by Julia Mills
“Spit it out, dammit!” Rian growled, his fury a living, breathing entity that threatened to explode.
“There was an accident.” Kell’s gruff voice was barely above a whisper and his Celtic brogue so pronounced Rory could feel the scarred one’s anxiety even without his enhanced senses. “There were skid marks and blood...”
Rory could feel everyone’s eyes immediately on him. His heart raced. Cold sweat pooled under him. It was worse than he’d imagined. Claire needed him and time was wasting as he lay there helpless. The first time his mate needed him and he was literally as useless as tits on a boar hog. He kicked at his dragon, screamed for him to wake up, raged that their mate needed them, and finally begged the beast to help him fight the poison. He called to the Heavens and the Universe for their aid but still nothing happened.
“We found her saddlebags in the ditch...”
Rory roared in his mind, promising anything he could think of and pleading with anyone who would listen.
“...And her mangled Harley was thrown in the bramble about a hundred yards from that.”
Holy shit! Wake the hell up you overgrown gecko! Can’t you hear! Our mate is in trouble!
Juan Carlos picked up where Kellan had left off. “There were three sets of footprints; one griffin, big guy from the size and depth of the prints, and two humans, average build - and the scent of diesel. I’m thinking, and Kellan agrees, that they were planning to load Ms. Featherstone and her motorcycle into a big truck of some sort and take her to their leader, but she surprised them. That woman is hell on wheels. We had a hard time keeping up with her. I’m sure they weren’t prepared for her to fly around the corner.”
“Thankfully, their plan B was sloppy. They didn’t even try to clean up the scene or hide their trail. I know we can track her. We’re only here to get reinforcements before entering the griffin compound and taking the phoenix by force, if necessary.” Rory knew Kellan wasn’t asking permission. He was telling Rian exactly what he had planned and if the youngest O’Reilly brother wasn’t mistaken, his best friend was daring Rian to stop him. It was good to see Kellan assuming his role as Commander after relinquishing it so long ago.
Way to go, Kell. Wait! Phoenix?! Claire’s a phoenix?
Rory stored that little tidbit away to think about later as he continued to do everything in his extremely limited power to wake his dragon. Thoughts of Claire would not stay away. He’d never met a phoenix. Thought they were the figment of someone’s very active imagination if he was being completely honest with himself, but there was certainly no denying what he felt. It also explained the fire he’d seen when watching her though his mind’s eye.
The thought of Claire hurt and at the mercy of the griffins pissed him off. He’d never wanted a mate. Had been sure he’d go the Heavens a lone dragon with a long list of battles fought and won, not to mention a whole lot of good times under his belt. But Fate had different plans. Now that the youngest O’Reilly knew she existed, knew who she was, had felt her touch, there was no way in hell he was letting some stupid son of a bitch like Malick Slade take her from him.
“Do you have a plan?” Rian and Max asked in unison.
“Well, it had better include me,” Royce’s voice interrupted from the far end of the room followed by the slam of a door.
“Count me in,” Kayne hollered from somewhere behind Rory’s head.
When did he get here?
“And if you think you’re going anywhere without me then you better be ready for an ass kicking,” Maddox snarled.
Hold on folks, Madman Maddox is in the house.
“Let’s just assume every Guardsman that wants to go is going.” Rory had to smile at how naturally his oldest brother took command. Even with the King of the Big Cats in the same room, it was Rian that called the group to order.
“The more the merrier.” Lennox chuckled.
And here’s Lenn with the comic relief...
“Yeah, just as long as you don’t blow the place up.” Rory was glad to hear Kell trying to joke.
Not his fault the griffins are bastards.
“Raphael and Ernesto are still at the accident site. I spoke to Santiago. He and Matías just left the Pride,” Juan Carlos added.
“Good,” Max murmured. Rory could feel that the King was deep in thought and had to wonder what the wily panther was thinking up. Rory had seen first-hand what Max and his Pride were capable of. Their ability to get into places the dragons simply could not was undeniable, and their tracking abilities rivaled Kell’s, which was seriously saying something. Working together was the best chance they had of liberating Claire from the griffins.
Wonder where Max’s sister is? Sophia’s usually right by his side...
Focusing on the chaos at hand, the youngest O’Reilly brother tried to at least move a finger or a toe, anything to let someone know he was aware of what was going on around him... but nothing happened. His frustration at his inability to break free of the hellhound toxin, coupled with his rage that Malick and his griffins had dared to take his mate against her will, was quickly driving him mad. His pulse was racing. His heart was pounding. He could feel the poison once again moving through his veins. He had to wake his dragon. It was the only chance he had to get to Claire.
Wake up! What the hell is wrong with you? Claire needs us!
While he continued the battle with his sleeping beast, the planning session around him moved on.
“You said there was magic. Kyra and I can go along to run interference,” Calysta offered her help.
“That won‘t be necessary. Griffins aren’t known for their magical ability or the use of anything mystical. They depend on pure brawn and their ability to intimidate. They are little more than common thugs. My guess is this was a one off. They know Claire has magic at her disposal and we are magical so they enlisted some help. I would rather you stay here with Rory. Keep him stable until we can get Claire back here, if you would please,” Rian answered.
“Whatever you need,” Calysta responded. “You better tell Kyra, Roy. She might listen to you.”
“Already done. She’s not happy but says she’ll be here to help with Ror in a bit.” Royce was chuckling. Rory could only imagine what his hot-headed sister-in-law had actually said when Roy told her she was staying behind. Kyra was not known for her patience or for following instructions and had a rather colorful way of letting her opinions be known. The huge double doors to the clinic banged against the wall as Rory heard the voices of Brannon, Pearce, and Declan.
“Y’all aren’t gonna believe this shit. The griffins protect their entire clan with electrified fences. Who the hell does that? It’s so...so...low tech. This is gonna be a walk in the park.” Brann’s confidence made Rory smile.
“I think there has to be more to it but all we can find in the county records and on the maps are the fences. So it appears Fate is finally on our side,” Pearce, the Zen master of the group chimed in, putting his almost positive spin on the situation.
“’Bout time,” Lenn snickered.
“Nothing is ever easy. Everyone needs to be ready for anything,” Declan added in his ‘Joe Friday’ way. Rory always waited for his brethren to say, “Just the facts ma’am” every time he spoke
“Noted,” Rian answered. “Now, show me what we’re up against.”
Rory heard the scrape of tables against the stone floor before papers were shuffled over a wooden surface. He figured they’d moved the tables together to be able to see all the maps Brannon had surely printed out. The man was always super prepared for all contingencies.
“It’s heavily wooded, which is good for us. We can take the treetops in panther form and keep watch while you lot move in on the ground,” Max advised.
“Mmmmhmmm...” Was Rian’s only response. His oldest brother was apparently deep in thought.
Rory roared at his inability to help. His head felt like it was going to explode. The longer he lay dormant the more furious he became. Cool fingers, he recogni
zed as Calysta’s, touched his wrist a moment before she said, “His pulse is raising and his heart rate is off the charts.” The back of her hand touched his forehead. “His fever is also rising. This is not good. I need to give him more sedative and you guys need to hurry.”
NO! No sedative! I can’t sleep now!
Fighting the rising tide of panic and rage, Rory mentally took a long deep breath and held it in to the count of ten before slowly letting it out. It was important he get his heart rate under control. There was no way he could allow Calysta to sedate him again. Helping Claire was all that mattered.
“It’s still too early to give him more herbs. I know his rapid metabolism burns off medication quickly but we are administering much higher doses than I’ve ever used before, and we don’t know how the drug is interacting with the hellhound poison. Then, there is his dragon to consider. We know the beast is dormant. I know we didn’t cause the condition but we may be making it worse, or at the very least keeping the dragon from waking.” The concern and fatigue in Niall’s voice made Rory worry for the oldest among them, but his words gave hope that the priestess would hold off on another injection. Both man and beast needed to wake up and they needed to do it now.
“Do whatever you have to do to keep him alive until we can get the phoenix back here to heal him. I’m not losing another family member. Got that?” Roy snarled, the fear evident in his voice.
“I have no intention of letting Rory die. I admit to being out of my element but I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. I have a thought but I need to consult with Siobhan...”
Silence fell over the room as Niall’s words trailed off as his footsteps indicated he was quickly leaving the room. Rory could feel the deep contemplation everyone around him was in and used the quiet time to calm his vitals. Taking another deep breath, he remembered a time when his mother, an accomplished healer in her own right, had helped a Guardsman’s mate who’d been bitten by a water moccasin.
Using the same technique he’d watched his mother employ all those years ago, Rory metaphorically closed his eyes, took a deep cleansing breath, and searched his system for the taint of the hellhound poison. He chastised himself for not thinking of it sooner. In less than a second, he had eyes on the nasty, little, oily blobs that resembled misshapen spiders invading his system. He watched them stretch and divide, multiplying exponentially right in front of his eyes.
Oh no, bastards. Not today.
A quick prayer to the Heavens and to his mother, whom he knew always had his back, and Rory was reciting the words his mother had spoken to the dragon’s mate so very many years ago.
Elders of Olde, Healers of the Clan, the Goddess of Light and the Universe who gives life to us all. Rid me of this evil taint. Use the almighty light of the love of your faithful servant to make me whole once again. I offer my life and my sword in service to all those both great and small who’ve gone before. It is with the reverence of the Ancients I humbly ask for your favor.
He repeated the words several times before waiting patiently to feel the effects of the healing. Focusing on the beat of his heart, Rory prayed harder than ever before as he listened to his friends and family planning to invade their enemy’s land to rescue his mate. He focused on the tiny trespassers in his bloodstream who continued to multiply and divide, consuming more and more of his life’s blood and tissue.
After almost an hour of waiting and praying with no results, Rory had all but given up. His prayer hadn’t worked. Fate or Destiny or the Universe or maybe all of them combined had deemed him unworthy. He was surely being called to the Heavens. His Hail Mary pass had been fumbled. He’d given it all he had and had come up short.
Disgusted by himself for wallowing in self-pity but unable to stop his downward spiral, Rory focused on the planning session going on around him. Everyone was preparing to rescue Claire just so she could save him. The longer he listened, the deeper into despair he sank. They all thought it would be soon enough but Rory knew differently. Yelling at his dragon was the only thing keeping him from losing his mind and even that had lost its appeal. All he could do was watch the ever-growing mass of malevolent poison devour him from the inside out.
Lenn’s voice roused him from his pity party. “If we blow the transformer here, here, and here, not only will the electric fences go down but it will leave the entire compound in darkness. From the look of the generators in the plans the griffins filed with the city, we have twenty seconds before their emergency lighting is on, a full minute until they are completely operational again.” The mad bomber, as they’d called Lennox since childhood and the invention of firecrackers, sounded excited at the prospect of yet again blowing something up.
“Can you keep the explosions small?” Rian asked.
“Sure. I’ll take the big power station at the rear of the complex. Brann can take the one by the front gate, and Dec, the one by the lake. It’ll be no more than a pop. The griffins won’t know what hit ‘em.” Rory knew Lenn was smiling ear to ear, which made him grin.
“As soon as the power is off, I’ll cut the fence. Juan Carlos, the panthers, and I will go in here.” Rory heard Kell hit the table before continuing. “We all have Claire’s scent. Finding her shouldn’t be a problem as long as everyone else keeps the assholes off our tails.” The steel in Kellan’s voice let Rory know his best friend was in full combat mode. Kell would bring Claire home or die trying.
Be careful, old buddy. No more scars. Wish I could help.
“No problem. Those bastards won’t know what hit ‘em,” Maddox growled.
“Although what the Slades have done is an act of war, we still need to be careful. Their compound is unknown territory,” Rian cautioned.
“Plus we have no idea what they are truly capable of,” Pearce added.
“So it’s agreed. We get in, get Miss Featherstone, and get out. Only take out those who get in your way. Don’t go looking for a fight but don’t back down from one either. Yes?” Max’s question was more of a command. Rory had no doubt the ensuing silence was filled with heads nodding in agreement with the King.
“What about...” Kayne never got to finish his question as Niall’s shout of “I’ve got it! I’ve got it! I’ve got it!” was followed by the sound of running feet and the slamming of doors.
A collective “What?” filled the room as Niall rambled off a list of herbs.
“Calysta hand me those ephedra leafs and the bitter orange extract. We’re going to combine it with cayenne and caffeine.” Niall was nearly shouting as he issued orders.
“But those will raise his heart rate.” If possible, Calysta sounded more worried.
“I know!” Niall shouted, taking a deep breath before continuing. “I’m sorry for my outburst but we don’t have much time. I just hung up with Siobhan and she agrees with me. We’ve been looking at this all wrong. We thought slowing down Rory’s heartbeat would slow the spread of the poison, which is true, at least from what we can tell. And if the griffins hadn’t interfered and Miss Featherstone was here all would be fine, but I fear we don’t have that kind of time. Or better yet, I’m not willing to risk it if I can do something to help. So, when you mentioned sedating him again it made me think of his dragon and that was when I realized how wrong we’d been. Not only are we sedating Rory, but we’re also sedating the dragon within. The beast cannot fight the herbs with Rory in human form, which means he stays drugged longer and cannot help our boy. Without the dragon magic, he has no hope of healing himself. Therefore, I believe we need to stimulate his heart. Push the sedatives out of both man and dragon and allow them to fight the poison together.”
“Makes sense. What was it you needed again?” Calysta asked with a renewed hope in her tone. It almost made Rory feel better had he not been trying to wake the beast for four straight days.
There was a shuffling of feet then Niall asked, “Do I have your permission, Rian and Royce?
“Absolutely,” Rian quickly answered.
“Hell, yes. Do w
hatever you need to do to fix him. I can’t believe I’m gonna say this but I miss his smart ass mouth,” Royce chuckled as the room erupted in laughter.
It took less than a minute before Rory could hear Niall muttering to himself, along with the clang and clatter of what he could envision was both the Healer and the Grand Priestess working together to make the serum they believed would help him. It wasn’t long before Rory felt Niall’s hand on his arm, followed by the harsh scent of alcohol as it assaulted his nose, accompanied by the cool sensation of a damp cotton ball washing his upper arm.
“Listen to me, Rory O’Reilly. I brought you into this world and I’ll be damned if you leave it before I do. I promised your parents. Now, don’t make me a liar,” Niall whispered as the needle entered Rory’s arm.
Warmth spread through his veins. He could feel the herbs traveling across his chest, down his torso, and through his extremities. His fingers and toes tingled. His heart beat faster and faster like a runaway train. The pounding filled his consciousness. Bright lights popped in large flower-like bursts behind his eyes. He felt hot and then cold and then hot again.
The muscles in his arms and legs flexed in time to the beating of his heart. His breathing sped until he was panting as if he’d just finished running a marathon. He could hear Niall and Calysta monitoring his condition. Their voices a mere echo against the constant pounding of his heart.
“His heart rate is too high. We need to give him the sedative,” Calysta screamed.
“No!” Niall shouted. “Give it time. Rory’s strong. He can take it.”
The fireworks exploding in Rory’s head slid in and out of focus. His world began to spin. He fought against the wave of nausea overtaking him. Trying to stop the motion and gain some semblance of control over his body only made his heart rate spike. Black dots drowned out the fireworks as he struggled to draw his next breath. The feeling of falling off of a cliff overtook the Guardsman as his vision narrowed to a single dim pinpoint of light.
