Page 4

CHAPTER 4

W hat the hell just happened? It couldn't have been that Lovelyn smacked his nose like he was a naughty puppy and called him a bad Viking - in front of his brother and boss.

As she raced away from him down the hall and back into the office they’d just left, everything in him shifted. The Little fairy cat didn’t know it, but when he chased Little girls, he wasn’t like other Daddies. He didn’t get angry. No, that wasn’t anger stirring his cock to attention. Everything in him wanted, no, needed, to chase down the little fairy cat and teach her a lesson she wouldn’t forget in ways more deliciously wicked than she could imagine.

Reid’s howls of laughter yanked him back to the present. “Amusing as that was, and don’t get me wrong, that was hilarious, we don’t have time for this shit.”

Law kept his eye on the enticingly bouncing backside as it moved away from him. “I understand. You grab Zane and get him to Bones. He’s roughed up pretty good. I’ll grab the sister and be right behind you. ”

“Fucking assholes,” Reid snarled, then made his way to the conference room.

Law followed Lovelyn at a steady pace, one that wouldn’t draw attention. Did she really believe for even a second that she could escape him? Not in a million years. He was born for the chase. It was the reason he didn’t have a Little of his own and never would. Littles wanted to be pampered, teased, and coddled. He could do that. He fucking loved doing that.

The problem was he loved to do other things, as well. He loved games- darker, wicked games that no Little would stand for, let alone love. Especially with a man who looked like him.

Littles were delicate and needed gentleness and love. He had a lot of love to give, just not exactly the gentle kind. So, he was alone, and he probably always would be. Settling for a woman who couldn’t love all of him would only make both of them miserable.

The slap of her tennis shoes against the wooden floor echoed down the hall, reminding him of a fish flailing on the deck of a fisherman’s boat. He could tell from her hunched shoulders she was trying to be quiet.

Luckily, she didn’t have far to go. When she darted back into the office her only option was to return the same way. It wasn’t much of a hunt when your prey trapped herself.

Not prey. This wasn’t one of his games. This was for her own good. Still, he wondered. Her eyes had flashed with more than just fear right before she made the decision to run.

Was he imagining it, or had challenge and excitement flared in those honey-colored eyes, too? And the tell-tale red flush spreading from her chest to her cheeks? That hadn’t been fear, either.

He had to be mistaken. Littles didn’t like being hunted. It was too scary. He’d misread her. His dick had misread the signs, too, which was unfortunate. He had no time for a hard cock .

He hoped whatever she’d left behind was worth the price she was about to pay for running off the way she had to retrieve it.

His little fairy cat— nope, not his little fairy cat. That. That fairy cat. He had a sneaking suspicion he was fooling himself. But he’d cross that bridge later. Either way, she was about to learn what happens when you run from a Viking.

Everything inside him settled immediately. His senses sharpened as he focused on a single goal: finding Lovelyn. He prowled toward the office, attentive to every sound and movement.

At the office door, he paused, focusing on slowing his breathing and heartbeat as he waited and listened. A chair slid across the wooden floor on the right side of the room. He could picture her in the chair, riffling through the papers on the large executive desk in the corner.

His muscles tensed in anticipation, all his senses heightened. The fire crackled in the fireplace, and the scent of burning cedar filled the air. She must have put the entire load of kindling on to burn.

That might explain the cry of pain he’d overheard earlier. He needed to look into that to ensure she hadn’t been badly burned.

As he stepped into the room, he headed straight for the desk. His steps faltered. She wasn’t there.

Paper ripping drew his attention to the fireplace behind him. She stood exactly where she’d been the last time.

What the fuck? Once again, Lovelyn glanced at the papers in her hand before tossing them into the fire. She stood far too close to the flames for his liking. No wonder she’d cried out earlier. Some of the melted sap from the kindling wood must have splattered when it popped, landing on her leg.

He strode toward her and snatched the papers from her hand, startling her once more since, again, she hadn’t noticed his approach. The sense of déjà vu was unwelcome.

Before she could do anything rash and unpredictable, he grabbed her wrist and tugged her toward the door. She struggled but wasn’t strong enough to stop him. They were getting out of here. Now.

“Wait! Please. Please!”

Not this again. “Little fairy cat, we have to leave now.” Damn it! He hadn’t meant to call her Little. She might not even know what he was talking about. Maybe she didn’t notice. “Do you think they aren’t already looking for us? I’m good, but even I can’t take on twenty armed security guards.”

“What kind of fairy cat?”

Fuck. Okay, so she noticed.

She raised her hand as if to stop him. “You know what? Never mind. I need to get my backpack. Please. It’s right over there on the floor. Everything important to me is in there. I have to have it.”

Without a word, he changed course. Picking up the bag, he slung it over his shoulder before dragging her to the door.

He didn’t check his stride as they made their way down the hallway to the exit point he’d planned. Luckily, it wasn’t far. She was practically jogging to keep up with him, but they couldn’t slow down. He hadn’t been kidding about the security team. To her credit, she didn’t ask him to.

Just before they reached the entrance area, footsteps echoed in the hallway behind them. “Change of plans,” he said, turning down a shorter hallway and heading for the door at the end. As an emergency exit, it had an alarm. But what was one more alarm amidst the chaos surrounding them?

Shoving the door open, Law scanned the area for security, keeping Lovelyn hidden behind him. People raced in all directions, so the two of them should blend in nicely.

“Listen carefully, Lovelyn. We’re going to have to do some acting. I’m going to escort you across the grounds as if you’re in my custody. ”

“But what about Zane? I thought you said he was here. I can’t leave without him.”

So now she was worried about her brother? Better late than never. Maybe she’d been telling the truth about not knowing he was there. “I already sent Zane out with my friend. He’s on his way to get medical attention.”

He’d only thought she was struggling before. When he mentioned her brother being hurt, she turned into a regular wildcat. All his focus centered on keeping them moving toward the exit.

“Settle down, fairy cat. Zane will be fine. But if we don’t get out of here, I can’t guarantee the same for us. Now listen. We shouldn’t attract attention since I’m wearing one of their security uniforms. You can act reluctant, but don’t do anything to slow us down. Got me? The sooner we get off the grounds, the sooner we’ll know about Zane.”

She nodded. “I’m good at acting. Especially if it means you won’t be throwing me over your shoulder again. My stomach is going to be bruised.”

He gave her a look that should have terrified her. It didn’t, but at least she stopped struggling. The only explanation was shock. She was in shock. “Babygirl, next time I toss you over something, it’ll be my knee. Count on it.”

Her lips rounded into the most adorable oh, and her eyes widened. That didn’t interest him nearly as much as the way her pupils dilated, darkening her eyes from honey to chocolate fudge. He didn’t allow himself to read anything into that. It was probably the shock as well. “Are you ready?”

She nodded, gazing up at him. “Are you taking me to Zane?

Damn. You couldn’t fake that kind of worry. It tinged her voice and darkened her eyes. Chalk one up for the kid. His sister did care about him. “You’ll see him soon enough, and he’s fine. Now, are you ready? ”

A shout rang out from behind them. “Lovelyn, you bitch. When I get my hands on you, you’re dead.” Damn it. He knew that voice.

“That’s our cue to leave, fairy cat. You ready?” At her nod, he kicked the door open. “Let’s go. And fairy cat, we’ll be having a chat about what you were doing in that office as soon as I get you out of here.”

Things went well for about twenty paces, then the door behind them burst open. It slammed against the side of the mansion with so much force it echoed across the grounds.

“Someone, stop them! Shoot them!” Malice slithered through the General’s voice.

Lovelyn froze. “Should we run now? We should run now, right?” Fear coated her words.

Law gritted his teeth. She wasn’t supposed to be afraid when she was with him. He should have come up with a better fucking plan. Taking a quick breath, he pushed back on the urge to shoot someone. Lovelyn had voiced the only viable option. Trying to keep his voice level, he answered her. “Yes, we should run.”

He slowed his pace to match hers, keeping his hand on her arm in case she fell. She managed well until one of the guards fired a shot. She screamed and stumbled but managed to stay on her feet as he continued to move them forward.

Her gaze bounced around the compound searching for danger. “They’re shooting at us!”

He shook his head. “Warning shot. Keep going.”

The bullet of that warning shot passed so close to his ear he felt the wind. The only reason he hadn’t killed the guard right then was that it would have put Lovelyn in more danger than he’d already caused.

They’d shot at her. It passed by on the side opposite Lovelyn. But he saw which guard fired that thankfully piss-poor shot. He’d be back for that guy another time.

The chaos around them organized more quickly than he’d hoped. Before they reached the gate, the guards surrounded them. Even though they outnumbered him ten to one, he pulled Lovelyn behind him and prepared to fight. Some of the guards had received training. They knew enough to form a large circle and slowly tighten it.

They’d cut off every avenue Law had to get Lovelyn to safety. The bellow of frustration that escaped him caused the guards to stop moving, but only for a moment. That was all right. He needed them closer anyway. Then he could fight hand-to-hand.

The second guard to his right was the weak link. Those shiny, clean boots, the tucked shirt, and his regulation haircut all screamed newbie. And the fact that the guy was scared shitless? Yep. When they got close enough, he’d target the new guy first.

“What are you doing?” The General’s voice had that same crazed tone when he’d attacked Suzi. “Get the girl and take her to my office. I don’t care what you do to that Sabre psycho. He’s nothing.”

Law didn’t give one naked mole-rat’s ass what the General said about him, but that frenzied tone of voice had even the hairs on the back of his neck standing at attention.

He redirected his attention to the guards. “You boys need to listen to me. The General is navigating a sinking ship. It won’t be long before he’s decorating his cell on death row for at least one count of murder. On the other hand, I'll be right here. And I swear on all that is holy, you will beg to join him if you so much as lay a finger on her.”

They hesitated, but only briefly. The General had plenty of time to make an impression. While he might not be officially in charge of the Society and their vile acts, he was the one who kept them out of prison.

He scanned her outfit again. At least today she wore jeans. Shaking his head, he asked, “Are you wearing a belt?”

She looked at him as if he’d spoken in Pig Latin, but nodded. After setting her backpack down, Law unbuckled his belt and yanked it free of the loops. Spinning Lovelyn to face away from him, he ran his belt through the back loop of her jeans and under her belt, then back around his waist and buckled. Now the belt loosely bound them together, making her impossible to snatch. “Lovelyn, stay as close to me as you can. Your only job is to stay safe.”

Twisting to look at him, surprise filled her face. “You call me Lovelyn.”

He nodded. “That’s your name, right?”

“Well, yes. But everyone calls me Lovie.”

Holy hell, she was distracting him. Here they were, surrounded by the enemy, discussing her name. “I like Lovelyn. It suits you. We’ll discuss your name later. Now, what’s your job?”

Something in her expression shifted, softened. Something important, but he didn’t have the time right now to figure it out. “That’s all right. I like you calling me by my name,” she told him before turning her back to him.

She hopped in place, causing her ass to bump against him. He glanced over his shoulder to see what she was doing. She stood with her knees bent and palms up, facing forward like a pose from a low-budget martial arts movie.

Knowing he shouldn’t but unable to stop himself, he asked, “What are you doing?”

With her hands held out in front of her, she bike-pedaled them. “I can help. I have a black belt in the martial arts.”

God help him, even as the guards slowly tightened their net, he couldn’t hold back his next question. “Black belt in which one?”

“All of them. Well, pieces of all of them. I chose what I liked from each and combined them all together. I haven’t exactly had any formal lessons. I’m more of what you’d call self-taught. I’m a very good teacher, though. I made it all the way to black belt. These hands are lethal. So, don’t worry. I’ve got your ten. ”

He wasn’t sure which was worse. That she believed she could fight trained men with her self-taught martial arts skills, or that he now needed her in a ring at Defenses , his brother Gage’s training gym, with her body pinned beneath him.

“Six,” he managed to say as he shifted them around in a circle so none of the guards could sneak up on him.

“What?”

“The phrase is I’ve got your six. Not ten.”

“Oh. Okay. I’ve got your six.”

She was a self-taught black belt in mixed martial arts. That was fucking adorable. And dangerous. “You may not use your black belt right now for any reason. Your job is to stay safe, and that’s it. If you do anything other than that, I’m going to show you how lethal my hand can be on your bottom as soon as we get out of here.”

When she spoke, her voice was very soft, very hurt, and very Little. “I was just trying to help.”

This was the strangest standoff he’d ever experienced. “I know, but the best way you can help is to stay safe so I can get you to Zane.”

She sniffled. “Oh, yeah. Well, I did vow to use my powers only defensively and not to hurt anyone.”

Yeah, they’d go with that.

The guards had closed in to about six feet away from them. Law readied his stance and planned the order in which he’d approach the guards. The new kid first, then the asshole who shot at Lovelyn. After that, he’d have to play it by ear. Not his favorite approach, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t good at it. In situations like this, his instincts never led him astray.

Five feet now. First target: a side kick to the newbie’s knee. That would take him down. One solid punch to the temple, and he’d be out. Second target: the asshole who could have hurt Lovelyn. Sweep his feet to get him on the ground. Then he’d crush the man’s gun hand with one good stomp of his combat boots.

Four feet now. One more step and target one would be in range.

An air horn blast erupted in the air.

Short. Long. Pause.

Short. Long. Pause.

The alarm signal to get ready.

Fuck.

Spinning around in the belt that connected him to Lovelyn, Law wrapped his arms around her and dove to the ground. He shifted enough to take the impact with his body, then rolled on top of her to protect her from flying debris.

“What are you doing?” Lovelyn squirmed, grinding her ass into his cock in the process.

Not the time and place he’d wanted to get her underneath him, but did it still feel as good as he thought it would? Hell, yes, it did. His dick thickened to cast his vote as well.

If she didn’t stop moving, he would embarrass himself. “Be still.” She shot him what he had no doubt was another of her smart mouth comebacks. Fortunately for them both, he could hear nothing over the explosion.