Ripper (Hunter #1)(105)

“How the hell could you do that to her?”

“I love her, man,” Gray said, willing his friend to believe him. “I wouldn’t take her with me.”

“But you’ll get her pregnant to buy yourself some time,” Nathan accused.

Gray rubbed his jaw. “I’m buying us time. I will find a way out, damn it. I will not let them take my wife or my child. I’m going to save us.” He turned to me. “Kelsey,” he said desperately. “I am begging you to believe me. I love you, Kelsey mine. I love you so much. We can make this work. I swear I’ll get us out of this. Come with me. Trust me.”

I wanted to. I wanted to take his hand and slip it in mine and walk out. I came up with a hundred ways I could make it work. I could not marry him and force him to use a condom. I could take my five years with him. At that moment, staring down the possibility of losing Gray, I thought maybe Hell wouldn’t be so bad. If we were together, maybe I could handle it.

“She isn’t going anywhere with you.” Nathan moved between us as though he could stop the demon from taking me.

“If you think for one moment that I’ll let you anywhere close to my sister again, you’re insane, Sloane,” Jamie spat.

I saw something die in Gray’s eyes. Jamie was his friend, probably the one human he’d ever told his secret to. He was so alone. How would he live if I walked away?

“Back off, Jamie. He didn’t want Syl around me. I was the one who let Syl in. Gray asked me to stay away from him. He didn’t know anything about it.” I was about to take his hand and tell everyone to f*ck themselves when Dev Quinn opened his mouth again.

“Kelsey, the fertility drugs were magical,” he said carefully. “They would have the added effect of making you vulnerable to him. Did you fall in love quickly? It would be intense and unexpected. It would be out of character to feel so much, to trust so much in so quick a time.”

I stumbled back, the shock making me fall into Quinn. He tried to steady me, but I didn’t want him touching me. Was my love for Gray all a trick of some drugs? It felt so real. It felt like the only real thing in the world. How could it be false? I overcorrected and was about to fall to my knees when Marcus caught me.

He cursed up at Quinn, saying what I could only imagine was some truly filthy stuff in Italian.

“She had to know the truth, Marcus,” Quinn defended himself.

I stood quietly, numbly in Marcus’s arms, letting him hold me up.

The queen was on her feet. “You didn’t have to do it in front of an audience, Devinshea. And you, Daniel, you should know better than this.”

Gray looked liked someone had punched him in the gut. He stood silent for a moment, ignoring my brothers’ growls and the crowd looking on. He focused solely on me and his eyes went red. His skin lost its color and I wondered if he was going to lose control of his form, but he didn’t. He seemed to shrink instead.

“Don’t lie to me, Quinn,” he said in a voice that must have cost him so much. He was practically begging his worst enemy. “Is it true? Her emotions were affected by the drugs Syl gave her? She said she loved me.”

Quinn had the grace to look sympathetic. “I’m sorry, but that magic is powerful. It can act like a love spell. She would fall quickly. In bed, she would probably be very submissive. I believe it had the added punch of making both her and her lover adverse to using anything that would stop the intended effect.”

Gray shook his head. “I had a box of condoms in the dresser. I never thought to use them.”

“And she wouldn’t have thought to ask you to,” Quinn explained. “If it’s true you had nothing to do with giving her the drugs, then I’m sorry Lieutenant. You were tricked, too. Your father was determined to have that child.”

Gray’s eyes closed and I could see what it was costing him to survive these moments. I wanted more than anything to walk to him and take him in my arms and tell him I loved him. Instead, I stood quietly, allowing Marcus to hold me while the only man I’d ever loved turned and began to walk away.

He was at the door when he stopped. He didn’t turn around. “Vorenus?”

Marcus didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “I will take care of her. I promise.”

Gray nodded and walked out.

Marcus’s arms tightened around me. “I cannot believe you have done this, Daniel. I could believe it of Devinshea, but I thought you would have more compassion than to do this to her. She’s fragile and you seek to break her.”

“I didn’t like it, Marcus, but it had to be done. I cannot allow her to fall into demonic hands.” Dan sighed and braced himself. “If you didn’t like that, old friend, then I doubt you’ll approve of my next move.” He turned to the Council. “I move to declare Kelsey Owens a ward of the Council. If you look in the packets Trent is passing out you’ll find a schedule of her training and all protocols concerning handling the Hunter. When her training is finished, she will hold the office of sheriff.”

“What if I don’t want to be sheriff?” I asked, but no one cared.

Marcus was livid. I could feel it. I could practically feel the emotion pouring off him. “Nay. My vote is nay. We are not the old Council to come in and change a person’s life on our whim, Daniel. How can you do this?”