by Sydney Addae
“Show Lord Gordon to the conference room. I am sending Damian to meet our guests,” Lancaster said, watching the beast race forward to the next bluebird.
“Yes, Sir.”
Boris watched the screen a few moments longer. He had hoped to play with Hawke but the information he received meant he would need to wait a little longer. Thanks to that blasted busy-body Radoff, his timetable escalated and he had a ceremony to stop. Neither he nor Roderick were interested in losing the ability to heal and live longer like the wolves. That meant he and Gordon needed to leave right away. He sent the files he’d been working on to the clouds, turned off the monitor and headed toward the conference room. Gordon had better be grateful for Radoff’ interference otherwise he’d be receiving a nasty surprise for his actions the other day. That too would wait. A hybrid followed behind him and stood outside the door when he entered.
Gordon turned to face him and pointed. “What the hell do you think you’re doing having me returned to a room like I’m some babe? You are not in charge of me.”
“True, I’m in charge of Damian and this assignment to destroy Hawke and his mate. You interfered with that.”
Gordon stepped closer and leaned forward. “How. By walking in the tunnels to talk privately? By leaving the immediate area?”
Boris waved his arm. “You were trying to leave with Damian so he didn’t have to fight Hawke. You don’t give him enough credit, he might win.” He smiled so that Gordon knew he didn’t mean a word of what he’d just said.
“I don’t want them to fight, he’s not ready and you know it.”
“Pity it’s not your call. Roderick approved this. Damian is on his way to meet his sire now.” Lancaster grinned at Gordon’s red face and clenched jaw.
“If he’s destroyed I will kill you.” Gordon pointed at him and Boris knew the man well enough to know he meant it.
“That will have to wait because we need to leave now.” He told Gordon about the contract and the move on Hawke and Alpha Radoff’s part to break it. “We need to hurry, Damian will only be able to hold Hawke for so long, one of the others will slip in. We cannot be here.” He moved to the door and looked over his shoulder. “Gordon, come on, we need to leave.”
“I’ll meet you below, I need a few seconds to say goodbye.”
Lancaster rubbed his finger against the pouch where he kept his thin blades and looked at Gordon. “Say it on the way, he’ll hear you. I’m not about to trust you to put the Liege first when it comes to that wolf.” He waved toward the door. “Come on lets go.”
Gordon crossed his arms and shook his head. “I have to say good-bye.” He looked at Boris. “He and I have a bond, I refuse to just disappear from his life.”
“I told Roderick not to allow you to come, this is a complication we don’t need. Talk to him later when he returns to the hotel. I’ve instructed him to meet us there after he completes his assignment.”
“Go ahead and leave, I’ll meet you at the hotel with Damian.”
Boris looked at the stubborn man and calculated his odds. Chances were Hawke could not kill his seed, but Angus could. Would he? Who knew? If Boris killed Gordon right now, Hawke would definitely come after him. From what his source told him they needed either him or Gordon and the only way to avoid being sacrificed was to be unavailable. He planned to do that and if Gordon stayed behind to save Hawke’s pup, his blood would break the covenant. Boris couldn’t allow that either. Most importantly, he was down to one blade until he returned stateside and couldn’t risk using it on Gordon, not with Hawke after him.
“How are you going to get to the hotel?” He asked while searching the man’s expression. Had Gordon out maneuvered him? Was there another player involved Boris hadn’t accounted for?
“I’ll meet you there. Go, save yourself first, that is what you do best,” Gordon spat.
“This is not personal. If your blood is shed, the contract is broken and impacts all of us. Do you understand that?” Boris tried explaining again so that Gordon realized the danger.
“I’m not stupid. I’ll be at the hotel in a little bit. Give us five more minutes.”
Boris’ eyes narrowed. In five minutes Hawke would be inside the building, it would take them a little while to find these hidden rooms, especially while fighting the hybrids. But he refused to take a chance of being caught in the cross-fire for anyone. “You’re a pathetic ass, Gordon. Fortunately for you Roderick doesn’t want me to kill you,” he lied and removed his hand from the blades. He had complained about Gordon and Roderick blew him off with questions about Angus. “If you’re not at the hotel, I’m leaving and you’re on your own.”
“Wouldn’t expect anything else from you.” The scorn infused words sent heat to Boris’ face. He swung and connected with the other man’s cheek knocking him back a bit. Gordon shook his head and charged, tackling Boris onto the floor and got in a series of punches before the hybrid pulled him off.
Boris’ head and upper body throbbed and he couldn’t see clearly at first. His chest hurt when he tried to breathe. After a few moments he looked across the room where the hybrid blocked Gordon from attacking him again. Boris pushed up from the floor, wiped the blood from his lip with the back of his hand, and spat in Gordon’s direction. The man was dead to him. Turning, he left the room and headed toward the secure area to leave the building.
“Come with me,” Boris said to another hybrid stationed near the secure area. Together they entered the chute to take them to the lower tunnel. When he reached the ground floor he headed into the control room, entered a series of codes, the chute would return to the lower level once more and then lock. He overrode all the other codes, making it impossible to enter or leave the underground area.
Once he was situated in the seat of the underwater pod he keyed in the co-ordinates for his pick-up and left the building. He placed a call on a secure line.
A few moments later, Roderick answered. “He refused to leave, and promised to meet me later.”
“Damn that stubborn fool. Does he understand how important it is for him to leave that place? It’s not just about him.”
“Damian, he refused to leave the pup.”
“I’m not surprised, we should’ve listened to you and not allowed anyone to bond with those beasts. Look where it got us. Did Angus show up?”
“He was with Hawke.” Boris told him about the attack and the TerraByte.
“Any idea who the thing bonded with? It’s important to know if there’s a new player.”
“Not yet. I spent a lot of time arguing with Gordon about leaving. Once I get situated, I’ll look at the tape again. I’m leaving now.”
“Yes, I heard you.”
“No. I am on my way to the new meeting point, plan B is in effect. If they don’t catch Gordon or if he dies, they will come after me. We cannot chance that.”
“Hmmm, you make a good point. Did you tell Gordon?”
“Yes,” he lied.
“Let me know how things progress.”
Boris hung up and placed his hands beneath his head. In less than thirty minutes he would be in the air away from this area when the explosives in the underground tunnel detonated. It would take Hawke and the others much longer to get through all the rooms and bypass the traps he left specifically for Hawke in their private game of chess. He glanced at his watch and smiled at the small surprise for Gordon and his pet dog as well.
“Checkmate bitches.”
Chapter 25
Asia wondered if Lancaster would allow them to simply ring the doorbell and invite them inside. She shifted into her hybrid and jumped aside as a group of hybrids rushed out the entrance. With a hard swing of her sword she took the head of the hybrid nearest her and swung to meet the next one. This one dropped low, she missed which caused her to spin and stumble. He tackled her to the ground. She managed to roll him over and tried the skewer him with her blade. He held her arms and a battle of strength ensued. Slowly, her metal right arm won and she pierced his
eye socket, killing his chip. He screamed and bucked her off, sending her into the path of the fist from another hybrid. The punch to her jaw sent her flying. She landed with a thump, and shook it off. Another hybrid charged toward her as she stood. They always charged. Waiting for the last possible moment she stepped aside and hit him beneath his chin with her right fist, sending him flying backward.
Another hybrid took his place. Her sword lay across the field beneath a hybrid. It swung, the air of the missed hit brushed against her cheek. The hybrid’s continued momentum left his side open. Asia plowed her right fist into his stomach stealing his breath and then clipped him beneath the chin sending him backward.
She ran toward her sword, grabbed it just in time to avoid being mowed down by a charging hybrid. He fell over another downed hybrid and Byte attacked him. The hybrid tried to dislodge the beast, but Byte’s long claws and fangs sank deep. Seconds later Angus appeared and separated the head.
Asia looked around for Hawke and saw him battling the guy from the side of the road. She glanced over her shoulder, between Angus, Ulric and his remaining pack members the hybrids were losing this fight. There was something different about the one fighting Hawke.
“He’s good,” she said through their link.
“Maybe. Are you done playing with the hybrids?”
“Things seem to be under control. Are you playing with the pretty boy?” Holding her sword loosely she watched the two battle. Since she had seen her mate fight many times, she recognized he wasn’t trying to destroy his opponent which surprised her. They didn’t have time for this, Gordon and Lancaster could be leaving while Hawke wasted time.
“No. I’m hesitant to destroy him for some reason.” He blocked a move and knocked the guy back a few feet into the building creating a loud booming sound. His opponent jumped up and came at Hawke again. Hawke sidestepped him, but the guy changed directions and hit Hawke in the stomach, causing him to stumble two steps.
“Metal arms, legs. Probably got a chip and camera to record this.” Hawke said as if dissecting an experiment.
“I’m going inside to find Lancaster or Gordon while you continue dancing with your toy.” She sheathed her sword, pushed the hybrid filling the door on his ass and ran down the corridor. Opening her senses she tried to locate either man or both, but something dampened her senses. Damn it. She came to a point where the corridors split four ways and seem to go on forever. Inhaling, she searched for a human scent and found nothing. She started down the corridor to her right.
“Asia?!”
“I’m here.” She stopped, looked over her shoulder and caught the tail of something flying down a different hall. Backtracking she ran toward the blur and saw Hawke in pursuit. Ulric and his pack ran down each hall, opening doors and taking anything of value. She had wondered what purpose the large trucks they’d arrived in served, now she knew.
“What’s going on?” she asked Hawke.
“The guy took off after I stomped his chest, came inside. I’m following him. Hopefully he’s headed toward one of the two men we need.”
“Good thinking.” She kept pace behind him and continued to scan the area, hoping to gather a clue where Lancaster hid. The doors in front of them opened. Hawke ran in first. She ducked as he flew back over her head and slammed into the wall.
A hybrid leapt forward with some type of long spear aimed at Hawke. Asia jumped forward, kicked it sideways intercepting the beast and sending it crashing into the opposite wall. She moved just as the black hair guy Hawke had played with outside attacked her.
After blocking his moves, she knocked him backward into the wall and leapt on top of him. Arm upraised, she punched him in the throat, listening for the snap of his bones. He pushed, but couldn’t dislodge her. She punched him in the face and head repeatedly without allowing him to return a punch. As far as she was concerned, he was the same as any other hybrid. When his hands dropped to the side, his face a bloody mess and she saw bone, she grabbed her sword to take his head.
“Wait,” Hawke said, drawing her attention.
She looked over her shoulder at him. “We don’t have time to wait, Lancaster and Gordon could be leaving and he’s a delay tactic.” She raised her sword and looked into the eyes of the hybrid beneath her. The skin on his face re-knitted, healing.
“Don’t… don’t do that.” Hawke said, walking to her.
Asia looked at the hybrid and then at Hawke. “What’s going on?”
“Just a strong feeling you shouldn’t take his head. Talk to him, ask him his name or something?”
“What the fuck? I don’t have time for this. You want to know his name, ask him yourself.” She re-sheathed her sword, stepped over the hybrid and headed for the door. The hybrid grabbed her leg, tripping her and then twisted to break it. “See, this is why you don’t play with them or try to be nice. They’re programmed to complete a damn job.” She lifted her leg, along with his arm and rolled onto her back. Before he could move, Hawke grabbed him by the shirt and shook him several times before backhanding him leaving a mark on the hybrid’s face.
“Never, ever touch my mate. I will destroy you if you do. What is your name?”
“Fuck you.”
“No you won’t.” Hawke shook him again. “What is your name?”
“Fuck you.”
Hawke threw him against the wall, causing his head to bounce and him to stand slowly. Hawke grabbed him. The hybrid kicked him in the chest. Hawke threw him against the wall again.
Asia watched the brutal beat-down for a few minutes and exhaled. “We need to find the Liege.”
“This one will take us to one of them. Didn’t you pick up the human scent on him?” Hawke punched they hybrid in the face, the sound of bones cracking filled the room.
She hadn’t smelled the scent until he mentioned it. Now that she focused on the hybrid she noticed the difference. “How can he lead us if he is beaten to a pulp?”
“The human smell is strong on him, he will either go to him or he will find this one. We will follow, watch or wait. This hybrid is different from the others, more valuable. Someone is watching and will come for him.”
“Or push the kill chip.” She reminded him.
“Possibly.” He threw the guy on the ground and stomped on one of his legs. The knee popped and the metal twisted for a moment before correcting. “See, they have invested much in him.” Hawke placed his booted foot on the other leg. “What is your name?”
The hybrid gritted his teeth while holding the opposite leg as it healed. Asia had gone through several regeneration processes and knew the enormous amount of pain the hybrid suffered.
“Fuck you.”
“Maybe his language is limited to those two words. He looks ignorant, why are you wasting time with the Liege’s trash. They never spend a lot of time or energy on their toys, twist his head off like the rest and let’s find Gordon and Lancaster,” Asia said in a mocking tone.
“He tensed when you called the names. Say each one again to determine which is his master.”
Asia went back over her sentence in her mind. “I’m going to track down Lancaster and take his head.”
“Gordon. He blinked at Lancaster but no real response.”
“That’s a surprise. Given your history I thought it was Lancaster.”
Hawke stepped on the hybrid’s hand and ground his boot onto it. “Remember this while I snap Gordon’s head from his body. I asked you nicely, but you want to fuck around.”
The hybrid jerked and tried to get free, but couldn’t dislodge Hawke, not with his legs healing and a smashed hand. But his efforts were those of a man possessed.
“Based on his actions, Gordon must still be here somewhere.” Asia walked toward them and stood a few feet behind Hawke. “What’s your name? Tell us your name and Gordon’s death will be quick, he won’t suffer.”
“No. No. No.” With a strong shove from his other hand, he moved Hawke’s feet enough to free his hand, rolled to the side and stood.
“You will not.” He ran from the room. Hawke looked at Asia for a few seconds and then they followed his scent.
Hawke led the way out and stopped in the hall. He laughed. “Seems he is running in circles to confuse us, not a bad strategy. Wait here for a few moments, and when he rescues Gordon we’ll go after them. I’ll check with Angus to see how things are going.”
“Just as you know his scent, he knows yours. He may not go to Gordon until he thinks it’s safe.”
“True, but we are not the only ones searching, he will know the place is flooded with pack and will need to move his master.” He paused. “Angus took an elevator below and is searching. Someone left already by water, since Gordon is still here, my guess is Lancaster is on his way to the hotel or air strip. Ulric has men watching the hotel and the roads. No one thought to watch the river.”
“That’s because it’s long and winding through the damn country, without Lancaster’s scent to track it would be impossible to locate him along the banks.”
“But he is in some type of pod, Angus says. There is another one and he is following to see where it lands to see if he can catch Lancaster.”
“Waste of time. Lancaster is gone. We need to concentrate on getting Gordon to Radoff to break the contract which will weaken Lancaster and the other Lords. They won’t be able to heal and they will age and die.”
“I agree. Angus does not have the code to make the elevator return to this level and will join us as soon as he can.”
“Tell him to send Byte to search, I bet he can find anything,” Asia said watching the corridor for hybrids.
“Told him. Let’s go.” Hawke took off down one of the corridors and ran through what seemed like a maze of hallways before stopping in front of a pair of steel sliding doors. “They are in here.”
Asia stepped to the side and stared at the control panel. “This is similar to the ones in Lancaster castle. At least they’re consistent.” She typed in a few codes from her time in the castle, but wasn’t surprised that none of them worked.