Page 22 of His Relentless Mate
Annika shook her head. “No. It was a blocked number. But something about the voice… it sounded familiar.”
Trace stood, his muscles tensing with the anticipation of danger. “It’s a trap, Annika. Whoever this is, they want to lure you out there. You’re not going alone, and we need to be prepared for anything.”
Annika nodded; her expression grim. “Yeah, I figured that, but we can’t ignore it. This might be our only chance to catch the killer.”
Trace agreed, though every fiber of his being screamed to protect her, to keep her away from the danger that lay ahead. But Annika was right. They were close, so close to unraveling the mystery, and they couldn’t afford to let fear hold them back now.
They left the station together, the drive to the beachfront property filled with tense silence. The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the rugged landscape, the sky tinged with hues of orange and pink that seemed to mock the darkness they were about to walk into. When they arrived, the property looked as desolate as it sounded—an old, weather-beaten house perched precariously on the edge of the cliffs, its windows dark and lifeless.
“You know, this place is pretty remote. What would you think of buying it and fixing it up?” she asked. “It’s a lot bigger than your current place and I think it would be a great place to raise kids.”
Trace looked at the house and then at her. “I don’t know that you’re wrong, but regardless, I like how you think.”
Trace’s senses went on high alert the moment they stepped out of the Range Rover. There was something off about the place, something that set his nerves on edge. He could feel the presence of another shifter nearby, the subtle, almost imperceptible hum of energy that only those of his kind could detect. It was faint, but it was there, and it made his blood run cold.
They approached the house cautiously, weapons drawn, their footsteps barely making a sound on the gravel path. The wind howled around them, the sound eerie and otherworldly, as if the cliffs themselves were warning them to turn back.
When they reached the front door, Trace paused, his hand on the doorknob as he glanced at Annika. “Stay close,” he murmured, his voice low and tense.
She nodded, her grip tightening on her gun as she prepared herself for whatever awaited them inside.
The door creaked open under Trace’s hand, revealing a dark, empty interior. The air inside was thick with the scent of dust and decay, and Trace’s eyes scanned the room, his shifter senses on high alert. He could feel the presence growing stronger, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end as they stepped inside.
The trap sprung before they had a chance to react.
From the shadows, a figure emerged—a man, tall and broad-shouldered, with eyes that gleamed with an unnatural light. Trace’s heart skipped a beat as recognition of sorts slammed into him like a freight train. He knew this man—not knew, but he’d seen him before, years ago, during his time in the military. But there was something different about him now, something more menacing.
“You shouldn’t have come here,” the man said, his voice low and dangerous, filled with a dark promise. “But since you did, let’s finish this.”
In a blur of motion, the man whirled around and ran outside, shifting in a maelstrom of thunder, color, and lightning. His true form was revealed to be that of a dragon—a creature of legend and nightmare, with scales as black as night and eyes that burned with a feral hunger.
Trace and Annika followed and barely had time to get outside before the dragon was upon them, its tail whipping around in a deadly arc. Trace shoved Annika out of the way just in time, but the force of the impact caught him in the side, sending him flying. He crashed into the side of the house with a bone-jarring thud, the breath knocked out of him as pain lanced through his body.
Before he could recover, the dragon snatched Annika up in its talons, its massive wings unfurling as it prepared to take off.
“No!” Trace roared, fury surging through him as he scrambled to his feet. He shifted in an instant, his human form melting away as the power of the dragon took hold. His vision sharpened, the world around him becoming a blur of movement and sound as he launched himself after the other dragon, the need to protect Annika overriding every other instinct.
The other dragon beat its wings, the powerful gusts sending debris flying as it lifted off into the sky, Annika clutched tightly in its grasp. Trace followed, his own wings snapping open as he surged after them, his heart pounding with a mix of fear and rage.
High above the cliffs, the two dragons engaged in a deadly aerial duel, their roars echoing across the landscape. The killer dragon twisted and turned, trying to shake Trace off its tail, but Trace was relentless, his eyes locked on Annika, who dangled precariously from the creature’s grip.
Realizing it couldn’t outrun him, the killer made a desperate move. With a guttural roar, it released Annika, dropping her from a terrifying height over the harbor below.
Trace’s heart seized in his chest as he watched her fall, her scream swallowed by the wind. Without a second thought, he abandoned the chase and dove after her, his wings tucking in as he plummeted toward the icy waters below.
In a heartbeat, he reached her, wrapping his massive talons around her just before she hit the water. With a powerful sweep of his wings, he pulled up, carrying her away from the frigid depths and back toward the safety of the shore.
He landed on the beach, his body trembling with the effort as he shifted back to human form, Annika still clutched in his arms. Her eyes were wide with shock, her body shaking from the cold and the fear of what had just happened.
“Trace,” she gasped, clinging to him as he held her close. “I thought?—”
“You’re safe,” he murmured, his voice rough with emotion. “You’re safe now. I keep an extra set of clothes in the Range Rover.”
But even as he pulled on his clothes and spoke the words, his mind was racing with the realization that the killer had escaped. He had chosen to save Annika, knowing it meant letting the dragon get away. The weight of that decision settled heavily on his shoulders, but he knew it was the only choice he could have made.
They drove back to his house. Once they’d arrived, he swept her up and carried her inside, the warmth of her body against his a stark contrast to the cold fear that still gripped him. Inside, he gently set her down on the couch, trying to push down the anger and frustration that threatened to overwhelm him.
When he turned back to her, Annika was already pulling out her phone, a determined look on her face.
