Hunted Flame

by Rebecca Airies

  Sawyer and Noah plunged into her, their pace quickening with each thrust. Noah came first, stiffening above her. Two rolling heaves later, he trembled and pulled her tight to him.

  She rested her head on his chest. Damn, that had been worth the wait, but hopefully, they could do it again soon.

  Noah pulled out. “You stay right there for a minute, treasure. I’ll go start the shower. We can all clean up and rest for round two.”

  She laughed. “You need to rest?”

  “You might just regret that, treasure.” Noah pointed and scowled.

  “Tempest.” Sawyer brushed her hair away from the left side of her face. “Next time, don’t keep the worry to yourself. We can help or maybe just listen if we can’t physically beat up anything.”

  “I don’t think I’ll stop worrying until these bastards are caught.” She shook her head.

  Sawyer wrapped his arms around her. Warmth flowed through her. These men were so good to her and good for her. If she’d doubted it before, there was none now. She was so in love with them.

  Sawyer pressed a kiss to her lips. “Neither will we. They have to be stopped.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Tempest sat on a chair in Sawyer’s workshop, the one within the community today. He hand carved details onto a desk. Damn, he was so talented. The golden wood was beautiful, even unfinished. Whoever that was for should love it. She smiled when he looked up.

  A blue shirt stretched over his wide chest, and blue jeans clung to his hips. Even in work clothes, he was gorgeous. He had his long, brown hair pulled back and secured.

  Today was a little different than all the other times she’d come to his workshop. He didn’t want her out of his sight. Maybe he was as worried about Noah and Phoenix as she was. Her stomach churned. Perhaps it was the fact that they were alone today. It was unusual enough to be a little worrying.

  The men on guard with them had been pulled to help with those outside the community and with the latest stake-out on the hunters. Both Phoenix and Noah had been pulled into the operation, as well. Along with some of the other gargoyles, including Dante, they staked out several locations they suspected the human hunters used to hide. They hoped to catch them all.

  She looked back down at the lesson she’d cued up. Not a real class, but at least she got some practice in. A step to retaking her life after this crap finally ended.

  A knock sounded on the door. Sawyer sighed and put down his tools. Tempest tilted her head. Who was that? The guards or the Cim called if they needed him somewhere. Not many people disturbed him while he was working.

  “Stay here. I’ll be right back. If anything goes wrong, run out the back and head for the beta’s house.” Sawyer strode toward the entrance. He glanced back at her. “Cael is there today.”

  “I will.” She nodded.

  He disappeared around the wall that separated the main work room from the rest of the small office section. His shoes thumped on the concrete floor. The door clicked as he opened it.

  “Hell—” Sawyer’s voice was cut off by a loud bang.

  Tempest tensed. Was that a gunshot?

  “Son of a bitch, I said use the bullets only as a last resort. He has a tranq in him. That’s going to bring everyone. I’ll get the girl and you two grab him. Since you shot him, you can help carry that big ass bastard. When we get to the damn car, pack that wound. He better not die before we get our proof.”

  Tempest dropped the computer. It hit the concrete floor with a crash, but she ran. She raced for the back door. As she reached it, a sharp sting blossomed over her left thigh. No gunshot report. Was that a dart? She ignored it, unlocking the door and racing out.

  She turned right and dashed across the grass. A numbness swept over her. Her arms and legs became heavy weights and hard to control. She stumbled and fell. Got to get up. Fear pounded through her.

  As she pushed to her hands and knees, arms grabbed her, lifting her up. Not Sawyer. Cruel pressure constricted around her chest, and the hands gripped her in an impersonal hold, but it was the very pale skin of the man’s hands that convinced her it wasn’t Sawyer. She opened her mouth to scream, but a cloth pressed over it. A heavy lethargy swept over her.

  She wrenched in the arms holding her. No one would get to her if Sawyer could help. Somehow, they’d stopped him. She drew in a hitching breath. Sawyer. Please, Sawyer, be okay. He couldn’t be dead. An icy dread crept through her even as her eyelids became too heavy to hold up.

  Fuck, this was bad. Phoenix, Sawyer, and Noah said these men wanted proof that “monsters” existed. They couldn’t get that from her, but it wouldn’t stop them from trying and hurting her. Hopefully, they would find her and Sawyer before those men did anything.

  * * * *

  Noah slouched in the car. They’d been here for a couple hours and nothing yet. Phoenix sat beside him, staring out at the hotel. The dark windows would hide their presence, but movement could give them away. Phoenix’s cell phone rang. He grabbed it.

  “Yeah?” Phoenix lounged in the driver’s seat.

  Noah looked back to the hotel. No sign of any movement there. Unfortunately, they hadn’t spotted the car they were looking for or the men.

  “What? When?” Phoenix sat up straight and his voice rose.

  Noah turned to Phoenix. What the hell happened?

  “Do you know where they took her?” Phoenix’s fist clenched.

  Noah straightened. Took who? His heart pounded in his chest. The blood had drained from Phoenix’s face. This couldn’t be good. Phoenix didn’t react like that to just anything.

  “We want in. Do they have any idea how hurt Sawyer is?” Phoenix leaned forward.

  Noah stiffened. Sawyer? Tempest. Fear poured through him in a cold rush, leaving his skin clammy. Had someone taken Tempest? How badly was Sawyer hurt? The only way they’d get her from him was if he was incapacitated. What had they done to him?

  “All right, we’re leaving now and we’ll see you when we get there.” Phoenix swiped his finger across the face of his phone.

  “What happened?” Noah sat forward.

  “Buckle in. We’re going now.” Phoenix secured his buckle and started the car.

  Noah snapped the safety belt in place. Frustration rose. “What the hell happened, Phoenix? You said ‘How hurt is Sawyer?’ What happened to Sawyer?”

  “Sawyer was shot and drugged, and they took him and Tempest.” Phoenix steered the car through traffic.

  “Do they know where the hunters took them?” Noah gripped the door handle. Fuck, they had to get them back. A heavy lump formed in his stomach.

  “Yes, one of our men managed to follow them, and we know where they are. It’s an isolated cabin in the woods. There are only two of them there with her. They don’t know if they’re expecting more men to join them, but they definitely won’t be there to stay. It’s a small cabin.” Phoenix’s knuckles whitened as he turned onto an access road.

  A little of tension eased out of Noah’s muscles. “How bad is Sawyer’s wound? Do they know?”

  “They said there was some blood, but not a huge amount. There wasn’t a trail of blood. So, hopefully, he’ll be fine as long as we can get too him. The people who followed said Tempest was drugged, too. She won’t wake up as fast as one of us would.” Phoenix exhaled heavily.

  “That could be a good thing.” Noah stared straight ahead. Those bastards were sadistic and enjoyed pain. “Do we know if these are the humans we’ve been hunting?”

  “It’s the humans. The others smelled them Why would it be a good thing that she isn’t aware of what they’re doing?” Phoenix shot a quick glance over at him. A scowl pulled his mouth down.

  “They want their victims to suffer. They’ll wait until she’s awake to begin trying to force her to transform.” Noah exhaled. Hopefully, they could get to her before the human’s began to work on her. And with any luck, Sawyer could fake sleep for a while.

  “I know you’re right about the way they work, but th
ose assholes have her and Sawyer.” Phoenix pounded a hand on the steering wheel. “We were so busy staking out a damn hotel that they had an opportunity to get into the community and take them.”

  “How did that happen?” Noah tapped his foot as Phoenix sped up once the left town.

  “They went over the wall according to Cael. They apparently had been staking the area out and we had no idea. They went directly to Sawyer’s workshop, got in, shot him with a gun and a tranq, and carried them both back to the wall. People heard the gunfire and saw the men carrying them off, but couldn’t get to them before they were out and on the way. We were just lucky that someone was able to follow them.” Phoenix’s jaw flexed.

  “Yes, we were.” Noah flexed his fingers. An ache pulsed through the tips as his claws pressed against the nails. Fuck, if anything else went wrong, he might lose control and transform, at least partially.

  “I just hope that wound isn’t worse than they suspect. I already want to kill the bastards. If Sawyer dies, I don’t know if I’ll be able to resist. The only bit of solace is that there wouldn’t be a need for a dart if they planned to kill him without trying to get the proof.” Phoenix leaned a little forward.

  “That’s good, but damn it, we shouldn’t have been caught so unaware.” Noah growled.

  “I’m sure the Cim and the Betas think the same thing and will do their best to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” Phoenix turned onto a tree-lined side road.

  “Are we close to where they’re holding them?” Noah peered out the window.

  “We’re close to the place we’re meeting the rest of the people who are going in.” Phoenix took a deep breath. “If they did anything to them, it will be hard to stop myself from ripping them apart even under the Cim’s orders.”

  “I know they want to question these men and make sure that there aren’t any more coming after us, but fuck, if I see one mark on her, I might lose it. There had to be more than two who went in, since they took both Sawyer and Tempest.” Noah scowled. This still wouldn’t be over when they took these two men. “So, what happened to the others?”

  “I don’t know, but we’ll find out. You know we won’t let any of these bastards come back to haunt us.” Phoenix shook his head. “We’ll find them.”

  Phoenix pulled off the tree-lined road beside a group of four cars. Noah pushed open his door and stepped out as Phoenix did the same. They walked up to the first of the cars and joined the others in the shadows thrown by the trees. The three Cim stood side by side as other men gathered round them.

  “Where are they, and do you know how Tempest is right now? Is Sawyer awake? Are they torturing him?” Noah stepped up. They had to get to them before the men killed Sawyer or Tempest.

  “We haven’t seen either of them since they carried them in there, but there is no sound. One of the men keeps coming out regularly to talk on the phone. We’ll take him down the next time we see him. Then we go in after Sawyer and Tempest and take the other man.” Cim Sin glanced over his shoulder.

  Noah looked down the road. The cabin must be beyond the bend in the road. Nothing moved there.

  “Where are they holding them? Do we know? And what about the other men, the ones that escaped? We can’t lose them.” Phoenix folded his arms across his chest.

  “We don’t plan to. The men are still watching that hotel and the house. We’re also looking into some information we gained from the car that’s here. It’s local.” Cim Bram glared.

  “I’ll volunteer to help with that as long as we can get Tempest and Sawyer out safe.” Noah paced forward. She had to be able to get back to a normal life and Sawyer had to come home alive with them.

  “Accepted. I know you won’t want to leave her if she’s hurt or if Sawyer is very badly injured.” Cim Sin nodded.

  “Let’s go. We don’t know if someone else will come, and I want to have Sawyer and Tempest out before they get more people in there. It will be riskier to her with a bigger number of people.” Cim Bram clenched his fist. “Let’s get her out.”

  Bram led the way into the woods. On the way, the Cim explained their plan. Noah took a deep breath. Focus. Stay calm. They had to get to Sawyer and Tempest before those bastards could hurt them any more.

  They split into two groups. The first at the front would signal when the man came out and take him out. The second group would go in silently. Hopefully, they could get the second man without him knowing anyone was there and release Tempest and Sawyer. All without changing even the claws on one hand. They couldn’t know what technology the men had in there, and they weren’t going to give them even a hint of evidence. Most people wouldn’t believe a video, but it might attract more fearful zealots to the hunters.

  Noah looked at the windows. They needed to get in without making too much noise. So, no breaking those.

  “I just got a glimpse in the windows on this side. Both Sawyer and Tempest are in the room on the far right. They both look to be still asleep, secured to chairs. Sawyer could be faking it though, hoping for a chance to get her out. There’s a guard in there, but he’s sitting on the couch watching a video.” Matias crouched beside Noah. “When we get the signal, we’ll take the man. You get to your woman.”

  “Thank you, Cim. Phoenix is going straight to them. I’ll stay between them and the man, just in case.” Noah smiled. Cim Matias was showing himself to be a good addition to the community.

  “You’re welcome.” He patted Noah’s shoulder. “Be ready. The man should be coming out soon if he sticks to his schedule.”

  Noah’s heart pounded. Good, the sooner they got into that building, the better. Even if all they did was get her here, those men deserved to die for what they did to any innocent that got in their way.

  “There’s the signal. I’ll have us in the back door in a moment.” David rushed forward and knelt beside the door. He pulled out a small palm-sized device and inserted it into the lock. Noah bounced on his heels. They had to get to Sawyer and Tempest. An automated pick, it fit in and then turned. David stepped back. Matias and Bram entered first followed Phoenix and then Noah.

  They went through the kitchen and then to the right. Noah trailed after them. His pulse raced. The hallway had two closed doors. Matias led the way to the last one. He paused there. Bram eased up on one side of him and Phoenix the other. Noah tensed ready to sprint in after them.

  Matias threw open the door and rushed in. Bram and Phoenix were a step behind him. Noah followed on their heels. A shot rang out and Matias jerked. Noah rushed to put himself between Tempest and Sawyer and the man with the gun. He wouldn’t shoot either of them. Not if he could help it.

  Bram grabbed the scrawny, dark-haired man and slammed him to the ground, wrenching the gun from his hand. Noah glanced over his shoulder. Phoenix untied Tempest, holding onto her as she drooped in the chair. Good. They had her.

  “We have him. Go to Sawyer.” Matias glanced over his shoulder.

  “Are you all right?” Noah spun and rushed over to Tempest.

  “Yeah, it grazed me and went into the wall. Don’t worry.” Matias waved his hand.

  Sawyer lifted his head, blinking blearily. “Just untie me and get her first.”

  A sloppy bandage bulged from his right shoulder. He shook his head, obviously still groggy. A hint of red tinted the bottom of the bandage. He might have to go to the hospital. The clinic might not be enough. Noah untied him.

  “You stay in this seat until either Phoenix or I come back for you. We’ll free Tempest and get both of you some help,” Noah said and patted Sawyer’s hand before turning to Tempest. “If needed, I’ll even carry you.

  Noah held Tempest up as Phoenix untied her. She hung limply in his arms as the last rope fell free. He pulled her close to him.

  “She’s still unconscious.” Phoenix knelt in front of her.

  “The doctor said it might take time for her to come out of it since she hasn’t transformed yet.” Bram cuffed the man and dragged him to his feet.

 
Phoenix scooped her from Noah’s arms. “Let’s get her out of here. I want a doctor to check her out even though there doesn’t seem to be anything done to her, except for the wound from the dart.”

  Noah turned and walked back over to Sawyer. He put his arm around him and helped him to his feet. If Sawyer stumbled, he’d pick him up, even if the big baby didn’t want it.

  “We’ll take her back, check on the progress with our other leads, and if we have any success, we’ll go take care of business.” Abram nodded. “You okay to walk, Matias?”

  “I got hit in the arm, not the leg.” Matias waved his hand. “I’ll be right behind you.”

  Noah followed Phoenix, keeping a slow pace for Sawyer. Tempest was safe and now, they had to find a way to remove the last of the danger. Those assholes had touched her, and they’d pay for that.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Safe. She was safe. Noah pulled Tempest closer, snuggling with her on the leather couch. It might take a while for that to really sink in. Even now, with her pressed against him, he feared he’d wake and realize they had no idea where she was. Dressed in a green sweater and a black skirt, Tempest looked absolutely normal. As if nothing had happened.

  Noah’s phone rang. He flipped it over and glanced at the ID. Cim Sin. He swiped it and lifted it to his ear.

  “You still want to be in on the take down of the last men?” Sin asked.

  “Yes, I do. Just tell me when you need me.” Noah nodded. He tightened his arm around her for a moment. She’d be safe. Phoenix and Sawyer were both here. Sawyer still wasn’t happy about being kept in the clinic under watch for two days.

  “Right now. We’ll meet up and go over the details of the plan at my home. I’ll see you there.” Sin hung up.