“What—” she began.
He snaked an arm around her neck covering her mouth with his palm then pointed above, bringing a finger to his mouth before releasing her. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as the seriousness of the situation came over her.
Do you hear what I hear? he asked 7, hoping his brother had awakened.
Yep. I’m watching the security cameras now.
Do you need me out there? Need me to lead them away from the house?
No to both. These are local police. Someone must have discovered the caravan. Although the bodies are long gone, there might be traces of blood we missed.
Not to mention the missing Testas. He was never more thankful for this silent connection. He didn’t want to remind Natalie that Shelley Testa roamed free somewhere out there. He played with her hair. She had to know he communicated with 7, and he hoped it eased her mind.
I am sure they’re just investigating wherever they can.
Let’s hope so. Yell if you need me.
I will. Just keep it quiet. Although I think Z set this room up so you could hear footsteps but they can’t hear us, I don’t want to test it.
Agreed. He mouthed for her to sleep, and she nodded with her head on his bare chest. He couldn’t see her eyes, but she wouldn’t sleep anytime soon. What are they doing?
Right now, they are heading into the basement. But it would take a world-class detective to figure out the cracks in the floor conceal a hidden door.
How many?
I counted five. There might be more outside in the woods. But the snow is still falling, making it hard to tell what is what on these cameras. Okay, they are leaving the basement. I think the investigation is over. I’ll stay up in case they track back.
Wake me if anything happens.
He kissed the top of her head and whispered, “They are gone, but we need to remain quiet for a bit in case they come back.”
“Who was it?” Panic edged her voice.
“Local cops. Who knows why they are here, or if they are looking for anything in particular.” D knew they were looking for someone or many someones, but he didn’t want her worried any more than she was.
“But we are safe?”
“Yes.”
She snuggled into his embrace and, within a few minutes, her breathing slowed into a calm rhythm. D stared at the ceiling and listened.
Unlike the evening before, where she barely moved within the security of her arms, she tossed and turned, murmuring in a restless sleep. The blankets lay at the foot of the bed. Every time he laid them over her, she kicked them off again. She definitely didn’t like having her feet covered. He lay like that for hours, eyes open and nerves stretched taut.
“Good morning?”
He smiled down at her. “Are you asking if it’s good or morning?”
“Morning. I can’t tell if the sun is up or not.” She indicated the TV he had turned off during the night.
Another example at how out of touch she and her wolf were. “It’s morning. The sun rose about an hour ago.”
“Why do I feel so secure with you? Like I belong.” Though the words should have brought relief, an underlying sense of everything being too overwhelming prevailed. She had never been able to rely on anyone.
“You are the other part of my being.”
“Forever?”
He stroked her hair. “I think so, but, to be honest, I’m not up-to-date on my soul mate information.”
“So I go wherever you go?”
“For the time being, it would probably make sense, but we are taking you to your grandfather. You’re part of the Tao pack. They are your family, and they are anxious to meet you.”
“What if I don’t want to go to the Tao pack?”
Honesty was best. “Your grandfather is sick. He doesn’t have much time, and his last wish is to see you safe at home.”
“So I belong to them?”
“I’m not sure what you mean by belong? Yes, you belong to them, in a way. You are family, but they don’t own you.”
“No, you own me.”
“No, I don’t.” He wiped a hand over his face, praying for strength and enlightenment to say the right thing to her. “I’m your mate. It’s different.”
“How?”
He climbed out of bed. “Fate declared us a couple.”
“So, once again, I have no choice in my life.” Panic edged her voice.
“Do you feel trapped with me? By me?”
“Yes…no…I don’t know. I just want to run and never stop.”
She’d spent her life bound by a collar, in a small cage, and suddenly she has her freedom and was stuck again. She sat in the bed they had slept in, the sheets pulled over her breasts, looking lost and very confused. “I’m not going to demand you go anywhere with me. But you can’t stay in this country. Once we get you home, I’ll give you the freedom you deserve.” The words nearly killed him to say.
“I want space, but at the thought of not being with you, I can’t breathe.”
“You’ve never had the chance to be alone. It’s your time. I’ll be there when and if you are ready. But I have to get you to a safe place first. Beyond making sure your grandfather talks to you, I doubt Drew will keep you hostage in the pack.”
“I need space,” she repeated again but at a higher pitch.
“Let me go and do a perimeter check. If it’s clear, I can let you run. Your safety has to come first. You understand?”
She nodded. “You don’t deserve this from me. I know in my head you aren’t my enemy, but in my soul, I….”
“You’ve been through a lot, and nothing about this is fair.” He grabbed his discarded clothing. “Get some more sleep. I’ll take a shower, make some breakfast for you, and then check the area around the house.”
“D….”
“Don’t worry. It’s okay.” But it wasn’t. His world shattered at the idea of her choosing not to be with him, and he couldn’t do anything about it. If he kept her tight to his side, she would resent him. He had to let her run; he had to let her have the freedom she had never experienced. No matter how much it killed him to do so.
Chapter Five
“Where’s D?” 7 asked when she came out of the room an hour later.
“I thought you could tell.”
“No. There is something about the building preventing our connection from, well…connecting when one of us is outside the safe room. But I did sense frustration in him this morning before he went silent. So where did he go?”
“He went up to check if it’s safe. I want to run.”
He paused mid-pour in his coffee. “I see.”
“What do you see?”
“I see that even though it would be safer to remain inside out of sight until Z contacts us with the time to get to the airstrip, he went out where it’s dangerous to allow you to do something any idiot knows is a bad idea.” He finished pouring his coffee and brushed past her. “What I see is, my brother no longer has any sense.”
“He said if it’s not safe, I can’t go up.”
“Trust me. He’ll make it safe.”
“And that upsets you?”
“Upsets? No. Pisses me off? Yes.” He crossed the room to watch the security screens. “And if something happens to him, I have to stay with you, as you are my mission.”
The door to the outside opened. “What’s going on in here?”
“That is the question. Why the hell would you go out there without telling me?”
7 could have had a private conversation, but he wanted her to hear him.
She had been selfish and acted like a spoiled child. Guilt racked her. “7, I’m sorry.”
“What does she have to be sorry about?” D demanded.
7 remained quiet, and somehow she knew this time they weren’t communicating. “I shouldn’t have asked you to go out. I wasn’t thinking.”
“No, you can ask whatever you want
. 7 should have faith I can take care of myself as well as my mate.”
“Faith in you? When have I ever questioned any move you made even when it landed us in the fucking basement filing hundreds of years of files? When, D?” He slammed his mug down. “But that move”—he pointed to the screens—“when you know the police could be watching, and there are people looking for her…it was damned stupid. What the hell are you trying to prove?”
The two men stared at each other.
Then 7 bit out, “No, you say this out loud. She should hear this.”
“We’re done with this conversation.” D stormed out into the bedroom they’d shared and slammed the door behind him.
“This is the first fight my twin and I have ever had.” He glared at her. “Somehow, I don’t believe it will be the last.”
“I’m sorry.”
“So am I.” He pointed to one of the screens. “There. Right fucking there.”
A stocky police officer came out of the wooded area. “Do you think he saw D?”
“I know he didn’t, but he would’ve seen you. And you would’ve ended up under arrest as a prime suspect in the disappearance of the people from the circus. I don’t want to have to break you from prison.” He gulped the coffee. “Especially a foreign jail.”
“Why would they think I had anything to do with it?”
“The question you need to ask is why they wouldn’t. I guarantee Mrs. Testa went straight to the police to say you threatened her. Her passport hasn’t been used, so she is still in the country.” He pointed to the camera on the lower screen. “He suspects this house isn’t all it seems. Five dollars says he comes into the basement.”
“Ten, he goes upstairs first,” D said from the doorway.
“You’re on.”
D pressed a finger to his lips, and she nodded then watched on another screen as the officer moved through the house, weapon drawn.
“What was that?” she asked as a black blur moved across one camera then the other.
“Z,” they chorused.
The police officer dropped to the floor, limp, and Z came into focus. He pointed to his watch then left the camera’s view.
“If there is anything you want to take, I suggest you get it now,” 7 said, shutting down the monitors.
D went into the bedroom and returned with one of the winter coats. He helped her into it. He’d selected one that fit well, she thought, apropos of nothing. “Come on. We have to go. If Z shifts, Natalie, you shift, too, understand?”
She nodded.
“Stay to my right. If we hit trouble, I will circle you. Do not shift back to human form unless we say so. If we get into trouble, stay behind us.”
“Everyone’s safety is relying on you following what he said to the tee,” 7 added as he shut down the power systems.
She felt like she might vomit. “Okay.”
“You wanted to run. Just think of this as a run and you’ll be fine.”
“We won’t let anything happen to you,” 7 said, opening the door and indicating the ladder. “Ladies first.”
Z reached from above and helped her up. “Shift now.”
She nodded and allowed her wolf to come forward. She hated the shift, it hurt, and, for so many years, nothing good had come from being an animal. D and 7 came up, and all three shifted together. A trio of black wolves led the way out of the house. Z paused, sniffed the air, and made a beeline across the field for the tree line. D and 7 took her around the house, staying out of sight. After all, one wolf had gone in, so it made sense one would come out.
They moved slowly around the perimeter, making little sound.
D blocked her from moving as 7 moved forward but froze a few feet ahead of them. She took a step, and D huffed. She froze, lowering her head. Human voices in the distance caught her attention, but they were too far to understand their words. A wolf howl rang from the east and the voices cut off. Pounding footsteps, crunching leaves underfoot indicated they raced in that direction. She, 7, and D loped in the opposite direction.
Her legs burned from ill-use, and tears filled her eyes, but she couldn’t stop. Shifting was not an option, either. She pushed until her legs gave out and she rolled headfirst into the snow, crashing into a tree. She hadn’t finished her shift, when she found herself in the human arms of D. He raced after his brother.
“I. Can. Run,” she panted.
“No you can’t,” he answered without even being short of breath.
They came to a road where a black limo waited, the engine purring. A rear door opened, and Z stepped out. How had he gotten there so quickly?
“He can throw his voice.” D put her down, but she stumbled, and he picked her up again and climbed into the car. She nearly jumped when she came face-to-face with a man tied and gagged sitting across from them.
7 entered, followed by Z. “Meet our traveling companion. He has some questions to answer back in Los Lobos.”
The other man struggled against his binds. 7 leaned in to examine the knots. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. It’s like a Chinese finger cuff, the more you fight, the tighter it gets.”
“He’s a wolf. Why would you have him tied up,” Natalia asked, trying to catch her breath.
“Just like there are bad humans, there are bad wolves.” D kept her tight against him. She happily remained in his arms, especially when her arms and legs started to shake.
7 handed her a bottle of water. “Drink this. You need to hydrate.” He removed his coat and placed it over both D and her. 7 was a conundrum; he didn’t like her, yet didn’t hesitate to protect her and see to her well-being. It had more to do with his brother than any mission.
Z sat near the window, working through some files. He sent a few texts and took out a map. As they passed a sign indicating they neared the airport, Z reached into his pocket and handed her a passport. “It’s yours, and it’s legal.”
“How?”
“Best not to ask,” D answered.
Instead of pulling up to the gate and getting out, the limo pulled past the main gates and around to a smaller, more intimate runway, eventually stopping next to a private jet.
“Can you make it up the stairs?” D asked.
“I can try.” Their moving a man hogtied and gagged into the plane would be scene enough without having D carry a weak woman in, too.
“That’s my girl.” D got out first. Giving her a hand out, he held her in place “Hang on a minute.”
7 entered the aircraft and came back out again. He nodded to D. “Go on. It’s safe.”
The twelve steps made her Jello legs quake, and she hesitated.
“I can still carry you.”
“I might need a push.” She half teased but took the steps one at a time. At the top, a beautiful woman in a neat uniform greeted them. Natalia smiled then smelled the air. Fear racked her, and she stumbled back in her desperation to get away from the human.
D steadied her, keeping her from falling back down the stairs. “What is it?”
“She’s human,” she whispered, gripping the handrail.
D wrapped strong arms around her stomach, pulling her against his chest. “Like not all wolves are good, not all humans are bad. You can trust Z’s staff. He trusts very few.”
Passing them, carrying the tied-up wolf over his shoulders, Z said, “I don’t even trust my brothers.”
“True story,” 7 added to the conversation.
As Natalia entered the cabin, the other woman stepped back, giving her the space she needed. “I’m sorry.”
“Mr. Zames told us you have had a rough time. No apologies needed.” She indicated the first two seats. “If you will get settled in, I believe the pilot has clearance to take off.”
“Have you ever flown before?” D asked.
“Once, when we left America. I was very young. And it was nothing like this.”
“Very few ever fly like this.” D helped her with her seat belt.
Instead of joining her, he headed to the back to talk with the others.
“Can I get you something to drink before we take off?” the flight attendant asked. “Perhaps something to take the edge off. A glass of wine?”
“Please.” The other woman left only to return a few moments later with a glass of red liquid. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure. Once we are in the air, I’ll serve lunch. Sir, can I bring you anything?”
“Not just yet.” D sat beside her as the plane began moving. “You doing okay?”
“I think so.”
“Good. Z said there is a bedroom compartment in the rear. You can lie down, if you wish. It’s a long flight. Z is going to talk to the pilot about finding a place for our layover where you can run.”
“I don’t want to be a problem.”
“You aren’t a problem. If Z is being hospitable, take it. Only his mate, Ripley, gets to see this side of him.”
“Why is he being kind to me?”
“Because no one deserves the life you have led.”
She took them up on the bed, but required D wrapped around her in order to relax. The layover in Iceland, where another black limo waited, proved a blessing. 7 and D escorted her to a deserted area where another infiltrator met them. 63, who had been in the country on assignment, took them to a safe area where they could run free for as long as they needed.
D stayed back, allowing her the distance she needed, although she could tell from his tension it went against everything in him to do so. She ran, sniffed, and stood up on a hill, allowing the wind to rush through her fur. Every time she felt lost, she turned to find him a few hundred feet behind, watching over her. She shifted back before she reached exhaustion, and D ushered her into the car and back to the plane.
“Perfect timing,” Z said as they reentered the plane.
D watched the clouds outside the window, but his mind roamed back to the field in Iceland. With the wind at her back, his mate experienced her first true steps of freedom. If they weren’t rushing the clock, he would have bought her a place and allowed her to stay as long as she wanted. But they had to get back as soon as possible. Z placed a call to Drew, the Tao alpha, who said Natalie’s grandfather had taken a turn for the worse. He had been hesitant to tell the older man of their discovery for fear of something holding them up in Lithuania.
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