by Eva Gordon
“Horses.” She smiled. “I heard you do dressage.”
“When I can, but yeah, if I had another life, that’s what I’d do.”
“I own an Arabian mare. I’ll take you to the stables and find you a horse.”
“That would be great. I’ve focused so long on the show ring, I forgot how nice it is to ride for pleasure.”
Nik couldn’t get Emma’s sweet scent or the image of her alluring sexy body out of his head. Yet, he found her frustrating to the hilt. The way she disguised herself as an old woman and hid her scent disturbed him. Not good. How would he protect her if she decided to vanish, and she left no scent to follow? Before they left headquarters, he’d make her promise not to do that again. He’d never used his alpha status to get what he wanted, until now. As important as Ms. H. was, she was still human and her status remained below omega. Not that he liked the lycan status system, but if need be, he’d use this leverage to keep her safe. Under his thumb.
He hadn’t seen her for two days and today they had a meeting to discuss their mission before taking a commercial flight to Eastern Siberia. Last night, he’d had one drink. Vodka. A mistake. Being inebriated did something to him that he had never shared with anyone, not even Rylee. If he got drunk, he turned into an alpha’s intermediary form, a raging bipedal werewolf. He’d only return to human form once he sobered up. Best not to drink. I should mention this problem to Dr. Becker.
As soon as he had the glass of vodka, he immediately wanted more. Before he drank another shot, he shifted to wolf form and ran into the forest. No one thought anything of it. A lycan had to shift to wolf form at least every two to three days. He’d trained with deep breathing exercises to control his shift, allowing him to remain human for four or five days. He stayed in wolf form for an entire day before going on a mission, so there had never been problems.
Nik trotted back to headquarters, shifted to human form and dressed to meet with Rylee. At the elevator, he bumped into Emma. Rather, her soft bosom pressed against him, instantly arousing him as if he were an adolescent boy touching a woman for the first time. It’s not like she’s naked. She wore tight blue jeans and a red sweater. No matter what she wore, she looked hot as hell.
Emma grabbed his arms for balance. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t see you.”
He swallowed. Number one rule, never mix business and pleasure. Nik smiled. “You need seeing eye wolf?”
She narrowed her eyes. “You came out of nowhere.” She shrugged. “Aren’t wolves aware of their surroundings even in complete darkness?”
Although, she was an important human, she still had to be careful not to chastise an alpha. He folded his arms over his chest and narrowed his gaze. “I was thinking of our mission.” He liked her spunk, though. “In the safety of the LIA, I, as you say, let my guards down.”
“Guard down.”
He gestured to the elevator, and she marched in. “Do you like your new accommodations?”
She pushed the button to the ready room. “Very much so. Being in the ranch house makes me feel like I’m on human territory. At least most of the time.”
“On top is good.” The elevator opened and they exited. “You don’t mind the lycan rules?”
“I’ve been taught their rules from the time I first came here.” She smirked. “In fact, I believe I know proper protocol better than you.”
“So you know I’m new to the pack behavior and my standing within the pack.”
“You are an alpha, so you pretty much have it made.”
He shook his head. “Most of the time, I feel more human than wolf.” Although, she started to bring out his hungry wolf. His need to dominate. Take her to his den.
“Based on our first meeting, you are all alpha.”
“I am?”
They arrived to the ready room.
Emma bowed to Jesper. “Where’s Rylee?”
“She’s on her way.”
Nik turned to Jesper. “Do you have our identities?”
“Yes.” He handed them a manila folder and a memory stick. “The memory stick has additional details. Look them over.”
They sat and looked over their new identity papers, which included a passport, driver’s license and credit cards.
Emma smiled. “So I’m wolf population biologist, Dr. Jane Walker.”
Nik laughed. “Like Jane Goodall.”
“And who are you?” asked Emma.
“And I’m your guide, Boris Orlov.”
Emma laughed. “Boris fits.”
Nik raised his brow. There she goes again with silly inside joke.
Nik pointed to the screen. “On the map, show me the pack’s last location.”
Jesper displayed the information on the big screen.
“Good. Isolated, far from human populations. We might still have a chance to get there.”
Rylee walked in. “I see you started without me.”
They all bowed to Rylee and then returned to studying the screen.
Emma turned to her. “Ma’am, once our jet lands, how will we get there?”
Nik smiled. “I have helicopter license in Russia.”
“Really?” asked Emma.
“Military helicopter training.”
Rylee nodded. “I’d say the culprits must have a helicopter as well.”
“Actually, I did my homework.” Emma handed Jesper a memory stick. “This is the man I suspect.” She clicked on several pictures.
Rylee raised a brow. “Justin Charles or rather J.C. Bolton, head of Bolton Industries, a huge agri-biotech corporation. He’s one of the richest men in the world and a beloved philanthropist. Are you sure?”
“Great PR. Bolton has been in and out of the shadows. Danny was on his trail when he and the others were killed.”
“By a Russian hitman. A gun for hire who mostly works for arms dealers.” Emma narrowed her gaze at Nik. “Possibly, former army intelligence, in fact.”
If he felt romantic earlier, her suspicious comment about Russians drove that mood away. Nik shook his head. “Why would Bolton be connected to arms dealers?”
“One of his genetically engineered pesticides killed fifty-eight people. They settled out of court with the plaintiffs. His shares plunged. Yet, he didn’t seem the least bit put out. He wrote a three million dollar check for a charity to save old grove forests. And get this, he contributed to research in the wolf genome of Northern European wolf populations. At the time, I thought it was coincidence, but then who else would have the funding to do chimera experiments?”
They stared at Bolton. The forty-something American billionaire sported a lab coat in front of his group of scientists. The words below the magazine photograph read, “Bolton Industries Cures and Feeds the World.”
“Does the memory stick have everything on J.C. Bolton?” Rylee asked.
“Yes. To be honest, Danny was working on connecting him to selling bio weapons, but lost the trail. Bolton has expert fixers. Possible CIA connections.”
“What kind of bio weapons?” Rylee asked.
“Antibiotic resistant plague carried by flea infested rats immune to it. Specifically pneumatic plague. A weapon he planned to sell to the highest bidder.” Emma narrowed her eyes. “Danny destroyed the genetically modified plague and rats.”
Nik narrowed his eyes. Did Emma pursue Bolton as revenge for the murder of her fiancé? “So what makes you think Bolton is involved with creating wolf-man hybrids?”
“He once worked with Project Sabertooth. Ten years ago, long before Gaby and Steele destroyed the group.”
Rylee raised a brow. “Gaby would recognize him.”
“According to my father, he kept his identity a secret from anyone below the director. Gaby would never have known of him.” She sighed. “Then again, that doesn’t necessarily mean he is working on wolf chimeras,” said Emma.
Rylee pinched her chin and turned to Jesper. “Let’s get the hackers to follow his tracks. Money. Where he’s been. Connections.”
“Yes
, ma’am.”
Nik shrugged at Rylee. Tempted to tell her that was a wild goose chase, but held his tongue. Rylee would ignore him, thinking even a small lead might be worth pursuing.
Emma released a long breath. “Thank you, ma’am.”
Rylee turned to her. “Emma, just because your former fiancé tried to nail Bolton, doesn’t mean you should.”
“No disrespect, but what are you implying?” asked Emma.
“I’m saying, you might be following your emotions and not the person behind the monstrous experiments.”
Emma’s cheeks flushed. “Ma’am, trust me. We should keep Bolton on our list of suspects.”
“And we will. If you are right, there’s no doubt Bolton might be behind the hit to kill you.”
Nik kept his reaction neutral, but he supported Rylee. “How would he know about wolves that might carry the HERV retrovirus? Something even Dr. Becker didn’t know until recently.”
Rylee nodded. “That’s why I suspect a werewolf might be involved. Someone who knows something about our ancestry.”
Emma said, “I’m thinking a werewolf would contact a man with Bolton’s finances and interest to carry out experiments.”
Nik tilted his head and nodded. “Possibly.” He hated that she might be motivated to nail Bolton because she still loved Danny. Then again, he respected a mate’s need for revenge.
She turned to Rylee as if he hadn’t spoken. “I need a record of all the rogue werewolves likely to have betrayed our kind.”
“Jesper will get you the file.”
Nik raised a brow. “I know a few.”
“I suppose those brought in go straight to Enforcer Dominic,” said Emma.
Rylee nodded. “The odd thing is most rogue werewolves hate humans as much as they hate us.”
Emma said, “Unless, they think turning real men into werewolves will help them start a pack. Or build super soldiers for criminal activities.”
Rylee sneered. “A legitimate motive, but I doubt a new pack would want to be involved with a human, even one as powerful as Bolton.”
Emma resented the fact they thought her suspicion about Bolton had to do with Danny and her team’s deaths. The lycans probably smelled her frustration. The connection may not be obvious, but he certainly had state of the art labs to carry out such experiments. Having a boss question her was one thing, but a partner who didn’t believe her was not only infuriating but dangerous. No way did she want to partner with Nik. Cricket would make a convincing guide, but then again she didn’t speak Russian or, did she? “I heard Cricket is the best lycan to portray a human. Why not let her be my guide?”
Nik blurted. “Cricket doesn’t speak Russian and she does not have helicopter license.”
Rylee smiled. “She is the best, but Nik is right. We need someone who speaks the language.”
“Like native speaker.” Nik smirked.
Emma gave him a sardonic look. “Who did you learn boasting from? Chekov from Star Trek?”
“You mean Anton Chekov, the novelist?”
Okay, so he doesn’t watch every old television series. Or, more likely, he wanted to show off his literary knowledge. Emma rolled her eyes. “Never mind.”
Rylee continued. “Once you arrive, you will have no contact with us. We can’t have anyone, human or lycan, trace you back to us. I’m sorry, but once you’re compromised you will be on your own. At least until I can get a team together to rescue you.”
My turn to boast. “Don’t worry. Avoiding surveillance and eluding the enemy is my specialty.” Having a werewolf who needed to shift put her in jeopardy.
Rylee smiled. “If you are as good as your father, I have no doubts.”
“Ma’am, which is why I prefer to go solo.”
Nik scoffed. “What if you get captured?” Then he muttered, “Or need rescue from assassins.”
“Look, this is not personal. It’s better if I go in as a human scientist without being compromised by a lycan who needs to shift.”
“Not a scientist. An agent of the CIA,” reminded Nik.
“This is not the first time I have infiltrated a lab.” She was also well educated in wolf biology.
Rylee frowned. “Okay, you two, grow up. Find out who is running this chimera program so we can shut it down.”
“Understood,” said Nik.
“Yes, ma’am.” Emma stood.
“Good. Nik, see you in the morning. Emma, a word…”
Shit. To the pack, it was all about teamwork and obeying the alpha. Normally, Emma was cool headed, but something about Nik really irked her.
Rylee narrowed her eyes. “Sit.”
“Yes, ma’am.” She stared at her hands.
“Lev and I personally vetted Nicolay. He is green in terms of lycan politics, but he is a worthy team member. The missions he’s gone on were successful. Furthermore, he didn’t grow up in a pack, but he is an alpha and you will treat him with the respect he deserves.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“If he’d been any other alpha, he would have demanded your submission.”
Here we go. The ‘alpha is boss’ thing. “I’m sorry. I will follow pack protocol from now on.”
“Good. In my territory, I’m far more lenient than other pack leaders. However, like it or not, Nik is your superior.”
“I understand.”
“No one knows Siberia better than Nik. And furthermore, he has one job. Protect our new Ms. H.”
She never needed a babysitter before, but Rylee had a point. If push came to shove, it would be nice to have a fierce werewolf for backup. “I second that.”
Chapter Five
Nik hated flying in a commercial aircraft, but they wanted to keep their human cover. They traveled like normal people. First class, but not big enough for a werewolf with such little legroom to move. The small box of food they served might be okay for a sparrow, not a wolf with his ravenous appetite. In the window seat, Emma slept like a tired child. She must be used to this mode of travel. What is wrong with me? Sweet Emma. Heartbroken. Thinking of her dead fiancé. Nik longed to drape his arms around her. He too would want revenge if his mate was murdered. Such an emotional state might cause her to make foolish choices. Would Emma put herself in danger? He wouldn’t allow it. His overprotective wolf rose, ready to snap at the chance to attack anyone who threatened her.
As if hearing his thoughts, she woke up. “Did you say something?”
“No. Just trying to stretch. Go back to sleep. We still have another hour before we land.”
“You should have woken me sooner.”
“Why?”
She signaled him to move. “I want to freshen up.”
“Yes, of course.” Nik stood.
“Thanks.” She brushed her nice ass past him and headed to the bathroom.
He sat and peered out the window. How strange to return home. It had been six years since he visited Siberia. Bad memories, but good ones, too. Nostalgia and frustration at returning to Siberia where his pack had been massacred tormented him. He vowed never to return after his foster father, Oleg Sokolov, died of old age. No reason to return. His fellow soldiers had become his comrades and family. Now Team Greywolf, a pack of werewolves like him, were his true comrades. Ironically, the longest he ever stayed at LIA headquarters was a month. Rylee had sent him on a few team operations, but then allowed him to search for Saskia. Until she cancelled his primary mission. The more time he spent with Emma, the less concerned he was about pursuing the serial killer she-wolf. Still, by now Saskia must have found other victims to kill indiscriminately. Once she drained their blood, she ate the remains. The idea that she probably relaxed in a tub of human blood pissed him off.
Emma returned to her seat. “What’s wrong?”
Nik stood. “Nothing.”
She whispered, “Your fangs are showing.” She looked around. “You aren’t going to go canine in flight, are you?”
He covered his mouth and sat back down. Fortunately, the oth
er passengers were either sleeping or staring at their devices. The flight attendant nowhere in sight. “Of course not.”
Emma narrowed her eyes. “Could have fooled me.”
“Don’t worry, comrade.” Best that he reminded Emma of their relationship. Or rather, remind his wolf. His desire for the haughty female complicated the assignment. Such a conflict of interest interfered with his control. Worse, what if she didn’t feel the same way?
“I bet a nice cocktail or better yet some vodka might help.”
“Nyet. No.”
“Hmm. A Russian who refuses vodka?”
“I don’t drink.”
“As in ever?”
Nik sensed she already knew he didn’t drink. “Correct.” She probably thought he was an alcoholic. Close. Drinking brought out the beast. He’d never heard of other alcohol-triggered werewolves like him. Perhaps, he was the exception.
Emma smiled. “Good, I like my partners sober.”
“Then, as you say in America, you are in luck.” He winked and lowered his cap over his eyes. “I’ll take a short nap.” Listening to her heartbeat soothed him. Nik sunk into dream-filled slumber. In wolf form, he ran in an ancient Siberian forest. The snow beneath his paws felt good. The odor of Oleg’s fireplace drew him toward the cabin. As he approached, he caught the aroma of fresh spring flowers, of desire, of love. A female voice called to him.
Emma gently nudged him. “We are about to land.”
Nik straightened. “Already?”
“The pilot announced we are landing at Novosibirsk Tolmachevo Airport in twenty minutes.” Emma whispered, “Everything good?”
He cocked his head. “Yes, why?”
Emma shrugged and smirked. “Oh, nothing. Like a dog dreaming, your hands and feet moved as if you were playing.”
“Ha. Ha.” Nik crossed his arms. Lucky for her, I wasn’t dreaming of biting someone.
“I’m not joking. You twitched.”
He frowned. “REM sleep means I’m rested for action.”
“Got it.” Emma looked out the window. “Impressive.”
“Have you been to Novosibirsk?” He leaned in and stared at the bright lights. She is probably surprised to see such a big city.