Chapter 29 #2
“No,” I tell him. “I like her well enough, but not like that.”
He smirks at me. “So you’re just friends then?”
I nod, unable to say the word out loud. I can’t really classify us as friends anymore. I have no clue what we are, but after having my dick so deep inside her, friendship isn’t it.
“Can we move on to more important things now that you’ve run me through the wringer?”
“I’m trying to help you, Grim. I need all the facts in order to do that.” His expression turns serious. “If you end up in bed with her, you absolutely can never shift around her again, or you will mind-bond with her. You know how that goes.”
I nod.
“Keep your dick dry and stay in your human form.”
I sigh and groan, getting frustrated even though he’s making a valid point.
“What is the plan?” he asks me.
“I would rather include Wren in this part of the conversation.”
His eyes narrow. “Why?”
“It’s not because I’m fucking her…or bonded to her in any way.” I meet his gaze. “It’s because she’s up to her eyeballs in this and deserves to be a part of this discussion.”
He nods once. “Be careful, Grim. You barely survived after Jordyn left. If your dragon mind-bonds with this nurse and she fucks off back to the Mainland after this ordeal ends, you probably wouldn’t survive it again.”
“I got over Jordyn quickly enough. I’m doing great.”
“You keep telling yourself that. You cut yourself off from everyone. You would still be holed up in your cabin if I hadn’t—”
“Fine. I was bad at first, but I got over it. I’m all good now.”
He rolls his eyes. “Whatever. Just watch yourself.”
“I will. Can we go back to Wren now?” I ask, and Drake nods.
We walk back together.
“Are you guys okay?” Wren asks, her eyes moving between us. She must sense the underlying tension.
“All good,” I tell her. “Sorry about that. Drake is a good friend. He worries…that’s all.”
“I understand,” Wren says.
“You said you had information for us.” I turn to Drake. “What is it?”
“Oh…yeah.” Drake nods. “I’m sorry…I got waylaid.” He glares at me before carrying on. “Your co-worker Ethan was killed. According to the media, he was fleeing the vaccination storage area when you swooped down and ate him.”
“Ate him?” I’m sure I have a disgusted look on my face. “I would never do such a thing.”
“They’re saying you tore him to pieces, leaving no trace of a body, just a puddle of his blood, which they’re airing together with the footage of you taking that chopper down.”
“They’re a bunch of assholes,” I growl.
“Poor Ethan.” Wren’s eyes fill with tears. “They probably lured him out of hiding and then shot him. I can’t believe it.” A tear tracks down her cheek.
I put an arm around her and give her a hug, but I cut it short when I see how Drake is looking at me…at us.
Fuck!
“Sally is still alive,” he announces next.
Wren staggers back. She makes a noise of disbelief. “What do you mean? I watched her get shot in the chest. It was serious. She was bleeding profusely and struggling to breathe. It was horrific.” She wipes a tear away.
“She must be one tough cookie because she made it.”
Wren laughs through her tears. “She is pretty stubborn and seriously tough.” She sniffs, wiping her face.
“Why would they let her live?” I ask. “It makes no sense that they would shoot her and then keep her alive.”
“The whole island is rallying for her recovery. They’re saying she survived against all odds. It’s their way of pitting the Draig population against you, Grim. They’re using her. Right now, she’s more valuable to them alive. At least, that’s my best guess.”
“They’re saying I hurt her?”
Drake nods. “They’re saying that you used your tail to spike her in the chest and that you left her for dead.”
“All lies,” Wren says, her voice shrill.
“They won’t allow her to live,” I tell Drake. “You know that, right? Even if she starts to recover from her injuries, they’ll find a way to pull the plug so that she can never talk about what really happened.”
“I’m afraid you’re right,” Drake says. “She is in a bad way and may not survive from her injuries. Her prognosis is guarded at this point. I think they’re planning on doing everything possible to keep her alive until you are brought down.
Then they’ll say she passed from her injuries.
That way, everyone will be fine with your death.
They’ll welcome it and say that you deserve it. ”
“No.” Wren shakes her head. “They can’t do that.”
“They can and will.” Drake’s voice is hard. “There is nothing to stop them from doing it.”
“We have evidence against them,” I tell Drake. “Wren was smart enough to video what happened when those males raided the center.”
“How much did you get?” Drake asks Wren.
“I got plenty. The men in combat gear raiding the reception area with guns. The anti-vaxxers getting shot in cold blood. Sally, too. They were shooting to kill. They didn’t care that Sally was unarmed. That she was begging them to help her, with her hands raised above her head in surrender.”
“You got footage of Sally being shot while surrendering?”
“Yes.” Wren nods.
“Where is it?” Drake looks excited. “This is exactly what we need. Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?”
“That’s the problem; the evidence is at the Vaccination Center. I don’t actually have it.” Wren’s face falls. “The cellphone I was using to record the whole thing fell out of my hands when Grim’s dragon flew us out of there.”
He groans in frustration. “They will have it by now, then.”
“Maybe not,” Wren says. “It fell and then slid under a cabinet in the corner. I don’t think anyone noticed with all the chaos.”
“They will have traced it by now. If they trace it to the building, they’ll tear the place up trying to find it.”
“I think the phone broke as it fell,” Wren tells him. “If it was off, they wouldn’t be able to trace it, would they? Hopefully, we can retrieve the information somehow.”
Drake looks like he’s thinking things through.
“If – and it’s a big if – your phone is still there, I have someone who works in our tech department who could help us with that.
He’s an absolute whiz. But we would have to get it back first, and I can’t be involved.
” He shakes his head. “I’m sorry. The problem is that the center is crawling with Mainland Security.
They’re saying that it is a Mainland building, that you acted against the Mainland, Grim, and that therefore this is their jurisdiction.
I’m a councilor, and even I’m not allowed anywhere near there.
Sally’s hospital room is guarded by Mainland Security. Her doctors are all from the Mainland.”
“They’re really putting a lid on this,” I say.
“It would seem like it.” Drake nods. “You need to find somewhere to lie low for a few days. Hopefully, the dust will settle, and you’ll be able to get that cellphone.”
“We could go back to the Academy,” Wren says. “It was—”
Drake shakes his head. “I checked. There is a maintenance team arriving tomorrow to begin preparations for the next intake of recruits. It won’t be long before more employees are sent from various departments. I’m assuming that the SUV is an Academy vehicle.” He lifts a brow.
“It is, which means they’ll probably know it’s missing when they arrive tomorrow. The whole island will be looking for it soon after that.”
Drake nods. “Yep. You can’t go to friends or family. You can’t go anywhere near your homes. They’ve been raided and searched. There will be Mainland Security posted to watch out for you.”
“I figured,” I say.
“What about my dogs?” Wren looks concerned. “They had enough food and water to last for a day or two. My neighbors have a key. I’m sure they would have helped out, but…” Her eyes clouded with concern.
“I will find out and make sure they’re safe,” Drake tells her. “Don’t worry, I’m sure they’re just fine.”
Wren nods, still looking worried. “Where will we go?” she asks me. “What are we going to do? If we had camping gear, we could head into the jungle.”
“I think I know of somewhere,” I tell them. “No one would think to look there. We’d be safe.”
“It’s better you don’t tell me where that somewhere is,” Drake says.
“I hadn’t planned on it.” I smile at the male, and he narrows his eyes, scrutinizing me. I realize I’m smiling and stop immediately.
“I’d better get going. Let’s meet back here in three days,” Drake says. It’s clear that he doesn’t think things will have died down by then.
Neither do I. This could take weeks.
“I will attempt to gain access to the site, but I can’t be too pushy about it. I’ll do my best. In the meantime, the two of you need to stay safe. That means you need to go underground. Don’t do anything stupid, Grim.”
“I won’t,” I tell him. “I know what’s at stake here.”
“See you in a couple of days. Don’t try to contact me unless there is an emergency.
I really hope this evidence hasn’t been found and destroyed.
It’s your only hope of getting out of this.
” Drake turns and leaves. He opens his car door and then returns with something in his hands.
“Here.” He puts a blue cap and a pair of large sunglasses in my hand, and a wide summer hat and sunglasses in Wren’s.
“There are pictures of you both all over the news and in every paper. Wear those. Try not to get recognized. If you need to go out into the open, you should try to disguise yourself as a male.”
I snort.
Drake gives me a look.
“Wren couldn’t pass as a male even if she grew an actual mustache. Thanks for these,” I tell him.
“Lie low,” he mutters as he leaves, starting his vehicle and pulling out.
Once he is out of sight, I put my arms around Wren and hug her close to me for a few moments.
“She’s alive,” I tell her. “Sally is still alive.”
“I know.” She sighs. “I can hardly believe it. We have to get our hands on that cellphone. We have to save her,” Wren says against my chest. “They will never allow her to regain consciousness. If she does…”
They will kill her. Neither of us says it out loud.