Page 19

Connor heard the sound of protesting metal and realized he was gripping his steering wheel too tightly, again. He forced himself to take a deep breath before he plowed his truck into a tree.

“Connor, they have stopped moving. They have been at their current location for five minutes. Either he has found and ditched the phone or they have parked,” Daniel announced from the back.

“Where are we heading?” Connor asked.

“Wow, this guy is smart,” Daniel grunted.

“Why?” Connor demanded.

“Hold on.” Daniel tapped away on his iPad. Seconds later he sat back in amazement.

“He is a sick bastard, but he’s smart.”

“Why?” Casper asked.

“He’s using the old Chinese import warehouse. I saw it in the case notes Connor had, that building had already been shut down by Sentinel in another case. I read that a doctored version of what happened there was released to the human press,” Daniel explained.

“Wait, I know that place. Ricochet and I were part of the team that shut down a branch of the drug ring that was operating out of that building. We know the layout,” Casper offered. Daniel gestured with his hands as if to say exactly.

“He was probably betting on the fact that you wouldn’t check someplace you’d already cleared. It suited his purposes down to the ground. Soundproof rooms, medical equipment, and cells.” Daniel shook his head.

“Get the address to Gabriel and Aleks. We’ll come at the building from all four fronts. This bastard isn’t getting away.” Connor growled.

Daniel’s fingers were flying over his phone when Connor’s phone began to ring. He dug it out of his front pocket and nearly dropped it when he saw who was calling. Quickly, with a shaking hand, he answered the phone.

“Madison, baby, are you okay? Where are you?” He pulled over to the side of the road and in his rearview mirror he saw two SUVs pull over behind him.

“Sorry, Madison can’t come to the phone right now, but if you leave your name and number she will get back to you… Never!” A high-pitched male voice cackled.

“You leave her alone, you bastard! If you so much as touch her!” Connor screamed into his phone. In the back, he heard the back door open and close. Daniel had jumped out and was running to the other SUVs.

“I wish I had more time with sweet, lush Madison. Redheads are supposed to be great fucks. But, I’m not as stupid as you think I am.

I know you’re closing in on us. You see, Madison will be my ultimate revenge.

The mate of an Arkadion. As an Arkadion you have known nothing but privilege from being one of oldest royal shifter families.

You’re all bears, strong and tall. I bet you’ve never known the humiliation from being bullied or ignored.

” The male voice grew more agitated with each word until he was screeching.

“I can help you. It’s the drugs in your system that are making you feel aggressive. Let me take you back to Arkadia and we can get you well.” Connor controlled his breathing and spoke evenly. The driver’s side door opened, and Aleks stood there looking concerned. Connor held up a finger.

“No, thank you, I have it all planned out. I’m done with this city, it’s time to move on.

But, before I leave, I can destroy you, by killing your mate.

Me, nobody but me, can take down an Arkadion.

Don’t keep us waiting, she will run out of blood before you get here, and I’m so hoping she’ll die in your arms.” There was another maniacal laugh and then the screams began.

Scream after tortured scream as his mate cried out in pain.

Connor stumbled from the cab of his truck, fell to his knees, and vomited. Aleks took his phone and ended the call, cutting off the sound of Madison’s anguish. Struggling to his feet, Connor wiped his mouth. Aleks helped him to stand.

“We have to go. Stealth doesn’t matter now, he knows we’re coming.” Connor went to get back in the driver’s seat, but Aleks stopped him. Daniel jumped into the backseat.

“Casper, you drive. We don’t stop for anything!” Aleks steered Connor to the passenger seat and seat-belted him in. He closed the door and banged on the roof.

“Go!” Connor heard his brother yell, and the truck jumped forward.

“I got this, Professor. We’ll get her back,” Casper said, concentrating on the road.

Connor stared at the road in front of them as the truck picked up speed, and he prayed harder than he ever had in his life.

Madison woke to a dark room. The only light came from the fluorescent bulb in hallway, that was intermittently blinking between the row of bars in the door.

She went to sit up and gasped. She wanted to shift and heal, but her animal was reacting sluggishly.

That sick freak must have drugged her to keep her from shifting.

“Are you real?” a voice asked from the corner.

Sitting up gingerly, she leaned against the wall carefully.

Her back felt bruised and from the stickiness she felt trickling down her spine, she was still bleeding.

She knew she was injured badly and was frightened at the lack of pain.

Her body was trying to protect her mind.

She wondered how much time had gone by while she had been unconscious.

“I’m real. Where are you?” Madison could make out the shape of a chair and hanging straps. She looked behind the chair to the corner and she saw a figure huddled in on itself.

“Why did he do this? He has never brought anyone in before, only the blood, only the blood,” the voice repeated over and over.

“Hey, it’s okay. My mate will be here real soon, and then we can leave this place. How long have you been here?” she asked gently.

“What day is it?” the man asked.

“November 14th. It will be Thanksgiving soon.” She kept her voice soft and even.

“Months. I’ve been here months,” the man said.

To Madison it sounded as if the man’s mind was clearing each time he spoke. She tried to keep him lucid in case the little psycho came back.

“We’re going to get out of here soon. Little Psycho was on the phone taunting my mate when I blacked out. He should be here any minute.”

“I don’t think we have a minute.” The man’s voice turned guttural.

Madison felt a shiver run down her spine. When the figure turned, two bright-red eyes watched her unnervingly. She was locked, bleeding, in a cell with a vampire. That’s what he had meant when he said Connor wouldn’t make it in time. Trembling, she took a deep breath.

“Please. You have to stay strong just a little bit longer. Help is coming,” she pleaded, as he inched forward.

“They’ll be too late. He hasn’t fed me this week, and now I know why. All of the others, I knew they died, but he gave me their blood from an IV bag. I didn’t kill any of them. But, I can’t help myself now. He’s killed you and damned my soul.” The man’s voice broke.

“It doesn’t have to be that way. My mate is Connor Arkadion, he knows Prince Gabriel, they are friends. I know that Prince Gabriel will be able to help you. Just hold on.” She watched as his body froze at the mention of the vampire prince. She decided to keep talking about the prince.

“I’ve met Prince Gabriel and his beautiful mate, Ashby.

Ashby was upset, because he and the other Inner Court members had forgotten to plan the Thanksgiving dinner.

He has been exposing the coven to different foods and was scared they would be hurt if they missed out on the biggest feast of the year.

In the end the prince volunteered to bring wine.

I can’t wait to see what is in his wine cellar.

” She kept her voice light. At the word cellar the man flinched.

“French, Italian, reds by year. Whites in the refrigerator case,” the man mumbled.

“Do you like wine?”

He ignored her and began to inch forward.

“I’m not going to lie, I’m scared to death. I don’t want to get mauled and drained. Please, please try,” she begged.

He stopped his advance and began to breathe heavily.

“My name is Madison. Madison Claybourne Arkadion. What’s yours?”

The man crawled into the weak beams of light and turned his face to her.

His appearance caught her off guard. Even though his hair was matted and dirty, it didn’t take away from the warm honey-blond color and white streak highlights.

He looked like he loved to spend time in the sun.

She looked in his eyes, which were fluctuating between a brilliant emerald green and a burnished red.

The man pounded on the floor with both fists.

When he looked up his eyes were green. He was weeping and looked like he was in so much pain.

“My name is Rhys.”

“Fan out. Knowing this sick fuck, he will want to witness Connor’s pain.” Baron directed the Sentinels as the Arkadians rushed into the building with Connor.

MadisonMadisonMadisonMadison .

Her name became a chanted prayer in his mind.

“Here!” Daniel yelled out, finding the long smear of blood first. They followed the thick trail down the hallway until they came to a cell door.

“Madison!” he yelled, pounding on the metal door. He looked at it helplessly. It would take them hours to get in without a key.

“Connor! Hurry! Rhys can’t hold on much longer,” she screamed.

Connor’s head snapped around to Gabriel, whose eyes suddenly blazed red. Wave upon wave of power poured off the man as he stepped forward and dug his fingers into the metal as if it were butter. Seconds later he had it ripped off its hinges, and he threw it to one side.

“Madison?” He ran into the room to see his mate huddled in the corner, a figure just inches in front of her.

“Rhys, hold on. Gabriel is here,” Connor said, then took a step back as Rhys turned his head. He saw the blank eyes he associated with killers. The pair of blood-red eyes followed his every movement as Rhys hissed at him.

Gabriel stepped past Connor and knelt beside Rhys.

“There you are, my son. You have been lost for a long time. Let me take you home.”