“The first thing I want to go over is knife grips. There are forward grips and reverse grips. Generally, they both have advantages and disadvantages. The forward grip is easier to master, and you don’t need to be as close to your opponent to use it. So we’ll start with those. There are six forward grips. You’ll learn them all, as well as when to use each one. Hey, don’t look so worried. We’ll be practicing with daggers that have been dulled down.”
Thank God for small favors.
An hour later, they were actually working on correct attack positions.
“Okay, hang on, bro. Don’t just check me after cutting my forearm. If I’m stronger than you, I could still carry forward and go for your jugular. Do a redirect using your knife hand, afterward. Good. All the way up until I’m locked. Nice.”
Diesel walked into the gym. He popped some gum in his mouth. “Hey, ladies, how’s it going?”
“Hey, Dies. James, Diesel and I are going to do a sparring demonstration for you using knives only.”
Pax phased back into his first form and James watched as the two males fought. Holy fuck. They were so fast. And there was nothing dull about the daggers they were using. Suddenly, Diesel gave a holler.
“Son of a!”
“Whoa, sorry Dies!”
“Sorry my ass!”
Diesel jumped on Pax and the two of them wrestled each other. James couldn’t help but laugh.
Troy walked by on his way to work out. “Trouble in paradise?”
He quickly ducked into the workout room as the two brothers headed straight for him.
Diesel sat in bed with his female leaning back against his chest. He dropped a kiss on her temple. “Watching movies naked is definitely an improvement.”
“I’ll say. We can’t invite Pax though.”
He barked a laugh. “I’m sure we’ll watch a movie fully clothed at some point.”
“Ya think?”
“Okay, maybe not.”
She looked up at him and smiled. His heart literally skipped a beat.
“Anyway, he’s banned after what he did to your arm,” she said.
“Aw, it’s nothing. It’s almost healed already. See?”
She turned around. “That reminds me. I’ve been thinking. Maybe we should train another brother, to assist with basic procedures and even some surgery. What if you’re out fighting and can’t get back here?”
“That’s not a bad idea, actually.”
“Who would be your first choice?”
“I think X would be a solid first choice. He’s incredibly intelligent, and he has nerves to rival yours. Did you know he graduated MIT?”
“Wow. Would you ask him?”
He nodded. “Yeah, sure. I’ll check with him tomorrow.”
“Thanks.”
Diesel shifted Helen’s position so she was sitting across his lap. “How are ya, Doc?”
“I’m fine. Why?”
“Just wondered how you’re adjusting to life here in the circus.”
“It’s actually…really different than my old life. But now I have my research, new friends, some surgery.”
Diesel cleared his throat.
“Oh, and you! I have you, my male.” She stroked his scruffy cheek.
He sighed and shook his head. “Always last.”
She kissed his nose. “I saved the best for last. Hey, is that gum I smell?”
“Yep. My parents got me hooked on it while I was overseas.”
“What kind?”
“Bubblicious. Cotton Candy, I think.”
“Oh, my God. Hand it over.”
He looked into the drawer of his bedside table. No dice. He pulled a piece off of his own and she took it from his finger.
With her mouth.
He licked his finger and closed his eyes. There it was.
“I haven’t had gum in years.”
“Hey, what about your parents, Doc? Do you miss them? You must miss your family.”
“I don’t have any parents, Dies.”
“I’m sorry. When did you lose them?”
“Well, I never knew my mother and my father died when I was thirteen.”
He smoothed her hair away from her face. “I’m so sorry.”
She shrugged. “It was a long time ago. My grandparents raised me and they were really amazing people.”
He rubbed the back of his hand along her soft cheek. “They must’ve been. Is that why you decided to become a doctor? After your Dad?”
Silence.
Shit. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“No, it’s okay. It’s just…my father killed himself.”
“Oh, my God.”
“I told you he was a fighter pilot.”
He nodded. “I noticed you were wearing his G-1 jacket on the bike. So he was elite.”
She smiled a little. “Yeah. They used to call him an ACM god, because he was that good in a dogfight. Well, there was an incident. The plane was out of control. He couldn’t get it back. He managed to punch out and he made it safely. His co-pilot couldn’t eject and was killed. He blamed himself, I guess.”
Diesel wrapped his arms around his female and pulled her to his chest. “I love you, Doc.”
And he meant it. More than he’d ever meant anything in his life. Even as he said it, he knew it wasn’t going to fix everything. He wanted to be there for her so badly. But what would she say when she found out who he really was? When she knew about the drinking? The females? His face flushed with shame. He rubbed his eyes. They were wet.
CHAPTER NINE
Ana ran up a dark alley between Boylston and Newbury streets. With her New Breed sight she quickly assessed the sitch. Xavier had one hellion on the ground, while another pulled a switchblade at his back. Screw running. She gleamed out mid-run and materialized behind the second Frankenshifter. She disarmed the enemy, unsheathed her knife, and took its head off. She looked behind her and noticed Dimitri assisting Troy with two more mutants. Where the hell were they all coming from?
As X sent the other mutant home to the Goddess, they watched to be sure no others made an appearance.
Ana cast out her senses to check the area. “Did you find a new den?”
X shook his head. “No. That’s just it. These four just showed up and attacked us on their own.”
“On their own? You mean, with no Toltec shifters?”
Troy sheathed his dagger. “They came outta fuckin’ nowhere.”
Dimitri shook his head. “I got a bad feeling about this.”
Ana nodded. “You and me both, D. I think we need to let Reyn know, right away.”
X started back down the alley. “It’s late. Let’s do one final sweep and head in.”
SE looked at his watch and followed it up by doing a lousy job with his pool cue.
Richard shook his head. “Wow. That may be the worst shot I’ve ever seen you make. Would you stop pacing? They’ll be in any minute.”
SE handed the cue to Pax. “Something’s not right. I can feel it.”
That’s when he heard it. Dimitri was shouting his name from the main foyer. He flew around the corner and down the short hallway. X was holding Ana in his arms.
SE’s blood pressure spiked. “What the hell happened?”
“Hellion comes outta nowhere. Second time tonight. Douche whacks her with a two by four.”
His female was sounding a tad ornery. “I’m fine, X. Would you please put me the hell down?”
SE held out his arms and took hold of his mate. “I’ve got her. Thanks, X. Let’s get you downstairs to Helen, ihkweea.”
“Guess where it got me, my male?” She grinned. “In the ribs.”
SE shook his head. “There’s a surprise.”
When he got his hands on the Frankenfucker, he was going to pull its insides out through its mouth and leave it to die out in the cold. No returning to the Goddess bullshit.
The worried males all followed them down into the compound and then waited outside the
exam room door in silence. Every time Ana said I’m fine, they chuckled.
Troy smiled. “We should come up with a drinkin’ game.”
Pax laughed. “Yeah, we should.”
SE poked his head through the curtain. “She’s all set, my brothers. Just a couple of broken ribs. I’ll be taking her upstairs in a few minutes.”
Half an hour later, he had them set up in bed with the TV and snacks. They’d pass out when dawn hit in another hour.
Ana pulled the duvet off and gingerly slid her legs over the side of the bed.
“Whoa! Park it. I’ll get you whatever you need.”
She raised a brow. “You gonna pee for me, too?”
He laughed. She wasn’t one to put up with his alpha male crap that was for sure. And goddamn was it hot.
When she came out, her mate helped her climb back into bed. He kissed her cheek. “Are you comfortable enough, ihkweea? How’s the pain?”
“Not bad. It’s just…”
He could see she was working something out. “What is it?”
“You should have seen those hellions tonight, SE. Something wasn’t right. They just showed up with no shifters. None. I’m talking for miles. It just doesn’t make any sense. Toltec would never allow that. The only time they’re on their own is when they’re asleep in the dens. Even then, there are shifters checking on them. I’ve never seen a mutant without one. Have you?”
He shook his head. “No, I don’t think any of us have.”
“Let’s think about this. Toltec’s formula is based on that scientist, Sean Delaney’s work, right? He’s the one who originally isolated the shifter gene, but he never intended for it to be used this way. He was simply a geneticist who had a shifter for a daughter and thought he could find a scientific explanation for shapeshifting. The hellions are still highly experimental.”
He didn’t like where this was going. “Yeah, when you put it like that.”
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
SE looked into his female’s eyes. “Rogues.”
Seth ran up Berkeley Street and turned down one of Boston’s gazillion Public Alleys. The city was old as fuck and provided the perfect playground for those who needed to live in the shadows. He grabbed the top of a fence, and easily hiked himself over the top. His new body was so strong and way faster than his shifter one had been. Sure, he had to pull over, knock off a shifter, and borrow some k’ul every couple of days, but it was a necessary evil. Kinda like stopping for gas. And it was worth it for this body. Before he’d had the body of an athlete. Now he had the body of a hellion. It was like comparing LeBron James to Superman or some shit. Except, as far as he knew, there was no kryptonite for mutants, other than the sharp blade of some dickhead, New Breed warrior.
Seth knew he had lucked out.
Big time.
Not every hellion came through the process with their gray matter still in working order. Tons of them were practically brain dead. They could barely think and when they did, it was only about following orders so they could find more k’ul. He shook his head. No wonder they were easy pickings for the Order.
But there were others like him.
Mutants who had maintained their level of intelligence from before they were given the serum. They had learned how to stave off the cravings for longer periods of time and found their new capabilities brought them a new kind of freedom. Well, after they took care of the shifter soldiers from Toltec. He couldn’t figure out what was going on there. He and his boys would take care of one, only to have another show up in its place. Obviously, the Order was taking care of a fuckload. Maybe Toltec figured it was all the Order. Yeah, right. Those New Breed bitches wished.
It didn’t matter. They were in no hurry. They would watch and wait. There had to be more of their kind among the dens throughout the city. He and his crew would find them and add them to the ranks. They would take out both Toltec and the New Breeds. Then, as far as he could see, the sky was the limit. Once they were organized, they could take whatever they wanted. No more waiting for the poor shifter boy to get his basketball scholarship. Fuck. That. Man, he felt sorry for his boy, James, though—still back in school, going to practice, and fighting off the Aberzombie cheerleaders. But he was hella relieved to be off that hamster wheel. For real.
Reyn sat at his desk facing Richard, SE, and Dimitri. The looks on his brothers’ faces made him want to cringe.
“So, you’re saying we’ve got some kind of weird-ass aberrations running around out there?” Of course the mutants were already aberrations. So what the hell did that make these things? “There’s no other possible explanation?”
Richard rubbed his forehead. “Logically, I’d say there’s a remote possibility that it could have been a coincidence, but my gut’s telling me that’s unlikely.”
SE nodded. “Yeah, Ana made some good points last night. This stuff is still totally experimental and they’re messing with shit with no idea where it’s headed. It’s not like this shit is FDA approved.”
Dimitri sighed. “Look, there’s all kinds of crazy running around out there. I really think all we can do right now is be aware of the possibility and wait. If there’s some kind of rogue faction out there, they’ll eventually show their stripes.”
“I agree,” Reyn said. “Whether or not they think the same way, they still seem to bite it in the usual manner. Let’s get the word out to the rest of the brothers and for now we keep our eyes peeled. If it is happening, there’s a possibility Toltec doesn’t even know about it yet. Let’s be the first to find out.”
Diesel was down on one knee holding a female across his lap. “Pax!”
The brother trotted down the alley toward him.
“We got a problem.”
Pax took a gander at the female shifter. “Did a couple get to her?”
Diesel shook his head. “That’s what I thought at first, too. Notice anything off?”
“Her k’ul was drained ‘til it killed her. Nothing new…”
Their eyes met.
Diesel sighed. Son of a bitch. He’d really wanted to be wrong about this one. “How often have we come across a dead shifter with no k’ul who still had both souls? Something out here drained her dry and k’ul was all it was after.”
Pax went through her purse. “Found an ID.”
“Got an addy?”
“Yeah, why?”
Diesel got up and brushed the snow off his leathers. “I’m gonna drop her off. Someone’s gonna be looking for her.”
“Meet you at Anarchy in ten?”
He answered without even thinking about it. “Naw, man. I’m gonna head back.”
“No worries. I’ll be there if you change your mind.”
Diesel lifted the shifter’s body over his shoulder and gleamed out.
Helen paced to the opposite side of the bedroom and back again. Three o’clock. Were the brothers always out this late? Figures she’d never bothered to pay attention before. But still. Just as she sat down, Diesel materialized by the door. She ran straight across the bed, her arms closing around his neck, legs tightening around his waist.
“Whoa, hey, female. Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” she said into his shoulder, “I just missed you.”
“I’m sorry. I know it’s late. I missed you, too. Although I gotta say, you keep welcoming me home like this I might have to get that extra duty back.”
She smiled and kissed his cheek. “Don’t you dare.”
He leaned down and kissed her. Helen’s body heated up right on cue. God, he smelled good. Like a mix of sweat from battle and…
She pushed back. “Dies, where were you tonight?”
“What do you mean?”
“You didn’t go anywhere after duty?”
“I stopped for a quick beer with Pax.”
She took another step back. “At Anarchy?”
He cocked his head. “Yeah, where else? Why are you looking at me like that?”
She tried to s
wallow but she couldn’t get the spit past the lump in her throat. “I’m going to ask you a question and I need the truth.”
He drew his eyebrows together. “Okay.”
“Were you with someone tonight? Another female, I mean.”
“No, of course not.”
“I can smell her all over you, Dies. Are you sure you don’t want to change your answer?”
“Hey, you’re shaking.”
He moved closer and God help her, she let him put his arms around her.
He smoothed the back of her hair with his hand. “Where is all this coming from? I could never be with anyone but you, Doc. Ever.” He pulled back and looked into her eyes. “You know that, right?”
Of course she knew. Jesus, this was so unlike her. She fought hard against the tears, but a couple escaped anyway. Traitors. “I guess I jumped to conclusions. I’m sorry.”
Diesel pulled his mate back in close. “It’s okay. Pax and I found a dead shifter tonight and I brought her body home. You must’ve picked up on her scent.”
Although, why would that have bothered her? Not that he minded her being territorial. It was actually kinda hot. But she was a surgeon. She knew the difference between the scent of a live and dead shifter better than anyone. And she’d gotten emotional so fast. That wasn’t like her. Why would she…
“Pax,” he said under his breath and backed away.
“What?”
“What did that asshole tell you?”
“What do you mean?”
“About me. What did he tell you about me?”
“Oh, God. Diesel, please don’t be angry with him. He came to me as his doctor. He was worried about you and he didn’t know what else to do. It was before we were mated.”
“I answered your question, Doc. Now you answer mine. What the fuck did he say?”
She sighed. “He told me that your moods were becoming more erratic and that you were trying to self-medicate with alcohol to control them.”
“And? What else?”
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