Cursed: Brides of the Kindred 13 Read Free Page B

an idiot when he came rolling into town with his presidential mandate and his plans to protect their country and world from the evils of the Kindred. He’d told Charlie that they needed people like her—people who had grown up here and already knew the lay of the land. After all, it’s the hound that knows the hills it’s hunting that catches the most game.
    Everything he’d said had seemed to make sense at the time. Charlie had allowed her patriotism to overcome her common sense and had quit the PD to become Charlotte Sayers EPB, Agent First Class. Of course, it wasn’t just patriotism that lured her in—it was the way she felt about the Kindred and their draft. No female ought to be forced into a sexual relationship against her will. After what had happened to Missy— But Charlie shut down that line of thought fast. It wouldn’t do to get emotional right now.
    “…kids?”
    “Excuse me, what?” She realized that she’d missed what Purvis was saying.
    “I said, do you have kids?”
    “No,” she said, wondering why he was asking. “I don’t.”
    “Or anyone else who might be put at risk?” he went on. “In your house, I mean?”
    Charlie began to see where this was headed. But surely not even Purvis would suggest what she thought he was suggesting.
    “No, Sir, I live alone. But—”
    “Excellent. Take the prisoner to your place.”
    “ What?” Charlie demanded. “Sir, you can’t be serious! It’s against protocol—all kinds of protocols—for me to take him back to my personal living space and guard him by myself.”
    “Well you apprehended him by yourself, Sayers,” Purvis reminded her nastily. “And you seemed to have managed that just fine.”
    “This male could be dangerous,” Charlie reminded him icily. “He is six foot eight and built like a professional wrestler. I’m five foot seven and he outweighs me by at least a hundred pounds if not considerably more—I’m no match for him physically.”
    “You don’t have to be. You’ve got your cuffs and your gun. Taze him a couple of times if you have to in order to show him who’s boss.”
    “Sir, this is really unbelievably irregular. The fact that you would even suggest that I take a suspect back to my private residence—”
    “Do you want to keep your job?” Purvis snapped.
    “Not badly enough to put my life in danger,” Charlie shot back. “What you’re asking me to do is dangerous and illegal, Sir.”
    “It’s also the only way you’ll keep both your job and your freedom,” Purvis practically shouted. “The world is at war here, Sayers. We’re under martial law and I will have you court-martialed in a heartbeat if you don’t obey my orders. Now I am through discussing this with you! You will take the prisoner back to your house and keep him there until I can figure out what kind of spin to put on this to the press. Do you understand?”
    Charlie was so pissed off she felt like she could spit nails. What Purvis was demanding of her was completely unreasonable but he wasn’t leaving her a choice. God damned idiot! What the hell is wrong with him? Why did I ever quit the PD? What was I thinking?
    “I said, do you understand, Sayers?” he demanded again when she didn’t answer.
    Charlie took a deep breath, trying to master her rage.
    “Yes, Sir,” she said icily. “I do.”
    “Good. Keep the big bastard secure until you hear from me. You’re excused from active duty until further notice. Just stay with him and keep him under your thumb.”
    “Yes, Sir,” Charlie snapped again.
    “Good.” Purvis yawned. With the problem at least temporarily solved, he was apparently done for the night. “I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said and hung up.
    The phone went dead in her hand. This time she pictured her supervisor rolling over and going back to sleep. Probably getting a good night’s rest while he had just condemned her to a completely sleepless night standing guard over an angry alien as big as a horse. He