Electricity zapped through Honor, and she started to fall. Her chin hit the table, pain blew through her head, and then she dropped.
Darkness landed hard inside her brain.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Honor came to lying in the back of an unmoving truck. A canopy was above her, sealing her inside. Panic grabbed her, and she squirmed to the tailgate, kicking at it wildly.
It slowly opened, and strong hands drew her out.
She looked up at a young male. Beside him, Claws was counting out money—a lot of it. “What did you do?”
Claws smiled. “Sorry. Just business.”
The male jerked his head. “Get out of here. You might want to leave the state. When Kyllwood finds out about this, he’ll probably kill you.” The guy didn’t sound like he much cared.
Honor blinked several times, trying to regain her faculties. He had black hair, green eyes, and really pale skin. While he appeared similar to the soldiers from the other day, he also looked nearly human. “Are you a Kurjan?”
For answer, he lifted her and carried her to an SUV, where he put her in the passenger side, handcuffing her to the dash. Carefully, he secured her seat belt and strode around to the driver’s side. Then they slowly drove away from the clearing.
Honor fought the cuffs. “Who are you?”
“Drake.” He kept driving, his hands capable on the steering wheel.
The guy had to be, what? Maybe twenty? “How old are you?” she snapped.
“Eighteen, almost nineteen,” he said, speeding up so that the trees flew by outside. He scented the air. “You’ve mated the Keeper. How unfortunate.”
“Why’s that?” She had to get out of the cuffs. Then she could run.
“He’s going to die,” Drake said. “You could always take the virus that negates mating bonds. We have some good soldiers looking for mates, and you have power. You could take your pick.”
How lucky for her. Angling her head, she looked up at the cloudy sky. It wasn’t raining, and the sun still illuminated the various formations.
“We can go out in the sun these days,” Drake explained, going even faster. “For quite a while, actually.”
She twisted her wrists in the cuffs, but there was no possibility of escape. “Claws works for you?”
“For today,” he said. “We’ve made different attempts on Garrett Kayrs, and we saw him drop her off and figured he’d want her again at some point. We would’ve taken him out, but you were the better prize, and Claws was more than willing to help for the right price.”
“I noticed,” she muttered. “I take it she stole one of Bear’s work trucks?” So at least the shifters would know how Claws had gotten her away from their territory. That was something.
He nodded. “The attack the other day was a diversion, a way to take out the shifters’ sensors and hopefully much of their equipment. I’m sure your mate will come for you, and unfortunately, that’s part of the plan, too.”
Sam hadn’t completely healed from his last fight with a Cyst psychopath. Honor tried to remain calm.
Drake looked at her, and now she could see a purple rim around his green eyes. “I need you to be quiet for a minute. I could gag you, but I’d rather not.”
“Fine,” she said. At the moment, he had the control, but she wasn’t going to be in these cuffs forever.
He lifted his phone, took a picture of her, and then pressed a button. “Thanks.”
A ringing came over the line. “Jaydon,” a deep male voice answered.
“General? It’s Drake. I just sent you a picture.” Drake drove up onto I-90, taking her even farther from Grizzly territory. From Sam.
Quiet came over the line and then an indrawn breath. “Nicely done, Drake. I’ll meet you at the temporary headquarters. You’ll be rewarded for this.”
Honor looked at the phone, her heart thundering. Her ears rang, and her adrenaline flowed freely.
Drake angled his head and passed a logging truck. “Tell me where you’re keeping the other females, and I’ll bring her to that location.”
“No. Follow my orders,” Jaydon snapped.
“No,” Drake said easily, driving so fast the world became a blur outside. “You want her? Tell me where to bring her. Otherwise, I have a couple of friends looking for mates, and this one has impressive power. I’m not playing, General.”
Honor struggled to concentrate and not panic. What was he doing and why?
Jaydon growled, and the sound sent shivers through her entire body. “Fine, but you’ve crossed a line. You’ll regret this.” He was silent for a moment. “She’s unmated?”
“Yep,” Drake said, swerving around a minivan. “Smells as pure as any male could want. Can’t even scent the Keeper on her, actually. She’s not talking, but I doubt they’ve been together. Not sure why.” He looked in the rearview mirror and then scouted both sides of the highway. “She’s hot. I wouldn’t mind taking a shot if I didn’t have other plans.”
Honor fought to keep from kicking him in the face. Where would he keep the keys to the handcuffs? He wore jeans and a sweatshirt, so probably in the jeans pockets?
“Very well. We’re on Salmon Island. The Cyst own the entire land mass. You’ll need to be met at the dock,” Jaydon said.
“We’re a couple of hours out. I’ll text when we’re closer.” Drake clicked off.
Honor struggled with the cuffs. “Where is Salmon Island?”
“It’s probably one of the smaller islands in the Sound—my guess is close to Orcas Island but not too close. It’s probably shielded so humans don’t even know it’s there.” He zipped down an off-ramp and swung through a red light, barreling toward what looked like forest land.
“Where are you going?” Honor asked, trying not to throw up.
He slowed down. “I have a helicopter waiting.”
So he didn’t trust the general or the proposed dock pickup. Good to know. She searched for anything she could use as a weapon. “Fine. You used me to find out where he’s staying. I get that. Let me go now.”
“No.”
She paused. He was young and he was strong. Could she get through to him? “Yes. I have been mated, and that means something. Jaydon, and I’m assuming he’s the general I’ve already had the misfortune to meet, will just kill me when he finds out. Either way, I’m of no use to you. Let me go.”
Drake drove through an archway of trees, speeding down a dirt road. “You have a lot of power, Honor. If you took the virus, you could negate the mating bond, and you could find a life. A good one with us.” He took another turn. “Your choice of males isn’t good. Upon learning of you, I interviewed your ex, a man named Kyle, about you. It didn’t take much pressure to get him to tell me everything he knew about you.”