Forbidden Mates - The Complete Forbidden Mates Set: Vampire Shifter Paranormal Romance

by Rayne Reilly

  Jake's voice was pleasant as he asked about Julie and filled Xander in. "We've had eyes on the lab all night. I've assembled a team and we are going in once we see Doctor Green enter the place. I was able to get the S.A.C. to send me a photo of him, but I had to tell them we were close to finding him," Jake told him.

  "That doesn't sound good for Green. If the S.A.C...." Xander didn't finish.

  "I am aware of that but had little choice. If he is the one creating the drug and using it on the shifters, he needs to be caught. I can't risk him getting away from us like he did the S.A.C. Will you be meeting us there?" Jake asked.

  "Yes. Julie and I will both be there," Xander said confidently.

  "Is she well enough to do that?" Jake asked.

  "Yes. She's fine and as eager as we are to get this place shut down." Xander glanced at her as he spoke.

  "Good," said Jake. "Meet us there at eight a.m. Oh, one more thing. We went back to clean up the Pure Ones bodies and they were gone. Do you know what happened to them?"

  Xander smiled as he spoke, "Yes, Pure Ones are not like humans and their bodies decay quickly after death. There would be only ash left. I forgot to mention it when I left. If they were just turned-vampires they would last much longer, days probably."

  "Okay, that's interesting. It surprised me. If there's no body I can't very well explain what we did in a report. I guess last night will have to be off book this time."

  Jake hung up and Xander turned to Julie who was sitting up with her feet over the edge of the bed.

  "I heard," she smiled, and stood to turn in Xander's direction.

  Xander got up and walked around the bed to help her. She stumbled a little as she attempted to walk. She clutched Xander's arm for a moment.

  "This case will finally be closed," Julie sighed. She seemed to be ignoring her unsteadiness so Xander followed suit.

  He kissed her lips lightly. When he pulled away, he spoke, "I'm just worried about what else the Shifter Alliance Council has up its sleeve. Not to mention the Pure Ones out there that are loyal to Dimitri. I suppose it's wishful thinking to hope things are truly over between our races?" He frowned.

  "True. I wonder if the S.A.C is aware of Oroc or other Pure Ones?" she asked. She let go of Xander and stood testing her feet again. This time she was more steady and able to take a few steps. Xander nodded and grinned.

  "I'm not sure about that. Speaking of which, we should go and find Oroc and let him know what's happening." Xander took Julie's hand and they left the room.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Julie was surprised to see that there were several humans working for Oroc. It made her happy to see that unlike Dimitri, he was kind to humans and didn't look down his nose at them.

  A lovely young woman escorted them to the dining room for a quick breakfast before they had to leave to meet Jake. Julie smiled when she entered the room with its heavy drapes and dark colors. It was a gloomy space with a long antique and very expensive-looking table with high-backed upholstered dining chairs.

  "Now this is more like what I would expect a vampire's home to look like," she joked.

  Xander chuckled.

  "He loves his antiques but this room is a little too dark for me. I prefer more modern furnishings," he said.

  Julie grinned at Xander and they sat down next to one another to eat. The table was filled with lots of delicious foods from eggs, bacon and toast to muffins, croissants and bowls of fresh fruit.

  "There's enough food here for a family of twelve," laughed Julie.

  "I am sure that none will go to waste. All the staff in the house are human. They will finish what we don't eat."

  "All human? No turned-vampires?" Julie scrunched brows together.

  "He prefers human company to that of turned-vampires. He's never told me why," Xander said plainly.

  "Where is Oroc? Does he need to sleep?" Julie wondered out loud.

  "No he does not need to sleep," came a deep, smooth voice from the doorway.

  Julie turned her head to see Oroc. He was so tall that his head almost touched the top of the doorway. He was wearing a pair of casual pants and a silken top that looked more like a tunic. His white hair was tied back in a ponytail, which showed off his high cheekbones and strong nose. She felt herself blush when she saw him looking at her.

  "I'm sorry...I didn't mean any disrespect..." she stammered.

  Oroc entered the room with a flourish of his arm and smiled.

  "I know you didn't. You are unfamiliar with my kind, I would expect you to have questions, my child," he said as he moved to sit at the end of the table closest to her and Xander.

  "Why do you call me 'child'? You look almost the same age as I do?" she smiled politely as she made the statement. Up close in the light of the room she could see that he looked more human than she previously thought.

  Xander and Oroc laughed.

  Oroc put up a finger and stated, "Not quite the same age as you."

  Julie felt herself go a bit warm, she hadn't noticed her body respond to him when she met him the first time and she wondered if he gave off some kind of pheromone or something. He raised his brow and bowed his head slightly at her.

  "You are very wise," he said. "We Pure Ones do have a certain something that allows us to keep most humans calm around us. It seems to be a natural part of our make-up given to us by our creators. When we turn humans into vampires, the chemical my body exudes helps them to relax when we bite them. I am surprised that you feel it, since you are not fully human."

  He tilted his head as he gazed at her his eyes almost twinkling with delight.

  "I'm sure I'll get used to it," she said with a wry smile.

  Xander let out a chuckle and shook his head. Julie ignored him and continued her questions.

  "So how old are you?" she asked Oroc inquisitively.

  "Older than you can fathom," he stated.

  "Is that why you call me 'child'?"

  He nodded his head once then spoke gently, "Don't let me keep you from eating. Please enjoy. I had the staff prepare something in case you both needed to leave early."

  "Thank you," Julie responded, as she took a bite of fresh blueberry muffin and then a sip of coffee.

  Xander finally spoke.

  "Have you decided when you will leave for Europe?" he asked Oroc.

  "In several days. I must tend to some matters here first...just in case I do not return," Oroc said.

  "What do you mean? Has something happened? Why aren't you coming back?" Julie asked quickly.

  Oroc gave a thin smile and seemed pleased at her concern for him. She was quickly growing even more curious about him.

  Oroc exchanged a look with Xander.

  "I have told her what you told me when she was unconscious. I think we are both wondering why you feel you will not return?" Xander asked.

  "There is a chance that things are as bad or worse in Italy, where the Council is currently located. If something should happen and I find that I haven't any allies on the European Council, I could be executed for what happened to the Council here," Oroc responded without emotion.

  Julie swallowed her bite of muffin and with wide eyes she asked, "What do you mean? They aren't going to blame you for the deaths are they? It wasn't your fault..." her voice trailed off.

  "I did kill two members of the Council," Oroc reminded her.

  "Yes, but I killed Dimitri. I feel I should go with you," Xander interjected.

  Julie looked at Xander her stomach sinking. "You can't leave. Not yet. We have to wrap things up here. I'm not letting you go without me..." her voice trailed off.

  Xander took her hand and brought it to his mouth to kiss it.

  Julie's heart pounded as she stared down at the muffin on the plate in front of her. The rising lump in her throat threatened to choke her. Tears filled her eyes. The room grew uncomfortable with silence.

  Oroc broke the awkward silence. "It would bring me no pleasure to separate you two now that you have fou
nd one another. It is of great concern to me that you both remain safe. If you wish me to wait until you have wrapped things up here, I will wait until the end of the week to leave. As the only remaining Council member, it is my job to keep the peace between the Pure Ones and the turned-vampires that live in the area."

  Julie wiped her eyes and sat up tall in her chair. "Thank you," she said looking at Oroc. He bowed his head again and smiled.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  08:00 - Megalos Pharmaceutical Experimental Laboratory-Portland

  The team of FBI Shifter Task Force agents and a S.W.A.T. team readied themselves to enter the facility the minute they had eyes on Doctor Henry Green, the geneticist and lead scientist in charge of making a shifter drug. They felt confident that they had the correct location this time and that they would find the missing shifters.

  Julie and Xander were happy to see that Jake had managed to get multiple ambulances on stand by. With the S.A.C. in town and their own medical clinic, it was easy to make sure that shifters received the care that their special kind of physiology required.

  Julie, Xander and the rest of the team suited up in their bullet proof gear and headed into the lab as soon as Doctor Green had been spotted entering the building.

  "On the floor – now!" Julie heard Jake yell as they entered the main area of the laboratory. Julie and Xander had their guns out as they approached the staff that were standing near several rows of beds with I.V. Poles next to them.

  "Get over there and on your knees." Xander pointed to the center of the room where other staff members were told to congregate.

  Julie looked at the situation in front of them and frowned. A shifter was on each of the many beds and connected to monitors. Some of them looked pale and emaciated with dark circles under their eyes. Others looked a little better and as though they were only asleep.

  Several minutes passed befor Juile heard one of the agents call out for the ambulance attendants. They immediately began to assist the helpless shifters."

  As the other team members led the staff to the center of the room to cuff them and take them to waiting vans, Doctor Green proved more difficult. He stood defiantly with his hands in the pockets of his lab coat, refusing to budge from where he stood. Julie and several other FBI agents swarmed him.

  "Get on the floor, Green," Julie ordered.

  "I don't take orders from you. I work for Dimitri Megalos. You need to speak to him," he spat in response.

  An agent came up behind Green and grabbed his arms. Green struggled and began to squirm.

  "I won't talk. You'll get nothing from me. You have no proof I am doing anything wrong," he insisted.

  "Is that so? Well, we'll see how the S.A.C. feels about what you're doing here," Julie said firmly. She looked around the room and then at the doctor. "I think we have plenty of evidence that you have been experimenting on shifters. You will be going away for a long time." Julie watched his face as he was handcuffed by the agent behind him and shoved toward the door.

  Green gave a derisive grunt as he was pushed past Julie. She smirked at him. The S.A.C. medics were seeing to the shifters as Julie walked back over to where Xander was observing the scene. He let out a sigh and nodded at Julie.

  "They are all accounted for. All except the two that were killed by Green."

  "Are any of them conscious?" Julie asked him.

  "No. It looks like Green kept them sedated. Probably too scared to have them awake. I watched you just now...Good job!" He put an arm around her shoulder and squeezed her.

  Julie beamed at him. "I'm just glad we finally found this place and got Doctor Green."

  ***

  A little while later at the Shifter Task Force Unit, Julie and Xander joined Jake in the interrogation room with Doctor Green. As suspected, he continued to deny any knowledge of what was going on at the lab. Growing impatient with Green, Jake slammed his hand down on the desk. Xander and Julie watched in silence, both sitting upright in chairs across from Green.

  "Look, Green. If you prefer to speak with an S.A.C. investigator I can arrange it, because they have evidence of your experimentation on shifters. When Forensics gets finished with your lab, you will be going away for a long time. Your staff aren't taking the fall for what you've done. They have told us everything. Now you can either cooperate and get sent to a human prison. Or you can be difficult and be handed over to the S.A.C. to deal with you. And you and I both know that they don't take kindly to humans messing with them."

  "You can't do that, I'm human! It's against the law," Henry Green whined.

  Jake allowed himself to begin to shift slightly...just enough for Doctor Green to see that he was dealing with a shifter and then regained his human form again. Xander grinned as he watched. Julie's eyes widened in shock.

  "Do I look like I care about human law right now?" Jake asked.

  "I demand to speak to a human! My lawyer! Or even Dimitri Megalos, he is my employer."

  Xander interrupted the interrogation and in a deep calm voice stated, "Dimitri is dead."

  All of them saw Doctor Green shudder visibly.

  "What do you mean? He can't be! He assured me that he would look after me!" Doctor Green stopped speaking. The realization of his situation was suddenly evident on his face.

  "Fine! I'll talk! Just don't send me to those – to the S.A.C." he corrected himself.

  Xander folded his arms and listened as Green told them everything about how he had discovered that Dimitri was a vampire through one of the Shifter Councilmen. The man had told Green about Pure Ones and that the S.A.C. were trying to find a way to expose them and wipe them out.

  "That's when I decided to approach Dimitri and offer to help him get rid of the shifters," Green said looking at Jake.

  Julie narrowed her eyes as she watched Doctor Green.

  Xander reached for her hand under the table.

  "You will tell us everything you were told about the existence of vampires," Xander interrupted angrily.

  Green began to stammer and sputter out his words. The arrogance of his earlier behavior was replaced by someone who knew he had no choice but to talk.

  ***

  As the interrogation continued there was a knock on the door. Dayna poked her head in. Her expression was grim.

  "Jake? The S.A.C. is on the phone. They are asking for Green to be released into their custody for interrogation."

  Jake stood and walked to the door where Dayna was standing.

  "Any news about the shifters from the lab?" Julie quickly interrupted.

  Dayna smiled at Julie and Xander. "Yes. They are all alive and in time should make complete recoveries." She finished her sentence staring into the face of Doctor Green. He looked down at his hands, defeat evident on his face.

  "I'll go talk to the S.A.C.," Jake said as he eased himself past Dayna. She stepped aside and remained in the doorway as Jake left. "Can I speak to you two outside?" she asked Julie and Xander.

  They got up and followed her out of the room, closing the door behind them.

  The trio walked down the hall to a private room to speak. Dayna looked worried as she looked at the couple.

  "What's going on?" Julie asked feeling anxious.

  "I've got some unsettling news. It has come to my attention that Mr. Megalos had some people working here at the FBI as spies. I just heard about this through an S.A.C. council member. He warned me that these agents are vampires like you," she looked toward Xander.

  "He isn't a turned-vampire." Julie spoke up.

  "I understand that," said Dayna. "Jake has explained everything to me. However, the S.A.C doesn't see it that way. They see you as a vampire and a threat. The turned-vampires within the FBI have been exposed and one of them has already been found dead. The S.A.C has a firm hold within the FBI and there are those here who think they are trying to control what we do or what we investigate. I wanted to warn you two that things are not looking good for vampires in general in Portland. I also found out that Senior Sp
ecial Agent Jones is an informant for the S.A.C."

  Julie's eyes widened and she gasped. Xander put an arm around her protectively.

  "What? He's human though. What are you saying?"

  "Look Guys, I rarely have contact with the S.A.C. because like Julie here, I don't trust them. However, Jake and I have become friends with a couple of good people over there. It's one of them who warned me about SSA Jones. When you were transferred here, I had a feeling there was something more to it. I have had first-hand experience with humans hating shifters and using them. It is the last thing I ever want to see. I know that you and your former supervisor didn't see eye to eye and the way SSA Jones spoke of you, I expected you to be trouble. Very quickly I could see that they were the problem – not you."

  "Thanks. I have to say I am happier than ever being on this team." She glanced at Xander who winked at her. "So, if Jones is an informant for the S.A.C., what did they hope to achieve by putting me on the Shifter Task Force?" Julie asked.

  "I think that the fight club case was the main reason. From what I've been told, Jones wanted you on our team because you detected something that no one else did on the fight club bust. I think the vampires – turned-vampires – had something to do with the fight clubs and the S.A.C. hoped you would expose them. What they didn't count on was you and Xander working together and not finding any evidence of vampire involvement."

  Xander nodded. "That makes sense. Oroc told me that Pure Ones were behind the fight clubs. I think both sides have ongoing operations with the primary agenda being to cause an all-out war between the races."

  Julie shook her head and huffed. "So the S.A.C. has known about Xander all along?"

  Dayna shrugged. "I think they suspected before but they know for sure now."

  Julie put her hands on her hips. "I wonder if they hoped that I would turn on him once I found out?"

  Both Dayna and Xander raised their eyebrows in surprise.