Miss Scott jumped down. Norris watched as she went from wolf to wolf, staring deeply into their eyes. When she returned to his side, Norris slid the card through the slot and punched in the code Nurse Campbell had used on the other door. With a click, the lock disengaged. Norris pushed the door open.
Before stepping into the alley, he looked left and right. Then, he held the door open for the four wolves, who quickly followed him outside. The door closed, and Norris heard the lock reengage. They were out.
They all started creeping down the alley, trying to stay in shadows. The smell of garbage filled the air. Norris’ stomach knotted, and he accidently kicked a can. The sound reverberated in the quiet. The wolves moved easily in the dark and soon outdistanced Norris. Only Miss Scott stayed close to his side.
They’d made it halfway to the street when the door to the lab opened behind them. Norris looked over his shoulder to see the two men who kidnapped him and brought him to the lab. One of them reached into his jacket and pulled out a gun.
“Run!” Norris yelled.
A blast sounded. A chunk of stone flew off the wall next to Norris’ head. He ran. Several more shots were fired. One hit a large dumpster as Norris ran by it. Just as he made it to the end of the alley, a large dark sedan pulled up. Norris’ gut clenched. All four windows opened.
“Quick, get in,” Pierre said from the driver’s seat.
Norris reached for the door handle. One by one, the four wolves jumped through the window and into the back seat. Another bullet hit the fender of the car. Norris jumped into the front seat and slammed the door. Pierre hit the gas. Another volley of shots was fired. Norris felt a burning sensation in his neck. “Esme, I love you …”
§
“NO!” Esme screamed. Her eyes flew open, and she sat up in the front seat of the car.
“Brenda!” Granger yelled, also waking up in the back seat.
“What the hell is happening?” Jared demanded, his hands clenched on the wheel. They were only about fifteen minutes from Aberdeen. He could see city lights ahead.
“They are trying to escape the lab,” Esme explained.
“Shots fired.” Granger grabbed the front seat.
“Wait, Pierre is there … I can see him through Brenda’s eyes,” Esme said.
Pierre? Jared clenched his teeth. He was going to kill that guy. What was he doing in Aberdeen?
“He’s trying to help,” Granger said. “More shots fired. Everyone is in Pierre’s car. He is pulling away. Wait. Norris is hit … He said he loves you, Esme.”
“No, please God, no. Don’t take him away from me …”
Jared looked in the rearview mirror at Granger. Granger shook his head. “Norris is dead.” Granger’s telepathic message swept into Jared’s thoughts.
Esme began to sob. Her body shook as tears streamed down her face. She curled up, burying her face in her hands. “No, not Norris. Oh God, why …”
“Esme, mon coeur. I’m so sorry.” Jared reached and took her hand. With his telepathy, he surrounded her with warmth and reassurance.
“I’m all alone …”
“No, bébé. You have me and the members of our pack. Norris gave you Brenda and Susan. You are not alone.”
“It hurts so bad.”
“I know, ma petit louve. When my parents died, I felt lost, abandoned. Granger, tell Brenda to have Pierre bring them to the … Hilton Hotel on the west side of town.” Jared drove the car onto a side street and into the driveway of the large hotel. “Granger, get us some rooms. We’ll need at least three.”
“I’m on it. Brenda said they’re not far from here. They were already heading out of town.” What about Norris’ body?
I don’t know. We need help. Call the English Alpha after you get the rooms. I’m sure Esme is going to want to bury him. Jared scratched his head.
This is a horrible mess. We have four wolves that need to shift, a car with bullet holes, and a dead body. I’ll call Grigori for advice. Granger jumped out of the car and hurried into the hotel lobby.
§
“How is Esme?” Granger asked from the couch in a sitting room that adjoined the three hotel rooms.
Jared quietly closed the door to Esme’s room. “She’s asleep. Brenda and Susan are curled up around her. Esme is exhausted. I couldn’t ask her to help them shift back to their human form. All three of them are mourning Norris. Though Brenda and Susan were with him only a few hours after shifting, they still felt a connection to him through Esme.”
“Pierre and the other two males are next door,” Granger said. “I helped the two males turn back into their human forms and gave them some clothes to wear. It looks like Norris used stem cells from Pierre for the males. Both feel a connection to Pierre. Pierre wants them to come back to Paris and join his pack. I told Pierre we would get together later and talk.”
“What about the body?” Jared sat down and rubbed his hands through his hair. Esme’s pain was a living presence in his heart. He didn’t know how to ease it.
“Pierre wrapped the body in a blanket and put it in the trunk of his car. He was afraid someone might notice a corpse sitting in the front seat. Grigori is pulling some strings. The police will be coming to get the body and question Pierre about what happened. I told him not to mention wolves but tell the truth in all other ways. He’d been looking for Norris, followed him to Aberdeen and found him running from an alley while someone shot at him.”
“You probably should be present while the police are questioning Pierre. If they get suspicious that Pierre isn’t telling them everything, you can give them a mental push to make them believe him.” Jared had to make sure that Pierre didn’t give away anything about lycans. One of Jared’s priorities was keeping his people safe.
“You got it. Brenda told me she’d like to stay with Esme tonight. Looks like you and I have the third room.”
“You go ahead and take the third room. I’ll sleep on the couch here. I want to be here if Esme needs me.” Jared couldn’t bring himself to leave her. Not when she was upset.
“Okay, call me if you need anything.” Granger got up and walked toward the door.
“Thanks, I will.” Jared smiled tiredly at his friend. It must be killing him to be sleeping away from Brenda tonight. Of course, Brenda might not want to jump into bed with someone she didn’t know. Jared shook his head. Since arriving in the UK, there’d been one problem after another. He would need to return to his pack soon.
§
Esme woke with a start, her heart beating fast. She had cried herself to sleep. Two furry bodies lay snuggled up on each side of her. She pushed her way past one of the wolves and got up. She shivered. Her dreams had been filled with violence, but it wasn’t Norris she saw dying. It was Jared. She needed to see him, to know he was close.
She tiptoed into the sitting room. Jared lay asleep on the couch, his head leaning off the arm. He’d have a crick in his neck in the morning. She shook her head. He should have gone to one of the other rooms to sleep. But he didn’t want to leave her alone. He was too much of a protector to do that. She ran her fingers through his dark locks, brushing them off his forehead.
He loved her. She knew when he touched her mind. Their bond was very strong. If she was honest, she would admit that she loved him, too. After they’d connected when she was shot, he’d always been there, comforting her or seducing her, listening to her worries. He’d never pushed her from his mind. He always found time to make her feel better.
He’d rushed her into the bedroom earlier, forbidding her to see Norris’ body. They both knew the police would want her to identify it eventually since she was Norris’ only living relative. Jared held her while she cried, while she ranted and railed. Even after Brenda and Susan arrived and they cried together, he’d held her close. It wasn’t until she was asleep that he must have left her, leaving her wolf sisters to guard her.
It was strange to feel close to two women she’d never met. It seemed as if they’d known each other all
their lives. They slipped into each other’s minds with their telepathic abilities as easily as Jared slipped into hers. She already knew about the women and their battles with cancer. Both were survivors, true warriors. Each served in the military until medically discharged because of cancer.
Esme kneeled next to the couch and kissed Jared on the mouth. His arms surrounded her. “Are you all right, mon coeur?” Jared asked when she pulled back.
“I needed to see you, to be close to you.” She lowered her head and leaned it against him.
“I’m here, ma petit. Come. The couch is small. You can lie on me.” He pulled her on top of him.
Once she was settled, her head tucked into his neck, her legs between his, he petted her hair and rubbed her back. His warm hands traveled over her.
“I loved my brother. He raised me, cured me of cancer. I owe him so much. I will miss him terribly.”
“I know, bébé. Brenda explained that Norris was forced to change the four of them. Doctors for a Better Humanity threatened you and those around you. Your brother was very brave. He protected you ‘til the end. I owe him, as well, for keeping you safe.”
“Norris always told me what to do, which made me angry. Then, he would forget me when he worked in his lab. He was brilliant, but absentminded at times. The last couple of years, I took care of him, fixing his meals, and keeping the house. I feel guilty for being resentful when he did so much for me.”
“Children resent their parents. Norris became a parental figure to you. You were growing up, changing. It was normal to feel the way you did. Don’t feel guilty. You did nothing wrong.”
“You always know what to say to make things better.” Esme kissed Jared’s neck. He ran his hand down her hair and gave her a squeeze.
“I wouldn’t be a very good mate if I couldn’t. I love you, Esme.”
“I love you too, Jared. Try to get some more sleep. The police will be knocking on the door soon.” She could feel Jared’s exhaustion through the mating bond.
“We will handle it when they do.”
“I know,” Esme said. Jared would take care of everything.
§
“Jared, wake up. Jared.”
Jared opened one eye and squinted up at Granger who stood next to the couch. Esme lay sprawled on top of Jared, her hair lying across his face and arms, her heavy breathing showing she was fast asleep.
“Esme needs to get the girls to shift before the cops come in here. The cops are with Pierre right now, along with the English Alpha, Grigori Solovyov. He must have some pull with the government or something,” Granger said as he paced back and forth beside the couch. Every time he stopped near the bedroom door, he looked longingly in that direction. His nostrils flared, trying to catch his mate’s scent.
Jared’s arms tightened around Esme. He didn’t want to wake her. He didn’t want her to face the loss of her brother again this morning. Sighing, he kissed her hair and began to rub her back. The police had to be prevented from finding two wolves in the room. In Quebec, Esme would be the Alpha female. She needed to step up and take responsibility for that position.
Jared hated to force her, but there was no time to find another way. “Esme, mon coeur, you must wake up. Esme?”
She moaned and snuggled closer. Jared couldn’t help but smile. “Esme, you must wake up. We need to help the girls shift before the police come to interview them. As an Alpha female, you must help them find their human form.”
Esme’s eyes fluttered open. She looked worn, her eyes sad. Jared felt his heart clench. He hated what she was going through. Trying to help, he sent reassurance and love through the mating bond. She’d been brave, determined. If only he and Granger had been able to save Norris.
“You must stop blaming yourself, Jared. What happened to Norris wasn’t your fault. You came with me, you supported my decision, and you even drove. You did everything you could. I don’t blame you.” Her words whispered in his head like a soft caress.
His heart warmed, and his lips captured hers in a kiss. He needed to show her how he felt, how much he admired her. He filled his hands with her hair and tilted her head to the side to better access her mouth.
“Uh, guys, the police? We really don’t have time for this.”
Esme chuckled and broke the kiss. “Ah, Granger, you’re no fun. You better change your attitude if you want to seduce your mate. Brenda is going to be hard to impress.”
“Don’t remind me,” Granger groaned. “Right now, we need her to shift. I can try to help her, but you are the Alpha. You can command her.”
“All right, let’s get it done. I’m curious to see what my new sisters look like,” Esme said, climbing off Jared and running her hands through her hair. “I hope some of my clothes will fit them, or they’ll be meeting the police naked.”
“If they can’t wear your clothes, then Granger and I can lend them some of ours. We might have to send out for new clothes after the interviews are done and the police are gone.”
“That will work. I guess I’ll need to pick up a suit for Norris to wear at the funeral.”
“Uh, it’s traditional for lycans to cremate their bodies. Is that what you would like done?” Jared couldn’t add the phrase “to Norris.” He didn’t want to make the death harder for Esme.
“I’ll need to visit with our lawyer in Paris,” Esme said. “He’ll know if any plans are in place for burial. Can it wait until then?”
“You could call him.” Granger suggested. “Then, we’ll know how to proceed. Hopefully, Grigori will convince the police to release the body to us.”
“He can be very convincing.” Esme headed to the bedroom door.
She seemed to have great confidence in the English Alpha. Jared hoped the man could deliver. He didn’t want Esme disappointed.
Jared followed Esme and Granger into the bedroom. Both female wolves were awake, their ears up and their eyes bright. “Good morning,” Jared greeted them. “We need to get you ladies to shift to your human form. The police will be here soon and will want to interview you. Please leave the turning-into-wolves part out of your report. We don’t want to reveal that secret.”
Esme climbed on the bed between the two wolves and hugged them. “When I shifted back to my human form the first time, it was quite by accident. I thought of how nice it would be to take a bath and wash my hair. I pictured that in great detail, and, voilá, I shifted. I’m going to help you. I shouldn’t need a drop of your blood because my stem cells are now a part of you. I’m sure that’s why I hear your thoughts so easily, and you feel like sisters to me. So, first, let’s connect telepathically. Then, you can build the picture in your head of how you look in your human form. When you’re ready, I’ll add power to the command. Jared and Granger will help, and the shift should come easily. Don’t do what I did and fight it. If you do, you will only hurt yourselves. All right, let’s begin.”
Jared reached for Esme’s mind through the mating bond. He felt her connect first to Brenda, then to Susan. Brenda reached for Granger and brought him into the link.
“Now picture yourselves in your human form,” Esme sent.
Both women began building pictures in their minds. Brenda was tall and lithe with light brown hair and silver gray eyes. Susan was shorter, similar in stature to Esme, except not as curvy. Her hair was blond, and her eyes were green.
Each woman completed the picture of herself in her mind. Granger fed his power to Brenda, while Jared fed his to Esme, who sent it on to both Susan and Brenda. When Esme, Jared and Granger could see the women clearly, Esme commanded, “Shift.”
White lights began to form and swirl around the wolves. Jared fed Esme more of his strength, and Granger did the same. Suddenly, the wolves were gone, and two women lay on the bed with Esme’s arms draped around them. Esme laughed. “Well done. Now, if you boys will excuse us, I’ll see what we can do about clothes.”
Jared headed for the door. He stopped next to his best friend, who stared in awe at the woman connecte
d to him by the mating bond. “Granger, your mouth is hanging open,” Jared whispered.
Granger closed his mouth with a snap, while Jared grabbed his arm and dragged him out the door. “We’ll be right outside if you need anything,” Jared called to Esme before closing the door firmly.
“She’s beautiful …” Granger whispered in awe.
“Yes, Esme is lovely, isn’t she?” Jared couldn’t help teasing his friend. He remembered that when he first saw Esme in person, she blew him out of the water.
“I meant, Brenda.”
“Oh, Brenda, well, yes, she is nice looking if you like your women tall and skinny. I wonder if she runs or swims to maintain that body type.”
“She’s perfect. I can’t stop thinking about her. I want to touch her skin and see if it is as soft as it looks. I want to lick her from head to toe and see if she tastes as sweet …”
“Yes, yes. That’s the mating bond talking. It ensures that you want the one chosen for you.”
Suddenly, Jared and Granger heard a loud banging on the door. “The touching and licking will have to wait. That’s probably the police. Let them in.”
Chapter Nine
“What’s going on here? How the hell did your brother turn us into wolves?” Brenda paced back and forth at the end of the bed.
Esme grimaced and stopped searching in her suitcase for clothes. She looked from Brenda to Susan. How was she going to explain this? Susan sat on the bed, her arms around her knees. Esme remembered the terror she’d felt when she first shifted.
“It’s a long story. Let me first tell you that your cancer is now cured. You are stronger than most human males, and you can hear and smell better, as well.”
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