by Lola Gabriel
“Get off me!” she shouted, scratching at Errol’s hand in a vain attempt to get him off her.
Errol hissed in pain as Ellery scratched him. He pulled his arm away from Ellery, but before she could celebrate her victory, he slapped her face hard. Stinging pain exploded through her cheek and the dull ache in her head intensified. She reached up to her cheek, feeling the heat from her skin. Tears formed in her eyes and she peered warily at Errol.
“You’re going to have to learn to be a little bit better behaved if this is going to work out, Ellery,” Errol said. “I would hate to have to cut that pretty little face of yours.”
He put his arm around her again, and this time, she was too afraid to try to shrug him off, so she bore the arm, hating the feeling of him touching her, but knowing she had no real choice in the matter.
All she could do now was wait and hope that the bond she and Max now shared was strong enough to lead him to her.
11
By the time Max returned to the kitchen after searching the whole house and the grounds for Ellery, his senses were in overdrive, screaming at him that Ellery was in danger.
“She’s not anywhere on the premises,” Max announced as he walked into the room, interrupting Freya mid-sentence and not caring.
Neither one of the ruling couple commented on Max’s lack of manners and respect for them and he knew then that they were as worried about Ellery as he was.
“I spoke to some of the staff as I searched the house,” Max added. “And no one has seen her at all this morning.”
“So she disappeared some time between the party and now,” Freya said.
“She was there right to the end of the party,” Max said. “I accompanied her to her quarters and made sure no one had snuck into them. So I think it’s happened this morning.”
“We have to go out and look for her,” Faust said. “And I’ll call the head of the royal guard, get them all out looking for her too. And if I find out she’s snuck away to go for a walk or something and is fine, I swear I’ll kill her myself.”
He started to stand up. Max knew he could find Ellery quicker alone than all of the royal guard put together. Now that they had begun to bond, he was confident he could tap into Ellery’s thoughts and let her lead him to her. The problem with that solution was that Max would have to tell Ellery’s parents the truth: that he was her one true mate. And he didn’t think they would react well to the news.
He knew, though, that Ellery’s life and her safety were way more important than anything else, and he could tell her parents loved her. Even if they forbade them from being together, he knew they would let him find her first. And finding her was all that mattered right now.
“There’s another way. A quicker way,” Max said before Faust could hurry away or before his nerve went.
All eyes turned to him and he felt himself blushing slightly, shifting nervously from foot to foot.
“Spit it out, Maxen,” Faust snapped.
He looked around the room and then he began to speak, looking down at the ground.
“I’m sorry, for I have betrayed your trust,” he said. “But Ellery and I...we fell for each other. I’m her one true mate. I know that probably isn’t good news to you, but the sacred bond has already begun to form, and I’m confident I can use it to find Ellery.”
For a second, no one spoke and Max wanted the ground to open up and swallow him. It felt as though time had stopped moving, everyone frozen to the spot as his news sank in. It was Errol who finally broke the silence.
“Forgive me for interfering, but isn’t this a good thing? That we can find her quickly?” he said.
“Yes. Yes, it is,” Freya said.
Max finally dared to look at her. He didn’t see anger on her face. She looked a little bit surprised, which was to be expected, but more than anything, he saw hope. Freya knew he had a chance of finding Ellery. Max dared to shift his attention to Faust. Faust wore a similar expression to Freya’s, although he was quick to cover it when he saw Max looking at him, arranging his face into a mask that showed nothing of how he was feeling.
“Come on, then, Maxen. Lead the way. Let’s go,” Faust said.
“No, Faust,” Errol said, getting to his feet. “The ruling couple is too important to the tribe to place themselves into the direct line of danger.”
“But she’s our daughter,” Faust protested. “How can we be expected to just sit here?”
“Because that’s what a leader would do,” Max said. “Faust, Freya, I promise you I will find Ellery and bring her back to you.”
Faust and Freya exchanged a look and for a second, they seemed to communicate without words. Finally, Faust nodded and returned to his seat around the table.
“I’m coming with you,” Errol said. “You might need some help. We have no idea what’s happening.”
Max opened his mouth to argue with Errol, but he thought better of it. Errol was right. He had no idea what he might be walking into, and if having some backup gave Ellery a better chance of being safe, then he would take it. Besides, he figured it would be quicker to agree to this than to stand around here arguing about it with Errol.
“Okay, let’s go,” he said to Errol.
They turned and ran from the kitchen, heading out of the house. Max led Errol to his car and they jumped in. As Max started the engine, he pictured Ellery, pictured the moment when they had bonded, and then he slowly tried to tap into her mind. He felt a warm spot in his head, and an itchy feeling started up there. It wasn’t an unpleasant sensation, just strange. As Max pondered what it was, he felt the itch intensifying, becoming less itchy yet more urgent, and it began to pull him forward. He put his foot down on the accelerator, excited to know the bond was working. The itchy spot was leading him to Ellery.
As he drove, he glanced at Errol sitting in the passenger seat. He felt a bit of sympathy for the other man. He had flown all the way out here to meet Ellery as a potential mate only to learn that he was already too late.
“I’m sorry about all of this,” Max said. “I realize it must have been disappointing for you to learn that you’re too late for Ellery.”
“Actually, I’m kind of relieved, if I’m honest,” Errol said.
Max frowned and Errol rushed on.
“Oh, that sounded awful. I’m sure Ellery is a lovely girl and all of that, but the truth is, the thought of being part of a ruling couple, running the whole tribe… it terrifies me. I only agreed to come here and go out to dinner with her because, well, when the ruling couple requests your presence, you don’t say no to them, do you?” Errol said.
Max shook his head.
“No, you don’t,” he agreed. “So why are you coming with me if you don’t have any ideas about trying to steal Ellery away from me?”
“Because it’s the right thing to do,” Errol said. “Just because I don’t want to take Ellery as my mate doesn’t mean I want anything bad to happen to her.”
“Fair enough,” Max said. “Thank you, by the way.”
Errol gave a little nod of his head.
“This is it,” Max said as the itchy spot in his head commanded him to stop.
He hit the brakes and looked to the house on his left. It was right on the outskirts of the village, and by rights, it should have been empty. Max knew the owner of the house and he knew he was traveling around Asia on some pack business. He hadn’t rented the house out to anyone else. It was, Max had to admit, a good place to hold someone. He knew for sure now that his senses had been right. Ellery was really in danger. Some bastard had taken her.
Max and Errol got out of the car and moved to the house. Max tried the door, finding it locked, of course. He stood back and kicked the door just below the lock. The door flew open and Max and Errol ran into a small hallway. Two doors opened off the hallway and a staircase wound away from them.
“Start down here,” Max said. He nodded to one of the doors. “You take that one, I’ll take this one.”
Errol nodded a
nd they ran to their respective doors. Neither of them even bothered trying the handles this time. As one, they raised their feet, each of them kicking in their doors. Max’s door flew open and for a second, he was frozen.
A man was moving across the room, dragging Ellery by a handful of her hair. He felt sick at the thought of this man touching Ellery.
“Let her go. Right now,” Max commanded as his paralysis broke and he ran toward the man.
12
Ellery heard the front door of the house smashing open and relief filled her. Max was here for her. Or maybe her parents had discovered what had happened and sent the royal guard in. Either way, she was going to be saved from the crazy man who seemed to think they were heading toward some fairytale ending.
Errol jumped up as the smashing sound echoed through the house.
“Move,” he commanded.
Ellery shook her head. He reached down and grabbed a handful of her hair, dragging her to her feet. Her scalp screamed as he pulled her across the room toward a second door. As they moved, Errol pulled a key out of his pocket. Ellery tried to slow him down, holding herself back despite the screaming pain in her head as Errol kept dragging her forwards.
The door to the room smashed open, banging off the wall, and Max stood there. He seemed to be frozen for a moment, taking in the scene before him. Errol didn’t waste a moment. He kept dragging Ellery toward the second door.
“Let her go. Right now,” Max said in a low, angry voice that sent a shiver of desire through Ellery. Even now in this situation, Max was irresistible to her.
He ran toward them and Errol released his hold on Ellery’s hair. She backed away as Max and Errol came together, fists flying. She spun toward the door as another man ran in. She put her fists up and with an angry roar, she ran toward him.
“Stop!” he shouted. “It’s okay, Ellery. I’m with Max.”
Ellery wasn’t sure whether to believe him or not, but she reasoned that there had to be some truth in the man’s claim, otherwise he wouldn’t have known Max’s name. She was confused, though. Who the hell was he? She recognized most of the villagers and the royal guard on sight and she didn’t know this man. In her moment of hesitation, though, he had gotten past her and joined the fight, and Ellery saw with relief that he was indeed helping Max.
Between the two of them, it didn’t take long for them to subdue Errol. The man Ellery didn’t recognize pushed him to the floor and put his foot on his back, holding him in place. Errol struggled but it seemed almost like it was for show. There was no longer any real energy left in his fight.
Max dug in his pocket and brought out a pair of shiny silver handcuffs. He squatted down beside Errol and handcuffed his hands behind his back.
“I am arresting you on behalf of Faust and Freya Flannery, the King and Queen of the Fae. As part of the royal guard, I am taking you into custody to face judgment from the ruling couple,” Max said.
He straightened back up and nodded to the stranger, who pulled Errol to his feet roughly. Max turned to Ellery and she ran to him when he opened his arms to her. She practically fell into Max’s arms, feeling their warmth, their strength.
“I knew you’d come for me,” she whispered.
“Always,” Max replied.
He released her from his hold and she instantly missed his arms around her, but she knew that for now, they had to deal with Errol. They turned back and Ellery saw Max’s friend wrestling Errol to his feet. For the first time, the man got a clear look at Errol’s face and he gasped.
“You,” he said. “How could you do this?”
Errol opened his mouth to reply, but Max got in first.
“Save your talk for the ruling couple,” he said. He looked at his friend. “You seem to know him and I’m sorry, but you’ll have to wait for an explanation. I’m sure Faust and Freya will be happy to allow you to sit in on the interrogation since you were a part of rescuing Ellery. Now, let’s get him back to the house.”
Max went and took one of Errol’s arms and the stranger took the other. They marched him out of the house and pushed him into the back of Max’s car. The stranger got in the back of the car with him and Max went around to the driver’s side of his car as Ellery got into the passenger side.
“By the way,” Max said to Ellery, “this is Errol.”
“I know who the bastard is,” Ellery said.
“No,” Max said, shaking his head as he started the car and began heading back toward the house. “Not your captor. He’s an imposter. The other man, the one who helped me, he’s the real Errol.”
Ellery’s jaw dropped and she turned in her seat to look at Errol. The real Errol.
“You’re Errol?” she said.
He nodded.
“Pleased to meet you, Ellery, although I would have liked it to have been in happier circumstances.”
“Me too,” Ellery smiled. Her smile faded slightly. “I don’t understand, though. How are you the real Errol?”
“I sent a message to your father telling him I would have to delay our meeting because of some urgent business. I’m assuming this bastard intercepted it and posed as me to meet you. I don’t know why yet, but I intend to find out.”
Ellery nodded and then she smiled a little sadly at Errol.
“I’m sorry you got dragged into this,” she said. “And I’m sorry you had a wasted trip. I know my parents told you that there was a chance you could be my one true mate. But you’re not. I’ve already found him.”
At that, Ellery turned and smiled at Max. He returned her smile, and for a moment, Ellery was able to forget about everything else and just be content in her little bubble of happiness with Max.
13
As they drove toward the house, Max asked Errol to call ahead and let Faust and Freya know that Ellery was safe and that they were heading back with a prisoner to be dealt with. Errol complied and when he ended the call, he told Max and Ellery that Faust had asked them to go straight to the building at the back of the house where the holding cells were.
As Max approached the gate, it opened automatically and he drove through and kept following the road around to the back of the house. He pulled up outside of the building he had been asked to go to and instantly, four members of the royal guard stepped forward. Max got out of the car as they wrestled the prisoner out.
Faust and Freya ran from the building and Ellery jumped out of the car. Freya pulled her into a hug and then she released her and Faust hugged her.
“Are you alright, Ellery? Are you hurt?” Freya demanded.
“No, Mom, I’m fine. Really,” Ellery said.
Faust turned to Max and offered him his hand. Max took it and Faust shook his hand, his grip firm. He smiled at Max.
“Thank you, Maxen. You did well, and I owe you more than I could ever repay you,” he said.
Max smiled and shook his head.
“You don’t owe me anything, sir. I’m just glad Ellery is safe,” Max said.
Faust released Max’s hand with a smile and the five of them began walking into the building. Ellery moved toward Max and slipped her hand into his.
“Let’s go in here and you can tell us what happened, Ellery, and then we’ll question the prisoner,” Faust said, leading them into a small lounge area that seemed out of place beside the holding cells.
They all went in and sat down.
“There’s not really much I can tell you,” Ellery said. “I don’t even know who he is. I thought he was Errol.”
“Just tell us whatever you can. Start with how you came to be with him in the first place,” Freya said. “Did he come to the house?”
“No,” Ellery said. “I went out this morning…”
“Why didn’t you take Max with you?” Faust interrupted.
“I was getting him a surprise present,” Ellery said, blushing slightly.
Faust rolled his eyes, but he made no further comments and Ellery went on.
“I met who I thought was Errol on my way to Main Stre
et. He asked me to have dinner with him and I said no, so he asked me for coffee instead. Again, I said no, but he insisted, saying it would just be as friends. I didn’t want to go. He creeped me out, but I figured that if you two thought he was a potential mate for me, then his family must be important and I didn’t want to cause any trouble, so I agreed. As we walked toward Main Street, he smacked me in the temple and knocked me unconscious.”
Max felt anger surge through him at that and his hands balled into fists at his sides. Ellery rubbed his arm and he looked at her.
“It’s okay, Max. I’m okay now,” she said.
Max nodded, but he was finding it hard to quell his anger all the same.
“I woke up in the house you found me in. Errol, sorry, not Errol…the man, he was crazy. He kept saying he loved me and that I would learn to love him too. His plan was to keep me prisoner until I fell for him. I tried to escape, but he was strong, and so in the end, I went along with his charade, sitting down to watch a movie with him. I knew Max would sense that I was in danger, and I knew he would come for me,” Ellery finished with a smile.
“Errol,” Max said, when Ellery had finished. “You seemed to recognize him when we brought him into custody.”
“Yes,” Errol said, looking down at the ground. “I am ashamed to admit it, but I do know the man. His name is Alexander Jenkins. He was, until last month, part of my staff.”
“Errol, it’s okay,” Freya said gently. “It’s not your fault.”
Errol finally looked up and flashed Freya a grateful smile.
“Thank you for saying that,” he said. “Alexander put his notice in last month. Obviously, I didn’t suspect why, but it is now my belief that it was he who intercepted my message letting you know of my delay, and he took the opportunity to pretend to be me and meet Ellery.”
