Ice_Reaux - Laura Wright Page 0,19

furrowed. Clearly his inner thoughts were troubling him. “My master has assured me my lifespan will still be much longer than a mere human.”

She nodded. It was the same way with Caleb, although his aging had slowed since they’d moved to the Wildlands. She assumed it had something to do with the magic of the bayous.

“Master?” She grimaced. “You mean Christopher?”

“Yes. He became my adoptive father after you abandoned me,” he said.

With a flurry of movement, Karen was pushing herself to her feet, fury pulsing through her. It wasn’t enough that the head of Benson Enterprises had kidnapped her and used her as a brood mare before snatching away her babies? Now she discovered that he’d brainwashed her own son into believing he was some sort of hero instead of the villain.

“That bastard,” she hissed through clenched teeth. Then, with an effort, she regained command of her composure. “What about your brother?” she demanded. “Was he adopted by Christopher?”

Ward gave a shake of his head. “No. I’ve searched the records, but I couldn’t find more than the proof that he was born in New York.”

Karen grimaced, squashing her sharp disappointment. “Why would they separate you?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I can’t be sure he’s still alive.”

“He’s alive. I can feel him.” Karen pressed a hand to her heart, her expression fierce. “Here.”

“I hope you’re right, but I have no way of finding him.” Straightening, Ward smoothed his hands down the expensive fabric of his jacket.

Karen tried to tell herself she should be pleased that her son had clearly not been mistreated. In fact, it appeared he’d been given a position of authority in the corporation. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop her from wanting to put a bullet through Christopher’s black heart.

“Is it true?” he abruptly demanded.

She frowned. “That you’re my son?”

He gave an impatient shake of his head. “That you were held against your will.”

Karen held his accusing gaze, sensing that deep down he’d always suspected he wasn’t being told the entire truth.

“I have proof,” she assured him, slowly pulling up the sleeves of her sweater to reveal the thick scars that marred her wrists. “These are from the handcuffs they kept on me even after the skin was rubbed so raw my wounds became infected.” She pushed aside her hair to point toward the raised flesh on the side of her neck. “This is the brand they put on me so the doctors would know I was a breeder.” She shivered, still able to remember the searing pain. Then, she tugged at her neckline to reveal the ugly round spot in the center of her chest. “This is the mark from the cigarette the guard seared into my flesh because he didn’t like how I was looking at him.”

Ward’s face drained to a shade of ash as he lifted his hand. “Enough,” he croaked.

Karen caught a brief glimpse of pain in his eyes and had to blink back a fresh batch of tears. The thought that she’d been hurt bothered him. Which meant he had to care. Right? Even if he’d been told lie after lie, he still thought of her as his mother.

“I would never have left you.” Her hand again lifted, compulsively touching his face. She had to reassure herself that he was real. “You were snatched from my arms and I’ve spent years trying to find you.”

Confusion darkened his eyes. “Why would he lie to me?”

She cupped his cheek, joy racing through her. After all the years of longing, she was at last touching her son. It was…glorious.

“We can find the answer together, Ward,” she assured him, glancing toward the door of the cell that he’d left open. Obviously he’d been worried when she’d fainted and hadn’t bothered to lock it. “But first we need to get out of here.”

He took a sharp step backward, his brows snapping together. “And go where? Back to the animals?”

She swallowed the urge to point out that the ‘animals’ had acted far more humanely than the humans. Right now all that mattered was getting him away from the lab so they could talk without fear of interruption.

“We can go anywhere you want. We can get Caleb from my cabin and we’ll—”

“Someone’s coming.” Ward interrupted her fierce words, his nose flaring as he sniffed the air. Proof his senses were far more acute than hers. “Pantera.”

Relief flared through her. They’d come for her. She hadn’t dared to hope that they would consider her important enough to risk a rescue mission.

Then her relief