KnightForce Damian (La Patron's KnightForce Book 4) (22 page)

Renee turned and looked at Adam. "Told you." She sat on Silas’ lap with her head against his chest.

"Ivona shot the witches to save Raoul. Seems you were right; she went to save him. Plus, she claimed him as her mate in front of everyone, which means it's settled whether she understands or not. When Raoul wakes, Barticus will ask if he wants to remain in Europe with his mate to get the child back."

Jasmine half-listened to the kids discuss fighting moves and their futures. "
Get the child back?
"

"
Yes, the Lamia left Barticus’ den in the child's body
." He told her what happened.

"Daddy, you didn't answer my question," David said, tugging on Silas' pant leg. "Do you know how to be good at battle and not be seen?"

Silas' brow rose and Jasmine agreed. David never talked about fighting, that was more Adam's thing. Although they were both good in their self-defense classes, she never thought of David as a fighter.

"It depends, pup. If my beast rises, it's harder to hide and also it depends on how angry I am. Another reason to keep a calm head in battle. It's difficult, but can be done. You should never turn off your mind, its best to merge with your beast’s with a clear head so your moves are instinctual."

Adam laughed. "No one can turn off their minds."

David looked at Silas and then at Adam. "He means to maintain control, don't become so emotional you leave an opening. We learned that in class."

"That's right," Sarita said.

"We meet in ten minutes to discuss Damian's situation; can you make it?
" Silas asked.

"Can you? I plan to leave you here with them.
" She pushed off the floor and stood. "Mama's got some things to take care of, I'll see you all at dinner."

"
Good one
," Silas said.
"I'll be there after spending some quality time with my pups.
"

"Bye, Mama."

"See you later."

"Bye."

"Seriously, you're leaving?
" Silas asked.

"Daddy, can you teach me how to fight your enemies? I'll knock them out," Adam bragged.

Jasmine smiled as she walked out the room without looking back.

Chapter 31

Damian and Gem returned to the living room to check on Raoul. Randi sat in the chair next to the sofa, staring at her twin. When they entered, she looked at him with glassy eyes.

"How do we know she didn't put him to sleep to make him worse? She doesn't want a mate, I don't trust her," Randi said.

"You don't have to," Damian said, taking a seat nearby and picking up the remote. "Raoul trusted her enough to allow her to do this. They're mated, get over it."

"Not yet," Randi argued. "She hasn't accepted him yet and he probably hasn't accepted her either."

"He accepted her. Now that I think back to the time she shot at me, he knew then, even told me she was special, but I didn't connect it. Hell, it was the furthest thing from my mind. We had a crisis to deal with and Raoul was acting strange. Plus, there was no way he'd remain in Florida."

"Didn't you hear her claim Raoul as her mate to the Lamia?" Gem asked.

"Yeah, I told Barticus about that," Damian said.

"I forgot she did that," Randi said slowly. "Why'd she run off and leave him like this then? I thought mates couldn't do that."

"She went with her child," Gem said. "It's probably the only bond that'd challenge the mating bond. I don't blame her either. No way could I remain behind in that situation."

Randi looked at Damian. "What about you, Mr. Lone Wolf, I don't need anybody. Would you have left a mate and followed your pup?"

Conscious of Gem's attention, Damian thought about the answer. "It's no secret I wasn't raised in pack, but I've learned a lot about pack dynamics since becoming KnightForce. My perspective has changed. I don't need everybody, but I do need some people in my life." He deliberately looked straight ahead. "I lost someone close recently, my sister was kidnapped."

Randi gasped.

"La Patron gave KnightForce three days to find her or our entire class would be dismissed. Imagine 75 Alpha trained KnightForce agents searching everywhere for my sister. He didn't have to do that and I'll never forget that he did. My loyalty to La Patron is absolute."  Damian shook his head. "Every moment my sister was missing; I was in hell. If the Lamia had taken her body and refused to return it, I'd have done what Ivona did and more."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Randi said softly.

Gem reached over, took his hand and squeezed it.
"I didn't understand before, I do now.
"

Damian cleared his throat and looked at Raoul.
"It's time for you to wake the hell up so we can decide what to do next."

"
Thought you'd left
," Raoul said though their link, his voice whispery thin.

"Man, I wouldn't do that. I've got your back, you know that
," Damian said, ashamed the words needed to be said.

"Ivona's..."

"Your mate and a hellcat, I know. You'll have your hands full with her,"
Damian said, wishing Raoul would open his eyes.

"
She's in trouble, please, go help her."

Damian stared at Raoul. "
Where is she? Can you send me coordinates?"

"You'll go? You'll help her?"

Again a wave of shame rushed over him at the doubt in Raoul's voice. "
Yes, we're pack."

"Thank you. I can't break out of this yet, but when I do, I'll join you. Here's the coordinates. I think they locked her away or something."

"Did she call out to you?
" Damian asked, confused.

"No, my beast woke me. Hurry, help her
," Raoul said.

Damian stood, keeping Gem's hand in his. Tugging her along, he walked toward the garage.

"What happened?" she asked when they were alone.

He told her what Raoul said and looked at her as they entered the truck. "You aren't surprised?"

"No, it takes a lot to knock out our beasts, and when it comes to mates, they sense danger with unerring accuracy and won't rest until their mates are safe. Let's get moving. This probably has something to do with Lamia, and what she promised to do for the witches. Let's hope there's no blood involved."

"Did she ever say what she planned to do for them?" He started the truck and waved at security to let them through.

"No, she didn't. She told me she was done with them, what she said today was a complete turnaround. I'm not sure what's going on. Did you tell La Patron what we're doing?" She looked at him and snapped her fingers. "Wait, I need my supplies." She opened the door and ran back inside.

While waiting, Damian contacted La Patron and gave him an update.

"
Your timing is on target. We just finished meeting and Barticus is concerned over Raoul. When I tell him, Raoul reached out to you, that should ease his mind. As far as assisting Ivona, you don't have to do that, Barticus will send Quentin and the others. You and the doctor can return home now. Raoul won't be leaving anytime soon."

"Sir, if it's alright with you, I'd like to do this for Raoul."

"Why?"

"Because he asked me specifically and he could've reached out to his father, but didn't. He trusts me to have his back in this, to protect his mate, and I feel honor-bound to do that for him."

"You don't think the others can do the same job?"

"Perhaps, but he's my friend, like a brother, and I can't let him down or pass this off to someone else, Sir."

"What if I order otherwise?"

"Then I will obey
." Damian's stomach clenched as he waited.

"
Pack is a brotherhood, we watch out for each other and assist where needed. It's a lesson learned in the den, which you missed but have learned since you left the Liege. I'm proud of you, stay and help your brother. To be asked to watch another's mate or pups is the highest honor we bestow on each other. Even though you didn't know it, your wolf does. Keep me updated, and once Raoul no longer needs you, come home. You and the doctor have work to do."

Relieved, Damian closed his eyes and released a pent up breath. "
Thank you, Sir."

Gem opened the door and placed her bag on the back seat floorboard. "Ready."

Damian nodded and backed out of the garage. "Put these coordinates in the GPS." He gave her the numbers and headed toward the main road. When they reached a clearing, he pointed. "This is where they had Raoul in a van. Ivona shot them over there."

Gem looked but didn't say anything. He turned on the sound system and was surprised when the voice of a popular musician filled the car. Traffic was thick on the road until they came to the turn-off and drove along an unpaved road for almost a mile before picking up a path leading to a gate.

Damian stopped and looked around. "How much further?"

"Up that hill, we should be able to see it from here," she said.

Damian stepped out to open the gate. He tugged on the padlock a few times. It wouldn't open. "Unlock the trunk," he told Gem.

When it opened, he found the tire iron, and went back to the lock. After a few minutes of hammering, the shackle broke and fell to the ground with the lock still engaged. Damian pushed open the gate, returned to the truck, and drove through. Minutes later, they saw a large house and what could be a barn. The van the witches had been in earlier was in front of the house.

He parked and they stepped out. Inhaling, they picked up Ivona's scent in the barn and headed in that direction. As they passed the house, he heard chanting and a cold wind skittered up his spine. "
Let's get her and leave
," Damian said.

"
She won't leave without Daphne
." Gem looked at him. "
That's why she's here. What did Raoul want you to do exactly?"

"Keep her alive."

"We should be able to do that, but she's not leaving without her daughter
," Gem stressed.

"
I know.
" They reached the barn. There was one heartbeat other than the animals. He opened the door. Sunlight streamed across the floor. Inhaling, he stuck out his arm to prevent Gem from moving forward. "
Smell that?"

"Manure?"

"No, I smelled this odor before at Sheila Height's home, it will fuck up your sense of smell and you won't be able to use it for a while."

Gem stepped back. "
I have something that'll counter that in the car. I’ll go get it.
"

Remembering the chanting, he closed the barn door. "
No, we go together. It's too quiet, I don't trust this
." She opened her mouth as if to argue and then closed it.

"
Okay.
" Turning they ran back to the truck. Gem opened her bag and pulled out some pills. "
Found them. Take one.
" She handed him a red pill and popped one in her mouth.

He took it and looked at it. "
What does it do?"

"Works as a blocker against anything entering our system for six hours. Which means you can't eat anything either."
She looked at the pill and at him.
"Don't trust me?"

"I hate pills, took too many growing up."
He tossed it to the back of his throat and swallowed.
"How long before it kicks in?"

"Give it a few more minutes.
"

"Does Ivona have a few more minutes?
" he asked, locking the SUV.

"We can't help her if we can't smell, or if they try to use the itching stuff or anything like that against us. Better to be prepared
."

Damian agreed.

"
Let's go
." Gem ran ahead but he caught up with her a few seconds later. The chanting had grown louder as they passed the house on the way to the barn. Inhaling, he opened the door. Barn animals to the right, Ivona and a human on the left. Damian smelled metal. "
Guns, knives, or something in between."

"What do you want to do?
" Gem asked.

"Shift and take them out."

"Wait, Lamia's calling me. She said not to go inside, it's a trap for our wolves. Ivona set it to save her daughter. Hold on, she's reminding me of some other stuff too."

Damian stared at Gem.
"Do you believe her?"

"Don't know, just telling you what she said."

"That odor is definitely from Ivona's stash.
" He paused and located Ivona in the barn. "
Are we fighting Ivona?"

"Could be. Talk to Raoul, ask what he wants us to do."

Damian nodded. "
Raoul?
" He waited a few seconds.
"Raoul, I'm here to help your mate, but she's set some kind of trap for us."

"What?"
Raoul's voice sounded just as weak as before.

Damian told him everything that happened so far.

"
Don't go in there, I'm waking and will be there soon. She would trade your life for the child's in a heartbeat, you should come back here
."

Damian motioned for Gem to walk in front of him.

"
Lamia said something that we might be able to use if we can get this right, but she’s confusing me, telling me that she won’t go back on her word. I don’t know what she means.”

They stopped when they reached the house. Lamia, Agatha, and the four women stood on the porch watching them.

"You can't leave, not yet," Lamia said with a smile that looked old in the young face. "Ivona is willing to sacrifice herself to save the child."

Damian looked behind. Ivona walked out carrying a rifle and it was aimed at him.

Lamia gave a little shrug. "I promised not to harm her child if she destroys you."

"Destroy Damian?" Gem yelled. "Why? For what?"

"As long as he's in the picture I cannot merge with you, and I've decided you're the perfect vessel, and I will force the issue so there's no choice." Lamia told Gem.

"What?" Gem screeched. "Because I was nice to you, you think I'll let you take my life?"

"It's either you or the child," Lamia said smugly.

"It's not me," Gem said, reaching for Damian's hand. He took it. "I feel bad for Ivona and her daughter, but her mama sold her child to the witches, I've got nothing to do with it. This isn't our fight. But if you push, it will be."

Damian dashed to the side, pulling Gem with him as Ivona released the first round of gunfire. Shifting midair into his largest form, he backhanded her, knocking the rifle from her hand and sending her crashing into the building, where she remained still.

“We must act now,
” Lamia said.

“No, I don’t trust you
,” Gem said inching toward Damian ready to shift.

He turned and walked toward the witches. The four surrounding Agatha ran inside.

“
Don’t you listen
?
We must force Agatha now. Her body is too weak to take me, she won’t survive. Do as I say so I can rest,”
Lamia said.