Chapter 4

Trinity

The next day…

There is a knock at the door.

Octane opens it, taking in the tray with a word of thanks. The door clicks shut, closing out the night sky and the sounds of the jungle. He puts the tray on the table, opening the lid. The scent of barbecued meat has my mouth watering. I can tell from the smell that it has been lightly seared to a perfect medium rare. Just how I like it done.

"Are you going to continue with your hunger strike?" he asks me, his faded jeans riding low on his hips. His feet are bare, as is his torso, which is broad and muscular. His arms are thick and corded.

"I'm not hungry," I lie. Although, it isn't entirely untrue. My stomach is in knots. I'm not sure I could eat even if I wanted to. "I want to go home. Let me go."

"It's not going to happen. If you're not going to eat for yourself, you need to eat for your baby."

"If you're so concerned for my child, you should let me go already," I growl out the words, feeling my dragon at the surface.

My dragon…I can already feel her growing weaker by the day.

No!

I'm a fool for coming here.

He sighs. "We've been through this enough times already." He goes down on his haunches in front of me. "It isn't going to happen, Trinity. Not until you tell me what I need to know. Namely, how did you get onto Draig Island undetected? Are the Reds in communication with the Mainland?"

I will my face to stay impassive. I refuse to give anything away. Screw him!

He cocks his head, his eyes narrowing. "You know something," he says in a gruff voice. "Tell me!"

"I don't know anything." Nothing I care to disclose to this asshole. "You took the wrong person. I'm sorry, but I can't help you."

"I saw it written all over your face. I see it now. You're lying, Trinity."

Yep, it's one of my greatest flaws. I have an open face. I can't hide my feelings. I never have been able to and I'm sure I never will. It means that I am a terrible liar.

"Nothing to say?"

I shake my head.

"That's a pity."

The big brute does something completely unexpected. He picks me up and hoists me over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" I yell, beating on his back, which may as well be made of solid granite. "Put me down!" I yell.

"Calm down. I'm getting you cleaned up and then getting you fed. I need you strong and healthy."

"Put me down!" I yell again. "You can't make me do anything."

He marches toward the bathroom, but someone knocks and enters before he can turn the knob on the door.

"Is everything okay?" the person asks. It's a male. He sounds young and uncertain. I twist my head, and sure enough, it is a younger-looking male. He's frowning heavily.

"We're fine," Octane rasps, glancing back at the person at the door. His whole body stiffens. "I said that we were not to be disturbed. Your job is to ensure that my prisoner does not escape. You can do that from out there." He points with a jerk of his thumb.

"Are you okay, Ma'am? Is he mistreating you in any way?" The other male locks eyes with me.

"Yes, he—"

"Get out, Goliath!" Octane snarls. I feel the vibration against my chest. "The female is fine. You don't enter my bungalow unless invited. Do you understand?" He says it with such authority that I am tempted to obey him myself. One thing is for sure: Octane is a strong alpha male.

Goliath shuffles from one foot to the other. "Yes, but—" he starts to say in a soft voice.

"No buts. Get out before I put this female down and make you leave. Trust me, you don't want that."

"Okay…okay…but don't—"

"Don't what? I won't hurt her; now get out!" Octane snarls with such force I close my eyes.

The door shuts, and we are alone.

Octane sighs. "That male is a liability," he mutters as he opens the bathroom door. "Now, are you going to shower and eat, or are we going to have to do this the hard way?"

He puts me down, and I stagger a step or two. I am a little lightheaded after not eating since yesterday. I know it's wrong, but I have to try to get my point across somehow because he clearly isn't listening. I am sure that my baby will be okay for a short while. That he or she will take what they need from me.

"Leave me alone!" I yell.

"The hard way, then." He grabs my shirt – make that his shirt – and rips it clean off of me. The sound of the fabric tearing is loud in my ears.

"Stop!" I shout.

"Don't get all modest with me. It's nothing I haven't seen already." He turns, opening the shower door, and I spin to run, but he's on me in seconds, hooking an arm around me and yanking me against him.

I notice that he is being careful. His arm is just under my breasts, avoiding the swell of my belly. His hand curls around my hip. "Enough, Trinity," he growls in my ear, giving me goosebumps all over my body. I'm not sure why, only that it is an odd reaction.

"Let me go." I sound completely out of breath. My blood sugar must be low.

"No! You need to take care of yourself. Of your baby. I will wash you myself and force-feed you if I have to." He marches me to the shower stall. I am helpless to fight him. Once inside, he turns on the faucet, and cold water sprays over us.

I yelp; this time, my goosebumps are for a different reason. I'm freezing. Thankfully, the water heats up quickly.

Octane lets me go. Finally! He grabs a bottle of shower gel and flicks open the lid.

"I can do it myself," I tell him, taking the gel from his hand. The last thing I want is his hands on me. I shiver at the thought.

The blasted male takes a step back but doesn't leave the cubicle. His jeans are soaked through. His hair is wet and dripping. His eyes are an eerie golden color and seem to look right through me.

I squirt some of the gel into my hand. I'm tempted to laugh because it smells of coconut and tropical fruits, which seems at odds with the man in front of me. I would have thought that he preferred the scent of blood and gunpowder. Not this. Then I start washing. It feels good to be under the warm stream. My muscles start to relax. Some of the tension leaves me.

Octane watches me with keen interest. It's probably just my imagination, but his eyes seem to heat as I start to lather soap over myself. On my arms, my legs, my chest…

I see him swallow thickly, and then he looks away, his jaw tightening. "I'll leave you to finish cleaning up. There is a fresh toothbrush next to the basin." Octane steps out of the shower stall, leaving me shivering under the warm water. If I didn't know better, I would say that he was affected by me.

I shake my head, dislodging the thought, because it's insane. That male hates me. I quickly finish up, rinsing off. It's absurd that he would be attracted to me. I'm carrying another man's child, and for all intents and purposes, he thinks I'm mated.

One thing is for sure: if he thinks I'm going to open my legs to him, he's going to be very disappointed indeed. It will never happen. I would sooner die than sleep with the enemy.

Bastard!

Then I switch off the water and step out, wrapping a soft, clean-smelling towel around myself. I use another towel to dry my hair off. It smells of him, musky and woodsy. Masculine with hints of smoke. He is a dragon shifter, and so it is normal. It's quite pleasant, which freaks me out. I shouldn't like anything about that asshole. I toss the towel into a nearby laundry basket as soon as I am done with it.

My mind is racing. I keep going back to the same thought over and over.

No one is coming for me. Octane spoke of a mate yesterday, but I don't have a mate. The father of my baby is dead. It's just me…just us. I touch my belly softly through the fabric of the towel.

No one even knows where I am. That I am on Draig. That I am being held captive. I will have to escape on my own steam.

If I returned to Mistveil right now, no one would be the wiser, but if I remain missing for any significant length of time, questions will be asked. I'm not supposed to even be here. I should never have come.

I messed up. Why was it so important that I figured out where they were going? It was so stupid.

It doesn't matter. I need to get away. I need to bide my time and escape. It needs to happen long before my precious baby is born. I will never let Octane take my child to raise as his own. It's clear that he has a chip on his shoulder. That he is plagued by demons. He would be the worst person to raise a child. Let alone my precious baby. I love him or her, and I'm already fiercely protective of them. I have been since I first found out that I was pregnant. Falling pregnant was a mistake, but my baby isn't. My child is the most precious thing to me. Octane can go and get screwed.

I sigh as I brush my teeth. Then I walk into the bedroom. Octane is dressed in fresh jeans and nothing else. His hair is still wet. He's formidable. So incredibly tall and strong. I hate to admit it, but he's attractive, exuding all kinds of power. He's the kind of male I would normally be attracted to. Only, he isn't one of my kind. He's the enemy. His goal is to hurt my people, whereas mine is to protect them. We are opposites in every way.

He hands me a T-shirt that is miles too big. Another one of his garments. I take it, dropping the towel to the ground. I note how he turns away. I think he might be affected by my nudity, which is ludicrous since we're shifters and, moreover, since I am pregnant with another male's child. My body is swelling with life. I look down. My breasts are much heavier. Even my nipples are bigger and darker. Shifters are possessive and territorial. They protect what is theirs and are repelled when something or someone belongs to someone else. Only, I don't belong to anyone. But Octane doesn't know that. He must never find out, either.

I quickly pull the shirt over my head. I've been standing here for too long already.

Octane gives a small sigh and walks over to a nearby table, sliding a plate of food my way. "Eat while it's still warm. I gave you ribs and the steak."

"Be careful," I tell him. "Someone might think you actually care," I joke, not meaning it.

He smiles. It doesn't quite reach his eyes. "I can't get answers from a corpse. I won't get to keep your baby if you lose it. Eat, female!"

I want to argue with him. I want to shout and scream. I want to run. To escape, but I know it won't happen if I don't have any strength.

I feel a soft thump inside me. My baby. I put a hand on my belly and pull in a deep breath. Then I sit, and I eat everything on my plate.