Page 114 of Saving the Last Heir
“Yeah,” he grunted. “Heard that one before. Do I look like I give a shit what anyone thinks of me, darling?”
I couldn’t argue withthat.The guy was a total sociopath. He’d probably kill his own mother if the price was right.
I looked around at where he was taking me, anger and irritation morphing into confusion. I’d anticipated a basement of some sort, or perhaps a safe room. Instead, the lower levels we traversed looked like something out of a Victorian-era vampire novel. Stone floors and walls, clammy air, and solid wooden doors. The passages wound along, leading onward, much farther than I’d anticipated. We must have been at least a hundred yards from the foundation of the mansion we’d been in, with separate corridors branching off in a few places.
“What the fuck is this?” I demanded. “A crypt?”
“Drakes go back a long time. Lots of things we’ve found over the years aren’t the type of shit you can keep in a bank vault, if you get my meaning.”
I actuallydidn’tget his meaning. What was he saying? Gold bars or something?
“Here we go,” he said as we moved through another opening.
Joseph shoved me against the rough stone wall and pulled a set of keys from his pocket, then jammed them into the lock of an ancient door.
“You know Jackson is going to come for me, don’t you?” I said, glaring at the other man as he worked to unlock the door. “And when he does, he’s going to kill you.”
Joseph smirked, not bothering to look at me. “He can try. We’ll see about that. He might be an alpha, but so am I.” He turned his attention from the door and pressed against my body with his, looking at me with obvious desire. He licked his lips and said, “And I know how to handle myself.”
He pressed closer, and I could feel the rigid erection in his pants shoving against me. The sensation made me want to puke.
“He might think he’s got me in a fight, but I know how to take down a fucker like him,” Joseph said. “Now, be a good girl and have a seat.”
He shoved the door open and pushed me inside. I tripped over my own feet and landed hard on my ass. Before I could even react, he’d shut the door once again, the heavy sound of the lock turning echoing through the room I found myself in.
Rubbing my ass and grimacing in pain, I rolled over, and froze.
“Holy shit,” I muttered.
I was in a massive room, about half the size of the ballroom. It reminded me of some treasure room in a pirate movie. Along the walls hung dozens of items made of gold, silver, and other precious metals. There were jewel-encrusted boxes on the ground, as well as marble plinths scattered throughout the room, and on each sat a different object. Some looked expensive, like a dagger with a golden blade. Others looked like they had no business in such a place of obvious honor. One looked like an ancient bird’s nest, the wad of twisted branches and twigs creating a weird round knot. When I stood and approached thatone, a sinister wave of revulsion filled me. Even the thought of touching that thing made the flesh on my body want to tear free and run.
I checked the next plinth and paused. There, something much more beautiful sat. No, sat wasn’t the right word.Hoveredwas more appropriate.
A gorgeous blue orb floated an inch off the red velvet that covered the top of the plinth. The object gave off a faint glow. Something tickled the back of my mind, almost like déjà vu. Something about this ball was familiar, but I couldn’t place it.
Frowning, I tore my eyes from the orb and glanced around. How was I going to get out of here? Could Jackson truly find me? When the mansion finished burning, the passageway would be buried. By then Joseph might have moved me—or worse.
I consoled myself with the knowledge that Jackson’s sister would be safe. That was the most important thing. Jacksonwouldcome for me, I knew that deep in my soul. Even though we’d only known each other for a short time, he cared about me. Besides, he was the type of person who would never leave anyone behind who meant something to him. He’d come, and if Joseph tried anything before then, I’d make sure he remembered who he’d messed with.
I turned my attention back to the orb, trying to figure out why it seemed familiar. Something I’d read? Some bit of lore? I’d studied and researched a thousand things since meeting Jackson. The orb drew me in, like hypnotism. The thing was strange, and it radiated power.
“What are you?” I whispered.
27
JACKSON
Dull, hollow thuds sounded as Christian and I slammed our fists against the bookshelf doorway. Even our enhanced strength could do nothing against the heavy steel.
“Get back,” I said, pushing Christian away. “I’m gonna shift. I’ll use my fire to weaken the steel, then you use your ice on it. The temperature change should make it brittle enough for us to break through. If we hurry?—”
“Jackson,” Christian shouted, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me. “There’s no time.”
The panic and terror had blinded me. Now, with my best friend screaming at me, I came back to my senses a bit, and looked around. The whole goddamn house was ablaze. All the dragon fire had caused multiple raging fires that had swelled to a storm of flame, ash, and heat. Above us, the steady roar of the blaze made a sound like thunder, intense and foreboding. Embers floated past like demonic fireflies, and the flickering light of theflames caused bizarre shadows to jump across the walls. That was when I noticed the heat, blazing like an oven all around us.
“But…” I cast a longing look at the hidden doorway again. “Shyanne. We can’t leave her.”
Christian’s face twisted in misery, and he shook his head. “I know, but we don’t have time. Wehaveto get to your sister’s egg.Now. Before the whole goddamn house falls down around us and crushes her. Where is she?”
