Chapter 17
Artem pulled to a stop in front of his cabin. He’d successfully gotten everything he needed for the most spectacular date Promise had ever been on, and would culminate in him asking her to be his wife.
As he turned off the engine a strange feeling washed over him, a mixture of fear and anger. He paused with the door open and wondered at the weird feeling. When it didn’t happen again after a long moment, he grabbed the bag from the seat next to him and got out.
Another wave of fear hit him straight in the heart and he gasped, his hand clenching the paper bag.
Something was very wrong, but he wasn’t afraid of anything.
Promise came to mind, and he knew that whatever he was feeling must be an echo of her feelings.
She was scared and angry.
Shit.
He pulled his phone from his pocket and realized he’d turned the ringer off. His sister had been calling. He flipped the ringer on just as it rang again.
Isolde’s name appeared on the screen.
“Isolde? Is everything okay?”
“No! Some males grabbed Promise and stuffed her into a black SUV. I tried to help but this guy grabbed me. I thought he was going to break my neck!”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m scared, Artem!”
“What did the males look like?”
“They were both big guys, muscular. The one who grabbed me had tattoos all over his arms and up his neck, he was scary as hell.”
Artem knew exactly who it was who’d taken Promise.
Nero, that fucking asshole.
As if knowing that Artem was cursing his name, a call beeped and Nero’s name appeared on the screen.
“Are you on the way back to the campground?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, drive safe. Nero is calling me.”
He switched the call and tucked the bag under his arm. Putting the phone to his ear, he ran toward the four-wheeler workshop to get his dad.
“Where’s my mate?” he demanded when the call connected.
“No hello? Well, I see your manners haven’t gotten any better since the lesson I taught you about keeping your commitments.”
“Where is she?” he growled.
“She’s safe. For now.”
He hit the door of the workshop with his shoulder and dropped the bag on the counter. His dad looked up from where he was leaning over one of the vehicles. Artem put the phone on speaker.
“What do you want?”
“You, fighting. There’s a fight tonight, as I’m sure you’re aware. You’ll be at the warehouse at nine, ready to fight. You’ll win, and that way, everyone wins. Including your mate.”
Artem looked at his dad, who strode over with a frown.
“Let Promise go. I’ll keep fighting, I swear.”
Nero chuckled. “She’s too valuable to let go. The two of you together—your fighting and her healing—would make my league unstoppable. I have big plans.”
Artem looked at his dad, feeling helpless for the first time in his life.
“Let me talk to her,” Artem said.
Nero sighed. “Very well.”
There was the sound of a door unlocking and then Promise yelled, “You don’t have to manhandle me you jackass!”
Artem could have cried in relief at hearing her sassy voice.
“Talk to your mate,” Nero said.
“Artem?”
“Hey, sweetheart, are you okay?”
“I’ve been better. I’m at?—”
“That’s quite enough,” Nero said, and Promise grunted as if someone had hit her.
“You don’t have to hurt her,” Artem said, seething. His minotaur bellowed in fury that anyone would lay a hand on her. He wanted to climb through the phone and slaughter them all.
“I won’t, if she does what she’s told. And that goes for you as well. Be at the warehouse at nine tonight. Do as I say and you’ll both be fine. But Artem, be very certain of this one truth: she’s valuable for her healing powers, but you’re only as valuable as your next win. If you fail in any way, I won’t have any qualms about putting you down. You’re expendable. Remember that.”
The call cut off and Artem let out an angry bellow from his beast. His temples ached as his beast wanted to shift and hunt down the male who took his mate.
His dad grabbed him and gave him a hard shake.
“First of all, where is your sister? They were together.”
“She’s on the way here, she called me just before Nero did.”
“Good. Now let’s go to the Welcome Center. We need all the help we can get to bring Promise back here.”
“Dad,” Artem said, looking at his phone screen where a picture his sister had taken of him and Promise at the lake the day before was his wallpaper. “This is dangerous. I should go alone.”
“Hell no,” his dad said vehemently. “They took your mate and they threatened your life. There’s no way you’re going alone, don’t be foolish.”
“I just…maybe I should fight.”
His dad shook his head. “You’ll never be free and there’s a good chance you’ll die someday in one of the fights. We have to put an end to this.”
“I just want her back.”
“I’ll help you.”
Artem and his dad raced from the workshop toward the Welcome Center, his dad making several calls as they ran.
Be careful, sweetheart. I’m coming for you.
Promise had only been in the room by herself for a couple of minutes when the one goon had dragged her out to talk to Artem. How long had she been gone? Maybe a half hour.
Now he knew for sure who had her.
And he now knew that Nero thought he was expendable but she wasn’t.
There was something oddly calming about knowing that Nero wasn’t planning to kill her, but it was tempered by the knowledge that he wasn’t above hurting her regardless. When she’d tried to tell Artem where she was, the tattooed male slapped her hard enough to make her eyes water.
Then he grabbed her arm and hauled her back to the room, shoving her inside and slamming the door. As the lock clicked, she touched her injured cheek, which now throbbed as much as her face where she’d been punched.
At least Artem knew she was okay.
And she was certain he’d be able to figure out where she was.
She got up from the cot and went to the door, pressing her ear against it. She could hear the hum of voices, but couldn’t make out anything.
She moved toward the hinges, and in the space between the door and doorjamb, she could hear more clearly.
“He’s obviously going to come here,” a male said.
“Of course. To fight,” Nero said.
“To get his mate,” the first male said.
“He’ll toe the line, trust me,” Nero said.
Promise didn’t like how confident he sounded. How was he going to ensure that Artem fought in the fights and didn’t just try to free her?
“How do you know?” another male asked.
“Because he’s not the valuable one, she is. If he won’t fight to keep her safe, then he’ll die.”
Promise moved back to the cot, her mind spinning. Artem was only safe if he fought. His refusal could mean his death. She couldn’t let him be harmed, but she didn’t know what she could do about it, locked up in a room alone.
Artem didn’t want to wait a second longer than necessary to get his mate back, but his dad was right: he couldn’t just run into the warehouse and try to get her back on his own.
Assuming she was even being kept at the warehouse.
He’d tracked her phone after the call, but Isolde had picked it up off the street after they’d thrown it out the window.
Isolde showed up at the Welcome Center while they were gathering all the males to help. She gave Promise’s phone to him. It was scratched up but still on.
He pressed it to his nose and inhaled the lingering sweet scent of his mate.
Then he put it in his pocket.
Giving his sister a hug, he said, “I’m glad you’re okay.”
She sniffled. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop them from taking her.”
“You were outnumbered and caught off guard,” their dad said as he hugged her tightly. “Your mom’s at the cabin with the other mates and females, she’ll be chomping at the bit to see you.”
“Good luck,” she said. Giving Artem a long look she said, “Make sure you and Promise, and everyone here, come back safe.”
“We will,” Artem said.
As the rest of the males filtered into the large kitchen, Artem filled them in on what happened.
“I’m not going to lie. Nero has dozens of males on his side, and they’ll fight for him no matter what, and they won’t think twice about hurting or killing if he says so. Nero’s made it clear that Promise is not in danger of dying, but that he’s willing to hurt her to keep me in line.”
“What’s the plan?” Ian asked, folding his arms.
“Show up as if I’m going to fight,” Artem said.
“While he’s keeping Nero busy,” Axtyn said, “the rest of us will infiltrate the warehouse and find Promise. Once she’s safely away from Nero and his cronies, we’ll call the police and let them shut down Nero.”
Richard looked at them. “What if the police don’t show up or what if Nero disappears before they do?”
“And the big what-if,” Brin said, “Is what if Promise isn’t at the warehouse?”
Artem blew out a breath. He rubbed the space over his heart. “I’ll know if she’s there when we get there. If I don’t feel her, then we’ll have to search for her.”
Brin nodded. “We shouldn’t leave the campground unprotected. Some of us should stay behind to keep an eye on things. Nero shouldn’t be underestimated.”
“Good point,” Axtyn said. “Who wants to come with us and who is willing to stay?”
Although everyone wanted to go help out at the warehouse, three males volunteered to stay behind, one from each clan.
“I have to be there at nine,” Artem said. “But we can scout the area and maybe, just maybe we can get Promise out before the fights even start, and then none of this will be necessary.”
“We can hope for that,” Axtyn said, “but also be prepared in case you do have to fight. Or all of us do.”
With a nod, they dispersed to get ready for a fight, planning to return to the Welcome Center in one hour.
Then they’d leave for Trumble.
As he and his dad walked away from the Welcome Center, his dad said, “You should call her parents. I would want to know if you or Isolde were in danger.”
“I will,” he said.
It was not a conversation he was looking forward to having, but he owed it to her family to let them know what happened.
He parted ways with his dad and went to his cabin to get ready.
Then he’d call her parents and vow to get her home safely and to never let another hair on her head be harmed again.