Garrett’s throat heated but he kept his expression inscrutable. “Send scouts to interrogate those doctors, and I need Aster, her former employer, brought here to me within the hour.” The chat was going to be painful if the loafer-wearing jackass didn’t give him what he wanted.
Dage pulled out his phone and shot off a quick text.
Emma read her tablet. “Dessie will be out for at least thirty minutes and back in the cell before she awakens.” She patted Garrett’s arm. “Go ahead and do what you need to do. I’ll make sure she’s safe.”
Two soldiers walked in from outside the hallway, and Dage gave them orders to protect Emma.
“Don’t hurt Destiny,” Garrett said quietly, waiting for nods from them both. “If she fights you, remember she’s breakable. I want her in one piece when I get back.”
Aster, on the other hand, was another story. He was about to meet a very different fate.
Chapter Eighteen
Lights flickered behind her eyelids as warmth cascaded over her skin. Dessie awoke in a slightly reclined chair with a heated blanket over her legs. She swallowed and tried to focus. The edges of her vision remained blurry, so she blinked several times until she could see cell bars across from her chair. Weird.
This was a strange dream. She forced herself out of it and jerked her head, awakening completely. She was in a lounger in a cell? Black stone with silver glimmers comprised the walls and ceiling as well as the floor.
“Hi. How’s your head?”
She looked up to see the queen on the other side of the bars. Many tendrils of Emma’s black hair had escaped her clip, framing her face. It appeared as if she’d had a very busy day. “Dessie?”
Dessie looked down at her wrists, which were strapped to the arms of the chair. Her legs tingled as a wave of fear engulfed her, and she kicked out, only to find that her legs were restrained as well. “What are you doing?” Her voice came out a husky whisper.
Emma stuck her hands in her lab coat pockets and moved closer to the bars. “Do you remember anything?”
Dessie tried to free her arms, but the bindings were too strong. “No. Just last night with Garrett.” Her breath caught in her throat. “Where is he?”
Emma opened the door, and two bulky men instantly stepped forward from the shadows behind her. They were tall, dressed in black, and visibly armed with guns and knives. She waved them back. “I’m okay.” Then she walked toward Dessie, her steps graceful as she crossed the smooth, black rock floor. “Every time you looked at the, well, the tattoo on Garrett’s back, you tried to kill him. Can you explain that to me?”
Kill Garrett? Seriously? “You’ve lost your mind, Queen.” Dessie kicked as hard as she could, but she couldn’t free her legs.
Emma sighed. “Okay. While there aren’t cameras in Garrett’s house, we have them in this cell. Watch this.” She dug a small tablet out of her pocket and held it in front of Dessie, starting a recording.
Dessie frowned at seeing herself in this same cell with Garrett. When had she been here before? She couldn’t remember it. Was the video doctored somehow? She’d read that people could do that…but why? As she watched, Garrett exited the cell and shut the door.
“Watch your reaction,” Emma said, leaning closer.
This was insane. All of a sudden, on the video, Dessie saw herself spiral into a rage and attack the bars. She gasped, shock echoing through her head. Her eyes were wild, and she acted like a rabid animal. Her heart raced, and her body began to tremble. “I don’t understand,” she croaked.
Then Garrett moved back into the cell and spun her around, lifting her into the air and controlling her. She wound down, looking exhausted.
Emma slid the tablet into her pocket. “Garrett’s back tattoo is a trigger for you. Do you know why?”
“No,” Dessie said numbly. She wouldn’t believe any of this if it wasn’t on a video. “I don’t remember. Not a second of what’s on that recording.”
Emma bit her lip. “Do you, um, remember being mated?”
Dessie’s jaw dropped. “No. I remember, our, ah, time together, though.”
“Guess not,” Emma murmured. “Do you have any recollection of being trained or hypnotized while you were at Stoneton Academy?”
“No. None.” She tried to think back to her classes, but nothing came to mind. A feeling of vulnerability engulfed her. Somebody had manipulated her mind? Had forced her to attack Garrett? “I don’t understand. What’s wrong with his tattoo?”
“Nothing. It’s not really a tattoo, but Garrett should tell you that story.” Emma tapped her finger on her lips, as if thinking. “We should concentrate on you right now.”
“Am I mated?” To Garrett? Dessie’s body warmed. Why didn’t she remember?
“I don’t think so.” Sympathy lightened Emma’s blue eyes. “The marking didn’t take and your genetics haven’t changed. However, I would like to conduct additional tests.”
