Filed to story: Reclaimed Book by Roxie Ray
“I can’t trade my son,” I said, making sure to let my voice crack. “I can’t. But I can give you what you want. We can make an even exchange.”
“I’m listening,” Sean said. He sounded hungry. It was like I could hear the drool dripping from his fangs.
“I’ll sign over the clan.”
Hawk stood up and shoved a chair over, so it clattered to the ground. “Ace, what the fuck?”
“If you give me back my fated mate and leave me my son, you can have the clan,” I continued. “As long as I’ve got my mate and my son… You can take the clan. Be the alpha you claim you can be.”
Hawk waved his hands at the clan members in the clubhouse. Everyone stood up and started shouting in disbelief, calling my name and thumping their fists against the couch. I grinned and nodded my approval at the display. They were loud enough that there was no way Sean couldn’t hear them over the phone.
Perfect. I needed him to think I was going against my clan members. That they didn’t trust me anymore. That they were ready for a new alpha to swoop in and take control.
Sean laughed. “That’s all it took? You’ll give up everything you have for a woman?”
“She’s not just a woman. She’s my mate. You wouldn’t understand.”
“You’re damn right I wouldn’t,” Sean said. “If I had known this was all it would take, I would’ve taken her a lot sooner.”
He laughed again. Behind me, the clan members kept causing a ruckus, shouting their disbelief.
“So, what’s your answer?” I snarled. “Is that a good enough trade for you?”
“It is.”
I flashed a thumbs-up to the clan members, and Hawk fist-pumped in victory.
“You’ll come to my compound tomorrow,” Sean said. “I’ll send the location. We’ll make the exchange. Your woman for the clan. I expect you to bring the contract that signs the role of alpha over to me.”
“Consider it done,” I said. “But only if Harley is unharmed.”
“She is,” Sean said. “But if you even think about trying to play me, Ace, I’ll slit her throat right in front of you. I won’t fucking hesitate.”
I squeezed my phone so hard I felt the case crack. My dragon’s rage burned my insides. He was so close to the surface I exhaled smoke. If Sean laid a single finger on her, I’d tear him to pieces. I only wished I could say that to him now.
But now, I needed him to believe I was weak. Broken.
That he had won.
“Deal,” I said through gritted teeth and ended the call.
Hawk and the clan members all fell silent and stared at me expectantly.
“He bought it. We’re on for tomorrow.”
“Hell, yeah!” Hawk said, and everyone exchanged victorious high fives.
I didn’t feel the same sense of elation. I took a deep breath, trying to settle my thrashing dragon. I rubbed my temples as I strode out the door for some fresh air.
I stepped onto the back deck and braced my hands on the railing. The air was crisp and cool around me, the lake was still, and the sun beat down on the back of my neck as I tipped my head forward. Exhaustion crashed over me like a wave. Logically, I knew this was a good plan, but my dragon loathed every part of it. It made my skin crawl to speak to Sean like I was bowing to him. It nauseated me to even suggest that I’d be willing to leave the clan in Sean’s hands. And all of this was the lead-up to something even worse: my brother’s death at my own hands.
“Hey.” Hawk stepped out on the deck and slid the glass door closed behind him. “You did good.”
“I know,” I said, without looking up. “He bought it.”
“You think he’ll be surprised when you challenge him?” Hawk asked. He stood next to me and propped his forearms on the railing.
“Even if he expects it, that doesn’t mean he can beat me.”
“Guess not,” Hawk said. “But all the pieces are falling into place.”
“Yeah. It’ll be over soon.”
“God, I’m ready for that,” Hawk admitted. “I know this is hard for both of us.”
I nodded. Hawk was the only one who realized how difficult it actually was.
“But it’s the right thing to do. And it has to be done.” He knocked his shoulder against mine. “We’ll get through this.”
“We will,” I promised.
Hawk needed my strength. Harley did, too. I looked out over the still surface of the deep blue lake. If only I could channel some of that calm into my own soul. As exhausted as I was, I knew I wouldn’t be able to rest-not until my mate was back in my arms.
HARLEY
Itapped the chisel against the windowsill for the millionth time. Moonlight lit the room, but it wasn’t enough to see what I was doing.
This was a hell of an endeavor. I couldn’t pry the nails out of the window frame until I had peeled apart enough wood to expose them, and I had to be extra quiet thanks to the super-hearing dragons in Sean’s clan-if you could even call his goons a clan. If they caught me trying to escape, I didn’t know what they would do to me, but I knew it wouldn’t be good.
I kept working. Every time I pried up a sliver of wood, I stuffed it between the loose floorboards. I didn’t want anyone to see any evidence of my work. I worked diligently until my hands ached and my fingertips felt like they were on the verge of bleeding. A cloud rolled over the sky, snuffing out the moonlight. The room was completely dark.
Sighing, I tucked the chisel back into my waistband, then crawled into the threadbare sleeping bag the goons had tossed at me a few hours ago. At least I wasn’t sleeping on the cold hardwood floor.
I sighed and stared up at the dark window.
Even if I did manage to pry the window open, what the hell would I do after that?
I had no fucking idea where I was. I’d been hysterical on the drive here, more worried about Dylan than where I was being taken. I’d been blindfolded, too. All I knew was that we’d driven for what felt like hours in long straight stretches and dozens of turns. With my luck, we were miles and miles away from Lakeview, way out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but trees for miles and miles and miles. Where would I go if I ran? It’d be so easy to get lost in the woods. And if I managed to find the road, what would I do next? Just run and hope someone saw me before the goons did? Hell, the dragons could fly.
The odds were stacked against me.
Actually, that was an understatement. There were barely any odds at all. Fleeing this place was a death sentence.
So was staying here.
I couldn’t count on anyone else to save me. I had to get back to Dylan. I had to at least try.
At some point, in the darkness of the room, my physical exhaustion won out over my racing thoughts, and I fell into a fitful sleep.
The sound of the lock on the door opening woke me. I shot up like a rocket, and immediately touched the chisel in my waistband, relieved when I felt it secure in its hiding spot. I scrambled to my feet. My brain was still coming online as the door opened.
“Morning, sleeping beauty,” Sean said. He grinned at the sleeping bag on the floor, which I’d kicked aside in my haste to get up. “You’ve turned out to be even more useful than I hoped.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
