Abducting Abby (Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 1) (13 page)

Zoran laughed as he watched his brothers joking around. He had missed much and would not be so eager to leave his home world again once the situation with the Curizans was dealt with. He was about to join in when he felt a shaft of intense pain and fear. His dragon roared and clawed as he felt the danger to his mate. Before he could say a word to his brothers, he had already shifted and was lifting off the ground in a loud roar. Within moments, both Kelan and Trelon shifted and followed him without question, their symbiosis transforming to gold armor around the bodies of their dragons.

Chapter 13

“I’ll go get my truck ready if you three want to grab your stuff.” Abby said watching as the woman walked off into the darkness.

“Sounds great.” Cara said moving towards the jet. “It won’t take me but a minute.”

“More like a second.” Ariel said turning away with a sad grin.

“Give us about ten minutes to secure everything and we’ll be along.” Trisha said shaking her head as she watched Cara disappear into the plane. “Some of us don’t move at mach ten.”

Abby laughed as she carried her overnight bag towards the parking lot. She gave a small sigh as she felt Zoran’s symbiosis reach out to the ones on her. She felt his warmth and relief come through. She smiled, happy to be home. Moving around to the driver’s side of the truck, she was just unlocking the door when she felt something behind her. She started to turn when she was pushed up against the side, her arms pinned. She let out a startled scream that quickly turned to a whimper when her arms were pulled painfully back behind her.

“Hush Abby, I told you I always knew where you were.” Clay’s soft voice said near her ear. “I missed you, baby, even if it was for only one day. I don’t like it when you leave.”

Abby shivered. Clay’s voice sounded different, scary. “Clay, what are you doing? You’re scaring me.”

Clay slid a pair of handcuffs onto Abby’s wrist snapping it tight over the symbiosis. “Don’t try anything, Abby. I didn’t like what you did the other day. I’m going to have to punish you for that.”

Abby whimpered again as she felt him pull her head back by her hair. He looked at her neck in the soft glow of the parking lights. “What the hell is that? Who the hell put that mark on you?”

Abby cried out when he pulled her head back even further when she didn’t answer him right away. “Zoran. Zoran put his mark on me. I belong to him.” Abby whispered.

Clay let out a soft expletive. “Not any longer. You are mine. I’ve played your fucking game for four fucking years. You are mine, Abby, and when I get done with you, you’ll know it.”

Abby started to protest when she felt a sharp sting in her neck and everything went black.

“Hey Abby. You okay?” Cara asked as she moved towards the truck. “Ariel and Trisha are on their way. It didn’t take…” Cara’s words died off as she saw Abby crumble against the man.

The man’s head jerked up when he heard Cara call out. Pulling a gun from behind him, he aimed it at Cara pulling the trigger. Cara was already hitting the pavement when a soft pop went off. Within moments, the man picked Abby up and slung her over his shoulder letting off another round of gunfire as he moved. Cara was rolling towards a golf cart parked nearby. She jumped, startled, when she felt a hand on her arm and let out a small scream.

“Shush. It’s me, Carmen.” Carmen said kneeling next to Cara. She looked up when she saw Ariel and Trisha running towards them.

“Shit, what happened?” Trisha said.

“Some asshole waylaid Abby. From the little I was able to gather he isn’t too happy she didn’t choose him instead of this Zoran guy. He stuck her with something and has her cuffed. I’m going to follow him. Keep your line open, I might need some backup.” Carmen said before running towards a motorcycle hidden in the dark between two hangers.

“We need wheels.” Ariel muttered darkly watching as a truck peeled out from the airport. Carmen didn’t bother turning on the lights on her bike. She pulled the fast but quiet Yamaha YAF-R1 motorcycle after it, popping up onto one wheel when she floored it.

“On it.” Cara said shakily moving towards Abby’s truck. Within seconds she had the engine running. When Ariel and Trisha jumped in the front seat and looked at her funny she couldn’t help but add, “I used to have a problem with taking vehicles for a spin.”

Cara slid the truck into gear and tore off after Carmen and the truck. “Call Carmen, ask her which direction.”

Ariel pushed a button on her cell phone and within seconds Carmen answered. “He’s headed north on the highway towards the mountains. I’m on his tail but he can’t see me. I’m running dark.”

Ariel couldn’t help the shiver that went down her spine. “Carmen, don’t play around. I need you.” She added softly. She was afraid Carmen was going to do something stupid. She was taking more and more risks lately, almost as if she was daring death to come get her.

“Just cover me. I’m not going to let anything happen to her.” Carmen said.

“Should we call the local authorities?” Cara asked as she turned the wheel sharply, punching the gas pedal as far as it would go. “Damn, I need to work on her truck. The acceleration on this thing sucks.”

Trisha rolled her eyes. “Only you would be thinking about something like that while chasing down bad guys in the middle of nowhere.”

“Hey, I can work on more than one thing at a time.” Cara said as she took another turn sliding the truck around and fishtailing a little.

Both Ariel and Trisha let out a string of expletives they learned while in the Air Force. Cara just laughed. She had taken more than one joy-ride in her life and never been caught by the police who had been chasing her.

Zoran communicated with his brothers at a high pitch undetectable to human ears.
“Abby is hurt. I felt her pain before darkness descended.”

“
Can you find her?”
Kelan asked as he glided up beside Zoran.

“
Yes. The symbioses are trying to heal her. They are too small and too young to do much. They will try to help her as much as possible. They are sending a signal to mine which is directing me.”
Zoran replied trying to keep the rage and fear out of his voice. He would kill the man who had hurt Abby.

“
Do you know who it is?”
Trelon asked as he flew up on the other side of Zoran.

“
Yes. It is the same man who had been after Abby for years. He had become more aggressive over the past week. He wishes to claim Abby for his own. I will kill him.”
Zoran said with a growl.

The three dragons flew low down the side of the mountain, veering in and out through the tall trees towards the highway down below. As they came over one last group of trees they saw headlights moving down the highway at a high speed. Swerving into a deep dive, Zoran collapsed his wings to give him speed before pulling up at the last minute as the truck suddenly hit its brakes and turned onto a side road. Zoran let out a curse as he swept up in an effort to slow his descent.

“
There’s someone following him on another transport, no lights.”
Kelan said behind Zoran, his huge wings pushing down air as he held himself still above the trees.

Zoran saw a figure on a small dark transport slide at the last minute to take the turn onto the road.
“If they mean to help him harm my mate, kill them.”
Zoran growled.

Pushing up over the trees, Zoran, Trelon, and Kelan followed the lights weaving in and out of the darkness. There was not enough room for them to land safely in their dragon form as yet. Zoran reached out again for Abby but all he felt was a frightening blankness where her warmth had been before.

“
Trelon, fly ahead and block the road up ahead. Wait for us there. Kelan, fall behind. I heard another vehicle approaching at a high rate of speed. We will trap all of them together and kill them.”
Zoran said focused on the truck.

“
What of you?”
Trelon asked.

“
I think it is time to introduce myself to those who mean to harm my true mate.”
Zoran said with a snarl before diving down through the trees.

Trelon flew just ahead of the truck and spewed a concentrated burst of dragon fire at the base of the trees along each side causing them to splinter and fall across the road. Kelan curved back along the road towards the vehicle coming up behind them. He did the same, trapping all the vehicles between the fallen trees. There was no place for anyone to go but through the woods. It didn’t matter; they had already been sentenced to death as far as the brothers were concerned.

Clay glanced at Abby to make sure she was still unconscious. He waited too damn long for her to lose her now. He was furious that she thought he would give up. When he saw her for the first time four years ago, he knew she was going to be his. He followed her around, letting everyone know she belonged to him. He enjoyed the game of the hunt. She never suspected he had placed tracking devices on her vehicles or tapped into her phone. He had placed motion detectors at the base of her driveway and monitored her mail to make sure there was no one else. He toyed with her. If her granddad hadn’t died unexpectedly, he would have been dead by now anyway. Clay had already made plans to take him out. He wanted Abby to depend on him and no one else. She had grown even more beautiful over the last four years as he waited for her to blossom like he knew she would.

His body wanted to do things to hers she probably never dreamed of. Things he had done to some of the women overseas when he was in the military. They could never pin anything on him, just suspected he was involved in the disappearance of the women. He made sure no one ever found the pieces that were left after he got done with them. He could feel himself getting hard at the thought of tying Abby up and taking her. He wanted to hear her scream his name as he took her hard. He wanted her to know she belonged to him. He would kill this guy, Zoran, who thought he owned Abby. His fists tightened on the steering wheel at the thought of someone else taking the innocence that had been his for the taking. He had waited, nurturing Abby into womanhood so he could claim her. He didn’t know where the man came from or how he was able to get past all the surveillance equipment he set up but he had signed his own death certificate by touching Abby. Abby would have to pay, too. She should never have let another man near her. Clay glanced down at the mark on Abby’s neck. The first thing he would do is burn it off her. She would learn as she screamed from the pain of having her flesh burned that she shouldn’t have let another touch her.

Clay let out a curse, swerving back and forth, as he felt something heavy drop into the back of the truck. Zoran dropped down out of the sky above the truck, shifting at the last possible moment. He landed with a thump in the back of it. He ignored everything but the man driving the truck.

Clay tried to glance back but couldn’t take his eyes off the road long enough to see anything. He turned around again when he heard what sounded like a growl. Glancing back at the road, he slammed on his brakes as his headlights highlighted the trees blocking the road.

Zoran smiled grimly as he held himself steady as the truck came to a shuddering stop. He heard a soft expletive right before he saw the two-wheeled transport behind him lay down on its side, sliding to a stop with the figure on the back of it rolling over and over finally coming to a stop along the side of the narrow road in an effort to not run into the back of the truck.

“Shit!” Clay said hitting the steering wheel in frustration. First, the damn females at the airport, now this.

His gaze moved to Abby who let out a soft moan. They were still a couple of miles before they reached the end of the road and another five miles until they reached the cabin he had been working on for the past four years. It was just as well she was waking up because she was going to have to do some walking. He reached over, jerking her up against him. Tilting her head back, he brushed his lips against hers.

“Wake up, baby doll, time to do some walking. I have some plans for you.” Clay said sliding his hand down over Abby’s breast and squeezing it hard.

Abby fought through the haze that clouded her mind. She felt lips pressing against hers than a hand gripped her breast, squeezing it hard enough she cried out in pain. Fighting to get away from the pain, Abby’s eyes popped open when she couldn’t move her hands.

“No!” Abby cried out trying to push herself up and away from Clay. “Let me go.”

Clay gripped Abby’s hair painfully in his hand. “Never, I told you, Abby, you belong to me.”

Clay pushed open the door to the truck, pulling Abby across the seat by her hair. Abby let out another cry of pain as she was pulled out of the truck. Unable to prevent herself from falling, she hit the ground hard. Clay was just bending down to pick her up when he was yanked back and thrown against the trees laying in front of the truck.

Abby cried out again as gentle hands picked her up off the ground. “Hush,
elila,
I have you.”

Abby heard Zoran as if in a dream. “Zoran? Clay…be careful, he has a gun.”

“Too late, bitch.” Clay said from behind Zoran pointing his gun at Zoran’s chest. “So, you are the bastard who thinks you can poach on my territory. I planned on killing your ass. Doing it in front of Abby just makes it sweeter.”

Zoran stood up to his full height with a growl, pushing Abby behind him. He felt both he and his dragon’s fury at the male’s claim on Abby. Abby whimpered behind him, trying to stay upright.

“You are sentenced to death for touching my mate.” Zoran growled taking a step towards Clay.

Clay, recognizing Zoran was somehow threatening him, pulled the trigger firing point blank into Zoran’s chest. “Think you can intimated me, asshole? You’re the one that is dead.”

Abby screamed as she felt Zoran jerk back against her. Two loud roars filled the air just as a body flew out of the air tackling Clay from the side. Abby cried out in anguish as Zoran collapsed to the ground in front of her. Abby kneeled in front of him ignoring the fight between the two figures.