Kidnapped by the Fae: Paranormal Dark Fae Romance (Fae's Claim Book 5)

by Laxmi Hariharan

  It’s why I need to get out of here. But how? I scan the room, spot my panties bunched on the floor. They’re beyond repair. Glance down at my blouse and find it spotted with where the flames burned through it. Fire… The sparks had emerged from me all right, a clear sign that the dragon inside of me is coming to life. Which means… My transformation isn’t far off… And the consolidation of the mating bond…? He’d knotted me again and claimed me. Does that mean we are joined together? The wound at the curve of my shoulder throbs. My head hurts. I draw in a breath, and my lungs burn. I need air.

  I need to get out of here.

  I throw off the remnants of my clothes, walk to the closet in the corner. Neatly hung pants and shirts…boxers folded on the shelf. I reach for one of them, pull them on. Jeez. They hang to my knees. I pull on the smallest T-shirt, slide the T-shirt into my waistband, then roll up the boxers at my waist. Then I yank out a belt and tie it around my waist for good measure. I step back, spot my six-inch heeled boots. Oh, shit. What had you been thinking, Char? They are awesome for seduction, but as accessories to aid an escape? Yeah. No. I glance at them again. My favorite pair, I'd bought them on impulse... Never worn them until now. Fuck it, no way am I going to leave them behind. At least there aren't nine-inch heels. I snort. Small consolation. They are going to slow me down. Fuck that.

  If I am going to escape, I am doing it in style.

  I wriggle into them...fall on my ass. Shimmy them up my ankles, my calves. "Fuck, shit." Sweat beads on my forehead. I yank them up my legs. Thank God! I wobble to the window. Shit, this is a bad idea... Too late now... I shove at the window pane, just as it is wrenched back. A face peers through.

  I gasp, throw my hand up to grab my chest. So does the person on the other side—a woman with red hair. Her green eyes blink at me, her mouth open.

  "Alice?"

  "You scared me," she huffs.

  "Did you find her? Is this the right room?" A face peers around her.

  "Lily?"

  "Hey, you." She grins at me.

  "What are you two doing here?"

  "We came to rescue you."

  "Me?" I blink.

  "You helped us, when we needed to get even with our men…" Alice presses her palm to her hugely pregnant belly. "Time we returned the favor, huh?"

  Okay, then.

  "Come on." Lily steps past Alice; my jaw falls open. "You brought the twins with you?"

  "Of course." She adjusts the straps of the two pouch slings on her chest, "No way, was I going to leave Mika and Amber behind." She pats Mika—at least I think it's Mika, the twins look w-a-a-a-y too similar right now. The baby yawns, then snuggles into his pouch, all cozy-like.

  "Come on," Alice beckons.

  "Step back." I grip the window frame.

  Alice moves to the side.

  "I’ll ensure the coast is clear." Lily walks a few paces ahead.

  I swing a leg over, then push off, hitting the ground, and rolling to break my fall. I jump up, head toward Lily. Alice follows me.

  I break into a jog, run ahead of Lily. We make it down the path that snakes past the lawn and toward the beach. "Let’s keep to the tree line." I glance behind. Alice waddles, but keeps pace. Yeah, so I couldn't exactly speed up in my heels either. I take in her swollen belly. "When are you going to pop, woman?"

  "Any day," she pants.

  "I don’t understand why you haven’t given birth, considering you fell pregnant before Lily."

  "Technically, the kid should have been born before Lily’s, but..."

  "But?"

  "Well, I am a Fae-created, not born… So Doc speculates that the baby needs a little more time to form."

  "Is that normal?" Lily comes up on her other side.

  Alice's brow furrows, "Doc and I both think the baby will emerge when he or she is ready, which," she grunts, lays a hand on her stomach, "should not be too long now."

  I frown. "You okay?"

  Alice smiles, massages her stomach. "You bet."

  "You’re not going into labor or anything, right?"

  "Nope." She shakes her head. "Trust me, I’ll know when it is time."

  "That’s what I thought, and then the twins decided to arrive a little earlier than planned. Gabriel wasn’t ready, I can tell you that," Lily snorts.

  "The men never are." Alice grins. "You should see the way Doc coddles me. And he’s a doctor, okay? It’s not as if he hasn’t delivered babies before."

  "But this is different. This one is his, ya know?" One of the twins fusses and Lily pats the baby's tiny head.

  "Speaking of, how did you out of the house?" I frown, " Isn't he guarding you day and night?"

  "Umm..." Alice shuffles her feet.

  "No." I stare at her. "You didn’t."

  Alice tosses her head. "He’s not my keeper."

  I snort. "Right, you told Doc that?"

  "Many times."

  "And?"

  "And what? Not that the stubborn man would listen to me... So I did the next best thing. I waited until he stalked off to meet the other Fae and then I slipped out."

  "So did I," Lily chuckles.

  I rub my forehead, "So that’s how you managed to sneak Mika and Amber out of the house?"

  "Gabriel’s too protective," Lily huffs, "but my babies prefer to be in on the action. Besides, no way were we letting you face Hawke alone, not when—" She hesitates.

  "What?"

  "I mean, we didn’t want to interfere or anything."

  "Of course, not." My pulse rate ratchets up. "What is it?"

  "Jess mentioned how difficult it had been for you to cope with the upcoming transformation to your dragon self. She and Tristan all but gave Hawke permission to take care of you."

  I drum my fingers on my thigh. I love the Fae, they're the extended family I never had. But seriously the way they gossip... You'd think they had nothing more on their minds than... than my welfare. I blow out a breath. "I'm aware."

  Lily nods. "But then, Hawke came upon you with Rafe… And then the way he stomped out of there with you—" She fans herself. "Clearly, he wasn't thinking straight, and we wanted to ensure that you were okay."

  "Not that it wasn’t swoon worthy... I mean, you should have seen his face," Alice adds.

  "I was there, remember?" I bounce on my heels.

  "All alpha and possessive, you have to admit, it was hot." Alice’s voice grows dreamy.

  "Of course, you’d see it that way Alice. You are a submissive."

  "And you’re not?"

  "Umm." I pull forward, past the trees, into a clearing that leads to another bungalow. "I don’t take lightly to being controlled."

  "You are never more in control than when you submit."

  "Bullshit." I dig the toe of my shoe into the ground.

  "It’s true." Lily nods. "There’s a thrill in giving in, and letting your man take care of your needs—provide for you, keep you secure."

  "I can do all of that myself, thank you very much."

  "You think you can." Alice touches my shoulder.

  I shake off her hand. "You don’t understand."

  "Oh, but I do." She presses a palm to her side, extends her other hand, "I know what happened to you, how difficult it is for you to trust."

  "So, you get why I can’t be his?" I take her hand. "Why I can’t allow him to own me? Why I can’t give him what he needs from me?"

  "What about what you need?"

  "Huh?"

  "How you need a safe space to let go of everything that’s holding you back—taking the load off of your mind, following his directions, opening yourself up so his ministrations can soothe you, so he can give you what you need, letting him push you so you can explore your own boundaries..."

  I set my jaw, "You mean give in to him?"

  "I mean, shed all of your inhibitions, allow yourself to explore your deepest fantasies, the ones you are too afraid to claim for yourself. Let him fulfill you, satisfy you, bring you to heights you’ve never explored, safe
in the knowledge that you have the power."

  "Power?"

  She nods, "To break him."

  My heart seizes, my belly clenches, and everything inside of me insists she’s right. Right. I squeeze my fingers together, tip up my chin to speak, when there’s a sound behind me. A shadow falls over me; the hair on my nape rises. I pivot.

  The air shimmers almost imperceptibly. The familiar features of my latest nightmare reveal themselves. A scream tumbles from my lips. What the—? I am not the helpless damsel in distress here. I am not.

  I jut out my chin, "You again?" I scowl. "This is getting bloody tiresome."

  "Hello to you too." Dimitri taps a finger to his forehead, sketches a flourish.

  Next to me, Alice takes a step back, stumbles. I grab her arm, steady her. "You okay?"

  She nods.

  "You should return to whatever hole you crawled out from."

  "Now, now." He clicks his tongue. "Is that any way to greet your savior?"

  "Savior?"

  "Of course." He tilts his head. "I'm here to rescue you from the Fae. You don’t really want to be with them, do you, Charley? May I call you Charley?"

  "What’s your fucking game?"

  "No game." He pulls himself up and his features form into a serious expression. "You are the future, Charley—part shifter, part human. You’re going to come into your first cycle—ripe to propagate."

  "So?"

  "You and me, my girl. Our genes will give rise to the most perfect specimen, a joined-up tapestry of the best. A child who’ll be more powerful than the Fae and the shifters, and definitely smarter than the human race. One who’ll unite the species."

  "Fuck off." I shake my head.

  He grimaces, "You’ll have to be whipped into shape, of course, tortured. Maybe I’ll pluck out each of your limbs, leaving only the parts I need for the reproduction." His gaze drops to my core and my stomach heaves. Greasy slime seems to crawl over my skin. I take a step back, just as Lily plants herself in front of me.

  "Get away from her, you delusional prick."

  He laughs.

  "How do you plan to stop me?" He glances at the babies strapped to her chest. One of them chooses that moment to cry. Lily glances down at the kid, rocks the little one, who only cries louder.

  "Shit." I brush past her. My stomach churns and I taste bile on my tongue. I swallow it back. Don’t be afraid. Don’t. "What do you want?"

  "Questions, questions." He drops his arm, shoves his hand into the pocket of his slacks. "Here’s one for you."

  Huh?

  "What is the point of living?"

  My pulse rate ratchets up.

  "What’s this? Twenty questions?"

  "Something similar."

  "Why should I answer your stupid questions, which by the way, are w-a-a-y too predictable." I yawn.

  He scowls. "If you want me to go easy on you when I take you, and I will take you, I promise you that, then you’ll take my questions seriously."

  "You’ve gotta be kidding me, but fine." I flip my hair over my shoulder. "I’ll play."

  The hell am I doing? This asshole can take me and the women behind me down, and here I am provoking him? Yeah, precisely. I’d never win a physical fight with him, but words… Yeah, that sharp tongue of mine has to be worth something, huh?

  "The point of living is to ensure that monsters like you don’t live to see another day."

  His features freeze, his dark eyes glow with anger, then a grin splits his face. Huh?

  Behind me, the baby screams his head off. The second kid joins in.

  The sounds ricochet around the space. My hair stands on end. A hand touches my shoulder and I stumble back. Alice’s fingers dig into my forearm. "He’s crazy."

  "No argument there," I mutter.

  Alice huffs, "Unfortunately, I think I am out of time."

  36

  Hawke

  "What the hell do you guys want?" I glare at Dante.

  Next to him, Tristan’s forehead furrows. Doc brings up the other side. The three of them stand shoulder to shoulder.

  "What’s this, an intervention?"

  "Why," Dante drawls, "do we need to intervene, soldier?"

  I glance past them to where Gabriel stands in the doorway. His wings tucked back, he grips the doorway on either side. Standing guard? More like stopping me from escaping. "I am not going anywhere," I growl.

  "No, you aren’t." Tristan agrees.

  "Merely a precaution," Doc grumbles.

  "Not that we don’t trust you." Gabriel smirks. "No hard feelings, old chap."

  "What-bloody-ever." I fold my arms over my chest. "Why are you here?"

  "We need your help." Tristan shifts his weight from foot to foot.

  "Yeah, right." I glare between them, "Not as if you four can’t take down an army without me."

  "Whoa, what?" Doc frowns at Tristan, "Did he say what I think he did? Did the 'Killer' of the Fae Corps put himself down?"

  "Sure seemed like that," Tristan rumbles back.

  "What?" A headache begins to thud at my temples. I glance toward the room where she’s waiting for me. Knew it. I should have avoided the knock and focused on her. Shouldn’t have allowed myself to be distracted.

  "You seem awfully stressed, Hawke," Gabriel drawls. "Something you want to tell us?"

  "Fuck off," I growl, prop my hands on my hips. "Did you all come here to gossip or did you all have something to say?"

  I glance between them. Silence. None of them speak. All of them stare at me, taking in my features, the pent-up tension in my stance. How the hell did they know something was…off? That I’d opened myself to her and she’d shut herself down. Hell, I am barely coming to terms with the entire event myself.

  The quiet stretches a beat, then another. "No? Fine." I pivot and head toward the hallway.

  "Sit down, Hawke."

  I raise my middle finger over my shoulder.

  "Stop right there."

  "Fuck that." I keep going.

  "We’ve been where you are."

  I stalk toward her room.

  "We know how it is to come this close to losing the most important thing in your life, the woman without whom your life is wasted."

  I pause.

  "Without whose presence your every breath hurts—your muscles feel her loss, your tendons need her to function—without whom you are the walking dead."

  I glance back over my shoulder, "Oh?"

  Dante nods.

  "Well, you’re wrong. I don’t need any of you assholes to advise me, cause that’s not what is happening here. Nothing’s the matter, except I have four losers coming to advise me on my emotions when they should be out guarding the city against any impending attack."

  All four of them freeze. Tristan glowers, Doc growls, and Gabriel’s wings susurrate, bleeding pulse-waves of nervous energy into the space.

  Dante widens his stance, "You knew about Dimitri’s impending attack?"

  "An educated guess." I thrust out my chest. " I broke out of there, injured him, and left him half dead. Doesn’t take a genius to guess he’ll come for revenge."

  "And you were holding onto this information instead of bringing it to my notice?" Dante growls.

  "Not my fault that you didn’t call for a debrief meeting."

  "I thought you needed some time to get over your wounds, not to mention, the stupid-ass antics you got up to with a girl half your age."

  "Hold on," Tristan turns on him, "that’s my family you’re talking about."

  "And I wasn’t the smart-ass who gave this dumb fuck the permission to nail a woman under his protection."

  "The fuck?" Tristan draws himself to his full height.

  This man is the easiest going of all the Fae. The only time I’ve seen him riled is when he was in the middle of his mating dance with Jess. Huh. Kind of like I am now… Is that what it is? A mating dance. The kind where you think the world is coming to an end, but really, all that’s happening is that your oth
er half is stuck on a whim, can’t be reasoned with, cannot be told what to do. The only way out is to hold your course, parry and thrust, strategize, do what is needed to win her over—something I haven’t been doing a very good job of. I haven’t been pulling my weight with the Fae Corps either. Dante is right.

  Tristan turns on him, raises a fist.

  I put my fingers to my mouth, and a piercing whistle sounds.

  Tristan pauses and Dante frowns. Doc draws in a breath and Gabriel? The fucker hasn’t moved from his earlier position. He blows on his fingernails, brushes away an imaginary speck from his impeccable white button-down. Doesn’t the asshole have anything casual in his wardrobe?

  I step forward, shove my shoulders between Dante and Tristan. "Clearly, I am not the only one who’s emotions are too close to the surface. But I have an excuse. What about the two of you? What’s got you on edge, except the imminent threat of Dimitri, which—"

  Dante points toward me, as does Tristan.

  "—Which," I hold up a finger, "I take responsibility for. I should have warned you all as soon as I got back.”

  "Hell, we should have seen it coming," Doc snorts. "We should have rallied our forces without having to talk it out with each other. Since when do we need to spend time discussing without swinging into action, huh?"

  Gabriel growls, "Since, we have more on our minds than guarding the city."

  I glare at Gabriel. "You have something to say? Then do it now."

  "Not me, but he does."

  Another man steps into the house and closes the door behind him.

  A snarl rips out of me. I brush past the men, "Get out of my house, motherfucker."

  Rafael puts up his hands, "You got it all wrong. I did what I had to, so you and Charley could be together."

  I leap forward, grab his collar and drag him up to his toes, "Don’t fucking say her name."

  "You need my help to defeat Dimitri."

  I snort, "I can do this without you."

  "You can't." Dante steps forward.

  "The fuck you mean?"

  "Tristan, Doc, Gabriel... each of them tried to take him on alone. And you've seen the results. The fucker is still alive. It's time to change tactics. We do this together. We take him on with our combined powers, blow the asshole sky high."