Further down, she found the coordinates of the two tunnel exit points.
Evie scanned the rest of her files for anything else on the Carlisle tunnels, but didn’t find another reference. It was almost as if the DDA had abandoned any further research, which was odd. The DDA hated the dragon hunters nearly as much as misbehaving dragon-shifters, except the DDA’s reasons had more to do with inconvenience than a sense of moral duty.
Then she remembered the promotion of Jonathan Christie to Assistant Director of the DDA. His promotion had been right after the second report on the tunnels had been filed. New leadership always brought change, but her intuition sense it was something more than a mere administrative oversight. There was a slim possibility Christie had ordered them to stop looking, although she had no reason why.
Unless Christie had some kind of deal with the dragon hunters. The thought that the DDA knew about Bourne’s plans to kidnap dragon-shifter children made her sick to her stomach. It was definitely something she needed to check out once she had the chance.
She clenched one of her fists. Despite the lack of enthusiasm concerning dragon-shifters for most of the higher-ups in the department, she refused to believe they would allow innocent children to be kidnapped and imprisoned.
Focus on the present and what you can do now. Right. Pushing aside her disappointment at the DDA, she focused on the positive. Finally, she had something Bram might be able to use.
She swung around in her chair. Charlie and Nikki were lounging on the couch, finishing up their own meals. They noticed her movement, however, and stopped eating. Nikki asked, “What? Did you find something?”
Standing up, Evie tried to keep her voice calm. “I might know the location of two secret entrances for the Carlisle hunters’ den. I need to contact Bram or Kai before they fly off to rescue Murray. Otherwise, they could end up finding an empty set of rooms and not know why.”
Charlie gently laid her plate on a free spot on the couch. “How reliable is your information?”
Evie straightened her shoulders. “Using a collection of reports taken from the locals, the DDA confirmed the locations with radar, so I’d say fairly reliable. The only concern is the information is a year old.”
Charlie raised an eyebrow. “How do we know the hunters are unaware of the DDA’s discovery and switched escape methods? A year is a long time. Any number of changes could’ve been made.”
While not being questioned would make things easier, Evie respected Charlie’s drive for certainty. “Well, to be honest, we don’t know if they’ve changed escape plans. But even if the hunters know about the DDA’s discovery of those two exit points, there are bound to be other tunnels. If they are still using them, having a dragon or two circling in the sky to look out for other exit points would be a good idea. I need to tell Bram.”
Charlie gave her a once-over. “You’ll do well at Stonefire.” Before Evie could do more than blink, Charlie said to Nikki, “Patch her through to the secure number.”
Nikki moved to the landline phone near the kitchen. Returning to her laptop, Evie scrolled to the coordinates and walked over to Nikki. Just as the dragonwoman held out the phone for her to take it, a boom reverberated through the air.
Nikki tossed aside the phone and pushed her behind the kitchen island counter. The dragonwoman whispered, “Stay here,” and moved out of Evie’s line of sight.
A loud crash sounded inside the cave dwelling. As dust swirled in the air above her, she decided the intruders must’ve blown in the door.
As the sounds of shuffled feet and flesh pounding flesh filled the air, Evie tried to think of what she could do to help. She’d spent the last seven years with the DDA, but the role never required training beyond basic self-defense. Even then, most of it was aimed toward dragon-shifters. She had no idea if the people inside the dwelling were human or not.
She had no training, no weapon, and was trapped inside a cave. Things weren’t looking good.
Then she heard a female grunt of pain and Evie decided hiding wasn’t going to help anyone. It was time to see if they were here for her.
Stashing the laptop inside the cabinet of the island counter, Evie took a deep breath and peeked over the counter top. Charlie was taking on two people dressed in black with bandannas over the lower half of their faces in some kind of hand-to-hand combat she couldn’t identify. Glancing over at Nikki, the other dragonwoman was struggling to defend the blows from another person dressed in the same attire because of her injured arm and shoulder.
The clothing and height of the three invaders told her they weren’t dragon-shifters. If she were to place a bet, they were dragon hunters.
Which meant they were probably here for her. Nikki and Charlie would just be a bonus.
As Nikki stumbled from a blow to her injured shoulder, Evie made a decision and stood up. Clapping her hands together, she yelled, “Hey, hunters, looking for me?”
Her heart thundered in her chest as all eyes locked on to her face. Not wasting a moment, she continued, “My name is Evie Marshall. If you’re here for me, leave the two women alone and I’ll cooperate.”
Nikki said, “No, Evie, don’t do it.”
The person in black opposite Evie punched Nikki’s injured shoulder. Hard. The dragonwoman huddled over and moaned with pain.
Evie clenched her fists to prevent herself from rushing to Nikki’s side. Instead, Evie raised her eyebrow. “Well? Are you here for me? Otherwise, I have a secret weapon back here and I’m not afraid to use it.”
The person in front of Nikki walked around the hunched over dragonwoman and faced her. “Love, I’d bet a million pounds you don’t have a weapon back there. You’re bluffing.”
Her heart thumped harder, but Evie had years of practice concealing her emotions. She kept her face nonchalant, just barely. “You can either test me or answer my question. I would think if you’re here for me and I offer to go with you without a struggle, it would save you some time.”
One of the two people still keeping an eye on Charlie said, “She’s right. Who knows when the dragonman will be back.”
She detected a hint of worry in the person’s voice. They must be afraid of Bram. She could use that to her advantage.
The person closest to her, whom she designated as “the leader”, replied, “Protocol Y.”
In the blink of an eye, both the leader and the two people near Charlie pulled a tag on their black vests and tossed small, smoking metal objects at both Nikki and Charlie. As soon as the light purple smoke reached the faces of the two dragonwomen, they collapsed and didn’t move.
Evie caught herself before she cried out. Showing attachment to the pair might do them more harm than good. She would treat them as nothing more than bodyguards.
The leader looked her in the eyes. “Now that your dragon friends are out of the way, let’s talk.”
Remember, Evie, don’t look to Nikki or Charlie, or you might breakdown. After a deep inhalation, she said, “As long as you didn’t kill the two guards, my offer to cooperate still stands.”
The leader kicked Nikki in the side and Evie steeled herself not to react. The leader said, “As long as our scientists didn’t make a mistake with the dosage, they’ll live.”
Evie guessed he was telling the truth. After all, Nikki and Charlie’s blood was too profitable to waste on killing them, which meant no matter what Evie did or said, they would take her friends alive.
Since her capture was all but inevitable unless Bram suddenly showed up, her priority was to leave a clue for Stonefire to use when they searched the cave dwelling later. But what could she do?
Then she remembered the phone. From the corner of her eye, she saw the landline receiver laying on the desk. If she were lucky, someone was still listening in. She could communicate that way.
She focused on the leader and said, “Right, then tell me what I need to do to keep the two guards alive.”
The leader motioned with his fingers and his two team members flanked him on either side
. He put out a hand and the person on his left placed a small vial into his palm. The leader held up the vial. “Drink this and we won’t shoot your friends.”
Evie raised an eyebrow. “You want me to drink a strange, blue liquid, no questions asked? How do I know you’re telling the truth and will keep your promise?”
The leader held out the vial. “You don’t, but this is the only time I’m offering it. Next, we’ll take you by force and kill them.”
They wouldn’t. She prevented herself from calling the man on his shit and put out her hand. “Hand it over.” Once the leader placed it in her palm, she curled her fingers around the vial. “Right, then just tell me this: are you with the Carlisle hunter gang?”
The leader growled. “We’re not a gang, love.” He took out a gun, unlocked the safety, and aimed it at Nikki’s head. “Now drink the bloody vial.”
Evie uncorked the vial. While the man’s words hadn’t been a full confession, they sounded like an admission to her. She only hoped the information reached Bram before it was too late. If she used the ‘correct dosage’ remark to make a guess, she decided Charlie and Nikki had probably been dosed with the periwinkle and mandrake root, which meant they couldn’t shift for a few days. They would be kept alive until they could be drained of blood, but who knew what the hunters would do to Nikki and Charlie in the interim.
There was only one option to take. Evie put the vial to her lips and drank the bitter liquid. She only hoped she could find a way to save her friends. Or, if nothing else, a few days was enough for Bram and the others to find her. Evie refused to think of the alternative.
Her vision swam before the world went black.
Chapter Five
Bram sat down across from Olivia, whose hands and feet were chained to the metal desk in front of her. Her restraints were made of hardened steel. If she were to shift, the steel would break her human wrists before eventually snapping. Despite her daft move of working with Neil Westhaven, the lass was clever enough to stay in her human form. With the entire Protector team on the watch, she would never escape with broken arms and legs.
He studied her a second. Her heartbeat was only slightly faster than normal and she wasn’t fidgeting. Given the female had been quite temperamental as a young adult, he had no doubt the change was because of Neil.
Bram reached out to his dragon. Help me question her. I need our dominance combined to make both halves submissive.
It will be difficult. Olivia’s dragon is strong for a female. I will try.
You’re supposed to be oh-so-strong, cocky one. Just help me.
His dragon rumbled a not-quite-happy yes. Bram fixed his stare on Olivia and said, “Tell me about Neil.”
Olivia merely replied, “No.”
Bram channeled his inner dragon and forced every bit of dominance into his voice he could muster. “I’ll ask one more time, lass, before I alert the clan about your activities. Your parents wouldn’t take kindly to everyone knowing their daughter is a traitor.” Olivia’s posture gave way a bit. At least, she still cared for her parents. He continued, “You were found near Carlisle when you were supposed to be in Wales. Tell me why.”
“I want guaranteed protection first.”
The idea of protecting a traitor didn’t sit well with him, but Bram forced aside his disgust in order to do his job. “I need something to go on first, Olivia. And I won’t ask again.”
As they stared at one another, Bram allowed his dragon to come and go into his mind. His eyes flashed between slits and round pupils. Olivia’s bravado faded as her shoulders slumped further. She was about to give in.
He raised an eyebrow and the female said, “I was supposed to meet Neil, but the Protectors found me before he arrived.”
“Why were you meeting him?”
Olivia shook her head. “I gave you something. I want guaranteed protection. The dragon hunters will hunt me down once they hear I was alone with you.”
“You’ll just turn your back on Neil, without so much as a backwards glance?”
“Neil was offering me power I could never obtain here, and that’s no longer an option since I’m sitting alone with you. Simon Bourne will see it as a betrayal and a threat to be eliminated. My life is more important than protecting Neil’s.”
Olivia’s words pretty much confirmed the suspicion about a traitor in the clan. Bram didn’t like Bourne taking such an interest in Stonefire.
Eying the dragonwoman across from him, he needed to proceed carefully. He wasn’t about to pamper a traitor, yet he wasn’t about to lie to her, either. He said, “Even if I grant protection, you’ll still be kept under house arrest.”
“Again, I will be alive.”
And she’ll bloody try to find a way to escape. Still, every minute he spent garnering meaningless reassurances from Olivia was another minute the dragon hunters could be harming wee Murray.
Bram folded his arms over his chest. “Fine, you will be guarded but just know if you shift and try to escape, you’ll be taken down and handed over to the DDA. Come to think of it, step a fraction out of line and I’ll hand you over to the DDA. I don’t give second chances to traitors.”
Olivia nodded. He had a feeling she’d break that promise before long, but he merely said, “Then tell me about Neil’s connection with Simon Bourne.”
She hesitated a second before she answered quietly, “Neil has formed a tentative alliance with Simon Bourne and the Carlisle hunters. He feeds them information in exchange for money and protection from the local human authorities. It’s how he’s remained off the radar since you banished him last year.”
He nodded. A dragon-shifter without a clan was usually taken into custody by the DDA until a clan would accept him or her into their fold. “What was your role in all of this?”
“In exchange for information about what was happening here, I received payments. My goal was to relocate to Romania, where dragon clans have more power over the local authorities.”
His dragon piped in. She wishes for the old days, but the old days were filled with death. Controlling humans only makes them want to kill us more. Working together is better.
Bram agreed, but didn’t have time to argue dragon-shifter history with his inner beast.
He raised an eyebrow. “What sort of information did Neil, and by extension, Bourne, ask for?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “What you’d expect—weaknesses on our borders and patrol; notification of clan gatherings; any sort of discord that could be used to weaken the clan’s unity.”
“Stonefire has the strongest bond amongst all British dragon-shifter clans.”
“That was before the human DDA inspector showed up. On the drive back here from Carlisle, one of the Protectors mentioned you claiming the human as your mate. If Neil or the Carlisle hunters find out about that piece of information, it can be used against you. Not everyone in the clan will approve their leader passing up the dragon-shifter females for a human.”
The bloody young Protectors and their mouths. He would mention the slip-up with Kai. After a chat with him, they’d think twice about gossiping in the future.
Bram moved his hand to the table and tapped his fingers. “Here’s what else you’re going to do in exchange for protection.” Olivia made a sound of protest, but he ignored it and continued, “I never said I wouldn’t ask for more demands. You’re going to dictate everything you know about Neil and Bourne, as well as what knowledge you’ve passed on. One of the Protectors will stay until you’re finished, with another in the room ready to call the DDA if you refuse to help. If Kai and I are satisfied with the results, I’ll extend protection. If not, then I will hand you over to the DDA. I suggest you cooperate.”
Before Olivia could make any sort of reply, Kai burst into the room. The worry on his head Protector’s face stopped any reprimands. Instead, Bram stood up and asked, “What happened?”
Kai motioned with his head toward the door. “Not in here.”
A sinking feeling gath
ered in his stomach. Kai was usually calm and collected under pressure. The worry on his clan member’s face meant something awful had happened.
The instant Bram shut the door behind him, Kai said, “Evie and the others have been taken.”
Bram’s dragon pushed to the forefront of his mind. I told you we should have protected her. We must find her.
I need information first. After shoving his beast aside, Bram said, “Tell me what happened, and quickly. My dragon is not happy at the moment.”
“Well, Nikki reached out via the secure line, supposedly because Evie had found something in the data. But before the human could come on the line, there was a mini-explosion, some fighting, and talking. Since the phone line was still connected, one of my Protectors was able to decipher the faint conversation.”
Bram put more pressure against his dragon’s invisible prison to keep him restrained and bit out, “And?”
“Evie was a clever human, and she tricked the attackers into admitting they were Carlisle hunters.”
His clever lass. “Olivia didn’t give me anything about the location of Bourne’s headquarters, and I doubt she’ll be able to. Has Zain found out anything new from the dragon hunter we captured?”
Kai nodded. “Yes, he managed to extract some locations in exchange for protection for the hunter. Everything is already in motion. Since Evie is your mate, I need to know if you want to come with us when we leave.”
Bram’s dragon roared. Of course we will go. I will channel my anger to rescue her. The hunters won’t stand a chance.
Unless they bring out the laser guns.
I will be careful.
Bram focused back on Kai. “Let me call Tristan and a few others first so the clan isn’t leaderless when we finally leave. I’ll meet you in my office in twenty minutes to hash out the details. Also, find someone you trust to take Olivia’s statements. If she refuses to cooperate, lock her away and call the DDA once all this mess is sorted.”
Kai nodded and left Bram alone in the hallway. As much as he wanted to roar along with his inner beast, he forced himself to remain calm. Anger would hurt Evie. He needed his brain to save her.
Seducing the Dragon: Part Four Page 4
