by Becca Van
Chapter Fourteen
Wally muttered under his breath as he drove through the early morning hours. He could feel that he was getting closer to the dragon assholes but couldn’t quite pin down where the pull was coming from.
He hadn’t bothered to contact Jerome or his right-hand man because he didn’t want to share the glory of finding the shifters’ lair with anyone else. He was so full of rage he was trembling with it, but that anger made him feel like he was ten feet tall and the power rushing through his veins had him feeling like he had the strength of twenty men. He didn’t need anyone else’s help to get his woman back. As far he as knew, there had only been three shifters in his girl’s place and he was more than capable of taking them out.
He’d been training for this for over fifty years. He snorted at how naïve humans were. To them he looked no more than thirty years old, but he was closer to sixty. From the moment he could walk, he’d been trained in combat and about obsidian-tipped weapons.
Hunters were so few and far between and their numbers were dwindling rapidly. There was no time for a childhood for their kind. As soon as they could walk they were stolen from their mothers and put to work. He couldn’t even remember what his mother had looked like. Not that he really cared. She had been dead a long time. Wally had no idea who his father was nor did he give a shit. The only name on his birth certificate had been his mother’s. He had no idea if his biological father was even alive.
All thoughts flew from his mind as the pull became stronger and he slammed his foot on the brake. The back end of the car fishtailed and slid sideways, but he pulled his foot from the brake and turned the wheel so he didn’t spin out. He was about twenty yards from the turn off to the Wind River Mountain Range. If the dragons were being true to form, it made sense that their lair would be in a cavern in those mountains. Now all he had to do was find their hideout and when he did, she would be his and his alone.
* * * *
Bid sighed and leaned back in her chair. She was satiated in more ways than one. Her body was relaxed after making love with all three of her mates, and she’d just eaten the biggest breakfast of her life. She had never been one to eat first thing in the morning, happy with a couple of cups of coffee to get her through until lunchtime. But after her exercise last night and this morning, her stomach had been growling like a hungry bear from the moment she’d stepped into the shower with Ed.
She smiled as she remembered him washing her all over before washing and conditioning her hair. She hadn’t had to lift a finger, but when he’d finished bathing her, she’d returned the favor. By the time she’d rinsed the suds from his body, his cock had been hard again and although she’d wanted to make love with him, she was too tender to even try. But she hadn’t left him hanging. She taken him in hand and pumped him until his seed spewed out onto the tile wall with a shout. Then he’d kissed her senseless and dried her off.
What amazed her was how she could feel what each of her mates were feeling. Of course they’d told her they would be connected once they’d claimed her, but she hadn’t realized how deep the connection would be.
Each of her men was happy. She could actually hear Erwin humming a tune in his mind and almost laughed when she realized it was the song called “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. Eli’s mind kept wandering to this morning’s sex session, and although he was happy and content, Ed was worried about the hunters.
She couldn’t believe that her ex-boss Wallace Core was a hunter and wondered why he’d come to her house when she’d only just found out about dragon shifters. Were her men in danger because of her? Or was there another reason that Wally had come calling?
None of it made sense and her thoughts kept rolling around, but she came up with no reasonable scenarios or conclusions.
“Here you go, honey,” Lance said as he refilled her coffee cup.
“Thanks.” She wrapped her hands around her mug and listened as Andre, Aiden, and Alex bantered back and forth. All the men in this lair were good guys and she would hate to see any of them get hurt or god forbid killed. The only conclusion she could come up with as to Wally’s visit was because he was interested in her, but if that was the case, why hadn’t he asked her out or made a move sooner? Not that she would have accepted an invitation from him, but he’d had a couple of years to ask her out if he was attracted to her.
Maybe hunters were drawn to dragons more than they suspected. Or maybe it was because she’d met them at the diner that time at lunch. She could have had their scents on her, and if that were the case he could well have picked the aromas up. Is that why Wally had started acting strange? No, he’d been acting weird the day before she’d met her dragon mates.
“The hunter had nothing to do with you, baby.” Eli scooted his chair closer and slung an arm over her shoulders.
“You don’t know that.”
“Bid, hunters are always trying to find and kill dragon shifters,” Ed said. “It wouldn’t matter if one of them was your brother. They are going to do what they are going to do. Nothing you do or say can change that.”
Bid sighed. “Okay, but what if this isn’t all about you?”
“What do you mean?” Erwin asked.
“What if it’s me he wants?”
“We’re not going to let him get to you, baby.”
“I know but…” She paused to take a sip of her coffee and then drew in a deep breath.
“But?” Ed asked.
“He was acting really weird the last couple of days I worked for him.”
“What do you mean?” Lance asked as he sat across from her.
“He was always kind of snarky.” When Lance raised an eyebrow in query, she elaborated further. “Short-tempered and snappy, but he was so damn angry and aggressive, which was out of character for him. He was barking out orders left and right and if I didn’t jump straight away, he was reaming my ass. His face was red with anger all day long and he was just totally unreasonable. Plus, he started swearing at me, which he’d never done before.”
“Was he crazy?” Alex asked, drawing her gaze.
She tilted her head as she thought back over Wally’s actions and behaviors. The saying went that the eyes were the window to the soul, but every time she’d looked into her ex-boss’s blue eyes they had been cold and totally blank. It was like he didn’t have a soul, or if he did he wasn’t in tune with it. “You know, I think maybe he is.”
“Then let’s hope his mind is too broken to find us,” Lance said with a sigh.
When she looked at him she could see that he didn’t believe what he’d just said. And Bid had a feeling a crazy hunter would be more dangerous than a sane one.
* * * *
Wally sat at the parking space to the base of the Wind River Mountain Ranges. His intuition was working overtime and he giggled with glee. He was close, he could almost smell the stench of the dragons making his stomach churn with revulsion. He’d figured they’d be high up in the mountains hiding in the lair, but as he got out of his car and locked the door, his sonic radar seemed to hone in on a large boulder no more than a two hundred yards up the slope. He squinted his eyes against the glare of the sun and using his better than twenty-twenty vision he traversed the slope with his gaze. A normal human wouldn’t be able to reach that boulder on foot, but he wouldn’t have any trouble. He was stronger and faster than the average man and his abilities would make his climb a cakewalk, but he would have to try and not let the anger consume him, because if he did, he may not be as stealthy as he needed to be.
An image of Belinda came to mind and his dick hardened. She was so damn sexy with her long black hair and green eyes. The memory of the way she had stood up to him and told him to fuck of made his hard dick jerk in his pants and he moaned as he imagined sinking into her tight, wet cunt. She had been magnificent, and although he hated that he’d upset his woman, he just hadn’t been able to control his ire. But he loved a feisty woman and she’d been perfect. Still was.
He growled in ang
er at the thought of what those fucking dragons were doing to and with her, the red haze of rage tinting his vision. They had stolen his woman right out from under his nose and for that they would pay.
Jerome was going to put him up on a pedestal for finding the dragon’s lair, and when he was standing at his leader’s side, he would bide his time and then take the asshole out. He was better than any of the other hunters and he was strong enough to take the shifters down. He moved around his car to the trunk and selected his weapons.
Wally had come prepared. He had two long-handled obsidian-tipped spears and three obsidian knives. He’d spent over a year honing those blades and couldn’t wait to feel the black glass-like substance slicing into the hide of the dragons like butter.
He was going to kill them all.
* * * *
Bid stretched to ease her aching muscles. She had spent the last few hours helping Randy go through the books. Her guys were still talking strategy with Lance and the others, but since she didn’t have any idea how to fight and didn’t have their strength or 'superpowers', she decided she needed something else to occupy her mind. What she really wanted to do was go outside and get some fresh air. It wasn’t that she didn’t like their lair, because she did. It still amazed her how comfortable and luxurious they had made their home, but she wanted to feel the sun on her face and breathe crisp clean air. Not that the air she was breathing was rank or stale, but it wasn’t as good as the real thing. How the dragons had managed to get heating and airflow into the cave was a mystery, but as long as she wasn’t struggling to breathe she didn’t really care.
“I can’t believe how many business and properties you all have.”
Randy smiled and gave her a wink. “When you’ve lived as long as we have, it’s hard not to accumulate.”
“So why aren’t you living in any of the houses you own?” Bid asked. “The mansion you have a couple hours away would house you all comfortably.”
“Yes but people talk, Bid. We don’t like to interact with humans unless we have to and it’s hard to hide our dragons when they come to the surface. I’m sure you’ve seen how our pupils change from circles to slits.”
“Yeah, there is that.” She sighed and stood up. “I need to move around for a while.”
“Okay. Lunch will be ready soon. Don’t go too far.”
“Where would I go?”
Randy chuckled, his eyes still glued to his computer screen. Whatever he was working on had all of his attention.
Bid walked out of the large office and meandered through the long winding halls. Each apartment of rooms had its own hallway and the lair was so big she didn’t think she’d ever memorize it. But it was going to be fun trying.
She meandered her way through the rabbit-warren type layout and it took her a while to realize that the hallways to each apartment were set out in a star-like pattern. She walked to the end of the corridor she was in and turned around to head back, but paused when she noticed a large door concealed midway. She placed her hand on it and was surprised to feel cool metal under her palm. The door had been painted to blend in and was almost impossible to see, but her senses were getting better and better with each hour that passed.
There was no door handle and she knew she should probably head toward the kitchen for lunch, but her curiosity was piqued. Narrowing her eyes, she looked all over the door for a way to open it, and when she found none, she turned her gaze to its surrounds. She almost missed it because it was blended so well and hardly raised higher than the wall’s surface, but there was a small bump protruding slightly on the face of the rock wall’s surface.
Bid pushed the button and watched in awe as the large metallic door slid into the wall. Sunshine streamed into the opening and without any hesitation she stepped out into the warm rays. She closed her eyes and tilted her face up, relishing the feeling of the sunshine on her skin, and she breathed deeply of the clean, fresh air.
She opened her eyes again and took in the magnificent view of the mountains and trees, and drew in the sweet scent of aspen trees. There were no buildings to mar the view and no traffic noise to drown out the twitter of birds. When she heard a screech, she moved to the edge of the ledge and looked up. There, high in the sky floating on thermals, was a bald-headed eagle. Its wing span was amazing and although it was far from her, she could see how big it was. She’d never seen anything so glorious in her life.
How long she stood there watching the bird of prey soaring in the air she had no idea, but when the hair on the back of her neck stood on end, she knew she was no longer alone.
She spun around and came face to face with Wally. His face was red with anger, his clothes were rumpled and dirty, but it was the look of malicious intent in his eyes that scared the crap out of her. But what scared her more was the two dark-tipped spears he was holding in each hand.
“What are you doing here, Wally?” Bid couldn’t believe how strong yet calm her voice sounded because inside she was quaking.
“Why did you leave with them?” he asked angrily.
“What?” she asked, stalling for time so she could think of something to say that wouldn’t incite his anger further. Plus, she was hoping her mates would realize she was in danger and come rescue her. She also hoped that the bond between them was strong enough for them to feel her fear. Bid took a step back when he took one forward. She had no idea how far or close behind her the ledge was but didn’t want to take her eyes off of him to look. When she met his blue eyes, she couldn’t see any trace of the boss she’d been working with.
“You’re supposed to be mine,” he spat and took another step closer.
Her eyes moved down to the long spears in his hands and saw his grip was tight, turning his knuckles white. Was he here to kill her? Or was he after her mates?
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Wally.”
“Don’t call me that. I hate that fucking name. Call me Wallace.”
Okay! He is definitely crazy. There was no emotion in his eyes besides anger, and yet they were ice-cold, not heated like she’d expected.
When he took another two steps forward, she took a moment to glance behind her and drew in a ragged breath. She only had enough room to step back once more, and after that she would fall over the edge, and if she didn’t die she would end up with horrific injuries and probably wished she hadn't survived. The slope was steep and strewn with shale and rock. If she fell she would end up with broken bones and internal injuries. There had to be a way to move from the cliff, but that would mean she would need to move toward Wally, not away from him. Maybe she could sidestep and then make a run for the open doorway.
Yeah, like she wouldn’t end up with a spear in her back if she tried.
* * * *
Erwin halted mid-conversation when fear assailed him. A shiver wracked his spine and he drew in a deep breath. He was already up and out of his seat before he exhaled and his roar of fury was joined by Eli’s and Ed’s.
His heart was pounding so hard in his chest, and although he was full of adrenaline he was finding it hard to stay on his feet.
“Get the others outside now,” Eli ordered.
“On it,” Ed replied.
Erwin slammed into the rock wall as he took the corner too fast, and then he was sprinting down the hallway that led to Lance’s apartment. When he saw sunlight streaming through the second entrance to the lair, his heart leapt up into his throat.
Why the fuck had she gone outside? Why hadn’t she searched them out if she needed out? What the hell happened to the motion sensors and the alarms?
Erwin drowned out the mental chatter of the other flight pods and peeked around the edge of the door. Bile surged up his throat when he saw his mate standing close to the edge of the cliff with the asshole hunter blocking her from the door.
His dragon surged forward, and in moments he was looking through his animal’s eyes. His beast’s first instinct was to breathe dragon fire on the hunter and kill him, but the asshole w
as too close to his mate and she could end up being hurt or killed.
He saw the shimmers rise up above his mate and knew that Aiden, Andre, and Alex were ready to get his woman out of danger, but first he and his flight pod brothers needed to distract the hunter.
The fucker must have scented him and the others because he leapt across the distance between him and his mate and pulled her in front of him, the tip of an obsidian spear pressed against her neck.
Erwin moved through the entrance toward Bid and the hunter, careless of the fact that he could end up dead. All that mattered was getting his mate away from the bastard. He didn’t need to look behind him to know that Eli and Ed were right behind him, also in dragon form. One of the reasons the corridors and ceilings were so high was so they could shift inside if necessary.
“Can you hear me, baby?” Eli asked as he moved to Erwin’s side.
“Yes.”
“Don’t struggle with him, honey,” Erwin said after he took another deep breath and pushed his fear down deep. He needed to keep control so that they could save their woman.
She gave a slight nod of her head and glanced up and to the side where Aiden and his friends were hovering. The other flight pod weren’t close enough as far as he was concerned, but they were in reflection mode and he assumed they were staying back so the hunter wouldn’t feel the breeze from their flapping dragon wings.
“You’re all going to die and then she will be mine.” The crazy hunter chuckled and took a step back.
Erwin tensed every muscle in his dragon body, ready to breathe fire or leap to save his mate.
“You can’t win,” Lance said as walked up behind him.
Erwin wanted to tell their elder to shut the hell up. If he made the hunter any angrier, he might do something stupid and hurt their woman.
“Of course I can,” Wally shouted. “I am the greatest hunter ever born. Once I have killed you all, she will sit at my side and we’ll rule the world together.”
