Mason looked at me. “Of course, the real money will be in recreational uses. If we can create a drug that will transform you for just a couple of hours—wouldn’t you take it? Just to know what it’s like? Lycanthrope parties will be all the rage. And we’ll hold the patent. And if the FDA doesn’t approve it—who cares? We’ll make more money on the black market anyway.”
So it wasn’t about the good of mankind. It was about money.
“It was really selfish of you to hold back, Lucas. You should have willingly donated yourself to our research. Instead we had to come out here and lure you into our trap. It was so easy once we realized how protective you were of Kayla.” Mason poked him again, and the wolf growled.
“It’s not Lucas. You sound insane,” I insisted.
“Of course it is. You’ll see. He’ll grow too weak to hold this shape, and he’ll revert back to human form. Then you’ll know.”
“They’re not going to let you walk out of here with a wolf.”
He gave me a cocky grin. “We’re not walking. We have choppers landing in the morning. Why do you think we wanted a spot at the edge of a large valley? We’ll take you with us, and once you see everything, you’ll understand the significance of our work. I want you to be part of it. We’ll have that candlelit dinner to celebrate.”
In my mind I was screaming, “No way!”
But I knew I had to play it cool. Until I could figure out a strategy of escape for me and the wolf, I had to start pretending that I thought all this was amazing. I had to lie. And I needed more information.
“So what? You’re taking him back to the university?”
“God, Kayla, how naïve can you be? Get with the program. It was all a con. My dad isn’t a professor. He’s head of research at Bio-Chrome. Ever heard of us? ‘Studying chromosomes for a better tomorrow’?”
I had a vague recollection of some stupid commercial I’d seen on TV.
“But his students—”
“We’re all his research team. We’re geniuses.” He laughed. “I graduated from college at seventeen. My roommate used to live around here. He told me about the rumors that shape-shifters were hiding in this forest. Even told me to keep a special eye on Lucas. I started doing research. Way too many sightings for it not to be true. And now we’ll not only prove it, but we’ll benefit from it.” He looked back at the wolf. “You’re going to make history, Lucas.”
Mason turned his attention back to me. “Can you envision it? Can you see what we’re going to accomplish? I want you to be part of it, Kayla. We want you to be part of the team.”
“I’m still in high school, Mason,” I said, playing along. There was no way I was going to join his team.
He rolled his eyes. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Kayla. My dad can get you a high school equivalency diploma. You can start taking college courses online while you work on the research. This will all be cutting-edge. We’ll all be millionaires. We’re offering you an opportunity to be part of it.”
I swallowed hard. “It sounds great,” I lied. “I’m so in.”
“I knew you would be once you understood everything. And don’t worry about Lucas. He’ll come to understand it all, too.”
Mason got up and walked away, leaving me there. My fingers were wrapped so tightly around the bars that they were beginning to ache. I studied the wolf and held his gaze. He held mine.
It was a strange connection. Maybe I was a little insane, too. I knew werewolves—shift-shapers, lycanthropes, whatever you wanted to call them—existed only in movies and TV shows. Still, I leaned near and whispered, “Lucas?”
With great effort, he lifted his head and licked my fingers.
I released my hold on the bars and scrambled back. It couldn’t be. It just couldn’t be. Werewolves did not exist.
And this wasn’t Lucas.
I jerked my head up at the sound of someone approaching. Ethan was holding a rifle. I didn’t know if it held more tranquilizer darts or bullets. He gave me an awkward smile.
“Pretty cool, huh?” he asked. He sat on the ground, leaned against a tree, and set the rifle on his lap.
“Are you afraid he’s going to stage a prison break?” I asked lightly, trying to appear as nonthreatening as possible.
He shrugged. “Until we study him, we don’t know what he’s capable of. Besides, he’s not the only one. The others might try something.”
This was just getting better and better.
I was furious at Mason and his father, and I was terrified for the wolf. I was plotting an escape. But I knew none of that showed on my face as I sat by the campfire following supper. Mason was toasting marshmallows again, which seemed so bizarre. Dr. Keane was sitting on his little stool. I envisioned kicking it out from beneath him and laughing as he tumbled to the ground. But he wasn’t worth my effort.
I had to act normal. I had to give them the impression that I’d accepted their insane plan and that I could be trusted.
Mason offered me his perfect marshmallow. I gave him a flirtatious smile before popping it into my mouth.
“See, Dad?” Mason said. “I told you once she understood, she’d see the value in our work.”
Dr. Keane gave me a suspicious look, so I smiled brightly and said, “I think you’re an absolute genius.”
Dr. Keane’s chest puffed out slightly and he yammered on for a while about all the money they’d make once they figured out the werewolves’ secret to transforming.
“So you think there are more creatures like this one?” I asked, pretending to be interested in his insane ideas.
“Oh, absolutely,” Dr. Keane said.
I glanced over at the cage. Tyler was standing guard over it now. “Shouldn’t you feed him? Or at least give him some water? You wouldn’t want him to die on you.”
“Oh, I think he’s a long way from dying. Right now it’s imperative that we weaken him, so he’ll revert to human form. Takes a lot of energy to stay in wolf form,” said Evil Scientist—my new name for Dr. Keane.
“How can you even know that?” I asked.
“Because it makes sense.”
“What if the wolf form is his natural form and it takes more energy to remain in human form?” I asked. I’d been trying to make conversation, but the words sent a chill through me. I didn’t believe any of their insane theories, but what if they were true? Would it be cool to be able to shift into another shape? Or would it be a nightmare? A nightmare, I decided. Ever since my parents were killed, I’d spent my life trying to fit in. I couldn’t imagine anything more horrifying than being so different from everyone else.
Evil Scientist pondered my question for a moment, then smiled his wicked evil-scientist grin. “I guess we’ll do some experiments and figure it out. Which came first? The wolf or the human?”
I wished I’d kept my mouth shut. I didn’t want them experimenting on the wolf. I felt an obligation to protect him.
Mason took my hand. “Don’t look so worried. It’s not to our benefit to hurt him.”
Right. And shooting him was your way of making him feel good.
I didn’t say anything aloud. I just plastered on a smile that said, “I think you’re absolutely wonderful. Great boyfriend material. I’m the luckiest girl.”
“The chopper will be here at dawn,” Dr. Keane said. “We’ll need to break camp before that. We probably all need to turn in early.”
As everyone got up and headed toward the tents, Mason took my hand again and pulled me into the shadows. “I just want you to know that I wanted you to stay here because I do like you. It wasn’t just about using you to capture the werewolf.”
“You could have just told me. Then I could have helped.”
“We needed your reaction to be honest.” He touched my cheek. “I really like you, Kayla.”
I smiled. “I like you, too.” The lie came easily, maybe because he’d told me so many lies that I didn’t have any problem repeating a few back to him.
He leaned in
to kiss me. I put my hand on his chest. I couldn’t bear the thought of him kissing me. “I’m sorry. After this afternoon, I’m a little bruised—physically and emotionally. Even though I understand why you did what you did, and I would have done the same in your place, I’d like to go a little slow now.”
“Sure. You’re right. It’s been a day of discovery.”
A day of betrayal was what I was thinking.
He walked me to my tent and said goodnight. I crawled into the tent I was sharing with Monique. She was already curled up in her sleeping bag and reading a book.
“So all the flirting you were doing with Lucas…?”
She smiled. “Just part of the lure. Although he is hot. And if he is this wolf, that makes him so much hotter.”
She was sick. Totally.
As I got ready for bed, I slipped my metal nail file out of my backpack and tucked it into the pocket of my shorts. I would need it to pick the lock.
It may seem strange, but after all, my adoptive dad is a cop. I was bound to pick up a few tips on criminal activities like hotwiring cars and breaking and entering.
I made my way into my sleeping bag. “Goodnight.”
It was several minutes before Monique turned out the light. I lay there, not moving, just planning.
I finally heard Monique’s breathing drop into that slow shallow rhythm that meant she’d gone to sleep. I hadn’t zipped my sleeping bag because I hadn’t wanted the rasp of the zipper to wake her up. I scooted out from my bag. Looking over my shoulder at her, I tugged on my boots. A bright moon provided enough light for me to see her silhouette. She didn’t move at all. I slipped my hand back into my sleeping bag and wrapped my fingers around my flashlight. I always kept it handy in case I had to get up in the middle of the night. I definitely needed it tonight.
I crept out of the tent. I didn’t take my backpack with me. I wasn’t planning to leave—I didn’t think I could make it back to the village on my own anyway. I just wanted to set the wolf free. If Mason and his dad figured out it was me, they might get mad, but they weren’t going to shoot me. Would they? Of course not. I did think they’d gone over to the dark side, but they were scientists, not murderers.
The camp was eerily quiet. I straightened and slipped around behind the tent. I moved stealthily until I reached the outer perimeter where Ethan was once again watching the cage. He was sitting cross-legged. Every now and then, he poked the wolf with a sharp stick. I guess he figured if he wasn’t getting any sleep, the wolf shouldn’t either. Or maybe it was part of their plan to wear the wolf down until he shifted back into human form. Personally, I thought it was a bad idea to prod wild creatures.
I tightened my hold on the flashlight. It was a good, heavy, solid tool. When needed, it made a terrific club. And right now I needed a club.
My heart was pounding so hard that I was surprised the guy didn’t hear it. Actually, I was surprised it didn’t wake the entire camp. I took another step—
Snap!
I landed on a dry twig and grimaced. Ethan started to twist around—
I swung with everything I had in me. The flashlight slammed against his skull. I felt the shock of the contact ricochet up my arm. Ethan keeled over in a sprawl. He never even saw me. I knelt beside him and checked his pulse. It was steady. He probably wouldn’t be out for long. I had to work fast.
I took a quick look around. I couldn’t believe they had only one person guarding their precious prize, but I figured they thought he was securely locked up. And only Evil Scientist had the key.
I scrambled around to the door, turned on my flashlight, and set it so the light illuminated the padlock. It wasn’t anything fancy. This was going to be easy. I pulled the file from my pocket and went to work.
“I’ll have you out of here in a minute,” I whispered.
I was surprised by how alert the wolf seemed. Especially since they’d been denying him any sort of comfort or essentials—like food and water—while trying to weaken him. Sadists.
He issued a low growl, almost a purr. A throaty sound. I ignored it. I didn’t want him trying to communicate with me. I just wanted him to get the hell away.
I heard the lock click. I snapped it apart and jerked open the door. Swallowing hard, I scooted back.
With lithe movements, the wolf sauntered out of the cage and went over to the guard. He began sniffing around. I wondered if he was considering eating him.
I moved over to him. “No!” I hissed. “You have to go. Shoo! Go!”
But he didn’t go. He just got very, very still, unnaturally so, and I could feel a small electric charge in the air. I stood up and glanced around. We were still lucky. No one was in sight. Maybe if I hit the wolf with my flashlight, it would frighten him away. I reached down, grabbed it from where I’d left it on the ground, and turned back—
The wolf was gone. But I felt no relief. As a matter of fact, I felt close to panic. Because while the wolf was no longer there, Lucas was.
A very naked Lucas was crouched near Ethan. I couldn’t process that. He was a werewolf? Dr. Keane and Mason were right? No, no, no. There was another explanation. There had to be. My world tilted and I had an urge to scream hysterically.
I stared at his bare back while he tugged off Ethan’s cargo pants. He had absolutely no tan lines. He was like a perfect bronzed god. I might have fallen in lust right then and there if I didn’t know that he came with issues in the form of a furry body and canine incisors.
“Good luck,” I said. My voice quivered, and I knew I sounded completely dazed. I was close to totally losing it. Maybe I was still in my tent dreaming. I took a step back toward the shadows.
“Wait!” Lucas ordered in a low voice.
I glanced back. He’d already pulled on the pants and was zipping them up.
“I have to go,” I said.
Before I could race away, he was beside me, grabbing my arm.
I jerked away. “Leave me alone. You’re free. Just go.”
“I’m not leaving you here with Mason. Not after what he tried to do to you—”
“It was all fake. He wasn’t going to hurt me.” I shook my head. “I don’t know how or why, but he knew you were around and he was trying to draw you out. Obviously it worked.”
He clenched his jaw. “I fell right into his trap. I forgot about everything when he attacked you. I just wanted to rip his throat out. He might try it again—”
“No, I’m on to him now. I won’t let him put me in that position.” As a matter of fact, I was thinking that I might head out on my own as soon as I saw that Lucas was safely gone.
“You have to come with me,” Lucas said.
“I’ll be fine.”
“No. You won’t be,” he said with incredible seriousness. But then he was always serious. The guy never laughed, and he seldom smiled. But, oh, when he smiled, the things it did to my heart.
“They don’t know it was me who let you out,” I insisted.
“That doesn’t matter. In less than forty-eight hours there will be a full moon, the first full moon since your birthday.”
“So?”
“The first transformation happens during the first full moon after your seventeenth birthday.”
“Okay, great, nice to know, but we don’t have time for a Werewolves for Dummies lesson. You need to get out of here.”
I should have run when he stepped over to me, but I didn’t. I stood there gazing into his silver eyes. They held me captive. They wouldn’t let me look away. I felt this strange pull. I wanted to lean into him. I wanted to wrap myself around him. Around Lucas, who always made me feel like I wanted to crawl out of my skin. His eyes were so solemn. But there was something else there, something possessive.
I wanted this to be a romantic moment, like those corny movies. I wanted him to take me in his arms and kiss me like his life depended on it. Then I wanted him to run off into the woods and disappear forever. Be safe.
Why was it suddenly so important to me that he be sa
fe?
He wrapped his hands around my arms. I thought he would jerk me toward him now and plant that kiss that I so desperately wanted.
Instead he said solemnly, “Kayla, you’re one of us.”
TWELVE
For such a little word, us had huge ramifications. Us could mean the human race. Well, except that he wasn’t human, not totally. Or at least, I didn’t think he was.
It could mean that since I’d rescued him, I was now destined to follow him around. In some cultures, when a person saved someone’s life, they were tied together forever. I’d read that somewhere. My babbling mind was searching for other explanations for us. Maybe it meant…
God, who was I kidding here? There was only one thing that it could mean and it wasn’t what I wanted it to mean. Us. Whatever he was, he was including me in that little circle of weirdness. It wasn’t natural. People did not turn into wolves. I had enough freakish baggage to deal with. I was not going to add being physically abnormal to the list.
Ethan moaned.
Lucas took my hand. “Come on, we gotta go before he sounds the alarm.”
I shook my head. “I’m not like you.”
“We’ll discuss it later. We have to go.”
“I’m not going.”
“Kayla, in less than forty-eight hours they’ll know the truth about you, then you’ll be the one in the cage. If you survive the transformation. You need me to help you do that…if you want to survive.”
This was just getting better and better. Not only was he saying that I was going to go all furry, but…I might die in the process if he wasn’t there? My mind was trying to process this, and it just wouldn’t. I was human. I was not like him. And us? How many of us were there? I couldn’t make sense of any of this. I just couldn’t understand it. It was too large to comprehend. My mind wanted to shut down.
There really were people who could transform into wolves? And I was one of them?
The whole idea was totally out of control.
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