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Jeremiah was almost sorry Priest had already killed him, but he figured he’d have his chance when they hunted down the rest of the complicit guards.
“Make sure you have the lawyer on standby,” Jeremiah muttered as he and Storm moved closer to the house, eyes peeled for any sign of Remi and the twins. “With who Thad’s dad is—”
“She’s been briefed,” Knight assured him. “The queen said to tell you she’d cover any legal fees but to make sure the threat to her family was eliminated.”
Jeremiah grunted. “Yeah, that won’t be a problem.”
Just as they were going up the stairs to the front door, Jeremiah felt the connection to Remi pulling him to his right. He followed the instinct, trusting it to help him find his mate in time, and Storm stayed close behind him as they stepped around the occasional drunk person or couple making out.
The porch wrapped all the way around the frat house before dumping them in the backyard. Jeremiah growled under his breath at the number of partygoers, tempted to shift and terrify them into leaving. Storm’s hand on his shoulder stopped him.
“What’s that back there?” Storm pointed to a darker area of the yard, shrouded in shadows from the tall trees and some overgrown bushes. “Is that a shed?”
“It’s always a shed,” Priest said over the comms. “Sheds or basements.”
“Or both,” Jeremiah said softly, exchanging a look with Storm. The bond pulling at him was definitely coming from the dilapidated building, but it was too small and unsecure to hold people against their will.
“That’s a twist,” Priest said. “If there’s anything stronger than a human in there, can you leave them for me? I’m still hungry.”
“You’re always hungry,” the rest of them said as one.
Jeremiah strode forward, eyes locked in on his target. He knew Storm would protect his flank if any of the humans in the yard around them decided to try and stop them.
Gods, he sort of wished someone would. He wouldn’t mind taking the edge off his aggression, but he also didn’t want anything to delay them.
The few humans close by scattered as soon as they drew near, and Jeremiah could only guess what he looked like: eyes lit up with blue flames, fangs protruding from his mouth, and smoke rising from his shoulders.
Anyone with even just a few brain cells left would know to get the fuck out of his way.
Without even pausing, he kicked the padlocked door to the shed open. It was empty inside except for a guy who scrambled up from a lawn chair next to what looked like a wooden pallet on the floor except for the heavy-duty lock securing it to the ground. The guy stared at them with wide eyes as he scrambled to grab the weapon from his waistband.
Jeremiah leapt across the dingy space, landing on the human and taking him to the cement floor with a muffled scream. He laid a clawed hand on his throat and snarled, “How many are down there with them?”
“Please, don’t kill me. I don’t know anything,” the guy begged, the scent of his fear sweat making saliva pool in Jeremiah’s mouth.
“That’s too bad for you,” drawled Storm as he examined the pallet.
The guy glanced at the Dragon and then back at Jeremiah, mouth working wordlessly before he finally found his voice again. “Oh fuck. No, please!”
Jeremiah didn’t bother saying anything. With a simple flick of his hand, he flayed open the human’s throat and stood up, leaving him to bleed out on the filthy floor.
“Ready?” he rumbled as Storm stood, holding the melted lock in his hand as his skin slowly stopped glowing orange.
“Lead on, Sunshine. Let’s get your mate back.”
Jeremiah threw the wooden pallet aside and stared down into a dark hole, but he could tell there were lights on down there and probably a tunnel. He didn’t bother using the ladder, just leapt the twelve feet into the hole and landed in a crouch, ready to fight if need be, but the space was clear.
He moved out of the way so Storm could join him, and then they made their way together through the roughly hewed tunnel. There were lights hanging every few feet, but even if it was pitch-black, he would have known this was the way to Remi.
He could have followed the scent of coconuts and sea breeze completely blind.
About forty feet farther away from the frat house, there was a solid-looking steel door blocking their way.
“I’d guess this is it,” Storm murmured, stepping up next to Jeremiah and laying his glowing hand over the lock. They watched as it slowly began to melt, no match for the heat from a Dragon’s fire.
They could hear Thad on the other side, cursing and screaming something, but Jeremiah didn’t let it affect his focus. If his mate were already… Thad wouldn’t be killed so quickly if a single hair was out of place on Remi’s head.
The lock mechanism on the other side fell to the ground with a thunk, and Jeremiah turned the handle, swinging the door open and taking in the scene in front of him.
