Page 15 of Enforcer’s Little Warrior (Little Paws Haven #3)

Romy

He groaned as he attempted to move. Everything hurt and the reality of what had happened sank past whatever the asshole had given him. His eyes opened and his vision swam in the dimness. He closed his eyes at the wave of nausea, then breathed in through his nose, breathing out through his mouth four times before he tried again. He listened carefully for any sounds, something that would alert him to the presence of whoever had kidnapped him. There were enough memories to tell him exactly what would happen next when the frigid air brushed against his naked body as he tried to move once more. Binds held his arms pinned to his sides and his legs were spread eagled, each trapped by rope.

The shame and sadness at once more finding himself in this position wanted to take hold. Wanted to dig their fingers into him and take him back to the dark place he went to for the longest time when he’d been stolen from his family. Abused in awful ways, all in the name of science, so he’d been told.

Only this time, he wasn’t in a huge concrete building with white walls and medical instruments laid out on tables around him. He twisted his head as much as the binds around his neck would allow. Whoever had taken him had strapped him to something padded, he wasn’t lying down, but he wasn’t sitting all the way up either. He sucked in another breath, desperate to quell the panic that made the bile burn the back of his throat. The burger he’d eaten at lunch time wanted back out of his stomach.

He focused on the scent of earth and dirt. The scent of who had taken him… he couldn’t smell it. No stench of rotting meat met his nose, why was that?

Not the same. It’s not the same.

He needed to keep that thought in his head to hold back the past. If it was Raul—eyes they didn’t lie—who’d come for him, then things were going to get decidedly worse for Romy.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been out. It was dark where he was, but not pitch black. He squinted into the dimness. Was he underground?

Think Romy, think!

He evened out his breathing, shutting his eyes, letting his senses take over. This time, his rhino wasn’t trapped under whatever they’d injected him with. The panic eased off a little. Daddy?

He wiggled his fingers, feeling for edges of what he lay on.

Daddy can you hear me?

He waited another second, not quite sure if he could feel Bash when the drugs were there circulating in his blood. Daddy, I need you! He made sure to shout it as a tear slid down his cheek into his hair at the quietness in his mind when he was sure he had felt Bash’s connection to him. Had the drugs managed to sever their connection? Or had they done something else to Romy while he’d been out of it?

Those who’d taken him the first time had liked him awake when they did shit to see his reaction. That didn’t mean they hadn’t changed tactics.

He gripped the edge of the padded seat, working to hold back the sob.

Could he shift?

Could he break his animal free?

He concentrated, sweat beading on his forehead as he worked to focus. His limbs shook as his eyes stung with sweat as he felt his bones reform, his skeleton changing until it ripped at the rope binds. They held strong, but Romy had learned not to quit. He ground his teeth together as he willed his animal to break free fully. One moment he was human next the bench broke under the weight of his rhino. The drugs burned away, and his clarity returned.

Romy.

Romy.

Where are you?

The sound of Bash’s distress made his animal snort and charge blindly in the dimness. His vision adapted as he charged towards the thready light. His horn leading the charge when he heard a scraping sound.

Romy, answer Daddy, now!

His rhino snorted its distress, unable to find Romy’s voice to answer as the sound increased, sending shards of fear through Romy at what lay hidden in the darkness despite his rhino form.

Bash

Every moment without his mate was upping the level of frenzy Bash had slipped into, meaning the only rhino in the crash able to keep up with his crazed hunt was Arlo and even he was struggling to rein him in. He could feel Romy’s stress, his fear and his anxiety and it was revving Bash’s up even more.

Romy! Romy answer Daddy! Answer Daddy right now!

He projected his thoughts blindly, enraged, in pain, blood still pouring from the wound where the arrow had struck him, each movement of his frantic search tearing it open despite the efforts his body made at healing him.

Should have done better.

Should have protected him.

What the fuck had he been thinking, not being there today when he’d known the center closed early? But Romy had asked for alone time. Nibbling his upper lip, he’d looked up at Bash with beseeching eyes because he’d wanted to do something special for them. That’s all he’d say. He wanted to do something special, but it was a secret, and he needed Bash to wait. He’d pleaded and Bash had caved, wanting to honor Romy’s request to wait to show it to him.

His boy didn’t ask for a lot. When Bash offered to stop off and get treats after a shift, Romy always hesitated to choose something fun, like pastry or cupcakes. At first, Bash had wondered if it was because he wasn’t fond of sweets, then he’d caught Romy eyeing them, and his eyes had lit up the first time Bash had reached over and selected two in addition to the grapes and berries that Romy had already selected. It was so easy to say yes to Romy’s plea after that, and now Bash was kicking his own ass for it.

He should have been there.

Even if he’d had to wait outside wherever Romy was going and promise not to peek. That was the whole point of lining up their shifts.

So Romy wasn’t alone.

So he had no reason to be scared

Two weeks.

Two fuckin’ weeks.

That was all the time it had taken for Bash to fuck up the routine he’d created.

He was a failure as a Daddy. Romy deserved better and now Bash had gone and allowed his mate to tie them together permanently and cost himself the chance of someone better. Maybe if they’d had a third, like Harley did with Nomad. Someone older, someone to take charge, someone who could focus on….

Ouch!

Fuck!

Backing up, he staggered a second, then sat down on his haunches with a groan, ears ringing after how hard Arlo had kicked him in the head.

Arlo snorted, then pawed the ground. In this form, they couldn’t communicate with words, but Arlo’s actions spoke volumes.

Focus.

Stop beating yourself up.

You’ll be a liability if you can’t get your shit together.

Shit, even Arlo was better at this than he was.

Head hanging low, Bash nodded, vision still spotty because Arlo had held nothing back when he’d kicked him. Was enough to make him wonder how long he’d been trying before he resorted to that?

With focus came awareness… and that scent.

No wonder Arlo had been desperate to get his attention, that smell was back, and it seemed like they were closer to it than when he’d stampeded the wrong way and gotten himself shot in the ass by an arrow.

Okay.

He got it.

Focus.

They had to be close.

He could feel that his connection to Romy was stronger. He could use that like a beacon, home in on it and follow.

Lunging to his feet, he swung his head right, ran a few feet, felt the connection dim and spun around, charging left this time.

Brighter.

Larger.

Head bobbing up and down, hooves kicking up dust as the earth rumbled beneath the force of his footsteps, he ran until Romy’s emotions were like a scream, only Bash still couldn’t see anything.

Camouflage then, some hidden entrance.

Where?

Where the fuck was it hidden?

Snorting, pawing, he and Arlo worked outward, trying to unearth anything that would reveal where they had Romy hidden. Wasn’t enough that they’d taken his mate, they had to put him through this bullshit.

Anger left him trumpeting, feet crashing down hard on something that splintered underneath them, dropping him unceremoniously to his knees. His jaw hit the ground with enough force that another piece broke away.

Scrambling backward, Bash felt teeth clamp like a vice on his tail and he bellowed, even as the ground beneath his hooves began to crumble. Arlo didn’t falter though, the fucker hauled him back so hard Bash felt the flesh tear and rip partially free of his body before he was back on solid ground.

That was gonna leave a mark…and maybe a missing body part when all was said and done. But down into the darkness, they were going. Just as soon as they could work out a method that wouldn’t land them in a heap at the bottom, useless as rescuers, while they had to wait to heal broken bones.