Draeger Legacy 8 (15 page)

“Yeah, well I’ve got even worse news for you.” James stood up, pulling Drake with him. “Let’s get you inside. Think that cut on your leg is going to need a few stitches.”

* * * *

Natasha was taken back to her father’s home, wrapped in nothing more than the bed sheet she grabbed a hold of when her abductor had yanked her from her bed. She sat in the back of the car between two males, silently, tears falling down her face and her hand gripping the sheet for life. The last place she wanted to be or go to was back there—back to the house.

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They drove fast, cutting the time in half. The sun was coming up by the time they reached the house.

Day after the full moon all males were resting from exhaustion. In the past, after she came home from being taken to the safe house she was expected to be quiet until her father woke up and came down for lunch or supper.

The car stopped in front of the house, back door opened and Natasha was forced outside. She held onto the sheet tightly as strong arms pulled her up the stone steps and into the house. She didn’t even get to look around. Her escorts took her right into her father’s office where they shoved her inside and closed the door.

Philip Millard sat behind his oak desk, a drink in hand, feet up on the top with ankles crossed over. Nothing was said; he just sat there, drinking. Natasha could feel his eyes upon her, but she didn’t have the courage to look up at him.

“I should be happy to have you back,” he finally said. “But from the looks of you, I’m not.”

Natasha looked up at him then. Feet went back to the floor, glass hit the top of the desk loudly, and he stood up, his large body towering intimidating. Her mouth dried up. Fear overcame her and it took a lot to stand in place, to not back down or back away from him.

He came around the desk slowly, almost as if he was stalking her.

“Have you nothing to say?”

“He acted according to the laws,” she said to him.

Philip moved fast. He came at her, the back of his hand connecting hard with her cheek, knocking her down to the floor. She cried out, holding her face, crying.

“I had great plans for you.” His anger came through in his voice.

Raw, low, deadly. “You could’ve become the lady of a great house.”

Natasha looked over her shoulder at him and lost her breath. He pulled his belt from the loops of his slacks, eyes full of anger and hate.

“Instead you become some damn animal’s whore!” He yelled the words before taking the first swing.

The sheet did little to protect her from the blows her father delivered with the belt. Natasha cried out with each hit. Screamed with how hard they became. He hit her so many times that she lost count and prayed, sprawled on the floor for it to end. It had been years since her father beat her so. The room echoed with the snapping sound of the belt.

When it was over she could barely breathe from the crying, screaming in pain. Natasha lay on her stomach, the sheet barely covering 90

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her rears. Over head, her father panted.

“Get up and clean yourself off.” Phillip was still breathing hard.

“Wash that damn scent off of her and have her dressed.”

Another glance over her shoulder and Elli stood next to the closed door. She nodded at her father, who walked past her, out of the office.

With shaking legs, and arms, Natasha managed to push herself up.

She pulled the sheet up and whimpered loudly at the pain in her back.

Elli reached out for her when she made it to the door and Natasha jumped back as much as she could.

“Don’t touch me,” she told Elli.

Natasha wasn’t sure if her legs would carry her up the stairs to her room, but they did. By the time she reached the bedroom she felt as if she was going to pass out. With Elli right behind her, the door closed and she slumped to the floor, crying softly.

“Self pity will get you nowhere,” Elli stated, going into the bathroom, starting the water. “Your father has high expectations for you and you just pissed them all away.”

“Elli, go away,” Natasha groaned. “I don’t want you here.”

“Well that’s just too bad.”

“Get out!” Natasha screamed, picked up a lamp, and threw it at the old woman as hard as she could. It smashed right next to her head, causing Elli to jump and stare at Natasha as if she didn’t know her.

Surprisingly Elli did leave the room. Natasha waited a few minutes before getting back up on her feet. She dropped the sheet, headed into the bathroom, and turned to look at her backside.

The belt didn’t cut her skin, but it sure as hell bruised her flesh. Red stripe marks across her ass, some on her legs and a couple on the lower part of her back. A few of those stripes were turning blue, black, and purple. Covering her mouth from the sick feeling that came over her, she turned and saw her face. The cheek her father had slapped was also turning into a bruise.

“What am I going to do?” she whispered to herself in the mirror.”

* * * *

“Yep, you have one cracked,” James stated to Drake after looking over his ribs. “Maybe even broken. You need to go to the damn hospital.”

Drake shook his head, holding back the groan that threatened to slip from his lips every time he took a breath.

“I agree.” Nelly walked into the kitchen, first aid kit in hand. She sat down across from him, opened up the box, and brought out some 91

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alcohol. She also had a sewing kit in hand.

“I can’t,” Drake panted out. “I have to get Natasha back before Millard ships her off where I can’t find her.”

“I can do that,” James said.

Again, Drake shook his head, “My fight. My mate. Stitch it up Nelly.”

Nelly glanced up at James before pouring the alcohol right on the deep cut on his leg. First contact and Drake was howling in pain While Nelly worked on his leg, James helped to wrap a bandage around his chest. The only thing that kept Drake from passing out was the thought that he would kill the motherfucker if he hurt Natasha.

Millard did enough harm to her over the years; starving her in order to keep her figure slim and dainty. Beating her so she would be obedient. It all pissed him off!

“You never said what the bad news was,” Drake said once James was finished.

“Yeah, well it’s not good. In fact, it’s a bit worse than Natasha being taken back by her father.” James said.

“What?” Drake couldn’t keep the irritation or anger from his voice.

What should’ve been a very enjoyable night and morning was turning into a damn nightmare.

He saw James nod Nelly away. She finished wrapping a bandage around the stitches, stood and left the kitchen. James took her seat. He appeared nervous, as though he didn’t know how to say whatever it was he needed to say.

“I was coming over here because I just heard some bad news.”

“I’m listening.” Drake hissed when he moved his leg. Already it began to hurt like a bitch.

“Your dad, man,” James sighed. “He’s dead.”

Drake stilled, looked up quickly at James, and frowned. “What’d you say?”

“He’s dead Drake.” James licked his lips rubbed the back of his neck and met Drake in the eye. “There’s this guy wholes been causing a lot of trouble. Martin I think the name is and he’s been killing a few of us off; wants to prove to the world that there are werewolves out there.”

Drake growled and stood up. Pain from his leg and side hit, but it only numbed his senses. “My father went out to see that fucker alone?”

he frowned. “Why would he do that?”

“I don’t know,” James shook his head. “But I do know that there has been a few from the Cabinet who’s gone missing and all trails are 92

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pointing to this Martin guy.”

Drake turned to the window over the sink. He leaned forward, staring out at the daylight, watching the sun rise. Tears formed behind his eyes, but they didn’t fall. Drake wasn’t the kind of male to cry, but damn if he didn’t want to right now for his father.

A human killed him. A fucking, no good, low life human killed his father.

Drake couldn’t still the yell that came forth. He swiped everything off the counters of the sinks and sunk down to the floor, crying for the first time in more years he could recount. He lost his control and sobbed like a baby.

It felt like a lifetime that he spent on the floor, crying, screaming, and yelling. When he had it all out of his system, he pulled himself back up to his feet, turned on the water, and washed his face.

“I’m okay,” he said to James.

“Then get your ass changed and let’s go get your mate.”

* * * *

Natasha walked down the stairs, bathed, dressed, legs still shaking and feeling weak. She dressed in a pair of tan slacks, a loose fitting cream colors sweater that hung from one shoulder, pumps on her feet and her long hair brushed down her back, parted in the middle. To hide the bruise on her face she put on some make-up to conceal it.

Breakfast was being served in the dining room and her father was already seated at the head of the table reading his paper acting like nothing changed. Natasha took her place in the middle, keeping her mouth shut as usual.

The moment she was seated servants came from the kitchen with the plates. Her father ate eggs, bacon, toast, and some fruit and drank his coffee and a glass of orange juice every morning. Natasha was allowed only a bowl of fruit and a small glass of juice.

“You’ve gained some weight I see,” Philip stated, snapping his paper closed, placing it on the table next to him. “You need to lose them before you’re presented to the males that wish to mate with you.”

Natasha looked up at him. He forked some eggs and held it up to his mouth when she spoke, causing him to stop. “I’m already mated.”

His fork dropped and he slammed his hand hard on the table, knocking over one of the shakers. “That little bastard who took you is
not
your mate. I forbid it!”

“He claimed by your laws.”

Her father flew out of the chair so fast it fell over backwards.

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Natasha was also out of her seat, backing away before he could touch her or hit her again. She kept the long table between them, facing off with her father for the first time in her life.

“You cannot follow the laws that you created.” She pointed a finger at him. “It isn’t right.”

He got a hold of her, jerked her to the end of the table and his hand went up. Natasha prepared herself for the slap, but it didn’t come, thanks to the doorbell ringing. Instead, she got a push away from him.

Natasha watched him fix his clothes straighten his hair and turn away from her. She followed him out to the front door, hanging back as he opened it.

Charles Addison walked into the house. He is the head member of the Cabinet with the power to kick out any shifter. He could change all the laws, disband the Cabinet, or have the shifters that were breaking the laws punished. Charles Addison is a powerful shifter, one you wanted on your side. He always had a cane in his hand, even though he didn’t need one and dressed in suits with his black hair slicked back from his eyes.

“Charles, what’re you doing here?” Philip asked, standing back as Charles walked into the house.

Natasha stayed put as the man walked inside. He looked around, his eyes landing on her. The way his eyes narrowed on her had her shivering.

“So it’s true then,” Charles said. “You have her back.”

“Yes, she’s home, now what are you doing here?” Philip asked again.

Charles shook his head, which he’d lowered. “You’ve broken the law Philip.”

“What are you talking about?”

Philip took hold of Charles’ arm and led him away from Natasha.

They went into his office, the door closing on her. Natasha pressed her ear against the door, listening as best as she could to the conversation inside.

“Drake Draeger staked his claim to your daughter a week ago,”

Charles said. “He wants her back.”

“To damn bad,” Philip remarked. “She’s my daughter and he kidnapped her for Christ sakes.”

“According to the law, the one that
you
signed, that is allowed.

Males may take their mates any way they chose.”

“Not my daughter!”

“Philip, my hands are tied here. He has a claim. She belongs to 94

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him.”

“Forget it.”

“Listening at closed doors will only get you into more trouble.”

Natasha swung around to see Elli standing behind her, the stern expression on her face. “It isn’t proper to listen to things that are closed to your ears.”

“You know, Elli, I’m getting really tired of you always being there to tell me what’s proper and what isn’t.” Natasha crossed her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes on the woman. “Was it proper or right for my father to beat me just because a male did what his law stated he could? Take and mate me? I belong to another and nothing my father can say or do is going to change that.”

“A female of your breeding doesn’t belong to those under your class.”

Natasha lost her cool for the first time in her life. She slapped the older woman right across the face, shocking not only herself but Elli also.

“How dare you,” Natasha stated low. “How dare you judge anyone.”

Natasha brushed past her and went right for the front door. She yanked it open, only to be shocked once more by seeing Drake standing on the steps with James Laswell right behind him.

“Drake!” she gasped, flinging herself into his arms. She hugged him tightly, him back to her.

“Where is he?” Drake asked, his voice low, deadly.

Slowly Natasha pulled back, meeting his cold dark eyes. “In his office.”

Drake moved past her and she noticed he walked with a limp.

Natasha followed him, showing him the way to her father’s office. Elli seemed to stand guard in front of the door. When she saw Drake, her eyes widened and her head went up.

“I’m sorry, but Mr. Millard is unavailable at the moment,” she said.

“Too damn bad.” Drake pushed her aside opened the door and walked in. “Hello Millard. We have some business to discuss.”