Enslaved in Shadows (27 page)

             
The next song that came on the loud speaker had everyone turning their heads and looking at the cockpit door.
Miguel’s “All I Want Is You” came on. It wasn’t
hard-core
at all.
It was mellow with a nice pace to it.
Both women looked at each other as if they knew Dietrich’s problem.
Solon and Royce looked confused.
Didn’t matter what song he played as long as he turned that shit down.

             
He tried to relax as his mind drifted to things better left for after the assignment.
He had family on his brain. Thousands of scenarios on how life would be for them played through his mind, all of them good. Did she want the picket fence life? Draven peaked over his daughter’s shoulder at Jes. Nah, she didn’t want the picket fence. She looked more like the active mom. Taking Faith to ballet maybe, or his boys to combat class? Yeah, she was a doer.
She wasn’t like Melissa at all. Who complained about everything. Why didn’t he see that before?
You were taking a class in Moronomics that’s why.
Jes was all about family. Up until this very minute, Draven hadn’t really looked at the word
family.
It felt good on his tongue. Last week family wasn’t a priority. His immediate family was, but starting a family with Melissa always tasted bad in his mouth. He couldn’t picture kids with her, with Jes he saw an entire tribe of cubs taking over. Laughing and playing, giddy with joy.
Giddy?
Yeah fucking giddy. Who would have thought?

             
How did this woman make him feel the way he felt and didn’t know it? He knew she was thinking hard about something. When did any man know what his mate was thinking?
She’d tied him up, had his feelings splayed for all to see. She’d captured his heart, held it securely in her hand. Did she even realize it?

             
Their linked hands became everything. It symbolized what he wanted for them. Linked together, supporting each other.
No one could break them apart.
Draven lifted their linked hands again and kissed the inside of her palm this time. He kissed the top of his Faith’s hand as well and she immediately gave him her winning smile.
The three of them would make this work. Mother, father and child, family would always come first.
When he went to put their hands back on the
rest,
he noticed Jes wore a confused expression.
She was trying to figure him out. It would take time for them to know the other’s feelings. Wolves could read with body language and smell. It was different for humans. They came into the world confused and left still trying to figure out that quintessential question.
“Why are we here?”
Wolves knew their purpose from birth. Find the one you are meant to share your life with.
You were given three chances and each road led you down a different path. His choice was here with these two beautiful creatures he now called his.

             
He couldn’t help it, had to touch her more. Draven gently leaned over Faith and kissed Jes gently on the cheek. He tried to convey with his actions that everything was going to be okay.
With his eyes, he begged her to give them time.
She would see how devoted he was to her and Faith.
She would never suffer at anyone’s hand every again. Hands were meant for caresses and tickles between loved ones. They were meant to induce and give pleasure, never to hit or bruise the person you loved.
His mark was meant as a symbol of his undying love. Not to hurt or maim. He knew there was further road the two them would have to travel. She needed to heal and Draven wanted to help her. Together they were stronger, filled with purpose and infused with strength and love. Apart they would falter at every turn. He hoped she’d soon reciprocate with words what her body and heart already conveyed. Their future was now.

* * * *

             
Jesminda shifted in her seat as Draven continued to hold her hand.
Faith was snuggled in her father’s arm, loving every minute of it.
Seeing the two of them together brought tears to her eyes. He’d tried to convey to her, things were going to be alright. Telling her didn’t make her feel better.
She’d been down that road a million times before with Marcus’s promises. Things never got better between them. And it wasn’t going to be okay with Draven either.
It just wasn’t going to work.
How could it?

             
The music died out and she thought about Dietrich’s selections.
Funny thing about men, her grandmother told her the only way to see a man for what he really was, was to listen to the man’s music.
He went from hardcore rap down to something soft and gentle.
The brother had problems.
Lots, but it wasn’t her job to try and figure out the mystery that was Dietrich Johnson.
The man was hot; a woman would have to be blind, dead, or just plain stupid not to recognize him for what he was.
Dietrich was raw, sensual power.
It vibrated off him in waves, floating its way across the room to make its presence known.
The Shadow
Unit
members were all edible. Any woman would be crazy not to want them.

             
Jesminda inwardly groaned. She was surrounded by hot men!
Dumb ass that she was for the moment, she didn’t want Draven. Couldn’t get past the abuse she’d endured. How could she? He was holding her hand and rubbing his thumb absently over her pulse on her wrist.
From now on, fucked up and out of luck, was going to be her new mantra where Draven was concerned. His face didn’t give away the slightest piece of information.
His other hand absently rubbed their daughter’s back. Faith was eating up his attention.

             
“Again this is not your fucking captain speaking,” Dietrich’s voice boomed over the speakers.
“We’ve already gone into our descent. Children and pussies need to stay on board as we have company. Weapons are stashed under the seat and in the fucking overhead compartments.
Man up and grab some shit, we’re about to have a bumpy landing. Be ready to shake the spot.”

             
What. The. Fuck. Did. That. Mean!
Draven’s fingers tightened on hers and he leaned over to whisper.

             
“Stay on the plane with Faith.”

             
“Angel,” Draven said. “Get over in your mom’s lap.”

             
Faith didn’t complain.
She squeezed her father tightly around the neck and whispered something in his ear, making him smile.
She climbed over into Jes’s lap and put her arms around her waist.

             
“What did she say?” Jes asked.

             
“Later, baby later. Gotta go now.”

             
Draven looked over at Royce and nodded. It could only mean one thing.
Royce was about to put her baby to sleep again.
She couldn’t get mad at that, because when she and Marcus had some of their roughest fights she tried to keep the ugliness away from Faith.
She didn’t want her daughter tainted with all the shit going on between them, and she didn’t want her daughter tainted now.

             
Faith’s head lolled to the side, she had just enough energy to get comfortable in Jes’s lap and fall into a peaceful sleep. She looked up at Royce and mouthed, thank you.

             
“You’re welcome.” Royce said on a faint whisper as he reached underneath his seat and grabbed the weapon there. Dietrich had fully stocked the plane with every arsenal a man would need, and then some. Right down to swords.
Swords?

             
“Remember to sever the spinal cords, and remove the heads if at all possible.” Solon said.

             
Should she look out the window? She couldn’t see anything.
Hear anything. There wasn’t anything out there but darkness.
Somehow,
Dietrich knew they had company. There was no point in seeing what was out there. She already knew.

             
“How the fuck did they find us?” Draven asked as he drew a weapon from the overhead compartment. It was some sort of sword thick and heavy. A
sword-wielding
werewolf?

             
“No, clue.” Solon answered.

             
She watched as they got ready to exit the plane.
Even Bells was geared up and ready for battle.
The plane skidded on the asphalt.
It jumped once as it touched the ground and then teetered on its wheels as it tried to come to an abrupt stop.
Jes held on to Faith tighter and closed her eyes.
She should be helping.
She wasn’t one to hide and do nothing.
Fucking zombies.
Very valid point. She wouldn’t be much use to them anyway. She didn’t know how to wield a sword, or shoot a gun. That would be changing as soon as this entire debacle was over.

             
The deep sigh of her daughter reminded her of just why she was going to stay on the plane.
Her daughter needed her now more than ever.
Marcus sent the zombies after her and she knew it was to collect Faith.
That shit was not going down no matter what.

             
She reached under her seat and felt for a weapon, she wasn’t taking any chances with her or her daughter’s life.
Her fingers hit the nose of a gun.
She didn’t know what kind it was, only that she saw the little latch that would release the safety.
She carefully unlatched it and put it in the seat next to her and Faith.
She wanted to be ready, for anything. Heaven help her and the person who entered the jet, and wasn’t on her team. She’d pop one off and ask questions later. Hopefully, her aim was good enough to cause some lasting damage.

             
Dietrich opened the door to the cockpit and strolled out to meet with the others.
He looked back over his shoulder and smiled at her.
It was an evil smile mixed with arousal.
He was aroused by this?
It must be the battle; Jesminda thought to herself, it couldn’t be her.

             
“Aah, I see we have a pussy on board.” Dietrich licked his lips. “Pussy is only good for two things, eating and fucking.” Dietrich laughed and kicked open the door, jumping out and into the night. The rest of them followed and she watched them leave.
She gently placed Faith in the chair across from her and walked towards the exit of the plane. She needed to see what they were up against.

             
Holy shit! There were dozens of them surrounding Draven and the others.
Bells had already taken her Phoenix form and begun whipping long strands of her hair into the fray of death walkers. The long strands of her emblazed hair wrapped around neck after neck severing each one. She gave a quick twist of her head and the strands would return. Draven and the others were doing just as well if not better.
Royce fought the entire time with a smile on his face. Blow after blow, zombies were falling. There was so many of them she’d lost count.

             
She was so distracted she didn’t see the hand that grabbed onto her ankle and jerked her from the plane.
Pain exploded as her head hit the ground. Blackness was pulling her under, but she could see the dark figure jump inside the plane. He was heading towards Faith!
Her ankle hurt. Her body was sending signals back and forth to one another. Assessing the damage and calculating her next move. She could do it! Message received, her ankle was most likely bruised from the fall. A death walker grabbed her by both feet and started to pull her away from the plane, away from her daughter. No one was on the plane to protect Faith.
What if that man had taken her already?
Shit shit shit shit!
Her side started to hurt as the thing dragged her roughly across the ground.
She was not about to be a victim. Not ever again! She wasn’t a fucking pussy, she was Faith’s mom, and she was a fierce protector of her child.
Her ankle hurt like hell! She kicked out of the death walkers hold and clipped it on the calf to bring it down.
Solon said to sever the spinal cords or remove their heads. Well that’s just what she was going to fucking do.
The thing didn’t collapse gracefully like in the movies;
instead,
it stumbled a few times and then righted itself.
She did a series of kick to bring it down to its knees.
Then she scooted back until she was at a good enough distance to stand, so it wouldn’t fall on top of her as it came down to the ground.
She quickly tried to pull herself up but fell again.
Damn, her ankle wasn’t making this any easier!
She was going to have to crawl. As asinine as the whole ordeal was, with her crawling and the death walker trailing after her on hands and knees like a B-Movie was just too much for her.