“What the hell were they doing here?” she whispered. “With all these cells?” They’d passed a medical examination room, with the steel chains still hanging from the examination table. Rusty stains marred the white linoleum.
Wade’s vivid blue gaze speared her. “Experiments.”
“I know that. But on what?”
He shrugged, but his voice was quiet when he answered, “Wargs. The government wanted to know what they were, where they come from. And how to use them as weapons.
“They were also performing gene splicing. Trying to mix breeds. That's how they created the shadow-cat – half wolf, half cougar, a hint of something else. They thought that might have been how we came about. Who knows if they were right? Some say wargs have been here for centuries, we just hid it better then. But you can't chain a monster down for long."
The eerie cells took on a new meaning. “You think that’s what happened here? The wargs got free?”
“Most likely.” A bleak smile. “Bet that scared the hell out of ‘em.”
“You find that amusing?”
A hot look that froze the blood in her veins. A look that spoke of a lot of hurt, of pain. Of vengeance. “Yeah,” he said. “I find that amusin’. Look around you, Riley. Just because we're monsters doesn't mean that we don't feel it when you cut us open. I don't like wargs none, but that don't mean I think much of humans either. Or the type of human that did this,” he said, looking around.
Wade strode ahead of her.
Riley settled into a considering silence. The more she learned about him, the more she began to question everything she knew. Wargs were monsters. Everybody knew that. But Wade was an exception she simply couldn’t define.
A cold-hearted prick who’d straight-out told her he planned to use her to kill a man. He was the first to tell her what a monster he was. There was no sympathy, no softness. Just the occasional moment when she wondered if there was something more to the man than he professed.
A strange yearning filled her. A need to know. To understand him. Riley glanced at his broad back, wondering if the stress was doing funny things to her mind.
They climbed through the next two levels without incident. Wade moved slower, leaving the lights off. They’d reached ground level, and enough moonlight gleamed through the windows to see. Outside, the reivers had manned their gun turrets and were sweeping the flat field with their spotlights. Wade was little more than a shadow amongst shadows.
He grabbed her arm and pressed her into the corner suddenly. One hand clapped over her mouth.
Riley froze, the gun pressed between them, and every hot, hard inch of Wade forcing her against the wall. The sweeping lights outside washed over the pair of them, highlighting the very-blue of his eyes, and the stark shadow under his cheekbones. A heavy graze of stubble lined his jaw.
“Reiver,” he mouthed.
Slowly, he removed his hand from her mouth and held a hushing finger to his lips. He took a step back, urging her to stay where she was.
The shadows swallowed him. Riley held still, her heart thundering in her ears. Every sweep of the lights lit up the stark furniture in the room. A meeting room, by the look of it. Twelve chairs around a table, and an old projector half-torn from the wall.
A quiet scuffle caught her ears. She licked her lips, shifted her grip on the gun. She was out of shells, but she could still use it as a club.
Wade reappeared in the doorway and gestured to follow him. His breathing raced, chest rising and falling in a quickened rhythm. From the look on his face, he’d enjoyed the kill just a little too much. The silver charm around his neck winked at her as he turned.
The reiver lay in a twisted heap on the floor, a puddle of dark liquid soaking across the linoleum beneath him. He probably hadn’t even known what had grabbed him.
Riley paused then knelt beside the body, yanking the gun from its cooling clutches. Wade was watching her when she stood, then nodded as she tossed him the spent shotgun.
He stopped beside a closed door, pressing his ear against the heavy steel. His hand slid over the curve of her back, holding her there. Pressing his lips against her ear, he whispered, “I can hear movement. The boy’s whimpering.”
Her chest squeezed. Jimmy. The poor kid.
Riley nodded, quietly cocking the hammer back on the handgun. The click echoed in the empty hallway.
Wade shook his head. “Stay here,” he murmured. “I’ll get him.”
She caught his arm as he started to ease the handle open. Wade met her gaze and shook his head slowly.
“I’ll bring him back to you,” he promised. “Just watch my back.”
Then he vanished through the crack in the door.
Leaving her alone with a cooling body on the floor.
The reiver was standing over the kid, swigging from a bottle. He started undoing his belt, completely oblivious to the danger that stalked him from behind.
Lucius stepped up behind him silently, grabbing him across the mouth and tilting his head back. One quick slash of the knife and the body kicked feebly, the bottle tumbling from its hand.
He caught it with his boot – thank God for lightning-quick reflexes – then eased it onto the pile of blankets the reiver had obviously taken over. His own goddamn blankets. The warg cage gleamed silver in the night, and his packs had been rifled through, his supplies scattered and torn.
The kid, Jimmy, was hog-tied and gagged. He shivered in the dark, the scent of urine staining the air. So frightened he was almost oblivious with it.
Cocking his head, Lucius listened intently. There were shouts from outside. Curses. Someone sprayed a few warning shots into the gulch beyond from the gun turret. No doubt that’s where Colton and his friend would be, hunting for him.
Certain they were alone, he let the body drop and knelt beside the kid. A rough jerk and the gag was free. Before the kid could scream, he clapped a hand over his mouth and leaned close, whispering in his ear. “Riley’s waiting for you.”
The skinny frame collapsed in relief. A sob caught in his hand. Wade ground his teeth together; the kid was near hysterical, a mess. No use trying to sober him up, or shake some sense into him. No time either. Looking around, he lifted the hilt of the blade and dealt Jimmy a neat blow to the back of his head.
It took mere seconds to fetch everything he needed, stuffing it in one of his duffels. Then he hoisted the kid over his shoulder and headed back the way he’d come.
Riley was waiting for him as he made it through the maze of rooms. As he stepped through the door to where he’d left her, he was greeted with the barrel of the handgun. Her eyes widened when she saw the boy slung over his shoulder, and the gun lowered.
“Jimmy,” she whispered, reaching out to touch his dangling legs. A suspicious shine brightened her pretty eyes. “What happened to him? What’d they do?”
“I knocked him out.” At her sharp glare, he held up a hand. “Kid’s hysterical. And we need to move fast. You can rip strips off me later.”
“I’ll hold you to that promise,” she warned, a touch of her old stubbornness tipping her chin up.
“Now,” he said, spinning her around. “Let’s get the hell out of here. Before our friends realize the kid’s missing. I’m good, but I’m not that good.”
5
Dawn silvered the sky by the time Wade let her rest.
Riley collapsed into the shadow of a rock, sweat dampening her temples. She was exhausted. Emotionally and physically.
The escape from Black River had been easier than she’d expected. Her nerves were wrung raw, expecting an ambush at every corner, but it seemed the ruse had worked. Even the revenants had given them little grief, watching them silently from the shadows as they slunk along the cave.
“It’s the scent of me,” Wade had said. “Makes ‘em warier than they ought to be. They know I’m not human.”
The thought still creeped her out. It might have been better if the revenants made some sort of noise, but all they did wa
s watch. As if they were thinking about how good she would taste.
Riley slipped out of her boots and tipped them upside down, letting the water splash out of them. Three miles wading through a creek had ruined the leather, but better that than being caught by the wargs that were surely hunting them.
Jimmy was starting to make noise, his body jerking feebly. Wade had carried him over his shoulder as if the lanky youth were a feather-weight.
Riley knelt beside him and stroked a gentle hand over his forehead. His face was a bruised mess, both eyes blackened and one of his teeth broken. She unscrewed the cap off the water flask Wade had smuggled out in a duffel bag and tipped it to Jimmy’s cracked lips. He winced then gulped at the water.
“Easy, Jimmy,” she whispered. “I got you now.” Every bruise was a knife to her chest, compounding the guilt. If only she’d said they’d had enough rocs that afternoon, had headed back to Haven early. None of this would have happened. Jimmy wouldn’t be beaten within an inch of his life, there’d be no wargs on her trail, and she wouldn’t have made a deal with the devil.
She looked up and saw Wade watching her with an inscrutable expression. The stubble along his jaw had darkened to a shadow, and his hair was wind-tossed and rumpled. Black as a raven’s wing. Black as his heart.
“It was worth it,” she said, tipping her chin up as she stroked Jimmy’s hair off his face. “We got him back.”
A slow salute of a nod. “So we did.” His gaze slid over her shoulder, raking the dusty plains behind them. “But I ain’t celebratin’ ‘til I know Colton ain’t on the trail.”
“What’s with you two?”
She eased Jimmy’s head back onto the blanket she’d cradled beneath him. He sighed and sank back into blissful unconsciousness.
Wade shrugged. “Rode with him once. Him and his master.” At that, his lip curled. “Bartholomew Cane. Never did like that bastard.”
“You don’t seem to like anybody.”
“There are some exceptions.” A neutral look that could have meant anything. Wade pushed away from the rock he was leaning against, shouldering the shotgun. “Thought Cane and Colton were just men.” His voice became gruff. “It’s the worst fucking mistake I ever made. I swore then I’d be carving their names on a tombstone, and I thought I’d done it. Obviously, I was wrong. If Colton’s alive, that means Cane ain’t that far behind. He holds the leash, tells Colton where and what to hunt.”
“How’d you mistake them for men?” she asked slowly. “You were a bounty hunter. You should have recognized the signs.”
Wade fingered the pewter amulet around his neck. “I’d never seen a warg stay a man like that. The monsters don’t always look like monsters.” He stepped closer, the shotgun resting on his shoulder. The warm scent of him curled through her nose and the cool wind cut around him, leaving her in the slipstream. “Do they?” He searched her gaze, looked for the answer within.
Riley stilled. She was suddenly very aware of his large body, of the faint slick of perspiration that gleamed on the muscles of his arms. Her nipples pricked and she crossed her arms over her chest, troubled by her reaction.
He could have been any other man, but for the faint gleam of silver in his very-blue eyes. A mistake that was easy to make. One her body made every chance it could. He was getting under her skin, sinking his claws deep within her.
And she didn’t like it one bit.
The thought made her feel vulnerable. On edge. And dangerously tempted.
Wade reached out and stroked her chin. Riley’s breath caught. He was always so gentle, as if challenging her to accept his touch. Like a man soothing a skittish filly, seducing her slowly, bit by bit. Getting her used to the idea of him.
“We’d best be going,” she blurted, jerking out of reach. Leaning down, she grabbed the duffel for something to do and slung it over her shoulder. “Your friend Colton, remember?”
Slowly, his hand dropped. Wade stared at her. “I remember.”
The rest of the day was a nightmare as they walked for endless miles beneath the beating sun. Only a fool went out in this heat, but they didn’t exactly have a choice. Wade’s next den was hidden high in the Blaspheme Mountains.
Most of the water they gave to Jimmy, who stirred at odd moments. Wade had him slung over his shoulders again. Not once did he complain about the kid’s weight as he trekked along at her heels. Occasionally, she’d stumble, and his warm hand would grab her by the elbow and steady her.
Her knees were shaking. “I don’t think I can make it,” Riley murmured through dry lips. The water canteen was empty. Heat pounded down from the blazing sun, reflecting off the rock pan. The world was a shimmering haze. She felt like she was in an oven.
“You drop and I’ll leave the boy here and carry you myself,” Wade said.
Riley shot him a devastated look. “You promised.”
His teeth ground together, an edge of frustration tightening his features. “Fine.” The word was grated. “I’ll get the kid out. I’ll get you both out.” He steadied her arm, looking down at her. Something softened in his eyes. “You can do it, Riley. This is nothing compared to revenants and reivers. Don’t make me think you’re weak. I was almost starting to admire you.”
Heat flushed through her. She couldn’t stop trembling. “How far?”
“Another mile. Just one more.”
This time, he kept hold of her elbow. Riley stumbled along, the afternoon shadows starting to lengthen. Most of the going had been flat, but now they started climbing. She couldn’t keep up the pace, but Wade kept silent, helping her over rocks, leading her by the hand when she was sure she couldn’t go another step.
One foot in front of the other.
And again. Just one more.
She didn’t even realize it was dusk until he finally stopped. Looking up, she blinked to find them in front of a tumble of rocks. There was a faint slit she thought she could just slip through.
“We’re here.” A gentle hand settled in the middle of her back. “There’s water. Supplies. I even have spare blankets.”
“More caves,” she muttered, but she didn’t have the strength to work herself up to even a minor panic.
Wade leaned her against the rock face. “Stay here. I’ll settle the kid and come back for you.”
She didn’t know how long he’d been, but the grip of his arm startled her awake. Night had fallen with the swiftness of a theater curtain, a thousand stars winking in the velvety sky.
“Here.” There was a canteen at her lips, Wade’s hand cupping her face as he tilted it back and let the cool water trail into her mouth.
Riley drank greedily. The water was colder than she’d have ever expected to find. So refreshing that it woke her up.
Wade screwed the cap back on, ignoring her protests. “You can have more in a minute. It’ll make you sick otherwise.” He bent down and slung her up into his arms. “Come on, time for bed, princess.”
Riley’s head rested on his shoulder. She couldn’t even summon the strength to protest the name. Her eyes drifted shut. So warm. She could feel the tick of his heart beneath her palm as it rested on his chest. A hypnotic beat, but strangely quickened.
“Your heart’s racing.”
“Mmm,” he muttered into her hair. “It’s the moon.”
Something about that tugged at her as wrong. She blinked. Saw the silver gleam in his eyes. A sight that had frightened her not so long ago. “There’s barely a sliver in the sky. I thought the fullness of the moon aroused your inner....”
“The monster inside me?” A mocking smile, full of bitterness. He stroked a thumb over her cheek, strangely tender. “Shut up, Riley. Go to sleep.”
Then he was snuggling her into a nest of blankets that he’d prepared on the sandy floor of the cavern. Dragging the blanket up, he tucked it around her shoulders. His face was oddly expressionless.
“Jimmy,” she muttered.
A warm palm smoothed the hair back off her face. “I’ll watch him.
You just go to sleep.”
She couldn’t remember falling asleep. But the next thing she knew, she was freezing, the frigid desert night settling down with heavy skirts. Someone was humming, a lullaby she recognized as one her mama had sung to her as a kid. Blinking sleepily, she saw the small fire Wade must have started in a pit, and Jimmy’s prone body sleeping in another nest of blankets.
Firelight gleamed over Wade’s face. He’d dragged a coat on and was kneeling on the other side of the fire, slowly whittling a piece of wood. Riley watched for long moments, certain she was dreaming, her mind trying to make out what he was carving.
The knife moved with slow, steady strokes as he hummed under his breath. A curl of wood drifted to the floor at his feet, then another. A shape began to emerge. A tiny little doll. Every detail so fine and perfect it could have come from a master carver.
He finished the piece and stared at it for a long time. The humming had stopped. Then slowly he put it down beside him and rested against the wall of the cavern. Dark shadows bruised his eyes. He drew the edges of the coat tighter, then tucked his hands inside and stared into the flames.
Riley’s eyes shut, and she slept again.
By the time she woke, the sun was climbing in the sky. Riley yawned, half tempted to roll over, and go back to sleep. Then she saw Wade’s boots stretched out before the coals. He had the rifle leaning against the cave wall beside him, and he was staring through red-rimmed eyes at the mouth of the cave.
Riley sat up. She was sweating again, the morning sun starting to bake the air outside. Hot enough that she didn’t need two blankets.
Wade’s gaze swiveled to her. He looked drained, and she realized he’d been awake all night, keeping watch.
“Jesus,” she muttered, shoving aside the blankets, and finding her feet. “You should have woken me.”
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