Chaos erupted all around them as Draco placed Ryland by the door with instructions to stay out of harm’s way.  Like he planned to get in harm’s way.  Ryland was not a fighter, at least, not a physical one.

He was great in a verbal confrontation, but as soon as punches were thrown, he was out of there.  That it was shifters doing the fighting made Ryland rather be anywhere but there.  If only that had been an option, then maybe the one man meaner than even Refugio wouldn’t have caught him unprotected.

A hand wrapped around his body, yanking him into a wall of hard muscles as a second hand cruelly covered his mouth and nose, cutting off Ryland’s ability to breathe.  But as terrifying as that was, the sinister voice in his ear was far worse.  “I was afraid I’d have to leave without you, my pet.”

Ryland’s heart sank, his knees buckling as realization of who held him sank in.  Garian.

A chuckled that should have belonged to the devil himself sounded in his ear.  The same one Garian gave when he bit Ryland as he fucked him.  The majority of Ryland’s scars came from this one man.

Garian gave the word sadist a whole new meaning as he’d come up with new and inventive ways to torture Ryland whenever he got the chance.  When Garian had disappeared after Refugio had been killed, Ryland had foolishly believed he would never have to see the man again.

Apparently, Garian had only left so he could plot against the new Council.  How could he have been so naïve as to believe Garian would just walk away?  The man had constantly boasted that one day he would kill Refugio and become the new Chief Council.

There was no way Ryland was just going to allow Garian to get away with this.  He needed to get to Draco.  To warn him, but Garian’s hold was just too tight.

Ryland fought for all he was worth, but that hand stayed right where it was, blocking his airway.  Spots danced in front of his eyes, but Ryland refused to give up. He knew his life would be over if Garian took him.

“It’s good to see you’re excited to see me, pet.  I’ll be sure to remind you who you belong to before the night is over.  But for now, it’s time for you to go to sleep.”  Even as Garian spoke, blackness enveloped Ryland as the lack of oxygen took its toll.

He tried once more to fight, but he could barely move.  He felt his body slump against Garian.  His mind screamed for Draco, but it was too late.  The darkness surrounded him too quickly.

 

***

 

“What do you mean he’s missing?” Draco roared in anguish as the entire manor had been searched and there was no sign of his mate.  He refused to believe Ryland would just leave him.  They may not have completed their mating but Ryland seemed to be warming up to the idea.

He had to find Ryland.

Draco ignored the useless excuses given by the guard who’d come back with the news that Ryland was missing and went back to the last place he’d left his mate.  Sniffing the air, he smelled a presence he didn’t know.  “Who else was here?”

Lowell and another guard came over to where he stood.  Their faces drained of all blood when they sniffed the air.  Both men stared at each other, looking as if they were ready to faint.

Draco didn't care what had these men terrified.  All he knew was that he needed to find his mate. He grabbed them both by their collars and lifted them high into the air. "Talk," he ordered.

Both men started stumbling over their words. "I thought he left," Lowell said. The other one insisting, "It had to have been Garian who came up with this plan. The others just aren’t smart enough."

Draco shook them to get their attention and stop them from babbling. "Tell me where he took my mate."

It was the only thing that really mattered.  Who this Garian was or why he did it was irrelevant. Draco just needed to know where he was so he could kill him.

Lowell shook his head. "You don't understand. Garian is evil."

The other guard nodded in agreement. "He was the one who did everything Refugio wouldn't do himself."

Lowell actually looked ready to piss himself just talking about this Garian person. "He was Refugio's assassin, doing things that even the devil himself wouldn't have done."

None of that mattered. "I don't care what he did.  He will die for taking my mate. Now, where is he?" Draco roared.

Lowell now gazed at Draco in terror as if he had something to say that he really didn't want to. Draco could actually see the battle within his eyes, like he was deciding between life and death itself. "You need to know, Garian's favorite person to torture was Ryland. Garian is the reason for all of those scars." Lowell appeared ready to die for what he told Draco. He wasn't far off. Draco was in a killing rage.

He dropped both men onto the floor. There was no stopping the shift from taking over. In seconds Draco went from human to a twenty foot Dragon with brilliant blue scales covering his body. The manor, as enormous as it was, was no match for his sheer size. Screams could be heard as people scrambled to get out of the way, not only from his animal, but from the walls and ceiling crumbling around them.

Saber ordered men to open the doors, not that it would help. There was no way Draco could get out those doors at this point. "Draco, you have to shift back," Saber ordered.

That wasn't going to happen. Draco needed to save his mate.  Until then his Dragon was there to stay. He leaned down his snout, getting close to the two guards who had given him the information about Garian. In his dragon form he couldn't speak but then again he didn't need to. They knew exactly what he wanted.

"I - I - I - I don't kn-know wh-where he is," Lowell said.

The other guard shook his head also agreeing with the first one. But it was from an unlikely source that he found his information. Keira came right up to him and put her hand on his snout, her eyes pleading with Draco. "There's a cavern that Garian used to take Ryland to. I can show you."

As much as Draco did not want to take Ryland’s sister into danger, he also needed to find his mate. If anything happened to Ryland, Draco didn't know if he would survive. He wasn't sure the rest of the world would survive, for he knew his grief and rage would take over until everything near him was destroyed.

He picked Keira up, and placed her behind his head. She didn't need to be told what to do. Her hands instinctively went to his scales and held on. Just as he turned to leave, Saber stepped in front of him. "You need to take me too so I can have your back."

Saber was right. And just as he went to pick Saber up Chadwick was right there holding on as if refusing to allow his mate to go without him. Draco didn't have time as Saber tried to insist Chadwick stay behind. He just picked them both up and placed them near Keira then took off. Plaster, wood and stone disintegrated as he made a new hole in the top of manor.

"Well, that's one way to destroy the place," Chadwick quipped. "Probably a lot easier and faster than any other way we could come up with."

Draco ignored him as he listened to Keira's instructions on how to get to the cavern. As big as Draco's dragon was, he did have the ability to land softly, like a feather to the ground, so as not to disturb anything around him. More importantly, not alerting Garian that they were there. He plucked Keira from his back and placed her high in a tree, hopefully keeping her safe.

"From what Ryland told me, the caverns run deep. He said Garian's favorite spot was near a water source. But that's the best I can do," she said with regret. "I've never actually been inside so I can't lead you further than this."

Draco gave her a nod. He eyed the entrance and knew he would never be able to enter in this form. He just wasn't sure he could convince his dragon to relinquish its hold on their body to his human one. Saber and Chadwick had both already climbed down from his back and were standing there staring up at him. He thought it would be Saber who demand he change back but instead it was Chadwick who said, "That's your mate inside there. You need to man up and shift back, because Ryland needs you."

Just days ago, Draco would've been appalled to agree with Chadwick. But he had to admit the sarcastic man had been a big help when it came to Ryland. If they got out of this, he would need to apologize to Chadwick. Just the thought put a bad taste in his mouth. But he did as Chadwick said and shifted back into his human form, his dragon fighting him the whole way.

"Let's go," he said the moment he was back in his human form. The advantage of being the dragon was the fact that they were partially magical, which meant when he shifted his clothes remained with him, as did the weapons that he always kept on him.  

"It's time to go hunting." That was one thing Draco excelled at. He may not always have the best control over his emotions and sometimes let his anger get the better of him. But when he hunted, he always got his prey. Garian was a dead man. It was a fact.  Only the timing and the manner was undecided. No one took Draco's mate and survived.