by Lora Leigh
The driver glanced back, his surprisingly light blue eyes gleaming with disgust. “The Council doesn’t own us, Ms. Dunmore, and we have no intention of taking you to them. You’ll be returned to your mate as soon as you have accomplished something for us. Now sit back and relax. You’ll understand in due time.”
Shock left her gasping for breath. He was Coyote. She could see in the curved canines as he snarled, but she couldn’t smell the rancid scent that normally emanated from the soulless Breed.
She glanced at Nikki, seeing her eyes narrow, her expression harden as she turned her gaze back to the men in front of the jeep.
“The Council has puppets in many places,” she said.
Charity held her breath. The words were simple, but the meaning behind them she well knew.
The passenger turned back to her slowly, his gaze narrowed, intent.
“Puppets have masters. Men play the fools. Breed Law will still yet survive.”
And the answer was given. An answer only a handful of men and women could know. An answer that shocked Charity to the core of her being. Breed Law was barely formed. A code of honor so strict, so tightly enforced, that if a member broke it, be he Wolf, Feline or human, then instant death resulted.
“Your Pack?” Nikki questioned. “You aren’t Wolf. You’re Coyote. Who controls you?”
The smile she received in return was hard, mocking in its savagery. “No one or nothing controls us, doctor, save the code we follow.”
“That attack broke the code,” she informed him furiously. “You know the price to be paid.”
“The attack was not ours,” he growled. “Settle back and be patient. Your questions will be answered soon. And hopefully, ours will as well.”
“It doesn’t matter who attacked, Aiden will kill you before you get a chance to explain,” Charity informed him furiously. “You’ve made a mistake, Coyote.”
Broad shoulders shrugged negligently as he turned back to face forward. Nothing else was said. The jeep increased speed as it broke the tree line and bumped onto the main road. The engine whined as gears shifted and the distance between herself and Aiden increased.
Charity rubbed her arms and turned to Nikki, questioning their options silently. The other woman sighed and shook her head. Like Charity, she knew they could only wait and see what the end of the journey brought.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Aiden stared at the hole in the compound wall, the letter he had found tacked to it.
Breed Law dictated I make contact. I did so. Many times. Now, the ball is in your court. Though, my friend, I have what I needed. Do you? Del-Rey.
Del-Rey. Aiden had heard the name several times by the spies within the intricate network of information he had built over the years. Del-Rey, the light-haired Coyote who had broken away from the Council years before and disappeared from sight. His pack numbered at several dozen, and all hand picked and trained by him years before.
There was a rumor that unlike the Council Coyotes, Del-Rey and his men had adopted an honor system more brutal than even that of the Breeds.
“When were we contacted?” he asked Wolfe, the need for violence tightening every muscle in his body.
Wolfe shook his head, staring into the distance thoughtfully. “There were several messages sent while we were rescuing the Winged Breeds. When I went to answer them, they had disappeared. I haven’t tracked them down yet.”
“I wasn’t told of this?” Aiden growled. As head of security the missing messages would have been an important bit of information.
“You were busy. Hawke’s been investigating the problem and I believe he’s close to an answer.” Wolfe shot him a hard, dark look. “Your mate was more important, Aiden.”
Aiden snarled again, the growl that thrummed in his chest was harsh, warning. “And now my mate is gone, because of a few missing messages,” he bit out. “Once she’s found, Wolfe, I’ll personally track down the traitor and exact vengeance myself.”
Around them, the compound was organized chaos as everyone worked to repair the damage the attack had reaped. The Air Force had finally made their appearance and blown the helicopter into enough pieces to shower the area with metal and burning debris. But not before extensive damage had resulted.
Aiden clenched his teeth, fighting to restrain the growl that pulsed in his chest. Fury was a bleak, burning pain in his chest. Or was it fury? All he could think about was Charity. Was she hurt? Had they touched her? Made her cry out in pain? He was nearly shaking with the hard edge of violence fighting to be free at that thought.
“We’ve been betrayed,” he said softly. “Those in the helicopter knew where to strike, and when to move in. Your cabin, Jacob’s, and the one we moved to in the middle of the compound. Each one was sheltered from their radar and from sight. They knew where to hit.”
“No Wolf Breed would have betrayed that information. It had to be one of the soldiers the Army assigned,” Jacob bit out. “That could explain the missing messages as well as the attack on Aiden’s cabin before.”
Wolfe turned, staring back at the action going on throughout the compound. There was only the three of them at the wall. They had arrived in time to watch the jeep disappear over the rise and to find the note attached to the wall.
“She’s not in danger from the Council. But why would he need Nikki and Charity?” he asked quietly. “And how did they know when to be here, unless they were aware of the attack coming?”
“There’s rumor Del-Rey has a network within the Council,” Aiden bit out. “After this thing with Charity was resolved, I had intended to set up a meeting.”
Wolfe grunted. “It would appear Del-Rey wasn’t willing to wait. Come on, let’s get back to the command center. If a message comes through, we need to be certain that we alone see it.”
“Finding our spy won’t be as easy,” Aiden bit out. “When we do, I want him, Wolfe.”
“He’s not under Breed Law, Aiden,” Wolfe reminded him tightly.
“Then I’ll do it quietly,” Aiden bit out. He wouldn’t let the betrayal go unpunished, it didn’t matter who it was, or who they were with. Several of their people had been seriously wounded in this attack, and now Charity and Nikki were missing. Breed Law demanded justice. He demanded it.
“We have to find him first.” He jumped into the open jeep, waiting on Jacob and Aiden to follow before he put it in gear and headed for the communications building. “Breed Law only applies to those who agree to it, Aiden, you know this. But the betrayal won’t go unpunished, I swear that.”
The drive to the communications building was a short one. Once the vehicle came to a stop, Aiden jumped from the back seat and moved purposely to the door. The betrayer had to be part of those who manned the radios and computers for the compound. Nothing else made sense.
He stepped into the room, staring around at the men and women working there. Radar, satellite communications, cell phone transmissions, email and radio all came through here. Every man and woman who worked within the large room would have had access to the messages that had come just before they left for South America. One of them had been responsible for destroying them.
He moved through the room, aware of Wolfe and Jacob at his back, watching the others carefully. There were over half a dozen Army personnel. He refused to believe a Breed had betrayed the locations of the most important cabins on the compound. No Wolf Breed alive would have betrayed their Pack Leader. The code of honor was a part of them, even before the written law came into effect.
“Clear out the humans,” he muttered as he turned to Jacob. “I want only Breeds in this room until we get a message. Assign them elsewhere, put them on cleanup duty, I don’t care. But get them the hell out of here.”
The rage building inside him was nearly more than he could control. The distinction between Breed and full-bred humans had never been so impressed upon him as it was now. They were fighting for equality, fighting to make their way in a world where they had been created ra
ther than conceived naturally. They hadn’t wanted to be different. But Aiden felt the differences now more than he had in his entire life.
Not that it was unheard of for a Breed to turn violent. Quite the opposite. But never did one Breed betray another to the Council or to other humans. Their crimes were often against the Council or humans suspected of working with them. A few instances of insanity had pitted a Breed against his Pack, but never to the extent that they betrayed them to the monsters who created them.
Disposable soldiers. This was what they had been designed for, he thought as he sat down in front of the master computer. Disposable. Without value. Creatures designed and created to follow the whims and cruelties of those who made them.
In the eyes of the Council they had no humanity. They were animals, nothing more. In the eyes of many full-bred humans, he knew it was the same. He had seen it in their eyes, in their actions. The Breeds were different. They were animals, undeserving of loyalty or life. Undeserving of his mercy. When he found the bastard who had betrayed them, he would kill him. It was that simple.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Have I mentioned I hate caves,” Nikki bit out as the jeep pulled into the wide entrance of just that. A cave.
The two men in the back jumped out and within seconds an expanse of concealing foliage slid across the entrance. Charity watched the maneuver with narrowed eyes. From a distance, the fake evergreens would look real and would effectively hide the entrance of the cave.
“Come on.” The driver jumped from the front and turned back to them as lights flickered on in a tunnel to the left of them.
“Impressive.” Charity gave the driver a hard look as she moved from the jeep. “I bet you can see the Breed compound easily from here.”
She had paid attention to the drive as it was made. Several times she had glimpsed the large lake that the compound sat beside as they moved into the mountains. She roughly guessed that with the right equipment, spying into the compound would be easy enough.
No one answered. They were moved quickly, impatiently through the tunnel until they entered a large, cavernous room. There, Charity stopped in shock. It was well lit, comfortably heated and laid out almost like a large home.
On the far side stood several electric cooking rings. Rough wood shelves held an assortment of pots and pans and dry goods. A small refrigerator sat on what was obviously a homemade table. Across from it was a long plank table with simple wood chairs.
Charity was standing at the entrance of what appeared to be the living area, though, benches, a few old, beaten recliners, a couch that had seen better days, and a card table.
“We’ll redecorate one of these days.” The hard-eyed Coyote glanced at her mockingly. “Come on, through here.”
Another tunnel led off to the side. This one was lit by several fat candles that had been set within grooved ledges in the stone wall. Within seconds of entering the narrow walkway, Charity heard the first moan. It was low, distressed and definitely female.
“Shit,” she heard Nikki mutter behind her, and Charity silently agreed. She knew that sound.
They entered a bedroom. Against the wall a wide bed had been set up, made from rough wood but holding a large mattress. On the mattress the woman was curled into a fetal position, her arms wrapped around her abdomen. Beside her sat a tall, roughly handsome male, his dark blonde hair falling past his shoulders, his eyes cold and unusually black in his weathered face.
He rose to his feet, the damp cloth he had been holding in his hands dropping to the table beside the bed. His eyes went to the men behind her.
“Casualties?” he asked.
“None. The Council was attacking so we grabbed them and ran before anyone was the wiser.”
His broad chest lifted with a weary breath.
“Oh, I’m certain someone’s wiser by now,” Charity bit out as she moved for the bed and the woman laying on it.
“I hope you at least have some medical supplies,” Nikki bit out as she followed. “What happened to her?”
Charity pushed back the long, tangled red hair that lay over the woman’s face and checked her shoulder first. The whimpers, the position of the body and the soft scent she detected assured her she knew exactly what she was looking at. She looked at Nikki.
The doctor stood back.
“Who bit the woman?” She turned her fierce gaze on the man who had moved back at they neared the bed.
Charity watched him as well. His eyes were as black as the pits of hell, though his gaze was as cold as ice.
“What does the mark have to do with it?” he bit out. “We’re not infected, woman.”
Charity watched the tight, sarcastic smile that shaped Nikki’s lips.
“Of course you are,” she almost crooned. “If what I see is true, you’re infected with this amazing little hormone, Coyote. It’s really quite astounding.”
The Coyote’s eyes narrowed. “Explain.”
“You mated the woman.” Charity wasn’t in the mood to listen to Nikki bicker with the Coyote. She was tired, sore, and by God, she was horny. She wanted to waste as little time here as possible so she could get back to Aiden, their bed, and relief.
“Mated her?” he bit out. “Coyotes don’t mate, woman. No matter the rumors…”
“Did you swell within her, big boy?” Nikki bit out. “While you were taking her, it’s more than obvious you bit her, so I’ll assume you locked inside her as well?”
“An anomaly,” he growled. “Animal instinct.”
“I know the Council trains their Coyotes in sexual conquest,” she sneered the term the Council used for rape. “Don’t tell me this is your first woman.”
Charity listened to the bickering going on behind her as she checked the woman’s pupils, her pulse then checked for the brand the Council placed on all its creations. She stilled when she pulled the girl’s hair back and found nothing on her shoulders. She moved to her hips, pulling the blanket aside, and still found nothing.
“Charity?” Nikki questioned her actions.
She turned back watching Nikki intently. “She’s not a Breed.”
Nikki moved then. She didn’t speak and, like Charity, ignored the men as she began to exam the woman. She pushed at their hands, whimpering at each touch. She was perspiring heavily, her face pale, her blue eyes dazed as she fought them weakly.
“Son of a bitch,” Nikki cursed. “Now look.” She turned on the male watching them with a glitter of fury in his eyes. “I’ve cursed for hours straight. Do you know how mad that makes me? Do you know how mad you are making me? Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Please, tell me you didn’t rape this girl.”
Fury lashed through her voice. Charity herself was trembling at the thought as she glimpsed the small bruises on the woman’s breasts and arms.
“There was no rape,” he bit out.
“Who took her?” Charity turned back then, facing him with Nikki, rage trembling through her body. “It was you, wasn’t it?”
“It was.” He made no excuses, though Charity had found that few Breeds did.
“You mated her. She’s in heat. Does she even know what you are?”
He blinked, his gaze flickering from the woman who moaned roughly on the bed back to Charity, then Nikki.
“I am a Coyote. Coyotes do not mate.”
“Well, big boy, either you advanced or you just plain lucked the fuck out,” Nikki snarled.
Charity winced. She said fuck. It wasn’t good when Nikki said fuck.
She watched the male’s stubborn jaw tighten. He looked like a blonde-haired avenger with those black eyes staring down at them, his dark face flushing with anger or embarrassment, she wasn’t certain.
“Contact the compound now,” she bit out. “She’s in advanced fertility and she’s in heat. Neither of you are safe because if the Council finds out, and somehow they will, then this woman’s life isn’t worth squat. Do you understand me?”
“Aiden has been contacted,” he bit o
ut, his gaze going to the woman once again. “What is the mating you keep talking about?”
She crossed her arms over her breasts, watching him with an almost rabid amusement. She was mad enough, and just frustrated enough that she was beyond caring if she antagonized her captor.
“She belongs to you now,” Charity bit out. “Her body is preparing itself, changing, matching yours enough that she will conceive.” Did he pale? “She’s in heat. She needs to be fucked. A lot. Almost constantly. By only you. Go figure. You’re the first Coyote to mate, and you mated a full human at that. Damn, if you haven’t shot some theories to hell and back. And here we thought Coyotes were only good for their stink.”
“We do not stink,” one of the men behind her growled.
“Was she talking to you?” Nikki asked him sweetly. “We didn’t pull your chain, big boy.”
Pale blue eyes narrowed fiercely. “You have a smart mouth, woman,” he bit out.
“Oh, you just realized that? Aren’t you the smart one?” She used the tone Charity knew was reserved for only the most obtuse.
“You wasted your time bringing us here,” Charity bit out. “And trust me, Aiden won’t be pleased. You better be finding a hole to hide in…”
“There is no hole deep enough,” Aiden’s furious growl interrupted her as he stalked into the room. Following him were over two-dozen Wolf Breeds, their rifles raised warningly as they stepped into the room.
“Well, looks like the cavalry has arrived,” Nikki sniped. “All male and all pumping testosterone. Morons.”
Charity sighed. Nikki wasn’t pleased. It wouldn’t be a pleasant return trip.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Aiden stood in the entrance of a smaller cave farther atop the mountain the Coyotes had taken as home base. The cave was accessed by several long tunnels, then a ladder that led into a natural opening into the floor of the upper cavern. There, within the outside entrance, the leader of the Coyote Pack had set up a long distance telescope aimed into the Breed compound.