Chapter 15 The Beast

Lucas

"Be safe. I will wait here." Silence.

A stunned expression decorated his hard features. He stood outside of an exclusive club when his Rie ended the call.

Damn! His queen was the definition of challenge. He surmised he would have to look for better methods in wooing her. She had warmed up to him this morning. He had loved the relaxing feeling of her company.

Later. Maybe he could take her out on a moonlit stroll and a picnic fondue. He made a mental note to ask for help from the sisters-in-law.

Speaking of sisters. Where the hell was Indali?

"Pat, where's my sister?" There was a pause on the other end. His question might have puzzled him because they both knew they were the best at what they do. He waited patiently for his sister's head of security to respond.

"Princess Indali is in the building, my king. I checked about 10 minutes ago and she's on a cooking demo." He answered confidently.

"Double check it. My Queen is worried because Indali was not answering her calls. She was supposed to be at the restaurant an hour ago. Call me when you see her. I want to talk to her."

"At once, ο βασιλιάς μου." He ended the call with a sense of uncertainty. Why was there a schedule change? His sister was always organized with everything. (my king)

He will check Indali at ICE himself after he was done with the Elements. This was the newest and hottest supernatural club in the city. And this could be the place where Cecile met her partner for the night.

All he was after was the surveillance tapes so their hackers could review them and possibly get some clues.

Who the hell victimizes women in New York City?

***

"Thanks, Al. I owe you one." He shook the hand of the club owner. The lion shifter, Alfred, was a survivor of the Battle of Monte Cassino during World War II. They flew him and his family in the midst of heavy bombings from the Nazis.

"Anything you need, my king. I'm at your service." He bowed deeply. Lucas knew he meant it.

"I forgot to ask. Did you notice anything unusual going on at your club these past few days?" This was the last question playing in his mind since he entered this establishment. There was a scent that kept on nagging him.

"Now, you've asked it. About a week ago, I smelt a strange scent from a wolf. He was of royal pack scent but he has a burnt aroma that goes with it." Alfred's dark eyes frowned in thought.

"Did you get a clear view of him?" Strange indeed. The burnt smell can only be associated with dark witches and necromancers.

"Nah, he has hooked up with a pretty elf before I can talk to him and they left right away. I know the girl. She's a regular here." Fuck! He had an obvious inkling of who the lion shifter was pertaining to.

Lucas tried to look nonchalant and nodded. It's not that he didn't trust the guy. What he couldn't overlook was someone might overhear their conversation and the culprit will be warned before they could get to him.

Every evidence was pointing out to a certain man. The wolf was reported missing since their confrontation.

He lifted his chin in thanks and walked casually out of the place.

His lungs were filled with Autumn's slight chilly air and he heaved much-needed oxygen to relax a bit.

The next destination was ICE, to Indali then to his beautiful rider.

The chime on his phone made him glance at it. His heart clenched and his blood ran cold when he read the conversation on the screenshot photo and without delay, he dialed his Rie's number.

Fuck! Voicemail. He dialed once more while he shouted orders to his men. "Get my brothers. Indali was kidnapped and the asshole wants my queen in exchange. Tell them to meet me at the restaurant!"

Lucas paused, hearing the hard breathing on the other line. His jaw clenched.

"Rie! Wait for me. Please." She was too silent except for her heaving breathes. Shit! She had decided and it will cause them more than they could ever bear. "Don't, sweetheart. Please." He begged. His mind was in upheaval.

"I need to or he will do worse to your sister. You have to understand. Be ready. I called to let you know so you can follow at a distance. I'll send you the address as soon as I have it." She hung up and he was left with a beeping sound of a call ended.

Fucking shit! That had become a habit of hers.

"Sonofabitch!!!" He shouted his curse at the darkening sky. Think, Lucas!

His beast wanted to come out. He immediately placed a firm barrier to prevent shifting. New York City was not ready for a huge golden dragon flying in the sky.

He needed help. And he needed the best noses in the world.

"Alexander, I need your help. My sister was kidnapped and Anna Marie has gone alone to rescue her." He gritted out. Every word was a lash at his gut.

Expletives curses were heard from the other line before they all finally calmed down.

"We'll be there." His only response. The Lycan King's voice mirrored his.

Lethal and destructive.

Please let him get there on time. Wherever it was.

***

"The call is on. I believe she is in a car by the sounds of it. Our tech has tracked her via GPS. Do you have your men ready?" Fuck, yes! Dracon's luminous eyes peered at the Lycan King and his royal Beta.

"My commanders and I will fly above your convoy." He couldn't fight the shift anymore. The beast inside of him wanted blood and they both wanted to save their soulmate and sister right the fuck now.

"Okay. We move out in 5 minutes. My wolves are scouting the area as we speak. They have tracked Anna Marie's scent." Thank the gods for allies. Whoever the villain was, he must have some help from their enemies. They had placed a witch decoy in place of Indali's.

It took powerful witchcraft to be able to do that to a royal dragon princess.

Right now, he didn't give a damn about witches. They will cross the bridge when they get there. It was a sure bet they were dealing with old enemies. What he most care about was rescuing his Argetlam and his sister.

Fear was an unknown emotion until the love of his life had decided to face a fiend by herself.

Fuck! He clenched his hands and faced Alexander. "I need to fly." He gritted out. That or destroy the whole restaurant. Anna Marie will never be able to forgive him if that happened. For the first time, the place was closed and the workers were sent home.

With his grim, dark gray eyes shifting to black, the Lycan King nodded his approval.

Lucas took the stairs two at a time to the top open terrace of the building, his brothers behind him. The pent-up turmoil inside of him has to be let out.

Hughes squeezed his tense shoulder. "We will get there on time, my king."

He lifted his chin in acknowledgment. No coherent words could come out of his lips. That beating ball of nerves inside his chest was aching and he could barely breathe from the torment.

His mind had one goal. Save Indali and Anna Marie. To have her safely back in his arms tonight.

____________

Anna

The Lycan Queen

"I'll go with you," she growled. Her wolf was howling inside her. Wanting to be close to her sister.

Alexander's face was grim. Shit! She knew what was coming. He had to know. "Mia anima..."

"You have to understand, Xander. If...if...she was sexually abused at a young age. She may not want a man around if...if...that man..." She couldn't finish. Those memories had been too painful for them. "I should be there."

His mate sighed deeply and he pinched the bridge of his nose. Anna knew she won.

She glanced at Alexie. She nodded imperceptibly and she knew she had her support.

"Fuck! Okay, my love. But stay in the car with Alexie. And you will be guarded. Be ready to kill anyone who is not in our group." She nodded and embraced him. There was no time to cry. Anna Marie needed her to be strong when they got her back.

-Hold on, little sister. Hold on.-

----------------

Lucas

In his deep agitated musings, he noticed the moon glowed like silver tonight. An ethereal promise she was there to guide her creatures. The stars surrounded her like diamonds of unequaled value. Guarding the priceless gem. Long have they worshiped such beauty.

Next time he flew, his glorious Argetlam will be riding him in a stunningly breathtaking evening such as this.

-Find her first.- He thought grimly.

His mammoth beast arched its outstretched wings. There was something slow and deadly graceful in the way he reigned supreme in the night sky. His purpose -- to kill his prey.

-Kill our enemy.

This was the first time he had spoken to him since this afternoon.

-We will, dracon. He will be naught but ashes when we are done.

The heavy rhythmic beat of his wings was his answer. Their commanders on each of their sides.

They followed the SUVs' convoy below them. Almost there. He could feel his little chef's presence.

Tinted cars slowed down at the dangerous parts of Harlem. Fuck!

His glowing orbs studied the area. No street lights and no human people game were enough to stroll the dark streets.

Their men got out of the vehicles, followed by the Lycan King and his second.

They will recon the area on foot from here to avoid alerting their enemies.

Behind the pair of his dragonish luminous eyes, he found a perfect spot to land. With practice art, he shifted midair and landed on his human feet. Dust and dried leaves swirled around him then settled.

Uncaring of his nudity, he led the troops together with Alexander. Their massive form stealthily scouting the abandoned houses.

They were at the south end of the street when they heard it. Scuffles. Then screams and shouts.

"Fucking rogues!" Alexander growled deadly, ready to attack. He halted him in one hand.

"He is mine." He snarled then crouched down. Some of their men began to shift into their wolves and strategically circumnavigate the area.

Lucas signaled for his men to fly above them for added protection for their Queen and princess.

Unkept men with foul rotting skin emerged from behind the dilapidated dwellings. At least twenty assholes would die tonight. Or more.

"You trespass, your Majesties." He was the obvious self-proclaimed leader. Half naked in torn trousers and bulging muscles. He sneered at them in a challenge.

Alexander smirked. "New York is an Alliance territory. You fuckers are the ones who had trespassed and you had taken something of ours." He shrugged out of his coat, making a show of it. Never taking his eyes from the rogue in front of him. Transforming in his huge Lycan. His huge size towering over them.

The rogues took a step back. Unsure.

Lucas wanted to roast him and his party on the spot. Barely holding onto his rage. Caution rearing its head. They didn't know who had Indali and Rie. Or they might be mind linking someone that could harm the girls before they could reach them.

"Release my Queen and my sister, rogue," he spoke for the first time. His voice that of his Dragon. Low and rough. Hot steam gushed from his every word. Scouring deadly fire not far behind.

The filthy leader paled and some of his bravadoes left him. His men scuffled nervously around him.

"Dragon King...we...the witch paid us to fight you but she didn't say anything about the women. We didn't know!" At this point, he was beyond reasoning.

"Where are they?" He roared. In a blink of an eye, the rogue was raised before him by his neck. His grip tightened to let him know he could break him with little effort if he chose to.

"There are some...activities going on...at the house down..." The rogue gurgled for a shallow breath.

A familiar voice screamed in terror in the stillness of the night and his blood ran cold. It came from a few blocks away -- hearing it clearly because of their advanced abilities.

Michael shifted to his lycan as well and howled. A signal to their men.

Lucas flung the man away from him and roared. He took off, uncaring of his surroundings. Trusting Alexander to take care of the rogues.

Anna Marie. His Queen.

___________

Indali

Desperate sobs full of panic and continuous demonic laughter woke her up. That evil voice. He tormented her until she passed out. And he tried to do things to her. She puked on his face and that's when the real torture began.

A faint moan of pain escaped her lips. Unnoticed. Every bloody line of his sharp knife on her skin throbbed. The cold evening air touched her naked body and it has dulled the pain somewhat.

She willed her blue-violet eyes to open and a woman in her peripheral vision was thrashing underneath the big muscled villain. She was fighting him with all her strength. It was futile. He was stronger. Plus, he was three times her size. He easily dodged her hits with a mocking laugh. There was a sound of a tearing cloth in the night and the woman wailed. Bordering on despair. The sound was sickening.

-Save her. Save your queen, human.

Her beast.

Although she couldn't shift into her dragon nonetheless her beast's soul lived within her.

-I'm a fighter first before anything.

That's why the woman's hair and form looked so familiar behind her swollen and half-opened purplish lids.

Anna Marie, their Dragon Queen had come to save her.

With inner strength, she didn't know she possessed, her body stretched on the grassy lawn, preparing, a pattern of Celtic words appeared on every surface of her skin, replacing the bloody lines of wounds made by the villain's sharp knife.

She crouched. The next thing she knew, she was barreling the heavy body of their enemy, removing him from Anna Marie's trembling form. She's almost exposed with just her underwear and she hugged her. Absorbing her feelings.

"Shhh...my Queen." She tried to console Anna Marie.

The hideous face of a once attractive man growled threateningly at them, ready to attack. Just when he was about to pounce, a heavier and more muscled physique collided with him.

Lucas!

They fought on the ground. He thrashed below Lucas's trembling body. Dark red and leathery tenuous wings sprouted from his rippling back. The pointy ends covered with sharp talons. He used his deadly weapon to pierce Zachary's limbs and pinned him to the earth. Bones cracked and skin tore. More screams can be heard from the man who kidnapped her.

Her brother roared and blew hot orangy-red blazed from his mouth directly unto the man's face and down to the rest of his naked torso. Melting Zachary's skin. He tried to fight it and his wolf tried to heal him but he was no match for the king's wrath and strength.

"I told you I'd kill if you touch her again, boy!" Lucas rumbled deep in his chest. The burning rogue groaned in suffering, he tried to drag painful breaths, failing, barely surviving. He was barely recognizable.

All Indali could see was blood and burnt flesh, almost to the bone.

"This...is...just...the...beginning...dragon king...I'll come back...Ruby..." Zachary drew his last breath before he could finish his threat.

She gulped nervously. That was true. His promise echoed in her head and she believed him. Something inside her had awakened. Not knowing if it was good or evil. Only time will tell.

Anna Marie whimpered beside her, her expression showed terror and her face was ashen.

Indali hugged her closer and let her cry in anguish.

The Lycan King approached, his wolf's eyes to the fore, he and his beta covered them in warm coats. Nakedness was natural to them but with Rie...

She wailed harder at the man's touch. Clearly traumatized.

"Sis..." Her brother-in-law whispered. He and Michael both have pained expressions. Their eyes glazed as they used their mind links.

"Lucas," Anna Marie kept on crying hysterically. Shocked by the event. She rocked back and forth. Her arms surrounded her knees and her pleading amber gaze on her brother. Seeking comfort from her soul mate.

In a blink of an eye, Lucas was beside his queen and she was gathered safely in his warm wings. Covering her wholly.

Indali's brother, Hughes, hefted her in his arms. She sighed in relief. They were safe. Though hurt and tortured. They will live.

Her only coherent thought before she surrendered to exhaustion was... Why do her new Celtic tattoos glow? Words were repeatedly written permanently all over her healing wounds.

An omen. Only time will tell how it would affect them all.

Sí a rialaíonn an dorchadas, a rialaíonn an solas.

___________