“We passed some golden arches a couple of miles back. Want me to grab some burritos and biscuits?”
“I can go with her,” Maya volunteered from where she lay on the other bed, fighting against her own exhaustion.
Sable shook her head, “They will be looking for you, Maya. You need to stay out of sight.” She tossed Charlotte the keys to the car, sliding her Glock from the holster on her thigh. “Take Silver with you when she comes back. Rubi can rest awhile longer. She’s hurting something fierce. I can smell her pain.”
Charlotte nodded, crossing to the door and slipping outside. Once she was gone, Dax rasped, “You think there’s something wrong with my sister?”
Sable palmed her Glock and walked over to the window, sliding the curtain back slightly so she could look outside. “Yes, I do.”
“Why wouldn’t she say anything?”
Sable let a small smile appear as she glanced back at him. “Because she’s like me. If I’m on a mission, I don’t care how badly I’m injured, I don’t stop until the job is done.”
“Rubi doesn’t go on missions.”
“She’s on one now, Dax. A very important one.” Sable’s eyes falling to Rubi’s pale cheeks with dark circles under her eyes, she whispered, “And she has a lot to lose this time.”
“Raven.”
Sable nodded, her gaze going to the window. “There is nothing like the bond of a twin. They share a very special relationship, one that you can’t understand unless you are a twin yourself.”
“How do you know?”
Sable was silent for a moment, her eyes on the trees beyond the hotel. When Silver emerged, she met Charlotte by the car, and then gave Sable a thumbs up. Sighing, Sable slid her Glock back in the holster and turned to face her mate. “Because, my best friend is a twin. He and his brother are inseparable. They do almost everything together, and it’s almost as if they know each other’s thoughts. They have their own unique personalities, but there is a bond there that no one will ever break.”
“Just like me and Raven,” Rubi whispered, her eyes fluttering open. “I feel so…so empty without her. Like I’m not whole. I miss her so much.”
“The pain you are feeling at losing your sister, is nothing compared to what Rubi is feeling, Dax,” Sable said softly.
Dax ran a hand down Rubi’s hair, and then settled it on her shoulder. “I didn’t know, sis.”
A tear slipped out, tracking its way down Rubi’s cheek. She grasped Dax’s hand tightly in hers, whispering, “I know.”
“Are you in a lot of pain, Rubi?” Dax asked quietly. “Sable thinks something might be wrong.”
Rubi didn’t respond right away. Finally, she nodded. “Yes.”
Sable crossed the room and sat on the bed beside her. “Do you think it would help if you shifted?”
Another tear slipped free as Rubi shook her head. “I can’t. It hurts too much.”
Dax swore softly, raking a hand through his hair. “We have to get her to a doctor, Sable.”
“No! Raven needs us, Dax. We can’t leave her with that bastard!” Huge sobs began to shake her body, and she clutched her stomach as she cried out in pain.
“We aren’t going to leave her,” Sable soothed, running a hand gently down her arm. “I promise, we won’t leave her there. I have friends who can help. Friends who hate the General, and who will stop at nothing until he is brought down.”
“We have to find her, Sable. Please, we have to bring her home.”
“We will,” Sable promised, “but you are in no shape to do anything right now. I’m going to call my alpha, and see if he can get a plane out here to pick us up. You need a doctor, Rubi.”
“I don’t want to leave here. I feel like we are getting close to finding Raven. What if he moves her?”
“If you don’t see a doctor, you may not live to rescue your sister,” Sable said bluntly.
“It’s not life threatening,” Rubi argued. “I would know if it was. I’m just in a lot of pain.”
“Call your alpha,” Dax cut in.
“But, Dax!”
Dax gently cupped Rubi’s cheek in his hand, wiping away the tears that still streamed down her face. “We get you fixed first, and then we go after Raven. You aren’t going to do her any good like this, sprite.”
Anger seeped into Rubi’s eyes, and she snapped, “Well, it better not take too long, Dax, or I’m going to light your ass on fire!”
Dax chuckled, leaning down to place a kiss on her head. “There’s my Rubi. Feisty and bold.”
Sable saw him flinch as he pushed himself back up to lean against the headboard again. She slowly traced his chest with her eyes, taking in the dark purple and blue bruises. He had to be in so much pain himself, but all he seemed to worry about was his sister. Fury filled her at the thought of what he must have gone through before she got to him. It made her want to go back to the coyote camp and kill them all for hurting her mate. Dammit, she should have been there for him. She should have been able to prevent it from happening.
“Sable?” Dax said her name softly, breaking through her thoughts, and bringing her back to the present. “What’s wrong?”
Sable rose from the bed, clenching her hands tightly into fists as she met his eyes. “I need to call Chase.” She couldn’t tell him how she had failed. That she knew he was out there, that she’d tried to find him to prevent the hell she knew he was going to go through, but she hadn’t been able to.
“Sable, talk to me.”
“Not right now.” Sable slipped her phone from her pocket and dialed Chase’s number. It only rang twice before he answered. “I need your help, Alpha,” she said quietly.
“I’m here.”
“I have Maya.”
“Maya?”
“Aiden and Xavier’s sister. She was with the coyote shifters in New York.”
“How is she?”
Sable’s gaze went to the young woman who lay on her side, her eyes closed in sleep. “Physically, she seems fine, except for being slightly malnourished. Mentally, I’m not sure.”
She heard Chase sighed deeply, and then he growled, “Bring her home, Sable. We will make sure she gets the care she needs.” When she didn’t reply right away, Chase asked, “Was there something else?”
Sable swallowed hard, her eyes meeting Dax’s before she said, “I found him.”
“Him?”
“My mate. Lily was right.”
Chase was silent for a moment, before asking, “Do I need to send backup?”
Sable’s hand tightened on the phone, and her heart warmed at her alpha’s gesture. Once again, he had proven that he would do anything for the people in his pack. Instead of grilling her about Dax, he’d offered his help first. Turning from her mate’s questioning gaze, Sable crossed the room to look out the window. “I was hoping you would send a plane to pick up Maya and Dax’s sister, Rubi. The coyotes were holding Dax and Rubi captive. Beating them. Something is wrong with Rubi, but I’m not sure what. She’s in a lot of pain, and can’t shift to help with healing.”
Chase swore softly, “I wish I could, Sable, but Angel has the jet. She went to look for Jeremiah, and they’ve gone dark. I have no way of contacting her right now.”
“That’s another thing we need to discuss,” Sable murmured. “The General.”
“Talk to me,” Chase growled.
“He has Dax and Rubi’s sister.” Sable hesitated, before continuing, “I promised them we would help find her.”
“That son of a bitch,” Chase snarled. “I am sick and tired of him fucking with our pack.”
Sable’s eyes flew to Dax, and she whispered, “Our pack?”
“Dax is your mate,” Chase growled, “that makes him and his sisters pack. Unless, they are already part of a pack they don’t want to leave. Which, I hope they aren’t, because I don’t want to lose you, Sable.”
“You aren’t going to lose me,” Sable promised, knowing there was no other pack she would want to be a part of.
No other alphas her wolf would accept except for Chase and Angel.
“We are dragons,” Dax said quietly. “We don’t have packs. And, even if we did, I would never ask you to leave yours.”
“Dragons?” Chase asked, and Sable could hear the shock in his voice. He obviously could hear Dax, just as Dax could hear his side of the conversation. Damn, shifter hearing.
Pushing the speaker button on her phone to make it easier for Dax to listen, she responded, “Yes, Alpha, Dax and his sisters are dragons.”
“Damn. I’d heard rumors that dragons were real, but I’ve never actually come across one before.”
“Our king likes us to keep in the shadows as much as possible. He wants to keep our existence from people who would use it against us.”
“Like the General.”
“Correct.”
“Will you really help us find Raven?” Rubi asked, pushing herself up to sit against the headboard.
“Of course, I will,” Chase told her. “That’s what pack does.”
Rubi looked up at Dax, and then over at Sable. “You accept us because Sable is my brother’s mate?”
“I accept you because Sable does,” was Chase’s quiet response. “She is one of mine, to care for and protect. You are now her family, which means that protection is extended to you, whether you choose to become a part of our pack or not.”
“Thank you, Alpha,” Dax said gruffly.
“Tell me about Raven.”
For the next few minutes, Dax and Rubi relayed their story to Chase, and Sable sat in silence, her heart going out to them. Raven’s sister had been sold by her parents to Philip Perez, Trace’s now deceased father. The bastards. What kind of parent sold their own flesh and blood? Afterwards, it sounded as if the General bought their sister from Perez. He’d had her for a year or so now, so who knew what the crazy maniac had already done to her.
Charlotte and Silver arrived in the middle of the story, and quietly handed out food, before taking a seat at the table in the corner to eat their own breakfast.
“I know that you all want to go after Raven right now, and I don’t blame you, but you can’t do that on your own,” Chase finally said, once Dax and Rubi were finished. “Sable, your first priority is to bring Maya and Rubi home. After that, we will devise a plan to go after Raven. We can’t go in half-cocked. It won’t do anyone any good, and it will probably cost lives.”
“With all due respect, Alpha,” Dax interjected, “I will be staying behind.”
“Dax, no!” Rubi whispered, grasping his hand tightly. “We stay together!”
“The General’s daughter is supposed to be coming back to the camp tonight to get us. I intend to be waiting. I’m going to follow her and see if she leads me to Raven.”
While it sounded like a good plan, Sable wasn’t about to let her mate stay behind by himself. “If you stay, I stay,” she growled, her eyes going wolf.
11
Dax had never seen anything as sexy as his mate right at that moment. Her eyes seemed to glow, and he could just barely see the tips of her fangs. Fangs he wanted buried deep inside his shoulder, claiming him. She was beautiful, fierce, protective, and he fought back a groan as his dick began to harden in his pants. Slipping from the bed, he walked to the door, grabbing the key for the other room off the dresser on his way by. “I need a shower.”
“Dax, we need to talk about this.”
There was no way in hell he was going to stay in that room with his mate and four other women while his cock was hard as a rock. He wanted to be alone with Sable. “I’ll be in our room when you are ready to talk,” he growled, a shudder running through him when her tongue snuck out, licking her bottom lip.
“Dax.” The alpha’s voice stopped him in his tracks, and he waited for the man to continue, his hand on the doorknob. “My mate is the leader of an elite mercenary group, and is often gone on long missions. During that time, I may speak to her once or twice, if that. It’s harder than fuck, man. I want to be there, helping her, protecting her, even though I know she is very capable of taking care of herself.” Chase paused, “I can’t go with her, Dax, because I have responsibilities here. My pack needs me.”
Dax bowed his head and nodded. Then, realizing the other man couldn’t see him, he replied, “Point taken, Alpha,” before opening the door and walking out of the room.
Sable watched Dax go, wanting nothing more than to follow him, but she needed to finish her conversation with Chase first. “I will send Charlotte and Silver home with Maya and Rubi.”
“Sable, I don’t want to leave my brother,” Rubi whispered, tears filling her eyes. “I’ve already lost my sister. I can’t lose Dax.”
“You aren’t going to,” Sable vowed softly, walking over to sit on the bed beside her. Covering Rubi’s hand with her own, she smiled, “I don’t care what my dragon says, I’m not leaving his side.”
Rubi nodded, swiping at her tears. “Thank you.”
“Send the others in your car, Sable, and rent another one for the time being. I’ll have Angel and her team fly out to meet you as soon as they get back.”
“Thank you, Alpha.”
Ending the call, Sable squeezed Rubi’s hand before rising. Glancing at her watch, she said, “I’ll take first watch. Get some rest.”
“Like that is going to happen,” Silver snickered, crinkling up the wrapper from her breakfast burrito and tossing it into the trash. “Go to your mate, Sable. Charlotte and I will handle this.”
“You have a long drive ahead of you,” Sable argued, knowing by the look in her friend’s eyes that it was a losing battle.
“I slept on the way here. You didn’t.” When Sable would have argued again, Silver held up a hand, “Sable, go. We got this. I promise.”
Sable glanced around the room, her gaze falling on the sleeping women on the beds. One, the sister of her best friend. The other, the sister of her mate. She would give her life for either of them in a heartbeat. Nodding, she ordered darkly, “Keep them safe. If anyone comes in this room except for me or Dax, shoot them.”
Charlotte rose, crossing the room to give her a hug. “We will keep them safe. Promise.”
Giving her a quick hug in return, Sable murmured, “Thank you, both.” With one last glance at the women, Sable left the room.
Opening the door next to it, she made sure to lock it behind her before taking in the empty room. This one had a king-sized bed, but other than that, it was identical to the one the others were in…except for the pair of torn up jeans that lay on the floor in front of the bathroom. Her mouth went dry at the thought of Dax naked.
Slowly, she removed her weapons and placed them on the nightstand beside the bed. Then, she began to peel off her own clothes. The shower was running, and she could just imagine the water sliding over Dax’s skin, delicious beads of moisture for her to lick off. She wanted to run her tongue over every inch of his hard body. They may have just met, but they were mates. The instant attraction was there, as was the need to complete their mate bond. It pushed at her, making a soft growl emerge from her throat. Dax was hers, and she wanted him. She may not know everything there was to know about her dragon just yet, but they would have many years to figure all of that out. Fate had chosen them as mates, and She didn’t make mistakes. No matter what, this man was hers, and she wasn’t waiting until they got back home to claim him.
12
Dax ran the soap over his body, reveling in how good it felt to finally be clean again. Removing the stench of the coyotes who worked him over in that barn, made his dragon happy. Even though Sable killed them, his dragon wanted to go back and rip their heads off after what they did to him and Rubi. Getting rid of the smell helped his animal calm down, and the thing was practically purring in the back of his mind now.
His body was sore, but with his increased healing abilities, he was already starting to feel better. Dax knew if he could shift a couple of times, he would be good as new. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t be able to do that a
nytime soon. His dragon was huge, and he couldn’t risk anyone seeing it.
Sliding the bar of soap down over his abs, he quickly cleaned his cock that was still hard as hell. Unable to stop himself, he wrapped his hand around it, groaning as the scent of his mate filled the bathroom. He couldn’t get her out of his mind. Fuck, he needed her.
Stepping back from the showerhead, Dax leaned against the wall and began to pump his hips, his wet, soap slicked dick moving easily in his hand. Sable’s name slipped from his lips as he moved, closing his eyes to concentrate on an image of her as he struggled to find a quick release to take the edge off.
“Mine!”
Dax’s eyes flew open, and he froze, his gaze going to the sexy woman who pulled back the shower curtain and stepped in, closing it again. “Sable.” Her name was a rough groan on his lips.
“Mine,” she growled again, pulling his hand away from his dick.
His gaze raked over her, taking in the smooth skin he wanted to lick, round, pert breasts he wanted to fill his hands with, and her slender waist, with the triangle of dark curls below it. His mouth began to water at the thought of what those dark curls hid from him. “Need you,” he rasped, a shudder running through his body at the sight before him.
As he watched, his mate lowered herself to her knees, her gaze never leaving his as she leaned forward and ran her tongue over the tip of his cock. “You will have me,” she promised huskily, “but first, I want to taste you.”
A low growl worked its way up his throat when Sable traced her tongue along the side of his dick, and then licked around the head, before engulfing him in her hot, wet mouth. “Fuck!”
Sable began to move up and down his cock, sucking him deep, and then slowly letting him go, before doing it all over again. Cupping his balls, she tugged gently on them as she sank her nails into his ass. Water flowed over her head, sliding down her cheeks and below, cascading over her breasts.
Sable's Fire Page 5
