Within minutes of Nicolette being reported missing, the heads of P.O.A.H had called and demanded our presence at the home office in New York. There was to be a summit before the Council to find out how we could have possibly lost a multibillion-dollar piece of property.
Peter and I hardly had time to react before we were carted off to a private airport and onto a private jet. The moment we stepped onboard I knew that this plane was reserved for VIPs. It dripped with opulence. From the velvet seats to the minibar, to the young flight attendant who for a brief second, made me question my beauty, it was divine, delicious, and nothing short of exquisite.
It wasn't until the captain announced that we were about to land that the fear I had been suppressing came roaring to the forefront of my mind. We would soon be walking into the lion's den, and I had no illusions; we had messed up on an immeasurable scale. Failed experiment or not, Nicolette wasn't our property to lose.
The plane had scarcely touched down before we were whisked off and heavily armed security guards snatched Peter and me. Terror bubbled up from my stomach to my heart when they separated us taking Peter to the right and me to the left. I was quickly deposited into the backseat of a black, heavily tinted, Cadillac Escalade with men on either side of me.
By the time we pulled up in front of a nondescript high-rise building, my distress had intensified. It jumped to new levels when the car doors opened and more guards appeared looking even more intimidating than the ones that had taken me off the plane. I was yanked from the car and hustled into an elevator that was as swanky as the private jet. My life flashed before my eyes, and I wondered if I would walk or be dragged out of this building in a body bag at the end of the proceedings.
When we stepped off the elevator there was a moment of silence before the hallway exploded into chatter. Shaking in fear, I suddenly found myself desperate to step back onto the lift. As though the guards could read my mind, they took hold of my arms and practically carried me to the front of the room. Peter was already at the defense' stand and I was stunned to see him sporting a black eye and bloody, swollen lips. Gazing into his eyes, I saw pain and absolute horror; he was petrified!
Having to defend ourselves in front of our boss and colleagues was my worst nightmare come to life. I had heard rumors about the four-seat Council. They only appeared once or twice a year, and that was only if there was a colossal scientific breakthrough or someone made an immense blunder and needed to be "handled."
For a second, a surge of anger washed over me. All of this was all Peter's fault! If only he had quit this job when he had a chance our family would not be in this mess. It's not like we needed the money. Not for the first time, I wished that the experiment they had inseminated in me had perished during the gestation period. My rage consumed me and I was lost in thoughts of how to put all the blame on Peter and extricate myself when cold, clammy, fingers touched mine
Peter was searching for my hand and once he found it, he interlaced our fingers. All the anger I was feeling towards him disappeared. The rage and fear was replaced by a sliver of warmth and the knowledge that no matter what we were about to face we would do it together.
A gavel banged suddenly and with it my heart, and the room quieted. My heart thumped, threatening to jump out of my chest. The trial of our lives was about to begin.
A monotonous voice addressed us breaking the silence. With eyes wide, I gazed at the four councilmen searching for some compassion but all I saw was four white men that were indistinguishable from each other. They were pale, fat, and surprisingly, wearing a listless gaze that seemed to look beyond me.
Realizing that I was not going to get anywhere with them, I tuned back to the moderator, "...Mr. and Mrs. Winspere, who have been brought before the council to clarify how they managed to lose one of this foundation's most sacred and priceless experiments." All the strength in my body drained away at his words and my head bowed forward as dizziness swept through me.
YOU ARE READING
DURABLE (completed)
Paranormal"Keith and I watched in awe and joy as the inexplicable happened. Nikki was alive! My mate was back! Then suddenly, those brown eyes I loved so much started morphing. Her right eye lightened and became as golden as mine after I shifted into my wolf...
