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He leaned forward to pat my cheek, and I recoiled, determined not to be touched by him in any way. His face darkened, as if he recognized that I was seeing him for what he really was now, but he didn’t seem as perturbed as he should have been.
“So, you’ll sell me off, and then what? Continue selling off more babies as they come in?” I whispered, horrified at the monster I’d had the hand in creating. My hands splayed protectively on my belly. “And my baby won’t go with me when you do.”
Oh, what an idiot I’d been coming back here. I’d already known he’d put me up as collateral. Why did I think he would help me?
“You can have others,” he said flatly. “Do you really want a demon child? They’re nothing but trouble, especially with that one as the father. I’m doing you a favor, Briar. Don’t be dramatic.”
I struggled to keep from screaming, the unfairness of it all raining down on me in a torrent.
“And you? What will you do, Father?” I asked dully, the word “Father” sticking to the roof of my mouth like glue.
“I have a lead on another rabbit, so I may be getting remarried. You might even get a chance to meet your stepmother if you can behave yourself. You still have some months before giving birth, and I can’t very well let your husband know you’re spoiled goods, can I?”
He moved toward me, his hand extended.
“You can be a good girl, can’t you, Briar? Do what Father tells you?”
I backed away even more, my back touching the wall.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he snapped. “I’ve always taken care of you and the babies who have come through here have always gone to homes that wanted them.”
I didn’t believe him. All he cared about was money, and he didn’t care who he hurt.
“Where is my mother?”
Father frowned. “If I knew that, I would have gone to collect her already,” he replied, and that much I did believe. “She’s still my property, after all.”
I winced at his phrasing, but I also knew it to be true. That was what we all were to him: property.
“Come along, dear girl. You look tired, and all this upset isn’t good for the baby. Let’s get you to bed.”
Desperately, I looked toward the door. It was still ajar, and if I was fast enough, I could escape.
“Don’t be stupid, Briar,” Father growled. “I don’t want to have to restrain you.”
Before I could overthink it, I morphed into my bunny frame, bounding from my hind legs over the desk and through the air toward the threshold.
“Dammit, Briar!” Father hissed as my paw landed with a thump. I raced over the hardwood, claws skittering, gray ears pinned back to catch speed, and my front appendages made it over the doorway, little heart thudding frantically.
“Oh, Briar,” Father groaned from behind me. “I was hoping you wouldn’t make this difficult.”
I made the mistake of looking back as the trashcan fell over my head, trapping me to smoosh my face against the mesh wiring.
“Silly rabbit,” he chuckled, shaking his head as he looked at me. “Now I’m going to have to lock you up.”
I started to shift back out of my rabbit form, hoping to toss him away with my size, but before I could fully change, a needle thrust through the wires and landed in the small of my shoulders, pausing my metamorphosis midway.
“I’ll always be faster than you,” he laughed. “I’ve got many more years of experience than you, Briar.”
The effects of the sedative immediately took hold, and darkness slipped in behind my eyes as I wriggled my nose, a small squeak falling from between my sharpened teeth.
“Sleep well, honey. You’ll feel better when you wake up.”
Chapter27
Ash
Against my better judgment, I went to Barney Madison’s house, but I didn’t go inside. Instead, I had Royce park across the street, where I could keep an eye on the brownstone, trying to determine my next move.
