by J. D. Tyler
“The men who dumped the bodies aren’t necessarily the murderers,” Jax pointed out. “They might be the lackeys doing the disposal.”
Nick nodded. “True.”
“Whatever the case, my initial findings indicate that the changes in the DNA and gene strands undergone by both Kira’s tissue samples and ones taken from these men are almost identical. The implications of these changes are quite alarming.”
Jax shifted, his expression uneasy. “Nick and I spoke with Kira about the tissue data she found on Dr. Gene Bowman’s computer. Are these the types of changes you’re referring to?”
“I’m afraid so. In layman’s terms, my professional opinion is that someone is taking humans—willing or not—and attempting to force their bodies to take on animal characteristics.”
“They’re creating shifters,” Nick said, seething with anger.
“Or something like that, yes.” She waved a hand at the bodies. “And this, in my opinion, is indication that they haven’t yet perfected the process.”
The idea was stunning. “And then they just dump them like trash,” Kira whispered. “That’s sick.” Jaxon looked like he wanted to cross the room and hold her, but didn’t. Instead, he carried her thoughts a step farther.
“It’s totally fucked up. If they can figure out how to mass-produce shifters, bypassing natural methods like mating or biting and clawing, which don’t always work, just think how that would affect the world as we know it.”
“And if they’re imbuing them with any other special talents, like your Psy abilities, or if the targeted humans already possess those abilities . . .” Dr. Mallory let the statement hang, the meaning ominous.
Nick stared at her. “The entire human race could be in real danger within a matter of years. They’d be the low rung on the hierarchy of intelligent beings. My God.”
Jax pushed away from the wall. “We can’t let that happen, but to stop them we have to know for sure if the doctors at NewLife are the ones responsible, and how high up the food chain this project goes—whether or not Orson Chappell is aware of it, and if so, who’s involved along with him.”
“Chappell must be heading this and I’ll bet he has partners outside the company,” Nick said. “Something of this magnitude needs big backing, bigger than he can pull off by himself.”
“First we have to find out where they’re holding the captives, assuming the participants are unwilling. Or become unwilling once they realize what torture they face.” Jax paused. “I’m thinking they must have more than one facility. Kira’s samples came from the NewLife building in Vegas, but these four bodies were dumped a long way from there.”
“I’ll get on finding out where their facilities are located,” Nick said. “If there’s one here, that might explain why these men were discarded nearby. But even if the Vegas building is the closest, it’s only a day’s drive by car or two hours by plane. Not a difficult trip if our lackeys were sent to dispose of the bodies in a forested area.”
“That would make more sense,” Kira speculated. “I doubt they’d dispose of the bodies in their own backyard.”
Jax looked at her. “I’d say Las Vegas is the place to start. Plus, Henry Ward told Kalen the men were in a blue van. I think they either drove out here with the bodies, or brought them in a private plane and then rented the van, and returned to Vegas afterward.”
Nick agreed. “All right. I’ll check, and if NewLife has no building here, we’ll assemble and head to Vegas.” He paused thoughtfully. “Where are they getting the shifters for the experiments? I wonder. They have to use shifters to make the changes in the humans work. And why haven’t any of their bodies been found?”
“We heal faster,” Jax reminded him. “We can take a lot of abuse before we succumb.”
Well, that wasn’t a comforting thought. Kira felt sorry for the victims on both sides.
Nick sighed, and glanced at one of the bodies. “I hate to ask you this, but can you see about getting a reading?”
“Sure. Let’s do it.”
He sounded so casual, but Kira had seen firsthand how much this took out of him. And today, though sexy as always, he appeared tired, like he hadn’t been sleeping well. He was scratching every now and then, too, really digging at his arms and stomach. She frowned, unable to spot a rash.
He moved to the oldest of the corpses, touching only the wrist without the benefit of latex gloves, which could hamper his ability. He concentrated for several minutes, but shook his head and moved on. “Nothing. He’s been gone too long, with the elements working at him.”
Kira hid her revulsion as he went on to the second victim. He had the same bad luck with that one and the third. It wasn’t until the latest victim that the tide turned.
Closing his eyes, he took the abraded wrist and breathed slowly and deeply, settling himself. After a few moments, his head tilted back and his body tensed. As the minutes passed, the color drained from his face and he began to shake. That was frightening enough, but the agonized scream he suddenly let out nearly made her heart explode.
“Nick!” Frantic, she looked to the boss, who’d taken a step toward his friend.
But before he could intervene, Jax moaned, “Oh, God, no. Please don’t . . .”
Then his knees buckled and he hit the floor, sprawled on his back.
“Oh, my God! Jax!” Everyone converged on him, but Kira reached him first. Dropping to his side she patted his cheeks, shook him. “Jax!”
He didn’t respond, but his breathing was steady, she noted in relief. Mac pushed in next to her and took his pulse. Next, she opened an eyelid and shined her penlight, testing the reaction.
“Has this ever happened to him before?” Kira asked the group anxiously.
“No,” Nick said, voice rough. “It’s never easy on him, but he’s never passed out.”
Dr. Mallory’s voice cut through the rising panic. “We need to get him into an exam room. Nick, get his shoulders and I’ll take his feet.”
Between the two of them they managed to pick him up and maneuver his big body out, down the hall, and onto one of the clinic’s exam tables. Kira tried to ease into the room, but Dr. Mallory wasn’t having it.
“Everyone out so we can see to our patient. Either Mac or I will come as soon as we have news.”
From nowhere, a powerful emotion hit Kira hard. How dare that woman keep him from me? The fierce rage swelled in her chest, strangling her lungs. A low sound emerged from her throat that very much emulated the noise Jax had made at the idea of others touching her. That reaction from him had pissed her off, and now she was doing the same thing.
Dr. Mallory froze, her efficient mask slipping long enough to gape at Kira in astonishment. Then she turned back to Kira’s lover. “Nick, get her out of here.”
“Come on,” he said, taking her arm. “Let’s get out of Melina’s way. Jax will be fine.”
As he led her to the waiting area, the red-hot anger began to subside, only to be replaced by a terrible anxiety. Jax was in there, only God knows what was happening to him. She couldn’t touch him. Speak to him. Make certain he was okay. She needed to do those things or she’d go crazy.
“Nick, what’s wrong with me?”
He sat her in a chair, took a seat next to her, and remained silent for a long moment. When he met her eyes, the expression in his dark blue ones made her heart lurch. “You’re a scientist, Kira. Look at his reactions and yours with that analytical brain, and you tell me.”
Unwillingly, she did. Protectiveness, bordering on violence, on both sides. The unexplainable animal attraction from the first instant he morphed into a man before her eyes. The constant desire to be near him.
“No,” she said in denial. Her hands started to shake. “It can’t be. That kind of thing only happens in the movies.”
“Sweetheart, it’s true. Jax is your Bondmate.”
She stared at him, trepidation curling in her stomach. “What does that mean, exactly? Spell it out, please.”
“I’m asking you,” she insisted.
After a long pause, he continued with some reluctance. “You’re his perfect match. The one who completes him, both the man and the wolf. Whether a made shifter like Jax, or a born shifter like me, we all have a Bondmate out there somewhere.”
“Is this bonding thing triggered by feelings a shifter is developing for the other person?” she asked hopefully. The analytical part of her brain could accept that—but not the answer she actually got.
“No. Whether feelings develop before or after the shifter recognizes his or her Bondmate is irrelevant. The two are fated to be together, period.”
“I won’t accept that! No way.” Her vehemence surprised them both.
“Jax is a good man. There’s obviously chemistry between you two. What’s so bad about being his mate?”
Bombarded by conflicting emotions, she struggled to explain. “Nothing, if he loved me! Yes, we’ve had fireworks, but that doesn’t mean anything. We still don’t know each other very well, and he sees other women—”
“He won’t anymore. Not now.”
“What? How come?” She refused to acknowledge the bubble of happiness that news caused.
“Once wolf shifters find our mates, we’re physically incapable of being with anyone else in the carnal sense. No worries there.” He said that as though she should be thrilled.
And she was, except for one tiny detail. “You don’t understand. I want my man to be with me because I’m me, not because his glands are dictating to his libido! I want him to fall in love with me and vice versa, not be stuck together because science says so.”
“Kira, what makes you think you two won’t fall head over heels? Personally, I believe you’re well on the way already, and you just need to give yourselves a chance.”
“But how will I know?”
“The same way anyone does. In here,” he said, pointing at her heart.
She considered this. “Have you ever been in love?”
Pain flashed in his eyes, there and gone. He smiled, but it seemed a little sad. “Hey, we’re not talking about me, remember? Just give it time. Trust me.”
She didn’t answer, but the whole idea still bothered her a great deal. It was the thought that basic feral nature could force two people together, and before either of them were ready. That did not sit well at all.
Forty minutes later, Mac and Dr. Mallory appeared. Kira didn’t like the almost tangible aura of gloom surrounding them, the anxiety.
“What’s wrong? Isn’t he okay?”
Mac glanced at her colleague, who nodded, indicating she could go ahead. “The reading really knocked him for a loop, but as far as recovering from that goes, he should be fine.”
“That’s good, but what do you mean ‘as far as that goes’? There’s more?”
“Unfortunately, yes. He’s experiencing some symptoms that are causing him discomfort.”
“I noticed him scratching,” Kira said with a frown.
“He’s itching and it’s getting worse, starting to burn. He also has a sore throat and a fever, which he didn’t have yesterday. He’s getting sicker and if the proper steps aren’t taken, his life will be in danger.”
Kira blinked, chest squeezing. “What do you mean? What kinds of steps?”
“One important one, really.” Mac paused. “Did Nick tell you?”
“I told her,” the boss confirmed.
“Wait a second. Is this about me being his mate? You’re telling me that not only do we have this attraction we can’t help, but his cure depends on me?”
“That’s what we’re saying,” Mac told her gently. “His life depends on you.”
She gasped. “He’s going to die if I don’t mate with him? Oh, my God!” She rounded on Nick. “You said I could give it time! And now I find out I have no choice? I’m supposed to just hand my entire life over to a man who’s half canine, and not really a man at all?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew she’d crossed the line. Especially when a hoarse voice spoke from behind her.
“I’d never ask you to make such a horrible sacrifice. Don’t worry. You won’t be saddled with a filthy dog like me.”
With that, Jax limped past the group. His cheeks were still pale and he was holding his stomach as he walked slowly across the waiting room and out the door.
Kira’s face flamed, her heart aching with shame. And something else, a yearning for the man who’d left, looking more dejected than she’d ever seen anyone. She wanted to call him back, but the words had lodged in her throat like a melon.
She’d put her own feelings before the well-being of a good man. He could die, and she’d only thought of herself.
The scathing look she received from Dr. Mallory spoke volumes. “Why don’t you take the rest of the afternoon off? Go see Jax and make things right.”
“I will,” she said softly.
Ducking her head, she rushed from the room. She had to apologize.
And somehow make him understand these feelings she didn’t even comprehend herself.
Jaxon’s stomach churned, and his head pounded. His throat, his whole body, felt like he was slowly being roasted in an oven, but those symptoms weren’t the worst.
No, the worst was Kira’s words still ringing in his brain. Cutting him off at the knees, bringing him lower than he’d ever been. Even after Afghanistan, with more than half his soldiers slaughtered. Or following the ambush on Alpha Pack, when Beryl had betrayed him.
I’m supposed to just hand my entire life over to a man who’s half canine, and not really a man at all?
Not a man at all.
What else had he expected? But God, it hurt. So badly he wanted to curl up in the fetal position and die. A warrior and a shifter with special abilities, cut down by a woman’s tongue as surely as if he’d been run through with a sword or shot between the eyes. The latter would be kinder than this.
Breathing through the pain—both kinds—he let himself into his apartment and headed for his room. Without bothering to remove his boots, he flopped onto his bed and lay on his side, covering his eyes. That’s when he realized the burning in his throat wasn’t all from the fever. Sweet Jesus, he hadn’t cried in years and he wasn’t about to give in now.
He’d dealt with a lot of shit and he’d deal with being rejected by his mate.
He would.
But that didn’t stop the hot moisture from seeping between his lashes. Angrily, he rubbed his eyes, willing the ache to ease. Was this the reaction of the dirty dog, or the man? How sad that he didn’t know.
Oh yeah, you’re not a man, remember?
He heard a rapping at the door to his place. He lay there willing it to stop, but his visitor wasn’t going away.
“Son of a bitch.”
Hauling himself up, he started for the door. Halfway there, Kira’s familiar scent wafted to him, freezing him in his tracks. If she’d come to apologize, he wasn’t ready to listen to excuses.
Growling in frustration, he limped across the distance and yanked the door open, schooling his expression to appear calm. “What do you want?”
His curt greeting took her aback and she fidgeted nervously. “Can I come in? I really don’t want to do this where someone might hear.”
“Funny, you didn’t have a problem with that in the clinic.”
“Jax, please?” Her small face was pinched, blue eyes shadowed with worry.
He sighed. “I guess. Come in.”
Leaving her to follow, he shuffled into the living room and sat on one end of the sofa. She took the other end, perching close to him but not touching. Since this was her dime, he let her struggle.
“Look, you don’t know how sorry I am for what you heard,” she began with difficulty. “But I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”
He snorted an ugly laugh. “That I’m not a man? Really? I’d love to know how else to take that except you believe I�
��m an animal, or subhuman.”
“No!” Leaning toward him, she clutched his knee. “That’s not what I meant! I just find it sort of scary to learn that I don’t have a say when it comes to you being my mate. That I have to be bound to someone for life because of biology, and not love.”
He studied her, decided she was being honest. “I get that. But how do you know this attraction between us is not becoming love already?”
“How do I know it is, for absolute sure?” she countered. “I’ve never been serious about anyone before, not serious enough to marry or even live together. And then I suddenly learn that there’s a whole world I never knew existed, and that the creatures of my childhood fables aren’t so fictional after all. There was no time to adjust, to catch my breath. And then, bam! Sudden, life-altering changes and a man—and yes, you are a man, and I’m a jerk—a man is claiming me for his own. And, oh yeah, he and his friends are like critters out of a J. R. R. Tolkien novel, and I’m walking around half-expecting to run into Gollum looking for his precious!”
Her eyes were wide, cheeks flushed from the passion of her speech, blond hair framing her face. Damned if she wasn’t the cutest thing he’d ever seen.
And fuck it all, he was going to forgive her.
Reaching out, he brushed back a pale strand. “Yeah,” he said softly. “I guess that would pretty much mess with your day.”
Arousal flared on her face, pupils dilating. Breath hitching, she scooted closer, capturing his hand. “Pretty much. Forgive me?”
“Sweet baby, I forgave you at ‘I’m a jerk.’ ”
Her lips tilted into a smile. “Don’t get used to it.”
“I’d like to get used to you, period.”
“How flattering.”
“I’m working on my delivery. What can I say?”
“Say you’ll kiss me,” she whispered.
He smiled, all his pain forgotten with her one simple request. “Baby, I’ll do much more than that.”