He raised an eyebrow. “What sort of information did Neil, and by extension, Bourne, ask for?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “What you’d expect—weaknesses on our borders and patrol; notification of clan gatherings; any sort of discord that could be used to weaken the clan’s unity.”
“Stonefire has the strongest bond amongst all British dragon-shifter clans.”
“That was before the human DDA inspector showed up. On the drive back here from Carlisle, one of the Protectors mentioned you claiming the human as your mate. If Neil or the Carlisle hunters find out about that piece of information, it can be used against you. Not everyone in the clan will approve their leader passing up the dragon-shifter females for a human.”
The bloody young Protectors and their mouths. He would mention the slip-up with Kai. After a chat with him, they’d think twice about gossiping in the future.
Bram moved his hand to the table and tapped his fingers. “Here’s what else you’re going to do in exchange for protection.” Olivia made a sound of protest, but he ignored it and continued, “I never said I wouldn’t ask for more demands. You’re going to dictate everything you know about Neil and Bourne, as well as what knowledge you’ve passed on. One of the Protectors will stay until you’re finished, with another in the room ready to call the DDA if you refuse to help. If Kai and I are satisfied with the results, I’ll extend protection. If not, then I will hand you over to the DDA. I suggest you cooperate.”
Before Olivia could make any sort of reply, Kai burst into the room. The worry on his head Protector’s face stopped any reprimands. Instead, Bram stood up and asked, “What happened?”
Kai motioned with his head toward the door. “Not in here.”
A sinking feeling gathered in his stomach. Kai was usually calm and collected under pressure. The worry on his clan member’s face meant something awful had happened.
The instant Bram shut the door behind him, Kai said, “Evie and the others have been taken.”
Bram’s dragon pushed to the forefront of his mind. I told you we should have protected her. We must find her.
I need information first. After shoving his beast aside, Bram said, “Tell me what happened, and quickly. My dragon is not happy at the moment.”
“Well, Nikki reached out via the secure line, supposedly because Evie had found something in the data. But before the human could come on the line, there was a mini-explosion, some fighting, and talking. Since the phone line was still connected, one of my Protectors was able to decipher the faint conversation.”
Bram put more pressure against his dragon’s invisible prison to keep him restrained and bit out, “And?”
“Evie was a clever human, and she tricked the attackers into admitting they were Carlisle hunters.”
His clever lass. “Olivia didn’t give me anything about the location of Bourne’s headquarters, and I doubt she’ll be able to. Has Zain found out anything new from the dragon hunter we captured?”
Kai nodded. “Yes, he managed to extract some locations in exchange for protection for the hunter. Everything is already in motion. Since Evie is your mate, I need to know if you want to come with us when we leave.”
Bram’s dragon roared. Of course we will go. I will channel my anger to rescue her. The hunters won’t stand a chance.
Unless they bring out the laser guns.
I will be careful.
Bram focused back on Kai. “Let me call Tristan and a few others first so the clan isn’t leaderless when we finally leave. I’ll meet you in my office in twenty minutes to hash out the details. Also, find someone you trust to take Olivia’s statements. If she refuses to cooperate, lock her away and call the DDA once all this mess is sorted.”
Kai nodded and left Bram alone in the hallway. As much as he wanted to roar along with his inner beast, he forced himself to remain calm. Anger would hurt Evie. He needed his brain to save her.
Even if he died trying, he would save his mate. Simon Bourne and his dragon hunters were going down.
~~~
Evie looked around her windowless room for the millionth time and let out a sigh. The room, quite simply, was a prison cell with just a bed, sink, and toilet. Oh, and a faulty, occasionally flickering fluorescent light overhead, which made her think of bad horror movies. Hopefully, she’d avoid a similar fate to the victims in those movies.
No one had taken her in or out of the tiny room since she’d regained consciousness. Despite watching the guards and their movements whenever they brought meals, she had yet to find a way to take down the armed guards, let alone devise a plan of escape.
She also had no idea of what had happened to Nikki and Charlie. While Evie didn’t know how long she’d been unconscious after drinking the bitter liquid from the vial back at Bram’s hideout, it wouldn’t be much longer before the effects of the mandrake root and periwinkle wore off the two Protectors. Once Nikki and Charlie could shift, the hunters would drain them dry. If Bram or his Protectors didn’t find them in time, the two dragon-shifters would die.
No. Evie wasn’t about to let the dragon hunter bastards win. At some point, they would question her. When that time came, she would try to find a way out of her prison. It was highly unlikely she could free the two dragonwomen alone, but if she could escape, she could bring help.
The dim fluorescent light overhead flickered right before someone unlocked the outside bolt of her door. Wherever they were keeping her contained, it’s wasn’t a new or very solid building. That would be a major oversight if Bram found her before she managed to escape.
The door opened and she blinked against the bright light in the hall. She could just make out a silhouette of a man. He said, “Stand up. We’re moving you.”