Colton: Rogue Beginnings (A Rogue Enforcers Novel)

by Grace Brennan

Fuck. It didn’t take a genius to figure out why they were going to a deserted spot. Anton gave him directions and he quickly followed them, cursing as he swerved in and out of traffic. The rain wasn’t affecting him, but everyone else had slowed to a crawl, unable to see well enough to drive.

  It took longer than he wanted before he could see Anton’s car ahead of him. Every second felt like a lifetime while his dragon tore up his chest, just as panicked as he was.

  We have to get her back, his dragon hissed. Let me out when you catch up to them. I’ll relish the fear in their eyes before I end them.

  If we’re in a deserted enough area, you have my word that you can take them out. Turn into a man eater if you want to. I don’t give a shit what you do. Just take those fuckers down.

  His dragon hummed with approval, the sound rumbling through the truck. When he was just behind Anton, he spied the black, windowless van in front of him. They were out in the middle of nowhere, with nothing around, and grim pleasure filled him. He could let his dragon out to roast them or eat them—at that point, both sounded like solid options.

  He let the rain slowly ease up until there was nothing but drizzle, and then he let that stop, wanting it to seem natural.

  “Don’t follow too closely,” he told Anton. “I don’t want them to know we’re actually following them. If they turn, don’t follow. I’ll get out on foot and follow from the main road.”

  “You got it.”

  Thankful the other man didn’t ask him how he’d be able to easily follow a moving vehicle, he went quiet as they followed behind the van for another three miles. The van slowed and turned onto a dirt road, and he and Anton passed by, slowing to a stop once the trees gave them cover.

  Turning off the truck, he quickly got out, meeting Anton by the side of the road. “Thanks for following them. Here’s David’s phone.”

  “I’d ask if you need help, but judging by the things your eyes are doing, I don’t think you need any,” Anton replied in heavily accented English as he studied him. “Even being who I am and doing what I do, I wouldn’t mess with you, the way you’re looking right now.”

  “No. I don’t. I’ve got this. Go make sure Sergei’s okay.”

  Anton nodded silently and got back into his car, and he contemplated Anton’s words. They made it clear that Sergei and his friends definitely weren’t on the right side of the law, but he didn’t give a shit about that. Not worrying about concealing his speed or the fact that the other man clearly knew he wasn’t quite human, he put on a burst of speed, shooting through the trees.

  He caught up with the van just as it was coming to a stop outside of an old, dilapidated barn. Pausing just inside the tree line, he narrowed his eyes, fury filling him when he saw Justin tied up outside of the barn, with a man holding a gun to his head. Justin had a black eye, his clothes were torn and dirty, and he had a bandage wrapped around the hand that was missing a finger.

  So, there were at least three of the fuckers, since David said two came in and kidnapped Katia. They’d already die for hurting his cousin, but God help them if they’d harmed a hair on Katia’s head. He would break every bone in their bodies and then fry them alive. Maybe even cut off their balls first, like David suggested.

  Whatever made them suffer the most.

  He normally wasn’t a violent man. He’d wanted to be an Enforcer, true, but that was about protecting the innocent, not hurting the accused. He wasn’t used to feeling like this, but he welcomed it, feeding off of it, stoking up the desire to end these fuckers for what they’d done.

  The man with the gun called out, and another joined him just as the door to the van opened and the men drug a struggling Katia out. His dragon hissed inside him and his fury burned hotter, boiling in his blood, as they dragged her over to the others.

  No more men came out. So, there were four. That was child’s play for a dragon. He just had to make sure he could take them out before they hurt his mate or Justin.

  One of them shoved Katia roughly toward Justin, and she stumbled, just barely catching herself when she started to fall. Turning, her eyes so furious he could see it even from the distance between them, she spit at the man who shoved her.

  Pride filled him that she wasn’t cowering in terror and instead was fighting back in any way she could. The other man who kidnapped her had scratches down his cheek that were bleeding, showing that she hadn’t gone easily, and he was so fucking proud of her for not backing down, even knowing what they could do.

  The man raised his hand to hit her, and that was it for him. Katia was glaring, not backing down an inch. He’d hoped for a bit more time to get the lay of the land, but he wasn’t going to stand there and do nothing while she was hurt.

  “Touch her and die,” he growled, walking out of the woods.

  In an instant, he had four guns pointed at him, but he didn’t stop walking toward them until one of them swung the gun toward Katia. He came to a stop then about twenty feet away, glaring a cold death at the man who had a gun pointed at his mate.

  The man swallowed nervously, his eyes betraying the fear he felt, but he stupidly kept his gun pointed at her. He decided that one would definitely die first.

  “Who the hell are you?” one of the men demanded.

  “That’s the one who had the girl. Fucker kept evading us until he stupidly brought her back to her hotel.”

  “Or maybe not so stupidly,” Colton replied, smiling coldly. “Did you not consider that it was a deliberate move?”

  The first man who spoke narrowed his eyes, scanning the woods for a moment. “It was fucking idiotic if you thought you could come here and save her alone. Should have stayed out of this. Making it your business means making sure you die.”

  “You made it my business when you took my cousin and then my girl,” he said with a deceptively casual shrug. “And the only ones dying today are you four for daring to touch either of them.”

  “Do you see his eyes,” one of them said in a low voice. “He’s one of them.”

  “Must be, if that asshole is his cousin. His eyes look different, though. I’m thinking he’s not an owl.”

  “That right?” the first one, clearly the leader, asked. “You a shifter, but not an owl?” Walking over to Justin, he pulled out a knife and placed it against his neck. “Just what kind of animal is your cousin, asshole?”

  “I wouldn’t know. We’re not all that close.”

  The leader cursed, his fingers tightening on the knife, before he eased it back with a smile. “That’s all right. Now we have two shifters, and it doesn’t matter what animal he has. I’m sure he’ll be more forthcoming than you were on info, since we have his girlfriend. Greg, get the suppressant.”

  Shit. He had to shift, now, before they injected him with the suppressant that kept him in his human skin. His dragon was all scales and tough, nearly impenetrable hide, so they’d have to be very lucky to inject him once he was shifted.

  Justin gave him a slight nod, and he quickly backed up a few paces, not wanting his shift to inadvertently hurt Katia. Hunching over, he gave his dragon his body, along with his blessing to tear these motherfuckers apart.

  Pain exploded through his body as he pushed the shift, loud pops ringing out as his bones broke and reformed. There was a rush and a sense of special distortion as he grew much larger than his human form. Once the change was complete, he threw his head back and roared, past the point of caring whether other humans saw or heard him.

  The men stumbled back, horror reflected in their eyes, and he relished it—until the one pointing the gun at Katia discharged it as he stumbled.

  Katia cried out, falling to her knees, and a red haze coated his vision as he stared at the fucker who shot her.

  Hell yes. This one would definitely die first, and he’d take fucking pleasure in ended his worthless existence.

  Chapter Nine

  Katia stared up in awe at the dragon in front of her. Time seemed to stand still for an eternal moment as she stared at Col
ton. He was much like she’d imagined, only bigger—much bigger. He was even larger than the barn behind her.

  His green scales shimmered iridescently in the sun, and his yellow underbelly almost seemed to glow. His eyes were a blazing kaleidoscope of bright green and yellow, and so beautiful. He had two large, curved horns at the top of his head, and spikes that began at the back of his head, getting larger as they followed his spine all the way down to the tip of his tail.

  His freakin’ talons were as big as her forearms and lethally sharp, and when he threw his head back and roared, his razor-sharp teeth glinted in the sun.

  She’d hate to be the one on the wrong side of his dragon. And judging by the fury in his eyes, these men were drawing their last breaths.

  A moment later, time snapped back into motion as a gunshot rang out. Fire seared into her side, and she cried out at the pain, falling to her knees. Shit, that hurt like a motherfucker!

  Colton roared again, letting out fire of his own, and she inhaled deeply, wincing at the resulting pain in her side at the motion. Gritting her teeth, she dug deep for strength to block out the pain and moved over to Justin.

  One of the men had dropped his knife and she grabbed it, awkwardly sawing through the ropes holding his hands together. There was screaming and roaring going on, and gun shots ringing out, but she kept her focus on her task. She wanted him to get free so he could help Colton.

  Colton was a dragon, and she knew there might not be much the humans could do to him, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t terrified that they’d manage to hurt him—or worse. Justin could at least shift and help.

  She finally got him free, but instead of shifting, he gently took her hand and led her into the barn. There was a pile of clothes and other essentials inside, like they’d been settling in for a long stay, and he grabbed one of the shirts and pressed it to her side just as another gunshot rang out.

  “What are you doing? Stop that and shift! Go help Colt. I can take care of myself.”

  “I can’t shift right now. Besides, Colt doesn’t need my help, and he’d kill me if I left you here like this.”

  Shaking her head, she leaned against the car behind her—the Camry Justin had been driving before. She felt inexplicably weak, but maybe it was just the pain affecting her. “I’m fine. It’s just a flesh wound. Go help Colt.”

  “I told you, I can’t. They injected me with a suppressant that means I can’t shift.” He glanced down, and when he met her gaze again, his blue eyes were worried. “And that’s more than a flesh wound. Even if I could shift, I wouldn’t leave you alone.”

  Brow twitching, she glanced down, instantly feeling faint. Her blouse and skirt were soaked with blood, and it was quickly seeping through the shirt Justin had pressed to her wound.

  “Holy shit,” she replied, knowing her eyes were wide when she glanced up. “That’s probably more than just a scratch.”

  His lips twitched, but the worry never left his dark blue eyes. “It definitely is.”

  She glanced down again, feeling weak. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the sight of all the blood or from the loss of it, but she was grateful when he spoke again. It was clear he was trying to distract her, and she could have kissed him for it.

  And she would have—before she met Colton, anyway.

  “So, what’s your name? I’m assuming you know mine, since my cousin called you his girl.”

  “Katia. It’s nice to meet you, although I wish the circumstances were a bit different.”

  “Yeah. Sorry about that,” he said with a half-smile that didn’t come anywhere close to reaching his eyes. “Katia, huh? You’re Russian?”

  “Yep. From a long line of Russian mafia, apparently.”

  She’d just been making a stupid joke to distract herself from the pain, but hell, thinking that her family was the mob was more normal than what was going on at this very moment.

  “Mafia, huh? Nice. So… you’re Colton’s mate?”

  Her brow furrowed thoughtfully. “I mean, he hasn’t called it that, but we’re together, if that’s what you mean.”

  “I saw the way he looked at you. That, combined with you being together, means you most likely are.”

  “I wonder why he didn’t tell me.”

  Justin replied, but her mind was far away as her thoughts started getting hazy. Shit. She’d been injured much worse than she thought. At least it didn’t hurt as much as it had, but she didn’t think that was a good thing either, since her body was starting to feel a little numb.

  The fighting outside stopped, and it was the sudden silence that got her attention and brought her back to the present again. Her mind still felt foggy, but she fought to focus, needing to know Colton was okay.

  The fight really hadn’t lasted long, but then, he was a dragon. She hadn’t expected it to.

  He strode into the barn, naked as the day he was born, and she ran her eyes over him, looking for any injuries. He had a wicked looking cut on his arm that was bloody, but other than that, he was fine. And maybe it was her imagination, but it seemed to be healing right before her eyes.

  No, wait. He’d told her shifters heal fast. She’d known that, but somehow, it had gotten lost in the foggy recesses of her mind.

  Her eyes grew heavy, and with it came the knowledge that she might not have long on this earth. It was a fucking shame, and it felt like it was just her luck.

  She’d finally met the man of her dreams, but now she was dying. Life was so damned unfair.

  “Fuck,” Colton cursed as he fell to his knees beside her. “Katia? Sweetheart. Please. Open your eyes, beautiful.”

  She hadn’t even realized she’d closed them. Forcing them open, she gazed up at him, putting everything she felt for him in her eyes. “I didn’t want it to happen like this,” she whispered, not even having the strength to speak normally. “I wanted a lifetime with you. But I have to tell you something.”

  She paused, winded, and he touched her cheek gently, his eyes tortured. “Don’t try to talk, love. We’ll fix you.”

  “This is important, though. I love you, Colton. So much. More than I ever thought I could love anyone.”

  Colton stared at Katia, lying against the car, her life’s blood seeping out onto the floor, and he wanted to yell and rage and throw shit. He wanted to destroy the fucking world in that moment, because if he lost her, his world would be destroyed.

  But he kept all of that out of his gaze, not wanting her to see it, and when she whispered that she loved him, his soul felt like it healed just a little bit, and determination settled over him. He would not let her fucking die.

  Never.

  “I love you too, sweetheart. But you’re not dying. Not if I have anything to say about it. How do you feel about becoming an owl shifter?”

  He saw Justin stiffen with surprise, but he ignored him, all his attention focused on his mate. His dragon was tearing up his chest, urging him to order Justin to turn her now. But as long as she was conscious to give her approval, he was going to hold out.

  “An owl shifter?” she whispered, her eyes wide and hazy.

  “Yes. I’d change you myself, but dragons can’t turn humans. Justin can, though. Come on, Katia. Say yes. Spend forever with me. Hell, even if you don’t want that, just let him turn you so you can live. Even if it’s not with me. I just need you to live.”

  “Yes,” she whispered, her eyes starting to slide closed before she forced them back open. “I want to spend forever with you.”

  He smiled at her, relief nearly knocking him over, and then he looked over at his cousin. “You heard her. Turn my mate.”

  To Justin’s credit, he didn’t hesitate. He lifted his uninjured hand and then paused. “You should claim her first before I do this. I don’t want to give my owl any ideas.”

  Fuck, he hadn’t even thought of that. He started to ask Katia if that was okay, but her eyes were closed, her breathing choppy and shallow, and he didn’t think she’d be able to answer him. Hell, she’
d already said she wanted to spend her life with him, so why the fuck was he hesitating?

  Panic rushed through him and Colton focused his energy on bringing his talons out. Pushing her blouse off her shoulder, he immediately slashed through her skin, going deep enough to claim her thoroughly as his dragon roared with approval inside him.

  The moment he was done, Justin was already there, his owl’s talons out, and he made the mark just under Colton’s, taking care to go deep enough for it to take.

  Holding his breath, praying he wasn’t too late, he stared at her, willing her breathing to even out. Taking her hand, he held it tightly, panic, fear, and worry eating him up as his dragon tore his chest up. Agony was ripping through him at the thought that they were too late.

  He couldn’t fucking live without her. He had no doubts about that.

  After what felt like an eternity, her breathing started so calm, becoming deeper and more normal. Relief washed over him, nearly knocking him over, and he closed his eyes against the onslaught. Sending a prayer heavenward, he pressed a kiss to her knuckles, feeling an unaccustomed sting of emotion against his eyelids.

  The last time he cried was when he was five and just lost his parents. But if his eyes were open right now, he knew there’d be tears rolling down his cheeks. That was how intensely he was feeling his emotions, how much he fucking loved her, how much relief he felt that he wasn’t losing her, after all.

  After he managed to get ahold of himself, he opened his eyes and blew out a breath. Her eyes were still closed, but her color was better, and when he moved the shirt out of the way, her bullet wound was nearly healed. The bullet had been pushed out, and it fell out of the shirt when he moved it.

  He stared at it, hating that piece of lead with every fiber of his being. He should have tortured the fucker who shot her, but there hadn’t been time. He’d had to take care of all of them before they came in here and tried to finish her off and kill Justin.

  “Thank you,” he said to his cousin, his voice low and hoarse with emotion.

  “Anything for you. And I would have done it regardless if it was needed, but this was my fault. It wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t gotten myself into this mess.”