Chapter 16

Trinity

What am I doing?

No!

I can't tell him. It would be wrong. Then again, if we are to stop the fighting, someone needs to know and put a stop to it. Enough people have died. There is no one better than Octane. He will do the right thing with the information. I know he will!

Octane sits up.

I do, too.

He takes my hands in his. "You can trust me…I swear it."

I nod once. "I know, and I do. It's not you I'm worried about. I'm worried that the information might get into the wrong hands."

"It won't. I promise." He squeezes and lets me go.

"Okay…here goes…" I clear my throat. "There is a tunnel that leads from our island to yours."

His mouth falls open. "You can't be serious."

"I am. Our late king started the project many years ago; I'm talking as much as thirty years back. Our people worked at it for many years, digging away and slowly making progress."

"Thirty years, and we never caught wind?"

"Why would you? You said it yourself: our kind never mingle. Draigers do not take prisoners. How would you have found out?"

He shrugs. "I guess you are right. I take it that they were successful. If so, why haven't we been overrun yet?"

"About ten years ago, our late king passed away, and his son took the throne. Arctic has a different vision from that of his father. He put a stop to the project, which was aimed at gaining access to Draig Island and killing off your kind in the dead of the night while you slept, then taking control of the island. The plan was to sever all contact with the humans. To be free."

"Why did he put a stop to it?"

"Arctic is a good king. He is a good male. He hates the war. His focus is to put a stop to the violence. He is certain he can do that by working with the humans. By accepting female Tributes and bringing hope back to our kind."

"I thought that they were just rumors. Talk that was more than likely false." He narrows his eyes.

I feel my cheeks heat. "I lied about that. It was not just talk. It looks like it is going to happen. I shouldn't have told you so much. I tried to cover it up, so I lied. I'm sorry."

"It's okay…I get it. I lied about taking your baby. We both did what we thought we needed to do. This is of great concern, Trinity." He scratches his chin, the stubble catching against his fingers. "Why have we not heard of Mistveil's contact with the humans? Why have we not heard of your king's wish for peace?"

"It seems to me that the humans are pitting us against each other."

"Divide and conquer," he says my words back to me.

I nod. "Yes. It's an age-old tactic, and so far, it has worked very well."

Octane looks deep in thought for a few minutes. Then he says, "So, your king – this Arctic – stopped work on the tunnel and started working with the humans instead?"

"Yes…that's correct. He closed it off…forbade anyone from going there or entering the tunnels. I had all but forgotten about it. It's been years. It's been cordoned off. There are signs telling us to keep out."

"So, what happened? Who finished the work?"

"I'm not sure who exactly, only that I was shocked to find that it was, in fact, completed and is in use. I stayed over at Igor's place quite a few times when we were dating. Males would come and go. They had these super-secret meetings. They'd leave in the middle of the night and come back hours later. Sometimes, they'd leave and only come back a day or two later."

"They were coming here?" Octane says.

"I think so. It had to be. I asked Igor what it was about, but he wouldn't tell me. He refused. He said that he would tell me everything once we were mated. I didn't like any of it. We had a couple of big fights about it. He eventually told me that he was going to free our people. He had nasty things to say about Arctic. Called him a pussy for working with the humans and wanting to put an end to the war. He said that the only good Draiger is a dead Draiger. I didn't like that kind of talk."

He gives me a half-smile. "What then?"

"He got more and more possessive of me as time went on. He would get nasty, and then he would shower me with gifts and compliments and beg me to mate with him. I'd say no, and he'd get angry, and the whole cycle would start again. I was getting ready to break up with him when he had sex with me without a condom." I rub a hand over my face. "He did that to trap me. I was so angry with him…with myself for letting it happen." My voice gets gruff as the emotion rushes through me all over again. "I broke up with him and refused to see him. When I found out I was pregnant, he tried to get me back, but I refused. I told him I wouldn't keep him from the child, but that he and I were over. In fact, we were over before he did what he did. I only wish I had left him sooner. Truth be told, I was a little afraid. He had a violent temper."

"Did he hit you? I know you said he didn't, but now I'm not so sure." His voice is a deep rasp, and his eyes seem darker.

I shake my head. "No, but I wouldn't put it past him. As I said, he was very different from the boy I grew up with. One day, soon after that, Titan came to my house. He told me that Igor was dead, that he had gone down to Draig Island. That he had died at the hands of a Draiger. I asked what they were doing on this island, but he wouldn't tell me anything. All he said was that I would know soon enough. He then told me that he and Igor had talked several times and that he, therefore, knew it was his wish, if anything happened to Igor, that Titan would take care of me and of the baby."

"His dying wish?" Octane repeats, making a face.

"Yep. So Titan invited me to live at his house. The one he and Igor had shared. They inherited the place from their grandmother some years back when she passed away. He offered me a room and promised that I would be safe and taken care of. It was a tempting offer. You see, I'm a server at the palace. I don't have any family. I'd become a little estranged from my friends." I make a face.

"I'm sure. More of Igor's influence."

I nod. "Yeah, I can see how he alienated me from everyone. Anyway, I knew there was no way I could work to full term as a server, and I was worried about how I was going to take care of the baby after having him. I still turned Titan down."

"Good," Octane growls.

"I decided that I would make another plan. That we would be okay…the baby and me. Those males gave me a bad feeling. I knew they were up to no good. I didn't want to get caught up in whatever they were up to. Besides, I had some savings. It was enough to prepare for the baby and for me to take off from work for a few months after the baby came. I was relieved that Igor was gone. I knew he would cause trouble for me…for us. It was wrong to think that way, but I couldn't help it."

"You weren't wrong. He sounds like a piece of work. His brother isn't much better."

"Titan is a little more levelheaded. He doesn't have a temper on him like Igor, but he is involved in some shady business. That much I have come to realize. Unfortunately, my circumstances changed, and I ended up having to accept Titan's offer."

"What happened?"

"The appropriate question would be, what didn't happen? It was like my luck changed. My rent went up by thirty percent."

"What? That can't be."

"It happened," I say. "I tried to move, but none of my applications were accepted. I finally found a place, but they wanted three months' rent as a deposit, which almost wiped out my savings. At least the rent wasn't much more than at my previous place. Only the new one was terrible. The building was infested with rats and roaches. It was disgusting. The water that came out of the taps was a rusty color. There was no way I could raise a child there. I had nowhere to go."

"You realize that Titan was more than likely behind all of what you have just told me?"

My eyes widen, and my mouth falls open. I open and close it a few times, words evading me for a few beats. "No! Surely not? No…it can't be! Shit!" Realization dawns. "Maybe you're right. That prick!"

"Of course I am. Titan was behind your rent going up. He was behind your applications being declined."

"Then someone broke into my apartment while I was at work and stole half of my things. They took most of my clothes. Things that I had started to get together for the baby. They even stole my vacuum cleaner."

"It was Titan. All of it was him."

"That bastard!" I growl. "I'm going to kill him. I only got half my deposit back when I was forced to move in with him. I had to accept handouts, which humiliated me."

"You're staying far away from him. He's dangerous. He manipulated the situation. He manipulated you, Trinity."

I make a noise of frustration. "Why didn't I see it? I should have."

"How did you wind up on Draig?" Octane asks.

"I was stupid…that's how. I knew that something was going on. That they were up to something. They still had all the secretive meetings, heading out at all hours of the night. Nothing had changed. One day, I decided I had to know."

"You didn't," Octane says.

"I'm afraid I did. I followed a group of them and watched them use the tunnel. It was a big group of males. I couldn't believe it. I went as far as the tunnel opening, then chickened out. Two nights later, they went again, and this time, I followed them into the tunnel. It was wide, with lights along the passageway. I kept going and going. I could hear them talking up ahead. I couldn't catch much of what they were saying, because I kept my distance. It was a long walk. I contemplated turning around more than once, but I didn't. I wanted to see. The passageway was well-built and reinforced with steel and concrete. After a time, it narrowed out and was just dirt. It became so narrow that only one person would fit. I could walk upright, but a big male would be hunched over. Thankfully, it didn't take long, and I was out in the fresh air. I couldn't believe it. The tunnel was complete. I was on Draig Island. Someone had finished the tunnel."

"You should have gone back." Octane's eyes are wide. "You were in danger."

"I know, but at the same time, I'm glad I didn't. Kim would have been hurt if I hadn't been there that day. I saw a couple of Red Dragons in the air. I saw them land a little farther away and decided to investigate further. I knew they wouldn't harm me if they found me. I'm a female and carrying Igor's child. I knew that Titan would never allow it."

"They had Kim and Blaze?"

I nod. "Yes, they had Kim and Blaze, and I didn't like it. They looked like a nice couple. They were afraid of what the males would do to them. I kept telling myself that I should go back to Mistveil while I had the chance, but that's when all hell broke loose. Some of the males attacked Blaze, and that asshole Duke dragged Kim away. I'd never liked him. I didn't like the way he leered at me or some of the things he said. There were always sexual undertones. I knew what he was planning to do when he took Kim, so I followed. I broke his neck while he was trying to rape her. I'm not sorry about it either. I should have just left, but I couldn't. I was afraid for the human. I had to get her to safety."

"Then she talked you into taking her back, and the rest is history."

"Yes." I nod. "You know the rest. You caught me on my way back to the tunnel entrance. I was nearly there."

"Where is it exactly?"

"I would need to show you. It's well hidden under a fake boulder in a dense part of the jungle. You wouldn't know what you were looking at. I have to say that I am worried I might not find it again. Although there are markers…I should be able to."

Octane puts his arms around me and pulls me close. "Thank you for telling me…for trusting me. I need you to show me. We'll head out there tomorrow. We'll take a vehicle and then hike the rest of the way. I know the general area where I caught you."

"What are—?" I start to say when the door to the bungalow bursts open.

"You turned your phone off," Shadow says as she walks inside. "Oh, this is fucking cozy," she says when she sees us sitting on the bed together. The sheets are a wild tangle. Our hair is mussed. I can still smell the musky scent of sex thick in the air, and we weren't exactly quiet. "I know I told you to get friendly with the enemy in order to find out all of her secrets, but this isn't exactly what I had in mind, Octane."

Get friendly.

"I know I told you to do whatever it takes to get the information we needed, but not this. I didn't mean this." Her voice is hard, as are her eyes.

Do whatever it takes.

My heart sinks.

"Can't this wait until morning?" Octane says, letting me go.

"No! It can't! You have some serious explaining to do. You'd better have some information for me or, so help me, I'll—" She makes a groaning noise of frustration. "I can't believe you, Octane. Out of everyone here, on this whole damned island, you're the last person I expected to find in bed with the goddamned enemy. Get up! Get your ass up."

Octane just looks at her. "Can I have a few minutes?" he finally says. "I'll be there shortly."

"No! Get up and come with me right fucking now or I will throw you in a cell and send your friend over here to HQ." Her eyes narrow on me as she says "friend."

Octane holds both hands up as he stands. "Fine. But no one touches the Red. She's mine!" he growls in a way that has gooseflesh lifting on my arms.

"She isn't yours," Shadow throws back.

"No one touches the Red," he repeats. "She stays right here until I get back."

"No one will touch her. I want to speak to you in private…that's all." Shadow glares at me. Like she hates me. Like I somehow brainwashed Octane or something.

"Okay, then." Octane leans down and brushes a kiss on my temple. "I'll be back, Little Red. We're finishing our conversation when I do."

I don't say anything. Not a word. I'm reeling. Octane leaves without a backward glance.

Has all of this been a ploy to get information from me? It can't be. No! And yet…doubt is creeping in more and more by the second.