Dazz (13 page)

Dazz

“This is driving me crazy!” Dazz exclaimed as he paced the room.  “I feel like I should be doing something!”

“I’m going kill whoever took my mate!” Jakke fumed.

“Not if I kill him first!”  Dazz continued pacing.  “I don’t understand why this is happening.  Almost everyone lost family members during the last Tureis attack.  That has to be an excuse.  Someone must be inciting anger to recruit members, but there has to be another reason for the attacks on our family.”

“We will figure it out after we get our mates back.”

“I hope so, Jakke.”

“Jakke, Dazzan, we have a lead on your mates,” King Mallik said as he entered his office.  Dazz heard the concern in his voice; his father only called him Dazzan in private when he was under stress.

“What have you learned?” Dazz asked, stopping right in front of his father.

“We interviewed many males and females, and the only name that came up frequently was Zanne.  I think we should start with him.”

“Zanne?  You’ve got to be kidding me!”  Dazz paced.  “We knew Trevvin had help, but I never suspected Zanne!”

“Do you know where he is?” Jakke asked.

“He has a home near here, and a cabin located in the east forest.”

“Let’s start with his home,” Dazz suggested.

The three of them, along with ten soldiers, set out toward Zanne’s house.  When they arrived, Dazz was the first one to knock on the door.  When nobody answered, they spread out and looked around.  They peered through windows and checked every door. 

“Where is this cabin?”  Jakke asked his father.

“We don’t have an exact location; only that it’s in the east forest.”

“Let’s head that way, and maybe someone can tell us where to find it.”

Three standard hours later, they found the small cabin nestled in the large forest.

“It’s empty,” Jakke called out, disappointment lacing his voice.

Dazz’s eyes took in the food that lay on the floor in the otherwise-empty room, and his lips twitched a little.  “They’ve been here.”

“How do you know?” Jakke asked.

Dazz sniffed the air, and then said, “I can still smell her.  It’s faint, but there.”  Jakke sniffed as well, and then nodded. Dazz continued, “See the food on the floor?  Chloe incapacitated Zanne when he came in.  If I were to guess, they then escaped and he is after them.”

“It’s too late to go on now; we’ll sleep here, and start the search first thing in the morning,” their father said.

Dazz didn’t want to wait, but he knew they’d never be able to see anything in the forest.  The trees were too dense, and wouldn’t allow much moonlight to shine through.  They could use artificial illumination, but that would alert Zanne of there location if he was nearby.

After a restless night’s sleep, Dazz rose just as the first sun made an appearance.  Jakke was already up and ready to go.

As they traveled, they took their time looking for any signs that someone had passed by.  They also sniffed the air, each one trying to catch the scent of his mate. 

“Did you hear that?” Dazz asked his older brother in a whisper.

“I did,” Jakke answered.

They stealthily headed toward the male voice that said, “Come out, come out, wherever you are.” 

Jakke and Dazz looked at each other before one went to the left while the other went to the right.  Half the males followed Dazz, while the others followed Jakke. 

As they circled around, Dazz saw Zanne at the entrance of a hollow log, taunting his mate.  He quietly withdrew a hunting knife that was sheathed on his leg, and like a predator, he quietly closed the distance between the two.

Zanne never saw it coming when Dazz forcefully grabbed his hair, using it to tilt his head back while the knife came to his throat.

“Zanne, it’s nice to see you again,” Dazz said with his face twisted in anger.

“Finish him,” Jakke said, now standing by his side.

“Goodbye, traitor!”

Just as Dazz was about to slit Zanne’s throat, King Mallik ordered, “Stop!”  When all eyes turned to the king, he supplied, “You can’t get information from a dead male.” 

Dazz knew he was right, but he wanted to slay the male for touching his mate.  Reluctantly, and before he could change his mind, he handed Zanne over to another male, saying, “Tie him up and make sure he can’t escape!”  Taking a deep breath, he looked into the hollow log, and called, “Chloe, are you in there?”

“Dazz?” she called back, and relief filled his soul.

“Yes, you’re safe now.”

“Sydney, are you okay?” Jakke yelled into the log.

“I’m okay!”

Chloe

Chloe woke to the sounds of animals rising to greet the morning.  Her back felt stiff, and her elbow hurt from hitting Zanne the day before.  Sydney was still asleep.  She knew it had to have been hard on her yesterday; pregnancy took a lot from the body---not to mention that they hadn’t had anything to eat or drink since they had been at the castle.

Chloe was just about to move the rock that blocked the tree entrance, when she heard a stick break.  She froze with her arm still outstretched.  When she looked back at Sydney, she saw she was awake, and fearful eyes were looked back at her.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” Zanne called.

Chloe could hear him getting closer.  She closed her eyes and held as still as possible.  When he started trying to move the rock that blocked the front entrance, she and Sydney scrambled to the back entrance of the hollow log.

They couldn’t hear Zanne anymore, and the two of them looked at each other with confusion.  Did she hear someone talking?  Chloe listened, trying to figure out what was going on.

“Chloe, are you in there?” 

Was that Dazz?  Tears and relief filled her happy eyes as she called, “Dazz?”

“Yes, you’re safe now!”

The two of them scrambled for the entrance, wanting nothing more than to get out of the log and into their mates’ arms.

When Chloe got to the entrance, Dazz grabbed her hand and helped her out, before pulling her in for a tight embrace.

  “Are you really okay?” he whispered into her ear while hugging her.

“I’m okay.  I’m just glad you found me.”  A silent tear slid down her dirty face before she wiped it away. 

Breaking the hug, Chloe stepped back so she could see Dazz’s handsome face while she talked to him.  “Did you catch him?”

“Yes, we have Zanne.  He can’t hurt you anymore.”

“Cassia was helping him.”  All eyes turned to Sydney, who was in Jakke’s arms.

“What do you mean?”  Jakke asked his mate.

“Cassia was with Zanne.  She said she was supposed to be your mate and help rule Azziar.  She said that I ruined their plans--- not hers.”

Chloe watched as some type of emotion crossed Jakke’s face, but she didn’t know him well enough to read it.

“We’ll figure this all of this out later.  For now, let’s get back to the castle,” King Mallik said.

Chloe watched as Sydney smiled warmly at her father-in-law before saying, “Thank you for coming after us.”

King Mallik’s eyes slightly widened slightly, and he said, “You’re welcome, Sydney, mate of my son.”  Chloe knew that King Mallik calling Sydney “mate” was a big deal.  Maybe they could make amends. 

Dazz looked at her and said, “Let’s go home.”

“Sounds wonderful!” She laced her fingers with his as they headed out of the east forest.  “Oh, what about Mara?”

“Rishhi said he’d take care of her,” Dazz’s lips twitched, “and she was okay with that.”

“Oh…really?”

“I know, I was as surprised as you were.  I’d seen them together a few times, just talking and walking around the castle.  I assumed he was just giving her a tour,” Dazz shrugged.

“Okay, then,” Chloe said, still surprised by the news.  “What about Zanne and Cassia?”

“Zanne will be questioned and then thrown into a cell.  Father will have everyone searching for Cassia, who is Zanne’s cousin.  Hopefully, we can get some answers as to what’s really happening.”

“You don’t think it has to do with losing females during the last attack?” Chloe asked.

“No, I don’t.  I think someone is using that to rally support.”

“So do I,” Chloe said.

A few standard hours later, Dazz took her home to a beautiful cottage nestled in the trees near the edge of the north forest.

“Are you disappointed?” he asked.

“Why would I be?”

“I don’t have Jakke’s huge house, or even Risshi’s beach house.  I just wanted something small and comfortable.

Chloe laughed, “Dazz, your house is much larger than the average-sized house on Earth.”  Chloe looked at the beautiful hardwood floors, black marble tables, and shook her head.  This was more than she could ever have hoped for.

She looked at him and said, “I love it!”

“And I love you.  I was so worried about you,” he said, taking her into his loving arms.

“I love you, too,” she said.

He took her lips in a gentle kiss and whispered, “Welcome home, mate.”

“I like the sound of that…”

One Standard Year Later

Lying in Dazz’s arms after making love half the night, Chloe couldn’t believe how happy she was on Azziar.  Was it only a year ago that she was hiding out in a bunker and then captured by the Tureis?  It was funny how things worked out. 

Now she had Dazz, along with his large family.  She, Kattlyn, and Sydney spent a lot of time together, and she loved them both like sisters.  Oh, they still had the threat of the rising rebellion, and Cassia was still out there, but she would never choose to give up her life here.

She occasionally got out to the beach house to see Mara and her daughter, and sometimes Risshi brought them to visit the castle and they would meet them there.

Sydney had had a healthy baby and was now expecting another one, citing Jakke as having said he’d like a large family.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”  Dazz asked.  He kissed the top of her head.

“How did you know I was thinking?”

“I could hear the wheels turning in your head.”

She loved it when they talked while holding each other in bed.

“I was thinking about how much my life had changed, and how happy I am.”

“Good.  I’m happy you’re here, too.”

She raised her head off his shoulder so she could see his face.  “Let’s have a baby.”

“Really?”  His face lit up with happiness.

“Yes, really.”

He kissed her passionately before saying, “We’ll visit the healer today and have your device removed.  Until then, we can practice…”

The End!

I hope you enjoyed Dazz!  If you did, I like reviews, but I love it when fans recommend it to others who might also enjoy it!

Read on for the first two chapters in
Ambriel
, (which is free in Kindle Unlimited.)  I will tell you, it is a little slow to start.  Ambriel starts out as a teenager, but turns into an adult.  The stage is set, the pieces are in place, and the fight for humanity is about to begin!

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More books by Hannah Davenport

Jakke
(Book 1 in the Azziarin Series)

Dazz (Book 2)

A Contemporary Romance that brings awareness to a rare disease.

Trying to Survive
(Free)

I stood frozen in an unfamiliar alley surrounded by darkness as I watched swords clash together with the strength of ten men.  Sparks flew and a thunderous noise had me covering my ears and hiding my face.  I could feel my body shaking, worried for the dark-haired man as his muscles bulged with every swing.  Evenly matched. 

As I tore my eyes from the swords, and the man that wielded it, I looked at his opponent and gasped with fear.  Its eyes shot to mine and I saw his hate-filled red ones staring back at me.  I couldn’t help but take a step backward.  With his eyes on me, the dark-haired Greek god swung his sword true, taking the creature to its knees.  When he delivered the final blow, his turquoise eyes turned on me, almost glowing.  My heart stuttered before setting a rapid pace.  The only thought that entered my mind; RUN!

Drenched in sweat, I sat straight up in bed. 
What the hell was that?
  Never had my dreams seemed so real. I felt as if I was actually there.  I had a bad feeling.