Lloyd burst out laughing. “Don’t strain yourself. You’ll need all your strength to get Emily to even consider you.”
“Shut up.” Foster spat as he got up, brushing himself off. “Why on Earth is The Den closed?”
“How would I know?” Lloyd asked. He strained his hearing, listening for the usual sounds of booming nightlife, but all was quiet. “I don’t like this… it doesn’t sound like there is anyone here…” Without another word, Lloyd grabbed the door handle, his eyes shifting and his nose flaring.
“If I couldn’t open it, what makes you think you could? These are industrial –”
Before Foster could finish his statement, Lloyd had unhinged the door, throwing away the scrap metal with a loud clang. “You were saying?” He mocked with a grin as he rolled his shoulder, loosening up his muscles.
Foster just huffed, his teeth grinding together. He glared at Lloyd for a moment before stepping inside the vacant establishment. The floors were clear. The bar had not yet been stocked with the night’s alcohol. “This is strange…” He spoke to himself as he sniffed the air, trying to notice any unusual scent, but nothing seemed out of order.
“You’re telling me.” Lloyd agreed as he joined his step-brother, his footsteps echoing through the empty space. “It’s like a ghost town in here.”
“What do you think happened?”
Suddenly, it dawned on both of them that Emily lived upstairs. Quick as lightning, they rushed up the stairs, their shoulders jostling together as they tried to climb the steps two at a time. They arrived at the landing before shoving through the apartment door, getting wedged inside the doorway.
“Look what you did now!” Foster screamed, trying to wiggle away, but both he and his brother were pinned in place.
“This is your fault.” Lloyd snapped as his fingers wrapped around the doorframe, slowly cracking the wood until he yanked it out of place, throwing it into Emily’s living room. Finally, they were able to get through. Lloyd plucked a few splinters from his palm.
“Emily!” Foster called out, his eyes darting left and right, looking for her. She wasn’t in the living room or the kitchen. Lloyd was already heading toward the bedroom. He could smell whelps all over the place. They had infiltrated her apartment. He was sure of it and the mere thought made his blood boil. His wings emerged from his shoulders in anger as he stepped into her bedroom.
The door was swung back, the doorknob embedded in the wall. The bed was flipped over. Under his feet were crushed-up pieces of a vase. A lamp lay shattered on the bed. Lloyd stood there, shaking with anger as he took in the scene. “I’m going to fucking kill those weaklings.” He threatened under his breath. “I’m going to kill them… every last one of them.” His voice shook and his fists trembled.
Seconds later, Foster entered the room, his eyes wide and horrified. He gasped, his hand covering his mouth as he slowly walked up to the bed. His nostrils filled with the scent of the whelps. His blood ran cold as he followed his nose to the sheets, noticing the singe marks. “They were here… they came for her.”
“None of this would’ve happened if you had allowed me to mate with her last night.” Suddenly, Lloyd rammed Foster into the wall, his hand wrapped around his step-brother’s neck. His fingers tightened, determined to crush Foster’s windpipe right then and there. “This is all your fault. If she is injured in any way, I’ll destroy you.” His words dripped with venom, his body pressing against Foster’s.
“Let go of me, you fool. I can’t help you find her if I’m dead.” Foster croaked as his fingers tightened around Lloyd’s wrist, trying to weaken his grasp. He could feel his lungs burn with the lack of air.
With a look of disgust, Lloyd threw him to the ground. Foster gasped, trying to replenish his lungs as he coughed, rubbing his throat. “You’re an asshole.” He spat and slowly got up. “I told you this would happen. I said we couldn’t protect her during the day and I was right.”
“Shut up!” Lloyd bellowed, the sound shaking the very foundation of the building. “This is your fault. Don’t even try pinning this on me.”
“Look. The whelps took her. They obviously aren’t very happy that you beat up one of their own…”
“Oh, so this is my fault, is it? Typical. Blame me. You never want to be at fault, do you? You’re such a fucking coward and if you think I need your help to find her, you’re mistaken. Even if I did, I wouldn’t want it.” Lloyd spat.
“You forget I’m the fastest seeker in our kingdom. Your sense of smell is no match compared to mine.”
“What does it matter if you’re nothing more than a chicken?”
“Yelling at me won’t bring her back so quit it.” Foster crossed his arms over his chest. “So, either you listen to me and we work together or I let you search for her for the rest of your life. Or have you forgotten that the whelps are masters of disguise? They’ve been living among the humans for years. Then again, you wouldn’t know because you’re so caught up in being royalty that you never concern yourself with others’ affairs.”
“I already told you to shut up. Don’t make me come over there and rip out your tongue.”
“Oh, I’m so scared,” Foster answered with a snarky tone before he approached the bed and ran his fingers along the scorch mark. He lifted his fingers to his nose, taking a big whiff of the scent. “Dynos,” Foster whispered.
“What?”
“Dynos. The whelps who took her are from the Dyno Clan. They live in the Appalachian Mountains.” Lloyd just looked at his step-brother, confused. “They must’ve taken her there.”
“But why would they take her in the first place?”
“Like I said, they probably weren’t very fond of you almost killing one of their members last night.”
“What was I supposed to do? He attacked Emily!”
“I’m not blaming you, I would’ve done the same thing. I’m just saying…” Foster sighed. “They probably thought she was your mate and with someone like that in their clutches… they can milk you for anything they want.”
“You mean like a ransom?” Lloyd questioned.
“You’re the dragon prince, aren’t you?”
Lloyd paced around the room. “Well, what are we still doing here? You know where they live, dammit. Let’s get her back. Let’s prove that whelps can’t mess with the dragon princes.”
Foster was momentarily stunned by his step-brother’s sudden solidarity. He grinned and nodded. “Let’s go save our girl.”
Soon, they were up on the roof. “Just try to keep up.” Foster’s grin deepened before he turned into a full-fledged dragon, rolling his body as his scales settled into place. Behind him, Lloyd transformed as well. The roof creaked with their combined weight before they shot into the air, determined to save Emily by any means necessary. Even if it meant giving up their lives.
Chapter Nine
The two dragons soared through the open air, slicing through the clouds. Lloyd struggled to keep up with his step-brother. His wings were starting to ache as he pushed himself to his limit. Never before had he flown so fast. He felt himself becoming a blur that merged with the clouds. Still, he ignored the dull, aching pain. All he could think about was Emily. Was she okay? What were the whelps doing to her? How could he let this happen?
He growled and urged himself to fly even faster. Up ahead, Foster seemed to be flying at a leisurely pace as his wings flapped effortlessly. His nostrils flared, erupting with vicious red flames as he caught the scent of the Dyno clan up ahead. He dipped down, breaking through the clouds, skydiving toward the ground. Lloyd quickly followed suit.
As they panned out, Lloyd looked forward, seeing a large mountain range. The peaks were covered with fluffy white snow. The valleys were verdant and blooming with wildlife. Foster slowed down, allowing Lloyd to catch up to him and soon, his step-brother was hovering close by. Their eyes locked and with a nod of his head, Foster rushed forward, heading for a small opening at the top of the largest peak.
Lloyd could see small, ant-like figures moving across a man-made ledge. They were carrying boxes of valuables that glittered in the mid-morning sunlight. His eyes narrowed and his vision sharpened. He focused on a younger whelp who stopped after fumbling. He had dropped his box and was now picking up watches, bracelets, and other trinkets the humans deemed valuable. So, these whelps were thieves. No wonder they never reported back to the Dragon Kingdom. Lloyd growled, his scales rippling with anger as he shot forward, determined to tear apart every single one of them, limb from limb. Before he could get too far, however, Foster grabbed him by the tail and pulled him back.
With a single accusatory glance from his step-brother, Lloyd calmed down. He knew that if they made one wrong move – if they revealed themselves too quickly – the whelps would probably kill Emily before they could do anything to stop it. Still, he was getting anxious, seeing all the whelps move into the cave in a single file. He wanted to do something. He couldn’t just wait in the air while they did who knows what to Emily.
While Lloyd worried, Foster craned his neck and smelled the air. The wind was not in his favor. He repositioned himself and took in another sniff before he let out a low rumble. As fast as lightning, he shot out, spotting a group of whelps that were working together to open a seal they had enchanted with forbidden magic.
The second they removed the barrier, Foster bolted inside the cave, his large body quickly becoming cramped by the narrow tunnel. Forced to shapeshift back to his human form, the lesser dragons quickly surrounded him. They held barbed wire clubs and vicious grins painted their faces, their jagged, animalistic teeth on full display. “You shouldn’t have come here.” One whelp said, moving forward, his posture rigid and his face full of confidence.
“And you shouldn’t waste your time talking.” Before the whelp could react, Lloyd had grabbed him by the hair, bashing his face against the cave wall. He groaned in pain before falling unconscious. The rest of the whelps quickly forgot about Foster as they turned on Lloyd, their clubs high in the air, ready to beat the dragon prince senseless.
“If you think a few pieces of wood are enough to defeat me, you’re all sadly mistaken.” Lloyd ran his tongue over his lips before grabbing the closest whelp’s wrist, nearly burning his flesh down to the bone. The whelp, blinded by pain, lashed out, taking out some of his fellow comrades in his fury. The others, still unharmed, looked terrified, but before they could run, Foster smashed their heads together, smirking. Those who managed to slip past the step-brothers disappeared deep into the cave.
“We have to find her quick before they manage to get backup,” Foster whispered urgently.
“Lead the way.” Lloyd pushed him forward. Foster stopped, sniffed the air for a moment, trying to figure out its direction. Lloyd was about to tell him to hurry up when he rushed forward, as fast as he could, right toward the wall. Lloyd winced, bracing himself for Foster’s impact, but it never came. The younger dragon simply disappeared. Lloyd blinked, thinking it was some sort of a trick, but still, Foster simply wasn’t there.
Seeing no other option, he took a few steps back before he rammed the wall, running through it as if it was never there to begin with. On the other side, however, water surrounded him. He nearly gulped down a mouthful before he could get his bearings, propelling himself toward the surface. His eyes burned as he kept them open underwater.
Finally, he made it to the top, gasping for air. He treaded water and looked around. “C’mon,” Foster called out. He was already shaking out the wetness from his long, messy hair. With powerful strokes, Lloyd swam to the shore.
“How do they have a body of water inside a mountain?”
“The Dynos have obviously delved into the dark arts. This whole place is enchanted. Just wait until the council hears about this.”
“But the council will never find out about us. That is if you care about your mate.” A sharply-dressed whelp with burning red eyes stepped forward. He wore a baggy black sweater and dark skinny jeans. He had a pair of snakebite piercings on his bottom lip.
“What have you done to Emily?” Lloyd bellowed as he dashed out of the water, already rampaging toward the individual. Before he could even reach the whelp, however, he slammed into an invisible wall.
“Ah. You must be Lloyd. The dragon prince. I’ve heard that you’re impulsive, I just never thought you’d risk your mate’s life. Then again, you never were very bright, were you? Mating with a human and then leaving her unguarded during the day while you went back to your kingdom.” He shook his head, his hands clasped behind his body as he walked back and forth behind the protection of his imperceptible barrier.
“I swear, if you do anything to hurt her, I’ll kill you!” Lloyd pounded against the seemingly empty space, but to no avail. All he managed to do is hurt his hands.
The man scoffed, amused by the prince’s actions. “Will you now? And what if I kill her first? Sure, you can kill me afterward, but will you be able to live with yourself, knowing you were the one responsible for her death? That you had the chance to save her and failed miserably.” He stepped forward, nothing but a few inches separating him from the two dragons.
“I’m. Going. To. Kill. You.” Lloyd’s long, razor-sharp nails ground against the wall as his fury overwhelmed him. He felt like he would explode at any moment.
Foster stepped forward with his hands behind his back, his face calm and composed. “Why have you brought her here?”
The sharply-dressed whelp turned his attention to the younger dragon and grinned. “Ah, you must be Foster. The bastard child.” He grinned. “I thought you’d be smart enough to find out.”
“I suspect you used Lloyd’s attack on one of your members as the catalyst you needed to blackmail him. You found out that Emily is under his protection and used her as a tool…”
“Precisely.” He snapped his fingers and two whelps stepped out from a jagged formation of rocks. They dragged Emily’s unconscious body by the arms, her feet grazing against the ground. Her head slumped forward, her dress ripped in multiple places. For the most part, however, her outfit was still intact.
“Emily!” Lloyd cried out and slammed his fist into the invisible wall once again, but all he accomplished was getting his arm to bleed. “You son of a bitch, what have you done to her?”
“I didn’t do anything.” He chuckled. “I let my men handle her. But I can assure you, she’s okay. Maybe a few bruises… but nothing life-threatening… yet.” One of the whelps held out a small vial with a bubbling green liquid. “I’m going to assume you both know what that is.”
“Dragon venom…” Foster whispered, horrified. “You wouldn’t –”
“I will if you don’t get us protection from the council. You keep them out of our hair and we’ll return the girl.” He said before he turned around and approached Emily. He lifted her chin with a long, thin finger. Emily’s head lolled on her neck as if she was already dead. Foster shuddered before he quickly looked around. He knew that every spell, no matter how dark, had a loophole.
His keen eyesight scanned the area before he spotted a strange black stone. Subtly, he tiptoed toward it, picking it up as the man slapped Emily’s cheek lightly, trying to wake her. “Come now. There are some people here who would like to see you.”
“You keep your dirty hands off her!” Lloyd bellowed, feeling his blood boil. His heart was hammering harder than ever as his rage grew stronger and stronger. He wanted to break this man’s neck. To hear him scream in agony. To punish him for everything he had done.
“I’d like to see you try and stop me.” The man challenged as he uncapped the vial. “Of course, all of this can be avoided if you just guarantee our safety and protection from the council.”
“Fuck off.” Lloyd spat. He took a few steps back, getting ready to charge. Off to the side, Foster picked up the rock and the moment he did, it fizzled. A red emblem flashed angrily before fading away. The barrier flickered, like an old TV being turned off.
Suddenly, Lloyd sho
t forward, expecting to ram into the wall, but instead, he tackled the three whelps to the ground. Emily was brought down in the commotion, her body crushed by all the others. The vial of poison tumbled down, landing dangerously close to her face.
Lloyd didn’t even notice. He was too focused on making her abductors pay. He grabbed the leader by the neck and lifted him up, his feet dangling off the ground. “Any last words?” He asked, his fingers threatening to crush the whelp’s windpipe. Before he could, however, the other whelps rushed forward, helping their leader. Lloyd was pushed to the ground, forced to fight off all three of them while Foster rushed to Emily’s side.
When he got there, the venom had already brushed against her lips. They were pale as if all her blood had retreated from her face. Quickly, he brushed it off, feeling the stinging pain as the poison touched his skin. Underfoot, it corroded the soil, burning a hole in the ground.
“Emily… Emily… please wake up…” He pleaded with her. Her chest was barely moving and Foster feared that it was too late. If the venom had gotten into her blood stream, her chances of survival were slim to none. Not losing hope, he picked her up. He couldn’t just give up. After coming all this way, after falling for her so hard, he wasn’t going to lose her now.
As he cradled her in his arms, he heard a loud crack. Nearby, Lloyd had made short work of the whelps and was now panting. There were a few cuts and bruises on his face, but in his hands was the leader of the whelps, his neck snapped.
Lloyd huffed before he looked down at Emily’s limp body. “Is she…” He felt his throat tighten with fear.
“Not yet… but she came in contact with the venom… we have to get her back to the kingdom. Now.”
“Go. Don’t wait for me. Just go!” Foster nodded and ran out of the cave, holding Emily close to his chest.
“Please, stay with me, Emily.” His lips brushed against her forehead as he ran as fast as his legs would carry him. “I love you…”
Alpha's Love (Rocky Mountain Shifters Book 3) Page 49
