Chapter 7
Chapter
Seven
We had our snacks and ended up watching the sunrise together outside as we bounced ideas around.
Right now, disappearing into the countryside somewhere seemed the best option.
The problem was getting there. Laila could fly us, but there were restrictions on where she could fly, and it got worse around certain countries. Plus, she stood out a bit.
Most likely, we would need to land somewhere and find transportation for the rest of the way.
It wasn’t ideal for me trying to hide, but we didn’t really have a choice.
On top of that, we had no idea how Laila was being tracked, and that unknown made me worry about trying to grab a vehicle that could be tracked. Since Dylan already knew where we were.
It was getting to about eight in the morning when I leaned back, rubbing my face. The sun was bright, and it was a warm sixty degrees. Laila was searching through the phone, trying to find something we could easily rent. It looked like we would need to get a hotel first.
“What did Mike say?”
“He gave us a few options to narrow things down, but it’s not much help if we can’t find a fly-zone near them.” Her brows were pulling together, typing furiously.
I chuckled. “Maybe we should just…I don’t…let them come.”
“No.”
“At least we wouldn’t need to stress about it. Or hey, maybe he will leave me alone? They have Marcus. I’m not useful to him right now with being mated.”
Laila narrowed her eyes at me. “No. I’m not taking that chance, and neither is anyone else.”
She was about to say something else when the phone rang. Answering it on speaker, Laila growled before the caller said anything. I raised an eyebrow at her.
“I do not have time for you right now.”
“Seriously? You said we would talk today.” Peter’s voice came through the phone, and it made more sense.
I leaned in a little. “Hey, Peter.”
“Colton? What are you…wait, are you the one that Laila is taking care of?”
“I am. Sorry. We needed to keep it quiet for a little while. She’s been helping me here, and she’s honestly been keeping me together.”
Laila smiled up at me.
“How are you doing?”
“I could be better. A little stressed right now. If you need a couple of minutes with Lai, it’s fine.”
Laila growled at me this time. “No. We need to figure this out. The longer we wait, the more likely there are going to be issues. We aren’t doing that.”
“It’s fine. Talk to him for a few minutes. I’ll think about what we want to do.”
I leaned back in the chair, closing my eyes. She huffed, but stood up, walking over to the far side of the yard. It was going to be a few minutes until I would be able to hear her yelling, but for now, I didn’t hear their conversation.
Right now, landing near Amsterdam and heading into the northern part of the Netherlands seemed like the safest and most viable option at the moment. My lips pursed. We would need to rent something and, worse, the further out we went, the less likely we would be able to have help to give birth.
My panic attack was already starting. If I had to give birth away from home, if we weren’t able to get Marcus back before she was born, I would have to be alone. Giving birth without Marcus by my side was a nightmare that I never wanted to become a reality.
Opening my eyes, I looked up at the sky. Laila’s conversation had already gotten loud enough to hear, and I smirked. They were going to have such a long way to go. Still, they talked more and longer each time. Even if they were planning on tearing at each other’s throats by the end.
“No! I don’t know how many times I need to say it. No! No? No. Fucking no!”
I chortled, shaking my head. There were a couple of birds in the sky, and I watched them fly around, probably catching bugs. My eyes narrowed, and I sat up when I saw something else. It looked like a drone flying over the water.
There were boats out on the water today. It was a beautiful day, and it was probably the perfect day to fish. Someone could use a drone from the boat, but it felt a little odd. Something was making my wolf stir. They’d been quiet, but now I felt their fur ruffle, on high alert.
There were a few kids in the house next to us we had heard from time to time.
However, this drone seemed too big to be theirs, and if I remembered correctly, there was also a no-fly zone over here.
Privacy was a big thing in this area. Especially with the type of people who lived in some of these houses.
“Laila.” I called to her, watching the drone get closer.
She didn’t hear me, still yelling at Peter.
I wanted to feel stupid and overly paranoid, but it had taken a sharp turn toward the house.
Standing up, I took a couple of steps into the yard.
My eyes narrowed, trying to see anything about it that would give it away.
It could be Mike, but I didn’t think he had a contact this close.
My heart rate was picking up, and I didn’t turn my head as I watched it rise above the yard.
“Laila!” I shouted at her.
“What, Colt?” She snapped back at me.
We needed to get inside now. I didn’t know why, but this felt wrong. Turning, I reached out and held out my hand to her.
She looked from my hand to the drone flying at an incredible speed toward us.
It whizzed past the house for a moment before it swung back around.
Laila shouted something, and I knew she was running to me, but it was too late.
I tried to move back, but the drone dropped something onto the lawn between us. It exploded into a cloud of blue smoke.
Immediately, I covered my mouth as I stumbled back to the window.
Laila screamed my name, and I started to cough, my back slamming into the glass.
It rattled, but I wasn’t near enough to the door to open it.
Not able to hold my breath any longer, I inhaled the smoke.
The sweetness stuck to the inside of my mouth, and my eyes widened.
It was powdered wolfsbane. It wouldn’t affect Laila, but I would.
Suddenly, from the other side of the house, there was an explosion.
The entire house shook, and debris exploded behind me.
There were shouts, and I heard boots thundering against the floor.
We were out of time. We had waited too long. They were here. This was it.
“Colton!” Laila screamed at me.
She was shifting; the ground shaking as she stepped forward in her dragon form.
I tried to hold my breath, but my head was already swimming.
Running into her leg, my arms were shaking, and the weakness was spreading through my body.
Laila helped me with her front foot, hoisting me until I could reach for a spike, sliding myself into position.
Her rocky formations on her back had already made a perfect place for me to sit, though not comfortably. Not a second later, we were in the air, above the smoke. I gulped in the fresh air, but the damage had already been done.
Below, glass shattered before there was more yelling and barking out orders.
My heart cracked. Everything I had grabbed, it was all gone.
Holding onto Laila’s spikes, I let out a sob.
A shiver wracked through me as she pushed higher into the air.
I didn’t have a sweatshirt or even a blanket.
My feet were bare and freezing against the wind.
My head swam, and I felt sick. The wolfsbane was circulating through my body. It wasn’t potent like this. Dried powered lost a lot of its potency, but it would be enough to weaken or knock out a wolf. Hands shaking, I blinked, but the world was spinning and becoming dark.
“Lai…I’m…wolfsbane…I’m not…you have to…get us…to safety.”
I slumped against her body, losing the ability to hold myself up. She roared, panicking, and a cloud of dust filled the air. Chuckling softly, I closed my eyes.
“I trust…you…find…something…you…can…”
The first thing I felt was my chest rising and falling. Blinking, I couldn’t see anything. Just darkness. My heart beat picked up when I realized I could hear beeping in the room. As though I was in a hospital. My fear spiking even more, I tried to move my body.
“Colt, sweetheart, it’s okay. It’s okay. You’re safe. Don’t get up.”
My eyes widened, surprised at the soft voice. “C-Candy?” It came out as a croak.
“That’s it, sweetheart. It’s me. You’re okay.” I felt her soft touch as she held my hand in both of hers. “We got you. You’re safe.”
The sob that broke out of me was ugly. I cried, barely able to tighten my hand to hold hers.
Laila had flown us back to the Tyson’s. Part of me was mad because I told her we couldn’t put them in that position.
Especially within the flight territory. I’d passed out, though, and was in no state to be complaining.
This didn’t feel or smell like their house either.
“Colton, oh thank the gods.” Tyson, his voice sounding exhausted. “We were so worried.”
His hand rested on my head. I smiled, trying to soak in the warmth. Sighing, I relaxed into the bed again. Knowing they were here, I was no longer in danger. It would be okay here.
“Where am I?”
“The Archives.”
I sucked in a breath. “Seriously?”
Tyson chuckled. “Yes. Laila brought you here, then got in contact with the family. We got here as soon as we could. She was a mess. She didn’t know if you were alive or not.”
“She saved me. More times than I can count now.” I smiled. “She tried to kill me multiple times when she fed me some of her cooking, though.”
I heard her scoff as she threw open the door. “You…you fucking bastard!” Laila screamed at me before throwing herself on top of my legs. “I thought…I thought…you were limp and pale and I…” She sobbed, rubbing her face into the blankets.
“The blue smoke was wolfsbane. It was meant to weaken, but I was already too weak…” My voice hitched. “Our little girl?”
Candice rubbed my stomach. “She’s fine, Colt. She’s a dragon, not a wolf. The wolfsbane won’t hurt her, but…”
My relief caught in my throat. “But…?”
“You’re not doing well. Sweetheart, your body is shutting down. Both Eva and Dean have been working at your side trying to help stabilize you. If you don’t get stronger…quickly…”
Sighing, I knew what they were going to say. “I might not make it through her birth.”
Candice squeezed my hand. “We are going to get you stronger. Don’t you worry. You’re with your family now.”
“I can’t put you guys in that position.”
“You can and you will.” Tyson’s tone left no room for argument. “You are our son, Colt. We will not abandon you. Not now, not ever. Do you understand?”
As much as I wanted to fight it, I didn’t. All I did was nod. Deep down, I felt an incredible amount of relief. A happiness that I was in the hands of people who cared about me. To be out of reach of Ebony and Dylan.
We didn’t speak for a little while, them just holding me within the scents.
A tear slipped down the side of my face and into my hair.
Safe was a luxury I would trade everything in my possession for.
Even with nothing, I finally felt safe. That was enough for me to fall into a comfortable sleep, no nightmares or dreams, just pure, exhausted sleep.