My Wicked Dragon

Chapter 3- Rescue

Cody Matheson glanced around the club, hoping to catch a glimpse of Laney before her set began. He had some disturbing news to give her and he wanted to get it over with. He jumped and cursed quietly when his phone began vibrating in his pocket. The caller ID showed it was his boss, Alex Chase. He cursed again.

“Yeah?” he growled into the phone.

“Cody man, your out of time. The seer just called and said that David Knowlton is going to make his move against her tonight. We are going to have to go with plan B, snatch and run.”

Cody hung up the phone without a word. His predator's instincts instantly went on alert while he scanned the crowd for trouble. His eyes fell on the eldest Knowlton brother standing in the back of the room, partially hidden in the shadows. Cody immediately moved to take action, slipping behind the stage curtain to head back towards the dressing rooms.

Even though he had never been back here, he knew her scent and followed it straight to her dressing room. Laney let out a little squeak of surprise when his image suddenly appeared in her mirror as she set her makeup.

“Cody! Holy s**t, you startled me! What are you doing back here?”

He was momentarily distracted by the expanse of her bare, shapely legs and the swell of her full breasts at the opening of her silk robe. Snapping himself out of his lustful thoughts, he gazed intently at her.

“I don’t have a lot of time to explain. You have to leave with me now.” Laney started to protest but was cut short.

“Willingly or not, we are going.”

Her stomach clenched in fear as she tried to process what he had said. Where had her sweet and kind cowboy gone? She felt the shift in his stance and got the impression that a powerful predator now stood before her.

“Ummm…..I don’t understand. What the hell are you talking about?”

Losing patience, Cody grabbed her wrist to pull her towards him. Her eyes narrowed dangerously but Cody was too intent on getting her out of there to notice. He was astounded when he felt a blast of pain in his jaw from a wicked right hook.

“I don’t f*****g think so buddy!” She snarled at him. “I don’t care how cute you are, nobody f*****g manhandles me like that.”

He could practically see steam coming from her ears and decided switching tactics might be a better idea. Clearly, she was no wilting flower ready and needing to be rescued. He put his hands up in front of his face as a calming gesture, and to fend off any more punches she might throw.

“ Look, I’m not trying to do you any harm. I will explain in my truck. We are running out of time. If we don’t go now, there will be a whole lot more trouble in a few moments when David Knowlton shows up.”

The mention of that name had her back going ramrod straight and eyes flying wide open in surprise. Cody could see the utter terror in their depths and wondered at it. Apparently there was some history there he was unaware of. He was at a total loss when she began trembling and her eyes started darting around wildly. Her demeanor changed completely as she nearly wilted in front of him.

“Get me out of here now! My brother can’t find me. Please! Now!” She reached over and grasped his forearm as she practically shouted at him in a panic.

Brother? What the f**k? This was way more complicated than he or his employer was aware of. He decided to file that bit of information away for a later discussion. Reaching down and grabbing her bag, he led her away swiftly by the hand. Her eyes saw nothing but demons in every shadow and Cody began to worry about her state of mind.

He had parked just outside the back entrance of the building in the event he needed a quick escape. Always anticipating his prey, never let him down before. He expected to have more time to talk to her about what was happening, who/what she was, and earn her trust more to make the transition easier. His employer had been pushing him for the last month to get on with it already and stop stalling. Cody had delayed his move in hopes that he could build a relationship with her. His connection to her was more than a passing fancy, she was his mate and he wanted to woo and seduce her in his own way.

He sighed regretfully. This wasn’t quite how he wanted this to go, but the end part still turned out the same. She was still coming with him willingly. She would be under his and the organization's protection and she would eventually be his.

He carefully handed her into his big black pickup truck. As she settled into the seat, he climbed up beside her, leaning a little into her neck to get a better scent of her. He disguised his actions by buckling her seatbelt. She blinked her wide golden eyes up at him in confusion. Her terror was so strong he could tell that she was almost completely shut down as her body trembled slightly.

He hid his flare of anger at her state and gently caressed her cheek for a moment. She sighed and leaned her face into his palm, letting a tear slip past her eyelashes and drip onto the back of his hand.

His shoulders straightened with resolve as he stepped down from the passenger side. Someone would pay for whatever frightened his future mate so badly. His animal instinct roared inside of him to maim and kill those that would threaten her. He tamped it down and climbed into the truck. As they began pulling out of the parking lot she seemed to suddenly snap out of the almost trance she was in.

“WAIT! I….I can’t go with you! I barely know you and I have all my stuff back at my apartment. No….stop, you gotta let me out.”

Grasping the door handle and pulling it, she realized it was locked. The button for the window was also locked out and would not respond to her frantic clicking of it. She turned a horrified gaze on him and he could hear her heartbeat speed up.

“Hey now! Don’t get that look on your face. I’m not going to hurt you, I am trying to help you. You know you can trust me, it will be OK.”

She glared at him critically for a moment. She thought she could trust him, but she should have been able to trust her own brother and look how that had turned out.

“I’m sure that’s what Ted Bundy told all their victims right before they murdered them!”

He wanted to laugh at her tart remark but instinctively knew it would not be appreciated at that moment. He admired her whit, courage, and sass.

He could sense her wild instincts stirring as he noticed her body tensing. Well crap! That’s not going to turn out well if I don’t get her under control quickly. He smiled regretfully at her.

“I’m so very sorry to have to do this to you. Please remember that I am not going to hurt you and your safe with me.”

She opened her mouth to demand again that he release her but was cut short by a sharp stinging in her shoulder. Confused, she looked at the source of the pain and discovered a small dart jutting from the front of her shoulder. Feelings of fear and betrayal slammed into her. Her sight already wavering, she looks up at Cody with tears in her eyes and lips trembling, imploring him one last time before she succumbs to the tranquilizer.

“Please….don’t hurt me.”

Cody blew out a breath of relief when she was finally out. He felt incredibly guilty over what he had needed to do. He hoped she would be able to forgive him for tranquilizing her. Had her instinct been strong enough to shape change while in his truck it would have ended badly for both of them. He stepped on the gas and headed out of town as quickly as he could.