Chernobyl Werewolf, Team Greywolf Series, Book 2

by Eva Gordon

  Lev stripped and took the form of the rare but large, Himalayan brown bear to cover his lycan scent. He tracked them miles away from civilization or any hiker encampments. The helicopter pilot warned him a dangerous storm headed their way and might hit tonight. He must rescue Rachel before she froze to death.

  Despite his cumbersome bear form, he galloped with the speed and climbing agility of a mountain goat. Lev heard voices and slowed. They had set up camp inside a cavern, far from other humans. Rachel was inside. How the hell had they learned her travel plans? Even he had not caught wind of it until she was days ahead of him.

  Lev stood on his hind legs, cocked his head and listened to Rachel’s pulse. Unconscious. His blood boiled. Why? He inhaled. No blood or scent of other injuries. She must have passed out from the elevation.

  He went on all fours and circled the cavern where they held her, plotting his next move.

  Rachel woke, not sure how long she’d been out and scowled at the man staring at her. She sat up. “What do you want with me?” Funny, he looked like the Lev-type. Tall, broad and feral eyes. It felt like he had threatened her with a claw. Probably an exotic blade designed like a claw. Must have been a hallucination brought on by less oxygen from the higher than normal elevation. She glanced around. They were in a cave. She sat on a thick mat and warm sleeping bag. One of the men heated hot water on a small camp stove. A bin labeled freeze-dried food lay beside it. A campfire near the entrance lit the cavern and cast flickering shadows against the cold walls. Three other thick blankets covered her. She shivered. Odd. Only one sleeping bag for all these men? A duffle bag with what must be extra clothes lay beside her. They had obviously not planned an extended stay to tour the Himalayas.

  Her abductor narrowed his eyes and she felt compelled to look down. Similar to Lev’s eyes, whose penetrating gaze commanded her soul to obey. “You really don’t know why we have gone through all this costly trouble to bring you back to your new home?”

  Rachel had been an excellent field doctor and epidemiologist, but not important enough to follow halfway around the world. “Enlighten me, please.” Whoever these men were, they had no qualms about such an expensive endeavor. Because she loved Maggie, she had tolerated Jim’s conspiracy rants about filthy rich secret societies that controlled the world. For once, there might be an inkling of truth to his weird theories. Then again, of all the people in the world, why would a mysterious cabal want her?

  “Your father had orders to never tell you the truth, but we thought perhaps he broke protocol and did.”

  Just as she suspected, this had something to do with Howard. “Not likely. You see my real father died in a car accident. Howard is my biological father, nothing more.” It had taken a bout with Ebola to force her father to come out of the woodwork and see her. Whoever these people were must be the reason Howard had stayed away. She bundled the blankets tighter around her. Had she misjudged her father? All along, he had protected her. What kind of people had he messed with? Too bad Jim wasn’t here to list the possible conspiracy plots Howard and these men were part of.

  “I see. Dr. Becker is more loyal to the blood contract than I imagined.”

  Okay, this conversation got stranger and stranger. “Am I to be ransomed to a father I don’t know for money or information?” Her pulse raced. Would they cut off a finger to send to her father as proof they held her or execute her for some wrong Howard had done against these men?

  He laughed. “You, little human, are the prize.”

  “Come again?” Rachel scanned the room for something to hit this delusional man with. Except for the hastily prepared campfire, single sleeping bag and camp stove there was no readily available weapon. Her only advantage was her snow jacket appeared warmer than theirs. If they were stuck here for the night, they’d freeze their asses. Obviously, she would, too. High in the Himalayas Mountains, she wouldn’t know which direction to get to safety without freezing or falling off a cliff.

  “You, Dr. Becker, carry the blood of Stallo.”

  “Umm…who?”

  “Once we get to Stallo’s Island, you’ll learn the truth.”

  “Never heard of it and I got an A-plus in geography.”

  He smiled, bearing what looked like overgrown canines. “Very few have. A secret island far from the reach of most.”

  With the exception of the NSA, I’m sure. Another secret government landing area. “Like Diego Garcia? Probably too small for world maps?”

  “Invisible to all.”

  “Even if it’s in the tropics, I am not in the mood for island hopping. Count me out.”

  “Actually, Stallo’s Island is ice and snow, so you are dressed appropriately.”

  An island named after some odd blood she carried. More likely, something special about her DNA rather than her blood type. What did they mean to do? Use her organs or clone her? “Please, just let me go.”

  He laughed. “For now, be satisfied you are the most important woman in the world. You will not be harmed.”

  No. This was about more than her father’s odd circles. They were really off base. Nothing that important about her. “Funny, I don’t feel special.” She gazed at a few of the men who kept their heads down. “So what now? Do we hang out until the storm passes?”

  “If you had not been so sneaky, we might have beaten the storm. Once the weather clears, our helicopter will return.”

  Military special ops overkill abduction. Had landing in the village been too risky for them? Based on the set up, it looked like they had not planned on staying the night. Not very smart. Couldn’t they have taken her out by other transportation? Then again, taken in a car while screaming her head off would cause a scene, something they surely hoped to avoid. “Sorry, like I said, I don’t want to include a sightseeing tour to your so called private island.”

  “We went through a lot of trouble to find you.” He drew out a syringe. “I need 10 ccs of your blood. Remove your jacket and roll up your sleeves.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” She muttered. “Who knew I’d be kidnapped by some weird blood bank collector?”

  He grabbed her arm and like a seasoned phlebotomist tightened a rubber tourniquet above her elbow and poked the needle through her vein. Too cold to struggle with a man built like a wrestling champion, she remained still. He drew out a vial of blood and capped it.

  “Wait. Is it because I survived Ebola?”

  He smiled, in a sinister, evil scientist sort of way. “We don’t give a rat’s ass about Ebola.”

  “Okay, so you are not into humanitarian causes, or creating a biological weapon. Why do you need a blood sample? Don’t you already have my DNA?”

  “A simple confirmation test. Nothing to concern you.” He handed the vial to another man. “Test it.”

  “Yes, sir.” He took her blood sample and left the cave into the snow. Odd. No testing kit inside the cavern?

  “Just to let you know, I don’t have any STDs,” she snarked.

  “Rest Rachel, our master will explain if the test is positive.”

  Master? Where was conspiracy Jim when she needed him? She scowled. “And if the test is negative?”

  The big man in charge smiled and left with all but one man. Her guard.

  At least they hadn’t required a urine sample. A few minutes later, the men outside the cavern cheered. Her blood results? What could make them so happy out there in the snow?

  The leader returned; a broad smile on his face. He took out his mobile. He frowned. “Damn. I can’t get through!”

  “Sounds like you had good news to tell your master.” Rachel fished for information.

  “Fortunate for you, the test turned out positive.”

  “Positive for what?” What tools had they used for blood analysis? And why did they step outside in the middle of a snow storm to run such a test?

  “Like I said, you will learn soon enough.”

  A goon called from outside the cave. “Sir, we just spotted a bear.”

&
nbsp; Rachel snarked, “Must be the Yeti, since bears are hibernating.” He shot her a scolding look. “You know, sleep in the winter and wake in the spring.” The leader sniffed the air. “No, it’s a bear.”

  Odd, he acted more canine than human. The phrase is seeing is believing not smelling is believing. If bears had a strong odor, she’d never experienced it. “I say Yeti.”

  He regarded her. “Come, let’s take a look.”

  Rachel followed him out and joined him and his men. Iced air slapped her face, but she didn’t retreat. She turned her attention to where they stared through the fog of falling snowflakes.

  A monstrous bear stood above them. She’d expected to see a small Himalayan black bear, not a large brown bear. More people claimed to have seen the Yeti than the extremely rare Himalayan brown bear.

  Apparently, they had chased it out of its cave and disturbed his hibernation. No wonder it was pissed. “He wants his cave back.” The beast turned its head and stared at her. Why was it focused on her? Obviously, her scent was different than the men’s.

  The leader scowled. “The smell is wrong.”

  Rachel sniffed, thinking she would get a whiff of something similar to a wet dog, but nothing. “How can you smell it from this distance?”

  He snapped at her. “Get inside!”

  “Fine. But I bet it’s not going to give up its den.” Rooting for team bear.

  The bear stood and roared, sounding like a cross between a lion and a movie sound effect of T-Rex.

  Rachel dashed inside and grabbed a small pot. Like that would stop a cabal of men and a fierce bear. Did her abductors carry guns? None had threatened her with one. If they had, wouldn’t they at least shoot at the bear? Endangered or not.

  What Rachel heard next chilled her more than the cold mountain air. The growls and yips of men, sounding like a pack of wolves. What the…?

  The bear bellowed and someone or creature, yelped.

  The wolfish growls intensified.

  She looked out the entrance and gasped. Two giant wolves fought the enraged bear. Abandoned clothing littered the trampled snow covered ground. The other men stripped in near zero degree temperatures.

  Had Madam Montfort spoken reality about the wolf men? Crazy lab experiments. Crap, I fucking love science, but fucking hate the unknown.

  A wolf slammed to the ground near the cavern entrance. The body shimmered. Wolf—Man—Wolf. Man.

  The guard who only minutes ago had been in the cave watching her. His head nearly decapitated. No doctoring could help him now.

  Shit.

  I’m out of here. Rachel slipped out the entrance while the battle of beasts continued. Not a clue where, but away from cultish kidnappers, genetically-altered wolf men, and one angry non-hibernating brown bear. Her only hope was Lev. Where the hell was he? She patted her pockets. Of course, they took her mobile. Could she figure out how to get back while the storm turned into an all-out blizzard?

  Without looking back at the horrific scene, she scrambled away. Move fast before the sun sets. There had to be other trekkers along the way. Shit. Some vacation. She didn’t come all this way just to freeze to death.

  Lev’s bear form faded to his wolf form. The wind picked up. He must get Rachel to safety before she froze to death.

  The alpha and his pack shifted, surrounding him.

  As the betas stripped, Lev noticed an odd tattoo on their upper back, on the shoulder blade. A flaming wolf print pentagram. No recognized pack had this.

  The werewolves growled. He had already killed two; three more wouldn’t be a problem. The alpha stripped, the same symbol, yet perhaps because of his status, another one on his chest. He growled and joined his betas.

  The betas circled and one sunk his teeth into his thigh, almost hamstringing him.

  Lev bellowed and swiped a lethal paw, killing the beta while the other distracted him with a flurry of fierce nips.

  The alpha leapt on his back and sunk his fangs into his neck. The alpha’s deep lacerating bites blinded Lev with agonizing pain. The remaining betas bit into him. Enough! He twisted and bit off the alpha’s snout.

  Lev ended the alpha’s misery with a swipe to his throat, severing the carotid. The dead alpha shifted to human form. Revealing again the odd tattoo. A flaming wolf paw over a pentagram.

  The enraged betas paused in momentary shock, but continued their attack.

  In a fury of fangs and lethal claws, Lev easily ripped the betas to shreds.

  Lev shifted to human form and ran into the cavern. Gone!

  “Rachel!”

  She couldn’t have gotten far. He grabbed the alpha’s clothes and donned them. He didn’t want to explain to Rachel why he ran around the Himalayas as naked as a newborn baby. That is if she didn’t notice his two feet shifted to wolf paws.

  Rachel, already out of breath, didn’t look back. She struggled to retain her footing as the fresh snow covered the terrain and the clouds rolled in. Finding shelter suddenly took priority. But how? Could she even retrace back to the cavern? The cavern would be her only means of survival. She glanced behind. Shit. Her footprints were already disappearing. Just as well not to return. The creatures were there waiting to tear her apart.

  Can’t believe I miss Louisiana’s balmy weather. Rachel’s winter gear worked for base camp, but she’d been taken higher. No goggles or heavy duty gloves. Her sunglasses provided some protection, but not enough for these conditions. Blindness would hit before freezing to death.

  “Rachel!”

  She clung between two rocks and stilled. Lev had found her. Or was it wishful thinking? Either way, whether mad abductors or even a crazier Russian hero, she had no choice but to call out. “Here!” She waved.

  The sound of what might be an airplane coming in for a landing shook the ground. Not an airplane, but the mountain cracking.

  A wall of snow rushed toward her.

  Shit. Avalanche!

  Rachel ran, but it moved with the power of a swift tsunami. It would engulf her in seconds. A big chunk of ice or rock grazed her head, knocking her down. Stunned, nonetheless her adrenaline kicked in and she stood.

  A large body encased her like a womb as the snow pounded on top of them. Both she and her savior would freeze to death. Rachel closed her eyes to sleep forever.

  Then the sound and burial ended. They were trapped deep beneath the snow. The man had cocooned them in. A pocket of air, but for how long? A frozen coffin.

  “Rachel, are you all right?”

  “Lev?” Here in the flesh. She felt a cut on her forehead.

  “Da.”

  Part of her wanted to slap him for making her think he had died in the terrorist explosion, and another part wanted to kiss every inch of him. No chance of either. She trembled so hard it felt like she was having a seizure. Her teeth chattered. “I’m freezing, but nothing broken, just a cut. Unless, I’m so numb I don’t realize it.” For all she knew, her brain might be exposed from the gash on her head. Please don’t let this be a hallucination.

  He touched her cut, and she winced. “Deep, but I don’t think you need stitches.”

  “W-w-what…does…it…”

  “Remain still. You will warm up soon.”

  Comforting words before she fell asleep forever, she thought. How ironic to die with the man she’d thought dead. The air around her heated with the glow of red. WTF? The ice around them melted until their enclosure turned into an igloo. Big enough almost to stand in.

  Lev sat up and drew her in and wrapped her in his arm. “Better?”

  Still shivering she blinked. “What…d…did you do?”

  “Old military trick.”

  Special forces. Probably trained in extreme weather for surviving an avalanche. He wore the same black jacket her abductor had and yet was warm to the touch. Was he one of them? The only thing that mattered was she wasn’t freezing to death. As if he were a human heater. “How can you be so warm?”

  “I’m hot blooded.” He laughed.

>   “Right.” She blew into her mittens. “What…now?”

  Later, she’d deal with whose side he was on.

  He cocked his head as if listening. “We wait for a few more minutes and then I will dig us out.”

  “T-t-t…tunnel us out?”

  “In a matter of speaking. Our heat will start melting the snow.”

  Rachel had so many questions she didn’t know where to start. The warmth helped but not by much. His unusual heat no longer combated the lethal freezing cold. Her teeth chattered, threatening to break. “B-b-but you n-n…not freezing?”

  “I’m used to snow.”

  “Okay, so you’ve been to Siberia, b-b…but even Sherpas f-f-f…freeze all...” Breathing and talking proved too difficult. Would she soon succumb to hypothermia?

  He turned her face toward him and kissed her forehead. “Rest. I’ll explain later.”

  Her eyes grew heavy. “Okay,” she slurred. Dying in his arms, better than dying alone.

  Chapter 10

  Lev swallowed his guilt. He regretted using mind control to knock Rachel out, but he’d no choice. Best to keep his powers a secret for now. He released mutant body heat and the ice melted giving him enough room to stand. To dig out. Rachel had warmed, but not enough. Her parka was next to useless. Especially, since his heating abilities waned. Her temperature dropped to dangerous levels. Hypothermia set in. He needed to get her to safety, now.

  He lifted her over his shoulder and as the snow melted around him, he tunneled out. At least she’d not noticed his bare feet, now huge wolf paws, adapted for arctic cold. Outside, the weather had turned severe. A blizzard. Wind and ice hit him hard, stinging like bullets. Temperatures hit sub-zero. Even with his radiating warmth, Rachel’s temperature continued plummeting as she began to freeze to death.

  Lev’s eyes glowed penetrating the thickness of near zero visibility. He pushed through while holding Rachel’s limp body. Was her head injury more serious than it looked? Her pulse so slow, he worried he would not be able to save her even with drastic means. He mustered more heat from his body. Despite his emerging fur, he too felt cold.