Page 63 of Sold Rejected Mate
“Not like it matters if we tell her,” he says. “Hell, maybe she can fix this thing up with that magic of hers.”
I’ll do no such thing, but I don’t tell them that. And why wouldn’t it matter if they tell me? Surely they know I would tell Lachlan immediately.
Or do they have some way of wiping my memory?
“This is an energy extractor,” Lucian says, walking over to the thing and kicking it, a scowl set on his face. “Or, it’s supposed to be. Stupid fucking thing stopped working just before we got our hands on you.”
“Stopped working?” I ask.
“Stopped pulling out the energy without starting a fire. Started letting the energy out again.”
“Whatenergy?”
“Daemonic energy,” Lucian spits. “Gods, are you stupid. Remember the energy that you and your little friends—and my whore sister—sucked out of the earth?”
“We didn’t—”
“Fucking save it,” he growls, turning back to the metal thing. “Don’t care. All that matters is that the shit goes for aloton the black market.”
Dallas turns, his leather coat flapping open as he leans against the thing, and I realize just how much it must weigh not to topple over under his weight.
“After Declan fucked up the insurance thing,” he says, “we needed another way to make money. This was working great, until the thing died.”
“If you can fix it,” Lucian says to me, his eyes shining, “we’ll have two. Want to try?”
“Why would I do that? Will you let me go?”
Lucian laughs. “Uh—no. Obviously fucking not. We need you to get the other one.”
I feel the blood in my body drain down to my toes. “What are you talking about?”
“The buyer wants a stray omega. Only fucking thing he’ll trade for. Do you know how hard it is to find one of you?”
My body starts to shake at the realization of what they’re saying. “But Lachlan can pay you, and you can pay your buyer—”
“Oh, we’ll take Cambias’s money all right,” Dallas says, shaking his head. “But we’re also taking you. Like we said, the only thing the buyer will trade for.”
So, they already contacted Lachlan about the ransom. And they’re not planning on letting me go.
And they think there’s any chance in hell they’re going to get away with it.
Without meaning to, I start to laugh. It’s slow at first, and they give me a weird look, but then it takes over me, making me shake and struggle to breathe.
“Something funny?” Dallas asks, taking a step toward me, my laughing apparently insulting him.
“Oh, gods,” I wheeze, looking up at them through the tears in my eyes. “You’re all dead.”
“What the fuck did she say?” Lucian straightens up, turns to me. “What did you say?”
I’m still laughing hard enough that the words come out warbling, “You’re—all—dead. Holy shit. Lachlan is probably already on his way. And he’s going to tear you fuckerslimbfromlimb.”
“Over one bitch?” Lucian asks, but there’s a hint of fear in his voice. “I’ve heard about Cambias. Just because you’re his current flavor of the month doesn’t mean he’s going to come out here for you. You’re delusional.”
I could tell them I’m pregnant. I didn’t want to at first because I thought they might purposefully hurt the baby. Now, I almost want to tell them just to see them get scared. Just to see them realize the huge fucking mistake they’ve made.
Lachlan may have run away when I told him, but I know him. I know he turned around that day on the ridge, and if I know him like I think I do, he already went home. Already realized I’m gone.
He’s on his way here right now.
