It was late into the evening by the time that Carter finally stopped walking. His legs were aching, and he was furious. All he wanted to do was to shape shift into his dragon form and make this task a little easier on himself. He could tell that Amy was in danger, but he could also tell that she was still alive. It was rumored that when a dragon shifter’s fated mate was killed, it was known to their mate immediately.
A sense of desperate loneliness would wash over them and remain in place for the rest of their lives. Their purpose would be diminished, and it was customary for other shifters to take them under their wing and give them direction to help them through the painful process of losing the one they loved.
Carter couldn’t allow that to happen. And so, he was beyond relieved when Amy’s scent was found all over a vehicle that he finally stumbled upon. It was a van, one that food vendors utilize. The bastards must have taken her right off the beach. Carter felt a surge of fear crash over him. Why couldn’t they just pick on somebody their own size? Why did they have to try and hurt Amy? It had to be the enemy. But which one? He hadn’t recognized the wolves. Though Gavin had made it clear that he had some idea of what was going on with them.
Maybe Carter should have waited to speak to Gavin more about what he was confronting. But the urgency he felt to protect Amy had taken over all his faculties. There was no other course of action in Carter’s mind. He had to take care of her. He had known suddenly and without a doubt that she was in danger. And now, it was confirmed.
But the van was abandoned. It was left at the side of the road, its doors thrust open and all the supplies stripped from it. Maybe it had been robbed during the time it had been sitting there, but Carter couldn’t be sure. It didn’t even matter. What mattered was that Amy was no longer there. But she had been.
Carter let out a low growl from the back of his throat as he scanned his surroundings with his purple-hued eyes. He needed to know that Amy was safe. That she was going to be able to make it to the next day. That he was going to be able to confess his feelings and apologize for the way he had treated her. Why had he discounted her as a potential? The descendants came in all sorts of shapes and forms, the Elders had made that much clear.
He had been so stupid to discount her as a mate, even after he had allowed the dragon within himself to speak a small claim on her body. What kind of a man was he to claim her and leave that way? It was wrong. He hated himself for it. And he was going to make up for it. He had to.
But he wouldn’t be able to do that if he wasn’t even able to find her first. eyes seeking out any clue of Amy’s whereabouts. Yes, the place was deserted, but they had to take her somewhere. Were they underground? The wolves had only been spotted at night, so maybe they were in hiding from the daylight.
With this thought in mind, Carter began to scan the area in earnest, following Amy’s scent until it ended abruptly in a patch of earth. Was this the place? It had to be.
Without thinking twice, Carter began shape shifting into his dragon form. He wasn’t going to wait any longer. He had a feeling that time was running out, and the danger Amy was in was mounting every second. There was nobody out here to see him shape shift. He was safe according to the wishes of the Elders. Now, he was going to find his mate and he was going to protect her at all costs. No matter what that meant.
Carter began digging through the dirt and was surprised when he burst through a shallow wall and found himself in a winding labyrinth of tunnels. He had never seen anything like it and scanned the ground, only to discover that there were iron tracks laid out. What was this place? It looked human made, but it was also deserted.
He didn’t have time to worry about it and quickly did his best to hone in on Amy’s location. He wished that she was speaking or making some sort of noise that he could hear, but for the time being, she was either too far away from him to detect the sound, or she was silenced. He hoped that the former was more likely, and closed his eyes, trying to gather up as much of his will as possible to seek out his fated mate and destroy whatever obstacles were in the way of her safety.
Carter began moving, slowly and laboriously through the tunnels. His dragon form was huge compared to the narrow and constricting area that he was in. But he didn’t dare to shape shift back into his human form. He was more powerful this way, and if any interesting enemies began to approach, he would be able to take care of them with one puff of his breath weapon. The Sun Dragons didn’t take any prisoners when it came to the safety of those they cared for. And Amy’s situation would be no exception. Even if the narrow tunnels were a bit confining for Carter’s taste. Still, that didn’t matter. He was going to do everything in his power to make sure she was safe. Even if that meant he was uncomfortable for a little while.
“Shit! It’s a dragon shifter! Somebody get the boss.”
Carter whipped around at the sound of the voice echoing through the tunnel just in time to catch sight of three of the same scraggly looking men that he had encountered when Amy had been cornered in the alley. He let loose a torrent of fire from his lungs and one of the men yelped as the others tried to scramble out of the way. Heat filled the tunnels and one man dropped while the others did their best to escape. Carter lunged forward, tackling one of them. Unfortunately, another slipped through a small crack that he was far too large to reach through.
Damn it. That meant that they were going to be ready for him.
Carter tried to shake it off and bounded through the tunnels quickly, his heart pounding with urgency. He needed to find Amy. He needed to know that she was safe.
Suddenly, the tunnel broke into a wide room and there was a staircase leading up, to where, Carter couldn’t be sure. His eyes darted around the room skeptically, before, finally, he decided to climb the stairs and see what he might find.
He had never been in a place like this before. It reeked of humans, but also smelled like magic. Whoever the boss was, he was close by. And the others were going to be coming for him soon. If he was outnumbered, he wasn’t sure what Amy’s chances of survival may be. He was hoping that he would have the advantage.
Once Carter broke out at the top of the stairs, he took in a sharp breath. Wolves. Hundreds of wolves. Caged and growling at him. An alarm suddenly began to sound and the metallic clink of the cages unlocking filled the room. The doors swung open and Carter cursed inwardly. This was going to hurt.