by Zoe Chant
“That’s impossible. We can’t have been here that long.” She glanced at her watch. “Unless they messed with my watch... But I’d feel different if I’d been unconscious for days, I’m sure I would!”
“It’s not your watch. It’s me.” He held her gaze, willing her to believe the evidence of her own eyes. “Those cracked ribs will be completely healed in a day or two. Same as the cut on my head. Same as why one tranquilizer dart paralyzed you almost instantly and knocked you unconscious a minute later, but it took two to knock me out. Maybe more than two. I’m not sure how many times I was hit before you found me.”
He watched the flicker of reactions play across her pretty face, from disbelief to acceptance to curiosity. “Is that why those people grabbed you?”
“Yeah. Well, that’s part of it.”
She was quick to catch on. “They wanted me as a subject— like, an experimental subject? Were you one too? Is that how you can scare people just by looking at them?”
“Yeah.”
“Is it a government experiment to create the ultimate soldier?” Catalina asked excitedly.
Shane was very conscious of the panther within him as he spoke. He controlled his voice to make sure it had none of his animal’s hiss. “It was an experiment to create the ultimate predator. 2.0 must be their second try at the ultimate predator process. I went through 1.0. I can terrify people and I can sneak up on them without being noticed. I heal fast, and I move fast, and I’m stronger than I was before. And I can turn into a panther.”
“No way!” She looked thrilled. It made his heart sink. “And I get to do it too!”
“No, you don’t. I won’t let them.”
“But...” Catalina frowned, her enthusiasm dying down. “I mean, it’s not all right that they kidnapped us. Talk about not getting consent for treatment! But being an ultimate predator sounds great. Fast healing, special powers, and you get to turn into a panther! Seriously, you can do that?”
Show her, his panther suggested.
For once, he and his panther were on the same page. “Yeah. I’ll show you. Just give me a second.”
He went into the bathroom, closed the door, and stripped. Then he wrapped a thin white towel around his waist and came back out.
Catalina looked him over with open appreciation. Mischievously, she asked, “‘Panther’ isn’t slang for something else, is it?”
Shane didn’t know how she kept managing to make him laugh. It made him realize how little he’d done it in the last couple years. His chuckle came out rusty, like he’d almost forgotten how. “No. I didn’t want to rip up my jeans. Watch.”
He closed his eyes and focused on being a predator.
To hunt, to kill, to lurk unseen, to pad silently after his prey, to blend into the darkness and become one with it...
The panther opened his yellow eyes. Now he could scent Catalina, from the aroma of green apple shampoo lingering in her hair to her own individual scent. His hearing was more acute, allowing him to catch the accelerating rhythm of her heartbeat.
She’s afraid, he thought. I should shift back.
Then she walked right up to him. No trace of fear showed in her face as her hand came down to stroke his fur.
“Wow,” she breathed.
She’s excited, his panther corrected. The big cat sounded smug. Of course she is. She’s our mate.
Catalina scratched behind his ears. It felt surprisingly good. No one had ever done that before. No one had ever touched his panther at all, except to perform experiments or chain him up.
He found himself turning his head to give her better access. She obligingly kept scratching. He shouldn’t have been able to relax, imprisoned again and with the threat of death or worse hanging over his mate, but he did. A strange vibration began to thrum within his chest, making an audible rumble.
What the hell is that? Shane wondered.
He hadn’t meant to ask his panther, but the big cat replied anyway. It’s called purring.
There was a distinct subtext of you idiot in his panther’s tone.
Okay, Shane admitted. I guess I deserved that.
His panther— and Shane himself, to be honest— would have been content to let the ear-scratching continue indefinitely. But Shane didn’t know how long they’d be allowed to stay alone together, and there were things he had to tell Catalina before someone else got to her first.
He closed his eyes and concentrated on human things.
How to field-strip an M4 carbine. How to seal a sucking chest wound. How to survive if your parachute fails to open.
Shane opened his eyes as a man.
Catalina still had her fingers in his hair. It felt so good that he didn’t know if he could stand to move aside. He felt a stab of mingled relief and regret when she yanked them away.
“Oops,” she said. “Sorry. Hope you didn’t mind me taking liberties with your ears.”
“It’s all right when I’m a panther.”
“When you’re a panther,” she echoed delightedly. “Shane, that was the most amazing thing I’ve seen in my entire life. And I’ve seen a lot of amazing things. And—” Her gaze strayed downward. “Ha! I’m seeing another one now.”
For a moment, he had no idea what she meant. Then he realized that he was naked. He’d spent too much time in barracks to be embarrassed by nudity, but he didn’t dare spend one more second naked with his mate. He was sure he had the self-control not to touch her— well, pretty sure— but if she touched him, all bets were off. And she definitely looked like she wanted to.
He gritted his teeth. He ought to be flattered and happy that she was so obviously into him, but under the circumstances, it was nothing but frustrating. Not only could he not do anything about it without putting her at even greater risk, he couldn’t even admit his own attraction.
She was strong and brave and kind, but she was also honest. Everything she thought and felt showed on her face. And while their captors might exploit it if they believed that she had an unrequited crush on him, that was nothing to what they’d do if they discovered that he loved her. If they ever learned that he felt more toward her than the basic responsibility any airman would have for a fellow prisoner, all they’d have to do to keep him in line was threaten her. The only way he could protect her was to pretend he didn’t care about her.
“Just a sec.” He hastily wrapped the towel back around his waist, went to the bathroom, and put his jeans on. Then he returned and sat back down on the floor. Belatedly, he pulled his shirt on too.
Catalina was still grinning. “I can’t believe it. You really are that gorgeous panther!”
Inside his head, his panther once again began to purr.
Shane was torn between relief that his mate liked his panther, and dismay that he’d accidentally convinced her that being an ultimate predator was the coolest thing ever. “Listen to me, Catalina. We have to get out of here. Before they do anything irrevocable to you. It’s not what you think.”
She didn’t look entirely convinced. “What’s the downside?”
His heart lurched. But he’d walked right into the question. He had to answer.
“I didn’t volunteer.” He made sure his voice sound cool and calm and distant, though he felt none of those things. His heart was hammering so hard that he half-expected her to hear it.
“I was on a combat search and rescue mission when I was captured,” Shane went on. “Not by the enemy— well, not by the enemy we were supposed to be fighting. By this place. It’s called Apex. It’s a black ops agency. They picked me because they thought I was strong enough to have a shot at surviving the ultimate predator process. They were right, but just barely. It nearly killed me. Apex held me for a year before I escaped. By the time I got loose, I’d been declared killed in action. And I might as well have been. My entire life was over. Nobody who knew me before has any idea I’m still alive.”
Shane’s teammates at Protection, Inc. knew that much of his story. Hal knew the most, because he’d
been involved in some of it. But even Hal didn’t know all of it. And all of them knew not to ask for more details. Shane couldn’t imagine telling anyone the whole story— not even his mate.
Especially not his mate.
Then he felt a warmth penetrate his chill. Catalina had put her hand on his shoulder. “Shane, I’m so sorry. It must have been terrible.”
He jerked aside. Pulling away from her felt like ripping off a bandage. Shane wished he could let her touch him, but it was just too dangerous. “No shit.”
The flash of hurt in her eyes made him feel even worse. He had to keep his distance, but he didn’t have to be an asshole about it. Awkwardly, he muttered, “Ultimate predator is bad news. I was lucky to survive it. It’s a lot more likely to kill you than it is to give you powers. Trust me, you don’t want it.”
“It didn’t sound like they were going to give me a choice,” Catalina said.
“They have to run tests on you first, to tailor the process to your body. It’ll take about a week. But I promise, I’ll break us out before then. This time next week, you’ll be home.”
To his relief, she seemed to accept this. “With one hell of a story. I can’t wait to tell Ellie!” Then she frowned. “Can I? Does she know you can turn into a panther? Does Hal know?”
“Hal knows. He can turn into a bear.” Shane enjoyed her gasp of delighted surprise. She had the best smile. It made his heart lift.
“No way!”
“Way. Everyone at Protection, Inc. is a shifter. But not like I am. They were born that way. Except—” Shane cut himself off before he blurted out someone else’s secret. Smoothly, he went on, “Except they keep it a secret, of course. The entire existence of shifters is a secret. But now that you know, you’ll have to ask Ellie to tell you the uncensored version of how she and Hal got together. She left out a lot.”
“I definitely can’t wait.” Then her warm brown eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “You know, Ellie’s going to notice that I’m missing. And I assume your buddies are going to notice that you are. Are you even going to get a chance to break us out before they break in?”
Shane had been wondering that himself. But he couldn’t get sidetracked by wishful thinking. “They’ll be looking for us, for sure. But Apex is good at covering their tracks. We can’t count on rescue. We have to bet on escape.”
“Do you already have an escape plan?”
“Sort of. Subject to contact with the enemy.”
She nodded, obviously familiar with the saying, No battle plan survives contact with the enemy. “What is it?”
“It’ll work better if you don’t know about it in advance. Sorry. You’ll have to—”
There was a familiar clunk of the steel door’s deadbolts sliding back.
“Trust me,” he breathed.
The door opened. Dr. Elihu stood in the doorway. The sight of the heavyset man in the white coat gave Shane the same sickening inner lurch as the scent of the air.
Rip his throat out. Shane’s panther sent him a hot red wash of bloodlust.
Not now. Shane kept firm control on his panther. Later.
Dr. Elihu was flanked by guards with tranquilizer pistols and Tasers. If Shane so much as twitched in a suspicious way, he’d be subdued in an instant. And that would do no good for either him or Catalina.
Rip his throat out, demanded his panther. NOW.
The urge to kill was overwhelming, but Shane forced himself to stay cool.
Want to be chained up again? Shane asked his panther. Patience. We’re still lying in wait. The kill comes later.
Lying in wait, the big cat hissed in reluctant agreement. We can wait. But not forever...
“Long time no see, Dr. Elihu,” said Shane.
“How pleasant to have you back with us,” returned the doctor. “I trust you enjoyed your time off?”
“I enjoyed it so much, I was thinking of making it permanent.”
The doctor made a tch-tch noise. “I’m afraid your vacation time is used up, Garrity. It’s back on the job for you.” Then he turned to Catalina. “Come with me, Mendez. I’ll give you a tour of your new workplace.”
“Sure you wouldn’t rather have me do that?” Shane inquired.
Shane caught a flash of pure venom in the doctor’s tone as he replied, “Have a little more time off, Garrity. Relax.”
Catalina glanced at Shane, obviously looking for a cue. Dropping the sarcasm, he said, “Go with him, or he’ll have the guards drag you.”
Enough lying and waiting, spat out his panther. Kill him before he hurts our mate!
The big cat’s protective fury— and his own— made Shane’s vision haze crimson. But he clamped down on his beast and himself, not letting a flicker of emotion show on his face or body, as he watched as his mate walk out the door with the man he’d sworn to kill.
Chapter Three
Catalina
Catalina hated to walk out the door, leaving Shane behind. Her stomach clenched in an unpleasant flutter that was starting to feel all too familiar. But she was less afraid for herself than she was concerned for him. Cool as he’d seemed when he’d traded sarcastic remarks with the doctor, she could tell that it shook him to be trapped in that place. She felt awful leaving him alone, imprisoned in an empty room with nothing to occupy his mind but his pain and his memories.
The heavy steel door locked behind her. She stood in a corridor like those in hospitals, all white walls and fluorescent light strips, flanked by the creepy doctor and a bunch of guards.
“So, I’m going to be working for you now?” Catalina asked as they began to walk down the corridor. “Isn’t this a lot of trouble to go to just to hire a paramedic?”
Dr. Elihu gave her an oily smile. “We don’t want you for a paramedic any more than we wanted Shane because he knows how to parachute. We’re offering you a chance to serve your country in a much more significant fashion.”
“Doing what?”
“Don’t play coy. Garrity must have briefed you.” The doctor gestured for her to turn left, into another corridor.
Catalina tried to memorize the doors and branching corridors as she passed them. The place would be easier to get lost in than even the notoriously mazelike Santa Martina Central Hospital.
“Not really,” she said. “He’s pretty closed-mouthed. And you shouldn’t just leave him in that room. He needs to see a doctor.”
“He’s already been examined,” Dr. Elihu replied. “His injuries don’t require attention. Soon you too will have accelerated healing capabilities.”
“If I don’t drop dead!”
The doctor gave her a bland stare. “Sounds like Garrity’s mouth wasn’t completely closed.”
Catalina scowled, wishing she wasn’t so prone to blurting out exactly what she was thinking. No wonder Shane hadn’t been willing to tell her his plan. “I hope you don’t want to make me into a spy. I’d be the worst one ever.”
“No, we’ll tailor your assignments to your capabilities.”
Catalina didn’t feel remotely reassured. “Like what? What have you been making Shane do for you?”
“Missions to support the best interests of America.”
Black ops, Shane had said. And his eyes had gone bleak as a frozen lake.
“Assassinations, right?” Catalina demanded. “He was a hero— he saved people—and you forced him to become a hit man!”
The doctor didn’t so much as blink, though her voice had echoed off the white walls. “War isn’t pretty. And Garrity chose to enlist.”
“He didn’t choose this!”
Dr. Elihu’s emotionless gaze reminded her of a snake. “He had options. He still does. Just as you do.”
“So I can leave?” Catalina inquired. “Great! Show me the exit.”
“You may consider yourself drafted. I’m not going to make it easy for you to desert. But all soldiers have that option. So will you, in time. But like all choices, it will have a price.”
“What’s the price?”
/> “Garrity can tell you. Though of course, it’ll only be relevant to you if you don’t drop dead.” The doctor mockingly imitated her inflections. Catalina wanted to punch him. “But since he informed you of the mortality rate of ultimate predator 1.0, you’ll be happy to hear that 2.0 is much safer.”
“How much safer?”
“We estimate a survival rate of up to fifty percent.”
Catalina’s stomach lurched again, then steadied. Fifty-fifty wasn’t bad odds. 1.0 had apparently been even more dangerous than that, but Shane had survived it. And she was hardly a stranger to risk-taking. She’d flown into disaster zones and treated gunshot victims when the people who shot them might still be around. In Loredana, she’d crawled into a partially collapsed building to treat a man who was still pinned inside, knowing that they’d both be killed if there was an aftershock. He’d survived, and afterward the doctors had said it had been thanks to her. Some risks were worth taking.
She remembered the thick velvet of the panther’s fur, his sleek muscles and sense of controlled power. Catalina didn’t want to want something that was being forced on her, might kill her, and came with the price of being enslaved by an evil black ops agency. But she did want it. She’d always dreamed of having super-powers.
“And if it works, I’ll be able to turn into a panther?” she asked. “And terrify people just by looking at them?”
The doctor pursed his narrow lips. “You’ll be able to do something that a predator can do. It might not be the same as Garrity’s powers. As for turning into a panther, that’s up to him.”
“What do you mean?”
“He has to bite you,” said the doctor. “I suggest that you persuade him to do it. The enhanced healing abilities will raise your odds of surviving the ultimate predator process. Without them, the odds will be worse than fifty percent. Perhaps much worse.”
They took another turn. Catalina had lost track of how many they’d taken, distracted by thoughts of super-powers and shapeshifting and black ops and her own possible imminent death. And of Shane, the hot bodyguard. The hot bodyguard who could turn into a panther.