by A. C. James
“How could you say that?” His voice was hushed and dark, like a man praying for his life. “I love you so much.”
“Then let me go,” Cyn said wearily. “You really need to let us go, Nathan.”
Nathan ran a hand through his dishevelled hair. “You don’t get it. You really don’t understand how I feel about you or why you’re here. I did this to save you from yourself, Cyn. You don’t belong with that beast. You never did.”
“I guess I don’t understand,” Cyn said, her eyes cold.
Nathan shook his head. He turned toward Maelíosa, as if seeing her for the first time. Then he sighed, backed out of the room, and trudged up the stairs.
When he was gone, Maelíosa strained against her ropes. “I can’t get these bloody things loose.”
“Can’t you shift?”
“I wish... Normally I’d be strong enough, but I think that eejit gave me a concussion. My mare can’t seem to push out of it,” Maelíosa said, feeling like a huge failure. “I’m sorry, Cyn.”
Cyn waved her hand in the air dismissively. “I was hoping for some kind of magic, but we’ll figure out how to escape anyway.”
Maelíosa nodded. “Aye.”
Cyn shifted, jangling her arm against the chair. “This bloody cuff is killing my wrist.”
Maelíosa swallowed. She was hurting, too, but somehow it seemed unfair to compare her pain to a pregnant woman’s—and one who’d been in the basement for much longer. Still, her head ached.
Maelíosa gritted her teeth and threw her full weight against the ropes. “I’ll get us out of here. I promise.”
The ropes strained, but didn’t break. She worked harder, desperately trying to free herself, until she was panting. A coat of sweat appeared on her brow. She twisted and struggled at the ropes, knowing it was all in vain. Even if she was able to wiggle out of the ropes, she had no idea how to help Cyn. Metal cuffs were a lot stronger than some manky old rope. Maelíosa was wheezing from the exertion, and stopped to rest for a moment. She laughed out loud at the impossible predicament.
“What’s so fucking funny?” Cyn asked.
“Me and Felicity were in a similar situation with that Archer arse. We’ll be okay,” Maelíosa said.
“Whatever you say,” Cyn said bitterly. “I’m all ears.”
Chapter Two
Sage’s heart filled with ice, but he couldn’t take his mind off the game. One wrong step, and he could be dead. Another wrong step, and everyone around him would be in trouble. He was terrified of losing his mate—the bond was tugging at his heartstrings like they were a fine instrument—but letting that fear take hold would be deadly.
“My daughter,” Fallon said as they inched along the outside of the house. “What d’you suppose happened to her?”
“Ain’t sure,” Sage said. His voice was rough. “No matter what, we stick to the plan. We’ve got to keep moving and find Cyn. Then we search the premises for Maelíosa. It wouldn’t make sense for them to hurt her. They’re gonna want her as leverage.”
“We have to get inside,” Fallon said with quiet determination.
Sage nodded. “Right. This way...”
He pointed toward a dark corner at the side of the house, where there was a window about six feet off the ground.
“We can get in through here.” Sage paused, then listened with his hand pressed against the wall of the house. “I don’t think this is connected to the main area. We should be able to go unnoticed if we’re quiet.”
Fallon nodded. Sage thought he saw a spark of appreciation in the older man’s eyes, but he couldn’t be sure.
“But first...” Sage said. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
He swung his pack off and slid it to the ground. His pockets were filled with grenades and small explosives. A familiar rush of adrenaline rushed through his veins—he hadn’t been this pumped since the SEALs.
“Where are you going?”
Sage tapped his pockets and grinned. “Always good to have a backup plan. And this one involves smoking those assholes out.”
“Aye,” Fallon said.
Sage crept along the side of the building toward the main door. Raucous, lazy voices inside told him the men were probably done for the night. Good. It’d be easier to catch them off-guard if they were relaxed. Sage balled his hands into fists. If you hurt my mate, you’re going to be sorry you were ever born. The idea of someone hurting the woman who’d saved his life was unthinkable. Falling for her was never part of his plan, but he loved her, and not because she’d given up her freedom or mated with him. He couldn’t pinpoint when the realization hit home, but if he was honest, meeting Maelíosa felt like fate. From the moment he’d seen her standing behind that desk, he’d wanted her. He’d fallen pretty damn hard, and if anyone hurt her he’d bash their skull in. He stealthily edged toward a door and carefully set up explosives near the entrance. They might need to go out with a bang.
Sage grinned as he finished placing the explosives and made his way back toward Fallon. Suddenly, something moved in the periphery of his vision. A man, clad in black, was approaching Fallon from behind. Sage snuck closer and raised the heavy flashlight he was holding. Without warning, he let it fall with a considerable amount of force on the man’s head. He went down silently.
Fallon whirled around, a confused look on his face. “What in the bloody hell was that?” he whispered.
“Whoever he is, he’s out for now,” Sage said under his breath. “Come on.”
Sage leaned down and hefted the man over his shoulder. Fallon moved to help him, but the adrenaline rush made Sage faster than the old man. He was relieved that all of his strength had returned, thanks to Ariel. Without even breaking a sweat, Sage carried the dead weight over to a clump of trees. He dropped the man on the ground, trussed his wrists and ankles with zip ties, duct taped his mouth, and then left him hidden behind some bushes.
Fallon gave him a wry grin. “You’re rather quick on your feet. I should have known.”
Sage chuckled. “Should’ve known what?”
“That my lass wouldn’t settle for anything less,” Fallon said stoically. “Now, we rescue both my girls.”
Sage smirked, but he let it go. There was no point in arguing that Maelíosa was his girl now.
MAELÍOSA MANAGED TO loosen the ropes, but not completely. Her nostrils flared. No matter how she twisted, she couldn’t get free. Cyn was next to her, falling in and out of sleep. She’d snore softly for a few minutes, then her head would jerk up. Each passing second was a little more hopeless than the last. Worry churned in Maelíosa’s gut. Where in the bloody hell was her mate?
Cyn broke the silence. “What’s wrong?” Her voice came out thin and shaky.
“The mate bond,” Maelíosa confessed.
Thankfully the room was too dark for Cyn to notice her flushed cheeks. It was the first time she’d spoken of such a thing from personal experience. She’d heard stories about the mate bond her whole life—honestly, it was kind of nauseating hearing the females in the clan chatter on about how bloody intimate and amazing it was when they connected to their mates. She’d mostly scoffed at them. But everything she’d ever heard had been true, and the experience was more profound than anything she could put into words.
“It’s strong,” Cyn said. “I feel it, too. I know Fallon is close. His stallion is all worked up.”
“Sage is an expert at this kind of mission.” Maelíosa wasn’t sure whom the words were meant to comfort, Cyn or herself. “I know they’ll come for us soon.”
“You don’t think they were captured, do you?” Cyn sounded like a scared little girl.
Maelíosa snorted. “Things have gone arseways. Believe you me, I never thought I’d be a damsel in distress.” The very thought made her lip curl into a sneer.
Cyn laughed.
“I’ve always been the tough one, and now I’m stuck here with you. But I don’t think they’ve been captured. I have a feeling I’d have sensed it through the ma
te bond.”
“You are the tough one,” Cyn said quietly. “I was going to bloody pieces before you got here.”
She was silent for a moment, and Maelíosa could tell she wanted to say something else.
“Whatever it is, just spit it out.”
“Maelíosa, I’m bleeding.” Her voice was quiet and dull.
Fear pierced Maelíosa. “What?”
“I felt cramping in my belly, and I managed to reach between my legs. I’m bleeding.” She paused. “At least, I was. Not sure if I still am.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Maelíosa said flatly, knowing full well Cyn was serious. “We need to get out of here.”
“We’ll get out of here,” Cyn said. “I may not be pregnant once we do, but we’ll get out. Fallon won’t stop until he finds me.”
The news of a possible miscarriage threw Maelíosa into panic. She struggled against the ropes with even more force, pushing her exhausted mare. She couldn’t give up. Not now, when things were dangerously close to real disaster. Gritting her teeth, she threw her body forward and finally heard the satisfying rippppp of the rope fraying. She hurled herself once more against her bonds, twisting with all of her strength. Finally the ropes snapped, and she was able to twist away from the chair.
“Fuck me, you did it,” Cyn said with a hint of awe in her tone.
Maelíosa wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and let out a deep breath. Her body was shaking and tired, but adrenaline was buzzing anew within her veins. She stood up and rubbed her legs.
“I’ve got to find that blasted key,” Maelíosa said, glancing around the room. It was dark, but her eyes were sharp. Although she wasn’t sure she’d be able to find the key anyway; knowing her luck it was probably in Nathan’s pocket.
“Look near the stairs. I thought I saw Nathan hang it on the wall.”
Maelíosa began feeling around the wall, looking desperately for the key or a light switch. She guessed it would be small, and likely made out of some kind of silver metal that matched the cuffs. After scrambling for the key and groping blindly for a few minutes, her heart started pounding.
“I can’t see anything! I can’t find it, Cyn.”
“Keep looking.”
Maelíosa darted over to Cyn. She felt the cold metal twisting around the other woman’s wrist and binding her to the chair. The lock was tiny, and Maelíosa frowned.
“I might be able to pop this. Do you have any pins in your hair?”
Cyn shook her head. “No. I had some in my bag, but I don’t know where that is.”
“Brilliant.” Cyn always had her hair pinned into an updo. Maelíosa found it absurd that today of all days there were no pins when they needed one.
“Maelíosa, please! You’ve got to get me out of here...” Her voice took on a desperate edge.
Frustrated, Maelíosa stood up and began searching again. The floor was dusty and dirty, but nothing glinted up at her. She scanned the room carefully, then crept over to the stairs. Finally, something flashed in the darkness. Maelíosa gritted her teeth and moved her hands across the rough wall until her fingers made contact with something cold and metallic.
Triumphantly, she held up the key. “Found it!”
“Hurry,” Cyn hissed.
Maelíosa darted back to the chair where Cyn was sitting and took the cuffs in hand. The key easily slid into the lock and Maelíosa turned it, making the cuff pop open. Cyn sighed and eagerly pulled her hand into her lap, rubbing her wrist and fingers.
“Thank you,” Cyn said quietly. “Now all we have to do is get out of here—”
The door at the top of the stairs burst open. Maelíosa’s heart sank as she saw Nathan and a tall, burly man enter.
“You lot are making too much noise,” the burly man said, flipping on a harsh fluorescent white light.
He scurried down the stairs and Maelíosa was horrified to see a shiny black object in his hand. Her blood froze when she realised it was a gun.
“No!” Maelíosa cried.
The man ignored her. Instead, he hefted the gun and pointed it at Cyn.
“No!” Nathan and Maelíosa shouted in unison.
“You can’t shoot her,” Nathan cried loudly. “She’s pregnant!”
The burly man jerked his head back and spat on the ground. “Too bloody bad,” he said, pulling the trigger.
Maelíosa leapt forward, jumping in front of Cyn. She was barely aware of crashing to her hands and knees in front of her stepmother. Burning pain bloomed in her belly, and she screamed, wrapping her hands around her body. She could taste fear and blood in her mouth. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it would escape from her chest. Cool, strong hands on were on her, pulling her into Cyn’s lap.
“Nathan, what the bloody hell did you do?” Cyn stared up at Nathan, with Maelíosa lying prostrate in her arms. “Why? How could you?”
Moisture dripped onto her face, and she realised Cyn was crying. Everything seemed sluggish, like she was swimming in slow motion. Her body was soaked with warm blood, and she felt like she was being burned and stabbed at the same time. The sensation of metal piercing her skin was enough to make her want to pass out, but instead she remained curiously aware of the situation, as if she were floating out of her body and looking down at the group gathered in the basement. We’re going to die. Just as long as they don’t hurt the baby. Please, don’t let them hurt Cyn or the baby.
“Nathan, how could you?” Cyn repeated, cradling Maelíosa in her arms. “How could you?”
She wrapped her arms tightly around Maelíosa and squeezed her close. Maelíosa could feel the heat radiating off the other woman’s skin, and she struggled to keep her eyes open. There was a loud shout and a sound like an explosion, and suddenly everything went black.
Chapter Three
Sage was standing uneasily on Fallon’s shoulders. The window in front of him wasn’t budging, no matter how hard he pushed.
“Hold still,” Sage said, his voice low. “I need to pry this open.”
Fallon grunted and swayed. Once he’d steadied himself, Sage pulled out a collapsible metal rod and brought it close to the window. There was a sharp sound as a few cracks appeared in the wooden frame.
Fuck. Sage growled in the back of his throat. If he damaged the frame it might get jammed. He tried again, softer this time, and the window gave. He levered open the window as quietly as he could. Sage grabbed the windowsill with both hands and pulled himself up and over the frame. Then he scanned the dimly lit room to make sure it was safe before leaning back out the window and reaching down.
“Grab my hand,” he said.
Fallon wrapped his hand around his son-in-law’s, and Sage tugged hard. He braced himself against the wall and pulled Fallon up. Within a few minutes, the two were on their feet, inside Only Human headquarters. Sage guessed the place hadn’t been used for anything in years. The house itself seemed ancient and abandoned. Sage grinned to himself, knowing that the OH douchebags had chosen it for all of the wrong reasons. They probably thought an old house like this would be more secure because it was out in the middle of nowhere. Too bad they were wrong. Assholes. This is what they get for daring to put their hands on my wife.
“That was fast,” Fallon said quietly.
Sage grinned—he must have done well, to make a good impression on Fallon. Holding a finger to his lips, Sage crept across the wooden slats. One of the floorboards groaned, and he cringed. Sage stayed silent, listening to the rhythm of his heart. The only other sound was Fallon’s shallow breathing. Then there was movement below them. Sage pointed at the floor, indicating that the OH assholes were right beneath them. Fallon nodded, and Sage tapped his pocket with the explosives in it.
“I’m going to set up a timer,” Sage whispered, “and then we’ll rescue the girls. Grab them, and start the timer on the way out. We good?”
Fallon stared for a moment, then nodded. Thomas, Kieran, and Niall were still outside. The plan was for them to ru
sh in the back once Sage let them know over the walkie-talkies that the timer was set. As Sage listened, he tried to guess how many men were in the room below. He sat down on the floor and leaned over, pressing his ear to the dusty wood. He heard more than one voice, although they were quiet and their accents were so similar that it was hard to tell them apart. Sage quietly rose from the floor and moved toward a cracked wooden door.
He gently turned the knob. The door eased open, and Sage kept his other hand at the door jam to minimize any sound coming from the ancient hinges. Thankfully, it opened without any trouble. The hallway was dark, too.
“Stay close,” Sage whispered.
Motioning for Fallon to follow behind, Sage crept out of the room. The hallway opened up to a staircase. The downstairs was clearly lit, and Sage could hear voices streaming in from the kitchen. He groaned silently—the men sounded quite drunk, carousing and cheering. He could hear their voices more clearly now: there were only three men, four at the most. We’ve got you outnumbered. Satisfaction curved his face into a smile as he crept down the staircase.
Suddenly, the men stopped laughing and went silent. Sage held his breath. Keep your mouth shut. Don’t breathe. Don’t even move. He wanted to warn Fallon to stay still, but thankfully he hadn’t budged. Sage frowned. Why was it so quiet all of a sudden? He was confident that neither he nor Fallon had made a noise.
One of the men jumped to his feet, his boots thudding on the floorboards.
“I heard somethin’,” a voice said. “One of them bitches downstairs.”
“Probably crying again,” another voice slurred. “Bloody women don’t know how to shut it sometimes.”
“I heard footsteps...” the first voice said.
Sage cringed as a second man leapt to his feet.
