Chapter Nineteen – Kim

“Tea?” Kim walked into the room without knocking. Her heart hammered in her chest as a guard approached, his hand tucked inside his jacket, no doubt wrapped around the handle of a gun. “Sorry, am I interrupting?”

“Yes,” the guard snapped, his hand under her arm.

“Careful, you’ll spill it.” Kim turned her body, slipping her arm away from the guard. “I thought after the excitement of the explosion, we all need some tea. Earl Grey.” She aimed this at the man perched on the edge of the desk, looking down with menace at the jeans-wearing man she’d seen walking into the house.

“Let her put the tea down.” Quentin Harrod gestured to the desk, and as he did so, the room exploded. The man in jeans pulled something out of the briefcase he was clutching and launched himself at the dragon shifter, who was too slow to react, and a needle plunged into his neck, the contents expelled into his bloodstream so fast, he barely had time to howl in rage before it was too late.

Behind Kim, the door splintered as a foot slammed into it, kicking it open, and Jay, followed by Alex and Wyatt, ran in. The guard pulled out his gun, but Jay landed a punch on his jaw, knocking him to the floor instantly.

Quentin swore and made a grab for the man who attacked him. “What did you do?” Quentin howled.

“I gave you your precious virus, just like you asked,” he spat out the words, coated in a thick foreign accent, before swinging his briefcase at the dragon shifter’s head. The briefcase split, but not before it knocked Quentin out cold.

Tiberius and Guy entered the room, and they all looked at each other, trying to comprehend what happened.

“Stay back.” Kim ushered them back toward the door. “He has the virus.” She pointed toward Quentin, who lay groaning on the floor.

“We need to get him to drink the tea,” Tiberius said, moving past Kim. “Which cup?”

“The one on the left.” Kim locked eyes with Jay. “You all need to get out of here.” Then she swung around to face the man who had injected Quentin with the virus. “Is it airborne?”

“What? No.” He shook his head and looked down at the dragon shifter as Tiberius lifted his head and put the cup to his lips. “What are you doing?”

“Giving him something that will make him sleep for a long time. Then you’re going to show us where your lab is so we can destroy the virus.” Kim crouched down next to Tiberius. “Do you need a hand?”

“Wait.” The man in jeans got up. “Not yet.” He grabbed what was left of his suitcase and searched through the papers inside. “I want him to sign this first.”

“What is it?” Wyatt came over and took the papers from him.

“Wyatt. You’ll be infected,” Kim warned him.

“No,” the man said. “It’s not what you think.” He glanced sideways at Quentin. “My name is Petrov Kinesin. I only want this piece of trash to pay for what he’s done, to me and everyone else.”

“So you made the virus?” Kim asked. “Do you know what it could do to the shifter community?” Or was that what Petrov Kinesin wanted? To wipe out shifters everywhere.

“It’s not.” He moved closer to Kim and beckoned her to him. She moved closer, her peripheral vision picking up Jay’s movements as he closed in on them. “Permanent.”

Kim sat back, and then caught hold of Jay as he moved to grab Petrov. “It’s okay.”

“Is it?” Jay asked, searching her face. “Are you all right?”

“Yes.” Kim nodded. “What does Petrov want Quentin to sign, Wyatt?”

“It’s a document signing over all of his assets to a charitable trust.” Wyatt assessed Petrov. “Do you think this will work?”

“I offer him the antidote, he signs the papers,” Petrov replied.

“And what happens when it…” Kim rocked her head to one side and mouthed, “Wears off?”

“I will be out of the country, he will never find me.” Petrov held his hand out for the papers. “This is my plan. Let me finish it. This creature has ruined so many lives. At least his money will be put to good use.”

Wyatt handed Petrov the papers. “Here. He signs the papers then we all take a ride to the lab. You make a move and I’ll tear the papers up. Got it?” Petrov nodded.

“What about the tea?” Kim asked.

“Give it to him before he regains consciousness,” Wyatt ordered. “But he doesn’t leave this room until he’s signed those papers.”

Jay knelt down by Quentin and helped Tiberius administer the drugged tea. Just to make sure he had the full dose, Tiberius emptied the vial into his mouth, too. Quentin coughed a couple of times, but swallowed it all down. Then Jay slapped the dragon shifter’s face none-too-gently, to wake him.

“There he is,” Jay greeted Quentin with a growl. “We have something for you to sign.”

Quentin coughed and pulled at his collar. “What have you done to me?” His hand immediately went to the site of the injection as he remembered Petrov attacking him.

“I gave you the virus,” Petrov told him. “Try to shift, and you will see your dragon is no more, you are just a weak, pathetic man.” Petrov was not holding back.

“I’ll kill you!” Quentin raged, but then his face turned toward the door. “I have to go.”

“You are not going anywhere, not until you sign this.” Wyatt jabbed his finger at the papers in Petrov’s hand.

“I won’t sign anything. I’ll rip you to shreds for what you have done,” Quentin snarled.

“Then you won’t get the cure,” Kim replied. “Sign the papers.”

“And then what? You kill me?” Quentin asked.

“No, you are free to go. You have my word,” Wyatt told the dragon shifter.

Quentin tried to get up, but Jay and Tiberius pulled him back down to the floor. “Sign the papers.” Quentin’s fingers clawed at the carpet as he tried to drag himself toward the door. “You aren’t going anywhere.”

Tiberius whispered in Quentin’s ear. “Is your treasure calling to you? Can you hear it? It needs you.”

Quentin put his hands to his ears. “Make it stop.”

“It will stop once you reach your hoard,” Tiberius promised. “But you have to sign.”

Quentin grabbed the papers and scribbled his signature where Petrov indicated, not caring what he was doing. “Now, let me go.”

“We leave together,” Wyatt said. “You walk out of here with us, and we leave in the van parked around the back. Then we go to the lab, and you get your cure.”

Quentin stood up and as he did, his eyes went out of focus. He was trying to summon his dragon. Nothing happened. He howled in rage and lunged at Petrov, but then stopped and turned around, heading out the door.

“Let’s go,” Jay said, ushering everyone out.

“Couldn’t stay away?” Kim teased Jay as they jogged to keep up with Quentin, who was striding out of the mansion.

“It seems Liam and Wyatt were conspiring behind our backs,” Jay told her, although he didn’t sound too upset about it.

“Liam’s here, too?” Kim asked. She hadn’t seen him inside the mansion.

“He’s outside, flying around, keeping Quentin’s men out of our way it seems.” Jay put his arm around her and pulled her along. They were nearly at the back door, where only an hour before they were searched by the guard.

“Are you okay with all this?” Kim asked. “With Quentin put into an eternal sleep, rather than going to jail?”

“What prison is going to hold a dragon shifter?” Jay asked. “And despite what he’s done, I can’t condone murder.”

“I agree.” Kim kissed his cheek. “It’s nearly over.”

“I hope so.” Jay stopped, sounds of a bird squawking loudly reaching them as Quentin opened the door. “Liam’s been having fun on his own.”

Liam’s eagle was dive-bombing anyone who got close to the door. Or anyone who tried to break away from the group.

“Playtime is over,” Wyatt told them as they left the mansion. “You’re all dismissed.”

“Who the hell are you?” one of the men asked.

“Friends of your boss,” Jay said with a grimace. “Tell them, Quentin.”

“What?” Quentin asked as he headed to the van, oblivious to everything.

“Tell them you have new plans that don’t concern them.” Jay walked right up to Quentin. “If you ever want to see that treasure of yours again, and I know you do, you’ll tell them.”

“I’m leaving,” Quentin said. “So get lost, all of you.”

“Hear that?” Jay asked. “He doesn’t need your services anymore.”

With no further words, Kim’s friends all got in the van. “Shall I drive?”

“Sure, we need to pick up the other car,” Wyatt reminded her.

Kim drove away from the mansion, waiting nervously while Quentin punched in the code to open the gates. Jay directed her to where Harlan’s car was parked, and Alex and Tiberius got out of the van.

“We’ll follow you,” Alex called as he and his dad ran across to the car and got in.

“Where to?” Kim asked Petrov.

Petrov gave them directions to the lab, which was situated on the outskirts of town in a small warehouse. When they arrived, Quentin once again gave instructions for his men to leave, permanently.

“Now, give me the antidote,” Quentin demanded.

“Petrov?” Jay asked.

“I’ll go get it.” Petrov went to a small glass cabinet and took out a vial, then he fetched a syringe and measured out a dose of clear liquid.

“What are you giving him?” Jay asked, looking suspiciously at the vial.

“Saline. Want me to inject myself to prove it’s not poison? Even if it’s what he deserves,” Petrov said savagely.

“I understand where you are coming from,” Jay replied. “But killing him will only put blood on your hands.”

“And this way is much worse,” Tiberius told Petrov. “He gets to spend an eternity listening to his treasure calling him in his sleep.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Petrov replied, injecting Quentin with the saline solution. “It may take a couple of hours to work.”

Quentin looked at his arm and then turned to head for the door. “I’ll walk.”

“Hey, hold on there,” Wyatt took hold of Quentin’s arm. “Do we just let him go?”

“No.” Tiberius beckoned Alex. “We’ll follow him. When the virus wears off, if he turns dragon, we’ll follow him through the air. I want to keep tabs on him.”

“Good idea,” Alex agreed. “I can fly with Dad on my back.”

“Are you sure?” Kim asked.

“Yes,” Tiberius replied. “Absolutely. We’ll tuck him up nice and safe, and then return home. Unless you want to witness it, Jay? Or you, Petrov?”

“No,” Jay replied. “It’s done, I trust you two, and I want to get home and give my son a hug.”

“A son?” Guy asked. “Congratulations. Another thing you kept from me.”

“I only found out a couple of days ago,” Jay admitted. Then he held out his hand to Guy. “I’m going to trust you with destroying this place.”

Kim handed Guy the keys to the van. “It was good to meet you, Guy. Don’t be a stranger.”

“Same for you, Petrov. If you are ever near Bear Creek, look us up.”

“I will.” Petrov turned away, picked up a chair and began smashing the computers.

“I’ll make sure he does a thorough job,” Guy promised. “And remember what I said.”

“I will.” Jay took Kim’s hand and led her from the building. The others followed.

“See you back home,” Alex told them. “Tell Mom and Sapphi not to worry.” He ran to catch up with Tiberius, who was following Quentin. The dragon shifter was jabbering about treasure, his hands waving in the air.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Wyatt said as they got in Harlan’s car and headed home to Bear Creek.

“I know.” He took Kim’s hand. “I want a fresh start. It’s all behind me now.”

“All behind us,” Kim reminded him. “We look forward, not back.”

“Maybe I should take your advice.” Wyatt looked out of the window and didn’t elaborate anymore. He was lost in his own thoughts, wrapped up in his own past.

“I could sleep for a week,” Jay yawned as if to prove a point.

“I might join you. Although I don’t think our son will let us,” Kim smiled at the thought of their little boy. Archie might have been a secret baby, but she needn’t have worried, Jay loved him. He completed their lives.

And what happy lives they were going to have. Dealing with Quentin was the catharsis Jay needed, she was confident they could build a new life for themselves, and their beautiful son.

Babies were a gift, and Kim intended to give Archie a brother or sister. Only this time there would be no secrets, and Jay would be by her side. Forever.