“What?” The old woman turned to her with a frown. “I’ll swear if I darn well please. I’ve been beaten almost to death, for goodness’s sake.”
Kalen wanted to laugh. He could really come to like Mrs. Milly Jenkins.
Chapter Thirteen
“Have you heard from those two idiots, Johnny and Roger?” Dr. Richard Thornton looked over his glasses at his assistant who sat negligently in the chair across from him.
Damn, Martin was a perfect specimen for one of his experiments, but Richard wasn’t stupid. He knew the man wouldn’t hesitate to kill him if he injected him with the serum against his will.
Richard might be desperate to prove to General Butterick that he could produce results, but he didn’t have a damned death wish.
Martin stared at him with those dead eyes and shook his head. “I think your friends got them.” He stood and paced. “I wish we could get more soldiers, but the military isn’t as forthcoming with help as they once were.”
“Only because that bastard, Bastien Sinclair, and his group killed all the properly trained soldiers they sent us.” Richard was so mad he could have killed someone himself, but as the leader here, he delegated. That was what Martin was for.
“The Army should have sent better trained men. Instead, they sent the dregs from their ranks and expected us to fight off a paramilitary organization with abilities akin to superpowers.”
Martin turned to him and stared at him through narrowed eyes. “Those men were not the dregs, Doctor. They were all Special Forces and every one of them were braver than you are.”
“Why won’t you let me inject you, Martin?” Richard wondered if he could tempt the man, even a little.
“Because I like my life the way it is. I’m not anyone’s fucking guinea pig.” He stepped closer, placed his hands on Richard’s new teak desk and leaned forward. “And don’t even think about turning me against my will, Doctor. I’d be no good to you locked up and you know it.”
“You wouldn’t have to be locked up. You could still come and go as you please.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I couldn’t, because if you let me loose, I would rip your fucking head off your shoulders.” He straightened and pulled his shoulders back. “Read my lips. I like my life the way it is now, and I want to keep it that way.”
Richard sat back in his chair and sighed. It had been worth a shot. He couldn’t imagine a better candidate for his serum than Martin, but he had refused it every step of the way. Richard rubbed his eyes then looked up at his right-hand man.
“How many mercenaries have you recruited?”
Martin finally relaxed, sat down, and propped his feet up on the corner of the desk. “About a dozen.”
Richard fought the urge to tell him to get his fucking feet off his new desk. He didn’t need to alienate the man, so he left it alone. At the moment, Martin was all he had. “That’s it?”
“Hey, if you think you can do better, be my fuckin’ guest. It’s not easy convincing people to give up everything in their lives to become a lab rat. You’re just damned lucky they don’t realize that they’re literally signing their lives away.” He chuckled. “I’m just damned glad I’m not the one that’s going to be injecting them. As far as they’re concerned, the only thing I know about this project is that you need volunteers to accept your serum.”
Richard scowled at the man. “It’s not like it’ll kill them.” He pushed his chair back and stood. He made his way over to the TV and turned it on. The sound of waves crashing against rocks filled the room. He’d had every television in the facility hooked up to a closed-circuit system that played nature scenes and sounds twenty-four hours a day unless someone was watching a DVD.
Hell, he’d had to do something to make it feel as though they weren’t cooped up underground all the time.
Moving back to his desk, he sat down and watched the current scene, his fingers steepled in front of his face. “Did the idiots inject the old woman like I ordered?”
One of Martin’s brows rose. “I can only assume so, Doctor. After all, they have never failed to follow orders before.”
“Yes, well, there’s a first time for everything, isn’t there?” Richard stopped baiting him. He knew that his second in command had some strange soft spot for the men he brought in. He was starting to wonder if Martin was gay.
Martin stared at him for a moment as though he would like to kill him with his bare hands before he finally relaxed and shrugged.
“Like I said, I can only assume they did as they were told.” He put his feet down on the floor and sat up. “What worries me is that they’re most likely dead and the serum they had is now in the hands of the werewolves. What’s stopping them from injecting people and increasing their ranks?”
Richard did his best to hide his alarm at the other man’s question and line of thought. Martin was right. If the weres had the serum, then they could have their people reverse engineer it. That was not a good thing. Nope. It wasn’t good at all.
Chapter Fourteen
Kalen pulled his cell phone from his pocket, thankful that Ally had had the presence of mind to bring his pack in with her. It was a good thing he’d kept it on him, as well. Sliding his finger over the screen to wake it up, he brought up Bastien’s number and pressed the call button.
“Sinclair.” The other man answered after the first ring.
“It’s Kalen. I have the girl, but we have another problem.”
He heard Bastien’s sigh through the connection and over the women who sat huddled together talking.
“How many others have they turned?”
“Just one that I know of, but...” he paused, unsure how to break the news to him.
“Just spit it out, will you?” Bastien sounded exhausted. He probably was. Not only had he just gotten mated, but he was also the healer of their pack and he had taken it upon himself to start the search for that lunatic who called himself a doctor. Their alpha was on his honeymoon trip that he’d combined with a diplomatic visit to another pack on the other side of the world. It was up to them to contain this mess until the alpha got back to the states.
“The woman they injected is over seventy years old and they planned to breed her. Any idea how?”
Bastien grew silent on the other end before he replied, “I have no idea unless they’ve already turned someone who was older. Perhaps when they turn, they become the were-being version of seventy which would put them at just entering their prime.”
That could be the answer. Their people considered members of the pack in their twenties through forties adolescents, for the most part. They were obviously adults, but they couldn’t control their shifts as well as an older shifter.
Kalen looked over at the two women. What would happen if Milly Jenkins reverted to being younger after her change?
“There’s another thing,” he said as he stared down into the case the two men had left open on the counter.
“What now?” Bastien sounded at the end of his patience. “I swear, Tolbert, if you can’t tell me some good news, keep the shit to yourself.”
“Oh, I think you’re going to want to hear this.”
“You have good news for a change?” Bastien perked up. The other man actually sounded a little excited.
“I’d call it good news.” He stared down into the case filled with gray form-fitting foam. “I’m staring at five full vials of serum and if the sixth one is any indication, it only takes about a quarter of a vial to turn a human.”
Turning his attention back to the women, Kalen waved at Milly to get her attention. “Excuse me, Mrs. Jenkins, but do you remember if the vial on the syringe was full when they injected you?”
With a frown, Milly stared at the needle for a minute. She swayed in her chair as though tipsy while she thought about it, and Kalen knew he would have to get off the phone in a minute to help her.
“No. I think the syringe was about half full.” She smiled at him drunkenly. “You’re cute. Did you kno
w that?” She frowned at Ally who knelt beside her. “Shouldn’t you be at work?” After that, Milly’s head fell back on her shoulders and she was out.
“Well...” Bastien paused, waiting. “What did she say?”
Kalen shook his head to clear it and turned his attention back to the phone. “She said the syringe looked half full. There’s no way the syringe they used took nearly a quarter of the vial. Either this is the vial they injected Ally and some others with, or there are more newborn shifters in town.” Wearily, he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
“I’ll bring everything back with me, including the already used syringe and you can have our people study it.” He watched as Ally had a tough time keeping Milly on the chair. “I have to go now. The old woman just fainted, and we need to pack some things for her and Ally before we head out. Ally has been traipsing the woods half-naked. I’m sure she’d like to stop by her house and get some clothes.”
“Okay. Bring them both to the safe house on Gates. We’ll meet you there.”
Kalen shoved his phone back into his pocket and turned to the two women. Ally, trying her best to hold Milly on the chair fought a losing battle as the older woman slumped lower and lower in her seat.
Kalen strode over to the chair, scooped the woman up in his arms, and turned to Ally. “Where is her bedroom?”
He followed Ally through the kitchen and down a short hallway to the woman’s bedroom. “Do you remember how long you were out when they injected you?”
Ally bit her lip, deep in thought. The action made his cock throb. Damn. His human side might not have wanted a mate, but his wolf certainly did. Just watching those perfect teeth of hers pull at her full bottom lip was enough to make him crazy.
What was it about the way she smelled, looked and moved that made it difficult for him to think of anything other than sliding his hard cock into her wet flesh and losing himself in her body?
“No, but I don’t remember them clearing their stuff out of the room. It would have taken at least twenty or thirty minutes for them to pack up all of their crap and load it in their car.”
“And their trail was at least thirty minutes old when we got there.” Kalen rubbed the stubble on his chin then frowned. He hated that his beard grew faster when he changed. “That should give us at least an hour before she wakes up. Let’s find her keys and lock up, then go over to your house so you can get some things.”
“I can go by myself.” She waved toward the bed. “That way you can stay here and keep an eye on Milly.”
I don’t think so.” He moved to block Ally’s way out of the room. We’ll go together. We already know that this house is clear.” He glanced back and the older woman lying face up on the bed and frowned. Did she look younger? “We don’t know if your house is safe. There could be men waiting there for you to show up.
“Alright,” Ally said with a frown, her shoulders drooping. “But once we get over there and you deem it safe, I want to pack by myself. I don’t need you in the room with me watching me go through my underwear drawer.”
“I won’t watch you pack your underwear.” He chuckled. “But I do have to tell you that if they all look like what you’re wearing now. I wholeheartedly approve.”
Chapter Fifteen
Face burning with mortification, Ally pushed past Kalen and practically ran from the room. She would have left the house and gone straight to her own if Kalen hadn’t grabbed her arm at the front door.
“Do you know where she keeps her keys?”
Ally heaved a sigh, led him to the kitchen and pointed at the coat rack. “She always hangs them there, under her jacket. She figured that if someone broke into her house to try to steal her car, they would waste time looking for her purse first before they would think to look under her coat.”
“Now, if you don’t mind, I would like to go pack a few things before the police show up wanting to question me.”
“If anything, they’ll show up looking for proof that you’ve packed clothing and left.” He shrugged at her narrow-eyed glance. “What’d I do now?”
“Nothing. I just don’t like the fact that I’m about to go to my house to do just that and they won’t know I’ve been kidnapped.”
“Kidnapped?” He raised his brows. “I’m not kidnapping you, sweetheart. I’m taking you into protective custody. There is a difference.”
“Not much, to my way of thinking.” She opened the door. “She has a key to my place on there, too. Her key is the one with the blue nail polish, mine has the green.”
Ally stomped out on the porch, crossed her arms and waited for him to join her. It galled her to no end that she had to take this man with her to pack her clothing. No doubt he’d want to search her underwear drawer for imps, or something before he’d let her pack. She’d just die if he did that and found her vibrator.
Kalen locked the door, his shoulders shaking.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.” He turned and looked at her, his lips pressed together. He looked as though he was struggling not to laugh. “Just for the record though... I’ve never met an imp and I’ve traveled the world over.”
Ally spun around and ran for her house. Oh, my God! I forgot he can read my mind.
I don’t read your mind, sweetheart. We’re connected somehow and I feel it when you’re upset. And... he paused. I can hear your thoughts.
“Well, stop it! And while you’re at it, stop talking into my mind and stop calling me sweetheart. I am so not your sweetheart.”
She stopped at the front door to her house and frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
Ally reached out and pushed her door open. Kalen shoved her to the side just as she heard a spitting sound come from her living room. Wood splintered on her doorjamb as he shoved her out of the way and a small dart hit the porch rail with a slight thunk.
“Come on in, you two. We have some talking to do.”
“I knew I saw three men in that kitchen.” Kalen whispered.
“There’s no need to lower your voices. I can hear what you say. I have wonderful hearing now that I’m one of you.”
Kalen motioned Ally to the side. Stay low. He can shoot you through a window, but not a wall. He grinned. And if I’m not mistaken, he has no idea we can communicate like this. He is untrained in our ways. That is why they can never win. They might be able to shift shape like we do, but they have no idea what all they are capable of doing now.
“Silence will only buy you a small amount of time. Come on in before I start using the gun with bullets.”
He’s bluffing, sweetheart. He needs to take us both back alive. He’ll continue to track us and try to shoot us with that dart gun of his. He tossed her the keys. Go back to Milly’s and let me handle this.
And get yourself tranqued so they can come after us next? Uh, uh. No way. We take this guy out together. Two targets are better than one, or don’t you remember how we took out the moron twins back there in the woods?
Fine, but you’d better not get yourself shot. If he takes me down, there will be no one to protect you or Milly.
You have a point. She gave him the sweetest-looking smile she could muster. Too bad it’s on the top of your head.
Kalen chuckled. That surprised her. She thought it would piss him off. Instead, it seemed to steady his nerves.
I’ll push open the door on the count of three. You go in high and give him a target. I’ll go in low and go for the payload, so to speak.
“I’m not getting any younger in here. Come on you two, or I come out to show you my automatic.”
“Give us a minute. He promised to tell me he loved me first.”
She could tell Kalen wanted to laugh at her impromptu performance, but instead he winked at her and said, “She’s right. I did. Give us one minute, will you?”
“Hurry the hell up out there. I’m getting impatient and my finger is getting itchy.”
Now, there’s a man who has seen way too much TV. Kalen shook hi
s head, then started counting. One. He hurriedly stripped off his clothing.
You’re always getting naked in front of me. Ally shook her head and looked up when she really wanted to ogle him. The last thing she needed was to get all hot and bothered looking at his broad shoulders, washboard abs and, oh God, she didn’t mean to look at his impressive package. She looked away and counted to ten.
You can look now, Ally. My impressive package isn’t so impressive in wolf form. Not to human women anyway.
Crap! Why did she keep forgetting to censor her thoughts? Her cheeks burned as though she’d just pressed them against a hot grill.
Two. Now, look at me, Ally. I’m going to explain all of this later, but as difficult as it’s going to be for you to believe... He paused for a moment. I do love you. Three. Now, go! Kalen pushed the door open and Ally sprang into action, prompted more by his sense of urgency than his words.
Still, it didn’t stop her thoughts from running rampant as she ran into the room, then dove to the side as the man, sitting on her sofa, aimed his gun her way.
As Kalen hoped, he went for the easier target instead of the most dangerous one. Kalen leapt into the air, grabbed the man by the throat, and pinned him to the couch.
“Oh, do try not to kill him on my furniture, will you? I just got it about a year ago.
I won’t kill him, but you’ll still have to have it cleaned. He just urinated on it.
Dammit!” She picked up her umbrella from the corner and hit the guy’s arm with it, knocking the gun from his hand. “I haven’t even asked invited guests to sit on that couch. Stop peeing on it!”
The man gurgled something she didn’t quite catch. “I can’t understand the idiot when you have his throat closed off like that, Kalen.” She glared at the man. Hell, she was almost mad enough to kill the bastard herself. “That better have been, I’m sorry for peeing all over your quasi-new couch, Ally. I’ll pay to have it cleaned, honest, that I heard coming from your frickin’ mouth, buddy.”
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