Authors: Kassanna
River gagged and swallowed back the vomit that choked her. Shocked, she watched as the bitch turned her cheek into his hand when he caressed her face. Goddess, but she did not see that coming.
“She had this with her and I didn’t know if it held anything important or not.” Bali threw River’s bag to the floor.
“I’ve chartered a plane to fly us to Alaska.” He snatched the duffel up. “I’ll go through it while on board. You’re welcome to join us, as I said. I’m very much interested in finding out more about the Mako clan.”
Bali shook her head. “I need to make our
Ajumma
aware of the agreements reached between our clans. There is also a need to soothe a few Sumatran Dragon egos. I need to appease that Dragonlord, since he did not get the opportunity to ransom the western dragon as our
Ajosshi
had promised. Perhaps once your business is concluded, we could resume talks of a more intimate nature.”
Realization was like a knife twisting in River’s heart. The Makos had set her up. The people she’d come to look at as a second family had used her. Her world had been reduced to only two people she could trust: her father and her mate. At the moment, neither could help her. She huffed.
Assan glanced over his shoulder and met her gaze. “If it any consolation, I’m sorry it was you that Drago needs.” He turned back toward Bali. “We have about twenty minutes before I need to embark. Let’s have a drink, shall we?”
“What about the bitch princess?” Bali sneered.
“My men will be along to collect and load her on my jet.” He took Bali by the elbow and led her over the threshold and out of sight.
River wiggled her wrists, using the blood’s slickness to loosen her bindings. Time ticked away as she stopped and thought. Panicking would get her nowhere. When she didn’t show up at the saloon, Jax would come looking for her, but it might be too late. Goddess knew what that bastard Drago wanted with her. She went over her situation in her head.
If she stayed in place, she could easily get to Alaska. At least she would be in the same vicinity as Jax give or take a thousand miles or so. That was a plus. She’d have access to her dad when Assan presented her to that damn lizard, Drago. Her and her father together could give the reptile one hell of a headache. She could unravel the rope she was tied with during the course of the flight and pretend to be incapacitated. Being captured wasn’t her first choice, but she could make this work. Maybe she could get to a phone. No, calling Jax wouldn’t help, since she didn’t know where she was going and his phone was in their bag. For now, she would have to depend on her wits, and once she was free of this bullshit, she would make it her mission in life to fuck Bali and her clan up, just for good measure. Hell, she would be doing the ancients a public service.
The knob turned, and she watched as the door silently slid open. Her shoulders ached from the awkward position of her hands behind her back. She scuttled back on her ass until she hit a wall and waited to see who would walk into the room.
An attendant entered and River’s shoulders slumped with relief. The woman didn’t look at her directly. She swung the door wider to reveal two burly men with tangled beards and matted hair. Their clothes were old and worn, mermen. From their looks, she guessed Assan was recruiting his people from the lost and those that had no clan to call their own.
They marched past the small Asian woman and wrenched River from the floor. Tucked between the fellas, when she couldn’t keep up with their long strides, she was dragged and half trotted to keep her feet under her. Some people would meet her gaze with concern and hastily turn away, but no one stopped them or offered to help. Her body ached and pain throbbed at her temple. Tears finally escaped her swollen eyes and ran warm down her cheeks. She would not give Assan’s guards the satisfaction of knowing they were hurting her. She would not utter a sound. Her father’s strength became her own as she recited the words in her mind that he’d drilled into her head growing up. All things come to those who wait, and when the opportunity presents itself, make a motherfucker wish they were dead.
* * * *
No way in hell was he going to wait for River to show up, if she did. When he’d arrived in Sitka, he collected his backpack from the motel front desk. Checked in and settled, he assessed his options. As badly as he wanted to collect his mother’s army of she dragons and rain hell down on Pohang until the Makos handed over his mate, it wasn’t an option, yet. His heart pounded in his chest. Those fucking mermaids had committed an act of war against his clan by taking the other half of his soul and, by Goddess, he would gut every one of those damn fish. Shifters around the world were about to be pissed on an epic level. If he didn’t get his woman back, the world was about to see one angry dragon, and humans would finally understand they were not at the top of the food chain.
Jax threw cash on the counter, snatched the burner phone from the clerk, and stalked out of the store. He tapped the only number he knew by heart on the screen. A pedestrian bumped into him, he lifted his head and snarled. The person’s eyes widened and they scuttled to the side, moving between cars and quickly looking over their shoulder before jogging across the street. He glanced in the storefront glass, his pupils were elliptical and his irises completely overshadowed the whites of his eyes. Jax wiped a palm down his face and sucked in several breaths to calm his dragon.
Mags’s voice flowed through the line, “Hello…hello?”
“I need help.” His voice was a rusty whisper.
“Where the hell are you, Jaxon? What the fuck is wrong?” Worry coated Mags’s words.
“They took her. I want her back, or I will light this fucking world up until she is returned,” he spoke with conviction.
“Whoa, hey, wait a minute. Calm down. Where are you, baby boy?” Mag’s tone softened.
“Sitka, the inn. Room seven.”
“Okay. I’m still in town. I’ll meet you there in half an hour.” She disconnected.
He pushed the cell deep into his pocket and started walking. His dragon chuffed smoke and yanked on the chains he’d locked his beast down with.
Soon
, he told his animal. Folks cast a wide berth, moving out of his way as he stomped down the sidewalk. Images of his River played over in his mind, her smiling, laughing, in the throes of passion. Jax turned the corner that led to the motel and crossed the small patch of grass that was adjacent to the structure. His heavy steps echoed through the breezeway. He reached for the key in his back pocket and looked up. Mags leaned on his door with her arms crossed.
She lowered her head in a nod, lifted her chin, and arched a thin brow. “Well, you are thoroughly mated, dragon.” Mags lowered her gaze and stared at his arm. “Took a while, too, you’re damn near covered in her mark.”
“This is no time for jokes,
Magdalena
.” He marched up next to her and opened the door.
“Ooo. I’m scared because you used full my name, Jaxon.” She crossed the threshold and sat at the lone chair in the room. “Airla is going to have a cow. Please tell me that you at least claimed a dragon.” Mags rubbed her palm over her scalp.
“Not quite.” Jax slammed the door and plopped down on the edge of the bed facing Mags. “She’s a mermaid.”
Mags hung her head. “Do you like making my life hard? I just calmed Airla down about your disappearance. I swear you inherited all of your mom’s bad traits. Both of you act first and think later. Do you have any idea how hard I’m going to have to spin this? Gee, Airla maybe you’ll get lucky, and your granddaughter will be a flying fish.” She waved her hand in a circle. “I mean this woman better be the daughter of Tucker or someone of equal importance. Your mom already has your consort picked out. Airla was ready to come find you herself and that Jax is monumental.”
“I know.” The fact that his mother was prepared to leave Greece to look for him spoke volumes since she hadn’t left his home since Mallow had answered the Malice Duel challenge hundreds of years ago.
“No, you probably don’t, you always were a defiant little fucker.” Mags blew out a breath. “What’s done is done. So where is she, your mate?
And
you
will be the one to give Airla this news. I want to be on the other side of the world when she has her conniption.”
“Yes, Mags. I was acting on a clue about the Y Ddraig Goch horde in South Korea. River was with me and those bitch ass eastern mermaids kidnapped her.” He leaned forward and rested his arms on his knees.
“Did they request a ransom? Anybody contact you? Are you sure you just didn’t scare the hell out of the fish and she simply ran to get away from you?” She smirked.
He narrowed his eyes. “I’m certain she didn’t run from me. I’ve had no contact with any of the merpeople since she disappeared. I do know Drago is after her.”
“For the love of Goddess, Jaxon…urgh…I hate dealing with crazy dragons.” Mags shook her head. “If that cracked ass is after her, then that’s where we should start. Since no one has contacted you about a ransom, let’s assume her bounty is already paid for. We’ll start at the top and work our way down.” She rubbed her temple. “I’m going to need my broad sword for this shit.”
“Do you know where we can find him?” Jax formed fists.
“Not at the moment, but that idiot has lots of enemies. I’m sure someone is keeping an eye on him.” She rose and moved toward the door. Give me a couple minutes to see what I can find out.” Mags left.
Jax drew the phone from his pocket, tapped the screen, and stared at the keypad. He typed in numbers, erased one then two and picked different ones, then ran his finger over the green handle icon. A moment of dead air and the call rang through.
“What?” Kirill’s hard tone cut through the connection.
“I was able to collect a piece from Sumatra.”
“Why the number change, Jax?” Kirill, voice held a thread of curiosity.
“I had to get a temp phone. There was a problem.”
“With the phone or with Sumatra?”
“My mate and I were attacked. She was taken and the gold was with her at the time,” Jax growled.
“Do you know where they are?” Kirill asked calmly.
“I know where to start.”
“Where are you?”
“Sitka.” Jax glanced at the knob as it slowly turned.
“Timur is in Vancouver. He can be there by sunrise.”
“That will take too long.” He watched Mags as she slipped through a crack in the doorway. “I’ll take care of it. You’ll have the clue within the week.”
Kirill chuckled, “Young dragon, I have an abundance of clues. Manx was a thorough bastard. I can always find another thread to the treasure elsewhere, but no shifter should have to go without his mate. I can’t leave Synda unprotected, but I know Timur has a secure place for Ember and Elspeth. He
will
help you if you want it.” His accent deepened.
“Thank you, black dragon, but I have this handled. We will talk soon.” Jax ended the call and peered up at Mags. “Well?”
“Your half brother is on a barge berthed in the industrial section of the city pier. From what I understand, it’s secluded with empty warehouses and railroad cars. That will work in our favor. But the walrus couldn’t tell me the wharf number.” Mags hooked her fingers in the belt loops of her jeans.
His dragon lifted his head and stretched his wings in anticipation. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking, Mags?”
“Depends.” A slow smile lifted the corner of her lips.
“It’s time to go set fire to some shit.”
“I trained you well, Jax. Let’s go hunting.” Mags yanked the door open wider.
Chapter Twelve
Drago leaned back in his chair and flicked his fingers. He’d made Assan wait long enough. Maybe the dense fish got the point, that it just wasn’t smart to piss a dragon off. The metal creaked as the barrier was thrust open. Assan stepped over the lip, a bag was strapped around his torso and he yanked a female by her hair with him. Ratchet rumbled deep in his throat behind his chair.
Assan threw the woman to the floor and she wobbled as she moved to get her knees under her. She peered up at him through blue-tinged bruises around her eyes. One eye was completely shut. Silver tape was wound around her head to cover her mouth. Fresh burgundy marks marred her arms and legs. The simple brown shift did nothing to hide the curves of her body or the beating she endured. Her hair was a knotted tangled mess of auburn tresses. Drago tilted his head and pursed his lips, shocked by the depravity of the pounding that the girl had endured. He briefly wondered if she would even be of any use to him.
“You kept your word, Assan, but she doesn’t really do me any good like this.” Drago motioned toward River.
“Sadly, River was handed over to me like this. Apparently, she wasn’t easy to apprehend. So they had to use force contain her.” Assan shrugged.
“Remove the tape,” Drago ordered a sentinel.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. As I tried to explain before, River is rare. She has a voice that can entice men to do her bidding, or she could simply kill you by opening her mouth. If it were me, I would keep her muzzled until she was well under control.” Assan stepped up next to her.