Chapter 2
Chapter Two
D esmond DeBeque strode into his office building, tossing his briefcase at his personal assistant. “You take that to the war room. I’ll meet you there after I check in with Kumar and see how my mate his doing.”
Gods, he was sick of this shit. Of spending all of his time away from his mate, not daring to see him until this negotiation was over, until he knew Alistair and their baby were safe.
He’d just had a lunch meeting with a lawyer from the rival dragon clan, and it hadn’t gone well. What they wanted was freaking impossible, but he was trying to stall for time.
The Galandel clan was notorious for involving mates in their bullshit takeovers. That was how they got what they wanted instead of honest hard work.
And Des fucking hated it. He hated leaving Alistair alone, especially while he was pregnant, but the more indifferent he appeared to his mate, the less danger Alistair was in.
He pulled out his phone, dialing his butler cum valet. Kumar handled everything on the home front with skilled precision.
“Hello, sir. How may I assist?”
He smiled at the clipped tone, which told him Kumar was busy cleaning or some such and was annoyed to be interrupted.
“Just checking in with you about Alistair, Kumar.”
There was a long pause. “He went out for lunch with Miss Lila Handscome, sir.”
He blinked, then shot his suit cuff to check his watch. “When?”
“At eleven-thirty.”
“Kumar, it’s almost three.”
“I know. I will call Luigi’s…”
“I’ll do that. You call his driver.”
“Yes, sir.” Kumar hung up, and, his heart racing, Des dialed up Alistair’s favorite restaurant.
“Luigi’s.”
“May I speak to Luigi, please. This is Desmond DeBeque.”
“Of course. One moment.”
There were some advantages to being him.
“Mr. DeBeque. What can I do for you?” Luigi was a Marscian brown bear shifter, and a very gruff, kind man.
“I’m wondering when my mate left after lunch today.”
There was a sharp, indrawn breath. “He never arrived, sir. Miss Lila waited some time.”
“And have you seen his car?” Kevin generally parked in the alley now that Alistair was pregnant, he knew.
“It is not in the back, no.”
Dammit all. “Thank you, Luigi. I’ll speak to Lila.”
“I’m sorry, sir.”
He hung up, then scrolled through his contacts to find Lila Handscome. He called, and she picked up right away. “Alistair? Is that you?”
“It’s Des, Lila.”
“Oh, dammit. I was hoping Alistair was using your phone.”
“When did you make your lunch plans?”
“I emailed him last night. He answered this morning in a text. I can send it to you.”
Shit. Where are you, Alistair? “Any information would be helpful.”
“Of course. I went out back to look for him, too, but there was no car in the alley. I should have called you, but honestly, I assumed if he was going to stand me up it would be because you came home for lunch.”
“I had a work meeting.” Panic started to fill his chest, and Des tamped it down ruthlessly. He had to think, and panic would not fix that.
“Ah. Well, if I hear from him?—”
“Thank you.” He hung up, then immediately called the damn lawyer he’d met with earlier in the day.
“Brandise and Lawrence.”
“Where is he?” He roared it like the alpha dragon he was. They had taken his fucking mate.
“I beg your pardon?”
“What the fuck have you done with my mate? I know you have him.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Alpha DeBeque. I was in meetings with you all morning.” But he could hear the worry in the guy’s tone.
“You get on the damn phone, and you find him, and you tell them if he isn’t returned to me now, today, I will burn you to the ground. Literally.”
“Of course, Lord DeBeque. If my people have erroneously taken your mate, you will have him back today.”
“Immediately. I’ll be awaiting your call.” He would be, although he would hardly be sitting around waiting for it. No, he was going to Luigi’s to see if he could track his mate from there. He tried to find Alistair’s mental signature, but he couldn’t.
They would have been very careful to keep Alistair far enough away to not alert him. But he also worried they had drugged him into sleep. Drugging a dragon could be unpredictable, and Alistair was pregnant to boot.
Rage roared through him, and he tamped it down, heading down to the garage. He had to be cool. Calm. That was the only way to get this situation fixed.
And once he had Alistair safe and back with him, negotiations were over. He would burn the Galandel clan to the ground.
He got in the car and headed to Luigi’s, because that was where his mate was supposed to have been last. He had the driver park in the alley, because that would be where Alistair had pulled in. People would be more than a little shocked about a pregnant male.
Sometimes, integrating into human society was difficult, but they had taken over the world they lived in, so there was no other choice.
“Keep the car running,” Des told his driver.
“Yes, sir.”
He climbed out of the big SUV and walked to the back door of the restaurant. He closed his eyes as he stood there, trying to sharpen his other senses.
Alistair had been here. He could feel it. The faint traces of fear scent in the air, the tiny hint of blood… But not Starry’s blood. No, it was Starry’s driver who had been hurt.
He felt guilty thanking the gods and goddesses that none of Starry’s blood had been spilled. He hoped the driver wasn’t dead. But the car, and its driver, had been moved.
He breathed deeply, searching for… Yes. Starry had been drugged. Oh, fuck. The vehicle that had taken him had a unique signature, though, and he would be able to follow it pretty easily.
So he took off like a bloodhound, and the car followed, his driver jumping into the car to give chase.
And every so many minutes, he would call out. Alistair! Starry, where are you?