He strapped holsters onto his back, hips, thighs, and ankles before he started sorting through the guns and knives in the bag.
“You can’t do this on your own.”
He snorted as he slid a combat-ready gun into the holster at his right hip. “He’ll be easy to pick off. Finding him may be harder.”
“Then use me.”
He lifted his head and turned it around to look at her. She looked stunned at the words that had come out of her mouth, but instead of taking it back, she lifted her chin. “I have this feeling that if you walk out the door alone, I will never see you again. I can’t go through that, Dallas. Adrian’s death damaged me, but losing you would break me. I would never come back from that.”
He stilled with his hand in the gun bag, the muscle under his eye ticking. “I’m sorry?”
She squared her shoulders. “I’m a Hunter, I can track, and besides, he wants me. If he comes after me and tries to separate us again, I can distract him until you get to me.”
“No.”
She climbed up on the bed and crawled over until she was on her knees in front of him. “I’m not saying I go in defenseless, or we let whatever happens, happen. I’m saying we have all these males in the living room waiting for orders on how to help us, and I say we use them.”
He snarled at her, because if he didn’t somehow release the pressure building in his skull it would explode. “I’m not using you as bait,” he roared. “And I’m sure as fucking hell not going to let you get anywhere near that bastard ever fucking again!”
“I’m the one who can draw him out.” She straightened her shoulders and gave him a look that said she was warming up to the idea and about to become stubborn. “We need to talk to the others about this. You were there when they needed you, so you need to let them help us figure this out.”
“I’m not risking them—”
“Yes,” she said softly, “you are. Because it’s what family does, and whether you want to admit it or not, those males out there are our family. Yours and mine. And even if we try to shut them out of this, you know they’ll find a way to help, anyway.”
He bared his teeth at her before he nodded once and grabbed her arm. He led her out of the bedroom and into the middle of the living room. He growled until he had everyone’s attention, then cocked a brow at Lily. “Go ahead. Tell them what you want to do.”
She exhaled and looked at everyone in the room. “Dallas wants to go after Porter alone. I think he should use me as bait and let you all help him find the bastard and kill him.”
“I kill him.”
Lily’s hand slid down Dallas’s arm until her hand found his and their fingers linked. “Let you all help him find the bastard so Dallas can kill him,” she corrected.
Gabriel, who’d been on the phone when they’d come into the room, slowly lowered it. He looked at Lily first and then Dallas. “We have another problem.” When they were all watching him, he blew out a breath and sat forward, bracing his arms against his legs as he spread his palms out, the phone still clutched in one hand. He met all their gazes head on. And said it. “Bain’s missing.”
Chapter 24
NO ONE REACTED at first, and then all at once, every eye in the room turned to look at Adrian. Gabriel shot forward with inhuman speed, grabbed Adrian by the throat, lifted him off the couch, and slammed him into the wall behind him within the space of a single blink.
Adrian’s anguished roar tore through the apartment. “Where’s Seren? Where the hell is my wife?”
“She’s fine.” Gabriel’s voice was even, his gaze locked on Adrian’s. “She’s not hurt. She went straight to Shelby’s and called me from there.”
Dallas cleared his throat. “How did he go missing?”
Gabriel didn’t let up on Adrian’s throat until Adrian jerked his head in a nod. Finally, after a long, tense moment of them squaring off, Adrian nodded once, and Gabriel stepped back. Adrian still looked to be a heartbeat away from tearing the city apart, but he wrapped his arm around his sister and held on like she was the only thing holding him together.
Gabriel stood still for a second longer before he dragged a hand down his face and turned toward Dallas. “Seren said they went to the hospital so she could get some paperwork from her office, and when she came back out, he was gone.”
Daniel cursed under his breath. “They’re trying to divide us and make us scatter.”
Dallas jacked a brow. “Bain can take care of himself long enough for me to take care of this Porter problem. If you all want to go after him, you can, but I’m going after the sick fuck stepfather of Lily’s first.”
Technically, Daniel was the one that made decisions like this. He was the king and could kill every one of them with a flick of his pinky finger, but the mates trumped any of them. Their bodies could withstand massive pain before they began to even weaken, and at some point, each and every one of them had been captured and tortured. Dallas wasn’t going to budge on this. Bain could take care of himself until they took care of the Porter situation.
“No,” Daniel finally said, his voice leaving no room for argument, “we stick together on this. Someone found a way to get Adrian away from Seren. We’re not taking any more chances for any more games.”
Lily pulled away from Adrian. “You’re not going after Bain?”
Dallas didn’t flinch from her glare, meeting it head on. “Not yet.”
She shook her head at him, tears welling up in her eyes. “You cannot make me more important than him, Dallas.”
“Yeah, he can,” Daniel said, drawing her attention, “and we will. If Bain had a mate, it would be different, Lil, but right now, you take precedence.”
Lily rounded on the others, but it was no use. Dallas knew she’d see the same thing in them as she read in him. They were set, determined, their minds made up. And there was nothing she could say or do that would change their minds.
* * *
FIONA GRABBED HER before Lily could hurt one of the stubborn males in the room. Without a word, she turned and followed Fiona into the bedroom. The healer sat on the edge of the bed and blew out a breath. “Are they always this intense?”
Lily managed a half-hearted snort. “Always is an understatement. They never turn it off.” She sat on the bed next to her new friend and fell backward until she was staring up at the ceiling. “How’s Adrian?”
When Fiona hesitated, Lily’s belly churned. Shifting on the bed, Fiona turned until she was facing her, her beautiful face screwed up in concern and apprehension. “It’s not good, Lil. Whoever had him, wherever he was, whatever happened to him, he can’t distinguish reality from hallucination. The best way I can describe it is your brother’s suffering through a supernatural form of PTSD. I wish I could say he’s barely holding himself together, but he’s not holding at all. In part of his brain, he’s under attack constantly. So when his wall of self control slips, even a little, he can’t differentiate between what’s real and whatever hell they put in his head.” She wrapped her hand around Lily’s when she sat up slowly, her heart so sick she was sure it was going to crumple into dust.
She gripped Fiona’s hand like a lifeline. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying he’s not safe.” Fiona blew out a breath. “Unstable would be one thing, but with his size and power…there’s every chance he could hurt his mate and child. I’m sorry, Lily, but the best option is to lock him up somewhere until he can get proper, deep psychological care.”
Proper psychological care? Lily closed her eyes and let out a harsh laugh. “How do I do that? Healers aren’t equipped to deal with psychological issues.”
Sadness flickered through the healer’s eyes as she shook her head slowly. “I’m sorry, I don’t know.”
Lily drew in an unsteady breath. “What about his mate, Seren? Could being with her help him?”
“No.” The word snapped out with so much force Lily went rigid. “He has no self-control at the moment, and I can’t stress enough ho
w unstable he is. When he loses control, and he will—it’s not a question of if but when—the damage could be catastrophic.”
When her phone beeped, Lily’s heart dropped to her stomach, positive it was Seren and she’d somehow heard her and Fiona’s conversation. Instead, an unknown number flashed on her screen.
Fiona squeezed her hand and stood up. “It’s gotten really quiet out there. I’m going to go make sure everyone’s still breathing, but I’ll be back in a few to answer any more questions, all right?”
Lily nodded absently as she pulled up the text message.
Come out, come out, wherever you are. I’m waiting outside. Come alone, or my pet will see how much ice damage your mate can handle. Don’t believe me? Check your window.
She was going to be sick. Bile rose up in her throat so quickly, she gagged with it, but even as her heart screamed for her to run for Dallas, she found herself walking to the window, too numb to even cry. Porter didn’t bluff. If he said Dallas was going to die if she didn’t come to him, it meant he already knew what he was up against and how to make Dallas’s death happen.
* * *
DALLAS PUSHED AWAY from the wall he was holding up when Fiona walked back into the room. “How is she?”
“Scared.” Fiona glanced between him and Gabriel, then quickly averted her eyes. “Pissed. What did you do to her?”
Dallas considered telling her it was none of her goddamn business, but she was here because he’d asked her. And if she could help Adrian so Lily didn’t lose him… He shoved a hand through his hair. “I told her Bain would have to wait until we knew she was safe. Now.” He shifted his gaze to the dragons and Hunters still wired for a fight. “I’d like to finish planning how to destroy this fucker once and for—” He whipped his head around toward his bedroom, his hand absently rubbing against his chest. He only waited a beat before he stalked to the room and threw open the door, a savage roar tearing through his chest a second later. “Lily!” The window was wide open, but she was nowhere to be found. Her phone was on the bed, and the blood in his veins iced over when he read the text message. He didn’t stop to waste time thinking or planning. He had his weapons on him, and that was all he needed.
He climbed out the window as the others ran into the room for the second time that day, their weapons clutched in their hands.
“Go,” Daniel snapped, already dialing his phone. “I’ll get a hold of Luca and see what he knows, then be right behind you. Gabriel, get Cage somewhere safe.” Caleb Shaw stepped forward, fury in his eyes. Fuck. How had Dallas forgotten the Hunter was around?
“What do you want us to do?” Caleb asked, cracking his knuckles as he waited. When Dallas snarled, he lifted a brow. “She’s one of ours still and we’re under a truce agreement. Tell me where you want me.”
“On the ground.” Dallas held Caleb’s gaze. “I’ve got Lily’s phone. Call it if you find her before I can.” Dallas didn’t wait to see if he was going to argue. He climbed onto the fire escape and was airborne, Broderick right behind him.
But once they hit the sky, he realized with gut-wrenching terror he had no idea where to go.
To his surprise, something slammed violently into his side, hard enough to knock him off course. He spiraled down for a second before he regained his momentum. He shot back up, ready to kill Broderick, but the blood-red dragon only watched him calmly out of a steady, dark blue eye. When he nosedived to the closest roof, Dallas followed him down, shimmering into his human form the second his feet touched ground. He rushed forward, grabbing Broderick, who didn’t even try to resist, by the throat. “What. The. Fuck!” he roared.
Broderick head-butted him, slamming into him so hard Dallas lost his grip as they both staggered back a step.
“Good,” Broderick snapped, “now that I have your attention, I need you to pull your goddamn head out of your goddamn ass and fucking focus. You’re a dragon, she’s your mate, and she’s a Hunter. You gave her your mark, and she gave you the ability to find her anywhere. Use that goddamn connection to track her.”
Dallas was sure the dragon had finally lost his shit until he remembered the fire and ice attack. Both times, he’d known exactly where she was even without seeing her. He hadn’t thought about it. He’d just done it. He’d known.
Clamping his hands over his head to quiet the rage and terror warring inside of him, he focused on her and his dragon’s need to keep her safe. The dragon sensed her terror first, and when he wanted to rage and burst free and tear the city apart to find her, Dallas forced himself to pull it back. He wouldn’t be able to find her if he lost his shit.
He moved to the ledge, opened his eyes, and the entire city died away as one vehicle dead in the center of downtown caught his attention. It shined like a beacon—it shined and warmed like Lily.
“There.” He pointed without taking his eyes off the car as Broderick stepped up next to him. “That’s where she is. They’re still on the move.”
“Okay, then let’s go get her back.”
* * *
HE HADN’T TOUCHED her yet. He wanted to. She could see it in his dirty brown eyes. He was huge, his large Hunter frame built for war. His dark hair was still ruthlessly short, military-style. And for some reason, the fact that he wore an expensive suit, as if this was any other business day, only made the situation more grotesque to her. Like kidnapping was his just reward after a hard day at the office.
“How are you still alive?” The words burned in her mouth like acid. “Adrian killed you.”
“Favors, my dear. Once that asshole took you from me, I knew it was only a matter of time before he came after me and succeeded in killing me. In return for bringing me back to life, the Necromancer has been having fun playing with your brother’s head. Apparently, your brother was a very bad boy once and took something that belonged to him. Dexter’s been waiting for the chance to have his revenge.”
She sat in the backseat of the stretch limo as calm as she could pretend to be while trapped in a locked vehicle with the monster of her nightmares. Dallas would find her. He would. That thought kept the terror at bay. She wasn’t the victim she’d been.
She didn’t ask why he’d come after her in a limousine. She was afraid he’d answer, and the reasoning behind it wasn’t going to be anything good. Instead, she kept her face turned away from his, staring out the window. He was watching her and he didn’t like to be ignored. He would punish her for it later. “You’re being awfully quiet tonight, my dear.”
She jerked away when he touched her hair. “I am not your dear,” she snapped. “I have a mate, and he will be coming for me.”
He backhanded her, rage flashing in his eyes.
A roar borne of pure savage rage sounded from the front seat and rocked the vehicle.
Oh,” he drawled, “did I forget to mention? I brought insurance.” Reaching forward, he then hit the button that lowered the partition that separated the back of the limo from the front. Lily lurched forward when she realized Bain was in the passenger seat. A large, bloody gash had split the back of his head open, and he struggled violently against whatever Porter had used to secure him. A manic grin stretched across Porter’s face. “I heard about you and that filthy dragon. Don’t worry. We will take care of that bond between the two of you soon, and he will pay for touching what is mine.”
Dallas could protect himself, but she could save Bain right now. “What are you doing to him?” she screamed. She launched herself at Porter, not caring that she was no match against him. Bain was being hurt because of her, and she couldn’t stand it. “Stop it!”
He grabbed her arms before she could slap him. He dragged her onto his lap and pinned her against his chest easily, an evil smile curving his mouth. He rubbed his nose up her throat, sniffing her, hardening beneath her bottom. His hand grabbed her breast. Nausea welled up inside of her so quickly her stomach heaved. He flung her away from him with enough force her head smacked against the window.
“Let him go,” she snapped,
refusing to cower for him. At least where he could see. She’d have a full-blown meltdown after Dallas saved her. “You have me. You don’t need him.”
“On the contrary, my dear. He’s here to make sure you cooperate and be the good little cunt you are. The ice dragon next to him is being kind enough to make sure those chains of his are below freezing.”
“Let him go,” she murmured, forcing herself to meet his eyes. “I won’t try to escape.”
“Oh, my dear, how I wish I could believe that.” He made a tsking sound. The car dipped as if going into an underground garage. “Unfortunately, I know you for the lying whore you are, and as soon as your filthy mate gets here, you’ll try to escape with him.”
Damn straight, she would. But she forced the fear to show in her eyes to placate him and let a tear slip past her defenses. “No. I won’t try to escape.”
The car finally came to a stop, and in an effort to prove she meant what she said, she didn’t try to leap out before he could open her door for her. Instead, she let him grab her in a vicious grip by the upper arm and drag her out of his side of the vehicle.
No, she thought as she stumbled in an effort to keep up with his long-legged stride, she wouldn’t try to escape. He was going to kill Dallas for mating to her. She would escape. Dallas would find her, and no matter what she had to do, she would escape.
Her mate was not going to be hurt because of her.
Chapter 25
THEY LOST HER in an underground garage that stored the vehicles of an entire city block.
Dallas was already back in human form when he hit the ground with an anguished roar, searching desperately for any sign of the light that had led him this far.
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