Abigail moved further into the room, spotting Harlan and the halfling, Eventine.
“It came out of his ear!” the halfling shouted, pointing behind a locker in the corner.
Harlan yanked the locker away from the wall. A memory thread placeholder, used to insert false memories, slithered across the floor. Harlan ran after it and caught it, smashing it with the heel of his boot. Crimsonvvystpuffed up in Abigail’s form.
“That thing was controlling Conri!” Harlan shouted.
Abigail retreated back the way they had come.
She needed a way out.
***
Eventine watched Harlan cordon off the area and call the rank on his phone, telling them what had happened. She sensed something near her in the shadows. The witch?
“Eventine!” Beckett shouted from fingerprinting. “I need help for Cerise!”
Eventine sprinted that way, down the hallway, into the fingerprinting room. Cerise sat on the chair sideways, one leg bent awkwardly, her arms askew and her neck bent, staring at the floor.
Eventine rushed to her side and touched her arm. “Cerise, what happened?”
“Ugh, it’s all my fault she got away,” Cerise said, not sounding in pain. She jerked and pulled against nothing. “She did it—I’m wrapped in something I can’t see.”
“I’ll find Rowan,” Eventine said. “Maybe she hasn’t left yet.” Rowan had left Boeson’s side long enough to help them escort Abigail down the bluff.
Eventine hurried to the back parking lot. Trent and Rowan were near Trent’s truck. “Rowan!” she shouted. “Cerise might be hurt! We need you.”
The couple ran over and Eventine showed them to fingerprinting, then she ran back to Vice’s cellblock, where the snake-looking thing had come out of Conri’s ear.
Eventine checked on Harlan first, who was kneeling in the corner where he’d smashed the snake thing. He looked up at her. “There’s no trace of it left,” he said.
She put her hand on his shoulder. “I’m going to release Conri into Bruin’s custody,” she said. “He shouldn’t be in a cell.”
Harlan nodded, then sat heavily against the wall.
Eventine wound her way through desks and entered the cellblock area. Bruin and Willow were standing there, next to the cell with Conri inside. Eventine grabbed a key from a lockbox.
“You’re released,” she told Conri. “Into your brother’s custody.”
Bruin nodded, his face grim. “Thank you.”
Conri nodded slowly, his expression bewildered.
89—Challenge Extended
Canyon looked up through the tent skylight to the stars, feeling disturbed. He took Sage’s hand, his mind working through the situation. He’d been so certain Sage was a One True Mate, and completely positive he would see wings when he bit her.
Had he fucked up royally? Should he tell his brother?
From outside, a whistling noise caught his attention, then a rope of light streamed into the tent like a laser beam and hit him upside the head. He clapped a hand to his ear, crying out, his brains scrambling.
Sage leaned over him, her voice trembling. “Canyon?”
Memories fell into his head:Seeing a sexy female at the meat section in the grocery store, being unable to take his eyes from her. Reaching for a steak at the same time and then flirting with her. Taking her to the restaurant. Kissing her. Driving her to the hotel. Taking her to the penthouse. Devouring her in the bedroom and savoring her outside of it. She’d been fun and funny and sweet. He’d thought she was human, and he hadn’t cared. He’d never enjoyed a female’s company so much.
“Irememberyou,” he said, grabbing for her, and searching her tearstained amber eyes. She touched the side of his face gently. He knelt, pulling Sage up with him. He kissed her hard, smashing his mouth and body against hers and growling so loud the rough sound split the quiet of the starlit night.
MINE,he growled inruhi,then again out loud, then he took his female’s mouth, roughly, kissing her for the first time, with fullknowingthat she was his mate.
