Full Moon Rising

by Arthur, Keri

  Then his teeth entered my neck, and everything exploded into ecstasy. Together, we fell screaming over that edge, plunging into a sea of bliss more powerful than anything I’d ever experienced.

  When I remembered how to breathe again, I took his face between my palms and kissed him long and slow. “That was amazing.”

  He rolled to one side and gathered me in his arms. “And I made you scream.”

  His warm, sexy tones held a hint of contented male arrogance and I smiled. “Only because I needed you inside.”

  He chuckled softly and brushed a sweaty strand of hair from my forehead. “Sounds to me like I have to prove it was no fluke.”

  And I thought Talon had stamina. I smiled and dropped a kiss on his chin. “Sounds like.”

  Over the course of the day, he did indeed prove it was no fluke.

  But late in the afternoon, as we lay hot and sweaty and entangled in each other’s arms, I knew I was in deep, deep trouble. Because the intensity that burned between us suggested this vampire could be more than just a sex partner.

  It didn’t matter that I barely knew him. Didn’t matter that he didn’t want me in any way other than physically. I had no more control over my emotions than I did the moon urges.

  I wanted him. Wanted to explore the full boundaries of what we had.

  Only that was the last damn thing he wanted.

  But as I’d warned him not so long ago, I was a wolf ready to fight for what she believed in.

  And I was more than willing to fight for the possibilities that lay unexplored between me and this vampire.

  Well, well,” Rhoan said, his gaze jumping from me to Quinn and back again as we walked up the path toward him. “Looks to me like a good time has been had by all.”

  I grinned. “We didn’t have a pack of cards handy, and had to do something to while away the time.”

  His gaze centered on the bite scar on my neck. Quinn had been careful to keep using the same entry point, so that I didn’t have bite marks littering my neck. But we’d made love more than a few times, and the wounds were taking a little longer than normal to heal.

  “Hope you didn’t exhaust her too much. We have a lot planned for tonight.”

  What he was really saying was that he hoped Quinn hadn’t taken too much blood, and we all knew it.

  Quinn placed a hand on Rhoan’s shoulder and squeezed lightly. “I took no more than necessary.” He looked at me, a smile touching his lips. “And if you’re worried about anyone getting exhausted, try worrying about me.”

  “I didn’t hear any complaints at the time,” I said dryly.

  His smile grew, making my hormones do their mad dance. “Nor are you ever likely to. You can exhaust me anytime you like.” His gaze switched to Rhoan. “Where’s Liander? I need to return his modulators.”

  “Inside cooking dinner. Apparently he likes my attempts about as much as my sister does.”

  Quinn’s gaze took in mine for a moment, then he headed inside. I followed, enjoying the view before heading upstairs to get some decent clothes on. Then I went back outside and plopped down on the bench beside my brother. “So, how did last night go?”

  “A cinch, once the power was knocked out. The guards were out in force, but there weren’t any vampires amongst them, and both Jack and I were careful to neutralize our scent beforehand.”

  “Did you find anything?”

  He snorted softly. “Sperm and eggs, and lots of them.”

  “Did you find and destroy your lot?”

  “I believe so. We found some interesting files, but other than that, nothing. As we suspected, Moneisha is little more than a collecting point. It’s not where these duplicates are coming from.”

  “So they weren’t set up for research of any kind?”

  “Yeah. But basic stuff.”

  I frowned. “I thought it was Moneisha who had isolated the cluster of genes that make a vampire a vampire?”

  He gave me a perplexed look. “Where did you hear that?”

  “It was apparently reported in the newspapers.”

  “Not in any I’ve read.”

  Now I was confused. “Maybe we don’t read the right papers.”

  “Who told you that they had?”

  “Misha. He said there’d been protests outside Moneisha because of their genetic research.”

  “There have been protests all right, but mainly because they’ve been buying up residences in the area with the intention of expanding.”

  “Maybe Misha mixed up a couple of stories.” Yet even as I said it, I doubted it was the case. Misha had the best memory I’d ever come across.

  “Maybe.” Rhoan didn’t sound any more convinced than I was.

  I chewed on my lip for a moment, then asked, “Have you found out any information about Konane?”

  “Who?”

  “Konane. They apparently own Moneisha.”

  “Where did you hear this? Because I know Director Hunter is still working her way through the paper trail.”

  “Misha told me.”

  He frowned. “I wonder how he knew?”

  “I can ask, when I next see him.”

  “Tell Jack and see what he says.” He paused. “So how come Gautier suspected you?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. He was standing at the office door as we were coming out. Maybe he heard something.”

  “Those offices are soundproof.”

  “Then either he has a nose as sensitive as a wolf or something Quinn said tipped him off. Though what that could be, I have no idea.”

  Rhoan frowned. “You know, the few times I’ve worked with him, I’ve noticed he has extraordinarily keen senses for a vamp. If he is one of the lab-built creatures, then maybe he has got the nose of a wolf.”

  I leaned back against the sun-warmed wall of the old shed. “Has Jack checked all the military installations? Couldn’t this be a government program?”

  “The military is certainly working on implanting vampire genes into other nonhuman races, but from what Jack says, the longest any of them has lived is a couple of years.”

  I remembered the smell in the parking garage. Remembered the feeling I was facing dead—or at least dying—things. “Whoever is behind this, I don’t think they’re having much luck in the longevity stakes, either.”

  “They’re living long enough to do some pretty nasty stuff.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”

  He hesitated. “You know we’ve had ten guardians gone missing?” When I nodded, he continued, “From what we can glean from the remains of those we’ve found, it appears they might have been forced to fight for their lives in some kind of arena.”

  I closed my eyes and prayed that Kelly hadn’t joined their number. Hadn’t become just another means of testing some madman’s grotesque creations.

  She didn’t deserve that sort of end. None of the guardians had.

  But once again I shoved the thought away, not wanting to face the hurt of it until the moment hope was totally gone and I knew for sure she was dead. “Obviously, the bodies were dumped in areas out of the sunlight; otherwise, there wouldn’t be any remains to study. Which in itself suggests someone wanted the Directorate to find the remains.”

  He nodded. “Jack says there was an enormous amount of growth accelerant in the body of the vamp they discovered in Quinn’s plane. And the prelim results Quinn got back on Gautier’s clones also show high dosages.”

  I frowned. “Sounds like they don’t really care if their creations live all that long.”

  “Maybe just long enough to complete a task.” His expression was grim when it met mine. “A vampire’s body degenerates pretty quickly once he’s dead. Can you think of a better killing machine than one designed to get in, do its job, then self-destruct before any evidence can be pulled from it?”

  “It’s not something I actually want to think about.” I watched a willy wagtail flit across the backs of the nearby cows. “How come Gautier has been allowed to s
tay with the Directorate? Especially after his clones started appearing everywhere?”

  “We think Gautier is working with someone in the Directorate—someone other than Alan Brown. Until we can ferret that person out, Gautier stays. It’s better to have an enemy where you can watch him.”

  “You’re not exactly watching him now.”

  “Director Hunter is.”

  “Ah.” I closed my eyes, listening to the wind keening through the nearby gums. The storm that had hit Melbourne earlier that afternoon was on its way. “As a guardian, Gautier has to undergo regular health checks. I’m gathering nothing out of the ordinary has ever been found?”

  “No. And Jack’s told you about his history—or lack thereof.”

  “Yeah. Bit by little bit.”

  Rhoan grinned. “He wants you in the program, sis, and he’s just trying to reel you in.”

  “So he’s already said.”

  The man in question came out of the trees as I spoke.

  “Riley,” he said, a smile touching his lips but his eyes all seriousness. “We need to talk if you can give me a moment.”

  I glanced at Rhoan, who shrugged at my unasked question. I pushed to my feet, and said, “Sure.”

  Jack followed the path back into the trees and I trailed him. We walked down to the dam and stood on the edge, watching dragonflies buzz the water.

  “What’s up?” I said, after a moment.

  “Something you may not like.” He looked at me, green eyes hard with anger. “You remember the blood sample I took?”

  My stomach dropped. “Yes.”

  “We got some interesting results back.”

  I briefly closed my eyes, not sure I really wanted to hear this. “So, I was drugged?”

  “Yes. There was N529, a fast-knockout drug designed for use on nonhumans, and one which is not due to come onto the market until next month. The other was ARC1-23.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Which is?”

  “It’s a drug that’s still on the experimental list because of the serious side effects it appears to have on some nonhumans.” He hesitated. “It seems someone is trying to get you pregnant.”

  Chapter 11

  For several seconds I didn’t react, simply stared at him. Then anger surged and I clenched my fists, wishing I had something—someone—to hit. “I’m going to kill the bastard.”

  Actually, killing him was too quick. Maybe I’d settle for ripping his fucking balls off.

  “I gather you know who’s behind it?”

  I nodded and began to pace. “One of my regular mates was talking about me having his child recently.”

  “But you didn’t consent to take this drug?”

  I snorted. “Hardly. If I ever do take the risk of having kids, it’ll be with someone I love, not with someone I just fuck.”

  “Have you still got the chip in your arm?”

  “Shit.” I ran my fingers up my arm, and found the small lump under my skin. Relief slithered. Thank God.

  “We need to do more tests,” Jack continued, obviously reading my relief correctly.

  I frowned. “Why?”

  “Because the quantities of ARC1-23 in the blood sample suggest you’ve been given this drug over a couple of months, and, as I said, it’s known to have some serious side effects.”

  I pushed my hair away from my face and began to pace again. The anger surging through my body wouldn’t allow me to remain still. “What kind of side effects are we talking about?”

  “It seems the drug can mutate once in the body, altering not only its own chemistry but the chemistry of the host.”

  “That . . . that . . .”

  Jack nodded, as if in understanding. “The drug had passed all lab trials, so they decided to run a series of tests on some volunteers who were having trouble conceiving, using a mix of humans, shifters, and werewolves. Of the fifty who were in the first trial, ten were unaffected. Thirty became pregnant, and had normal gestations and births, with neither the parent nor the child showing any adverse reactions to the drug. The remaining ten, however, began to transmute in one way or another.”

  With the way my luck had been running of late, I wouldn’t be one of the lucky ones who was completely unaffected. I wouldn’t even be one of the ones who got pregnant. I blew out a breath and changed my mind. I was going to rip the bastard’s balls off, then kill him. “Why did it affect some and not others?”

  “Studies undertaken suggest it might have something to do with the fact that the ten who changed rather than getting pregnant were all of mixed heritage.”

  His expression was grim and somewhat speculative. I didn’t have to read his thoughts to know he was thinking about my mixed heritage. I felt like screaming. Jesus, as if I didn’t already have enough weirdness in my life.

  “So where did they find so many crossbreeds?” Breeding between nonhuman races—especially other shifters and werewolves—was extremely rare. Though we were sexually compatible, something in our genetics made it next to impossible for one breed of shifter to impregnate another naturally.

  “They advertised throughout Australia. Natural crossbreeding may be rare, but it does happen.”

  “How long was it before the side effects became apparent?”

  “The trial was conducted over a year. It was six months before the side effects started to show. Up until then, everything had been proceeding exactly as expected.”

  So I had months to wait before I’d know one way or another. I kicked some stones out from under my foot, watching them splash into the water. Dragonflies buzzed the ripples, their wings jewel-like in evening light. “And how is the drug taken?”

  “Via injection, once a month.”

  I closed my eyes. Talon had been giving me the injections for at least two months, then. Why else had I been blacking out after drinking his “fine” champagne? “I knew he was single-minded when it came to getting his own way, but I never thought he’d go this damn far.”

  “I gather we’re talking about Talon Lasalle?”

  I squinted up at Jack. “How did you know?”

  “Had him investigated.” His sudden smile was wry. “You may think of yourself as little more than a paper pusher, but the truth is, you work in a sensitive area and know more about the workings of the place than most of the directors. The Directorate has many enemies, and the information you and the other liaisons hold could be extremely useful to those intent on our destruction.” He shrugged. “So I know exactly who all my people spend time with.”

  “You investigate everyone we come in contact with?”

  He snorted softly. “Hardly. We haven’t the manpower. Just those who feature prominently in your life. The only reason Liander is involved in this mission is because I know all there is to know about him—and his exemplary record in the military. He’d make a good addition to the new team I want to set up.”

  “You’d have as much hope conning Liander as you’ve had with me.”

  “He’s not as stubborn as you.”

  I ignored the gibe. “So what did your reports say about Misha and Talon?”

  “Talon is a very successful entrepreneur with fingers in all sorts of pies—and many of those companies have fingers in other pies, not all of which we’ve tracked down yet. He’s ruthless when it comes to getting what he wants but has never stepped beyond the law—as far as we know.”

  “Until it came to wanting a kid,” I muttered. “What about Misha?”

  “Misha’s even more difficult to pin down. He’s very successful, but as yet we’re not exactly sure how.”

  I frowned. “He owns Rollins Enterprises.”

  Jack nodded. “Which has suffered five years of substantial losses, yet Misha’s personal fortune keeps getting larger.”

  “Undoubtedly thanks to good investments.” Like the South Bank apartment complex.

  “Damn good. Only, as yet, we can’t locate all of them.”

  I stared at him for a moment, not sure what to think. “You
think Misha’s a crook?”

  “I honestly don’t know, because both the gold and silver packs are notoriously tight when it comes to giving out information about pack members and money. I do know he’s covered his tracks very well, and my instincts suggest he’s up to something. While I doubt that something involves the Directorate, I am sure it involves you in some way.”

  I rubbed a hand across my eyes. The day that had started out so well was becoming positively shitty. “Why haven’t you mentioned this before now?”

  “Because I haven’t any evidence that he is up to something. My instincts could be wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time.”

  I took a deep breath and released it slowly. Misha and I were going to have a heart-to-heart when he got back. If I didn’t get answers that satisfied me—and Jack—he was struck off my list, right alongside Talon.

  And to think only a couple of days ago I’d been blissfully happy with them both.

  “So how did Talon get hold of ARC1-23 if it’s not on the market?”

  “It’s his company doing the fertility research.”

  Fingers in every pie, as Jack had said. “He doesn’t know I’m part vampire. He probably thought it was safe to give to me.”

  “That doesn’t excuse what he’s done.”

  “No.” I paused, trying to calm another rush of anger. “So what happens now?”

  He considered me for a moment. “He’ll be charged, of course.”

  As long as I got to him first, I didn’t care what they did to the bastard. “I hear a ‘but’ after that.”

  He nodded. “The military badly wants to explore the possibilities of this drug, and Talon is the key to their getting their hands on it.”

  Meaning, of course, they weren’t about to let anything happen to him until they did. “I’m gathering it’s no longer being marketed as a possible fertility drug?”