It was nice that crazy often found crazy. Benny drew Karma forward. “This is Karma. She wants to go into the Kurjan encampment in your territory to rescue enhanced females and her young daughters. That’s why we’re here.”
Bear cocked his head and held out a hand. “This is your mate?” Puzzlement glittered in his eyes as they briefly shook hands.
“Not yet,” Benny said, holding up his mating mark. “It’s a long story.”
Now shock showed in Bear’s expression. “You’re letting your mate go with the Kurjans?”
Karma stepped closer to the dangerous bear. “Nobody is ‘letting’ me do anything. The Kurjans have my daughters, and I have to rescue them. Now, are you going to help us or not?”
Admiration tilted Bear’s full lips. “Well, then. I guess we help you.” He leaned closer. “What’s happening to your neck?”
She winced and rubbed her neck.
Benny angled his head down and made out the starting of blisters. “Looks like the oil worked.”
Karma squirmed. “Yes. My whole body is starting to itch.”
“That looks like poison oak?” Bear asked.
“Poison ivy,” Mercy said proudly. “I extracted the oils to make sure it got in there deep and stayed. Those blisters are popping out all over. We did avoid her face so there wouldn’t be any eye damage.”
Bear stepped closer to her. “Are you in danger? I can free you right now.” The words were delivered in a grizzly growl.
Karma shook her head. “It’s all part of the plan. The less attractive I am to the Kurjans, the safer I’ll be. The problem will be finding the girls and getting out.” She blew out air and shivered as the poison took effect. “I have to figure out a way to find the enhanced females, as well.”
“You’re a brave one, Karma,” Bear said solemnly. “All right. We’ll definitely help you.”
Benny kept his expression calm. He had been kind of hoping Bear would kick them out of Washington State. It looked like Karma was actually going to have to go through with this mission.
She slipped her hand into his again. “It’ll be all right, Benjamin. Trust me.”
* * * *
Every inch of her skin itched uncontrollably as the blisters took over. Karma parked the car at a small convenience store about sixty miles south of Seattle. She took the burner phone out of the console and looked around. She was in human territory. Where were the billionaire cowboys and hard-cut but handsome motorcycle club members? Perhaps those romance novels hadn’t gotten all of it right.
She dialed quickly.
“Terre,” he answered, his voice businesslike.
She searched for her backbone, feeling uncomfortable even though Benny was watching her through a scope. The soldiers had arrived a half hour before she did, just to get prepared. “I’m at the Miller Convenience Store for Campers just off I-90,” she said, not having to fake the nervousness in her voice. She was still hoping to see some handsome pirates with long hair since she was close to the ocean. Nope. No pirates.
“Good.” Papers rustled. “Drive twenty miles up Cross Creek Road, turn left at, ah, green mile marker seventeen, and drive another ten miles. Detour from this route in any way, and I’ll kill those twin girls.”
Her stomach clenched so hard, she almost cried out from the intense pain. That quickly, she forgot about human romance novels. “I want to see my girls.”
“Excuse me?” Terre’s voice cracked.
She shut her eyes and swallowed down bile. “Please, let me see them, Terre.” She curled her other hand into a fist until her fingernails bit into her palm and centered her.
“Very well. Engage your video conference app.”
She did so, and he slowly took form on the screen. If anything, he looked even larger and more dangerous than before, and his eyes were a swirling purple. God, she couldn’t breathe.
He smiled, showing those bizarrely long canines. “Hello there. I’ve missed you.”
She blinked. “I doubt that.”
“I’ll prove it to you when you arrive.” He moved the phone to the side, and the camera caught the twins playing on a blanket with Yvonne sitting on a chair next to them, typing something onto a tablet.
Karma’s heart leapt. The girls looked healthy and seemed to be happily playing with some stuffed animals, although they were quiet. Even subdued. She steeled her shoulders. No matter what happened to her, they were what mattered.
Terre came back on the screen. “Start driving. Now.” He disengaged the call.
She set the phone down and rested her head on the steering wheel. This was too much, but she had no choice. Barely moving, she pressed a button on the dash, careful to keep her face hidden in case there were Kurjan cameras near.
“Hey, sweetheart. You did good,” Benny said through the speakers. “We’ll track you to the meeting spot, and then we’ll follow you from there to the camp. Just drive slow and keep your wits about you. You’re strong, and you’re smart. Those bastard Kurjans have no idea who they’re messing with.”
Tears gathered in her eyes at the kind words. At the moment, all she felt was terrified. For her girls, for the enhanced women, and even for herself. Just how strong was that? “Thank you for the last week, Benjamin,” she whispered, her throat clogging with those tears. “No matter what happens next, it was the best week of my life. I do love you. I always will.” Before he could answer, she disengaged the call and turned off the telecom system of the car.
Then she lifted her head and began driving, making sure to stay on the right side of the road and follow the speed limit. It wasn’t difficult. Why did the Kurjans only let males drive?
This was easy.
She followed the directions exactly, not seeing anyone flanking her from the forested creek side of the road. The Seven members, Mercy, and the grizzly shifters were out there somewhere, and the idea gave her some reassurance. But she had a job to do, and she would have to trust them all to do their own jobs.
The number-one priority was the twins.
Karma turned along the dirt road and drove until she reached a large clearing with mud-covered utility vehicles parked in a circle. The sun was meager, barely visible through the clouds, while rain continued to pummel the earth. The Kurjans would be at full strength, even without their new cure. She came to a stop and was instantly surrounded by vehicles.
Her door was ripped open, and Terre yanked her out.
She’d forgotten how tall he was.
“This way.” He barely looked at her while dragging her past several vehicles to the center, where two Cyst soldiers were rapidly removing a camouflaged tarp from a helicopter.
“No,” she said, struggling against him. If they got into the air, Benny would never find her. This could not happen. “Stop.”
The engines started up; two Kurjan soldiers sat in the front of the craft, already waiting. The rear door of the hatch opened, and her two girls stared out. Their hair was wild around their heads, and both of them had wide eyes and looked scared. “Mama!” Boone yelled.
Karma paused. Every moment in her life narrowed to that one second. Then she rushed forward. The girls. Terre lifted her inside, jumped up, and shut the hatch.
Soldiers and bears roared out of the surrounding forest. One bear barreled right into the helicopter and bounced back to land hard and roll. The copter rose straight into the rainy air as the warriors began firing laser guns and flashing knives. Then the helicopter turned and rose so fast she nearly had to shut her eyes. The girls rushed to her, both landing on her lap. She put her arms around them, holding tight, her heart finally settling.
Then she looked around.
Yvonne and Jaydon sat on the far bench, while she and the girls sat in the middle on the floor. Terre unfolded a seat from the wall across from the hatch and sat, staring at her in the dim light. “You made that more di
fficult than I had expected. When did the grizzly shifters get involved?”
She held her daughters closer, putting her hands on their heads and pressing them close while being careful not to let her rash touch any of their bare skin. “Yesterday,” she said, trying to remember the story. “The Seven discovered my call to you and knew where I was going, so they contacted the shifters—it’s their territory.”
Yvonne pushed her platinum-blond hair away from her stunning face. She was fairly young and definitely brilliant. It was truly a pity that she was spending her entire life waiting for Ulric. “You led us into a trap.”
Karma carefully rolled her eyes, making sure Terre saw her. “Right. Like the Kurjans can’t handle a few grizzly bears. I wasn’t worried about that.”
Terre’s chest puffed out. Then he looked closer at her. “What the hell happened to your skin?”
“It’s on fire,” she said, not lying a bit. “Apparently many females have a reaction to the virus that negates the mating bond, and believe me, it’s terrible. Supposedly the rash reacts much like the mating allergy and will infect any male that touches it for about two weeks. That’s what the queen said.”
“How convenient,” Yvonne drawled. “Isn’t that convenient?”
Sometimes Karma forgot how smart the woman was because she was so snide. “Not really,” she retorted. “It itches worse than you can even imagine.”
Terre leaned in and studied her face. “You lay with the hybrid. Why didn’t he get it?”
“I most certainly did not,” she said, heat filling her face at the lie. “He tried, but he was instantly infected with the rash. He deserved it.” She almost choked on the words this time. What she wouldn’t give to have Benjamin right there with her.
“Scan her,” Terre ordered.
Yvonne drew a square device from her bag and leaned over, scanning Karma from head to toe. “She’s clean. No tracking dust, either.”
Terre smiled. “Good. They didn’t want to keep you, either. The trap was about us.”
Karma shivered at the look in his eyes. The Seven and the Grizzlies hadn’t expected a helicopter. She truly was on her own now.
Chapter Thirty-Four
They weren’t at the main headquarters in Canada, but the settlement was certainly a permanent one. By the number of Cyst soldiers patrolling in the rainy night, Karma could only surmise it was the headquarters for the main Cyst contingent. “How long are we staying here?” she asked as she helped the girls from the helicopter.
“As long as I wish,” Terre said absently, accepting a tablet from a Cyst. “This way.” He led her through the rain to a vehicle that took them to a lodge at the base of what appeared to be a ski hill. “It’s after midnight. Put the girls to bed, and then we shall talk.”
She was almost grateful for the order and that she could put her girls to bed, and that response ticked her off. She wasn’t a servant, and she wasn’t helpless. But right now, she was a mother, and her duty to her children came first. As they entered the lodge, she couldn’t help but notice the different feeling of the place compared to the Seven’s headquarters. This building was cold without any comfortable couches or a pool table, and the fireplace, which had no doubt been there before the Kurjans had purchased the mountain, was silent and dark. “Which way?”
“Wait.” Yvonne set her black bag on a table and drew out a syringe. “I want to examine your blood while the Virus-27 is still present.” Without waiting for consent, she took Karma’s arm and tapped the vein. The needle pricked hard and went too deep, as if Yvonne enjoyed causing pain.
Karma remained silent as the blood was drawn and then pressed the cotton ball to her arm afterward. “No bandage?” she asked dryly.
Yvonne started and then looked at her, her gaze thoughtful. Then she took a quick swipe of Karma’s neck with another cotton ball. “I’ll see you in the morning for a full workup.”
It was already morning or would be soon. Karma couldn’t see a clock.
Terre pointed down the hallway. “Put them in the room at the end, and then return here for me. There’s clothing there for you. Those jeans offend me.”
Yeah, she was more likely to kick him in the face with the jeans giving her freedom of motion. Did he somehow realize that fact? She doubted it. She looked around for Linda to show her the way.
Linda was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps she had passed over.
Instead of answering Terre, Karma took both girls by the hands and bustled down the cold wooden floor to the room at the end, where she flipped on the light. The room was utilitarian, with two metal twin beds and not much else. Two bags had been tossed on the floor. She opened the first one and found pajamas for the girls.
“Potty,” Belle said, her tawny eyes drowsy.
“I know, baby.” Karma smoothed her hair back and then quickly helped the toddlers change into their plain sleep dresses before taking them across the hall to the bathroom. There weren’t toothbrushes in the bag, but she found some travel ones in the medicine cabinet. After washing their faces, she took them back to the bedroom, feeling a cloud of fear over her head the whole time.
Boone yawned and hopped from one bare foot to the other. “Cold,” she mumbled, her eyelids almost closing.
Karma lifted her into the first bed and then reached for Belle and placed her next to her sister. “You two share a bed. You’ll stay warmer that way.” When the girls snuggled down, she removed the blankets from the other bed to place over them. “There you go.” Her heart swelled when she leaned down and kissed them both on their foreheads. “I’m here now.”
Boone blinked sleepily. “Why did you go?”
“I had work to do,” Karma said, sitting on the bed and wishing with everything she had that she could stay right here. But Terre would come looking, and she didn’t want to frighten the girls. “I missed you both so much.”
“Story?” Belle murmured, not opening her eyes.
“In the morning. Right now, it’s very late, and you need to sleep,” Karma whispered, kissing her babies again. She looked around the darkened room, but Linda wasn’t there. Her earlier thought that the twins’ birth mother had crossed over was confirmed. The pang to Karma’s heart wasn’t unexpected. “Did you do all right?”
“Yvonne is mean,” Belle muttered. “Took blood.”
Karma brushed back her hair. Yvonne was always experimenting on enhanced females and was far less kind than the queen had been. “You’re safe now, sweetheart.”
Boone snuggled into her sister’s side. “Vero took good care of us. He’s my friend.”
Karma kissed them both again. Vero had always been a good kid; he lacked the Kurjan habit of striking first and asking questions later. She prayed he’d survive their rough world.
Both girls slipped into sleep, their breathing evening out. Karma made sure they were safely tucked in and then moved to the other bag, which held stuffed toys. Oh. So no clothing for her. Good. Now she didn’t have to change into a dress. No doubt Yvonne had forgotten on purpose, knowing that Terre didn’t like jeans.
At the moment, Karma didn’t care. She tiptoed across the room and slipped quietly into the hallway, where she ran into Vero, Terre’s adopted son. The kid had his head tipped back and held a tissue beneath his bleeding nose.
“Vero,” she whispered, drawing him into the bathroom. “What happened?”
“Should’ve ducked,” the kid said, shaking his head. “I’m fine. I’m glad you’re home. Did the Seven males hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No. They were all quite nice, really. So was the Queen of the Realm. I think she’d make a terrific friend if life was different. The rumors about her aren’t true.” She had to at least try to convince the younger generation that the Realm was not evil.
Vero’s eyes widened. “No kidding?” His speech came out muffled behind the tissue. “Can you tell me more later?
” His eyes were a light blue, so different from most Kurjan children. Were the other kids still making fun of him?
Karma patted his shoulder. “We can talk all about it tomorrow. You need sleep tonight.”
“I know.” His jaw worked as if he needed to find control. “Terre is waiting for you in the large room. Make sure you duck if you need to.” Without waiting for an answer, he slipped into the bathroom.
Karma exhaled slowly and walked down the hallway. Had Terre hit Vero again? She hated that male sometimes. All Vero needed was a safe place to land, and he wasn’t getting that in the Kurjan stronghold. If there was a way to take him with her when she fled, she’d do it. Would he go? She actually wasn’t certain.
She walked quietly into the main room, which held computer consoles, two screens, and hardwood furniture except for two plush leather chairs.
Terre sat in one of the leather chairs, his long legs extended to a coffee table as he read a tablet. He looked up. “You didn’t change.” He appeared more startled than angry.
She kept her expression neutral. “There weren’t any clothes to change into. Is there a different room I should check for my clothing?” It would be a good idea to scour the entire lodge and memorize the layout and possible escape routes. Her arms itched, and she gently rubbed them, not wanting to break the skin and worsen the now-painful rash.
Terre frowned and set the tablet aside. “I gave orders for your clothing to be here.”
“To whom?” She paused several feet away from him. “I can go ask that person.” Oh, she already knew who’d forgotten her clothing.
“Yvonne,” Terre said, dropping his feet to the floor.
Karma kept her expression wide-eyed and innocent. “Yvonne doesn’t take orders. The Cyst generals call her by a royal title, and even Dayne defers to her wishes most of the time.” In fact, Terre was the only one who treated Yvonne like any other female. No doubt Yvonne would take issue with him if Ulric ever returned and mated her as she’d planned. “Yvonne gets away with everything.” Could Karma cause a problem between Yvonne and Terre? It wasn’t a bad idea. This whole spy business was getting easier.
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