Page 41 of Fight (Kitsune #2)

W e were in the car when I woke. I was curled on Devon's lap as he held me against him. I moved a little, looking up at him.

"Alexis?" I asked.

"I'm here." She said from the front seat.

"What happened?" I asked.

"You tell us." Devon looked down at me. His arms were snug around me.

"We went to get coffee. We didn't think about needing a guard, we just went for coffee." I repeated.

"We know that."

I blinked, trying to put together what had happened in a way that made sense.

"They drugged us. I saw Alexis on the sidewalk, and then I passed out.

I woke up in the back of a van, cuffed and chained to the floor.

There were four men, humans. I don't think they knew we were any different than them.

One was in the rear with me, the others in seats near the front.

" I told them details in short sentences, trying to give them the information I knew they needed but still struggling to make my mind work.

"The one in the back wanted to 'have some fun' with me, but the boss wouldn't let him.

He said they'd been paid to take me and deliver me unharmed.

He told the one in the back with me to stop kicking me. "

"He kicked you?" Devon's voice was angry.

I tried to ignore his emotions and my own as I continued.

"I tried to listen to their thoughts, but I couldn't control it.

Whatever they used to knock us out, screwed with my control and I gave up.

I knew I had to get free. I broke the chain holding my cuffs to the floor.

" I tried to lift my hands to show them but Devon stopped me.

"I kicked the back door open and rolled out.

As soon as I stopped rolling, I started running.

I don't know how far I ran, but I knew I had to find help before they came back for me.

" I looked up at Devon again. "How did you find me? "

He pulled me tighter against him and I winced at the pressure on my arms, folded between us. He eased off slightly but still held me snuggly.

"I woke up knowing something was wrong. I didn't know what, but I knew it was something big.

Caden came in to get me, he said he'd come out of the shower and found the note that you were gone and I knew it was you.

Something was wrong with you. We threw on clothes and raced after you.

When Caden said you'd gone for coffee, I knew where you were headed so we went in that direction.

We found Alexis on the ground, unconscious. You were nowhere in sight."

"I checked her over and found the dart." Caden added from behind the wheel. "Devon called Ridges and let him know that you'd been kidnapped, while I picked Alexis up and we went back for the car."

"I don't know how, but somehow I knew which direction to find you. We followed that looking for you." Devon added.

"It didn't take me long to wake up." Alexis put in.

"Are you all right?" I asked.

"I'm fine." She assured me. "They weren't interested in me. I think they only drugged me so they could get away with you without my sounding an alarm. Once I woke, the drug cleared my system fairly quickly."

I scowled, my mind was still fuzzy. Why wasn't she as affected as I was?

"We're almost back to the hotel." She continued. "I've already called Ridges back and let him know that we found you. He's going to come up to the room with first aid supplies and a key for those cuffs." She paused for a second. "I'll tell him what I can, but he's going to want to talk to you."

"I can- pull over." I said urgently, interrupting myself.

I started climbing over Devon, headed for the door even as the car still moved.

Caden pulled to the side of the road and came to stop just in time.

I threw the door open, keeping one hand on the door, I stretched across the open space and vomited onto the ground.

I felt Devon move up behind me. He pulled my hair out of my face and rubbed one hand up and down my back, both reassuring himself I was there, and comforting me as my stomach heaved and rolled.

I threw up the meager contents of my stomach, and sat while we waited for my dry heaves to calm.

I sat back in the car and took the tissue that Alexis handed me to clean my face.

"Are you all right?" She asked.

"I'll be okay."

"Pull forward a little, Caden." I felt the car move for just a moment before stopping again.

Alexis opened her door and got out, only to open the rear door and motion for me to move over.

Devon slid back and helped me slide over on the seat to make room for Alexis.

She climbed in and closed the door, Caden pulled back onto the road and continued toward the hotel.

I closed my eyes and leaned against Devon, trying to concentrate on making my stomach stay where it belonged.

I felt Alexis move closer, and I opened my eyes to find her holding her hands barely over my body, her eyes closed and I knew that she was using her talent.

She was either trying to see what was making me so sick, or she was trying to heal me, I wasn't sure which and it didn't really matter.

We made it back to the hotel without having to pull over so I could get sick again.

Caden parked near the rear of the hotel and we used a convenience entrance that kept us from having to walk my bruised, battered and handcuffed self through the lobby.

I leaned heavily against Devon as we rode the elevator and made our way to our room.

Up in our suite, Devon lead me to the sofa, sat down and pulled me down into his lap.

"I need a shower." I tried to pull away.

"I know." He ran his hand over my hair, trying to comfort me. "But Ridges will be here soon with a key for those cuffs, you're lucky you didn't break your wrists when you escaped, let's not fight them anymore. It'll be easier to shower once they're off." He reasoned.

Reluctantly I nodded, agreeing. I leaned against him, the touch of his skin helping me stay calm. Alexis sat down in one of the chairs nearby and looked at me.

"How are you doing?" She asked.

I shook my head. "Not good, I feel drunk, very drunk, but worse."

She nodded. "And the rest of you? Not just your head."

"I hurt, everywhere."

"Do you mind if I try something?"

"What?"

"I'd like to have Caden touch you, nothing big, just skin to skin contact."

"Okay." I turned and looked at Devon to get his opinion. He looked at me and nodded, I turned back to Alexis. "Let's try it."

Caden came close, reaching out one hand toward me. I lifted my arms and gripped his hand like we were to shake hands but before I could fully clasp his hand in mine I let go, pulling away to curl into Devon again.

"Ahh!" I cried out. I felt Devon's arms wrap around me again, holding me close to him.

"What is it?" Devon asked, near panic.

"It hurt, Devon." Alexis told him.

"You had her touch him knowing it would hurt her?" Anger tinting his voice.

"You know me better than that, Dev." She admonished. "I knew it might hurt, but I needed to know for sure. It wasn't for no reason though, it told me a lot."

"What does it mean?" I asked, turning my face from where it had been buried against Devon's neck.

"It's not the drugs effecting you like this."

"If it's not the drugs, what the hell is it?" Devon asked what I was thinking.

"It's several things, the combined effects are making the reaction this severe." She said.

I shot her a confused look.

"The drugs started it, but the emotional trauma of being taken, the physical assault of the drugs, the injuries from the kidnappers and breaking free have thrown your system into an advanced case of separation anxiety." She continued.

"Separation Anxiety?" Devon asked.

Alexis nodded. "Milder forms are common in unsealed mates when they don't have some kind of contact regularly."

"But we were apart less than two hours." Devon said, confused.

Alexis nodded. "I know, but there are a lot of other factors contributing here. Not the least of which is how strong your mating bond has gotten."

"What do you mean?" Devon asked.

"I heard about you growling at Gabriel when you qualified as an enforcer. That's the reaction of someone who's not sealed their mating for a long time," She explained. "months even."

"I've only been able to shift for a couple of months." Devon tried to explain it away.

Alexis nodded. "You have now, but not then; and I mean a lot of months fifteen, eighteen or more."

"So our mating bond is unusually strong." I said. "What does that mean?"

"Wait," Caden put in from where he stood on one side of the room. "I've known a lot of mated couples, but I've never seen anything like this. Even with all the time I've spent in the clinic."

"That's because most of the matings you've seen, are sealed. Sealing changes the bond."

"What does it mean though?" I asked again.

"I'm not sure exactly." She admitted. "I've heard of reactions like this but I've never seen one and never heard of it this early in the relationship." She fell silent for a few seconds, thinking. "Devon, you said you woke up knowing something was wrong?"

"Yeah." Devon nodded.

"That's odd. I've never heard of one half of a couple sensing that the other was in trouble before they'd sealed their mating, afterward it's not uncommon."

I shifted in my seat. I wanted a shower and to find something else to wear and I was getting tired of the cuffs still wrapped around my wrists.

"How long until it passes?" I asked.

"I don't know." Alexis shook her head. "I'm at a loss here. I'll make a couple calls, but I don't know if anyone will know."

A knock sounded on the door to the suite, startling me. Devon's arms tightened slightly around me, as if he was bracing for someone to try to take me away from him again. Caden glanced at all of us before heading to answer the door. He checked the peephole first then paused to scent the air.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"Warren Ridges." A voice came through the heavy wood.