The girl just stared at him, and she shrunk closer to the floor. She dropped to her knees and covered the back of her head, cowering. Waves of tension and fear rolled off of her. He could scent it. He could scent the way she was afraid. The woman looked like she thought that Declan was about to start hitting her.
What the hell?
What was going on?
Why was she acting like she was abused?
Why did she look like she was hiding...from him?
Then, a wave of nausea hit Declan as he realized what was happening. She wasn't wearing a servant's dress. She didn't look like a maid. She wasn't clean. She was dirty and her hair was matted. Her clothing was actually torn. He'd just been so preoccupied that he hadn't noticed it at first.
It was her.
She was the pet.
She was the creature that Kellen was trying to get security for.
Fuck.
Declan looked over his shoulder, but nobody was there. He wasn't an idiot. He knew that if Kellen was keeping a human hostage, he’d have security people carefully placed throughout the mansion. He hadn’t noticed anyone when he’d arrived, but he hadn’t been looking for anyone, had he? Nope. Declan had been fully focused on Kellen and landing this deal. Well, he’d screwed that up. It was time to get out.
Undoubtedly, there were security people, and they would have a sharp eye out when it came to this girl. Surely, they all knew she was here, and it definitely looked like she was trying to escape. She was scared and she was dirty. She was frail, too. Kellen probably hadn’t been feeding her enough, so she was weak. Her chances of escaping this hellhole on her own were slim.
Well, it was her lucky day.
Declan was going to help her.
"Come on," he said gruffly, and he lifted her up and tossed her over his shoulder. She didn't fight or yell or scream, but he scented her.
Fear.
She was still scared, afraid of the entire situation, but it was obvious that she was also wildly brave because she didn't fight him as he headed outside. He moved swiftly to the large basket he'd left outside with his belongings. He hadn't felt like chartering a boat just to get here, so he'd flown. He wasn't exactly keen on working naked or empty-handed, so he had packed the large basket with a change of clothing, as well as the technical stuff he needed to start the project.
Well, it was this girl's lucky day, because she was small enough to fit in his basket. It was three feet long with high sides. It looked like a dragon-sized picnic basket, and it was exactly what they needed right now.
"Get in," he said quickly, and his voice was low. She listened, climbing into the basket. The woman wiggled around, finding a comfortable space. At least, he hoped she would be comfortable.
The basket wasn’t really designed for transporting humans. It wasn't particularly spacious. It looked like the kind of thing you'd carry a baby in, but it was much bigger than a normal bassinet. It was just big enough for the girl, and Declan quickly slid his jacket off and draped it over her, covering her body. She was quiet and didn't move, which was good, because just as Declan started unbuttoning his shirt, a staff member came running out of Kellen's house.
"Mr. Monster, Mr. Monster!"
Declan looked up at the sniveling little servant man. Was this one of the people responsible for taking this girl? Declan could sense her fear rising, and he knew he had to keep her calm. She was going to be safe now.
No, he had no fucking plans for her. He didn't know what the hell they were going to do once they left, but right now, he just had to fucking leave before anything else happened. This woman deserved to be safe. Whoever she was, she deserved a damn chance to be safe.
Declan was a big dragon, and he was a strong one, but that didn't mean he was any match for Kellen's team. Who knew what kind of weapons the asshole had tucked away on his property? Kellen seemed like the kind of guy who would go crazy if someone crossed him. Declan was more than happy to steal a victim away from that dickhead, but he also didn’t feel like dying because he was outnumbered.
"What?" Declan snapped. He glared at the servant. What business did this guy have working for a jerkwad like Kellen? He found it slightly grating that someone like Kellen seemed to have no problem finding people who would not only work for him, but who would go to bat for him. Apparently, money really could buy just about anything you wanted.
"Mr. Brotella wants to know if you will be returning to finish the project at a later date."
"Fucking seriously?" Declan glared at him. "No."
The man pushed his glasses up the end of his nose, but they slid right back down. He opened his mouth as if to speak again, but he sputtered. Obviously, he didn’t know how to respond to Declan’s lack of decorum.
Declan didn’t care. He turned and yanked his shirt off. He tossed it into the basket. He tried to make it look casual, but really, he was trying to cover up every part of the girl. Soon Kellen and his little workers were going to notice she was missing. Declan didn't want to be here when they did. He pulled off his shoes and set those in the basket a little more carefully, followed by his pants.
The man was still standing there, and Declan turned to him. Declan narrowed his eyes, and he glared. How could he make it clear that this guy was not welcome? His presence was not needed, nor was it appreciated, like, at all.