Charlie left his mouth to trail kisses to his ear. Pleasant, but not Kennedy. “Work with me,” she hissed in growl too low to be caught by human ears.
Oh hell. She was Circ too? He tuned in to her, his beast awake once more, and caught the faint scent of her inner wildness. New yet powerful all the same, and hidden. Different.
She drew back to look into his eyes, and she looked completely normal. Yet…
“Cut it out.” Kennedy struggled with Yates and yelled at Charlie, “He’s not yours.”
“Well he’s not yours,” Charlie said. “I didn’t see a future with you two in it. Well, not one where you’re living.” She winked down at Alex. “But you and I might have some fun together later.”
She left him, and the bitter taste of her amusement on his tongue soured him on ever having wanted to be with her. Not that he had. His beast was all kinds of fucked up right now, with Lang’s drugs disrupting his system and the need for his mate pushing him in odd directions.
Hestillconsidered Charlie a packmate when she’d obviously tried to harm her cousin by kissing him. Which didn’t make a lick of sense.
Kennedy was crying. Yates held her back, now by her hair, as she fought him. Sheer looked bored by it all, glanced at the guards, then gave a frightening smile.
Duane Smith watched everything from a position along the wall, no doubt making mental notes to tally later. Alex tried to focus on him, because the need to kill Yates, for not only his sister, but for harming Kennedy, was stirring the beast he tried to keep contained. Nothing good could come from fighting Yates right now either. He was too weak to win, and he needed to stay alive to keep Kennedy safe.
Yeah, that’s working real well for me as it is. I’m alive, and she’s getting felt up and tugged this way and that by some pervert with sadism on the brain.He glared at Yates.
“I’m sensing rising testosterone levels,” Smith reported.
Lang’s voice echoed from above. “Excellent. Continue.”
Sheer set the guards on fire with a laugh, and they screamed as they tried to beat out the flames.
“Damn it, Sheer.” Smith glared. “Not now.”
“Oh, sorry.” He brought his hands together, and the flames went out slowly. The fire left the rogue Circs burned and raw. But as Alex watched, they healed.
Smith shook his head, disappointed in Sheer yet Alex thought he scented arousal from the man. He wondered how many times this had played out. Sheer losing it and setting people on fire, then being frowned at as punishment while secretly Smith beat off to the smell of burned flesh. Christ, he needed to kill Sheer pronto. Before the murderer set him on fire for shits and grins while Smith watched.
“Now, Yates.” Smith nodded to the table next to Alex.
Yates smiled. “Perfect.”
“Do I have to stay for this?” Charlie asked.
“Yes, let’s go.” Sheer started for her, and Charlie stared at him with intensity. He paused with a frown, looking unsure for the first time ever, that Alex could recall.
She laughed suddenly, and everyone watched with trepidation. “Sure thing, handsome. Let’s you and me go somewhere and get to know each other better.”
Sheer’s tension vanished, and he beamed.
“Charlie, what’s gotten into you? You can’t really be with them,” Kennedy cried out, struggling against an incredibly strong Yates as he muscled her toward a long exam table. “I was coming back for you. You’re my cousin, my only family. I love you!”
“Whatever.” Charlie gave her a dismissive wave. She glanced at Alex over her shoulder, then looked at his right wrist, where he’d been subtly working to loosen his restraint, and back at him. As if she knew he was close to escaping.
But she said nothing. She blew him a kiss and laughed. “Enjoy the show. And welcome to the family. Good luck getting it up, Yates. See you soon.” Then she and Sheer left.
“Bitch,” Yates muttered as he fumbled with his trousers.
Alex’s blood pounded as he understood what he was supposed to witness. Yates taking Kennedy—Alex’s mate—in front of him. Debasing her, hurting her.Oh hell, no.
Kennedy wasn’t having it either. Her beast grew stronger; he could sense it.
Yates tried to yank Kennedy’s clothes off. Alex struggled against his bonds and concentrated on the right one, ignoring the way he broke open his wounds again and caused more harm to a body needing desperately to heal. His only thought was to help Kennedy, to get to her before Yates did to her what he’d done to Alex’s sister.
As if he could read Alex’s mind, Yates glanced at him and grinned, showing lengthening fangs. “Oh yeah. I can’t wait. Your women are so damn sweet, Palmer. I wonder if Kennedy will fuck as good as your sister did. Because she was hot for it.”
