Chapter Seven
Odem
Ronan’s happiness filtered through our bond. I reached out, hoping to share the uplifting moment with him only to be denied. Guess that’s my cue to go find my own joy, otherwise I’d dwell on this step back and brood all day.
So much for progress…
It was interesting how fast he learned to shut the connection down and refused to use it at all. Never imagined I’d have a mate that wouldn’t be excited about the perks of being mated to a protector.
Guess we weren’t all that in a nutshell, or however that line went.
At least the mating ritual was complete, but the thought of spending an eternity with someone that despised me didn’t leave me with warm, fuzzy vibes.
Babies. I need to have baby time.
“I see your egg is illuminated,” Ionus said as I stepped inside their home.
“Didn’t check.”
“Ah, mated but still not happy?”
“Pretty much. I told him he didn’t have to work anymore but he insisted, so he’s at the diner now.” And I hated it. Not the diner, but the being separated part. Our bond was new and it would take time to be able to overcome that pressure, but for now, it was a throbbing ache in the pit of my chest.
“Mable knows who’s mate he is. She’ll keep an eye on him, no doubt.” Mable was good peeps, or good dragon in this instance, and a very loyal friend.
“Oh-dem!” My beautiful niece, Luna, sang out the moment she saw me. “Hold.” Adorable grabby fingers reached out, and I scooped her right up.
“Little girl, you have no idea how much your Uncle Odem needed that.” We rubbed noses, then I zoomed her around the room, her giggles filled the air and warmed my heart.
“Look, Daddy, I’m a dwagon.”
Ionus chuckled. “Yes, my Princess, you truly are.”
“Unca, O, pway wif us,” the twins circled my legs, chanting at the same time. I handed the princess of the castle over to her father.
“What are we playing today, boys?” Hunter and Kane had a tremendous amount of energy, and the fiery gift to match it, though they worked hard to control their flames now.
The whole Christmas tree incident had really resonated with them, especially once I showed them how to feel what nature feels.
The occasional hiccup and sneeze couldn’t be helped, but they did try to quickly remedy whatever came of them.
Sadly, it was usually poor Luna’s beloved tutu’s that suffered the mishaps.
I took the boys outside. It was a total waste to be indoors on such a gorgeous day.
The huge playground my brothers and I had put in for all the dragonets had everything they could ask for.
Even though we’d had to rebuild a handful of components due to errant fireballs.
Griffin joined us not long after. He may be the same age as the other three, but he was one-hundred-percent Ionus’ son.
“They be good, Unca O?” Stern, just like his father. His chubby arms crossed over his chest and a scowl to beat his father’s on his face.
“Of course, Griff. Why don’t you go play with them?”
“Hmph,” Oh yes, he was truly his father’s son. “Maybe no trouble if I do.”
For being as young as they were, their vocabulary was quite advanced.
Not perfect, but there wasn’t much of a time lapse between barely speaking to using broken, yet understandable, sentences for the four of them.
I wondered what my two would have in store for us.
Gender was irrelevant as long as they were healthy.
“Ronan at work?” Mattias asked as he walked up.
“Yeah. You guys didn’t warn me it was this hard to be apart.” The pain in my chest worsened with each passing moment.
“You’re talking to the wrong brother about that. I’m not mated, remember?”
Yeah and I’m only mated where rituals stand, I almost said, but kept that sad fact to myself. I mean, who mates, then refuses to share a bed with you, can’t stand to be around you, and curses the fact they ever met you?
Oh yeah, me. I was the lucky, or in this case, unlucky, recipient of that mate.
Mattias clapped my shoulder, “It’ll get better brother.”
Why were they all so sure of that?
As it was, Ronan would be home any time now. It’ll be interesting to see what mood he’s in after being on his feet all day. Maybe a bit of pampering, in the form of a full body massage, might bring him around.
One can always dream…
Ionus and Alex tore out of the house and Alex wrangled the kids and took them inside.
“Brothers, Mable just texted. She and Ronan were ambushed. He’s been kidnapped.”
I tore through my clothes, pieces flying in every direction as I shifted and took off toward the diner. Daylight be damned, this was my mate we’re talking about.
We’re behind you, Odem. She said there were three of them waiting behind the diner when Ronan came out.
Ronan! I reached out through our connection but received no response. Fuck!
We reached the diner in a matter of minutes, and the Jeep was still parked behind it. “Mable, who took them?” Her wife Cicily was tending to her wounds.
“There were two dragons,” she winced as Cicily dabbed at the rapidly healing gash on her head. “Marge was with them.”
“Larkin,” Ionus barked. “Do you have any leads?”
Fuck, my scales itched and the anger raged. I called out again, Ronan, I’m begging you, please answer me.
“Thanks to Mable, we got the plates of the van they took off in, but it came back as stolen.”
“Were they dragons? Why didn’t they fly?” This made no sense. Why use a vehicle when road rules stood in your way?
“What’s more disturbing,” Larkin said, “Was that they didn’t set off the wards. For Marge that means she never left Dragon City, and it could possibly be the same for the others.”
“If I had to guess,” Ionus said, “It’s the Gorynych dragons she helped escaped from their cell.”
Caro growled. “Which means my mate is in their line of fire too.”
Protocol. I’m sure Caro ordered Emerson and Cade into their safe room, most likely a horde room, and Alex and their four had done the same.
Once Ronan was safely back in my arms, I’d add him to the scanner for the horde and make sure he knew where to go in times of emergencies.
Nothing would be worse than coming home after battle and being unable to find my family.
Tire tracks.
“Larkin, stay behind in case they come back,” Ionus told him as he and our brothers followed the trail, scanning the area as we did.
I’d never been a fan of violence though I did understand the need at times such as this.
And right now, the urge to rip the kidnappers, and Marge’s, heads clean off weighed heavy.
We’ll find him, brother.
Yeah, but in what state, Ionus? I swear to fuck, if they harmed him or our eggs there will be hell to pay. Mark my words.
My admission was met with silence. I wasn’t the angry brother, though right now, there’d be no controlling my gift when we found them.
Remember, we need to interrogate. Contain now, remove from existence later.
Clearly, these three, Marge included, wouldn’t make it through the proposed rehab plan we’d hope to achieve with the Gorynych. I hoped Ionus understood that.
There’s the van, Quint pointed out.
Careful, brother, Ionus warned him, it could be a trap.
We surrounded the van, sniffing out…Bomb!
As soon as we took off in flight, just out of reach, it detonated and the van exploded, removing any traces we had.
Ronan! I screamed through our connection and finally got a reply.
Where are you? Snarky, and alive.
He’s alive, brothers.
Let’s find those fuckers and end this now! Caro snarled.
Ronan, we’re trying to find you. Are you okay? Can you give me any insight into where you are?
They blindsided me and knocked me out. I have a headache and I’m fucking pissed, but other than that I’m okay. It’s dark and dirty, it must be a basement of some sort.
Tap into your dragon senses and tell me what you see.
Again, with this dragon nonsense?
You’re talking to me through our bond now, aren’t you? You can only do that if you’re a dragon.
Someone’s coming.
Anything, brother? Ionus inquired.
He says it’s dark, dirty and that he seems to be in some kind of basement.
Basement? In the mountainside?
That’s what he said, Quint, but it’s possible they flew from here so he could be anywhere.
They’ve covered my head again and are moving me. I feel wind this time, I’m not in a vehicle.
They just moved him. I think they’re flying with him.
If they fucking drop him I’ll… Then it hit me. You don’t think they’d use Ronan to break through the compound wards do you? Our wards weren’t visible to the eye until you hit the barrier, but if they have a mage with them they may be able to get through.
Fuck! Ionus spat and paused for a moment. Alex is reaching out to Raven and Larkin now. Caro, Quint, head toward the compound.
This wasn’t good. If the Gorynych continued to brazenly and openly attack a mate in broad daylight, I wouldn’t put anything past them.
No one was safe at this point.
I sense another.
Make that several others, Ionus pointed out as we crossed the town barrier and straight into an ambush.
Brothers, do your best to contain versus kill.
I make no promises, Ionus.
Then you may never find your mate.
Two attackers dove for me and I flipped, shooting fireballs at them. The unexpected blasts briefly stunned them. I fired another, catching the wing of one and sent him careening toward the ground.
One on one, a fairer battle for sure, and one I fully intended to come out the victor of.
He shot flames at me, surprised I came through them unscathed. The less that these idiots knew of our abilities, the better off we were. I flew by him so fast, he had no time to respond, nor put up his guard, as a single talon drew a gash across his unprotected chest.
Ionus had already defeated his assailants and was helping Mattias. I dove down, landing so hard the earth beneath me shook. I partially shifted and wrapped my claws around the first one I came across.
“Where is my mate?” I snarled. There was no mistaking my words, though they came out in a harsh growl.
“I’ll never tell,” he snarled, I squeezed tighter and he gasped. “I-I don’t know.”
“Liar!” I tightened my grip, feeling a couple of his ribs snap.
“Brother,” Ionus tapped my shoulder. “We need them for questioning. Dead, they serve no purpose.”
“I am questioning.” My rage fueled words stunned my brother as much as myself. “Where is my mate!” I screamed and reached for the half-shifted assailant, the remnants of his burned wing still simmered in the air.
“I’ll never tell,” he snarled and in a bold move carved his own heart out. His body now one with the earth.
“Fuck! Anyone else care to die today?” I growled at the others, who lay cowering around us, but no replies came.
“Gather them and we’ll take them to the dungeons for interrogating,” Ionus demanded. “Odem, dispose of the dead first.”
“As you wish, brother.” My flame heated to a deadly level, hot enough to reduce their bones to a brittle calcified state. I made a point to crush them beneath my talons, melding them with the soil, leaving nothing behind. A show to the survivors what could easily happen to them.
Remind me to never piss you off, brother, Mattias teased as we gathered the survivors and headed for the precinct.
Caro, Quint, status update, Ionus requested.
Nothing yet, Caro replied. Raven added a spell to disallow Ronan in until we rescue him so they can’t use his blood to get past the wards.
Alex has Larkin and his officers meeting us at the station. I’ll stay and interrogate them and send Mattias and Odem your way.
That couldn’t happen fast enough. Any time not spent searching for Ronan was wasted time. Given I now felt how Caro did when we saved Emerson, none of the prisoners were safe in my presence. Caro ripping one apart held nothing on the rage I harbored.
The scent of burning flesh permeated my senses, a driving force to find my mate and destroy those who took him.
I never claimed to be a saint, but I’d protect my loved ones by whatever means necessary.
Firmly secured in the new cells we’d constructed after the last escape, as we turned to walk away when one of them spoke.
“We’re coming for you, Protectors.”
Ionus snarled. “Bring it on.”
“Omegas are disposable incubators. You’re wasting your time protecting them.”
A fireball left before I could contain it, not that I would have, taking the man out in a single flame. The others gasped and jumped back. Huh, maybe now they’d talk.
“Anyone else care to test us?” I asked. They said nothing but stayed glued to the perimeter walls they’d retreated to as soon as the flame left me, staring at the pile of ash and bone that was once their comrade.
“Clean up on aisle twelve,” Mattias joked, which was rare. “Let’s go find your mate.”
Without further direction from Ionus, we took to the skies, scanning every inch of the terrain as we flew over it toward home. Quint crossed our paths mid-flight.
I’m heading over the mountainside.
I’ll follow you, Mattias said.
Quint and Caro hovered directly over the compound.
Odem, I can feel you. The connection is stronger, Ronan called out to me.
Can you tell me anything about where you are?
I think I’m in a cave, there’s an echo. I’m blindfolded and my hands are tied. There were two dragons, but I’ve only heard one of them since they dropped me off.
Brothers, keep an eye out. Ronan is near and he said one of his captors isn’t in the cave with him.
I see him! Caro called out. It’s Emerson’s father.
Capture him! Ionus declared.
Kill him! Caro growled.
Think with your head and not your heart, Caro! Ionus demanded.
It’s not your mate he’s after.
Caro had a point. This was both our mates they wanted. If Ionus were in our predicament I’d like to believe he’d feel otherwise. Especially with two unborn eggs at stake.
Mattias and I circled the valley between the mountains which were far too close to our homes and life sources.
We’ve been spotted, Mattias called out, he flew out of the cavern on the left. I’ll take him, you go see if Ronan is in there.
I flew straight into the cave, determined to take out anyone or anything that stood between me and my pregnant mate.
Ronan?
Still here.
Deeper into the cave I went, comforted by the fact this one dead ended and didn’t lead toward our tunnels.
Brothers, this cave is far too close to home. They must know we live near here. We can’t let any of them go.
Did you find Ronan? Ionus asked.
Not yet, but I can feel him.
Mattias, join Caro and Quint. Emerson’s father is proving to be quite a fighter.
Aye.
Ronan was alive. If they harmed a single hair on his head, they’d not live to tell the tale.