Page 33 of Thrilled By Her Protector

“She was. But her handler lost track of her two days ago. It seems she was intercepted while on a shopping trip.”

“But no one knows what the Drakein even are? Who would take her?”

“Likely it was too soon to send her out on her own. If you watch the second video clip of the market where Lyra was taken, she displays traits of a Shifter?—”

“Traits of a Shifter? For example?”

“Sniffing the air constantly. Hearing things she shouldn’t be able to. Keep watching, Miss Dylluan. You will see how the assailant identified her on that film. But for now, watch this.”

Jennifer bit back her growl and continued watching the screen. The older man slammed the door shut, and it seemed as if he was bartering for a better deal. One of the younger males slapped him across the face, but she felt no sympathy for the man.

The bastard was trafficking in women! He turned then, his face in full view of the camera. That was when her entire world shifted. Jennifer’s eyes widened, and thunder roared in her ears.

Holy fuck. No way. It was impossible.

“That’s my father. THAT’S MY FATHER!” Jennifer yelled, eyes wide. “What’s going on? What does he have to do with this?”

Mother pointed to the screen again, and her gaze flicked back to watch the scene unfold. Horror filled her as she saw an older, but familiar version of the man who’d abandoned her as a child get roughed up by a couple of thugs.

“From what we understand, your father is mixed up with an underground group of humans who know about Shifters. They call themselves theGlobal Human Alliance.”

“My father is mixed up with the GHA? Those are the assholes responsible for bombing greener companies and environmentalist rallies! They are like the worst people ever.”

“I agree, their politics are strange. They seem to hate people who want to save the world and believe humans are the only thing that matters. However, what is even more troubling is they know about supes. They’ve been collecting them, it seems.”

“For what reason?”

“We aren’t sure yet, but our intel shows they’re not just kidnapping Shifters, they’re experimenting on them. Look at this file.”

Mother handed her a thick file, inside it was filled with horrors the likes of which Jennifer wished she could erase from her memory. The DPCA did not handle this kind of thing, at least not her teams. The documents detailed horrific goings ons, complete with gory and grotesque photos, of Shifters being taken apart like science experiments.

“This is. Oh, gods!”

Jennifer gulped and swayed on her feet. Mother grabbed a chair and shoved it behind her. His face was unreadable, but that was the least of her worries. Yes, she knew some of the human world knew of their existence. There were whole departments dedicated to rooting them out and dealing with them using whatever methods they could—magic, persuasion, and sometimes, even death.

That was not Jennifer’s purview. She worked with elite Shifter teams who made the world safer. It was the kind of thing that improved relations between the supernatural and normal worlds for those in the know.

But this? This was something she didn’t even want to know about.

“What does my father have to do with this?” she asked and sat down heavily.

“He’s a catcher. He lures unsuspecting female Shifters into his confidence, then he sells them to the GHA goons. I am sorry to have to tell you this, Miss Dylluan.”

“No. It’s fine. I don’t know my father very well, as I am sure you already know.”

“Yes. That is why I believe we can trust you with this assignment.”

“What assignment?”

“We want you to bring your father in.”

“What?” she asked, completely aghast. “With all due respect, Mother, I am not an operative?—”

“No. But he is,” he replied and gestured towards the door.

Fuck. When did he arrive?

Jennifer frowned, refusing to look at the man who only hours ago made her come more times than she even thought possible. Her Owl perked up, but the beast was still mostly quiet. Her head pounded, and she felt sick to her stomach.

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