“So that’s it? We just give her back to her abusive father and act as though we don’t have a choice in the matter.”
“We don’t.”
Adam surged to his feet and slammed his hands on Maura’s desk. Her gaze hardened, jaw clenching. It was a mistake. Adam knew that. He withdrew, bending his head. Why was he letting his temper get the best of him here? He struggled to reign it in, knowing that wasn’t going to help anybody and not liking how he’d exploded like that.
“I’m sorry,” he said. His palms stung but not as much as the prick of pain in his heart. Both for how he was acting and for how helpless he felt.
“Sit down and keep control of your temper, Sergeant.”
Adam sank back down. He pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes, struggling with all his emotions. Once he was certain he could remain calm, he dropped his hands to his lap again. “We have a choice here. We can go back in and rescue her.”
Maura slumped back in her chair, shaking her head. “If we do that, then we undo the point in giving her back in the first place. You can’t just put all our students at risk again for one person. I understand she is abused, and I wish that we could help her. I wish this wasn’t a situation where sacrifices have to be made, but it is. I’m sorry, Adam. I know you blame yourself. And I know that you grew close to her.”
“It’s not—”
“Adam, please. It is because of that, too. I’m not saying that you were wrong to develop an emotional connection with her. It’d be disturbing if you could spend that amount of time with intense contact and not develop a bond. But you aren’t thinking clearly. I’m sorry. But with the situation as it is, we have to let her go. And that’s on me. Okay? It’s not on you.”
It would have been nice to be able to just accept that. Absolve himself of all guilt because his superior gave him an order. Say that he didn’t have a choice in the matter. But the fact was, he did. It wasn’t like with Karey. Sure, he might throw away his entire career. He might make himself an enemy to his closest friends, but he wasn’t going to die for disobeying. He wasn’t going to go back to a situation where he felt tiny and helpless and worthless.
He stood again, slower this time. Maura looked at him warily, but he had full control over himself now. He nodded at her, to show that he understood where she was coming from.
“If that is your decision.”
“It is. And I’m sorry that it had to come to this.”
Adam nodded again. “I am as well. Because when I was approached to join this team, I thought… this was a chance to make a real difference. Not to be bogged down in red tape and see people suffer because the rules said that I wasn’t allowed to do anything. I joined this team because I wanted to actually help people. I wanted to help everybody who deserved it. Not just the people who fit in the perfect, neat little package of what it means to be a victim.”
“Adam—”
“I’m not trying to change your mind.” And he wasn’t. He was beyond that, now. Every minute that he stood here arguing about whether or not Karey deserved help, she got further and further away from being able to get that help. “You have made your position perfectly clear. So I quit.”
Maura stared a moment before jumping to her feet. “Adam!”
“I’ve made my choice. I can’t be part of an organization that treats people like this. So, I’m out.”
“And so what are you going to do? Are you going to try to get her back by yourself?”
Adam shrugged. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I just know that I can’t stay here. I don’t belong in the Blaze Ops if this is what we’ve become.”
Maura ground her teeth together. “Adam, you need to take some time and think this through and—”
“No, actually. I don’t. I quit. I’ll take care of the paperwork today.”
“I’m not going to let you—”
“You don’t have a choice. It’s my decision. Unless you want to arrest me?” Adam rose a brow challengingly at her.
Maura glared at him. “I’d like to. Just to keep you from doing something stupid.”
“Okay, then go ahead. You have the grounds for it. You’ve got video evidence that I had sexual contact with a known enemy agent. So, go ahead. Arrest me.”
Maura sank back into her chair. “I won’t. Not yet. But if you go anywhere near Pack territory, I will have your ass in jail faster than you can say pigs in a blanket.”
Adam nodded once to show he understood. And then he left. The thing about arresting him was Maura would have to catch him first. And he had no intention of being caught. He’d get Karey out of there, and he would take her somewhere she could be safe. Nobody bothered to protect her, but he would.
And if he went to jail for it? So be it.
Chapter Nineteen
Karey couldn’t remember the last time her father gave her a gift. The one he gave her today, though, was not one that she wanted. A slinky dress that hugged her figure so much she felt like she couldn’t breathe without risking her breasts popping out of the deep V neckline. The skirt was hardly better. She felt like a cheap prostitute in it, and the deep red color did not suit her tones at all.
She hated to think about why he’d bought it for her. Her fears were confirmed when she went to dinner and found Shane Carter there. He leered at her, his gaze running down her form like physical fingers fondling her. She wished she could throw her drink in his face, but that would only earn her more reprimands.
Neither of the men actually talked to her as she sat down. Not that it surprised her. Even though she had retaken the trials once the blockers had worn off and had earned herself an increase to a Chi, nobody treated her any different. She might as well still be an Omega.
At least she was in a position to get more information. She had some experience in sneaking around behind her father’s back to save information. There were times when she had to hide technology from him when he got into his moods, in order to protect the research that he desperately wanted to have. Now, she was using the techniques she’d learned not just to preemptively protect herself when he demanded the information he’d have otherwise lost but to be able to take it back to the Magnus Academy.
Being invisible, then, had its benefits.
Right now, she wished she could have been invisible for real. Nobody wore clothes like this in the Pack. Women were told very strictly to keep themselves modest, so as not to tempt the men away from their mates. Karey had never even considered wearing something like this in her life. It felt like something she ought to wear in the bedroom, not to dinner, but her father had told her to put it on.
Shane’s leer continued to be on her. “It’s a shame,” he said suddenly. “When women give their virtues up for nothing, don’t you think?”
She ducked her head, face growing uncomfortably warm.
“If you mean virtues as in their place in the Pack, their ability to bear strong offspring and their duty to raise that offspring, chasing ideals of fame and fortune, I agree,” her father replied.
She dared a peek at him. Was he defending her against the obvious snub? Shane was trying to say that she was no longer virtuous because of what she had done with Adam. But was her father saying that it wasn’t virginity that made a woman virtuous? She couldn’t remember him actually saying anything about it, other than that women should choose the strongest men to have their babies with.
“I must say,” he continued, not speaking to her but still to Shane, “I was very, very disappointed when you brought back the tests to say that Karey here had not managed to get pregnant with the dragon’s get. But then, I suppose it’s not too surprising, is it? After all, one time is hardly enough for a woman to get pregnant most times.”
The other Omegas, servants, brought out food and placed the dishes before each of them. Karey wished she could be with them, rather than sitting here, feeling like she might as well be naked before the man her father intended her to mate. Would they have the binding ceremony today? Would she
be expected to sleep with him tonight?
Could she say no if it was?
Her hands began to tremble, and she pressed them to her knees, not touching her food—not that her father or Shane noticed.
“It is a disappointment for sure,” Shane quickly agreed. “But when we look at it another way, it allows us great opportunities.”
He shot a smirk toward Karey, and she glared back before she could stop herself. Her father noticed and frowned at her. “You’re not eating.”
She obediently took a bite. It tasted like ash in her mouth, but she forced herself to chew and swallow. Just get to the point already!
Her father continued to watch her, making sure she ate more before he turned back to Shane. “As I was about to say, I agree. We have a great opportunity before us. I have it on good authority that the dragon that my daughter so cleverly seduced is still pining something terrible for her. He’s even gotten into a fight with that bitch Maura Rizzoli over whether or not they should storm the castle, so to say, and rescue his damsel in distress.”
Karey’s heart simultaneously leapt and sunk. Adam was wanting to get her back? He didn’t want to leave her here? He was even fighting with his superiors! It sounded too good to be true—which was why her heart sank. If it wasn’t true, if it was a lie, then it meant her father knew she wasn’t genuine in what she had told him. It meant he knew she had lied to stop him from punishing her.
It meant he knew she didn’t want to be here and would punish her for daring to have wants and wishes that didn’t include serving him and his ideals.
Oh, but if it was true… if Adam really did want her back, then she had a chance! She had a chance at getting out of here. Getting away from the Pack for good and having a life where she wasn’t forced to be invisible just for the sake of keeping herself away from the fists.
“Oh.” Shane looked and sounded startled—a rush of vindictive pleasure went through Karey for that. Good! Let him be startled. Let him wonder where the Alpha was going with him and let him be terrified that it meant something horrible for him. “I… must admit that I’m not certain how that benefits us.”
The Alpha let out a heavy sigh. “You haven’t been able to keep your eyes off Karey since she walked in here. You’ve been imagining turning her over the table and hiking up her skirt since you saw her in that dress.”
Karey’s face turned as red as the dress. “Father, please,” she protested, covering her chest with her arms.
“No need to be so modest, Karey.” Her father chuckled. “I can’t see why anybody would be attracted to a fat girl like you, but it’s clear that there are those who like the look of you. And if you go back to your dragon looking like this?”
“Ah,” Shane said, sounding disappointed. “Yes, yes. I see what you mean. She’d get pregnant for sure.”
“Especially if you started giving her fertility treatments,” the Alpha nodded.
That was why he was here? Karey couldn’t stop a sigh of relief. She wasn’t going to be given to the creep. Not tonight at least. No man wanted to mate a woman who was being sent to seduce another man. And there was a ready-made excuse to say no if he wanted to take the joys of being mated before the ceremony—she was supposed to get pregnant with another man’s child and could take no risks.
Shane hummed. “Yes… Alright, yes, I see where you’re going with this. Increase her fertility, send her off in the dragon’s direction. And when she comes back, pregnant with his child, we can more fully understand the development of a dragon fetus. If she’s carrying multiples we can learn even more—”
“But,” Karey burst out before she could stop herself.
But if they’re my children, I’m not letting you experiment on them. I know what you mean when you say you could learn more with multiples. You mean cutting me open and taking a baby out of me, to experiment on, to kill because you’d have others left inside that would be able to grow.
Her wolf snarled, her low fires burning hotter. No. That was not going to happen. She might not have been able to protect herself all these years. She might not have been able to protect anybody else. She might have cowered in the corner while innocent people begged her to free them. She might have craved her father’s approval so much that she set aside all her own morals to try to earn a proud smile from him.
But that ended. This ended.
None of her children would ever be subjected to this life. None of her children would ever know the shame of calling this man grandfather.
The Alpha narrowed glittering eyes at her. “But what, Karey?”
But she was going to die if she defied him too much too quickly. She ducked her head again. “But what if he doesn’t really want me? We were isolated. He didn’t have any other options. That’s the only reason…”
“Not according to my information.” Her father patted her hand, and she resisted the urge to pull away from him. “He has strong desires for you, my daughter. And when you go back to him, in tears, telling stories about how awfully I treated you since you returned…”
Her stomach twisted, and she fought to keep the hope off her face. He would willingly send her away?
“Well, he’d take you back. These dragons, it seems, have a soft spot for women. Stupid, for sure, but haven’t they all acted like fools for the women they have fallen for?”
Fallen for. Why would Adam have fallen for her?
“Still,” Shane said, leaning forward. “Is it worth the risk? I mean, when you think about it, they’re bound to be suspicious that she would so easily get away when we have already gone through so much to get her back.”
“I have an explanation for that.” The Alpha waved a hand. “There isn’t any need to worry, Shane. Although I’m sure you’re disappointed that you won’t be able to claim her. I’ll find you a different mate. My Karey will have a different role entirely in the Pack. Mother of dragons. You’ll bring us all we need to destroy the human plague that has overrun the earth. Your children will be strong and mighty, like their father. And with me teaching them and leading their way, they won’t have any of the foolish weakness that was taught to the Blaze Ops dragons. If they weren’t so soft on the wretched humanity, they would have seen their goals fulfilled already.”
Karey felt sick to her stomach as he continued. Railing against humans. Detailing his plans. Of course, they never asked her. What was there to ask? She would do as she was told, like she always did.
But now, she had a chance. To get out of here for good. She wasn’t going to protest. Wasn’t going to risk it. Once she was back with the Academy, she would explain her father’s plot and from there, she would be able to help bring him down. Once and for all.
So, when he rose his glass and pronounced blessings on her womb as though she were a field to produce crops, she rose her glass as well. She smiled. She thanked him for the opportunity.
Because as soon as his back was turned, she would put a knife in it.
Chapter Twenty
Adam was well aware of the shifters following him since he quit the Blaze Ops. He had expected it, but really Cooper ought to have picked someone in the Shadow Ops that he didn’t know. Not that there were many people in the Academy Adam didn’t know. He made a point of getting to know everybody he worked with.
Still, having a familiar face following him around made it easier not only to spy the individual in question but also shake him. Once he was in the clear, Adam flew from one spot to the next, keeping his movements erratic so the Blaze Ops wouldn’t be able to track him down.
He knew if they caught him, they would arrest him. Or at least try. He’d have to beat them up and make it all the worse for all of them. And he didn’t want to put his former teammates through that.
Leaving Karey was just not in the cards, though.
Adam soared through the misty clouds, grateful that he had cover for his plan of attack. He had a good idea where she was being held; all he had to do was get in, grab her and get out. Easy, right? Yeah, unless I
get taken prisoner and then I’m murdered, and my chopped-up body is used for the Alpha’s twisted experiments.
Something slammed into his back, sending him down several meters. Adam let out a surprised roar, fighting to regain control of his altitude. The weight on his back bore down heavier and a growl sounded above him. Great—another dragon. He growled right back, snapping his wings back together. He dropped; rolling mind-air, he sent a burst of flame at his attacker. The other dragon—Stephen—wheeled out of the way.
Adam put distance between them before he opened his wings again, slowing his plummet toward the ground. Stephen was faster than he was—he couldn’t outrun him.
Growling and hating that all his precautions were for naught, Adam angled himself toward the ground. Stephen matched him to the left, gliding with him until they were skimming the tops of the trees. They found a large clearing to land in and set down. Adam shifted back to his human form, turning a glare on Stephen.
Stephen shifted as well and gave him a glare that was just as angry and intimidating. He let out a puff of smoke as he stalked toward Adam. “What the hell?”
“What the hell me?” Adam snorted. “What the hell you. Here I am, going for a nice flight and you come out of nowhere and attack me! If you wanted to talk to me, you could have—”
“Don’t even start,” Stephen snapped at him. “Do you really think that I’d just let you get yourself killed? We almost lost you already, and we don’t care if you did quit. We’re not just going to let you give yourself up to the Pack.”
“Who says I was going to the Pack?”
Stephen gave him a look that was so furious Adam could have laughed. He looked just like Patrick. It was funny how much he’d picked up on the Colonel’s mannerisms. Stephen was always the free-spirited, fun-loving one. It must be physically painful for him to act serious like this.
“Don’t start playing games, Adam. I know exactly what you’re doing, and I’m not going to let you ruin your life like this.”
“First it’s letting myself be killed and then it’s ruining my life?” Adam shrugged. “Although I guess it would ruin my life if I were to die.”
Dragon's Prisoner: A Curvy Girl Military Romance (Dragon Blaze Ops Book 4) Page 12
