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Alainen

H e flew backwards against the wall in agony as an audible snap echoed around his room. He hit hard and crashed to the floor. Pain rushed through his body, and it was so sharp he couldn’t even scream.

The mate bond with Irideesa had been broken. Alainen felt tears trickling down his face as he battled to not shout. The pain encompassed his entire body, and Alainen struggled to breathe.

He finally released a shriek. It tore through him, tearing his vocal cords.

Alainen heard the running footsteps and knew people were coming for him. Hate welled through him. That traitorous bitch. How dare she break his bond? Irideesa was going to die. Or she would when he could breathe and stand up.

Lanie/Lamia

Her house seemed so different. Lanie knew her time here was coming to an end. They had been home for a fortnight now, and Lanie was putting things in motion to leave her life. They’d visited a solicitor, and Lanie had re-written her will, leaving it all to Mac. With him being able to shift into a different human, it made everything easier for them.

The plan was that they would leave it to him, and Mac would then leave everything to his human shifter side. Simple. Mac and Lanie could continue running her companies as she planned.

Mac had surprised her with an engagement ring, and he swore he wanted a wedding.

Lanie was a little bemused. They were soul mates, why did they need to wed? But she could see it meant a lot to him, so she agreed. The blinding smile Mac had issued her had made her agreement worth it.

They were currently planning her death and, at the same time, dealing with the police. Simon Clare had been seen several times near her offices, and the man was looking more unbalanced. Death threats and dead animals turned up daily, and Lanie was worried about how unhinged Simon Clare was.

Mac, now being like her, was virtually unkillable, but even so, that wouldn’t stop him from being badly hurt. Lanie was also ducking the constant media attention. Someone had gotten a snap of her engagement ring, and Laura had been drowned with reporters ringing to get the scoop.

Finally, Lanie had issued a press release stating she and Mac were engaged, very happy, and planning their wedding.

Mac hadn’t been amused when he’d been stalked by paparazzi all trying to take photos of him. Ranson had been tickled as he had had to order Fisher to guard Mac and had teased them both constantly.

Other than ducking the reporters, Lanie’s day carried on as usual. There’d been no more phone calls from Alainen, but she knew he was lurking, hiding somewhere. Lanie hoped the bond snapping hurt him badly.

“Miss Cross, your half-past five just cancelled and rescheduled,” Laura called, pressing the intercom.

“Oh, nice. I’ll go home early,” Lanie said, cheered.

“That makes a change,” Laura replied. The last several weeks, Lanie had been staying until seven to get work completed. She wanted the transition to go smoothly when things crossed over to Mac.

Mac would die soon after her, but he needed to be around for a while before quietly fading away. Mac had disagreed and wanted them to go together, pointing out that his will left everything to them. Lanie had argued that if the authorities determined Mac died first, his will wasn’t viable.

Mac was forced to agree as much as he didn’t want to.

“Could you call Mac and Ranson, please, Laura? I might head to the park,” Lanie asked. It was a beautiful day, and it would be nice to wallow in the sun for half an hour.

“Yes, Miss Cross.”

Lanie waited until Ranson appeared, and moments later, Mac joined them. “Can we go for a walk in the park?” Lanie asked.

“Yeah. I don’t see why not. Fisher will join us as well,” Ranson answered.

Despite them being mated and Mac being her fiancé, Ranson was still in charge. Mac teased him that was because Mac outranked him at Refuge. Ranson merely raised an eyebrow and ignored his younger cousin.

Lanie smiled as the sun hit her cheek, and she tilted her face towards it. It was a warm day, and white fluffy clouds floated along with minimal breeze. Lanie took a slow walk, noting the couples and families taking advantage of the weather.

“I fancy a barbeque tonight,” Lanie said, turning to Mac.

“That sounds like a plan to me,” Mac agreed.

Lanie smiled and glanced at Ranson. “Want a good old steak?”

“Sure do,” he replied.

Barbeque, some beers, ice cream. Everything sounded great.

◆◆◆

Lanie blinked and groaned. Her head was banging, and when she blinked she realised she had a cut on her head She looked around, rubbing her eyes, and found she was in a dark room. A cellar?

Her hands were tied behind her back, and her legs were tied at the ankles. Lanie tried to shuffle forward but realised she was attached to a pipe.

“Mac? Ranson?” Lanie called and coughed. Her throat was dry, and it also hurt. Her eyes stared into the darkness. She sensed someone was there but wasn’t sure who.

“Hello?”

“Monster,” a man cooed, and Lanie reared back. “You can break free if you show your true self.”

“Who is this?” Lanie cried.

“You know who I am,” Simon Clare called.

Lanie did but wasn’t going to admit it. That placed power in Simon’s hands. While she could shift and free herself, something told Lanie that was not a good idea.

“No, I do not. Who are you? What is this? Where are my security team and my fiancé?” Lanie demanded in a scared tone.

“You don’t question me!” Simon screamed, and Lanie winced at the madness in his voice. “You answer to me.”

“What do you want? Money? You won’t get it. My company has a policy, and we will not pay ransom demands,” Lanie cried, interjecting fear into her voice.

“I want you to change. To prove to the world I am not crazy,” Simon demanded.

Lanie went silent for a few seconds. “You’re that insane man, the one who thinks I’m some sort of Medusa.”

“Lamia! Lamia, damn it, Lamia!” Simon screamed.

“Okay! Lamia!” Lanie shouted back.

“Shift and show them, Lamia,” Simon snapped.

“I can’t.”

“Do it!”

“I don’t know how to. I’m not a shifter!” Lanie cried. “And you are frightening me. How do I prove I can’t shift?”

“Lamia, Lamia, just do it, and all this will be over.”

“I can’t. Damn it, why can’t you understand? I do not know how to, I’m not a shifter. It doesn’t matter how many ways you demand it, I can’t do it!” Lanie yelled.

“Don’t make me hurt you!” Simon warned.

“Hurting me won’t change facts. You think monsters exist? They don’t. You’re completely crazy, and you are living in a fictional world!”

“Change your shape!” Simon screamed, and something hit Lanie hard. She fell over on her side, and her head hit the floor.

“Mac, where are you?” she whispered.

What the hell had happened? The last thing Lanie remembered was being in the park. So how had she ended up here? Alone and frightened.

Mac

“He will kill her!” Mac snarled at the cop. His eyes were focused on the screen where a live video of Lanie being held hostage was playing out. Simon Clare, confirmed lunatic, had somehow managed to hack into a news feed and was showing this live for everyone. The news outlet had scrambled to take it off air, but Simon had done something, and they couldn’t. Millions of people were watching his fiancée be tortured.

“We’re doing everything we can, Mr McIntyre,” the officer soothed.

“Are you? Where? You knew weeks ago there was a target on her and did nothing!” Mac spat. That might have been unfair because Mac and Ranson hadn’t found him either, but that was beside the point. Lanie was being held captive, and Mac couldn’t sense her.

His bond was intact, but it was dulled, and it wasn’t working correctly. Mac guess Lanie was either deep underground or in a shielded room.

“We didn’t have a lot of information to go on, Mr McIntyre,” an inspector said, approaching.

Mac glowered at him. “You have nothing. We were attacked in the park by a rocket launcher, knocked out, and Lanie kidnapped, and yet you claim nobody saw anything? Are you working with him?” Mac hissed.

“Mr McIntyre—”

“Shove it. My cousin is back in hospital with head injuries, and the other guard is dead. And Lanie has been taken, and you don’t even have images of the car she was thrown into!” Mac yelled. “Are you totally incompetent?”

His phone beeped, and Mac looked down.

“That’s quite enough, sir—”

“You’re right. It is. My team have managed to get camera footage and the white van’s registration plate that she was shoved in. If my people can do that, why can’t yours?” Mac hissed.

“How did your people—” the inspector began.

“Ask someone who cares. My people will do your job for you,” Mac started, heading towards the exit.

“Where are you going?” the inspector called.

“To get my woman back. Something you lot can’t do. And this is the best you can offer? You’re jokes. My team had a lead in less time than you did. You still don’t have the licence plate. If I wait for you to get your head out of your ass, Lanie will be dead!”

On that note, Mac headed out. Lanie needed him. He tugged on the cord, hoping for a response, but it was weak and unresponsive. Mac would be rescuing Lanie the old-fashioned way. ‘Hang on baby, I’m coming,’ he thought at her as he raced out of the police station.

Lanie/Lamia

Lanie sobbed as Simon threw a bucket of water over her. So far, the torture had been mild. A few slaps, punches and kicks, but Lanie was also pregnant, and she was terrified he’d catch her stomach.

“You can make this stop,” Simon cooed. “Just shift.”

“I can’t force my body to do something it’s physically incapable of doing,” Lanie cried.

“Quit lying! Filthy monster,” Simon screamed.

Lanie blinked as a light switched on, and she ducked her head, squeezing her eyes shut. The sudden light hurt them; she had been in darkness for hours. She was also hungry, thirsty, and tired. Lanie had no idea how long she’d been cooped up, but it had been several hours at least.

“I am done with you. You’re so far beyond crazy, it’s insane. No matter what I say, you’ll continue with this delusion I’m something I’m not. Stop talking to me because I’ve nothing to say to you!” Lanie snapped.

She closed her eyes and curled into as tight a ball as possible. What she had seen appalled her. Two large spotlights stood on tripods, blinding her with light, but there were six cameras pointed at her. All flashing with red dots, which meant she was being filmed. Lanie thought it was live as well. Thank God she’d held back from shifting.

She just had to hold on because she knew Mac would be coming for her. He wasn’t dead; their bond was intact but nonresponsive. Lanie suspected because she was being shielded.

Even so, Lanie had faith in Mac. He was her mate; he would come for her. Blows rained down on her back and legs as Simon lost the plot and began beating her. As he came near to her stomach, she flinched and finally cried out.

“I’m pregnant! Stop it!” she screamed.

Simon’s arm froze in mid-air as he looked at her.

“You’re lying.”

“No. I am not. Go and hang yourself, you psycho. But leave my babies alone!”

“Babies? Do monsters have kids? I need to check this,” Simon muttered and began walking away. He opened the door, and Lanie’s bond surged, and for a brief moment, she connected with Mac.

‘Lanie!’ his voice screamed in her head.

Lanie began to reply, but Simon shut the door, and she lost connection again.

There was hope.

Mac’s voice had been incredibly strong, which meant they weren’t too far from each other. She was certainly in England still, and Lanie reckoned not far from her home.

Vladimir/Vampire

“Anything?” he asked as his siblings came and went through the mirror. They were all out searching for Lanie in their human forms.

“Mac connected with her. She is somewhere local, but we don’t know where. We think she’s in a shielded room,” Manfred replied as he entered Mary’s tower.

Mary was sitting an armchair, scrolling through the millions of mirrors she had access to. She was looking for any sign of Lanie, Simon, or Alainen.

Vladimir nodded as Manfred headed to the Hall to eat, and then he’d go back out.

“The seas and oceans are quiet. Lanie is not on them,” Jase announced as he came through. Out of all of them, Jase was taking Lanie’s disappearance the hardest. Jase, knowing Lanie was pregnant, was torturing himself with memories of what happened to Harpy.

“Lanie won’t shift, not now she’s seen the cameras. She knows if she does so, then she’ll give us away. That asshole is going to beat the children right out of her. I can see it coming,” Jase muttered.

“Mac will find her first, brother. Trust in him,” Vladimir responded.

“He is hardcore. I don’t know how he’s keeping going. His focus is outstanding,” Jase replied.

“He won’t lose her, not after just finding her,” Vladimir agreed.

“No, but let’s hope he finds her before they lose the babies,” Jase said morosely.

Vladimir nodded. Lanie had suffered enough. It was time to let her heal and have her happiness.

Mac

He looked up as Ranson entered the office. It had been thirty-six hours since their attack and Lanie’s kidnapping.

“What are you doing here?”

“Discharged myself. He is still filming her,” Ranson said.

“Yeah. And we know he’s aware of the public’s reaction,” Mac replied.

The general public were, on a whole, condemning Simon Clare, and candlelight vigils were being held across the world. The news channel had managed to cut Simon’s hack twice, but he’d locked back in a third time. Simon was completely controlling the network.

“Problem is, it’s making him worse. Because he is being called the monster because Lanie’s pregnant. He must prove she’s Lamia, or he’s in the wrong,” Ranson responded.

“Yes. We’ve a lead, though. One of the teams has found Simon used to visit this psychic. They’re checking her out now, she might have some information,” Mac said.

His gaze slid to the TV screen. Lanie appeared to be sleeping, but her arms, legs and face were a mass of bruises. Mac’s fury was beyond anything he’d felt before.

“We’ll find her,” Ranson promised as he sat at a desk.

“Before or after we lose our children?” Mac hissed.

“Have faith, I have,” Ranson replied.

Mac arched an eyebrow and looked back at his laptop. The cameras had lost sight of the van after several turns. It had to be somewhere, and Mac was going to find it.

Lanie/Lamia

“I need a drink, please,” Lanie whispered.

Her throat was sore and dry, and she could barely talk. Numerous times, Simon had put an electric collar around her neck and allowed her to use a dirty toilet in the corner of the room. But he’d not been forthcoming with drinks or food.

“The information is confusing. Some say monsters can’t give birth, but then Lamia was not a one-off. Neither were werewolves or vampires. The only way to check is to look inside you,” Simon announced.

“What?” Lanie croaked.

“I need to cut you open and see if you’re pregnant,” Simon replied.

Lanie felt her blood run cold. “Go to hell! You’ll kill my babies!” Lanie shrieked.

“If you are, then they are monsters too and need exterminating,” Simon said, getting to his feet. He picked up the shock collar.

“Don’t do this!” Lanie cried.

“Shut up. I’m doing this for humankind. To stop you. If I allow you to procreate, then the world will be filled with creatures.”

“You’re the monster!” Lanie cried as he snapped the collar around her neck. Lanie spotted the button to activate the collar around his own neck.

She gathered her strength, tapping a little into Lamia. The hell she was going to let him cut her open. Simon undid her cuffs and hauled her to her feet. Lanie sagged against him as she pretended to be weaker than what she was.

Simon was struggling to hold her as her body became boneless, and she slipped towards the ground.

“What is wrong with you?” Simon boomed.

“You’ve not fed or given me drinks. What do you think is wrong?” Lanie cried. “I’m human. This is torture!”

“Stop lying!” Simon screeched in her face. His smelly breath blasted her, and Lanie gagged. She clutched his tee and suddenly snapped her elbow up. She hit him straight in the jaw and sent him tumbling. Lanie reached out and snagged the button, ripping it from his neck. She kicked him as hard as she could from the ground, hurting both of her feet, and then booted his groin.

Simon let out a different type of scream as Lanie kicked him again in the groin and then face.

She bent and struggled to untie her ankles but got them undone.

Lanie rushed towards the door and burst through it.

‘Mac,’ she screamed. If she connected with Mac the others would find her.

Proceeding down a dimly lit corridor, she noticed a flight of steps at the far end of the hallway. Lanie ran towards it and began climbing them.

She found herself in another small hallway with further stairs. Lanie kept going until, finally, she burst through a trapdoor and discovered she was in a warehouse.

Not stopping for anything, Lanie raced towards the door in the distance and shot through it.

“Bitch!” someone said, and a punch sent her unconscious.