12. Chapter 12
Chapter twelve
“ P lease hurry.”
A loud, feral screech tore from Itri’s throat and echoed across the night sky.
Flapping his huge wings, he climbed higher, pushing himself to his limits as he soared over the sleepy valley town. Plumes of silvery vapor puffed from his nostrils with every breath, and his dark scales pulsed with veins of lightning, a visual representation of the storm that raged within him.
Guilt clawed at him, driving him toward his destination. At the time, everything had felt so innocent, but he never should have let Arlo out of his sight. It didn’t matter that he couldn’t have predicted Jude’s escalation. He still blamed himself.
But he couldn’t focus on his failings. Once Arlo was safe and Jude was dead, then he could give himself a proper flogging. Right then, his mate needed him.
“We stopped,” Arlo said, continuing his action report.
Itri didn’t necessarily need the play-by-play. He had mainly asked for it to give his dove something to focus on besides his fear. At the same time, the constant sound of Arlo’s voice in his head calmed something inside him as well. As long as he kept talking, everything would be fine.
“Just do what he says,” he sent back.
He didn’t doubt Arlo’s will or commitment to protect himself. He did, however, worry about his ability. Jude might not look like much of a fighter, but he was still an Otherling. Itri also had to consider that the asshole might have a weapon.
“Get your fucking hands off me. Stop that. I’m going to claw your goddamn eyes out! What is wrong with you?”
Itri winced as Arlo’s voice exploded inside his head. While the words hadn’t been meant for him, it did give him some insight into the situation. Apparently, his mate had been freed from the suitcase, but instead of quiet compliance, he had chosen violence.
Bloody brilliant.
“Dove, calm down. Tell me what you see.”
“I see an idiot.”
Itri snorted, sending up another thick cloud of vapor from his nostrils. If he could be this mad, he clearly wasn’t in danger. Yet.
“Where are you?” he asked, trying to redirect Arlo’s attention. “What’s around you?”
“Just a bunch of trees. We’re in an old cabin of some kind. A hunting cabin, maybe? I think he’s been living here.”
A cabin in the woods in rural Colorado didn’t give him much to go on. That was like looking for a specific grain of sand in the desert. If Jude had been living there, though, it did explain why he had been able to evade him for the past week.
“Anything else?” he asked as he soared toward the mountains at the edge of town. “Anything that stands out?”
“I was right about the pickup.” He sounded quite proud of the fact. “It’s an old junker, but it’s bright yellow. I promise you can’t miss it.”
Now they were talking. “Excellent job, dove. Just hold on. I’m almost there.”
“I know this is bad, but I’m really okay. I’m tied up to a chair, but he hasn’t hurt me. He hasn’t even threatened me.”
That may be so, but for Itri, it changed nothing. No one stole from a dragon and lived to tell about it.
“What is he doing now?” he asked.
Not because he truly cared, but because he wanted to keep Arlo talking. Right then, his feisty mate was the only thing stopping him from incinerating the entire mountainside.
“Just pacing. He keeps talking about his debt and why he needs the talisman. It’s almost like…”
“Like what?”
“Like he’s trying to convince me he’s not a bad guy.”
Itri sighed, but he didn’t respond.
He had never considered Jude evil, but that didn’t make him a paragon of virtue, either. The guy was still a thief. He had gambled himself into crushing debt, then borrowed money from ruthless loan sharks, knowing damn well he couldn’t repay them. Once he realized Itri wouldn’t just give him the fortune talisman, he had devised a reckless plan to steal it.
And it had all somehow culminated in him rendering Arlo unconscious and spiriting him away from the hotel in a fucking suitcase. So, while he might not be diabolical, being an absolute tosser didn’t excuse him from his actions.
Using the highway as a guide, he followed the painted lines to where the pavement curved at the edge of town. From there, he spotted several dirt roads that branched off and headed into the forest at the base of the mountains. Some looked to be service roads, while others appeared to be nothing more than foot trails.
He flew lower, skimming the tops of the trees as he searched the woods for any sign of Jude’s ugly pickup truck. With every pass that didn’t yield results, his frustration mounted, his emotions mirrored in the night sky. Storm clouds gathered overhead, a dark menacing presence that throbbed to the rhythm of his pulse. Lightning flashed over the forest, its destruction announced by a low rumble of thunder.
He narrowed his eyes, scanning the densely packed trees below, but still, he found nothing. His heart hammered against his ribs, and the veins of blue within his scales pulsated with a bright, foreboding light that illuminated the canopy of evergreens.
He dipped lower, barely noticing the way the branches scraped against his belly, searching for any clue, any hint that would lead him to Arlo. With every failed attempt, his muscles coiled tighter, and pressure built in his temples as his irritation deepened.
The storm above responded to his anger, the once sporadic flashes of lightning now relentless. Thunder roared with a fierceness that shook the earth, as if admonishing him for not yet finding his mate.
He maneuvered through a dense patch of woods where the branches intertwined like a perilous web. Every breath came faster, more ragged, and each inhale brought with it the scent of damp earth and the impending storm.
On the next pass, he let loose a high-pitched screech born of fury and desperation. At the same time, the darkness deepened, and the clouds that had merely threatened rain finally gave in to their fury.
With a deafening crack, the sky split open, unleashing a deluge of cold, driving rain. Water poured down in heavy sheets, drenching everything it touched, and the wind howled, matching the tempest within him.
Itri barely noticed.
Every second felt like an eternity. Every missed trail a personal affront. Yet his focus never faltered, driven by the relentless need to find Arlo.
Then, in the midst of it all, the most beautiful sound in the world pierced through his rage to fill his head. His mate’s laughter.
“I’m guessing the storm is you. Jude is absolutely shitting himself.” A slight pause, then more laughter. “He just saw the mating mark on my neck. Please hurry. I have no idea what to do if this guy strokes out in front of me.”
The sound of Arlo’s angelic voice soothed, calming the beast within him. His heart, though still pounding, beat with a steadier rhythm, allowing his thoughts to clear and focus. The storm’s ferocity ebbed just enough for clarity to pierce his haze of wild emotion.
That was when he saw it. Through the relentless sheets of rain, he spotted a flash of yellow nestled within the dense woods—a beacon that screamed of hope and dread in equal measure. His anger surged anew, but this time, tempered by purpose.
Wrapping his wings around his hulking frame, he dove toward his target, calling forth the magic of his kind as he descended. After centuries of practice, the shift came as naturally as breathing, and the transformation washed over him, swift and painless.
He touched down beside Jude’s pickup, landing in the mud with two feet instead of four. Electricity still crackled across his nude body, and the fierce glow of his irises illuminated the way ahead.
Since Jude already expected him, he didn’t bother with stealth. Instead, he marched toward the ramshackle cabin and kicked the door open.
“I’m sorry!” Jude screamed, backing himself into a corner both literally and figuratively. “I didn’t know he was your mate. I wasn’t going to hurt him. I swear!”
Itri ignored him, his gaze going to Arlo. The beaming smile on his face loosened the knot in his chest, but the frayed rope that bound his wrists drew a dark snarl from him.
“Hi,” Arlo breathed when Itri crouched beside him to undo the bindings. “Fancy meeting you here.”
Itri snorted. Now that he had his dove beside him again, safe and uninjured, he could afford to offer him a little reassurance. Punishment could wait.
“I believe you requested a rescue.”
“Did not.” Arlo turned his head up and sniffed. “I totally had it under control.” Despite his glib tone, the moment the ropes fell away, he launched out of the rickety chair, throwing himself into Itri’s arms as he clung to him like a lifeline. “Thank you.”
“I’m sorry,” Jude repeated. “I never meant for any of this to happen. I…just…I panicked.”
Itri placed a gentle to kiss to Arlo’s temple before he pushed to his feet and ushered his mate behind him. “You must have known this wouldn’t end well for you.”
Jude shook his head quickly. “You have to understand. I was desperate. The wolves are looking for me, and I don’t have their money.”
Arlo snorted. “So, you decided to piss off a pack of werewolves and a dragon?”
“I was stupid—”
This time, it was Itri who snorted. “Understatement, mate.”
“Look, I know I don’t deserve mercy,” Jude continued to grovel. “I honestly didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt, though. I just wanted the talisman. That’s all. I swear.”
A deep sigh billowed from Itri’s lips. Murder felt a little extreme given the circumstances. Oh, he definitely wanted to end the cockroach, but it didn’t sit right with him.
Apparently, Arlo felt the same way.
“I have a suggestion, if anyone cares.”
While Jude appeared skeptical, Itri glanced over his shoulder and nodded. “Go ahead, dove.”
“What if you paid off his debt?” He held his hands up with a chuckle. “Wait, hear me out. I don’t mean erase it. More like a transfer.”
Intrigued, Itri bobbed his head. “I’m listening.”
“The werewolves get their money, and you get free labor until the debt is paid off.”
He didn’t hate it. In fact, it was kind of brilliant. He especially liked the part where the deal made it possible to prolong Jude’s suffering.
“Done.”
Naturally, he didn’t give Jude a choice in the decision. Not that the guy had another option. Whether by his hands or the wolves, the idiot wouldn’t make it out of this unscathed without Itri’s help.
With that in mind, it didn’t surprise him when Jude hung his head like a whipped dog, looking for all the world like he’d still been handed a death sentence. Maybe he wasn’t as stupid as he looked.
“Come by my hotel room tomorrow, and we’ll work out the details.” Itri raised an eyebrow and smirked. “I’m assuming you know where it is.”
Arlo leaned against his back with a quiet chuckle. “Too soon, big guy. Too soon.”
Though clearly wishing for any other outcome, Jude nodded his acceptance. “I’ll be there.”
“Good.” He motioned toward the open door and the storm beyond. “Now go before I change my mind.” He waited until Jude reached the threshold before calling him back. “And don’t even think about running. I’ll find you, and next time, I won’t be so forgiving.”
Jude met his eyes, dipped his head once, then headed out into the rain.
“Do you think he’ll show?” Arlo asked once they were alone together.
He considered the question for a moment before nodding. “I do. He’ll hate it, but he’ll be there.”
And that basically summed up everything about Jude Caldwell’s existence.
It would have been easier to sympathize with him if he had been suffering from addiction and had gotten in over his head. In reality, he hadn’t put in an honest day of work once in his pathetic life. Instead, he lied, cheated, and stole, always seeking the next scheme to turn the tide on his terrible decisions.
Stepping around him, Arlo burrowed into his embrace and nuzzled against him. “Thanks for getting here so fast.”
He held his mate close and kissed the top of his head. “Not fast enough.” He slipped a knuckle under Arlo’s chin and tilted his head up. “Are you ready to go home?”
“Yeah, but how are we supposed to do that?”
“The same way I got here.”
His eyes widened, and a bright grin stretched his lips. “Wait, are you saying that I’m going to get to ride an actual dragon?”
Itri smirked. “It’s not like it’s the first time.”
It took a minute for his meaning to register, but when it did, Arlo didn’t disappoint. His cheeks stained an adorable pink, and he smacked his palm against Itri’s chest.
“You’re the worst.”
In response, Itri captured his lips in a possessive kiss, delving deep as he branded him from the inside out. “I love you.”
“Love you, too,” his mate whispered, his eyes soft and dazed. “Let’s go home.”
They stood there for a moment longer, wrapped up in each other, savoring the peace and warmth of their connection. The world around them faded away, and the storm outside quieted, leaving just the two of them in a timeless embrace.
And when they eventually took to the skies—Arlo perched securely on his back—the world below seemed just a little brighter, a little more magical, because they had each other.