Chapter 23
Jared stumbled dizzily as he was pulled along.
The back of the store faced an alley, and it was devoid of any possible witnesses.
A cart and horse sat tied outside a neighboring building and Ray shoved him into the back of it, clouting him once more across the head.
, causing more dark spots to dance cross his already wavery vision.
Moments later, he felt the cart move. He felt his tea and cake threaten to make a reappearance and he swallowed reflexively to try to keep it all down.
He closed his eyes, hoping the dizziness would pass and he would regain his wits long enough to make a break from the cart without hurting himself.
He must have passed out instead as he he came to while being manhandled into some kind of outbuilding.
A barn? Where?
“He don't look so good,” he heard Bob say.
“His hole will still work and I'm sure we can get that delicious mouth of his to do its thing.”
God, no.
He struggled to make his mouth move even as he felt hands tugging at his jeans and underwear.
“Flip him over and lift his head. I don't want to see that freakish belly,” Bob said.
“Yeah, easier to reach his ass that way too.”
“Please,” Jared managed to croak.
“See, he's begging for it. What a slut,” came Ray's voice from somewhere far away.
“Pl-please,” Jared managed to get out again. Cruel hands gripped his jaw, forcing it open while another pulled his head up by his hair. A smell of strong musk mingled with the scent of sweat and grime from an unwashed body as something tapped his lower lip.
“Open up,” Bob commanded.
Bile rose even as Bob's member slid past his lips. Jared gagged as he vomited around it.
“Shit!” Bob's cock disappeared from Jared's mouth and the hands let go.
A punch landed on the back of his head.
“Disgusting whore! Look what you did. Should make you lick every bit of that up! Bob, take his shirt off and use that to wipe you up, then make him suck you good and proper.”
“Ugh, lost my erection now.”
“Well, wipe up. I'm sure you'll get it back.”
The darkness threatened to overwhelm Jared again.
He fell forward, heedless of the bulk of his belly, falling slightly to one side.
He barely registered his t shirt being ripped from around his shoulders and someone shifting him over to a vomit free section of floor.
He shivered. He felt a hand twist in his hair painfully while another gripped his right hip.
A growl cut across the silence of the moment, giving his attacker pause. The hands released him.
“Back away,” Jared heard.
Danny? He's found me? Jared curled up on himself. Please don't be a dream.
“You, you were just a-” Ray sputtered.
“A wolf. Yes. Now back away from Jared or you'll find out first hand just what my wolf can do.”
Jared whimpered.
“It's okay, Jared. It's me, Danilo. I'm here and you're going to be all right. I can't speak for what is going to happen to these two, though.”
It really is Danilo. Danny found me. As relief overtook him, Jared passed out.
Jared came to, blinking his eyes to try to clear the blurriness.
“Thank God you're awake.” Steve's face came into focus leaning over him.
A look of confusion crossed Jared's face. “You're okay and so is the baby. We're in our room, here on our packlands, ” Steve reassured him.
Memories came flooding back. The tea shop. He'd been at the tea shop with Alice, Tim, and Danilo when he'd gone to the bathroom. He gasped suddenly, his hands tightening into fists.
“Easy, now,” Steve said, patting his hand.
“You're safe. Danilo got the guys.Tim had the tea shop manager raise the alarm when he realized neither you nor Danilo had come back, and he discovered the extra two scents. He and several of the townspeople followed the trail. Those two are currently prisoners of the Fae court awaiting a joint council trial. They brought you here and fetched me and the doc.I promise you, everything is fine.”
Ray and Bob were caught.
“Did they..?” He looked away, unable to meet his lover's gaze.
Steve placed a gentle hand against one cheek, gently turning him so that he faced him once more. “No,” he said softly. “Danilo stopped them before they could.”
“Sorry.”
“For what? It's not your fault. You didn't ask them to do any of it.”
“Alone.” Jared cleared his throat. “I shouldn't have gone to the bathroom alone.”
“Probably not,” Steve agreed. “But I probably would have agreed to let you, same as Danilo and Tim. I'd never have thought they'd get all the way into town and be right there in the tea shop restroom. It was against the odds.”
He's not mad at me. Thank God. I feel so stupid though.
Steve let go and caressed the side of his cheek with the back of his hand. “You rest here. I'm going to let everyone know you're awake.”
Jared nodded, closed, his eyes, and prayed to not see the faces of tormentors behind his lids.
He heard Steve's footsteps as he crossed the room to the door, the soft snick of the door opening and then closing.
As Steve's footsteps faded, Jared took a deep breath.
The two men were in custody. His nightmare was over.
Surely the council would find them guilty.
He was safe. Jared's hands caressed his belly, feeling a reassuring push against one palm as a foot or hand pressed outwards towards him.
Jared smiled. Their baby was okay. Now he just had to get through the trial, get married, step up as the official Alpha Mate, and give birth.
He smiled wryly to himself, opening his eyes.
“Piece of cake,” he told himself out loud.
He turned his head towards the door as he heard the sound of hurried footsteps. The door flung open, “Thank goodness you're awake!” Alice exclaimed. “Dr. Schaeffer said you were all right, but you had that lump on your head and we were all so worried!”
“Now, Alice, don't smother him,” Alan said from the doorway as Alice enveloped Jared in a hug. She released him and turned to give Alan a stern look. “I'm not smothering him. A mother is allowed to hug her child and since he's Steve's, he's mine too.”
“Can't win an argument with her, Dad,” Steve said, also entering the room.
Alan sighed. “She does have her way of winning.”
Alice smiled in triumph. “I certainly do.” She fussed with Jared's covers. “Did Steve tell you the men are in prison? Their trial is set two days from now. No one wanted to delay it much, and the doctor said you should be able to attend in two days, so that's when it's been set for.”
Jared swallowed and looked over towards Alan. “Do...do I have to see them?”
“Only to point them out,” he reassured him. “Same as Silas. “
“Silas will be helping shuttle those agents back and forth so they aren't missed. The men are being held at the Seelie Court, but the trial will be here.”
“No time distortion for them then,” Steve said.
“That'd be awkward,” Jared agreed.
“We should let Jared rest,” Alan said.
Alice looked disappointed, but nodded. She dropped a kiss on Jared's cheek. “I'm sorry our trip was spoiled,” she whispered.
“Not your fault,” he whispered back.
Alice looked into his eyes searchingly for a moment, then nodded. “Try to get some sleep. Once the baby's here, that'll be in short supply. Steve used to sleep in half hour bursts, I'm telling you. And Dale, Dale was a real night owl.”
“You can tell him all about it another time,” Alan said.
“I'm coming, don't nag,” she said in a clearly exaggerated tone of exasperation.
“Who, me?” Alan quipped, widening his eyes in innocence.
“See what I had to put up with growing up?” Steve said as his parents left.
“Mm hmm. And you love it,” Jared replied.
“Yeah, now you get some sleep,” Steve said as he maneuvered himself on top of the covers on the other side of the bed. “I'll be right here.
Jared closed his eyes, convinced he wouldn't be able to sleep. Despite the low, persistent throb of his head, it didn't take him long to prove himself wrong.
R.W. had to hand it to them, the wheels of justice certainly moved a lot swifter in their world than it did in the human one.
Once Jared had been found and the two men caught, things moved very fast. The two men were kept locked up by the Fae court while the case was prepared.
He'd checked out some of the physical evidence, including the shirt the men's one dead victim had been wearing.
Less than a week after the Jared's rescue, here they all stood, in what appeared to be a remote corner of garden on one side of the pack's headquarters.
The trial was over- he'd been asked to let various wolves, vampires, and Fae to sniff the shirt of the one dead victim while Jared, Steve, and Silas all had been asked to verify that these two men were the same men who had committed the various offenses.
The two men had been questioned by the Fae court's interrogators after he and James had shared all they'd learned during their investigation.
The two men seemed to think they were invincible.
They not only had readily confessed to everything when asked, though insisted they had not intended to kill anyone.
Given the severity of their crimes, that doesn't mitigate things much though.
A guy still died and they hurt so many people who will have to live with what they did for the rest of their lives.
One of their victims is the son of the king too, and another the mate of the next Alpha.
They'll be lucky to keep their heads, I reckon.
The two men, now known to be New Jersey residents Robert James and Rayvon Trice , stood before the Seelie King, Laurie, and Alan Chang.
Robert had a smirk on his face while Rayvon looked towards Jared and gave him a half lidded look before blowing him a kiss.
It didn't go unnoticed and Steve was not the only wolf in attendance to growl in anger.
Rayvon merely cocked his head to one side and gave a mocking salute.
Very lucky indeed, RW. amended.