Page 23 of Held By a Monster

I nodded. “Everything is fine.”

He grunted in response. “Good, because I need my second. Even though we don’t know how Society will react, or what they might rule in our case, we need a plan. I don’t want to wait for their decision to track BioSynth.”

“Neither do I. We have the laptops from the lab. We can start combing through the data and compiling any information we find.”

He nodded. “That’s a good start, but we need to loop into a wider network.”

I tapped a claw against my snout. “Kendal might know a way. I’ll return tomorrow night and ask for her help.”

We were almost at the cave entrance when I stopped him. “I need to find the men who took her, and make sure they never hurt her again.”

Kragen licked his snout. “We’ll consider them a trial run for taking on the rest of BioSynth. It will be good to go on a hunt of our own choosing.”

We waited until we’d entered the main cavern and were surrounded by our brothers to lay out our initial plans. Ever the leader, Kragen immediately took control.

“We met three supernatural creatures tonight, and their leader agreed to help us. He will take our case to the governing council and report back through Kendal. While we wait, we will move forward with two primary objectives. The first is finding the men who held Kendal captive. Drym will lead this effortand when he has a working plan in place, we will use those men as a trial hunt.

“The second is finding what remains of BioSynth and ensuring the wyrfang data is destroyed. Cavi and Quin, you will help me go through the laptops we took and organize what we find. Roul and Thurl, you will get us ready for the initial hunt. Outfit us in gear as you see fit. We’ll help with resources as we find them.”

He paused, his gold eyes sweeping over each of us. “Does anyone have anything to add at this point?”

Our brothers shook their heads.

“Good. Then let’s get these fuckers and ensure they can’t do this again.”

I joined the chorus of howls that echoed through the caves.

I grabbed my horns and let out a grunt of frustration. I never appreciated how complicated the human world could be. It seemed so easy when the scientists brought them a file with target information. The address, entrances, exits, and weaknesses and strengths all laid out for them in neatly typed pages.

I’d gone to the mansion where they held Kendal, hoping to find the names of the men who’d hunted her. I searched the entire house, top to bottom, and came up empty. The house was simply a staging ground. No personal pictures on the walls, all the decorative touches generic. The only room that seemed used was one that housed several leather chairs and a large fireplace.

A display above the mantle held a rack of guns, and a bar with gleaming crystal glasses and various decanters of alcohol stood to the side.

The chairs were worn smooth where a man would sit, testifying to their extended use.

Other than that, the house was clean. Sterile. No papers in the drawers of desks, no drawer filled with random items. I even walked the winding driveway to check the mailbox. Empty.

The last area I searched was the basement. Rage coursed through my blood as I stood in the middle of the cages. Cages where Kendal and other women had been kept like animals.

Like we’d been kept.

The metal bars were no match for my strength. I ripped the doors off their hinges. In contrast to the upstairs, each of these cells held mementos. I carefully gathered what I found. Kendal would want to contact anyone who might miss these women.

I knew they’d had no family, but there might be friends, coworkers, someone.

If nothing else, I would remember them.

A locket with the picture of a smiling woman inside. A hair clip that sparkled in the dim light. A heart-shaped stone, worn smooth in the middle. A coin, one edge worn from being used to scrape lines in the stone wall.

A small bag held the treasures of these women as I made my way back to the caves. Every step increased my anger, the fog pushing at the edges of my vision. I took a deep breath and counted to ten as I exhaled. Losing myself wouldn’t help Kendal.

Her soft curves and intoxicating scent filled my mind. At the last minute I cut right, skirting the cave entrance and heading toward her apartment. It was late, and I hadn’t meant to come so soon, but I couldn’t stop my paws from turning in her direction.

I stared at the ground for a long time before gathering the courage to look up. I wanted the light to be on. I wanted her to invite me in. My eyes scaled the beige brick of the building an inch at a time until the glow from the window snapped them upwards.

I started for the door, only to retreat when a laughing couple pushed their way outside. I thought I’d wait until they got into their car and drove off, but they stood beside it kissing for so long I said fuck it and slipped past. They were too caught up in each other to notice me.

I knocked on Kendal’s door as gently as I could, but the sound still echoed through the hall. Three locks turned before the door swung open and she launched herself into my arms. I curled my body around her, backing her into the room before a flick of my tail shut the door.

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