River snatched her mother’s hand. “If you keep coddling me like I could shatter at any moment, then I will scream.”
Alice jerked back. She stared at River, as if seeing her for the first time.
Good, River thought. I’m not a child anymore. Even weak as I am, I’m still strong enough to do what I want.
Though she still shook, River poured every ounce of her willpower into her body. She careened to the side and caught herself against the wall. No one would have called what she was doing walking, but it got her from one point to the other without her mother’s help.
Alice told her how this was a bad idea with every shuffling step. River would drag her foot along and Alice would mutter something negative. This happened over and over, a vicious cycle that would have driven anyone else to throw themselves out the nearest window.
River tuned her mother out and tried to wake her beast. The silence that echoed in her head was almost as painful as watching Jensen leave. She should have asked him to stay. Now he was heading off somewhere she couldn’t see. She had no idea what he was up to, and it scared her.
Inhaling, River paused and considered one option. She doubted it would work, but she had to try. She slowly turned to face her mother.
Alice, noticing her daughter’s attention, quieted. She raised a brow.
“Go. Help him.”
Alice cocked her head. “Excuse me?”
River laughed. “You heard me. Go help Jensen. He’s going to get himself into trouble, and I know you’ll be able to get him out. Not because I think you can do anything. I’m not a child anymore. I do, however, think you scare Uncle Quincy.”
Alice gave her daughter a stern look. “Whatever that Barnes boy is up to is not my—”
River put a finger on her mother’s lips and nearly fell over in the process. “This isn’t up for debate. You’re going to go help.”
Alice took River by the shoulders and pushed her back so that she could no longer put her finger on Alice’s lips. “We don’t even know if that’s where he’s going.”
The unimpressed look that River gave her mother said it all. They both knew that had to be where Jensen was going. It seemed unlikely that he would do anything else when Quincy was responsible for River’s condition.
That meant River had to come to terms with Jensen’s feelings. The look he wore when she woke up should have been enough to convince her, but she’d been in a daze from the poison. Looking back, she could see the strain that her predicament had caused him. He’d been afraid for her life.
And he’d called Alice to make sure that River survived.
River had to be able to do the same. She needed to convince her mother to save him. One or two dragons couldn’t go up against Quincy on their own. Not when he had this poison.
“I don’t understand how all this happened,” Alice said. “Quincy isn’t capable of anything like this. He doesn’t have poison.”
“It was a surprise to everyone present.” River leaned back against the wall. She slid down an inch before catching herself.
She needed to get to Jensen. Perhaps she could convince him to wait. They could figure this out together. He didn’t have to run head-first into danger on her account.
“I have known Quincy my whole life. I know exactly what that Old Lizard is capable of, and poison is not in his natural repertoire. If it was, then he would have used it on me decades ago. We all know he loathes my existence.”
River’s jaw dropped. “Mom, you can’t blame my constitution for what happened. I’m not as fragile as you keep acting!”
“No, that’s not what I’m saying. I think you’ve proved to be your mother’s daughter after all. I’m trying to tell you that Quincy used something else. Don’t you think that fight ended pretty quickly?”
River shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. I passed out.”
Gale and Cash appeared to confirm Alice’s suspicions. Soon after River collapsed, Quincy had made a mad dash to escape. It was as if his ace in the hole had been spent on the wrong person.
17
Quincy had retreated back to his manor at the edge of the mines. Baylee knew where to lead them as she’d been there before. They didn’t fly. Even though it would have been faster, they needed to avoid being seen by humans. Jensen wanted to throw all caution to the wind and crash down upon Quincy’s head the way he had been doing to Logan’s small clan.
Jensen yanked the steering wheel to turn down the dirt road. Baylee let out a squeal as she slammed against the inside of the car door from the force of the turn. Quiet, she glared at him and righted herself.
If Baylee thought what he was doing was unnecessary, she didn’t say anything. Perhaps she saw a window into how Gale might have felt the day Quincy kidnapped her. She understood Jensen’s restlessness on some level.
He was going to kick down that old man’s door and force him to fix what he’d done. Quincy had hurt his own flesh and blood without cause. Jensen wasn’t part of the Montoya family, so he didn’t know how they did things, but he knew what it meant to be family. It meant keeping your relatives safe.
The manor appeared ahead. He threw the truck into park. Baylee jerked forward, catching herself against the dash. If she glared at him, he didn’t notice. Jensen had already shoved his door open. He stormed toward the manor as his beast pulsed just beneath his skin.
Fire licked the back of his throat. If Quincy couldn’t help, then Jensen would burn this building to the ground with the old man inside. He would make sure that Quincy could never hurt anyone ever again.
If Jensen had one thing, it was brawn. He would use his strength to keep his loved ones safe. That was the best he could do for everyone.
He kicked in the door. It thudded against the far wall, locks and hinges be damned. The sound should have been satisfying, but Jensen couldn’t feel anything more than the rage still boiling inside him. His beast caught Quincy’s scent on the air.
This could get ugly. Jensen knew that. He prowled the halls, following the trail. He didn’t know if he would find Quincy at the end of it because the whole house smelled of the Old Lizard. Part of Jensen hoped that he wouldn’t. He hoped that he’d find instructions to counteract the poison and be able to go back to River.
Jensen wasn’t confident that he could defeat Quincy if it came to a fight. The taste for destruction still filled his mouth. He needed to destroy something, but that wouldn’t be Quincy.
His beast wanted to argue. It thought it could take the Old Lizard on. His anger over River’s state was more than enough to fuel the beast.
They found Quincy with his hands braced against a fireplace mantle on the far end of the manor. Jensen paused and took in the man’s tense back. His shoulder blades had been cinched tight, as if he expected a fight at any moment, even though the house was silent. It made sense that Quincy would have smelled them coming, but Jensen doubted the Old Lizard expected them.
He was waiting for someone else.
“You’re afraid of Alice Montoya,” Jensen said.
Startled, Quincy snapped upright and spun towards them. His face bore surprise, but it quickly twisted into anger. His lip curled into a snarl. He stepped towards Jensen. Before Jensen could fling himself at the old man, Baylee skipped into the room.
“Good afternoon, Uncle Quincy!”
Quincy’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not your uncle.”
“We’re related by marriage…almost.” Baylee waved him off. “It’s close enough. I came to ask if you had an antidote for your poison. What a nifty trick!”
Jensen wanted to shut Baylee up. Her voice was too cheery, and it grated on his conscience. But whatever she was up to, it seemed to be working. Quincy’s tension eased little by little. His fight or flight melted into obvious frustration as he rolled his eyes at her.
Still, Jensen couldn’t help but clench and unclench his fists. His beast demanded a fight. He wanted to stalk to the other side of the room and rip the mantle off the wall. He wanted to throw it
at Quincy’s head and watch the old man crumple. Time and time again, that bastard kept ruining lives for no reason.
He needed to be stopped.
“Get out of my house, child.” Quincy turned to leave the room then realized that Jensen hadn’t moved out of the doorway yet.
The beast thrashing inside Jensen wanted to put fear into this man’s heart. He wanted to shift and pin him to the floor with his claws. But Jensen sucked in a breath and leashed his beast. So long as Quincy had the poison barbs, then Jensen needed to be careful. He couldn’t give in to his own rage.
The smart thing to do would have been to tell Quincy that Alice was on her way. Jensen refused to lean on Alice as a threat, though. If he wasn’t strong enough to protect River, then he didn’t deserve her. Jensen swallowed.
Baylee hounded Quincy’s heels. “You still haven’t told me how you did that trick! I’ve never seen a dragon use poison before.”
It was then that Jensen noticed the gaunt discoloration of Quincy’s face. The man swayed on his feet as he looked between Baylee and Jensen. The blue tinge of Quincy’s skin gave away the fact that Quincy had fucked up. He’d gotten more than his fair share of that poison as well.
As Jensen’s feet slid into a fighting position, he thought back to the moment he saw the poisoned barbs. At the time, he’d thought they were made of bone. Now he realized that those protrusions had been too jagged. There had been no organic shape to them.
“You brought along a bottle of something dangerous to dragons,” Jensen said. “When you were growing your tail back, you smashed the bottle and it got imbedded in your scales. The thickness of your scales kept the poison from entering your system right away, but it couldn’t hold it back forever.”
Quincy’s face drained of the last of its color. Jensen launched himself across the room. Quincy moved to dodge, but he was too slow. Jensen slammed into him. Together, they flew across the room. Quincy’s back hit the far wall. The window beside them shattered from the impact.
Jensen ignored the glass raining over his skin. His beast flowed through his body and hardened his skin so that it was nearly tough as dragon scales. The power flood made his fingers curl and lengthen into claws. He wrapped them around Quincy’s throat and pinned him to the buckling wall.
Quincy struggled, but without his beast, he couldn’t fight. He was nothing more than human beneath Jensen’s shifter strength. It felt good. Too good. Jensen tightened his grip and watched the life leave Quincy’s eyes.
Baylee said something behind Jensen, but he couldn’t quite hear.
Quincy scrabbled, clawing at Jensen’s hands. His movements grew weak. Good. That was what he deserved. This was a man who had ruined life after life. The world was better off without him, and Jensen wanted to be the one to remove him from it.
Baylee grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him back. “He can’t give us an antidote if he’s dead!”
Jensen snarled, but with his hands no longer wrapped around Quincy’s throat, he could think a little clearer. He gulped down big breaths and tried to pull his beast back. It still craved blood. It refused to rest until the world was cleansed of this evil man. Quincy had hurt his mate, Quincy’s own flesh and blood.
River was laid up in Logan’s house. She could barely walk. Could she feel her beast yet? Had she reconnected with that part of herself, or would she be trapped in one form for the rest of her life? Jensen would love her no matter what happened, but he didn’t want to see her hurt. He wanted to watch her fly high and see a smile on her face every day.
That wouldn’t be possible if Quincy stole her beast from her.
Right in front of Jensen. He’d been there. He should have done something. Jensen had strength. He had speed. But it seemed he didn’t have what it took to keep River from getting hurt.
Over and over.
His love for her had only ever gotten her hurt. Perhaps her life would have been better had he never stepped in. She might have steered clear of Logan’s house and the fights that went down there. Because he knew that the only reason she’d been there was because of him.
He cursed under his breath. Jensen could do nothing. He couldn’t kill Quincy. He couldn’t stop himself from being a failure.
His hands were useless.
Quincy gasped for air, making a scratchy noise every time he inhaled. Jensen refused to feel bad if he crushed the man’s esophagus. Unfortunately, Quincy seemed fine. It’d been a dramatic show and nothing more.
Baylee lifted herself up and sat on the edge of a table. “What did you use, Quincy?”
Quincy eyed Jensen. Perhaps the old man could smell the bloodlust pouring off him.
Good, the beast whispered inside Jensen. He should feel true fear at least once in his life. Preferably right before he leaves this world.
The thought rattled Jensen’s bones. He let out a breath and tried to pull his beast back, but it was stubborn and refused to move. It had a vendetta against Quincy and would not rest until vengeance had been served. The beast willfully ignored the ways Jensen had failed, too.
“It was silver nitrate,” Quincy confessed hoarsely. Bruises circled the old man’s throat.
Jensen took a threatening step forward. Quincy flinched.
There would be hell to pay if Quincy ever got his beast back. He would rain fire down upon Jensen’s home. The consequences would be dire. Jensen tried not to worry about the hell he was bringing to his mother’s doorstep.
“Go on,” Jensen said.
He needed to know if there was a way to help River. He’d failed her too many times. This time, Jensen would give her what she truly needed. He wouldn’t come home empty-handed.
Quincy swallowed. He glanced between the two Barnes siblings. Jensen could see the gears working in this man’s mind but had no idea where those thoughts would lead him. Knowing Quincy’s cleverness, Jensen released the reins on his beast.
Quincy stood up straight. He rolled his shoulders back. His hand fell away from his throat and a cruel smile slipped over his lips. All the bruises that had been there were gone.
“Well, you see, it should be out of her system by now.”
Jensen’s beast hit the surface with more force than he’d ever felt before. It tore through his skin and left him feeling raw. He didn’t wait to settle into his body, though. He shoved his way between Quincy and Baylee. She rolled backwards off the table and shifted before hitting the ground.
The two Barnes dragons took up too much space inside this room. They had to get out or they would be fish in a barrel. Jensen had to stay and make sure that his sister made it out, though. She had a future to look forward to. Her mission of ending this family feud wasn’t over yet. She still had so much left to live for.
Jensen, however, knew that he’d made a mess of everything. He didn’t mind staying back and being the sacrifice if it meant Baylee got out. She didn’t move immediately. Irked, Jensen thumped her flank with his tail. She got the message, he knew she did. However, she didn’t move.
He growled and turned his attention back to Quincy. The man’s grin had grown wider, sharper. Yellow scales unfurled over his body. His cackle turned into a beastly sound as his dragon erupted from him. Massive claws hit the floor. Wood panels caved in. Walls blasted outward.
Jensen leapt, aiming for Quincy’s eye. If he could blind the man, then there was a chance everyone could escape. Quincy hadn’t fully recovered from the silver poisoning. His reactions were slow. Jensen’s claws scraped over Quincy’s left eye. The Old Lizard howled in pain and reared back.
Bits of the ceiling and the floor above fell over their heads. Jensen didn’t run. He lashed out again, this time with his teeth. Though his attack landed home, his teeth slid over the yellow scales. Undeterred, Jensen shoved his clawed hand against Quincy’s ruined eye.
The outer wall crumpled inward. Jensen saw a flash of red. A familiar scent filled the air. Baylee let out a triumphant chirp, but this wasn’t a win. If anything, Jensen was even more afr
aid now.
River let out the fire she’d been holding on her tongue. It filled the room, catching the drapes and the rubble on fire. Uncle Quincy looked up now. He had one good eye, the other a ruin of flesh and blood. He huffed, smoke pouring out his nose.
She wasn’t going to run, though. River was done with being weak. She now knew the risks associated with running or staying. She would much rather deal with whatever Uncle Quincy had in store than the weight of knowing she’d failed everyone she loved.
Stepping up beside her mate, River pressed her flank to his. Jensen gave her a questioning look. Baylee stepped up to his other side and earned the same look. He wasn’t alone. He didn’t have to endure anything alone.
He should know because he was the one who taught her that valuable lesson. He’d filled the void in her life, not because he felt pity for her, but because he wanted to make her life better. She wasn’t going to let her uncle hurt the man she’d fallen in love with.
River wasn’t sure of the exact moment that she fell in love with Jensen. It had happened slowly. The night they’d made love, she’d given a large part of herself over to him. Perhaps that was when it had happened. Or, it could have been the day he took her to the old hotel outside of town.
Maybe it happened little by little. The truth had been tucked away inside of her, waiting to come out and surprise her when she least expected it. On her way here, she’d been hit by the epiphany. It had floored her. If she’d been in the air, she would have freefallen while her thoughts held her captive.
Love was new to her. She’d always assumed that she knew what it felt like. This was a whole new experience though. She felt stronger for it. There was a weak spot in her metaphorical armor—but, hell, she had armor now! She wasn’t exposed and vulnerable. Someone had her back, and now she had his.
River bared her teeth at her uncle. What a vile old man, she thought.
Quincy looked between the three dragons now forming a wall ahead of him. Behind him was a busted wall. He could shove his way through it and escape if he didn’t care about the destruction. He seemed like the kind of man who might value his own life over an ancestral home. Nothing mattered to him so much as his own survival, save for his power over everyone else.
A Fate Forbidden (Great Plains Dragon Feud Book 3) Page 12
