by Dena Christy
“Are we going to be examining patients in the holding area? Why do we need this set up if we aren’t going to use it?”
“Oh we do use it, just not for routine examinations. We are encouraged to keep the wolves in the holding area as much as possible. Less chance of them escaping and wreaking havoc on the human populace.”
“Aren’t you afraid to go into their cells, in case they might attack you?”
Rachel walked over to him and ran her finger down the muscle in his chest. Her touch repelled him, but he tolerated it to let her believe that he was on her side. “Why would I be afraid when I have you to protect me?” she asked with a little laugh.
“Well let’s get on with it,” Nick said as he took the medical bag she was holding and walked to the door. The press of her hand lingered on his ass, and he turned, grabbing her wrist in an iron grip.
“Let’s get one thing straight. I’m here to work, and while we’re on duty you’ll keep your hands to yourself.”
“And when we aren’t on duty?”
Nick could smell her arousal at his rough handling, and it did nothing for him. Images of Hadria crowded his mind, and while he was prepared to go along with the charade Cadric had planned for him, he was not prepared to betray her for real.
“I don’t like aggressive females. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m a wolf and I like to do the chasing.”
Nick turned and walked out the door, satisfied that there would be no more overtures coming from her. She walked beside him, and out of the corner of his eye he could see the sullen look on her face. She’d obviously gotten his point.
They walked in silence down the hall, and passed a large, glassed in room on their left. It was a lab, and Nick could see several people hard at work.
“What do they need a lab in here for? I thought this was just a holding facility for wolves.” Nick turned to look at Rachel, and for a moment he thought she was going to continue to pout. Steeling himself he reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. He didn’t like it, but apparently he wasn’t above manipulating a woman’s attraction to get what he wanted.
“They do a lot more than that here. I’m surprised no one at the Order figured it out, especially once Samara’s blood sample went missing.”
“What are they doing with Samara’s blood?”
“Since she is one of the rare females to survive the change, they are working on isolating the antibodies in her blood that helped her do it. Once they get that worked out, then things will proceed much more quickly.”
“What things?” Nick hoped he hadn’t come across as too eager, and suspected that he might have when Rachel bit her lip. She quickly looked around to make sure no one was interested in them, before speaking in a hushed tone.
“I’m not really supposed to say much more, I may have said more than I should already. The human females that have been attacked are going to be used as breeders. In order for that to happen they have to successfully survive the change. As you can imagine, there are very few that have managed it. I think only one has come through it alive at this point, but once they get the work done on Samara’s blood, the success rate should be much better.”
Rachel looked at him, her eyes shining as if she wanted his approval. Nick smiled at her, his mind racing with the implications of what she said. Dennis’ theory was correct. They were using Samara’s blood as an antidote to the change. He didn’t think that even Dennis had an inkling of how horrific their plan really was. Not only were they turning females against their will, they planned on forcing them to breed. Bile churned in Nick’s stomach, and he turned away from Rachel before she could see his disgust. That she would condone the actions of those she worked with was reprehensible.
“We better get down to the holding area before anyone wonders what’s taking us so long.”
Rachel led him to a flight of stairs, and they made their way down into the bowels of the building. The holding area was a long corridor lined with doors equally spaced out on either side. The doors were solid steel with a small glass window, where the detainees could be viewed without opening the door. Nick winced. For a wolf, the restriction of freedom would be hellish.
“Ready to see your first patient?” Rachel asked as she jangled a key ring.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Nick stood beside her and waited for her to open the door. It eased open with a hiss and the huddled figure in the corner of the room looked up, and Nick drew back in shock as he recognized him. His name was Patrick Campbell and he used to run around with Rowan and Eric. It was a long time ago, and Nick was surprised that he even recognized the thin, drawn creature sitting in front of him as the once robust werewolf.
Nick walked into the room, and set his medical bag on the bed. “How are you feeling, Patrick?”
“Like shit, but what else is new,” Patrick’s voice rasped out like he’d smoked way too many cigarettes and chased the whole lot down with a quart of whiskey. The wolf looked up at him with dead eyes, and the muscle in Nick’s jaw tightened. The sooner the Order shut this operation down the better. If Patrick was a shining example of the effects of his new employer’s army building, then their troops were dying a slow death.
“Is there something specific that is bothering you?” Nick asked in a neutral voice, as he opened his medical bag. Patrick’s eyes darted over to where Rachel was standing, her arms folded across her chest as she watched the two of them. His lips tightened when he realized that Patrick wouldn’t say anything while she was in the room. “Rachel, I’d like to examine my patient in private, so if you’ll excuse us.”
“We’re not supposed to be alone with the subjects,” Rachel said, thrusting out her chin.
Nick stood and walked over to her. He put his hand on her arm, and gently steered her toward the door. “I think I can handle myself, don’t you?” he said in a soft tone as he looked over toward Patrick. Rachel relaxed under his hand, and turned her body toward his, standing a little too close to be professional. Nick fought against rolling his eyes, since it was obvious that she hadn’t gotten the hint that she wasn’t his type.
“I’ll just wait outside for you,” she purred before she turned and slipped from the room. Nick waited until the door closed behind her, before turning back to Patrick. He came over and squatted down in front of the other wolf, looking him square in the eyes.
“What seems to be the problem? Is it physical?” Nick asked, suspecting that Patrick’s problem had nothing to do with physical ailments, and everything to do with the madness swimming in his head from the Dark Wolf formula and the small confines of this room.
“Can you give me something?” he rasped out, his tongue darting out to quickly swipe his lips.
Acid churned in Nick’s stomach, and he hoped that Patrick wasn’t asking for what he suspected he was.
“Are you in physical pain?” Nick asked carefully, his eyes taking in the fine tremors of Patrick’s hands as he raked them through his hair as if he was trying to tear it out by the roots.
“I’m in pain twenty-four-seven and I just want it to stop Nick. I want it all to stop. The voices, the urges, the need to taste blood. The walls are closing in on me, and I just want it all to end. You have to put me down, man. I wish I’d never done it.”
“Patrick, what you’re asking—” Nick searched for the words to tell him that he couldn’t do what he wanted.
“I know it’s asking a lot, and if I wasn’t so much of a coward I’d find a way to end it myself.” Patrick slowly pounded his head against the wall as a lone tear trickled down his cheek. Nick swore softly, seeing it.
“Listen to me. I know that right now death seems to be the only option you have, but there is another way. I can’t tell you how I know this, but help will be coming for all of you soon. You just have to hold on.”
Patrick turned his face toward the wall, and Nick stood, grabbing his medical bag and zipping it closed with a sense of finality. He didn’t know if his words penetrated, and he o
nly hoped that the next time he had to look in on the other wolf that he hadn’t found a way to off himself. Not knowing what else he could say, he turned toward the door. He thought he heard Patrick whisper his thanks, but when he turned back to him, he continued to stare vacantly at the wall.
Failure weighed heavily on his shoulders as he walked out of the room. He didn’t speak to Rachel as he continued on his rounds. The others locked up were in varying degrees of degeneration, and while none seemed as bad off as Patrick, the stench of hopelessness clung to every lungful of air he took in.
Once he was finished he walked back to his office, ignoring Rachel when she attempted to draw him into conversation, going so far as to shut the door in her face. He threw his medical bag across the room. His jaw ached as he stood inside his office. The pain of it barely registered when he let his fist fly into the wall beside his office door. The crack of plaster under his knuckles did little to ease the frustration eating at his insides. He needed to get those wolves out of here as soon as possible. He’d seen more than enough to shut this place down, and satisfy Cadric. All he needed to do was find a phone.
Chapter Fifteen
“I don’t need any ice cream but thanks for the offer,” Hadria said as she looked up at Samara from her position on her daughter’s sofa. “I’ve been through this whole process with depressing frequency, and the only thing the ice cream will do is make me feel sick.”
Samara came and sat beside her, and Hadria couldn’t stand the look of sympathy in her eyes, despite her efforts to hide it. It was part of the reason she’d declined to go into work today. She didn’t want to see that same look of pity multiplied by a hundred. She was sure most of the Order knew Nick was AWOL and it wouldn’t take long for them to figure out why. She’d texted Cadric to tell him that she wouldn’t be in, and then turned off her phone so she wouldn’t have to be bothered to explain any further.
“Is there anything you need or that I could do for you?” Samara said as she sat beside her and took hold of her hand.
“Honey, you’ve done enough for me already. I needed you this morning and you were there for me. There is little else you can do at this point. There isn’t anything that anyone can do for me. I just need time to put this whole episode behind me.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to find Nick and beat him up for you?” Samara asked with a small smile on her face.
Hadria laughed even as she swiped at the tear that insisted on running down her cheek. Samara reached for her, but she waved her away. “It’s not his fault. It’s mine. It’s my curse, after all. Besides, I think we won’t have to worry about you beating up Nick. If the look on Eric’s face is anything to go by when he lit out of here this morning, I think it’s a foregone conclusion that he won’t take it easy on Nick if he finds him.”
“There could still be a reasonable explanation for all this. Maybe Nick—”
“Samara, don’t.” Hadria held up her hand to stop her from speaking further. “Hope only makes it worse so please let’s not go there.”
“Okay.” Samara patted her hand and stood when the door bell rang. “Are you expecting anyone?” she said over her shoulder as she went to answer the door.
“Who would I be expecting?” The hair on Hadria’s arms stood on end. Something wasn’t right. She didn’t know how she knew, she just did. She wished Eric or even his brother Rowan were here. She bolted up off the couch when she heard Samara yelp.
“Samara, honey, are you okay?” she called as she rushed toward the front entryway of the house. She burst into the hall just as one of the four burly men standing there pressed a stun gun to Samara’s neck. Her daughter dropped to the floor, and a red haze swam in Hadria’s vision. With her heart roaring in her ears, she charged forward, shooting out her fist to knock the stun gun from the assailant’s hand.
“Don’t make us shoot you bitch,” a voice growled behind her, and the hard press of a gun barrel against the back of her head registered through the fog of her rage. She stiffened for a moment, raising her hands. She sensed her attacker relaxing, and the other men in the room went about securing Samara.
Hadria quickly turned, slapping her hand on the barrel of the pistol and wrenching it out of the man’s hands before he had time to recover. Swinging the gun around, she smashed it into the side of his face. Blood splattered from his mouth as he dropped to the floor in a heap.
The crushing grip of two arms banding around her rendered her breathless. A hammer like fist slammed down on her wrists, and the gun clattered to the floor. The same fist clouted her in the side of the head, hard enough to send bright bursts of light across her eyes. She swayed on her feet, trying to keep them underneath her as the man holding her let go. She staggered to the side and the floor rushed up to meet her.
***
A chill crept up Nick’s spine when he saw Rachel walk into his office with a smug smile on her face. After examining the wolves in the basement, he’d managed to avoid her for most of the day.
“What can I do for you, Rachel?” Nick asked, knowing he would regret it. He could guess what she wanted him to do for her.
“There is a new patient for you to examine. They are bringing her in so you need to get ready.”
“Her?” Nick stood so fast his chair flew back from the desk and hit the wall. “When did they start bringing women in? Has there been an attack?”
“Oh no, this one is very special and is not a victim of a wolf attack, at least not a recent one,” Rachel said as she coiled her hair around her finger.
Nick strode over to where she stood and grasped her upper arms, giving her a shake. He’d had about as much as he could take of her coy little girl act. “I don’t have time for your games. Who are they bringing in?”
Rachel’s eyes widened and she must have realized that she exploited the last of his patience. She tried to draw back form him, but he held her firm. “Samara. They’re bringing in Samara.”
Nick dropped her arms as if burned as he reeled back. They’re bringing Samara here If they had her, then something must have happened to Eric, because he knew his brother would fight to his last breath to keep his mate from harm.
“Why are they bringing her here? What the hell happened to my brother?” Nick charged back to her, and Rachel took a step back, a shocked look on her face.
“They don’t have enough blood from the samples they’ve stolen, so they brought her here to harvest more.”
Bile crawled up Nick’s throat, and he turned away from Rachel before he reached out and snapped her neck. He could smell the excitement coming off her and knew she was enjoying this. She was so far immersed in this organization’s party line that she couldn’t see how sick and twisted it all had become.
A noise in the outer room alerted Nick to Samara’s arrival. He rushed into the infirmary, his jaw tightening when he saw a burly wolf carry Samara in as if she was a sack of garbage and toss her onto an available bed.
“Get out of my infirmary,” he growled as he rushed over to Samara’s prone body. He turned to look at Rachel, who’d entered the room behind him. “You too.”
He didn’t wait to see them leave the room before turning to Samara. He started palpitating her body, checking for broken bones, when she stirred.
“Nick?” her voice whispered out.
“I’m here, Samara. I’m going to take care of you, but you need to tell me if you are in any pain.”
“They used a stun gun on me. Every time I came to they gave me another zap to keep me under. Nothing hurts, I just feel dizzy.”
“And the babies? Are you experiencing any cramping?”
“No. How is Hadria?”
“Hadria?” A wave of cold washed over Nick. Hadria had been involved in this? What the hell happened to Eric that he’d allowed both woman to be taken?
“She was with me. Eric went out to look for you and Rowan…well I’m not exactly sure where Rowan went.”
Nick swore softly under his breath. He could unders
tand Eric leaving gthem, with Rowan still at the house. But how could Rowan have left the women alone? When he’d agreed to look out for Hadria if Nick wasn’t there.
“You need to find Hadria,” Samara said as she looked into his face. Her eyes skipped over the mark on his cheek, and he put his hand up to cover it. “I know you haven’t betrayed us. Cadric has you in here, undercover, doesn’t he?”
“Yes. I didn’t want to do it at first, but when I was approached it seemed like the logical choice. Hadria doesn’t believe it either, right? Tell me she doesn’t think I stabbed you all in the back?”
The sadness in Samara’s eyes communicated that Hadria did believe that he’d betrayed them all. “She’s been through a lot in her life and trust isn’t easy for her. What’s important right now is that you find her.”
“Will you be okay here by yourself?” He knew he had to get to Hadria, his guts churned at the thought that something might be wrong with her, but he didn’t like the thought of leaving Samara alone either.
“I’ll be fine. I don’t think they would have gone to all the trouble of bringing me here if they intended to kill me. Besides, I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time, and despite what your brother thinks, I’m not helpless. Go find your woman.”
Nick didn’t need any further permission as he squeezed Samara’s hand and took off out the door. Since Hadria hadn’t been brought to the infirmary, the only logical place for them to have taken her was the holding area.
He walked swiftly down the stairwell, and made his way to the cells. The closer he got to it, the hotter the rage inside him burned. There better not be one hair harmed on her head, otherwise there’d be hell to pay. Nick passed each door, looking in the windows until he found the one she was in.
His hand tightened into a fist when he saw her huddled in the corner. Her head hung down, her hair curtaining her face. He jammed his hands into his pocket, searching for the keys to the door, and remembered he gave them back to Rachel after finishing his rounds. He slammed his opened palm against the door and saw Hadria look up at him through the window. He pressed his hand against the glass as she stared at him, her eyes glued to the mark on his cheek.