When I walked into the large kitchen, I was all but tackled by Ian, one of the other storm dragons that worked with us. He rustled my hair, “You took down not one but two groups of rogues and survived a lightning strike! Is it true you knocked a rogue out with one hit?”
I threw him off me, hitting his head as I do. Fixing my hair, I grinned at him, “Yeah, I think it took him several hours to wake up from that one.”
“The One Hit Wonder,” he said, shoving me.
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, shoving him back, “Can the ‘One Hit Wonder’ get some food, or are you going to keep attacking me?”
He put his hands up in surrender, allowing me to grab my food. I walked with Ian into the dining room and saw Conner sitting off by himself at the end of the long table. I walked over to him and sat next to him. The others in the room stopped what they’re doing and watched me. I gave them a raised eyebrow, but settled into my seat and started eating. Ian plopped down next to me, “What’s up man? I’m Ian.”
“Hey. Conner,” Ian reached across my plate to shake his hand.
Josie spotted me when she walked in with Jace and Alanza, so they sat down next to Conner on the other side of the table. “When is the next assignment?” Josie asked.
“A couple days,” I said, not looking up from my plate.
“Thank goddess. I’m going insane here,” Ian grabbed me and shook me just as I tried to take a bite, causing me to glare at him. “Seriously. Do you know how boring it is here?”
“I have to check over intel, but I might be doing this one solo,” I said before taking another bite.
“You can’t be serious, Amaya. Why wouldn’t we all go?” Josie asked with a glare.
“You two,” I pointed to her and Alanza, “Are needed here to finish training Conner, Jace isn’t ready, and I’m not going alone into the field with Ian.”
Ian scoffed, “I don’t know why not. I’m great in the field. It’s where I’m supposed to be, woman! Don’t leave me here!” He grabbed me again and gave me a shake.
“You won’t be alive to go on assignment if you keep doing that,” I said with a glare.
He scoffed again, “Like your dad would let that happen. He loves me.”
“He tolerates you is more like it.”
The others laughed, but his mouth fell open in mock offense. “So what about some of the other teams? You can’t choose from some of the other teams and put something together?” Alanza asked, ignoring Ian who was still trying to recover.
“There’s no time. We work together well because we work together all the time, but I don’t want a new team going out there and getting hurt because we weren’t ready.” I took my last bite, and sighed, “Look if it’s a choice of something going wrong and a team getting hurt because of it or just me. I’ll choose just me every time.”
“Wait, why can’t you go with Ian?” Conner asked, causing everyone at our end to look at him. “I’m sorry. I was just curious, because it sounds like it would be better if two went rather than just you.”
“Yeah, Amaya. It would be better,” Ian said.
I rolled my eyes, “It’s the same thing as not taking a team I haven’t worked with before. It’s going to be dangerous enough for just me, but having to account for an extra person. I can’t justify it.”
My four team mates groaned in annoyance while Conner just looked at me, “You would really do that? You would really rather risk just yourself than have back up just in case something goes wrong?”
I looked over at him, “Yeah because at the end of the day I have a better chance of making it out alive than any of them.”
“Self sacrificing dumbass,” Jace mumbled under his breath as he got up, kicking his chair as he went.
“Jace is right Amaya. We could talk to Daniel and train Conner when we get back.”
I shook my head, “He needs to get back to his clan, to his mom.”
Josie growled, “Why are you being so stubborn?”
My eyes narrowed, “I won’t put anyone else’s life at risk, and you know Conner needs to get back to his clan.”
She and Alanza rolled their eyes, “Whatever.” They both got up from the table as well.
“Seriously, Amaya, I wish you would consider bringing me along,” Ian said before also getting up from the table.
“I’ll think about it,” I said before he left the room. I got up to leave too, turning to Conner before I did, “We’ll go for a run later.”
I finally found Daniel with Lavi and Lyosha, our hackers. “I’m not letting you go alone on incomplete intel,” Daniel said as soon as I walked into the room.
I rolled my eyes, “It makes sense. Josie and Alanza have to stay to train Conner, Jace isn’t ready, and I’m not going to put Ian at risk if I don’t have to.”
“You could take another team.”
“No I can’t. There isn’t enough time to train with a new team.” He gave me a look that said the conversation wasn’t over, so I shifted it, “Have you gotten any new intel?”
“Yeah. We still don’t have a location yet, but this particular operation is being run by three, maybe four, hunters,” Lavi said, handing me a file. “Photos of their handiwork.”
“See a team of me, myself, and I would be enough,” Daniel gave me a look of annoyance, “I’m just saying, if you think three or four humans are too much for me, then I guess you didn’t train me as well as you think you did,” I flipped through the photos and growled at what I saw.
“Your training isn’t going to do you much good if you get hit with a dart or syringe of oil or they manage to get iron on you,” Daniel growled out, causing me to roll my eyes.
“It’s a simple assignment. I’ll be in and out,” I said.
“I’ll think about it,” he said before walking out of the room.
“Do you want my opinion?” Lavi asked.
I looked over at her, “Nope,” I said before walking out too. I went outside to the flight field, and shifted. Flying until it was time for mine and Conner’s run.
Over the next couple of days, we trained Conner and saw a vast improvement not just in his skill but in his attitude as well. The evening before our next assignment was supposed to start, Daniel mind linked me, “Can you come to my office please?”
I walked into his office, “What’s up?”
“I’ve made my decision. You can go on the assignment solo, but you need to check in every two hours.”
I blew out a breath at the idea of checking in every two hours, “Fine. If that’s what it takes for you to let me go alone.”
He nodded, “You should leave around four tomorrow morning, and it shouldn’t take you more than a week.”
I gave him a doubtful look, “If they’re as well organized as you say they are and spread out as far as we think. It could take longer than a week.”
“Well then I haven’t trained you as well as we thought I did,” he said, throwing my own words back in my face with a raised eyebrow.
“Yeah, yeah. Stuff it old man,” I smiled at him.
“Speaking of old. We need to talk about you taking over here, and your title.”
“What about it?”
“What do you think about Jace taking over for me, giving you an opportunity to run Storm Industries and act as queen without seeming basised. Plus you can’t really police yourself right?”
“What were you and mom going to do about it?”
“It helped that the clan is mine, so if a matter came up in the clan that needed outside review, she didn’t grow up here and could be relatively objective. You didn’t grow up here either, but you couldn’t be absolutely objective when it’s your decision being questioned.”
I nodded, “That makes sense. Do you think Jace is up for it?”
“I think he is, especially once he makes it through training. He has a good head on his shoulders. When he finds his mate, he’ll be even more grounded.”
“I agree, but for now I’ll hold onto my title as Princess. Outside clans might not understand our decision because of Joseph.” He started to speak but I held up my hand, “I don’t feel like justifying it until Jace is completely ready and in control.”
He nodded, “Sounds good. Go get some rest.”
I nodded, walking out, “Jos you want to do a movie night?” I mind linked her on my way to the kitchen.
“Sure. You get the guys. I’ll bring Alanza and I guess Conner,” she linked back.
“Sounds good. I’ll bring the popcorn.” I linked her, “Movie night guys. You know the drill,” I linked Jace and Ian while starting the popcorn. Once it was done I met everyone in the media room.
“What are we watching?” Alanza asked.
“Zombieland!” Ian shouted, causing Josie and I to groan.
Conner looked at us, “What’s wrong with Zombieland?”
“Nothing when it isn’t the fifteenth time you’ve seen it,” Conner opened his mouth, but Josie stopped him, “No, that’s not an exaggeration.”
“What about Silver Linings Playbook?” Josie said, causing the guys to groan.
“No rom-coms!” Ian shouted again.
“Can you stop shouting?” I said, elbowing him in the rib cage, “What about Ant-Man and the Wasp? We haven’t seen it fifteen times and it’s not a rom-com.”
“Yes! I haven’t seen that one yet,” Jace said.
Josie, Conner, and Alanza nodded too, “I still vote Zombieland,” Ian grumbled.
“Of course you do, but you’ve been outvoted. Pout and enjoy the movie,” Jace told him. I rolled my eyes when Ian actually did start pouting. I put on the movie, and leaned back with the bowl of popcorn in my lap. “Oh! Pass the popcorn, Amaya.”
Instead of passing the bowl, I threw a handful at his face. “Is that enough?”
“No, you fucking asshole. Pass me the bowl.”
I turned up the movie, “Sorry what? I couldn’t hear you over the movie.”
I shoved a handful of popcorn in my mouth right before he dove over Josie and Ian to get to me and the popcorn. “Children! Cut it out! We’re trying to watch a movie.” Josie said, smacking Jace in the face, as she put her hands up between the two of us.
“Are they always like this?” Conner whispered to Alanza.
“Only on movie nights. That’s when their brother and sister genes come out, even though they’re just cousins,” she whispered back.
We got through most of the movie without anything else happening. By the end of it I was actually pretty tired. “Come on, Amaya. One more movie.” Ian said, “I mean how can you say no to Zombieland?”
I stretched as I stood, “I can’t. I need to head to bed. I leave at four.”
“You’re shitting me. Daniel actually agreed to let you go alone?” Josie said.
“There’s only three or four hunters. I’ll be fine,” I said with a shrug before walking to my room in the complex.
Niamh woke me up a few hours later, and it didn’t take me long to make it out to the field. Daniel was waiting on me when I got there. “Remember every two hours. If you get into a tight spot, we’re just a half an hour or so away.” He put his hands on my shoulders, “If it’s too much and you can’t handle it, do not be too proud to come home and wait until the rest of the team is available.” He pulled me into a hug, “I can’t lose you too.”
“I promise I’ll pack it up and come home if I need to,” I said into his chest. “You won’t lose me. Love you, Dad.”
“Love you too,” we pulled apart and I watched as he left the field so I could shift.
It took me no time to make it into acid dragon territory, near the site of a few of the kidnappings. I slipped into some of the clothes I brought with me and put on my gear. I tried to reach out to Daniel through mind link, but found he was just barely out of range. I fished out my cell phone from my bag and sent him a text letting him know I made it. I took in the forest surrounding me. Taking in a deep breath I followed the human scents I picked up until I came upon one of the traps. Putting on a pair of gloves from my bag, I quickly dismantled the trap. I followed the scent I picked up at that trap to several more, and dismantled those as well. “Niamh, is there any indication on where the hunters are exactly?”
“Not that I can tell. I say we continue on dismantling,” she responded.
“Agreed,” Each trap I came upon I dismantled quickly before moving onto the next one. Niamh told me when two hours had gone by since my last check in, so I called Daniel. “I’m fine,” was all I said before hanging up, not waiting for him to respond.
I kept breaking down traps, only stopping to call Daniel and eat. Soon enough it was time to set up camp. I slept for a couple of hours before waking up to continue taking down traps. I went through the same routine as the day before, breaking down traps, calling Daniel, and eating. That was how I spent my first three and a half days on assignment.
I finally caught up to the hunters around midday on the fourth day. I pulled up my face mask and hood and stashed my bag. I stayed back, observing them. I could see all four of them setting up a new trap. “Have you two checked the other traps that were set the other day?” One of them asked.
“Yeah. They weren’t there. It looked like they had been taken down by something.”
“Interesting,” was all the original speaker said.
I continued observing them until they broke into pairs. The original speaker, or as I named him Shithead One, and Shithead Two walked in the direction I came from, and Shitheads Three and Four moved a little farther away from me, to set up another trap.
I didn’t hear them come up behind me until it’s too late, “So you’re the one who’s been taking down all of our traps,” Shithead One said. I drew my swords, “It’s four against one. How do you feel about those odds, filth?”
Under my mask I smirked, but Niamh growled at being called filth; although it wasn’t the first time and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. I stayed silent, which caused a creepy smile to form on Shithead Two’s lips. “I can’t wait to make you scream.”
This time I couldn’t stop the growl that came out, and despite the flash of fear in their eyes, they laughed. One of the two behind me fired what sounds like maybe a tranquilizer gun, and I turned, hitting the dart away with one of my swords before it could hit me. “Oh ho boys! This one’s got reflexes.”
Instead of waiting for their next attack, I went for the hunter with the tranq gun. Once I made my move, they began their attack, using their numbers to their advantage. I fended them off well enough, killing the hunter with the tranq gun, but my victory was short lived. As I attacked Shithead Two and Four, I left myself open for Shithead One to attack, and he capitalized on that advantage, shooting me full of a mixture of snapdragon oil and wolfsbane. I tried to fight it but eventually I succumbed to the oil, falling to the ground. I woke up in a haze on the floor of a van; my arm burning. “Give it another shot. Just oil this time. I don’t want it to wake up until we get to the facility.” When the oil entered my veins it felt like my insides were burning. I barely kept myself from screaming before I passed out again.
When I woke up again, the first thing I heard was Daniel’s voice ringing faintly in my head, “Amaya where are you?”
I finally opened my eyes and glanced around, “I don’t know. I don’t recognize it. My head is killing me and I’m in iron chains. They knocked me out with snapdragon oil,” I let my sense of smell go out around me. I picked up some dragon scents but they were faint. The main overwhelming scent I was picking up is human. Then it all came back to me, “Daniel I’ve been captured by hunters, but they don’t know who I am or they would’ve used more snapdragon oil.”
“Let’s hope it stays that way. We’re working on tracking you. Jax is still on leave so he’s here helping. He’s brought another good tracker from one of the packs in the area. We’ll find you, just hang in there.”
“I will and you promise you can stay in control.”
“I will. Once we find the humans I can’t promise you then but for now I will.”
The hunters came back into the room. They had me chained to the ceiling with my arms above me but my legs were free. I pretended to still be knocked out from the oil. “How much longer until it wakes up?” I recognized the voice as Shithead Two.
“About two or three hours,” Shithead One said.
I let my sense of smell go out again and picked up three different scents in the room with me. I tried to call on Niamh but she was still weak from the oil, luckily Daniel forced me to train as hard without Niamh as he did with her. I kept track of their movement, listening to them walk and trying to scent them around the room. One stopped in front of me, “That’s a shame. I want it awake when I torture it.”
I called on Niamh, “How long until the oil isn’t affecting you?”
She groaned, “I don’t know, I’m so weak.”
“Do you think I could break the chain off of whatever it’s attached to without you?”
“No. Without me and with those iron chains you don’t have your strength or your powers. I would wait to make your move.”
I listened to Niamh and didn’t attack the hunter that’s right in front of me. I knew I would get another chance. I just hoped it was before they began whatever they had planned.
“Come on, we’ve got other traps to set. She’ll be ready in a few hours,” the third voice said, Shithead Four.
“Daniel?”
“Yeah Amaya?” His voice came through the mindlink.
“They’re setting more traps. I still don’t know where I am though. They don’t know I’m awake. I’m supposed to be out for a few more hours, so they went to set traps.”
“How many are there?”
“Three, I killed the fourth one. Niamh is too weak to help me escape. They have me chained to the ceiling but my legs are free. I have a plan but I won’t be able to execute unless I get Niamh’s help.”
“Okay just give it time. We’re still working on our end to find you. Hopefully you’ll get Niamh back in a couple of hours and they’ll come back in a few.”
“Yeah because things always go my way.”
“Just don’t let them know who you are.”
“I won’t,” I said, cutting off the link.
With the hunters gone, I looked around the room, checking for cameras, finding none. I started pulling on the chain, testing its strength and the strength of the attachment point, a hook. The chain cut and burned into my skin, but nothing budged.
Time passed slowly but all too quickly at the same time until Niamh came forward in my head, “It’s time, but we’ve got to act quickly.”
I tried to pull again with a grunt, nothing budged. I heard footsteps coming our way, so I pulled with all of mine and Niamh’s strength and was able to pull the chain and hook down from their attachment point to the building just as the hunters walked into the room.
“What the fuck, man?!” Shithead Two shouted.
“I don’t know man! It should’ve been out for another hour and even then when it woke up it shouldn’t have been able to do that.”
Now that the iron chain wasn’t holding my weight it was easier to break, so I broke it in half with just a pull; freeing me from the hook. I rotated my sore arms, “How’s it going boys?”
Their eyes narrowed, “Better now the world’s about to have one less piece of filth in it.”
I smiled, “Try three.” I moved toward them, and using the chain that was still attached to my wrist I hit Shithead Two in the side of the face. That was the only hit I got in though because just as I was going to keep on with my attack I was hit with something in the neck.
Author: Kailan Counahan 