CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

A ri adjusted the comms in his ear and glanced at the vampires sitting across from him in the back of the van. Where the fuck were they? Callan should be down here by now.

Oliver, Brayden, and Craig were in the van with him.

The ‘A’ team, because this wasn’t an operation Ari was willing to trust with anyone but the best.

“Fuck,” Craig said, and ran a hand over his face. “He’s flashed out. You know that, right?”

Shit.

“Of course he fucking has. He’s shit scared.” Ari growled, slamming his hand down against the side of the van. “Fuck.”

With his blood in Callan’s system, he would have enormous power, but only for a short time. Hours at best.

Unfortunately, because he hadn’t swapped with the vampire, Ari was unable to communicate with Callan. They also couldn’t track one another like one fiction author had written about—a skill he’d love to have despite it being a little creepy and intrusive.

Much like being able to read another’s mind.

Thing was, if you knew how, you could stop another from being able to enter your mind, but it had taken years to master that skill, and few could do it.

“They have Sage,” Darren said through the comms. “She’s still in the building.”

“Get hold of Ben and Tom and ask them to put out a missing vampire alert to our teams across North America,” Brayden said to Craig. “It’s not a quick fix, but if he’s gone into hiding, we may be able to find him in time.”

“We need his intel,” Ari growled. “God only knows what state he is in, but he’s free so that’s good.”

Sage was not.

Ari had to get her out and his entire focus was now on her.

“We do need his intel. Until we know more these assholes can continue their work,” Brayden said. “He’ll be in touch with someone and while we can’t put a blast out on VampNet or it will scare everyone, we can use our network on the ground.”

“There could be others,” Oliver said, voicing what they were all thinking, and Brayden nodded.

“For some reason, Callan was important to them,” Brayden said. “So it’s a win, you guys, let’s take it.”

At any other time, Ari would appreciate the little pep talk, but not today. Not while his potential mate was trapped inside by these fucking soulless monsters.

And they thought vampires were the dangerous ones.

Well, today Ari was, and he wasn’t fucking around.

Brayden narrowed his eyes at him and cursed.

Ari frowned back. “What? If you’re looking for a round of applause for your speech, today is not that day,” Ari snapped.

“No asshole. Look.” Brayden flipped his phone around and pressed the camera.

Ari gripped the phone and lifted it to his face.

Holy fuck.

He froze. Never in his life did he think he’d see this. Two black fine rings around his irises.

It was official. He was mated.

Sage was his mate.

“Congratulations, man.” Oliver thumped him on the thigh. It seemed appropriate the vampire he’d shared her with first was with him at this moment.

Ari handed the phone back to the prince and their eyes held. “Congratulations, Ari,” Brayden said.

“Welcome to the club,” Craig said, reaching out his hand for one of those fist pump things.

Sage was his mate.

He’d known. Deep in his heart, Ari had known from the beginning. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined it could feel this wonderful and terrifying. There was a wild feeling within him to protect her and possess her to the very core.

Which was bad luck for their enemy.

Ari had no idea where Sage was or what they were doing to her. All they could hear was silence. Did that mean they had deactivated the tracker? Or hurt her?

Fury rose to the surface like an atom bomb ready to explode.

Ari pulled out his phone, scrolled and found a number. He pressed dial.

“You ordering a pizza?” Oliver asked. “Hell of a time, but I’ll have extra cheese.”

Ari ignored him and waited for the call to be answered.

“Welcome to BioZen, how may I help you?” A standard friendly reception voice answered.

Craig cursed silently.

Brayden lowered his brows, but Ari looked away.

This was his mate and his responsibility. They were playing by his rules now.

“Put me through to Douglas Phillips immediately,” Ari said firmly, not using the man’s title. He deserved no respect and wasn’t about to get it from Ari.

“Ah, who may I say is calling please?” the woman asked. “Do you have an appointment with him?”

“Put me through,” he repeated darkly.

The call went through to another woman. “Dr. Phillips’s office. How may I help you?”

Fuck’s sake.

“If Douglas is not on the end of this phone in three minutes, I will start taking lives,” Ari growled into the phone.

“Ah, who is this?”

“Two minutes, forty-five seconds.”

“Uhbh, arh, sir—”

“Two minutes, thirty seconds,” Ari said.

The phone dropped onto the desk, and he heard the woman race out of the room, bumping into her desk and door, muttering ouch , fuck, shit, and calling for the scientist.

“Ari, what the fuck?” Oliver asked.

There was a redirect, a ringtone and then someone answered. It was longer than three minutes in the end, but Ari wasn’t worried about that and turned out it wasn’t Douglas Phillips who answered the phone.

“Who am I speaking to?” the voice asked, and Ari recognized it from their surveillance. Beside him Oliver tensed, and Ari gave him a look which said to stay very fucking quiet.

Craig let out a silent mother fucker and Brayden leaned forward.

“My name is Ari Moretti, and you have something of mine,” Ari said in his darkest and most deadly voice. “If Sage Roberts is not returned in the next fifteen minutes, I will rain fire across this planet. Do not fuck with me, Xander Tomassi. I know every single member of your family, where they live and who they care about.”

The man laughed.

They didn’t know much about the man himself, but Ari hadn’t expected him to cower and follow instructions. What he did know was if Xander was capable of the things they were doing to vampires, he wasn’t a compassionate or healthy-minded individual.

“Start with my wife, will you?” Xander said, laughing.

“The clock is ticking.” Ari growled.

“You can’t harm me, Moretti,” Xander said. “If you could, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”

Oliver threw back his head, bashing it against the van, frustrated as fuck.

“I don’t think you realize who you’re fucking with, Tomassi. And you never will,” Ari growled. “Your team has crossed a line today by taking Sage. I don’t care who I have to kill. One by one, I will rip the heads off every single member of your team and then I will come for you. I will destroy your security and anyone who gets in my way. I am faster, stronger, and more deadly than any being on this planet. You will not stop me. No one can stop me.”

Silence.

The funny thing was, Ari had never felt so calm. All his life he’d had to hide and contain his enormous power.

Now, he had nothing to lose.

Brayden’s eyes were burning into him, but Ari was not interested in following their race laws. BioZen had Sage, and he was getting her back, no matter the cost. He answered to no one.

Ari needed Xander Tomassi to understand the odds had shifted. There were no rules now. No rules except his.

“I will burn this building to the ground and every BioZen property until everything you have created is destroyed.” Ari was planning to destroy it anyway, but going rogue was easier. “Protecting the existence of my race is no longer my priority. Release her and you will live.”

“Shit, Ari,” Brayden muttered, rubbing his forehead.

More silence.

“You have messed with the wrong vampire, you stupid fucking human. Tell your team to let her go and we can all go back to playing this little game within the rules of our society. Fifteen minutes or consider your life over.”

Ari pressed the red button.

“Jesus,” Craig said. “I like your style.”

FIFTEEN MINUTES WAS a really long time. Even for someone as old as him. It felt equivalent to five million years.

Longer.

He couldn’t even pace because he was stuck inside the goddamn van with Brayden, who was still glaring at him. At least he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut.

They had moved the van out to the front of the building and the sun was low in the sky. It was four o’clock in the afternoon and there were still three more minutes on the clock.

Three fucking minutes.

“You should all go,” Ari said, only just hanging on by a thread. “There is no reason for any of you to be involved further. If they don’t return Sage, I will come back to the mansion for my weapons and then I’m on my own.”

“Nope,” Oliver said.

Craig crossed his arms.

Brayden continued to glare at him, but stayed put.

Suddenly the doors to the BioZen building opened and three security men carried a very dopey-looking Sage out. She could barely stand.

“Fuck.” Ari pulled open the door.

“Jesus,” Brayden said, jumping away from the daylight. “Are you fucking crazy?”

Yup. Was that not obvious?

“Dude,” Craig said. “Just wait. It’s not cloudy enough out there today.”

Ari looked to the sky and back to Sage, who couldn’t focus her eyes. She’d been drugged. Now he was feeling extra murderous. His fangs extended as the men continued to drag her down the footpath while people around them watched.

“Sage?” A man ran up to them. “What’s going on? Is she all right?”

The security guys asked him to leave, but the tall man ignored them and kept walking around them in circles.

Ari narrowed his eyes. He didn’t know who the man was, but he seemed to care for her.

“Hey stop. You’re hurting her. Sage?” said the man attempted to stop one of the security guards by grabbing his arm.

“You want her, Carl? Take her,” one of them said, and when he let her go, Sage crumbled to the ground.

Ari realized this must be the man she had been planning to date. She’d mentioned his name was Carl.

Carl reached for her, and Ari nearly lost his shit.

“Calm. She’s safe with him,” Brayden said, gripping his arm.

“Sage.” Ari called out from the van and Sage’s eyes lifted to his.

“Ari.” Sage croaked out a reply and then looked up at the man. “Pleavhelpme getovatoschim.”

“What’s going on?” Ari heard him ask. “What’s wrong with you? And where were you last night? I waited out here for over half an hour.”

Ari’s fists clenched. I have bad news for you, buddy.

“Pwevecarl,” Sage begged.

“Who are they?” Carl asked, looking over at them all crowded in the van. Ari admitted it probably looked dodgy as fuck. He likely wondered why they weren’t exiting the vehicle to help.

Ari took another look at the sky.

“Fuck man, I am trying to keep you alive for your mate,” Brayden said, his grip on Ari’s arm pure Moretti strength.

Sage began to take wobbly steps toward them, and Carl reluctantly assisted her. His eyes held hers, even as they opened and closed in her drugged state, until she was just a few feet away. Then he ripped his arm from Brayden’s and sped to her.

He pulled her into his arms, and vamp-sped back into the van.

“Sage!” he cried, almost crushing her.

“Ariohmugodhelp.” Sage mumbled against him. “Ishdrugs.”

“Don’t talk. We’ll get you the help you need,” Ari said, knowing exactly what he was going to do. No one would ever hurt Sage again.

Never.

He glanced out at Carl, who was a few feet from the van, staring in horror.

“Deal with him,” Ari said to Oliver.

“Let me,” Craig said, whipping out into the dull daylight and grabbing the guy. He jumped back in and perched on the step while he rearranged Carl’s memories.

Sage began to whimper against Ari’s chest, and he pulled her onto his lap. “What did they give you?” he asked, holding her face to look into her eyes. “Do you know?”

Her head wobbled about. “Pwoffolxanx.”

Okay, none of them knew what the fuck she was saying. Ari looked up just as Oliver pulled out his phone. “Googling it,” he said.

“Propofol. Or Xanax,” Oli said a few seconds later.

“Will it harm you?” he asked. She was a scientist, after all, and figured she’d know that no matter what stage she was in.

She tried to move her head about. “Proffablynotbutjustsleep.”

Craig looked up and Carl wandered off as if nothing had happened in his life. At least that was one loose end tidied up.

“She’s right. She’ll probably sleep for a few hours but unless they gave her a shit ton, she’ll be okay.” Craig shifted to look down at her. “Can’t say I’m not disappointed we aren’t burning down the city, though.”

Brayden slid the door shut and banged on the wall. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

Home.

Ari was taking his mate home.