Warrior's Hope (Dark Protectors #16)(73)
Hunter looked at Drake. “I couldn’t let you force her to mate. As a Kurjan, I felt I was doing the right thing.”
Drake laughed, his low voice roaring through the trees. “As a Kurjan? Give me a break. You’re not a Kurjan.”
Hunter blinked. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve known exactly who you are for at least this last year, Hunter.” Drake smiled and addressed the nearest soldiers. “Take him, find another cage, and put him next to Paxton.”
Hunter fought them, but he was outmatched. He did some serious damage to a couple of the soldiers, but there were just too many of them. Soon they had him trussed up, and they dragged him away.
The wind whistled, freezing Hope’s skin, but she stood tall and faced the Kurjan. “If you knew he was Hunter, why did you let him live?”
Drake shrugged. “I didn’t think it’d be this easy to get you here and thought there might be a trade necessary in the future.” He grabbed her arm, digging his fingers in until she winced. “You need to understand this now, my queen. There is no escape for you, so you might as well stop fighting me.”
Chapter Thirty-One After a nail-biting afternoon during which Hope was locked in the opulent bedroom with nothing to do but pace back and forth, trying to catch a glimpse of the now-missing Paxton and Hunter, soldiers escorted her back down to the same study, where a table had been set with white linen and crystal goblets. Drake poured two glasses of wine and gestured her to the other seat. “I thought I could show you how life might be with me,” he said.
She looked at him. “You don’t know me at all. I’m a strategist who likes to work. I’m happiest out in the field, Drake.”
“That’s unacceptable for a queen,” he said. “Your other hobbies won’t get in the way, I’m sure. Sit down.”
She sat and once again eyed the bookshelf. There were several tomes she wanted to get her hands on—maybe there was something in one of them about killing not only Ulric but Drake. Maybe that was her destiny. “How familiar are you with these books?”
“Not very. Several of them were just dug up,” he admitted. “Vero is usually the one poring over books. With Hunter.”
Fresh concern welled up in her. “What have you done with him?”
“He’s in a cage, much like Paxton. I don’t want to start our life together on a contentious note, so I’m going to make you an offer.” Drake nudged her glass toward her, and she picked it up.
A woman brought in two plates laden with steak and potatoes and placed them on the table. Without saying anything, she scurried away. Hope watched her go. “I don’t like the way your females look around here. They appear terrified.”
“Most of them have been recently kidnapped. I’ll set them free soon,” he muttered. “Human females scare easily. You know that.” His gaze was appraising. “You, however, do not. I appreciate that in a mate.”
“What’s your offer?” She sipped the wine. It was rich and full-bodied, but the tannins hit her stomach and made her want to throw up.
He leaned back. “Here is the deal. I will let Hunter Kayrs go immediately, and I will let Paxton live after a week if he can survive that long. Take that as a mating gift to you. In addition, I will give you full access to our medical database and all of the kidnapped enhanced females. You may speak with them, you may advocate for them, and you may see what we’re doing.”
“If I refuse?” she asked.
“That would be unwise. Should you refuse, I will tear both Paxton and Hunter apart, inch by inch, in front of you,” he said. “Then I will kill all of the enhanced females we have, and I will torture the ones we’re about to claim. Finally, you will mate me.” He shrugged. “So choose your path. You either come willingly or not, but one way, you will avoid monstrous pain for people you care about. Either way, you will end up in the same place.”
She couldn’t breathe. Her throat was closing, and the edges of her vision were narrowing. “Where are Paxton and Hunter right now?”
“I couldn’t keep my men off them the whole time,” Drake drawled. “I believe Ulric is having a chat with your cousin right now, and several of my men are interrogating Paxton. He’s not holding up very well. I think the genetic manipulation may have weakened him more than the scientists thought it would. I will spare his life if you do as I ask, but I truly don’t know what kind of life that will be.”
She had to get out of there before she threw up. “I need to think about this,” she said, her stomach aching. She stood, swiping a knife from the table into her sleeve with a sure hand. “I’m not hungry.”
“All right, let me sweeten the pot,” Drake said. “Not only will you be rescuing your friends and the enhanced women, but if you mate me, we will make peace with the Realm. There’s no other avenue, so in effect, you’ll be saving everybody. It’s a small sacrifice to make, Hope, and I think you know that.”
She had contemplated the sacrifice she’d probably need to make her entire life. When she had been younger, she’d believed that her path was meant to be with Drake, that maybe it wouldn’t be a sacrifice, and somehow they’d fall madly in love as her parents had after meeting in the dreamworld. Now that she was here, face-to-face with reality, she didn’t know which avenue to follow. Any romanticization of the situation had long been blown away.