Zane's Redemption

Like a vice, her father’s hand clamped around her upper arm, his claws digging into her flesh. An involuntary gasp escaped her. He would stop at nothing. Cold fear gripped her and slithered down her spine.

“Now you listen to me, young lady. From now on, you’ll do exactly as I say. In three days, you’ll be blood-bonded to your mate, and you’ll do it willingly.”

“Or what?” she spat. She’d rather die than do as he said. She had nothing more to lose. Zane had cast her out, and now her father turned out to be a monster. She had nobody.

“Or I’ll hunt down your lover and kill him, very, very slowly. I promise you, he’ll suffer greater pain than this world has ever seen.”

Shock stopped her heart, only to make it restart at double the pace. “No!”

“Oh, watch me!”

If she’d ever had any doubts of who her father was, they were all wiped away now. “I didn’t want to believe him,” she murmured to herself.

Her father jerked her by her arm. “Believe what?” he asked, his eyes narrowing.

Portia lifted her head slowly and calmly. “That you’re Franz Müller.”

She saw the final confirmation of the truth by the way he jumped back and how his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. It only lasted for a second, before he had himself under control again. He growled and flashed his fangs at her.

“Who told you?” He shook her.

But she didn’t open her mouth to speak.

“WHO?” he yelled not inches from her face.

Portia pressed her teeth together, unwilling to give in.

Then his face changed as if something crossed his mind. He gritted his teeth. “There’s only one man outside the organization who knows who I am. Only one who’d use this information against me.” He snarled. “Eisenberg.”

She recognized Zane’s last name, but tried to keep her face emotionless.

But her father knew her too well. As sure as she was his daughter, he could always interpret the little tells her face showed.

He raked his eyes over her body in disgust. “You let Eisenberg fuck you? That dirty, filthy Jew?”

There was no need to deny it now.

Portia lifted her chin in defiance. “And I loved every minute of it.” As the revulsion in her father’s face spread, she continued, “I drank his blood, and I gave him mine. And I l—”

But she didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence. Her father’s fists flew into her. She brought her arms up to shield herself, but it was to no avail. Blows to the head were followed by kicks into the stomach, as claws dug into her chest and ripped her clothes to dig into her skin. The scent of her own blood filled the air.

Her strength, already depleted from the events earlier in the night, left her. The next blow hit her temple. Blackness fell over her, and she stopped fighting against it, welcoming the darkness like a cocoon. In the darkness she would be safe.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Zane paced in his cell. After landing in San Francisco, they’d brought him to Scanguards’ downtown office and locked him up, waiting for Samson and Amaury to get back from Tahoe. At least, they had taken the silver handcuffs off him, but neither Eddie nor Haven had bothered offering him blood to heal his wrists. Not that he would have taken it anyway. He didn’t want any stupid bottled blood.

He kicked his boot against the concrete wall. Then he dropped his forehead against it, feeling the cold smooth surface against his skin.

Fuck, he’d screwed up. What if something had happened after Portia had run off? What if somebody had attacked her, or what if she was injured and couldn’t help herself? Logic told him that he shouldn’t worry: she was a hybrid and near indestructible, and she could fight off any human with her little finger. But logic didn’t rule his mind right now. Emotions did. And they were running high.

He turned and kicked the single chair they’d left for his comfort, then picked it up and slammed it against the wall. The metal bent. Figured that they wouldn’t leave a wooden chair in the cell. It would make creating a stake far too easy.

“Does that make you feel any better?” Gabriel’s voice droned from the door.

Zane swiveled on his heels and faced his unexpected guest. “No, but it doesn’t make me feel any worse either.”

Gabriel’s hulky form filled the door frame. “Wanna talk before the others get here? They’re just crossing the Bay Bridge.”

His heartbeat kicked up. “Did they find her?” He held his breath, hoping for the right answer.

“No.”