Page 87 of Charming the Dragon
But they hadn’t known about the sister.
“How the bloody hell is it possible we didn’t know about this Margot?”
Nikki said, “She and Bourne had different mothers and never met until two years ago. He’s her only living relative, and apparently she quickly warmed to his cause. The human governments have been monitoring her and didn’t think to share.”
At Nikki’s disgruntled tone, Nathan could tell the dragonwoman hadn’t known about the sister and deliberatelykept it from him. He replied, “If she’s Bourne’s sister and was with Hayley, then it has to be related to the dragon hunters.” His stomach dropped. “The baby.”
Kai grimaced. “It’s possible. A few females pregnant with dragon-shifter babies have gone missing in the last six months or so. My best guess is they want the children to indoctrinate and raise to be on their side. Those who refuse will be drained of blood once they are old enough. If that’s the case, they won’t kill Hayley.”
At least until the baby was born, was left unsaid.
He growled. “That’s still not bloody good enough!”
Nikki nodded. “I know, but we need help. Right now, Rafe’s trying to persuade Antony Holbrook to work with us.”
Kai spoke before Nathan could. “In the meantime, I want you to look for any information related to Margot Green and for any new chatter about remote dragon hunter hideouts. If they’re keeping pregnant females, it won’t be in the city since it’d be easier for them to escape.”
Nathan wanted to charge into Manchester and investigate the scene himself.
However, the best way he could help Hayley was to rely on his strengths—computers. Still, he didn’t have to like it.
He walked up to Kai and leaned close. “You tell me the second you hear anything about my mate, okay?”
Kai didn’t even reprimand him for disrespect. He merely clapped Nathan on the shoulder. “I vow it, Nathan. Now, go look for anything that can help us. Maybe reach out to Fergus MacKenzie and Arabella MacLeod on Lochguard, too. I’ll see if Skyhunter and Snowridge know anything. I don’t think the hunters will leave the island, so they’ll be keeping the females somewhere in England, Scotland, or Wales.”
His dragon spoke up.I agree with him. Let’s do what we can. Charging in without a plan won’t help anyone. I’m moreconfident that we’ll discover her location from a computer. We are the best at that kind of stuff.
Nikki spoke before he could reply to his beast. “We’ll keep each other updated with what we find, okay? As soon as I hear from Rafe, you’ll know. Now, let’s get to work.”
With a nod, Nathan raced from the room to his computer. If there was any scrap of information on the internet about Hayley or the dragon hunters keeping pregnant females, he’d find it.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Nausea hit Hayley as she regained consciousness. Her stomach flipped, and she willed it to settle.
After a few seconds, she dared to open her eyes, only to find she was locked inside a small, dark room. The only light came from beneath the door on the far side.
For a few beats, her heart raced, and she was thrown back to the bunker, followed by memories of the trunk from her childhood.
But then she remembered not only Nathan but also their unborn child. They both needed her as much as she needed them. Which meant getting a grip on her panic and trying to get her brain to focus.
She breathed in and out a few times, imagining Nathan’s smiling face and then him shifting before the sun glinted off his scales in his dragon form. Love coursed through her, making her more determined than ever to escape this place and finally tell him how she felt.
Right.After one last deep breath, Hayley tugged at her wrists, which were bound in front of her. The zip-tie cuffswouldn’t be easy to remove, so she focused on surveying the room for anything helpful.
The floor under her was smooth, and the wall behind her was painted. The floor, in particular, differed from any place inside the town hall, which meant she’d been moved.
How they’d moved her was the question. And then it hit her—had something happened to Rafe, Dawn, and Sarah too? All because they’d volunteered to accompany her?
Focus, Hayley. Recall events leading up to you passing out.She’d never fainted from hunger in her life, and she doubted that had been the reason, even if she was pregnant. She’d had tea and biscuits while in the DDA offices. But surely, the DDA wouldn’t try to drug her?
Unless there was a traitor or traitors in their midst?
As she tried to wrap her head around that fact—everyone assumed they’d been rooted out when the current DDA Director, Rosalind Abbott, had taken office—she heard voices. At first, they were garbled. But then they were right outside her door, and she strained her ears.
The first man said, “If she’s pregnant with the dragon-shifter’s bastard, then we need to keep her alive until it’s born.”
A second man replied, “I don’t see why. The whelp won’t be valuable until it’s an adult and we can drain it of blood.”
