Chapter 29

Twenty-Nine

The momentthe coin showed up in my pocket, I had a feeling something was wrong. I thought about seeking out Bel immediately, but then he was texting me and seemed in a good mood, so I didn't leave.

The second Bel's newest text came through, I regretted that choice.

Bel: Terrell's taking me to Luynore.

"Fuck!" I yelled, then stood and stormed out of my office, grabbing the coin and stuffing the useless thing in my pocket. Why couldn't it have just told me Bel was in trouble? Stupid thing. "Luynore's got Bel."

"Shit!" Tan yelled, coming out of his own office with Orangelica wrapped around his neck.

Savelle and Isa joined us as we headed toward the stairs without a word. All four of us ran down as fast as we could, and I used my shifter abilities to speed myself up. I reached the car before the others, but they were climbing in by the time I had it on.

As I pulled out of the spot, I called Henry, putting the phone on speaker so everyone could hear.

"Hey, boss. Looks like he's headed toward Luynore's office."

I was glad I hadn't even had to ask. "Let me know if that changes."

"Will do."

After I hung up, Tan said, "I'm tracking Bel's phone. Looks like Henry has the destination right to me."

The tension in the car was so thick I could've cut it with a knife. But my friends obviously knew I was in no mood to mess around because no one tried to give me false platitudes.

I felt Bel's distress through our bond, but no matter what I did, I couldn't seem to contact him telepathically. We hadn't been bonded long enough to be able to communicate with any kind of distance between us. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. My chest ached with his fear and sorrow, and all I could do was rub at it and pray we got to him in time.

We were about two minutes away when Tan said, "Shit. He's on the move."

"What? Where's he going?"

"Not sure yet. Keep heading toward the office. I'll call Henry." Tan put his phone on speaker as it rang, and when it went to voicemail, he redialed. When it went to voicemail again, I knew something was wrong.

"Try Gabe."

Tan called him twice with the same result—voicemail.

Fuck.Fuck, fuck, fuck.

"Keep trying them, Sav," Tan said. "Remi, turn left up here. Don't speed up too much. We don't want them to see us on their tail, okay?"

I knew he was right. I knew staying back would keep Bel safer for the moment, but that didn't mean I didn't want to speed. My only thought was to get to my Bel right the fuck now. I growled out loud without meaning to, and Isa squeezed my shoulder, offering support.

We followed in silence for a while, and Sav was unable to get either Henry or Gabe on the phone, which made my stomach clench in fear. But nothing could compare to the fear I felt for my viramore right now.

"He's pulling into the parking lot at the Sedoba Art Gallery. What the hell is he doing there?"

I bit my lip, thinking. "I have no clue, but that's one of the places Bel kept asking me about. There must be something there that Luynore wants Bel to steal."

"Probably," Tan agreed.

Isa said, "I'll call Bailey and let her know where we are. She can set up a team to assist us."

I said, "Have her send another team out to Luynore's office to check on Gabe and Henry."

"Got it."

Tan asked, "Want me to contact the prick on the throne? He could send more backup."

I only thought about it for half a beat. "No. The last thing we need is that asshole dragon involved." He wouldn't prioritize Bel's life the way I would.

"You know, he?—"

"I swear to the Mother, if you're about to give me a dragon king fact, I'm gonna?—"

"I wasn't." Tan looked upset and hurt. "I swear, I wasn't. I was just going to say that he wouldn't let anything happen to Bel if he was here."

"How the hell could you possibly know that?" I waved him off before he could answer. "Never mind. No outsiders."

Tan blew out a frustrated breath. "Fine."

I parked a block away, and we hopped out of the car, heading toward the art gallery. I didn't have any weapons on me—my claws and fangs were enough—and neither did Tan—his magic and his Bonded was enough for him—but Savelle and Isa both carried guns and swords that they must've grabbed before we'd left the office.

As we approached the front doors of the closed gallery, Isa whispered, "I've covered us with a glamor. You know it won't hold up well, but it should help a little. I hope." Her glamor magic wasn't super strong, but it was better than nothing.

With a nod of acquiescence, I led us up to a side door since Bel had already gone in through the front. I was keyed into the security system here, so it was easy enough for us to get inside without setting an alarm off—I wasn't sure how Luynore had managed, but that was something we'd rectify later.

After I had my Bel back and safe in my arms.

Tan used a tracking spell to help us get a more specific destination, so he took the lead once we were inside. This was the biggest art gallery in the territory and was large enough to house several sections, plus a space for galas and parties. If it wasn't for Tan's spell, it would've taken a long time to find Bel, but luckily, Tan led us right to one of the gallery rooms on the upper floor.

It was a room that was more like a museum since it held artwork that wasn't for sale, some of which came from the king's personal collection. Other pieces were ones the gallery manager had decided were too precious to sell but wanted to display for any to see.

I had a feeling I knew exactly what Luynore was after inside that room.

I could hear voices before we reached the doors, but I didn't hesitate to go inside, despite Tan trying to make me wait. Maybe it would've been more sensible to make a plan, but my viramore was in there, and I could smell his blood. My wolf was riding me hard, ready to come out and rip some asshole fae to pieces.

"Get away from him, Luynore," I growled out as I barreled inside.

My gaze automatically went to Bel, and I growled deep in my throat. My poor sweetheart was covered in blood. Most of it was his but some wasn't. He was underneath a witch's shield with Luynore, a gargoyle, a witch, and a shifter. I was pretty sure the gargoyle was Bel's friend, Terrell, that I'd heard so much about, and since he was also covered in blood, I figured I was right.

But fuck, my mate was under a shield with the enemy. How the hell was I supposed to get to him?

Tan threw a silvery shield over the top of our group, but I knew he'd let me through it if I had the chance to grab Bel. In fact, if he had the chance to put a personal shield over Bel, he'd do it in a heartbeat. As it was, he couldn't get past the other witch's shield.

"You okay, may'ezza?" I asked Bel through our bond, relieved he could hear my voice in his head again.

"Not really. He killed Henry and Gabe."

Hearing his voice was a sweet relief, but his words and the grief I could feel coming from him made me want to shift and bite anyone who'd ever hurt him. And fuck, Henry and Gabe. Shit. They were such good guys, and now I'd have to notify their families and—I cut myself off. Now wasn't the time. Grief would have to wait.

"I'm so sorry, Bel."

He shook his head. "Don't worry about that now. Just be careful. I think he's lost his mind."

Without removing my eyes from Luynore, I gave him a nod.

"Ah, I was wondering if you'd show up." Luynore turned a slimy smile my way. "Now we can get started." He pointed to a painting behind himself. "If you'll please, I'd like you to take that one down for me."

I barely glanced at the painting behind him because I already knew which one he wanted. It was an ancient painting, done by a mysterious witch no one knew the name of, and legend had it that the painting itself was haunted.

I wasn't sure if that was true or not, but since it depicted a man hanging from a guillotine with endless black eyes, it already gave me the creeps.

If it wasn't haunted, it at least held some magical properties since I could feel it, even from here. And the king had me place special protections on it when we'd set up the security for this building, so he clearly thought there was something there.

Regardless, if Luynore thought I was going to use my palm print and magical essence to open up the case it was in, he was sadly mistaken.

"No."

He lifted a brow, pulled a sword out of thin air, and pointed it right at Bel's neck. "Really? I would've thought you'd have more sense than that."

My sweet Bel closed his eyes, his breathing shallow, the scent of his fear filling the air. It made me growl again.

"If you harm a single hair on his head, it'll be the last thing you ever do."

He had the gall to laugh. "And how, pray tell, are you going to get to me, wolf? You can't cross a witch's shield."

"And if you kill him, you won't have any leverage left, asshole. I'll come at you like a fucking missile."

"There are plenty of things I can do with this sword without killing him." As if to prove his point, Luynore lifted the sword to Bel's cheek and drew it across his skin. The slash wasn't deep, but it still killed me to see the blood pooling there.

I growled. "Get the fuck off him."

He laughed, sounding like a lunatic.

Bel was right. The man had lost his mind.

Tan murmured in Caillea—a witch language that I understood, thanks to my dads. "Give me thirty more seconds, and I'll break through."

I gave him a slight nod. He might not have been as powerful as my dad, but he was powerful in his own right, and he'd trained in combat before agreeing to work for me. I trusted him with my life, and more importantly, with Bel's.

"I'll find a way." I had to keep Luynore talking. Keep his focus on me so he didn't see what Tan was doing. "What the hell do you want with a haunted painting anyway?" To Bel, inside my head, I said, "Get ready, baby. I need you to push the sword away when I tell you. Can you do that for me?"

Luynore grinned. "Seems like having a ghost on the payroll could do me wonders."

I wasn't sure exactly what that meant or how he could possibly use a ghost, but it didn't matter.

Bel answered inside my head, "Yes. I'll fall to the side and push it away. I'm ready."

"Good, may'ezza. That's real good."

Tan whispered, "Ready. On your signal."

To Luynore, I said, "What in the world could a ghost do?" I lifted my hand, like I was scratching my chin, and inside my head, I said, "Now!" At the same time, I slashed my hand down, giving Tan the signal.

I saw Tan's silver magic shoot across the room, and I watched it smack straight into the yellow shield around our enemies. The shield burst like a bubble, but my focus was solely on Bel. My sweet fae did exactly what he'd said. He pushed Luynore's sword hand away and fell to the side, moving out of the sword's reach as much as possible.

I growled and ran forward, happy when Tan dropped the shield from around me.

My claws extended as I rushed toward my viramore, and I knocked Luynore's sword aside with them, coming to stand between him and my Bel. Luynore screamed in rage and ran toward me, and without a thought, I shifted to my wolf and jumped at him.

His sword hit my side, slicing against my ribcage, but I ignored it, aiming my jaws for his other arm. I clamped down and dug my claws into his chest, taking Luynore all the way to the ground.

For a split-second, I thought I'd won. I thought I'd taken him down. That he was finished.

But then a horrible burning pain pierced through me as his sword went straight into my side. It sliced through skin and muscle and when he pulled it out, I was sure my guts were going to fall out.

I heard Bel screaming at the top of his lungs, and his magic wrapped around me, his scent enveloping me as I was yanked away from the evil fae.

Bel's magic dragged me back to his side, and Luynore tried to follow, jumping to his feet and rushing us with his sword raised. But at the last second, he bounced off a shield.

Tan had thrown a shield over the top of Bel and me.

Knowing we were protected for the moment, I closed my eyes and shifted back to my human form, grimacing as my shift helped heal my injuries. Because it was a deep wound, I shifted back to my wolf, and then back again to human until I was standing naked before my mate.

I didn't realize my hands were shaking until I held one out to my Bel. He took it and let me pull him straight into my arms.

I buried my nose in his hair and murmured, "Thank the Mother you're alright."

His arms went around my waist, and I noticed he was shaking just as badly as I was. I tightened my grip on him.

"You're safe now." Through our bond, I said, "I love you."

"I love you too, Remi. So fucking much. You scared the shit out of me."

"Yeah, well, call us even."

"That isn't funny."

I smiled into his hair and gave him a nuzzle before taking in the rest of the scene.

Tan had managed to capture Luynore's goons under one shield, and he had another around himself and Terrell, who was kneeling on the ground, staring at Luynore in horror.

My gaze flicked to the evil fae, and I growled again.

Tan hadn't been able to capture him because he already had too many shields up, so Isa and Savelle were fighting him with swords and magic. Savelle wasn't a big fighter, but they could hold their own. Isa was better, but after only a few seconds, it was clear that Luynore had more experience with a sword.

Savelle's sword was knocked out of their grasp, and they had to retreat to avoid being stabbed, which left Isa fighting the evil man herself. She parried, but Luynore was so fucking fast. She started losing steam, and he… he didn't at all. I had no idea how he was still moving like that after I'd bitten and clawed him—he must've had an energy spell on him.

Isa missed blocking his swing, and Luynore sliced her upper arm open, making her hiss in pain.

If I didn't intervene, this wouldn't end well.

Just as I had the thought, Luynore knocked Isa's sword out of her hand, and I watched in horror as his sword aimed right for her stomach.

Tan screamed out, and the shield he had over himself flew across the room almost too fast for the eye to see and landed right over the top of Luynore. His sword hit Tan's shield, and I flinched at the loud noise it made.

Bel cried out in my arms at the same time that Terrell did, and my sweet fae pulled away from me as Luynore said loudly, "Kill them!" Even I could feel the power behind the command, and I wasn't under his obligation.

Terrell attacked Tan without even waiting a beat, and my friend started fighting back, throwing spells that would only stun, not maim or kill. I wanted to help him, but my viramore needed me more. Luckily, Sav and Isa jumped back into the fray, keeping Terrell busy.

Bel was hunched over and breathing deeply, and I could tell he was fighting the command with all of his might.

"Kill him."

"No." Bel's voice was firm, and I could feel how pissed, scared, and sad he was. He thought he was going to have to hurt me.

"You'll do what I say, Belryn Bixidor. Just like you always do."

Bel screamed out and fell to one knee, wrapping his free arm around his stomach. Through our bond, I could feel the echo of his pain, and even that was too much.

Bel looked at me with anguish in his eyes as tears fell freely down his cheeks. "I'm sorry. I'm so fuckin' sorry. I don't—I… I-I-I love you, Remi. Please run. Get away from me before I can't fight it anymore."

Oh, Bel.

I shook my head. "I love you too, may'ezza. It's gonna be okay."

He screamed out again, more pain filtering through the bond, and Luynore said, "I beg to differ. No more delays. Kill the fucker, Belryn. Kill him. Now."

Bel was full-on sobbing now, and his arm raised, magic building around it, although I had no idea what kind of magic it was.

I said, "You can't hurt me, Bel. Remember that. You can't hurt me."

He blinked and shook his head like he was clearing something out of his mind.

"Bel," I said, my voice low and a bit growly even though I wasn't angry with him in the least. "Remember what Talon said. Our bond is stronger than anything else. Use it. You can't hurt me."

"He fucking can to," Luynore said, but I didn't spare him even a glance. He wasn't worth my time, and he was safely trapped under that shield.

I smiled at my Bel. "This isn't where our story ends, may'ezza."

With as much force as I could, I pushed all the love and care I felt for Bel through our bond, making sure he could feel it, making sure the warmth of my feelings enveloped him.

He gasped, his eyes widening as he stared at me.

I smiled.

He tried to smile back, and then I felt a rush of love and affection hit me, and this time, I gasped. My eyes never left his. I wanted him to know I felt it, I wanted him to know I saw him, that I was still here, that I loved him more than anything in this whole fucking world.

"Use the bond, may'ezza," I thought as hard as possible.

"I don't know how."

"Yes, you do. Use our bond. You can't hurt me. Our bond is stronger than your obligation. You can break his hold on you with it."

He didn't reply in my head again, but I watched him swallow and glance at Luynore.

The ugly, evil fae was glaring at him already, and he screamed in fury. "Kill him, Belryn."

Bel took a breath, and I could feel him gathering strength through our bond. Our viramore bond. My sweet, kind soulmate pulled our bond close to himself, and his arm started to move away from me.

Bel turned fully, glared at Luynore, and simply said, "No." To Tan, he said, "Tan, drop both shields."

Tan listened to him without question, which I appreciated more than my best friend knew.

The second the shields were down, Bel pushed his magic straight at Luynore.

I wasn't sure who was more surprised by his action—him or Luynore.

"I won't let you hurt anyone else again," Bel whispered.

Luynore looked down at his chest, a mix of horror and pain on his face as he grabbed at the blood gushing out. Blood poured out of his mouth when he screamed, making him cough and choke on it. He tried to stop the flow, but he had a gaping hole in his chest. It was like Bel's magic created a large fist that had punched right through the evil fae.

There was no stopping the blood, and because Luynore couldn't speak, couldn't pull on anyone's obligations, not a single one of his men tried to help him. In fact, Terrell and the other two simply stared at the dying fae.

All of us stayed still and watched as the man bled out and his eyes stilled.

The second his heart stopped beating for good, every single person under an obligation took a huge gasping breath. One of them bent over at the waist, resting his hands on his knees, the other fell to his ass, looking dazed, and Terrell moved to lean against the wall. All of them were rubbing their chests and bellies.

But I only spared them a small glance to make sure no one was attacking us because I couldn't take my eyes off my Bel.

His gaze locked with mine, and he leapt into my arms. I caught him and pulled him in, cradling him against my bare chest.

Bel was a blubbering mess as he clung to me, muttering, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, Remi. Oh Mother of All, I love you so much. I was so scared. I love you so much."

"Shh, shh, shh." I hummed. "It's alright, may'ezza. We're okay. We're safe. You never have to worry about that asshole ever again." I kissed his hair. "I love you too. So much, may'ezza. So, so much."

His arms tightened around me, and he took a shaky breath, speaking against my skin. "I'm finally free."

"I knew you could do it, may'ezza."

For years, he'd been under that man's control. For years, he'd wished he could stop him. Thank the Mother of All that he'd finally believed in our bond enough to break Luynore's hold on him for just enough time to kill the bastard.

Bel burst into tears again, tucking his face against my neck. I held him tight, uncaring that I was naked and covered in blood.

The only thing I cared about was that my viramore was safe and right where he should be—in my arms.

Tan came over and spoke quietly. "I've got this, Rem. You two don't have to stick around."

"Thanks, Tan."

"Anytime."

"Bel?" the gargoyle said hesitantly.

Bel released me to face him, asking, "Are you okay?"

Terrell nodded. "I'm fine. I… are you okay?"

My mate nodded.

The gargoyle swallowed thickly. "Thank you so much for… for everything. I can't believe you saved my life like that." He shook his head. "You took on a life debt for me. I don't… I don't think I can ever repay you for that."

"You don't have to." Bel patted my chest a few times, then stepped toward Terrell and pulled him into a hug. It took everything in me not to rip them apart, not to growl at the other man for daring to touch my mate, but I ground my teeth and let them have this because I knew they both needed it.

When they finally parted, Terrell's eyes were red-rimmed from crying, and he sent me a shaky smile before saying to Bel, "Thank you for freeing us."

Bel nodded and shrugged, looking unsure of how to respond to that, but luckily, Savelle came over and gently led Terrell away, wanting to look over his injuries.

Bel watched him for a few more seconds before turning and pressing himself back against me. I didn't hesitate to hold him again.

"Let me take you home," I whispered into Bel's hair.

He nodded. "Home sounds wonderful." Hearing him call it home warmed me. "But, Remi?"

"Yeah?"

"I think you're gonna need some pants first."

I barked out a laugh and couldn't help but hold my little may'ezza even tighter.