Chapter Sixteen
Sarah set the carrier down and opened it so her cat could start to get to know the castle. When she straightened, she found the head of staff waiting for her attention.
“Welcome home, ma’am.”
“Thank you.” Sarah watched as her cat rubbed herself against the woman’s leg before wandering off. “Conor likes you.”
“Conor?” she looked at the furry feline. “You have a cat as a pet, and you named it after your mate?”
So Moira knew. “I had the cat before I met Conor and I had a crush on the celebrity chef I saw on TV.”
“But a cat?”
“I didn’t know I was a werewolf when we became friends. It doesn’t bother him so him being a cat doesn’t bother me.”
“Has he seen you as a wolf?”
“No.” She followed the tail as far as she could. “But that Conor has accepted my Conor and he has seen his wolf side so I’m not too worried about it.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Where is James?” She wasn’t going to hesitate just because Conor hadn’t walked in yet.
“I’m not sure, ma’am, but he said he would meet you in the dining room. He also asked me to have some champagne waiting for you.” She escorted Sarah to the dining hall. After pouring her a glass of the chilled bubbly she handed it to her. “He should be here soon.”
Sarah nodded. The slight scent of fear came off the woman. That she didn’t like. It told her James was up to something. She walked around the hall as she sipped at the champagne. Where was Conor? He should have joined her by now.
“There you are, my dear.”
Sarah turned to see James leaning against the door frame. There was something creepy about his smile. “Jimmy.”
His lips tightened for just a moment before his demeanor changed.
“I heard congratulations are in order.” He sauntered into the room and poured himself a glass. “Although, I thought you were going to give Michael and me a chance to win your hand. I’m happy for you.”
“Thank you.” She played with her flute glass.
“Can I ask you one question?” He waited until she nodded. “Did I ever have a shot?”
“James, everything changed when my mom got sick. Of the three of you, Conor was there for me. Where were you?”
“I didn’t want to interfere.”
“That’s Michael’s answer. I’m more inclined to think you didn’t care about anything but yourself. With Nana away from the castle you had full rein and planned on taking advantage of that.”
“You are smart for a woman. That is true. I did take advantage of everyone’s absence. Finally, things are going my way.”
“You’ll never gain control of this pack.” She felt a little lightheaded. Sarah blinked a few times, trying to get her focus back.
“You don’t know my plan.”
“It doesn’t ma…” Sarah slid to the floor.
***
James watched Sarah slide to the floor. He smiled. He set down the champagne glass he held. Sarah was intelligent. She saw right through him. Something he didn’t expect, but he had been ready for her this time.
He knew if he had treated the champagne, she would have either noticed the scent of the bubbly was off or would have tasted it on her palette. Instead, he treated the glasses. Getting it done took some work, but he made sure that all of them had been treated so no one would be suspicious. The more anyone drank, the more chloroform they ingested, the faster it would affect them.
James had only taken one sip while Sarah had been drinking from her glass for several minutes. He thought about being crude and just dragging her out of the room, but he also knew that she had some powerful friends. Maximillian Santos always seemed to know what was going on and he worried about spies. He slipped one of her arms around his shoulder and his arm around her waist. James made it look like they were walking, even though he was carrying her. Once they were out of view, he threw her over his shoulder and carried her to her room. He dumped her onto her bed then headed back to the main part of the castle.
***
Sarah’s head hurt. She wanted to curl up into a ball but couldn’t gather the strength. She knew she was lying on something soft. She turned to her side so she could look around without lifting her head. She realized she was in her room.
“How did I get here?” Even though her head screamed she forced herself up into a sitting position. She sat still until she could stop her head from spinning. What the hell did she drink? It wasn’t just champagne. Had it been treated? She didn’t think so. She would have picked up a strange scent.
Sarah smacked her lips a few times. There was a strange taste in her mouth. Could James have treated the glassware itself? He didn’t strike her as having that kind of smarts. He had to have help.
Sarah staggered over to her bedroom door. She tugged on the door as hard as she could but it wouldn’t budge. She was locked in.
***
James opened the door before his guest could knock. “Father.’
“Why are you opening the door like a servant? It’s beneath you.” He swept past James and handed him his coat. “Since you’re acting like part of the staff hang this up, and make sure you don’t wrinkle it.”
He stared at the garment. James needed to be the alpha his father wanted him to be, yet, time after time, he always disappointed him. There had to be something he could do to prove he was as much of an alpha as his father.
“Come on, boy We have work to do.”
James followed his father toward the dining hall. “Da? Where are you going?”
“Where do you think?”
“I think we should go somewhere that is a little more secure and private.” His father spun on him, but James wouldn’t back down. “This is Nana’s house, and she has spies everywhere.”
His father stared at him for a moment then nodded. James wanted to jump for joy over this small win, but he remained unemotional as he led his father to his suite of rooms.”
“I thought Nana had cameras here.”
I bypassed the security system.” He gestured to a chair for his father to take, but of course, he took James’ chair behind the desk he had in this room. His father always had to be in control. “Father, do you mind? I need you to sit here.”
“Why?”
“Am I allowed to take your chair in your office?”
“True.” His father stood up and dusted his suit before he moved to the other chair.
James couldn’t believe he won that round as well. “Nana is still with the O’Malleys. I had hoped Sarah would have brought her home, but I didn’t want to change our timeline. Sarah is locked in her room. Conor is our guest in the dungeon.”
“Good. What is next?” His father knew the answer, why was he asking him?
“I need to get Sarah to give me the family crest.”
“Correct. With that, we can take over the pack the way we should have years ago.”
James remained quiet. He had questioned his father once before about why he hadn’t done this and had his ass handed to him. He knew better than to bring it up now. All he hoped for was that his father would finally be proud of him.
***
The chill surrounding Conor was what woke him up. He touched the back of his head and felt the giant knot. Sitting up, he looked around at his surroundings. Great, he was in the dungeon. Nana had shown them this place during their tour, but his head pounded a little too much for him to focus on anything more than to make it stop. He knew he couldn’t stay on the ground. It was freezing and even with his metabolism, the cold would get to him if he remained where he was. He stood and looked around his cell. There wasn’t much to it. A slab of wood was braced against the only wall. The rest of the cell was iron bars. There was a secret door in one of the cells. It was the one across from his. Conor also noticed the other cell had more light so probably was a little bit warmer.
The main door to the dungeon opened making Conor relax against the wooden bench like he didn’t have a care in the world.
“Sir?”
He recognized Moira’s voice. “Moira? What the hell is going on?”
“I don’t know, sir.” She set the tray she carried on the floor and slid it through the small opening at the bottom of the bars. “James has forbidden anyone to leave the castle. I’ve been told that your mate has been confined to her room for her safety. I’ll be checking in on her next.”
“And if it came down to listening to me or James, which side would you choose?”
“I follow Sarah and will do whatever she asks of me with no questions.”
“Tell my mate that I’m fine. Make sure no harm comes to her.”
“I will protect her with my life.”
***
Sarah heard the latch of the lock lift just before the door swung open. Moira walked in with a scared look on her face.
“I brought you breakfast, ma’am.” She set the tray down just as the door closed. Moira prepared her coffee as she pitched her voice so no one else could hear her. “Are you all right? Conor is in the dungeon and you're under house arrest.”
“Can you get a message to Mr. Santos? Tell him what is going on?”
Moira handed Sarah her coffee. “Shall I cancel your appointment with Mr. Santos?”
“Um, yes. My head still pounds a little. Can you make up a reasonable excuse for me?”
“Of course. Do you wish to reschedule?”
“Tell him I’ll call at my earliest convenience.” She picked up a blanket. “Can you bring a few more for me? I have a dreadful chill. Oh, and an extra pillow or two? The one I have feels a little flat now.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
***
Max and Alicia were hosting dinner when his cell phone rang. He frowned when he recognized the castle number. “It’s the castle.”
“Sarah and Conor have cell phones, why would they use a landline?” asked Alicia.
He held his finger up as he answered. “Hello? Yes. I see. Thank you.”
“And what was that all about?” asked Alicia.
“I’m not sure.” He frowned. “Moira just called to cancel an appointment that I didn’t have with Sarah. Has anyone talked to her or Conor since this morning?”
Everyone shook their heads.
“I think we better check and make sure they’re okay.”
***
Sarah found her leather outfit very comfortable. She wanted it for the secret passages. If she got caught at least she would be able to keep warm. She picked up the extra blanket and pillow. Now she had to hope uber werewolf hearing wouldn’t hear her open the secret passageway. She did it quickly. If they did realize she had escaped she wouldn’t be able to return. She would have to keep on running. Easing her way down the steps she pitched her voice when she was within hearing distance of the dungeon. “Conor?”
“Sarah?”
She walked through the secret door so he could see her, she wished she could get closer and touch him.
“Thank God.” He stood and went to the bars in his cell. “What are you wearing?”
“I’m sorry. I know it goes against what you wanted me to wear, but I asked your mom to make this for the passages. Now, I’m glad I asked her.”
“You were thinking ahead. And it looks damn good on you.” He wrapped his hands around the bars for a moment until the cold made him let go. “You okay? Did James hurt you?”
“I haven’t really seen him since he knocked me out. I woke up to find myself in my room with the door locked on the outside. I’m trapped, but feel safe.”
“Good. If James had hurt you, I would have torn him limb from limb.”
“Have you seen him?”
“No, only Moira.”
“Me too.” She brushed her hands over the blanket. “I have something for you.”
“Can you unlock the cell and come closer?”
Sarah shook her head. “No, but I do have a plan.”
Conor watched as she pulled a cord from around her waist before she sat. Pulling a weight out of her pocket she tied it to the cord, then tied the cord to the blanket. It took a few tries, but she was able to sling the weight into his cell.
“I want to place this pillow on the blanket once you pull it out of this cell.”
Conor nodded. He did as she asked and paused from pulling until she could add the pillow. Once she placed the pillow on the small pile, he dragged everything to him.
“I have to get back before anyone knows I’m missing.” She stood. “I’ll try to come back to visit when I can.”
Conor stood. “Please be careful.”
“Promise.”
***
Conor picked up the blanket and pillow and heard something drop to the stone floor. He grinned when he spotted the phone he had given Sarah. Now, this he could use. Calling would be risky, but no one would know if he texted Max. He sent the message off. All that was left to do was wait.
***
Max sat at the table with Nana and his mate. Alicia wanted to learn how something like this would be handled so he permitted her to join him. This was normally something the males handled. He had Conor’s text which confirmed what he had suspected. James had taken them and had them locked up. The man was either crazy or had no clue how powerful their friends were.
“Can I ask a question?”
Max turned toward his mate who had asked the question. “Of course, sweetheart.”
“If James wants to lead a pack, why doesn’t he try to mate with a leader’s daughter? Or challenge a leader for control?”
“Finding a pack with no males to take over is very difficult, then you have to find a pack that has a single female whose pack leader is willing to turn the pack over to a non-pack member if they mate with the lone female. James would have had to be working on that for years. He thought he would take over for Nana.”
“So he didn’t think he needed to do that and this is his last-ditch effort?”
“Right. As far as challenging a pack leader he wouldn’t want to challenge a leader of a small pack. He was used to the massive one Nana controls.” Max paused as an idea came to him. “You are wonderful.”
“What did I do?” Alicia looked at him as he stood.
Max leaned down and captured her lips with his. “You made me look at this simply. James wants a big pack. Why not dangle our pack in front of his face.”
“What?”
“It makes perfect sense. James would jump at the chance to lead a pack as large as our corporation and I don’t have to fight him. I can choose anyone I want to be my champion.”
“Conor has the right to be that champion,” commented Nana.
“Am I allowed to be nervous over this?” she asked as she stood to face him.
“Here? Yes.” He slipped his arms around her.
“But not in front of anyone else.”
“You are learning.”
***
Sarah sensed someone coming toward her room. Then she shook her head. It wasn’t a person. A loud meow told her who it was. She banged against her door. “That is my cat. Do not harm him.”
She feared what they would do to her cat and sighed when one of her guards opened the door.
“Meow.” Conor the cat sauntered into her room and rubbed against her legs.
“Where have you been exploring?” Sarah crouched down to pick up Conor. She headed toward the chair next to the fireplace as she scratched her cat behind the ears and felt something slide from under his collar. “You can close my door now unless you want to watch me with my cat.”
The guard at her door stood there for a moment or two before he pulled the door closed.
Sarah slipped her fingers under her cat’s collar and freed something into her hand. She wanted to laugh. It was an old key, like the one Nana used to open the doors of the cells when they toured the castle. She could free Conor and they could escape. What she needed to do was figure out when would be the best time.
***
Max waited for the doors to the castle to open. Patrick and Jacques stood behind him. His protectors and his soldiers. He knew they made an intimidating image.
A young woman opened the door. She was head of the staff here. A very quiet woman. Moira, her name was Moira.
“Afternoon, Moira. Is the happily mated couple here? I need to speak to them.” He didn’t wait for her to speak, Patrick walked in first then he did, followed by Jacques. The two men checked the foyer out before standing behind him once again.
“I…uh…one minute.” She took off.
“You think James will allow us to speak to Conor or Sarah?” asked Patrick.
“It will be interesting to see what he does,” said Max.
James came into the foyer a few minutes later. “Max, what a pleasant surprise.”
“It’s Mr. Santos.” Max’s smile didn’t waiver, but the tone of his voice had a steel edge to it. “Only my inner circle calls me Max.”
“I heard Conor call you Max.”
“I’ve known Conor a long time. I helped him become the celebrity chef he is today.”
“Oh.”
Max could see the wheels turning. James' next question would be about Sarah because she just found out that she was a werewolf. Max was going to answer his question before he could ask. “Sarah worked for Catherine for years. First as a grad student, then as her assistant. Even though she didn’t know she was a werewolf, I knew she was and had been keeping an eye on her. Her story pointed right to this family and Nana is a close friend.”
James was speechless. He would open his mouth only to close it again.
“Now.” Max crossed his arms over his chest. “I came to see Sarah and Conor.”
“They’re not here.”
“Yes, they are. Their scent is too fresh.” Max stared James down. “Where are they?”
“I swear they’re not here.”
Max’s reflexes were lightning-fast. He grabbed James and had him by the throat. “I recommend that you do not lie to me.”
“I’m–”
Max cut off the air to his windpipe. James struggled to breathe for a moment before Max opened his hand and dropped him.
“Now, let’s start again.”
“No one treats me this way,” James stared up at Max as he rubbed his throat.
“Are you challenging me?”
James’s eyes widened while he watched Patrick and Jacques for a moment before focusing on Max once again. “Why are they smiling like that?”
“Patrick and Jacques?” He turned to look at his friends. Each had a toothy smile on their faces. Max bet they looked at each other before they gave James that smile. “I spar with them, but they have never seen me fight anyone.”
“Why not?”
“No one has been stupid enough to challenge me.” He let his words hang in the air.
“Well, well, well, Maximillian Santos.”
The new voice didn’t surprise Max. He had expected it. “I thought I smelled you, Blaine. Hard to miss that anger of yours.”
“You know Nana isn’t here, right? You need to look at the O’Malley place.”
“I know where your sister is. I came to see Sarah and Conor.” Max faced Blaine. This was one person he would never turn his back on. Without saying a word Patrick and Jacques turned with him. They must have sensed his distrust of the man.
“Haven’t seen them, but I don’t run in their circles.”
“Yet you’re here in Nana’s home without her permission or her presence. Consider the odds.”
“Are you saying I can’t visit my son?” Blaine took a few steps toward Max.
“I’m questioning it.” Max knew Blaine wanted to see if he would back down. Max smiled. He wasn’t the young wolf that Blaine knew. “You know Nana isn’t afraid to tell the truth, and she has commented that you never come to see James. The fact that you’re here when Nana isn’t is what makes me wonder.”
“Do we have to prove it to you?” Blaine looked at his son.
Max wondered if they were going to still pretend they weren’t there.
“Take them to Sarah so they can see she’s okay.”
James looked at his father before nodding. “If you’ll follow me.”
Max hadn’t moved.
“Your turn, Max,” said Blaine.
“You go first.” When Blaine arched his brow Max responded. “I insist.” The command in his voice was unmistakable.
It affected Blaine as much as everyone else because he started moving. James led them to Sarah’s room. The two men who guarded her door straightened when they spotted Max.
“Open the damn door,” growled Blaine.
They just stared at Max. Once he inclined his head, they moved to open it. It swung open to show an empty room.
“Where the hell is she?” demanded Blaine as he charged into the room.