Page 24 of The Lycan King's Captive

I stared at his back. Could I trust him? The scary part was, I wasn’t sure I had a choice. And if I was pregnant…

I wasn’t. We’d had sex one time.

Plus just now in the shower, a little voice reminded me. But he’d pulled out. God, what had I been thinking?

Just as panic threatened to rise, a distant thumping sound filled the air. In the kitchen, a glass on the counter began to rattle.

I stood, my heart in my throat. “What’s happening?”

Cyrus turned. I must have looked ready to bolt, because he came to me and cupped his big hands around my shoulders. “It’s okay. They’re my people.”

The thumping grew louder—and I recognized the unmistakable sound of a helicopter’s rotors.

My lips parted. “Your people have helicopters?”

“Just one.”

“Right,” I said weakly. Just the one. Normal, regular people things. Wait until he heard how I closed my vet clinic on Fridays to keep my electricity bills down.

As the whole cabin began to shake, he grabbed my hand and rushed me outside. Everything seemed to happen in fast-forward. Wind from the rotor blades threatened to flatten the trees. My hair whipped around my face, blinding me and forcing me to keep my head down. But I was aware of two large, black-clad men jumping from the helicopter and standing guard as Cyrus helped me enter and then take a seat.

In a way, the commotion was a good thing, since it stopped me from thinking about the risk of an attack. By the time I remembered to worry about Roman and his men, we were in the air. The cabin and the forest dropped away, quickly turning into a miniature world that didn’t seem quite real.

But the events that had happened there were very real. My heightened senses and the fatigue dragging at my body were painful reminders of how much my life had changed since I answered Roman’s house call.

The thrill of being airborne faded as I realized the two strangers were watching me. They were both big, muscular men—and obviously lycans. A tingling awareness at the base of my skull told me that. Their gazes were cool and impersonal as they took in my oversize clothing and tangled hair. Self-consciousness stole over me, and I focused my gaze out the window as the word “abomination” repeated in my head.

Cyrus was silent beside me. What had he told his people about us? About me? What could I expect when we landed?

I didn’t have answers, and I was suddenly too tired to contemplate them. As my eyelids grew heavy, I leaned my head against the back of the leather seat and let sleep take me.

* * *

It seemed like mere seconds passed before a gentle hand was shaking me awake.

“Abby.” Cyrus’s deep voice penetrated my sluggish thoughts as my brain came back online. We’d landed, and the helicopter’s rotors were winding down.

And instead of a postage stamp landscape outside my window there was a large expanse of manicured lawn. Beyond it sat a palatial house with more chimneys than I could count. Two men and one woman stood in a half circle drive in front of it.

I was instantly awake—and my throat went instantly dry. Cyrus wasn’t just rich. He was mega-rich.

As the pilot flipped off switches, the two muscle-bound men exited the helicopter and stood at attention, as if they waited for Cyrus’s instructions.

Like servants did for kings.

My heart began to pound. There was a brick wall around the perimeter of the property. To keep people out…or keep them in?

“Come,” Cyrus said beside me, and his voice seemed deeper now. Rich with authority.

There was nowhere else to go. Nothing else to do but put my hand in his and let him help me from the aircraft and lead me across the lawn. My stomach fluttered with nerves and my heart threatened to beat from my chest. I focused on not tripping over my too-large pants as we crossed the lawn.

“Hold your head high,” my father had always said. “You’ve worked hard for everything you have.”

Tears pricked my eyes. He was right. I had nothing to be ashamed of. Four years of undergrad and four years of veterinary school. I’d worked hard for all it.

So I let Daniel Rowe’s words wrap around me—and I squared my shoulders as Cyrus and I approached the group of people in front of the mansion.

All three were lycans. The woman was runway model gorgeous, with icy blond hair and clear blue eyes. She regarded me with obvious shock, her pink lips parting on a gasp she quickly smothered. The tall, blond man at her side was also clearly shocked but he did a better job of concealing it. His gaze made a rapid sprint down my body before he looked at Cyrus and bowed his head. “My lord. It’s good to see you safely returned. We were all worried about you.”

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