Chapter 188 They Wanted Hostages
Caden’s POV
For a moment after the two idiots got dropped on their asses, nobody in the room moved.
Not because we were scared. Maybe a little stunned.
But mostly because every single person in the room was staring at the same two glowing toddlers sitting proudly in the middle of the floor like they hadn’t just turned two grown ass men into airborne entertainment.
Cassian sat there with a triumphant grin on his face, golden light still flickering around him like sparks off a flame. Atlas rested on Trixie’s hip, giggling softly and waving his tiny hands through the lingering glow as if he’d just finished a fun game instead of neutralizing two grown men.
Meanwhile the two idiots who had tried to threaten a room full of women and children were groaning on the floor.
I rubbed my jaw slowly.
“Well,” I muttered, “that answers one question.”
Coban glanced sideways at me. "What question?”
I nodded toward the boys. “If they can defend themselves.”
Lucian snorted quietly behind us.
Darien didn’t waste time reacting like the rest of us. The second one of the men tried to roll over and push himself up, Darien stepped forward like a judge delivering a sentence.
“Don’t,” he said calmly.
The man froze. The second one tried to scramble backward across the floor.
Lucian stepped in and casually planted his boot on the guy’s shoulder, pushing him flat again.
“Bad choice,” Lucian said mildly.
He reached behind his belt and pulled out a pair of silver cuffs. The moment the metal snapped around the man’s wrists, the reaction was immediate. The prisoner hissed sharply as the silver burned against his skin.
“Shit!”
Darien grabbed the other one by the arm and forced it behind his back.
Snap.
Another pair of cuffs locked tight.
The smell of scorched skin barely touched the air as the silver began doing exactly what silver does to wolves. They struggled instinctively.
Lucian crouched beside one of them, resting his forearms on his knees while studying him like a scientist observing a bug.
“You should stop moving,” he said conversationally. “Silver and werewolves don’t mix well.”
The man’s eyes flashed angrily.
So they weren’t even pretending otherwise.
Darien hauled the second one upright by the back of his shirt and shoved him down into a chair hard enough to rattle the wood. Lucian dragged the other across the floor and dropped him into the chair beside him.
Metal clinked as Darien opened the equipment case near the wall.
Inside sat several sets of heavy silver shackles.
Coban folded his arms. “Well,” he said dryly, “this escalated quickly.”
Darien locked the first man’s ankles down with thick silver restraints. “They walked into a room,” he said coldly, “full of women and children and demanded hostages.”
The shackles snapped shut with a heavy clank.
“They’re lucky they’re still breathing.”
Lucian finished securing the second prisoner and leaned back with a satisfied sigh. “Well that was easy.”
One of the prisoners glared up at us. "You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”
Coban laughed outright. The kind of laugh that said someone had just said something incredibly stupid.
“Oh buddy,” he said, shaking his head, “you walked into the wrong house.”
Before the man could spit another threat, Darien pulled a syringe from the case. The dark green liquid inside it was unmistakable.
Wolfsbane.
Both prisoners stiffened immediately.
“No No No!”
Darien grabbed the man’s arm without hesitation. "You don’t get a vote.”
The needle slid into his vein. The man jerked violently as the wolfsbane hit his bloodstream, a harsh cry ripping out of him as the suppressant began shutting his wolf down.
Lucian administered the second injection just as quickly. Within seconds both prisoners were breathing hard, their shoulders sagging as the chemical worked its way through their systems.
Lucian dusted his hands together. I folded my arms.
That was when Trixie cleared her throat. Every head in the room turned toward her.
Atlas still rested on her hip while Cassian had wandered over to Coban, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt with determined little hands.
Coban scooped him up easily, settling the boy against his chest. Cassian beamed proudly. Trixie shook her head with a small smile.
“Not even three minutes after you four left,” she began.
My attention sharpened immediately.
“They came through the back entrance,” she continued calmly. “Walked in like they owned the place.”
Lucian frowned slightly. "What did they want?”
Trixie shrugged lightly. "Hostages.”
The room went still.
“They said they wanted leverage,” she continued. “Said if we cooperated nobody would get hurt.”
Darien let out a humorless laugh. "And then?”
Trixie glanced down at Atlas. Atlas looked extremely pleased with himself.
“Well,” she said lightly, “Cassian got mad first.”
Coban looked down at him.
“You did, huh?” Cassian grinned wider. Atlas raised both hands like he wanted equal credit.
Trixie chuckled softly. "They both did actually. She nodded toward the ceiling. "They lifted those two off the ground before the men even finished threatening us.”
Lucian blinked slowly. “You’re telling me.”
She nodded. “They’ve been flying them around for the last ten minutes.”
Coban barked out a laugh. "Ten minutes.”
Darien rubbed his face. “That explains the gymnastics.”
Before anyone could respond, the door burst open. Kevan walked in first, Mark right behind him. Both men looked like they’d just come straight from a fight.
Kevan’s sharp gaze swept the room instantly.
“Everyone okay?”
Mark’s eyes landed on the two chained prisoners. “Well that answers that.”
Coban nodded toward the boys. “You missed the show.”
Kevan stepped further inside. “What happened up here?”
Mark crossed his arms. "And don’t tell me it was peaceful.”
Lucian gestured toward the prisoners. “These two geniuses tried to take hostages.”
Kevan’s expression darkened instantly. "They what?”
Trixie adjusted Atlas on her hip. “Cassian and Atlas handled it.”
Mark blinked once. Then he looked at the boys. Then at the chained men. Then back at the boys. “You’re kidding.”
Coban grinned. “Nope.”
Kevan crouched slightly in front of Cassian.
“Well damn,” he muttered.
Cassian grabbed the front of Kevan’s shirt proudly. Kevan chuckled under his breath “Strong little warriors.”
Behind him Darien nodded toward the prisoners.
“They’re secured.”
Lucian added casually, "Silver cuffs, shackles, and wolfsbane.”
Mark nodded approvingly. "Good.”
Then his expression shifted slightly as he looked between Coban and me. "You two should hear what happened downstairs.”
Coban straightened. "What happened?”
Kevan exhaled slowly. "We found more of them.”
The room went quiet again. Lucian’s brow furrowed. “How many?” Mark leaned against the doorframe. “Enough to confirm something.”
Coban’s eyes narrowed. “What?”
Mark glanced toward the prisoners. “They weren’t sent by anyone.”
I felt my brow pull together.
Kevan continued grimly. "They were already here.” Silence settled over the room like a heavy blanket. Darien’s posture went rigid. Lucian’s eyes sharpened. Mark crossed his arms.
“These men were part of the castle staff. They were put here by Clarence.”
My stomach dropped slightly.Kevan finished the thought. “Clarence planted them here as moles.”