Alpha Hunter

by Cyndi Friberg

  He ended the subject with an impatient wave of one hand. “I’ve located my mate, but she won’t be ready for capture for a week or two. Put my men back on the rotation.”

  “Was that so hard?” She allowed a hint of warmth to soften her smile. “That’s all I wanted when I summoned you.”

  “Is the new clinic operational or not?” He glanced around and shuddered. “This place is an abomination.”

  “Like your mate, we’re approximately a week away.”

  His stoic expression didn’t change. “Then all three females are here?”

  “We had no other choice.”

  “Get dressed. I want to see what you’ve accomplished in my absence.”

  She waited for him to leave but he just stared at her in mutinous silence, so she shrugged and dropped the sheet.

  * * * * *

  After a hearty breakfast the following morning, Blayne informed Morgan that Angie was ready to try and locate Nazerel. Morgan asked if the exercise was more suited to the gym or a conference room and Blayne chose the conference room. When they arrived at the designated area Morgan, Lor and two guards were waiting for them. Everyone was heavily armed. According to their uniforms, one guard belonged to Morgan’s staff and the other was with Lor.

  Angie took one look at all the weapons and dug in her heels. “What’s with the firepower?”

  “It’s just a precaution,” Morgan assured, but her gaze remained cold.

  “If you manage to find Nazerel, we’ll need to move quickly,” Lor explained. “I’ll flash to his location and bring him back here.”

  “Nazerel will teleport as soon as he sees you,” Blayne predicted. “Element of surprise will only get us so far. I know firsthand how fast that son of a bitch can move.”

  “We’ve developed an injectable inhibitor. It worked on Odintar, so we’re hopeful that it will work on the Shadow Assassins too.”

  “What does Odintar have to do with the Shadow Assassins? Does this have something to do with his nanites?” Angie still stood just inside the doorway, arms folded across her chest.

  Lor made Morgan send her guard into the corridor and close the door before he explained. “Odintar is half Rodyte just like most of the hunters. He was preparing to go undercover, so he was given the same nanites that make those bastards so hard to track. For all intents and purposes, he is a Shadow Assassin.”

  “All he lacks is a lifetime of cruelty and meticulous brainwashing,” Blayne pointed out. “Those animals don’t think like we do. Their entire concept of reality is skewed.”

  “Sorry I brought it up in front of the guard,” Angie said. “I didn’t realize it wasn’t common knowledge.”

  Blayne moved his hand to the small of her back. “I should have warned you when I mentioned the nanites earlier. There’s a lot about Odintar most people don’t know.”

  Morgan let her guard back into the room then waited for Lor to continue his explanation.

  No one immediately spoke, so Angie asked Lor, “Dose this inhibitor suppress all of their abilities or just teleportation?”

  “It takes a few minutes to shut down everything, but teleportation went offline almost instantaneously.”

  Blayne didn’t seem satisfied with the answer. “A lot can happen in a second or two. With some of the guys from Team North it took Mystic and conventional weapons to immobilize them.”

  “I was there too, Blayne. I know what’s at stake.”

  Blayne shook his head, obviously unconvinced by Lor’s reassurance. “It’s still a gamble. You have to get close enough to inject him.”

  “Then distract him for me.” Lor’s voice took on a steely edge. “You escaped him before and took Angie with you. He won’t ignore the opportunity to kick your ass.”

  “And while he tries to kick my ass, you’ll ambush him?”

  Lor nodded with a smile. “We’ve chased his shadow for weeks and it’s gotten us nowhere. It’s past time we went on the offensive.”

  “We have to find him first,” Morgan reminded.

  “Is that my cue?” Angie tried not to think about of the caliber of people who made up her audience, but it was no use. The leader of a top secret government agency, two Special Forces operatives—one human and one Ontarian—and two Master Level mages. Yeah, no pressure there.

  Pulling one of the chairs away from the conference table, Blayne turned it around. Angie smiled. Did he honestly think putting her back to the others would make her forget they were there? She sat and placed her hands lightly on her legs. Then she took several deep breaths, centering her being and focusing her mind.

  Blayne knelt in front of her and covered her hands with his. “This is the same thing you’ve been doing for the past two weeks. The only difference is you’re following the strand instead of using an image or memory.”

  She looked into his eyes and smiled, letting the beauty of his gaze surround her. “I understand.” She closed her eyes and turned her focus inward.

  Can you sense the strand?

  She nodded. She’d been able to sense the fragile thread ever since Drakkin activated her abilities, but she’d ignored it, afraid of unintentionally completing the connection.

  Don’t touch it or pass energy through it. Follow it. Let it guide you back to its source.

  With another tense nod, she moved closer to the strand. It stretched into the distance like a thin, iridescent rope. Nazerel’s image rolled through her mind, reminding her of what he’d intended for her and how hard he’d tried to—

  Don’t let anything distract you. Nothing exists but the strand.

  She concentrated, narrowing her focus to that one unwavering image, the thin shimmering thread stretching out into the distance. She floated along beside it, tuning everything else out.

  It might have taken moments or hours, she couldn’t be sure. Time had no meaning on the metaphysical plane. She concentrated harder and moved faster, her confidence growing as she drew closer to the strand’s source.

  She sensed Nazerel before she saw him or rather saw out of him. Conflict, frustration and hate twisted through his mind and fueled his purpose. He turned his head and glared at a beautiful woman with blue-streaked black hair.

  “When did you install the window?” Nazerel growled out the question as lust threaded through his other emotions.

  His companion smiled without turning her head as she gazed through the window. Even in profile, her features were striking, strong yet feminine. “It was already here when I decided to lease the place. You can imagine the sorts of people who stayed here before it was shut down.”

  Nazerel turned back to the window, not nearly as disinterested as he appeared. A naked couple writhed on the bed in the room beyond the window. The woman sprawled on her stomach, the man covering her back. Her hips were propped up by several pillows and her wrists were tied together with a velvet cord. They were either so caught up in passion that they didn’t notice their audience or the window as actually a two-way mirror. Angie’s money was on the later.

  “Open your mind and I’ll be gentle. I know that’s what you want.” The man promised in between brutal thrusts. Despite his physical aggression, the woman’s cries were clearly pleasure not pain.

  “When was she captured?” Nazerel asked as he dragged his gaze back to his companion.

  Pull back slowly, angel. We need to know his exact location.

  She’d been so distracted by the woman’s possible peril that she’d nearly forgotten why she was there. Using the strand as an anchor, she pulled back from the scene. She saw the room in which Nazerel stood and then the outside of the building. Very slowly, she rotated her perspective and located a street sign at the adjacent intersection. The angle allowed her to see the names of both streets.

  “Got it.” Lor’s voice was jarring in the stillness.

  She felt Blayne ease from her mind and a subtle rush of energy. Should she hold the connection or leave the rest to the men? Tension mounted and she pressed her teeth into her botto
m lip.

  “What the—” Nazerel closed his eyes and whispered in her mind, You sneaky little bitch.

  Before she could sever the link his energy stabbed deeper, burning through her brain with furious determination. She screamed, clawing at the strand, desperate to release its hold on her.

  He worked with terrifying precision and anger-fueled speed, strengthening the strand and expanding its functionality.

  His eyes suddenly flew open and she received a blessed reprieve. Blayne stood in front of her, or actually in front of Nazerel. She was firmly lodged in Nazerel’s perception.

  Blayne didn’t bother with words. He launched an energy pulse directly into Nazerel’s face. Nazerel screamed, but the searing pain burned through his mind, shot across the strand and exploded inside Angie. She frantically tried to disperse the pulse and minimize the damage, but it was concentrated and massive. Blayne had unloaded his full strength on his enemy. Agony spread through her body, leaching her strength as it incinerated her senses.

  She opened her mouth, trying to express her suffering, but no sound came out.

  Someone supported her, carefully lowering her to the floor.

  My life mate just killed me. The bitter irony followed her into the void.

  Chapter Nine

  Lor lunged for Nazerel, injector extended, but Nazerel twisted, narrowly missing the threat. With a furious snarl, he shoved Blayne out of his way, grabbed Sevrin and flashed from the room.

  Blayne locked on to his signal and followed. By the time Blayne materialized in the open field, Nazerel and his female companion had already left. Blayne paused, scanning for Nazerel’s signal. It echoed into the distance, fragmented and distorted. Refusing to accept defeat, he scanned harder. He was a tracker, this was his primary skill. He would find the bastard before he hurt anyone else!

  Pressure built in his temples and still he scanned. Sweat beaded his brow, but he pushed on. He poured energy into his receptors, increase their sensitivity. Prickles became spikes of sensation and the spikes began to burn. If he didn’t stop, he’d fry his receptors, perhaps damage them permanently.

  Only a Shadow Assassin could find a Shadow Assassin. The saying had mocked the Mystic Militia since their arrival on Earth.

  With an exasperated cry, Blayne finally backed off. He thought of Lor, alone with the rest of the rebels. This wasn’t fair.

  After one final sweep, Blayne accepted the inevitable and flashed back to the motel. Lor had left the room in which they’d arrived. The adjoining bedroom was now empty as well. Blayne threw open the door and rushed out onto the uneven sidewalk.

  Shouts and the muffled rapport of a gun lengthened his stride and defined his direction. A door farther down the sidewalk burst open and a woman in a white lab coat dashed into the parking lot. Not willing to take any chances, Blayne flashed in front of her and blocked her escape. He urged her to her knees and bound her wrists behind her back with Mystic cords.

  “You’ll never get away with this,” she sneered, tugging furiously against the restraining fibers.

  “Is she secure?” Lor called from inside the room.

  “Affirmative,” Blayne returned. “How many have you got in there?”

  “Three, but they’re secured as well. She had a blond man with her when I first spotted her, but I’m sure he’s long gone by now. I think we’re clear. Bring her back in here then check the other rooms.”

  Blayne heaved her to her feet and propelled her toward the motel room.

  “I have diplomatic immunity. You can’t—”

  “Lodge a complaint with your consulate. I don’t give a shit.”

  As well as incapacitating the guards, Lor had located two of the three missing females. They were both dressed in scrubs and they huddled together as if they’d known each other all their lives. Maybe they had. All Blayne knew about them was that they were featured in the notebook. “What happened to the couple Nazerel and the Rodyte were watching?”

  “The hunter teleported her out before I could stop him,” Lor admitted.

  A frustrated sigh forced its way out of Blayne. “Then all the Shadow Assassins escaped?” Each victim they recovered was a victory, but as long as the hunters were on the loose they would continue to hunt. It was their nature, their reason for coming to Earth.

  “Not all of them escaped.” Lor pointed to the first unconscious man. “That’s Zacharous. He’s the Team West alpha. The other two are Rodytes. No Shadow Assassin would have been that easy to floor.”

  The alpha hunter was unconscious as well as bound. “How did you accomplish all this by yourself?”

  “I still had the injector in my hand when Zacharous burst into the room. Pulse blasts took out the other two. What about Nazerel?”

  Blayne shook his head. His frustration was echoed in Lor’s gaze. “I easily followed his first leap, but his nanites scramble his signal. It’s impossible to track him.”

  “I got a good look at the woman. She was definitely Sevrin Keire.” Suddenly Lor looked off into space and his brows drew together. His worried gaze snapped back to Blayne and he said, “That was Tori. Morgan had no other way to contact us. Something is horribly wrong with Angie. Elias is on his way here. Go.”

  Blayne didn’t have to be told twice. He flashed back to the Bunker, heart hammering madly in his chest. The floor around Angie had been cleared. Even the conference table had been shoved to the side. A human medic knelt by Angie, trying to look useful.

  “What happened?” he demanded.

  “You tell me,” Morgan replied. “She screamed, her eyes went vacant and then she just collapsed.”

  He knelt on the other side from the medic and pressed his fingers to her throat. Her pulse was weak but discernable. Her breathing was shallow. After quickly scanning for physical injuries, he determined that it was safe to move her. “I’ll update you when I know more.” Without further conversation, he scooped her up in his arms and flashed to the Sentinel. The ship was too small to have an infirmary, so he took her to the cabin he’d been sharing with Odintar and summoned his cabin mate with an urgent telepathic pulse.

  All Mystics learned how to heal their own minor wounds and many could accelerate healing in others. Unfortunately, Blayne’s healing abilities were minimal. He scanned her again, confused and frustrated by what he sensed. He couldn’t lock on to a specific wound or locate discernable damage. All he sensed was an unnatural resonance as if all the energy in her body were subtly feeding back.

  Odintar entered, lunging across the small space. “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t know.” Anxiety made his tone sharper than he’d intended. “She located Nazerel. Lor and I flashed to his location. Morgan said Angie screamed, her gaze went blank, and then she just collapsed. I can’t detect a specific problem.”

  Shouldering him out of the way, Odintar knelt beside the bunk and pressed his hand against Angie’s forehead. He closed his eyes and his features tensed. “Was she still linked with Nazerel when you were fighting?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Was Nazerel incapacitated?”

  “No. I blasted him with energy, but… Shit, did I do this to her?” The bottom dropped out of his stomach and his hands clenched into fists. If he’d hurt her, even unintentionally, he’d… Never forgive himself? He already knew what that felt like thanks to his half-brother. He could not let his happen again.

  Odintar was using both hands now. He pressed his palms to her temples then slid them slowly down her throat. “There has definitely been some sort of overload.”

  “Open this fucking door or I’ll blast my way in!” Tori’s voice was muffled, but Blayne believed every word.

  “Do not let her in here,” Odintar insisted without opening his eyes.

  Not wanting to leave Angie’s side, Blayne’s steps dragged as he crossed to the door. He positioned himself to block Tori’s entrance then triggered the door with a voice command. Before she could rush past him, he caught her upper arms and guided her awa
y from the door.

  “Odintar needs to concentrate. We can help her best by staying out of his way.”

  “How was she injured? You didn’t take her with you, did you?”

  The accusation stung. “Give me a little credit. Of course, I didn’t take her into battle with me.”

  “Then how was she hurt?” He’d never seen Tori so distraught. Her face was ashen, eyes wide and tear-bright.

  “I think she was still linked with Nazerel when I attacked him.” Each word slashed at his soul. He was supposed to protect his life mate and it was likely his own energy had done this to her. “Nazerel must have used the link to redirect the attack.”

  “He redirected a pulse that was meant to kill him into Angie?” Her lips trembled and tears escaped with the fall of her lashes.

  Instinctively, Blayne pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry. I would never hurt her intentionally.” But all his good intentions hadn’t kept Larria alive. He shuddered. No! It was not going to happen again. He would not lose Angie. He’d just found her, for gods’ sake.

  Tori had brought her arms up as he reeled her in and she remained stiff within his embrace. “If she dies, I will never forgive you.” Fear and grief tore the words from her throat.

  The familiar threat echoed through Blayne, mocking and tormenting him. “She’s not going to die.”

  Despite her hurtful words, Tori wrapped her arms around his back and sobbed into his shirt.

  Blayne held her, fighting his own emotions as he attempted in vain to comfort her.

  I need you both. Now!

  Tori must have heard Odintar as well because she beat him to the door, but Blayne’s longer stride allowed him to reach the bed before her.

  Energy. Odintar hadn’t reacted when they arrived. He remained kneeling beside the bunk, hands hovering over Angie. Need energy.

  Unable to transfer energy without the benefit of touch, Tori placed her hand on Odintar’s arm. Blayne simply opened his mind and inundated the other Mystic with energy.