up. Whoever was doing all this, the fucking Chimera Leader or some of his acolytes, they were cowards, and one way or another, Ellie would get them to face her.
“Way to go asshoooooooooollllllllllleeee holy shit!" What started out as a rash insult ended up with Ellie screaming and cursing. Once again, she was jerked up off the ground and flung in circles, whipping through the air just above the fire in the middle of the cave.
Getting dizzy and nauseous and ready to throw up, she opened her mouth to tell her captors that she was going to barf all over them when all motion stopped. Hanging upside-down, ass in the air, the tips of her auburn curls dancing perilously close to the flames, Ellie held her breath.
The buildup of magic within the rock walls of the cave doubled and tripled. Forced to gasp, she found it almost impossible to breathe. The fire danced with the influx of power. Then almost went out as every molecule of oxygen was sucked from the cavern.
As the whooshing of the blood in her veins reached an epic crescendo, Ellie gulped, “Okay, I get it. You want me to shut the hell up and play my part - the poor damsel in distress. Well, how about you eat shit and die?”
Flipping a complete one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, her tummy turning the same half a somersault, unfortunately in the opposite direction, Ellie was finally right-side up. Sadly, she was once again flying backward and just about ready to throw up.
Bracing herself for impact, ready to have more than a few broken bones for what seemed like the tenth time during the same asinine ordeal, all motion stopped. Hovering in the air, her eyes flew from side to side. Where was the asshole? She had to see who or what was doing this to her.
It wasn't her kidnapper. He was leaning against the wall, his right leg bent and the heel of his boot against the rock. Yep, there he was. The dick with the lighter. The same bastard who'd tried to blind her with a flashlight and who lit the fire. It pissed her off even more that he looked positively bored.
When his eyes met hers, Ellie scoffed, “Wow, guess you see this shit every day, huh?”
"No, as a matter of fact, he doesn't." A voice came from the shadows. One Ellie should've known. One that sounded so familiar, her mind raced to identify it.
She knew it, but it was somehow different. Lower? Gruffer? No. Rough like the person smoked or had been screaming. She couldn't place who it was and didn't have time to think about it before the person was talking again.
“But he knows his place. Knows to do what he’s told and keep his mouth shut.”
Who was that? Why couldn’t Ellie remember? It was right there at the edge of her mind. If only she could get to the real voice underneath the rasp.
“Unlike you, Ellie, my followers are loyal.”
A whiff of honeysuckle, a trace of sage, the harsh bite of anise, and just as the person who was speaking appeared, Ellie realized their identity and gasped, "Aunt Gwen?"
Chapter Twelve
Dressed in record time and flying out the door, Ranger ran right into the brick wall that was Jianna. Sidestepping to get around her, he was once again blocked by five-foot-eleven of well-toned muscle and angry Valkyrie.
Refusing to give up, he faked left then side-stepped right and almost made it past her before strong fingers grabbed the collar of his T-shirt, nails scratched the back of his neck, and he was jerked to a stop.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re goin’ without me?”
“To get Ellie.” Looking over his shoulder, he growled, “Let go of my shirt and get a move on if you’re comin’. I’m not waitin’ another fuckin’ second.”
For the first time he could ever remember, Jianna let go and fell into step without one word of complaining or telling him how to do it. It was a miracle and one he thanked the Heavens for. It was not the day for anyone to get in his way. Ranger would save his Mate and kill the person responsible for making her bleed. In that order. No questions asked.
Bypassing the elevators, racing down the hall, he hit the big, thick, metal emergency door with such force the loud thud echoed both in and out of the narrow, steep stairwell. Taking the steps three at a time, jumping from the seventh onto every landing, he was