Page 1 of Curvy Hostage Mate
Chapter 1 - Chris
Not for the first time in the last couple of months, all of the Gold Wolves stood huddled in Declan’s office, all agreeing that we were at a dead end, and all disagreeing about where to go from here.
“We need to keep looking,” Will insisted.
“And as I told you, we need more information,” Declan retorted. “I want to get there as badly as you do. But we have no leads, and running around hoping to stumble into a portal to the Underside is a waste of time and resources.”
“Kendra’s still worried about Morgan,” Will said. “I doubt she’s going to stop until she’s safely out of Cain’s reach. The sooner I can give her that peace of mind, the happier I’ll be.”
“We know,” Declan said as the rest of us nodded. “We’re doing the best we can right now. We’ve spread word to everyone who might have information and then some. But until we get word, all we can do is keep an ear out for clues.”
We might have spread word, but it didn’t seem to have done much in the grand scheme of things. Based on how little we’ve done, it felt like we might as well be at square one. We had no clues on how to get back to the Underside, what Cain was doing, whether or not he had shored up his numbers, or how the slaves were faring. At this point, we didn’t even know for certain that the dark market was up and running in the first place. All we knew was that as of today, we hadn’t heard hide or hair of Cain or his cronies, and we had no idea where to look for him.
“We’re wasting time,” Will argued.
Declan frowned as he leaned forward on his elbows, pushing several pieces of paper out of the way with his elbow.He’d let his dark, curly hair grow out a bit, and it almost fell into his eyes as he directed his exasperated stare at the other shifter.
“I’m fully aware of how things are looking right now, Will,” Declan said. “I’ve been in this office every day since you and the others escaped the portal, looking at precisely how things are. So I would appreciate a bit more productivity and a bit less arguing about whether or not I’m wasting time.”
The words came out even, but I could hear the warning in the sharp edges of each syllable. Will seemed to register it, too. He glanced down at his feet and took a quick step back as he bobbed his head.
“Sorry. I just want to make sure Morgan’s safe,” Will said. “You weren’t there, Declan. It’s bad. And Cain’s worse than you can imagine.”
I didn’t need reminding. I could still see the weird, purplish sky, the cobblestone streets filled with shifters and their slaves. The auction block, the fighting pits, the brothels. All of it hidden behind portals that you only learned by word of mouth. We had gotten inside, but we’d gotten made, and we had to run. We had managed to get out to fight another day before the portal closed, along with Kendra, Will’s mate, who had been one of the slaves trapped inside. We had managed to get out in time, but we had been forced to leave Kendra’s sister, Morgan, behind.
Morgan. She had been stuck in my head since the first time I saw her, when Kendra had convinced me to go looking for her. I doubted I would ever be able to get her out of my head. Her round, heart-shaped face framed by brilliant auburn curls, her bright green eyes, the generous curves—all of them seemed to have buried themselves in me, holding on fast like talons and refusing to budge. It seemed like every time I closed my eyes, all I could smell was the rosemary and burning incense of her scent.
I didn’t like it. I didn’t like not being in control of my thoughts. I also didn’t like being stuck here with no way of helping Morgan or any of the other slaves. I was the type of shifter who preferred having control of a situation. Not having a say over where my thoughts drifted unnerved me. I didn’t know why she kept drifting to the front of my mind at random times, only that she did.
I hadn’t told anyone this. I had always been one to keep things close to my chest, especially when it came to thoughts and emotions.
“I know,” Declan said. “I might not have been there, but I know it was bad. The second we get a lead, we’re going to jump on it. I promise.”
As if on cue, a knock interrupted the conversation. Before Declan could even say anything, the door flew open. Rose, Declan’s assistant, hurried in, her blue eyes even wider than normal with excitement. All of us fell silent, heads swiveling to lock on her. Rose was the type of woman who had the pulse of things at all times. If she had barged in on a closed-door meeting, it was something important.
“We just got word of a portal,” she said. “One of your contacts just got in touch.”
You could sense the change in the room at the words. The excitement and tension in the atmosphere were palpable. At the words, everyone’s head swiveled back to Declan. His fingers drummed against the desk, a ghost of a smile twitching at the edge of his lip.
“Excellent,” he said.
Will had straightened, eyes bright as he fought back a grin. I knew he was itching to tell his mate the good news, that we might finally be able to get to her sister.
“Fantastic.” Nolan rubbed his hands together with glee. “I’ve been itching to bash those assholes’ heads in since I got out of that portal.”
I nodded without realizing it. But in my head, I wasn’t thinking about bashing in their skulls. I was thinking of a pretty, soft face, her green eyes filled with worry and concern, her auburn curls glinting. Morgan. For the first time since I had left her in the Underside, I felt a spark of hope. We could save her after all.
I couldn’t explain the attraction, not really. I couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t stop thinking about her, or what about her made it so she would jump into my head at the most inopportune times.
“So what’s the plan?” Nolan asked, his eyes glinting with interest as he gave a broad grin. “Are we going in claws out? Because I could definitely do with taking down these assholes as quickly as possible, one at a time.”
He wasn’t wrong. That idea was more than a little appealing. We all turned to look at Declan, who, though he had straightened in his seat, hadn’t said much since Rose had barged in. His hands were laced in front of his mouth as he stared at nothing, deep in contemplation. After a long moment, he lowered his hands.
“Thank you, Rose,” he said. “You’re incredibly helpful, as always.”
Rose, recognizing the polite dismissal for what it was, gave a short nod of her head and spun on her heels. They clacked on the floor as she strolled out. None of us said anything until the door closed behind her, at which point, our heads swiveled back toward Declan.
“We should do some recon first,” he said. “We’ll want a small group to go in. As much as I would like everyone to go after this asshole, the more of us that go in, the more likely he is to figure out that we’re onto him.”
