Chapter One
Light seeped in under Devon’s eyelids and pain branched across her brain. She groaned, rolling to her side as she buried her face in a pillow. Unwanted scents crept into her nose, drawing her back to reality. Stale cigarette smoke, sweat and humans, each discovery was less desirable than the last.
How long had she been unconscious? She tuned out her surroundings as she sifted through the cobwebs obscuring her memory. She’d been kidnapped twenty-eight days ago and confined in a facility that was part prison, part laboratory. Though she hadn’t been beaten, she’d been given drugs with horrendous side effects and subjected to all manner of testing despite her very loud objections.
But where was she now and why had the Italian sedated her? He’d burst into her cell like some liberating hero then shoved a needle into her neck before she mustered the strength to struggle. She blew out a frustrated breath then slid her hand out until she found the edge of the metal bunk. For half a second she’d imagined she was back in her own bed, safe with her family and friends.
She slowly lifted her head and peered through the strands of her hair. This room was different, less high-tech holding cell and more actual cage. Every time she thought her situation couldn’t get any worse, the gods conspired to prove her wrong.
“You are finally awake. Buon.” She recognized the Italian’s voice, though she still didn’t know his name. He tried to be warm and amicable, but his Latin charm was wasted on her. She wasn’t fooled by his dark good looks or practiced smile. There was no power on earth that could make her trust him. He was one of the “backers”, the shadow council that supervised and controlled the amoral project which had taken her captive.
“Where am I?” She swung her legs over the side of the bunk and sat. “Why was it necessary to move me?” Flipping her hair out of her eyes, she paused for a better look at her surroundings. Two walls were nothing but metal bars. There was a toilet and sink, but nothing resembling privacy. A thin pad stretched across the metal bunk and a folded blanket had been provided for warmth. Neither appeared particularly clean.
Had her family finally located her prison? Was that what motivated the sudden change? Hope sputtered out nearly before it flared. It was more likely her family still thought she was hiding, still punishing them for offering her up as a sacrifice to the rebel cause.
“Your previous accommodations were more comfortable, I agree.” The Italian slipped his hand into the pocket of his dress pants, managing to look debonair despite the dismal surroundings. “Unfortunately, your people felt it necessary to destroy the mountain complex.”
By “her people” he meant Therians, shapeshifters able to take on the physical form of their respective animal natures. She had been born into a powerful cougar clan, but her animal nature had yet to be defined. “Go ‘my people’. It’s only unfortunate that you weren’t there when they attacked.” So her family was aware of the backers’ project, but did they realize she was one of the test subjects?
He smiled and folded his arms over his chest. “Always so feisty. Your spirit is what keeps me fascinated with you.”
She cringed. Her spirit was what had given these bastards access to her. The fight with her brother seemed so foolish now. No rebellion, however noble, was worth the degradations she’d endured for the past twenty-eight days.
The Therian nation was on the brink of civil war and her brother, Kyle, was right in the middle of the conflict. His beliefs and values were very different from their father’s, so when their father died and Kyle took power, half the feline clans expected him to maintain the status quo while the other half were ready for him to make radical changes.
Taking advantage of the escalating conflict, Lokesh, a powerful jaguar alpha well-known for his support of the ancient ways, had offered to switch sides if Kyle allowed him to mate with her. She’d waited for Kyle to inform Lokesh that she was a modern woman who refused to bow to the antiquated customs outlined in the Charter. Instead Kyle looked at her with pleading eyes and asked her to consider the union . She’d stormed off in a fit of rage, never dreaming she’d just provided an opportunity to the humans who’d been watching her for days.
If it were within her power to suppress her feisty spirit, she would have done so years ago. Instead she’d fought her handlers every time they entered her cell and sabotaged test results at every opportunity. “We both know I live to entertain you.” Her sarcasm only widened his smile. “Is this your private petting zoo? Are you hiding me from your partners?”