* The SUV bounced over roads that were barely impassable. I felt nauseous and constantly swallowed the bile that threatened to erupt at any moment. Donovan Wilson sat beside me and Junius Cantwell sat in the front seat, navigating for the driver. I hadn't spoken since I'd been forced into the vehicle. I had been locked in the same room for over the week. I was tired. I was hungry. I was getting angrier with each passing day. I had resigned myself to never leaving Donovan's pack. My mating mark from Eli had slowly disappeared. I rubbed the place on my shoulder where it used to be wistfully. I wish it were still there. It would protect me from Donovan.

* The SUV bounced over roads that were barely impassable. I felt nauseous and constantly swallowed the bile that threatened to erupt at any moment. Donovan Wilson sat beside me and Junius Cantwell sat in the front seat, navigating for the driver. I hadn't spoken since I'd been forced into the vehicle. I had been locked in the same room for over the week. I was tired. I was hungry. I was getting angrier with each passing day. I had resigned myself to never leaving Donovan's pack. My mating mark from Eli had slowly disappeared. I rubbed the place on my shoulder where it used to be wistfully. I wish it were still there. It would protect me from Donovan.
"Kind of odd isn't it? The way it disappeared?" I looked at Donovan, remaining silent. "Mating marks don't go away." He smiled and it was predatory.
"What did you do?" I whispered, realization dawning on me slowly.
"Oh, Grace. From day one, I've been giving you a special serum. One an old friend had shared with me, that he got from Vampire Royalty. It destroys the mating gene. Good thing you were born a shifter, otherwise, you'd be slowly becoming human." Bile rose in my throat as I realized all he was taking away from me. He'd taken Eli. He took my freedom. He was taking my mating to the man I had loved. Red hazed my vision when I shrieked and leapt across the back seat. My fists connected with his head and shoulders.
"You bastard! I hate you!" I brought my knee down to smash his groin. He grabbed it and twisted it, sending me crashing back to the seat. My lower back hit the arm rest and I landed awkwardly. His body covered mine.
"You can hate me until the end of time, Grace. But it won't make a difference. Because we will be mating. Whether you like it or not."
"Get off of me." I gasped out, his body crushing mine.
"Just have to wait for you to drop the bastard kid." I tried to bring my arms up to shove him, but he was so much stronger than me. "Cooper will come for you. And when he does, I intend to kill him. And your brother too."
Donovan sat up and I struggled to right myself. I fought nausea as I realized just how much everything had changed. I would never mate with the killer sitting next to me. I would die before it came to that. Those thoughts grew as we drove into an abandoned warehouse section and the SUV stopped. My door opened and Cantwell jerked me out. I stumbled on the cracked asphalt and shivered as the cold air assaulted me. It was nearly summer everywhere else, but not here. Snow lingered and it was cold.
"Let's go." Donovan led the way and Cantwell jerked me along. My boots crunched as we walked. I had to practically run to keep up. We stopped at one of the doors and Donovan laid his palm on the side of it. A fingerprint scanner appeared and then he tilted his head down, his iris being scanned. The door opened and I stepped into what felt like another dimension. The outside of the building had looked run down and abandoned. But it wasn't. It was a high tech, state of the art building. Camera's followed our every move. There were cubicles in a glass dome ahead of us and inside were at least a dozen men. Some were on computers, others were poring over draft tables, and some were testing a robotic unit that resembled a wolf. Donovan stopped to talk to a few that had stepped out to see him and I watched as the camera's moved to take in everything - and everyone. The men working kept sliding covert glances at me and I looked away uncomfortably.
"Junius. This may take a bit. Please see that Miss Jericho is placed comfortably and securely." A hand clamped on my upper arm and drug me with him. I had to run to keep up.
"You're hurting me!" I gasped out through clenched teeth, trying to jerk my arm loose. He squeezed tighter as I stumbled along behind him. He laid his palm across an electronic pad. It turned green and beeped as a door slid open. He threw me in the room. I hit the cot and he was practically on top of me.
"Let's be clear on one thing, little Jericho. I don't give two fucks about you or that bastard baby you're carrying. In fact, I would love to turn you over to our team of scientists to see just why you haven't aborted it yet since your mating has been negated. The only reason you aren't being hacked apart is because Donovan has a hard on for you."
"Get off of me." I growled through clenched teeth. He shoved me into the mattress before he stood up.
"Enjoy your new accommodations." He stepped out the door shut, the sound of a vacuum seal hurting my ears. I sat up and looked around the room. There was a shower stall cordoned off with a clear shower curtain. A toilet and a sink were across from the cot. There were no windows. Just four white concrete walls. Anger lit inside of my chest then something close to panic followed. I couldn't spend any more time locked up. I raced to the door and started beating on the glass.
"Let me out! Let me out now!" I screamed, using my foot to kick at the glass. I tried to reach my wolf and shift, but she was nowhere to be found.
"That's enough, prisoner one-seven-four-one-two!" A disembodied voice boomed in the room. I looked around.
"Let me the fuck out!" I screamed.
There was a click and I looked around as tubes appeared in the walls and ceiling. An audible hissing started seconds before gas filled the room. My head swam and I stumbled back against the door. My vision wavered and I felt myself sliding down the door as darkness eased around me. *