“What about her brothers?” he asked, the secret plan he had been turning over in his brain coming to the surface. “She said she had family, specifically a couple of brothers whom she called a two-man army. Do you know how to find them? We’ll need some serious firepower if we’re going to bust her out of that place.”
Harriet grinned. “Smart, Mr. Grandstaff. And, lucky for you, Rowan’s brothers are on their way here right now.”
“They are? But I thought she said they lived far away?”
“Five… four… three… two…”
The front door opened, and the sound of heavy footsteps reached his ears. A deep voice called, “Hello?”
Nick got to his feet and exited the office. Two of the largest men he’d ever seen stood inside the door. Professional-athlete big. One was dark and enormous as a linebacker, the other blond, tall, and exceptionally focused. Nick was used to being one of the biggest people in any room. Not today. At the moment, he felt positively petite.
Harriet shuffled out from behind him and gave a knowing smile. “I was wondering when you two would get here.”
“Mrs. Fernhall?” the blond asked, looking utterly confused.
“A white lie. It was Rowan’s wish that you not find her. I am Harriet Everwood, bonded servant to your sister. Hello, Gabriel.” She shook the dark-haired man’s hand, then clasped the blond’s. “Tobias.”
It was the one called Gabriel who spoke next. “We almost didn’t find her. If we hadn’t tracked down our brother Alexander’s residence in Sedona and put together that the gallery in New York buying all his paintings must be Rowan’s, we’d still be searching for her. When Alexander’s neighbor said he hadn’t been home in several days, we took a chance there was still time to catch up with Rowan here before she moved again.”
“I’m afraid your inability to track her was my fault. I’ve had a concealment spell protecting her for several months. But I must ask, why the sudden urgency to find her?”
“She is in great danger. There’s a price on her head. On all our heads. Vampires are hunting dragons by order of their elder council, the Forebears.”
“Vampires?” Nick said with alarm. “You’re too late. They already have her!”
A collective growl came from the two men, and Nick took a step back.
“Who is this, Harriet?” Gabriel gruffly gestured toward Nick. “And why is he suggesting the vampires have my sister?”
“This is Rowan’s bonded mate,” Harriet said. “And he’s the one who witnessed her abduction.”
“Bonded mate?” Gabriel’s eyebrows rose toward the ceiling.
The weight of the two brothers’ stares bore into Nick. “I’m not sure I would describe us as bonded.”
Harriet pointed toward the office. “It’s in your blood. I can see it as if you were tied to her with a ribbon.”
Tobias held up his hand. “Not that Rowan’s love life isn’t fascinating, but it sounds like our sister is in trouble. Can one of you fill us in on the details?”
Nick launched into an explanation of what was happening, trying to convey everything he knew about NAVAK all the way back to what happened at Wicked Divine. When he got to the part about Verinetti, he could hear the venom in his voice. He’d never wanted to kill anyone so much in his entire life. And her brothers’ reactions did not disappoint. The sheer fury rolling off the two men became a palpable thing.
Tobias glanced at Gabriel and then back at Nick. He pulled out his phone and started typing furiously. “We should go now, while the vampires are asleep.”
“Agreed,” Gabriel said. “If this place is as secluded as Nick says it is, one of us can shift and burn it to the ground while the other gets Rowan out.”
Nick cleared his throat. “You can’t burn the place down. There are humans in there. I saw them last night. They call them the herd. They’re all compelled by the vampires and tattooed like chattel.”
The brothers groaned. “We both go in then,” Tobias said. “Nick, we’ll need you to show us where she is.”
Nick nodded and started toward the door. “I have a car.”
But Harriet held up her wrinkled hands. “I’m afraid that would be a disaster,” she said in her high, tight voice. “The spell I performed using Nick’s blood says you should attack at twilight.”
“But that’s when all the vampires will be waking up!” Nick protested.
But Gabriel pointed a finger at her. “She’s right. If we attack at twilight, there will be pandemonium. The vampires will be weak. Perhaps they won’t have fed yet. And when it comes to the security contingent, the day shift will be exhausted.”
Nick couldn’t believe his ears. “We can’t just leave her there all day! Who knows what they’re doing to her!”
