At least the shifts came farther apart now that she wasn’t fighting it, but it still sucked that she couldn’t choose when she wanted to change into her wolf. Milly could choose already. It must have had something to do with her age.
Rushing back to their room, she slammed the door behind her and started to undress.
Kalen opened the door and stuck his head in. “You okay?”
She shook her head. “It’s coming again. Why can’t I choose when I change, like Milly can?” She envied the older woman’s command over her beast. She’d even proven she could control it in the middle of the kitchen after the men left to talk about the MacDonald brothers’ arrival.
“You will, baby.” Kalen entered the room, closing the door behind him. “I thought maybe you ran off because you couldn’t stand the thought of watching them change.”
“That was part of it.”
“Don’t fight it, Ally.”
“I wasn’t planning to.” She smiled at him. “I just came up here because I’m not in the habit of undressing in front of strange men.”
“I remember.” Kalen grinned. “And I’m happy you feel that way.”
Heat and pain engulfed Ally as she thought of her wolf. She thought of growing hair all over her body, her face elongating into a muzzle and the sensation of her hands changing to paws with the nails growing long.
Before she knew it, she was a wolf looking up at Kalen. He grinned down at her as he began to strip.
What are you doing?
“I plan to join you as a wolf and show you why it’s wonderful to be a were.”
How do you plan to do that? If you’re going to show me how to run free in the woods, we’ve already done that. She watched as he shifted his shape, then lowered his head to watch her with his keen wolf eyes.
What I plan to show you, I plan to do right here. Kalen moved closer and Ally backed away.
I am not doing that as a wolf.
Kalen chuckled. Wanna bet?
Two hours later, Ally watched as the men readied to leave. With the twins and their brother-in-law there were twelve men ready to climb into the vehicles that would take them to invade the laboratory where they thought Dr. Thornton held the pureblood wolf. She wished there were more men, but others were raiding another facility on the other side of the country after it got dark in about four more hours.
At least Kalen’s brother, Galen had decided to come and cover his back. She was still worried, but she realized that no one would look after Kalen better than his older brother.
The MacDonald twins had insisted on going, even though they could shift at any time. No one seemed to have a problem with it since their Special Forces military training made them lethal with or without weapons and they’d managed to force their shifts faster than anyone had expected. If they shifted mid-mission, it shouldn’t put anyone in any danger.
She glanced at Kalen, who was trying out a pair of night vision goggles that the twins had brought with them.
“Don’t worry, little sister.” Kalen’s brother Galen leaned down to press a kiss against her forehead. “I’ll take care of him.” He glanced over at his brother. “God only knows he can’t tie his shoes without me.”
“I heard that,” Kalen called over his shoulder. “Don’t make me treat you the same way Randy treats his brother.”
“See?” Galen chuckled. “He’ll do as I say. It’s in the way he tries to act tough.”
“Galen...” Reaching out, Ally rested her hand on his arm. “I’m glad I got to meet you before...before...” The words in her mind stuck in her throat and she closed her eyes, willing the tears not to come.
“Before we walked into danger?” He smiled and gave her hand an awkward pat. “He’ll be fine. I’ll protect him with my life. That’s what brothers do.”
Pasting a smile on her face, Ally backed away as the men loaded their guns into their vehicles. Kalen jogged back to her and pressed a kiss against her lips. “You’ll be safe here, Ally. No one but the people here have ever been to this safe house, and half of them had to be carted in blindfolded to keep it secret.” He held her close and she took a deep breath. She loved the way he smelled of soap, citrus, and virile man, her mate.
“Be safe,” she whispered against his neck.
“You, too.” He smiled down at her. “Remember, all of you go into the house, lock all of the doors and windows, then make your way to the bolt hole and lock yourselves in there as well. The house could burn down around you and you’d be safe. Bastien assures me there’s enough fuel, food and water stored in there to last fifty people a year.”
“Okay.”
He turned to leave, and it was all she could do to keep herself from following him and begging him to stay. When had she grown so attached to him?
Wasn’t it just yesterday that they’d met? How could she have gone from being Independent Ally who answered to no one to this scared quivering crybaby, who couldn’t seem to function without her man?
She took a deep breath and went back into the house. “Now, we wait, huh?” She looked around at the other women left with her. The only female allowed to go was Carly, and that was only because they needed her to help her mate take out the video cameras. The rest of them were here on their own.
Chapter Twenty-two
“I don’t believe they had a fucking lab here all this time and we missed it,” Randy said as they looked out over the compound.
“Of course, we missed it,” Bastien replied. “Who would have thought to look for an underground testing lab on a dairy farm in mid-Michigan?”
“Why not?” Cameron asked, looking through his sight. “They could test all they wanted, and no one would even give the trucks going in and out of here a second glance, especially when most of them were legitimate milk haulers.”
Bastien shook his head. “It just galls me to think that this damned thing has been here all this time, and we’ve overlooked it for so long.”
Dimitri settled next to Cameron. “What do you see, my brother?” He squinted down into the clearing. “I can see nothing with only my eyes.”
“Then you should have grabbed some NVG from out of the truck. I know a werewolf’s sight is better than a human’s after dark, but these things rock, even with our new enhanced vision.” Randy threw his brother-in-law a pair of night vision goggles he pulled from his pack. “Here, take one of my pairs.” He shook his head and rested his hands on his hips. “Babysitting. Son of a bitch. Why am I always fucking babysitting?”
With a grin, Dimitri pulled the strap over his head, fitting the pair to his face. “Strange how these fit me so well when your head appears to be so much larger than mine.”
“Fuck you, dog boy.”
“Can you two stop your bickering long enough to get the damned job done?”
“Probably not,” Cameron answered for his brother. “Randy lives to give Dimitri a hard time. He’d probably lighten up if our bother by marriage would stop calling him Junior.”
“How many guards do you see down there?” Kyle asked.
“I don’t see any guards. I see a lot of cowhands though, which is strange considering most of them should be at home this time of night.” He paused. “Dammit, wait a minute. That cowhand has an Uzi. Hmm... How interesting.”
“Are we sure we’re in the right place?” Kalen asked. The last thing he wanted to do was kill a bunch of innocent farmers.
“Oh, I don’t know.” Randy looked up and stared at him as though he was as dumb as a bag of hammers. “Somehow, I don’t think milk cows respond well to Uzis. Does anyone have any other idea why they’d be carrying them?”
“Okay,” Randy said with a grin as he shoved his NVGs into one of the big pockets in his camouflage pants. “I’m going down to make a target of myself. “Please pull me out if I get hit.” He stood and checked his weapons. “If someone shoots at me, you’ll know we’re in the right place.”
“Don’t get yourself killed, bro.” Cameron didn’t look up, but still
stared through his sight.
“Cry for me if I do, will ya?”
“Riiiiight,” Cameron replied as Randy started down the hill.
Bastien looked over at Carly. “Shall we?”
“I don’t know if it will work when we don’t know where they are,” Carly replied.
“We have to give it a try.” Lacing their fingers together, Bastien closed his eyes. Carly followed suit closing her fingers around Bastien’s.
After a minute, sparks arced up over six different light posts surrounding the barn closest to their positions.
“That must be where they are.” Cameron froze in place, still staring through his gunsight. “Oh, no you don’t, asshole.” He squeezed the trigger on his rifle and two seconds later a sentry dropped to the ground. Once he took one out, others came running. Randy, lower on the hill, was an easy target.
Cameron fired off shot after shot and one at a time the gun-toting farmhands fell to their deaths. “I think that’s got them all.” He looked away from his sight and grinned.
Standing, he picked up his gun and slung it over his shoulder before bending down to retrieve his bipod which had fallen over into the dirt.
“Not all of them, my brother,” Dimitri said. “There are always more inside.”
“Damn... You’re right.” He grinned. “I guess it’s a good thing I’m the best.”
“Yes, you are,” Dimitri agreed. “Just so long as you can keep your beast at bay.”
Cameron shook his head. “It doesn’t matter if I can’t. Believe me when I tell you I have killed many men with my bare hands. Being weaponless is not something that will deter me.”
“Perhaps,” Dimitri said with a nod. “But have you ever ripped out their throats with your teeth?”
Kalen chuckled as the color drained from the retired Ranger’s face.
“Hmm...” the twin’s brother-in-law said. “I thought perhaps you hadn’t.”
“Sonofabitch!” Cameron swore. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“That is what I am here for, my brother.” Dimitri slapped Cameron on his shoulder. “Where you and your twin are good with weapons, I am good with my teeth.” He smiled, baring his too-white teeth. “Do not worry. I shall protect you both if the need to change overwhelms you.”
“You know, Dimitri, I’ve always told Randy that deep down, you’re a nice guy.”
Dimitri smiled. “He knows, Cam. Believe me, or he would have tried to kill me for sleeping with your sister before now.”
Cameron grinned. “Don’t think he hasn’t thought about it.”
“Then what has stopped him from making the attempt?”
“Charity loves you.” Cameron shrugged. “Why else?”
“Time to move in,” Bastien said. “We go in silent. Use the common communication channel now.”
“This is going to be so cool,” Cameron said.
It would be cooler if you would use it.
Cameron grinned at Dimitri. Awesome way to communicate.
Only if your enemies do not know how to do so.
Cameron turned to him with a frown. What’s to say they don’t know how?
Bastien nudged Cameron on the shoulder and pointed to the man who had just walked out of the barn, weapon raised as he talked into his radio. By the fact that they are still using radios.
Oh. Good point. Cameron looked around. I hope you sent your wife back to the cars. I’d hate to see her injured or held hostage.
I have. Bastien gave him a scowl. Do you think I’m crazy enough to bring her down here into this mess? Now, be quiet until there’s something of importance to say.
Yes, sir.
They all made their way down to the compound without being seen. Randy, already in position, awaited their arrival. He watched the gun-toting farmhands as they all made their way into the pasture next to the barn.
When the last man reached the fence, Randy pounced on his target and took him out using a chokehold. He dropped the man after he lost consciousness and utilized the man’s belt and shoelaces to secure him.
Good job, Randy. Bastien slapped him on the shoulder. I always knew you two were a good asset—human or were, I’m glad you’re on our side.
Of course, we are. Randy frowned at the man he’d just overtaken. When our government can turn against its own people the way it has, it’s time to fight back.
I don’t think it’s your government doing this. I think it’s a few rogue generals and senators who have sanctioned it.
It doesn’t matter. The secretary of defense should know where every dime is going. If he doesn’t, then it’s time to replace him. He paused for a moment, looking grim. And if he does know what’s going on, perhaps it’s time for a forced retirement.
Now, don’t even go there, Randy. You are not targeting the secretary of defense. That’s a good way to get yourself killed.
What? Randy gave his brother a blank look. I never said I was thinking about doing anything that stupid.
Bastien carefully led the way into the barn. The entrance to their lab has to be in here somewhere. The question is, where?
At that moment, a noise caught their attention. “Move, move, move,” Randy hissed, forgetting to use the mental form of communication as they all scattered in several directions. A moment later, a trough moved to the side and two men emerged from the opening.
“Whaddya think, Hawkins?” One of them said, his gun to his shoulder as he peered around the interior of the barn.
“I think you’d better shut up before you give away our position again, now move it, Riley.”
“I don’t know about this whole situation, Hawk. I mean, what are we guarding down there that’s so important? One lousy prisoner can’t be so valuable that they had to build a special prison for him just so nobody can find him.”
Kalen heard the sound of flesh meeting flesh as he assumed Hawkins punched Riley to get him to be quiet.
“I said, shut the fuck up,” Hawkins reiterated. “I’ll kill your sorry ass if you get me shot.”
Riley mumbled something he couldn’t quite catch. Kalen might have, had the two men been just a few feet closer.
The men continued to move closer to their position and Kalen wondered how many more men they would have to kill before they found out what was beneath their feet.
When the two men got even with the stalls they hid in, both Dimitri and Bastien attacked, knocking the two men to the ground, and bashing their heads onto the hard cement floor.
With the two men unconscious, Bastien and Dimitri tied them up using their own articles of clothing. They sure were resourceful. He’d give them that.
“Let’s go. Now that we know how to get in there, we’ll go down into the depths of their holding facility. There’s nothing like having the element of surprise.”
After moving the trough aside, the men found their way down a poorly lit staircase. When they reached the bottom, they followed a long hall, encountering no one.
“Where is everyone?” Kyle whispered. “I feel like I’m in some sort of ghost town or something.”
“You’re lucky you’re not one of the ghosts in it,” Galen grumbled, and Kalen couldn’t have agreed more. Though he knew now was not the time to pick up where they’d left off, he and his brother were still of a mind to beat the shit out of Kyle again.
Shut up, you two. Kalen wanted to snarl, to tell them to stop bickering. A man’s life could very well depend on their attention to detail. We’re here to save a man, not bicker like children.
It was strange that the facility was so empty. Perhaps the pureblood wasn’t here. Or perhaps the doctor had just assumed, however incorrectly, that his secret here would never be discovered, or perhaps he thought one were-being didn’t warrant a larger contingent.
They moved slowly down the hall until they reached a steel-reinforced door. Maybe the doctor just assumed that the poor bastard held here would never escape from behind a thick steel door guarded by armed security.
Bast
ien and Merrick reached the door first. They looked at each other and shrugged. Reaching out, Merrick rested his hand against the door then shook his head. It’s not hot and I don’t hear anything from the other side, but that doesn’t mean anything.
No, it doesn’t, Bastien agreed. Perhaps we should open it.
No! Do not open the door. It is booby trapped. You must know how to open it. The mental voice sounded weak. The warning did nothing but make them more determined to save the man on the other side.
How far are you from the door?
I am in a large laboratory. They have me in a caged cell on the other side of the room. I think I am about fifty feet from the door.
Are you alone? Kalen asked to find out if they would endanger others if the MacDonald brothers did what he suspected they were about to do.
Why are you even worried about others? Merrick asked with a scowl. If they’re here, they deserve whatever they get.
Not if they have been coerced like most of the others who now work for us have been.
There is no need to argue. There is no one here with me. There has not been anyone here with me for several months. I am lucky they still feed me when they think of it. There was a short pause. Who are you? Are you but another fantasy my brain has dreamed up?
No, Bastien replied. We are not a fantasy. I am Bastien Sinclair, Healer of the Night Forest pack. Who are you?
The Night Forest pack? If there are enough of you to call yourselves a pack, you are lucky indeed. I have thought of myself as the last of my kind for the last three-hundred years. Several years ago, I finally found my mate, but she was not one of our kind. Still, it didn’t matter. She was mine. Now, she is an old woman and most likely near death.
The man’s sorrow was so great, Kalen could feel it though the link even though it was the connection used by his kind that usually did not include emotions.
Randy and Cameron used the time they spoke to rig an explosive device against the closed door. They motioned everyone back approximately forty feet.
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