by J. D. Tyler
If Scott had caught on to their wariness of him, he didn’t show it as they boarded the Huey. Nick took the copilot’s seat up front with Aric, while Hammer sat behind them with the mechanic. Aric hit a button and the roof above them slowly slid open to reveal the bright skies. The blades started with a whine and in moments they were lifting off.
The ground fell away, and Nick let himself enjoy the view of the mountains and valleys, the lush green forest below. He wondered whether he’d ever see it like this again, with the earth far below him.
Maybe, if battered old wolves were allowed in heaven.
The ride went without a hitch. After about an hour, Aric brought the Huey around and headed back to the compound. Once they landed in the hangar, Aric shut off the copter and saw to refueling it while Nick and Hammer thanked Scott and said good-bye.
After the man left, Jax and the others who’d been washing and waxing the vehicles walked into the hangar, clearly curious as to Nick’s impression of Scott. They were joined by Phoenix Monroe, a Pack brother who was a Firewalker in addition to being a wolf. Meaning, the guy could literally walk through fire without being burned—unless he purposely dropped his shields.
Hammer posed the question on all their minds. “You think Scott’s legit?”
“Logic says yes,” Nick said. “But I didn’t get any visions.”
“You tried to read him?” the big man asked.
“Yeah. There was just nothing.”
His friend didn’t appear pleased about that news. “My wolf’s nose says he’s human, at least. Not a shifter or a vampire.”
“Mine, too. Unless he’s somehow masking his scent.”
Phoenix frowned. “How could he do that?”
“He couldn’t, but someone could do it for him. Someone powerful could, like a Sorcerer, or perhaps there’s a drug we don’t know about that has the capability.”
“That’s a disturbing thought,” Hammer put in.
“Which one?”
“Both.” Hammer eyed him. “Have you actually heard anything about a drug that can mask scent?”
“No, but who knows what all is out there? Our own medical team is working on a drug to delay the negative effects of mating sickness. Nobody outside the compound, except Grant, knows about it.”
“Say what?” Phoenix stared at Nick. “A drug that can delay having to mate? Who are they using for test subjects?”
Nick cringed inwardly at the sudden interest from the wolf. He thought of Noah Brooks, the human nurse who’d been waiting for Phoenix to claim him as his mate, and regretted mentioning it. “They’ve got a couple, from Sanctuary. They haven’t mentioned needing more volunteers.”
He sensed his attempt to deflect the wolf from the subject wasn’t successful. Phoenix excused himself in a hurry, and Nick shook his head. Another fuckup to add to his growing list.
“Shit,” he muttered, watching Nix’s retreating back.
Hammer shook his head. “Hey, you don’t make his choices, or anyone else’s. If he breaks Noah’s heart, or his own, that’s on his head.” There was a murmur of general agreement from the others.
“I know, but we can’t afford to lose two good men.” Nick ran a hand through his hair, which needed a trim. Like it mattered. “Anyway, about the testing. I was just trying to make a point.”
“I got it,” his friend said. “It stands to reason there are plenty of paranormal studies we don’t know about, considering how many different groups there are. Either way, we’ll keep an eye on Scott. Want us to watch him?”
“For the time being. If he’s up to something, we’ll find out sooner or later.”
“Do we know where he’s staying?” Hammer asked.
“His contact info lists a motel in Cody, supposedly while he looks for a place to rent. Also, call Tom and see if he’ll shed more light on his departure.”
“Will do, right after we’re done at Sanctuary.”
The others dispersed to tackle other tasks. Hammer stayed with Nick as he walked to the Sanctuary building, and Nick resigned himself to his friend’s presence. Truthfully, he found the man’s dogged persistence comforting. He wasn’t half as annoyed as he tried to be.
They entered the lobby of the facility, and he stopped for a moment to admire the completed project. The place was like a high-end long-term-
care home for shifters and other injured, sick, or displaced paranormals—except instead of coming there to receive comfort and care at the end of their lives, they were there to begin to live.
It was certainly a lofty goal, and though it hadn’t been his brainchild, he’d been in full support of the project since its inception. Kira, Jax’s mate, had founded Sanctuary. When she’d first come to live at the compound, she’d been horrified at the treatment received by the residents of Block R—the rehabilitation wing. In particular, she’d bonded with their Fae prince, Sariel, or “Blue” as some called him, who’d been depressed and uncommunicative. No wonder, as he’d been exiled from his realm, captured by the Pack, and was wasting away in the equivalent of a jail cell.
Kira had been passionate about having a real facility to treat paranormals, one that would use staff trained in delivering love and understanding rather than a punitive system that inspired fear. With Blue’s and Noah’s help, she’d put together quite the haven. That wasn’t to say they didn’t have their hard-core, sometimes dangerous cases that required extra measures, such as restraints or drugs, for everyone’s safety. But they received better care than ever before.
The lobby was empty except for the receptionist and a lone shifter sitting in one of the oversized chairs, curled up with a blanket around her shoulders, staring out the window. A nurse hovered near her, tidying the area and keeping an eye on her charge.
“Been wondering about her story,” Hammer commented quietly, eyeing the small tiger shifter. “She always looks so sad.”
Nick kept his voice down. “Her name’s Leila. She and her brother, Leonidis, were attacked while in Cody on some sort of assignment.”
“What kind of assignment?”
“Not sure. She and her brothers are a pride of big-cat shifters, and they run some sort of detective agency. The one upstairs on the hospital floor was injured pretty badly and might not make it.
“Damn.” The man cast a glance toward her filled with something like longing. “I’ll ask her later if there’s anything I can do to help.”
“I’m sure she’ll appreciate that.”
Interesting. Nick pondered his friend’s reaction to Leila as they got into the elevator. In fact, Hammer had been much more animated lately. Talkative. Very unlike the typically quiet guy Nick had known for so long. But he didn’t want to point that out and cause the man to clam up.
On one of the residence floors, they exited the elevator and Nick asked around for Kira. Since he’d given Hammer the excuse of coming here to check on things, he might as well make good. He learned she was tied up on the phone in her office, and instead found Noah coming down the hallway toward them. The head nurse gave them a sunny smile, tired blue eyes at odds with his happy expression.
“Hey, guys. What’s up?”
Nick stopped and studied the younger man carefully. He looked more than tired—vibes of sadness were coming off Noah in waves, though he probably didn’t realize it. “Just checking to see how things are going over here. Any problems?”
“Ha! Is it a day that ends in D-A-Y?” he quipped, making a face.
Nick chuckled in spite of himself. “That bad, huh?”
“No—okay, yeah. But nothing we haven’t been able to handle.”
“Leo?” Hammer guessed.
Noah blew out a breath. “He’s one issue in a string of them. He crashed two hours ago and we almost lost him. Between fighting to save him and fighting with his unruly family, I’m about ready to put in my notice. Go park my ass on a beach somewhere and sip fruity drinks.”
“Except you won’t,” Nick told him with a half smile. “You care too
much.”
“Total personality fault,” Noah assured him. “I’m working on it.”
Nick clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t change a thing. You’re doing great, a real asset to everyone here.”
The nurse’s face flushed and he looked pleased. “Well, thanks. I’ve got lots of help, though.”
A familiar tingling sensation began in Nick’s fingers where they gripped Noah’s shoulder. It was one of the hallmarks of a vision coming on, though he didn’t need to touch people or even be near them to “see” a glimpse into the future. His eyesight swam, and a buzzing overtook his brain. Then the corridor disappeared and the scene unfolded.
“He’s gone?” Phoenix glanced around at his Pack brothers in confusion. “Where did he go? When’s he coming back?”
“He left, idiot,” Aric snarled, eyeing Nix in disgust. “Did you really think he’d stay after what you did to him in front of everyone?”
“I—I was going to apologize! That’s why I’m looking for him!” His voice took on a desperate edge. “Is he staying in Cody? It doesn’t matter. I’ll find him and make him understand how sorry I am. I’ll—”
“There’s more,” Jax put in, his expression grim. “Noah’s been taken.”
“Taken . . .” Nix uttered the word, obviously trying to make sense of it.
“He was kidnapped, by Jinn. I’m sorry, man. But we’ll find him. I promise.”
“No,” he moaned in agony. His legs buckled and Aric grabbed him to keep him from hitting the ground. “God, no.”
The vision faded, though Nick tried to hang on to it. He became aware of his surroundings again, and the other men’s voices asking whether he was all right.
“I’m fine,” he said hoarsely, trying to clear his head.
Here was the part that sucked about being a PreCog—the urge to tell people what was in store for them. His general rule, though, was to be vigilant but never to tamper with the future.
And who the hell was Jinn?
“You sure you’re okay?” Noah asked, grabbing his wrist to check his pulse. “You’re kinda pale.”
“I’m good.” He took his hand back and gave the nurse a reassuring smile. “Anyway, I was making a point. Never sell yourself short. The work you do here is tough, and it’s important. Utilizing your team is essential to success, and that’s something you excel in—which is why you’re in charge of the nurses. Don’t forget that.”
Noah stood a bit straighter. “I won’t. Thanks, Nick.”
“We’ll let you get back to work,” he said. “Call if you need us.”
“I will.”
He thought about giving Noah a small pep talk about his would-be Bondmate, but decided against it for the time being. Besides, who was he to give anyone warm fuzzies on that subject?
As he and Hammer left the building, he said, “Listen, I’m going to go for a run. When I get back, let me know what you found out about Tom.”
“I will.”
But instead of veering off, his friend walked with him all the way to the back of the compound, where the forest began. When Nick stopped, Hammer was quiet a moment before he spoke.
“You get a vision back there?”
“Yeah.” He debated whether to reveal what he’d seen. But what if he wasn’t around to help the would-be mates through their trials? Someone should know. “Phoenix and Noah. They’re going to have it rough for a while. Not sure when, but some bad shit is coming, too.”
His friend frowned. “Like what? You talkin’ in general, or something specific?”
“The bad shit is someone named Jinn, and he’s going to kidnap Noah.” He ran a hand through his hair. “That’s all I know.”
“Jesus,” the big man muttered. “That’s more detail than you’ve ever let me in on before. Why?”
“I just felt you should know.”
“What for? What I am supposed to do that you can’t— Wait.” Then Hammer narrowed his icy blue eyes at Nick. “You’ve been trying to shake me off your tail all day, and now this. I know what you’re planning to do.”
“I don’t follow.” But he did, of course.
Hammer’s voice was sharp as the crack of a gun. “Don’t lie to me. Not to me, goddammit! I know you’ve been through hell. And I know you want out, but—”
“You have no fucking idea how messed up my head is,” he shouted, jabbing a finger at his friend’s chest. “Not a day goes by that I don’t feel Carter Darrow’s fangs in my neck! That I don’t remember what it was like, begging that bastard to drain me dry! He raped my soul, and I don’t know how to live with that.”
“You had no choice,” the other man emphasized. “It wasn’t your fault. Vampires seduce their prey. That’s how they operate.”
His anger began to deflate, leaving him hollow. “I know that. But it doesn’t make living with the nightmare any easier.”
“And then there’s Calla.”
Nick’s jaw tightened, his gut clenching. “What about her?”
“Man, I saw how you reacted to her at the party the other day,” he said, studying Nick carefully. “You exchanged a few words, looked at her like she’d grown a second head, and lit out of there like your ass was on fire. She your mate?”
“Where’d you come up with that?” He swallowed hard.
“I’m asking. It’s not that tough a question.”
“Yeah, well, it’s a tough answer.” Nick sighed, looking away. His heart hurt like it was being scored with razor blades—proving he wasn’t dead inside. Unfortunately. “Tell me what I’m supposed to do about having a Bondmate, one I can’t stand the thought of touching me the way Darrow did. Seducing me, and feeding from me.”
“Shit.” Hammer paused. “You can get past it. I believe that.”
“I wish I had your faith.”
“One thing is for sure—I’m not going to stand by and watch you kill yourself. Not that I really believe you’ll go through with it.”
He gave a bitter laugh. “What makes you so certain?”
“You care too much,” Hammer said simply. “About your daughter, about Noah and Phoenix, your whole team. Even the mate you don’t want. You care, and you won’t leave no matter how much you want to.”
Misery clogged his throat. His friend was right, and he hated it. Turning, he looked out, into the forest he loved so much, and at the mountains beyond. The one place that had always given him comfort. Until recently. Now even his wolf didn’t care whether they ran. He was curled up inside Nick, hurting deep in the core of his being.
He took a breath. “I’ve lived over two hundred years, and as a born wolf I’ll live a lot longer. I’ve seen so many changes in the world. I’ve lost more than I ever thought I could and still be sane, much less alive.”
“So why is what you’ve been through with Darrow any different?” Hammer pressed. “You lost your whole family and it didn’t destroy you. You’ve survived a hell of a lot.”
“Yeah. We all have. But I’m the commander of this unit. All the suffering the Pack has endured is my responsibility, and I don’t know how much more I can stand. It’s an accumulation of everything, to be honest. I got Selene back, and I’m beyond grateful we’re mending things between us; don’t get me wrong. But after Darrow . . .”
His friend remained silent, and Nick put it as simply as he could.
“I’m just tired, John,” he said quietly.
It was several moments before the other man spoke. “I get that. Hell, I’ve been there, too. But you can’t quit.”
Turning, he faced Hammer again, taking in the worry on his face. “I’m so damned tired, all I want is for the world to wake up tomorrow without me in it.”
Hammer shook his head. “Tough shit. Not going to happen. So, now’s a good time to think of Plan B.”
Nick laughed softly in spite of himself. “Maybe.”
“Definitely.” He held out a hand. “Give me the gun tucked in the back of your jeans.”
“What if I run into a grizzly?”
“He’ll run if he knows what’s good for him. In fact, I’m positive you’ll be the most dangerous predator out there. Gun. Now.”
The man wasn’t going to budge. Anger surged as he tugged the weapon from his waistband and placed it in his friend’s hand, butt first. He tamped it down, though. Hammer—John—had always looked out for him. He wasn’t going to stop, especially now that Nick was in a crisis.
Hammer’s gaze softened. “Thanks. See you when you get back.”
“Sure.”
They both understood that if Nick was truly done, no force on earth could make him stay. Many immortals—vampires and born shifters included—met their demise by their own hands sooner or later. Forever wasn’t all it was imagined to be.
But as Nick stripped off his clothing and shifted, then took off through the forest, he knew his friend was right—Nick did care. Maybe too much.
Whether that would prove to be his downfall or his salvation remained to be seen.
Two
Calla Shaw swept through the corridors, fuming.
Gods! What the hell has that high-handed, arrogant brother of mine gotten me into now? Who does he think he is?
Just because Tarron Romanoff was the leader of their coven—as well as prince of all the vampires in North America—didn’t mean he had the right to tamper with her life. To destroy her hard-won peace.
Even their toughest guards had the good sense to move out of her way as they took in her murderous glare. She usually considered herself a calm, pleasant person, but that flew out the window with the phone call she’d received. Eviscerating her brother with a rusty spike sounded like a pretty good idea.
When she barged in, Tarron was seated behind his desk in his office, reading some papers, head down, shoulder-length dark brown hair falling around his face. The door banged into the wall and his head snapped up, expression startled.
“Calla! What’s wrong?” He stood.
“What’s wrong?” She stared at him incredulously. “Are you serious? I get a phone call from the Russian vampire prince himself thanking me very enthusiastically for inviting him to our party, saying he’s looking forward to seeing me, and you ask what’s wrong?”