Chapter 7

The Mansion was now in the last month of the construction.

Matt was having the parts for the "boiler", as he called it, delivered to the basement area. He had various vendors from different neighboring cities supplying him his parts.

While these same parts could have been found in the city from one vendor, it would have made it easier for someone to reverse engineer what he was doing by getting a hold of his purchase orders. Not too easy, but eventually it would have given them somewhat of an idea what he was doing.

As the parts were delivered, Matt set about each evening putting it together by himself.

As Rayne watched, even though at first he had blueprints on the wall to help him, he started putting it together and he hardly looked at them. Rayne was lost both at trying to read the blueprints or watching him assemble the pieces. But it didn't matter because it was her job to just watch him and keep him safe from harm.

And even as he worked, he would take a break and they would walk hand in hand around the grounds in the moonlight as Rayne checked the perimeter wards.

But it was during the night that the boiler was finally assembled, tested, and Matt took the blueprints back to the villa that catastrophe came to visit

Rayne and Matt had finished and were walking around the perimeter when Rayne was sure she saw a light on in the Mansion on the third floor.

As she started for the building, Matt insisted on coming with her.

She pushed open the door, and as she did, she suddenly shoved Matt across the front of the doorway into the bushes as she leaped the other way, just as a crossbow bolt whistled through the air where Matt was standing.

Rayne wheeled around to see about ten to twelve men on the grounds behind them. Rayne had no idea how they got there. She hadn't felt any of the wards go off. What where they doing there.

As she was trying to figure out how they did it, she heard some kind of strange flapping noise from above her.

While she was looking up, it looked like more people coming in for a landing. They had blankets tied above them, and were using string connected to the blankets from their body to hold it there. She had no idea of what that was.

But before she could figure it out, Matt made an outcry behind her and she turned to see that two men had come out of the mansion and one of them had Matt's left arm up behind his back and had a knife at his throat.

Rayne was very angry, and right before she started going on a killing spree, she heard someone clear their throat and say "You better not, he'll be dead before you kill the first man, and something tells me you wouldn't want that to happen."

She quickly turned back to the courtyard and she saw Roger Smythe coming out from behind the other men and was headed right for her.

As he walked closer he sneered at her and said "So you are what Matt dropped Vanessa for? At least he has good taste in women. I wonder if you are as good in bed as she was. You know, there isn't anything that Matt has that I won't get eventually. His designs or his women."

While he kept walking to her he suddenly laughed loudly and said "And here that whore Vanessa tried to tell me we were through after they broke up, like I really cared. But I did hear that she stopped seeing all her other boyfriends as well, saying that once she showed Matt she really loved him he would be back. Like any of us really cared much about a well used slut like her."

He stopped and was now standing right in front of Rayne. He unexpectedly reached for her chest. As he did she slapped at his hand. Hard.

He nodded at the man behind Rayne, and Rayne heard Matt's arm pop softly as he suddenly screamed out. The man had dislocated it from the socket using his hold on Matt. Matt was trying very, very hard not to pass out from the waves of pain.

"I suggest you don't move," said Roger softly to Rayne.

Rayne stood perfectly still, with her hands at her sides. Roger then reached his hand up under her leather vest, past her chainmail shirt and its padding, pushed up her bra, and then fondled both of her breasts for a little while.

"Very nice, but they are not near as big as Vanessa's. But I must say they are much firmer, not to mention that the nipples certainly are way bigger," smiled Roger right into Rayne's face.

Then he reached around and pulled her close to him by placing both of his hands on her rounded butt. Where he then slowly kneaded and squeezed it for a minute.

Rayne kept her hands to her side, unmoving the whole time.

"Just so you know, none of you are leaving here alive tonight," said Rayne through her clenched teeth while she looked him in the eyes.

"We'll see about that," sneered Roger.

As Roger released and walked past her, he started talking again.

"Yes we all know you're the famous Red Dragon, and we all know how dangerous you can be. But everyone here also knows you've never been in love either, because you were famous as an ice princess.

"So we waited until we were sure that you and Matt were involved before we struck. Something new like a first love to someone who has never experienced it, will dull and cripple your senses somewhat" laughed Roger

"And since you are more magic based than science, we were willing to bet you had never seen a spy glass or a parachute. So we gambled you would only have magic wards on the ground, and that you would check them, but you would have no defense or protection from a sky attack that used no magic, and we were right," Roger continued.

"You never knew we watched those picnic lunches where you two made out for hours from a safe distance, and after seeing those breasts that Matt got to see all the time, well I just had to touch them once for myself before he did. Oh and of course those moonlit strolls where Matt got to fondle that very nice ass of yours," said Roger with a leer.

"This is the science capital of the known world. There isn't anything we can't replicate with science that magic does here. And we can do it cheaper and give it to the common man so everyone can do it. But someone like you wouldn't understand that," said Roger while waving his hands around.

"But all good things must come to an end. I'm here for the blueprints to the boiler," said Roger.

"Fine I'll go and get them, and then you can leave the grounds," said Rayne through her clenched teeth.

As soon as she got some distance between her and Matt she would incinerate them all with a single spell. Then she would deal with the two by him.

"Nope, I don't think so. Boys!" said Roger.

And as he said that Rayne felt two men grab her under either armpit and hold her arms apart. They had her slightly off the ground. Then another put a gag over her mouth.

"If you can't speak you can't cast. And if the men have some leverage and you don't, you can't fight them or get at those swords either. Matt here will go get it for me," said Roger.

As the man holding Matt released him, Matt fell to the ground sucking in air as fast as he could get it.

Slowly he stood and said "No, I won't help you."

"Fine but we'll just kill her, kill you, then take our time searching. At least with this option we leave you both alive and go our merry way," said Roger with a sneer.

"And even if you told someone later what happened here I'll just deny it and it will be your word against mine. Like it has always been for seasons, thanks to your loving girlfriend. You know, the one who was banging every man we knew and some we probably didn't.

And as far as everyone knew you liked it so much, like the good little wimp you are, that you stood by because you got off on it too. No one but me knew that you had no idea of what she was doing. God I loved screwing you both over. So no, I could care less if you told anyone," said Roger with an evil grin

Matt was angry and gritted his teeth, but he went off to the villa to get the plans.

As he headed off Roger told a man to go with him. His left arm hung behind him uselessly dangling and swinging as he moved. He grabbed at it with his good arm.

Matt broke out in a sweat from the pain.

Rayne's eyes misted over to see him hurting so much. If that man hadn't gone with him, she would have killed everyone here, but she knew she couldn't kill them quietly enough that the man wouldn't kill Matt in retaliation.

After a few minutes he returned with the plans, and as he got close enough he stopped and threw them to Roger with his good arm.

Roger opened them, looked, and whistled.

"Nice, you figured out how to regulate the temperature. You even figured out how to put in a release valve that wouldn't scald someone if it goes off, and you even put in a pressure overflow valve. Nice tank capacity. I knew I stole from you for a reason," smiled Roger.