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ASHTON

S hifting back to my human form, I looked down on the three men I’d defeated.

I hated this. A few weeks ago, I’d have been stoked to have beaten three adult male shifters in a one-on-one battle.

Yet, after all the time I’d spent here doing this over and over, it had lost its appeal.

It was especially bad since that psycho Kyle kept watching over me as I did.

“You got lucky, you little shit,” one of the men said, wiping blood from his lip.

“Yeah,” the other sneered. “Young pup thinks he’s hot shit because he’s an alpha.”

I rolled my eyes. “You guys say that every time. Every freaking time.”

“Get the fuck out of here,” the first man said, waving a hand toward the door.

Taking their cue, I pushed the door open. Instead of an actual exit, I stepped into a hallway where another of Kyle’s goons were standing guard. He had a pistol in his left hand. They always did. Kyle’s promise to my mother that I’d remain unharmed was only based on me behaving.

“Hey, Freddy,” I said. “Stomp on any kittens today?”

He stared at me with dead eyes, but he adjusted his grip on the gun. He didn’t like that. Maybe he had a thing for cats. Should have asked if he’d punched any babies instead.

“Boss wants to see you,” he said in that gruff voice of his that made it sound like he’d swallowed a cactus. He pointed down the hall with the barrel of the gun.

I thought about trying to take it. Wrestling the weapon away and subduing him.

Some voice at the back of my mind told me not to.

The struggle would alert the three guys in the training room.

While I’d managed to defeat them all, four to one was terrible odds.

Plus, if they thought I was really trying to kill them, they’d fight even harder than they had before. Nah, it was pointless.

I walked down the hall in the direction Freddy pointed, his footsteps echoing behind me as he followed.

“We’ll take him from here,” a voice called out.

Dallas. He and Sydney came strolling down the hallway.

“Boss said for me to bring him,” Freddy said, scowling at the other two.

“Yeah?” Sydney said, smiling sweetly at Freddy, a laptop tucked beneath her arm. “If you know what’s good for you, then you’ll do what we fucking say. Got it?”

She winked at him, and Freddy looked like he wanted to argue, but he slid his gun into his holster and backed away.

“Fine.” Freddy gave them a mock salute. “Don’t wanna step on your toes. The boss’s favorite toys. Don’t chip a nail on that keyboard,” he said, nodding at Sydney’s computer, his lips curling back from his teeth.

“If that’s your way of flirting, Freddy boy, then you’re never gonna get laid,” Sydney said.

He turned and walked down the hall, muttering under his breath. As soon as he was out of earshot, Sydney turned to look at me. The awful and nasty smile morphed into one of concern.

“Are you okay, buddy?” she asked.

Dallas put a hand on my shoulder, gripping me firmly. “Yeah, they didn’t hurt you, did they?”

I shook my head. “Nah. I’m good.” Glancing up and down the hallway, I made sure no one was around to see or hear. “You guys have to be careful. Why are you here?”

From the moment I’d been kidnapped, Dallas had made it clear that he’d only done it to prevent more violence.

Sydney was only helping Kyle more out of her desire to keep living than to actually assist him.

The two of them had been helping me act the way I needed to make Kyle think I was coming over to his side.

They were probably in more danger than anyone else.

If that psycho thought for an instant that two of his best people were working against him, he’d kill them on the spot.

“We thought it would be a good time to check on you,” Dallas said, glancing around nervously. “Let’s get you to Kyle before he gets suspicious.”

I followed them down the hall to the next set of stairs. The silence was awkward, so I filled it with questions.

“So, what’s been going on? Outside, I mean.”

When Dallas looked at me, there was a strange shadow in his eyes. “You don’t want to know. I’m doing everything I can to get you out of here, but sometimes that means I’ve gotta do shit that will keep me up at night. If I survive all this, I may never have a good night’s sleep again.”

“He’s right,” Sydney said, keeping her voice low. “It’s the same for me. Your parents and their friends probably think I’m a total cunt—ugh, sorry. Pardon my language. I meant a total bitch .”

Dallas chuckled. “Yeah, much more kid-friendly.”

Ignoring him, Sydney said, “We’re playing our parts. The roles that are going to keep us alive until we can take Kyle down. As long as we do that, and as long as you play yours, Ashton, we’ll get out of this.”

“Here we are,” Dallas said as we stopped in front of a door. He winked, then lowered his voice to a whisper. “Remember. Play your part.”

He opened the door, and I stepped in. Kyle sat behind a big wooden desk. Beside him was a video monitor showing the room I’d been sparring in. He grinned as I closed the door behind me and pointed at the screen.

“I was watching you.” Kyle shook his head in wonder.

“You fight like a man possessed. Far more advanced than your years. Like I told your mother earlier, it’s really amazing.

” He leaned back and picked up a glass. I’d seen the same kind in movies before, a weird triangular cup with a stem like a wine glass.

I thought it was for martinis. The olive floating in it confirmed it.

“Uh, thanks,” I said awkwardly.

“You must get that fierceness from your mother. That shitheel sperm donor of a father isn’t half the man you and I are.”

This was one of the things that made Kyle unhinged.

He’d go on these weird tangents about Cole.

Even weirder was when he talked about Mom.

He never said anything outright sexual, but it was enough to make me want to puke.

Talking about “when your mother and I are sharing a bed” or “Your mom is a lovely woman, and I’ll show her how much she means to me.

” Stuff like that. It took all my willpower not to break his nose when he said that stuff.

Just thinking about my mom made my chest ache.

I’d never been away from her for this long.

I missed her so much, it was kinda embarrassing.

Hearing her voice on the phone earlier had nearly brought me to tears like a baby.

Had Kyle not been standing right there, I would have cried, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me like that.

Cole wouldn’t cry in front of this guy, and neither would I.

“That woman,” Kyle went on, “is a work of art. The way she’s playing Cole like a fiddle is masterful.

I can’t tell you how worried I am for her.

Should Cole discover that she’s ready to join me, things may get hairy.

” He leaned forward, looking deeply into my eyes.

“I don’t want to alarm you, but your mother is in grave danger.

Cole could lose his mind when he realizes he’s losing his mate. He’ll hurt her.”

The idea of Cole hurting Mom almost made me laugh.

They had their problems, sure, but I’d seen how much they still loved each other.

The fact that Mom had managed to warp Kyle’s mind made me so proud.

She was a writer and knew how characters should act and react, so that wasn’t surprising.

What was surprising, at least to me, was how well she’d actually pulled it off.

Maybe Mom missed her true calling. Instead of writing stories, she should have been acting them out on a stage or something.

Either way, it was getting the job done.

We might have a chance. When Kyle started walking around with that goofy grin on his face, Dallas and Sydney noticed it as well, but they were still being extra cautious, worried that Kyle might get suspicious of them acting like anything more than good little soldiers.

Kyle drained his martini, then circled the desk. I had to force myself not to recoil as he placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Can I ask you something, Ash?” He winked at me. “Man to man?”

“Sure,” I said, my palms getting sweaty. “What’s up?”

“Well, I know this is all a foregone conclusion, but with you being her son, I should do this the proper way. How would you feel about me making your mother my mate? Not a girlfriend or wife, but an actual claimed mate?”

Hot, acidic bile stung the back of my throat.

I imagined him sinking his teeth into my mother’s shoulder, and I clenched my fists, all while keeping the rest of my body and face as calm and placid as possible.

All I really wanted to do was roll my eyes or puke.

That reaction wouldn’t do me any favors.

Kyle was dangerous. The terrifying demeanor he gave off was from how delusional he was.

He’d have been less scary if he wasn’t so bonkers.

Sure, Mom was doing a good job acting, but could he truly believe she wanted to be with him?

Could he actually think I was on his side and wanted him as my stepdad?

If a man could believe such crazy things, it meant he was capable of anything, even if that meant hurting people he needed.

It was the reason why Dallas and Sydney were jumpy and worried.

Tension filled me. I was walking on a narrow tightrope. If I fell, then death awaited. I wasn’t yet sixteen, but even I could see that. Pushing aside my inner turmoil and disgust, I remembered Dallas’s words, and I played the part.

“I’d be honored to have you as my dad,” I said with my best embarrassed smile. “If you’d have me as your son.”

God, I’d have to brush my teeth three times to get the taste of that statement off my tongue.

“I thought you’d say that,” Kyle said, and led me to the office door and out into the hall.