“Hmm, this smells good,” Hunter mumbled, eagerly digging in.
“Mason made it for the trip. All you have to do is heat it up in the microwave, thank goodness, and even I can do that,” Quin grinned. “What are you going to do now?”
Picking up the two empty bowls, Hunter washed them and placed them in the dish rack. Glancing over at Quin, he said, “Probably see if I can nap sitting up until someone wakes up.”
Sliding out of the bench seat, Quin grasped Hunter’s arm. “C’mon, you can lie down on my bed. There’s plenty of room for you and me.”
“No, honey, that’s not necessary. I’ll be fine out here.”
“Please, Hunt. I’m lonely in there,” Quin pleaded.
Studying Quin’s face, Hunter saw the panic in his brother’s eyes, knowing it was caused by his fear of what might happen when they got to Jackson’s pack. With the explosion he anticipated occurring after he revealed the real reason for their visit, Hunter knew Quin’s fear was justified. Smiling at his youngest brother, he said, “Sure, I’m all for sleeping in a comfortable bed. Let’s go.”
Chapter 39
“Wake up!”
Reif knew that voice. Groaning with pain, he rolled over on his side with great difficulty and opened his eyes. “You! What the fuck are you doing? I’m free!”
The man looked down at the sea dragon. “Correction. The rest of the sea dragons are free, but not you…at least not yet.”
“What are you talking about?” Reif tried to sit up again but the short chain yanked him back.
“It seems my employers feel the green diamond wasn’t valuable enough to buy freedom for all the sea dragons so they are demanding additional compensation,” the man replied.
“Me? I don’t get it. I don’t have a lot of money.”
“They know that, but it seems you have something they want. Now, give me your arm.”
“Wait. Where am I? How long have I been here?”
“Don’t worry, you’re still in Scotland. As for how long…let’s just say ‘a while’. Give me your arm, it’s time for your shot,” said the man.
Shit, Nessie will be freaking out. “You better let me go because my mate will be looking for me and he won’t be happy about this.”
“The problem with your threat is you’re assuming the sea serpent will be searching for you. I can assure you the note you left will squelch that desire immediately,” the man said.
“What note? I didn’t write any note!”
“True, but your mate won’t know since it was signed by you…or at least someone who pretended to be you.” The man yanked Reif’s arm over to him and plunged the needle in.
Instantly, Reif felt fire racing up his arm, spreading to the rest of his body, forcing him to curl up in an attempt to fight the pain. “What the fuck did you give me?” he gasped.
“A special growth hormone that will mature your sea dragon eggs faster. My employers have decided your five eggs are the additional compensation they want for your release.” Then the man vanished.
Letting his head fall back on the bed, Reif closed his eyes, fighting the hopelessness that threatened to consume him.Nessie! Our babies!His mind focused on the note the man told him about, wondering what it said and whether Nessie would believe he’d leave him for any reason. Given his evasive actions in the past, he wasn’t that sure he and Nessie had spent enough time together to build the trust necessary to carry them through this and emerge stronger on the other side.Fuck that! We will make it!
As the fire was replaced with ice, Reif began to shiver so violently it rattled the chain against his metal collar. Wrapping his arms around himself, he tried to give his body some warmth but the effort was futile. When the reaction to the drug running through his body faded, exhaustion set in, causing him to fall into a deep sleep again.
~/~/~/~/~
Kieran sat down next to Brian, placing a hand on his thigh as they waited to hear what Zane had discovered.Speaking softly, but confidently, he said, “Captain, keep the faith. Wewillfind Reif.”
Giving a short nod, Brian hung on to a slender thread of hope. He’d finally accepted the note was probably phony, but while that had sustained him on the boat, the thread now was being stretched very thin as he waited to see if Zane had found anything to tell them about what happened to his mate.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Zane said, hurrying in with David behind him. Slapping some papers down, he continued. “Colton was right. The same person who did the documents for the group, did a rush job. Here’s the order, the email and a copy of the note left for Brian. Reif wouldn’t have gone willingly, so he was probably drugged before they took him.”
Passing everything to Brian, Zane then continued. “Kieran’s spirit insists the baby Nessies are in danger but couldn’t give him more information than that.”
