by Maia Starr
She looked angry, wrinkling her nose, but ultimately, she didn’t lash out. “Didn’t you ask Naomi already?”
“I did, but she had to hurry up to the restroom...so, it’s stomach flu?”
“Yeah, that’s it. For sure.”
Her sarcastic tone threw me off, and I loomed over her. “How about you don’t answer your alpha with sarcasm, Amber?”
She rolled her eyes but nodded. “Sorry, Alec. It’s just...this drawn-out war with Levi’s clan has been getting to me recently. I don’t doubt that Levi is doing this on purpose, to make us all fatigued as all hell, but still.”
I placed a hand on my friend’s shoulder. “Yeah...sorry. I don’t mean to get all bossy now either, but sometimes I can’t afford not to be.”
She shook her head. “You’re fine. Seriously. Actually, you should see how Naomi’s doing. She certainly got stomach flu but...uh, she’s not taking it lightly. I think she’s afraid that it might bother you.”
I raised a brow. “What? Why?”
“Just go talk to her, you idiot.”
Frowning, I did as she said and walked up the stairs, leaving Fallon to watch cartoons on his own.
Since her room was on the second floor, it didn’t take me long to reach her door and walk in, spying her just standing by her window, her golden hair beautifully draped over one shoulder. She had her arms crossed over her stomach, and she stared out the window.
“Naomi.”
She spun around, her eyes watering. I hadn’t been expecting to see her crying. Did the idea of the stomach flu bother her, or was it just the crack that burst the dam?
Stepping closer to her, I smiled. “Hey, you okay, Naomi? Whatcha crying for?”
Her eyes widened as if she’d only just realized, and then she wiped away the tears that ran down her cheeks. “It’s nothing...just—”
“Stress, right?” I walked right over to her, opening my arms. “How about a hug?” She nodded and embraced me. “Not so scared of us terrifying shifters anymore, are you?”
She laughed into my chest. “No.”
“Is the stomach flu that bad?”
“No…”
We stood there quietly, holding each other. I didn’t know how long we would stand there, but I knew I wanted it to be forever.
Pulling back a bit, I lifted her chin and kissed her. Her lips were salty, yet they were delicious. I couldn’t get enough of her. Ever. There was no way I’d ever let her go.
“Listen to me carefully, Naomi. This will all end soon. Sooner or later, Levi will make a mistake and I’ll punish him for it. I’ll make his clan submit, and then the danger will be over. You don’t have to worry while I’m here, okay? As long as I’m alive, everything will be okay.”
“You’re saying there’s a chance you’ll die?”
“No. I’m not going to die. Do you hear me?”
Naomi simply nestled her head deeper into my chest, her arms tightening around me.
After what felt like an eternity, we let go and then came back together when I kissed her again.
“I love kissing you,” I said into her lips. “You’re so amazing. It’s like I’m in heaven with you.”
She smiled up at me. “You’re not too bad yourself, are you?”
We continued to get lost in each other’s embrace, never letting go. At least, not until the front door banged open and someone huffing and puffing shouted.
“Where’s Alec? Where is he?” someone shouted below
I recognized the voice as Jeremy’s and broke away from Naomi. “I’ll be right back.”
Rushing down the stairs, I nearly slammed into Jeremy on the way down. Instead, I grabbed onto him, and we spun around to stay on our feet. “What’s the matter? Why are you here, Jeremy?”
Jeremy was sweating all over, his breathing ragged. A few cuts on his cheek allowed some blood to trickle down. I didn’t want Fallon seeing that, so I turned his back to my son in the living room.
“It’s Levi’s clan. They’re attacking our clan all over the city! It’s bad, man. They’re going wild. I ran here as soon as I could so I could tell you. We need you out there.”
Furious, I snarled and motioned at Amber. “Go tell the others outside to go help. But I want you and Jeremy to stay here and protect Fallon and Naomi, got it?”
They both nodded as I took off out the door.
So, Levi was making his move.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Naomi
Alec was gone before I understood what was happening. He was out the door, roaring at Amber and his friend Jeremy, who’d just arrived.
I jogged down the steps to see not only Alec, but most of the other shifters guarding our house shifting and flying into the sky. The only ones that were left at the house were me, Fallon, Amber, and Jeremy.
“What’s going on? The other clan is attacking us?” I said, looking between Amber and Jeremy.
“Looks like it,” Amber said, shaking her head. “It took them long enough. Now we can go crush them and get this whole mess over with.”
Jeremy nodded. “Wouldn’t that be a relief? Though I don’t think it’ll be that simple.”
Crossing my arms, I stared at the man. Like any other shifter, you wouldn’t be able to tell that Jeremy wasn’t human just by looking at him. Sure, there were slight differences, like in the way he carried himself, but most of that was hard to notice unless you knew what you were looking for.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Jeremy met my eyes. “I...I don’t know. Just a gut feeling. But Levi never makes things simple. I mean, the last time was a distraction just so that he could kidnap Fallon. For Sandra’s sake, I guess.” He leaned over the counter and spat in the sink.
All three of us looked over at Fallon, who was frowning at the TV screen and rigid. Amber punched Jeremy in the shoulder. “Hey! What was that for?” Jeremy asked. When it suddenly dawned on him that Fallon might not take all of this as well as we could, he softened. “Oh. Sorry.”
Putting on the best brave face I could muster, I marched over and plopped down next to Fallon, my eyes never leaving his face. I brushed his locks of golden hair out of his eyes. He needed a haircut the moment it was safe enough to get him out of the house. He looked up and over to me, his frown disappearing. He leaned against my shoulder and continued watching his cartoon, though I could feel his body release some tension. It was amazing how touching another person could change someone’s mood.
“Are you scared right now?” I asked him quietly while Amber and Jeremy spoke all hush-hush to each other in the kitchen.
“Yeah,” he said, his voice quiet.
“What are you scared about?”
Fallon picked at his fingernails, mindlessly moving his fingers. “I’m scared that Mommy will come back.”
I blinked, not completely understanding what he was saying for a moment. It didn’t dawn on me until a few minutes later what he meant, when the front door was kicked in, the wood crashing against the stairs, and in walked an unfamiliar yet cocky face.
Amber and Jeremy didn’t waste any time pouncing on the guy. They snarled and roared battle cries, swiping at the guy and attempting to grab onto him so they could throw him out. The guy, however, only grinned wider and easily stepped between them both, sending them both crashing into the doorframe.
While Amber and Jeremy tripped over each other, trying to stand up, other men outside pulled at their limbs and dragged them outside. The fighting continued out there while I held onto Fallon tightly, still on the couch, my eyes never leaving the man who so nonchalantly barged into our house.
“Sorry to scare you like that, but that’s kind of my style. Name’s Levi.” Ironically, he bowed to me and laughed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you...Naomi.” He looked over my shoulder. “Oh, and nice to see you again too, Fallon. Gosh, you look exactly like your dad.”
Shooting to my feet, my whole body trembled, but even if I could barely move, I needed to get Fallon to safety. Out
side was a no go for right now, so the only other place I could go was…
Patting Fallon on the back, I steered him to the stairs as we bolted by Levi. I thought he would have tried to grab Fallon or me, but he simply placed his hands behind his back, watching us. He knows we have nowhere to go. He’s going to hunt us down.
All my fears about keeping my pregnancy a secret from Alec went out the window. Survival was what mattered now, especially Fallon’s...and my baby’s life too.
Climbing the stairs, I heard Levi whistle patiently downstairs. Outside, I heard the roar of dragons and realized both Amber and Jeremy had shifted to fight. I briefly saw one dragon get thrown to the ground, shaking the land around us, but I couldn’t be sure who that dragon was. Nearly hyperventilating, I pushed Fallon into my room and slammed the door shut.
“Get under the bed!” I said to him.
“B-B-But—”
“Fallon, please! Just do as I say for now.” I went fumbling for my phone. Nine-one-one was my top priority right now. Fallon continued to shake in place and stare at me, tears in his eyes. I hesitated, staring back at him, and then I knelt to be on eye level with him. “Fallon, listen to me. I want you under the bed ready to bolt the second Levi comes up here and flips it over, looking for you. You need to keep playing hide and seek until the police come to help us, okay?”
He nodded and sniffled, but then did as I asked as I attempted to call the police. My fingers shook as I opened up my smartphone, and two times in a row, I pressed the wrong digits. As soon as I started the call, however, a hand snapped out and snatched my smartphone away.
Of course, that hand belonged to Levi. He’d snuck up there silently. Crushing my phone with one hand, he smiled down at me. “That’s a no-no, Naomi. The police will come here, eventually. That part’s inevitable, but the later, the better. Besides...I want to take my time, you know?” He loomed over me. “Hey, you’re pretty cute. Hotter than Alec’s last woman. What do you say to joining my side instead? We’ve got the upper hand, and that Alec is stubborn and a fool.”
My response to him was to slap him across the face. He didn’t take that lightly, because he grabbed me by the hair, prompting horrific flashbacks to Ken, and then flipped over the bed and grabbed Fallon’s foot before he could flee. He cried out, desperate to get away, and I tried my best to help, but Levi wasn’t having any of it.
He dragged us, kicking and screaming, down the stairs to where an unfamiliar woman stood in the kitchen. She had her arms crossed. She seemed deflated, almost unsure of where she was...until she saw Fallon.
“Levi!” she shrieked. “Don’t drag my son around like that! You’re going to get grime on his hair.”
Levi grunted and let Fallon go. “I’ll drag her any way I want to, Sandra. Just be happy I got your cub back.”
Sandra glared at Levi and tried to embrace Fallon. “Oh, come here, Fallon! I’ve missed you so much...I can only imagine what it must have been like to be trapped in this house.”
But Fallon crawled away from her, crying, trying to swat her arms away. Sandra looked mortified.
“Get away from him!” I shouted, angry tears stinging my eyes. When she locked eyes with me, I saw one of the vilest looks. Rising, she stalked over to me and kicked my leg, though I didn’t scream.
“So you’re the bitch tainting my ex-husband and my son! What are you, trying to become his new mother? I’m his mother! Me! You can’t even hold a candle to me!”
But this time, it was Fallon who shot back. He rose to his feet, growling. “Don’t hurt Naomi! Stop it!”
Sandra once again looked hurt, but I didn’t have any sympathy for her.
“Sandra—”
But I didn’t get to say more, as Levi punched me in the side of the head. I was seeing stars, and then nothing at all.
Chapter Thirty
Alec
When I kicked the dragon shifter clean in the stomach, he went flying backward, crashing into the sidewalk. He flinched and cried out, but otherwise didn’t move once he was down.
A female shifter then jumped on me from behind, throwing her arms around my neck and legs right around my waist. She was trying to strangle me. Growling, I aimed my back at a brick wall and started charging at it backward. She didn’t realize until it was too late, and so I managed to slam her against the building, cracking the brick layout. She gasped, and then slumped off of my back, falling to crumple on the ground.
Adrenaline pumped through my veins, forcing me into full-on battle mode. I whipped my head from left to right, eyeing the other individual battles that were going on all in front of this barbershop.
I’d only arrived a few minutes earlier, when the fighting had already started.
But now, the remaining conscious members of Levi’s clan were trying to disperse. Some ran down the street while others disappeared into nearby buildings and alleys. Some wove between cars that were parked on the street, and one, in particular, tried to shift and fly away. While anger surged through me, I shifted myself, feeling my body lengthen and my jaw grow rows of much sharper teeth. I flapped my wings and followed after the dragon, catching up to him and managing to knock him off course. I grabbed his tail with my mouth and dragged him back down to the ground, where regular citizens scattered as I slammed the dragon down, shaking the ground.
I stepped on his chest with my full weight, roaring at him to stand down. The moment he shifted, so did I. I didn’t want to kill him when I could get information out of him.
“Where the hell is Levi?” I shouted in his face.
The shifter’s eyes went wide, and he held up two hands in submission, his body shook from fear. “I don’t know…”
“Liar!” I stomped the ground with my foot, making him tremble.
“It was all a ruse! A distraction! Sandra wanted to get her son out of the way before Levi went all out to kill you.” When I didn’t relent, he nodded. “It’s the truth! I swear it!”
“So, they went after Fallon?”
“Yes! Yes! The second you left your home. These attacks? Meant to distract you. Again.”
For a brief moment, I thought this guy might have been strung along, but I saw the hint of a grin on his smug face, and so I kicked him unconscious.
Turning around, I spied one of my shifters standing close by. He’d heard everything.
“Just go,” he said, wiping blood off of his cheek. “We’ll be fine here, Alec.”
Nodding, worry wracked my brain. I shifted and fled into the sky, soaring as fast as I could back home. Did I really screw up again? You and your games, Levi... there are no words to describe how I’ll crush you.
My heart pounded with anticipation. I can make it back before they’re taken. I can make it back in time!
But when I landed outside of my house and saw the road caved in, my lawn torn up, and Amber and Jeremy bloodied and laying on the ground, all hope of Naomi and Fallon still being there went away. I hurried over to Amber first, pressing to fingers to her neck to check her pulse. She was bruised and cut all over, but thankfully, she was alive. She breathed hard, and her eyes fluttered at my touch. “A...lec.”
“Hold on; just stay awake!”
Jogging over to Jeremy, I saw his arm was twisted at a terrible angle, and he looked like Amber did: beat up and bleeding. He didn’t respond to my touch, but he was at least breathing. Swearing, I picked up Jeremy and went to lay him inside the house, where I saw the signs of a brief fight. I went and lifted Amber into my arms and laid her inside too. I quickly called nine-one-one for an ambulance, since I didn’t have the time just to wait around and treat them.
Amber tried to call my name...but in the end, she passed out from blood loss.
Then, as I sauntered outside; around a couple dozen of my clan members had gathered, looking at the destruction and turning to me for orders.
“Treat Jeremy and Amber inside until the police and ambulance arrive and explain the situation to them,” I said to the two shifters closest to me. They nodd
ed and shuffled past me. “The rest of you...we scour the city until we find any sign of where Levi went. He’s hurt out clan...he’s killed some of ours...and now he has my son and mate! We find him, and we put him in his place!”
The crowd gave me a rallying cry, and then all shot off in different directions, shifting and leaping into the sky. An army of dragons was coming to end Levi’s plan, and I couldn’t wait to see him crumble.
Chapter Thirty-One
Naomi
The next time I woke up, I could barely move. Well, I could roll around, but my hands and ankles were tied up with thick-corded rope. My skin was already chafing by the time my eyelids fluttered open.
I was in some kind of room. It was small and cluttered, and I was smack dab between a rusted bed frame and stained mattress and crates the size of my body. If I moved to my left, I hit my shoulder against the bed frame, but if I moved right, I hit my head on the crates. I usually wasn’t affected by claustrophobia, but when I fully regained consciousness and discovered my wrists and ankles were bound tight, I began to freak out.
Sweat pooled on the ground and on my shirt, and as I struggled to free myself, I kept imaging the ceiling was slowly lowering to crush me against the floor. Light filtered in through windows that were all covered by a white fabric, making it hard to see anything beyond. There was a door, but to me, it seemed sealed tight.
Where the hell was I supposed to be? My mind spun, trying to think about how I got from Alec’s house to this room. Did Levi tie me up and leave me here to be forgotten? I wanted to call out for someone to help me...but on the off chance that Levi hadn’t just left me, and was either outside himself or had some of his goons on watch duty, I didn’t want to alert them to the fact I was awake.
Going still, I tried to listen to the outside world. Slow your breathing...slow your breathing...calm down, Naomi.
