by Anne Kane
Nikki frowned, turning the corner of the main building that housed the labs. “Why?”
Jackson shrugged, holding Sasha a little closer to his side. “We owe you. You protected my mate, and you helped set us free. We might be a nasty bunch, but we are loyal to our friends. If the doc wants to harm you, he’ll have to go through my whole pack.”
Wolfe nodded. “Thanks. Appreciate that.”
They rounded the next corner, and stopped dead at the sight of a squad of guards marching a group of women down the road. The group quickly ducked back around the corner.
“Now that looks like it could be fun. Time to pay those guards back for their hospitality these last few months.” Jackson grinned. “You take your lady and find a route around the other side of the building. The pack and I will take care of these guys, free those females and meet up with you at the main gates. Take Sasha with you. I don’t want her getting hurt.”
“No way!” Sasha stamped one foot on the hard ground. “I just got you back. I’m not leaving your side.”
Jackson looked uncertain, and Nikki could see his protective instincts warring with his pride in his mate. “Okay, but you stay at the back of the pack and do whatever you’re told. I can’t fight effectively if half my attention is on you.” He turned and inclined his head to Wolfe and Nikki. “See you two at the main gates.”
Wolfe took Nikki’s arm and drew her away from the corner. “He’s right. They don’t need us. Let’s go.”
Nikki reluctantly let herself be led toward the rear of the building. Splitting up didn’t seem like the best thing to do, but the werewolves were more than capable of looking after themselves. She felt a tiny bit of sympathy for the guards. They probably didn’t know their weapons were useless or they wouldn’t be prowling out in the open like that. They’d made their choices though, and they were about to reap the results.
Noise erupted from the other side of the building as the werewolves attacked the guards. A high-pitched scream of terror cut off abruptly, and Nikki shivered at the implication. Wolfe drew her closer to his side. “Remember how those guards treated you and the others. They don’t deserve your sympathy.”
“I know. I just…” She trailed off. What did she mean? She wasn’t sure. There were a lot of things she wasn’t sure about anymore.
A lanky figure darted across the street up ahead of them, teasing the edge of her memory for a moment before recognition came.
“Todd!” Nikki pointed as Sasha’s brother ducked into the main complex building.
“Todd? Where?” Wolfe looked in the direction Nikki was pointing, but the geek had already disappeared inside the building.
“We have to go help him. You probably led him right to this place. He must be looking for Sasha.”
“Damn. We don’t have a lot of time.” Wolfe snarled softly. “Okay, let’s go find him, but if it takes too long we have to leave him. I’m not risking your life for a twit who should have known better than to come into this compound.”
“Thank you!” Nikki stood on her tiptoes to place a kiss on his cheek. Once Todd knew his sister was safe, he’d be happy to follow them to safety.
* * * * *
Todd ran to the bank of elevators and stabbed the call button repeatedly, his panic rising with every second that passed. The explosions at the back wall had shaken him out of a deep slumber. When he’d opened the door to find out what was going on, he’d seen what looked to be a firefight over the back wall, and the cages to the animal pens standing open.
He knew the panther was out and prowling the grounds, and he’d seen the werewolf pack heading for the main building, with both selkies and that damn Druid in tow. So far they hadn’t spotted him, or the jig would be up. Sasha would dispel the myth of worried brother in record time. When they found out he’d sold them out, he didn’t want to come face-to-face with either of the selkies’ other halves.
The Druid was a big guy, with a lot of influence in the Dream World, and the werewolf had an entire pack of monsters at his command. Hard to say which would be worse, and he certainly didn’t want to find out the hard way.
Dr. Kvordic must have a way out of this place that didn’t involve exiting by the main gate, and he intended to tag along. The guy owed him. Without him, the scientist would still be playing around with a panther who’d never shown any sign of shifting to a human, and a quartet of women who might or might not be witches. They certainly hadn’t shown any inclination to use their magic to get themselves out of here. Sasha had been the first creature he’d been able to truly prove was supernatural.
A muted ping announced the arrival of the elevator, and he let out a sigh of relief. Taking one step toward it, he heard a sound behind him and glanced over his shoulder just in time to see the Druid’s hand snake out to hold the elevator door open.
“Slow down, buddy. Your sister’s not here.”
“Huh?” Todd stared at the larger man. What the heck?
“Sasha. She’s safe. She’s on her way out of the complex, and the werewolves are looking after her.” Wolfe grinned. “I know. Doesn’t sound good, but trust me. They’d lay down their lives for your little sister.” Wolfe grabbed the younger man’s arm and urged him toward the exit. “Nikki’s with me, and there’s a chopper waiting at the main gates to get us all away from this madhouse.”
They didn’t know! Todd quickly reassessed his position. If he let these two lead him out, he just might stand a chance of hijacking the chopper and getting away scot free. So long as they didn’t meet up with Sasha, his secret was safe.
He gave Wolfe a cheerful smile. “Great! Lead on then, and let’s get out of here.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Dr. Kvordic stood on a ridge to the north of the complex, watching the destruction of all his carefully laid plans. That damn selkie and her werewolf lover were to blame. He should have terminated the alpha as soon as he’d realized the extent of his influence over the rest of the pack. Any of those beasts could have served as a stud for the selkie, and without their leader they would have been easier to handle. Next time he’d make sure he had the animals under better control.
Somehow they’d managed to get word of his grand operation to a group outside the complex and ruin all his plans. The traitor must have been more talented than he suspected. Perhaps the new selkie?
Lucky for him he’d had the foresight to build the complex over one of the deserted mines, shoring up the main horizontal shaft in case of just such an emergency. He’d lost all of his carefully collected specimens, but his research journals and the test results on the various subjects were safely stored on a hard drive in his briefcase. He’d find a new site and begin again.
Turning, he climbed into the waiting helicopter and motioned the pilot to dim the running lights while the ultralight craft lifted off.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“I wonder if Sasha will remember to let the fae creature loose.” Nikki, Wolfe and Todd crouched in the bushes just outside the main gate, waiting for the chopper to return and collect them.
“Sasha’s the one who opened all the enclosures?” Todd let out a low whistle. “I always suspected she had more talents than I knew about.”
Wolfe frowned. “She didn’t talk to you about her abilities?”
Todd looked nonplussed for a moment. “Well yeah, but sometimes I knew she was holding things back. You know how siblings are.”
The loud beating of the rotors drowned out conversation, and signaled the arrival of the helicopter. Nikki tensed, ready to make the run across the open clearing.
A blur of motion to her left caught Nikki’s attention as the panther streaked out of the complex. Instead of running toward the waiting chopper, it sprinted into the dense woods beyond the clearing. She hoped it could survive this far from its native lands. She was just about positive that the big cat was just that: a big cat.
Wolfe urged the other two forward as a bone-chilling scream ripped through the predawn chill. The sounds of fighti
ng intensified, spurring them forward. They made it to the waiting helicopter, and Nikki and Todd clambered up first.
Another group appeared at the main gates, sprinting across the ground toward the chopper and Wolfe paused, one hand on the chopper rails. “Jackson. Sasha. You made it. We found Todd. He’s already on the chopper along with Nikki. You guys can catch up when we’re out of here.”
“Who’s Todd?” Jackson frowned.
“Sasha’s brother.” Wolfe tilted his head, a ripple of apprehension stirring inside him at the look on the young selkie’s face.
Sasha looked confused. “I don’t have a brother, unless you count my stepdad’s son from his first marriage. His name is Todd, but he hates me. He always blamed my mom for his parents not getting back together, and he rarely came to visit his dad. Why would you think I had a brother?”
Wolfe glanced over his shoulder at Nikki, framed in the doorway of the chopper. He felt his stomach twist as understanding dawned.
“Because he came to us and said he was looking for you. Said you’d disappeared and he was worried.” Wolfe snarled softly. “We kind of helped him look for you, and in the process gave him enough information to get Nikki kidnapped as well. I’m going to rip that son of a bitch apart with my bare hands.”
“I don’t think so.” Todd appeared behind Nikki, a snub-nose revolver in his hand. Before anyone had time to react, he grabbed her around the waist and pressed the barrel of the gun to her temple. “Not if you want to see your little girlfriend here again. The nice pilot here is going to fly us somewhere far, far away. I’ll let Nikki go when I’m sure you aren’t looking for me. Now back off!”
Nikki let out a low whimper of fear, and Wolfe took one step toward her.
Todd pointed the gun skyward and let off one quick round before pointing it back at Nikki. “The next one goes into her pretty little head. I don’t think you want me to do that.” He hollered over his shoulder at the pilot. “Get us out of here.”
Wolfe stopped dead. Shit! The weapons-jamming bit obviously didn’t extend beyond the compound perimeter. Nikki could be dead before he had time to reach her.
“You have to back away from the doorway or you’re going to be thrown out as soon as I start to lift.” The pilot had to holler to be heard above the noise of the engines.
Todd inched his way backward, making sure he kept Nikki between himself and the enraged group on the ground. An evil grin spread across his face as the pilot prepared for takeoff. The noise level soared as the rotors spun faster.
* * * * *
Equal doses of frustration and helplessness washed through Nikki. She watched the ground recede an inch as the heavy machine lifted slightly, swaying as it did so. If she timed it right, could she throw herself out the door before they got too far off the ground? She was damned sure Todd had no intention of letting her go once they were safely away from Wolfe and Jackson. He’d either kill her or sell her back to that lunatic doctor.
The chopper lifted slowly, much more slowly than she would have expected. They were about five feet off the ground now and she tensed. Maybe if she let her legs go limp and dropped down before throwing herself out, she’d take him by surprise and he wouldn’t have time to pull the trigger. She took a deep breath, steadying her nerves.
Something brushed against her lower leg, and she caught a glimpse of Wolfe’s arm as he reached past her to grab Todd’s foot.
The geek stumbled, losing his grip on Nikki. The revolver clattered to the floor as Wolfe swung himself into the cargo hold.
Nikki dropped to her knees, grabbing for the gun. It slid across the floor and she managed to grab it just before it fell out the open doorway.
Todd swore loudly, staggering as Wolfe landed a right hook on his jaw. The two men circled in the small area, Todd on the defensive as Wolfe threw punch after punch in a fierce offensive.
Nikki picked up the gun, holding it in both hands as she tried to aim it at Todd. The two men were close together though, constantly on the move, and if she fired in such enclosed quarters, she could well kill the wrong one. She lowered the weapon.
It actually looked like Wolfe was enjoying himself. Blood poured from a cut on his bottom lip, but his eyes were lit with a murderous delight as he took a half step forward and landed a roundhouse punch on the side of Todd’s head, sending him reeling backward.
Both men staggered as the chopper settled to the ground with a shudder, and Nikki realized the pilot had never intended to go anywhere.
“Enough!” Todd took another hit on his cheek and shook his head, sending drops of blood flying from a dozen different wounds. “I surrender! Arrest me. I want a lawyer.”
“I don’t think so.” Wolfe glared at the younger man. “No one threatens my mate and walks away.” He stepped forward with a sharp undercut, sending Todd flying backward.
The younger man hit the metal bulkhead behind him with a solid thunk, his eyes glazing over as he sank to the floor, unconscious. Wolfe waited a few seconds as if he hoped Todd would get up again before he turned to pull Nikki into his arms.
He glared at her, blood clotting on his swollen lower lip. “I am never letting you out of my sight again!”
The pilot bustled into the back and rolled Todd over, checking to make sure he was still breathing. “Wouldn’t want him to die before the trial.”
“You’re going to hand him over to the police?” Nikki arched her brows. What on earth would they tell them? That he’d betrayed a couple of selkies and attacked a Druid?
“Hardly.” The pilot smiled cheerfully. “He’ll have to stand accused in front of the Druid Council. We have our own code of behavior and we take the betrayal of any species under our protection very seriously. I doubt you’ll be bothered by him again.”
Jackson and Sasha hopped into the chopper and walked over to stare down at the unconscious Todd. The rest of the pack crowded the ground below the door, all in human form once again.
“Is that your stepbrother?” Jackson nudged the unconscious Todd with his foot.
Sasha nodded slowly. “Yeah. My God, I had no idea he hated me this much!”
Todd’s eyes fluttered open as Jackson poked his foot at him again. He blinked once, taking in the sea of unsympathetic faces staring down at him. Before anyone had time to react, he surged to his feet and jumped out the open door, sprinting toward the bush at breakneck speed. He made it within yards of the dense greenery before a flash of black fur erupted from the shadows. The panther grabbed the unlucky man by the scruff of the neck and dragged him away into the forest.
“Well.” Nikki stared in horrified fascination at the spot where the panther had disappeared. “Maybe it is more than a panther.”
A bone-chilling scream was followed by a triumphant yowl, and the escapees exchanged knowing looks. The traitor wouldn’t be standing in front of any committee. Justice had been served.
“I don’t know what that panther is, and I really don’t care.” Wolfe urged the remainder of the group into the chopper. “I just want to get the hell out of here and go home.”
As the rest of the werewolves crowded into the cargo bay, Ian jogged out the main gate and headed toward the chopper, motioning them to wait. Reaching the craft, he swung himself up, squeezing between two of the werewolves. “Let’s get this bird in the air. The diversion group pulled out a few minutes ago. Tony and Pete are still up on the back ridge, keeping an eye out for any stragglers but it looks like we got everyone out.”
“What about the fae?” Sasha bit her lower lip. “I didn’t unlock his enclosure until we were at the gates. We weren’t sure if he’d know we were on his side.”
“I wouldn’t worry about him.” Ian shook his head. “The fae have their own ways about them. We tend to keep a respectful distance between us.”
“Did anyone see the doctor?” Nikki settled into Wolfe’s lap.
Ian shook his head. “He probably had an emergency escape route planned. I sent the ghost into the main building but he didn’t
find anyone in there except a couple of terrified lab techs. We sent them to the staging area, and we’ll let them go after we scare the hell out of them. They claimed they were just following orders, but that’s no excuse for committing atrocities against any sentient race.”
“Aren’t you afraid of them telling people about what they saw?” Nikki snuggled back against Wolfe’s solid form, more grateful than she was willing to admit to have him right there with her.
Ian grinned. “We’re Druids; we have a few tricks up our sleeves. By the time we’re finished with them, those guys will be convinced the doctor was insane and they’ve been helping him torture innocent human beings. Hardly the sort of story they’re going to want spread around to their friends and families.” He pulled the door shut and signaled the pilot to lift off. “This isn’t the first time we’ve had to handle a scenario like this.”
Nikki let out a startled yelp as the chopper swayed sideways, lifted off the ground. Her nerves were a bit more frazzled than she thought! Wolfe wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back tight against him, burying his face in her hair. She relaxed with a soft sigh. As long as he was at her side, she felt safe. He’d better get used to picking berries!
Chapter Twenty-Four
“So do you think your sister will ever forgive me for not taking you to visit her right away?” Wolfe lounged at the edge of the pool, watching Nikki slice her way through the water.
“Oh sure. She’s never been able to hold a grudge. Tell her you were afraid I’d lose the child.”
“Lose the child?” He sat up straighter and stared at her. “What child?”
“Close your mouth.” Nikki smiled. “You look ridiculous. I’m not sure I want the father of my children to look like an idiot.”
“Are you telling me you’re pregnant?” He felt like someone had hit him over the head with a two-by-four.