17. Liam

"I knowyou don"t like me, and I feel the same way, but let"s just get this interview over and done with," Pierce said, his tone curt and businesslike. "Do you want anything to drink?"

I was still contemplating whether I should call Shane back and tell him I had changed my mind.

A strange unease filled me as I stood next to Pierce, though I couldn"t quite put my finger on why.

"Liam?" Pierce"s voice brought me back to the present, and I turned my attention to him.

"Water"s fine," I replied, trying to shake off the sense of discomfort that lingered in the air.

"Take a seat, I"ll be right back with our drinks," Pierce said, motioning towards the living room area of the cottage.

I wandered over to the living room area, where Pierce had set up his laptop on the desk. Next to it lay a notepad, along with a few pens.

Curiosity getting the better of me, I approached the desk and peered at the screen of his laptop. What I saw made my blood run cold.

It was a shot taken of Shane and me on the porch of his house, laughing together, completely unaware of the camera"s presence.

With trembling fingers, I scrolled through the images, each one capturing intimate moments between Shane and me—moments that were meant to be private.

A chill swept down my spine as I realized the extent of Pierce"s intrusion into our lives.

These weren"t just photos taken by a reporter; there was something much more sinister at play here.

Feeling a surge of anger and fear coursing through me, I knew I had to confront Pierce about what I had discovered.

As I turned towards the door, ready to storm out and demand answers, I felt someone"s hot breath on the back of my neck.

Pierce? How had he entered the room so silently and swiftly? My heart pounded in my chest as I tensed, bracing myself for whatever confrontation lay ahead.

Before I could utter a single word, Pierce"s hand clamped over my mouth, muffling any attempt to scream or call for help.

I struggled against his iron grip, but he was too strong, his fingers digging into my skin with a painful intensity.

What was he? A mage? A shifter? Something else? I couldn"t tell anymore, my thoughts muddled by fear and confusion.

Panic surged within me as Pierce swiftly jabbed something sharp into the side of my neck—a syringe filled with a clear liquid.

My vision began to blur, the edges of my sight fading into darkness as the drug coursed through my veins.

I swayed on my feet, my knees threatening to buckle beneath me as Pierce"s hold on me tightened.

"Naughty boy. I see you"ve been peeking at other people"s computers when they're not looking," Pierce whispered in my ear, his voice dripping with malice.

With a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, I realized this was a trap.

I was at Pierce"s mercy, completely vulnerable and defenseless against whatever twisted plans he had in store for me.

As the drug took hold and my consciousness slipped away, I fought to remain awake. Whatever Pierce had planned for me, I knew it would be far from pleasant.

Darkness soon enveloped me, and my last thought was of Shane, who didn't know how dangerous Pierce really was.

As I slowly regained consciousness, my head throbbed with dull pain, and I found myself in a dimly lit room surrounded by worn-down furniture and wooden walls.

Panic surged through me as I realized I was tied to a chair, my hands and feet bound tightly with rough rope.

Drawing in a shaky breath, I tried to piece together what had happened.

Memories flooded back in a rush—Pierce"s fake interview, the syringe filled with some unknown substance, the feeling of helplessness as darkness consumed me.

Dang it. Shane and I should have anticipated something like this happening. We should have been more vigilant.

My mind raced with worry for Shane. Was he panicking right now, searching frantically for me?

I remembered him mentioning the effects of the mating bond—that in time, we would be able to sense each other"s emotions.

Would he be able to track me through the bond? I didn"t know, and I cursed myself for not asking Shane more about it when I had the chance.

Desperation gnawed at me as I struggled against my restraints, but the ropes held firm, digging painfully into my skin. I had to stay calm, had to think of a way out of this mess.

Drawing strength from the thought of Shane, I closed my eyes and focused on the bond that connected us, sending out a silent plea for him to find me, to come to my rescue.

As the minutes stretched on, there was still no sign of Shane. Of course, I was being silly.

I couldn't just expect my fox to magically appear, but the silence around me only served to heighten my sense of unease.

Then, a groan pierced the stillness of the room, drawing my attention to the corner where another figure was bound and helpless.

My heart skipped a beat as I realized I wasn"t alone. I twisted my body to the limits of my restraints, desperate to see who Pierce"s other captive was.

And then, as I caught sight of the familiar face, I sucked in a sharp breath, my mind reeling with disbelief.

"Grandfather?" I whispered, shocked.

It couldn"t be. My mother had mentioned that the assassin had made another attempt on him but failed.

But now, staring into the eyes of the McGowan family head, I couldn"t deny the truth staring me in the face.

Pierce was the assassin.

A chill ran down my spine as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place, the realization sinking in like a lead weight in the pit of my stomach.

How had I been so blind? Pierce had been there during the family event where my magic had failed. He'd followed Shane and me to the diner and the book fair.

With Pierce"s true identity exposed, the stakes had never been higher.

"Grandfather," I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper.

"I hear you, Liam," he replied, his tone tinged with irritation.

"What happened?" I asked, trying to sound calm and collected.

Deep down, I was scared of what would happen next. Talking helped, I realized.

"Mother said you"re fine, that you survived another assassination attempt," I continued.

My grandfather let out a heavy sigh, his expression grave.

"I suspect that failed attempt was just a way for the family to let their guard down, and it worked," he admitted, his voice tight with bitterness.

He continued, "After Mage Daily asked for an interview with you, they called again, asking if they could also send Pierce down so I could talk about the recent assassination attempt. The family thought talking to this reporter would be good for our image."

A cold shiver ran down my spine as I processed my grandfather"s words. Could Mage Daily be involved in this too?

I dismissed the thought almost immediately. It was more likely that Pierce had simply used his position as a reporter as a convenient cover.

"Pierce got you during the interview?" I asked.

He furrowed his brows as he recounted the events that had transpired since Pierce had arrived at his doorstep.

"That bastard jabbed me with a needle, too, after I asked the other mages to clear the room. Whatever that drug was, it disabled my magic," he muttered, his expression darkening with anger.

I said nothing to that. He sent me away precisely because he probably suspected I could no longer do magic.

"Where was your fox when all this went down?" My grandfather"s gaze suddenly fixated on the mate mark on my neck, his eyes narrowed with suspicion.

He looked angry, but then again, my grandfather always seemed to be perpetually furious—at the world, at the family, because things weren"t being run according to his standards.

He clearly disapproved of me being Shane's mate. Then again, I realized I didn't really care about his opinion.

"I sent Shane away because Pierce seemed scared of him. I should"ve known better," I mumbled, feeling foolish.

Pierce probably anticipated Shane would cause problems, so he decided to get rid of him.

"We have a strong suspicion the Kingstons hired the assassin," he said. "But at that point, we didn't realize the assassin was Pierce."

The mention of the Kingstons sent a chill down my spine. Months before, a rogue Kingston mage had attacked us, all because my grandfather had killed their future family head in a duel.

So this was all about getting back at him? Anger surged within me, hot and fierce.

I was only involved in this mess because the family had decided to make me the poster boy who "saved" my grandfather.

Shane and I shouldn't be in this mess in the first place. I swallowed as a terrible realization hit me. I was mated to Shane now, our life forces connected.

If Pierce killed me, Shane would follow me to death. I had been scared before, but now I was downright petrified. Stop it, I chided myself. I needed to do something, anything.

"Grandfather, do you know anything about the mating bond? Will Shane be able to track me?" I asked, desperate.

He snorted. "I know distance affects the bond. If you"re too far from him, then..."

He didn"t need to finish his sentence. If Pierce knew Shane and I were mated, then he knew Shane would have a way to track me.

Pierce probably took grandfather and me somewhere Shane wouldn't find us.

I turned my attention to the knots binding my hands to the chair, my fingers fumbling with the rough ropes in a futile attempt to loosen them. But they were incredibly tight. Pierce wasn't taking any chances.

As a last resort, I tried reaching for my magic, but it was like grasping at smoke—barely there, slipping through my fingers with every attempt. It was useless.

Just then, my ringtone blared from somewhere in the cabin. Hope surged through my veins.

Pierce must have confiscated my phone when he apprehended me, but he had merely moved it out of my reach.

My phone... I realized. When Shane told me he'd installed a tracking app on my phone, I had gotten so annoyed with him. Despite the direness of our situation, I started laughing.

"What"s the matter with you, boy?" my grandfather asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"It"s just... it"s funny," I said between breathless chuckles. "Magic isn"t going to save us, but technology will."

Before I could explain further, the cabin door swung open, revealing Pierce. He was engaged in conversation with someone on the phone.

"No, before I get down to business, I want to see what I"m owed transferred to my bank account," Pierce said, his tone curt and businesslike. "You want proof I've really got them? Fine. Here."

As he turned his phone screen towards us, I caught a glimpse of the person on the other end of the call—an elderly woman in her late sixties. My grandfather"s face contorted with rage.

"Is that you, Beatrice Kingston?" he bellowed, his fury palpable.

Pierce ignored my grandfather"s outburst, putting the phone back to his ear with a dismissive gesture.

"Stop yelling, Beatrice. It doesn"t matter if they saw your face. They"ll be dead in a few minutes. Now, if I don"t see the cash in my bank account..."

The call ended abruptly. Pierce took out a bottle of pills from his jacket and popped two in his mouth. Then he sank into a nearby chair, his attention fixed on his phone.

I watched him closely, a sense of dread settling over me as I realized Shane might not arrive in time.

"If money"s all you want..." my grandfather began.

"But it"s not just about the cash, old man, although it is a good incentive," Pierce interrupted, his tone cool and calculating.

The fa?ade of the meek, annoying reporter persona had fallen away, revealing the cold, merciless mercenary for hire beneath.

"I have my reputation as a hired hitman to protect," Pierce continued, his words sending a shiver down my spine. "I must admit, this job had more surprises than I expected, but it turned out alright in the end."

It finally dawned on me that we were running out of time to find a way out of this nightmare.

Shane, I desperately thought, where are you?