Chapter 32 Tash
Tash
The mountain road stretched ahead, ink-dark and empty except for the wet gleam on the shoulders. For about five minutes, I fooled myself into thinking this was peace. A clean break from the noise, from Chance's wild promises, and the hungry way his kiss had lingered.
I'd barely hit the switchbacks when a set of headlights gunned out of nowhere and glued themselves to my back bumper. Too bright. Way too close. The light clawed at my mirrors, burned holes in the rear glass, and then the SUV behind me edged tighter, big as a tank.
Jesus.
I checked my speed. I was just at the limit. The chunk of metal behind me didn't care. It prowled after my little car, engine revving high, so close now I couldn't see anything but spots.
I tapped the brakes and moved over to the shoulder to let them pass. The SUV pulled into the oncoming lane and surged up beside me, windows so blackened they looked painted.
My gut dropped. This wasn't good.
They veered, hard, and very nearly hammered into my car. I swerved onto the shoulder just in time, every nerve screaming, and skidded to a stop at the lip of the ditch.
My heart was sprinting. I hadn't even processed fear yet, just the need to fucking run.
Two men were out before I could put the car in reverse. They used some sort of key fob to unlock my car doors. I didn't even know such a thing was possible.
William led the charge. Even in the weird light, I recognized the smug expression on his face.
The other one loomed behind him. Taller and heavier, with a neck thick as a ham. This was a different guy from the creek when they attacked me. His small eyes never moved off me. He ripped open the driver's door and got both hands on my arm before I even had breath to scream.
Why hadn't I stayed at Chance's? Why hadn't I gotten a gun or at least some pepper spray after they'd attacked me at the creek? Fucking hell, I was too damn stupid to live. They might as well let them kill me now.
"Told you we'd see each other again," William sneered, like he'd been waiting for this his entire life.
I tried to bolt, dropping my weight against them to try to throw them off balance, but it was like a toddler against an adult.
William had zip-ties ready. "Mark, give me her wrists."
Fast as a gunshot, my hands were yanked forward, and William cinched my wrists so tight the plastic sliced into my skin.
"No, no, no!" I twisted, tried to plant my feet, but Mark clamped a hand behind my neck and shoved my head down.
The last time I'd been scared, Chance had sensed it. Tonight I was about a dozen steps past the level of terrified I'd been before.
William jammed a lump of gum in my mouth, spiking my panic even further.
I tried to bite his fingers, but he moved fast, like he'd done this maneuver a million times before.
Spearmint exploded in my mouth, a taste so strong and sharp my tongue went numb.
It was like they'd put ten Altoids in my mouth at once.
I sputtered, almost puking, but he clamped my mouth shut as he grinned, eyes hot with triumph. "Chew. It'll prove you're human. Monsters are all allergic to mint."
What the actual fuck. No wonder my girls were allergic. I had no idea. In all the conversations we'd had, it hadn't come up.
The taste was foul because it was so damn strong.
I choked it down while William and Mark went to work.
They smeared mint leaves on my cheeks, under my jaw, across the pulse at my throat.
I smelled like a candy-cane factory, but it didn't have any other effect other than tasting and smelling strong.
I kicked and squirmed. William swore when I kicked and managed to hit him in the knee. This wasn't even about me. Not really. It was the twins. Their mint allergy. The way it made them both crumple in pain.
The bastards held me, pinning my shoulders even with me bleeding from where the ties slicing skin. My face ran with tears. Half from the menthol, half from rage and humiliation.
"Easy, sweetheart," William purred. "You've proven you're human, so you'll be fine, as long as you play along. We know what happens when a monster's mate is doused in dragon bane. Or mint, call it what you want."
He traded a long look with Mark. William leaned in, his grin wide and full of glee. "Your monster gave himself away, Ms. Winters. The eyes, sweetheart. Real showstopper."
Chance. They had seen him. My mind ground to a stop, panic laced. If they were the hunters Chance had mentioned, they'd try for the girls next. They'd killed Chance's father.
Mark wrenched my shoulder and hissed, "Move, or we'll break your arm. I don't hurt humans, as a rule, but I'll make an exception for a monster fucker."
I crashed against the open SUV door, trying to twist free. Black, new car smell rolled over me as William twisted me into the back seat. He slammed the door so hard the SUV rocked.
My wrists were slick with blood but didn't really hurt. Once the adrenaline wore off, I was in for a lot of pain.
"Stay down," Mark barked, and pressed my head to the seat as I tried to squirm out the other side.
They didn't stop. Not for a second.
William upended my purse in the footwell, then fished my phone out.
"Unlock it," William snapped. "Turn her face up."
Despite my best efforts, he angled the phone in front of my face. The damn thing blinked once, then let them in. I truly regretted ever fishing it out of the creek and storing it overnight in a bag of rice. Damn modern technology with its water resistance.
William's fingers stabbed at the screen. He found my thread with Chance. Typed. Then he turned the phone so I could see the words.
I'm home.
The reply came back within two seconds.
Sleep well.
A scream built in my chest, but I couldn't let it out.
Chance had no way to know, to warn our girls. He'd sleep easy thinking I was safe, not miles away getting manhandled by assholes with a mint fetish.
William saw me watching. He didn't even try to hide his pleasure.
"See? No backup. Nobody's coming. That's the trick, isn't it, being prepared.
The mint all over you will ensure your precious dragon doesn't sense your panic.
I know you've not mated him yet or you'd be allergic to the mint, too, but this way we won't have any surprise visits. "
He chucked the phone out the window. It slapped the blacktop and skittered into the dark.
My entire body thrummed with panic, frantic and raw.
William leaned on me, keeping me pinned down with an elbow as the SUV rolled forward. Mark accelerated.
We climbed. Sharp curves, up the mountain, my ears popping. A part of me counted the turns. Left, right, left again, cataloguing each bump and twist, in case I survived so I could warn my family. It was futile, though. In these mountains it was impossible to keep up with all the turns and curves.
William started talking. Not to me, but loud enough.
"Not too far to the cabin now. I'll let the boss know it's in play when we get there to cut down on arguments. If they've got any other dragons in the family, they'll show. Especially if they think we'll hurt her."
Mark shook his head but didn't argue.
Bait. They wanted to turn me into a fucking goat tied to a post.
"She's human," Mark muttered. "We should just ditch her. The mission's killing monsters."
William snorted. "She's a traitor, a monster fucker, so it doesn't matter, does it? Sexing it up with a monster? Makes her a monster, too. And he's attached now. They're wired for it. You take the mate, you can wipe out the whole clutch."
He meant Chance. And the girls. And probably every Meyer in the county.
A different kind of chill crawled under my skin.
William shifted, stretched, and kept rubbing mint leaves into my wrists every couple of minutes, like he was seasoning meat.
Finally, after a dozen more switchbacks and a half-mile of nothing, the SUV wheeled into a narrow drive lined with trees and brush so thick it might as well have been a hunting blind.
Mark parked at an angle, engine still running.
William half-dragged, half-pushed me from the back seat. I could see a cabin now, dark, sunken into the hillside, its porch light off, nothing to suggest life inside.
No chance to call for help. Not unless I counted the birds and the wind, neither of which gave a damn about me.
I dug my boots in, but he just lifted me by the elbows and kept moving, stumbling through the entryway, wrists raw, and kicked backward. My boot hit something with a satisfying thump.
"Bitch!" William snarled.
"What the hell is going on here, Hanlon?" a woman's voice snapped.
She stood at the edge of the tiny kitchen, tall and lean, with her hair pulled back in a braid. Her arms were crossed, her jaw locked so tight I could almost hear the teeth grinding.
William's tone changed, just a little. "Kira! Got your present."
She didn't smile.
Her eyes moved over my face, down to where the mint leaves and blood dyed my skin. Then she looked at the men.
"This isn't protocol," she snapped. "She's not what we hunt."
Mark spoke slowly. "She's screwing the dragon. Makes her fair game."
Kira rolled her eyes. "The Order protects humans. It doesn't harm them. Or use them as fucking bait."
William set his shoulders, ready for a fight.
"It's necessary. The whole valley's gone rotten with dragons.
If you want a clean sweep, you snag the mate.
Monsters always come for their own. I know you said that the daughters are full human, but I have my doubts.
You're the lead for this mission, but I think our intel is being screwed with. "
Kira moved fast. She got in William's face, not even blinking at his height advantage. "Maybe you forgot, but the reason we exist is to keep humans out of the crossfire. She's not the problem. And yeah, I'm in charge. You two need to work on remembering that."