by Lacey Thorn
“Start it and head out,” he said in her ear.
She did as she was told and eased it out the door. “Where am I going?”
“Head north,” he said.
She looked around, desperate to catch the eye of anyone in the yard, but no one seemed to be around.
“Now,” Nix ordered, and she had no choice but to obey.
“So who are you?” she asked, hollering over the thrum of the all-terrain vehicle.
“I’m Nix Blackwell as far as you’re concerned,” he said. “All lies must be centered in the truth.” The way he said the last made her think he was repeating something by rote.
“Why did you come here?”
“For you,” he said. “We were already watching you. They were hoping to catch you before it got this far. I was the backup plan.”
“How could you know Gideon would even know who I was?” she asked.
“We didn’t. We suspected if anyone could find you, it would be Thomas. He never seems to know how to quit. He’s tenacious. He’d make a great hunter.”
“I thought Thomas was dead?” she hedged.
Nix laughed. “Wouldn’t that make things easier? The man seems to have as many lives as a damn cat. We gave Dillon the means to kill him, but he failed. At least, he got one thing right, though.”
“What’s that?”
“He seems to have made your pride question Thomas’ motives. Even if he does show up here, they’ll never trust him. Hell, they may end up killing him for us.”
“So what happened in the lab to turn you against your own kind?”
He laughed again. “You’ve never been my kind. I was raised in the labs, taken when I was just an infant. Dr. Talbot himself saw to my training. We lucked into capturing Gideon. We’d been watching, knew he was with Thomas. So in I went. One of them, caged and drugged. Made sure he saw me, would remember me from there in case I needed that connection later. It worked.”
“You were raised in the lab?” Her mind was still processing that.
“Go through the trees,” he said when they approached a copse in the middle of the field they were in. “Drive slow.”
“The labs?” she prompted, slowing down and taking her time. Slow was good with her.
“I was one of the first. A shifter raised to hunt other shifters. They never suspected it,” Nix said.
It sickened her. Had he never wondered how they got him, or what happened to his family? His mother?
“So you’re scared of Thomas?”
The gun moved, and she cried out as he slammed it against the side of her head. “We’re afraid of no one.”
The barrel clipped her at the corner of her brow, and blood dripped down her face. She tried to wipe it with her shoulder.
“Why watch him?” she asked.
“Elizabeth Walker Blackwell is your mother. One of the doctor’s teams managed to get their hands on her, and as luck would have it, she was pregnant. Two for one. Every drug they gave to you, her body fought. She was different from the other women. Their bodies didn’t seem capable of fighting, but hers protected you.”
So she and Clara were cousins.
“So when did the backup plan become the plan?” she asked, but she had an idea.
“When I joined you in Wyoming, and I thank you for that. I was able to scout the Holloway land without any interference. We’re so close to eliminating that breed of shifter completely.”
Kenzie barely contained a laugh. If he thought they stood any chance against the Holloways, he was sadly mistaken. They’d kill anyone who tried. No questions asked. Laramie had already told her that.
“So you confirmed I was with them?”
“I did better than that,” he said. “I managed to get in the room while you were alone and give you another dose of the formula Dr. Talbot used on you. He was surprised your animal was coming out. The drugs you were given should have kept it caged. They know you mated. The doctor thinks that might be what’s tampered with things. He’ll know for sure once I get you to him, and he’s able to take a look inside.”
Jesus! Whatever happened, she’d have to make sure Nix wasn’t able to get her away…not alive.
“Why didn’t they attack on the way here?” she asked.
“I was already with you. Why not let me see where you were going? Now I know where you are, how many of you there are, and what your weaknesses are. He wants you for now, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t made plans for the others. He’s curious about Tah and wants to get his hands on him. Plus, the baby. I didn’t get a chance to see her. I was hoping to. Dr. Talbot would definitely like to get his hands on her.”
Kenzie trembled. She’d led them right to the pride. They were no safer here than they had been in Colorado. Unless…
“So what did they say when you told them where we were? About our group?”
“Like you don’t know they’ve been jamming my phone,” Nix said. “It doesn’t matter. Gideon let me know he was heading west, so they know that much. As soon as we get out of range, I’ll be able to call and tell them everything. They’ll head straight to Oklahoma. None of you will be safe.”
He hadn’t told them, yet. Maybe there was still a chance to keep him from doing that. She picked up speed as they came out of the trees.
“Head that way,” Nix ordered, moving the gun from her to point toward a house.
She jerked the wheel and accidently clipped him in the ribs with her elbow. He retaliated, his fingers digging tight and making her unintentionally yank the wheel in the other direction. The increase in speed once they hit the grass had her afraid of flipping them. She’d never find out where the professor was if anything happened to Nix. Before she could regain control, they struck something hard enough to have the backend rising. The momentum threw them off, and she found herself flying with Nix wrapped tightly against her.
She took the brunt of their fall, slamming into the ground so hard it knocked the breath out of her. She gasped, desperate to suck oxygen into lungs that had seized up, when he slapped her across the face.
“You stupid bitch!” he screamed, hitting her again. “You could have killed us both!”
Her eyes were wide, spots flashing at the edges of her vision when he thumped her hard in the chest. She finally forced air in but couldn’t seem to hold it. It took her three tries before her lungs started cooperating.
“Get up,” Nix ordered, grabbing a fistful of hair and almost scalping her as he dragged her to her feet. “We’re going to walk to the house. You’re going to strip so I can see the mark for myself. Then I’ll either make my call or find another way out of here.”
“I’m not stripping,” she said and cried out as he pulled her head back and slammed the gun under her chin.
“You’re going to do whatever the fuck you’re told, or I’m going to kill you now!”
“Kill me then,” she said, gritting her teeth against the pain radiating through her body. “I’m not stripping, and I’m not going with you.”
“Do I need to remind you of the other life at stake here?”
Shit! The hit had scrambled her thoughts. She could tell by the satisfaction in his gaze that he knew he had her. She’d do what he wanted. Noise suddenly filtered through the buzz in her head. Someone must have seen them and followed, and Nix didn’t look happy about it.
“Fuck!” he shouted. “We’ve got company coming.”
He turned back to her, leaning in and snapping his teeth in her face. Anger and frustration radiated off him.
“You’re going to do as I say, or I’ll kill whoever is following us. Do you understand me?”
“Yes,” she hissed.
“What the hell are you doing on my property?” a voice boomed and Kenzie cringed when she saw Gabriel’s dad step out on the porch of the house, a bottle of whiskey in his hand.
“We had an accident,” Nix said, and the gun was now at her back again. “I think Kenzie’s hurt. Do you have a phone we can use?”
“
No,” Isaac said. “Now get off my land.” He stumbled then seemed to focus on her. “You! I’ve got a bone to pick with you.”
He half-walked, half-stumbled down the porch steps, whiskey spilling as he headed toward them. “Who the fuck do you think you are coming here and getting my boy to hand everything over to you?”
“Careful,” Nix warned in her ear. “I’ll kill him without a second thought.”
Kenzie might not think much of her mate’s father, but she didn’t want to be the reason he died.
“We could really use some help, Isaac,” she said instead. “You can discuss everything else with Gabriel later.”
“Bet you didn’t know this, but where you’re standing now is mine. My land. Not his and most certainly not your damn pride’s. So get off.” He threw the arm with the whiskey bottle out, sloshing more to cover his hand and splash the ground. He’d be no help to her drunk.
“Please,” she said. “Just let me use your phone.”
He stumbled closer. “I don’t have a phone. Don’t like them and don’t have anyone I want to talk to, anyway. I don’t owe you a Goddamn thing!” he roared, barreling into them.
He hit Nix’s shoulder, causing the other man to step back from her and loosen his grip on her hair. Isaac’s face was in hers, and she’d just registered the fact his breath didn’t smell of alcohol when he mouthed the word run to her. He shoved Nix for all he was worth, either not knowing he had a gun or not caring. She turned, hand reaching as the gun came up. Her ears rang as the gun fired. Isaac stepped forward, away from her, grabbing Nix by the neck. Isaac was bigger, stronger, but no match for a loaded gun. Nix pulled the trigger again. Isaac’s eyes widened, and he let out a grunt. His hands jerked and whether by will or reflex the sound of Nix’s neck snapping filled the air. Then they both fell, both staring at the sky with eyes wide open.
“No! Oh, God, no!” Kenzie screamed as she took in the vacant stare in Nix’s eyes. The professor! Where was the professor?
Kenzie fell to her knees by Isaac. Hands moving to try and stem the flow of blood though she knew she couldn’t. Each sucking breath he took rattled in his chest sending bubbles through the spilling blood, and she knew he’d taken a hit to the lung. The other was higher up, so close to his heart, she wasn’t sure how he was still holding on. His eyes glowed dimly as if the animal were trying to take over in hopes of healing them.
“Shift!” she yelled.
“Best…this…way.”
“No,” she disagreed. “You need to fight.”
“Tell…boys…sorry…” Isaac forced out words, and Kenzie could tell how much it cost him. “Love…them…”
She could see defeat in his eyes. He’d already made his choice.
“I will,” she promised. “I do.”
He nodded. Then as if he’d only been waiting for her response, he seemed to give up and embrace death like an old friend.
She stumbled to her feet, seeing Holt and turning to him when he opened his arms to her.
“We have to find the professor,” she yelled frantically. “Nix took him. Said we’d never be able to find him. Oh, God!”
“Shh,” Holt crooned. “The professor’s fine. He’s back at the house with Regan. I promise you. He’s fine. Nix lied. He was just trying to control you, Kenzie. That’s it.” He rubbed his hands up and down her back. “Take a deep breath, okay. It’s going to be all right. I know for a fact your mate will be here soon.”
She didn’t realize she was crying, or that she was covered in Isaac’s blood until she heard a liger’s roar split the heavens and was suddenly confronted with six feet six inches of angry, naked mate.
Chapter Nineteen
It took a week before Gabriel would let Kenzie out of his sight. They’d buried Isaac within days of the incident. Gabriel had been surprised at the turn out, but Kenzie knew the people who showed up were there more for Gabriel and Daniel than to mourn the passing of Isaac. Even Laura came out of hiding though she kept her distance from Logan. He didn’t push it as if he were afraid of spooking her
Kenzie spent a lot more time with Clara and Logan now. She did have family, and thanks to Nix’s love of bragging, they now knew Thomas was alive and maybe not the bad guy he’d been painted as. Kenzie and Clara had looked through the pictures, and Clara shared what she could about them. She gave Kenzie the ones of Elizabeth and Kenneth, Kenzie’s parents.
Finn and Murphy had gone with Holt, leaving before Isaac’s funeral to check in with the Holloways and see if they needed any help. Gabriel had called them as soon as she’d told him what Nix had said. Laramie wasn’t worried, but Gabriel was. Plus, Kenzie knew he understood how guilty she felt.
Gideon had pretty much taken over dealing with Kenzie’s blood tests. She thought part of it was him dealing with his own guilt for being the one to bring Nix to Oklahoma, but she didn’t think it would have mattered. Nix would have found a way to get to her.
Gideon had done a complete workup then compared it to the ones from when they’d still been in Colorado. He was the only one who didn’t seem worried about the shot Nix had given her, and the fact her animal had gone partially back into hiding. She still had the enhanced senses she’d originally started with, and her canines hadn’t recessed. Though, it had repressed the urge to shift and stymied her ability to link fully on an emotional and mental level with her mate.
This was what they thought best explained the shift in the bond between Gabriel and Kenzie. It worried them, too, because of the ability it had to mess with the connection between mates. Gideon said Gabriel’s DNA mixing with hers had been working to undo it the first time, and he had no reason to believe it wouldn’t again. He’d suggested they might consider trying transfusions for her to see if they helped. He warned he didn’t know how long it might take but assured her she would meet her lioness one day.
For the most part, everything seemed to settle for the first time since they’d arrived in Oklahoma. Gideon had been right about Diane’s yo-yo emotions balancing with an infusion of Zane’s blood. Kenzie realized just how lucky they were that he’d followed Clara to Colorado. They needed him, and not just for the medical knowledge he had. There was so much he knew and was willing to share with them. She had a feeling he’d do anything for Vic.
They were still going through all the papers and journals. Kenzie had come across a page the day before where Thomas had spoken of losing Michael. He’d received a message that someone had information on Elizabeth and the baby. He’d been in the middle of research and hadn’t wanted to leave, so he’d pressed Michael to go. Thomas said Michael didn’t want to, and they’d argued. He’d accused his brother of no longer caring while Michael had accused him of only caring for the ones no longer around for him to use.
Michael had gone, and the rest was history. Thomas’ journal entries were more sporadic after that as if losing Michael had broken something inside him. The final entries were in code. Gideon had taken them to go over. It wasn’t the same code he’d used in his own journals, but he seemed confident he’d eventually figure it out.
Life went on. It had to, and they had no choice but to move forward with it. Vic was already pricing stuff from her list of things they needed, searching for the best deal. There was no missing how excited she was about it. It was all she’d talked about at dinner.
Kenzie knew Gabriel was behind her before he said a word. She’d caught his gaze when she’d slipped out and headed for her favorite spot on the wraparound porch.
“Ready to head up?”
“Mmm…” she said noncommittally. “I was thinking about stripping naked and running through the grass to see if my beast would come out to play.”
“What?” he said, and she could tell she’d caught him completely off-guard.
“Kidding,” she assured him then sighed and glanced up at the sky.
“What’s wrong?” he asked immediately, sitting beside her and lifting her onto his lap.
She curled into him, more than content to
have his arms around her.
“You’re not letting Nix still screw with your head, are you?”
“No,” she told him. She was done blaming herself for everything. The truth was, she was just as much a victim as anyone else. The things that had happened to her and around her had been out of her control. She’d done the best she could under the circumstances. Hearing Nix state the lengths hunters were willing to go to had been eye opening and terrifying. It would certainly make it harder to trust new people, for all of them.
“Then what’s wrong?” Gabriel asked.
“What if my lioness doesn’t emerge? What if this second shot did what the first didn’t and locked her down permanently?”
“I don’t believe that,” Gabriel said.
Kenzie huffed. “What if it did?”
He gave her a probing look. “It wouldn’t change anything between the two of us. You’re still my mate.” He pressed her closer to the spot on his chest where she’d bitten him, claiming and mating him. “Nothing will change what we are to one another.”
“Before, when my animal was caged like this. You walked away from me,” she reminded him. “I don’t think I can go through that again.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he vowed, tipping her face up to his and dropping a soft kiss on her lips. “Not without you right by my side.”
She nodded then squealed as he surged to his feet with her in his arms. She looped an elbow around his neck, pressing her other hand to his chest.
“I know exactly what you need,” he said, heading back inside.
“Hey, Gabe! Whoa, never mind,” Daniel said as he took them both in. His lips tipped up in a grin. “I’ll just catch you in the morning.”
“I’ll be sleeping in,” Gabriel said, heading down the hall.
Daniel followed. “You never sleep in.”