Page 16

He rubbed Sarah’s back softly, praying that the worst was over, but knowing it was only the beginning. He’d do anything to make her pain go away.

Sarah choked back another sob. Her breathing became more even with only the occasional gulp of air. “What’s happening to me?”

Devon was done with misconceptions and lies in his life.

He wouldn’t start his new life with his mate with one either.

“Your body is reshaping. Your arms have reformed. Next will be your legs. Followed by your back. At that point, you will shift and my cougar will take yours.” He said it bluntly, wishing he had his brother Luca’s finesse.

“How long can I stay in animal form?” She looked away. “Can it be permanent?”

It was the last thing he expected her to say. He thought his cougar would be thrilled with the idea, but his beast was as alarmed as he was. “No. We’re born human and while the strongest of us can hold our animal form for days, eventually we revert.”

Sarah was still in pain, but it was easing. He felt her curiosity and her apprehension. “What about the feeling thing,” she said.

“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.”

Sarah swallowed. She’d expected the answer. She didn’t expect the sadness combined with relief. “Was Racheal... alright... I mean, physically.”

“I saw a bruise on her once. I asked her about it. She seemed distressed that I cared. She tried to hide her tears from the man, but I think he knew.”

“Racheal was... I mean is a good person. She would never have done this willingly.” I never thought I’d beg forgiveness from someone who attacked me.

Devon shifted uncomfortably beside Sarah.

He didn’t like that she was distressed. She felt his need to protect her.

Help her. It only made what she had to do worse.

Cyril nodded. “I know. Racheal was forced to take fluid from my spine regularly. One day she refused, saying they had taken too much the day before. The man said if she didn’t, she knew what Gerald would do to Sarah.”

Sarah closed her eyes and let the shame consume her. She deserved it. Racheal didn’t have anyone else. Sarah was the only one who could be used against her.

Devon rubbed her back. “Cyril, you never mentioned Gerald before. Why?” There was no condemnation in his voice.

“I don’t remember things like I use to. I need something to dislodge the memories now. It’s like being in a fog that only occasionally clears...” His head drooped. “I know I’m letting you down.”

Devon stood with his hands on the bars. “You haven’t, Cyril. None of this is your fault. We’re going to catch them. We’ll find a way to make this right.” Sarah felt his desperation. Whatever he was feeling from Cyril concerned him.

Cyril didn’t raise his head. “There’s no making the things I did right.” Although he whispered the words, they screamed in Sarah’s soul. This man was brutalized by her friends. Her family.

“I’m truly sorry, Cyril. This wasn’t Racheal’s fault, but I assure you that the parties involved will be brought to justice.” She hoped he heard the conviction in her voice.

Cyril rubbed his forehead. “I never knew the doctor’s name was Racheal.”

Sarah blinked away her tears. “It is.”

“I heard the man talking on the phone once. He mentioned Racheal.” Cyril closed his eyes. The effort to remember evident by the lines that creased in his face.

Sarah leaned forward. “What did he say?”

Cyril opened his eyes. “He said there was an incident last night, that Racheal attempted to commit suicide, but he took steps to assure it didn’t happen again.”

Sarah couldn’t have stopped herself if she tried.

She was up the steps from the cellar running in the forest before her actions registered.

Devon was behind her, but he didn’t try to stop her.

She reached a small grove of sapling trees before she dropped to the ground and screamed.

She had nowhere to go. No one to turn to.

Her whole life was a lie. And Racheal was paying for her mistakes.

She hadn’t let her emotions show like this since her mother died. Now she couldn’t contain them. Her tears flowed from her red swollen eyes. Her hands clutched the wet moss-covered ground. She felt minimal comfort from the icy pain that bit into her fingertips as she clutched the damp earth.

She didn’t stop Devon when he kneeled down and brought her close to his body. She felt his need to comfort her even though she didn’t deserve it.

She looked into his amber eyes. She felt his cougar. Its need to protect her as great as the man that held her. She silently apologized to her own feline. The one she could feel forming. Two bodies. Four beings. Sarah would destroy all of them.

* * *

Though they had returned to Devon’s home, Sarah was restless. She paced his living room floor while he watched her in silence. “When can we organize Racheal’s rescue?”

“Hunter will text me as soon as everyone has reported back. No one in the family will make a move until we know everyone is safe. Besides, we will need everyone to rescue Racheal.”