Maddock should have been waiting for McDermot when he teleported in, but he was busy in negotiations. As much as he would have preferred to focus on one task, he needed to ensure the business continued to run flawlessly. That was becoming harder to do. His father didn’t do much but indulge now. And his mother simply spied on him and pried into his business.
Infuriating woman.
Now he stood in the middle of the dungeon fuming. Pushing out a breath, he hurried to place leather cuffs around Lonny’s wrists, ankles, and throat. His magic would not work. Once he stepped out, he locked the cage and wondered how long before his newest possession would find him.
For now, he planned to treat Elondril fairly. Once he had Laniela, he’d figure out a more solid plan. If he could convince both to take his side, without violence, or mistreatment, he would.
If not, he had no problem tearing them apart until they broke.
Elondril hadn’t even moved. He felt heavy, possibly comatose. It took effort to lay him on the cot before leaving the cell. He went back to the meeting after casting a scrying spell. He would hear it if Elondril woke. Then maybe he could convince him to bring Lana faster, somehow.
And what was he to do about McDermot? He should have found a way to convince Luther. McDermot was a loose thread.
* * * *
Lana pounded on the window of the balcony. How she knew Toryn and Isa were on the other side was beyond her, but it wasn’t like she could stop her body from flying away from Lonny. And she sure as hell couldn’t control where she landed.
Bastard. He needed her and sent her away.
Isa came to the door, her hand over her stomach, a grimace on her face. “Hey, you okay?” Isa seemed stressed.
“Lonny’s gone. Some asshole named McDermot took him.”
Toryn came out of the bathroom. “Just now?”
She nodded. “Bastard ordered me to come here.”
Relief broke across Isa’s face and she moved back to the bed, sitting.
“Are you in labor?” Lana blurted out.
“I’ve had a few contractions today. Nothing major. Relax. At least about that. Let’s figure out what we’re doing about Lonny.”
Toryn sighed. “Isa, that’s the fourth in three hours. You’re not coming to help with Lonny.”
“Figured that. But I have a feeling Reance will be coming out with my mother, and someone else, very soon.”
“Who else?”
Her face scrunched, then she blew out a breath. “I’ll let him explain when they get here. In fact, perhaps we should go back to Sammy’s place.” She lifted a hand and a portal opened. Toryn took her hand, and Lana stepped through, followed by Isa and Toryn.
“The Land Rover is trashed. He hit us with a truck,” Lana started. “Lonny got us out of there before the impact could throw us. I don’t have a clue how we managed to survive the crash.”
“I do. He phased you out. You’ve seen him do it before. Why do you think you’ve never seen him injured?”
“Are you saying he can’t be hurt?” Lana hoped that was the case.
He shook his head. “It’s possible. It’s not easy, though. And stop worrying. Lonny sent you here so you would have backup.”
“But how the hell do we find him?”
He lifted a shoulder. “Worst case, I call Preston and have him help me track him through you. Which means Robert too.”
“All right.” She shook her head. “Lonny ordered me to find you. He sent me away. Something is wrong with him.”
Toryn rubbed at his face. “Yeah, but he’s protecting you the only way he knows how. He knows that Maddock wants you. And using McDermot to take him means he’s desperate, and also used someone against him. Sure, he’s a mercenary, but he has a reputation for only going after truly horrible people.”
“What?”
“He has a code he follows. He goes after people who need to be punished. And granted, it’s usually those type who hire him, but he would have refused going after Lonny if he hadn’t been blackmailed. Unless of course, he’d truly changed in the last few years, but I highly doubt that. He’s a hunter by nature.”
“Lonny said he was dangerous.”
“Oh, he is. That doesn’t make him the bad guy.”
“He took Lonny!” she shouted.
Toryn shook his head. “It’s not that simple. He did what he was likely forced to do. And he probably gave you the opportunity to get away, because trust me, the man is good at what he does. With you out, you can track him.”
“Lonny forced me away. I couldn’t control it.”
“Yeah, but now we can get him.”
“I don’t want to wait.”
“Hey, Maddock isn’t Saressa,” Isa said. He’s not going to be nearly dead by the time you get there.”
Toryn nodded. “He wants you to work for him, and now that mating isn’t an option, and neither is binding, he’s going to start with decent tactics. And he’s not going to have a chance to give up on that because we’ll stop him.”
She threw her hands up and paced away. Then she ran to the bedroom to change into jeans, tank top, and boots. She wasn’t going anywhere to possibly fight in a damned dress.
* * * *
Reance ran through the castle to meet McDermot at the doors. He should have known what would have happened, but there had been a mist in Lonny’s fate.
He came to a stop outside the castle gates as McDermot, a young girl, and a gryphon flew over the rise, then landed before him.
Before Reance could say a word, McDermot slid off the majestic beast and knelt before him. “Forgive me for capturing Elondril. I had no choice if I were to protect my sister. I’ll take you to them. You can take him back. You can punish me as you see fit, as long as you ensure Shayna has a good life.”
Reance moved to McDermot and touched his head. “Rise. I understand your predicament, and you’re offering to right the wrong. Your help will be enough, and I’ll help ensure no one takes Shayna from your side.”
He stood slowly, looking into the king’s emerald eyes. “Really?”
“Perhaps I can convince you to work for us, helping us strip the corruption from Faery.”
“With this one exception, I only hunt evil.”
“That’s all I’ll ask. I’ll present you a case, and you’ll be allowed to choose.”
McDermot’s head whipped up, hope in his eyes. “Truly?”
“Yes. I know you dealt more with my sister, but I am not her.”
He nodded. “I’ve known that for a long time, and it’s why I came to you, but my only hope was that you would take care of Shayna if I couldn’t.”
“Worry not. But we must go before his mate finds out how devastating her power can truly be.”
“I knew leaving her to flee was the wise choice.”
“Aye, and there isn’t a thing she wouldn’t do to get him back.”
Aeryana came through the gate. Her head cocked. “You’re leaving again?”
Reance turned to her. “Yes, and I’m taking McDermot with me. Will you find Shayna a room until we come back?”
“Of course.” She smiled at the girl. “Do you like books?”
She nodded, a smile spreading across her face.
Aeryana held out her hand. “Then we’ll go to the library.”
Reance added, “Isadora should be here soon. If I can convince her to leave Lana’s side. But I think we’ll be meeting Kiernan soon.”
Aeryana hugged him tight. “Be safe and hurry back to me.”
“You know I will.” He opened the portal and looked at McDermot. “Keep your mouth closed. Lana is going to be angry.”
McDermot nodded and followed him through the portal.
Lana’s eyes blazed as the temperature dropped several degrees when they entered a home not in Faery.