Chapter 20

TWENTY

"We need to get there. Now!"My heart felt the moment Felix gave up. He was still alive, but something in me knew he didn't think he would be for very much longer, and quite frankly, that was un-fucking-acceptable. I wasn't typically one for violence. I liked to think I had more skill than as just a blunt instrument, but I was going to kill whoever had kidnapped Felix myself.

"Doing the best I can, bro." Cal was behind the wheel, and in fairness, he was driving like the hounds of hell were at our backs, but it wasn't fast enough.

"We're only five minutes out." Quin was riding shotgun and navigating.

"Felix might not have that long."

"How do you know?" Jack was in the back seat of Cal's Range Rover next to me.

"He's my mate. I just do." I hated that the feelings I was picking up through our bond were so minimal. When we'd been floating in the inlet behind the Jade Crane, the gentle impressions of happiness and contentment flowing back and forth between the bond were soothing and nice and enough. Even though I'd wanted to claim Felix, waiting until things were more settled had felt like the right call. Now, I was regretting not exchanging bites with him the first night I took him to bed.

But it was too late for regrets. We were going to make it in time to rescue him, and then I would claim him as mine forever.

Cal cut the headlights as the Range Rover hit a pothole that challenged the vehicle's shocks and sent us all bouncing around as we pulled through a construction gate.

"We're here." Cal maneuvered the SUV into a spot out of sight from the building Felix was being held in. We'd sneak across the adjoining lot on foot to maintain the element of surprise.

My heart was in my throat as I climbed out of the car. I reached out through our tentative mate bond and tried to reassure Felix that he was safe, that I was there to save him, but I didn't get anything back. If the worst had happened to him, I'd know, but it didn't bode well that I could barely sense him on the other end of our connection.

Quin's grip on my arm was the only thing that made me stop, and I turned, realizing I'd already walked several yards away from the car. "This is almost over." Quin walked beside me back to where Cal held up a small box that contained the comms Julius had given us before we'd left the house. My brother's optimism was appreciated, but a tugging feeling in my gut told me this was just the beginning, that this issue with Felix was barely scratching the surface of something else.

I recognized the small black box, but I hadn't used one of the devices it contained since my last job with my grandmother. It was oddly nostalgic to slip the tiny bud into my ear, and for a second, I almost expected my grandmother to be standing beside me. Julius's voice in my ear checking the comms, followed by Quin's, Cal's, and Jack's, pulled me out of the memory. When I'd been working with my grandmother, our tech support and "guy in the chair," as Felix would say, was a guy named Constantine Yang. Con's voice was low, melodic, and slightly accented. Julius's was none of those things.

Cal checked the magazine and safety on two identical handguns, then passed one to me and one to Quin. I expected Quin to hesitate, but he took the gun, tested the weight, and shoved it into the waistband of the black tactical pants he'd borrowed from Cal.

"All right, kids. Let's rock 'n' roll." Cal shoved the comms case back into the glove box and clicked the doors locked from the inside.

We made the walk to the adjacent building in silence, splitting up when we reached the cracked concrete parking lot around the building. The black sedan with a missing driver's-side mirror and a flat tire sat in shadow at the rear of the lot. No motion-detecting lights flicked on, and nothing moved.

"We're in position," I said into the comms when Quin and I were ready on either side of the front door.

"Same," Jack said.

"On my count." Cal counted down from one, and I kicked in the door. It swung open on rusted hinges, giving way too easily. Quin palmed the small flashlight he'd insisted on bringing despite the fact that Cal had outfitted us all with low-profile night-vision goggles, and I shook my head, gesturing at the glasses instead. Quin tapped the side of the glasses and stowed the mini Maglite back in his pocket. I tapped the side of my goggles too, activating the night-vision function, and looked around the space. We were in a small reception area, empty except for a dilapidated Formica desk that didn't look portable. There were metal doors on either side of the desk, leading deeper into the building.

Quin followed me to the door on the right, and I peered into the space beyond. The door led into a hallway, and we walked down the corridor, keeping to the walls. At the end, yet another door, this one a metal fire door, waited. I knew Felix was on the other side of that door, and it took everything in me not to take off at a run.

"We're in the warehouse." Cal's voice echoed in my ear.

I pushed through the door with Quin at my back and stepped onto the warehouse floor. Abandoned and rusted-out equipment cluttered the area, and we moved carefully around boxes of abandoned parts for whatever had been made or stored in the space.

"Us too." Quin took another step into the darkness.

"Low lights are on at the far side. Lights on in a room up on the catwalk." I could see the office Cal had mentioned on the far side of the warehouse. The light was muted like it was trying to push through grimy windows, and none of it made it down to the floor.

"We'll find Felix. You head upstairs." I needed to get my hands on my mate as soon as possible.

"Roger." Jack's response was quick and efficient.

The industrial detritus provided good cover as Quin and I moved toward the dim light at the other end of the building. As we got closer, I saw a hunched shape in a chair, and Quin had to squeeze my bicep to keep me from running to my mate.

"Let's let Cal and Jack find out what we're up against before we go charging in there," he whispered.

I nodded. My soul ached to go to Felix. He needed me. I'd already left him alone when he needed me once. I wouldn't—couldn't—do it again. This close, his physical pain was clear through our bond, and the intensity amped up my rage and my worry.

"We've got three men upstairs."

Seeing my mate unmoving across the room, made red ring my vision and blood pound in my ears, and I almost missed what Cal had said over the comms.

"Take them out." Quin spoke the words, a detached chill in his tone, before I could rein in my anger enough to process what my brother had said.

"Our pleasure." Jack's Aussie accent cut through the haze of my emotions.

The squeak of the metal door swinging open echoed through the empty factory, and I took that as our cue to move.

I raced across the room and crouched in front of Felix, my voice shaking as I reached out a hand to gently touch his shoulder. "Hey, Lucky. You doing okay?" I tried to keep my tone light, but my heart was breaking.

Felix barely lifted his head. "Nero?"

The sound of fists hitting flesh echoed around the room like someone had switched on a PA system, and I looked for the source of the sound, watching as Cal picked up one of the men who'd taken my mate and shoved him against the glass. My brother's fist connected with the man's stomach, his answering groan of pain reverberating through the empty warehouse. Cal caught me watching and gave me a thumbs-up, and I turned back to Felix. "It's me, baby. We're going to get you out of here."

"Okay."

My mate's face was swollen on one side, his eye completely shut. There was a cut on his lip that looked fresh, and he was holding his body like he hurt everywhere, but he was still the most beautiful person I'd ever seen. Every tiny movement he made sent pain arcing through our bond, and my breath caught in my chest.

If Cal didn't kill the bastards that had done this before I got to them, I'd choke the life from their bodies with my bare hands. Nobody touched what was mine—nobody hurt what was mine—and got to live to tell the tale.

"Let's focus on getting Felix out of here. Then, if Cal and Jack haven't finished them off, we'll help."

I nodded and slipped a knife from my pocket, using it to slice through Felix's bonds. His wrists were raw and red, and I gently brought his hands in front of him and massaged his palms. He made no move to stand.

"Can I carry you, Lucky?"

Felix nodded almost imperceptibly, and as carefully as I could, I scooped him into my arms, picking him up in a bridal carry and holding him to my chest.

He was hurt, but he was alive.

He was alive, and he was mine.

"I've got you, Felix, and I'm never going to let you go."

"We have Felix," Quin told the others through the comms.

"Get him out of here." Cal's response came quickly, and we heard it through both the PA and the comms. "Jack and I are almost done. We're just having a little fun."

"Don't take too long. Felix is pretty badly hurt. He needs a doctor ASAP." Quin glanced at the office on the catwalk.

"Aye, aye, captain."

A silenced gunshot punctuated his statement, followed by the sound of the door opening and someone running down the metal stairs.

"I don't think so, asshole." Another gunshot wrenched the air, and the sound of something heavy falling down the stairs followed a second later.

Felix buried the uninjured side of his face in my neck as I heard Cal say, "Well, that was one way to do it."

Quin, Felix, and I didn't stay for the cleanup. We had agreed Cal and Jack would make everything look like an accident, and I trusted them to make that happen. Quin pulled out his little flashlight and turned it on even though we didn't need it. Felix wasn't wearing night-vision goggles like we were, and while I doubted he'd be able to see much through his swollen eye and with the other side of his face buried tight against my chest, the low beam cast enough light that he'd be able to see where we were taking him. I followed Quin through the building, trying not to jostle Felix in my arms too much because he sucked in sharp, pained breaths I felt in my own body every time I moved too quickly.

At the car, Quin pulled out his phone and tapped on the screen until the doors opened with a click that ricocheted off the buildings around us.

"Let me hold Felix while you get into the car, then I'll help him get settled."

Felix's head was heavy against my shoulder, so I pressed a kiss to his forehead. His good eye fluttered open, and I smiled down at him, hoping Cal and Jack had made whatever it was they'd done to the assholes that had done this to my mate, my heart, hurt. Badly.

"Is it okay if Quin holds you for a second? I don't know that I can get into the car with you in my arms without hurting you."

"'S okay." He closed his eye again.

"Are you sure you can carry him?" I asked, taking in my brother's frame.

"Trust me. I can do it."

"All right." I nodded, and as gently as possible, I placed the other half of my heart in Quin's waiting arms. Felix still hissed in pain, but he settled quickly. I climbed into the back seat, and Quin settled Felix onto my lap.

"Thought I wouldn't see you again," Felix mumbled, and the cut on his swollen lip reopened, a small trickle of blood running down to his chin. I wiped it away with a gentle touch.

"Shh, baby. Just rest. I've got you. You're safe."

I felt him nod against my shoulder, then relax. I hoped he slept through at least the first part of the ride home because there was no way the potholes on the street leading to the warehouse could be avoided.

A few minutes later, the front doors opened, and Cal and Jack got in.

"I still say we should set a convenient fire."

Jack rolled his eyes. "We've done the job. No reason to draw attention to it."

"You're no fun."

"Yeah, and you're a pain in the ass."

"We should at least put it to a vote." Cal hit the ignition button, then turned around. He glanced at Felix in my arms, then met my eyes with a look as hard as steel. "Felix is your mate, Nero. You make the call. Should we torch the place or just leave things the way they are? For reference, it looks like the older guy murdered the two younger guys, then took a nasty tumble down the stairs."

I looked at Felix's face and thought of what his time with his kidnappers must have been like.

The decision was easy.

"Burn it to the ground."

Cal rubbed his hands together with glee. "Excellent." He hit the button to open the rear hatch, then bolted from the driver's seat.

"Hold on there, sweetheart. I'm coming with you." Jack opened his door and climbed out too.

"I thought you were against this plan." Cal slammed the trunk closed, cutting off the sounds of their bickering as they carried the items they'd need to set the fire around the edge of the building, disappearing from view.

Ten minutes later, they returned with nothing but the orange-red glow of a blazing fire at their backs.

This time, when Cal got into the driver's seat, he threw the car into reverse. "Let's get Felix home."

Julius had a doctor waiting when we walked in the door, and he examined Felix the second we had him settled in bed.

"Worst of his injuries are in his face. Fractured zygomatic bone right under the eye and severe bruising to the maxilla. His ribs are also badly bruised, but he's breathing okay, and I don't think anything is broken there. Best thing for him would be to shift and let his otter heal the injuries, but it's going to be a couple days before he can do that." Dr. Madison, an old friend of my grandmother's, pulled the stethoscope from around his neck and stuffed it into his black bag.

"Why can't he shift?" I asked. I was the only other person in the room with Felix, but my brothers were all waiting in the hallway. Jack and Cal were picking at each other, and Julius kept telling them to knock it off. Quin was probably in his study.

"The small blood sample I took shows an antitransmutative in his system. It's hard to know what they dosed him with, and it would take a medical lab days to isolate the compound. By that time, my guess is he'll be able to shift again. Until then, ice the area to keep the swelling down and treat his pain with over-the-counter meds. If he needs something stronger, let me know, and if he still can't shift in three days, call me immediately. We may need to bring him in. For now, rest is the best medicine."

It didn't sit well with me that there was nothing I could do to make my mate feel better. I needed him whole, and seeing him broken had shattered my heart into a million tiny pieces. The only thing that could put it back together again was Felix waking up and letting me claim him.

But he wouldn't be strong enough for that until he could shift, which meant we were back to my least favorite thing…

Waiting.

I nodded at Dr. Madison. "I'll be in touch if anything gets worse or if he can't shift."

"Good, good." The doctor put a gentle hand on my shoulder. "He's lucky to have you and your family. I know he's in good hands."

A lump formed in my throat, and I just nodded again instead of trying to speak around it.

"I'll show myself out." He opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

I'd dragged a chair next to the bed where Felix was resting, and I sat down, staring at my injured mate. Rage still burned in my gut, even though the men who had done this to him had been expertly handled. Until he was wholly mine, I didn't think I'd be able to quench the fire.

Felix's hand rested on the mattress next to his body, and I covered his hand with mine. He stirred a little, and his good eye cracked open a sliver. "Nero?"

"I'm right here, Lucky. I'm not going anywhere."

"Oh, good." He turned his head on the pillow, facing me as much as he could. "Love you."

The damn lump was back in my throat again, but I managed to choke out, "Love you too," around it.