Shifter's Revenge (Alpha Lineage) by Stacy Kinlee Page A

of Jason’s followers. “You have ruined centuries of careful living by my kind only to have us come out like this.”
    “Donavan?” Kera called out in a rasp. Her voice became scratchy as her throat tightened with anxiety. “You never said you would use me for bait.”
    “You can’t expect us to not keep tabs on you after what you did for us.” Gavin called out.
    “You are not bait, Kera.” Donavan spoke next. “You are the light on a war we cannot ignore.” The men began to shuffle closer. Some moved swiftly against the walls as they began to surround the inside of the warehouse.
    Maddox’s frown deepened as he realized how candid she had been with the military. Disappointment filled his eyes and caused tears to sting hers.
    “What do I do?” she whispered again.
    His eyes slammed shut for a moment and he shook his head. “Nothing more , Kera.” His words were so faint she knew only she heard them.
    Jason began to speak beside her. He called out Donavan’s name and addressed him as one leader to another. He requested that his men drop their weapons and insisted that he and the other men in the room were shocked and confused that their private gathering would be infiltrated as it had. He continued on to claim her absent ramblings were in no way associated with himself or anyone in the room. “We don’t want any trouble. I assure you that there is no war and whatever Kera may have done in your presence does not reflect on us.”
    “I understand that you, Doctor Howell, research genetics.” Donavan retorted calmly. “I think that a closer look into your research may give us a little more light on what we discovered.”
    “I seriously doubt that will help you and my research is public knowledge.” Jason’s voice dropped into a deep rumble.
    “I won’t ask again.” Donavan called out fiercely. “Hands up and drop to your knees.”
    This time Jason lifted his hands and Maddox followed. He turned his back to her again and fell to his knees for the second time that morning.

Chapter Nine
     
     
     
    Kera had no idea the danger she had just placed every man in this room in. Maddox clinched his teeth in fury and barely controlled instincts. He felt the rise in tension from humans and shifters alike. As she knelt softly behind him, her breath sawing in and out of her mouth, he wanted to rage at her and protect her at the same time. The confusion and fury over what she had done to them battled with the intense feelings he had for her. He would be lying if he said he didn’t think that it would be easier if he had never met her. His heart couldn’t take another scar and yet he felt the knife plunge into it and twist painfully.
    He stifled a growl when the men and their guns advanced closer to them.
    Donavan was the largest of them and he was followed closely by the man who had been tracking the device in Kera’s phone. They walked over to him with their weapons trained on his chest. Their eyes were covered by a helmet but by the tilt of their jaw he could tell that their attention darted between him and Kera as she knelt behind him.
    “This is surprising.” Donavan murmured. “Half the men in here have been reported as missing.” He inclined his head to Maddox in recognition.
    Maddox stared up at him, afraid that if he spoke it would release all the emotions he was so carefully containing within him. His instinct prowled around in his mind and beneath his skin. The urge to protect and defeat was overwhelming.
    The smaller of the two men stepped around him and stood in front of Kera. “My guess was right Kera.” He murmured to her. “We didn’t have to look far to find who your father worried was corrupting you.”
    Maddox swiveled his head to the side to stare at the man. He watched him kneel down and place a hand on Kera’s shoulder. She tensed but didn’t order him off of her. Instead she stayed silently staring at the floor. He saw a drop of moisture fall from the tip of her nose to the hard