Page 51 of Sergi
Her words stung.
El Farah laughed. “At least I have the privilege of seeing this moment.” He gave Sergi a pitiful look. “Didn’t she tell you?” Sergi wanted to knock the smirk off his face. “Ines and I have been betrothed since childhood. I wasn’t originally in favor of her seducing you, but then, the quarry was too difficult to pass up.” He shook his head. “Though, to be honest, I’d expectedmore information than she was able to gather while opening her legs to you.” His laugh grew louder as Ines continued to yell obscenities at Sergi.
Memories of that morning, bits and pieces he’d refused to contemplate, could no longer be ignored. Carmen had nothing to do with it. He’d drunk the coffee Ines had made. Her desire to shop without him, wanting him to wait for her in bed. The feeling of being drugged.
Anger burned deep, not only from her betrayal but by what a fool he’d been.
Without warning, and with all his rage spurring him, he lifted the sword with one strong arm, spun around, and sliced through El Farah’s throat, some sick satisfaction releasing a knot in his chest as the male’s head toppled from his shoulders.
Ines’s screams rebounded in his head.
Sergi dropped the sword and walked out of the courtyard. He’d walked for miles, and it was several hours before Devon tracked him down.
He’d stopped by a river and had fallen to his knees on the soft grass. Some time passed before he heard the soft tread of footsteps. He knew it was Devon without looking.
Devon stopped behind him, not bothering to sit or kneel. “She’s the one who’s been leaking information about our army’s location.” His hand rested on Sergi’s shoulder, and though he tensed, he didn’t move away.
“I was a fool.”
“Then I was as well.” When Sergi didn’t respond, Devon added, “I saw the way she looked at you, even when you didn’t notice. I would have sworn it was love.” He hesitated, then finished. “We discovered that she’d done this before with House El Jilali. I’m sorry, Sergi.”
“Is she gone?”
“I took care of it myself.”
He hung his head. They could have assigned her to a different House, but a repeat spy, especially an angry one, couldn’t be trusted not to do it again. Male or female, a traitor could never be left alive.
Devon walked away, and it was four days before Sergi returned to the city to find him and the army waiting for him. They never mentioned her name again. And Sergi never let another female that close to his heart.
The kick to his upper thigh woke him, unaware he’d fallen back to sleep as he recalled the nightmare. A pair of glowing yellow eyes glared at him.
Gheata.
Sergi roared.
Gheata smiled for the first time. “Finally. The beast has been released.”
Chapter Nineteen
The next morning,I was grateful they delivered breakfast in my cell. I wasn’t fit to be around shifters, knowing what I knew of the latest experiment. I imagined sitting at one of the tables, staring through the frosted glass at our keepers on the other side as a pack of wolves descended on them. Mostly, I didn’t want anyone to see the anger brewing inside. I was usually good at maintaining a blank expression, especially after eleven months—or had it been a year now?—playing my role as a subservient slave. I didn’t think I could hold it in anymore.
I’d eaten the porridge quickly, then laid out the long belt made from the strips of my extra shift. I had spare material that I’d ripped into smaller pieces to wrap the individual vials to prevent them from making noise or breaking. I stared at the fourteen vials of blood and the single vial of BP-X. If that didn’t give Sergi a boost, I wasn’t sure what else I could do.
I wrapped each vial and tucked them into the long makeshift pocket I’d created by doubling the material in the belt. Once the vials seemed secure, I tied the belt around my waist, then slipped my shift on. It felt snug, but to be sure, I moved around, bending, stretching, and then walking. The material had loosened, and I re-tightened it then tested my movements again.
Better.
I sat on the bed and waited for the guard to take me to level three. Within minutes, the jitters began. What if they decided to keep me locked up today? No. Breakfast had arrived less than thirty minutes ago. I sucked in a long, deep breath before slowly releasing it, attempting to stop the pacing of my wolf, and I continued the exercise until she quieted.
When the billy club hit my door I jumped but remained sitting on the corner of my bed with my head down. The door creaked open, and I glanced up, surprised to see Dallas from level three.
“Come, girl. You have a busy day ahead of you.” He backed up, the billy club clutched to his chest.
I stood, wondering why he’d come upstairs rather than meet me on level three. Alarm bells went off in my head, but I pushed them aside. I wanted to ask, and while he might have answered, I decided to appear sullen. It wasn’t difficult. After bearing witness to yesterday’s experiment, it would be expected.
My nerves rattled as we walked through the halls, and I didn’t relax until we descended the stairs to the third level.
“We’re short-staffed today due to training. Follow your normal routine and don’t stray. Do you understand?”
