“Is everything okay?”
“Perfect. We’re in the right place. He’s opening the garage for you now. Pull in, close the garage door, and bring in the package. I’ll be waiting in the kitchen.”
Rennia closed her eyes and tried to make her body relax. She could feel the car move, and then a few moments later it stopped and the engine was turned off. She slowed her breathing when the men exited the front seat and opened the door by her head. She tried not to tense when one of them grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her toward the opening. She was quickly hefted over the idiot’s shoulder and carried into the house.
“Hey!” She cried out when someone grabbed her by the hair and lifted her head up. She looked into a pair of cold, blue eyes.
“I can see our guest is awake. Doc will be interested in knowing that his sedative didn’t last as long as he thought.” He grinned. “I’m sorry. I’m being rude. I guess introductions are in order. In case you were too doped up to remember, my name is Quentin, and my associates are Vincent and Armando.” He nodded toward a man standing near the stove. “And our host is—”
“Prefers to remain anonymous.”
Quentin shrugged. “Your prerogative.” He turned to Vincent. “Our host will show you where you can stash our package. He’s got a place all set up downstairs. Let him show you were to go, secure her, and then get your asses back up here. We need to solidify a new route for getting her out of here and back to base camp. The boss will be here tonight, and he’s not gonna want to stick around for long.”
Armando shifted Rennia on his shoulder. “Lead the way.”
Rennia closed her eyes when the view of the floor moving below her began to make her queasy. She couldn’t help but groan when the damn fool literally bounced down the steps to the basement. She breathed a sigh of relief when they reached the bottom. She only had time for one deep breath before he dumped her unceremoniously on to a small bed. Before she could even look around, the men were leaving, closing the door behind them. The click of the lock reverberated loudly in the small room.
She closed her eyes for a moment. Ray, where are you? Feeling no response, she looked around her prison cell. There was a toilet and sink behind a small partition in one corner of the room. The cement floor had been painted a shamrock green, while the walls and ceiling were pristine white. A single light shone from the ceiling above the bed. There were no windows and only one small ventilation duct. There was a camera mounted in the corner of the ceiling. A small red light flashed continuously on its base near the bottom.
“Great,” she muttered. “I’m on Candid Camera.” Knowing it was fruitless, she walked over and tried to turn the doorknob. “Just as I thought. I’m locked in again.” She gave an experimental push with her shoulder and then grimaced, rubbing the aching muscle. No way would she be able to bust out on her own. When she became dizzy, she made her way back over to the bed and gingerly sat on the thin mattress. “Guys, you’d better hurry. I don’t know what this boss of theirs wants with me, but I’m willing to bet it isn’t good.”
* * * *
Ray jumped when Ayden barked, “Go right!”
Colton cursed. “Houston, we’ve got a problem.”
Ray looked up and frowned. “I don’t understand.”
Ayden leaned over to look out Ray’s window and cursed under his breath. “They’ve changed vehicles.”
Ray looked again. They were parked outside a used car lot. “What do we do now?”
“We could get lucky,” said Ayden. “We could find out what car they ended up with. I won’t know if I can do anything until I check with the folks inside.”
Zander sighed. “That’s gonna be a problem.” He pointed to the front door of the building. “The place closed about an hour ago. They won’t be open until eight o’clock in the morning.”
Ayden opened the Jeep’s door. “Let me get out and walk around the cars. I might can pick up something.”
“All right,” said Zander. “But be quick. I don’t want to have to explain our presence to some redneck cop.”
He chuckled and slid out of the vehicle. “I’ll hurry.”
Ray watched as he stepped over the chain barrier and began to walk up and down the rows of cars.
“You feeling anything from your mate yet?” asked Zander.
Ray shut his eyes and concentrated on an image of Rennia’s face. He could smell the scent of her skin, feel the silkiness of her hair. But, as much as he tried, he couldn’t sense her in his mind anymore. “No, I can’t feel her at all.”
“No worries. She could still be unconscious, or even making a concentrated effort not to send her feelings to you.”
“Why would she do that?”
“To protect you from unnecessary worry. She knows you’re human and she might be mistakenly thinking that you can’t handle what’s happening. Once we find her, you’ll have to straighten her out. Keep trying to reach her. Just because she’s not broadcasting to you doesn’t mean she isn’t reading your emotions. Let her know that help is on the way.”
Ray watched Ayden jog back to the Jeep. He slid into the back seat and closed the door. “They definitely have a new car. The one they were in is in the back lot. I checked it over, inside and out, and couldn’t find anything to help us.”
“Any idea what vehicle they’re traveling in now?” asked Zander.
“The female’s scent is very distinctive, and I traced it to a pair of empty parking spaces. I’m willing to bet the car they took was parked there, but unfortunately, there was a car parked in both places. We’re going to need to talk to the owner in the morning to make sure we’re not tracking the wrong one. The scents are strong enough to know that both cars left here tonight. Her scent stops right in between the two places. Both cars drove out of the lot. One turned east and the other west.”
Zander nodded. “Okay, let’s get a bite to eat, and then we can find a place to park overnight. We’ll be here when they open the doors tomorrow.”
Ray glanced at the car lot and silently cursed. Anything could happen to Rennia overnight. She could be hundreds of miles away by the time they get the information they need. Come on, Rennia. Give me a clue to where you are.
* * * *
Rennia looked up when she heard the lock turn on the door to her cell. She wasn’t surprised to see Quentin walk into the room.
“Come along, young lady. The boss is here, and he wants to do some preliminary testing before we move on to our main facility.”
She shrank back against the wall. “What kind of testing?”
Quentin merely grinned and wrapped his meaty fingers around her arm. “Nothing to worry your pretty little head over. I’m sure it’ll be over before you know it.”
Rennia knew she couldn’t fight the man off, because she still couldn’t sense her beasts. She allowed herself to be led from the room. They traveled down a short hall where Quentin stopped to open a closed door. She was pulled inside the room and led over to a piece of furniture that looked entirely too much like a dissection table. Countertops along one wall held a variety of medical paraphernalia. A box of surgical gloves and a white lab coat lay across a chair placed conveniently next to the head of the table. She inhaled deeply but could only discern a combination of citrus cleaners and alcohol. She wrinkled her nose at the acrid scent.
“Up you go.” Before she could fathom his meaning, Quentin swept her up into his arms and deposited her on the hard, cold table.
“Hey, wait a minute.” She was helpless to stop him as he strapped each of her arms down, and then moved lower and repeated the process on her legs. She struggled, but the restraints were tight, and she had very little moving room. “Why are you doing this to me?”
Quentin shrugged. “Not for me to say.”
The door opened and another man walked in. He was tall, but not very muscular. His bright green eyes stood out against his pale skin. Man, you could seriously use some time on the beach. “Who the hell are you?” she asked. He
ignored her and made his way across the room. Slowly, he began pulling things out of the cabinets. Rennia let her gaze drift over to study the new player in her little drama. A small crease between his eyebrows somehow made him appear even more sinister. The thought of what he might do to her filled her mouth with excess saliva, and she had to gulp it down before it choked her.
Finally, he turned around and smiled at Rennia. “Hello, Miss Wind River. We haven’t met, so allow me to introduce myself. My name is Nathaniel Kaugh. These gentlemen have been kind enough to bring you here so you can assist me with some scientific experiments I’m working on.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What kind of experiments?”
Nathaniel laughed. “Don’t worry your pretty little head about such things. We’re going to be together a very long time, and you’ll have plenty of opportunity to learn all about my work.” He moved closer, and she saw the syringe in his hand.
“What are you gonna do with that?” she asked.
“Just some simple, humane blood tests. You’ll only feel a little stick, and then it’ll be all over.”
Rennia felt the sweat drip down her neck as he swiped an alcohol pad over the skin inside her elbow. She barely felt the prick of the needle as it slid into her vein. As she watched, he filled several large vials with her blood. “Careful there,” she said. “I’m gonna end up being anemic at this rate.”
He chuckled. “You’re going to be a delight to work with. None of my other subjects have shown a sense of humor.” Rennia stayed quiet as he finished up, labeling each of the tubes of blood and placing them in a small container. When he finished, he turned back to her. He moved closer and took her hand in his. “Can we talk, Rennia? You don’t mind if I call you Rennia, do you? You’re welcome to call me Nathaniel.”
“Sure, call me whatever you want.”
Nathaniel nodded. “I want to talk about your animals.”
She caught her breath. “What animals? I don’t have any pets.”
He chuckled again. “Let’s not waste time with games, shall we? I know about your wolf and your cat. It’s very unusual for a shifter to inherit two shifter genes from its parents and both of them be dominant. Your mother has both wolf and feline genes, but she can only change to a cat’s form. I’m going to be examining your DNA to see if I can figure out what makes you so different.”
“Where are you getting your information, because somebody’s feeding you a line of horse manure?”
Nathaniel laughed. “Don’t you worry. My source is solid. Now, you’ve probably already realized that you can’t shift at this time. Don’t worry. It’s not permanent. The drug will only inhibit the shifting genes of both your animals until I decide to let them out. I can literally decide when and where your animals make an appearance.”
“Why would you want to do that?”
He pulled up a chair and sat down. “Your species have very long lives, and they’re much stronger than humans. An army of such creatures could literally rule the world.”
Rennia laughed. “You really are crazy. Even if you can control the shifts, you can’t control their brains. You won’t find any shifters, even with the threat of death, that would fight your wars for you.”
“You’re absolutely right. That’s why I’m going a step further, and for all intent and purposes, I’m making my own shifters.” He patted her arm. “But you don’t have to worry about that right now. I want you to get some rest while I run a few tests on your blood. If all goes well, and I hear from my contact, we’ll be heading to my home and main laboratory in the morning.” He reached beneath the table, pulled out a blanket, and carefully spread it over her legs and chest. “I’m sorry, but I have to leave you here for now. I might want to do a few more tests before morning, and it’s just easier if we keep you here in the lab. I promise your accommodations at my laboratory will be much nicer, and you’ll have more freedom.” He ran his hand over her head, smoothing the hair away from her face. “Just rest, my dear. I promise you’re safe.”
Rennia watched him leave, flipping off the overhead light as he went. Now the only light was the glow from the computer monitors on the desk in the corner. “Ray, if you’re coming, you’d better get your ass moving.”
* * * *
Ray waited with Colton and Ayden while Zander talked with the owner of the used car lot. “We should have just busted into the place last night and looked for the paperwork.”
Ayden snorted. “So says the big city cop. The paperwork would not have told us which parking spot belonged to the car they purchased. We need the exact spot for the scent if I’m to track them.”
As Ray watched, Zander pulled something out of his pocket and showed it to the belligerent man. He saw the man turn pale and then move to the window. He pointed out toward the lot and handed Zander the papers he carried in his hand. Zander nodded and then walked swiftly back to their Jeep.
Zander nodded at Ayden. “The car they bought was in the space closest to the building.”
“Then we go east. I’d already scented both spaces to see which direction they went when they left here.”
“Okay, hold on,” said Zander.
Ray cursed. “What’s the problem now?”
“I’m going to check with Remus. Like it or not, she’s still his pack, because you haven’t officially mated yet.” He pulled out his phone and hit a number on his speed dial. “Remus, we’ve tracked them to Forest Park. They picked up a new car here, but we’ve got the scent, and we’re about to take up the trail again.” Zander was quiet for a moment and then looked at Ray. “He’s not gonna like it.” Ray moved closer. “Will do. We’ll see you soon.”
Ray crossed his arms over his chest. “What the hell was that all about?”
“We’re to stay on their trail, but slow down just a bit. Remus is leaving now and will meet up with us in a few hours.”
“That’s ludicrous. He can’t drive up here in a couple of hours to meet up. It’ll take him at least four, maybe longer, depending on traffic.”
“No worries, man. He’s not driving. He’s coming cross-country along with Rennia’s dads. They’ll most likely be here within the hour.”
Ayden growled. “Enough chitchat. Let’s get moving on this new scent. We don’t want to risk losing it for any reason.”
Ray sighed and climbed back into the van. I’m coming, love. Just hang on. Wait, did I just call her love?
Chapter 15
Nathaniel walked up to the holding cell with almost a bounce to his step. He closed the fingers of one hand around the cold, metal bars and studied the newest member of his little family. Her defiant stance and the fire in her eyes would soon fade when he got her back to his main lab. Did you sleep well?”
“Fuck you! Why the hell are you holding me? What more do you want?”
“I want many things, young lady. Mostly, I want to understand the nature of what you are.” He glanced down at the papers in his hands. “Your blood work, for the most part, is unremarkable. There are a couple of minute anomalies that I’ll want to study further, but nothing earth-shattering. The full DNA analysis will take a few days to complete.”
“Well bully for you. You have my blood, and you can do all the testing you want. Why don’t you let me go now, and I won’t tell anybody about the little time we spent together.”
Nathaniel threw back his head and laughed heartily. “You’re going to make a delightful companion, Miss Wind River. It’s true. I have your blood I can test, but what I really want are some of your eggs.”
“Excuse me? You want my what?”
“Your eggs. I plan to harvest several of your eggs to see if I can grow them to fruition. I want to see how the cells divide to give you both your beasts.” He watched as she backed up against the cell bars furthest away from him. “Don’t worry. I don’t plan on harvesting them until we’re back in my main facility. I don’t really have the necessary equipment here to do the job safely.”
“I’m not going to let you do this
. I’d rather die than let you experiment on me.”
“Let’s not be so melodramatic, shall we. You’re in no position to dictate terms. I can tell you right now, cooperate with me and your life can be mostly pleasant. Make things difficult, and I can make you wish you’d never been born.”
“Then I guess my life is about to get a lot worse, because I’m never going to make anything easy for you.”
He smiled. “That’s your prerogative. But for now…” He pulled a syringe out of his pocket. “I’m ready to see these two beasts that you can change into.” The tumblers clicked loudly in the small room when he turned the key and opened the door. “Which one is dominant? Does it depend on your mood? I’ll bet right now, due to your fear, your wolf is struggling to come out.”
* * * *
Rennia moved further into the corner. Ray, where are you? Somebody, anybody, help me. When Nathaniel reached for her she tried to run past him to the door. He gripped her arm tightly with one hand and plunged the needle into her shoulder, pressing the plunger down slowly. She screamed as a burning sensation spread from the injection site in a circular motion that started to grow. He released her just as her knees buckled and she dropped to the floor. “It’s burning. Oh, God, it’s burning me up inside.” The intense heat continued to spread.
“Just relax, Rennia. The burning only lasts a couple of minutes, and then everything will be fine.”
She trembled and tried to keep her wolf from coming forward. She could sense her pain and fear, and she wanted to protect her. Holding her back was in vain. She began to feel the familiar trembling in her limbs and cursed silently. She couldn’t stop her shift. Hair began to sprout all over her body. Parts of her began to shrink while others began to stretch. Her clothes tore as her body changed. The pain was almost unbearable. The only time shifting didn’t hurt was when you didn’t fight it. Claws formed at the tips of her fingers, while her nose morphed into a snout.
Do You Take This Cat [Wind River Pack 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 17