Free More Than Life (Arcane Crossbreeds) by Amanda Vyne Page A

long moment, straining to hear any sign that the apes were coming back to take one or possibly both of them.
    Had the mating been successful? The question cut through his mind again. If, by some miracle, he'd been able to mate Katya, she would carry his child, and separating them now would risk losing it. That meant he stood to lose more than just his last chance at life; it could cost him his only chance at a life with Katya.
    A soft sound permeated the growing red haze around his mind. A restless sigh blew against his chest, and warm flesh shifted against him.
    Katya.
    He ruthlessly reined his emotions in, willing himself to gain control. Katya would be linked to him now, helpless against the psychic flow between them in this early stage of their mating. Both of them would need to remain in constant contact.
    Especially her. If everything was as it should be, she would be carrying his child. Her body would abort the pregnancy without his scent to give her body some sign to keep producing the pregnancy hormone. He didn’t know all the particulars, but he knew that the first few weeks were important. It was nature’s way of protecting the woman after fertilization.
    As for him, he would need the continued exposure to her scent to maintain his strength. Another little trick on behalf of Mother Nature to ensure the male would stick around and care for his female.
    All Drachon were taught this during their coming of age in preparation for manhood. He’d just never thought it would ever apply to him.
    The question was, did these sick fucks know it? Would they attempt to split them? That Elemental had wanted them to mate. As informed as they seemed to be on all shit Drachon, the asshole had to know separating them would defeat his goal.
    The click of the lock resonated through the room like a gunshot, and a muscle in Raife’s arm twitched as his dragon tried to react to the threat to his mate. Fury flared hotly through him as four men filed into the room with rifles.
    “Mission accomplished, big guy,” one of the men said, a snide smirk curling his lips.
    Katya moved against his chest. Her awareness poured over him like warm water. For a long moment, he was caught in the pleasure of her mind merging deeply with his. He pulled his fury and burgeoning panic back from her as she mentally shifted into alertness.
    “We’ll take it from here.”
    “What?” She flipped the blankets back with a swing of her bare arm, and she levered herself up to look down at him in confusion. There was a hissing pop , and she jerked, her pale blue eyes meeting his, disbelief reflected clearly in their depths.
    And betrayal.
    Her emotions flared though him, no more than a flash of lightning before she mentally retreated. It was a total withdrawal, and once again he questioned whether they had truly mated. Mated Drachon were supposed to be deeply connected, unable to be apart. Yet she was absent, leaving a cavernous ache inside him he’d never had before. He still felt the residual from her brief flare of emotions.
    Her chin angled up, and she moved awkwardly off the bed. Away from him. Those luminescent eyes clung to his as they slowly glazed. He tried to touch her mind, but she was closed off from him.
    Fuck.
    She pushed up to her feet and stumbled to the side. He could see the protrusion of a tranquilizer dart in her shoulder. She blinked and stumbled back a step, her gaze sliding away from his as she turned to meet the men who’d just come in.
    One of them lowered his rifle and reached out to catch her as she tumbled forward.
    “There we go, sweet thing.” His voice raked over Raife, leaving a burning rage in its wake as he watched the dead man walking hoist her limp, naked body over his shoulder. Their eyes met.
    The man saluted him with his rifle. “Bail out,” he called to his men as he turned to leave. “This fucker doesn’t have the juice to be dangerous.”
    Raife would track him and skin him. Carefully. Slowly. He had dared to