Chapter 14
14
S teel
I hate this. I fucking hate it!
It’s been over three hours. Nearly four whole fucking hours. How long does it take to have lunch?
The duke called her ravishing. Not merely beautiful, but ravishing . Those were his words. What the fuck! I don’t like the male one bit. He’s too damned smooth. Too polished. He’s a prick. It’s easy to see. It’s written all over him.
The other thing I hate is waiting.
I hate that I’m out here and she’s in there, where I can’t see her, can’t keep her safe. Thing is, it’s my duty to ensure that Miss Harris doesn’t escape. That’s it! She can’t escape from all the way up here. There’s nowhere for her to go. I feel responsible for her, too. I feel protective of my charge. I don’t trust Duke Huntington one damned bit. He has a reputation as an asshole. Not just in business, but in relationships as well. He treats females like shit.
The prick called his country manor homely. Homely, my ass! Also, that whole thing about having to be at the castle for business is bullshit. He’s trying to impress the human. That’s all it is. I have a horrible feeling that it might be working. I heard her giggle…fucking giggle. Surely, she isn’t falling for his bullshit? Falling for his tricks and deceptions? Surely, she’s more intelligent than that?
I hope she chooses anyone but him. Augustine seems like a saint next to the duke. A fucking saint. I can’t believe she’s actually going to mate with one of these assholes for money and a lavish lifestyle. I can’t believe it! Then again, I can and should believe it. Some people would do anything for money. They’d sell their own soul.
I struggle to picture her in that light. As a fraudster. A con artist. She doesn’t seem like the type. Then again, I am a terrible judge of character. I’m the worst. That I’m even thinking along these lines should have me on my guard. Fact of the matter is that the human is probably playing the duke rather than the other way around. Even though I’m thinking it, it doesn’t make me feel any better. It doesn’t quite compute.
It’s just that she seems so sincere when she talks about her family. Especially about her little brother. I touch my thigh. She knew all about a Palestine yellow scorpion or deathstalker. That’s not something anyone would know. If her brother loves creepy crawlies, more specifically scorpions, it would make sense. Would the general lie to me about something so important? I feel like someone is lying. Maybe both of them. I scrub a hand over my face. I hate this. I should never have gotten involved. I’m in it now, so I have to see it through.
“You should probably stop pacing,” one of the males assigned to the convoy tells me as he steps up to me, blocking my path.
I look up, ready to argue, expecting hostility, but am met with concern.
“It’s not like I have anything better to do,” I tell him. “I don’t like this,” I say under my breath, shaking my head. “I should be inside there.” I point at the doors, and the duke’s guards stand taller.
He smiles. Maybe he doesn’t know who I am. He wouldn’t be this nice if he did.
“No shit! It’s clear as day that you don’t like this situation, but your nervous energy is freaking out the duke’s guards. Miss Harris will be done soon enough.”
I take another look over there and they are all standing in a line, still blocking the door. All of their eyes are on me.
“Do they think I’m going to try to charge inside?”
He chuckles. “Are you?”
I guess I am giving off aggressive vibes. I would like nothing better than to plow through them and to find the human.
I push out a heavy breath. “If my charge doesn’t come out soon, I might. She’s been in there for over three hours now.” I keep checking the watch in my backpack pocket.
“The human was with the count for over four hours and with that idiot, Jasper, for nearly five.”
I grunt. He’s right; I’m overthinking this whole thing.
“If you want, we could fly around the castle and keep an eye on things? I’ll let the duke’s guards know that we are keeping the perimeter secure.” He shrugs. “I’ll report back to you if I see or hear anything suspicious.”
I nod once. “Yeah, that’s a good idea. Thanks,” I say after him as he goes over to the others, relaying our discussion.
There’s nodding. One or two of the males look over at me. Four of them are heading out, and two are remaining here. Then he goes over to the duke’s guards and has a conversation with them, too.
The male – I feel bad; I can’t remember his name – shifts, and the others follow suit. Then they head out. I watch them take off one by one. I feel slightly better, but not enough to relax.
I won’t be able to do that until Jen…Miss Harris is out here where I can see her. Fuck that prick, calling me an untrained puppy. If there’s an untrained pup anywhere around here, it’s him. The male hasn’t worked a day in his fucking life. He doesn’t know what hardship and sweat are.
I realize I’m pacing again and force myself to stop. I force myself to relax. It’s fine. Miss Harris is fine. It’s all going to be—
A scream punches through the air, causing adrenaline to rush through my body. The scream was made by a female and clear as day. My hackles go up. A few scales push up to my skin, rubbing hard. My dragon urges me to shift. He wants to protect the female.
My entire focus is on what’s happening inside that castle. On finding Jen, on homing in on her. I checked as we flew in, and aside from the three turrets, there are four wings to the building. It’s big as fuck. Going in the wrong direction could cost me time.
“Stand back,” a guard growls at me. I realize that I have stalked toward them. That I am only eight or ten feet away from them. I didn’t even realize that I was moving.
“Stop,” the one in the middle growls. “Stand down,” he adds.
“You may not enter,” one of the others says.
There’s another scream just as a dragon lands behind me. Its roar turns into a yell as he shifts. “It’s the human. She’s in trouble. Lowest turret in the west wing,” he shouts as three dragons land behind him.
I don’t wait. I shift, my clothing ripping from my body. Fire and flame shoot from my maw before I’m even fully shifted, engulfing the guards at the door. Using my tail, I sweep them from my path as they scream and writhe.
I roar, more flames shooting from my mouth.
The lowest turret.
I turn in that general direction, moving fast, trying to keep my rage under control so that I can listen for her…for them. My hearing is better in my dragon form, and it doesn’t take long before I pick up on their conversation.
“What’s wrong with you?” the duke yells.
I pick up my pace, a low growl percolating in my chest.
“I said no!” Jen screams. “Stay away from me.” Her tone is laced with fear, making all of my hackles go up.
Kill him!
Kill!
“I’m not spending a penny on goods I haven’t sampled,” the duke says; it sounds like he’s smiling, which makes my blood fucking boil. Plumes of smoke leave my nostrils. I hold back a roar. I need to keep a handle on my dragon.
“I’m not going to pick you, so there’s no point in sampling anything. You’re an asshole!” Jen screams. I’m getting closer by the second. There should be an entrance to the turret somewhere close by.
The duke laughs just as two guards jump to block my path. I char them with hot flame, along with a table, some chairs, and the heavy drapes. Everything around me goes up in flames.
I keep running toward the sound of her cries.
Fuck!
There! I find a spiral staircase. I shift and start running up the stairs. I climb as fast as I can. The sound of footfalls below alerts me to more guards on my heels.
“That’s not true,” the human shouts as I take five steps at a time.
What isn’t true?
“Of course it is.” The duke laughs again, sounding evil as fuck. “You’re mine, human. The sooner you accept that, the better. Now, be a good girl and—”
“Get your fucking hands off her,” I snarl as I enter the large airy space at the top of the stairs. It’s a round apartment, complete with a kitchen and a living room. There’s also a bed. The duke is holding Jen by the wrists. Her blouse is ripped, exposing her lace-clad breasts. The belt on her pants is broken. It’s clear that he is up to no fucking good. He looks like he is trying to get her to lie down on the bed. To accept his advances.
Prick!
“Oh, look, it’s your puppy dog.” The duke smiles at me. “You should leave before I—”
“Get your hands off the female before I break them one at a time, so fucking help me.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” He lets her go. “I am the duke. I—”
I tackle him with a snarl that rips right through me. The duke lands hard on his back. His face becomes a mask of rage and shock. “How dare you!” he spits. “Get off—"
“Oh, I dare.” I punch him in the face. Once…twice...three times. Blood sprays as I pulverize his lip. His nose breaks. His jaw cracks. I’m trying to go easy. I don’t want to accidentally kill this disgusting excuse for a shifter. Not because I think he doesn’t deserve death, because he does, but because if I kill him, I will be in a world of trouble. The human might end up in deep shit as well. I can’t have that.
“Steel!” Jen yells. “Behind you.”
I leap to my feet just as four guards pour into the room. There are more behind them. Soon, they’ll overtake me. I need to get the human out of here and to safety.
I turn and grab Jen, picking her up as I run. “Trust me, please.”
I don’t wait for a reply. There is no time. I pray she does as I ask and follows my lead. I keep running for the doors and kick them open as we reach them. Glass breaks and wood splinters.
Jen screams and turns away, hiding her face in my chest. She holds onto me as I keep running. With zero hesitation, I jump from the balcony. There is no railing. All of the balconies at the castle are designed for the comings and goings of dragons.
I let her go for a second as I shift; her hands are pulled from me as I do. She’s screaming. Then I grab her carefully with my talons as we fall. It happens long before we reach the rocks below. I catch her easily, and she stops screaming as soon as I do. Then I start flapping, the rest of the guards falling into formation around me as we fly as hard and as fast as we can. The duke is screaming profanities from the balcony behind us. I don’t stop to check if his guards are following us. I don’t care.
I’m fucking livid. A part of me wishes I could go back and kill that bastard duke. I wish I’d hit him harder. He deserves it after what he did.
There is flapping behind us, but it doesn’t last long. They give up the chase as we near the villages. It won’t be long before we reach the palace, and then there will be some explaining to do.
Five minutes later, we land in the courtyard. Jen tries to pull her blouse closed. She is crying. Fuck! I hate that she is crying. Her mascara is running. Her eyes are red. Her nose, too. It doesn’t matter that I’ve heard her cry many times before; this is different.
“Is she okay?” the male guard asks as I hoist her into my arms.
“She will be,” I tell him.
“We will be sure to tell the general exactly what happened,” he says. “In detail. I heard much of what went down.”
“Good. Thank you.” I want to ask him his name, but it isn’t the right time.
Then I’m walking away, my strides eating up the ground. Jen has her arms around my neck. She isn’t crying as hard anymore. Every now and then, she gives a soft hiccup.
I fucked up.
I should never have let her out of my sight. Never!
The general has a lot to answer for.