Page 9 of The Bodyguard and the Alpha
If I wasn’t hungover, I’d taken a hit on my head. At least I had no nausea. Probably not concussed. I moved my awareness down my body. Arms stretched behind me, wrists trapped together, one shoulder throbbing, probably bruised. I lay on a hard floor. I took a deep breath with no trouble. My feet worked when I wriggled. I could get up. I had to get up. I had to know.
I opened my eyes. It was dark. No matter, I’d make light. Fuck. No, I couldn’t.
“Elie. Are you all right?” Bastien’s deep voice came from my left.
My body jolted with the surprise and I let out an embarrassing squeak and then a groan at the ache in my head. But I didn’t care. He was alive. Thank the gods. The fear that had clutched at my chest loosened its grip, just a little. We were both still alive.
I turned my head towards the sound. My eyes began to adjust to the darkness and I could just make out his form beside me. He was talking, and his voice was calm. He didn’t sound hurt. I took a deep breath in through my nose. Stop panicking El. Things weren’t right, but if we were alive, we had hope. And I couldn’t see well, but I could start to make some educated guesses. I was tied up on a hard floor. We weren’t in the Palace.
My mind worked, scenarios going through my head. If they’d wanted us dead, they would already have killed us. There would be no point in moving us to a secondary location if they were only going to kill us.
“Elie.” His voice was sharper now and I realised that I hadn’t answered his question.
Chapter 8
Bastien
My heart thudded in relief when the change in Elie’s breathing indicated she was finally rousing. It was bad enough that she had been taken with me. The thought that she could be badly hurt had been my first concern when I saw that she had been tossed into this cell with me.
Beast was thrashing inside his prison, throwing his body against my shields. He’d never been this agitated before. Then again, we’d never experienced such terror as we had when I woke and saw our mate unconscious on the floor. As soon as Beast had scented Elie’s blood, he had flooded my body with adrenaline, getting my body ready to fight. To protect her. Pricks of pain at my fingertips had heralded the eruption of my claws. I could hear the beat of her heart. Thank the gods she was only unconscious. My eyesight sharpened until I could see every detail of her crumpled body on the ground in front of me, despite the dim lighting. I had wanted to lift her into my arms, cradle her against my chest, smooth her tangled hair off her face. There was a dark bruise on her temple, blood still oozing sluggishly. She still wore her Palace uniform, but my frantic survey of her form had shown no other signs of bleeding. And my nose toldme that the amount of blood she was losing was minor. It was a small reassurance, but my panic refused to subside. Her magic was so powerful, but her body was fragile. Because of her pre-cog we had never been in a situation where she was injured while protecting me. And I was discovering now just how it riled my Alpha instincts to see the damage on her skin and scent her blood. My body leaned towards her almost without my conscious volition. My mate was hurt. The need to touch her, to hold her, to keep her safe was an insistent drumbeat in my chest. But the shackles around my wrists tugged at the chains connected to the wall, snapping my shoulders back when I tried to use my arms. Electra lay on her side and her arms were also similarly bound in iron manacles, inscribed with runes.
Beast sent me a visual. Of wrapping the chains around my wrists, snapping the manacles, grabbing my mate, ripping the door off its hinges and…
For a moment I couldn’t react. Couldn’t think. He could still communicate? He had only ever tried to talk to me once, when I’d first met Elie. And since then, I thought he’d descended into madness. But this? He was still functioning on some level.
I shook off my surprise.And then what? I asked him.We’re in a cell. Armed guards are outside. We could run, sure, but Elie could get shot.
Beast’s response was a vicious snarl. He pushed me another image. Of an eight-foot grey monster ripping out the heart of a man while the Witch beside him shielded them both.
NO. Stop. I slammed my mental walls down. I am a man. I am not a monster. I will not let out the Beast.
No matter how tempting it may be.
My attention snapped to Elie when she breathed out a sigh. “Elie. Are you all right?”
She jumped, letting out an adorable squeak. But her groan had my breath catching in my chest. She was more hurt than I thought. She turned her head, her eyes searching the darkness for me, but her human eyes wouldn’t be able to see much in the dimness.
“Elie.” I needed her reply. How badly was she hurt? My hands shook with the need to touch her, my body tilting towards her.
I repeated my question. “Are you all right?”
“Not really, no,” she said.
Beast rumbled, low and vicious in my mind.They will die, I promised him. “Tell me.”
“Bruised shoulder. Headache.”
This time, I was the one who snarled.They will die. Slowly.There was a short pause, presumably while Elie wondered what the fuck was happening to me. In the five years she’d known me, I had never lost my temper. The rigid control I’d forced on myself, to keep my Beast imprisoned, had meant that I couldn’t afford to indulge myself in anger. Ever. And as the youngest-ever President of the Ruling Council, I spent my days getting what I wanted by negotiating and making deals. Never showing any hint of the violence that lurked under my skin.
“Do you have your magic?”
“No.” Her voice was flat. Defeated. “My guess is the manacles.”
I had already seen the runes inscribed on the metal. I had hoped I was wrong. “Aren’t they bright little bunnies, figuring out the spell from the stolen journal. Do you remember what happened?”
“It was a waiter at the lunch. He felt wrong. My magic couldn’t sense him.” She sighed. I could almost taste her regret. “I’m—"
I interrupted her. “Don’t say it. Don’t fucking apologise. This isn’t your fault. We were put in an impossible position with your sister’s kidnapping. I approved Luc taking the journal to the warehouse and we knew the possible consequences. If anyone is to blame, it’s me.”
