AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Let her go, Tomas.”
When I opened my eyes again, there he was, Evan, standing in the doorway with a fury like I’d never seen before. His eyes glowed gold, fire blazing in their depths.
“Ah, if it isn't the love-struck hero,” Tomas said, tightening his grip, using me like a shield. “You’re such a fool. You really think you can save her now?” He laughed, an unhinged sound, as he pressed the needle harder against my skin.
I tensed, and Evan and I looked at each other, the burning heat in his eyes taking everything in.
“Last chance, Hawthorne,” he growled. “Let her go, or I swear I'll tear you apart.
Chapter 27
Evan
I stood outside the door of what looked like a remote guesthouse on the Hawthorne lands. It didn’t look like much, but this was where Jax’s file had led us. There was no one around. We either had the wrong place, or Tomas preferred hiding in plain sight.
I clenched my fists, the anger boiling deep within me, threatening to release the dragon lurking just beneath the surface of my skin. I wanted nothing more than to rip the roof off this godforsaken place and find Mariah, but if she really was down there, I couldn't risk hurting her.
Jax’s files indicated there was a secret door in the basement of this guesthouse, hidden inside a utility closet. Beyond it was a staircase that would lead three floors down to a lab. That was where the cages were, and where Mariah should be. The cops hadn't been able to uncover it when they'd searched the property, but Jax knew better.
My dragon pushed at the edges of my consciousness, and my vision was edged with red. If Tomas was down there…well, it was time to put an end to this.
“Ready?” Sebastian said, despite the tension hanging in the air.
“Your guys know what to do?” I had no doubts, but I wanted reassurance. We’d come this far on our own, keeping to the shadows, hoping to get in, find Mariah, and get back out before anyone even knew we were here. Sebastian’s team waited in the trees for our signal.
“They do.” Sebastian met my eyes and rested a hand on my shoulder. “Let’s go get her.”
I nodded wordlessly, then we burst through the front door, our footsteps light on the carpet of the empty house. My senses were on high alert, sorting through every sound, every scent for a trace of Mariah. It appeared there was no one here, so I took a chance.
“Mariah!” I called out, praying she could hear me.
Nothing.
Sebastian shook his head, then we hurried to the stairs leading to the basement. It was dark, but my vision adjusted as we searched for the utility closet and the hidden door beyond.
As we rounded a corner, a door flew open, and a man in a white coat appeared, his hollow eyes wide with fear as he looked over his shoulder. He skidded to a stop as he took us in. I was about to question him when Mariah's scream, distant and muffled, floated up the stairs.
“Mariah! Sebastian, this way,” I shouted, no longer worried about the strange man, taking the lead as I raced down the stairs as quickly as possible, toward the source of that gut-wrenching sound.
“Careful, Evan,” my father said. “You don't know what we're walking into.”
Still, I pushed on, taking the stairs two, then three at a time.
My heart thundered in my chest as faint traces of light appeared below. So far, everything was exactly as Jax’s map indicated. This could only be the lab with the cages. Muffled voices and scuffling floated up to me.
The moment I reached the bottom of the stairs, though, my blood turned to molten lava. Tomas stood there, his cruel eyes glinting as he held Mariah in front of him, a syringe pressed to her neck. My mate’s hair was matted, her light brown eyes wide with fear, and she looked so pale and weak that I wondered how she was standing. This only fueled my rage.
“Let her go, Tomas,” I said, snarling, radiating with barely contained fury.
My gaze locked on to Mariah’s, and the look of panic there filled me with my own terror. But I had to stay strong now for my mate.
“Last chance, Hawthorne. Let her go, or I swear I'll tear you apart.”
Tomas’s twisted smile widened as he pressed the syringe harder against the thin skin of Mariah's neck. “Ah, Evan, so protective of your little nanny, aren’t you?”
He said it so casually, as if we were meeting over coffee to catch up, but then his eyes turned wild. “Tell me, where is dear old Sebastian?”
It was only then that I realized he wasn’t behind me. I tried to focus on the darkness behind, and a second later, I sensed his presence in the shadows, watching, waiting.
