Page 39 of Held By a Monster

“We think your hunters are connected with our lab. Or at least one of them. And it’s unclear if Society’s counsel was as ignorant of their activities as they claim.”

Roul punched him in the shoulder, which caused him to stumble several steps to the side.

“What’s that for?”

“You are so blunt. Drym would have said it in an easier way.”

Quin grumbled and rubbed at his smarting bicep. “Says the one who doesn’t know what easy means.”

“Knock it off, both of you.”

I heard Drym admonish them, but my eyes were unfocused, my head full of fog. His warm, rough palms slid up and down the outside of my arms.

“Kendal, are you okay?”

I shook my head. “I just had a dream—nightmare. I was running from men in white coats.” I looked up into his eyes, craning my neck back. “Lab coats.”

He growled and crushed me to his chest. “They will not touch you.”

I pushed out of his arms and stared up at him in horror. “It’s not me I’m worried about. What if they get you?” I stepped to the side so I could see the others. “What if they get all of you?”

Roul’s fists were clenching, Cavi had backed almost entirely out of the chamber, and the others were preternaturally still. After a few heartbeats, Kragen announced, “They won’t. We will not go back. No matter what it takes.”

That’s exactly what I was afraid of. We needed to find these assholes, connected or not, and stop them permanently. I looked at Drym and nodded. “Okay then, we need to speed up our timeline. It’s time for these pricks to sleep with the fishes.”

Six heads cocked in confusion and I waved my hand. “It means it’s past time for them to die.”

Quin whooped. “I wasn’t too keen on getting fish to make them beds, but that I can get behind.”

I chuckled. “We need to contact Supe Sec. Hopefully they’ve found something.”

“It’s been barely a full day, Kendal. Our follow up meeting with them isn’t until the end of the week.” Drym stepped in close to me and some of the tension left my body.

“I know, but we have new information that might help them.” I took a deep breath. “And they need to know their council may not be as innocent as they believe.”

A few minutes later, I blinked against the bright sun at the cave entrance. I was blind until my eyes adjusted, and even then I would’ve killed for a pair of sunglasses. I pulled my cell phone out of my back pocket and checked the signal. Two bars.

“We need to get closer to civilization. I don’t want the call to drop before I tell them everything that’s happened.”

Drym nodded and started walking, his palm on my lower back as always. I didn’t mind.

“Did you finish your binder? The one about shifters?”

“Not entirely.”

“But you’ve learned about fated mates?”

“Yes.”

Nothing changed in his pace or demeanor. He still seemed calm and loose, but one-word answers weren’t like him.

“What is it? What are you nervous about telling me?”

It took eight strides for him to tell me. I counted to keep myself from yelling.

“You should know that you hold the power in this, as in all things with me.”

I nodded, but he wasn’t looking at me. He stared straight ahead and kept a steady pace.

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