by Mary Rundle
“It’s an overdose,” Ian muttered.
“Overdose? Are you sure?” asked Colton. “Cody said the attackers were trying to seize Hunter and Fionn…why try to kill them if they just wanted to kidnap them? Oh shit, what about Hunter? He was injected with something too.”
“Whatever was used might react differently in dragons than in wolf shifters and if I had to hazard a guess, I believe some kind of barbiturate was used. It would explain Fionn’s reaction to it since it’s easy to overdose a dragon on those drugs.”
“But wolves tolerate it quite well,” Colton said.
“Yes, they do. And since they were attacked by wolf shifters…”
“I have it,” Mac said, hurrying into the triage room. “It was a combination of a fast-acting sedative and phenobarbital.”
“Colton…”
“I’m on it.” First removing the tube from Fionn’s throat, Colton then held his breath, calling on Archangel Raphael to help him. Reaching out his fingers, he touched Fionn’s chest. Power surged through his body and exited through his fingers, while a blinding green light filled the room. When the light and tingling in his fingers finally faded. Colton removed his hands…and waited.
~/~/~/~/~
At the bottom of the stairs, Jackson turned toward Zane’s computer lab, hoping his brother would have some news about the attackers. He’d have to tell his cousins about their brother being taken—and still missing—but at least he hoped to have some information as to Hunter’s whereabouts. Giving a quick rap before entering, Jackson wasn’t surprised to see David sitting next to his mate.
“Hello Alpha,” David said, glancing up. “We’re looking for the man.”
“And…any luck?”
“Maybe,” mumbled Zane, staring intently at his screen. “Ahh, there you are, fucker.” Taking a series of screen shots first, he then clicked the print button. Looking up at his brother, he said, “The man is a member of a pack advertising itself as having soldiers…for hire.”
“Mercenaries,” Jackson clarified.
“Yes. Their home base is located in the mountains of Motuo,” Zane said.
“Never heard of it,” replied Jackson.
“Hardly surprising,” Zane said. “It’s hidden in the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China…perfect place for them since it’s inaccessible except by hiking an overland route that goes through the Himalaya Mountains.”
“Is the pack registered with the High Council?” asked Jackson.
“No. It’s made up of convicted wolf shifter criminals along with some rogue wolves, which explains why they picked one of the remotest places on earth. They keep out of view and only advertise their services on the dark web.”
“Do you know how many are in the pack?” asked Jackson.
“From what they say, about three hundred…give or take. But I think that’s bullshit based on the satellite photos I found of their compound.”
“Why is that?”
“Not enough structures for one, and the other is it’s a fairly new pack located somewhere that’s hard to find—it’s unlikely they’d have built up that kind of strength this soon. Also, they’re really isolated…no roads within miles so you need a guide. And since the humans living in Motuo are kinda hostile to outsiders, they’re not likely to act as guides.”
“How many days would it take for a bunch of their pack members to get to a place with an airport?” asked Jackson.
“At least four days,” Zane replied.
Jackson was now convinced it was a planned attack. “Any idea who hired this dude?”
“Not yet…I’m searching for that now but it’s gonna to take some time,” Zane said, handing Jackson the documents he printed out. “Right now, I’m searching to see who else hired them. Once I find that, it will help me track down who the pack uses to process payments for their services.”
Glancing at what his brother had printed, Jackson said, “Send me this in an email, will you?”
“Should I also send it to Dylon?” asked Zane.
“Yeah,” Jackson replied. “I’ll let you get on with your search.” Then he shut the computer lab door behind him and headed to see Fionn.
~/~/~/~/~
Feeling the power surge through his body, Fionn saw the green flash of light and was certain he was in danger—until he heard Ian’s voice. Where am I? Still too weak to open his eyes, he lay there, concentrating on his surroundings. Where’s my mate? Fear settled in his chest as memories of what happened came back to him as the drug left his body.
“Fionn?” called Colton. “Can you open your eyes?”
Struggling to open them, Fionn managed to finally raise them a sliver, until the light blinded him. Closing them, he said, “Light,” his voice raspy from the tube recently inserted down his throat.
Understanding instantly, Mac flipped the bright overhead light off, leaving only the soft glow of indirect lighting on.
Trying again and feeling stronger, Fionn raised his lids, staring at Colton. “Where’s Hunter? I want him.”
“He’s not here right now,” Ian said, moving over to the right side of Fionn. “How do you feel?”
Now much better than he’d been before, Fionn checked on his dragon, finding him groggy. “What happened to me?”
“Do you remember anything before waking up here?” asked Ian.
Frowning, Fionn said, “We were attacked…in the elevator.”
“Yes, well, one of the attackers injected you…”
“I remember…a wolf broke through and charged at me. Then…I don’t remember anything.”
“The wolf injected you with some drugs and you passed out,” Ian said.
“Where’s Hunter?” Fionn asked again.
“I don’t know,” Ian replied. “Cody brought you here.”
“Where’s Cody?” Fionn asked, getting agitated.
“Out in the hallway,” said Colton.
“I want to talk to him…now!”
“Okay, but give me a minute to check him over, Fionn,” Ian said. “Since you two arrived, we’ve been focused on you.”
Nodding, Fionn wasn’t happy about waiting but he wasn’t going to let Cody suffer if he needed attention.
~/~/~/~/~
Leaving Colton and Mac to monitor Fionn, Ian headed for the nurse’s station where he found Cody leaning against the wall next to Jackson. Assessing the many bites and cuts on Cody, Ian said, “C’mon, you’re next,” leading the two brothers to an examination room.
Once there, Ian pointed to an examination table and Cody hoisted himself up on it. “Ian, I’m fine,” he said. “Once Dylon arrives, we’ll shift…and all of this’ll be healed.”
Ignoring Cody’s protest, Ian gathered up some instruments and said, “Take off your shirt, please.”
Looking to Jackson for some support but finding none, Cody sighed, and did as Ian ordered. Wincing in pain as he wrestled his blood-soaked shirt off, Cody looked down at his chest, expecting to see nothing but a few scratches.
“Holy shit, Cody!” Jackson gasped, staring at a dozen, deep, bloody gashes crisscrossing his brother’s chest.
“You better lie down,” Ian said, helping his patient.
Shocked at the sight of his wounds, Cody swung his feet up, wondering what damage Dylon had sustained, considering his mate fought three times as many attackers as he did. Closing his eyes, he called to his mate using their link. Babe, are you all right?
I’m fine…I’ll be landing in a few minutes. How are you?
I’m with Ian right now but…
I know babe, we’ll shift as soon as I get there.
Are you sure you aren’t hurt?
No babe, really, I’m okay. We’ve landed.
I’ll wait for you.
Opening his eyes, Cody said, “Dylon’s arrived and is coming here.”
“Good,” Ian said, wiping some antiseptic on Cody’s wounds. “After you two have shifted, Fionn wants to talk to you.”
“Does he know about Hunter?
” asked Jackson.
Stopping, Ian stared at Jackson. “Know what about Hunter?”
“Oh shit, then Dylon didn’t find him?” asked Cody.
“No,” said Jackson. “When he arrived back at the courthouse, the place was wiped clean except for Hunter’s clothes.”
“Shit,” murmured Cody. “The tracking device was embedded in Hunter’s jacket, so now we have no freakin’ idea where Hunter is.”
“That’s correct,” Jackson replied.
“Fionn doesn’t know anything about this,” Ian said.
“How is he?” asked Jackson.
“He received a lethal dose of phenobarbital,” said Ian, “but Colton used Raphael’s Power on him. However, he’s very concerned about his mate.”
“Of course, he is,” Jackson said. “Fuck, I’d hoped to have more information but Fionn deserves to know what’s happening.” Turning to Cody he said, “Once you and Dylon have shifted, I want you both in with me when I tell him what we know so far.”
“Hey, Ian,” said Dylon, sticking his head in the door. “I have a dead wolf here, where do you want him?”
“Come with me.” Ian hustled out of the room with Dylon trailing behind him.
Searching his brother’s face, Cody asked his brother the previously unspoken question. “Do you think Hunter’s dead?”
“I don’t know…I hope not.”
Then Cody asked Jackson, “Do any of our cousins know Hunter is missing?”
“No, not yet…I wanted to talk to Dylon to see what he thought about the information Zane found about the dead wolf before I drop that bombshell on them.”
“Yeah, that makes sense. If you want…Dylon and I will be there when you do it.”
“Thanks, I’ll take you up on that offer.” Jackson said, smiling grimly at his brother as Dylon and Ian reentered the room.
“C’mon babe, time to shift,” Dylon said, helping Cody get off the examining table. “We’ll be right back.”
“No, do it here,” Ian said, “Jackson and I will be right outside the door.”
“Perfect. See you in a few,” Dylon said, before shutting the door behind them. Then turning to his mate, he said, “Ready, babe?”
Chapter 39
Eideard MacDùghlas’ eyes narrowed as he listened to the leader of the mercenaries he hired to seize his nephew. Of course that was before he found out Fionn had a mate, which was a happy surprise, so he paid extra for both to be grabbed. Mounting the operation had cost a pretty penny; not that he cared, because controlling the power of a white dragon would make him the defacto ruler of the dragon world. He was already counting the gold he’d receive from ambitious dragons hoping to curry favor.
“All I’m hearing is a lot of bullshit as to why you couldn’t deliver what I paid for,” Eideard said. He’d chosen these men because they guaranteed success with every mission but, so far, all he had was a worthless mate and not the prize he sought.
“You never told us my men would be facing the Incredible Hulk.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? They were wolves…like you. I know because I checked them out before they got onto the elevator.”
“Well, he was a wolf, all right, but with superhuman strength. He single-handedly killed twenty-three of my men in less than ten minutes.”
“Bullshit! There isn’t a wolf shifter alive that can do that,” Eideard scoffed. “Maybe your men aren’t the great fighters you led me to believe.”
“Fuck off. I know my men…they’re the best in the world at what they do…when we have reliable intel. This isn’t my problem, it’s yours.”
“I don’t think so. Right now, you’re sitting on a ton of my gold but you haven’t completed your mission. So when are you going to deliver the other one?”
“Soon. My top guy is on it right now.”
“Just make sure you don’t fuck up this time,” Eideard said. “Where did you put the mate?”
“He’s in the basement, chained up.”
“Is he awake?” asked Eideard.
“He should be.”
“Good. Time for me to inspect my purchase,” Eideard smirked. “In the meantime, you better move fast before the High Council finds out about you being here.” Then he stalked off, mumbling “incompetent assholes” under his breath.
~/~/~/~/~
Standing outside the examination room, Ian fished out his phone, sent a text and after receiving a reply, said to Jackson, “I’ve asked Kieran to join us when you speak to Fionn.”
“Why? I thought you said Colton healed him.”
“Yes, he did, but now that I know his mate is missing, he may need some of Kieran’s mojo. When I left him, he was getting agitated because Hunter wasn’t with him. What do you think our young dragon is going to do when he finds out someone has his mate?”
“Right…good idea,” Jackson said, glancing over Ian’s shoulder and, seeing Dylon and Cody about to join them, asked “All better?”
“Yeah, like new,” Dylon answered. “I hope you don’t mind, Ian, but we grabbed some scrubs to put on. Cody didn’t think it was a good idea for Fionn to see all the blood on our clothes.”
“No problem.”
Dylon then turned to Jackson. “I had a chance to review the information Zane sent me and I’m not surprised at what he found…the whole attack was too well planned for it just to be a spur-of-the-moment deal.”
“Agreed. Zane’s trying to discover who hired them,” Jackson said.
“Yeah, well…my money’s on the uncle,” Dylon replied.
“Hey, Doc, what can I do for you?” asked Kieran, joining the group in the hallway.
“I need you to keep Fionn calm while Jackson talks to him. Hunter is missing and most likely being held against his will,” Ian said.
Kieran’s eyes grew wide at the news. “Gotcha. Is there anything macushla and I can do to rescue him?”
“Maybe…once we know where he is,” Dylon answered.
“C’mon, everyone, Fionn’s waiting,” Jackson said, turning and walking to the dragon’s room. Opening the door, he heard Fionn arguing with Colton. “Hey, what’s the problem?” he asked.
“They won’t let me get out of bed even though Colton did his thingy on me and he knows I’m fine,” Fionn replied.
“And I told you,” said Colton, “that Ian has to give his approval since he’s your doctor.”
Looking past Jackson, Fionn’s eyes landed on Ian. “He’s here now, so now is it okay for me to get dressed?”
“Fionn, Jackson wants to speak to you first,” Ian said, walking over to him.
Alarms sounded throughout Fionn’s body when his eyes shifted to Jackson and saw his Alpha’s face filled with concern. Slowly looking around, he saw Cody and Dylon standing off to one side; Kieran was next to his bed, but there was one person missing. “Where’s Hunter?” he asked, fear rising in him.
“We don’t know,” Jackson said. “Best guess is the men who attacked you have him.”
Shaking his head slowly, Fionn refused to accept it—Hunter would never leave him. “Noooo, you’re wrong…he’s waiting for me…at the hotel. I’ve got to go.” Throwing off the covers, Fionn swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He had no idea why they left his mate in San Francisco but he’d use his portal and find him.
“Fi, will you look at me?” asked Kieran, placing a hand on the dragon’s back.
Calming down slightly at Kieran’s touch, Fionn looked over his shoulder at his friend. “Ki, I need your help to find Hunter. Something’s wrong, I can feel it.”
Jackson moved forward, resting his hand on Fionn’s neck, infusing him with soothing Alpha pheromones before saying, “Were all going to help find Hunter, but right now I need you to do something for me.”
“What?”
“Look at your dragon.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s your connection to Hunter.”
Nodding, Fionn closed his eyes, finding his dragon huddled in a corner. “He
’s sad.”
“He’s missing his mate. Do you see the bond between him and Hunter’s wolf?”
“Uh, huh.”
“Follow it until you find Hunter’s wolf…can you do that for me?”
Concentrating, Fionn did as Jackson asked, finally arriving at the other end where he found his mate’s wolf, lying down. “I found him!” Fionn exclaimed.
“Good, now look around and tell me what you see.”
It took a moment for Fionn to figure out what he was seeing but then he said, “Hunter’s in a room…I think it’s underground because it doesn’t have any windows…it reminds me of my home in Scotland…the walls and floor are stone…and they’re wet.”
“Good. What is Hunter doing?” asked Jackson.
“He’s sitting in a chair…asleep, I think, because his chin is on his chest.”
Jackson exchanged looks with Ian, who said, “Can you touch him?”
Reaching out, Fionn’s fingers connected with his mate’s shoulder. “Yes.”
“Do you know where Hunter’s pulse in his neck is?” asked Ian.
Smiling, as he remembered how many times he nipped it, Fionn said, “Yeah.”
“Place your fingers on it, please,” Ian instructed.
“Okay, now what?”
“When I say go, I want you to count the number of heartbeats you can feel until I say stop, okay?” asked Ian.
“Uh, huh.”
“Go.”
Fionn began counting, concentrating on what he was doing. When he finally heard Ian tell him to stop, he reluctantly removed his fingers from Hunter’s neck before telling Ian how many. Then he heard a door open, followed by footsteps. “Someone’s coming,” he whispered.
~/~/~/~/~
Descending the uneven stone steps, Eideard paused at the bottom, glancing around the cavernous room until he located his nephew’s mate. Approaching the silent figure, he called out, “Hunter…Hunter Evans!” Stopping at the chair Hunter was chained to, Eideard smirked at Fionn’s mate. Grabbing his captive’s hair, he pulled it until he could see his face. “Oh shit.” Hunter’s eyes were closed. Letting go, Eideard watched as the man’s head fell forward quickly, belying the claim by the leader that he was awake.
It was a last minute decision to seize Hunter and Eideard wondered if he made a mistake by ordering it done. Maybe if he’d just stuck with the original plan to seize his nephew, the mission would have been successful. Mulling it over, he suddenly smiled slyly, now convinced it was a wise decision. Turning, Eideard retraced his footsteps, anxious to speak to the leader about his new plan for getting his hands on the white dragon.
