AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Eleven
Birk slammed a fist on his desk, and the wood splintered in every direction. The sides collapsed. The top snapped in half and caved to the floor. Papers, pens, and other paraphernalia he’d had on top sank into a pile. None of it mattered. Not the fact that he’d just bought this particular piece of furniture, or the explosive noise he’d made with its destruction.
He and Kotori had gone against everything they’d planned from the moment they met Shiya in person. They intended to win her heart and draw her family in. They were the ones ensnared, falling in love with her and claiming her as their mate. Kotori declared she would never come before family, but he’d left his people’s side to be with Shiya at their cabin while hers had the run of Juneau. When the time came for them to follow through and hold Shiya to lead the other Keiths into a trap, they’d returned her to her suite and backed off. Now this!
A banging started on his office door, and his receptionist called out, “Dr. Rider, are you okay? What was that noise? Birk?”
He ignored the woman, his focus on Kotori. His best friend’s eyes were all black, and his canine teeth hung past his lips. Birk knew Kotori held on to rationality by a thread, because Birk felt the same. “Are you sure about this?”
“I’m sure. I tracked her partway out of Juneau. She’s not alone. A half dozen others are with her.”
“She could have joined them voluntarily.” Birk struggled to keep his head on straight. He didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but when Kotori charged into his office and claimed Shiya had been taken, he had flown into a rage before using his head.
Kotori growled, his voice thick as if he forgot how to form words. “Are you coming or not?”
Birk stood up. “First we check her suite. Then we track her. If someone does have her, they will die at my hands.”
They left the office without explanation to his staff and jumped into his SUV. All the way to Shiya’s place, Birk thought over the situation. If Shiya’s own family had her, why would they bother? They had to know where to find him and Kotori. They weren’t in hiding. Kotori had sent his grandmother to the mountains where many of them lived anyway, and Birk had no one in Alaska. So why didn’t the Keiths just come? Hell, they could have picked him up at the vet hospital, and Kotori at his offices, with some semblance of an excuse.
Well, it didn’t matter why. What mattered was getting Shiya back.
“We shouldn’t have left her,” Kotori complained. “She’s ours, and we should have kept her at the cabin.”
“Contrary to what we want, we have to think about Shiya’s happiness. She’s not strong enough to be our mate, and we couldn’t hold her prisoner forever.” He squeezed the steering wheel beneath his grip and felt the materials giving way. He forced himself to calm down.
“Where she is, I go.” Kotori’s simple logic attested to his giving over to his animal side.
“Can you adjust to San Diego?”
“I can.”
Birk sighed and soon pulled up to the private entrance to her suite. He hadn’t set a foot outside yet before he picked up the scent of several men—and a woman. He took the steps two at a time and checked the door. The knob twisted in his hand without hesitance, and he walked in. Two people stood inside the small living room, guns in hand. Birk narrowed his eyes at them.
The man he recognized as Shiya’s ex-boyfriend. Behind him, Kotori growled on seeing the human they hated most.
The woman looked so much like Shiya, Birk’s chest constricted in pain. She smelled similar as well, but he easily picked out the difference. He kept his face expressionless, but his friend had no such control. He sensed Kotori coiling for attack, and Birk held up his hand to hold him off—for now.
“Where is she?” he demanded.
The woman raised her chin. He caught no glimpse of fear in her eyes and smelled none either. He had to give her credit for that. This must be Shiya’s sister. He didn’t recall her name and didn’t care to. All he wanted to know was where they’d taken his mate.
“You have three seconds to answer me before you die.”
The woman waved her gun. “I guess you don’t see this weapon, huh? Don’t come in here threatening me. I’ve dealt with your kind before, and I’ve put them down more times than I can count. As far as I’m concerned, you’re nothing but animals that look like people.”
Kotori sprang forward, but Birk caught him just in time. He felt like his arms would be torn from the sockets keeping a grip on Kotori, but he managed it. The woman went on.
“However, my sister seems to care about you, and I love her more than anyone on this planet. My brother’s wrong for kidnapping her, and I want her back, so I’m happy to send you into his trap. As long as Shiya’s okay. But if you get her hurt, if you cause even a scratch to mar her skin, I will pump your ass so full of bullets, you will beg me to die.”
“Where?” Birk snapped.
The man, who hadn’t said anything, pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket and tossed it onto the floor. “There. We have a temporary compound set up. That’s where Shiya is.”
Birk snatched up the sheet and saw that a map had been printed on it. He stuffed it in his coat pocket and pushed Kotori toward the door. “Let’s go.”
Kotori strained against him at first, but gave in. He performed a U-turn in his vehicle and, amid screeching tires, tore off down the street. He had a general idea of where to find Shiya and was glad of the map. They could track her, but knowing exactly where to go cut time. Hold on, baby. We’re coming for you.
The trip would take several hours, but Birk intended to floor it all the way, even if parts of the road made it unsafe. They had taken Shiya far away from civilization to cover their activities.
