Chapter 26: Chapter 26

“Damn it Maximus. I was worried. Your mate told us she would call to tell us if everything was okay, but she never did. What the hell happened?” he questions.

“We talked. She couldn’t handle it. She left. I won’t go into specifics. Just know that you don’t have to worry about the human anymore. Fill me in on what I have missed” I say. A pang of despair fills my chest. Unconsciously I rub the spot as if I can make it easily disappear. I already feel the loss of her. Things are just too quiet without my beast speaking to me and I need a distraction.

“What?! But that’s not how things are supposed to go. Are you sure—” he starts to say.

“Just let it go Xander” I day needing him to shut up. I don’t need to talk about. I’ve made up my mind and I just need a way to move past it. I need something else. He watches me with a pensive gaze, and I can see how he conversates with his beast. I really hope is not going to push the issue. Otherwise I’m just going to pop my ass right out of this office and find another distraction.

“Fine. Have it your way. Just know that if you want to talk once you get that stick out of your ass, I’m here” he says rising from his seat. “We have a problem and it’s something delicate that I need you to deal with” he says as he steps in front of me.

Nice. Delicate work is my specialty. Something behind the scenes that needs to be watched closely is exactly what I need. I feel a sinister smile spread across my face as I relax my stance. This better be good.

“The day you lost control we gained a new prisoner who was trying to sneak around on our lands. When we found him it looked like he was preparing to snatch one of our own” a snarl leaves my lips at the thought and anger replaces my pain.

“Who?” I grit out.

“I’ll get to that, but you should know that one of ours has actually gone missing. We caught him in time from taking another. Jefferson hasn’t been seen in almost a week. His cabin shows signs of a struggle, and someone was smart enough to send a text to get his duties covered” he says with a heavy sigh.

“Who?” I snarl once more. To see that one of our more peaceful dragons have been taken really pisses me off. I may not have always gotten along with the happy fucker, but I have reason to believe that this may somehow be connected to the information we heard from the man working with Igneous’ father. I just hope he is the bastard that we have caught. He would be perfect to work out my frustrations on.

“We have Igneous’ father here in custody. He is currently waiting in the cells under the guard house” I jerk my head in a nod and prepare to evaporate before his voice stops me. “You should know that he has been asking to speak to Igneous. For all that have questioned him he refuses no matter how we….persuade him. I have yet to take this news to Magma or her mate due to the condition she was in” he says with another sigh.

Fuck. If I can’t get him to talk then I will have no choice but to inform them. I know I would have to do it anyway because he deserves to know what his guardian has been up to. Then I remember. Shit, she had her eggs.

“How is Magma doing?” I can’t help but ask. The question feels foreign leaving my lips. Normally, I would always be happy to hear what she has been up to. I need to hear every snippet of information about her. Now, the question feels more familial. Almost like it’s just a formality that I’m asking even though I actually care. That care has just somehow changed since meeting my mate.

“Magma is not in control right now. Caldera has refused to allow her back as she guards her eggs. Igneous is the only one allowed close to her at the moment” he says with a chuckle. “Just a word of warning, anytime one of us enters and she smells us, she shreds whatever clothes are touching his skin. I have seen way more of that human than I ever wanted to” he admits.

I nod my head to him as I disappear into the ether. I don’t know how to respond to what he just told me. I guess I am happy for her but not really. Afterall she has her mate. She deserves her mate. The thought pisses me off and I find myself appearing right into the cell of the piece of shit that gets the wrong end of my anger today.

I watch in amusement as the old man jerks off his bed in fright with a scream before falling into a heap on the cold stone floor. His action almost makes me want to chuckle and I smirk knowing that getting some answers is going to be fun. As I watch him it is apparent that he develops some courage as he rises and stands in front of me.

“I don’t care who you are. Just like I told the other big lizard, I will speak to no one but my son” he states. I’m surprised that his voice doesn’t shake like his frail body. Taking in his appearance I see that a lot has changed since I saw him last. He has lost a lot of weight and looks almost as if he is on deaths door. I take a long whiff of the air through my news to find that that is exactly the case. I can literally smell the scent of death on him.

I told my arms and lean my bare back against the bars to his cell as he regards me closely. We stare at each other as I wait for the weak human to cower. After a few minutes under my heavy gaze his legs visibly start to shake. He falls onto the cot in a huff and stares at the stone wall opposite of the cot.

“Listen human, from what I can scent you don’t have much time left on this earthly plain. What makes you so sure that your weakening body will last until we get your son here? Who’s to say that he even wants to come after he hears about what you did” I ask him as I watch his reaction closely.

His eyes close briefly almost as if he is close to giving up. He has to have some sort of motivation in his condition. What was he even doing here trying to capture one of our own in the first place. His expression hardens to the man I saw that day who was so easily willing to let his son die and I can’t help the grin of excitement that spreads across my face. Drastic measures are going to be ordered and I can’t fucking wait to get answers from this piece of garbage.

“He is my son. He will come once he knows I am here. Especially if he wants to save that bitch of a mate he chose over his own blood” A snarl leaves my chest after he insults Magma like that. Moving quickly I strike out with my foot and kick him off the cot. His knees hit that ground hard, and the impact cause a wail to leave his lips.

“Watch that mouth old man. I’m not as nice as my leader. He may not want you to get tortured for answers due to your familial nature with one of our own, but I don’t always follow orders” I warn him. He pushes up shakily from the floor with a glare in my direction.

“Looks like I hit a soft spot. Oops.” He says with a chuckle that pisses me off even more. “Listen here monster. I know what your kind are capable of. I know what your insides look like and what it looks like when the light leaves your eyes. You don’t scare me and neither do your threats. Get me my son!” he yells as he leans against the wall and straightens his clothes. “Oh, and if you’re feeling generous, snag that bitch of a wife I have and bring her too. We can’t have her missing the family reunion” he says with a smile.

I watch the sadistic fucker and see no lies in his gaze. I hear no lies in his words as his heartbeat lies steady. One monster easily recognizes a monster and I know that I won’t be getting any answers out of him.

Well I can’t let him have all the fun though. If I didn’t already know what he was capable of I might actually admire the human for his strength. It’s such a shame that he needs to be taught a lesson. With a pop I appear in front of him and grab his hand as I force him to kneel on the floor.

With a flash of my other hand I snap is thumb and grin as it breaks, and his scream fills the air. “This little piggy was too confident” I snap the index finger next as I hold his gaze. “This little piggy was too bold” I snap his middle finger harshly. “This little piggy was disrespectful” His screams haven’t stopped as his brings his arm and grasp my hand to stop me. However his strength is no match to mine. “This little piggy pissed me off” I say as I snap his ring finger. I pause as I pretend to think on what to say next and end up just giving up. “Well fuck looks like I’m out of shit to say. Looks like this little piggy just had to go” I say as I snap his pinky. I flash back to my side of the cell against the bars as I chuckle while he screams and tears flood down his cheeks.

“Well that was satisfying” I say after he quiets down. “I’ll be back to see you later. Next time you want to try to make demands of me, just remember the beautiful gift of your right hand that I have bestowed you with. I don’t honor every prisoner with my poetry” I say in my friendliest tone as I disappear into the ether.

I exit right in front of Magma’s door and briskly knock. As I wait for someone to open it I ponder the situation. Something here isn’t sitting right with this. There had to be younger people in this organization. Why did they send his father. They had to have known that he was dying. You don’t need human eyes to see that. It also makes no since as to why he wants to talk to his son.

After what happened when he was taken from Magma, I know that he talked to his mom. I saw how distraught he was when he was told about his father. I could even smell the hatred he now had. If he thought his son would get us to release him, then he is mistaken. There is no way he can leave. He is the only one that can lead us to Jefferson. The door abruptly swings open, and my thoughts are interrupted but a loud snarl.