Page 28 of Enter the Lair
“Tell her the rest Brian,” Gerald said.
Brian looked pissed, but continued.“I ran into some business difficulties.Kevin took care of them.I did it to keep you in the lifestyle you’re accustomed to.”
“How old?”Sarah asked.
“What?”Brian asked, confused.
“How old was I when you sold me?”Her hand went to her gun.The nausea was gone.She felt nothing.Everything she believed was a lie.
Gerald held up a hand.His concern was evident.“It wasn’t like that, Sarah.I told my father I wanted to marry you.We had discussed it that day.Do you remember?”he said contritely.
“I was fourteen.You were eighteen.I had a schoolgirl crush on you.We were children,” she spat.
“I waited for you.Yes, there were other women.I wanted to know how to please you when the time came.None of them meant anything to me,” he said honestly.
Sarah felt bad for the women Gerry had dated.Some of them had fallen for him.The fact that he felt nothing for them only made it worse.She shook her head.
Gerry’s eyes narrowed.“He hasn’t bitten you, has he?”
She had a sinking feeling.“Why?”
“It would make accepting me much harder for you.Once you have his venom in your bloodstream, there’s no getting it out.Every time I took you, you’d experience excruciating pain.I don’t want that for you,” he said.
Her gut tightened.“But you would rape me anyway?”
“You love ME.”he yelled.
“Like a brother!”she screamed back.
Gerald went perfectly cold.“You’ll learn.”
“I’m a cop.A ranger.”
“We have already arranged for you to be transferred to our wildlife department in Bellevue.But you will be going on administrative leave.”
“Why?”She wanted to get as much information from Gerald as she could because she was going to shoot him.
“You will be traumatized by what’s about to happen.Won’t you come in, Devon?”
* * *
Waiting outside Sarah’s door was the worst few minutes of Devon’s life.He would rather be tortured by Coyotes than feel his mate’s emotional destruction.He wouldn’t have been able to keep his word to his family if it hadn’t been for the fact that Sarah was so well trained and fully armed.He knew he needed to get as much information from Gerald Kallan as he could because he was going to kill the man.His cougar was incensed by his mate’s level of distress and it had been a battle to hold him back for those few minutes.But now he fully intended to give in to his beast’s rage.
Devon entered the room with a murderous expression in his amber eyes.Brian paled, but Gerald smiled.“Hello, pussycat,” he sneered.“Come to sneak off with my future wife?”
Devon snarled.“She’s mine.”
Gerald shrugged.“Yeah?Well, you’re dead.”He shot Devon with a dart gun that sprung from under his sleeve.
Devon felt the projectile hit him.There was a sting of pain as the poison spread like ice through his bloodstream.The excruciating sensation was unfamiliar, but he knew from Talen’s description that this was the same tranquilizer he’d been shot with.It hadn’t killed Talen.He hoped he could withstand its effects long enough to get Sarah out of there.
Without his healing abilities, he found he had a newfound appreciation for the human race.For his mate.
“DEVON,” Sarah yelled as she ran to him.
“Don’t touch HIM,” Gerald screamed.“You do and he’s dead.”
She stopped.The look in her eyes was devastating.She obviously felt responsible.He wanted to reassure her.To tell her she had no control over another’s emotions.Devon of all people could tell her that.This, however, wasn’t the time.He needed her safe.He hadn’t relied on his family for a long time.He hadn’t asked for help when he should have.He wouldn’t make that mistake now.While he could easily read others emotions, he had never tried to project them on others.He pushed with all his strength to connect with his closest brother.He felt Hunter startle before his strength left him and he was forced to break off communication.His legs were going numb as he struggled to stay upright.