Oscar, the only human of the group, was the most relaxed. “Everything is fine.” He turned back toward them. “Luther and Sergei, this is Nicodemus Wilde, he owns this place.”
Luther stepped forward and offered his hand. “Thank you for all your help.” Nic studied his hand and then shook it.
“My pleasure. But all I did was coordinate. It was my brother Tarrant here who was able to get into Caine’s security and lend a hand.”
Luther studied the other man. That was a name he recognized. While Nic was friendly, Tarrant didn’t look happy to be here.
“We should go inside.” Oscar turned on his heel and led the way into the house.
The room seemed so much smaller with four drakons inside. Luther had never met any drakon other than his father. It was both unsettling and exciting.
He noticed both men were staring at him. “What?” he demanded.
Nic shook his head and smiled. “Sorry about that, but you’re the first son of a drakon we’ve ever met. Or heard about, for that matter.”
Nic glanced at his brother, who nodded. “Information is my lifeblood,” Tarrant began, “and I’ve never heard of a drakon having a child. You’re full drakon?”
Luther nodded. “Yes.” He strode back to the kitchen area and retrieved his coffee. Nic made himself at home in the kitchen, filling a mug for himself and Tarrant.
“Full shifter capabilities?” Luther nodded and Tarrant whistled. “Amazing.”
“There’ll be time to discuss that later,” Nic pointed out. “Are you sure Caine can’t find you?”
Sergei growled and Luther set down his mug and moved closer to his father. “He didn’t follow us.”
Tarrant reached into his pocket and withdrew a small black box. “Doesn’t mean he can’t find you.” He stepped up to Sergei. “May I?”
Luther thought his father might balk, but he nodded. Tarrant ran the box over Sergei, front and back. “He’s clear. You’re next,” he told Luther. When nothing happened, Luther assumed he was clear as well. Oscar automatically held out his own arms and waited until he was scanned.
Tarrant took a step back and gave them an apologetic look. “I’m going to have to check the women as well.”
Luther barely caught his father as he leaped forward. But Tarrant wasn’t upset, didn’t even raise his fists.
“I get it,” Tarrant told them. “I’d probably kill anyone who wanted to touch my Valeriya, but I need to scan them. The Knights might have put a tracking device on them.” He paused. “Or maybe in them.”
“Shit,” Oscar swore. “I should have thought of that.”
“You were too busy helping save our lives,” Luther pointed out. He should have thought of it. His mother had been a captive for a very long time. It was quite possible Caine had inserted some sort of tracker in her. He’d have known Sergei’s body would most likely reject such at thing, but his mother was human. And if they escaped, Caine knew that he’d find Sergei right beside his Katherine.
As for Victoria, Caine might have slipped some kind of tracker into her pocket or tagged her somewhere. Wouldn’t take more than a light graze of a hand to plant one.
“What’s going on?”
Luther had been paying so much attention to the men in front of him, he’d missed hearing Victoria. He turned to her and held out his hand. “It’s okay, sweetheart.”
She was more alert than he’d figured she would be after only a few hours sleep. She was also wearing form-fitting leggings and a long-sleeved tunic, clothes that Oscar had bought for her. It was odd to see her in anything other than her prim suits, but he liked it. Even her hair was free, flowing around her shoulders.
Victoria wasn’t looking at him. No, she was too busy staring at Nic. Even though he knew why, Luther didn’t like it. He didn’t want her staring at any other drakon or man. And both Nic and his brother were studying her in return.
She glanced at Luther. “You think Caine might have planted a tracking device on me, don’t you?” She licked her lips, and he barely suppressed a groan. Now was not the time to notice how plump and sweet her lips were.
“It’s possible,” he told her.
She nodded and squared her shoulders. “Then you should scan me.” She was held her arms out at her sides. Luther went to stand beside her.
Tarrant approached slowly, obviously recognizing the volatility of the situation. “I’ll be quick.” He ran the sensor over the front of her body and then waited until she turned and did the same to her back. Luther clenched his fists at his sides, hating this even knowing it was necessary.
“I’ll need the clothes you were wearing,” Tarrant told her.
“Of course.” She hurried from the room, shoulders square, spine ramrod straight. Even faced with four drakons, she was calm and composed. His Victoria was one special lady.
No one spoke while she was gone. They studied one another and watched and waited. Victoria returned quickly, a bundle of soiled garments in her hands. The stench of sweat, smoke, and dust was offensive to his sense of smell. He never wanted to scent fear from her again.
“Here.” She thrust the bundle toward Tarrant. He took the clothes and scanned each piece. Luther breathed a sigh of relief when no tracker was found.
But Luther knew they weren’t finished. He turned to his father. “You’ve got to go and wake Mom.”
Sergei shook his head. “No. She needs to sleep.” His father took an aggressive step forward. Nic and Tarrant stood firm. Luther knew they wouldn’t back down. And they were right not to. They had to know if they were truly safe.
Tension grew, and the air around his father began to shimmer. He made a move toward him, but Victoria beat him to it. She laid her hand gently on Sergei’s chest. “Katherine wouldn’t want to be responsible for putting you in danger.”
His father visibly restrained himself, getting control of his dragon. He stared down at Victoria and the corners of his mouth turned upward in a small smile. “You were such a brave little girl. I see that hasn’t changed any over the years.”
She smiled, and her gaze warmed. “I’m not sure if it’s bravery or if I’m just crazy.”
A rumble came from deep inside his father. Luther wouldn’t exactly call it a laugh, but it was close. “I’ll get her.”
Victoria shook her head. “You stay here with Luther. I’ll get her.” She didn’t wait for his agreement and simply left the room. All of them watched her go.
Nic whistled under his breath. “That’s some woman you’ve got there.”
Luther nodded his agreement. Victoria was magnificent, and she was all his.
“She really knew you when she was a child?” Tarrant asked Sergei.
“Yes.” Any softness faded from his father’s expression. “You will do nothing to hurt her or my Katherine.” The threat was loud and clear.
Tarrant’s gaze narrowed. “We didn’t save you only to harm one of you.”
Sergei raked his fingers through his long hair and sighed. “I know.”
His father wasn’t the man Luther had known. How could he be after twenty years of captivity? He was more angry and suspicious, which was only natural. Time was on their side. In a hundred, two hundred years from now, all this would be nothing but a bad memory.
Luther’s heart thudded hard in his chest. And would Victoria still be with him? Yes, she would, because he’d do everything in his power to make her want to stay.
They all heard the low murmur of feminine voices. It wasn’t long before his mother and Victoria strolled down the hallway. Like Victoria, his mother was wearing some of the new clothes Oscar had purchased for them, her older clothing bundled in her arms.
Katherine stopped when she saw the strangers. She immediately looked to Sergei. He went to her, pulled the garments from her, and tossed them at Tarrant. “My love.”
Luther had to look away. His parents loved deeply. Even after all they’d been through, that love had never wavered. Victoria was watching them, her eyes filling with
tears. He couldn’t stand to see her cry. He went to her and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close.
Tarrant ignored all of them and scanned the clothing. “Nothing here, but I need to check Katherine.”
Luther watched his mother step away from his father and hold out her arms. “Do what you have to do.” She flinched slightly when Tarrant raised the handheld device in front of her, but she held firm.
“Do you honestly think Caine would insert a tracking device in my mother?” Luther asked.
Tarrant nodded. “Yes. It’s what I’d do if I were him.” He scanned her front and the scanner remained silent.
They all held their breath when she turned. Tarrant ran the device from her ankles, up her legs and back. Luther was just about to give a sign of relief when the little black box began to beep.
“Fuck.” Tarrant spoke for all of them. His mother looked horrified. His father appeared to want to kill someone, most likely Caine. Both Nic and Tarrant seemed resigned.
“I’ll get the medical kit,” Oscar said and disappeared from the room.
It was Victoria who went to his mother and comforted her. “Everything will be okay, Katherine. They’ll remove it, and we’ll leave. Everything will be fine.”
Victoria looked to him for confirmation. He shook his head. As much as he wanted everything to be okay, Luther had a bad feeling in his gut.
Oscar hurried back into the room and set the first aid kit on the table. “Someone is going to have to remove the tracker. I’m the best candidate for that since I’m not emotionally involved.” He laid out supplies. “I can numb the area so Katherine won’t feel any pain, but I’ll need the three of you”—he looked to Luther and then to his friends—“to hold Sergei back so he doesn’t kill me.”
“I can do it.” Victoria swallowed heavily. “If Sergei and Katherine would be more at ease, I’ll do it.”
He’d thought he couldn’t love Victoria more, but Luther had been mistaken. Every hour of every day, she did something that showed him just how special she was. That she would do this for his parents, for him, was overwhelming. She’d already done more than enough.
Katherine nodded. “I’d prefer Victoria.” She glanced at her husband. “I think Sergei would, too.”
Luther knew his father would have an easier time handling the situation if it was Victoria doing the minor surgery. Not only did he know and trust her, she was a woman. Drakons were primitive at their core and having another man hurt his woman, even if it was unintentional, might be more than Sergei could handle. His instincts would be to destroy Oscar and protect his mate.
Oscar took no offense at all. He simply nodded and held a small bottle of spray out to Victoria. “This will help to deaden the area.” He waited until Victoria took it from him. “I’ll walk you through the rest.”
Then Oscar nodded toward Sergei. “You might want to hold him.”
Chapter Twenty
How did I get myself into this? She wasn’t exactly squeamish, but neither did she want to have to cut into another person’s skin and remove a tracking device. Victoria couldn’t imagine how violated Katherine felt. She shuddered and then got to work.
“You should sit down.” She motioned Katherine to one of the chairs. Nic whipped out the chair and set it down before taking a step back. Just seeing the man from her vision had startled her, but there wasn’t time to really digest it. There were more pressing matters at hand.
While Katherine settled into the chair and moved her hair to one side, Luther went to his father and wrapped his arms around his waist. To keep him from attacking, she supposed.
Sergei and Katherine had been through so much. This was one final indignity. Katherine had been tagged like an animal to be retrieved if lost.
“It’s okay.” Katherine reached up and patted her hand. “Let’s get this done.” She pulled her hair forward, revealing the area.
“Of course.” She could do this. She had to do this.
Once she’d tucked several towels around Katherine’s shoulders to catch any blood, Victoria sprayed the area. “Show me exactly where it is,” she ordered Tarrant.
He stepped up and scanned the area to pinpoint the device.
Victoria took a deep breath and pulled on the thin latex gloves Oscar handed her. Then she held out her hand, and he placed the scalpel in it.
“Don’t cut too deep,” Oscar coached. “I think they just slipped it under the surface.”
“It’s probably behind her neck because she wouldn’t notice it there,” Tarrant told them.
Victoria couldn’t help herself. She looked to Luther, needing to see him, to connect. He nodded, and she could see the trust and belief he had in her. She steadied her hand, took a deep breath, and inserted the tip of the blade into his mother’s skin.
Sergei gave a groan of pain and surged forward, dragging Luther behind him. But he didn’t attack. He fell to the floor in front of Katherine and took her hands in his.
“Hurry,” Oscar whispered.
Right, she had no idea how long Sergei would remain calm. But she trusted Luther would protect her, if it came to that. Once the incision was large enough, she used the tip of the blade to hold back one side of the opening.
“Use these.” Oscar handed her a pair of large tweezers.
She ignored the growling sounds coming from Sergei, the sight of Katherine’s blood trickling down her neck and turning the towels red, and concentrated on probing the wound with the tips of the tweezers.
Sweat beaded on Victoria’s forehead. She went hot then cold. She stiffened her spine, knowing she couldn’t stop now. The metal tips hit something hard. “I’ve got it.” Or she hoped she had. It took longer than she wanted, felt like hours when she knew it was a matter of seconds, but she managed to grip the foreign object. She slowly pulled her hand back, keeping it steady. She didn’t want to lose the tracker and have to probe again.
She was surprised her hand was steady when she straightened, a small object held tightly in the tweezers.
Tarrant held out his hand, and she dropped the tracker into his palm.
“Ingenious.” He held it up to the light. “It’s covering seems to be organic.”
“So her body wouldn’t reject it.” Luther released his father, and Sergei surged to his feet.
“You will drink my blood,” Sergei decreed.
Oscar had pushed Victoria aside and was busy closing the wound, holding the edges together with adhesive strips.
Katherine reached for her husband’s hand. “I’m fine.” Sergei grumbled but left it at that. The second Oscar finished taping on a small gauze bandage and removing the bloody towel from around her neck and shoulders, Sergei swooped in and lifted his mate into his arms, holding her close.
Victoria wavered a bit and sat down in the vacated chair. She was feeling a little queasy after what she’d just done. Luther was beside her instantly. “Are you okay?” He crouched down beside her and rubbed his hand over her arm and down her back. She wanted to lean against him but didn’t. Not with so many people watching.
“I’ll be fine.” She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile as she pulled off the bloody gloves. He frowned, not looking convinced. “What about the tracker?” she asked to take the attention off of herself.
Tarrant held it between his fingers and crushed it. The small device crumbled beneath the pressure. “We have to assume the location is compromised.” He looked to his brother. “I’m sorry.”
Victoria was, too. The man had offered up his home, and now he would no longer be able to use it.
Nic shrugged. “It’s fine. I have other houses.”
But Victoria sensed this one was different. Their being here had compromised this location. She imagined that drakons would have homes all over the world, but they would have favorites.
They now had to move, to possibly head their separate ways. That would be safer. But she didn’t want to leave Luther.
“What now?” she asked. Oscar took
the soiled gloves from her and tossed them in the garbage before starting to clean up from their impromptu surgery.
“We need to get out of here.” Luther stood and took control. “Be ready to move in ten minutes,” he told his parents.
Victoria stood, feeling a little less shaky. She’d need all that ten minutes to braid her hair and stop the quivering of her knees.
Luther walked toward the front window and peered out. She wanted him back by her side, but now wasn’t the time to indulge. They needed action. There was no way of knowing just how long it might take Caine to get here, especially once he realized his tracker was no longer operational.
She turned to Nic and Tarrant. “Thank you for all your help.”
They both inclined their heads, and Nic spoke. “You’re very welcome.” It was still surreal that she was here with four drakons. Her life had changed so quickly. She’d gone from personal assistant to a businessman, who just happened to be a ranking member of a secret society, to being on the run. She had no home that was safe, no money she could access, and nowhere to go.
But one of these men had skills. “I wonder,” she began and then broke off.
“What?” Nic asked. He suddenly looked suspicious. She couldn’t blame him.
“Nothing.” Best to let it go.
“No, what is it you want?” Tarrant asked. His less-than-friendly tone had Luther spinning around to glare at the man.
She ignored everyone else and focused on Tarrant. “You have computer skills.”
He nodded.
“Do you think it’s possible for you to access my bank account and get my money? I’ll need it to run.” There was so much to think about—a new identity, where she would go. But it all began with money.
Tarrant’s gaze softened. “You don’t need money.”
“Yes, I do.” She had nothing. She tried not to think too hard about that. Her entire life, she’d had less than most people. Even after she’d started working and making good money, she’d tucked it away in her savings, spending only the minimum needed.
It was depressing to think about. All those years she’d scrimped and saved and done without. And for what? Now she couldn’t touch her money. Better she’d blown it on trips and experiences. But a part of her had been saving for a home. A place to call her own. Something no one could take away from her.
Drakon Unchained Page 22
