Page 35 of Enter the Lair
“Feeling thing?”He was confused.Had he mentioned the emotional bond?
“I felt your pain after you were hit with the dart.I felt other things as well,” her voice lacked the emotions he felt from her.
“I would never have projected that.Not on purpose.You actually felt my pain?”
“Yes.You are confused now.Concerned.”She didn’t turn to him.
She felt him the same way he felt her.He never expected that.He didn’t know if coyote females had this kind of bond with their mates.“I don’t know what to say.I didn’t know you would be able to sense me that way.I am the only one in my family with this ability.It was caused by an...incident,” his emotions always spiked thinking about the cause of his ability.
Sarah turned.“What happened to you?”
“A coyote raped my mother when she was pregnant with me.They have the ability to sense emotions.He injected his pheromones into my mother’s bloodstream when he bit her.It affected me.”
She closed her eyes.“I’m so sorry, Devon.How did your father react?If you don’t mind me asking?”She asked quietly.
“He was angry at himself.I’m not sure he has forgiven himself even now for not being able to protect her, but he was one against many.”Devon found it soothing to talk to his mate.Even this difficult topic eased his soul.
“And your mom.Did she blame him?”
“No of course not.She says she shouldn’t have gone out alone, but no one is to blame except Razel.The man who did it.Why do you ask?”
“Your parents are still together, aren’t they?”
“Yes.There is no other mate.When one dies the other is not far behind.”
Sarah fiddled with her fingers.“What happens if they have children?”
“We age much slower than humans so when I say they die soon after, I mean soon for us.In our early years, we age at the same rate you do.It slows at adolescence.Children would continue to have a parent until their early twenties then the sole survivor would let go and join their mate.”
“If one of your parents was killed.They would put you first?You believe that?”she asked.
He felt the condemnation.It took him a moment to realize it was aimed at her father.“You feel your father abandoned you after your mother died.”
She shook her head.“No, he abandoned us long before that.The reason Mom loved riding Henry so much was that she was cooped up at the house.Brian said she couldn’t leave because he had enemies, but it was because he had a girlfriend and didn’t want her to find out.”
Devon couldn’t imagine the life she talked about.His childhood was happy.Loving.Free.Hers had been a cage.“I’m sorry, Sarah.”
“No need to be sorry.Brian will get what’s coming to him,” she said coolly.
Devon didn’t like the cold resolve emanating from her.He looked her in the eyes.“Sarah, we will take care of this.Not you.You understand that, right?”
He saw her cougar staring back at him.Judging him.“We’ll see.I need to see Cyril.I need to ask him about Racheal.”
Devon wanted her to focus on the transformation since it would happen anyway.He decided that her focusing on retrieving Racheal was better than her going after her father.“Let’s go.”
He helped her up.They got dressed and walked over to the warehouse that the Cascade family had named the freezer.It wasn’t a short walk and Sarah was tired when they got to their destination.Still, she didn’t complain.He was getting the info she needed before taking her home and making her his.Forever.
* * *
Even as they entered the cellar, Sarah felt Devon’s reluctance to take her to Cyril.She needed to hear Cyril confirm that Racheal was the woman helping them with the experiments.She also needed more information for her plan to succeed.She was sorry she would have to leave Devon.The thought brought a quiver to her lips.She admitted silently that she cared for him, maybe even loved him.Yet as much as she wanted to be the mate Devon wanted.Deserved.She knew she couldn’t do that to him or his family.They stood for everything she didn’t.They were good.They protected not only nature, but everyone around them.She destroyed it.
She sat down on one of the chairs outside Cyril’s cell.“Hello, Cyril.Is it okay if I ask you a few questions about the doctor who worked on you?”
Cyril sat on the cement floor with his legs crossed.His voice was solemn.“I will help you any way I can.”
Sarah pulled up a picture of Racheal on her phone.It was from two days before she’d gone missing.Her face was glowing with laughter and excitement.It was a rare occasion to get Racheal out of the house or away from work.Sarah never got to find out what she was so happy about.She held the phone between the bars.“Is this her?”
“Yes.That’s her.”