Page 21 of Sigils & Spells

The animal in me takes over, picking up the pace, and the sound of wet skin slapping, of labored breaths, is like a symphony. I crush my lips to hers as my pace quickens and Evie cries out against my lips, her release fulfilled. Her pussy throbs around my cock, pushing me over the edge and into oblivion. I still as I empty myself into her, as I give her every ounce of my body, mind, and soul, and then the light goes out, bathing us in darkness once more.

But I’ve never felt so at peace.

CHAPTER13

EVIE

I would never have imaginedthat I could sleep so well on a concrete floor in a silver-barred cage. But I do.

And when I wake the next morning, it’s with the sudden realization of what has been missing from the formula Ivan’s had me working on.

I’m still considering the options when I hear voices moving down the hallway toward the lab.

“Angel,” I whisper, shaking him awake. “Someone’s coming.” Hurriedly, I pull my clothes on.

Angel, still groggy, drags his pants over his hips, and by the time the lab door opens, we’re both clothed and standing, my shoulder pressed against his side, his arm curved around my waist.

“Well,” Ivan says with a sneer as he enters the lab, “aren’t you two cozy?”

We ignore his words, instead watching him carefully as he ushers Dr. Fitton and the hyena-man from the night before into the lab.

“So,” Ivan continues, “have you decided what you’re going to do?”

He’s looking directly at me, so I answer him, saying the words as if I truly mean them. “If you’re going to continue working on this formula, I want to help make sure no one else dies from it.”

Ivan tilts his head and considers my words. “How will you do that?”

“I think I’ve figured out the missing ingredient that will help stabilize the potion.”

“Yeah? What’s that?”

“Mandrake.”

Dr. Fitton blinks. “Mandrake? But that’s poisonous.”

“In large doses, yes. But it also has magical properties. And in small doses—when properly prepared, at least—it acts as a mild sedative. I think it could help the test subjects’ bodies accept the changes they’re undergoing.”

Ivan stares at me, and I meet his gaze despite the distraction of his crackling black aura.

That aura should have been my first warning to stay away from him, I realize. It’s only gotten worse as he’s continued his quest to perfect the potion he’s developing.

“I will arrange to have mandrake delivered,” Ivan finally says.

“No,” I object, then as Ivan raises his eyebrows at me, I quickly add, “I need to be able to make sure the plant was recently and properly harvested, that it hasn’t had its magical qualities drained away.”

My claim is partially true—after all, improperly harvested mandrake plants lose their magical properties fairly quickly.

But the main reason I want to get the plant myself is that I’m hoping to let someone know what’s going on in this nightmare lab.

That hope is instantly quashed, though, when Ivan says, “Fine. Dr. Fitton will accompany you. And Jake will drive you.”

Jake—the hyena-man who tossed me into this cage the night before—leers at me from where he stands behind Ivan.

Dammit.

It’ll be more difficult to get a message out with those two watching my every move.

And to be honest, I’m not even sure who I could report Cambridge to. The police? Would they even believe that there’s a mad scientist creating hybrid shifters in his warehouse lab?

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