Chapter 31: Chapter 31

After I share the plan from Martell with the rest of them we come to an agreement. Everyone will get what they want, and we can get some answers. I have to say our beast are pretty smart when they want to be. As I have the thought Martell turns around in my mind and throws up the barrier once more. I sigh heavily knowing that he may not be coming back out.

“Alrighty, is everyone ready to go?” I ask as I hold out my hands. Ivette and Igneous nod as they as they grasp my hands. I close my eyes and open my link to the ether ready to transport us to the prison. But nothing happens. I try once more, and my body feels with panic as everything stays normal.

When I open my eyes everyone is looking at me curiously. Xander however eyes me as if he doesn’t know who I am. At the moment I am not sure if I do either. I look around the room not knowing what to do next. For as long as I can remember this is the only way I have traveled. I have never even learned how to drive. It would definitely take too long if we were to walk to the prison.

A numbness settles into my body. Suddenly everything feels heavy, and I get the urge to lay down. I don’t even want to move. I don’t want to do anything at all. Turning my eyes into my head I try to call on my dragon. However when I search for him he is nowhere to be found. Is that why I can’t move. Why do I suddenly feel so cold? Have I lost my dragon?

Xander’s throat clears, and I look to him with a bored tone. What could he possibly have to say now. “Igneous, you guys can use my vehicle. It’s the black pick-up truck outside. Maximus can give you directions on where to go” he says.

“Oh ummm, okay sure” he says as he eyes me wearily. Not feeling like giving him answer I shrug my shoulders and head towards the door. We pile into the truck as I take the passenger seat and his mom sits in between us. We drive in silence as my eyes scan our surroundings not wanting to look at the people in this car.

At the moment I don’t even want to be here. I just want to be alone. It’s how I belong. As the longest journey of my life stretches out I know that I just need to get this over with. Trying to speed it along I throw out a ‘left’ and a ‘right’ when needed. After what seems like forever we finally arrive at the right building. Exiting the car quickly I walk to the door of what looks to be an ordinary house.

Leaving it open for them to enter behind me. I walk through to the door to the basement. I hear a gasp at the weapons displayed on the wall but can’t seem to make myself feel the need to explain. Taking the stairs one by one I finally reach the bottom after a few minutes, and I wait for them to finish there descent. I gesture for them to pass me as we make our way past the cells. Besides Igneous’ father there is only one other prisoner here. As they pass her cell I see Ivette look at me in shock. I shake my head at her knowing that I can’t give her answers.

The young woman looks like a little girl, but she is not. She is one of our own and far from being a little girl. She is locked up in here for her own good and is being punished for a reason. As Ivette pauses by the cell as she stares I can tell that she won’t move until she gets an answer.

“Looks can be deceiving. She is not a child. She has used her tiny stature to fool many and to take many lives. This is where she is meant to be” As I tell her I try to make my tone sound caring but instead it comes out more like a growl. She stares into the cell for a few moment more but quickly moves on once she hears her husband’s voice.

“It’s about damn time. You better have what I asked for or you won’t get the information that you need. Where is it” he ask loudly.

As I approach the cell I can see the greed in his gaze. He came to the same conclusion that we did. There is no way that we would get the information that we need without giving him what he wanted. Stepping into the cell I get toe to toe with the sorry excuse for a human. “How much?” I ask him bored.

I want to know how much he needs to see his knowledge on the subject of our blood. If he knows more than we do then I will be needing more information. “You should already know how much. I know that Dr. Snow of yours has been doing her own experiments. Her measurements have come in handy for us more times than you think” he sneers. “or are you king enough to give it to me on tap. You going to be my supplier pretty boy” he ask with a smile.

Clenching my teeth I snap a handout and shove him onto the cot. He falls ungracefully as his arms flail in the air trying to stop his descent. If I could have I would have laughed at the moment. I hold out my hand to Igneous and he place the needle in it. Moving quickly I shove it into the crook of my naked arm and begin to draw my blood. He eyes the needle like a starving man as it begins to glow the eerily shade of red. Well, at least something about me hasn’t changed. I stop the needle at 50 cc and pretend like I am going to pull it from my arm.

“You know that’s not enough. You can’t play me beast. I know its 100 cc that I need” he says in anger. I hide my smile with a frown as I see that he doesn’t have all his knowledge correct. He definitely knows more than he should about our blood, however. I draw the rest of the blood from my arm and pull the irritating needle from my skin.

It still feels so odd to make the skin vulnerable so something can pierce it. Rubbing the seam of my arm the hole closes immediately and he hold his hand out for the needle. I start to give it to him but pull it back just before it reaches his hand. I really can’t make this easy for him.

“Start talking” I tell him as he eyes the needle in my grasp.

“Jefferson is at the facility in Pocatello, Idaho. You will find him near the Indian Reservation. They should be just now arriving there with him. There will be one other dragon there. A female like him but many of the other species. In about three days they will both be transferred to the other facility specifically for dragons in Buna, Texas. That facility is underground. If you follow the mines you will run smack into it. Now give me the needle” he says in a rush.

In his entire speech he never removed his eyes from it. Happy with the information I have gotten so far I toss the needle at his and I walk calmly over to the bars of the cell as he scramble to catch hit. He hurriedly jams the needle in the side of his neck with a happy sigh.

He removes the needle when the plunger is empty and tosses it across the cell. His entire body slouches against the cot as his breathing gets heavy. He hums as the effects of my blood take place but remains awake. He has definitely used our blood before. Only the humans the doctor has given a second dose or more to are able to stay awake. Most of them still pass out for a bit.

“How do I save my mate?” Igneous asks as he steps forward.

“Oh that’s a great subject to talk about. Your mates. Hey pretty boy you don’t look so good. Feeling a bit under the weather now are we” he says as he rises from the cot. He bounces in place on his feet. As I watch him gloat his skin starts to lose some of its paleness. The scent of death that hung in the air is not as strong now but still there.

“Answer the question” I tell him.

“That depends, have you heard from your little mate. It’s such a shame that you haven’t. Maybe you could have saved her before they got her. That slimy boss of hers made the deal before they even set up camp” he says nonchalantly.

My back bristles as I listen to his words. He couldn’t be talking about Emily. Suddenly the conversation I first overheard from her boss comes to mind. He wanted her.

“Martell, can you feel her” I ask him. I may not be able to see or hear him through the barrier, but I know he can hear me.

“Damn, I wish I were there to watch as she breaks. If you have kissed her it will be even worse. They can use touch to break her then. Break her wide open if you know what I mean. You should see——“ he banters.

This time I lose it rushing forward I apply pressure to his leg with my foot and smile when I hear it snap. Ivette’s harsh cry fills the air, but no one makes a move to stop me. His scream lessens the pain I feel. The pain knowing that my mate could be in danger. The pain from knowing that I am not in power to help. The pain from knowing that this is all my fault.

“You will give me the answers I seek you piece of shit of a human. If you do not I will refuse to heal you after I enjoy breaking every bone in your body. If my mate has come to harm then you death will be dragged out for as long as I see fit” I snarl.

All of my composure is gone. More anger breaks through at the fact that my dragon is refusing to answer me. No one wants to give me answers now that I need them. So I’m going to take them.

“Where is my mate” I scream at him once his wailing dies down.

“Don’t know. They were sending someone to get her as soon as you separated. All her stuff at camp could have been used to track her scent” he grits out.

“Who is tracking her” I ask as I move my foot up to his thigh. I sense he may need a warning if I think he’s lying.

“Someone with a good sense of smell. If it’s like the other times, it will be a small army of you” he states tiredly. His eyes close after his answer but I can’t have him sleeping now.

Reaching forward I grab his hand and snap his pink backward. He jerks a wake with a wail as he glared at me.

“You have people of interspecies DNA working for you? Don’t you?” Igneous asks. I turn to give him a brief nod for thinking of that. I go to grab another finger and he nods quickly.

“How do we save Magma?” I ask him. When he hesitates I pick him up from the city by his collar and bring him to the chair in the room. He slouches as I begin to tie him up. All of his moving is making this take too long.

“Look human I need answers and this aint going to be pretty” I say turning to Igneous. I look around the cell and realize that his mother is no longer here. That’s good I guess.

“Get them. I don’t care how. Just get them” he states looking at his father. The piece of shit recoils in shock as if he didn’t know his own son. I guess he really doesn’t. Cracking my neck I rub my hands to get her as I think of where to start.

Igneous walks to the other side of the cell to I believe give me more room to work. “Now, if I recall I want to know how to save my sister. You got an answer for me” I place my hand on his shoulder and apply pressure in warning as I wait for his answer.

“The eggs are out. You give me the answers I need with you piss poor attempts at torture. Tell me how many days it has been” he ask with a cackle. With barely any effort at all I snap is collar bone and he wails.

“The longer you play games, the more this is going to hurt. There are only so many bones I can break until they hit something vital. My blood cant heal everything” I say as I taunt him. The scent of his fear finally permeates the air. I watch as Igneous jerks across the room when I feel Martell come forward. As I smell his fear too I smile. Now that’s more like it.

“Come on. Out with it.” Martell says as he speaks through me. A pinch in my fingers lets me know that my talons have released. I tap them in a smooth rhythm as he starts to hum “this little piggy.” I send a quick reminder to him that he won’t be able to finish the game if he starts. We only have four fingers left.

“Our files stated that they had proof that you would never keep your mate. You had already let go of her once according to our sources. They want her merely for breeding purposes. Now that you started the DNA transfer from your kiss any dragon male can impregnate her” he rushes to say. My talons dig into his shoulders and the scent of his piss fills the air.

Such a weak human. The scent of his piss is ruining the fun.

“MORE”! I demand.

“They have to catch her before she can make her way to you. There are too many dragons here for them to take on if she does. We waited weeks for Jefferson to be alone so we could take him. you guys are never alone!!!” he shouts.

“Magma, Tell me about Magma” Igneous yells. I take my other taloned hand and wrap them around the back of his neck. The talon that would be my index finger taps against his adams apple. If I decided to slit his throat there is no way any of our blood cold heal that in time.

“She cannot let the eggs hatch in her dragon form or when her dragon is present. She will find something wrong with the scent and will eat them instead. They won’t smell only like you and her scent intermingled, babies have their own scent and it will throw her dragon into a frenzy” he yells as his other bowels release.

“Oh dear god, she has until day three. Exactly 72 hours after she births them they hatch. You have got to bring her back before then” he says as he starts to sob. Sensing that he is close to passing out again I release him from my grip as I make my way to the cell door.

I wait for Igneous to exit as well but instead he walks up to his father. “How?” he ask him.

“Your bite. If you mark her the same way she marked you. It completes the bond” he sobs.

Igneous quickly turns his feet and finally we exit the cell. “Wait, you said that you would heal me if I gave you answers. I gave you the answers you wanted. You can’t leave me like this!” he shouts as he wiggles in his chair.

“He didn’t say that he would heal you today. Perhaps after we check on the information you gave he will have my permission to do so. Enjoy your stay Michael” he says to his father. Hot damn. I wouldn’t have thought that he had it in him. This human really isn’t so bad after all. Walking fast we hurriedly exit the cell and make our way to the truck.

We have to find Emily.

“I know buddy. I know. I’m working on it. Do you have any suggestions in that giant lizard brain of yours” I deadpan. I’m still pissed her decided to shut me out. He didn’t even have anything to say when we lost our abilities. Now he wants to try and demand me. If he weren’t a part of me, I would just tell him to go to hell.

Fuck you. I did what was right. I followed your decision. If you want to blame someone for the danger she is in, try looking in the mirror. When you look, it is true that you will see me. You will also see every mistake that we have ever made. There is no exclusion. We are one and the same. So, if you don’t like me then you don’t like yourself. How’s that for a revelation, dickhead.

Shutting the link between me and my dragon a loud growl of frustration leaves my lips. I feel so useless right now and am unable to become accustomed to the feeling. Magma is in danger. I know that I can’t lose her. She means so much to me. But Emily means more. I mean more. I would never tell the lizard brain this, but he is right. I don’t fucking like what I see.

There isn’t much that I can do about it now. For once this screw up isn’t all on me. We have both seriously screwed up when it came to our mate. I shouldn’t have lied to her. My dragon should have waited to tell the truth. We should have treated her better and talked to her more. Now we may lose her before we can ever repair the damage we have done. The pain of leaving her now feels so insignificant compared to the pain of thinking that I will never see her again. So, for once I can put aside the stupid prejudice I have against the actions of my dragon. It’s going to take the both of us to get her back.

“Okay Martell, I’m listening. What do I need to do?” I ask him.