Thirty-One
Raze could smell the little girl’s scent clearly—it was a familiar one to him, though now it was laced with fear. She was clearly terrified of her biological father and no wonder! A male who would hurt an animal and an elderly female and kidnap a child was out of control.
He had to find her before it was too late.
Once out on the street, the scent became a little less clear because it was mixed with so many others. Raze spent a moment with his nose lifted to the air, sorting the different smells to find the ones he wanted—Frannie’s sweet little girl smell and the sour stink of the angry, crazy male who had snatched her.
“Where is she? Can you find her?” Luci asked anxiously. Raze wished his mate would have stayed inside with her mother and the twins but he understood why she couldn’t. First and foremost she was a mother and he could feel her terror at the thought that her disgusting ex-mate had stolen her daughter away.
As he thought that, he finally caught Frannie’s scent again.
“This way!” he exclaimed and ran down the sidewalk as fast as he could.
He skidded to a stop in front of the alley where he had first found the kittens—that fateful night when he had met Lucia. Was it only a month ago? And now he smelled the two scents he was tracking coming from the dark, dirty space.
“Is she in here?” Luci demanded, running up behind him, panting. “Frannie!” she called, not waiting for an answer. “Frannie, mija! Where are you?”
“Mami?” Frannie’s voice was high and scared.
“Get back!” another voice shouted—a louder, male voice. It must be Luci’s ex-mate, Raze thought. Peering into the darkness, he saw the two of them standing near the end of the dead-end alley.
The male had wild eyes and disheveled dark hair. In one hand he had a wooden bat and with the other, he was gripping the little girl’s arm so tightly it looked like he might be in danger of breaking her wrist.
He must have seen them coming and dragged her down here, not knowing it was a dead end, Raze thought. And now he looked desperate enough to do anything.
“Mami!” Frannie cried again, a thin, wavering desperate sound that made Raze’s heart fist in his chest.
Mine! he thought angrily. She’s mine—they all are! Mine to care for and protect and this male thinks he can come in and hurt one of them? One of my family? I don’t think so!
“Don’t you mean ours?” the voice of his Drake spoke up inside his head. Raze felt it spread his wings, a roiling sense of menace radiating from it like black smoke.
His first impulse was to reign his other half in. But then he heard a voice that
was neither the Drake’s, nor Lucia’s speaking in his ear.
“Release your other half, Warrior,” it said in a clear, authoritative tone. “For this very moment was your desire to have a Drake within you granted. Release him and let him help you save your new family.”
“Goddess?” Raze asked hoarsely. He looked at Lucia, who nodded at him.
“I heard her too,” she sent through their link. “Do what she says but first let me talk to them.”
“I’m ready when you are,” Raze growled.
“Tony, let her go.” Lucia lifted her voice. “You only have one chance—let her go now and you might be okay.”
“You think I’m scared of that big freak you’re shacking up with?” Tony’s face was twisted into an ugly sneer. “I already called ICE on your mom! They’re gonna come get her within the hour and then let’s see who gets to keep the kids!”
“Let her go,” Raze’s voice was already more than half roar. It shook the shadows that filled the alley and reverberated with echoes of his Drake, which was stirring strongly within him.
Tony flinched but only tightened his grip on Frannie’s arm until she cried out,
“Please, Daddy—you’re hurting me!”
This was more than Raze could stand. He opened the gate between himself and the Drake and felt himself begin to change as his other half came out for the first time.
Lucia seemed to know exactly what he was doing.
“Listen, mija,” she called to Frannie. “In just a minute you’re going to see a dragon—just like in your story books. Remember the one where the dragon and the princess are friends?”
“Y-yes.” Frannie’s voice shook with tears. “And the dragon comes and rescues the princess when the mean knight tries to take her away?”
“That’s right, mija.” Lucia nodded firmly. “So when you see the dragon, I want you to know that he’s friendly and he loves you, just like the dragon loves the princess in your storybook. So don’t be afraid, okay? Because he’s here to rescue you.”
“Yes, Mami.” Frannie sniffled. “But Daddy is hurting my arm.”