Chapter Eight

I woke up as the hand encircled my throat and my arm shot out instinctively but was slammed down on the mattrass. The room was dark and I couldn’t make out the man’s features and I had to wonder how he’d gotten past Gideon's armed guards.

I swung my legs up and flung myself around his midriff and his hold on my neck loosened. I grabbed his arm and pushed it away from my neck as we fell sideways off the bed with a loud thud and I landed on top of him.

“Fuck Ryder,” I heard his voice.

“Elio?” I asked and loosened my own grip.

“You couldn’t call me?”

“What the fuck is wrong with you? I could’ve killed you!” I practically yelled at him.

“Even asleep you never switch off,” he said rubbing his neck where the red was already starting to fade.

“Basil called me.” I wasn't even shocked to hear him admit it.

“Damnit.”

“Some kind of friend you are. Megan’s killed and you find the one person worse than you that apparently took her and you want to go at it alone?”

“Worse than me?” I asked him.

“The man in the big house with all the bodyguards calls Gideon Delanie when it comes to making decisions, all decisions,” Elio said.

“So he’s connected,” I said.

“Connected, armed, rich and ruthless. He is not someone you fuck with,” he said.

“So I keep hearing,” I replied.

“Marlo sends her love by the way.”

“I’ll video call her later when I’m alone,” I said and ducked as Elio tried to smack me against my head.

“Asshole.”

“If you two love birds are done in there, I need coffee,” Basil’s voice filtered through the door.

“Does this mean you’re suffering from immense guilt over the sumptuous Ava from Bermuda?” Elio asked me.

“Don’t even go there Elio. What the hell was I thinking?”

“She left you once before, it wasn’t that farfetched to think she’d bail again,” he said.

“I know. I just can’t help feeling guilty as hell,” I said.

“Try impending fatherhood and a crazy witch’s hormones,” he said.

“Marlo’s pregnant?”

“Ten weeks,” he said proudly.

“Congratulations brother,” I said with a smile.

“I can’t even run away,” he said gloomily.

“It can’t be that bad,” I said with a smile.

“Last week, before we knew mind you, she blasted me with a fireball when I asked where breakfast was,” he said.

“That’ll teach you some manners,” I said as he laughed.

“If I didn’t love that woman so much, I’d have run for my life a long time ago,” he said.

“She’d find you,” I said.

“That’s what I’m afraid of, no use in running,” he said.

Even though it was only five am, Gideon Delanie was downstairs in the dining room, ready for the day and already drinking coffee. Basil and Elio looked well rested and I hadn’t even showered yet.

“I trust your accommodations were acceptable?” Gideon asked me.

“Yes, thank you,” I said.

After breakfast and showering Gideon showed me around his grounds, how his wolves trained and operated, his advanced security system and then called his Beta to put guards on the roof as I chuckled.

The conversation remained light, mostly Basil and Elio talking about our trip to Bermuda, work, family events and Marlo’s pregnancy. Gideon was intrigued with my relationship with the vampire family, my time spent as a hunter and how I’d become Sire.

“Felix actually taught you how to kill a vampire?” Gideon asked me.

“We were brothers in arms, only blood would’ve made us closer,” I said.

“Even their sleeves are identical,” Basil remarked.

“I would very much like to see how you train,” Gideon said.

“Would it be possible for my dragon to emerge and roam for a while?” I asked him.

“Of course, there are no humans here and my territory is a no flight zone,” he said with a smile.

I felt Abeloth push through and gaze at them through my eyes. He cracked his neck and then emerged from me. He craned his neck towards the sky and flapped his wings once as Gideon stood to his full height with his mouth open.

“Magnificent,” he said softly.

“Yes, wolf, even if I say so myself,” Abeloth said before lifting off and veering to the left.

“Sorry about that, he has no filter,” I said as Gideon chuckled.

“Strong leaders never do,” he said.

“Now if you’ll excuse Elio and myself, I think we’ll go get a taste of the local cuisine,” Basil said and winked at me as I smiled.

“Do not kill and heal afterwards,” Gideon said sternly.

“Have we ever killed on your turf?” Elio asked before blurring away as he raced after his brother.

Gideon and I kept walking as he asked me questions about my time spent with Felix in the unit. He was an intelligent man and when I’d asked about Kurt he told me he was being prepared for interrogation.

“I’ve heard many stories about you, some fantastical and others ruthless, nothing is ever just black and white but I can’t take offence when a man wants answers,” he said.

“I don’t mind making enemies, I have enough friends, not many, but the one’s I do have would trade blood for me,” I said.

“The best kind of friends to have. I know you and Felix were very close and that you also look out for Basil and Elio. Have they told you that they never got to bury Felix?” he asked me.

“What?”

“His body was never found,” Gideon said.

“I watched him die, I left him at that house,” I said.

“Who did the clean up after that attack?”

“Joe McFarlane,” I said.

“I would also like to have a word with him.”

“Joe’s dead. I killed him because he was the one that sent us into that ambush,” I said.

“Pity, I hope you took your time with him,” he said.

“Six steel rods, cordless drill, it did the trick.”

“I don’t allow many new faces to enter my territory but you are the blood of my godsons and for that I promise you, I’ll help you find whoever took your woman from you because it certainly wasn’t me,” he said.

“I believe you.”

“Now if you’ll excuse me I have some pack issues to deal with, please feel free to explore wherever you want,” he said.

“Thank you Gideon.”

I had no idea how long Basil and Elio would be so I did just that, explored. I walked his territory and about a half mile in, Abeloth landed next to me and I climbed up his leg and settled down on his back. He took off again and soared through the brilliantly blue sky.

“So he’s not our guy?” Abeloth asked.

“No, I believe him. But I have a feeling that Kurt Greer’s going to take an unexpected trip to Mexico.”

“I guess we’re staying the night then,” he mused.

“Anything of interest?”

“His territory is big and I don’t think they get many dragonkin here,” he said and laughed.

“Shit Abeloth, did you scare the children again?”

“Piss off, I scare big bad men,” he said.

“I like Gideon and I believe him when he says he’ll help us find the motherfucker we’re looking for,” I said.

“I just like the bloody parts.”

Abeloth had landed and merged with me after he had his fill of freedom and flying. As I walked around the vast gardens my phone rang and I looked at the caller ID. “Grey.”

“I need your help,” he said without greeting.

“Is it urgent? I’m in Mexico,” I said to Johnathan Thomas.

“Five months ago the daughter of one of my warriors ran away, well it seemed like she ran away from home. Two months ago the police knocked on her father’s door, she had died in an accident,” he said.

“Okay …”

“Ryder, we just found her again. Alive. She doesn’t remember anything, not even her name, we did DNA tests, it’s her,” Johnathan said.

“That sounds almost impossible,” I said.

“I know, I led her burial ceremony myself Ryder. She didn’t have a twin and I don’t know what to do because who the hell did we burn?” he asked me.

“Is it only her? Has anyone else gone missing or ran away from your lair?” I asked him.

“No, it’s just her,” he said.

“Send me everything you have, every tiny detail, statements and so forth. I’ll send it on to Wentworth, he’s best equipped to handle this,” I said to him.

“What are you doing in Mexico?” he asked me.

“Getting information on Megan’s death,” I said.

“I hope you get the motherfucker,” he said and we ended the call.