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

by Rebecca Goings

  "No welcome wagon,” Lucian said, his voice echoing. “How odd."

  "M—my father is probably in his o—office.” Dear God, she was trembling from head to toe.

  "Good. Then that makes this easy.” Lucian's footsteps were loud within the silent hall. Wiping her palms on her jeans, Keira followed him, feeling all the while like a lamb being led to slaughter.

  * * * *

  Brett held his still-bleeding shoulder and grimaced as he stood before Covington's desk. The office looked as if a grenade exploded within. Papers were everywhere, as well as computer components. Even the cushions of the sofa had been ripped to shreds. The old man must have torn those to pieces after Brett had left to take care of Wade.

  "Did you kill him?” Covington's voice was deceptively low. Brett knew without a doubt the he was still pissed off. In fact, he looked mad enough to kill someone himself. A shudder of doubt ripped through Brett. Perhaps Noah and Rogan had been right. Would Covington live up to his end of their agreement?

  "No."

  Covington stood silently from his chair.

  "But I have even better news.” Brett winced once again when he took an involuntary step backward. For the first time in his life, he was afraid of his boss. He was injured and he couldn't shift. He was at one hell of a disadvantage. If the bastard wanted to kill him, Brett knew Covington wouldn't have that big of a fight. Brett had been up all night long. He was exhausted.

  "Tell me.” Covington's eyes flashed.

  Brett lifted his chin, attempting a bravado he didn't quite feel. “The traitors, Noah and Rogan, tried to infiltrate the mansion. I found them in the east wing."

  "What?"

  "They shot me and demanded I take them to Wade, which I did, but once they ran into his cell to save him, I locked them in with him. You now have the men who stormed the compound in Colorado, sir."

  The silence in the room was deafening, and Brett fidgeted in spite of himself. Finally, Covington collapsed back in his chair, laughing insanely. Within a few moments, he wiped tears from his eyes.

  "Sir?"

  Brett's voice seemed to make him laugh even harder. Shaking his head, Brett stood his ground, wondering what the hell was so funny.

  After a few moments, Covington sobered, running his fingers through his hair. He rested his elbows on his desk. “You've managed to do what Tam and Sean failed to do, cheetah. I knew you were a ruthless son of a bitch, but I never knew you'd have the balls to trap them all."

  Brett gave him one curt nod. “Thank you. I think.” Taking a deep breath, he said, “I also wanted to ask you about our agreement."

  "Agreement? What agreement?"

  "The one I made when I first started working for you, sir. You said you'd give me my freedom if I delivered the three shifters from Colorado."

  Covington pursed his lips. “Ah yes. That reminds me, I'll have to have Lucian reprogram you."

  The air rushed out of Brett's lungs. “What the hell are you talking about?"

  Once again, Covington stood. “You need to learn something about me, Walker. I don't do a goddamned thing unless it benefits me. Letting go of you would not be the smartest thing to do, now would it? In fact, I am giving you your freedom. Freedom to start your life over—as one of my most prized shifters."

  "You old bastard.” Brett's skin rippled with the urge to shift, but the serum denied him the satisfaction. “You're damn lucky Rogan injected me with Carver's shit. Once it wears off, I'm going to rip out your throat."

  Covington reached down to one of the drawers in his desk and opened it, then pulled out a handgun. He made a show of cocking it. “You're right. I am damn lucky. Perhaps I should just kill you now and give you freedom of a different kind?"

  At that moment, a knock sounded at the door and Dr. Carver himself opened it to poke his head in. His beady eyes took in the scene before him and he raised his eyebrows in supposed shock. “I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

  To Brett's relief, Covington lowered his gun and waved him in. “Ah, Lucian, come in. I trust you have my daughter with you?"

  Lucian pulled Keira into the office by her arm, making her wince. “Right here."

  "Excellent!” Once again, Covington chuckled, and Brett wondered about his sanity. The man obviously didn't have a light on upstairs. But the relief pulsing through Brett's veins could not be denied. The old man would have killed him within another two seconds, he was sure of it. But he'd be damned if he'd give Covington another chance at killing him.

  "You're going to have your work cut out for you, Carver,” Covington said. “Brett tells me the others from Colorado, Noah and Rogan, are in the cell with Wade as we speak. Reprogram them along with Keira and Brett. Perhaps this whole mess won't be such a shit storm after all."

  * * * *

  Keira hardly recognized her father. His usually immaculate clothing hung on him like rags and his salt-and-pepper hair all askew. But his eyes ... Wild and crazy, flashing in the light like Wade's once had.

  Chills raced up her spine when those eyes rested on her, hollow and cruel. She tried desperately to ignore the fact he was holding his gun, but she couldn't stop from glancing at it nervously.

  Covington smiled at her, but Keira thought his smile resembled more of a sneer, if anything. The fact Brett himself was in the room didn't scare her quite as much as the disturbing visage of her own father.

  "So I've heard you've whored yourself out to one of my shifters.” His words made her jaw drop open in shock. “Can't say I'm surprised, seen as how you've spread your legs for half of the agency already."

  Keira gasped, then scowled in rage. “What the hell are you talking about? I haven't been with anyone from B*E*A*S*T*, other than Wade. I hadn't even heard of the horrors you've endorsed until I met him."

  Her father had the gall to give her a nonchalant shrug. “Doesn't surprise me you don't remember. Dr. Carver is very good at what he does."

  Keira was silent for a moment before her skin began to crawl. Dear God. Had her father mind-wiped her before?

  "What did you do to me?” Tears of fury blurred her vision and she dreaded the answer, but she had to know. Glancing at Lucian, she repeated her question.

  The doctor arched his brow, but spoke up. “You've already been through this process, my dear,” he said. “Along with Brett."

  Keira's blood ran cold. Her gaze locked with the dark-haired shifter in front of her father's desk. Her imagination ran wild, and thoughts of being in his bed came over her. It wasn't true. It couldn't be. The man repulsed her. Even though Brett was handsome in his own right, he was an arrogant asshole that scared the shit out of her. There was no way in hell she ever had a relationship with him.

  "You're lying!” Keira knew she was fast on her way to spiraling into hysteria, but there was no way to stop it. She was going to be sick. She couldn't catch her breath no matter how hard she tried. Christ, she was hyperventilating.

  Lucian took her hands and placed them over her own mouth, telling her to breathe deep and even. She gave him a single nod, holding back the sobs that wanted to come.

  "Covington, you are a lying sack of shit.” Brett's soft voice held an undertone of steel. He was tense, as if he could barely hold himself back from flying across the desk to rip out her father's throat.

  "I'm afraid not.” Covington glanced back and forth between Keira and Brett. “You two used to be quite the item around here until I put an end to it. No daughter of mine is going to bang a shifter."

  "Don't worry ... Father,” Keira panted, practically spitting her last word. “I am ... no daughter of yours.” She glanced at Lucian who pushed his glasses up his nose. He seemed bored with it all. Were any of these men sane?

  Lucian cleared his throat before casually muttering, “Desino."

  Instantly, Keira's father and Brett froze, standing deathly still with a faraway look in their eyes. Her brows shot up in surprise and a cry escaped her lips. She didn't expect Lucian's safe word to be quite so ... effective.<
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  "Come. We haven't much time. The effect wears off after about fifteen minutes.” Lucian turned to walk out the door, as if expecting her to follow.

  "Wait.” Keira strode to her father and wrenched the gun from his hand. Rummaging through his desk drawer, she pulled out more ammo. “We might need this."

  She checked the chamber and the magazine to make sure it was loaded before tucking it into the waistband of her jeans. Her thoughts whirled and she felt as if she were having an out-of-body experience, but that didn't stop her from taking one last look at Brett's slack face. Imagining his touch on her skin made her stomach churn. Jesus. What else had her father erased from her memory?

  She didn't know, but she was with the very scientist who'd wiped her. Keira was determined to get some goddamn answers before this day was through.

  Twenty Two

  "A dungeon?"

  "Yeah, can you believe that?” Rogan's incredulous voice drifted from the other side of Wade on the cot. “It's really creepy down here. Almost like a ... mini-compound."

  "No shit?” Wade couldn't believe his ears.

  "No shit,” said Noah. He grunted in the darkness. “Complete with a lab and everything."

  "Christ.” Wade shifted his weight and groaned. His injuries were still painful and probably would be for a few days. He'd most likely broken a few ribs in the scuffle with Brett's cop car.

  After a few long moments of silence, Rogan spoke once more. “We're such friggin’ idiots."

  Noah chuckled. “I'm not gonna argue with you there."

  "What the hell were we thinking? Trusting Brett? Seriously. Sign us up for the Darwin Awards."

  Wade grinned to himself. “It was pretty stupid of you."

  "Oh thanks, cougar. Rub it in."

  "What the hell are we going to do?” Noah asked. “Lanie and Marlie are probably worried out of their minds, and I wouldn't put it past them to come after us themselves."

  "They won't have to,” Wade said, his heart leaping into his throat. He smelled something—something blessedly familiar. “Keira's coming."

  The others bolted off the cot, taking deep breaths. “Oh, shit. She's with Carver!” Noah's growls filled the room, and Wade knew instantly that he'd shifted. Wade's own skin rippled with the need to do the same, but he couldn't break through the barrier of the serum.

  Once again, the lock to Wade's door clicked open a moment before the door creaked on its hinges. Without hesitation, Noah pounced as soon as they saw Lucian on the other side. Keira screamed as the great white tiger flew through the doorway, pinning B*E*A*S*T*'s top scientist to the far wall of the corridor.

  Rogan dragged Wade out of the cell into the bright florescent light, holding Noah's gun in his hand and aiming it at Lucian's head.

  "Wade!” Keira's sweet voice washed over him a split second before she embraced him. Wade cried out and stumbled back, but held on tight regardless. “Oh God, you're hurt aren't you? I'm so sorry!"

  She moved to step away from him, but he held her fast. “Don't you dare go anywhere, lady.” He couldn't help but take deep breaths of her scent from the skin of her neck. She shivered from head to toe and he felt his body tightening in response. Now was not the time for desire, but that didn't stop him from fantasizing about making love to her right then and there, out of relief if nothing else.

  "Wade, don't hurt Carver. He helped me,” she murmured.

  "What?” Rogan looked at her in horror. “This man helped you rescue us? This man?"

  Keira nodded. “Yes. He bailed me out of jail and agreed to keep Brett and my father at bay so I could find you."

  Rogan scoffed. “Yeah, we know all about Carver's ways of immobilizing shifters, don't we, Noah?"

  The tiger seemed to nod its head, still pinning the doctor to the wall with its massive body while baring its long, sharp teeth.

  Lucian seemed shocked, but his scent didn't hold a trace of fear. Wade had to wonder at that. Out of all the people who'd ever been confronted by a shifter, Carver was the only one who'd never feared them. Perhaps he felt secure in knowing he had his safe word to fall back on. No doubt he'd used it on Brett to get past him. But how did they keep Covington from stopping them?

  As if reading his mind, Keira whispered, “My father's a shifter, too, Wade. But he's not an ... an ... animal."

  Wade stared at her for a moment. “Then what is he?"

  "You."

  Both Rogan and Noah turned their heads to gawk at Keira. “What did you just say?” Rogan asked.

  "My father is a shifter. He made himself into some kind of clone of Wade, in order to control his money for the agency."

  "He stole everything from your father.” At Lucian's words, all eyes gazed at the doctor, who was trying hard to take deep breaths with the weight of the white tiger leaning against him.

  "Why should we listen to any damn word you have to say?” Rogan asked calmly, cocking the gun he held.

  Lucian chuckled. “I'm not going to use my safe word on you if that's what you're worried about."

  "Let's just say I don't believe you any farther than I can throw you."

  "Learned your lesson from Brett, eh?"

  "Why you son of a..."

  "Please,” Keira interrupted. “Listen to what he has to say."

  Wade placed his hand on Rogan's shoulder. “Let him speak."

  Rogan nodded, but it was clear he wasn't happy about it.

  "Covington stole the B*E*A*S*T* project from your father,” Lucian said, glancing at Wade. “Even this mansion used to belong to Brandon Cameron, Jr. He had this entire underground lab made especially for the first few experiments before he moved his agency to the Colorado Rockies. This is where Tam was created, among a few others."

  "Jesus.” Wade took hold of Keira's hand and pulled her close. She didn't resist and curled her arm around his waist.

  "Covington wants all of you reprogrammed."

  "Yeah, we kinda figured that,” Wade said, unable to keep from being a smartass. “So why the hell are you helping us?"

  Lucian nodded to Keira. “She promised me a hundred mil. I'll do anything for a price."

  Wade's eyes rested on Keira. She gazed back at him with a look he couldn't read. “You have that kind of money?” he said in shock.

  "No,” she answered in a small voice. “But you do."

  His brows shot up. “You promised him my money to help you?"

  "What else was I supposed to do, Wade? There was no way in hell I was just going to let them have you forget me!"

  The tears in her eyes melted his heart. Wade didn't give a flying shit about his supposed money. What he did care about was the lengths this woman was willing to go through in order to get him back—even excepting the help of an asshole like Dr. Lucian Carver.

  "My God, you have no idea what I've gone through in the past few hours,” Keira said, sniffling. “I thought Brett killed you when he hit you with that car. I never want to feel that way again."

  Wade was touched by her words. He'd never had anyone who'd cared so deeply for him. He bent down to kiss her, but Lucian's booming voice stopped him.

  "Ahem. May I remind you we have a little over five minutes before Brett and Covington come to their senses? We need to get the hell out of Dodge."

  "Let go of him, tiger,” Rogan said, patting his friend on his hindquarters. Noah moved away from the wall and Lucian all but dropped to his knees.

  "Christ!” the doctor hissed through his teeth, catching himself a moment before he hit the floor.

  "Be thankful Noah didn't kill you,” Rogan said, pushing Lucian forward. “Lead the way."

  Lucian didn't say another word, but turned and walked briskly down the corridor. Rogan fell into step behind him with Noah trailing, still in his shifted state. Wade and Keira shuffled along at a slower pace, but managed to keep up.

  "Where are we going?” Wade asked, wincing as he walked.

  "Anywhere but here,” Rogan tossed over his shoulder.

  * * * *


  No one attempted to breathe until Lucian's Buick had left Covington's estate far behind. Noah had shifted back into his human state, seemingly thankful the doctor had a convenient change of clothes in his trunk. A drawback of always being prepared at the agency, he'd said.

  Once they'd all piled into Lucian's car, the tension was thick. By now, Covington and Brett would be waking from their semi-comas, and God only knew what they were going to do.

  Rogan sat in the front seat, his gun still trained on Lucian. Keira sat curled in Wade's lap in the back seat with Noah sitting next to them. She was so exhausted, she felt as if she could sleep for days. It was morning, but all she wanted to do was find a bed somewhere with Wade, and collapse in his arms.

  Cuddling close, she tucked her head under his chin, content to let him trace little circles on the small of her back. Holding him again filled her with an immense happiness. She'd been scared shitless not too long ago, but Wade seemed to melt all her fears away. Despite all the hell they'd both been through, a little happiness was welcomed.

  "Take us to the Circle K parking lot on Garnet Road a few miles from here,” Rogan instructed, digging in his pocket. He pulled out his cell phone, flipped it open and began dialing. Within moments, he connected to his wife. After a few minutes of trying to calm her down, he finally told her they were all right and on their way.

  He passed the phone to Noah, who pretty much had to explain the same things to his own wife. Keira knew exactly what those women had recently gone though, not knowing what was going on and being almost paralyzed with fear. But Keira had discovered a few unwanted tidbits of information. It would seem her father had her mind-wiped once before. She shuddered and pulled Wade closer.

  "What's wrong?” he whispered in her ear.

  Cupping his cheek, she kissed his other one, leaning her forehead against his. “My father told me something—something I'm not sure I believe."

  "What?” he asked, running his fingers through her hair. Keira closed her eyes to the sensation.

  "He told me..."

  "Tell me, sweetheart."

  Biting her lip, she looked into his eyes and merely blurted it out. “My father said he'd mind-wiped me once before. That I'd had a ... a relationship with Brett at one time. He said you weren't the first. God, Wade, what if it's true? What if ... What if I...” She couldn't go on. Her tears, that had been pent up while she searched her father's home for Wade, now released themselves in torrents.