by J. C RIMELL
Eve was grateful to have someone trustworthy to talk to about Murphy. She respected Madoc and would keep whatever secrets she may find to herself. “Deal.”
§
Having agreed to meet back at her quarters a little later, Madeleine headed to the medical wing to check on Murphy.
The big shifter was sitting on the edge of the gurney, trying to tie back his long, black hair.
“Need a little help there, Murph?” she asked walking toward him.
His obsidian eyes flicked sideways to meet her gaze. “No, I got it. Where's my stuff?”
“Nice to see you're back to your charming self. I take it you're feeling okay?”
“I'll feel a whole lot better when I've got my pants on and I get the hell outta' here.”
She chuckled. “Okay, I get it. Just let me take a quick look at you and then you can go.”
He huffed, shook his head disgruntled. “Fine.”
Madeleine carried out a quick check of his vitals, then slowly peeled away the dressing on his back to take a look at his wound. Her eyes widened, surprised by what she saw.
“What is it?” he asked, obviously sensing her disbelief.
She cleared her throat. “Your wound is almost healed and your tattoo…the angel's wing, it's...”
He shrugged it off and stood up, his naked body swaying a little as he turned to face her. “I'm good to go, right?”
“The angel's wing was gone, now there are some new feathers, Murphy. How can that happen if it's only a tattoo?”
His deep, dark eyes narrowed. “We all have our gifts and the angel is mine.”
Madeleine watched his muscular body walking away from her, the angel's eyes seemed to hook her gaze as the shifter left her standing in the med room.
A chill licked up her spine. Holy crap, she thought in stunned silence, that's pretty damn freaky.
Murphy hauled ass out of the Med room and back to his own quarters.
He needed privacy.
He needed… to take himself in hand.
Ah, shit.
He fumbled with the biometric scanner to his room.
“Madoc let you leave the infirmary… Naked?”
Why the fuck? Of all the people that just happened to be wandering the corridors right at this very moment.
“Yeah.”
“You're shaking.”
No shit.
“Let me...”
Before he knew it her body brushed up against his ass and her hand slid over his and held it in place so the scanner could get a clear reading. It was so small and warm and unbelievably soft.
He swallowed as his cocked reminded him it had needs.
The door swung open and he rushed inside, about to kick the door closed when Eve stepped up behind him. “Do you need help?”
With my cock? Hell, yes. Just the very thought of her hands on him, stroking his flesh made his balls tighten, and he moaned in the back of his throat.
He moved into the sitting area and toward the bathroom, flipping on the light switch he thought she'd get the message and leave.
“Your tattoo… it's...”
Oh. Fuck. Me.
Light swirls of her fingers traced across his angel's wing, the sensation made him quiver. Made a breath of air leave his parted lips at the flames it conjured up deep in his loins. He dropped his clothes that were hiding his throbbing erection.
“You need to leave… Butterfly.” His words were soft, but even he heard the wild edge of his wolf beneath it.
“Why?” she asked, her fingers continuing their sensual assault on his body.
His eyes closed and his head fell back onto his shoulders. “Because… I'll break your beautiful wings before you've had a chance to fly.”
He felt her fingers stop. Her hands fell away, only to be replaced by her lips. Hot. Moist. Brandishing kisses that blazed against his skin. The tip of her tongue gliding over muscle and over Samil's body.
“You won't break me,” she said, the words spoken against his spine.
“Eve, stop.”
“No.”
He could stop her if he wanted to. He could also bend her emotions and control the situation if he wanted to. Then why the fuck didn't he?
“Eve...”
“Do you really want me to stop? Or do you want my hands on your body too? Touching you,” she whispered, slipping her hands over his ass and resting them on the front of his thighs. “I want to touch you, Murphy.”
Everything wolf in him surfaced and without another thought he grabbed her hand and thrust it onto his cock, hearing her gasp in surprise. “Is this what you want, Eve? Huh? Go on, do it. I'm at your mercy, butterfly.” His voice held the edge of cruelty now, rough and feral and he was glad she couldn't see his face.
She yanked herself free. “Is it actually my age or am I so unattractive to you, that you can't bear the thought of being with me that way?”
“If that's what you think, then you really are naïve and proves you are too young to go the distance with me, butterfly.”
The silence stretched and he could sense her anger.
“Perhaps you're just scared of going the distance with me, Murphy, and that's too bad.”
His lips kicked up at her false bravado, but his smile soon faded when he felt the cool air settle in her place as she left.
Ten
“You're late,” Aden Black's voice was sharp as he approached.
Stood in a secluded corner of the cemetery, Alex looked nervous as his eyes darted around. “I had other commitments.”
“I don't give a shit,” Aden replied, tugging the hood of his sweater further forward to conceal his face a little more. “If this isn't the main priority for you, then I'm out.” He wasn't about to jump into the fire with someone who wasn't prepared to do the same.
Alex nodded. “Very well. Talk to me.”
“There's a target in place. It's public, plenty of people and an area that's patrolled by the Society. It'll attract their attention.”
“Good. Make it happen… Soon.”
Aden lit up a cigarette, the smoke plumed into the air and ghosted over Alex's face. “There's still the matter of finance to discuss.”
Alex's eyes tapered with wary scrutinization. “You'll receive it in three installments. One now. The second when I feel there has been a significant impact on the Society, and the third on completion.”
“That wasn't what we agreed.”
“Well, things change,” Alex replied coolly. “I want to know I'm getting exactly what I'm paying for.” Taking a thick brown envelope from inside his jacket pocket, he offered it to Aden. “Take it or leave it.”
Aden's teeth clenched as he threw down the butt of his cigarette and squashed it beneath his boot. “Fine,” he seethed, snatching the package from Alex. “I want the rest of the money when the target's been hit, or my plans will be changing.” He stared at Alex with sharp eyes in the silence that stretched between them. Aden wasn't about to back down and be played by some rich high flyer who didn't have the balls to do the dirty work himself.
Finally, Alex nodded. “Nice doing business with you Mr. Black. This will be the only meeting between us. If you need to contact me further,” he paused, pulled a cell out of his coat pocket. “Call me and only me on this, a secure, direct number is already installed.”
Palming the small Nokia, Aden slipped into the pocket of his hoodie. “What about my next payment?”
“I'll send directions.”
Aden watched as the shrewd shifter walked away, climbed into a sleek black Mercedes and drove off.
Eleven
“Open your mind completely… No barriers.”
That's easier said than done, Madeleine thought, sitting opposite Eve. She was about to have her mind prodded for memories no one else had ever seen. After several heartbeats, Madeleine nodded. “Okay, I'm ready.”
Eve reached up and placed her fingertips on either side of Madeleine's temples. “Breathe, Madoc. Relax and breathe,�
� she paused and waited for Madeleine to calm herself. “Okay, that's good. Now close your eyes and try to let your mind go blank.”
Eve massaged her temples gently and Madeleine felt the tension easing away as her shoulders dropped and her breathing became steady. “Now, just trust me...”
Madeleine felt Eve's probing in her mind like a tiny electrical jolt. Not powerful enough to cause any pain, but just enough to know she was there. Having let down her firewall, she felt vulnerable, like her mind was naked for all to see. But she trusted Eve, and she needed to get over the nightmare that was a continuous thorn in her side.
She drifted under her friend's soothing touch, almost into a hypnotic sleep. There was a strange tranquility in her mind. No voices. No noise. No images… just a peaceful darkness.
After what must have only been minutes, but had seemed like hours, Eve spoke. “You can open your eyes now, Madoc.”
Madeleine's eyes fluttered open. “Wow, that wasn't what I expected it to be like… it was so quiet.”
“Yeah,” she smiled with a nonchalant shrug. “I wish the rest of the guys would let me practice more, but they're too scared.”
“What did you find?”
Eve's expression turned bleak. Not a good sign, Madeleine thought as she waited for an answer.
“The only memories I could find are those you already told me about. I dug deep, Madoc, there's nothing else there.”
“What do you mean?” Madeleine shook her head in quandary.
Eve ran a hand through her hair as though frustrated by her inability to find what she'd been searching for. “There are fragments that don't link up. When I look in someone's mind, memories are like chains… they all link together, forming patterns. The memories of your attack have missing links. Almost like they've been wiped away.”
Madeleine's brows furrowed in confusion. “But how can that—?” All of a sudden, the penny dropped and knocked the wind out of her lungs. “Would Fleet have done a mind sweep on me?” she muttered under her breath. It made little sense. She'd never even considered it a possibility.
“Why would Fleet need to do that?” Eve asked, seeming just as confused as she was.
“That's a very good question.” She got up and headed for the door. “I'm going to see if I can find out.”
Moments later Madeleine entered her alpha's office.
“What's rattled your cage, Madoc?” Fleet could tell from the look on her face something was bothering her. He may have even picked up on some thoughts she'd let slip unintentionally. Right now she didn't care. She needed to know the missing links in her memory chain of the attack had nothing to do with him. That some other strange thing had happened causing them to disappear.
“I need to ask you something and I need you to be straight with me.”
His eyes tapered, staring up at her from behind his desk. “Sounds serious. Perhaps you should sit.”
Madeline didn't want to sit. She felt like a live wire inside; her stomach swirling with a current of unease. “No thanks, I'm good right here.”
Fleet sat back in his seat, folded his arms across his broad chest. “Shoot.”
Madeleine swallowed her anxiousness. “I asked Eve to try to find my missing memories of the attack.”
He cocked his head to one side. “And why would you want to do that?”
“I've lived with this recurring nightmare since I woke up in the med room after the attack. But the links are broken. I never see the attacker or anything beyond being inside the hollow of that tree,” she paused, her throat tightened making it hard to breathe. “I need answers so I can lay it to rest once and for all. Did you wipe my memories?”
Madeleine's heart was thrumming hard against her ribs. She desperately wanted him to say, 'no', because she feared the alternative.
Fleet dropped his gaze, and she knew it was a bad sign. “You'd better sit down.”
Oh, God. It was true.
Madeleine sat down, her body trembled inwardly, confused and angry, but she bit her tongue and waited for him to speak.
“I did. It was a split second decision, Madoc. I thought remembering the brutality of what happened would hinder your healing. I'm only sorry I didn't manage to erase that day entirely from your mind.”
A wave of nausea struck making her feel faint. All this time, Fleet had all the answers, and he'd… lied to her.
“You lied to me?” her voice was barely audible, but even she heard the rage seep into every word. “I want them back!” her voice spiked higher as she bolted from the seat, her fists pounding his desk.
Fleet's eyes flared with heat and she felt a sharp jab of his power at once.
“Madoc, there is no way I can do that. My ability doesn't work that way and you know it.”
“You had no right to take them!” she yelled at her own risk. “No matter how brutal or terrifying, they were mine, part of me and you stole them.”
Fleet stood up so his eyes were level with hers. “Listen, Madoc, you were dying. I called the shots as I saw them.”
“So, I've just got to live with that? What other memories did you take? Did you have a good root around and pluck out what you felt I shouldn't have or no longer needed?”
A growl escaped him in warning as he leaned forward on his desk. “Madoc, I'll let your disrespect slide this once because you're upset. But I warn you, back the hell down or I will put you back into your place.”
Madeleine flinched as someone knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
“Uh, am I interrupting something?” Cade asked entering the room.
Fleet's unyielding gaze was still pinned on Madeleine when he answered, “We're done here for now. Isn't that right, Madoc?”
Straightening up, she lowered her eyes from his dominant glare. “I guess so.” Madeleine understood the discussion was over. She would have to wait to get the answers she wanted from her alpha and it bubbled like a raging volcano in her gut.
“Oh, and Madoc,” he said as she turned to leave. “The Overseer has given you the go-ahead to try to reverse the change on the Others. You'll need to make arrangements to collect some samples from the maternal females. He doesn't want dominant blood used in the experiment.”
She gave a grim nod in response and left.
“What do you have, Cade?” Fleet asked as Madoc left the room. He would have to be straight with her, he owed her that much, but not without giving Ryker a heads up first. He was angry this had come back to haunt him. Angry that she was hurting because of a split second decision he'd taken to protect her. He turned his attention back to Cade.
“I've just come back from patrols with Gunner.” Cade's voice held a sense of urgency. “There's a number of rogues running in pairs along the perimeter of the border, closer than I've seen them before.”
“Are they hostile?”
“No, not exactly, but...”
“But what?” Fleet didn't like the tone of Cade's voice, something was amiss.
Cade released a heavy sigh. “They're all young, I'd say just out of their transitional period. When we approached, they made it pretty clear they weren't prepared to talk.”
Fleet thrust a fist onto his desk. “Damn it! I want extra patrols along the boundaries. We need to keep a close eye on them, looks like we might have ourselves an uprising.”
“Snow's been tracing calls made from the F.U's office, they're all clean and above board. This looks like a splinter cell, nothing to do with the F.U.” Cade informed him.
Fleet sat down with a heavy thud, his mind racing. After a moment's contemplation, his eyes reared up to find Cade's once more. “Get yourself over to the Society's main office tonight. I want all phone lines wired. All vehicles wired and fitted with tracking devices too. Take Snow with you.”
Cade leaned forward on the desk. “You think it's an inside job?”
“I think we need to check every angle,” Fleet answered, smoothing a hand over his mouth and chin. “Do it discreetly. No one can know, inclu
ding the Overseer.”
Cade straightened back up, his brows rising with suspicion. “Ah, you sure about that, Fleet?”
It was his job to keep his pack safe. If that meant finding out someone in the Society was involved, then so be it. He gave Cade a grim nod. “I'm sure.”
§
Gabrielle was waiting at a table for two in Becker's. The place was already filling up with lunchtime clientele. Since staying at the B&B just further up the street, Gabrielle had almost tasted everything on the menu. She had little choice, the only other place to eat was Jo's Café in the town center which was still closed. Focusing her attention on the case-file she was working on, she waited for the liaison from Shadow Force, an independent Special Operational Unit.
The thought of meeting him again had butterflies flitting around in her stomach although she tried to tell herself it was hunger pangs. Gabrielle had no time for relationships or the crap that came with them. Yeah, she still couldn't help thinking about the guy, though.
He was so tall and big. The last time she'd seen him, his T-shirt was stretched tight across shoulders slabbed with muscle and his black fatigues were a snug fit across his ass.
Her thoughts roamed over the memory of his lips, the bottom was fuller than the top, but he had a perfect cupid's bow. A flicker of him kissing her with that sensuous mouth. Owning her, working his way down her body with that hot, sexy mouth of his...
Oh, crap. Am I wet below?
“Hey, Robinson.”
Gabrielle's eyes shot up from the file to see Nevada standing there. She had to try damn hard to shake her little wet-daydream from her mind and swallow the disappointment it wasn't Ryker.
“Thanks for meeting me here,” Gabrielle said as she got up to shake Nevada's hand. She'd met the blonde haired woman once before at the compound. And yeah, wow, she had aquamarine eyes that were so unusual in their brightness and color, Gabrielle was sure they had to be contact lenses.
You can stop staring now.
“Ah, no probs,” Nevada replied as she slid into a seat opposite. “Though, you look as though you were expecting someone else.”