Madness Unhinged: Dragons of Zalara

by ML Guida

  “Yes, I know.” Her eyes blurred for a second, but she blinked back the wetness. She couldn’t show weakness, not while searching for Daidhl.

  “I’m sorry, Detective. I know she was a good friend.”

  Betty materialized in front of Agnes, her eyes burning red. “He’s here.” She pointed toward the couple. “Over there. Are you going to let her die like you did me, Detective?”

  Agnes grimaced at the haunting tone.

  “Captain, I have to go.” She stared at the couple, trying to decipher whether it was Daidhl. When the man looked over, she swirled around in her chair. Her heart pounded louder than the captain’s angry voice.

  “Damn it, Agnes, tell me what is going on before–”

  She hung up. She had a job to do. Not one more woman would fall victim to Daidhl’s sick craving.

  She glanced at the couple, who had taken a seat near her, and then took another sip of her coffee. The man whisper in the woman’s ear, but she’d hadn’t moved once.

  Now, what was she supposed to do? Agnes refused to have her actions result in losing another innocent woman. She needed to get the woman away from him. The plan was to get Daidhl to follow her outside and away from potential victims, but as usual, he was a step ahead of them.

  The entrapment cage only opened based on fingerprints. Hoss had reprogrammed it for human instead of Zalarian. She slowly pulled the device out of her purse. No one gave her a second glance, since it resembled a woman’s silver compact. Only Daidhl would know that it was a weapon capable of destroying him. Or at least, she hoped it would.

  She turned her body so her back was facing Daidhl. God, she hoped Betty hadn’t been mistaken. So far, the ghost hadn’t been wrong.

  “Who is the woman with her?” Agnes lowered her voice, hoping no one heard her except for Betty.

  “Her name is Stacey Flynn. She’s a college student, studying to be an engineer. Daidhl followed you here. When you went inside, he forced her to come with him. He’s got a knife hidden in his pocket and promised to slice her throat if she made the slightest move to get away or cry for help.”

  Fear filled Agnes. She was only a young girl and the bastard was threatening to cut her life short. Agnes couldn’t help but wonder if the girl was a mate. If Agnes failed, she wouldn’t be the only one who would die. Hoss’s life, the girl’s life, and an unknown number of other women’s lives also hung in the balance.

  Agnes took a deep breath until she was in control of her fear. She’d learned too many times that losing her nerves led to deadly mistakes.

  “Well, here goes nothing,” she muttered under her breath.

  Hot breath rolled down the back of her neck. “Take it out, and she dies.”

  Agnes choked on foul breath, as if teeth hadn’t been brushed for years. Chills rolled over her like an icy, arctic wind. She glanced over her shoulder. Daidhl had his arm locked around the terrified girl’s throat. Her blue eyes were so huge, Agnes thought any minute they’d pop out of her head. Agnes wasn’t going to let the girl die.

  “Let her go, Daidhl. It’s me you want.”

  She didn’t waver from underneath his deadly gaze.

  “Not until you give me that thing.”

  A slight tremor echoed in his stern voice. For once, he was afraid. The plan could work if she stayed frosty.

  “At the same time.”

  “Why, Detective, you don’t trust me?”

  His sugary voice made her want to poke out his glimmering eyes with her finger.

  “No.”

  “Then, we have an accord?”

  The girl moved her head, her voice muffled underneath his palm.

  “One more thing, Daidhl. She’ll be alive.”

  “You’re no fun,” he smirked.

  She met his taunting gaze. “No, I’m not. Now, let the girl go.”

  “So brave, Detective. We’ll see how brave you are when we’re alone.”

  Fear ignited like a fire in Agnes’s belly. All the gruesome murders and his almost deadly attack on Hoss flashed in her mind, but she kept her cop-face on and hoped she hid her terror. She narrowed her eyes. “Counting on it.”

  His arrogant face paled and a vein in one cheek quivered. He hissed loudly.

  She raised her eyebrow. He needed her fear, but… His frustration made her wonder if he couldn’t sense her own. she wouldn’t give it to him. Maybe he could only feed on the surface of emotions, not ones hidden.

  She stood. “Back up.”

  “No,” he growled.

  She put her hand over the cage. “Then I’ll open it.”

  “You’ll pay for your insolence.” But the bastard backed up. He loosened his grip on the girl, and she darted around him, but he grabbed her wrist. “Don’t.”

  Agnes stared at the frightened girl. “Let her go. She won’t scream.”

  The girl nodded. “I promise, please, please…”

  Daidhl leaned closer to the girl. “I can capture you anytime. Don’t disappointment me.”

  Tears ran down her cheeks. She nodded silently, her lower lip trembling.

  Agnes lusted to open the cage so bad, but if she did, the girl would die.

  Daidhl released the girl, but immediately clamped on to Agnes’s wrist. His fingers were like sharp icicles, digging into her flesh. “You’ll not be needing this.” He ripped the cage out of her hand and stuffed it in his jacket.

  The girl ran to the other side of the room, slouching in a corner. She didn’t make a sound, but her face was pure white.

  “Now, you and I are going to walk out of here real slow,” Daidhl said. “Do you understand me?”

  Something sharp pricked her back. “Yes, I said I’d go with you.”

  “You try anything stupid, Detective, and you’ll be missing a kidney.”

  Her heart thudded in her chest. Agnes brought on all her police training to stay calm. Her favorite was thinking of her safe place––the Malloy cabin. She thought of the smell of pine, the thin, clean, air, the peacefulness. Little-by-little the tension pent up inside her muscles unraveled. Daidhl wouldn’t kill her here. He’d want someplace private where he could take his time.

  He whispered in her ear. “We’re going to take a little drive.”

  His wretched breath made her stomach churn, threatening to lose her coffee. “Where?”

  “To your home, of course.”

  Agnes hid her smile. If their plan didn’t work, knowing the captain, he’d have a stakeout outside her home. At least she’d have a chance to escape.

  When they walked outside, the sun shone brightly overhead. Daidhl flinched and hissed, but didn’t lose his grip. Agnes struggled to contain her excitement. Flask had been right. The Earth’s sun did have an effect on him.

  A car door opened and shut, but Agnes pretended not to notice. She led Daidhl toward her car.

  “That’s it,” he said. “Nice and slow. You don’t want to piss me off.”

  She turned and smiled. “Actually, I do.”

  He frowned. “What?”

  Hoss stepped around a large truck. “Hello, Daidhl.” He aimed the open entrapment cage at Daidhl. Blinding orange rays lit up the parking lot.

  Agnes winced.

  Daidhl stepped back, snarling. He jerked her in front of him, blocking the ray from his chest, but she could feel him panting behind her. His grip on her arm tightened .

  “Agnes, get out of the way.” Hoss reached for her.

  Daidhl jerked her away and placed the blade under her throat. “Drop it, Hoss, or I’ll cut your little mate’s throat.”

  Black smoke flittered around Agnes, making her eyes water.

  Betty flittered next to Hoss. “He’s losing strength. You’ll be able to break free soon.”

  “Oh, my god. He’s got a knife!” a woman screamed.

  “Someone help her!” another cried.

  “Call the cops,” a man yelled.

  Hoss wouldn’t drop the cage. “It’s over, Daidhl.”

  “It’s not
over until I say it’s over.”

  His hand slipped where he held the knife under her throat. Agnes jabbed her elbows into his gut and stomped on his foot with every ounce of strength she had. He howled in pain and dropped the knife on the pavement.

  Agnes scooped the knife up and slashed it down Daidhl’s chest, spilling blood down his shirt.

  He roared with rage.

  Hoss grabbed her shoulder and hauled her back. Daidhl knocked the entrapment out of Hoss’s hand. Hoss lunged for it, but Daidhl’s attention was on his next victim.

  He grabbed Agnes’s wrist and pinched hard, loosing the blade. The weapon was wretched out of her hand, then the world spun around her. When she stopped, hot fear shot through her like a burning bullet. Golden eyes glared at her. A mouth full of sharp teeth greeted her.

  Daidhl bit her neck, tearing out her flesh. She screamed.

  Blood squirted into the air like an angry fountain.

  “Die bitch!” Daidhl stabbed her repeatedly in the stomach.

  Agony seized her. Blood gushed up her throat and trickled out of her mouth. Her legs gave out underneath her, and she collapsed on the concrete. She blinked through a haze as Hoss grabbed Daidhl by the throat and fired his weapon.

  Daidhl disappeared. Hoss dropped onto his knees next to her. “He’s gone.” Tears swelled in his eyes. “Agnes, don’t leave me.”

  Blood filled her mouth. “Is it over?” she spit out blood as she spoke.

  “Yes.” He held onto her hand tightly.

  Betty appeared behind Hoss. The anger and hate were gone from her eyes. She smiled. “He’s telling the truth. We can all rest in peace.”

  All of the victims–Sharon Reese, Laura Nybo, Annie Watkins, Lisa Strong–stood behind Betty. Agnes blinked, not sure she was seeing right. Lisa was Kathy’s younger sister. She had the same hair, the same color eyes, the same height as Kathy. No wonder Daidhl had killed the wrong woman.

  Lisa smiled. “Kathy’s alive. Good-bye, Agnes. Tell her I’m at peace.”

  The ghosts all faded into bright lights and disappeared.

  Agnes coughed up blood. “Hoss, Kathy’s alive.”

  “What?”

  “An ambulance is coming, buddy.” A pale-looking fifty-year-old man stood behind Hoss. “She’ll be okay.”

  But Agnes could see it in Hoss’s and the man’s eyes. She was dying. The anguish was worth it. The killing was over.

  She gripped Hoss’s hand. She gasped, choking on blood. “Before…I die, I need to tell you…before it’s too late. I…love…you.”

  Hoss leaned his head back and roared. “No!”

  She closed her eyes, glad the last person she’d see before she past on was Hoss. He let her go of her hand and emptiness soaked in her. He didn’t love her.

  “Shit, a…a…dragon.”

  The voice shook with fear and disbelief, but it sounded too far away. Agnes couldn’t make out whether it was male or female and didn’t care. Hoss was leaving her. Maybe he’d convince Topaz not to kill him.

  That was the last thing Agnes thought before she felt air rushing over her as her soul lifted to heaven.

  Hoss paced in the Centarus’s waiting area, nearly wearing out the floor. Agnes had been in surgery for the last eight hours and still no sign of Tryker or his doctors. When Hoss brought Agnes to the ship, he discovered Frank had made it through surgery and was sleeping comfortably. Topaz was furious he’d changed into a dragon in front of humans, but Hoss didn’t care.

  Agnes had been dying. He could careless about his own skin. His heart nearly jumped out of his throat when she stabbed Daidhl in the chest, weakening him further. It was enough for him to yank out the bastard’s heart and suck out the last of the Mistonian into the cage. Daidhl was dead, but the Mistonian wasn’t. At least he couldn’t escape.

  The foul creature would be handed over to the Confederation for sentencing. But that didn’t matter. All that mattered was Agnes.

  While he waited, Hoss couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t eat, he couldn’t sleep. His father had complained of the same symptoms before he hung himself. In that moment, Hoss finally understood what his father was going through. His father hadn’t been weak. He’d been brokenhearted.

  Fates, Hoss would rather be wounded in battle then suffer like this.

  The medical lab doors opened, and Tryker walked out wearing scrubs. He rubbed his blood-shot eyes.

  “Tryker, is she alive? Can I see her?”

  He hung his head. “I’m sorry.”

  “No!” Hoss picked up a chair and hurled it across the room, jamming into a wall.

  “Hoss, you need to calm down.” Tryker grabbed both of his arms. “Destroying the Centarus isn’t going to help Agnes.”

  Anonghos broke his grip and flung his arm toward the room where the agent slept peacefully. “But you saved Frank, why the hell can’t you save her?”

  Tryker folded his arms over his chest. “Because I’m not her mate. I’ve done all I can for her. The rest is up to you.”

  Fear punched a whole in his tantrum. “What?”

  “Don’t act surprised, Anonghos. If you want to save her, you need to claim her. That’s the only way she’ll survive.”

  “Why do you think I haven’t claimed her?”

  “Because she’s dying, you idiot.”

  Tryker’s low voice smacked Hoss into motion. He’d been so afraid of ending up like his father, and giving up pride, that he’d left Agnes vulnerable. Even if she hadn’t been his mate, he’d want her. Her passion was as great as his was. He wasn’t going to lose her.

  “Where is she?”

  “I’ll take you to her.”

  Agnes looked so small in her bed. She was breathing shallowly, and her face was ashen. Her blond hair flared out on her pillow.

  Hoss couldn’t hold back the tears.

  Tryker clasped his shoulder and squeezed. “You can do this, bro. I believe in you.”

  He quietly exited, leaving Hoss alone with his half-dead mate. He leaned over and kissed her stiff lips. “I won’t lose you, Agnes. You belong to me. I claim you.” He was too terrified to tell her how he felt. Why was so it hard to utter those three little words?

  Afraid he’d fall, he sat in a chair next to her bed. His shaking hand took out the red stone. He slowly turned over Agnes’s rigid wrist. Fates, this was all his fault. What had he’d done?

  He placed the stone in her frozen palm. “Come back to me.” He kissed her wrist, then lay his head on her hand. His tears fell on her pale skin. His dragon roared. Fire burned in his chest, and passion swirled inside him like a shooting star. Madness unhinged inside him. She was his.

  Her creaky fingers moved beneath him. He jerked his head up. She was actually clasping the mating stone. Hope surged through him. He leaned over and kissed her hard, willing her to come back to him to live.

  Nothing happened.

  His heart sank to his toes. He push his tongue through her lips and her clenched teeth. He swirled his tongue, exploring the recesses of her mouth, hoping to ignite a spark amidst the darkness. He moved his hands up and down her arms, trying to provide warmth.

  He thought he heard a groan. For a minute, he thought it was himself, but when he looked down, she stared up at him with smoky golden eyes.

  “Hoss?” Her voice was so weak.

  He knelt down and pushed her hair back. “Shhh.”

  Confusion fluttered in her eyes. “What happened?”

  “I claimed you.”

  “I don’t…understand.”

  He laughed. “No, I suppose you don’t. You were dying.”

  “I was?”

  “I love you Agnes Malloy. I want you with me always.”

  “You do? Do I have a choice?”

  An arrow pierced his lungs, cutting off his breath. Emptiness descended on him, and he could feel the noose tightening around his throat. “Yes.”

  Her eyes fluttered shut, leaving him with a broken spirit.

  He clutched her hand, refusing t
o let go.

  “Then I choose to be with you.”

  Her voice was so low he wasn’t sure he heard her, but he locked those words in his heart.

  22

  Agnes woke to the sound of beeping. Her mind was hazy. The world spun around her and her stomach swished back and forth. She shut her eyes tight, then slowly opened them. The room stopped spinning. Blurriness left her vision. Empty beds were lined up neatly against the opposite wall. Binging and dinging dashboards, right out Star Trek, hung over each bed. Dull pain throbbed in her backside, and the horrible memories of Daidhl flooded over her. The hate in his eyes… His foul breath… His icy touch… Agnes shivered.

  “Are you cold?”

  She turned to see Hoss on a chair next to her bed. He peered down at her with blood-shot eyes. His hair stuck out all over.

  She managed a smile. “You look terrible.”

  “You look beautiful.” He clutched her hand with shaky fingers.

  “Are you alright?”

  He took a shuddering breath. “Now, that you’re awake I am.” He kissed her hand. “I thought… I thought… I was going to lose you.”

  His gentle kiss sent warmth through her body, chasing away the nightmares. She smirked. “You won’t get rid of me that easy.”

  “Good. I need you. I never thought I’d need a woman before, never wanted to.”

  She frowned. The slight movement sent a shiver of pain through her forehead. “Why?”

  “Because of my father.”

  When they’d had sex, he’d woken up screaming. Guilt nestled in her gut for not pursuing this further, but Daidhl hadn’t given them a moment’s rest. “And?”

  His eyes burned gold, and a shadow fell across his face. “I always thought he was a weak man, hated him for it…” His voice trailed off as if he were lost in his own thoughts.

  She remained silent. Rushing people to tell their stories always ended badly.

  He kissed her knuckles. “He hung himself when I was a kid.” Anguish echoed in his whisper.

  She sucked in her breath. Her father had been many things, but he’d fought the bad, even when her mother died. Children remain scarred when parents abandoned them, but suicide was an ugly level she didn’t fully understand. “Oh, Hoss, I’m so sorry.” She moved to hug him and her pain jumped up ten octaves. She grimaced, hissing between her teeth.