Chapter 42
Dylon looked at the unconscious human securely tied to a chair, wearing a black blindfold.
Capturing him had gone to plan: Groose and his men cornered him in the alley behind the hotel, knocked him out and, using the private elevator, brought him up to where Dylon was waiting for him.
From this point on, the man’s life was over; when Dylon was through with him, he’d be placed in a cell for interrogation by the High Council about his past employers and what he did for them and if his crimes were heinous enough, be put to death.
Now Dylon was waiting for him to come to so he could begin his questioning.
Everything was ready—Dakota sitting in front of his laptop looking calm with Kieran’s hand on his leg, Logan next to his mate, Cody on the sofa, scrolling through recent photos of the twins Jackson sent him—all ready to play their roll in this interrogation so much was riding on.
Hearing a moan, his attention snapped back to the man.
Dakota was positive the only thing keeping him from freaking out was Kieran’s hand on his leg.
The love and hope being infused into his body was allowing Dakota to do what he never wanted to do again—feel others’ emotions.
So here he was not only feeling everyone’s emotions, but also hearing their many voices in the shadows of his mind.
“Concentrate on the voice you want to hear, Dakota, and ignore the rest,” Kieran said, softly.
Startled that someone knew what was going through his mind, Dakota looked at Kieran, who smiled encouragingly at him.
Nodding, he concentrated on the voices whispering in his head and began to weed them out until he was able to hear only the human’s thoughts.
He started typing them out as Dylon glanced over at his screen from time to time.
Dylon kicked the chair leg, growling, “Stop pretending! I know you’re awake.”
Raising his head and turning from side to side, the man realized his sight wasn’t going to help him so he cocked his head, listening, trying to figure out who had taken him.
“What’s your name?” asked Dylon.
Silence.
“Who hired you?”
Again the room remained quiet.
Dylon wasn’t surprised at his prisoner’s lack of cooperation, in fact he expected it since the human knew his life wouldn’t be worth a plugged nickel if the mercenaries ever found out he talked. Time to shake it up.
“So, Warren, cat’s got your tongue, or should I say ‘wolf’?
It doesn’t matter if you don’t talk, Feris and Hook won’t believe you no matter what.
Hot damn, boy, I gotta say, you got mixed up with some real bad dudes this time.
What happened? Gambling debts? Unpaid loans?
C’mon, what was it that made you take this job?
You do know they plan to kill you when the job is over, right?
That’s what they’ve always done so why would they treat you any different?
Oh shit, I bet you didn’t know the survival rate of their accomplices is like… zero.”
Dylon saw Warren squirm and grinned. “Of course, I might just save them the trouble by killing you myself. Yeah, my wolf is eager to hunt and kill and I bet he’d really like the taste of you.
How fast can you run? It doesn’t matter since you’ll never outrun my wolf.
Why the fuck did you ever get mixed up with shifters, Warren?
Was it because you wanted life to be a little wild?
“Warren, Warren, Warren…do you think those bugs you planted are going to save you? Oh yes, the bugs! I found them but guess what? They are exactly where you put them. That’s right, I left them there but when I’m finished with you, I’ll use them to let your buddies know how you double-crossed them when you sang like a bird to save your own skin. ”
The scent of fear hung in the air as Warren pulled at the ropes binding him.
Dylon let him struggle, waiting for Warren to realize his only option to escape death was to reveal where Slate was being held.
“You can stop struggling because even if you got free, you’re surrounded by wolves…
wolves who are all related to the prisoner in Feris and Hook’s custody.
The one you’re going to lose your life over unless you tell me where he is. ”
Once Dakota did as Kieran suggested, he was amazed how easy it was to focus on Warren’s thoughts as Dylon goaded him. But they had mostly been curses and so far there wasn’t anything Dakota heard that would help them find Slate.
Dylon tried a different approach. “Sorry Warren, you’ve lost your chance to save yourself.
My informant just told me where your friends are…
Nartley Castle. You can go in a minute once I use those bugs to tell your buddies how you gave up the location.
” Dylon glanced at the computer screen and smiled.
Just as he expected—when he mentioned the wrong place, Warren thought of the correct place.
“Oh shit, I said the wrong name…I meant Daroonga Castle.” The only response from Warren was a squeak.
~/~/~/~/~
Slate lost count of how many times they whipped him but knew he was slowly dying.
His blood seeped out in tiny droplets from the many cuts all over his body; his jailors no longer cared where the whip landed.
By now, he was numb to the pain. His mind shut down as he drifted in and out of consciousness, giving him some relief.
In his moments of lucidity, which were shorter and shorter, Slate thought of Dakota and their unborn pup, fearing what would happen to both when he died.
His heart cried out for Dakota and his wolf keened for his mate but since he couldn’t shift, he and his wolf both knew their time on earth was measured by the blood left in his body.
~/~/~/~/~
After Warren was moved to a bedroom where he was gagged and hog-tied, with two enforcers standing guard, Dylon sat at a desk reviewing the information Zane had emailed him about Daroonga Castle.
Located in a remote part of the Highlands where few ever went, and abandoned for many years, it was the perfect place to hide Slate.
Looking at an old floor plan Zane had dug out, Dylon surmised where Slate was most likely being held, but he needed more information—he needed to see the place.
Leaving the desk and walking over to the window, he parted the drapes, peering out at the night sky. Perfect!
Grabbing his phone, he sent a text, then went back to work memorizing everything he could about Slate’s prison, only looking up when the door opened and Logan walked in.
Sitting in the chair next to the desk, Logan waited until Dylon spoke.
“Zane sent me everything he could find on the place where Slate is being held, but before I can commit to a plan of attack, I must go to Daroonga Castle to see what defenses are in place and get an idea of how many men are guarding it.”
“You want me to fly you there tonight?”
“Yes. There’s a low cloud cover making it pitch black, so your dragon will be hard to spot from the ground.”
“Kieran must go with us.”
“I have no problem with that, but will Dakota be all right while we’re gone?”
Logan cocked his head as if he were listening to someone, then said, “He should be okay for a little while because Ian gave him something to help him sleep. But we have to be back within three hours.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem. Here’s where we’re going,” Dylon said, giving Logan a map on which the castle’s location was circled. “Once we’re out of Edinburgh, you’ll be flying over an unpopulated area.”
“Do you have a place I can shift? I need a large open area to shift into a dragon.”
“I do,” Dylon grinned, pointing to the ceiling. “The rooftop. It has a huge flat area and Groose has secured the staircase leading up there.”
“Perfecto! I’ll get my mate and meet you there.”
After Logan left, Dylon found Cody. “Hey babe, will you stay with Dakota while I go for a dragon ride?”
“Of course, is Kieran going with you?”
“Yeah. How are Theo, Norman and Fionn doing?”
Chuckling, Cody said, “Miss L…uhh…your mother is with them binge watching some TV show Theo loves.”
Smiling, Dylon said, “What about Ian’s parents?”
Cody smirked, “They are telling Colton and Ian about the duties of the King of the Scottish Wolves. I’m going to ask Ian’s parents to take a picture of Ian and Colton wearing their crowns and sitting on their thrones.”
“And what do you plan to do with that picture?”
“Tease my brother, of course.”
“Of course,” Dylon said, chuckling. “I gotta go.” He pulled Cody into a tight hug and kissed him breathless before leaving.
~/~/~/~/~
Sitting on the back of a dragon, flying high over the Scottish countryside was an experience Dylon would never forget.
He wondered what Jackson’s reaction would be when he learned of his twin’s gift.
He could picture Jackson’s face watching Logan shapeshifting into a tiger or a dragon.
Just then, Kieran touched Dylon’s hand and pointed to a castle below them.
Realizing they’d arrived, he leaned down to Kieran’s ear and said, “Tell Logan to circle the castle…but be careful…and silent.”
Logan did exactly as Dylon requested, allowing him to study the castle and fill in the missing pieces they needed for their rescue of Slate. After seeing everything from the air, he had Logan land and shift in a clearing far away from the castle so they wouldn’t be detected by shifters guarding it.
Then Dylon asked Logan, “Did you see the shifters guarding it?”
“A few, how many are there?”
“I couldn’t tell. Shit, we could be walking into a trap. I have to know how many men we’re going to face,” Dylon said, staring in the direction of the castle. “Stay here, I’m gonna see if I can get close enough to get a count.”
Logan grabbed Dylon’s arm as he turned to go. “I have a better idea,” he said.
“What is it?”
“I can become a Hooded Crow, get closer than you can and be able to get a more accurate count,” Logan said.
“Perfect, go to it. I’ll protect Kieran.”
“Thanks. He can contact me if there’s a problem.” Logan then said, “Hooded Crow” and his body shrank until a black and grey bird emerged. Flying to Kieran’s shoulder, Logan pecked his mate’s cheek before flying off.
“Was that a kiss?” Dylon asked.
“Oui,” Kieran grinned.
Chuckling, Dylon said, “Before you and Logan claimed each other, I was so sure he was trying to take advantage of you, I was going to give you the talk…you know, the one fathers give sons about watching out for bigger dudes taking advantage of smaller ones…except Cody told me not to even think about doing it. Instead, I gave Logan the stink eye every time we were in the same room.”
“Why? By then you knew what I was.”
“I know. At first I had no idea why I felt that way, but looking back I think it was because my mother made a comment about Jessica dating and my ‘father’s talk’ took up permanent residency in my head.
When I saw you standing next to Logan, all I could picture was Jessica going on her first date with someone much bigger than she.
Oh fuck, I have no idea how I’m going to survive when my daughter starts to date. ”
Giggling, Kieran said, “Maybe you won’t have to worry because Jessica might only be interested in female shifters.”
Dylon brightened, “Hey, that’s a thought.”
Kieran laughed at Dylon’s expression. “The Fates certainly picked perfect parents for Jake and Jessica.”
Before Dylon could respond, he heard wings flapping as Logan landed back on Kieran’s shoulder, planting another kiss on his mate’s cheek.
Then hopping to the ground, he shifted back.
“There are fifty-five shifters guarding the outside. Luckily, I found an open window so I flew in and found only two more…the mercenaries in the photos. Other than the guards, there aren’t any other defenses. ”
“When we get back, can you point out the locations of the guards on my map?” asked Dylon.
“Sure. If you have everything you need, I’d like to head back,” Logan said. “I don’t think it would be cool to land on the roof of our hotel in daylight. Might get a few of the locals upset.”
“Yeah,” Dylon grinned. “No problemo.”
“Step back, amigos, I need space to shift.”
~/~/~/~/~
After an uneventful flight, Logan landed while the sky was still black. Checking on Dakota, who was still asleep, he left the room and headed to see Dylon. Nodding to the enforcer who stood guard outside Dylon’s suite, Logan entered, shutting the door behind him.
Looking up, Dylon’s eyes studied Logan, noting the tension in his body. “Tell me the rest.”
Sighing as he sat down, Logan said, “Slate is there, but not in very good shape. Feris and Hook were eating dinner and talking so I stopped to listen. According to Hook, Slate is unconscious because of all the blood he’s lost. If there’s any hope of saving Slate, we need to go tomorrow or he’ll be dead. ”
Nodding slowly, Dylon said, “I figured that. Everything’s in place for us to go, but after our reconnaissance mission tonight, I’m going to need more enforcers.”
“More than what we have here?” asked Logan.
“Yes. I was planning to take ten enforcers with us, leaving the rest here to protect Fionn and everyone else. Warren may not be the only spy Feris and Hook have working for them here, which means if there’s a mass exodus of enforcers from the hotel…”
“They would kill Slate and head here to get Fionn while he was unprotected.”
“Yes. Dammit,” Dylon growled, hitting the desk with his fist. “It’s always some fucking thing.”
“Have you asked Steel if he could fly in more enforcers by tomorrow?”
“Yes, and no he can’t. I just have to think of a different plan. In the meantime, I made a copy of the map of the castle so why don’t you start by putting an ‘x’ on every place you saw a guard.”
Pulling the map over, Logan picked up the pencil, but before he used it he said, “Maybe there’s another way.
I don’t know if you heard, but Ian and Colton discovered there are two hundred Scottish Wolf shifters living in a remote part of the Highlands.
Maybe they’d be an option. I know Jackson wouldn’t have any problem with us hiring them to help get Slate back. ”