled.”
“I can’t believe there are no guards.” He shook his head. “No damned way,” he growled softly.
“I swear to you. There are no guards. Everyone is due to arrive in the morning. They will begin…working with you…then. Security will be ramped up. Like I said,
this is our only opportunity.”
Beck snorted. “Working with me.” He shook his head. “You have a good way with words, slayer.”
“You know what I mean.” She rolled her pretty eyes.
Pretty. Fuck! He needed to stop seeing her as anything other than what she was. “It feels off. That’s all. My gut is going nuts. I like to trust that instinct. It’s saved my ass plenty of times.”
The female sighed as they reached the stairs, pausing, her hand on the rail. “You’re just going to have to trust me.” She adjusted the bag on her shoulder.
“That’s the problem, sweetheart. I sure as shit don’t trust you,” he whispered.
“Well, you’re going to have to or this won’t work.” She pulled a gun from the holster on her side and flicked a switch on the side of the weapon.
“Let’s do this.” They began to walk up the stairs, moving slowly.
The slayer paused. “You swear you’ll take me with you.” She swallowed.
“We already discussed this. I said I would.”
She gripped his wrist. “I will be killed if you leave me here. My blood would be on your hands.”
“Boo fucking hoo! I don’t give a damn.” He pulled his hand away. His reaction overly harsh but only because he was shocked to find that her words did affect him. He bristled at the thought of her being harmed…killed. It was bullshit! He was losing his mind. Trusting her would be the worst idea. He sighed. “I gave you my word. I won’t break it.”
She nodded once.
Then they were making their way up the rest of the stairs. Through sound-protected double doors—the slayer had the keys to all of them—and out into a living room. It was huge with high ceilings. She put a finger to her lips, signaling that he keep quiet. They stalked through the room and into the reception area. This was all going too smoothly.
The shifter handed him her gun. “Hold this,” she whispered.
Beck frowned, taking the weapon. It felt strange in his hand. Wrong! He watched in fascination as she pulled the only piece of jewelry she wore from her finger. It was a ring. One she had been wearing before. He’d never seen her take it off. It had a large black stone—most likely an onyx. Shit! Was that the tracker?
If so, why was she taking the thing off? Unless she really was defecting. This could all be a ploy, he reminded himself. To get him to trust her. It wasn’t going to happen.
She placed the ring on a large round table next to a big vase of flowers. She stared at it for a couple of seconds before holding her hand out. Beck handed her the gun.
There was a soft, almost inaudible click behind them. A door opening. The female kept walking, but he turned.
“Hands up,” a male said. He looked to be in his late twenties, maybe early thirties. Despite it being the middle of the night, he wore clothing. Like he’d been expecting them. His eyes were hard and calculating. He smiled. “Don’t try anything, shifter. This gun has silver bullets inside it.” He lifted the gun up an inch.
He heard the female gasp, could hear her place her feet as she turned.
“Disappointing, Alex.” The male glanced at the ring on the table before looking at the female. “You actually planned on escaping with the beast. Did you think we wouldn’t watch you? That we would simply let you slip away?” He clicked his tongue in a mocking fashion.
“You?” the female said. She kept walking as she spoke, moving in next to Beck. Her hands were up. Gun still firmly grasped in one. “Yes, I was pretty sure you fell for everything. My father on the other hand? I should have known better.”
“Oh well…at least I get to try out my new knife. If I’m lucky…on you first.”
“You’ve always been a sadistic bastard.”
“Careful with the insults, babe, I’m aiming at your heart.” He widened his eyes. “Talking about guns. You need to slowly lower your weapon to the ground. Do not point—”
The male didn’t get to finish his sentence. Alex moved quickly, one second she was standing with her hands raised above her head and the next she was diving towards the male, both hands outstretched. There were two distinct gun shots. One straight after the other. A red coin-shaped dot appeared between the male’s eyes. A trickle of blood flowed from the wound. The male’s eyes were wide. They were filled with shock. A second blossom of blood appeared on his chest, over his heart, spreading quickly. Then he crumpled to the polished floor. The male was dead before he hit the ground.
The female was lying on her side, her gun trained on where the male had been standing moments earlier. “Thanks for the rematch, Harry,” the slayer said, under her breath. “You lose,” she added, her lip trembled.
Beck moved to her side and offered a hand, helping her up. Her sweater was torn over her shoulder and blood seeped through the wool. “You’re hurt.” He frowned.
“It’s a flesh wound. We need to leave.” There was an urgency to her voice.
“You were lucky.”
“It had nothing to do with luck. We’d better go while we still can.”
Beck knew the female was right. “I hear the sound of three…no four males approaching. They are about a half a minute from us.” He shifted as they headed for the exit. Then he was clasping her waist and making for the sky. Beck pushed as hard as his body would allow. He hadn’t been given any kind of sustenance since being captured. He’d lost blood. Beck’s mind raced. This could still be a trick. Was she so cruel, so callous that she’d kill one of her own to prove a point? To make him trust her? Had they taken it that far?
He replayed the events of not just that night, but also of the first day he’d met the slayer. He kept coming to the same conclusion. It couldn’t be though. Surely not? And yet, the facts didn’t lie.
They flew for about an hour. Although, she couldn’t be sure how much time had passed. He flew quickly and quietly, putting plenty of miles between them and her father. Her heart could finally slow down. The adrenaline coursing through her body finally subsided.
They seemed to be moving farther and farther away from civilization. Was he taking her to his lair? She hoped not. They needed to talk first.
Truth be told, she was afraid. She was who she was. Ultimately nothing had changed. That wasn’t exactly true. While everything had changed for her, nothing would have changed in the eyes of her enemy. They would still see her as just that – their enemy.
She prayed that the shifter believed her. It would mean a lot to have him on her side, and not just for protection. She couldn’t say why, just that she needed that small thing right then. His trust in her would mean the world. To someone who was left with nothing, that was everything.
The lights below them became intermittent and then, it was black. Stars blinked above them. There was a sliver of moon, otherwise, the world seemed bathed in darkness. They flew for a while longer.
Then the shifter began to descend. Her heart beat faster as they went lower and lower, until he eventually dropped her on the ground. She staggered forward, her arms outstretched to keep her footing. Then he landed next to her, quickly folding in on himself until a man stood before her.
He walked straight to her. “Show me your wound.” His voice was still gruff, more animal than human.
“It’s fine,” she tried.
“Show me!” he demanded.
Alex pulled her sweater from her shoulder. The area stung a little but otherwise it was fine. She didn’t even realize that she’d been injured until he pointed it out earlier. She had to twist her neck to be able to see the injury. The bullet had just nicked her. “See, it’s fine. I told you it was just a graze.”
He nodded once. “Stay here.”
“Wait. Where are we? What are you…”
“I’ll be back in a minute.” He looked agitated. “Don’t move. I don’t want you twisting your ankle or something.”
“I brought a flashlight!” she shouted after him.
“Still, don’t move!” Why was he so angry? She’d saved him and he was mad at her.
It wasn’t long until she heard him approaching. He was wet, from head to toe. She kept the flashlight low but shined it on him, noticing he had several bullet holes. They were all pink and puckered. They looked weeks old rather than less than twenty-four hours. The one on his thigh was scabbed over. “I’m fine!” he growled.
“Why are you so angry?” She might as well just say it.
The shifter ran a hand through his wet hair. “I’m not angry, I’m confused.” He shook his head. “I don’t know what to make of you. Are you playing me?”
She shook her head, her eyes welling with tears. She tried to blink them away, but it didn’t work. “I shot someone.” One or two tears slid down her cheeks and she swiped them away angrily. “I’ve never shot anyone, let alone killed them.” More leaked out. Alex sniffed. “Harry was a total asshole but if I’d had any other option, I would never have…” she wiped her face again. “It was him or me right then. I had no choice. He should have known better.”
“Why do you say that?”
“He should have known that he didn’t stand a chance,” she shrugged. “He was such an arrogant prick.”
“That’s one of things that’s been running through my mind. That day you tried to kidnap my prince and his mate, you shot Reef in the belly. Yet, he was standing closer than that male was. You were standing still that day. Tonight you were leaping out of the way of a bullet and yet, you made the shot. The lighting was bad versus perfect light on that day. I could go on.” He frowned heavily. “You only ever meant to injure Reef. You never actually planned to kill him, did you?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. “You injected me with silver. It was never enough to kill me. You only ever meant to put me down.”