Fury of Fire (Dragonfury Series #1)

female now?”
    “Dead. Was when we got there.”
    Ivar raised both brows, surprised by the new twist. Bastian didn’t usually kill females, pregnant or otherwise. The male wasn’t hard-hearted enough. A failing if ever there was one. “He took the child?”
    Lothair nodded. “Forge is going to flip out. We need to get the infant back.”
    No shit, Sherlock. The conclusion was a no-brainer. Not if they wanted to keep Forge in check. Even as young as he was, the massive male was an asset to the Razorback crew: powerful, focused, with a whole lot of brutality to spare. Well, at least, he had been before meeting Caroline what’s-her-face. The little bitch had sent the normally unshakable Forge sideways. In an unprecedented move, the male had bought a cell phone to keep in touch with her.
    Love. A total frickin’ catastrophe.
    Ivar rubbed the back of his neck. What a mess. Precisely the one he’d hoped to avoid when he sent his warriors after the female to take the baby a month early. Kill her now. Give Forge his child. Sidestep disaster. All logical moves, but for one thing. Bastian had mucked it up…again.
    The Nightfury commander was like a cat…all nine lives intact as he landed on his feet. Just once, Ivar wanted to see the male go splat. Once would be all it’d take—after which, he’d scoop up Bastian’s ashes like dog shit, put them in an ugly urn, and set it on his soon-to-be-completed mantle. The trophy of all trophies.
    “How do you want it handled?” His boots scraped the floor as Lothair pushed away from the wall. “You want me to tell him?”
    “Nah. I’ll deal with Forge,” he said and heard Lothair exhale in relief. Ivar almost smiled. It wasn’t that his XO was a coward, but only a maniac would go toe-to-toe with Forge when delivering that kind of news. A female taken too soon and a child lost to the enemy.
    Yeah, the male was going to lose it.
    Good thing crazy fit Ivar like a glove. He enjoyed living on the edge, and besides, who else would be able to control Forge—to channel all that rage in the right direction?
    A little manipulation on Ivar’s part—maybe even a lie or two—and Forge would no longer be sitting on the fence, wondering if he wanted to join the Razorbacks’ ranks. He’d be gunning for Bastian and those who followed him. With the male 100 percent in his corner, Ivar would get what he wanted—his laboratory staffed and the vacancies in cellblock A filled, all while another powerful male went after his nemesis.
    Man, life was sweet.
    “One other thing, boss.”
    Ivar glanced away from his backyard, returning his attention to his XO.
    As soon as he made eye contact, Lothair said, “There was another female at the scene…one with kick-ass energy.”
    “Is she Bastian’s?”
    “No clue, but he and Rikar protected her.”
    Well, well, well. The dynamic duo, together again. Lightning and ice. Those two were a deadly combination, one Ivar needed to do something about. He was losing too many warriors to them. “Any specifics?”
    “He called her Myst. She had on scrubs.”
    “Check it out. Hospitals, medical centers, dentists, the whole works. I want to know everything…family, friends, financials, the places she goes, where she sleeps, what she likes to eat.”
    “No problem,” Lothair said, ground-eating strides taking him to the elevator doors.
    The brainstem of the facility, the new computer room sat in the center of the underground labyrinth. It was a great addition to their organization, a necessity in a world gone computer mad. He might not like the human race, but they’d invented some interesting gadgets. And the Internet was as good a place as any to start searching for the mysterious Myst.
    “Good energy, huh?” His shoulder propped against the window frame, Ivar watched Lothair, the tidbit of information circling his mind. It didn’t help that his hunger was off the charts. Just the thought of female energy had him salivating. But powerful energy? Jesus, he wanted a taste of that.
    His XO hit the down button. “Most powerful I’ve ever seen.”
    Ivar’s heart thumped a little harder. A female like that was valuable. Could be the first resident in the almost finished cellblock A. Hell, if she was as good as Lothair said, he would make an exception and set her up as his personal pet. “I want her.”
    “I’ll get her for you, boss.” The elevator sliders opened. Lothair stepped inside, his vow ringing as the cage closed, taking him