* ~ * ~ *
Smiling, Helen Malca nodded her head at her visitor silently welcoming him to the Fourth Compound, the brain of her entire project. She was accustomed to receiving visitors to check on the overall progress that she was making. Sitting across from her desk was Senator Adam Edgril, her highest sponsor.
Though she kept a smile on her face while nodding occasionally, Helen could see the senator for what he really was. Slimy and sneaky were the words that came to mind when she thought about the man in front of her. But it was because of him that she was able to continue doing what she was doing. As long as she continued to dance to his tune she would have his support, for the time being.
Frustrated that he couldn’t find the right words, the senator groaned. Reaching up, his weathered hand tugged on his navy silk tie. “What I am purposing here, Helen is a simple demonstration of the quality of your product.”
Crossing her arms as she leaned back in her cushioned chair, Helen wore a soft smile on her face, one that she would be glad not to wear anymore. “Senator Edgril, as per your contract with us, I have sent you all the data on the projects going on and the progress.”
“Yes, yes.” He said, waving his hand in annoyance. “I saw all the reports, but I need to know my investments are paying off after all these years. I want to see what your new formula can do. The sooner it is a positive success, the sooner we can expand our resources with it.”
Helen couldn’t help but allow her soft smile to slightly fall. This is what she'd feared since Aria had escaped. Of course she was only one of many that the formula had been a success on, but she was the strongest. From her recent tests Aria mental bridges were expanding. There was no telling how she'd evolved or how powerful she was becoming. The mere thought of discovering how powerful made Malca's mind tremble with excitement. If she was to present any of the subjects to the senator it would be her.
She was beginning to lose her patience with the two hunters she'd sent after Aria. They were the best, granted. However she needed the job done quickly rather than quietly. From time to time Edgril would surprise her with a visit to make sure she was doing what she claimed she could. He was no innocent when it came to the work she'd been doing these past years. Edgril was the one not only funding her, but assisting her with new test subjects when needed, mostly were runaways or homeless.
“Senator,” Rising from her chair, Helen planted her hands on her desk with an icy smile. “Allow me to show you the labs and some of the subjects. If I may ask for a favor of you,” As Edgril stood also; he nodded his head as he buttoned his waist coat. “Allow me two days before the demonstration. I want to show off my best accomplishment for you.”
“As you wish, if this drug does what you claim it does. There may come a time that we will not even require weapons to wage war.”
Walking around the desk, Helen smiled coyly, “On the contrary; your soldiers will be the most effective and powerful weapons imagined. I can only assume this demonstration means you are planning on expanding the level of official involvement?”
Nodding, he smiled. “I have already broached the subject with the S.O.D., he and a few others are highly interested in the work you've done for your country. If all goes as planned you may be signing a bigger contract in the future.”
Smiling in agreement, she preceded out of the door in his wake, “I am counting on it.” Pulling her new cell phone out of the pocket of her lab coat, Malca opened a new text message.
“Tie up loose ends and extract the package, now.”
After sending the vague message to her hunters, she quickly slipped the phone back into her pocket just in time to turn back to the senator with a smile. Gesturing down the hallway before her, she led the way down to the labs.
Soon Aria would be back where she belonged and this would all be but a bad memory. Only this time she would make certain the Aria never step out into the sun again and lived.
11
Shooting into sitting position, Aria awoke gasping for air. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she fought to bring her racing heart to a calming pace. Glancing around the room, she closed her eyes with relief as she took in the grateful sight of Doyle's bedroom. The golden sun had just broken over the icy hill behind Doyle's cabin, sending the snow sparkling like diamonds in the morning light.
Inhaling deeply; she released a tired sign. It was just a nightmare. The horrendous images floated back before her eyes, causing her to place a hand over her tightly clenching chest. In the dream she was back at Malca's facility. She was strapped down to an examination table, but this time she watched as her own chest was sliced open. In the corner of the room she saw the gutted carcass of a grizzly bear lying lifeless on the immaculate floor. Both; her blood and the grizzly's covered the white tiled floor. No matter how loud she screamed no one could help her.
Faceless doctors in immaculate surgical scrubs and masks ignored her screams pain and cries of horror. Their covered hands lifted other tools of torture as they cut deeper into her ravaged chest. Out of desperation, she looked down at the grizzly again. Praying it was still alive and could save her. Slowly; she watched as the bear's thick, chocolate fur melted away to reveal tanned and roughened skin of a man. Gazing down at the face of the man, her breath shuttered in her chest as she recognized the man. Doyle.
Absently she rubbed at the tightness that began to ache in her chest. Despite what Doyle had said about protecting her, she still felt there was something that was about to happen. A danger that lay hidden in the shadows beyond her reach. No matter what Doyle told her, she knew that neither of them would be safe as long as Malca was hunting her. However, on her own, she had no chance of escaping Malca's vengeful hands. She needed help.
Glancing over her naked shoulder, she found herself surprised to find the spot next to her empty. Sitting quietly for a moment, she listened for sounds of movement through the open bedroom door. Nothing. He hadn’t just left the bedroom, but the cabin as well?
Pulling the quilt around her naked body before crawling out of bed, standing; she winced at the tenderness in her muscles from last night's marathon. Doyle had stayed true to his word about giving her time to rest. But after a few minutes he was on her like a bear on a pot of warm honey. A heated blush suddenly flowed up her neck and into her face with the reference she'd painted in her mind. Instantly she felt her body come alive with need—a need for him.
Unable to suppress a scoff of irritation, she rolled her eyes as she made her way to the bathroom while mumbling under her breath. “Couldn't get rid of him for two days and now I when I want him here, he's gone.”
Shutting the door behind her, she paused as her own words echoed back to her. I want him here? When that had happened she couldn't say, but somehow she couldn't shake off the disappointment of his absence. Shaking her head at the silliness of missing someone you just met, she turned to focus on her reflection in the mirror.
Spying her unopened toothbrush from their trip into town, she decided to start with that. Ripping the package open, she grabbed the discarded tube of toothpaste off the counter without thinking. Absently glancing up at her reflection, her hand stilled as she caught a flash of reddened skin peeking out from underneath the quilt. Leaning against the sink, pulling the quilt away from her bare flesh, she couldn't help but smirk at the multipliable dark love bites that decorated her neck and shoulders. One in particular stood out and unlike the rest it was fully healed; leaving only a dark scar over her jugular. Sitting down on the edge of the large bathtub, she watched quietly as the room began to fill with thick clouds of steam as she filled the tub. Looking back towards the locked door she couldn't keep her mind from wondering where Doyle could have gone.
* ~ * ~ *
Crouching close to the ground, Doyle touched the deep boot impression in the icy earth before him. It was fresh. Grunting in dissatisfaction, he slowly rose to his full height. From his point of view he could see the cabin, but he remained hidden by the raised slope and nearby trees
as cover. Glancing back down at the two sets of boot prints his eyes narrowed on the amount of cigarette buds littered about. Who ever had been spying on Aria didn't know how to clean up after themselves. Or had the cigarettes been used to cloak their scent from him?
Taking a deep inhale, both he and his bear growled with frustration. No scent was left to identify or follow. Looking around him, he could see that there were two of them and they had been here for a while. A day or possibly more. The thought that he'd missed their presence bothered him much more than he'd like to admit. Not for his wounded pride, but because it meant whoever was hunting Aria was one step ahead of them.
He didn't know whether to pout or growl in frustration. This wasn't the way he intended on spending his morning after claiming his mate. He had it all planned out. First he intended to wake her up by licking honey off her delectable body. Then he planned on taking her over, on top of, and up against every piece of furniture and surface in his home. By the time he was done, he wanted both of them to lose the ability to walk before beginning again.
Instead of doing all of those things, here he was standing out in the snow with an irritable cougar searching for signs of the people that had been stalking his mate. Walking back down the trial, Doyle spotted Mark in his animal form. The large cougar paced back and forth along the snow covered ground. Every step he took was immediately followed by a quick step in the other direction, as though a he was chasing a scent trial that kept moving.
This process repeated for a few minutes more until after shaking his head and hissing with irritation, Mark shifted back to his two legged form. Tightly clenching his jaw, Mark went to retrieve his clothing that hung over a nearby tree branch. Jerking his clothes on, he seemed lost in his own confusing thoughts.
“Any luck?” Doyle asked, tossing an inquiring look at Mark's confused expression. Crossing his thick arms over his chest, he waited patiently as Mark's eyes flickered over the ground as if he were struggling to make sense of something.
“None of it makes any sense...” Mark stated bewildered. Shaking his head, he met Doyle's gaze straight on. “The only scent I can seem to pick up doesn’t smell like a shifter or human. It's sweet. Like some type of syrup and I can't pin point the source. The trail just seems to disappear into the air.” Shaking his head in confusion, Mark looked back at Doyle with a questioning look. “Did you find anything?”
“No,” Shaking his head, Doyle released a heavy sigh. “I found two pairs of boot prints and some cigarette buds, but no scent.” He added, pointing with his thumb over his shoulder. “Could you get D.N.A. off the buds?”
Shaking his head, Mark ran a tired hand through his short hair. “Only if whoever was up here has a criminal record. I'll bag a few just in case, but it may be a long shot, Doyle.” Taking a step closer, Mark looked away as he asked the same question he'd asked Doyle all morning since he woke him up to canvas the land surrounding his cabin.
“Did your mate tell you who was following her? Could she be protecting someone?”
“For the finial time; no she hasn’t told me yet.” He growled out, his eyes glowed as his bear rose to the surface at Mark's accusing tone toward Aria. He hadn’t gotten around to getting her to tell him everything last night.
You were too interested in claiming our mate than you were hunting down the threat to her. His bear growled in his mind. It would take some time before he got use to hearing the thoughts of his bear so clearly.
I didn't hear you complaining.
Instead of answering his bear seemed to lie down, effectively giving Doyle the silent treatment. Since when had his own bear not been on his side? It was confusing and irritating all at the same time. Leaning his back against a tree, Mark crossed his arms, quietly observing Doyle. “Did it ever occur to you that this whole thing may be an act?”
Turning sharply, Doyle's lips lifted in with a dark snarl. “So help me Mark, regardless if you are here to oversee a peace treaty I will gut you and leave you hanging off the trees like a bloody wind chime if you accuse my mate again. The only thing she is guilty of is avoiding telling me the truth of what she's been through and who is after her. Not to mention; she is defiantly guilty of being the most stubborn female this side of the Canadian border.”
Doyle was prepared for Mark's questions and accusations, but he wasn't prepared for the grin that suddenly took over his companion's face. Mark had always been a skeptic when it came to anyone's innocence but his own. Mostly due to his job as a sheriff back in Maine, but secretly; Doyle wondered if there wasn't another reason beneath it all that made Mark as mistrusting as he was.
“What?” Doyle asked a little wary as to why Mark was shooting him a knowing grin.
“You like her.”
“She's my mate, Of course I like her.” And even if she weren’t; I’d still want her.
“If you trust her that's fine, but you know as well as I do that the elders are going to think the same as I do. There are too many inconsistencies with her. Forgive my boldness Alpha, but you need to get some light shed on this situation before it becomes bigger and more complicated.”
Nodding, Doyle walked past Mark covering up a yawn as he made his way down the trail leading to his home. Before disappearing from sight, he called over his shoulder, “Let me know if you come up with anything and the next time you decide to wake me up early for a hike—don’t.”
Chuckling, Mark shook his head at Doyle's resentful tone at his lack of sleep. What was it with bear's and long hours of sleep? Walking back up the incline, Mark stooped down to the cold earth. Pulling a simple handkerchief from a concealed beast pocket inside his black jacket, he used the thin material to collect a few of the discarded cigarette buds littered on the ground. Carefully folding the handkerchief and returning it to his pocket.
Rising to his feet, he slowly took one last careful look at his surroundings once more. He was missing something, something that was right in front of him but he couldn't see it. As a cougar shifter, Mark was used to taking in everything around him and there never was a suspect that he couldn't track before. How could a scent be present without a trail to follow?
Last night after the local police finished collecting all evidence at Doyle's home; Mark couldn't shake the feeling that there was something they'd missed. Though the irritable were-wolves refused to allow him to assist, he knew that something wasn't right about the whole situation. Without seeing another option, he'd showed up on Doyle's porch before dawn explaining what others would say was more than a simple hunch. Hiking around Doyle's property they'd discovered that someone had indeed been stalking his mate and they'd been just a few feet from the cabin as well.
Making his way down the trail to his SUV, Mark tried to piece the pieces together. Why were two people stalking Doyle's mate? And from the amount of cigarette buds he'd seen, they'd been there for a while.
He didn't know Doyle very well or his pack. He'd been asked to come as a favor to his friend Eric; Alpha of the wolf shifter pack in Virginia. Cougars didn't belong to packs, being solitary hunters they preferred to keep to themselves. Mark had met Eric while working on a case involving two rouge shifters. When he heard that Eric needed someone to negotiate a treaty with some disagreeable and possibly dangerous grizzly bears, he couldn't pass up the opportunity.
From conversing with the law officials of the town of Darkwood Springs, he could see that they would be no help in keeping Doyle's mate safe. It was well known that most wolves of this area disliked Doyle for holding the roll as Alpha. They would rather see him arrested for a murder he didn’t commit than lift a paw to help him.
Though many elders of his pack had already voiced their disapproval of Aria, there were a few that worried about the safety of their Alpha's mate. He had promised to do all he could to protect her until the treaty was signed and he had no other reason to be in Darkwood Springs. Until then; he planned on sticking close to Doyle and Aria. Not an easy task, but a possible one.
* ~ * ~ *
If a thousand of Malca's hunters had broken into the cabin in that moment, Aria wasn't sure if she'd even care. Leaning her head back against the edge of the extra large bathtub, emitting a soft sigh of pleasure she closed her eyes. Never in her life had she felt so relaxed. She couldn't remember the last time she had a hot bath. Back at the labs, all she'd been given a bucket of cold water and a bar of soap in her cell, but nothing like this.
The scent of the bath salts that Doyle had chosen for her the other day perfumed the steam laden air. Was it vanilla or strawberries? Whatever it was it was perfect. Anyone that interrupted her in this moment would be taking their own lives into their pitiful hands. Not that anyone would be here to disturb her.
“There go all my plans involving you and sweet, sticky honey.” a caramel coated voice echoed from the now open doorway. “I much prefer you like this,” He commented with hunger dripping from every syllable he uttered. “Wet, slippery, and perfection.”
Slowly opening her eyes, she looked up at him after making sure there were enough bubbles to cover her submerged form. “What are you doing in here?” She watched as he slowly pushed away from the door frame. His steps were careful and silent, like the predator she knew him to be.
“I came to see if you needed some help. I'm very good at getting those hard to reach areas.” He stated with a husky voice.
The muscles in his arms flexed deliciously as he pulled his dark sweater over his head in a smooth fluid motion before quickly tossing it aside. Rolling her eyes, Aria wasn't surprised when he chucked his jeans as well. At the sight of his manhood that stood out proudly from his muscular frame, she felt her womb heat and clench with need. Watching his roped muscles in his arms flex and flow with movement she suddenly wanted to lick the dark and powerful flesh.
Bearing It All (Grizzly Affairs Book 1) Page 14