Chapter Twenty-seven
Bryon couldn’t believe his mate had sold him for a million dollars. He would’ve held out for at least two million. And when the man put grubby paws on his ass, it jumped to three mil.
As they approached the guards at the exit, he kept his eyes to the ground. It would be a miracle if this worked. His temporary owner thought nothing of the security and continued without even looking at the guns the men held. Then Bryon felt the hand on his arm.
His new owner went ballistic cussing at the guard in at least three languages. That drew the attention of others with guns. He wanted to tell the guy to chill the fuck out, but he couldn’t do anything without being made.
Bryon looked back to find his mate, making sure she was okay. He noted the crowd gathering to see what was going on. Kari was among the mass. Just as he turned back, a large hand grabbed her arm and jerked her out of his sight.
His wolf jumped forward wanting to kill everyone between them and her. Fuck his disguise, he would give his life to save her. He should’ve known not to let her walk around with a briefcase holding money. Why did he go along with this insane idea?
Kari’s angry voice came from the middle of a gathering. He shoved his way through to find an olive-skinned man cowering on the ground while his mate beat him with the case. Bryon grasped the briefcase on its swing down and dragged his mate from the crowd.
Right behind him was his owner pulling on him. And on his owner’s arm was a guard yanking him. What a lovely train they made. Kari smacked the case into his owner’s chest.
“I reneg,” she said. “You keep the money. He belongs to me.” A warmth filled him. His mate wanted him. He took her hand and headed toward the exit, but of course, it wasn’t that easy. Mr. Moneybags latched onto the back of Bryon’s robe, jerking it halfway off. Bryon punched the guy in the face, knocking him into others. The briefcase hit the ground and spilled open, dollar bills scattering.
The orderly mass quickly became chaos with people pushing and shoving to get their hands on the money. Bryon fought his way through, his mate with him—her disguise mostly ripped away in the bustle. When they reached the point to break free, the prince stepped through the exit.
Bryon locked eyes with the bastard. The red glowed to life then died back. Goddard was possessed by a demon, just like the hieroglyphics said. He didn’t want to think about the implications. He just wanted his mate out of here.
The prince yelled and guards surrounded them. Kari was torn from his side. His wolf had enough of her being taken from him. His shift was fast. In a heartbeat, his teeth sank into the thick arm holding his woman. Blood splattered on his muzzle.
High-pitched screams erupted along with more chaos as people scrambled to get away from a monster killer. He nosed Kari to get her up and going. His wolf growled as men with guns narrowed their escape route. A sting hit his hind quarters and he yipped. A dart like the one that hit the lady who passed out earlier stuck up from his rump. Fuck.
His mate’s voice faded in his mind. He was going down.
* * *
“Bryon!” Kari yelled. She saw the dart come from the pistol one of the guards held. She was thankful it wasn’t a bullet. Struggling to get to Bryon, she ripped her arms from grasping hands. “Bryon!” She stumbled to her knees by his side. His chest rose and fell. He was alive.
Fancy shoes stopped beside the wolf’s head. She looked up into red eyes.
“I’m impressed you two made it this far. After the water chamber, I could no longer track you.” His eyes scanned the wolf’s body. “I’ve been waiting for another of these for so long.”
“Another what?” she asked.
His eyes never left the animal. “Shifter. I knew he was.” He snapped his fingers. “Take them both to the castle, now. I will be there shortly.” He twirled around and hands lifted her off the ground. She struggled as a natural reaction, though it did no good.
Two of the men tried to lift the wolf’s dead weight. In the end, four guards carried/dragged Bryon.
The other side of the exit wasn’t outside but inside a large warehouse with several cargo vans and limos with blacked-out windows. Men in expensive suits, some with, some without women on leashes, got in and out of the cars.
A white van with a business logo on the side was packed with bodies. One of the women caught her eye. She had dark draping hair and big fear-filled eyes. The two back doors of the van slammed shut and a man walked around to the driver’s side. A long garage door in front of the van slid up letting bright sun into the space. The first sun she’d seen in a while.
The buildings she could see outside the door weren’t familiar. Gone were the quaint houses and brick roads. Instead more metal warehouses and industrial structures. They were far from where they’d started yesterday.
The van drove out and away. Sadness and anger overwhelmed Kari. She had no idea what those women would endure, but their lives wouldn’t be happy. They wouldn’t fall in love, have a caring relationship with a man who respected them. If she got out of this, she would rededicate her life to stopping this inhumane crime.
One of the two men holding her arms jiggled her, bringing her attention back to her own situation. They stopped at the side of a van. Her escort opened the double doors and shoved her in followed by the guys with her mate.
Kari scooted around in the back to cradle her love’s furry head in her lap. Her hand rubbed down the side of his snout and neck, again and again. She wondered how long he would be out. After the handful of men had settled inside the van, they exited through another lift door drove into the sunlight.
She had to cover her eyes from the sudden brightness, but was quickly able to see a bit of the world around them. They drove out of the industrial park and onto asphalt roads barely wide enough for two vehicles.
The steep hills were covered in green, either trees or fields. They passed the occasional townsfolk walking a bicycle along the side of the road. One was walking a cow. She had watched the movie Sound of Music several times as a kid. Much of the landscape reminded her of that movie. The huge sweeping hills of grass and countryside begged for picnickers and dogs chasing balls.
In the far distance, she saw the old castle the taxi driver had pointed out what seemed like weeks ago. From this angle, the structure looked huge. Several stories high with turrets and ramparts and pointed towers. In its day, she imagined the place was spectacular. But as with almost everything, its time had come and gone, giving way to the new and improved.
The men spoke the local language she didn’t understand. The way they glanced back at her and the wolf didn’t bring her comfort. Sometimes their faces reflected fear, other times anger. What did it mean that they were going to the old castle? If the prince wanted to hold them, the dungeon cells under the palace would be fine without the added problem of transportation.
What if the castle had old torture devices like the rack and all those other things she always saw in movies about medieval times? Was the prince going to torture them to get information on who they were? Then she remembered how the prince reacted to realizing Bryon was a shifter. The man had said he’d waited a long time for another shifter. That meant he had a plan for them. Whatever it was couldn’t be good. She needed to come up with an escape plan that included getting past five guards and moving a wolf that was probably twice her weight. No problem.