by Anna Santos
“Jesus! Couldn’t you come up with a more complex plan than that?” Charlie asked.
Kayden’s frowned. “I don’t think it’s that simple.”
“I was being sarcastic, dude,” Charlie said with an arched eyebrow. “It might work, though. Yet you neglect the fact that you can’t leave with Barbara if you need to report her stealing the dagger. One of us must go. I offer myself as a tribute.”
“I’m a better shot than you,” Cody complained.
“I breathe fire,” his twin retorted.
“I…I have powers, too!”
Charlie folded his arms as he balanced himself in his chair. “My dragon is bigger than yours.”
“That’s the only thing that you have bigger than me,” Cody muttered.
Charlie almost fell back in his chair. Pointing a finger at him, he protested, “That’s a big lie. I could sue you for defamation.”
Kayden put himself between them. “That’s enough. We have no time for bickering.”
Cody didn’t let it be. “Barbara can decide who she wants to go with her.”
Shrugging, she said, “I would feel safe with either of you.”
Kayden grinned at her as he ended the discussion. “No one goes with Barbara. She’ll leave on her own, and I’ll meet her a few miles from here once I accuse her of stealing and leave ahead of our men to find her.”
“You forget that they can track her with the phone and reach her before you do,” Charlie added.
“I’ll fly to her. I need one of you to watch Thompson and put him in the holding cell as soon as he calls to report. I need the other one to tell Uncle the truth and lead our men to surround Sir Baldwin’s mercenaries and catch them off guard.”
Charlie laced his hands behind his head. “I guess I can stay behind and save the day.”
Cody rolled his eyes and began typing fast on his keyboard. “I’ll take care of Thompson and then track Barbara’s cell to know where you are going and hack a satellite to figure out how many men Sir Baldwin brought with him and where they are located. I’m hacking one as we speak.”
Charlie sucked in a long breath and muttered, “Show-off.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
The elaborate plan was set in motion. Two hours later, Barbara was sitting in an SUV with the phone in her hand, waiting for directions.
Kayden had arrived a few minutes earlier and was in the driver’s seat. She kept tapping her fingers against her knee, replaying in her head the key events that happened prior to pretending to be on the run.
Cody had strapped the real dagger to her under her sweater. Kayden had given her the SUV to leave the compound, and he instructed her that she should use the weapon against whoever tried to hurt her. The fake dagger was in her backpack together with a map and two water bottles. Her heart was beating like she was a mad woman at the realization of what was happening. She was the only one who could save her brother’s life and keep the dagger safe.
Her mate’s hand squeezed her left knee. “Everything will be all right. No need to be nervous.”
Her hand covered his, and she entwined their fingers. “Talk to me, so I don’t go insane waiting.”
“After this is over, we could plan some days away. Just the two of us.”
“Maybe after calling my boss and checking if I still have a job. I also need to resolve my problem with the police.”
“The Keepers Organization is taking care of that. Plus, your boss is a crucial member of the New York branch, and he’s aware of what’s happening.”
Frowning, Barbara turned to face him. “Really? How do you know that and why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“Uncle collected a favor and took care of that matter this morning. I just found out about your boss today. I was going to talk to you about this, but then you told me about the blackmailing.”
Barbara sucked in a breath and folded her arms, looking at the trees outside. “I guess a vacation where I didn’t fear for my life would be nice. Plus, we need to get to know each other better. You know…if we want this to work.”
He reached for her hand and kissed it. “This being?”
“Our relationship and maybe you can tell me about the marking that the twins were talking about.”
“Come here, honey,” Kayden requested, opening his arms for her to sit on his lap. Barbara hesitated for a moment, but then she crawled into his embrace and secured her arms around his neck. “Finding you was the best thing that happened to me. You know that, don’t you?”
Barbara nodded while biting her lower lip. “I feel the same way.”
“We haven’t had a lot of time to talk about the future. You should know that I have no intention of forcing you to leave your career and move here with me.”
“You don’t?”
He shook his head. “We are going to go back to that subject as soon as we save Jason. Still, you need to know that dragons don’t mate in the same way that other creatures.” Barbara frowned, and he chuckled. “Nothing weird. We simply mark our mates.”
“How so?”
“We bite them.”
“Like the werewolves?”
“It’s similar. But since you aren’t a dragon, my bite will infect you with a few perks that will allow you to have special powers.”
Barbara’s interest was piqued. “Will I be able to turn into a dragon, too?”
“No. But your DNA will change, and you’ll have a higher tolerance to cold and fire. Your skin will be thicker and bulletproof. You’ll live longer, run faster, jump higher, and do things that you’ve never dreamed of.”
“Hmm, I already have pretty awesome powers by being a feline.”
“You won’t be able to shift into a lioness,” he added as his expression became more serious. “I’m sorry…”
Barbara pursed her lips and blinked several times. “Can I have your baby?”
“Yes, that’s why our mates become stronger, so they can have babies and survive the birth.”
“They don’t come out as little dragons spitting fire, do they?”
Kayden laughed. “No, of course not. They are perfectly fine babies until they reach the shifting age and gain their powers.”
“Then that’s okay. You can mark me if that means that we’ll live together for all eternity.”
His hand caressed her cheek, and his lips brushed hers. “I should have marked you before we came here. If only I had time…”
Placing her forehead against his, she asked, “Are you afraid of losing me?”
“Always. But I’m here to protect you. I would die before I let anything bad happen to you.”
“Do you think I wouldn’t do the same?”
Kayden cupped her chin to look at her. “Promise me you won’t be reckless.”
“I won’t be reckless. I will be brave for you.”
“And you will use the real dagger if a dragon attacks you, okay? It’s the only way you can kill them.”
Barbara kissed him, and he gave her another list of things she shouldn’t do to put herself in danger. Dying wasn’t in her plans, yet she wasn’t going to hide and run from the fight.
Their kisses were interrupted by Kayden’s phone ringing.
“Yes? Okay…Once you arrest him, try to get some information from him. We’ll be here waiting to be contacted.” Kayden hung up and looked at Barbara. “Thompson called as we expected, they should be…”
Barbara’s new cell rang with a message:
You are a good girl. I’m glad you decided to save your brother. Use the coordinates in this message and follow the map until the meeting point. We’ll be waiting for you.
Barbara typed fast and sent a reply. Kayden grabbed the phone from her hand. “What did you do?”
“I asked for proof that Jason was still alive.”
Sighing, Kayden typed on the phone. “I’m sending the message to Cody. We’ll leave as soon as he gets back to us with more information.”
“Will we arrive at the meeting before backu
p?”
“The dragons will fly, so they will get there faster and surround the enemy.”
“And the others?”
“Let’s hope that Cody can drive fast enough, and Charlie can give us satellite images.”
Kayden and Barbara walked out of their vehicle and looked around.
“Like Charlie said, it’s empty,” Kayden confirmed.
They were in a clearing next to a lake. Surrounding that space were thick woods that made it harder to see if there were hidden armed men.
Kayden’s phone rang. Picking up, he listened and hung up after a moment.
“What did he say?” Barbara asked.
“He can see five vehicles coming our way. He’s giving instructions to the dragons to circle them from behind. I’m turning on my earpiece, and I need you to put your own on, so we know what’s happening and when Cody gets here with the help.”
Barbara nodded and picked the earpiece from his hand. “You should hide. They won’t be happy to see you.”
“They will shoot you if they believe you are unarmed and harmless.” He walked back to the trunk of the SUV and returned with a shotgun and two firearms. “Grab the pistol and use it if they fire. Use the car for protection. It will shield you from their bullets while the others arrive, and I wipe away as many as I can.”
Barbara grabbed the gun which trembled in her hand.
Kayden squeezed her hand. “It’s okay to be afraid.”
“I don’t want you to get hurt. They will be too many.”
“My skin is invulnerable to bullets.” He put in his earpiece and tapped to turn it on. A white noise established that it was working. “Can you hear me, Cody?”
His brother replied on the other side.
“Confirm that your earpiece is working, Barbara,” Kayden instructed.
“I can hear him, too.”
“Good.”
“Kayden, if dragons are invulnerable, why bring the guns? Won’t they be useless?”
“No. Most shifters can be killed with firearms. As far as I know, only Sir Baldwin is a dragon, and the rest of his men should be shifters like the goons he sent to my home. He’s the only one I’m concerned about because I know he’s a powerful opponent.”
Fear reflected in Barbara’s eyes. “I wish I had learned how to shoot guns. I’m useless to you here.”
“Cody and Charlie will be here. Just remain calm and use the real dagger if you need to defend yourself even against the shifters.”
Barbara huffed. “The wait is killing me.”
As if on cue, the sound of the enemies’ cars resonated and dust filled the air. Hitting the breaks, the first two cars stopped, followed by the other three. Armed men jumped out from the cars with guns pointed at Barbara and Kayden. From the last jeep, a tall man wearing a white suit came out, fixed his jacked, dusted his pants, and walked in a calm manner towards the front of the cars.
Kayden whispered, “The guy in the white suit is Sir Baldwin. Beside him is his minion, Norton.”
“I don’t see Jason,” Barbara said.
“He must be inside one of the cars.”
Sir Baldwin stopped a few feet from them. He fixed his black fedora and folded his hands in front of his stomach with a grin. “Greetings. I was expecting to see only one of you. I’m surprised to see you here, Kayden.”
“We told you to come alone,” Norton said, pointing a finger at Barbara with a flustered expression.
Sir Baldwin’s hand rested on his shoulder, and Norton straightened up and recoiled like a faithful, trained dog. “I’m sure Miss Kent was afraid for her life and brought help. Yet I’m a man of my word. If you give me what belongs to me, I’ll give you your brother back.”
Kayden looked at Barbara. She was squeezing the gun in her hand and sweat was covering her forehead.
Barbara demanded, “I want to see my brother. I asked for proof of life, and you never replied to me.”
“Jason is alive. But I’ll only show him to you if you prove that you have the dagger with you. Only then we can trade.”
Barbara reached into her bag, and the sudden sound of the hammers being drawn back filled the air. Kayden pointed his shotgun at Sir Baldwin’s armed men.
“Calm down,” Sir Baldwin ordered, motioning with both hands for his men to lower their weapons. “Remove your backpack and open it slowly, Miss Kent.”
Barbara exchanged a look with Kayden. She removed her bag and dug out the fake dagger. Kayden looked at the water dragon and noticed how his eyes grew bigger and his body tensed.
“Beautiful,” Sir Baldwin whispered. Then, he waved his hand. “Norton, grab Mr. Kent and show him to his sister.”
Norton turned around on his heels and walked to the last vehicle. Silence echoed throughout the place as if everybody was too afraid even to breathe. The door opened, and the water dragon’s minion pulled someone out of the car. His blond hair and agonized sounds made Kayden believe it was Jason, but his face was lowered as Norton kept pulling the man.
“Jason,” Barbara gasped, her eyes shining with hope.
Kayden put his hand on her arm. “Don’t move or they’ll shoot you.”
“Listen to your friend, Miss Kent. He seems like a wise man,” the leader said with a grin.
Kayden looked at Sir Baldwin with narrowed eyes. Despite what the water dragon might think, he wasn’t planning to let him leave this place alive. He aimed his gaze at the men. Shape-shifters no doubt. He counted them. Norton and four more bodyguards surrounded Sir Baldwin. Eight men with machine guns were near the cars while Kayden had no idea if there were other men inside the other cars and in the vehicle that brought Jason. There must be since Jason would have tried to escape if he had been left alone. Assuming that there were two more armed men, it made a total of fifteen shifters and one deadly dragon. Things looked good if Cody and Charlie arrived fast enough with the backup.
The water dragon’s voice alerted Kayden. “I know what you are thinking, fire dragon. You think you can handle my men and kill me. You are wrong. If you make a move, Norton will blow Mr. Kent’s brains out, and I’ll go for his sister before I take you down.”
Kayden listened to his brother’s voice in the earpiece. “We are in position. You should save Jason and tell Barbara to dive behind your car.”
Barbara stepped forward. “Kayden isn’t going to do anything to put our lives in danger, I assure you. I’m here to trade the dagger for my brother. You can see the dagger in my hands. All you need to do is send my brother to me, and I’ll walk to him. We can meet in the middle, and I’ll give you the weapon you want.”
Kayden controlled his breathing. She was following the plan. They had to have Jason before starting the shooting and killing. Once the enemy had the fake dagger, and Jason was safe, Cody and the others would start firing. Kayden was there to make sure Barbara and Jason weren’t shot after the trade.
After a moment of silence, Sir Baldwin spoke. “I like your plan. Start walking. But before that, throw your weapon to the floor.”
Barbara looked at Kayden, and he nodded. Crouching, she placed the weapon on the ground, stood up, and clutched the dagger against her chest as she paced slowly in Jason’s direction. She stopped with furrowed eyebrows. “Are you moving or not?”
Norton pulled on Jason’s arm. He raised his head to look at his sister. He looked angered but his lips were bloody, and his hands were tied in front of his stomach. The way his body moved showed that he was in a lot of pain. He muttered something, but Norton hit him with a fist on the back of his neck, and he howled in pain.
Barbara stopped with a gasp. “Stop hitting him, you bully!”
“He should be more grateful that you came to save him,” Norton blurted out. After a few more steps, he pushed Jason to the ground.
“Jason, get up!” Barbara said with a worried expression.
“Stop slacking and get up, soldier!” Kayden ordered.
Jason raised his head and squinted at him. “You were supposed to kee
p the dagger safe!”
“You weren’t supposed to get caught,” Kayden retorted.
Spitting, Jason rose and looked at his sister. “If anything happens to Barb, I’ll kill you myself, Kayden.”
Kayden smirked. “Fair enough, buddy.”
Barbara kept advancing until she got to the middle and stopped. “I’ll give you the weapon once you get here.”
Norton grabbed Jason and dragged him along. They stopped in front of Barbara. “Here’s your brother. Now give me the weapon and get the hell out of here.”
Barbara stepped back, confusion clouding her face when Norton grabbed the dagger and threw Jason against her. Kayden raised his shotgun and aimed at Sir Baldwin’s head. Not that it would do any good if he really had to shoot. Norton was a better target. His head would explode if he got hit. Yet the bullets against the dragon would slow down his shifting.
Muttering into his earpiece, Kayden ordered, “Move, Barbara. Bring Jason to safety. Run if you have to.”
“I have it, sir. It’s finally here.” Norton rushed to his master’s side as he waved the dagger like a flag.
“Give it to me,” Sir Baldwin ordered, showing his hand to receive the weapon.
Meanwhile, Barbara had grabbed her brother, released his hands from the ropes, and was helping him reach the car.
Norton offered the dagger to Sir Baldwin. “We can finally change our destiny.”
“Give it to me, imbecile. Thank you, Miss Kent,” the water dragon said once he grabbed the dagger with both hands. “You not only brought me this, but you also brought me a dragon to test this weapon on. Things couldn’t be more advantageous. Shoot them at will. Kill them and bring me the dragon!”
The water dragon’s order echoed, and soon bullets were flying. Kayden shot at the man aiming at Barbara.
The sound of bullets reverberated when the snipers protecting Kayden and Barbara aimed at the other bodyguards. Norton was shot in his shoulder and fell back from the impact.
