Surrogate For Alpha Dom

Sinclair

I growl down at the man before me, who is younger than I thought he would be, for one with

such power. He has thick black hair and a day’s worth of stubble on his thin cheeks. The man

glares up at me with dark, angry eyes and opens his mouth to speak but before he can, I slap him

– hard with an open palm.

–

The man gasps with surprise and pain, his eyes going wide as he stares down at the floor, and I

smirk. I doubt this man has been slapped anytime recently, if ever. He has the smug look of

someone used to being in charge.

But he’s in my house now.

“You’ll speak when we tell you to speak,” I growl, and then I turn to the head of my

–

reconnaissance team, who is standing against the wall, his hands on his knees, panting a little.

Craig isn’t a small man to see him so undone by the efforts suggests that this diminutive priest

is, indeed, powerful in other ways.

“How did you catch him?” I snap. Craig looks up at me and does his best to straighten up.

“We followed the leads, sir,” he replies, looking me in the eyes, “that we gleaned from the

conversation with the other priest, who wished to remain anonymous. They were…fruitful. We

found this one’s lair, for lack of a better word. It was actually in a sewer -in an abandoned

maintenance room. He was living there doing…” Craig hesitates and then shrugs. “Forgive me, Sir,

for the dramatic language, but ‘arcane magics‘ are the only words coming to my mind now. Lizard

skins…and and snail shells, in jars – he had a cauldron –”

“Thank you,” I say, interrupting and nodding towards the head of my investigative team. “You.

will give your details to Alastair, as soon as you can. For now, though I want everyone here for

the interrogation.” I lean forward towards the priest, who watches me with wary eyes and a

clenched jaw.

I continue, lowering my voice and slowing my

if need be.”

man, then, by baring his teeth at me in a little

at him, which makes him faulter. And then I step

this man’s head off. Roger steps in to take

Roger commands, his arms crossed as he looks down

are. And what your people want with my brother’s

Roger, a too–wide expression that

him blandly for

of the reconnaissance team standing behind the

it swiftly against the priest’s

through the priest’s body, making him shriek and twist in

goes a little

leg of the chair to

people want with my nephew.”

looks up at Roger again and just huffs

shaking his head and holding his

on his face. “You are already…too late.”

to laugh – really, truly laugh, as a crash of glass sounds and a

upstairs –

I recognize it,

Ella

rocking chair by Rafe’s basinet, one hand on the edge of

it always is – shushing him quietly as he falls asleep when –

–

at the

a little bird – maybe a squirrel –

terror flooded me when I saw a black–masked face calmly tapping on my window, grinning

ice as I froze, as he quietly pointed

for him.” (2)

–

then it seemed to go so fast – the man pulled back his

the window

don’t know how he did it – it should have broken his hand – Sinclair paid

hole he made with his fist,

the window cracking

–

floor, only half an instant later,

rolling basinet behind me

away and back into the corner

window.

–

–

way up to the window and through it –

unnaturally fast –

his feet now, grinning at me, starting to prowl towards