Chapter 15
Kiara
The reason we hadn’t smelled any wolves or dragons in the rest of Dalesbloom territory was that they were all here at the mine. And we barged in right as they were mobilizing their patrols.
Aislin, Billie, and I tried to use the presence of silver to our advantage, but it only masked our scents for the wolves. Dragons prowled the mountain-cradled pit in their beast forms, but they were creatures of the day; at night, they couldn’t distinguish us well in the dark. All the same, they could smell us, so we tried to stay downwind as we scaled the pit toward the entrance of the mine. I sensed my mother within that cavern. The intense, bodiless sorrow resonated stronger the closer I got, warning me that this was where my fated mate was located, too. We made it as close as a dozen yards from the entrance before a group of wolves and dragons came outside, being instructed by a human to form groups for their patrol. Hiding behind a boulder, we observed as long as we could but knew we were running out of time. At any moment, one of the dragons might detect us, and if we were caught before even making it into the mine, we would stand no chance.
“You don’t have to follow me in,” I told Billie and Aislin. “Maybe it’s best you head back to your Alphas and tell them where my mother is being kept.”
While Billie looked nervous about being so close to the villainous pack she had left behind, Aislin snorted, confidently unbothered. “We’ve already come this far. No point in abandoning you. We got your back, Kiara.”
That was more than I ever expected from them. Or anyone, really. My prolonged stare at Aislin almost softened—I was touched by her and Billie’s support—but I couldn’t afford to get distracted now. “Be careful, then. They won’t kill me right away, but you…”
“We know what they’re capable of,” said Billie.
Nodding, I clutched the handgun tight and slipped along the wall toward the entrance of the mine. The two women followed deftly behind me. For a fleeting moment, I thought we really had a chance to infiltrate the mine—since it looked like most of the grunts were outside, preparing to leave—until we actually entered the tunnel and found ourselves standing boldly out in the open, illuminated by lantern light, where everyone could see us.
Humans, dragons, and wolves all looked at us, dumbstruck.
“Hey!” someone shouted.
“That’s Billie!” someone else exclaimed.
“The hybrid!” A dragon shifter pointed at me. “Get her!”
In an instant, the cavern descended into chaos. We had revealed ourselves to our enemies. It had been a stupid decision, but I supposed I’d thought we would have a chance to sneak through undetected. My determination to save my mother had gotten the better of me.
As everyone charged toward us, I raised the gun and fired at the first person I saw. The bullet bit into her shoulder, and she staggered backward. My heart hammered with excitement as everyone recoiled at the sight of the gun.
“Shit, she’s armed! Everyone get down!”
Mostly it was the wolves of Dalesbloom who dropped to the floor or hid. The dragons seemed unaffected by the danger I posed. Behind us, I heard our enemies outside turning back around to come for us.
“Let’s go! Hurry!” I said to Billie and Aislin, rushing past the wolves on the ground and firing shots at the two dragons lunging at us. I made it deeper into the tunnel but heard Billie yelp as somebody grabbed her arm.
“Hey, stop!” Aislin barked at them, jumping to Billie’s defense.
I turned around and fired at the person clutching Billie. By some sheer stroke of luck, I hit him in the temple, his head cocking sideways in a burst of gore. Billie shrieked in surprise and leaped away. Immediately acquainted with the white-hot fear of being shot, everyone else ducked, and Billie and Aislin stumbled after me.
Knowing the only exit was going to be blocked, I focused solely on finding my mother. We could find our way out after. I pushed on, plunging into a tunnel that rang strangely with the shrill cries of an infant, only to stop as a body stood in my way.
An older man with a grey-peppered beard and eyebrows sunken over his blue eyes stared me down. His white dress shirt, which looked like it might once have been nicely pressed, was unbuttoned two down from the collar and stained. His jeans were dashed with mud. If my sense of smell hadn’t been weakened by the silver, I imagined he would have reeked of body odor. He looked past me at the two women who nearly crashed into me from behind, and his lip curled. “Billie. You’re back. And you’ve brought friends.”
Billie’s tension was palpable in the air. I reached my arm out, instinctively defending her and Aislin. “Get out of our way, old man.”
His gaze shifted back to me, his expression flickering in amusement. “You must be Kiara. The hybrid. My son’s fated mate.”
Dread clotted up in my belly. I pointed the handgun at him, fully aware that the masses were gaining on us.
“Quite the fighting spirit for someone with unicorn blood,” the man commented. “Allow me to introduce myself before you so rashly attempt to dispatch me. I am David Hexen, Alpha of Dalesbloom. You’ve chosen a rather serendipitous night to intrude, considering we are most in need of a unicorn’s magic.”
“I’m not using my magic to help you do anything. Where’s my mother?” I demanded.
“Your mother has been gracious enough to lend her assistance. If you want as painless a fate as possible for her and yourself, I’d suggest you oblige us, as well.”
It wasn’t unlikely that my mother would help someone in need. She was far softer than I was, but I remained unconvinced. I kept the handgun pointed at David, Alpha of this pack of criminals and miscreants, while I stormed forward with the intention of putting him down—only for another person to appear out of the darkness.
The infant’s crying multiplied in volume, heralding the arrival of whoever held her in their arms. I was surprised, to say the least, to recognize that it was Colt. The sight of him cradling the baby froze me in my tracks, as I was suddenly presented with a vulnerable, innocent soul in the midst of all this danger.
“Kiara,” Colt breathed. “You shouldn’t be here.”
Leaving me no time to think, shadows falling off the pristine figure of my mother appeared behind him. Coming up beside Colt, Muriel looked beaten and fatigued from her imprisonment. “Mom!”
“Kiara,” she said desperately.
It had been months since I’d seen her. But she was real, finally standing before me, within reach. I couldn’t help the swell of emotion that overtook me, pushing me toward her. As David growled and motioned for his followers to capture my companions, I roared with anger, pointed the gun, and fired.
The bullet ripped into David’s stomach, sending him stumbling back with a grunt. Bright crimson flooded his shirt.
I barely saw Colt blanch, but his shock and anger echoed through me. “Dad,” he choked as he lunged to David’s side and I pushed past them to my mother.
David gurgled, clutching his stomach. “Don’t let them leave!” he commanded.
I grabbed my mother’s wrist, pulling at her while her attention lingered on Colt, the child, and David. “Mom!” I urged her. Why was she even looking at them? “We have to get out of here!” But as I turned to go in the direction we’d come from, Aislin and Billie backed into me. We were surrounded by the enemy.
“Is there another way out?” I asked Muriel. As she began to shake her head, I looked at Colt, who was supporting his father’s weight while still holding the infant. “Colt! How do I get out of here?”
His blue eyes blazed at me. I supposed I shouldn’t have expected his help.
Another shot rang out, and it wasn’t from my gun. “Drop the weapon!” one of the dragons shouted.
I pointed it blindly at the crowd amassed around us. They had overcome their fear of the gun, all too quickly reaching for my hands, fighting to disarm me. “Get off of me!” I snarled, wrestling to keep the gun as somebody tried to rip it away from me. I kicked somebody’s knee and elbowed somebody else in the face. Aislin and Billie fought behind me while my mother pleaded softly for them not to hurt us. Her voice was lost in the chaos.
In an instant, we were overwhelmed. They shoved me down to the rugged ground, planting their feet on my back and pinning my wrists to the stone. Aislin’s face slammed against the stone beside me. I lifted my head but couldn’t see much until David dragged his feet over to us, with Colt beside him. When he stopped and stood before us, I bared my teeth and spat.
“I should have anticipated you’d be a nuisance,” growled David, voice gravelly with pain.
“I won’t let you win, you son of a bitch,” I growled back.
“You don’t have a choice.” David lurched closer. He rasped deep in his throat, standing over me while the people with their feet on my back stepped away. I propped myself up on my elbows, conjuring another insult, but then, David kicked me hard in the ribs.
“Aargh!” My arms gave out under me.
Colt grit his teeth in pain and leaned against the wall.
“This is the consequence of your idiocy,” David said darkly, striking me again.
Agony rushed through my abdomen and poured through my teeth. I braced myself against the onslaught, but from the way Colt shuddered nearby, I had the feeling that David wasn’t necessarily talking to me.
“Your fated mate is nothing,” said David, grinding his heel into my spine just below my shoulders. “Do not mistake fate for coming to the aid of anyone. All you have is yourself, and you are weak, and the weak will lose.”
His words rang between my ears, a venomous warning—not just to me, but to Colt, too.