Home>>read Therian Prisoner free online

Therian Prisoner(60)

By:Cyndi Friberg Friberg


“Information, same as us.” Ian’s phone vibrated and he pulled it from his pocket. After a couple of text exchanges, he said, “Payne needs me. We’ll be just downstairs.”

Too tired to think up another sarcastic remark, she just waved him on.

He took a step toward the door then stopped. “Let me have your keys. That way you can lock up and go to bed. I don’t think this will take long, but I don’t know what Eli found.”

She dug her keys out of her purse and handed them to Ian. “How did Payne know we’d returned?”

“He didn’t. His first message was asking our ETA.” He rotated the handle lock but told her to slide the deadbolt after he shut the door.

The precautions still felt silly. She was just too tired to argue. After locking the door, she undressed in the bathroom and slipped on an oversized t-shirt. She scrubbed her face and brushed her teeth, then climbed into bed. She was about to turn off the lamp when she noticed one of the sacred journals on the corner of the nightstand. Her mother was the only one with a key to this apartment, but when had she placed it there?

Curious by nature, Devon picked up the leather-bound volume and reverently opened it to the section marked with the connecting ribbon. Neat lines of English filled the page and Devon felt a pang of sadness. This wasn’t one of the actual journals. It was her mother’s translation of the sacred text. Teaching Devon the ancient language had been grueling and frustrating for them both, but Erin obviously doubted that Devon had retained the knowledge.

She snapped the book closed and set it back on the nightstand as old resentments compounded her fatigue. Granted she hadn’t been the perfect student, but her mother was too quick to dismiss her accomplishments. Not only did she maintain a personal journal as her mother had always insisted she do, she recorded her thoughts, feelings and observations in the ancient language.

Whatever her mother wanted to teach her would wait until tomorrow. With a frustrated sigh, she reached over and turned off the lamp.

* * * * *



Using her wings to redirect the moonlight away from her body, Zophiel cocooned herself in shadow. She perched on the roof of the visitor center and peered in through a small window. Devon was alone in the small bedroom, but for how long? None of these windows were large enough to wrestle a struggling woman through and, from everything Zophiel had been told, Devon was guaranteed to struggle.

The raptor had just left but he couldn’t have gone far. No Therian male would leave his woman unprotected and their body language made it obvious they were a couple. Careful to keep herself concealed within the protection of her wings, Zophiel climbed down the side of the building. The windows on the ground floor were large enough for her purpose, but undoubtedly they were rigged with some sort of alarm. A surprise attack had worked for her once. It was unlikely she’d get away with it again.

A light switched on in the back corner of the room, drawing Zophiel’s attention. The raptor used a keypad to deactivate the alarm then opened the back door. Rather than leaving, as Zophiel had expected, the raptor stepped aside so his visitor could enter the room.

Zophiel narrowed her gaze on the newcomer as her heart lurched with disbelief. It couldn’t be, and yet she’d know that face anywhere. She’d seen those sculpted feature contorted in agony and watched as release clouded those amazing golden eyes. Payne. His name echoed through her mind and his head came up, his expression suddenly alert.

She ducked to one side of the window and pressed back against the building. Why was he here? His pride was in Europe. No, an even better question was, why was he still alive? The average Therian lived one hundred and twenty-five years. He should have died decades ago.

She heard the back door open and muffled voices. Damn it. She could not risk discovery, not by someone who knew all her secrets. With a frustrated curse, she unfolded her wings and stepped away from the building. She jumped into the air and propelled herself straight up, thankful for the cloud cover.

Flapping her wings as hard and as fast as she could, she left the sanctuary far behind. This was a complication she didn’t need. Now she would have to find a way of snatching Devon without being seen by Payne. Had the cougars called him in because of his connection to her? No. Payne believed she was dead. There was nothing to connect the person Payne knew with the person who’d abducted the human doctor. This was an unfortunate coincidence, nothing more.

Zophiel’s emotions were still in turmoil as she landed in the park adjacent to the house she shared with Nehema. Pausing long enough to absorb her wings, Zophiel strode across the grass and headed straight for the front door. The door was locked, so Zophiel rang the bell, annoyed by Nehema’s paranoia.