by Leilani Love
Grabbing Amy, he put her over his shoulder again as he carried her down the stairs.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked clearly from behind him.
Detecting the defiance in her voice, he smirked. “Just some place I’m sure you’ll be more comfortable.” The second half of the basement still had cells his dad had used to hold dragons accused of breaking the law until they were tried. They were enchanted, so no one could use magic or shift inside. As well, due to that magic, they were strong enough that even a dragon couldn’t break out.
Viktor couldn’t remember the last time he had been down there. Putting her in one of the cells, he looked her over, debating as to whether he should cut her bonds. “Chase better wake up soon. You have lots to answer for.” When a look passed over her, he snarled grabbing the knife from his pocket and cutting the rope. “How about we start with your real name?”
Slamming the cell door behind him, he could see one of the guards at the top of the stairs. Taking them two at a time he yelled, “I want two guys down there and two guarding this door. She better be there when I come back.”
Viktor headed to his wing to check on Chase. Trying to avoid the girls, he used his private stairwell. When he got to the second floor, he saw one of his guards standing in front of the door next to his room. Nodding, he walked past him into the room to check on Chase.
Worried, Viktor’s dragon came to the surface. He could hear the sound of Chase’s heartbeat, and his pulse was steady. Inhaling, Viktor’s dragon was able to detect the tranquilizer Amy used. He wondered how much longer his friend would be out.
Violca would be wondering where they were soon. He was not looking forward to being the one to tell her that her new fiancé was unconscious, or to telling the girls their new friend had betrayed them.
They researched her, even kept an eye on her. She registered for classes, put in applications for apartments, and even bought furniture for a new place. She was smart, and he needed to figure out why she went after Chase. He couldn’t see his brother hiring a human to kidnap one of them. Was she more than a simple human? Was the new plan to use the mating bond to get to the girls?
Walking out of the room, he looked at the guard. “I want to know the second he starts to come around.”
The guard barely had time to nod in acknowledgement, before Viktor left. Heading downstairs, he almost ran over Angyalka at the bottom. Viktor was pretty sure Angyalka had the gift of sight. She was constantly surprising them by saying something that didn’t make sense at the time, but later on it would all click into place. “Hey Angel, what’re you doing over here?”
Her blue eyes shone brightly. “I just came to get you.” Viktor let her lead him, waiting for her to continue. “Violca isn’t going to be very happy.” she said with a frown. Her little brow wrinkled. “You shouldn’t let her near Amy until she calms down.”
“How come, Angel?” Viktor hoped that she would tell him something he could use.
“’Cause V isn’t always nice when she’s upset, but when she calms down she’s okay to talk to.”
When they got to the stairs leading to the girl’s wing of the house, she looked up at him before releasing his hand and running off down the hall. Shaking his head, he went upstairs thinking about what she had said. He could hear the girls in one of the spare rooms where they hung out and watched TV. He took a deep breath, then knocked before entering.
Seeing Kati and Violca sitting on the couch watching a movie, he was almost relieved that Eva wasn’t with them. Violca smiled up at him. “Hey, are you and Chase already back from helping Amy?”
Viktor didn’t answer for a moment and she frowned. “What’s wrong?”
He cleared his throat, noticing Kati was looking at him as well. “Chase is going to be fine.”
Violca’s mouth opened and closed, as if searching for the right words. “What do you mean, ‘he’s going to be fine’?”
Running his fingers through his hair, he said, “He was injected with a tranquilizer.”
Violca’s eyes widened as she shouted, “What? What do you mean? Where is he?”
Grabbing her arms, he tried to calm her down. “He’s in the room next to mine. I figured it would be better since there are less people over there.”
Violca pulled her arms loose, and pushed past him, running down the hall. Viktor followed behind her with Kati. When they arrive at the room he saw her next to Chase, her hands on his face, her eyes closed. The hairs on Viktor arm stood up. Violca had the ability of healing, and since mating with Chase her connection to him caused her natural gift to be even stronger.
Viktor watched her, mesmerized, as he felt her energy fill the room. Chase moaned and Viktor quickly reached out, grabbing Violca before she fell to the floor. Gently, he laid her down next to Chase.
Kati stood next to him, looking down at her sister. “She’ll be fine. She’s too stubborn not to be.”
Viktor couldn’t help himself and smiled at her words. “True, plus, Chase will have my head if anything happens to her.”
Kati sat next to Violca on the bed, keeping watch. Frustrated he headed back downstairs, determined to get some answers.
Chapter 22
Aithne felt guilty about the relief she felt for getting caught. Lazzaro had a reputation. She doubted he would release her sister, simply because she got caught. He would instead assume she should be able to escape and somehow bring Chase with her.
Hearing the sound of giggling coming from upstairs, she turned toward the door. The guard downstairs with her glared at her before looking up at the sound of Angyalka’s voice carrying down to them. “Viktor told me the house was ours. How come you won’t let me go down there to play?”
Aithne fought the urge to grin. Angyalka was an observant, stubborn girl. There was no doubt in Aithne’s mind, that if Angyalka suddenly decided she wanted to come down here, the guards didn’t stand a chance.
The sound of the guard’s forced calm voice carried down. “Viktor doesn’t want anyone playing down there.”
There was a long pause. “How come?”
Aithne suppressed a giggle, when the guard upstairs sighed loud enough that she could hear him through the door. The sound that escaped her lips however, caused the guard to glare at her again, and she glared right back. Expecting the guard to answer Angyalka again, she jumped slightly when she heard Viktor’s deep voice answering instead. “Because I said so, Angel. I want you to go upstairs and watch television for a bit. I’ll be up to talk to you in a few minutes.”
Fighting the urge to lean forward and see what was going on, Aithne felt her heart beat pick up when she heard the squeak of the door handle turning. When the guard smirked at her, she finally gave in to her urge, and stuck her tongue out at him. She knew dragons had a greater sense of smell and hearing. These two things alone would tip them to the nervousness she was feeling, however it made her feel more secure to try and keep the illusion that she was in control.
Aithne looked away when she heard Viktor slowly coming down the stairs, her entire body aware that each step brought him closer to where she sat. Her eyes came up, just as he entered the room and immediately met his. The hard look in his eyes and the strong set of his jaw made her tense up. All she could do was sit and wait for the explosion she was sure would come. She lifted her gaze further, moving her head in such a way, as if she were looking down at him.
Viktor told the guards to leave, and they silently headed upstairs, the one that had smirked at her earlier, glanced in her a direction, a small satisfied smile on his lips.
Irritated, Aithne blew him a kiss before waving goodbye. Crossing her arms, she looked back at Viktor. Pretending to be annoyed, she flashed a look back at the bed in the corner of the room. It was covered in dust and other debris, showing that the bed had not been used or cleaned in a very, very long time. “If you’re going to keep me down here, the least you could do is give me a new bed and blankets. I’m not lying on that thing.”
&nbs
p; Viktor kept watching her. Aithne thought she detected a hint of surprise, but it was so fast, she wasn’t sure if she had just imagined it or not. He took a step forward, as he continued to observe her. He tilted his head to the side, as if trying to figure her out. His voice was surprisingly calm, despite the fire in his eyes. His jaw was set so tight, she was sure it would snap. “What’s your name?”
“Amy.” Aithne replied easily, and when he narrowed his eyes she didn’t look away.
“Did you know, when you lie, the pulse on the side of your neck speeds up until you answer then it goes back to normal?” The superior smile he gave her almost made her nervous, almost. “Either you don’t like lying or you’re not very good at it. I’m going to guess you don’t like it, since lies seem to slip so easily from your lips.”
Shrugging, her eyes finally left his. “Fair enough, but just because you know I’m lying doesn’t mean I’m going to bare my soul to the great and powerful Viktor, King of the Dragons.”
She could feel his eyes on her. Aithne knew that just because he wasn’t saying anything, didn’t mean she was in the clear.
“Why are you here, Amy? I have a hard time believing my brother would send someone,” he paused for a moment, “like you, to take Chase.”
“What makes you think I’m here because of your brother?” Aithne asked. She wasn’t sure if Dmitri had anything to do with sending her here, but hadn’t figured out why Lazzaro would send her for Chase on his own.
Viktor’s gaze traveled over her body. She noticed his eyes darken more, as if trying to appreciate what he saw before him. Again, his eyes met hers. “I know you’re not a member of the Orion. Unless we have another enemy I don’t know about, I assume this must somehow be related to my brother.”
Aithne smiled. The Orion was a group of hunters that believed they were gifted by the gods to hunt the supernatural. Their belief was that the gods realized their mistakes, and that humans were charged with the task of getting rid of the supernaturals. She didn’t know how he knew she wasn’t an Orion, and that peaked her curiosity. “Just because I’m not an Orion, doesn’t mean I’m working for your brother.”
“Okay, if you aren’t here because of my brother, then why are you here?” His eyes narrowed and she knew he was watching to detect any lie or change in her body. Planting her feet firmly, she crossed her arms, clenching her jaw shut. They stared at each other for a moment before he growled, and Aithne noticed the subtle change in his eyes.
Aithne could only shrug. She could feel his anger, and looking in his eyes, she almost thought she saw a flash of disappointment. Realizing she was twirling a strand of hair around her finger, she put her hand down and met his eyes, but not without first flinching.
When a door opened behind Viktor, Aithne and Victor both turned to find Angyalka coming down the stairs. “You’re not supposed to be down here.” Viktor said.
The smile Angyalka gave him was priceless, and a giggle escaped from Aithne. From the way Viktor tensed up, she didn’t think he appreciated that, but she just couldn’t help it. Angyalka walked up to him and grabbed his hand. “Hi Amy, Violca is going to be very mad at you.”
Aithne nodded and softly whispered, “I know. I’m sorry.”
Angyalka tilted her head, her eyes watching her intently. “It’s okay, she’ll forgive you.” She turned and looked up at Viktor. “V is waking up, can I bring her a cookie?”
Viktor said yes and Angyalka smiled brightly before running back up the stairs, leaving them alone. When the door clicked closed, he turned back to her. She saw several emotions cross his face before he walked back up the stairs, and barked out orders to the guards.
Chapter 23
Viktor told the guards to grab a clean bed from upstairs and bring it to Amy’s cell. He let the guards know he wanted two of them standing guard at all times. Viktor made his way back to his wing to check on Violca and Chase.
Hearing Angyalka’s giggle coming from Chase’s room as he got to the door, he shook his head. He looked up at the guard outside the room and smiled. Nodding at the guard, he walked in to see Chase propped up on some pillows, his arm looped around Violca, holding her tightly. Angyalka was sitting on the bed and had a chocolate chip cookie in her hand. When he looked at her and raised an eyebrow, she mumbled with her mouth full, “She didn’t want it.”
He pointed toward the door. “Why don’t you go to the kitchen and have another cookie, while I talk to Chase and your sister.”
With a big grin she ran out of the room.
“Where’s Amy?” Chase asked.
Viktor pulled up a chair next to the bed. “She’s downstairs in the old cells.”
Watching Violca tense up, he felt his dragon wanting to go back downstairs to Amy. He felt rage when she stabbed his friend, but when he heard her cry out in pain he felt guilty for hurting her. “Do you know why she tried to kidnap Chase?” Violca asked.
“No. I asked her if she was working for my brother and she denied it. There is a lie in there somewhere, but…”
Chase shook his head. “She smells human, but based on what she gave me she knows what we are.”
“She does, but as of right now, she’s not talking.” Violca’s eyes narrowed, when Viktor said this and she tensed up further. “I’m going to leave you two alone, and try to figure out what the hell is going on.”
Viktor got up and headed out of the room, closing the door softly behind him. He told the guards to let him know if anything changed, then walked down to his private suite. Closing the door, he slowly stripped out of his clothes and headed to his bathroom. Turning on the shower, he looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes glowed brightly in the mirror, a sign his dragon was just below the surface, itching to get out.
Stepping into the shower, he stood under the spray, letting the water gently massage his skin. Turning, he let the water spray him in the face, as his mind tried to process everything that had happened. An image of how she had looked before he had kissed her last night, played over and over in his head. He hadn’t made up the look on her face, or the smell of her wanting him.
Punching the wall, he barely heard the sound of tiles breaking under his hand. Hearing someone in the room he growled, “I’m fine, get out!”
Hearing the door close, he looked at his hand. Despite the large hole in the shower he only saw a few scratches. It would heal quickly enough, probably before the end of the day. Feeling slightly better, he took a deep breath and finished up with his shower.
Turning off the water, he wrapped a towel around himself and opened the door to his bedroom. Startled, he saw Angyalka sitting on his bed. Glad he had wrapped his towel around his waist, he wondered what had brought her to his room. “What’re you doing in here, Angel?”
Looking up at him, she smiled. “Just wanted to see what you were doing?”
“I was taking a shower. I thought your sister told you only to play on your side of the house?” Viktor asked nonchalantly, grabbing a shirt from the drawer.
“I wasn’t playing, I was sitting waiting for you to finish.” Angyalka said calmly.
Chuckling, he shook his head. “You couldn’t wait for me to finish my shower and go downstairs, huh?”
“Nope.”
Grabbing a pair of pants from his closet he looked at her. “Stay there, I’ll be right back.”
In the bathroom, he quickly got dressed and returned to his room. “So munchkin, what’re you doing in my room?”
“I don’t think you should keep Amy downstairs, its cold.”
Viktor tilted his head. “She has to stay there. She hurt Chase and we need to know why.”
Angyalka frowned, bit down on her lower lip and thought about what he had said. “She just made Chase sleep. He’s okay now.”
Nodding, he sat next to her, trying to find the right words to explain why her new friend was locked away downstairs. “Do you remember why you and your sisters moved here?” He asked gently. He waited for her to nod her understanding before h
e continued, “Before we can let her go, we need to make sure she’s not working with the bad guys, okay?”
Fighting a smile, he watched as she bit on her lip in concentration. When she released her lip, she looked up at him with very serious eyes. “Don’t be mean to her, she didn’t want to hurt him.”
“What do you mean, munchkin?” Viktor asked, wondering what she saw or knew. He couldn’t decide if she was trying to protect her friend, or if she knew something he didn’t.
Angyalka smiled the knowing smile she got sometimes. “She’s special.” she said and with that, she jumped off the bed and headed toward the door.
Wondering what that was about, he followed her out. Glancing at the guard outside of Chase’s closed door, he nodded at him before heading downstairs. As he descended, he heard voices coming from the living room, so he decided to head in that direction.
As Viktor entered the room, he saw Sari sitting on a chair watching Eva and Kati. Sari’s eyes were big and round with shock and surprise.
“Angel says you have Amy downstairs.” Eva said, her eyes watching him intently.
“I’m just holding her until we can find out why she’s here and what she wanted with Chase.”
“Do you think she’s going to hurt us?” Sari asked, lip quivering.
“No, she’s not going to hurt anyone.” Viktor tried to smile reassuringly. “She’s locked away downstairs for now, and I promise to always keep you guys safe.”
Sari bowed her head, and he saw her shoulders sag in relief. “I don’t understand, why did she try to kidnap Chase?” Kati asked, taking a seat next to Sari and putting her arm around her.
Viktor shook his head. “I’m not sure, but I’m going to find out.”
Looking over, he saw Eva biting on her lip. When she finally looked up, he smiled at her. “This is not your fault Eva. We all liked her and let her in.”
