Chapter Twenty-One
“Okay I’m here, now let my brother go just like you agreed.” Halle stood her ground in front of Conrad, even though being this close to him made her skin crawl.
“Not that I don’t trust you, my dear,” he stepped closer and walked a slow circle around her, “but I will release your brother as soon as your signature is next to mine on those mating papers. I wouldn’t want to think you had some foolish hope of double-crossing me.”
“Of course not.”
There goes that plan.
“I’m insulted that you would even think that.” She lifted her chin to look down on him. Okay, even Halle had to admit that it was a weak protest, but come on! Of course, she was going to try to save her brother and then bail on this creep. Who wouldn’t?
“Well then, my little bride,” Conrad held out his arm for her to take and she forced herself to accept. “Shall we make our way to the Council Building?”
Halle took a deep breath and tried to keep calm. What was that Dori had told her right before they’d left this morning? I am stronger than I know. All she could do was pray that her Fairy Godmother was right because she needed to figure out a plan before they signed those papers, and leaving her brother to die at the hands of hungry vamps wasn’t going to happen.
****
“Halle!” Viktor yelled as he kicked in the back door of the little suburban home the ogre had traced them to. A thousand scenarios of what she could be enduring right now swam through his head, making him crazed. He knew he wasn’t being careful, but damned if he could help himself.
“By all means,” the ogre muttered as he followed Viktor inside, “let us not use the element of surprise when attacking a house that is possibly full of hungry vampires.”
Viktor grabbed the first vamp that came running into the kitchen by the throat, holding him up against the wall. “Where is she?”
His only answer was hissing and flailing arms as he slowly cut off the man’s air supply, hoping to entice him to answer. Two more vamps came swarming in and were literally batted away by the ogre’s giant grey arms. Over and over again, he would punt them into the next room and they would come back trying to get to Viktor and their ally.
“Tell me or die,” he demanded, and the bastard finally broke just as his pale skin began to turn a disturbing shade of puce.
“Conrad took her,” the garbled words sputtered out. “He took her to the council building to sign the papers…”
“You lie!” Viktor spat back at him. “Halle is my mate, and she would never sign those papers!”
“Hmm, I think I know how Conrad convinced her…” The ogre’s booming voice came from the next room, getting Viktor’s attention. He hadn’t noticed that the beast must have gotten bored playing with the other vamps, who now lay unconscious on the kitchen floor.
Viktor slammed the man’s head into the wall hard enough to have his eyes rolling back and closing, and he dropped him to the floor before following the deep voice, which was now talking to someone. He came to an abrupt stop when he rounded the corner and saw a man tied to a chair in the middle of the empty living room. He was covered in blood and bite marks, but his scent marked him as a leopard shifter. His blond hair and familiar facial features clued Viktor in that this man was most likely the brother of his mate—and the reason that she would have willingly left him behind to go with Conrad.
He felt like such a failure. The fates had been so generous as to bless him with the gift of a mate such as Halle, and he couldn’t even protect her. She’d sacrificed herself to save her brother, so she must have thought she had no other choice. How could she know that Viktor would bring down hell itself to get to her?
“Leave me! You have to go after Halle!” the leopard moaned as soon as the ogre removed the gag.
“We shouldn’t leave you. You need medical care—plus the vamps aren’t dead, and they will be hungry once they wake…” The huge grey head cocked to the side and looked back at Viktor in question. “Should I kill them so we can leave this one here?”
“Who are you?” the shifter asked.
“I’m Viktor, your sister’s mate,” he answered. “This is Barrett the ogre, and he allowed Conrad’s men to take your sister from me.”
“Hey—I told you what the arrangement was. Now you’re just trying to make me feel bad.” The huge male frowned as he reached forward to snap the ties holding the shifter’s hands and feet to the chair.
“Conrad grabbed me two days ago as I was leaving work. He’s forcing Halle to sign the mating paperwork or he threatened to kill me. You have to go and rescue her!”
“It’s Tavin, right?” Viktor asked as they helped the injured man to shaky feet. “We’re all going to the Council Building to stop Conrad, so that way Halle will know you’re safe. Are you strong enough for that?”
Tavin nodded.
“The Council Building? But there’ll be so many people there.” The ogre was frowning once again. “Can’t I just drop you off in front? I don’t like people.”
Good Goddess, this gigantic beast is ridiculous. Viktor wanted to punch him in the nose for allowing any of this to happen in the first place—but he now knew how painful and futile attempting to fist-fight with an ogre was. I suppose an alternative motivation is the only way to go.
“Barrett, I just need you to make sure Tavin is all right while I go after Conrad. I think you owe Halle that much for allowing them to take her in the first place, don’t you?”
He almost thought his plan had backfired when the thick black eyebrows came together as the grey beast narrowed his eyes, but then the guilt slowly came through and he threw up those giant stone arms in defeat.
“Fine!” he muttered. “But you’d better make it quick and then we’re even.”
“Deal,” Viktor quickly agreed before the ogre changed his mind. “I just have to make one call first.”
Viktor tried to remain calm as the phone continued to ring in his ear, and then finally the other end picked up. “Maleck here.”
“Burton, it's Viktor, we were on our way to the appointment this morning and were ambushed by Conrad’s men. He has Halle and he’s blackmailing her to sign the papers. I need you to stall them until I get there.”
“Shit.” There was the sound of frantic paper shuffling on the other end of the phone. “His name’s in the fucking book for an eleven o’clock appointment. Who in the hell booked this for him?”
The bear shifter was muttering and swearing to himself on the other end of the phone. “Viktor, I’ll try and stall them, but if she signs those papers in front of the council, then there isn’t anything I can do. She’ll belong to him.”
“I know.” Viktor tried to hide the fear in his voice, but he doubted he was successful by the pitied look the giant man at his side gave him. “Just do what you can, Burton. We’re on our way.”
They had to make it in time. He couldn’t imagine any other outcome. If Viktor failed Halle now, he would never forgive himself.