Page 113 of Saving the Last Heir
Christian, still in his wyrm form, rose up like some great demonic rattlesnake, and let out a sound like a cross between a hiss and a roar. Joseph took a step back and turned me like a shield toward Christian.
“Do it, motherfucker! Spit that ice shit and you kill us both. I don’t know who this chick is, but I’m willing to bet you don’t want her dead, right?”
“You and me, then,” Jackson said, stepping forward. “Man to man. Let’s go, you bastard. Unless you’re afraid.”
Joseph ignored the challenge and dragged me along with him, moving down the steps and toward the opposite side of the house rather than up where he’d be trapped.
“Where’s the egg?” Joseph asked. “The room where I had it stashed is empty. What did you do with it? I’ll make a deal. Give me the egg back, I give you this tight little piece of ass, and we go back to how it was before. you keep doing jobs for me, I watch over the little shit, and we go from there. How about that?”
“Enough!” Jackson said, and even in my terror and pain, I could see how powerful he was—broad shoulders, veined and bulging biceps, muscular thighs that were almost tearing through his jeans. As he stalked forward, he looked like a Greek god of war.
“Jackson, don’t,” I cried, putting a hand out.
“Hush, Shyanne,” he said, his eyes still locked on Joseph rather than me.
“Listen to me,” I said, allowing Joseph to pull me farther along. “Look in my eyes.Please.”
All I could think of was what Joseph had said. The egg was gone. Missing. The fact that Jackson hadn’t reacted to that news told me thathe’dtaken her. The egg had to be in this house somewhere. A house that was rapidly burning. The smoke stung my nostrils, and flames danced in nearly every corner of the home. We’d done all this to get her back and save Christian’s sister. He had to think about her. I was no fucking damsel in distress. I could handle myself until he and Christian found me. At least that’s what I told myself.
“You need to take care of your sister,” I said.
“Yeah,” Joseph agreed, his hot fetid breath on my neck making my skin crawl. “Listen to the lady. Go handle your brat sister. Unless you want to see what I can do. Fucking lock your ass away like all the rest.”
Locked away? I could only imagine whatthatmeant. Did he have some sort of torture chamber in the house? Some awful abattoir where he could revel in misery and pain? I wouldn’t put it past him. It sounded like something a man like this would enjoy.
“I’m not letting this son of a bitch take you,” Jackson said, taking another step toward us.
Christian shifted and joined him. Both men, like some wall of strength and power, glared at Joseph, but if he was worried, I couldn’t see it. He knew he had the best bargaining chip he could have.
I nearly tumbled backward as Joseph pulled me toward a wall of bookshelves. Where the hell was he going?
“Egg,” Joseph barked. “Egg for the girl. Yes or no.”
“No,” I shouted, answering before Jackson could, then holding back a grunt of pain when Joseph jammed his knuckles into my side.
Jackson shook his head. “Shyanne, that’s not going to?—”
“Do you want your sister to live?” I asked as Joseph bumped against the bookshelves.
“I do,” he said, eyes pained and worried. “But?—”
“Trust me. It’s going to be okay.” I wasn’t sure how strong a dragon egg was, but the way the house was burning, there was no way he’d have time to fight Joseph, save me,andget the egg out.
He stared at me for a long moment, then flicked his eyes up to Joseph and finally back to me. Emotions warred in his eyes—anger, helplessness, panic, and rage. It was obvious he was trying to decide between what his heart told him heshoulddo and what his head told him hehadto do.
Joseph flung a hand back to the bookshelf, shoving a dozen tomes to the floor before he grabbed a leatherbound title that only tilted out rather than coming free. As he did, a loud metallicclunksounded behind the bookshelf.
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.A hidden passage? Was this guy a James Bond villain?
The ridiculous thought proved to be true as the shelf swung inward, revealing a concrete staircase leading down into a shadowy darkness. He tugged me backward, and I had to claw at the handrail to keep from falling down the stairs.
Jackson and Christian’s eyes went wide, and they rushed forward, but before they could reach us, Joseph slammed the passage door shut and threw a heavy steel bar across it, sealing us in. The muffled sounds of Christian and Jackson pounding on it told me the door was solid steel and at least a foot thick. Eventheywouldn’t be able to break through, not unless they shifted to their dragon forms, and there was no time for that. They had to get Jackson’s sister’s egg out and to safety. All I could do was pray that they’d find me after that.
“Let’s get out of here,” Joseph said, dragging me down the stairs.
His left arm was still around my throat, but not as tight as before, though he did have a wad of my shirt clasped in that fist to make sure I couldn’t pull away.
“You’re a real piece of shit,” I said, unable to control my anger.
