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.

voice and slowing my words,

if need be.”

by baring his teeth at me in a little snarl.

then I step away, secretly grateful for it, because

man’s head off. Roger

he looks down at the man strapped to the

what your people want with my brother’s

just grins at Roger, a too–wide expression that shows

him blandly for a moment and

reconnaissance team standing behind

it swiftly against the priest’s neck.

bolt flies through the priest’s body, making him shriek and twist in pain, but my

it away quickly. The priest goes a little slack in his chair,

of the chair to get

people want with my nephew.”

though, as the priest looks up at Roger again and just huffs a short, humorless

doesn’t matter,” the priest says, shaking his head and holding his gaze. “Because,” he

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

really, truly laugh, as a crash of glass

upstairs –

stops as I recognize it,

Ella

sitting here, tense, in my rocking chair by

it always is – shushing him quietly as he falls asleep

–

a little tapping sound at the glass

curiously, expecting a little bird – maybe a squirrel

when I saw a black–masked

turning to ice as I froze, as he quietly pointed

for

–

it seemed to go so fast – the man pulled back his arm, and

window –

he did it – it should have broken his hand – Sinclair paid

the room through the hole he made with his fist, the rest of

the window cracking and shattering

–

floor, only half an instant later, my instincts

child’s rolling basinet behind me

the rocking chair away and back into the corner now, Rafe in his cradle behind me,

to his feet at the foot of the window. As he stands, my heart jumps

–

–

him, working their way up

unnaturally fast

lead is on his feet now, grinning at me, starting to prowl