Page 79 of Coerced

Idiot! He isn’t alone!

I groaned as my body slowed down, exactly like the gargoyle had that day in the Repository. Frozen in place as I fought, I couldn’t help but overhear the conversation between Gray Suit and the one who held me.

“Is that all of them, Castle?”

I found a flaw in the binding and slammed power into it. No way was I going through that portal as a prisoner.

“I think there were two or three more, but they bolted. Hurry up, Hubler.”

“This is a good haul. I’ve never taken so many nephilim at once. And these new blankets work just as you promised, Castle.” Gray Suit - Hubler - rubbed his hands together. “Hold that one until I’ve gone through, then bring him, too.”

Castle. Must be a name, not a place.

“Are you insane? He’s tearing through my strongest binding like it’s a paper towel! We don’t have a facility that would hold him at the blood farm.”

“Could we hold him at the lab?” Hubler called.

“Doubt it.”

“Kill him then.”

Yeah. Good luck with that.

Hubler stepped through the portal and the last of the demons followed. From my right, a black-haired man ran into my line of sight. He slowed, turned his head, and looked at me.

The air whooshed out of my lungs. I knew those flat, black eyes. They haunted my oldest nightmare.

“YOU!”

“Well, well, well. Little Kerry Harker all grown up. I always wondered if you would survive the Great Experiment.”

“I’m gonna kill you!”

“You’ll need to catch me first.” Castle ran for the portal.

I hammered the binding and it shattered with an explosion that hurt my ears. Power, mine and his, sloshed everywhere and scorched the ground in a three-foot circle.

Soon as I was free, I raced after him, but he had a good head start on me. Rome’s weight slowed me down, too, and I wanted to drop him, but to untangle myself now would take too much time.

Castle dove in the portal and it began to close. My smoked-up lungs were on fire, but I ran on and tried to ignore Rome’s head as it bounced on my shoulder.

If he wasn’t concussed before, he probably is now.’S okay. Gemma or Chance can fix him.

The portal shrunk to the size of a manhole, but I could still fit. Straining every muscle, I launched myself forward - and the portal winked out.

Mid-air, I twisted so Rome wouldn’t be killed by me landing on him. I hit the ground on my forearms and knees and tore up a good three or four feet of grass. My chest heaved as I sucked in air and reared up on my knees.

Tipping my head back, I howled at the uncaring sky until everything went black.

21. Where. Is. She?!

Kerry

I woke up to familiar voices. Before my eyes were open all the way, I jumped to my feet and felt my shoulder to check on Rome.

I called up my katana when I couldn’t find him.

“It’s okay, Kerry. Rome’s here. He’s hurt, but he’s alive.”

---