Reese (Pack of Misfits #2) - Raven Kennedy Page 0,91
that has no dimension to it—completely matte and one-shaded, lacking shine and depth. His face is average, just like his voice. If he passed you by on the street, you wouldn’t look over at him. Even his khakis and plain shirt are bland. All in all, Sid Larson is forgettable. Non-threatening. It’s one of his biggest assets.
I struggle against the cord that’s holding me in place and then abandon that and reach for my rat. But something is wrong. I can’t shift.
Shit.
“Let me go.”
Sid laughs and straightens up, staring down at me where I’m straddling the toilet. “You’ve realized that you can’t access your rat, haven’t you? I’ve given you a little something to make sure of that.”
“You drugged me?”
“There’s always a willing conjurer around who’s more than happy to sell some Forestall.”
The knowledge that Sid gave me a shot of magical Forestall makes my blood go cold. I’ve never experienced it before, but I know that for some shifters, it can make them unable to shift for hours. Sometimes even days, depending on the strength.
“You know, you caused a lot of hassle for me, Reese. When I felt the alpha bond sever, I came looking for you. Imagine my surprise when I couldn’t find you or Rick.”
“Not my fault the asshole got arrested.”
“Not fond of him, eh?”
“No. But you weren’t either, or you wouldn’t have had him killed.”
Sid lifts a shoulder. “He was an associate. We had an agreement, and he broke that agreement by letting you escape. He paid for that with his life.”
“Yeah, well, he was a shit babysitter, because if I hadn’t escaped, I would’ve starved to death.”
Sid waves a hand like that’s not important. “I gave you to Rick because I knew he wouldn’t coddle you.”
I see red. “Coddle me? He friggen tormented me for his own amusement! He hardly fed me. He would leave rat traps all over the house, and he’d laugh his ass off whenever one of them went off and nearly got me.”
Sid stuffs his hands into his pockets. “Then he was a good choice. I’m glad I gave you to him.”
I have such hatred for this male that if I could get free, I’d claw his eyes out. “He was a sadistic bastard, and you’re nothing but a limp dick who gets a hard-on from keeping shifters under your thumb.”
He doesn’t deny it. “And you are under my thumb,” he tells me.
“No. Not anymore.”
Sid gives a cruel little laugh. “Right. I heard. You have a new alpha,” he says mockingly. “The pack of misfits. Nothing but some strays no one wants. No wonder you fit in with them.”
“They’ll come for me. You made a huge mistake by taking me.”
Anger flushes through him, and he comes forward and grabs hold of my face, his hand squeezing my cheeks, and the pain in my jaw explodes out of me in a pained gasp. “I’m your alpha, and you disobeyed me by trying to escape your punishment. You have to be held accountable for that.”
I jerk my face out of his hold. “You’re not my alpha. Not anymore. You don’t even deserve the title. You’re just a shifter trafficker with no conscience. My new pack mates will come for me.”
“You’ll be fucking dead before they get here.”
“No.” I refuse for that to be my fate. Not when I just found a pack where I actually feel like I belong. Not when I just found Luca, and Addie and Mitzy, and so many others. Sid stole five years of my life. I will not let him take anything else from me.
A shaken breath escapes me, and I look around, desperately searching for something that can help me get out of my bindings. But every time I move and twist, my already wet ass is in danger of falling into the toilet bowl again. And considering the toilet is a gross beige color with grimy lines stained in the bowl, it’s not somewhere I want to be.
“Couldn’t you have tied me up to a friggen chair like a normal kidnapper?” I grouse.
Sid sneers happily. “You’re a fucking rat. Filth is where you belong.”
My rat and I both bristle at that, which only makes him happier. “Now, let’s sever that pesky alpha bond, shall we?”
Horror climbs up my throat and holds open my eyelids. “What?”
He gives me a disparaging look. “You didn’t think I was actually going to let you stay in that pack did you?” He chuckles at the expression on my face. “No. You