the Kings or their mates could be killed. But there was much he’d shown Kinsey. All of which she could easily take back to Kyvor and hand over.
Ryder clicked on the next e-mail. One by one he read until he came to the latest one, sent just a few weeks earlier. All of them discussing KB’s progress and how she’d taken to their program with ease.
He was numb. Utterly and totally numb.
The woman he loved had come to betray him.
Was this hollow feeling what Ulrik once experienced? Had Ulrik felt as if he didn’t know which way was up? Did Ulrik have the desire to hurt, to maim—to kill?
It was no wonder Ulrik had begun slaughtering the humans. It’s the same thing Ryder wanted to do. Because it was mortals who couldn’t leave the Kings alone, who kept meddling in their affairs as if it were their right.
Ryder slowly pushed away from the computers. The mixture of sorrow, distress, pain, and rage were about to erupt.
“I doona need to remind you MI5 is still here,” Dmitri said.
But his voice came as if from a great distance. Ryder stood, the need to shift so great he had to fight the urge to remain in human form.
“Ryder!”
Someone was shouting his name. He heard them, but there was no need to answer. Ryder knew what he had to do. Because he wasn’t going to let Con or any of the others take what was his right—bringing Kinsey to justice.
He’d offered her safety, shelter. His love.
And this was how she repaid him?
She’d ripped his heart out with nary a thought. He’d wondered if she wanted revenge for his leaving, and now he knew. But it was going to end that night.
Ulrik, the Dark, and MI5 had all tried to get to Dreagan and the Kings in some way. And Kinsey had slipped in under the radar. Ryder felt like the biggest fool.
But he was going to protect his home and his family in the only way he knew how.
Chapter Thirty-six
Kinsey woke feeling sick to her stomach. She rolled to her side to stop the nausea, but nothing helped. When she broke out in a sweat, she threw off the covers and made a dash for the bathroom to kneel before the toilet. As her stomach rolled viciously, her head began to pound.
She grabbed her head and fell to the floor. The pain was unimaginable, as if someone were inside her head. She cried out, squeezing her eyes closed, praying it stopped.
Ryder! Where was he? Kinsey needed him.
* * *
Ryder heard the screams when he was halfway to his bedroom. He started running with Thorn and Dmitri on his heels. As he approached the bedroom he saw the door open and panic set in.
He rushed into his room to find Anson kneeling over Kinsey in the bathroom. The light was on but Kinsey had her eyes closed with her hands on either side of her head as she curled up on her side. Her cries tore at Ryder as he saw the pain she was in.
Ryder grabbed a blanket off the bed as he strode into the bathroom. He covered Kinsey’s naked body then touched her arm.
Anson looked up at him, his black eyes troubled. “I heard the screams and found her like this.”
“Careful,” Dmitri cautioned Ryder when he tried to roll Kinsey onto her back.
Ryder needed to get her to Con. Con could heal anything. That’s when Ryder remembered Con was in Paris. He didn’t know what to do. As angry as he was with Kinsey, she was in pain. If he was going to get a confession from her, she needed to be lucid enough to answer his questions.
“Kinsey,” Ryder called. “Can you hear me?”
Tears streamed freely down her face, telling him the agony she was in. Ryder began to gather her into his arms to take her back to the bed. He was about to stand when she grew quiet.
He watched as her arms fell to her sides and the lines of hurt eased from her face as her body relaxed.
“What the bloody hell,” Dmitri murmured.
Thorn gave a shake of his head. “I doona like this, Ryder.”
He didn’t either, but he wasn’t sure what to do. At least Kinsey was no longer in pain. That was a plus. But there was
Ryder clicked on the next e-mail. One by one he read until he came to the latest one, sent just a few weeks earlier. All of them discussing KB’s progress and how she’d taken to their program with ease.
He was numb. Utterly and totally numb.
The woman he loved had come to betray him.
Was this hollow feeling what Ulrik once experienced? Had Ulrik felt as if he didn’t know which way was up? Did Ulrik have the desire to hurt, to maim—to kill?
It was no wonder Ulrik had begun slaughtering the humans. It’s the same thing Ryder wanted to do. Because it was mortals who couldn’t leave the Kings alone, who kept meddling in their affairs as if it were their right.
Ryder slowly pushed away from the computers. The mixture of sorrow, distress, pain, and rage were about to erupt.
“I doona need to remind you MI5 is still here,” Dmitri said.
But his voice came as if from a great distance. Ryder stood, the need to shift so great he had to fight the urge to remain in human form.
“Ryder!”
Someone was shouting his name. He heard them, but there was no need to answer. Ryder knew what he had to do. Because he wasn’t going to let Con or any of the others take what was his right—bringing Kinsey to justice.
He’d offered her safety, shelter. His love.
And this was how she repaid him?
She’d ripped his heart out with nary a thought. He’d wondered if she wanted revenge for his leaving, and now he knew. But it was going to end that night.
Ulrik, the Dark, and MI5 had all tried to get to Dreagan and the Kings in some way. And Kinsey had slipped in under the radar. Ryder felt like the biggest fool.
But he was going to protect his home and his family in the only way he knew how.
Chapter Thirty-six
Kinsey woke feeling sick to her stomach. She rolled to her side to stop the nausea, but nothing helped. When she broke out in a sweat, she threw off the covers and made a dash for the bathroom to kneel before the toilet. As her stomach rolled viciously, her head began to pound.
She grabbed her head and fell to the floor. The pain was unimaginable, as if someone were inside her head. She cried out, squeezing her eyes closed, praying it stopped.
Ryder! Where was he? Kinsey needed him.
* * *
Ryder heard the screams when he was halfway to his bedroom. He started running with Thorn and Dmitri on his heels. As he approached the bedroom he saw the door open and panic set in.
He rushed into his room to find Anson kneeling over Kinsey in the bathroom. The light was on but Kinsey had her eyes closed with her hands on either side of her head as she curled up on her side. Her cries tore at Ryder as he saw the pain she was in.
Ryder grabbed a blanket off the bed as he strode into the bathroom. He covered Kinsey’s naked body then touched her arm.
Anson looked up at him, his black eyes troubled. “I heard the screams and found her like this.”
“Careful,” Dmitri cautioned Ryder when he tried to roll Kinsey onto her back.
Ryder needed to get her to Con. Con could heal anything. That’s when Ryder remembered Con was in Paris. He didn’t know what to do. As angry as he was with Kinsey, she was in pain. If he was going to get a confession from her, she needed to be lucid enough to answer his questions.
“Kinsey,” Ryder called. “Can you hear me?”
Tears streamed freely down her face, telling him the agony she was in. Ryder began to gather her into his arms to take her back to the bed. He was about to stand when she grew quiet.
He watched as her arms fell to her sides and the lines of hurt eased from her face as her body relaxed.
“What the bloody hell,” Dmitri murmured.
Thorn gave a shake of his head. “I doona like this, Ryder.”
He didn’t either, but he wasn’t sure what to do. At least Kinsey was no longer in pain. That was a plus. But there was
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