The Touch of Her Hands [The Wind River Pack 3] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Missy Martine

  “I can have a full team there by morning, and we can go in and get her out,” said Zander.

  “What do you want me to tell her?” asked Zack.

  Zander smiled. “Have her sit tight. Tell her to expect the unexpected sometime tomorrow morning. We’re coming to get her.”

  Chapter 11

  Aurelia shivered on the cold exam table in the lab and listened to the hum of electronics. Two computers sat on the counter across the room, a white lab coat draped across the chair. She’d eaten her dinner the night before and woke up strapped to what amounted to a dissection table. She didn’t even know if she’d awakened before or after they’d done any procedures. She should have remembered Dr. Jackson’s fondness for drugging her food. At the rate they were moving forward, she’d be an addict before Zack could execute a rescue.

  She strained to see behind the table when she heard the sound of chair wheels sliding across the floor. She let her gaze drift to the other side of the table, past the steamy haze rising from the cup of coffee on the counter. Dr. Jackson’s attention was fixed on his task, the small crease between his brows making him appear older than she remembered.

  The thought of what he might have done to her filled her mouth with extra saliva. She had to gulp it down before it choked her. “What did you do to me, you sick bastard?”

  Dr. Jackson started and turned his gaze to her. He frowned. “There’s no need to be vulgar, Aurelia. You’ve picked up some very bad habits since you’ve been away.”

  “Are you gonna tell me what you did to me?”

  He shrugged. “It’s no secret, and we didn’t harm you. When we examined you this morning, we found you were ovulating. Since that’s what we intended to induce, we went ahead and harvested your eggs.”

  “You what!”

  “Really, Aurelia, have you forgotten the conversations we had when you were younger? I told you then I had hopes of harvesting your eggs in order to fertilize them and create more beings with your abilities. We’ve just been able to get started much sooner than I anticipated.”

  Aurelia bit back a sob and turned her face away so he wouldn’t see her tears. The thought of what he could do to her children made her sick. She called to Zack in her mind but got no answer. Where is he? When are you going to get me out of here? She turned to Dr. Jackson. “When can I go back to my room?”

  “I’m sorry, Aurelia, but Dr. Bakerson has some tests he wants to run. Try to be cooperative, and it’ll all be over faster. Then, if the eggs accept the fertilization process, you’ll be allowed to rest and recover for a few weeks.”

  “What kind of tests is he going to run?”

  Conrad looked away. “He wants some tissue samples from various places. I promise he’ll deaden the areas or we’ll just sedate you until he’s done. You won’t feel a thing.”

  “Why is he even here? I thought I was your own special project. Seems an awful lot like he’s in charge now.”

  Conrad sighed. “When the government pulled their support from the project I had to find a new source of funding. Dr. Bakerson is a very wealthy man who had some interest in my work. He agreed to fund the project if I let him carry out some experiments of his own. He promised that he wouldn’t do any permanent harm to you.” He stood and moved toward the door. “Relax, Aurelia. I promise you’ll be back in your room before you know it.”

  Aurelia closed her eyes. Zack, where are you?

  * * * *

  Zack looked at the blueprints Zander spread out and strained to hear his mate. She must be unconscious again because she’d been silent since late the night before.

  “Okay, everybody, listen up,” said Zander. “Zeke, you, Eric, Synia, and Macon will go in here.” He pointed to a side entrance. “Remus, you and Victor, Kanor, Zyne, and I will take the front. My guys from the council are going in the rear. Once we have her out, and everyone is in the clear, they’re gonna blow the place.”

  “Why are they blowing it?” asked Remus.

  “From what I was able to find out, Jackson was a geneticist working for the government. His experiments were somewhat unorthodox, and less than humane. My contacts feel that everyone would be safer if he and all his work would disappear.”

  Zack growled. “As long as they wait until I get her out.”

  Zander shook his head. “That’s not how this is going down, Zack. Unless I miss my guess, she’s being held in the back of the building, on the lower level. There are bars on the windows, so it’s a pretty good indication. I need my guys to go in that direction because that’s the prime spot for the explosives. I’ll need you up front with your brothers clearing out the offices. I’d rather not blow up unsuspecting innocents if I can help it.”

  “But I—”

  “Son,” Remus said. “Trust them. They’ll get your mate back for you. Please, for me, stick with the plan.”

  Zack lowered his head and tried to control his breathing. His coyote was straining to get out and find their mate. “Make sure she’s okay. I still can’t contact her through our link.”

  The head of Zander’s team smiled. “I’ll contact you as soon as we find her.

  Zander picked up the map. “Everyone clear?” He waited for everyone to acknowledge in the affirmative. “Then let’s roll. Let’s keep this fast and clean.”

  Zack watched as the others disappeared down the alley.

  Macon put his hand on Zack’s shoulder. “Are you ready?”

  He nodded. “Let’s do this.”

  * * * *

  Aurelia watched as Bakerson deftly inserted an IV into her arm. “What’s that for?”

  He ignored her and pulled a syringe out of his pocket. He quickly injected the clear liquid into the tubing and smiled. “Nighty night, princess.”

  She gasped as her vision blurred and her mouth went dry. “What did you do?” A loud crash had her trying to focus on the door. “Zack,” she whispered. There were sounds of a struggle, and a pain-filled cry. She could feel the darkness closing in when a handsome face loomed over her.

  He smiled. “Relax, Aurelia. My name is Randy. Zack sent me to bring you home. You’re safe now. The asshole that was hurting you is dead.”

  Aurelia tried to thank him as the blackness settled around her like a warm blanket.

  * * * *

  Zander watched as his men led several of the people they found in the office away. He smiled when he spotted Macon and Zack dragging a reluctant man in a white lab coat down the sidewalk.

  “How’d you get this area cleared of civilians so fast?” asked Remus.

  “My government ties. Seems the good Dr. Jackson is an embarrassment they’d like to have go away, so they cleared the way for me to do their dirty work.”

  Zack pushed the man to the ground. “If you move from that spot, I’ll kill you where you stand.” He looked up at Zander. “Meet Dr. Conrad Jackson. He’s been less than cooperative about Aurelia’s whereabouts. Did they find her?”

  Zander nodded. “Yes, she’s safe. They got to her just in time to stop some doctor from doing anything. She was given a sedative, but that just meant she slept through her rescue.”

  Zack looked around. “Where is she?”

  “Patience, she’ll be along soon. They had to set the charges.” Zander looked up when Kanor and Zyne joined them. “Is that everybody on our two details?”

  “We’re all present and accounted for,” said Remus. “What about your men?”

  Zander picked up his walkie-talkie. “Is blue team clear?”

  A garbled voice answered. “Two men missing, sir. Give us a minute.”

  “Roger that. Standing by.”

  Zack frowned. “Who’s got—” A loud explosion shook the ground, sending flames shooting high into the sky over the drab, gray building. Zack stared and then howled up at the sky.

  Zander picked up his mike. “Blue team, is everyone out? What happened?”

  “Negative, sir. Something triggered the explosives early. We don’t know what happened.”

/>   “Is everyone out?”

  There was a long pause and then they heard the disembodied voice again. “No, sir. Arnold and Randy are unaccounted for. They never made the checkpoint.” He hesitated. “Sir, they had the target with them.”

  “No,” Zack screamed. “You killed her. You said you’d keep her safe.”

  Remus reached for Zack. “Son, calm down and—”

  Zack’s clothes tore as he shifted. His coyote shook off the ripped material and turned toward Zander. He growled and bared his teeth as he advanced on the council’s representative.

  “What the hell is that?” cried Conrad. When Zack turned toward him, he scrambled backward, the acrid smell of urine filling the air.

  “Zack,” said Zander. “Stand down. It was an accident, son. I lost two men myself.”

  Zack let out a mournful howl that had his brothers wiping tears from their eyes. Scraping his foot once on the sidewalk, Zack crouched and lunged for Zander. All four feet were off the ground when a dart sailed through the air and embedded into his right shoulder. The coyote screeched and fell to the ground, whimpering as he tried to stand. He stumbled, tears falling down his cheeks, and then dropped, his eyes rolling back in his head.

  Zander looked over to see the tranq gun in Remus’s hands. “Thanks, man.”

  Remus wiped his eyes and laid the gun on the ground next to Zander’s backpack. “He’s gonna need time to mourn, Zander. Don’t hold this against him. You’ve never been mated, so you don’t know what he’s feeling. I’m not sure I wouldn’t have reacted the same way if it had been Maddie in there.”

  Zander nodded. “I’m truly sorry, Remus. I’ll find out exactly what happened to set the fireworks off early. I never meant for Aurelia to get hurt, much less killed.”

  Remus sighed and looked at the members of his pack. None of the men had dry eyes.

  “Take your family home, Remus. I’ll take care of the doctor. I’m transferring him to the council’s prison facility. They can decide what to do with him. I’ll try and retrieve any bodies, but that fire’s pretty hot. There might not be anything left to find.”

  “Understood.” Remus bent and scooped the coyote up into his arms. He bent and rubbed his cheek along the fur on Zack’s back and then looked up at his pack. “Let’s go home, boys.”

  Zander watched them walk toward their van and gently place the coyote inside.

  “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” asked Conrad. “You’ve destroyed a lifetime of work that can never be replaced. And that lovely, young woman. She had such a special gift. You’ve destroyed everything I’ve worked on for the last twenty years.”

  Zander grabbed Conrad’s arm and held his breath at the stench. “You can blame yourself for her death. She wouldn’t have been here if you hadn’t kidnapped her.” He marched him toward his van and thrust him toward his men. “Get him some clean clothes so we don’t have to smell him all the way home. Round everyone up. We’re done here.”

  * * * *

  Zack slowly opened his eyes and groaned. The light was bright, and he tried to lift his arm to shield his eyes. “What the hell?” Both arms were strapped to the sides of a hospital bed. He looked around and frowned. He wasn’t in a hospital. He was in the living room of his own apartment. “What the hell is going on?” he whispered. Then, he remembered his mate was dead. He struggled with his bindings and called for his coyote.

  Remus came up beside the bed. “Don’t shift, Zack, or I’ll have to tranquilize you again.”

  Zack pulled back from his shift. “Shoot me then. I don’t care. But do it right. Use a real gun.”

  Remus frowned. “You want me to shoot you?”

  “I can’t live without my mate, Uncle Remus. She was everything to me, everything. I woke up each morning anxious for the touch of her hands, and it’s the last thing I wanted every night. Without her, I’m only half-alive, and it would be humane to put me out of my misery.” He struggled against his bonds. “Please, Alpha Remus, help me. If you won’t put me down I’ll find a way to do it myself.”

  “You love her that much?”

  “She’s my life. Without her, I’m already dead.”

  Remus sighed. “I’m sorry, son, but I can’t help you leave this world. The pack needs you. You’re going to get well and things will get better, I promise you.”

  Zack cursed and turned his head away. He didn’t want to look at his alpha trying to convince him that life was worth living without his mate.

  “Tehran took a look at you and said you’d make a full recovery, but suggested we get you a live-in nurse for a while. Someone to act like a caretaker. They’ll make sure you eat and get plenty of exercise and rest.”

  “I don’t want a nurse. I don’t need anybody.”

  “That’s too bad because I already got one for you.”

  Zack turned around and glared at Remus. “Then you can just get rid of them because they’re not staying here.”

  “No, if you want to get rid of the nurse, you’ll have to do it yourself.”

  “Fine, where is this paragon of virtue?”

  Remus glanced toward the kitchen. “You can come out now.” He turned back to Zack. “I’d like you to meet your live-in caretaker, Ms. Jennifer Golden.”

  Zack looked up and froze. Aurelia came striding into the room, her face glowing with an ear-to-ear smile. “What’s all this fuss from my patient? Is he already acting up?”

  Zack swallowed hard. “How?”

  Remus sighed. “I’m so sorry, son. We wanted to make Dr. Jackson believe that Aurelia had died in the fire. As far as he and his associates are concerned, she’s dead and gone.”

  “How did you keep me from sensing her through the mate bond? I couldn’t feel her after the blast.”

  Remus sighed. “We counted on your emotions being out of control. That, combined with the fact she was given a tranquilizer, pretty much dulled your mate senses.”

  “What happens when they come for her again?”

  “They’re not going to look for her ever again. Zander arranged for her to have a death certificate and all new papers for her new identity.”

  Aurelia smiled. “I’m Jennifer Golden.” She giggled. “Actually, Aurelia means golden, so it’s like keeping a part of me around.”

  Remus reached over and began unfastening Zack’s restraints. “He recommends that the two of you lay low for at least six months. A year would be better. You have to be the grieving husband for a while, and then you can fall in love all over again with someone new. In the meantime, the two of you can move into the guest cottage on the mountain. You’ll be free to roam our lands, but out of the public’s sight.”

  Aurelia grinned. “That’ll be great. Your brother’s mate, Kati, asked me to be in her wedding. We’re all gonna get together and plan it.”

  Remus groaned and unfastened the last restraint. “Maddie already has about a hundred lists for the coming nuptials. It’s gonna rival Will and Kate’s shindig.”

  When Zack was free, he jumped up and pulled Aurelia into his arms, breathing her scent in deeply. His coyote howled inside, racing around in his exuberance. “How come I can’t read your thoughts?”

  Aurelia laughed. “Remus taught me to block them while you were sleeping.”

  Zack growled and turned toward Remus as he snuck out the front door. He could hear his alpha laughing all the way to his car. He turned back to Aurelia. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to keep you safe. They shouldn’t have been able to get their hands on you at all.”

  Aurelia placed her fingers over his lips. “Shhh, none of that now. Fate brought us to where we are, and now we have to put the past behind us and move forward.”

  “I love you, and I want you to marry me.”

  Aurelia grinned. “What a coincidence. I happen to love you, too.” She bit her lip and glanced away for a moment. Finally she turned to look at Zack. “Nothing has changed about my gift. I’ll still be able to heal with the touch of my hands. I’ll never be able to
turn down anyone that needs my help. Can you live with that?”

  Zack picked up her hand and kissed her fingers one by one. “How could I refuse? I was a lost soul before I met you, and you healed my heart with the first touch of your hands.”

  THE END

  WWW.MISSYMARTINE.COM

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  I was born and raised in the great southern state of Tennessee. In my youth, I studied nursing, and spent several happy years working in the hospitals there until I branched out into medical management in 1980.

  In 1998 I was managing a medical supply house in Chattanooga, when I met the love of my life. The only problem facing me then, he lived way out in Oklahoma. You see, we had met in a chat room!

  He romanced me daily with love letters, flowers, and phone calls. It wasn’t long before I uprooted myself, and moved west to join him. We married in 1999, and then continued our fantasy romance all over the world. Together we have traveled in almost all of the Continental United States, and taken trips to Canada and China.

  I retired from working in 2002 and it wasn’t long before my husband was encouraging me to find some kind of outlet to occupy my time, something that was challenging, and rewarding. I was already obsessed with reading about romance, and I began to think I could probably write a good, romantic story. My husband heartily agreed with me. With that encouragement, I began writing my first book. I wasn’t really convinced that anyone else would find it interesting, but he pressed me to take a chance and send it in to a publisher. To my surprise, it was accepted, and now I’m able to share it with readers everywhere who like a “happily ever after” story.

  Today, I’m living in California with my still romantic husband of twelve years, and our boys. Our boys consist of Beau, Midnight, and Bubba, three male cats that allow us to live with them and serve them at their leisure. I continue to write almost daily, hoping that someone, somewhere will get the same enjoyment from reading my stories, that I get from writing them.