by Becca Van
When he noticed that Reece’s face was starting to turn blue he eased the pressure on his throat and lowered him until his feet were back on the floor. He stepped back as the deputy leaned on the desk as he coughed and gasped for air.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Reece asked in a croaky voice when he finally had his breathing back under control and straightened up.
Darrien didn’t miss the way he placed his hand on the butt of his gun as if he was about to pull it out of the holster on his hip.
“Don’t even think about it.” He pointed his finger at his underling and sneered. “You don’t want to mess with me because you’d be on the losing end. Now answer the fucking question. Where is Nikita Stravinsky?”
“I don’t know.” Reece held his hands up palm out in a classic, “chill dude” action.
“Where was she spending her vacation?”
“I don’t know, she didn’t say. What the hell is going on, Darrien?”
Darrien couldn’t tell him the truth and now that the haze of rage had dissipated he was able to get his mind in gear. “She’s being investigated by IA.”
“What the hell does Internal Affairs want with her? She is one of the straightest cops I’ve ever met.” Reece leaned his ass on the edge of his desk.
“She’s needed to answer some questions in regards to Wally’s disappearance.”
“What the hell for? You and I both know she was the one to find the mayor’s abandoned car. She is determined to find out what happened to him, just like we are.”
“I don’t have a fucking clue, but there is more going on than what we’ve been told about.”
“Ya think,” Reece said facetiously. “Whatever IA think, Niki isn’t involved with anything illegal. Since you’re her boss shouldn’t you be going in to bat for her?”
“What the hell do think I’m trying to do? That’s why I need to find her,” Darrien snarled and turned his back on Reece as his anger began to get the best of him again. He didn’t want the deputy to know he was more than the average human or that he was losing the plot.
“She’s supposed to be back Monday,” Reece stated calmly. “If I know Niki, and I’m pretty sure I do, she will be back either tomorrow or Sunday.”
When Darrien turned to face Reece again, his gut knotted when he saw the other man frowning at him.
“Why haven’t you called her cell?”
“I have,” Darrien shouted. “But she’s not fucking answering.”
Reece snorted. “Probably doesn’t want to be disturbed by work on her vacation. Not that I blame her, she never takes time off and she was looking pretty damn worn out. I suggest you just wait until she comes in on Monday. That’s only three days away. Give her the weekend to unpack and stuff and you can talk to her the moment she steps through those doors.”
Darrien nodded and lowered his head in acceptance, but inside he was a seething cauldron of rage. There was no fucking way he was waiting until Monday. He needed to find Nikita and he needed to find her now.
* * * *
“Come on, guys, you know this is the only way we’re going to find out who these assholes are.” Niki crossed her arms and sighed with exasperation.
Randy knew his mate was right, but he hated the thought of her being in danger. Plus there was the fact that he and his flight pod brothers would need to be with her and the hunters could get a lock on them. If that happened and the assholes didn’t make their move right away, they could be putting everyone in the lair in danger.
“I think you need to let Nikita do this,” Lance said, breaking him out of his introspection. “We can set up security monitors and sensors around her house, and if necessary I can…get us all there in the blink of an eye.”
“You can?” Bid asked, her eyes wide with wonder. “How?”
“Uh.” Lance shifted on his seat uncomfortably. “I have my ways.”
Randy grinned when she saw that Lance’s face was red with embarrassment and hoped the two women didn’t push their elder for answers. Lance wasn’t comfortable using the magic Merlin had passed onto him just before he died and he also liked to stay in the background, not liking to be the center of attention. Their elder had been written about in history books and although it was bullshit about the story of Guinevere and Sir Lancelot, speculation had been rife amongst the humans for centuries. He’d already divulged the information about the fiction of those rumors to Niki when she’d asked last week.
“Does this have to do with you having Merlin’s magic?” Bid asked with a smirk.
“Yes, but some things are meant to be kept secret so please don’t ask me more.”
Niki chuckled and Randy found himself smiling along with her. “Bid, Sir Lancelot is shy and doesn’t like talking about himself. I’ll bet you hated it when women threw themselves at you.”
Bid giggled and lifted her arm to cover her mouth but a snort escaped before she could complete the action. “I’m sorry. It’s just that you are so handsome. I thought you would have loved the attention from the opposite sex. It still amazes me that none of you guys look a day over thirty-five. You could have any woman you wanted with the snap of your fingers.”
“We don’t want just any woman, love.” Ed frowned at her. “You are the only woman we want. A dragon shifter hopes to meet his mate from the time he hits puberty. Our mates are the only bright spot in our long lives we have to look forward to.”
“How can—ˮ
Randy squeezed Niki’s hand to stop her from completing her question. He knew she was going to ask why Lance didn’t have any flight pod brothers and if he could still find a mate without the rest of his dragon pod.
He and the rest of the dragons had worried that Lance would end up dying because none of his pod had survived the massacre, but he’d had a dream last night and knew better. Lady Guinevere had come to him and shown him that Sir Lancelot Du Lac would join his friends Andre, Aiden, and Alex in sharing a mate. She’d also shown him that Lance and his new flight pod brothers would take out the leader of the hunters but not when or how. He was looking forward to seeing how Lance handled his human mate when he and the other three dragon shifters met her, because although their elder was introverted, he could also be a total hard-assed bastard.
Randy sighed with resignation. He’d been fighting what he knew had to happen, but he didn’t have to like it. Niki was going to have to go back home so they could get to whoever was giving Darrien orders. The women hadn’t found shit about Lord Jerome and the only way to find the leader of the hunters was through Darrien and Jerome. He just hoped he, Rex, and Russ could keep Niki from getting hurt. There was no way in hell he wanted to lose her since they’d just found her. She was the light to his dark, the air he breathed, and he wanted to see her swell with their child. He wanted to spend every waking minute with her at his side.
"It's the only way. You know that," Niki whispered.
“Yes, I know.” He sighed with acquiescence.
The smile Niki gave him shot straight to his heart. He and his dragon friends would have to be vigilant and keep as close to Niki as possible. The thought of her being out of his sight while she went to work scared the shit out of him.
* * * *
The moment Rex entered Niki's house he smelt the fucking hunter. His first instinct was to roar with fury but he swallowed down his anger and followed the rancid scent of hunter. When he and his dragon saw the reason for the smell a low rumble formed in his chest and out of his mouth. He hated what had been done to his mate's bed and wasn't about to let her see or sleep in such filth, so he contacted his flight pod brothers telepathically while blocking Niki. "Keep our mate out of her bedroom. It's bad enough we had to keep her occupied so she wouldn't see the broken lock on the door, but there is now way in hell I'm letting her see this."
"What?" Randy asked.
"The fucking hunter soiled her bed."
"Are you shitting me?" Russ asked angrily. "That asshole pissed on her bed?"
"Wors
e," Rex growled.
"Fuck! Do you need some help?" Randy asked.
"Nah, I've got it. Just keep Niki occupied," Rex answered.
"You know she's going to see you changed her bed," Russ said.
"Doesn't matter. There is no way in hell I want her dealing with this." Rex changed Niki's sheets and quilt cover, raced to the laundry and put the washing machine on. Anger simmered under the surface and he knew it was going to be nearly damn impossible to hide it from his mate, but he was determined to do just that since he didn't want her getting upset. And he didn't relax until he began concentrating on the other stuff that needed doing to keep his mate safe.
Rex, Russ, and Randy had spent all day Sunday installing security at Niki’s house. Rex checked the monitor and tested each camera to make sure they were working.
“Everything is up and running,” he told Randy. “I just need you and Russ to trip the sensors so I can make sure the alarms are all working.”
“Russ, you take the back and left side of the house,” Randy ordered. “I’ll take the front and right.”
“Were all the perimeter sensors to the property working?” Rex asked.
“Yes, they were,” Niki answered.
Rex loved that Niki could speak to them using their mind link. It helped ease some of the anxiety churning in his gut. He had a bad feeling about this and he knew he wouldn’t be able to relax until they had their mate back inside the lair where it was safe.
“Okay, we’re all set,” Rex said after all the alarms had gone off and reset them. He stood up and stretched his tired aching muscles. He hated being hunched over a computer for hours on end, but he would do anything to keep his mate safe. He wandered out to the kitchen and sniffed the air appreciatively when he smelt food cooking and wondered what Niki was making for dinner.
When he saw her at the stove he stopped and watched her. She was so damn tiny she reminded him of the extinct fairies of old, but she was anything but helpless. Their mate was feisty, strong, and could take care of herself. He was thankful for that because he had a feeling things were going to come to a head real soon.
* * * *
Niki buckled her belt around her hips, grabbed her hat, and hurried out to the kitchen. She’d already had her breakfast and coffee thanks to her mates and although she wasn’t looking forward to seeing her asshole boss again, she was eager to get going.
She’d missed Reece’s humor and snarky comments after having two weeks’ vacation, and was looking forward to seeing him again. Plus, she was eager to meet his girlfriend and had yet to set up a time and place where she could.
“Okay, guys, I need to get going.” Niki stuck her head in the kitchen door and waved.
“Wait!” Randy called and then hurried over to her. “Stay in contact with us regularly through the mind link. We need to know you’re okay.”
“I will.” She moved into his arms and hugged him around the waist. Randy held her for a few moments before drawing back and cupping her face in his hands. As he stared down into her eyes, he slowly bent and lowered his head, and then his lips were on hers. The kiss they shared was hot and passionate but also so full of emotion it brought tears to her eyes.
When he broke the kiss, Rex was waiting to take his place. “Be careful, you.” She was about to reply but he swooped down and pushed his tongue into her mouth. By the time he pulled away they were both breathless.
Russ shoved Rex aside and looked deeply into her eyes. “If you feel threatened at all you get out of there as fast as you can. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Promise me, darlin’,” he said in a firm voice.
“I promise,” Niki replied sincerely. And then Russ was kissing her ravenously with his lips and tongue.
She was the one who drew back this time and although she wanted nothing more to strip off and make love with her mates, she had a job to do. Niki was determined to find out everything she could about Darrien, Jerome, and the hunters. The existence of her dragon mates and their friends were dependent on whatever information she could glean.
Niki pulled into the parking space outside the Rock Springs Sheriff’s department and breathed deeply as she tried to quell the nervous energy racing through her body. When she had her breathing and racing heart back under control she got out and headed up the stairs.
She had deliberately come to work half an hour earlier than she needed to so she could catch up on what had been happening while she’d been away, as well as seeing if she could get Darrien to let slip what she wanted to know, but she didn’t think she would be successful with the latter. She had no idea how she was going to drop hints about the hunters but she would think of something.
As she got closer to the doors she spied Darrien in the office behind the counter pacing back and forth in agitation and his gaze was on her. She had no idea what had pissed him off this time but suspected she was about to cop the brunt of his ire.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Darrien gave her a murderous look but she was used to him being angry and didn’t think anything of it.
“On vacation. You know, the two weeks leave you signed off on.”
“You think you’re such a smart fucking bitch, don’t you? Watch your mouth.”
“Yes, sir.” Niki sneered the last word and headed to her desk. She didn’t bother looking at Darrien as she started sorting through the files which had piled up in her absence. Darrien was a piece of work and left most of the paperwork for her and Reece to complete. She had no doubt that the other deputy had been inundated with paperwork while she’d been gone.
When he headed toward his office she relaxed and started reading. Only minutes later she felt a slight breeze behind her and was about to turn around but she didn’t get the chance.
Pain slammed into the side of her head and she saw stars. Nausea roiled in her stomach and just as she started to black out she saw the fuzzy image of Darrien standing beside her and the outline of someone else behind him. And then she sank into dark oblivion.
Chapter Fifteen
Niki heard low deep voices coming from afar but she couldn’t hear what they were saying. Her head was pounding like a drum and when she shifted to her side she felt something warm and sticky trickle down her face. She tried to lift her arm to wipe whatever it was off, but stopped short with a sharp tug as metal bit into the skin of her wrists.
She forced her heavy eyelids open and blinked to clear the haze from her gaze and even though it worked for the most part, her vision was still slightly blurry. She sucked in a few deep breaths when her stomach churned biliously and sighed when it settled down some. Glad that her hands were cuffed in front of her rather than behind, she placed them on the floor and pushed herself up. Her head swam and her vision wavered, but again after regulating her breathing the symptoms waned a little.
Although the room was dim, there was some light shining in from the edges of the blinds and she was able to see she was in an unfamiliar bedroom. It was small with a single bed but seemed to be clean which was surprising. She didn’t need to see the men in the other room to know she was in deep shit. She remembered Darrien standing over her holding the barrel of his gun and knew he’d knocked her out with his weapon. What scared her most was the other man she’d seen right before she passed out. That was a face she’d never forget and not because he was a good-looking man, but because when Lady Guinevere had shown her Lord Jerome in her dream, she’d seen the other man standing behind and to the left of him. She’d thought Jerome had been the epitome of evil but he had nothing on the other guy. She’d never seen eyes so cold, bleak, and full of malicious intent and knew she needed to escape before he came at her.
Niki had a feeling whoever Jerome’s offsider was, he wouldn’t have any compunction about torturing her to get what he wanted. She immediately thought of her mates and contacting them through their newly formed mind link but she didn’t want to be the cause of any of her guys getting hurt or even killed.
No, she couldn’t
even abide that thought so resolved herself to bide her time and use brain and good sense, as well as her police and self-defense training to get herself out of the shit she was in. Maybe if she was lucky she would find out who the leader of the hunters was.
When she heard footsteps headed her way, she quickly lay down, closed her eyes, and hoped Darrien and the other guy didn’t realize she was awake.
The door creaked open and she lifted her lids enough to see Darrien and his cohort enter the room. When he didn’t stop and kept coming closer, she closed her eyes and tried to keep her breathing deep and even but that was hard when the hair on the back of her neck was standing on end.
She knew the jig was up when Darrien laughed humorlessly as he gripped the short chain between the cuffs and tugged her up.
“You’ll have to do better than that, Niki. I can hear your heart racing.”
Shit! She’d forgotten that a hunter had enhanced senses. Her first instinct was to knee Darrien in the balls and make a run for it, but with the other guy standing back watching every move she made, she knew it would be futile.
Darrien gripped her throat with his free hand and jerked her to her feet and then leaned in so close the tip of his nose touched hers. She kept her face stoic even though she wanted to blanch and pull away. “Where is the lair?”
“What…” She couldn’t finish her lie because his hand tightened even further, cutting off her airway.
“Don’t lie to me. I know you know where it is.”
Niki gasped in air when his hand loosened. As she breathed in her throat hurt with a searing pain and tears burned her eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Darrien released her, stepped back, and turned away. She sighed at the reprieve but then she cried out when he slapped her across the face. The heat in her cheek was instantaneous and the pain in her head was nullified for a brief moment then started pounding again.
