And Jane.
And Professor Depogare.
And Will.
Will was there, too.
32
“Sophie.”
The minute he saw her being pulled toward the stage in that red dress, Will stood and headed for her. Jane knew there was no stopping him, so she stood up as well. Depogare was right behind her. What Jane didn’t understand was how Calvin was involved in all of this. He seemed to know his way around, seemed to know what was going on. The minute this general guy started talking about bringing up peculiars, he popped right up like a firework shot into the sky. When the general began his speech, he didn’t seem surprised in the slightest. He even nodded his head a couple of times during the science portion.
Jane shook her head. This didn’t make any sense. How did Calvin know these people? Why wasn’t he freaking out right now? Not only did he know practically everything there was to know about peculiars—hell, he knew more things about the species than she did—but he knew about her. Well, at least about her abilities. The only other two people who knew about that were Depogare and …
Calvin.
And Michael, a voice pointed out. He seemed to suspect something after the chandelier fell on him at the club. He looked at her like it was impossible, but with the clarification that no, it wasn’t, and she was the proof.
But something inside of her told her that Michael wasn’t responsible for the military’s intel, at least, not about quis. It had to be Calvin. There was no other explanation.
But why?
It didn’t make any sense. Why would Calvin knowingly divulge information about what they were when it could be dangerous? Life threatening?
And then it hit her. Science. He was a doctor, after all. Anything to further the advancement of science. He didn’t care who he hurt or what he revealed in the process, as long as he had answers. Calvin betrayed everyone and everything in order to hook up with these guys and tell them everything. But what did he get in return? The guy was a genius, and there was no way he would hand over such valuable information without reaping the benefits in some way.
He would be the one doing the research, she realized, her eyes going wide. Who else better to experiment of peculiars than an actual peculiar? And not just any peculiar, but a quis with his own doctorate.
Calvin had betrayed them. He had betrayed them all.
Before Jane realized what she was doing, her mind zoomed in on Calvin and she picked him up, off of his feet with ease. Heads snapped all around, trying to find out what had happened and why the boy was being held upside down by an unknown entity. There were cries of horror and low murmuring. The general laughed, genuinely amused, but a hollow sound.
Only Depogare knew it was her. They were halfway across the lobby, but Jane had stopped and Depogare stood right behind her.
“Jane,” he murmured under his breath so no one else could hear. He did not want to reveal that she was responsible for this. Jane wasn’t sure she appreciated it or didn’t particularly care. “Jane. What are you doing?”
“Don’t you get it?” Jane whispered. “It’s him. He’s the reason for everything.”
“What are you talking about?” Depogare asked, his voice still low. His face was close to her own, the tip of his chin barely grazing her shoulder. She would have shuddered if she hadn’t been so focused on Calvin.
The general had the gall to laugh. “You see?” he asked, pointing at Calvin. “That’s our good doctor, eighteen-year-old Calvin Johnson, hanging in the air by some unknown force. Seems like one of his peculiars friends ain’t too pleased with him. And why would they be? He was the one who provided the majority of the intel. He recognized the need for our society to accumulate such knowledge about peculiars, and during his time at Harvard, he got in touch with us to provide what he knew. Because we knew about the academy on the island, we planted him there in order to see just what else was out there. And my goodness, he did not disappoint.”
Depogare’s eyes went wide, and Jane tightened her hold on Calvin. He betrayed everything. He betrayed everyone. How could he do such a thing? She knew the why; she shook her head of it because there was no point in worrying about the why. The fact of the matter was he did what he did, and something had to be done about it. Simple as that.
“The real question is,” the general continued, stepping away from the podium and crossing the stage. He had long legs and fluid steps; no wonder he commanded such attention. “Who is holding him up there?”
“Her.”
Jane was so intently focused on Calvin, she didn’t notice Michael, still grasping onto Sophie, pointing at her. Her heartbeat stopped when she realized all eyes were on her—she had been found out. She was exposed.
“It’s Jane!” Calvin managed to croak out. “Jane. Jane Cabot. She’s the quis. Like me. And the man next to her? Daryl Depogare. He’s the same, too! He’s the one training us.”
“Which means he’s the one we want,” the general said. “He clearly has the experience. He knows what no one else does. I take it you’re Daryl Depogare.” Now he looked at Depogare, and Jane could feel the man stiffen behind her.
What happened next was a blur for Jane. Will reached Michael and Sophie—no one had stopped him, thinking he was one of the peculiars rushing to the stage to show what a peculiar could do—just as Sophie stood in front of Michael and kneed him in the groin as hard as she could. Immediately, he keeled over, releasing his hold on the redhead, nothing but a muffled oomph coming out of his mouth. She ran to Will, who took hold of Sophie, and they both turned to run out.
“Now, wait a minute, here,” General Arbuckle said. “You don’t think you can just show up and be allowed to leave, do you? Especially not the two of you.” He indicated Jane and Depogare. “Nor you.” He looked at Sophie. “I’m not sure what you are, but I know I’ll be able to find some use for you.”
“Fuck off,” Will snarled, pulling Sophie behind him, as though he wanted to protect her.
“So you’re the girl everyone’s been talking about.” Jane glanced around, and it took her a moment to realize the general was talking to her. She swallowed, but she didn’t waver. Her grip on Calvin was still strong, though she did feel tired. The pain that had subsided in her back was coming back again, and she wasn’t sure how she was going to manage it. “Do you know how important you are to us?”
“If I was so important, why did you practically kill me?” Jane asked.
“Don’t engage with them, Jane,” Depogare said, his voice low. “It’s what they want. They’re trying to distract you.”
“I need to know, Daryl.” She said his first name casually, as though she had been born to say it. Like she owned it.
“What is she talking about?” the general asked, throwing his crystal blue eyes up at Calvin.
“It wasn’t my fault,” Calvin said, his voice ringing off the walls. “I told Dianna to take her the minute Jane was alone, but the bitch nearly killed her! Someone healed her; I don’t know whom. Probably that doctor. If he hadn’t, she’d be dead. But she’s not.”
“You nearly killed her, when you know just how important she is?” the general asked, his tone disbelieving, slightly tense. “How dare you?”
“It’s not me!”
The general looked to a few men all dressed in crisp, blue uniforms Jane hadn’t noticed standing off to the side of the stage. “Find the shifter,” he instructed. “I saw her here earlier. She must still be here.”
Jane’s head swam with thoughts. It was Dianna. Dianna had been the one who had attacked her. And she wasn’t even supposed to. She was supposed to kidnap Jane, not kill her. What Jane didn’t understand was why? She never had an issue with Dianna. She didn’t think Dianna had had an issue with her. Why would she want to kill Jane?
“Miss Cabot, is it?” the general asked, turning his attention back to Jane. “Don’t you want to know why you’re so important?”
Jane clenched her teeth together to keep the words fro
m coming out of her mouth. Yes, she wanted to know. She didn’t want to know anything more badly. Both Depogare and Calvin were quis; what made her different, besides the fact that she was female? However, Depogare’s voice was in her head, repeating the phrase over and over again. Do not engage. It’s what they want. They’re trying to distract you.
“I’ll tell you,” the general said. He started to walk toward her, away from Michael, still crumpled to the floor. Will and Sophie were a few feet from Jane and Depogare, waiting as well. For what, no one knew, but Jane thought now would be a good time to come up with an escape route. If she hadn’t been controlling Calvin, she would have tried to speak with Depogare through his mind. “You are the key to the survival of your species. You pass on your genes.”
Jane nearly threw up. She was important because she could have children?
“You see,” Arbuckle continued, walking toward them. Michael still hadn’t gotten up, and Jane knew if she moved, she wouldn’t be able to hold onto Calvin anymore. Which might not be as bad as it sounded. “You’re more valuable than them all. Even the physicals. Even the healers. You’d be the perfect specimen to breed more and more of you, until we had our own army. You could choose which gentleman between the two you’d like to mate with. I’d prefer you to choose your professor, since he’s stronger, but ol’ Calvin is younger, and you know how Darwin favored the young. Or, if you’re so inclined, you could mate with both and see which offspring is more apt for survival.”
“Go to hell,” Jane practically growled, and nearly lost her grip on Calvin. He yelped.
“We need to get out of here,” Sophie said so only their group could hear.
“Jane can’t leave without dropping Calvin,” Depogare explained.
“And what’s so wrong with that?” Will asked.
“Nothing, as far as I’m concerned,” Sophie said. “He was at the mansion, you know. The place where Michael had me. Calvin was there. He must know Michael. They must have planned everything out.”
“Jane, we need to leave,” Depogare told her.
“You go,” Jane said. Her back started to pinch; she was getting weak. She wasn’t going to last long with Calvin.
“I will not let you stay.”
“Guys, we need to do something,” Sophie said. “Those soldiers are closing in on us, and Michael’s getting up.”
“Even if he’s up, I don’t think he’s getting far,” Will drawled, a smirk lighting up his face.
Without warning, every seat in the room raised up, so they, too, were in they air with Calvin. Screams were emitted from the women, the men shouted. Some fell with deafening thuds when they hit the floor. Silverware tinkled. The flowers smashed when they fell. The majority of the occupants clutched their seats for their lives.
“You are going to let us go,” Depogare told the general. He wasn’t sweating, he didn’t even blink an eye. He was holding up the entire room with his mind, and yet it appeared as though it took him absolutely no effort at all. “Or I will drop every person here to their death.”
The soldiers got closer, and Will immediately transformed into a wolf, splitting his expensive suit at the seams. He growled in warning at the soldiers, but their hands went to their weapons. Jane saw this, and immediately took hold of them with her mind and tossed them out of the way, where no one could reach them. She nearly lost her hold on Calvin, but at least the soldiers were unarmed and unable to threaten them in any way.
“You will let us leave,” Depogare told the general, his tone commanding as though there was no room left for questions. “All of us.”
“I’m afraid that’s not going to be possible,” the general replied.
“How do you suppose you’ll stop us?” Depogare asked.
“Like this.” Without warning, the general reached into the jacket of his uniform, pulled out a gun, and shot straight at Depogare.
33
Sophie flinched at the popping noise of the gun. Someone cried out—a female, but she didn’t know who—and she realized her hands were covering her mouth and she was cowered toward Will, close to his wolf form, seeking the safety only he could offer. A shout caused her head to snap up, and she watched as Calvin Johnson fell to the floor. The sound of his head hitting the floor made her shudder and roll her shoulders back. She didn’t know if she would ever forget that sound in her entire life.
But why would Jane drop Calvin? Obviously, she had feelings for Depogare, so the fact that the general shot him probably distracted her to the point where she lost her hold on him. She highly doubted Jane intended to kill Calvin, if he was even dead. Although, with a sound like that, there wasn’t a good chance Calvin survived …
Her eyes went to Depogare, but he hadn’t collapsed. His black eyes were on Jane, his mouth slack. It was as though he didn’t believe what he was seeing. As though it was some kind of dream. Some kind of movie playing right out in front of him. And that was when it hit Sophie.
It was Jane. It wasn’t Depogare. It was Jane.
“Jane?” Sophie shrieked, lunging for her friend. “Jane?”
She hadn’t seen what had happened. She didn’t know if the general was a bad shot and while intending to shoot Depogare accidentally shot Jane, which was not likely. She didn’t know if the general shot Jane on purpose; also not likely, if she was as important as he said she was. Which meant Jane got in front of that bullet on purpose. Jane saved Depogare’s life. And if they didn’t get her medical help soon—like now—she would die.
It was then that Depogare realized he hadn’t been hit. Jane must have jumped in front of him. He blinked once, twice. Every person in the room, every chair, every table he had been holding up into air crashed down. He didn’t hear the scream, the shattering glass, the crushed wood. He didn’t hear any of it. His world was a tunnel, and at the end of it was Jane. Crumpled to the ground. Lifeless. Blood seeping out of her side.
She saved his life. She saved his life.
The stupid girl.
“We gotta go,” Sophie told them. “Now. We gotta go now.”
“Not without Jane.”
“Get her body and go!” Sophie couldn’t believe those words had come out of her mouth. As though she didn’t even know Jane. As though she didn’t even care.
Will roared, and Sophie looked up. The general, even amongst the chaos that was currently taking place in the hotel lobby, had his gun pointed, this time at Will. They didn’t have time. There was no way in hell Sophie would let Will get hurt. Especially not after what happened with Jane.
“Depogare, we have to go now!” Sophie grabbed Depogare’s wrist and yanked him to Will. Depogare was numb; he didn’t resist. He toppled forward onto Will’s back and Sophie mounted him, keeping her hands on Depogare so the man wouldn’t fall. “Go, Will!”
“No!” Depogare shouted, sitting up. It was like a light switch went off, and he realized what had happened. “Not without Jane!”
“Jane is gone!” Sophie’s voice came out shaky and unsteady, as though she didn’t believe the words themselves. “Jane wouldn’t want us to risk our lives for hers. You know that. Deep down, you know that!”
Will had already taken off, and Sophie had to cling to his fur in order to hold on for dear life. With her other hand, she used her strength to keep Depogare into place, knowing he would undoubtedly jump off in order to retrieve Jane’s body. He struggled against her, cursing and shaming her, but she refused to let go. When they emerged from the hotel, Depogare let out a strangled cry, much like his own version of a roar, but Will didn’t stop. Wouldn’t stop.
Shots continued to follow them. Will suddenly howled and stopped abruptly. Both Depogare and Sophie went flying forward. It was dark. They were deep into the park. Something had to have happened to Will. Her head smashed into a thick tree, and she saw stars. She let out a cry, but couldn’t be sure how loud or how soft it was. Probably didn’t matter. She was bleeding from her head. Could feel the liquid run down her face. Sophie couldn’t stand. Not yet. Dir
t touched her lips, rested in her mouth. She could taste the bitter material, so foreign on her tongue. She couldn’t even spit it out. She groaned … at least, she thought she did. Couldn’t be sure.
“Soph?” a strained voice cried out. “Sophie!”
It sounded familiar …
How long had she been lying on the grass? It was cold against her skin. Different body parts started to ache, to sting. Her head hurt. She closed her eyes, and tears she hadn’t even noticed started roll down her cheeks. Everything hurt. Everything hurt.
At least you can hurt, a voice chided her. Jane is dead. You just left her there. Who knows what they’re going to do to her body? Experiment. Rip her apart until there’s nothing left. How could you leave her? What if she wasn’t dead?
Sophie started sobbing. Really, ugly sobbing. Her name still pierced the night, but she couldn’t find it in her to respond. She could barely move, let alone think. Her friend was gone. Will was injured. She had no idea where Depogare was …
And then it hit her. Will. Will was calling her name.
She cried out, but she couldn’t come up with anything coherent. She didn’t know if Will could hear her. She didn’t know if Will could smell her in his human form. She just wanted to go home. She wanted to get Jane and see if she was dead and … how could she have just left her there? What was she thinking? Jane would never have done that to her. Never in a million years.
“Sophie?”
The voice was closer now. Just over her. She cracked her eyes open—she hadn’t even realized they had been closed—and there he was, looming over her in all his glory. Blood was dripping out of his thigh; he must have gotten shot. But she assumed that because he could still walk on it somewhat that it had missed a major artery.
“Jane?” Sophie croaked. Will picked her up with relative ease and clung her to his chest. “What about Jane?”
The Stranger Trilogy Box Set Page 47