Charming the Beast (Purgatory #3)(43)
Author: Cynthia Eden

Chloe meant those words.

When she’d heard the screams behind her, she’d had one thought, just one.

Connor. Get to Connor. Make sure he’s all right. Protect him.

She knew he was the big, bad alpha, but…he was also still hers. Hers to protect. Hers to love.

Even if he didn’t love her back.

He squeezed her a moment longer. “Without you,” he whispered, and she almost thought that she imagined those gruff words, “I’d be lost.”

Then he pulled back. She blinked. Had he really just said—

But Connor was off at a run, and since he was still holding her hand, she had to run with him. They flew down the corridor, and Harris stumbled to keep up with them. The alarm was shrieking, hurting Chloe’s ears, and as they turned and rushed down the hallway that would take them to Holly’s lab, fear pushed through Chloe because she didn’t know what she’d find in there. What if Keegan had managed to escape?

Connor shoved open the lab’s doors.

For an instant, Chloe froze.

Keegan was strapped to a table. And Duncan…Duncan’s fangs were bared. His claws were out. He was trying to go for Keegan’s throat, but Holly was pulling her lover back, or, at least, she was trying to pull him back.

“You’re dead!” Duncan yelled. “Dead! You’re not my brother! You’re nothing!”

And that had Chloe’s mouth dropping open. Because…Duncan was Connor’s brother. And if Keegan was Duncan’s brother…No, no, no! They couldn’t be family!

A wave of unease had her shivering.

Keegan’s head turned then. His eyes locked right on her. And she realized that he had eyes the exact shade as Duncan. But as she stared at him, she also noticed…

His chin…his chin has Connor’s cleft.

His nose is like Duncan’s, but his cheeks are like Connor’s.

Like…Connor.

“Now all the family…” Keegan mumbled, “is together again.”

Connor stared at Keegan, then Duncan.

“I would have…left him to die…too,” Keegan said, his lips twisting. “Good thing…you saved…yourself, Duncan.”

Duncan lurched forward.

“No!” Holly yelled. “Stop it! Can’t you see? This is what he wants! He wants you to attack him! He wants you to be just as twisted on the inside as he is.” She shook Duncan. “But you’re not. You’re nothing like him! You’re nothing like your father! You are mine, Duncan. My lover. My life. So don’t listen to him.”

“Found you a…vampire to f**k…huh?” Keegan rasped. “That’s what I did…too…Brothers just…alike. Fuck and…feed and ch-change…”

Duncan’s whole body was tense, but he made no move to push past Holly.

“He’s our brother?” Connor asked and his voice just sounded dead.

“So he says,” Holly replied curtly. “But until we get the blood work back, nothing’s for certain.”

The twist in Chloe’s gut told her it was certain. As she looked between the three men, she wondered how she hadn’t seen the similarities before.

“Just how f**ked up…” Connor said, “does one family really have to be?”

Before Keegan could speak again, Eric burst into the lab. “Stop them!” Eric yelled. “Stop them now!”

Chloe had no idea what he was talking about, but she figured the mess they were all in had just gotten worse.

Eric ran to Keegan. He grabbed the guy’s jaw and jerked Keegan’s head toward him. “You’ve put your entire pack under a compulsion, haven’t you?”

“Figured it…would be a good idea.” His voice sounded slurred to Chloe.

“They are killing themselves! The silver in their collars is turned up to full power and they’re still fighting. They’re clawing at the cell bars and burning.”

Keegan laughed. A rough, choking sound.

“They’re your pack! Are you seriously going to let them all die?”

Keegan was silent. Chloe found herself leaning forward, holding her breath, and then he said, “If I don’t get what…I want…I’m going to let everyone…die.”

Then his gaze slid to her. His face hardened.

And she knew what he wanted.

Chapter Thirteen

“Kill him,” Connor said flatly as he moved to stand in front of Chloe. Hell, no, he didn’t like the way the guy was staring at Chloe. And Keegan was far too aware and chatty for his taste. Eric should have pumped him full of twice as many drugs. “The compulsion will end if you kill him.” Seemed like the easiest plan to him.

Brother or no f**king brother.

Because if the guy was telling the truth, then, from what Connor had seen, Keegan had far more of their father’s traits than anyone else. And dear old dad had been a sadistic bastard to the very end.

“Y-you don’t have to kill him.” Chloe’s hand wrapped around Connor’s arm. “Another vampire just needs to bite the werewolves. That vamp’s compulsion can replace the one he gave to his pack.”

Eric’s head snapped up. “What?” Connor could practically see the wheels turning in his head. “Hell, yes, that could work.”

“It did work on Harris,” Chloe said.

Eric whirled for the door. “Shane can do it. No one can resist that guy’s compulsion.” Then he was racing away again.

Connor kept his position in front of Chloe. “My vote is still for killing Keegan now. Why take the chance and let him keep living?”

Chloe had been afraid the guy on the gurney would compel her. And what if he did? What if that jerk took control of Chloe’s mind?

No one could hurt her. When Connor had found her and Harris together, hell, he’d nearly lost his control. And Harris had almost lost his head.

Holly glanced over at him. “There’s more going on here than we realize.” Connor noticed that she still hadn’t let go of Duncan. Probably because she realized that the guy could attack at any moment. If he felt even half the rage that Connor did, then the temptation to kill Keegan had to be surging strong and hard through his veins.

Holly narrowed her eyes on Keegan. “How did you get a vampire to transform you?”

“Interesting thing…the vamp has to be female…only the female vamps can transfer the power…”

Connor’s father had realized that, at the end.