Submitting to the Shadow (Kindred Tales #27) - Evangeline Anderson Page 0,53

too much of my research.”

“What?” Samantha’s eyes grew wide.

“Either that, or you’ve been sneaking off to Earth to meet with him and you got pregnant after you and I started doing experiments together,” Roark went on grimly. This was a much worse scenario but after Amanda had left him for another male—one who could get her pregnant and give her children—he wouldn’t put anything past a human female.

“How can you say that?” Samantha’s eyes were wide and hurt. They almost made Roark feel bad…but then he remembered that she’d been cheating on him. Cheating and trying to pass the babies off as his or as a result of their experiments together.

The thought hardened his heart.

“Well I’m happy to inform you that it’s not too late for us to end our association,” Roark told her, barely keeping his temper in check. “Because as of this moment, you are fired, Ms. Grey. Kindly clean out your desk and leave my lab.”

“What?” Samantha’s eyes were filled with a mixture of fury and tears. “How can you say this to me, Roark? How can you treat me like some…some experiment that went wrong you just want to throw in the trash? You got me pregnant!”

“I did not!” he roared, his fury overcoming his icy demeanor.

Samantha drew back from him, her eyes wide with fear this time.

Roark took a deep breath, forcing himself to be calm.

“There is no possible way I made you pregnant,” he said coldly. “Because I never Claimed you—we are not bonded.”

“But then how is this possible?” She shook her head. “And no, don’t accuse me of cheating on you again. I would never do that. Never.” She swiped at her eyes, which were red with crying. “I did everything you asked me to—I submitted to you completely because I hoped it would make you love me like…like I love you.” She took a deep shaky breath. “What a fool I was.”

Roark glared at her, trying not to let her words pierce his heart.

“Samantha—”

“No.” She put up a hand. “Don’t say anything else. I’m leaving. And don’t worry about me coming around and bothering you for child support—I never want to see you again.”

A sob caught in her throat and she turned quickly, but not quite fast enough for Roark to miss the way her lovely face crumpled into tears.

Keeping her back straight, she marched out of his office and out of his life.

And though Roark told himself it was good riddance, he couldn’t help feeling a stabbing pain in the region of his heart when the door slammed shut behind her.

Thirty-Eight

Blinded by tears, Sammi hardly knew where she was going. She only had one destination in mind—away.

By the time she finally looked up, she saw that she had wandered all the way to the Docking Bay. She started to turn around and leave but then a tall Blood Kindred pilot said to her,

“Excuse me, Miss. Are you looking for a ride down to Earth? I’m about to go in ten minutes.”

“You are?” Sammi swiped at her eyes.

“Yes. Are you wanting to go down and visit your family?” he asked, giving her a look of concern.

“Family…yes.” An idea began to form in Sammi’s mind. “Yes, I need my family around me now.”

She would go to her Aunt Vicky’s house. It was noisy and crowded since Vicky had four kids, but they would put her up somewhere until she could find a new place. She’d be safe there, too—her Uncle Steve had been a linebacker in college and he was almost as big as a Kindred. Nobody would dare to bother her there—not even Roark.

Not that he would want to. He’d made it perfectly clear how he really felt about her.

The thought nearly made her break into fresh tears and she had to take a deep, gulping breath to push them back.

Her distress must have showed on her face because the Blood Kindred pilot looked more concerned than ever.

“Would you like to sit down, Miss?” he asked. “My ship is just over here?” He nodded at a sleek silver shuttle just inside the Docking Bay.

“Yes, thank you,” Sammi managed to say.

“All right then.” He escorted her to the shuttle and stowed her safely in the back seat.

Sammi sank into the plush cushions gratefully and closed her eyes. Everything was too much right now—she just needed to get away and be with her family. Later she could figure out what to do and how she was supposed to raise two babies on her own.