Page 61 of Conquered Betrayal
“Maybe. But it’s all for research, the greater good. You know that. You used to agree with me.”
She swallowed and shook her head, her fingers tight against mine.
“Ah well. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised by your lack of participation. You’ve always been a weak disappointment.”
I didn’t want him to focus on her. “Where are all your mind-controlled shifters I’ve heard so much about?”
His eyes narrowed. “They keep dying on me, unfortunately. Not that it matters. They would have ended up here anyway. It’s just money.” He glanced between us.
I stepped forward, blocking his view of his sister. “How did you control them, make them work for you?”
This was the first time true enjoyment entered his eyes. “There are many differences between humans and beasts, and the one I like the most is an animal’s need to please its master once tamed. In some, I could exploit that quality with the right combinations of conditioning and pharmaceuticals. For others, it never worked.” He shrugged. “We never did find out why, despite my cousin’s extensive research.”
My hand curled into a fist, needing to strike. He said it like it was no big deal, as if mind control was a side hobby.
Then his face hardened. “Your friend Walker Hayles was especially difficult to convert. Usually, cougars were some of the easiest. Did he brag about what he did to my cousin? That he jumped on him in his beast form and ripped out his intestines to feast? I saw it all.”
Though my stomach rolled at the description, I wouldn’t hold it against Walker. If he’d done that, then it was probably a mercy compared to what had been done to him. I kept my face blank, not reacting.
“See?” He said it like I’d confessed something. “You’re just like them all—bloodthirsty and brutal to the core. Wolves in sheep’s clothing, all lying in wait until you can make your move in the most gruesome way possible.” He looked at Jolyn. “I was always truthful about what they could do.”
I took another step forward, blocking her completely.
His eyes narrowed on me. “Why did your kind kill my mother?” He’d kept his tone mild in comparison to his words.
I didn’t have a clue what he was talking about. What did I know of their mother? She’d been in a wheelchair for as long as I could remember, then died when Jolyn was only twelve or so. Did I hear how she’d come to be in that wheelchair? A car accident, perhaps? Nothing to explain his question.
His expression turned stony. “I’m sure you and your friends would have heard about her accident.” He spit out the word. “Wouldn’t there be one of you bragging how you’d used claws to push her car over the edge of the ravine? Wouldn’t there have been laughs about how moronic humans were, how stupid? How many beasts were in law enforcement at the time to keep it under wraps? How many corrupt ones still remain?”
I shook my head. We would have all been kids at the time. I had no clue if any of what he said could be true.
“Of course. You beasts always stick together, don’t you?” His lip curled in disdain. “Always trying to get the upper hand. Jockeying for positions of power.” His gaze raked me up and down. “You’re no different. You climb the corporate ladder, place your spying technology in businesses around the world. You sit down at the table with normal people, smug in your differences, and plot our demise. More and more of you emerge around the world as leaders. Someone needed to put a stop to it.”
A chill ran through my body. I’d known he was deranged from Walker’s recounting and Jolyn’s fear, but I hadn’t understood how far his paranoia ran until now. He saw all of us as the enemy no matter what kind of person we were. There would be no reasoning with him, but would I be a fool not to try?
I raised my voice. “We found out about the vitamin water. Why do this so publicly? People will connect it to you. You’ll go to prison, probably the death penalty for mass genocide.”
He didn’t appear fazed by the fact. “Perhaps. Or perhaps not.” The corner of his mouth curled upward. “It was never about me going free or escaping consequences. If your kind are revealed and most of those eliminated, then my purpose on this earth is fulfilled. It doesn’t matter what happens to me.”
A true megalomaniac. A breath shuddered through my body just as Jolyn stepped up beside me again, her hand hooking into mine, giving me a squeeze.
Mahn’s eyes narrowed on our joined hands, then he glanced at his companions. “I think we should get this show started, don’t you?”
Murmurs of assent and nods answered his question. Hat-backwards asshole chuckled. I glanced at Jolyn, then at Mahn, realization dawning. He wouldn’thunthis sister, would he? He couldn’t be that twisted. But he hadn’t given her another option. He meant to keep her here in this arena.Fuck me.
Mahn picked up a remote and waggled it toward us. “If he doesn’t rip you to shreds, Jo, I’ll hunt you both.”
21
JOLYN
It was too dark,the forest closed in all around us. I squeezed Landon’s hand tighter.
“Are we lost?” It was about the sixth time I’d asked, and his answer was always the same.
“Nope.” But this time he added, “Cabin is right up ahead. And when we get there, I’m going to run you a bath, massage your feet, and make you spaghetti carbonara.”
As lovely as all that sounded, I just wanted the first part, the cabin. Once we were back, he could ignore me for the rest of the night as long as we were out of this dark, creepy forest. I swore as soon as the sun set, eyes stared at me from the shadows.
