Haunted By Her Dragon (The Dragon Guard Series) (11 page)

If
possible, Lance’s stare became more intense, and his grip on the mattress
increased until she waited to hear the tearing of fabric. His intense glare was
incredibly unnerving, but there was no way she was backing down. She had to
know how he knew what had happened earlier and
what the hell
that had to
do with him literally dragging her into an empty room. Rushing on before he
could think of a way to distract her, she asked, “Now it’s your turn. What
the
hell
happened back there?” she motioned over her shoulder with her thumb.

“When
we were standing together in the hall, and
here’s where
you’re
gonna
think
I’ve lost my mind, I
smelled
him on you.”

“You
mean you smelled his cologne on me or something like that? And wait…you know
him?
Well enough to know what cologne he wears?” She narrowed her gaze. “Who is
this guy, Lance?”

“He
used to be one of my
bre
…brothers, and he’s very
dangerous.” And with that proclamation he stood up and took the two steps that
brought them so close together she could see that damn dimple in his cheek,
winking at her up close and personal. As her eyes took in every detail of his
almost perfectly chiseled face, he spoke more softly, making his low, gravelly
voice roll through her, raising goose bumps on her arms. “So I guess that means
I’m
gonna
have to stay real close, Doc, and make sure
nothing bad happens.”

He
wound his arm around her waist, bringing her tight against his warm, hard body
and her immediately hard nipples rubbed against the lace of her bra.
Unconsciously, she
arched
into his touch. The look in
his eyes stole her breath and made her body weep. Thoughts of what his naked
body would feel like against hers were all she could see in her lust-soaked
mind. He wiggled his eyebrows, and just that quick, he had gone from the big,
bad protector to the grinning jokester. Lost to the powerful man that held her
close, her eyes closed, effectively cutting off his hypnotic gaze while she
tried to regain at least some of her equilibrium. When she opened her eyes, he
was studying her. Too many emotions to identify drifted across his expressive
face. There was something he wasn’t telling her, she could see it.
Hell
,
she could feel it in his touch. His smile was brilliant, but the lines of
tension bracketing his eyes told her the revelation that his prodigal brother
was in the hospital had bothered him more than he was willing to admit. Well,
damn
,
that was not what she’d expected when she had first seen his text. More things
to contemplate
was
not
what she needed. But she
knew with all certainty that no matter what else was happening, there was no
way to deny the pull of the man that held her tight.

Just
as their lips were about to touch, the PA overheard broke them apart. “Dr.
Malone, Code Amber, Room 212. Dr. Malone, Code Amber, Room 212.”

Without
another thought, she spun from Lance’s arms and raced out of the room. “What
the hell’s happening, Doc?” she heard him call after her, but there was no way
she could answer past the fear that felt like a weight on her chest. The loud
speaker had just announced that Sydney was missing!

Lance caught up with
Sam as she entered the stairwell. The waves of fear radiating from his mate
would have crippled a lesser woman, but not his Sam. He wanted to make her stop
and tell him what was happening, but knew from the look on her face and the way
her muscles were drawn tight that he would most likely end up with her knee in
a very personal part of his body. Instead, he kept pace and pushed as much of
his strength as he thought she could handle through their very new, very weak
mating bond. As she threw open the door marked with a large number two, she
worked hard to school her expression and throw on an air of professionalism.
The woman he recognized as Charlie came rushing towards them, talking in hushed
tones, stopping Sam in the middle of the hall. “The nurse had just checked on
her not more than ten minutes before. Sydney had asked for
more
red
Jell-O. When the nurse returned, the child was gone. No one saw her,
and nothing in the room has been disturbed. It looks like she simply got up and
walked away.”

“She
has
to be somewhere. She couldn’t have gotten out of here without
someone seeing her. She told me she was going to the children’s room after
lunch. Did someone check there?” Sam inquired, and he could tell she was
holding on by the skin of her teeth. The need to touch her was alive within
him, but he also recognized
her
need to remain independent and
professional.

“They’ve
looked everywhere. You were paged when it was determined she was
not
in
the hospital.” Charlie answered, taking on a completely professional tone he
was sure she used in an attempt to keep Sam calm.

“We
have to look again. There’s
no way
she would’ve gone anywhere on her
own. She knew I was coming back before heading home and had talked about
something she needed to show me.”

Sam
walked around her friend and headed towards what he now knew was the child’s
room. Lance followed closely behind, sending a mental message to Royce and
Devon, who were presently camped out at
Kyndel’s
old
apartment. He explained the situation and asked them to meet him at the
hospital ASAP. He also grabbed the cell phone from his back pocket and sent a
text to Max to meet him where he stood.

The
hair on the back of his neck stood on end as they entered Sydney’s room. Rage
caused his vision to blur. Andrew, that traitorous little fucker, had been in
the room. From the power of his scent, he had been there within the last
fifteen or twenty minutes. In an effort to hide his anger, he called out to his
brethren again,
“Royce, Dev, you close?”

“Less
than five minutes out. What’s up?”
Royce answered
immediately.

“Andrew’s
involved in this somehow. I’m in the child’s room, and his stench is
everywhere.”

“What
the fuck?”
Devon’s anger flared through their link.

“How
long ago did this happen?”
Royce was just as angry, but much
better at keeping his composure, always looking for a solution to the problem.

“Less
than thirty minutes from the scent,”
Lance answered. He
scanned the room and listened to the conversations all around, looking for any
clue that would help
locate
the missing girl. He
glanced at her chart and sent the image of her angelic face to both men.

“We’ll
start with the Emergency entrance and work our way around. Devon’s calling
Aaron. He was already on his way to the apartment. We’ll find her, Bro.”

“Yeah,
I know, but it needs to be sooner rather than later. Doc is about to lose it,
and then what the hell am I
gonna
do?”

“You’re
gonna
man up and take care of your mate, you giant
pain in the ass
,” Royce ordered, and Lance was grateful
to his elder brethren for trying to ease his tension, even if it did mean he
got his own shit thrown back at him.
Fucking paybacks!

Not
to be outdone, he answered as only he could.
“Yeah, Old Man, I’ll man up.
You just try to keep up.”

“Keep
up hell! I’m always at least three steps ahead of your pansy ass.”

“Okay,
ladies, you’re both pretty. Now, let’s find this little girl.”
Aaron
chimed in, apparently getting close the hospital.
“And kick my little
brother’s ass while we’re at it.”

“Hell
yeah,”
they answered in unison.

“Everybody
keep in touch. We’re outside the hospital now,”
Royce
stated
.

“Be
there in just a minute,”
Aaron responded
.

“Thanks,”
was
all he could say as Sam turned, and for the first time, he saw true fear in the
eyes of someone who was claiming his heart faster than he could’ve ever
imagined.

Putting
the conversation his brethren were having at the back of his mind, he opened
his arms, and without hesitation, she walked into them. He held her close and
realized he had been a fool to ever think he could stay away from his amazing
mate. Even facing the horrible situation unfolding around them, it just felt
right to have her in his arms. He inhaled, taking her scent deep into his
lungs, calming not only himself, but the dragon within, who was threatening to
burst forth from the pain, fear, and torment radiating from their Sam. He was
just about to tell Sam that his brethren were outside looking for Sydney when
Max appeared in the doorway. Lance watched as the incredibly observant King of
the Cats scanned the room and took a single, deliberate breath. Max’s green
eyes glowed and met Lance’s with instant recognition. One nod of the head, and
Max disappeared. It was one of a handful of times Lance wished he could
communicate mind to mind with the
werepanther
as he
did his own kin.

Sending
a quick mental message to his brethren that Max was on the way, he began
quietly questioning Sam, deciding now was not the time to disclose that he was
sure he knew who was responsible for the child’s disappearance. “What was
security able to tell you?”

“Only
that they’ve checked everywhere, and she’s not in the hospital. They’ve even
looked in the basement and all the ‘employee only’ areas. The police have been
called and should be here any second. They waited to call them because they
were sure she had just wandered down the hall.” He could hear the anger and
frustration in her voice as she spoke into his chest.

He
wanted nothing more than to rush out and help with the search for the child,
but could feel deep in his soul how much Sam needed him, so instead of rushing
into battle as was his way, he told her what he hoped would ease some of her
pain. “I called my brothers while you were talking to Security. They’re out
scouring the grounds and surrounding area for Sydney right now.”

She
slowly lifted her head, raising her hands at the same time and pushing against
his chest, trying to look anywhere but at him, thinking she could escape his
grasp. He had wondered how long it would take until she realized she was
depending on him and try to get away. Refusing to be shut out, he tightened his
grip on her waist with one arm while using the thumb and forefinger of his
opposite hand on her chin to bring them eye to eye. He saw himself reflected in
her deep, dark eyes, along with all the fire he expected from his strong,
determined mate. Before he could say what he intended, Sam was already off and
running, “
Dammit
, Lance, let me go! I’m going
out there to find her myself. There is
no way
that little girl left this
hospital by herself, and there is
absolutely no way
you’re stopping me
from looking for her.” She ended her declaration on a low, ominous tone, with
her teeth gritted and her fists drawn tight against his chest.

He
waited for her to take a few breaths while he decided how to keep her from
running straight into danger, without telling her things he wasn’t prepared to
share. Sam was smart, way too smart for
his
own good, so he decided the
only way she was going to listen to him was to be logical. “I understand you’re
scared, Doc. I know Sydney means a lot to you. But you can’t go running out
there half-cocked. We have to have a plan. My brothers are searching, and
they’re
very
good at what they do.” He watched as she considered what he
was saying but didn’t give her time to raise the objection he saw brewing. “Let
me call them and see if they have any leads, and then you and I can decide what
our best move is…Okay?”

She
worried her bottom lip with her teeth until it was red and swollen. Under
different circumstances, he would have loved to kiss all her worries away, but
now was not the time, no matter what his mind and other much more persistent
parts of his body were telling him. He had heard stories of the potency of the
mating call, but never in his wildest dreams had he ever imagined what it would
be like. He was having a hard time thinking of anything but Sam’s lush body
spread naked before him. With a hard-fought restraint he didn’t know he
possessed, he pulled his errant thoughts back to the problem of finding the
missing child, and more importantly, keeping his amazing mate safe.

Releasing
the hold he had on her and moving towards the window, he took his cell phone
from his back pocket. He hated deceiving Sam in any way, but how the hell would
he explain that he could actually speak directly into the minds of his brethren
and they into his? He pretended to dial, lifted the cell phone to his ear and
called out to the other members of his Force, all the while speaking into the
phone the words he was sending directly into their minds.
“Any
news?
I have one very antsy doctor up here that’s ready to run
out and start looking on her own.”