Authors: Scarlet Hyacinth
Tags: #Romance
“Your mate is already safe. I made sure he would be before coming to get you.”
That was the only thing Graham needed to know. He trusted Philip was telling him the truth about Caelyn. He still had countless questions, but he’d get his answers soon enough. Now was not the time for talk, but for action.
Fortunately, his new companions agreed. Together, they went from cell to cell, releasing everyone inside. Many of the prisoners were reluctant to trust them, which was understandable, but frustrating. In spite of all the doubts, however, everyone remained well aware that the clock was ticking. Philip’s attack had been successful so far because it had taken the draechen by surprise. However, Shtamakarein would undoubtedly organize his troops soon. By the time that happened, they all needed to be as far away from this place as possible.
With the help of Philip’s men, the men and women in the cells of the draechen were set free. Graham looked everywhere, but he could find no sign of Taryn. He knew the younger werewolf had not been returned to his cell, and they couldn’t possibly search for Taryn through the rest of the house.
In the end, there was nothing Graham could do about it. Praying to the gods for forgiveness, Graham led the rest of his group toward the exit. Alas, Graham’s guess turned out to be correct. It must have been a matter of minutes, but already, the draechen had created an almost impassable wall between them and safety. The entire first floor, between the cells and the main foyer, was occupied by draechen forces.
“Damn it,” Philip cursed as they tried to fight their way through. “This is all your fault, Graham. Why did you get yourself caught?”
“Calm down, Lip,” Graham shouted, punching another draechen who was trying to come at him in the face. “We’ll get out of here.”
“And once we’re outside, they’ll be able to shift,” Philip muttered. He had a point. For the moment, the narrow space in the house made it impossible for the draechen to use their second forms, which was a very good thing. But once they left the building, that impediment wouldn’t exist, and the draechen would be able to unleash the full extent of their abilities on Graham and his companions.
To make things worse, Shtamakarein appeared among the rest of the draechen. He fought his way through, heading straight toward Graham. Graham didn’t know how the draechen prince had figured out the truth, but he didn’t give a fuck. Neither did he care that his opponent was likely one of the most powerful shifters on Earth. He just knew that Shtamakarein had likely tried to force Caelyn into a fake mating, and for that, he would pay.
As they faced each other, Shtamakarein bared strikingly sharp teeth at Graham. “You’re going to pay for this, wolf.”
“And I suppose you’re the one who’s going to make sure of it,” Graham replied, circling his adversary and trying to find an opening in the other man’s defensive stance.
“I won’t have to.” Shtamakarein’s eyes glittered with some sort of hidden knowledge that Graham couldn’t understand. “You have more powerful foes than me, and you’ve drawn an innocent into a battle you can’t win.”
“Why do you care, Dog-Catcher?” Graham inquired. “Caelyn means nothing to you. The only thing that matters for your insane mind is your foolish quest to exterminate my kind.”
Shtamakarein shook his head, as if disgusted. “I’m not going to get in a debate. You’ve more than eloquently proved that you don’t know what you’re doing, and you don’t truly care about Caelyn. But then, how can you? You’re only an animal.”
Graham didn’t bother to explain the truth of the mate bond. It was almost weird for the draechen prince to say that since the mating instinct was something all shifters shared. In fact, Graham had once heard that werewolves and draechen were the ones with the most powerful mate pull. But for Shtamakarein, that didn’t matter. He’d clearly made up his mind about the value of the lower castes, and nothing would change it.
Not even bothering to answer the final comment, Graham shifted into his wolf form and attacked. The draechen saw him coming and managed to dodge. As he sidestepped Graham’s leap, he reached out, trying to grab Graham by using his own momentum. But Graham had anticipated that move and used it against Shtamakarein. As the draechen’s hands landed on him, Graham pushed his hind legs onto his foe’s chest, digging his sharp claws into the other man’s skin. He expected the draechen to release him, but he was disappointed as Shtamakarein just growled and his hold on Graham tightened. Of course, his skin was far thicker than that of a normal man. Graham would be able to pierce it while Shtamakarein remained in human form, but not without considerable effort.
Even so, Graham didn’t panic. He changed forms again, and before Shtamakarein knew what was going on, Graham head-butted the other man.
The advantage of being a shifter of medium size was that the change from one shape to another didn’t shock the body so much. For draechen, it was far harder and more time-consuming to shift. Graham could do it instantly, and even the most skilled dragon could never achieve this speed.
It served him well, as Shtamakarein grunted, surprised. He was physically stronger than Graham, something that didn’t sit well with Graham’s Alpha nature. However, his wolf refused to back down and forged ahead.
Changing shapes once more, Graham managed to free himself from the draechen prince’s hold. Shtamakarein obviously hadn’t expected such an approach from Graham, but he adapted quickly. When Graham lunged forward once again, aiming to bury his fangs in the other man’s throat, a bolt of magic struck him, propelling him back.
If it had been any other kind of magic, Graham would have likely landed on his feet and attacked once more. As it was, he hit the wall of the building with a crack and fell to the floor, suddenly drained of energy.
He tried to get up, but his lungs felt like an unseen hand was squeezing them. He couldn’t breathe, and his muscles refused to obey him. It felt like in one single spell, Shtamakarein’s magic had fully taken control of Graham’s body.
So this was the Dog-Catcher’s power. Graham had only heard of it, never actually witnessed it or felt it on his own skin. He couldn’t fight this. No one could. It was truly a wonder that the draechen prince even bothered to use any other method of capture at all. It seemed unnecessary. Perhaps it was a personal choice, out of pleasure. The thought did nothing to comfort Graham.
Shtamakarein made his way to Graham’s side and crouched next to him. He almost seemed oblivious to the fight still going on around him, although that couldn’t have been the case. “I hate people like you,” he said. “You think of your own benefit with no regard to the lives you crush in the process. When I look at you, I am reminded why the world is as it is.”
The pressure on Graham’s lungs was even stronger now. His vision grew white along the edges, and he knew he was likely instants away from losing consciousness. Even so, that defiant streak that wouldn’t let him surrender urged him to reply, “I might not deserve Caelyn, but neither do you. You’re filth, Dog-Catcher, and that won’t ever change. No one will ever love you.”
Shtamakarein looked like he’d been slapped. Graham hadn’t actually expected his words to make a difference, but apparently they had. For some unknown reason, the draechen prince hesitated.
It was only a few seconds, but it turned out to be enough. Out of the blue, the draechen prince’s shoulder exploded into a mass of blood, bone, and tissue. Shtamakarein fell back, his eyes widening almost comically. His magic abandoned Graham’s body, and he could breathe again.
As he struggled to recover, he noticed Philip approaching, a shotgun in his hands. Predictably, the draechen prince wasn’t so easily defeated. Roaring, he lunged forward, but Philip refused to back down. He dodged the bolt of magic and continued to shoot.
His friend’s assistance gave Graham enough time to draw his breath, and he got up and started to back away. An Alpha he might be, but he knew when he’d run into an enemy he could not defeat.
Unloading his shotgun into the body of the draechen prince, Philip followed Graham’s example. At last, Shtamakarein fell into a pool of his own blood, and his apparent defeat caused panic among his men. In the chaos, Graham managed to make his way to the exit.
As Graham threw one last look toward the draechen, though, Shtamakarein met his gaze. For a moment, Graham could have sworn the man smirked at him. His eyes were completely clear of pain, and Graham knew that the prince could have gotten up from where he lay any moment now.
Shockingly, though, Shtamakarein did no such thing. Graham, Philip, as well as Philip’s men and the rest of the prisoners rushed outside. With their prince down, the draechen didn’t follow them. Although they ran into a few other guards, they managed to reach the edge of the courtyard with reasonable ease.
As they leapt over, Philip finally asked, “What happened back there? I could have sworn there was no way I’d get you out of there alive.”
“I don’t know,” Graham answered. Only that was a lie. Graham did know. Shtamakarein had let them go. He’d, in effect, set them free. Graham didn’t know what that meant, but he was reluctant to share it with his friend, here where everyone could hear.
Outside, they found more of Philip’s men waiting by a group of jeeps. Everyone rushed into the vehicles, and although it was a tight fit, even the prisoners managed to get in. It seemed Philip had come prepared in more than one way. Graham ended up sharing a car with Philip and four other people, but he didn’t mind.
As they drove away from the draechen mansion, though, Graham’s thoughts wandered away from Shtamakarein’s inscrutable behavior. His wolf sensed something, a beautiful presence, one he had missed so very much. His breath caught, this time for an entirely different reason. Caelyn. Finally, he’d get to be with his mate.
With every passing moment, Graham’s awareness of Caelyn increased. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Graham saw a large shadow looming above them. It was a cargo plane, obviously meant to carry them to safety. In front of it, several figures waited, one of whom was pacing in obvious agitation.
As the jeep drove closer, the man in question looked up. Graham’s heart clenched, the sight of his beautiful angel wiping away every ounce of his pain, fatigue, and distress.
When the car stopped, he opened the door on automatic pilot. He was moving through a haze of need and desire, the wolf within him aching to be set free, the man wanting to say and do so much. Caelyn met him halfway and practically fell into his embrace.
“Oh, thank Jenarra,” he gasped out, burying his face in Graham’s chest. Hot tears fell on Graham’s naked skin, branding him with the emotion that had caused them. “I was beginning to lose hope.”
“Hope is always the last one to die,” Graham replied, pulling Caelyn close. “Thank you, angel. I know you’re the one who made it possible.”
Caelyn looked up and wiped his eyes. “It’s not me you need to thank. I really couldn’t do anything to help you.”
He sounded frustrated with himself, almost humiliated at his own impotence. But Graham would have none of that. He was glad Caelyn had asked for assistance. Anything else would have been pure folly. No one, no matter how powerful, could take on the draechen alone and win.
“You did the right thing,” he told his angel. “But now, let me introduce myself. I’m Graham Powers.”
“Caelyn
Sutharlainn,” his mate replied, still clinging to him.
“I hate to interrupt this touching reunion,” Philip said from behind them, “but get your asses inside the plane. We have to go.”
At Philip’s words, Graham finally remembered where they were. Reluctantly, he broke the embrace. He noticed that the blood and gore on his chest was now sticking to Caelyn’s elegant clothing. “I’m getting you all messy,” he whispered.
“I don’t care,” Caelyn replied, his voice low and choked. “I hate these robes anyway.”
Graham kind of hated them, too. He didn’t know much about sprite customs, but it was obvious to him that Caelyn’s garments were celebratory, in honor of the supposed engagement. Graham really wanted them off, preferably replaced with something of his.
Sadly, none of his possessions were here. In fact, he was completely naked and with nothing to wear.
As if just now realizing Graham’s state, his mate blushed brightly. He stole a look down Graham’s body, almost like he couldn’t help himself, and his flush brightened. It was quite charming, and Graham had the urge to tear Caelyn’s clothes off and see just how far that blush went.
But then, Caelyn’s eyes widened, as if he’d come to a realization. “You’re wounded,” he whispered. “Oh, Jenarra… You need to have someone see your injuries.”
“I’ll be fine,” Graham rushed to reassure his mate. His werewolf abilities were already returning his strength and mending the damage done by the silver. Fortunately, his exposure to the substance hadn’t been too strong, and as an Alpha, Graham could handle it better than most.
And so, instead of looking for a medic, Graham took Caelyn’s hand and started to pull his mate toward the cargo plane. As they walked, though, he couldn’t help but notice the murmurs and whispers coming from the rest of the freed prisoners. Caelyn must have realized it as well, because his breath caught and he squeezed Graham’s hand even tighter. However, other than that, he showed no sign of how much it must have bothered him.
Unfortunately, their attitude was not surprising. Hate cultivated hate. Draechen might have been the driving force behind the Directive, but the magical creatures certainly hadn’t helped. They had stood by and witnessed how the draechen did whatever the hell they wanted to. Graham himself had distrusted Caelyn’s intentions, something he wasn’t proud of at all.