Battle for a Mates Heart

by Raven Darkwing

  Blaze’s Rogues were responsible for locating Radar, Sammy, and any other prisoners. They would get them to safety. The Seattle Pack enforcers, led by Rafael, would search for any remaining guards. They would try to take them alive if possible, but from what Charlie had told them, Grant knew most would not give up without a fight. David, Forest, and Jake would come with him to ferret out the location of Alpha Clifton.

  It would be Grant, however, who would take the bastard down. This time, he would make sure the evil alpha and his rule came to a permanent end. His wolf was in full agreement with him. Alpha Clifton would not be leaving the facility in one piece.

  ◆◆◆

  Charlie jumped from the bed. He grabbed the wall for a moment to get his balance. The sweatpants he wore came up to his mid-calf, and the T-shirt showed his abs, but he didn’t care about the ill-fitting clothes. His mate was being threatened, and he needed to get help. He walked quickly toward the door. He opened it and glanced down the hallway. Luckily, the stairs leading down to the first level were easy to find.

  He should have had his mate show him around, but after the claiming, things hadn’t gone quite as he planned. Hell, who was he kidding. He’d screwed up again. Although in his defense, claiming his mate in both shifter and magi ways had been instinct. It never occurred to him Sparky would be upset.

  However, Charlie was grateful they had completed the claiming. If it weren’t for the Semme’ mate link, he wouldn’t have known Sparky was in trouble. The fact that his mate would also be able to tap into his magic would also give them an edge. That is if he could contact him again and if his stubborn mate could get past his hatred of magic.

  The silence in his mind where his mate should have been was ominous. It could only mean Sparky was unconscious and most likely injured. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs. There still was no sign of anyone. “Hello?” Charlie called.

  A door opened to reveal Jason, the alpha’s youngest brother. The resemblance to the alpha was clear. Except, where Alpha Grant wore his dark hair long and braided in Indian style, Jason’s dark hair was shorter and brushed up; and spiked into a casual-looking style.

  Unlike his brothers, he had facial hair that looked more like a five-o’clock shadow on his lower cheeks and neck than an actual beard. The whole look screamed metro male. “Can I help you?” Jason asked as he stepped out into the hallway.

  “It’s Sparky. He’s in trouble.” Charlie managed as he leaned against the wall. Damn it, he couldn’t be weak. His mate needed him. He stepped back when Jason offered to help him. Touching the man could break his tenuous hold on his ability. For now, the noise in his mind was at least manageable.

  “How?” Jason started to ask. He stepped back and motioned toward the door he had just come from.

  Charlie tapped his head, “We completed the claiming. Sparky called to me through the mate link. We need to get to him now before it’s too late.”

  “Follow me,” Jason didn’t waste words, and he turned and entered what looked like some kind of security room. There were monitors on the walls, as well as, a couple of side by side monitors on the large desk. He noticed an old-school whiteboard as well; which seemed out of place with all the technical equipment.

  He noticed one of the monitors showed views of the various rooms in the house, while another showed the immediate surroundings. He had to admit, this place was well protected; even with the Alpha and most of his enforcers away from the compound. He noticed other monitors showed various views of the town and some of the mountains and woodlands that made up the pack lands.

  “Any chance you can focus in on Sparky’s shop?” Charlie moved to stand behind Jason. He watched fascinated as for a moment the view on the left monitor showed an aerial view of the town. It looked like the camera was flying. “How?”

  Jason grinned, “It’s one of our secret weapons courtesy of my deranged brother and our resident recluse scientist. Just give me a moment, and we’ll be able to see what’s going on at the Spark Plug.”

  Charlie noticed the black car parked behind a black truck that seemed to have a violet hue to it. For a moment, there didn’t seem to be any sign of his mate or Winston. Jason typed in a few more commands, and the view on the other monitor came to life. It showed various views of the interior of the garage. “Luckily, I can tap into Sparky’s alarm system,” The shifter paused and pointed, “and there’s, Sandy.”

  The pup’s head could be seen peeking out over the edge of the sunken bay; before it dropped out of sight again. “Where’s Sparky?” Charlie peered closer but couldn’t find any sign of his mate.

  He heard Jason talking on the headset he’d put on before he sat down at his computers. “Dakota, you need to get out to the Spark Plug,” Jason paused as he listened for a moment. Charlie continued to look at the monitors, willing his mate to appear. “There’s no time, grab a few of the sentries from town. Sandy is hiding in the bay in the garage but…”

  Jason leaned forward, and using a few keystrokes, moved the camera to look toward the wooded area. Charlie felt his claws trying to come out as he watched a man he hadn’t seen in decades suddenly appear with his naked mate slung over his shoulder.

  The hybrid watched in horror as Winston pulled a key fob from his pocket and used it to open the trunk on the car. He glanced toward the garage building while he dumped the limp body into the trunk.

  The magi slammed the trunk closed and started to walk toward the garage. “Damn it, you need to put the pedal to the metal Dakota! He’s got Sparky in the trunk of his car, and it looks like he’s heading to get Sandy.”

  Charlie’s fist clenched as he watched the scene unfolding before him. Winston walked into the office, and after taking a quick look around, he entered the garage. Luckily, Sandy had hidden back down in the bay. “Come on out, kid. If you don’t, I’m gonna have to hurt your friend.”

  “No,” Jason whispered as he gripped the arms on his chair.

  For a moment, it was like time stood still. When Sandy didn’t appear, Winston walked further into the garage. He glanced around, but it was clear there were too many places for the pup to hide in. Charlie hoped Sandy would stay hidden.

  “Last chance, kid…” Winston turned in a circle before he slammed his hand down on one of the workbenches. “Fine, you’ll be responsible for whatever happens to your friend.” The magi cocked his head to the side for a moment, as if he was listening to something before he turned and quickly left the building.

  Charlie watched as Winston approached the back of the car. If you listened closely, you could hear a pounding sound coming from the trunk. “Sparky?” Charlie tried to contact his mate.

  The pounding stopped, “Where am I?” His mates voice filled his mind.

  The magi closed his eyes and let out a breath he wasn’t aware he was holding. Sparky was awake, and from the feelings, he was getting, his mate was pissed. “You’re in the trunk of Winston’s car. Jason called Dakota. Help should be there shortly.”

  Winston banged on the trunk hood, “If you dent my car, you’ll regret ever being born, pet. Now, settle down!”

  “Let me out of here you bastard, or I’ll do more than dent your precious car!” Sparky’s muffled voice could be heard from the trunk. Charlie watched as Winston closed his eyes and began to mutter to himself. He could feel pressure and knew immediately what was happening.

  “Sparky, listen to me. Winston is trying to use his mind control.”

  “NO!”

  Charlie could feel the panic from his mate. He had to calm him down. They might have a chance; but only if he could get his mate to use his magic. “I’m not screwing around here. You have to listen to me before he figures out his mind control won’t work on you.”

  “What do you mean?” Sparky’s voice asked.

  “Remember, you share my magic now. Part of that means you will be immune from mind control by magic; just like me. I need you to pretend it’s working until we can get to you. If he finds out his magic doesn’t w
ork, he might try something worse.” Charlie could feel the conflict in his mate. For a moment, he thought Sparky would resist, but then he felt the acceptance through their link.

  Charlie watched as Winston opened his eyes and spoke to the trunk. “You’ll be quiet and sleep until I order you to wake, Sparky.” The magi waited a few moments before he cautiously opened the trunk. Inside his mate lay quietly, his eyes closed, and his chest rising and falling gently; as if he were sleeping in his own bed. Winston smirked as he closed the lid and quickly jumped into his car.

  Jason spoke into his mic, “Dakota, the bastard is leaving.” He pulled up another view that showed the car speeding toward the main road before it turned down a dirt road. “Looks like he’s heading for the old lumber road. I’ll send a couple of sentries to intercept. You need to get to Sandy and get him back here where he’ll be safe.”

  Charlie tuned out the rest of the conversation as he continued to watch the black car disappear into the forest. He wanted to re-open the link to his mate but didn’t want to take the chance that Winston would sense it. The more control Winston thought he had, the safer his mate would be. But once they found him, Winston would be a dead man. No one messed with his mate.

  A half hour had passed since the car had disappeared into the forest. Charlie was wearing a hole in the floor of Jason’s office; while the beta continued to manage the rescue mission. Dakota and his men had found Sandy and were on their way back to the house, but so far the sentries had yet to find the car or his mate.

  “What do you mean you can’t find it?” Jason growled into the mic. “Did you check the old lumber mill?”

  Charlie sighed. He’d been afraid this would happen. “He’s gone.”

  Jason turned to him. “What do you mean, gone? I’ve got eyes at all the exits, and our sentries have fanned out on all the roads he could have taken.”

  “He’s a magi, Jason,” Charlie replied.

  “So? It’s not like he can teleport,” Jason paused, his eyebrow rose, “can he?”

  The hybrid shrugged, “It depends on how strong his magic has become. But I don’t think that’s what happened here. Winston has the ability to control other’s minds. If he came across your sentries, he could have just misdirected their thoughts.”

  “You mean, he used a Jedi mind trick?”

  “I mean, my mate is gone, and we need to stop wasting time. Who knows what that bastard will do to him. Especially if he figures out Sparky is my mate.” Charlie headed toward the door but stopped when he felt a hand on his arm. He tried to yank free, but the beta was strong.

  “I know you want to go after him, but where would you go?” Jason asked. “Let me do a quick background check and call a few of my contacts before you go running off half-cocked. Meanwhile, I’ll have my mother fix you something to eat and also get you some clothes that fit better. While the David Banner look is kind of cute, we don’t need you busting out of your clothes and going green on us.”

  “If you don’t find my mate, the Hulk will look like a pussycat compared to what I’ll do,” Charlie growled as he exited the office. He stood in the hallway for a few moments and took a few deep breaths.

  His wolf was pushing to come out, but Jason had been right. There were too many places for the bastard to hide. He forced the wolf back, promising his beast retribution when they found Sparky. He refused to believe that his mate was gone for good.

  Chapter 16

  Sparky glanced down at the dark-haired young man and groaned as he felt a hand begin to stroke his softened member. He knew trying to talk to the sub was useless. There was no way Winston would have left him alone if the sub wasn’t completely under his control.

  He took a deep breath when the sub stopped stroking his cock. He noticed with satisfaction, that his member was only partially hard. Since he was mated, getting an erection would be difficult if it was done by anyone other than Charlie. The sub walked over to a table with various toys on it. He returned, and after applying some lube, he pushed a large dildo into Sparky’s ass.

  “It’s not going to work—argh!” Sparky cried out as he felt the vibrations begin in his ass. The sub ignored the captive shifter and once again knelt in front of him. Soon his cock was being stroked, while his prostate was being pummeled by the vibrations from the dildo. He dropped his head back and began to pant as his cock came to life. Unfortunately, the sub had been trained well and was able to stop before he could find his release.

  Of course, the final indignity came when the sub began to bind his cock and balls. Yet Sparky couldn’t blame the man who knelt in front of him. He knew those who became subs to Winston and his depraved followers suffered. If it took keeping his cock hard to ensure the young man in front of him was saved from further pain, he wouldn’t fight it.

  Sparky glanced up as the door to the room opened. Winston walked through, followed by another. A gasp escaped his lips as he saw the slight woman who entered behind the magi. She hadn’t aged much since the last time he saw her. Her flame-colored hair still hung in soft waves to her waist, but her eyes told a different story.

  Once, they had sparked with joy, their pale-green color glowed with an inner power that Sparky had never seen. Now, they were dull and filled with hate when they looked in his direction.

  “I can’t believe it. You promised me, Winston!” Brenna spoke through gritted teeth as she turned to face her mate.

  “I promised I wouldn’t enjoy his body, but I never agreed to forgo the pleasure of hearing his screams and seeing him humiliated.” Winston ran a finger down his wife’s cheek. Brenna flinched and turned her head away. “I can’t have anyone questioning my power, and you know it. This animal,” the magi pointed at Sparky, “will be kept on a leash by my feet where he and his kind belong.”

  “You better not let my father hear you speak of his new allies in such a manner, Winston. You have already become powerful as a member of the inner circle and second to the High Priest of the coven. You don’t need a new toy to flaunt—ah!” Brenna cried as Winston slapped her hard enough to send her reeling.

  Sparky watched in horror as his ex-lover stood over his kneeling wife. He knew Winston was dark, but to injure a mate, especially a fated one, was unheard of. He was beginning to suspect the Brenna was not Winston's soul mate.

  “This is not your concern. You are unwilling to meet my needs, so I must look elsewhere. Your father put me in charge of the Leather Bound franchise. It is me, who ensures the coven remains wealthy. So, excuse me if I don’t care what you feel about my keeping a few toys to play with,” Winston sneered. “Unless you are willing to replace the dog bound on my circle of pain?”

  Brenna cast her eyes down for a moment, but then slowly stood. Her eyes blazed with fury as she took a step back from her husband. “You can count yourself lucky that I cannot use my power on you.”

  Winston grinned, “Yes, an unfortunate circumstance because you have no idea how many times I wished I could use my power to control your mouth. Now, if we’re finished airing our dirty laundry, I have a new pet to break.”

  Before Winston could take a step toward the helpless shifter, there was a knock at the door. The magi opened the door and quietly spoke to someone in the hall. He turned back into the room, his jaw was clenched. Sparky figured his ex-partner had received some bad news.

  “I have to handle some business. But don’t worry, when I get back, Sparky, we’ll make up for the lost time.” He turned to his wife, “I’ll see you later at home, dear.” Without saying another word, the magi turned and left the room.

  For a moment, there was an uncomfortable silence in the room. Sparky watched as Brenna walked to the door, opened it briefly, and then shut it again. She turned and walked toward the captive shifter.

  He pulled on the chains holding him. The woman had a reason to hate him. After all, Winston was using him to warm his bed instead of hers. Of course, it was against the shifters will, but he was pretty sure Brenna didn’t see it that way.

 
He watched as she stopped and placed a gentle hand on the young man who had remained kneeling during the whole exchange. “Sebastian, can you help me release, Sparky?”

  The mechanic’s jaw dropped as the sub stood and began to remove the bindings from his arms and legs. As his feet hit the ground, he couldn’t help the soft groan. The pain from the beating he’d received increased, as the welts broke open at his movement.

  “Shhh, do you want to alert the Dungeon Master?” Brenna whispered as she placed a hand around his waist. She quickly led him to the large, leather chair in the room. “Get him some water Seb, while I have a discussion with our guest.”

  Sparky watched as once again the sub hurried to do his mistress’ bidding. “Why?” He managed to ask, as he began to remove the binding from his now painful member. If the binding had remained much longer, his cock probably would have been permanently damaged.

  It was one of the other reasons that Winston should have never been a Dom. He never cared for his subs the way a good Dom should. Sparky may not have been that much into the lifestyle before he met Winston, but he’d learned about how it was supposed to work from Artemus.

  Brenna sighed as she glanced toward the door. “You should shift and heal as much as you can. I’ll distract the Dungeon Master long enough for you to make your escape.” She took the water from Sebastian and offered it to Sparky. He took a moment to drink it down.

  “You still haven’t answered me, Brenna. Why are you doing this?” Sparky demanded as he slowly stood, wincing as his sore back and ass complained. He would be more than happy to shift and get out of here; but not until he got some answers from the she-witch.

  “We don’t have much time, Sparky,” Brenna started but stopped when she saw the look on the mechanic’s face. She ran a hand through her hair before she finally answered. “What Winston is doing is wrong. The truth is, if he weren’t my husband, I would have walked away from him years ago. But I can’t run and not just because of the bond. My father would never allow it.”