X-Ops Exposed

by Paige Tyler

  She looked around at the collection of cabins and tents, searching for Tanner. She and Tanner had been moving too fast when they’d first gotten here to give the place more than a quick glance, but now that she had a minute to take it in, she had to admit it reminded her of something you’d see on The Walking Dead—without the zombies.

  Zarina found Tanner standing off to one side of the porch, his back against the cabin wall, his face heavy with exhaustion. He’d been at her side while she’d treated Lorraine for almost the entire morning, helping out any way he could. Even though he didn’t say as much, it was obvious it hurt him to see the old woman in so much pain. But there was nothing Zarina could do to relieve the woman’s agony. The camp’s supply of heavy-duty drugs had been used up in the previous attack or given to the other prepper camps that had also been hit.

  “Is she okay?” he asked softly.

  He’d left a few minutes earlier, after one of Lorraine’s more vocal moments. It had been difficult for Zarina to take, but she knew it’d been worse for him. His hybrid half had immediately responded to the primal sounds of pain, his eyes flaring red, his fangs and claws extending. Zarina didn’t blame him for walking out. She would have left if she could.

  “She’s better,” Zarina said, moving off the porch and walking over to him. “Lorraine will be in pain for a while, but it should start to taper off within the next twelve hours or so.”

  Sighing, Tanner closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall of the cabin again. Zarina didn’t say anything else, not wanting to interrupt him if he was silently saying a prayer of thanks. She frowned a little, realizing she didn’t know whether he was religious or not. Then again, there was a lot about Tanner she didn’t know. He kept a lot of stuff to himself. She wished he didn’t do that. Maybe she could make his life better if she knew more about him. Which, strangely enough, was part of the reason she was so attracted to him. That stoic, stubborn nature of his was alluring—when it wasn’t driving her crazy.

  Tanner’s eyes abruptly snapped open, and he pushed away from the wall, completely alert. A moment later, Zarina heard the sound of footsteps approaching the cabin. She turned to see Burt, along with another man and a dark-haired teenage girl who was about eighteen or nineteen. The man was probably the same age as Burt, but his face was more lined and his eyes more weary.

  It wasn’t until the trio stopped in front of them that Zarina caught sight of the half-healed scar along one side of the girl’s neck. Four parallel wounds, the two in the middle deeper than the ones on either side. It took Zarina only half a second to recognize those scars had come from a shifter—or a hybrid.

  Zarina shot a quick look Tanner’s way, telling herself it wasn’t possible. She searched his face for some indication he was the one who’d hurt the girl, but he merely returned her gaze.

  “Zarina, you know Burt already,” Tanner said. “This is Chad and his daughter, Lillie.”

  Burt gave Zarina a nod while Chad and Lillie took turns shaking her hand. Zarina should have realized the girl was the man’s daughter as soon as she saw them together. They had the same gray eyes, aquiline nose, and arching brows.

  “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you getting here so fast, Tanner,” Chad said. “And for bringing your friend.” He looked at Zarina. “I don’t know what we would have done without her, except maybe lose Lorraine. How is she?”

  Zarina opened her mouth to point out that there would have been a lot less drama if they’d simply taken the woman to a hospital like normal people, but the sight of three huge, fierce-looking men coming toward them made her forget what she’d been about to say.

  It wasn’t just the blatant anger on the men’s faces that stunned her speechless. It was the fact that she recognized them. But even as she stood there with her mouth hanging open, she told herself she had to be wrong. There was no way they could possibly be the men she thought they were, because the last time she’d seen them, Stutmeir’s goons had been dragging their dead bodies out of an abandoned ski lodge not more than fifteen miles from here.

  “What the hell is she doing here?” one of the men snarled, showing off inch-long fangs to go along with his suddenly flaming red eyes. Dark-haired with a broad nose and full lips, he was nearly as tall as Tanner. “She’s one of those damn doctors who tortured us. I’d know her fucking scent anywhere.”

  Zarina was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that the hybrids were alive when the one who’d spoken strode toward her, his clawed hands itching to do damage. She barely had enough time to get out of the way before Tanner stepped in front of her and stiff-armed the guy in the chest.

  “Back off, Spencer,” Tanner growled, his tone more menacing than Zarina had ever heard it. He pinned the other two hybrids with a glare. One had blond hair and a stocky build while the other was a tall, muscular, dark-skinned man. “Peter and Malcolm, that goes for you too.”

  That warning only got them more riled up. Zarina watched in alarm as Peter and Malcolm snarled and bared their fangs. Clearly, they were ready to go through him to get to her.

  Tanner didn’t give them a chance. He dropped his hands to his sides, his claws extending to their full length so fast that blood splattered on the wooden planks of the porch. Then he bared his fangs at the men and roared so loud, people five miles away probably heard it.

  Zarina reached out to grab his arm, desperate to stop the fight before it started, but Tanner slipped left and caught the blond-haired Peter in midjump. Latching onto the man’s shoulders, Tanner spun him around and sent him crashing into one of the pillars supporting the porch. Peter slammed into it with an audible crunch. Something told Zarina the sound wasn’t entirely from the wood breaking.

  Peter hadn’t even tumbled to the ground before Tanner was moving again. He intercepted Malcolm just as the man lashed out at Zarina’s face with his claws. Their sharp points missed her by mere inches, and she gasped as Tanner ran headlong into her attacker, shoving him away from her.

  Tanner and Malcolm went down in a pile, quickly becoming a rolling ball of muscles, snarls, growls, and flashing claws. A split second later, Spencer joined the fray.

  Crap. This was going to get so much worse.

  Heart pounding, Zarina hurried forward to intervene, but an arm wrapped around her waist, jerking her to a stop before she’d gone more than a few feet. She glanced over her shoulder to see Burt holding onto her. A few feet away, Chad was doing the same to his daughter. All around the camp, people poked their heads out of doors and windows, a few of them venturing out of their cabins to see what the commotion was about.

  “You can’t get between them, not while they’re like this,” Burt insisted. “You do, and you’re the one who’s going to get hurt.”

  Zarina knew Burt was right, but that didn’t keep her from fighting against his grip anyway. Tanner was in danger. That was all she cared about.

  But Burt refused to let her go, so she was forced to watch as Peter joined Spencer and Malcolm. The three hybrids looked barely human now, their eyes completely lost in a glow of red and fangs flashing.

  Tanner might be bigger than all three of them and a former Army Ranger to boot, but there was no way he could fight that many out-of-control hybrids all at once. He was so focused on Spencer and Malcolm that he never saw Peter coming at his back. Malcolm gripped Tanner’s shoulder, digging his claws in deep and flipping Tanner over. Peter immediately lunged forward and sank his fangs into Tanner’s free arm, pinning it to the ground and holding him tight. That’s when Spencer leaned in close and lifted his hand, his claws aimed at Tanner’s exposed neck.

  Zarina’s heart seized in her chest. Oh God. Spencer was going to kill him.

  Just then, Lillie broke loose of her father’s grip and threw herself into Spencer’s arms, ignoring his claws as if they weren’t there. Her father shouted for her to get away from the hybrid, but Lillie didn’t pay any
attention. Instead, she placed her small hands firmly in the middle of Spencer’s chest and pushed, resolutely facing down the snarling hybrid like she wasn’t scared of him at all.

  That interruption was all Tanner needed.

  He broke loose from the two hybrids holding him, blood flying as he roared so loud, Zarina swore she felt the ground tremble beneath her. He slashed Peter across the chest as he got to his feet, knocking the air out of the hybrid and putting him on his back. The wound wasn’t deep enough to kill, but it was bad enough to jerk Peter out of his shift. The red faded from the man’s eyes, and he rolled over, groaning in pain.

  Tanner quickly moved over to put himself between Malcolm and Zarina, as if he still thought she might be in danger. From where she stood, she had a three-quarter view of Tanner’s face, and the rage she saw there shocked her. She’d seen his hybrid side many times, but she’d never seen him like this.

  He roared again, louder than even before. That, along with the display of three-inch-long fangs, which were much larger and more terrifying than any other hybrid’s, was enough to make Malcolm take a step back, the red glow fading from his eyes.

  That should have ended the fight, but Tanner was too far gone for that. He stalked toward Malcolm, his clawed hands ready to strike.

  Zarina froze. He was going to kill Malcolm because the hybrid had tried to hurt her.

  She yanked away from Burt before he could stop her and lunged for Tanner. This time, she wasn’t worried about protecting him from physical harm but from something much worse. If he killed the other hybrid in cold blood like this, it would crush his soul. For him, that would be more than he could take.

  Zarina ran around in front of Tanner, putting herself between him and Malcolm. But the sight of her wasn’t enough to halt him in his tracks like it usually was. His eyes were as ruby red and feral as the three other hybrids’ eyes had been mere moments ago. He was so far gone, she wasn’t sure if she could get him back from the edge.

  “Tanner, it’s me…Zarina,” she said in the calmest, softest voice she could manage. “It’s okay now. You can relax. The danger is past. Breathe, Tanner, just breathe.”

  He hesitated, and she stepped closer to him, saying the words over and over again, first in English, then in Russian, before repeating them in English. She knew he couldn’t understand her when she spoke in her native language, but when he was this far gone, she doubted he could understand what she was saying in English, either. But the words she used never mattered. It was her tone and the soft sound of her voice calming the beast that fought to completely take control of him.

  Little by little, the red glow in his eyes began to fade, and she knew she was getting through to him despite the fact that his claws and fangs were still fully extended.

  “I’m safe, Tanner,” she murmured as she moved closer. “You can relax.”

  Stopping in front of him, she put her hands on his chest and leaned in, letting her scent envelop him until the red glow finally disappeared from his eyes and his fangs and claws retracted.

  Zarina nudged him back, wanting to put a little more distance between him and the other three hybrids.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lillie doing the same thing to Spencer. Even more shocking, the big hybrid let her do it, though the girl was literally half his size and his eyes were still blazing a deep, angry red. That answered Zarina’s earlier question about how Lillie had gotten those scars on her neck. She’d put herself in front of an angry hybrid, something Zarina had done more times than she could count.

  Now that the hybrid testosterone had finally receded, Chad got his hands on Peter while Burt urged Malcolm back, putting a little more space between everyone.

  “Move away from Spencer, Lillie,” Chad ordered.

  She didn’t answer but simply met his gaze and stayed where she was.

  Chad gave his daughter an angry look but didn’t argue. Muttering something under his breath, he checked the slash on Peter’s chest.

  While Tanner had calmed down, Zarina could feel his body shaking as he fought to keep control of his inner hybrid. He stood there with his hands at his sides, breathing deeply, blood running down his arm from the wound on his shoulder. The lion was gone, and in its place was a man who looked exhausted and crushed to his core. She longed to check his wounds, especially the bite, but that could wait. A hybrid wouldn’t bleed to death from a wound like that, and right now, getting him completely relaxed was the most important thing.

  It took a lot longer for the other three hybrids to get it together. But even after Spencer’s fangs and claws had retracted, he and his friends stared at her with hate in their eyes.

  “What the hell are you doing with her, Tanner?” Spencer finally demanded, his voice rough with emotion. “She was there. She helped turn us into monsters.”

  Zarina opened her mouth to tell her side of the story, but Tanner spoke before she could.

  “She was there, yes, but she was as much of a prisoner as we were,” he said firmly.

  “What does that mean?” Peter asked.

  “Stutmeir kidnapped her and forced her to work for him. If she didn’t, he would have killed her,” Tanner explained. “She had nothing to do with what happened to us. In fact, she did everything she could to stop it. I know it doesn’t mean anything to you, but Zarina risked her life to get me out when it looked like the other doctors were going to keep pumping me full of drugs until I died for real. She saved my life, so if you have a problem with her, you have a problem with me.”

  Tanner didn’t so much as let out a growl, but his message came through loud and clear anyway. All three of the hybrids backed off. Spencer even let Lillie nudge him another few feet away. While none of the men looked happy, at least they weren’t eyeing Zarina like they still wanted to attack her.

  Zarina was eager to use the pause in hostilities to ask how the three men had gotten there. Or more precisely, how it was possible they were still alive. She’d personally checked their pulses after Stutmeir’s doctors had injected them with the hybrid serum, and they’d been dead. Of that, she was certain.

  Before she could get her first question out, Tanner asked one of his own.

  “Where’s Bryce?”

  The three hybrids visibly tensed. Zarina stiffened, too, afraid there was going to be another fight. But Spencer merely shook his head.

  “He disappeared right after the attack. We were hoping he was out tracking Josh, but he still hasn’t come back. We’re starting to worry maybe those assholes grabbed him, too.”

  “We tried to follow his trail, but we lost the scent pretty quickly,” Malcolm said. “Maybe you can try. Your nose is way better than any of ours.”

  Tanner didn’t answer but instead threw a quick look at Zarina. “Stay here. I’ll be back soon.”

  He was gone before she could say anything, leaving her standing on the porch with a group of preppers she didn’t know and three hybrids who still didn’t act like they thought very much of her.

  Chad and Burt headed into the cabin to check on Lorraine while Lillie and Spencer moved several feet away to talk softly to each other. The young woman turned and looked Zarina’s way a few times, like they were talking about her. Zarina couldn’t help but wonder what they were saying.

  The other two hybrids stood off to the side, Malcolm tending to the wound on Peter’s chest. Zarina would have offered to help, but she was pretty sure her gesture wouldn’t be appreciated. So she simply walked back onto the porch and took a seat in the Adirondack-style chair there and waited. Even the preppers who’d come out of their cabins before had disappeared inside.

  Tanner jogged back into the camp five minutes after he’d left, a concerned expression on his face. Zarina could tell he’d been running fast, because there was a sheen of sweat covering his skin, but he wasn’t breathing hard at all. He stepped onto the porch just as Chad came out of
the cabin. Spencer, Lillie, Peter, and Malcolm moved closer to listen in.

  “Well?” Chad asked.

  “Bryce’s trail converges with Josh’s and the men who attacked your camp not more than a half mile into the woods,” Tanner said, his face grim. “There was a gunfight, and Bryce was hit. I found brass from an M16 or M4, as well as Bryce’s blood. The amount of blood didn’t suggest the injury was severe, but it must have been bad enough to knock him out. I found marks along the ground indicating they’d dragged both Bryce and Josh several hundred feet to the dirt road that runs along the south side of the farm. From there, they put them in a big vehicle, a van or SUV judging by the tire tracks.”

  No one said a word. The preppers and hybrids simply looked around at one another like they were hoping Bryce and Josh would appear and announce Tanner had been wrong, that they’d merely been lost in the woods.

  “We need to call the police,” Zarina finally said when no one spoke.

  Chad shook his head, his mouth tight. “No cops.”

  Not that again.

  “Your community was attacked by someone with weapons, and two of your friends were captured—or worse,” Zarina pointed out.

  “Don’t you think I know that?” Chad shot her an angry look. “There are people we know and trust in the other camps near here. We’ll get some trackers out there. We’ll find them.”

  Zarina stared at Chad in disbelief. Was he insane? Not even Tanner could track Bryce and Josh if the men were in a vehicle.

  “That hasn’t worked so far, and now there’s what, half a dozen people missing?” Zarina folded her arms. “You don’t even know who captured them or where they took them. You need trained professionals if you ever hope to find them.”

  Chad stood silently, his jaw clenched tight.

  Zarina was tempted to walk over and slap the man. His damn pride and his stubbornness were going to get his friends killed. If they weren’t already. But then she had a better idea. She pointed at where her backpack leaned against the side of the cabin alongside Tanner’s.