Silence fills the alley, broken only by my heavy breathing and the distant sounds of the city. My knuckles are bleeding, my jaw throbs, and I feel more alive than I have in days.
I pull out the silver-infused zip ties I always carry and secure Kaine’s wrists behind his back. Then I hoist him over my shoulder. He’s heavy as hell, but I’ve carried heavier.
The walk back to my SUV draws some stares, but nobody interferes. They know better. They see the look on my face and the unconscious shifter over my shoulder, and they keep moving.
I dump Kaine into the back of my vehicle and secure him with the built-in restraints. Then I inject him with enough sedative to take down a bull elephant. He’ll wake up in about an hour with a hell of a headache and his vaccination card all up to date.
Job done.
I climb into the driver’s seat and start the engine. I’m tempted to smile, but I don’t.
Fuck that!
My phone buzzes with an incoming message. It’s from Drake. He wants to meet with me.
I shake my head and snort.
Here we go. He’s going to try to talk me into attempting a mind-bond again with the new Tributes. They’re set to arrive in about a month.
It brings back some memories best left dead and buried like my soul.
I’m still paying the price for my last broken bond.
I’d rather take out both my eyes with a hot poker every morning than put myself through that again.
I send a message to Sally, telling her that I’m on my way in with Kaine, so they can be ready for us when we get there. Then I turn the key, firing up my SUV.
Let me take this asshole in, and then I’ll go and collect Falkor.
It’ll be back to the boring shit for me.
I’m perfectly fine with that.
2
Wren
“Right, Lyssa.” I smile at the young dragon shifter sitting on the exam table as I prepare the syringe. “Just a little pinch and we’ll be done.”
She’s maybe twenty-three or twenty-four, with long auburn hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail and striking eyes. Like all shifters, she’s beautiful. I’ve been on the island for over a year already, and I still get floored at how gorgeous they all are.
“I hate needles,” she admits with a nervous laugh, looking away from the vaccination I’m preparing. “I know I’ll heal the second you pull it out of my arm. I know I’ll barely feel a thing, but I still hate them.”
“That’s okay. A lot of people do.” I pull on a fresh pair of gloves and grab an alcohol swab from the container. “The good news is that this will be over in just a few seconds.”
I tear open the swab packet and clean a spot on her upper arm, just below her shoulder. I know that I technically don’t have to swab shifters since they heal too quickly to get an infection, but old habits die hard. I would hate to go back to the Mainland in a year or two and end up injecting a human without following the right protocols because I became complacent here on Draig Island.
“Take a deep breath for me,” I instruct, picking up the syringe and removing the cap.
Lyssa obeys, her eyes squeezed shut.
“And exhale slowly.”
As she releases her breath, I slide the needle into her arm, quick and smooth. She barely flinches. I depress the plunger, administering the Hemorrhagic Fever vaccination, then withdraw the needle.
“All done.” I press a cotton ball to the injection site, applying gentle pressure. Again, unnecessary, but I do it anyway. Shifters who come through my rooms tell me it helps take away the sting.
Lyssa’s eyes pop open. “That’s it?”
