21. Rowan
Author’s Note:
I know I keep apologizing, but this time the late chapter really isn’t my fault.
I was hoping to be done by now, but there was a teeny tiny little fire in our toaster.
Well, actually, a tree branch came down and took out our electric, and then there was the little fire.
It was really fine, but with the downed wire and the small fire, the sheriff insisted on calling the fire department.
Then a bunch of super hot firemen came over, and my bf did a lot of growling, but he knows he’s the only super hot guy for me.
They took away the toaster, and we should have power back soon, but in the meantime we’re staying with my bf’s brother, who lives next door. But here’s your chapter!
ROWAN
They’d been taken in a car, so I had no scent trail to follow. I went back to my car and did the only thing I could think of at the moment; I called my big sister.
As soon as she picked up, I said, “I need Troy to do a search on cameras in an area. I know there’s none here, but if we can figure out who came in this direction, maybe we can figure out who the car belonged to.”
“Hello to you, too, Rowan,” she answered.
“This is serious, Raina. Milo is missing. He was taken.”
“Shit. Tell me everything,” Raina said.
So I did. I felt like time was slipping away, but maybe she’d think of something that I hadn’t.
When I was done, she said, “We’ll be there in half an hour. Can you wait for us? From the sound of it, you guys have been busy over the past few weeks. Anyone could have taken Milo and Ethel, from the dog fighting ring masterminds to the cult you burned out if some members survived.”
“I’m a hellhound, Raina. I can handle anything. It’s not like I’ll be hurt,” I growled. “We need to find him. Have Troy start looking.”
“You need to listen to me for a minute. First of all, I’m not worried about you. I’m worried about the two humans who were kidnapped. Second of all, you can find Milo.”
I had a moment of total confusion before it clicked. Mates. If Milo was my mate, then I should be able to tell where he was. But… “We haven’t decided anything. I didn’t give him the option yet. I didn’t formally make him my mate. Fuck, we've barely even said I love you yet.”
“Well, then rescuing him is the perfect opportunity to tell him. Nothing says I love you like being covered in the blood of your mate’s enemies.”
“But I can’t find him! We aren’t mated yet!” I ran my hand through my hair in exasperation and anger. Time was slipping away, and it felt like each second could be one moment closer to Milo’s death.
“Take a breath, little brother. Your Milo is a capable killer. He’s not going to go down easily,” Raina said.
She was right, but the need to find him still pressed against my chest. “I know, it’s just…”
“You have a sense of urgency. Maybe an ache in your chest,” Raina finished.
“Yes. I’m worried about him.” Of course I had a sense of urgency. I was getting frustrated, and Raina must have sensed it.
“Rowan, stop for a minute. Close your eyes, and take a deep breath.”
“Raina—”
“Just do it!” she commanded. “Close your eyes, and take some deep breaths. Let everything but Milo fade from your mind. Can you do that?”
Of course I could do that. Milo, with his freaky way of eating apples. Milo, who could trip on thin air but somehow manage to take out the enemy while doing it. Milo, who was sexy and sweet and perfect for me in every way.
Raina’s voice seemed more distant when she said, “Now focus on that ache in your chest. That feeling of Milo. It has a direction. Can you feel the slight pull of that direction, Rowan?”
I focused on that ache, my hand once again rubbing at my chest. Milo, eating an apple from the bottom up, seeds and all.
Milo, who couldn’t bake for shit. Milo… I let the need for him fill me, and I focused on that ache.
There was a tiny pull, and it came from the right side of my body.
I opened my eyes, clocking where the sun was.
“West. He’s to the west,” I said.
“Go. We’ll track your phone. We’re on our way,” Raina commanded, and then she hung up.
I put the car in drive and headed out, following that slight tether. It was easy for a while, because it followed the road, which was pretty straight. But then the pull was in a direction where there was no road.
Fuck.
I pulled up the map app and looked. I wasn’t totally familiar with the area, and the ache in my chest gave me a direction, but not a distance. I followed that direction on the map from where I was, and it ended up running through Danfell.
Shit. The neo-Nazis were in Danfell.
With that thought in mind, I took off driving, heading in the direction of the town and hoping that as I got closer, I’d get more precise directions on where to go.
I had to find Milo. He had to be okay.
By the time I arrived at the neo-Nazi compound, a good half hour had passed by.
I didn’t know how long I could wait for Raina, but I could at least take stock of things.
The compound was a big ugly building that was multiple stories tall and made of concrete.
It looked like an old warehouse or office building that had been repurposed.
It was down a long, winding road, and there were trees and empty land surrounding it.
Based on the ache in my chest, Milo was definitely inside.
The building was drab and ugly, but it was also effectively a fortress.
There was a chain link fence surrounding the property, and there was a guard house near the gated entrance.
There were cars and motorcycles parked all around the building, and it was obvious that there were a good number of people inside.
Some of them—a lot of them, in fact—were hellbound.
It was rare to see so many hellbound souls in one place, but I could feel their number, like a thick stench in the air.
Anyone else involved with them had to be at least morally grey, but we could probably spare a few of them if we needed to.
The fact that there were no nearby neighbors or properties would work in our favor in this case.
No one to hear the screaming. I was scoping out the property and doing a sweep of the perimeter when I heard the far-off beating of wings.
It sounded like more than one set, and I looked up to see two spots in the distance.
Riley must have joined Raina, and I realized that Raina was carrying Troy with her as well.
I’d have to thank him. Troy hated being carried for flights.
I shouldn’t have been surprised to see almost everyone turn up, but I was. The only person missing was Ruben, but that was expected—he was a professional piano player and was on tour with a symphony at the moment, and I doubted he could have gotten here quickly enough.
I walked off into a lightly wooded area to meet up with my family. Raina landed, letting go of Troy, who shook himself like a dog even though he was in human form.
“Hate flying,” he muttered.
Riley snickered, and Raina smacked her on the arm, then they all came in for hugs.
“Thank you for coming,” I murmured, giving each of them a quick squeeze.
“I’ll go scope things out,” Riley said after she hugged me, and then she took flight.
I watched as she flew toward the building, her form almost blending in with the surrounding sky.
Riley was gifted at cloaking herself, which only convinced me even more that she was secretly a spy.
I was thankful as hell for her now, though.
She circled the building, stopping at each window, and eventually she came back.
“Milo and Ethel are fine. They’re not even tied up.
There’s two guys talking to them, but they don’t seem panicked.
I didn’t announce my presence because I figured we’d all go in together, although I have a feeling that your mate could deal with this on his own.
Ethel sounds like a spitfire, too. She’d probably happily bash some heads in. ”
I took a deep breath. Milo was okay. Two guys in a room with them—that would be easy for Milo to take care of.
Hell, he’d probably trip and fall and take them both out.
But still, as Raina said, nothing said I love you like being covered in the blood of your loved one’s enemies.
I was going to rescue Milo and prove my love, and then maybe I’d get around to finally saying the words.
“Lotta hellbound souls in there,” Troy commented.
I nodded my head. “Yep. We’ll send them where they belong.”
“You guys can go in on the ground floor, and Riley and I will take the upper floors. One of us can take care of Milo and Ethel first,” Raina commented.
I growled a bit at that. I really wanted to be the one to rescue Milo, but Raina’s plan was a good one and played to each of our strengths.
“Oh, stop it,” Riley said. “I’ll take care of Milo and Ethel, but I’ll let you kill the guys, okay?”
I nodded my head. It would have to do.
With that, Troy and I transformed into hellhounds, and Raina and Riley took their full harpy forms and flew off toward the building. We didn’t bother with the gate house or the guard—he wasn’t rotten, and if he was smart, he’d run. If not, we’d deal with him.
We burned holes through the fence and ran toward the compound.
It was easy enough to burn through their locks when we got to the door, and then we ran into the place.
We came upon our first hellbound soul right inside the front door, and Troy slashed him with his claws, blood spattering everywhere, including on me.
I knew I could just burn it away, but it was still gross.
With that, however, the rest of the compound came running, and I heard a screech from Raina letting us know that she was taking care of things on the upper levels.
Time to go and claim my mate, even if I had to get messy in the process.