Nodding absently, he drummed his claws against the desk as he digested the information. It was possible that this “brother” was a demon and that the mother had f**ked around. Possible, but he didn’t think so.

He wasn’t a hundred percent sure, but he had a suspicion that his Beta had just stumbled across a way to make his old dream into a reality.

Chapter 39

“Wow, I didn’t know your son was a pu**y,” Caine said conversationally as he watched the large Sentinel struggle to get out of the obviously pissed off Pyte’s hold.

Ephraim sighed heavily as he shook his head, watching as Chris continued to struggle while the Pyte stood there, looking bored. “I didn’t know either.”

“Mother f**ker!” Chris roared as the sound of a bone popping out of place echoed throughout the large elevator.

Caine pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a sigh of disgust as he muttered, “Fucking pathetic.”

“Bring us to the ground floor…..now,” Christofer said, keeping his gaze locked with Ephraim’s as he gave Chris’ dislocated arm a slight pull, earning a pained groan from Chris as his son finally went still in the Pyte’s arms.

Ephraim ground his jaw firmly shut as he looked from the pissed off Pyte holding his son hostage to his son, who looked absolutely furious and a touch embarrassed at having been taken so easily. It had happened so fast that he hadn’t had time to react. The funny thing about it was, they’d all expected an attack and had been ready for it, but Christofer had taken them all by surprise.

Before the elevator doors opened, Ephraim heard the other Pyte approaching the elevator at the same as Caine. Without a word, they’d signaled to Chris to expect an attack. They’d shifted to the sides of the elevator, drew their weapons and-

Blinked in surprise to find the Pyte standing in the far corner with Chris pulled in front of him like a shield, a hand wrapped around his son’s throat and the other twisting Chris’ hand behind his back. No one seemed more surprised than Chris. It was a move that Chris normally would have seen coming a mile away, one he could easily avoid, but he hadn’t seen it coming.

None of them had.

Christofer had moved faster than a Pyte should have been able to, his brute strength alone was amazing. It made him wonder what would happen if Christofer learned how to control that strength. It also made him wonder how Christofer had learned to harness the strength and speed that Ephraim could only touch when he’d slipped into bloodlust. He wanted to learn that kind of control for himself and judging by the calculating expression on Caine’s face, he wasn’t the only one.

But first, he needed to get this situation back under control. His gaze shifted to the woman standing by Christofer’s side and for a brief moment he considered grabbing her to ensure his son’s safety, but he knew that would only make things worse. Right now Christofer was in control, but if either one of them laid so much as a finger on the Pyte’s mate, that control would snap and Chris would pay the price.

“We came to get you,” he said, moving his attention back to the Pyte as he slowly reached over and flicked open the elevator button and scanned his fingerprint.

“You’re about five days late for that,” Cloe said, shifting her attention from him to Caine and then back again.

“And I apologize for that, but the situation was out of my control,” he explained calmly as he pressed the button for the ground floor, cursing the Sentinel leader and his f**ked up plans to hell and back again. “I’d like a chance to explain things to you before-”

“You had your chance,” Christofer said, his hold around Chris’ throat tightening just enough to keep him from doing anything stupid.

“You can’t leave,” Chris bit out, wincing when the Pyte’s hold around his neck tightened even more.

“Watch me,” Christofer said, the threat softly spoken, but it was enough to send Ephraim’s heart racing, because he knew that this Pyte had been pushed too far.

It also let him know that the time for diplomacy and finesse was long gone. If he was going to get his son out of this safely and keep this Pyte couple out of the hands out of a Master, and the girl from the horrible fate that awaited her, he was going to have to be blunt.

“The moment that she steps out of this compound, every shifter within a hundred mile radius will be after her.”

*-*-*-*

“What did you just say?” Christofer asked after a slight pause as the force of Ephraim’s words nearly knocked him on his ass.

“They won’t have a choice,” Chris bit out.

“Bullshit,” he said, praying that Ephraim was lying his ass off to manipulate them into doing what he wanted.

“She’s marked,” Ephraim explained in a hard tone. “You’ve not only fed from her without permission, but you’ve changed her and claimed her.”

“You’ve stolen a shifter’s property,” Caine added as he sent Cloe a pitying look.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Cloe demanded, shifting the tension in the elevator as every man noticeably went still, even the man he held by the throat.

Two pairs of red eyes suddenly locked on him as Ephraim demanded, “Why the hell didn’t you tell her?”

He shoved the Sentinel away so that he could get in the other Pyte’s face. “That was your job,” he snarled.

“Someone want to fill me in?” Cloe demanded, but his focus was locked on Ephraim.

“She’s your mate!” Ephraim snapped, shoving him back.

“Ah, no I’m not,” Cloe said with a snort of annoyance that he chose to ignore, mostly because this wasn’t the time or place to explain that she did in fact belong to him. Besides, she’d eventually realize it on her own.

“We came here for the information that you promised,” Christofer said, shoving Ephraim back and getting back in his face. “You’re the one that f**ked up when you didn’t give us the answers that you promised us.”

Ephraim shoved him back, getting right in his face. “We didn’t have a f**king choice. As soon as we left you so that you could calm your mate down, our access to your floor was taken away. For the last week we’ve been stuck here, dealing with bullshit and trying to get our access reinstated so that we could keep our word to you.”

Breathing hard, Christofer held the other man’s murderous glare as he reached over and took Cloe’s trembling hand into his. “You have an hour to explain what’s going on and then we’re leaving.”

“One hour,” Ephraim agreed with a firm nod.

“Fucking bastard,” Chris muttered as he turned around and slammed his shoulder into the elevator wall in an attempt to put the bone back in its socket.

Caine sighed heavily as he reached out, grabbed Chris by the shoulder with one hand while he placed the other against his back. With a slight push, he had the bone shoved back in place with a sickening pop that had Chris grunting in pain.

“Thanks a lot, you f**king-oh, shit!” Chris snapped as he slammed back against the elevator wall, reached out, grabbed Caine by the arm and yanked the large Pyte in front of him.

Caine opened his mouth, then shut it as his eyes went wide and he noticeably swallowed, making Christofer frown as he muttered, “Oh, shit.”