“I only want my mate. Let me out, and I will not attack you.”
A small bead of blood trickled from a nick on her father’s throat, and the men dropped their wands, one of them reaching forward and entering a series of numbers on the keypad keeping the cage closed. Linc moved fast. He held her father in front of him, adjusting his grip so he was no longer wrapped around the bars. He stepped out, keeping her father close as he walked toward her. Two swift cuts with the scalpel had her free.
She tried to sit, but her arms wouldn’t obey her. She gritted her teeth and pushed harder, locking her elbows and ignoring the burn along her arm. In order for Linc to get them out, he needed to hold on to her father. She couldn’t distract him. She swung her feet over the sides of the gurney and stood, holding on tight against a sudden wave of dizziness.
“I got this,” she told Linc when he made a move toward her.
“What are you doing?!” a voice boomed through speakers. She saw Linc’s head whip in the direction of the observation window where a man in a uniform pounded against the glass. “He is expendable! The female is not! Stop them!”
The soldiers ran at him. Her brain recognized her mate in danger, and it shut off the part of her that hurt. She felt nothing except anger. With a strength she didn’t know she had, she leapt at the soldiers—knocking one to the ground—and grabbed the cattle prod. She found the switch, and jabbed it at the other man, who went down with a cry.
She heard a crash and saw her father fly across the room into trays and equipment before landing in a heap. In the next moment, Linc grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the doors. The hallway was empty, but a siren blared and lights flashed, disorientating her for an instant.
This way, he directed. Her feet slapped against the tile. She heard booted feet behind them, but Linc was faster. He scooped her up, slung her over his shoulder, and barreled through a set of doors and into the cold night.
The facility where they were held was brightly lit, and a spotlight swung around the perimeter as if searching for them. He stood still, probably to get his bearings. She heard a commotion and nudged him.
There, she pointed toward the ocean.
He took off, leaping over a gully and crossing a deserted road. Dogs barked wildly, and she heard a series of motors start up, engines revving as they were shoved into gear. Edythe bobbled across his back, her vision bouncing up and down as he sprinted forward. There was a gust of wind, and the sharp salty smell of the ocean filled her nose.
Almost there, came Linc’s voice. He pushed through dune grass and tripped, both of them tumbling down the dune to splay on the beach. Two hands reached for Edythe, but they weren’t Linc’s, and she slapped at them.
Female, stop! a deep voice demanded. She looked up, confused. The voice sounded similar to Linc’s, but it wasn’t him.
A male, taller than Linc, with scales an opalescent white, stared down at her. Will you let me help you?
Don’t touch her! Linc’s answer came quickly before he gathered her in his arms. Looking around, she realized they weren’t alone on the beach. A number of Aegean males stood ready to do battle.
She felt Linc’s relief through their bond. He held her tightly against his chest, and she reached for his arm, needing to anchor herself to him. She jerked in surprise when she saw her hand covered in scales. As she watched, the scales disappeared into her skin, leaving her familiar tanned flesh in its place. A rush of exhaustion followed their disappearance, and her head dropped to his shoulder.
She’s going to pass out, came the deep voice from earlier.
I never… she started to argue before the blackness overwhelmed her.
Chapter Thirteen
Linc watched the rhythmic rise and fall of Edythe’s breaths. Her eyes moved beneath her lids, and he hoped she was having good dreams. He shifted, moving onto the bed so he could wrap her up in his arms and pull her into his body.
His brave mate.
He had been paralyzed with fear when she lost consciousness. His father and brother forced him into the sea, promising him they would heal her as soon as they were safe. It took all of them pushing and prodding to get him beneath the water.
Yet she still hadn’t awoken. Linc held up her arm, turning it in the blue light of his home. He could see a faint mark from her elbow to her wrist where her father sliced her. He placed her arm on the bed, shifting so he could prop himself up. She had two shallow grazes across her collarbone; he traced them with his finger. He followed a line from the hollow in her neck to her navel, and then skimmed his finger from hip to hip.
What kind of father did this to their daughter?
How is she? his father asked.
He wanted everyone out of his home. He was agitated and afraid of lashing out at one of them.
Still asleep, he answered.