Page 40 of Pregnant Kidnapped Mate

He gave me the exact same smile he had in my vision. Behind him, Jason appeared, just as smug and holding the same rope.

“Time to come home now, Iris,” Dad said, and Jason lunged toward me.

I knew what was going to happen, and I knew there was nothing I could do to stop it. I had to run for the door because it was my only exit, even though I knew someone was there. It was my only chance of getting out at all. And since I knew the figure was there, I could dart around him. The vision had always ended with him.

All those thoughts happened in less than a second. I screamed, darting around my brother, his hands just barely missing my shirt. I dashed toward the door, knowing that the faceless figure was going to emerge, hoping that maybe it was Alek. I’d never seen who it was.

But when I raced for the door and the figure stepped in front of me, it wasn’t Alek.

It was Dan.

He was leering down at me with a smug smile on his face, showing all his teeth as I nearly barreled into him. I was so startled that I nearly tripped. What on earth was he doing? He hated humans. Panic raced through me. How the hell was I supposed to get past a shifter? Heart pounding, I tried to move around him, but it was no use. He was blocking the entire exit.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Dan asked. The instant I was within arm’s reach, he lashed out, strong hands wrapping around my wrist and squeezing so tight, I thought it would break my bones. I cried out, more in pain than in terror. He barked out a laugh as he yanked me toward him. As I struggled and fought to get away, screaming the entire time, he spun me around and forced my arms behind my back. None of my kicks did anything, neither did my wriggling. Even trying to bite him only made him laugh harder. He held me in place as Jason wrapped the rope around my wrists, cinching tight.

“That should be good,” Jason said, tying the final knot.

“Tight enough?” Dad asked.

Jason snorted. “She’s not going anywhere. Are ya, sis?”

I flexed my fingers, trying to tug or break free, but I knew he was right. My hands were already growing cold from lack of circulation. I wriggled my fingers, trying to find the knot, but wherever it was, I couldn’t reach it. Heart thumping, I turned to look at Tannen. He was still on the floor, unmoving. There was blood on the couch and floor. I prayed for him to move, but he remained still.

“I thought you hated humans,” I said to Dan. It was the only thing I could think to say.

He shrugged. “I don’t think shifters and humans should mix,” he said. “The sooner you and your abominations are out of here, the quicker things can go back to normal.”

“How did you find him, anyway?” I turned to Dad, but he just laughed.

“He found us,” Dad responded.

My stomach flipped and twisted into a knot tighter than the one binding my wrists together. I turned to look back at Dan, who shrugged.

“Look, Dad, you don’t want me to come back with you,” I said. “You hate me. You and Jason both do. Just untie me, and we can go our separate ways and never see each other again. We’ll all be happier.”

Dad shook his head. “I told you what would happen the next time you started seeing someone behind my back again.”

I didn’t think arguing I’d been kidnapped by Alek was going to do me any favors. Just stall, I told myself. The longer I stall, the more likely it is that Alek will come home.

“You hate me,” I argued. “Why do you give a fuck? I was out of your hair.”

He shrugged but didn’t provide an answer. I knew he wasn’t going to. His eyes were cool and almost bored, as if I were an unpleasant chore that needed to be done before he could get on with the rest of the day.

“I’m pregnant,” I blurted out. “You don’t want to deal with that.”

I’d expected surprise, but instead, he just clicked his tongue. “I know,” he said. “We’ll worry about that when the time comes.”

My heart sank. The biggest argument I had, the one I’d thought would get me out of this, didn’t matter.

“You should get going,” Dan said. “He’ll be back soon.”

“We got what we came for,” Dad said, putting his hand on my shoulder. “No need for us to stay any longer.”

The words sent new spasms of panic and fight through me. They were about to take me back to the village. Back to the basement. Away from Alek.

I screamed, trying to wriggle away, but Dad’s hand just gripped tighter. I tried to slam my foot down on his, but again, nothing.

“Knock it off.” Dad cuffed me over the head. When I kept struggling, a cold circle pressed against my forehead, and I froze. “I said, knock it off.”

---