Nature of the B*E*A*S*T*

by Rebecca Goings

  "Mother fu—” Clive slammed the receiver down so hard, Lucian wondered if he'd broken the phone. The senator raked his fingers through his hair and turned to face the large window behind his desk, apparently to regain his composure. Even from where he sat, Lucian could tell the man was trembling. Whatever he'd learned, it hadn't been good.

  Lucian let him stew for a few moments longer before asking what was wrong. “Bad news?"

  Covington expelled the breath he'd been holding and turned around, pinning the doctor with his cruel gaze. “Wade and Keira have mated."

  Lucian gasped and the room fell silent as the two men stared at each other. “Was she forced?” He watched as Covington's scowl deepened.

  "No."

  Lucian had to hide his grin behind a cough. “How do you know?"

  Covington began pacing the room like a caged animal. “Brett could smell it rolling off that goddamned cougar. Said Keira had been screaming when he captured Wade."

  "What are you going to do about it?"

  "What else can I do?” Covington exclaimed, throwing up his hands. “I have no other choice but to mind-wipe Keira."

  "You mean to brainwash her? Again?"

  "I can't have her pining away over Wade McAllister, now can I? She might recognize him. Hell, she probably already has! I've got to mind-wipe Wade regardless. I can't afford for him to remember who he really is."

  "Why don't you just kill him?"

  "I need his DNA, or did you forget that?"

  "All you've got to do is shave his head or knock out his teeth and you've got plenty. Not to mention his bones—"

  "I cannot make mistakes, Lucian,” Covington said. “I need him alive for insurance. In case something happens."

  Lucian knew damned well it was just an excuse. Perhaps the senator finally felt guilty for killing one of his closest friends, an extremely wealthy oil tycoon. But he doubted it. Covington was afraid of losing Cameron's bank account, and that was the bottom line. How else was he supposed to fund the B*E*A*S*T* project?

  The irony of it all was that if Covington kept Wade alive, he would be in even more danger of losing it. Obviously the procedures for brainwashing weren't infallible. It was only a matter of time before Wade remembered what Covington was trying so hard to suppress.

  Lucian didn't care what happened one way or the other. As long as Covington got what was coming to him. He grinned at the thought, hiding it behind another cough.

  * * * *

  Wade and Keira had mated. Jesus Christ.

  Popping a pill into his mouth, Clive grimaced as he swallowed it dry. This whole goddamn mess was wreaking havoc on his blood pressure. But this was one thing he hadn't seen coming.

  Lucian had left his office a few minutes before, on orders to pick up Keira from the police station. He was clearly disgruntled Clive wasn't planning on killing Wade outright. But what his top scientist didn't understand was that he couldn't kill the heir to the Cameron fortune. Not when he might still be useful.

  Brandon Cameron, Jr. had inherited his oil fortune from his father, the original Brandon Cameron. The business passed down through the family, and Clive hadn't wasted any time befriending Cameron, Jr. in an effort to secure funding for his campaign for a seat in the Senate. But many cocktail parties and social gatherings later, Clive and Cameron, Jr. were close friends. Clive had even watched Cameron's son, Brandon Wade Cameron III, grow into a fine young man.

  But soon after September Eleventh, the elder Cameron revealed to Clive his secret project.

  B*E*A*S*T*.

  Infuriated by the state of the world, Cameron had begun funneling his money into an insane secret agency, hell-bent on killing anyone who got in his way. Clive hadn't understood the science behind it. Hell, he still didn't, but that hadn't stopped him from drooling at the many possibilities.

  Once Cameron mentioned funding Clive's presidential bid, it all seemed to click. As president of the United States, not only would Clive be the most powerful man in the world, he would also have the most powerful army.

  Terrorists, dictators, even prime ministers ... No one on Earth would be safe from B*E*A*S*T*'s shifters.

  But Cameron Jr. had wanted to scrap the project at this son's urgings, claiming what they did to the men was unethical. Obviously, Clive had thought otherwise. There was no way in hell Cameron was going to pull the plug on the agency. Not when it had such potential. Clive did what he had to do.

  He'd killed his longtime friend.

  He didn't do it himself, of course, but with the help of Lucian, found a shifter who was willing to do the job. Tam.

  A sleek black panther, Tam had two jobs that night—kill the elder Cameron and kidnap the younger one. It had been a risky move, as Wade would have been the heir to the fortune of his father and his grandfather. But Clive still needed that money.

  With an agency that specialized in splicing DNA, the sky was the limit to what he could accomplish. Lucian had extracted Wade's DNA before hiding him within the agency, turning him into a shifter himself, and erasing his memory.

  With no time to lose, Clive had ordered Lucian to splice Wade's DNA with his own. Covington became a shifter as well—just not with an animal.

  Whenever he wanted, he could transform at will into Brandon Wade Cameron III, controlling the Cameron fortune as he saw fit. But having the real heir show his face was unacceptable.

  He probably should kill Wade, if only to ensure control over the funding behind the B*E*A*S*T* project. But if something should ever go wrong, Clive wanted the real heir alive and well to present to the courts or the bank—anyone who might need to see Clive and Brandon Cameron III together—for whatever reason.

  When Wade had first escaped with Noah and Rowan from the facility in Colorado, Clive had been so pissed off, he'd wanted him dead with the rest of them. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized he should probably keep the asshole alive. Even with his memory wiped, Wade McAllister was a huge thorn in his side. And now, the man had gotten his claws into Keira as well.

  Walking to the liquor cabinet semi-hidden within the panels of the wall, Clive pulled out a bottle of vodka and poured himself a shot. He really shouldn't drink with his meds, but at this point, he didn't give a flying shit.

  The liquid burned on the way down, and Clive's skin actually rippled with the need to shift. It was hard keeping his urges suppressed and he could only imagine what his experiments had to go through. But the shifters’ discomfort was mild compared to what they would do for their future president.

  Brett would be arriving at the estate in no time with Wade. Keira wouldn't be too far behind. Clive had to get everything ready. There was no time to ship them to one of B*E*A*S*T*'s facilities in order to take care of them. Lucian would just have to mind-wipe them in the basement lab.

  Pouring himself another glass, Clive downed it before setting the vodka back in the cabinet. The alcohol seemed to intensify his anger and he cracked the shot glass within his fist. He wasn't sure he'd be able to keep his cool around Wade. The man had taken advantage of Clive's only daughter, forcing him to mind-wipe her in order to keep her from him.

  Maybe he should kill the bastard after all.

  Nineteen

  Mac stared long and hard at the road, gripping the steering wheel of the stolen green Hummer with a vengeance. Wade was in some deep shit, it seemed, and he needed the help of all the shifters who'd banded together from the compound in Colorado.

  Trevor and Jet, Mac's two closest friends, lay in the back, snoring away. They'd succeeded in storming the second B*E*A*S*T* compound in Oregon, with the help of the woman dozing in the passenger seat. Her name was Robyn Groves, or at least, that's what those bastards called her. She was a shifter herself, a snowy owl, and Mac couldn't help the random glance her way.

  He'd found her in the forest, suffering from a broken arm. One of the scientists had given it to her during an experiment, and Mac's hackles rose at the thought. But he found comfort in the knowledge that h
e'd personally killed the asshole who'd hurt her. Thankfully, B*E*A*S*T*'s shifters healed fast, and she was well on her way to recovery.

  Robyn had been more than willing to help them with the codes they needed to free the others, and Mac couldn't help the swell of satisfaction that had risen inside of him when they'd liberated even more shifters.

  They'd stolen one of the agency's Hummers, as well as a fat wad of cash that had lined the pockets of the scientists. But Mac had no remorse for killing those assholes and looting their remains. It's what he'd been trained to do, and in that instance, he was all too happy to do it.

  When Noah had called them earlier, requesting they meet up in Texas, Mac and the others had already fled to California. If there were more compounds out there, Mac wanted to find every damn one of them and bring the benefactors to their knees.

  Both Jet and Trevor had already driven their legs of the journey, and now, he was just about to cross over into Arizona. Having more than one driver was mighty convenient, as they'd been driving non-stop for hours now.

  Mac grinned. Soon, there'd be nothing left of B*E*A*S*T* or the men who funded the experiments. He was all too happy to take them out by himself. One by one, if he had to.

  Chancing another glance at Robyn dozing in the seat beside him, he tried his hardest to ignore her feminine scent. Her long, raven-colored hair cascaded over her shoulder, making her look like a sleeping angel. Her stormy blue eyes were closed, but that didn't stop Mac from remembering each and every time they'd glanced his way. She'd given him a few suggestive looks on more than one occasion, but he hadn't acted upon them. Squirming in his seat, he wished to God he had. Being around her now had become uncomfortable—in more ways than one. Even the guys noted his testy attitude.

  It wouldn't be long before Jet and Trevor figured it out. He was lusting after Robyn like a jaguar in heat.

  Rubbing his eyes, Mac thanked his lucky stars they were all asleep. With a deep sigh, he rolled the window down a crack, hopefully getting rid of the telltale scent of his own need.

  He couldn't afford being led astray by his desires. Not when they were so close to the big man himself. And Mac personally wanted to rip out his throat.

  * * * *

  Wade awoke to inky blackness. He had no idea where he was, but every move his body made was excruciatingly painful. He didn't feel any fur—he must have shifted—but he didn't remember doing so. The last thing he remembered was Brett's cop car hitting him, sending explosions of white light throughout the four corners of his body.

  He remembered Keira's scream and being helpless to save her. Damn it! What kind of shit had he gotten himself into now?

  The rank stench of rotting straw came to him and he realized what he was laying on. Some kind of crude cot complete with straw and burlap. How very medieval of Covington.

  Wade growled low as he felt around, but only came in contact with four brick walls and a heavy door. He was back in a cell.

  Panic settled in his heart as memories slammed through him, of being made to endure so much pain before being drugged into oblivion. The bastard Covington would not be able to get away with it this time.

  But try as he might, he couldn't shift. Did he expect any less? Of course they were going to give him the serum. He wouldn't be able to shift for hours yet.

  Collapsing on his cot, Wade sighed heavily and thought of Keira. Beautiful Keira, who'd made love to him with wild abandon mere hours before. Tears formed in his eyes. Surely Clive wouldn't hurt his own daughter. Would he?

  Wade didn't know and the uncertainty was killing him. With his eyes stinging, he rolled on his side and curled into a ball.

  "Keira,” he whispered. “I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!"

  The sound of his sobbing filled the small chamber, but no one came to his aid.

  * * * *

  Keira's terror left her a long time ago. Images of what her insane father might do to her almost engulfed her back at the police station. Now, however, she was seething, her anger intensified by the fact her father had sent his doctor to bail her out. The drone of Lucian's Buick was the only sound for miles until he decided to talk.

  "Your father is simply too busy, child.” He glanced at her over the rims of his round glasses. “Imagine the scandal of a U.S. senator bailing his wayward daughter out of jail."

  "Cut the shit, Carver,” she fairly growled. “I know what my father has been up to. What you've been up to. Now you tell me—which is the bigger scandal?” If looks could kill, Keira was sure he'd be dead by now. But Lucian didn't seem all that shocked she knew about his secrets.

  "So you know.” It wasn't a question, it was more of a statement. He nodded, as if expecting as much. “Figured that cougar would tell you sooner or later."

  "How could you do it? How could you be so cold-hearted? How could you take men from their lives and brainwash them? Turn them into monsters?"

  Lucian gave her a sidelong glance as he drove. “It's a funny thing, what the love of money will do to a man. Ethics had nothing to do with it, my dear. Benjamin Franklin on the other hand..."

  Keira stared at him in shocked horror. “You did it ... for the money?"

  "That, and to see if I could. My colleagues and I have been working on the B*E*A*S*T* project for years. We'd perfected cloning. DNA splicing was the next logical step. When I was approached by Cameron Jr. to be the head of his secret agency, I jumped at the chance, and watched as your father betrayed his friend and had him killed."

  Keira gasped. “What?"

  Lucian grinned and it made her skin crawl. “That's something your cougar knows nothing about."

  "Wade knows enough. He knows his real name is Brandon Cameron the Third."

  "Does he know your father killed his father in order to control the Cameron fortune? Does he know Covington uses the money Wade has rightfully inherited to fund the B*E*A*S*T* project? Does he know your father is a shifter himself?"

  "Oh my God.” Keira shuddered from head to toe. Her fright was back tenfold, threatening to choke the life out of her. “My father is a..."

  "Shifter?” Lucian nodded. “The old bastard wouldn't rest until I made him one. Said his plans wouldn't be complete otherwise."

  "What the hell is he?” Keira shivered, but she could no longer control her body. Her teeth chattered loudly and she had to wonder if she really wanted to know.

  "Not what. Who. In order to properly control Cameron's fortune, he had to become the heir himself."

  She stared out the windshield but didn't see a damn thing. Her stomach roiled, threatening to revisit its contents at any given moment. “Are you telling me my father ... can shift into Wade?"

  Lucian winked. She was going to be sick. “Jesus Christ!"

  "That's an understatement,” he said dryly.

  Keira's heart was beating so hard, it was almost painful. Tears burned her eyes as she tried to catch her breath. She felt as if she'd been punched in the gut. Wade mentioned her father had wanted him alive. Now it all made sense. Sifting through her memories of what Wade told her, she remembered something else.

  "You implanted a ... a safe word into the shifters, didn't you? A word that makes them go catatonic?"

  Lucian actually looked proud of himself. “Yes, I did. You cannot have an agency full of dangerous shifters and not have some kind of plan in place should all hell break loose."

  "Did you use it in Colorado when Noah and Rogan infiltrated the compound?"

  The doctor shifted on his seat and cleared his throat. “Uh, no."

  "But you used it in Oregon when the shifters held you prisoner."

  "I needed a way to escape.” He appeared flustered.

  "Seems like the perfect place to test it would be when ‘all hell broke loose’ in Colorado, don't you think?"

  Was it her imagination, or did Lucian just growl at her? For a moment, she wondered if he was a shifter as well. Oh God, what if he was? The thought chilled her to the bone. But his eyes didn't flash like Wade's or Brett's. Maybe s
he was imagining things. But how could she be sure?

  "There were too many of them,” the doctor grumbled. “I was whisked away by security before I had the chance."

  Keira didn't believe him. He was continuing to rub the palms of his hands on his tan slacks. Perhaps he was nervous.

  "Are you a shifter?” Her heart raced at her own audacity for asking him outright.

  "Oh, hell no!” he exclaimed with a chuckle. “I have no inclination to become a freak."

  Keira tried hard to ignore that word. Her protective instincts were kicking in. How dare this man call Wade and everyone else he created a freak?

  "You created them, doctor. You made them freaks."

  "Doesn't mean I have to be one myself."

  A few more miles passed in silence and Keira saw the lights of Dallas up ahead. The sun would rise soon, and in no time at all, she'd be standing before her father. She had to swallow hard to dislodge her stomach from her throat.

  At that moment, something clicked in her mind. Lucian's excuse of why he hadn't used the safe word at the compound in Colorado was a weak one. He said himself he'd created it for times such as that. So why hadn't he used it? Unless...

  "My father has no clue about the safe word, does he?"

  "Don't be ridiculous, child, of course he knows.” Lucian began to fidget, pushing his glasses further up his nose and running a hand through his graying hair.

  "You're lying.” She folded her arms on her chest and stared him down.

  He sighed heavily and changed lanes. “Makes no difference if you know anyhow,” he muttered. “Your father has ordered you to be reprogrammed."

  Hearing the words spoken out loud jabbed straight to her heart. “Why?” she managed to say through her sudden tears.

  "Because you know too much.” Their eyes locked and Keira shivered in spite of herself.