by Maia Star
“Well, I did have some of your things brought over from the motel,” Felix said, rubbing the back of his neck, his eyes darting all over. He sniffed the air but didn’t say anything about it. “I found out which room you were in. I wanted to surprise you with this apartment, ready to move in. Forgot to mention it when we were here earlier.”
I shook my head. “It’s no problem. Really. If this were a month ago, I’d have called that creepy, but not now.”
He nearly laughed at that. “Listen, you’re going to stay with me tonight. We’ll go back to my place, and we’ll hole up there until the police find Hunter...besides, what Hunter really wants is you, so he’ll probably come to us eventually.” The thought made me shiver, but I nodded.
Walking towards the steps to my bedroom, I waved at the third floor. “I’m assuming my things would be upstairs?”
“Yeah, in the closet. I was gonna have you open it and see it...nevermind. Just go pack and meet me downstairs.” He hesitated, staring at me as if I would disappear if he looked away. “I’m going to check around the house, just in case. Just shout for me if you need me, okay?”
“Of course, but Felix, I’ll be fine. He’s not here anymore. Hurry up and go check the perimeter.”
Nodding, he left. I listened intently to the sound of his boots thumping of the stairs and then out the front door. Sighing, I shook out my nerves and climbed the last flight of stairs.
The third-floor bedroom was just as we had left it. Practically nothing had been damaged by Hunter. To think that he was probably there moments before we arrived sent more shivers up and done my spine, but I didn’t have the luxury of waiting around. I needed to pack and hurry downstairs before Hunter decided to come back.
Striding over to the walk-in closet, I threw the door open, only to stop and stare at the two wild eyes staring back at me.
For a split second, my mind went blank, and I didn’t recognize the shifter in front of me. Tufts of hair and blood stained his naked body, and the wry grin looked feral. Before I could scream, Hunter darted forward and clamped a sweaty, grimy hand over my mouth, muffling my shouts.
“Easy, easy!” he cooed as he wrapped himself around me. I tried to struggle and fight back, but he was utterly unfazed by my attempts. “Easy, Lily. I’ve got you. You’re safe now! You’re with me!”
I tried to tell him off, to wrench his hand from my mouth so I could scream. Hot panic enveloped me, and I went wild.
“Oh, this won’t do at all! If you don’t stay quiet, that bastard will know I’ve taken you,” Hunter said, whispering in my ear. “I guess I have no choice.”
Without warning, he raised his other hand and karate chopped my neck. I felt a burst of pain, and then my whole world spun, and my body went limp. My eyes closed as the world went dark, and then I fell to the ground.
Chapter Twenty-One
Felix
Luckily, I didn’t notice anything odd around the base of the apartment building. There wasn't a place for Hunter to hide in, so when I went around, I became more and more convinced that he did just run off.
There was no trace of him in the house. His scent had faded, even upstairs. As I walked back around to the front of the apartment, I decided to pull out my phone and dial up the police. When they picked up, I told them about what had happened at Lily’s new place, and they told me they would send someone over.
Slipping my smartphone back into my pocket, I waited on the front step, scanning the road and buildings for anyone hiding out. The very thought that Lily could be harmed made me tap my foot impatiently while I waited for her to hurry downstairs.
Basically, there was no going back now. Lily was my mate, the woman I would claim. She was everything that mattered to me. Hell, just knowing she was nearby was enough to keep me from going wild. She was gorgeous, both on the inside and outside. Did I deserve her? Probably not, but there would be hell to pay for anyone that would try to get between her and me. Like for Hunter.
I crossed my arms and waited and waited and waited, until finally, I couldn’t anymore. She was taking too long, and I needed to see her, to know that she was okay.
“Lily!” I called. The only answer I got was an eerie silence.
My heart thundered in panic and I stormed up the stairs, taking three at a time, ignoring everything else until I reached the bedroom.
On the third floor, there was no sign of her. She was gone. I checked the closet, the bathroom, even under the bed. Her things were still in the closet. I roared her name, getting no answer.
Hunter’s scent still lingered in the closet. Was he here this entire time? Did he kidnap Lily?
Yes. Yes, he did. There was no other option. Lily wouldn’t have just left. And even if by some miracle she did suddenly want to leave, she didn’t seem like a climber to me. I was at the front entrance for most of the time. I would have heard her drop to the ground if she decided to run from the apartment.
No, Hunter was here, and he took her. He took my mate! Screaming wildly, I wanted to flip the mattress, but instead, I grabbed my head and smacked myself silly. I needed to focus. I needed to stay calm. My inner dragon was breathing fire, but it needed not to let emotions cloud my thoughts. I could still find Lily and Hunter. Just calm down and think; calm down and think.
“If I couldn’t smell him, he must have covered himself in mud or something to throw off the scent,” I said to myself, my eyes straying back to the closet. Getting down on my knees, I saw a small clump of mud on the floor. I saw bits and pieces of that mud trail from the closet to the second floor. I hadn’t noticed before because I was too concerned about Lily. Licking my lips and willing my inner dragon to keep its rage from spilling over just yet, I followed the mud to the broken window on the second floor we had noticed earlier. Specks of mud were all over the windowsill.
He slipped out this way. But then why didn’t I hear Lily scream for me? Why didn’t I even hear any muffled shouts?
“Because he knocked her unconscious. Damnit!” I growled. Punching the windowsill, I felt my rage creep back into my system. The urge to rip the place apart overcame me. Maybe, just maybe, Hunter was screwing with me. Maybe he wanted me to think that he left out the window and was instead hiding himself and Lily somewhere in the house.
So I ran all over, checking everywhere, looking for hidey-holes or any nooks and crannies two people could fit in. I even checked for hollow walls, coming up with nothing.
Shouting out my frustration, I ran outside and ran around the house. When I couldn’t pick up his trail again, I wanted to scream.
In the distance, I heard telltale sirens that signaled the police were coming. Running out onto the road, I saw them turn onto the street I was on. Waving at them, I ran to meet them, forcing them to slam on their brakes as I came around to wrench open the lead officer’s driver door.
“What the hell do you think—” the officer started.
“Shut up and listen!” I shouted in his ear. “My mate was kidnapped a few minutes ago by the same wolf shifter we’ve been calling you about. He probably knocked her unconscious and stole her away. You need to go on the lookout for her right now.”
The officer blinked at me. “Hold on, what—”
I grabbed him by his collar, dragging him up and out of his seat. The officer in his passenger seat quickly stepped out and roared at me to put the lead officer down. Another police car pulled up on the other side and stepped out to draw their guns on me too. But I didn’t care, and neither did the officer I was holding. He looked afraid of me, like he was ready to hang on my every word. “Listen to me very carefully. There’s a feral wolf shifter out there with the girl of my dreams. He’s kidnapped her, and most likely still out on the streets, running around with her in his arms or on his back if he shifted. I’m going to look for them, and you need to too, or else this could get so much worse.”
One of the officers behind me screamed at me. “Put him down now! We won’t hesitate to shoot!” But the officer held up his hand t
o her, signaling her to lower her weapon. “Sir?” she called, confused.
I let the lead officer go, and suddenly I wasn’t the center of his attention anymore. “Round up as many people as we can and go search for a feral wolf shifter on the run. He may have kidnapped a woman. Go find witnesses as quickly as possible. On the double, people!”
The other officers exchanged glances but were suddenly on the move again.
I huffed and puffed, flexing my fingers. “Thanks, and sorry to scream in your face.”
“It’s fine.” The officer eyed me critically. “Where are you going to look?”
“I’m going to fly around and look for any signs of them,” I replied, moving away. I waved back at the officer. “If you find them, don’t bother to call me. Just focus on saving her. Her name’s Lily!”
The officer nodded and then climbed back into his car.
Finally letting my rage out, I shifted into my dragon form, flexing my body and running into a glide down the street. Once I flapped my wings, I began to soar into the sky, circling the apartment first and looking for any telltale signs of where Hunter went.
I’ll find you, you damn wolf. Mark my words. I’m not the one who’s going to pay…
Once I realized I wouldn’t find a trail from looking at the apartment from overhead, I flapped my wings and darted off in a random direction. San Francisco was a huge city, much too big to find them quickly. It might take hours to scour every part of this city. I didn’t care if it took me a whole week going from building to building, searching for the one place that Hunter felt safe enough to take Lily to. One way or another, Hunter would mess up. He’d give up his hideout, and then I’d come storming in. Or, if I were lucky, the police would find them and wrench Lily free of her crazy ex-boyfriend.
It was only a matter of time before I was face to face with Lily again. She was carrying my child too. There was no way I would fail her.
Soaring above the city, I must have looked like a wild beast, ready to burn it to ground. Maybe I would have to do just that.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Lily
When I awoke next, it was evident I was nowhere near my new apartment. It was amazing how the time between getting knocked unconscious and waking from was near instant. Even though it felt like a matter of seconds, I knew from how my body ached that it had been far longer.
That, and the fact I was seemingly in some pitch-black room.
As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I realized I was in a warehouse. Open shipping containers that would stack on top of each other on a cargo ship loomed over me on either side. Three were stacked on top of each other to my left. Graffiti in reds and blues painted the containers, creating swirls and images of what I thought looked like birds.
My head swam, trying to make out the rest of this room. Thin windows ahead of me and close to the ceiling peered out into the sky from my angle, but soon enough, a boat on the Golden Gate Strait blared its horn and lights filled up the windows and the room. I struggled to look up from where I laid on my back, but I caught glimpses of other random tools, rusted in piles, and even an electric scissor lift that was tucked into one corner.
I remembered that Hunter must be in there somewhere, hiding and waiting for me to wake up. I gazed around, tried to groan, and then I felt the sticky tape over my mouth. I furrowed my brow and wriggled my wrists and ankles, but they were tied with some frayed rope. If I had been anything more than just a regular old human, I probably could have easily broken out of this little bondage, but I wasn’t lucky enough for that.
I breathed hard through my nose and forced myself to roll over onto my back. It was uncomfortable, but I needed to figure out where Hunter was so I could determine a way to get out of the situation and slip past him.
As I tried to sit up, I squeezed my eyes shut, and when I finally did, I smiled to myself. But then I looked up and met the wild, primal eyes that gazed down at me.
Hunter stared at me from just a few feet away, crouched on the concrete, his chin in his hands. He wasn’t even smiling, and he stayed still as a statue. It was almost like he was dead and had somehow managed to keep his corpse vertical. I gulped from the sheer pressure, realizing he must have been there this entire time. The creep!
When I tried to wiggle away, his eyes widened. “No, no! Shhh! Stay quiet, my sweet, sweet Lily. You’re safe here.” He scooched forward, slow and deliberate, reaching forward to pat my thigh. If my hands hadn’t been tied, I would have railed on him for even touching me, but instead, I had to watch in horror as he stroked my skin, like I was some animal. He kept shushing me every time I made a sound, as if he were afraid that someone in this abandoned building would hear me and try to help.
I tried to keep myself calm while he had his fun, but with every passing second, my gut twisted harder.
Eventually, he moved over to crouch above my head, moving like a monkey, and ripped the tape off of my mouth. I screamed at the sudden stinging pain, but he didn’t try to quiet me. Instead, he held out his arms. “Ah, I love the sound of your voice. Keep going! No one will hear you, no matter how hard you scream.”
“Fuck you!” I spat. “How can you do this, Hunter?” My voice was shaky, still off-kilter from the stinging on my lips. “This is wrong...so, so wrong. You’re a criminal now. You can’t just go around kidnapping people.” He frowned, pursed his lips together, and crossed his arms like a pouting child. “Are you hearing me? You’re going to pay for this little fiasco of yours. You’re not going to get away with hurting me Felix will come, and he’ll—”
But I never got to finish my thought, as my head snapped around, hot and flaring from another, more painful sting that made my eyes water. I cursed at the pain, and then I realized he had slapped me.
His hand still hung in the air, straight and looking like he was about to use it to karate chop me. Glaring down at me, he growled, “Enough about Felix! That dragon shifter took you from me, raped you! He’s vile, and he’s a monster! And he’s brainwashed you, trying to get me off your mind. We were lovers once, and we will be again.” When I shook violently, he reached forward, brushing the back of his hand against my dirty cheek. I flinched back, though he didn’t seem to notice. “Don’t worry. I’ll kill Felix…” He looked pointedly down at my stomach. “And I’ll rip out that unborn baby of his from your womb. I’ll save you!”
My stomach dropped, and I broke out in a sweat. He meant to do what to me?
Before I could react, he was already reaching towards my belly and hips, ready to hurt me. I was ready to do whatever I needed to do to protect myself and Felix’s baby.
But then Hunter shuddered, and his fingers curled and uncurled. He flexed his arm, and suddenly it looked like he was about to shift. He grunted and groaned and clutched at his head, stumbling back on his ass and rolling away. Hunter grew and shrunk, sprouted hair and claws. It was like his body couldn’t decide whether it was a giant wolf or human being, shifting between the two. Felix had been right; Hunter really was going feral. Maybe it was too late.
While Hunter rolled around and growled and spat up phlegm, I quickly stowed away my fear and looked for anything sharp enough to tear through the rope at my back. I spotted a sharp indent on a raised concrete slab a dozen feet away. Glancing frantically between Hunter and the slab, I began to inch my way closer, slowly but surely, trying to keep my tiny inhales and exhales as quiet as possible.
The seconds dragged on, and for a moment, Hunter even completely shifted into his wolf form. I froze as the hulking canine arched its back and growled hungrily, turning its head slowly to me. Drooled dripped from its fangs, and I was very aware that all it had to do was take two steps forward to slurp me up.
And it did, taking one step...but then stepping hurriedly back and crashing into one of the shipping containers as it yelped and growled. It fell to the ground and scrambled behind the container, giving me the opportunity to crawl closer to my only salvation.
My heart stammered, and my head poun
ded with the fear of making a single mistake.
Once I reached the platform, I tried to sit up and position myself against the sharp edge.
But before I could get going on tearing up the ropes, I heard Hunter’s human voice cry out, and then he stumbled out from behind the container, one hand gripping it to stand steady. He breathed hard, fur sticking to his sweaty, naked body. He eyed me, sneered, and charged over. I once again couldn’t move, unable to force my body to listen to me as he came closer and closer.
When he stopped in front of me, he reached towards my belly again, but yelped out in pain and clutched his wrist, looking up to glare at me. “I’ll rip that baby out eventually. I just need to...calm down a bit. But soon!” He whipped his head around and around. “Soon, I’ll get you ready to take my seed instead. You’re my woman, my mate. You’ll bear all my children!”
I found myself silently praying for Felix to pick up my trail and punch a giant hole through one of the walls of this abandoned warehouse. I hoped he would waltz in, knock Hunter silly, and walk out with me in his arms. There was nothing I wanted more, and yet I couldn’t bear to think of how slim that chance was. Even if he were nearby, how would he know which warehouse I was in? This was the wharf, the piers, and there were buildings like this one all over the waterfront.
No, I needed to create the opportunity myself.
Hunter cooed, touching my cheek and wiping away the tears. “It’s okay, Lily. I know it’s been hard. You just need to trust me, and everything will be okay.”
Forcing myself to look up, I smiled, and his eyes lit up. “Okay, I will. Take your time sorting yourself out, Hunter. I’m sorry I’ve been such an idiot.”
