Page 36 of Lycan and Lark
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The elevator ride down to the lower levels was filled with stiff silence from all parties. Aria picked at her nails as the floors flashed past. The lower levels were rarely used, but they served their purpose when the time was right. In this case, Gideon was using them to detain Lark. Aria’s heart tightened at the idea of him being locked up. He deserved to be treated better than that after everything he had endured. She would find a way to free him, and ensure he was never a prisoner again.
Leah was waiting on the other side of the elevator doors. Aria saw a quick flicker of several overlapping emotions in her dark eyes as she took in the group. “Welcome back.” The words were friendly but Leah’s tone was laced with ice.
Aria’s wolf began to scratch beneath her skin. They were getting closer to Lark. She could feel it. Lucas and Dane stood near the door to one of the cells. As they got closer, Aria could see a figure through the two-way mirror leading into Lark’s prison. Vibrant eyes snapped up as she approached. Lark could feel her too. He was dressed in dark slacks and a white button-up. The sleeves were rolled and the jacket discarded onto a nearby chair. His white hair was disheveled. How long had he been inside his prison?
“Lucas, how are the teams progressing?”
“Both teams are en route to their prospective targets. They should be engaging within the hour.” Lucas’s eyes held a hint of concern.
“Excellent. I know you wanted to be there with them, but I appreciate you handling the security of our new visitor here.”
“Not that I can stop him if he decides to teleport out of here,” Lucas mumbled under his breath.
“Romani, I know you’ve just returned but if you don’t mind I would like to have you on standby in case things go south and we need a fast evac.”
“Of course, Alpha, but what are the teams pursuing?”
The small talk became unbearable to endure. “Can I talk to him?” Aria’s voice shook.
Gideon cast her a long look. She felt small beneath his burning gaze. “Lucas, bring him out.”
“Yes, Alpha.” Lucas moved swiftly into the cell, returning with Lark. He kept one of Lark’s upper arms firmly in his grasp and stopped several feet away from Aria and Gideon. Leah moved to stand on the edge between the two groups. Romani sidled up to Aria, wrapping one of his hands around her wrist.
“If you make any move to escape, or to take Aria with you, Romani will teleport her out of here and send her someplace you can never find her again. Is that understood?” Gideon’s words pressed in around the room.
Lark’s eyes were completely focused on Aria. “Yes.”
Aria moved to take a step forward but Romani’s grip tightened. She felt overheated in this stifling space. She wanted to run to him, throw her arms around his neck, tell him how much she missed him.Where to begin?
“Why did you stay here?” Her voice was tiny, soft. “You could have teleported out at any time. You didn’t have to let them keep you captive.”
Lark’s eyes burned silver and blue. “I needed to find you and this was the only way.” She had missed the sound of his voice. His deep timbre rolled through her like a wave of soothing water across her tired limbs.
“I missed you.” Aria was trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill forward.
Lark swallowed thickly. “I missed you, too. I tried my best to find you.”
Aria smiled through her tears. “I believe you.”
“We need to talk about some things.” Gideon’s voice cut through their touching reunion. “Regardless of whether or not you two are mates—”
“We are mates. There is no question about it.” Lark’s voice snapped across the space like a whip.
Gideon let loose a deep growl. “That may be. But we cannot overlook your past actions. I have to think of the safety of my entire pack. You will remain here until we can decide on the best future course of action.”
Aria clenched her fists. “You can’t just keep him prisoner!”
“I am your Alpha. I can and will do what’s best for the pack. And you will learn your place.” His harsh tone and wave of Alpha energy made Aria flinch. Lark snarled across the room. Gideon’s eyes whipped back to Lark. “And you will keep your hands off of my sister.”
“It’s a little late for that.” There was a wicked gleam in Lark’s eyes. He was trying to provoke Gideon. It worked. Aria’s complexion darkened as the blood rushed beneath her skin. Gideon looked once at her, gauging her reaction before lunging for Lark.
“Gideon!” Aria screamed as the Alpha threw his entire weight at her mate. Their bodies crashed to the tile floor in a blur. There was a flurry of activity as everyone tried to break up the fight. Aria was screaming, Lucas was grabbing hold of Lark while Lance and Leah both tried and failed to pull Gideon off the other man. Gideon was an Alpha, his power quickly overtook the efforts in the room. Aria grabbed Gideon’s shoulder, begging him to release Lark. Gideon’s arm flew wide, striking Aria and knocking her into the wall behind her. She cried out in pain as drywall crumbled behind her body. The sound seemed to snap the men out of their fight and both pairs of eyes landed on Aria. Lark was there first, teleporting from beneath Gideon and pulling Aria gently out of the sunken-in hole her body had created in the wall on impact.
Gideon was back on his feet in an instant. “Don’t touch her—”
“Enough!” Aria’s words carried the weight of her fury and Gideon stopped in his tracks. No one seemed to know what to do now. Lark pulled Aria to his chest and she nuzzled into him. The feeling of being back in Lark’s arms reignited a place inside Aria that had grown cold and dark in his absence. Caramel and burnt sugar surrounded her and she breathed in deeply. Lark buried his face in her hair and she knew he was doing the same thing. She heard his deep breath, followed by a sharp intake of air. He pulled her face away from his body and peered down at her. His finger touched a spot on the top of her head and she winced. When he withdrew his finger, it had been dipped in crimson. Blood. Aria hadn’t noticed before, but she could smell it now.
