15. Michael/ Doyle
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
MICHAEL/ DOYLE
MICHAEL
I woke up and the first thing I noticed was Doyle lying next to me, his muscled arms wrapped around me.
Some days, I still couldn’t believe this was my new reality.
Doyle opened his eyes and smiled when he saw me. That smile instantly warmed my insides.
"Morning," Doyle greeted.
"Good morning," I said.
Feeling bold, I leaned forward and initiated the kiss, pleased when Doyle cupped my cheek and kissed me back hungrily.
He pulled me closer, our bodies pressed together, and I felt the steady beat of his heart against my chest.
When Doyle pulled away, I was panting a little.
He brushed a stray lock of hair from my forehead and rested his forehead against mine.
“My gorgeous fox,” he whispered, his voice filled with affection.
I felt a blush creep up my cheeks. Doyle always knew how to make me feel cherished.
"Did I, uh, sleepwalk again last night?" I asked, trying to change the subject.
"Surprisingly, no. Maybe things are getting better?" Doyle suggested.
They weren’t. I didn’t have the heart to tell Doyle that I probably didn’t sleepwalk or scream in my sleep last night because I took a couple of sleeping pills.
I knew it wasn’t good to rely on them all the time, but the last thing I wanted to do was alarm Doyle.
Things between us were going so well. Almost two weeks had passed since we returned to Sky Stead.
I had gotten to know Doyle’s family and the rest of his pack mates better.
I thought I was doing a decent job, helping Doyle get his woodworking pieces online by building him a website and managing his social media.
What I looked forward to the most were the quiet weekends with Doyle at his cabin.
I didn’t want to spoil what Doyle and I had going, by telling him my nightmares had only gotten worse.
"You're seeing your dad today, right?" Doyle asked.
"Yeah, he'll be arriving here by lunchtime," I said.
"Are you excited to see him?" Doyle asked.
"We've been constantly talking on the phone and texting," I said, rolling my eyes, but deep down?
I was excited to see my dad, show him the progress I'd achieved on my own.
"What about you?" I asked. "I overheard you and Zane talking late last night."
"Yeah, well..." Doyle trailed off and suddenly looked serious. "Mayhem reported that a family from Maplewood reached out, asking for help. One of their sons went missing," Doyle said.
My heart sank hearing those words.
I’d been safe in my own little bubble, taking my time getting to know Doyle and the others—and sometimes conveniently choosing to forget that Morgan, Liliana, and the other black magic users were still out there.
The memories came flooding back, the cold, dark cell where they kept me, the constant fear, the pain.
I could still feel the weight of their control, the suffocating grip they had on my life.
I looked at Doyle, my heart pounding in my chest.
"Do you think it’s them?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Doyle’s eyes softened as he looked at me.
"It’s possible. But we’ll find this missing shifter, Michael. We won’t let them hurt anyone else,” Doyle said.
“I believe you,” I told Doyle. “Just be careful, alright?”
“I will,” Doyle promised, planting another kiss on my mouth.
I was nervous as I pushed open the door to the diner where I was going to meet my dad.
It was silly. I was just meeting my dad, so there was no reason to be so anxious, but still, I wondered what he would think of my progress.
After taking a deep breath, I pushed open the diner door.
"Michael, over here," my dad called, waving from one of the window booths.
It appeared he had gotten there early. Waving back at him, I joined him. I noticed he had already ordered a cup of coffee.
He got up and pulled me into a bear hug.
When we both sat down, I could feel his eyes scrutinizing me.
"You look real good, Mike. You've been taking good care of yourself?" he asked. “You finally look like you’re eating right.”
"I feel good," I admitted.
"So what's good here?" my dad asked.
"I always order the double cheeseburger, onion rings, and chocolate milkshake," I said with a smile.
My dad chuckled. "Sounds like a solid choice,” he said.
We placed our orders, and as we waited, I asked, "So, how are you doing on your own, Dad?"
He sighed, taking a sip of his coffee. "It's been... different. Quiet, mostly. I miss having you around, but I'm managing. Business is steady, and I've been keeping busy,” he said.
"That's good to hear," I said. "I've been working on something too. Here, let me show you."
I pulled out my phone and navigated to the website I had been building for Doyle.
My dad leaned in, curiosity in his eyes. "Let's see what you've got,” he said.
I handed him my phone, and he scrolled through the site.
"Wow, Mike. This is impressive. I knew you were interested in that sort of thing, even in the past,” he said.
His praise went right to my head.
"It's easier than it looks," I said modestly. "I've been taking some online courses."
"And what about Doyle? He taking good care of you?" my dad asked, a knowing smile playing on his lips.
I couldn't help but flush.
"Yeah, our relationship is progressing nicely,” I said.
"He isn't here today though," my dad observed.
I hesitated, then told him, "There was another kidnapping. Doyle headed out to investigate a possible lead.”
The expression on my dad's face darkened.
"And Morgan? Did he come after you again?" My dad asked with a frown.
I shook my head.
"They wouldn't dare enter Sky Stead. There's also a magical barrier around town. Doyle told me Zane erected it a century ago, and it lets them know if anything supernatural enters the town,” I explained.
"That's a relief to know," my dad said with a nod. "I'm glad you're in a safe place, Mike."
We chatted more about life, work, and everything in between.
It felt good to catch up, to share pieces of my new life with him. The food arrived, and we dug in.
By the time we finished our meal, I felt lighter. Seeing my dad, sharing my progress, and hearing about his life helped me realize how far I'd come.
As we stood to leave, my dad pulled me into another hug.
"I'm proud of you, Mike. Keep taking care of yourself, and don't hesitate to reach out if you need anything,” he said.
"I will, Dad. Thanks for coming all the way here to see me,” I said.
DOYLE
"You don't have to tag along, you know," I told Ivan irritably as we drove past the 'Welcome to Maplewood' town sign.
"I could manage perfectly fine on my own," I added.
"Someone has to watch your back," Ivan said, loudly munching on a sandwich he bought at our last stop, getting bread crumbs all over my leather seats.
I gritted my teeth, wishing it was someone else sitting next to me. I understood why Zane assigned Ivan to me.
The last time I went on my own to track another Payne coven, I'd fallen right into a trap, and Zane had to send Draven out to rescue me.
While it was true I might've gotten a little cocky over the years after hunting down these black magic users, they were also getting a lot smarter.
The witch who tormented Draven had come up with a curse that prevented us from shifting to our dragon forms, stripping us of our greatest advantage.
When we ambushed Liliana's coven, we had the element of surprise on our side, and we were lucky none of her witches had used that curse.
"Turn left here," Ivan said between mouthfuls of sandwich.
"My GPS is telling me to turn right," I reminded him.
We argued back and forth a little more but eventually reached our destination.
I growled at Ivan when he dusted off the rest of the offending breadcrumbs.
"You're going to clean that up, right?" I demanded.
"Well, someone ruffled your scales," Ivan remarked.
He didn't answer me and simply got out of my ride.
Reminding myself that patience was a virtue, especially when it came to Ivan, I exited the vehicle.
We stood in front of an old, decrepit house. The paint was peeling, and the windows were grimy, giving it an eerie, abandoned look.
It was the kind of place that screamed black magic user hideout.
I felt a twinge of unease but pushed it aside, focusing on the task at hand.
Ivan pulled out a small, folded map from his pocket and spread it on the hood of my truck.
"Alright, according to Zane, there's an entrance to an underground tunnel around the back. That’s where we’ll find them,” he said.
I studied the map, then glanced at Ivan. "How accurate is this information?" I asked.
"Pretty accurate," Ivan replied, packing up the map. "Zane got it from one of our informants who used to do odd jobs for Liliana's coven. They swore it was reliable."
"Let’s hope so," I muttered, not entirely convinced.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
We moved cautiously towards the back of the house, staying alert for any signs of traps or ambushes.
Ivan, despite his earlier nonchalance, was now focused, scanning the surroundings with keen eyes.
When we reached the backyard, Ivan pointed to a patch of overgrown weeds.
"There, that's where the entrance should be,” he said.
I nodded, stepping forward to clear the weeds. Sure enough, we found a rusty, old hatch hidden beneath.
I glanced at Ivan, who gave me a curt nod, signaling he was ready.
I grabbed the handle and heaved it open. The hinges creaked loudly, and a foul, musty odor wafted up from the darkness below.
I wrinkled my nose in disgust but pressed on, descending the ladder with Ivan close behind.
The underground tunnel was damp and dimly lit, with a narrow passage that seemed to stretch on forever.
The air was thick with the smell of mold and decay. We moved silently, the sound of our footsteps echoing eerily off the walls.
As we delved deeper, I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that we were walking into another trap.
I glanced at Ivan, who seemed calm and collected, munching on a chocolate bar. I envied his ability to stay so relaxed in situations like this.
Suddenly, the tunnel widened into a large chamber. My heart pounded as I saw two figures moving in the shadows.
Ivan and I exchanged a quick glance, and we moved forward, ready for whatever awaited us.
"Stay sharp," I whispered.
"Let me go!" someone shouted, the voice young and desperate.
Was that the kidnapped shifter? Ivan was about to step forward, but I grabbed his shoulder.
We didn't know how many we were up against. We saw only two figures, but there could be more.
The environment wasn't ideal for us either. Shifting to our dragon forms in these tunnels was a disaster in the making.
Then the same voice screamed again.
"Ivan," I hissed, trying to hold him back, but he didn't listen to me.
He ran up ahead, leaving me behind. Swearing under my breath, I ran after him, pulling out the gun I brought.
We burst into a larger chamber, dimly lit by flickering torches.
Two witches stood in the center, with the young shifter restrained between them.
The boy looked terrified, eyes wide with fear. Ivan charged ahead, ignoring the potential danger.
"Ivan, wait!" I shouted, but it was too late.
The witches smirked, chanting in unison. The ground beneath us began to tremble, and I realized we had walked right into a trap.
A barrier of magical energy erupted around us, trapping Ivan and me inside.
The air crackled with dark energy, and the walls of the chamber seemed to close in on us.
Ivan cursed under his breath, realizing his mistake too late.
The witches advanced, their eyes glowing with malicious intent.
"Foolish dragons," one of them sneered. "Did you really think you could outsmart us? Liliana is going to be so pleased we managed to trap two of you.”
I aimed my gun and fired, but the bullets bounced harmlessly off the magical barrier.
We were trapped, and our options were running out. Ivan and I exchanged a tense glance, knowing we had to act quickly.
"Stay close," I ordered, moving to stand back-to-back with Ivan. "We need to break this barrier."
Ivan nodded, and we both focused, trying to come up with a way to find a weakness in the witches' spell.
I reached for my inner dragon and felt him respond with a growl. He was still there.
Shifting wasn’t an option though, because if either Ivan or I shifted, we’d bring this entire tunnel down on all of us.
I summoned my dragon fire and shot a small fireball as an experiment at the barrier. It flickered for a moment.
Ivan, taking my cue, did the same. I started pouring all my strength into breaking it.
The witches' chants grew louder, and the energy around us intensified.
Just as the barrier began to crack, one of the witches hurled a ball of dark energy at us.
I pushed Ivan out of the way, taking the brunt of the attack.
Pain shot through my body as the dark energy seared my flesh, but I gritted my teeth and held on.
Ivan growled, his eyes flashing with fury. He lunged at the witches, his movements swift and deadly.
The barrier shattered, and we were free. I staggered to my feet, my vision blurred from the pain.
"I've got you," Ivan said, grabbing the young shifter and pulling him to safety.
The witches turned their attention to me, their faces twisted with rage. I knew I had to buy Ivan some time.
With a surge of adrenaline, I charged at the witches, ignoring the pain in my side.
I managed to disarm one of them, but the other struck me with another blast of dark energy. I fell to the ground, gasping for breath.
"Doyle!" Ivan shouted, but I waved him off.
"Get the kid out of here!" I managed to gasp.
Ivan hesitated, then nodded, hauling the shifter out of the chamber.
The witches advanced on me, their expressions triumphant. I struggled to my feet, determined to hold them off.
Just as they were about to strike, Ivan returned, his eyes blazing with fury.
With a roar, he opened his mouth and unleashed a torrent of fire, incinerating the witches' spells.
The chamber shook with the force of the explosion, and the witches screamed as they were engulfed in flames.
Ivan rushed to my side, helping me to my feet.
"Come on, we need to get out of here," he said urgently.
I nodded, wincing at the pain in my side. Together, we made our way out of the tunnels, the young shifter clinging to Ivan.
As we emerged into the cool night air, I finally allowed myself to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Are you okay?" Ivan asked, his eyes filled with concern.
"I'll be fine," I said, though the pain in my side told a different story. “And the kid?”
“He’ll be fine. Man, I can’t believe we managed to get out,” Ivan said, a small smile breaking through his serious expression.