Now he wished he had his dragon’s resolve. His own stubborn, analytical mind was telling him that it made sense. It explained why she was so secretive and why she was running away. She was guilty. Meanwhile, his broken, hurt heart was doing nothing to defend her.
Yet still, she protected him, didn’t want to see him hurt. Like a good mate would do.
“Matthew!” Meg cried. “What are you doing?”
“Huh?”
“For God’s sake! She’s your mate, right? Why did you just let her go?”
“What was I supposed to do, Meg?” he asked. “I was ready to fight for her. My dragon was ready to burn anyone who would take her away, but those tranquilizers would have taken me down anyway.” Coward! his dragon seemed to roar.
“You don’t think it’s true? That she murdered two people?”
“No, of course not.”
"Then go after her," she said. She put up her hand when he opened his mouth. "No, I'm not talking about turning into a dragon and burning up the entire police department. Go be with her. Tell her you believe her and that you’re going to stick by her side no matter what.”
"Damn." Meg was right. "Call Sorkin," he said. "Haul him out of bed; I don't care. Tell him to be at the police station when I get there, or I'm going to find another lawyer for Lennox Corp."
Meg held out her hand. His keys were in her palm. “Go.”
Matthew gave Meg a grateful smile and grabbed his keys. He was going after her. It wasn't too late. He jumped into his Range Rover and revved up the engine, before tearing down the dirt roads. They hadn't been gone too long, so he could probably catch up with them. No, wait. He'd keep a respectable distance, in case they thought he'd changed his mind and was going to try and bust her free. He would do this the right way. He would pay whatever bail they asked and make sure she never saw the inside of a cell. Because he was positive she couldn't be guilty.
He knew these roads like the back of his hand, so he drove slowly. Hopefully, Sorkin would already be on the way. In a couple of hours, he would have arranged her release. Or he would fly out to L.A. and hire the best attorney there. It didn't matter. This was something he was going to face with her, and when they put it behind them, it would be only a distant memory.
The sound of the explosion in the distance shook him out of his fantasy. He didn’t know how, but he was sure Catherine was in danger. He slammed his foot on the gas. This time, he would not hesitate.
Chapter Fourteen
Catherine slumped back in the seat of the patrol car and stared up at the ceiling. She had just been arrested and was possibly going to prison for the rest of her life for a crime she didn’t commit. Yet, all she could think of was the look on Matthew’s face when she stood there, being accused of murder. He couldn’t even look at her. Did he believe them?
Of course he did. He caught her about to run away again. Only guilty people ran away. In a way, maybe she was guilty. If she had stayed and gone to the police, she would have helped put away those bastards who killed Rissa. But she was so damn scared. The Chesnovak Brotherhood was too notorious. There would have been a trial, and her face would have been all over the news. And then the truth of who she really was would come out.
"What the fuck is going on?" Meacham cursed, and the car screeched to a halt. Catherine let out a cry and braced herself against the glass between the front and back seat.
“Who the hell is that?” Meacham’s deputy said.
Silence. Then chaos.
There was an explosion, and a split second later, the world turned upside down. Her body was whipped around like a rag doll, and her brain scrambled in her skull. When she opened her eyes, her vision was blurry, but based on the position of her body, she knew she was lying down on the roof of the car. Slowly, she struggled to get upright.
"Chief!" she cried, as she banged on the bullet proof glass.
Meacham let out a moan and reached for his seatbelt. "Stay … in here …" he said as he struggled with the buckle.
The door of the car was suddenly thrown open. No, it was torn away, the sound of metal ripping apart unmistakable. She screamed when a hand reached inside, grabbed her, pulled her out, then dropped her to the ground.
“There you are,” a voice said. “We finally have you.”
She froze, recognizing the tone and accent. Slowly, her vision came into focus and she recognized the man. Tall and imposing, with cruel, light blue eyes. His blond hair was cropped close to his head, and tattoos crawled out under the neck of his shirt and down his arms. This was the man who had killed Rissa. Andrei. Behind him, several men stood, carrying various weapons. It seemed he didn’t come alone.
Andrei tsked. “Did you think you could get away from us?” he asked. “Did you think you could run from The Brotherhood?” He let out a cruel laugh. “You slipped away from us once, but I’m here to finish the job.”
Fuck. She had to distract him. Or delay him. Surely someone would have heard that explosion. They probably used a rocket launcher of some sort. She’d overheard Ivan bragging about those kinds of weapons before. “How did you find me?”
“That slimy hyena, of course. Best tracker in the business. Unfortunately, he’s also a very dead tracker.”
“You killed him? But why?”
"Because that two-faced sonofabitch wanted more money before he gave us your location," he sneered. "He said he found someone else who would pay more for the information and that if we didn't double his fee, he would turn you over to them instead. But that fool didn't know we were also tracking him. We didn't need his information anymore." He grabbed her collar and hauled her to her feet. "So, where is it? Tell me now, and I'll make sure your death is painless."
“What?” she cried. “What are you talking about?”
"The money!" Andrei shoved her down on the ground and forced her to her knees. Something cold and hard pressed against her temples and a cocking sound rang in her ear.
“W-w-what money? What are you talking about?”
“The money my stupid cousin Ivan and his little whore stole! Why did you think I killed them?”
"I don't know anything about any money!" Oh god. This was it. She was going to die now. The only thing she could think of was Matthew. Her heart sank. She had been so afraid of what would happen if they did become mates and he died and left her that she didn't even think of what would happen to him if she were gone. But she already knew the answer. She had seen it unfold as she grew up.
“Stupid girl!” He slapped her with the side of the gun so hard she fell over. The pain was unbearable; the entire side of her face was on fire. “That little whore didn’t have anyone else. No family, no friends. Only you. Who else would she have trusted with half a million dollars?”
"Half a million …" Oh, Rissa. Why? "I swear, she didn't tell me about the money."
“Stop lying and tell me!” He pointed the gun at her again.
“I don’t know! I swear!”
The sound of tires screeching on pavement made them both start. Andrei whipped his head around, then let out a string of angry curses in Russian. The men around him began to move.
Catherine looked up. She saw a figure leap out of the car. Matthew! Her heart pounded against her chest, and she could barely breathe.
The air around them grew cold, and everyone stopped. Then, Matthew began to change.
“No!” Andrei cried. “Get him!” More guns cocked and then there was the sound of rapid gunshots.
But it was too late. Matthew’s dragon ripped out of him so fast, his human form was barely a blur. A fifty-foot dragon with golden scales and razor-sharp claws stood before them, spreading its wings and tossing its head back with a roar. The cold air turned hot as fire began to spew from its mouth.
Catherine watched in awe at the sight of Matthew’s dragon raining down flames. She barely heard the popping sound, and only realized she’d been shot when she felt the pain in her side.
“You idiot!” Andrei screamed. “We need her
alive! She hasn’t told us the location of the money.”
“I’m sorry!” someone cried. “But we need to get out of here! Look at that thing!”
“Coward!”
Catherine slumped down to the ground. God, it was so painful. Then, she felt her body begin to grow cold. She looked up, watching the dragon as it continued to bring hell on earth while she lay there bleeding
***
The dragon let out a roar, a stream of fire shooting from its mouth, targeting the lions surrounding him. It wasn't much of a contest. There were only about a dozen of them. When they started firing and realized ordinary bullets only bounced off his scales, they threw their guns down and began to shift.
Lions!
They surrounded him, and the fastest one managed to climb on his back but was tossed away with one flick of a claw. Years of practice and working in the mines had helped Matthew perfect his aim, and he could carefully direct the flame so as not to hurt anyone in the vicinity. Though today, he was doing the opposite.
The smell of charred flesh filled the air, and he let out a puff of smoke. Where was his mate? He swung his gigantic body around and saw three men standing over a small figure on the ground. The dragon let out a roar and swung its gigantic body around.
“Run!” one of them said.
His dragon roared for revenge, but the sight of Catherine on the ground made Matthew stop. He quickly pushed the dragon deep down inside of him and changed back. Please let her be okay. But as the smell of blood hit his nose, he knew she wasn’t.
“No!” he cried as he knelt down in front of her. Catherine was lying on the ground, her hand clutched to her side. “Catherine … don’t move …. no, don’t try to talk! Stay with me, sweetheart. Please.” Think. His car was still intact, but it would take too long to drive her. She was losing too much blood. She’d be too weak to hold onto him if he flew, though. So, he picked her up gently, then carried her to his car. Carefully, he put her in the back seat.
“Hang on, Catherine. Please.”
He slammed the door shut, then quickly began to change into his dragon form. Once he was fully transformed, he dug his talons into the car. With a flap of his wings, he was airborne. Matthew pushed his dragon faster and harder than he'd ever done in his whole life. He soared over Blackstone until, finally, he landed in front of the Lucas Lennox Memorial Hospital. As he set down the vehicle, the dragon let out a loud roar, hoping it would get the staff's attention.
The dragon hopped back as medical personnel began to stream out of the hospital’s door. Matthew quickly changed back to his human form and grabbed the nearest nurse he could.
“Gunshot wound victim in the back of the car,” he barked at her.
“We’ll take care of it, Mr. Lennox,” she said with a nod. “We need a stretcher!” she called to the rest of the staff. “And get an OR ready NOW.”
Behind him, two ambulances roared to life and sped out the driveway. “Where are they going?” he asked a passing nurse.
“To Castle Road, Mr. Lennox,” she answered. “Got a dispatch. From the Sheriff’s office.”
“Fuck!” The police car and the escorts had been overturned when he arrived, but Meacham was alive. Probably not in very good condition. Plus, there were still three lions out there.
He ran across the pavement, then pushed his dragon out, its claws barely touching the ground as he flew away. He went back toward the castle, using his enhanced vision to scan below for any sign of the lions.
There!
The three of them had gathered in a clearing. Idiots. They were dressed in fancy leather shoes and jackets. Probably from the city. And, obviously, they’d never encountered a dragon before. As he drew closer, three heads looked up. More curses in Russian, then they scattered. Not that it did them any good. The dragon flapped its mighty wings and chased after two of them, raining down a stream of fire until they were nothing but ashes.
He landed in front of the third man, then grabbed him with his claws.
The dragon began to shrink, scales turning into skin, claws turning to hands. “Who are you? And who sent you?” Matthew roared, squeezing the man’s neck.
"Che-Chesnovak Brotherhood Pride," he choked out.
Matthew threw him to the ground. “What do you want with my mate?”
“She … she knows where the money is!” he cried. “The Alpha wanted his money back. Please don’t kill me!”
"I'm not going to kill you," he said. "I want you to go back to your Alpha and tell him that she is mate to the Blackstone Dragon, and I will turn every single one of you into ash if he tries to harm her again!"
"I-I-I will tell him!"
“Now go!”
The man scrambled to his feet, then sprinted toward the woods like a bat out of hell. Good riddance.
Matthew turned back into his dragon form once again and took to the skies. Sweeping back toward the site of the attack, he saw a couple of people in uniform walking about, helping others climb out from their cars. The sound of sirens was drawing closer, so he assumed help was near. He went in the opposite direction, back to the hospital.
Chapter Fifteen
As soon as he stormed through the doors of the hospital, someone handed him an extra set of clothes, which he took gratefully. He went to the bathroom, cleaned up as best he could, and put on the clothes. When he exited, James Lawton, the director of the hospital, was waiting for him.
“Where is she?” he asked.
"Right this way, Mr. Lennox," James fawned as he led him to the waiting room right outside the OR. "I'm personally taking care of everything. She's still on the table, and we have all our best staff working to make sure she's okay."
"Will she make it?"
James swallowed a gulp. “I’m afraid only the surgeon can answer that question. Can I get you a coffee? Tea? Anything at all.”
“No.”
He sat down on the uncomfortable bench and clasped his hands together, his eyes staring at the white wall.
“Mr. Lennox …”
“Go,” he said in a cold voice. “I’d like to be alone. I only want to see the surgeon when they’re done.”
“Of course, Mr. Lennox,” James said. “Please don’t hesitate to call me for anything at all.”
Matthew sat there, unmoving, for a long time. When he closed his eyes, all he could see was Catherine’s limp body on the ground, blood pouring out of her side. So, he kept his eyes open.
“Matthew!”
He whipped his head around. Jason and Sybil were running down the hallway, Ben not far behind.
"Oh, Matthew!" Sybil cried as she sat down beside him. She wrapped an arm around him and drew him into a hug.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
"I saw your dragon flying overhead," Ben said. "Then I called Jason to check if it was him or you. He called Meg, and she told us that Catherine had been arrested. Then we heard there was a commotion and came straight to town."
“What happened?” Jason asked, his expression serious.
Matthew took a deep breath and began to explain, at least the parts he understood.
"Lions? What the fuck is a pride of lions doing here in Blackstone? They weren't from Thunder Valley?" Jason said, mentioning the name of the nearest pride.
“No,” Matthew said. “Said they were from The Chesnovak Brotherhood Pride. Looked like city people.”
“What did they want with Catherine?” Ben asked, scratching his head. “Did it have anything to do with her arrest?”
“All he said was something about money.”
"Shit. Maybe you shouldn't have torched all of them," Jason said. "We could get more answers."
"I don't give a shit about answers," Matthew growled. "All I want is for Catherine to be okay."
“She will be,” Sybil reassured him. “You did the right thing, getting her back here as soon as you could.”
Nate and Kate came soon after, and, much to his surprise, so did Luke. His brother had a grave look on h
is face, even more so than usual, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he sat beside Matthew and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He looked up at Luke and gave him a grateful nod.
The hours ticked by. No word from the OR. Sybil and Ben were trying to talk to the nurses, but they couldn't say anything more than what they already knew. She was still in the OR. No, they didn't have any updates.
Sheriff Meacham also dropped by. He looked busted up, but the cuts on his face were already healing. "I'm sorry, Matthew," he said as he sat down on the opposite bench. "I should have believed her." He told them of what he had heard of the conversation between Catherine and the leader of the group of lions. It didn't tell them anything he didn't already know, except to confirm Catherine was innocent of everything. "I've already contacted the LAPD. Their D.A. will be dropping all charges, and there will be no extradition."
That at least brought some relief to Matthew, but he knew that pain in his chest wouldn’t go away until she was in the clear.
Finally, the OR doors opened. A doctor in surgical scrubs stepped out.
“Mr. Lennox? They told me you were the one who brought in Ms. Archer. I’m Dr. Parry.”
“Is she going to be okay?”
Dr. Parry’s face never faltered. “I’m afraid it’s still too early to tell. Good news is the bullet went through. However, it did graze her liver, though only the outer capsule. Still, she lost a lot of blood. You brought her in just in time.”
“Can we see her?” Sybil asked.
“I’m afraid not.”
Matthew stepped forward. “I need to see her.”
“There’s nothing to see, Mr. Lennox,” Dr. Parry said in a serious voice. “She just got out of surgery and can’t be disturbed. Medical personnel only.”
Mathew opened his mouth to protest, but Jason put a hand on his shoulder. “Maybe we should just let her rest. She’ll be better in the morning.”
Matthew wanted to believe that. "Thank you, doctor."
The doctor excused himself, telling them he was going to check on Catherine again once she was settled in the ICU.
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