“If I leave then that’s it,” Flood interjected.
“I don’t want that either!” she yelled, turning back to him. Her eyes prickled. Her throat felt clogged.
“There is no in-between.” He shook his head, imploring her with his eyes.
Someone knocked on the door.
“Fuck off!” Flood shouted.
“Please, Paige, please. You won’t regret it.” His eyes looked bloodshot. His voice was strained. “I will spend every day of the rest of my life proving it to you.”
“You say that now. You can’t possibly know that though.”
“I know. I know it like I know my own name. I swear to you,” he growled.
Paige shook her head. There was another knock.
“Please,” he begged.
“This isn’t right. It—”
Another knock, louder and more insistent this time.
“They aren’t going to allow it.” She pointed at the door. “We probably won’t even have the time, even if I agreed.”
His eyes lit up, making her feel like the biggest bitch for even giving him hope. “We will. We’ve been there done that. Sex under duress. Just say the word and I’ll knock them out. I love you so damned much.”
“You have no idea how much I want to believe you really feel that way, but…I just can’t. You know why. I told you.”
“I’m not your asshole ex. I understand why you would feel that way but I’m not him. I would never regret us.”
The door opened and Bay walked in, followed by another guy she had never seen before.
“We have to go,” Bay said. “I’m so sorry, Flood, but—”
“Please,” he begged, taking her hands.
“I can’t.” The tears began to fall. “I’m so sorry.”
He squeezed harder. “How can I convince you?”
“Time.” The tears fell harder. “I need time.”
His eyes clouded some more. “It’s the one thing I don’t have.”
“Flood,” Bay said. “I need to escort you out.”
Flood cussed.
She was probably making the biggest mistake of her life but at the same time, she’d done the opposite once and that had been a mistake too. Her chest was tight. Her throat felt raw. “I’m so sorry,” she sobbed.
“So am I.” He cupped her cheeks, looking into her eyes. His eyes filled with unshed tears. Such a big man and his eyes were hazy. Flood kissed her. He kissed her like she had never been kissed. Kissed her like it was their last, which it was. Within seconds he was pulling away. “Take care of yourself. Promise me that?”
“You too.” Tears still fell.
He nodded once and turned. He sniffed once as he walked away, not looking back.
Paige sank down to the ground as the door closed. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed.
Chapter 22
She was doing the right thing.
She was doing the right thing.
She was!
Paige walked slowly. Any slower and she’d be going backwards. Bay walked a couple of feet ahead of her, he held her bag, glancing back at her. “Are you okay?” Then he made a face. “Stupid question. I can see that you’re not okay and that’s fine and perfectly understandable.”
Paige nodded. “Am I making the right decision by leaving and not trying to fight for Flood?” she blurted.
Bay stopped walking. He turned to her. His eyes filled with compassion. “Only you can answer that question.”
Paige pushed out a breath. Her mind in turmoil. She’d been up and down about this for the entire week. One minute she was sure she had done the right thing and the next, she was less sure. Much less. As in, she second-guessed herself continually.
“If it will help you any, it is too late to change your mind. There is nothing you can do. The powers that be already made an iron-clad decision.” He shook his head. “No wonder you’re struggling with this. You had five minutes to decide your whole future, when you barely knew Flood. That was an impossible choice.” She knew he was just trying to make her feel better.
Her eyes widened when she realized what he had just said. “You knew what he was up to when he came to say goodbye to me.”
“Of course. I didn’t need to hear what was going on to know that he would try to convince you to allow him to mate you. I would have done the same if the tables had been turned.”
“And yet, you didn’t try to stop him.”
Bay shook his head. “No, I had to give the two of you a chance. Anyway,” Bay chuckled, “Flood would have knocked me out if I had tried to intervene too soon. I was pretty sure he was going to knock me out anyway.” He gave a quick shake of the head.
Paige smiled as she pictured Flood. How pissed he would have been if Bay had got in the way. “He does have a bit of a bad temper.” A tear tracked down her cheek. She quickly rubbed it away. “So this is it. I can’t believe it has to end this way. I keep thinking I’ve made a terrible mistake, but then I think rationally and realize this is the better, more logical decision. If that’s the case though, why do I feel like I just lost everything? Like I’m going to regret this for the rest of my life?”
“You can stop beating yourself up. What is done is done. You made the best possible decision at the time. There is no going back. Flood is not allowed anywhere near you. He would be severely punished if he tried. You are fifteen minutes away from leaving. He does not know where you live and will not be able to trace you. Once you leave here, it is done. No going back.”
More tears fell. She hated this so much. Hated how it felt like her heart was breaking. She didn’t know Flood well enough to be in love with him. No way! “Please keep an eye on him for me. I know he doesn’t look it, but he is very sensitive.”
“I will. He is hurting.”
She sobbed, putting her hand over her mouth to catch the sound. “I’m sorry. I hate hearing that he is in pain even though I know he is.”
“I am sure, given time, that he will be okay. He has friends and we will be there for him.”
"Thank you." It helped to hear him say that.
“Let us go, the others will be waiting.” Bay gestured ahead of them.
Paige nodded. Her feet didn’t want to work. She didn’t want to leave. She had to though because that would be the right thing to do. Staying and mating Flood on a whim would be wrong, and for all the wrong reasons. It would more than likely end up being worse than her first marriage. How could it not?
At least she and Josh had been together for three months before they tied the knot. At least they had done so because they both wanted to get married and not because they were forced to. And yet, things had still gone belly up. Their marriage hadn’t even lasted a year. It had been a mistake. Why? Because they had rushed into it. This would be no different.
Back then, they were young and stupid and impulsive. Now she was ten years older. A whole decade wiser. Rushing headlong into a relationship with Flood would have been crazy.
If only she could ask her father what to do. She felt a pang, missing him so much. What would her dad say? The first really tough decision she’d ever had to make was when she had to choose which subjects to take at school. The decision would influence her whole career path. He’d told her: ‘How will you know if it’s the right decision if you don’t take a chance?’ Then he’d added: ‘You know deep down inside, you just have to do it. Take the plunge and just go for it.’ His words had finally helped her to do just that. To just make a choice already.
Her father had always been one for trying. ‘Go for it!’ he’d say. ‘You never know unless you try,’ was another of his favorites. He’d always encouraged her and her brother to try and fail rather than to never try at all. She felt another pang at his memory. Wishing like mad for the hundredth time since his passing that he was still there. That she could talk with him one last time, even though she had a feeling she knew what he would say.
Take a chance.
If you don’t try, you will never know.
Just go for it.
You know deep down inside.
Paige stopped walking. Stopped just shy of the balcony. She put a hand up on the door jamb, suddenly feeling unsteady on her legs.
Don’t let fear hold you back.
That’s what he would tell her. Without a doubt! She looked over at where Bay was standing. He was talking with a group of shifters. Her mind worked furiously. She’d always been a risk-taker. Why now, when it counted the most, had she chosen the easy road? The safe road. If she walked out onto that balcony now, she was going to be taken away from the man she loved. Oh shit! Paige put a hand over her mouth. She did love Flood. It hadn’t seemed possible after such a short amount of time, so she hadn’t allowed herself to believe it. She did though. She needed to find him and right then. She needed to fix this.
Paige turned and began to run. She had no idea where she was going. She only hoped that the maze of corridors would lead her to Flood somehow.
Crazy.
Stupid.
Irrational.
All of the above. Not to mention in love. In love and desperate. She had to try. She passed shifters who looked at her like she’d lost her mind. Paige couldn’t blame them. She kept running. Maybe she could hide. And then what?
Someone grabbed her around her waist. “Where are you going?”
It was Beck. He was grinning down at her.
“And at such a speed.” He raised his brows.
“Let me go.” She was completely out of breath.
He cocked his head, looking at her strangely. “You’re trying to find Grumpy, aren’t you? I heard what happened. Bummer.” He was still smiling, which pissed her off.
“Let me go and get out of my way.”
“No can do.” Beck lifted his brows. “I have to take you back or I’ll be in deep shit. You’re not allowed anywhere near Flood. I have my orders. I was on my way to lead the team that is going to take you home.” He winked at her.
Asshole! “I don’t want to go back. Let go of me. Pretend you never saw me and while we’re at it, tell me where I can find Flood.”
Beck laughed. “I know where he is.”
“Please, take me to him.” Paige hated begging, especially since Beck was acting like such an asshole, but what choice did she have? “You have to help me.”
There was a commotion from somewhere down the hall.
Beck shook his head. “You should forget all about Flood. Head home. If the two of you do what I think you’re planning, you’ll ruin Flood’s life. Then again,” he shrugged, “I’ve never seen someone look so damned miserable. It’s a pitiful sight to see.”
“Take me to him. Do it now.” She tried to break free, but he held on tight.
Beck shook his head. “I have something else in mind.”
The big shifter picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. He started to run. Not towards where she had just come from, but away.
Paige screamed for a few seconds. Shock and disbelief coursed through her. “Put me down,” she finally managed to get out. All of the blood had rushed to her head. She was being jostled so badly that she felt physically sick.
He ran for about half a minute. When Beck put her down. She staggered, almost falling on her face. Paige sat down on her ass with a heavy bump.
When she looked up, Beck was in mid-change. Why was he shifting? Scales, wings, a tail…
Then his wings were flapping and he was taking to the sky. Instead of flying off, he swooped back down and grabbed her around her waist. His talons holding tight, but not so tight as to do damage. Beck shot up into the sky, her stomach lurched. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. Then she blacked out.
Chapter 23
Flood paced from one end of his cell to the other. Up and down and back again. Paige should be gone already. Then again, maybe they were running late. His heart beat faster at the thought of her gone and faster still at the thought that she might still be on dragon soil. His hands felt clammy. Probably because he kept clenching them.
“Let me out,” he growled for the hundredth time, his throat felt raw but he didn’t give a damn.
Fuck it! He was leaving. As soon as they unlocked this door, he was out of there. He didn’t care how long it took him to find Paige, he would find her. There might be a hundred vet assistants named Paige. Hell, there might even be a thousand, he was going to hunt them all down, one by one until he found her. If that made him a stalker, then so be it. He didn’t give a shit. He would spend as long as it took convincing Paige that she was the one for him, that they could make it work.
Bay burst in. He had a stricken look on his face.
“What is it?” Flood shouted. “It’s Paige isn’t it? What happened? The hunters! It was them wasn’t it?” He realized that he was gripping the bars in his hands. The silver made him feel nauseous so he let go. He needed to keep his wits about him if he was going to save her. “Tell me!” he yelled when Bay didn’t answer him
“It’s Beck.”
“What about Beck? Was he injured trying to save her?”
"Beck took her." Bay shook his head, the confusion he felt was evident in his eyes.
“Took her where? Why would he take her? Were you attacked?” He was yelling but couldn’t help it.
“No!” Bay shook his head. “I brought her to the team responsible for taking her home. I was just going through the particulars when Paige disappeared. We were waiting for Beck, who was late. Several males saw her running. We’re not sure why. I would assume it was to find you, although that would be irrational behavior since she had no idea where she was going or where you were.”
“You think she was trying to get back to me?” There was shock laced into every word.
“Yes.” Bay nodded. “I do. She was having major second thoughts about leaving. She looked tortured and greatly upset. I wasn’t surprised when I saw that she was gone.”
“You’re not normally so careless.” Flood folded his arms. “You gave her the opportunity.”
Bay nodded. “Maybe I did on a subconscious level. Now I wish I had been more careful. Beck took her. He shifted and took off.”
“He was interested in her. You don’t think…?” Worry and frustration ate at him. “Surely he wouldn’t…” Flood shook his head.
“I wouldn’t have thought so, but he has taken her. Some males gave chase but he had a big head start and lost them.”
Flood cursed. He ground his teeth, trying hard to remain calm. “Let me out of here,” he snarled, grabbing the bars again.
Bay shook his head. “The orders are clear. You are to remain in lockdown until Paige is safely home or until—” The male didn’t finish the sentence.
“Let me out!” Flood growled. “I need to find her.
“We have several teams scouring the surroundings.”
“You and I both know that Beck won’t be found unless he wants to be.” He pushed out a heavy breath. “I have to try!”
“Not happening, I’m sorry. Sit tight. I am heading a team up myself. I know the male but this doesn’t make any sense. It is so unlike him. He wouldn’t harm her in any way. Beck can be a dick but he’s ultimately a good male.”
Flood concentrated on breathing deeply, on trying to calm down. “You are right. I don’t think he would harm her. What the fuck was he thinking though?” he growled. “It is not safe with those hunters out there somewhere.” Worry ate at him.
“I’ll have someone contact you the moment we hear anything.”
Flood nodded.
Bay turned and strode from the holding area. It was a section at the back of the lair. It housed three silver cages that rarely got used. Dragons mostly stayed in line. There was one guard stationed outside. He wasn’t sure why, since breaking through silver was an impossibility despite his immunotherapy.
“Hey,” he called. “Let me out!” he shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. “My female needs me.”
Flood waited half a minute and then tried again.
>
There was a thudding noise and then it sounded like…like someone fell. What? He moved to the front of the cage.
Beck rounded the corner, a big ass smile on his smug face. The male was naked. Flood growled low when he saw his hand on Paige’s back.
Paige.
Flood gripped the bars. “You’re okay. What the fuck?” he growled, locking eyes with Beck.
“Hi!” Paige said, her eyes lighting up. “Don’t be angry with him,” she quickly went on, which made him even angrier that she was standing up for a prick like Beck.
“Calm down!” Beck’s smile widened. “I know how much the two of you care for one another.” He rolled his eyes. “You’ve been nothing but miserable since they split you two up ‒ which is saying something since you’re a grumpy fuck on the best of days anyway.”
Flood growled again. “Don’t,” he warned. “I’ll find a way to take down these bars and—”
“I get it,” Beck said. “First listen to what I have to say. When I saw your female running, probably searching for your ugly mug, I realized something had to be done. Torrent is being a dick about this whole thing. Don’t tell him I said that. I’m already going to be up shit street for doing this.”
“Why did you take my female?”
“I took her. Pretended to get the hell out of here and then circled back. The good news is, she’s here. The bad news is, I was spotted. It’s only a matter of time before they figure out I’ve come here.”
Flood frowned. “You’re helping me?”
Beck nodded. "Love is a wonderful, amazing thing. I hope to god I find it one day. Maybe if I help you guys, Karma will be kind to me." He shrugged. "I doubt it, but who knows, right?”
Flood smiled. “Thank you.”
“You will need this.” He handed Flood the key, passing it through the bars. “You won’t have long to…do what you need to do. I suggest you mate her, that way they will be forced to allow her to stay.”
Flood wasn’t sure if Paige would go for that. She was here but that didn’t mean that she was willing to take such a big step. Fuck but he hoped so.
“I will defend the entrance. I’m not sure how long it will be before they find us or how long I will be able to stand up to an onslaught though. I suggest you don’t waste any time.” Beck winked at Paige. Flood watched his retreating back as he walked out, there was the sound of a door closing.
Captured Dragon (Water Dragons Book 2) Page 17
