Sebastian (Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance) (Desired by a Dragon Book 3) Page 5

  Forgot to mention that your car is in the parking lot. Had one of the guys at the shop help me shuffle our cars around.

  Well, that was a relief. In all my anger I’d forgotten to think about how I was going to get back to my sister’s place. She was probably at work by now so I couldn’t have her pick me up, and walking would’ve been out of the question because I had no clue where I was. I crumbled up the note and tossed it on the table. I slammed his front door shut behind me and headed down the metal stairs, still pissed he hadn’t said we’d see each other soon. My cheeks flamed as I passed the section of brick he’d pinned me against hours before. There had been something so primal and animalistic about it, so possessing. I’d freaking loved it. I’d never been with a man so commanding, yet careful with me in bed. It was the perfect combination.

  Then again, maybe not, because here I was, tasting the bitterness of rejection and anger on my tongue as I clutched a twenty dollar bill I was deeming as payment for last night. Even if that wasn’t how Sebastian intended the money to seem, it was how my mind had deemed it.

  I pulled the door to the coffee shop open and stepped inside. Instantly, my senses were assaulted with the sweet, rich scent of coffee and heavenly baked goods. The tension in my shoulders relaxed at the promise of a sugar-infused breakfast and a large mug of hot tea. After I paid for my order, I headed outside in search of my car. It was exactly where Sebastian said it would be, in front of the coffee shop. It didn’t take me long to notice another sticky note attached to the driver’s side window. A fluttering sensation broke out in the pit of my stomach as I started toward it. While I wasn’t sure what more there was left for him to say, I was hopeful it involved his phone number or an invitation to get together again soon. I held my breath as I plucked it free from my window.

  I called my cell from yours and stored my number for you. Call me whenever you get this. Thanks for last night. I had a great time.

  - Sebastian

  I dug around in my purse for my cell. When I found it, I tapped on my contact list. A new contact had been added, but it wasn’t saved as Sebastian’s name. Instead, he’d saved his number under best sex ever. I laughed but didn’t tap on it. I needed time to compose myself before I talked to him. If not, I’d tell him what had gone through my mind while going on his trail of Post-it notes, which would make me seem like a bitch.

  I rifled through my purse until I found my keys and unlocked my car door. After finding my sister’s address on my GPS, I tapped go and started toward her place. It took me less than fifteen minutes. I was amazed at how small this town actually was. However, the short drive had been long enough to eat an entire extra-large blueberry muffin and down half of my large tea.

  When I stepped inside Violet’s place, silence engulfed me. Neither of their vehicles had been parked in the driveway, but I’d expected as much. I knew both of them had left for work hours ago, considering it was nearly lunch. I made my way to the kitchen and deposited all of my stuff on the counter. As I took a sip from my tea, I reached for my cell. Not only did I want to call Sebastian to talk about last night, the hilarious name he’d put in my phone for himself, and the sticky notes he’d left me, but I also wanted to send my sister a text to see if she was available for lunch, because an extra-large muffin wasn’t going to hold me over for long.

  I scrolled through my text messages until I found an open thread with Violet. My thumbs started across the screen, tapping out my message, but I was never able to hit send. Large hands grabbed me roughly from behind, startling my cell from my hands. Adrenaline spiked through me as I lashed out. My attempt to free myself was in vain. All it garnered was the bastard’s hands to tighten on me and a rough rumble of a laugh to spur from him.

  “Be a good girl and come with me without any trouble.” His breath smelled of stale cigarettes as he whispered in my ear.

  “Screw you.” I reached for a knife from the butcher block in front of me, knocking it over in the process. With the steadiest hand, I could manage, I sliced across his forearm.

  I had no intention of truly hurting him; all I wanted was to surprise him enough that he released me so I could bolt for the front door.

  His grip loosened. “You bitch!”

  I shoved him as I dashed toward the front door. The guy grabbed at me, his fingertips brushing against my elbow, but I was too fast. My heart pounded out of my chest as my head flip-flopped between fight or flight scenarios during my trek to the front door.

  Flight. I’d decided the second my fingertips touched the cool metal of the doorknob.

  A hard body slammed into me from behind, pressing me flush against the wooden door. Air rushed from my lungs as the weight of the man’s body pinned me. I was trapped. For a split-second, my mind froze. I didn’t know what to do, and I was scared shitless of what would happen next.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” the guy growled. “You’re not going anywhere until I get what I came for.”

  His words looped through my mind, causing my limbs to stiffen and my heartbeat to soar to near exploding levels.

  Flashes from the self-defense class I took two years ago pinged through my mind. I struggled to remember what I was supposed to do in this situation, but couldn’t. Three things became certain in the span of a few seconds: one, I couldn’t allow this guy to do what he wanted to me. Two, I couldn’t allow him to take me to a second location. And three, I had to keep fighting. There was no other option.

  Fear pumped through me, heating my blood as I thought through what I should do. I pulled in a shallow breath and did the only thing I could: I busted the back of my head into his face while stomping his foot with my high heel as hard as I could. It was enough to make him let go, but not enough for him to take enough steps back so I could open the door. I bolted toward the living room, eager for more space to be between us. He followed. His rough hands grabbed and scratched at my skin as he tackled me to the couch. I knocked over a lamp on my way down and knew seconds before it happened that my head was going to hit the edge of the coffee table during my fall. The instant it did, I was sucked into blackness before I could figure out my next move.

  Chapter 6

  Sebastian

  I swore I was suffering from some rare disease that settled into my bloodstream faster than anyone would ever believe. So far, the symptoms were only a fast-paced heartbeat, a mind that seemed to race through images of the night before on repeat, and a sudden onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder when it came to glancing at my cell. While I was sure this was a sickness unlike anything I’d ever felt, so far the only part of it that seemed to be contagious was the goofy, lopsided grin I couldn’t wipe off my damn face. I’d noticed it on Charlie and Dean’s faces, but it appeared most frequently on Bobby’s.

  I didn’t care. In fact, I didn’t give a shit if they thought I was happy because of time spent with a beautiful woman and they wanted to rag me about it. I’d never felt this way before, and there wasn’t a damn thing any one of them could do or say that would dim down my feelings.

  I’d never been one to buy into the whole insta-love thing, but I did know after only one night spent with Casey she was the one. There was a chemistry there that was undeniable. We’d both felt it. I was sure of it.

  My lips quirked into the same dopey grin that seemed to hang there all day as I thought about what it had felt like to touch her, to taste her. My pants tightened at the memories. God, Casey was perfect for me. I could feel it deep in my soul. And when we touched, holy shit. There was a wicked zing of electricity that pulsed beneath my skin each time unlike anything I’d ever felt. I knew she felt it too. She had to.

  I twisted the cap back on the jug of power steering fluid in my hand and set it on the metal shelving unit before reaching into my pocket for my cell. I pressed the circle to light the screen. She still hadn’t called or sent me a damn text. A frown formed on my face. I tried not to think of reasons why she might not, but found it difficult not to. I crammed my cell back into my
pocket and continued working.

  As the day pressed forward, my list of reasons for why she might not call or text continued to grow. Before long, it consisted of fifteen. There was only one I liked: she was still asleep, wrapped in my sheets and blankets, naked.

  It could be possible.

  After all, Casey was a writer. Didn’t most writers have crazy hours? She might be used to staying up until the wee hours of the morning, typing her heart out to get the voices of her characters to hush long enough so she could sleep. Her body might be used to sleeping the day away.

  I checked my phone to be sure I hadn’t missed a call or text from her anyway. Nothing. It was after lunch, and still she hadn’t bothered to contact me. My heart felt as if it were shrinking, a sensation I’d never felt before. I kicked myself mentally as I slipped my cell back in my pocket, hating how much this was getting to me. I knew she’d asked me out with the intention of having a one night stand. Nothing more. Nothing less. Obviously, what I felt hadn’t been reciprocated like I’d thought.

  Or maybe it had and she was too scared to admit it. A sly grin sprang onto my face as I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to think of ways to force her to see the light, because now that I’d met her—now that I’d tasted her—I wasn’t willing to let her walk out of my life and disappear.

  My phone rang, causing my heart to thump forcefully inside my chest. I couldn’t get to it fast enough. My hand seemed to have grown ten times its size, and I was having difficulties getting it in my pocket to retrieve my cell. When I finally managed to get it out, my entire body deflated at the name lighting up the screen. It wasn’t Casey’s. Instead, it was Silas’s.

  “Hey, what’s up?” I answered as Charles and Dean went batshit crazy in the background, making kissing noises and catcalls like a couple of twelve-year-old boys. I waved their words away and headed toward the office door, needing space and silence. Bobby rarely stayed in his office for anything. He preferred to work on vehicles with the rest of us.

  “I think the hunter managed to track down where I live.” Silas’s voice filtered through the phone; it was controlled and scary calm, instantly putting me on high alert.

  “Why do you think that?”

  “Because Violet called me a second ago scared out of her goddamn mind.” I could hear the clicking of his blinker and realized he was calling while en route to his house. Alarm nipped at my insides. “Apparently when she got home, Casey’s vehicle was in the driveway, but the front door was cracked. There were a few drops of blood inside the door, and she said it looked as though a struggle had taken place.”

  My grip tightened on my cell as the room around me spun. A cold sweat broke out across my body and all I could think about was Casey.

  “Was Casey there? Is she okay?” I couldn’t get the words out fast enough.

  “No, she wasn’t there. Her purse and cell were, but she wasn’t.”

  My heart skipped a beat as every muscle in my body grew rigid. Someone had taken Casey. But why? There was no reason for someone to kidnap her.

  No, not someone, a hunter.

  Why the hell would a hunter kidnap Casey? She wasn’t a shifter. She was human. A human that was mine, my dragon added.

  My muscles vibrated with the power of my thoughts and I had to pull in a slow, steady breath in order to keep myself from shifting in the middle of Bobby’s office.

  “I’m headed there now. I’ll call you when I know more.”

  My jaw clenched. “No, I’m coming. I’ll be there in a few.”

  “I figured you’d want to.”

  I hung up. The door to the office creaked as it opened, and in walked Bobby. He’d heard my end of the conversation and possibly my brother’s, I knew he had. Amazing hearing was one of the perks of being a panther shifter.

  “I have to clock out early today again. I’m sorry, but something has come up.” I crossed the room and reached for my punch card. Once I crammed it into the machine, I waited for it to stamp my time.

  “I don’t see a problem with that, but would you mind telling me what’s going on?” Bobby asked.

  I couldn’t. No matter how much I wanted to. No one could know a hunter had been brought to town. If word got out that one had followed me and my family, we’d have a world of shit on our hands. While this town might not be our hometown, it was a place where we were all supposed to be safe. If the others found out we’d brought danger here, they’d kill us for jeopardizing their safety.

  “Something happened to Casey, and I’m heading to Silas’s place to find out what.” It was all I could give him, and I hoped it would be enough.

  “Casey? Is that the girl you were with last night, the one that’s got you floatin’ on cloud nine?”

  “Yeah,”

  Bobby crossed the office and placed a hand on my shoulder. “I’m only gonna tell you this once. If you need any help, any help at all, call me. I’ll be there. No questions asked, and no one has to know.” He arched a brow, making me wonder if he knew more about the situation at hand than he should. “I mean it.”

  “Thank you.”

  He released his grip on my shoulder and nodded toward the door behind me. “Go on now, find out what happened to your girl.”

  My girl. Yeah, Casey was mine. I swung the office door open and took off toward my car. Charles and Dean said something about me racing out of the shop for a booty call and how it wasn’t fair, but I ignored them. Booty was the last thing on my mind. I had to make sure Casey was all right because I couldn’t lose her this soon.

  Hell, I’d only just now found her.

  I slid behind the wheel of my car and cranked the engine without taking the time to lay down a towel so I wouldn’t get grease on my seat. My heart palpitated in my throat as my mind raced through what might have happened to Casey. Tension rolled through me as I thought about how much time I was wasting driving to Silas’s house when I could be there in two seconds flat if I changed into my dragon form.

  If only it were nightfall.

  With steady pressure on the gas, I raced toward Silas’s place while I prayed to God Casey was okay.

  Silas was just slamming his driver side door shut when I pulled in behind his car. My eyes shifted from him, to Casey’s abandoned red car, to Violet on the front steps of the porch. That was where they settled.

  Violet looked visibly shaken. Tears trailed down her cheeks, but she didn’t bother to wipe them away. I forced my eyes away from her to scope out the house. From the outside, it appeared normal. There were no visible signs of a break-in.

  Silas rushed to Violet and wrapped her in his arms. He spoke softly to her, but I couldn’t focus on what he was saying. I started up the steps and across the porch, my mind focused on finding Casey. Once I reached the entrance to the house, I paused. Drops of blood inside the threshold captured my attention and suddenly I couldn’t breathe. My mind flipped through different scenarios of what could’ve happened.

  Casey could be dead.

  I should have stayed with her. I should’ve called out sick for work and stayed home to make us breakfast. This wouldn’t be happening if I had. Casey would be wrapped in my arms, safe and sound. She wouldn’t be missing, and there wouldn’t be blood that was most likely hers scattered across my brother’s floor.

  I stepped inside and allowed myself a moment to take in the rest of the house. The scene was bad, but it wasn’t that bad. There wasn’t blood smeared all over the walls and shit. Maybe Casey was here. Violet could have missed her because she was too worked up from the sight of blood and the way her house had been ransacked. I scoured the living room, taking in everything with a careful eye. There was a broken lamp. The couch had been shifted ajar. The coffee table had been pushed forward a few inches. And a high heel had been left behind.

  There was no sign of Casey.

  I headed toward the kitchen just as Silas sidestepped the blood and made his way in the front door. My jaw grew tense at the sight of the butcher block of knives on the counter spi
lled over. Casey’s purse and a Styrofoam cup sat beside the mess. It was the solitary knife on the floor with blood glinting across its blade that gripped hold of me, though.

  Fury roared under my skin at the sight and my heart thundered in my ears. While I couldn’t be sure if the blood on it was Casey’s, it didn’t freaking matter. Not to me, and damn sure not to my dragon. Something horrible had happened and Casey had been caught in the middle of it.

  Images of finding whoever had taken her and beating him senseless flooded my mind.

  “It looks as though she put up a fight.” Silas stepped around me and bent down to get a better look at the bloodied knife lying on his kitchen floor. “I’m not sure this is her blood we’re seeing. I think it may be the hunter’s.”

  Casey seemed so small and fragile, but the idea that she had put up a fight didn’t seem far-fetched. The woman was bold and brazen in both her words and her actions.

  Silas’s cell phone rang, pulling me from my thoughts.

  “Hello?” he answered while shifting back into a standing position.

  He pressed a button on his cell to turn his speaker on and locked eyes with me. I knew whoever had called wasn’t a number he was familiar with and could guess who it might be in an instant. My hands clenched into fists as my nostrils flared while I fought to keep quiet, waiting for the hunter to finally say something.

  “Silas,” a raspy, unfamiliar voice filtered through the phone. “Do I have your attention now?”

  The voice grated on my nerves, but I tried to focus on any background noises that might come through the line, knowing it might be our only shot at finding Casey.

  “Yes, you do,” Silas answered him.

  “Good. I thought I might.”

  “Tell me what you want with Casey.”

  “Aw, yes, Casey. I had hoped she was your little lover—what was her name again, Violet?—but it seems as though I’ve snagged her feisty little sister instead. The two look so similar.” A chuckle filtered through the phone. “It’s quite comical really. I came to Willow Vale with the intentions of kidnapping your sister, Scarlet, and offering her up in exchange for my own beloved younger sister, however, it seems as though I’ve snagged the wrong sister. Make no mistake though, regardless of whose sister this is, I still intend to leave Willow Vale with my own.”