BK 3 - Chapter 18 - Searching
Saxon felt like he'd been put through a wood chipper. When he opened his eyes, he couldn't see anything at first. Once his eyes adjusted, he noticed it was cold, dark, and damp wherever he was. He sat up and tried to get his bearings. His entire body hurt, and when he looked down, he saw why. There were chunks missing from his body, but they were quickly healing. Whoever had attacked him and left him there didn't know what it took to kill a vampire. As he waited for his body to recover, everything that had happened came rushing back.
He, Melanie, and the cubs had been sitting on the couch looking at houses online while Cat was busy in the kitchen. Cat yelled that someone was outside, so he hid the cubs in a closet, telling them not to come out no matter what they heard. Almost immediately, the front, back, and side doors burst open, and a dozen men dressed all in black came rushing in. They had fought the men, but they had covered their clothing in some sort of poison, which caused them to scream in pain every time they touched them.
The men had quickly gotten Cat and Melanie. Saxon had continued to fight, trying to get to the women as they carried them out of the house unconscious. He didn't know what they did to the women, but they weren't moving the last time he saw them. When he tried to go after them, something hit him in the head, and he couldn't remember anything else. As he thought about what happened and the timing, it seemed like a setup. Only a few people knew Melanie and Cat were staying behind while the rest of the family went to the auction.
Saxon looked down and saw that his body was almost completely healed. He stood up, and although he was still a little weak, he could walk. When he looked around, he saw that he was deep in a cave. There was no light coming from anywhere. He started walking toward what he hoped was the entrance when he heard a loud roar. Saxon froze, waiting to see who or what was coming.
It only took a few minutes before he saw an enormous grizzly bear walking toward him. He knew grizzlies weren't native to Brazil, so it was either a werebear or was brought there by someone. Due to its size, he believed it was a shifter.
"Hello? I'm a vampire." Saxon said to the bear that was about thirty yards from him. The bear stopped and looked at him with his head tilted slightly before shifting into a large man. He was taller than Saxon, with long black hair and tanned skin.
"Saxon?" Saxon looked at the man in front of him, who looked slightly familiar, but he couldn't quite place him. Then it hit him.
"Mario?" He asked, still uncertain that his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. The man's smile got bigger as he ran over.
"Hell, yeah, it's me. What are you doing here?" Mario tried to hug Saxon, but he stepped back.
"I know we're friends, but can you please put some clothes on?" Saxon asked, feeling relief that he knew this man and it wasn't some rogue bear that would try to kill him. Mario chuckled and grabbed a pair of shorts on a ledge that Saxon hadn't noticed.
"Seriously, what are you doing here? I haven't seen you in years. Not since that time you and your parents rescued me from that group of rogue werewolves. I still say I could have taken them, but you saved me the trouble." Mario hugged Saxon but noticed the vampire wasn't his usual happy self.
"Can you get me out of here? I'll explain on the way." Mario started running, leading Saxon out of the cave while he explained what happened at the house and why they were in Brazil.
"Whoa, so they left you for dead in my cave. Why do they want your mate and her mother so badly?" Mario asked as they came to the opening of the cave.
"They're werelion caladrius hybrids. The only two supposedly in existence. I have to get them back." Saxon looked around and realized he was deep in the Brazilian rainforest, nowhere near Rio.
"What can I do to help?" Mario asked without hesitation. Saxon and his family saved his life. He may say he didn't need them, but in all honesty, if they hadn't shown up, he'd be dead. He preferred being alone but was always willing to help a friend.
"First, you can tell me how to get to Rio. I need to find the rest of my family, who I'm sure have started looking for us." Mario pulled out a phone and handed it to him.
"Why don't you call your parents and see where they are?" Saxon almost smiled. He was just going to run all over town looking for them. Calling them was definitely a better idea. He didn't even want to know where Mario had the phone hidden. He quickly dialed his dad's number, and he answered on the first ring.
"Hello?" Thatcher answered cautiously, not recognizing the number.
"Dad, it's me," Saxon said as he and Mario began running toward Rio.
"Saxon, where are you? Are Cat and Melanie with you?"
"I'm somewhere deep in the rainforest. Mario, the werebear we helped several years ago, is with me and leading me back to Rio. Lanie and Cat aren't with me. I have no idea where they took them. They thought they'd killed me. We were set up, Dad. Whoever attacked us knew exactly what to use on the women and me. Nothing should affect both vampires and werelions the same, yet whatever they used hurt us all. They had Lanie and Cat unconscious before they could shift, and they carried them away. I was hit in the head with something hard enough to knock me out and woke up with pieces torn out of my flesh. Are the cubs okay? Where are you?"
"The cubs are fine. They're with us riding on Atlas. We're trying to follow Cat and Melanie's scent. We have the shifters we rescued from the auction too. They're helping us, but we could use Mario. He knows this place and may pick up on scents we can't detect."
"He's coming with me. We won't be long. I'll call you when we get close, and you can tell me where you are. We have to find them, Dad. The only good thing is I don't think they took them to kill them. So hopefully, we have a little time." Saxon hung up and handed the phone back to Mario, who shifted into his bear so he could run faster. Thanks to their supernatural speed, they made it to Rio in twenty minutes. Staying on the town's outskirts, Mario picked up the scent of Saxon's family. They joined them a few minutes later.
"Have you found anything?" Saxon asked, falling into step with his parents still running.
"Atlas has been following Cat's scent, but he's starting to have trouble. Lisa and Alex are carrying clothes that belong to Cat and Melanie." Thatcher looked toward the large grizzly, who nodded before running to the front and sniffing the clothes the two cubs were holding. He looked at Atlas, and they nodded at each other before picking up speed. Anyone who saw them would think they had stepped into a bad horror movie. Wolves, lions, tigers, bears, and vampires were running together.
Saxon felt like breaking down. This was the second time Melanie had been kidnapped in less than a week, and he was with her each time. He started thinking maybe he wasn't good enough for her. Any other man wouldn't let their mate be taken. What if they hurt or killed her? He would be to blame because he didn't stop them. His footsteps began to falter, and Janel noticed.
"Whatever you're thinking, stop it. There is nothing you could have done. Obviously, these people were professionals and knew what to do to prevent you from interfering. Focus on Melanie. She needs you to be strong now. You have a whole life to live with her and your two cubs." Janel had seen Saxon doubting himself, and she needed him to know this wasn't his fault. She cuddled Jade closer to her as she ran. The little girl was sound asleep.
"You're right, mom. She needs me, and so do Lisa and Alex. Let's find them." Saxon ran to the front next to Atlas. Lisa and Alex smiled at him but held tight to the lion's fur as he ran.
Saxon learned from his parents that they'd been searching for them for over an hour before he called. The men had shown up not long after the others had left for the auction, so he'd been unconscious for several hours. With that amount of time, Melanie and Cat could be anywhere. They weren't stopping. None of them would ever stop until they were found.
