Chapter 16

Blake

Blake wanted to open his eyes, but nothing in his body worked. He couldn't move his arms or legs, his stomach burned, and the steady pounding in his head kept pace with his heart. This was the worst hangover he'd ever have. He couldn't even remember what he drank, how much he drank, and who drank with him.

Then, his memory slammed into his head like a truck. It hadn't been a party. He'd be shot with elephant tranquilizers. And he hadn't been alone.

Nikki and Reagan. He didn't know where they were or if they were even alive.

He summoned as much energy as possible and moved one finger and then another. He moved his hand, one arm, and then the other. After what felt like an eternity, he managed to sit up and feel the concrete floor under him. It was a barely lit cell with cement blocks on three walls and bars on the fourth. He could hear water dripping not too far away and hushed voices just outside the bars.

"Shift, damn you."

He got up and stumbled to the bars. "Nikki, is that you?"

"Blake?"

"Yeah. What's going on?"

"We were at the fair, and those idiots tranqed us. I can't wake up Reagan enough to shift; her breathing is so slow. I'm not sure she's going to make it."

"Do you know where your cell is compared to mine?"

"I think we're next to each other."

"Okay, good. What else do you know?"

"I think we're close to the fairgrounds or at least in the same city."

"What makes you think that?" Blake let his head rest on the cool bars.

"I don't think we've been here a whole day yet so that they couldn't have driven far. I have no idea what time it is, though. There's some type of spell on this area that's keeping me from sensing anything."

"Have any guards been down here?"

"As far as I can tell, they come down here two at a time, on a three-hour rotation. I've noticed four different guards."

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I have an entire construction site in my head. Threw up twice when we got here."

"Have they brought any food yet?"

"Nah, just some water."

Blake walked the perimeter of the cell toe-to-heel, hoping to get a better sense of its size. He touched the wall opposite the bars. It was cold.

"We're on an outside wall. That could be a good thing."

"I noticed that too."

"Have you seen any other prisoners?"

"No, but I heard what sounded like other prisoners when we first got here. There must be another set of cells because we're the only ones here."

Blake let out a long sigh. "Okay. Let me think a few minutes. There must be some way we can attack the guards when they return. Can you shift?"

"No. You?"

Blake closed his eyes and focused but couldn't feel any dragon energy. "Not yet."

A door at the end of the hall opened, and the clap-clap of high heels echoed off the walls. That wasn't a guard.

"I didn't believe when they told me they captured a dragon. And then I sure couldn't believe when that dragon turned out to be my ex-lover, Blake Sullivan."

Blake studied the woman standing in front of him. She wasn't the same woman he lived with and loved. She was still stunning, but there was a hardness, a coldness, about her now, and it was obviously weighing her down.

"You look pretty good for a dead woman, Heather."

Heather let her head fall back, and she laughed. "I wasn't going to let something as silly as death get the better of me."

"You became a Tribe witch?"

She held out her arms and twirled around. "I was offered a better life, so I took it." She leaned against the bars of the cell across from Blake's. "Imagine my surprise when I learned you were a dragon. A dragon. I always thought you were more hung than any other man I'd been with, and now I know why."

"Heather, what are you doing? What is this place?"

The door opened, and another set of heels walked across the cement.

Blake did not believe he saw what he saw. How could this be happening? Terror turned his blood to ice. If this woman was involved, Angela was in danger.

"Senator Van Houten?"

Beatrice stepped close to the bars, tilted her head, and smiled. "You are a dead ringer for him."

"Who?"

"Your great, great, great-" she paused, "- hell I don't know how many greats. Let's say I have a history with one of your ancestors, and it's not a pleasant one."

"What's your end game here?"

Beatrice stepped back to lean on the wall next to Heather. "This place serves to bring in a hefty income. You'd be surprised how much money enthusiasts are willing to pay for the thrill of hunting a shifter."

Blake looked at Heather. "Are you helping her?"

The two women exchanged glances. "Actually, she's helping me. She gave me the facility and the funding to carry on what that idiot started."

Blake rushed forward, grabbing the bars. "You're working with the nanotech?"

Heather's smile consumed her face. "I am. It's almost ready to go. It's really a thing of beauty. You'll see it once it's deployed. All shifters will come to heel or die."

"I'm so hoping we can try it out on you first," Beatrice said. "But I will take advantage of having a dragon here before you leave. Word has already gotten out that you're here. I have so many clients who want to hunt a dragon I had to set up a lottery. These hungry bastards are so desperate, they are paying full price just for the chance."

Blake crossed his arms over his arms over his chest. "I'm not doing anything for you."

"Oh, but you will." Beatrice snapped her fingers.

Six guards walked through the door. One of them pointed a tranquilizer gun at what he assumed was Nikki. Her head made a loud thump when it hit the floor. Another guard opened the door while another dragged Nikki's limp body from the cell. Another guard put a hand under her arm to keep her upright. Two guards dragged Reagan's body, still in wolf form, from the cell. The last guard snapped a collar around Nikki and Reagan. He pushed a button, and a red light started blinking.

"That collar is connected to this remote." Beatrice pulled out a metal box from her pocket. She held it out so Blake could see the red button. "If I push this button, your friends' heads will explode. So, if you want to keep them alive, you must do exactly what I say when I say it."

The guards left with Nikki and Reagan.

Beatrice said, "I've arranged for some food to be brought in for you. Sleep as much as you can. We'll come to get you when we're ready."

She and Heather headed toward the door. Heather stopped and came back to the cell. She leaned on the bars.

"Think I could have a kiss, just for old-time sake?"

Blake's rage boiled over. He took two large steps toward the bars, reached through, and grabbed Heather's neck before she even knew what happened.

Beatrice clapped her hands, and a hot, sharp pain pierced Blake's head. The pain was so intense it brought him to his knees.

"That was stupid," she said to Heather. "I wouldn't suggest doing that again."

Heather held her neck, dropped her head, and ran through the door.

Beatrice pointed to him. "Do not think you can outsmart me. I know what you're thinking. There is no way out of here. I have a beautiful panther who tried one too many times, and she paid a hefty price.

Blake sneered.

Beatrice walked away.

Blake lowered his head. He was trapped in more ways than just one. He couldn't make a plan without knowing more about this place, and now he had to be even more careful. He did not doubt that Beatrice would stay true to her word.

Blake startled awake. Six guards stood outside his cell while a seventh banged a club on the bars.

"Wake up, asshole. It's time for your debut," he said.

Blake didn't move. He was not a trained monkey waiting to do tricks on demand.

The guard with the club nodded to another one who held up Beatrice's metal box. The guard with the club said, "I'm Rex. I'll be the one who makes sure you do exactly what we need you to do. If you give us any issues, one of my team members will push that button, and those two beautiful women will die. I don't think you want that on your conscience, do you?"

Rex opened the cell door. Two guards braced themselves and pointed automatic weapons at Blake. Rex held out his hand. "I don't think we're going to need those. He's not going to give up any trouble, are you?"

Blake remained quiet and didn't move.

Rex stepped into the cell and held out a collar with a leash. "I need you to put this on. Mistress wants to parade you around before the hunt starts. That collar will prevent you from shifting whenever you want."

Blake still didn't move.

Rex held it out again. "There are three ways we can do this. One, you completely cooperate. Two, you fight us, and we hurt you, then put the collar on you ourselves. Three, we just kill your friends and then do number two."

Blake looked from Rex's face to the collar and then back to Rex's face. He took the collar and put it on his neck. It warmed the skin, and soon, it started itching.

"Give it a couple of minutes. The itching will stop once your body adjusts to the magic," Rex said.

"Am I supposed to walk like a dog," Blake said.

"Not unless you want to. The plan is to walk you in front of everyone here tonight for the hunt. Once they get a good look at you, Mistress wants to open the lottery for ten more minutes to see if anyone wants to buy more than one ticket."

"How much money is she making on this tonight?"

Rex shrugged. "It's not my place to ask questions like that."

"How many people will win the lottery?"

"Six. Six people will participate in tonight's hunt and six more in tomorrow's."

"I'm supposed to do this twice?"

Rex walked out of the cell. When Blake didn't move, he tugged on the leash. It wasn't a strong leash and did nothing to control Blake's movement. Rex nodded to a guard. He held up the metal box. Blake followed him out of the cell and outside.

Floodlights were set up to shine on the door. Blake held up a hand to block out the light and noticed the bleachers full of people. A tense hush fell over the crowd as Rex led him closer. Between the bright lights and the staggered sitting, it was hard to see how many people were there, but he guessed it was close to a hundred. He had no idea how much Beatrice charged for the lottery tickets, but he assumed it was a small fortune. These people were crazy.

Beatrice's voice came through a loudspeaker. "As you can see, he's stunning in his human form. When you see him shift into his dragon form, you will not be able to comprehend what your eyes are seeing. Now, who would like to buy a second, third, or even more lottery tickets?"

A loud cheer and a cacophony of screams made it hard to know what was happening.

Beatrice said, "I'm not taking your money directly. Each of you has been emailed a special email. Click on that link and transfer your money. Tickets will be available for the next ten minutes, so I would start clicking people."

A phone rang in Rex's pocket.

"Yes. I understand. Consider it done." He put the phone back in his pocket.

"Mistress wants me to take you to the center of the field and let you shift. She wants me to remind you that your friends' lives are in your hands. She also wants me to tell you that she has a contingency plan if you aren't motivated enough to save your friends."

"What's that?"

"She knows her little enterprise is about to be discovered, and she's prepared to destroy it all. She will kill every shifter on the property, and if that's not enough motivation, she'll go after the President."

Blake roared. He tugged the leash from Rex's grasp and attacked the closest guard next to him, breaking his skull when he pushed him to the ground. He ripped off the collar. The remaining guards pulled out cattle prods and proceeded to poke Blake, holding the burning end to his skin longer than necessary.

The crowd jumped to their feet and cheered. The spotlights danced across the field, highlighting Blake as he struggled to fight off the guards.

Beatrice yelled in through the loudspeaker. "Enough, Mr. Sullivan. You've put on enough of a show for now. Save your energy." She paused. "We still have three minutes before the lottery closes. Who would like to see the dragon shift right now?"

The crowd went wild.

Rex told the guards to stop fighting. He started a slow clap while walking closer. "You've put on a good show. Mistress received more money than she imagined. Now, you will continue entertaining her guests and shift into your dragon form. There is a post in the center of the field where we will chain you until the hunt begins." Rex held up a finger. "Oh, there is one thing I should tell you. Mistress put a spell on the area that will only allow you to fly three miles off the ground. If you get too high, it won't be a fair hunt."

Blake refused to move.

Rex held a hand to one of the two guards, still moving. The guard gave him a cattle prod. "I've been with Mistress a long time. She's given me certain abilities that go beyond what I should be able to do. Abilities like increasing pain." He thrust the prod into Blake's chest and, with one word, intensified the heat until it brought Blake to his knees.

The pain created a surge of energy that involuntarily brought forth his dragon. He fell to his hands and knees. Bones broke, elongated, and reshaped themselves. His chin stretched out, and his nose shrank. His skin melted away, replaced by several layers of thick scales. Horns protruded from his head, wings exploded from his back, and a long tail wrapped around his body.

For half a minute, there was no sound. Fully shifted, Blake was the size of a jumbo airline. The crowd was stunned. Blake snorted and pawed the ground, hanging his head low. When he blew smoke from his nostrils, the crowd lost their shit.

Rex called for more guards to control the crowd.

When Blake noticed how out of control the crowd became, he let out a small stream of fire and burned a circle in the ground. He stomped his feet and faced the crowd. Beatrice had counted on the thrill of the hunt to control the crowd, but no matter how excited people are about hunting a dragon, seeing one in real life is another matter. Blake needed to play into their fear and create complete chaos. It was the only way to distract everyone.

As he approached the crowd, the cheers turned to screams and cries. Several people jumped out of the stands. People rushed down the stairs and pushed anyone who got in the way. Blake watched as more than one person was crushed under the stampede of feet.

The guards standing on the ground in front of the stands ran away if they could. Those who didn't move fast enough were pushed down and trampled. Beatrice called for calm over the loudspeaker, but no one listened.

Blake lifted his head and let free a stream of fire that arched like a fountain. Two men thought they were braver than anyone else and ran toward him with pistols pointed at him. They fired round after round, emptying their guns before they realized none of the bullets penetrated his skin. Blake swung his tail around, knocking them to the ground before he dropped his tail on them, crushing their bodies.

Blake had a few minutes to study the area and the people. He needed to find the remote control for the collars Nikki and Reagan wore. He moved further away from the stands and found the guard who held the remote before. It was impossible to search the guard in his dragon form. With a quick rush of energy, he shifted into his human form. Since the guards did not remove his watch, he shifted back into the outfit he wore to the carnival. The jeans were too tight to move the way he wanted.

He found the remote and took a gun from the guard's vest. It took three bullets to destroy it.

Hundreds of people flooded the field. It was hard to know where to run. More than one person recognized him in his human form, but when his eyes shifted, and claws broke through his skin, they ran in the opposite direction.

He noticed one building with fewer windows than the others. That must be where they were keeping all the shifters. It wasn't easy to maneuver among all the people. He'd only made it a few feet when he ran into Beatrice.

Before he could react, she put her hands on his face. "Forget." She pushed a white light into his head.

He stumbled back and shook his head. "Watch it, Lady."

"Are you that dragon?" She held up her hands. "Please don't hurt me."

Blake pushed past her and continued to the building. He broke through the front door and found a large room with a half dozen cages. The one with Nikki and Reagan was at the end of the row. He ripped off all the doors as he ran past them. All kinds of shifters ran out of the cages and outside. Some shifted into their animal form, while some stayed in their human form.

Blake was so relieved that his teammates were fine that he never noticed a single significant memory slip from his mind.