"I asked you to retrieve my property. What's so difficult about that?" he demanded, his voice deepening as he allowed his beast to come to the surface.

"The people that she was working for weren't human," Brock gasped out, forcing himself to keep his hands by his sides.

"Another shifter touched my b.i.t.c.h?" he snarled, his teeth shifting to fangs.

"No," Brock said, shaking his head adamantly. "The man that owned the house that she'd worked at was rumored to drink animal blood."

"Demon?" he asked, running possibilities through his head.

"We're not sure," Brock admitted, gasping for air when Aidan abruptly released his hold and began pacing the office.

"Tell me about him," he demanded, flexing his hands, trying to shake off the need to rip his Beta apart.

"He looks like he's in his late twenties, but the people in town swear that he's been living with his sister for over forty years. He never ages, can go out during the day and is rumored to drink animal blood," Brock explained as he rubbed his neck.

"And the sister?" he asked, wondering why the couple stayed in one area for so long.

"Human as far as we can tell," Brock said, piquing his curiosity.

"Human?"

"She was well into her eighties."

"Hmmm," Aidan said, tracing his claws over his desk as he walked past it, running several possibilities through his mind. "Any chance that they were only posing as siblings?" he asked, wondering if it was just a case of a demon falling for a human that he couldn't change.

Eyes locked on the floor, Brock shook his head, wincing when the action obviously pained him. "No, it was pretty clear to everyone in town that they were siblings. They somewhat welcomed the sister into the community, but it was pretty clear that they feared him."

Nodding absently, he drummed his claws against the desk as he digested the information. It was possible that this "brother" was a demon and that the mother had f.u.c.ked around. Possible, but he didn't think so.

He wasn't a hundred percent sure, but he had a suspicion that his Beta had just stumbled across a way to make his old dream into a reality.

Chapter 39.

"Wow, I didn't know your son was a p.u.s.s.y," Caine said conversationally as he watched the large Sentinel struggle to get out of the obviously p.i.s.sed off Pyte's hold.

Ephraim sighed heavily as he shook his head, watching as Chris continued to struggle while the Pyte stood there, looking bored. "I didn't know either."

"Mother f.u.c.ker!" Chris roared as the sound of a bone popping out of place echoed throughout the large elevator.

Caine pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a sigh of disgust as he muttered, "f.u.c.king pathetic."

"Bring us to the ground floor.....now," Christofer said, keeping his gaze locked with Ephraim's as he gave Chris' dislocated arm a slight pull, earning a pained groan from Chris as his son finally went still in the Pyte's arms.

Ephraim ground his jaw firmly shut as he looked from the p.i.s.sed off Pyte holding his son hostage to his son, who looked absolutely furious and a touch embarra.s.sed at having been taken so easily. It had happened so fast that he hadn't had time to react. The funny thing about it was, they'd all expected an attack and had been ready for it, but Christofer had taken them all by surprise.

Before the elevator doors opened, Ephraim heard the other Pyte approaching the elevator at the same as Caine. Without a word, they'd signaled to Chris to expect an attack. They'd shifted to the sides of the elevator, drew their weapons and- Blinked in surprise to find the Pyte standing in the far corner with Chris pulled in front of him like a shield, a hand wrapped around his son's throat and the other twisting Chris' hand behind his back. No one seemed more surprised than Chris. It was a move that Chris normally would have seen coming a mile away, one he could easily avoid, but he hadn't seen it coming.

None of them had.

Christofer had moved faster than a Pyte should have been able to, his brute strength alone was amazing. It made him wonder what would happen if Christofer learned how to control that strength. It also made him wonder how Christofer had learned to harness the strength and speed that Ephraim could only touch when he'd slipped into bloodl.u.s.t. He wanted to learn that kind of control for himself and judging by the calculating expression on Caine's face, he wasn't the only one.

But first, he needed to get this situation back under control. His gaze shifted to the woman standing by Christofer's side and for a brief moment he considered grabbing her to ensure his son's safety, but he knew that would only make things worse. Right now Christofer was in control, but if either one of them laid so much as a finger on the Pyte's mate, that control would snap and Chris would pay the price.

"We came to get you," he said, moving his attention back to the Pyte as he slowly reached over and flicked open the elevator b.u.t.ton and scanned his fingerprint.

"You're about five days late for that," Cloe said, shifting her attention from him to Caine and then back again.

"And I apologize for that, but the situation was out of my control," he explained calmly as he pressed the b.u.t.ton for the ground floor, cursing the Sentinel leader and his f.u.c.ked up plans to h.e.l.l and back again. "I'd like a chance to explain things to you before-"

"You had your chance," Christofer said, his hold around Chris' throat tightening just enough to keep him from doing anything stupid.

"You can't leave," Chris bit out, wincing when the Pyte's hold around his neck tightened even more.

"Watch me," Christofer said, the threat softly spoken, but it was enough to send Ephraim's heart racing, because he knew that this Pyte had been pushed too far.

It also let him know that the time for diplomacy and finesse was long gone. If he was going to get his son out of this safely and keep this Pyte couple out of the hands out of a Master, and the girl from the horrible fate that awaited her, he was going to have to be blunt.

"The moment that she steps out of this compound, every shifter within a hundred mile radius will be after her."

"What did you just say?" Christofer asked after a slight pause as the force of Ephraim's words nearly knocked him on his a.s.s.

"They won't have a choice," Chris bit out.

"Bulls.h.i.t," he said, praying that Ephraim was lying his a.s.s off to manipulate them into doing what he wanted.

"She's marked," Ephraim explained in a hard tone. "You've not only fed from her without permission, but you've changed her and claimed her."

"You've stolen a shifter's property," Caine added as he sent Cloe a pitying look.

"What the h.e.l.l are you talking about?" Cloe demanded, shifting the tension in the elevator as every man noticeably went still, even the man he held by the throat.

Two pairs of red eyes suddenly locked on him as Ephraim demanded, "Why the h.e.l.l didn't you tell her?"

He shoved the Sentinel away so that he could get in the other Pyte's face. "That was your job," he snarled.

"Someone want to fill me in?" Cloe demanded, but his focus was locked on Ephraim.

"She's your mate!" Ephraim snapped, shoving him back.

"Ah, no I'm not," Cloe said with a snort of annoyance that he chose to ignore, mostly because this wasn't the time or place to explain that she did in fact belong to him. Besides, she'd eventually realize it on her own.

"We came here for the information that you promised," Christofer said, shoving Ephraim back and getting back in his face. "You're the one that f.u.c.ked up when you didn't give us the answers that you promised us."

Ephraim shoved him back, getting right in his face. "We didn't have a f.u.c.king choice. As soon as we left you so that you could calm your mate down, our access to your floor was taken away. For the last week we've been stuck here, dealing with bulls.h.i.t and trying to get our access reinstated so that we could keep our word to you."

Breathing hard, Christofer held the other man's murderous glare as he reached over and took Cloe's trembling hand into his. "You have an hour to explain what's going on and then we're leaving."

"One hour," Ephraim agreed with a firm nod.

"f.u.c.king b.a.s.t.a.r.d," Chris muttered as he turned around and slammed his shoulder into the elevator wall in an attempt to put the bone back in its socket.

Caine sighed heavily as he reached out, grabbed Chris by the shoulder with one hand while he placed the other against his back. With a slight push, he had the bone shoved back in place with a sickening pop that had Chris grunting in pain.

"Thanks a lot, you f.u.c.king-oh, s.h.i.t!" Chris snapped as he slammed back against the elevator wall, reached out, grabbed Caine by the arm and yanked the large Pyte in front of him.

Caine opened his mouth, then shut it as his eyes went wide and he noticeably swallowed, making Christofer frown as he muttered, "Oh, s.h.i.t."

It wasn't until Ephraim muttered an, "Oh, f.u.c.king h.e.l.l," and stepped back to block Chris from view that he realized something rather important.

Cloe's hand wasn't trembling because she was upset.

She was trembling because she had slipped into bloodl.u.s.t....

While they were stuck in an elevator.........

Yeah, this wasn't going to end well, he thought dryly as he dropped her hand and rubbed his hands roughly down his face.

A small, vicious growl to his right had him reaching out and grabbing Cloe as she moved to attack the two men guarding Chris. There was no doubt in his mind that she was after Chris. The normally overly sweet scent that the Sentinel gave off was saturating the air of the enclosed s.p.a.ce. He'd found the aroma a little distracting, but nothing that he couldn't ignore.

Cloe on the other hand.......

Had been turned only a week ago, hadn't learned self-control, was apparently seriously p.i.s.sed and had slipped into what the other men had dubbed, "bloodl.u.s.t." The scent of Chris' blood would be too much for her to ignore, especially right now.

"Mein Schatz," he said, turning around as he grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her into the corner away from the trio behind him.

One look at her beautiful red eyes and he knew that there was no point in trying to talk any sense into her. Cloe wasn't in charge right now, which meant that there was nothing that he could say or do that would convince her that tearing Chris' throat open was a bad idea. Not that he really gave a f.u.c.k if the little b.a.s.t.a.r.d got his throat ripped open, especially since no one had given a d.a.m.n that they'd risked her throat being ripped open when they'd locked her up with him.

He should let her do it, but he knew that she would hate herself later when she realized what she'd done. As tough as Cloe came off, he really didn't think that she was the type of person that could shrug off killing someone even if it had been out of her control. The other reason that he was stopping her from crossing that line was currently pulling his weapon free from its holster and c.o.c.king the weapon.

There was no question that she'd survive a gunshot wound, but the idea of her getting hurt was enough to make his stomach drop. He wouldn't allow anyone to hurt her, but if she got past him he might not have a choice. Ephraim would protect his son, Cloe would be hurt and that was all it would take to make him lose control of the monster inside him, something that he hadn't worried about since his days in the lab.

Not until she came into his life.

She drove him out of his f.u.c.king mind and made it difficult to think straight. Sometimes he didn't know whether he wanted to throttle her or kiss her. Definitely kiss her, he thought dazedly as he stared down at that beautiful mouth that had felt so good on his- "s.h.i.t!" he snapped as that beautiful mouth struck, obviously deciding that if she couldn't have the Sentinel's blood, that his would do.

She latched onto his neck with a vicious bite, tearing into his throat and greedily swallowing his blood as it filled her mouth. He bit back a grunt of pain as she dug her fangs deeper into his throat.

"Get her off him!" Ephraim snapped, grabbing hold of his arm.

"No!" Christofer snarled, shaking off his hold, careful not to dislodge her bite. "It's the only way to snap her out of it," he added, gritting his teeth as he was forced to slap his hands against the wall above her and brace himself to endure her attack.

"If you don't stop her, you'll slip into bloodl.u.s.t next," Ephraim warned.

He shifted his gaze from the elevator wall to the lit screen above the double doors, watching the countdown as the elevator made its slow descent to the ground floor. His hands balled into fists as he slowly exhaled, ignoring the black spots dancing along his sight and stood there, giving his woman what she needed. When he felt her mouth gentle against his neck and her arms wrap around his shoulders as she pressed up against him, he closed his eyes and released a heavy sigh, relieved that her loss of control was short lived.

"C-Christofer?" she murmured, her voice shaky as she pressed her forehead against his chest, her hands fisted in his shirt. "What just happened?'

"Shhh," he said, forcing his eyes open only to shut them again as the move made his head spin. He'd lost too much blood over the course of the day to have any hopes of fighting this. "Everything is fine," he said, his voice sounding hollow and far away as he pressed an unsteady kiss to the top of Cloe's head.

"Christofer-" Cloe started to speak, but he didn't have the luxury of comforting her right now.

"Take her," he said, dropping his hands to her shoulders and using the last of his energy to gently shove her towards the elevator doors just as they opened with a chime.

"What the h.e.l.l is going on?" Cloe demanded as he forced his eyes open just as his legs gave out and he dropped to the ground.

"Get her the h.e.l.l out of here," he tried to shout, but his words came out as a slurred whisper.

"Let me go!" Cloe screamed as he was forced to sit there while Chris shoved past his father who stood in front of him, stopping Cloe from going to him. Without a word, he grabbed Cloe and threw her over his shoulder and dragged her off the elevator with Caine right behind him.

Ephraim stared down at him for a moment longer before he nodded, turned around and walked off the elevator, pressing the "Close Doors" b.u.t.ton on his way out.

Before the doors closed tightly shut behind Ephraim, everything went black as he felt himself falling, the sounds of Cloe's screams rushing him towards oblivion.

Chapter 40.

"Get your hands off me!"

"Hold her back!" Ephraim shouted as he withdrew his weapon and took aim at the closed elevator doors.

"Let me go!" she snapped, pulling against Danni's hold as another roar shook the lobby.

"You're giving off the scent of fear," Danni explained calmly as she yanked Cloe back behind the men lined up with their weapons aimed at the quaking double doors of the elevator where Christofer was going crazy from the sounds of it. "It's making him nuts."

"Then let go of me," she snapped, struggling to get free and to.....to......

Oh h.e.l.l, she didn't know what she was going to do if she managed to get free. She just felt like she needed to do something to fix this. It was her fault that poor Christofer had lost control.

She still didn't know how it happened. One minute she'd been trying to ignore the overwhelming sweet scent of Chris' blood, seriously p.i.s.sed off to discover that she'd been kept in the dark about something that affected her, and the next she'd felt like she was drowning. She couldn't seem to think straight. Everything had been fuzzy and muddled. She'd been aware of what was going on, to a point, but helpless to do anything about it.

It was similar to the moment just before you pa.s.s out. Everything starts to get hazy, you feel your self-control start to slip and no matter how hard you try to fight it, you can't. It takes you over, knocks you on your a.s.s and leaves you helpless. It was something that she never wanted to experience again. She also knew that if it weren't for Christofer, she would still be trapped in that hazy mess, helpless to stop herself from doing something that she'd regret.

"Get her out of here," Chris yelled over his shoulder.

"They're not really going to shoot him, are they?" she asked numbly, swallowing nervously as she watched the men and women forming a line.