Captivation: Shifters Forever Worlds (Shifters Forever After Book 4) by Elle Thorne Page A

Another pause. “The Italian? Who the—” He looked at Bain, then looked away. “Yeah. No. Uh huh. Got it. Bye.”
    He turned to face them. “Mac is going to check on the kids at the compound. Griz wants her there. She's in shifter relocations, has records, could be of assistance. Griz also said that some shit's going down. I need to get a hold of Grant and Mikhail.”
    Bain stepped toward Doc. “What’s that about?”
    “Nothing. Just making the arrangements and getting directions.”
    “And what does the Italian have to do with the directions?”
    “Look, Bain. I’m not supposed to discuss this with you.”
    Bain didn’t need a degree in rocket science to figure out the Italian was involved with this somehow. And whatever nefarious plans they had…
    Fury encompassed him with the thought that something could have happened to Carina’s daughter.
    He looked at little Bree and thought of how she called him daddy and wrapped her arms around his neck to keep her safe.
    He thought of how now Carina had her daughter, and she needed to raise her and there was no way he would disrupt Carina and Bree’s relationship by being a third wheel.
    He thought of the idea that now he’d never have his mate. And he’d never have children of his own with her. It was the honorable thing to do.
    He knew he couldn’t think straight, he was so angry. He knew his bear was reacting to the emotions and the adrenaline of their earlier battle.
    The fury grew stronger. And with it came a plan.

Chapter 20
    C arina watched a thousand emotions fly over Bain’s face. She’d seen his exchange with Doc but didn’t have a clue what was going on.
    A storm was brewing on Bain’s face, and she didn’t like the sight of it.
    He stared at Bree as if he were memorizing her features, then looked at Carina. But when he’d seen her gaze locked on his face, he looked away then slipped out of the room, closing the door softy.
    Carina glanced at Doc. “Keep an eye on Bree. I’ll be right back.”
    Doc nodded.
    “Where are you going?” Carina asked Bain.
    He turned to face her. “They need my help.”
    She studied his face. What wasn’t he telling her? She grabbed his arm, felt the muscles tighten beneath her fingers while the undercurrent of their chemistry made her nerve ending buzz.
    Carina pushed that ever-present desire she had for this man away and pulled him into a little room off the clinic’s main waiting area.

    * * *
    B ain kept his face stoic while her eyes scanned for an expression, for anything that would give it away. He wasn’t letting her into this. This was all him.
    The best thing he could do was to be a dick to her, get her to hate him, that way…
    Bain pushed that thought away. He wasn’t that guy.
    Not a chance.
    He glanced around. It appeared as though they were in the area where Doc kept his medicines. Locked cabinets, syringes, bottles, and boxes confirmed that.
    “Seems the guys need help at that compound. Whoever owns it has sent in reinforces. Our guys have backed down. They need back up.”
    He felt like shit for lying.
    “And you think you should be the one that goes?” She grabbed his arm again. The jolt that ran through him when her skin touched his was electrifying. “This is not your battle.”
    Anything that involves the Italian has become my battle.
    “It’s the right thing to do.”
    He wasn’t going to tell her that the right thing to do, as he saw it, was to take the Italian out of this formula completely. Once and for all. It was one thing to run an underground shifter fighting ring. It was another to run it unethically and force others to fight. But it was a whole new breed of creature when he held shifter children captive for some sort of black market collaborations.
    “I don’t see how you putting your life on the line is going to do any good.”
    He studied the boxes on the shelves to keep from answering. That’s when he saw a name he recognized. He didn’t know how to pronounce that