Noah gave him a skeptical stare. “Aren't they going to realize the car is gone?"
"Not if someone tampered with their records. As far as they know, this baby is still sitting in their garage. Justin even found some old plates from a junkyard a few miles from here."
Noah's mouth dropped open as they came upon a shiny, dark red Hummer sitting innocently in the snow a few yards ahead.
"She's got a full tank of gas, and there's some food inside. And plenty of room in the back to get cozy, if you know what I mean."
Noah had to smile when Rogan winked at him, and his cheeks bloomed with color. “I don't know what to say."
"You can start by saying thank you."
"Thank you!"
Rogan opened the passenger door so Noah could put Lanie in the seat. She moaned as her head lolled forward.
"Better get out of here. Those dogs are getting closer."
Once Lanie's seatbelt was fastened, Noah turned back to Rogan and held out his hand.
"I owe you one,” he said.
"You owe me two, Tiger. But who's counting?"
"Thank Justin for me."
"Sure thing. Oh, and Noah?"
"What?"
"There's about a grand in twenties in the glove box. Don't spend it all in one place, okay?"
The two men smiled at each other.
"Thank you so much,” Noah said again.
"It's the least I can do to get back at those bastards for giving me Wolfe as a last name.” He slapped Noah on the back and they both chuckled. “Give me your shirt, Noah. Tam's going to want to know why I smell like you. I'll tell him I found your clothes but not you."
"Think he'll believe that?"
"I don't care what that sonofabitch believes. But Justin and I will throw him off the scent.” He smiled at his own double entendre. “There's a change of clothes in there too."
"Damn, you thought of everything, haven't you?"
"I try. Now will you get out of here? Stay much longer and our plans will be ruined."
Noah grinned as Rogan pulled the blanket from around his shoulders and threw it back at him.
"Take care of that lady, Noah,” Rogan warned. “If Tam gets hold of her, I shudder to think of what could happen."
Instantly, Noah's smile was gone. “Tam will never touch her. Not if I can help it."
"I hope you're right, friend.” Rogan turned and sprinted back into the forest, shifting as he ran. The hawk in the sky also turned and followed him, flying back in the direction of the stolen car.
Noah sighed as he slammed the passenger door shut. Once he'd crawled into the driver's side and found the keys in the ignition, he silently thanked his friends for all they had done for him.
He just hoped Lanie wouldn't hate him when she came to.
* * * *
Lanie opened her eyes and gasped. Where the hell was she? Glancing around, she took in the spaciousness around her as well as the leather seats and huge dashboard. Noah looked at her and gave her a soft smile. He was wearing a different T-shirt—a black one. Where had he gotten it?
"What happened?” she asked as she rubbed her pounding head. “Where are we?"
"Are you okay?” Noah asked, ignoring her question with concern on his face.
"My head hurts. Are we in a Hummer?"
"Yeah. Yeah, we are."
"What's going on?” she asked.
Confusion clouded her mind as they plowed through the snow. Noah wasn't following any kind of road she could see. How had they gotten another vehicle? The last thing she could remember was...
Lanie swallowed hard as memories of a wolf and a tiger came back to her, and her body trembled. She could see the tiger standing over her—with Noah's eyes.
"Oh my God,” she whispered, squirming on the seat. “Noah? The ... the tiger—it became ... you. What the hell is going on? Am I dreaming? Holy sh—” She broke off and looked out the window, covering her mouth to contain her sobs.
"Lanie, listen to me. I didn't want you to find out that way, but I didn't know any other way to tell you."
"Tell me what? That you're some kind of..."
"Of what—monster? Go ahead and say it, Lanie. You won't be saying anything I haven't already said to myself. Yes, I am a monster—a freak. I don't know what the hell I am, but what I told you about B*E*A*S*T* is true. They did nothing but torture me. They tortured all of us. They made me what I am, and I can't do a damn thing about it but live with it."
"There's more like you?” she asked, her eyes wide.
"More shifters—yes. That's what we're called. I'm a shifter. I can become a tiger whenever I want to. I don't know how they did it, but they mutated my DNA and made me into something un-human."
Lanie felt as if she were going to be sick. There were more ‘shifters'? Thinking back, her entire body shuddered as she remembered not only the friendly wolf but the black panther as well.
"Oh my God."
"I'm the same man, Lanie. Nothing has changed except now you know the truth. You have no idea how hard it was for me to keep this from you."
"Why? Why did you keep something like this a secret?"
"How on Earth do you propose I should have told you? ‘Oh, by the way, I can become a tiger.’ You would have thought I was insane!"
"Not if you'd showed me, Noah!"
"You would have run away, you know you would have! You were scared enough as it was to be hunted by B*E*A*S*T* I would have just scared you even more by telling you the truth. How could I do that to you?"
"I don't know!” she yelled, letting tears slip down her cheeks. “I don't know what to believe anymore! It's not possible what you are. It can't be done!"
"It can and it has been done, baby. Many times."
Lanie shivered again as she wiped away the tears, yet she'd also felt a jolt of desire pulse through her when he'd called her baby. How could she still have feelings for him? She knew he was some kind of mutant, and all she wanted to do was hug him and cry into his shoulder.
And he was right, she would have tried to find a way to escape him if he'd revealed himself to her any sooner. But now, even though he had been changed by this insane agency, and even though there was a possibility that he might have a family of his own somewhere, Lanie was falling for him, and falling hard.
Noah glanced at her with concern and what looked like a hint of sorrow. Did he think she hated him now? She didn't hate him, but she was damned confused and more than a little freaked out.
"B*E*A*S*T* does stand for something, doesn't it?” she asked.
"Yes,” he replied.
"What?"
Noah sighed. “It stands for Bio-Engineering to Attain Shift Transformation. I have no idea how these guys got started or where they even get their funding. But somehow, they've mastered a way to splice human and animal DNA, making us able to shift into one or the other whenever we choose. But ... when I'm a tiger, I can still think as a man. I can understand words, and I know what I need to do. B*E*A*S*T* tried to implant us with the desire to kill—to love the taste of human blood—but I couldn't stand it. All I could feel was the pain, and all I could hear was the screams of the men around me. Not to mention the animals they experimented on."
"Oh, Noah. I'm so sorry.” Her breath hitched in her throat, and she could see tears glistening in his eyes.
"Baby, I need to know. How are we?"
Lanie knew what he was asking. He wanted to know her reaction to him—what she thought of him now that she knew. It was crazy, but she didn't hate him. And she couldn't leave him.
"Stop the car,” she whispered.
Without a word he complied, braking then putting the Hummer in park. For a few agonizing seconds, he looked as if he expected her to jump out and run away. She unbuckled her seatbelt, and Noah actually flinched. The poor man had been through so much, and she knew what he needed from her.
Climbing over the center console, Lanie positioned herself by straddling his lap, facing him in the driver's seat. He lo
oked shocked but a bit relieved as well that she hadn't run.
"I have never felt more confused and afraid than I do right now,” she said. “And even though I have no idea how you could be what you are, I can't leave you, Noah. Not now."
His entire body shuddered as she ran her fingers through his hair. His strong arms circled her waist, pulling her closer to him. Their faces were mere inches away from each other, and Lanie couldn't have broken their eye contact even if she'd wanted to. His eyes were haunted, telling her of all the hell he'd endured. She wanted to be the one to offer him a safe haven.
"God, Lanie. I thought I'd lose you."
She bit her lip and shook her head. “Not a chance, mister. You're stuck with me."
He smiled at her use of the very same words he'd spoken to her only the night before. Leaning forward, Lanie pressed her lips against his. It was a soft, chaste kiss as she moved her mouth against him, trying to give him the comfort he both wanted and needed from her.
But it wasn't enough. She could feel his desire through his jeans, pressing hard against her and making her want him more and more with each passing second. Noah's hands clenched in her hair to hold her tight, as if to make sure she could feel every inch of him.
Before she knew it, his tongue had forced her mouth open, and he tasted her deeply, making her gasp at his boldness. She answered him timidly at first, then with an ardor all her own. She could hear his growls low in his throat, and it excited her.
Even knowing the truth of what he was, even knowing he had another side to him—an animal side, Lanie didn't care. All she wanted was to feel him moving inside her.
Her breasts ached for his touch, and as if he'd heard her thoughts, one of his hands slipped under her sweater.
Her bra was a lacy one and did nothing to prevent the heat of his hand from scorching her skin. Instantly her nipple puckered for him, and she moaned as his thumb rubbed it back and forth. Without letting go of her mouth, he pulled her bra up over her breast, releasing it fully for his ardent fingers.
Lanie gasped with surprise but held on tight, hoping to God he wouldn't stop. His hand on her felt so good, and she fervently wished they were in a bed. Noah ended the kiss, but only to bite and suck on her neck. Lanie almost came apart at that alone.
"Oh, Noah,” she whimpered, scooting closer and trying to rub herself on him to ease her ache.
"Damn, woman. You taste so good!"
"I want you,” she whispered in his ear.
"I know,” he growled in response. “I can smell it."
"Do you want me?” She didn't know what had made her say it, but she had to know.
"Yes!"
With that one word, he lifted her shirt and suckled her breast. Lanie cried out and leaned back, allowing him to rake his teeth against her. His mouth was like molten lava as he swirled her nipple with his tongue, but that was all it took for her to come apart swiftly against him. As soon as she plunged over the edge, Noah moved his hand to press against her jeans, intensifying the feeling. Again and again she pressed into his hand, holding his head to her breast.
Suddenly, her backside pressed against the horn on the steering wheel, bringing them both to their senses. Noah pulled away, giving her a feral grin. She grinned back but with hooded eyes.
"Wow,” she said, her head still spinning.
"I found the condoms,” he whispered after a few moments, a mischievous light in his eyes.
Lanie bit her lip and blushed five shades of red. “You weren't supposed to."
"Oh? They weren't for me?"
He was teasing her and she knew it, but she still smacked his shoulder.
"Yes, they were for you, but I threw them away after ... well, after..."
"After I rejected you?"
She could only nod.
"Well, I kept them."
Her eyes flew to his as she stroked his face. “You did?"
"Yes."
"But I thought ... I thought you said you had to find out about Anthony Mercer before—"
"I did. But I figured we should have them anyway to be safe. I can't resist you much longer, Lanie."
Her heart soared at his words, but it quickly plunged back to Earth. “What if you do have a family, Noah? What if there's another woman waiting for you? Then ... then you'd belong to her.” More tears clouded her eyes and she said, “We can't do this."
She tried to crawl off of his lap, but his hands held her fast.
"Lanie, stop."
Her breath hitched in the back of her throat as she gazed at him.
"We don't know what B*E*A*S*T* told this other woman, if she even exists. If they stole me away from that life, then she probably thinks I'm dead."
"But you're not.” A sob escaped her. “You're not dead, Noah, you're here with me. Kissing me. Holding me. If you have a wife, if you have kids, they deserve to have you back."
Running his fingers through her hair, he whispered, “But would they accept me like you have? Would they understand everything I've gone through?"
"If they loved you they would."
He gave her a long, hard stare. “What about you?"
"I don't matter."
"Yes you do!” He sounded offended.
"No I don't, Noah. Whatever I feel for you, it doesn't matter if you're married."
"And if I'm not? What then?"
"Then ... we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
Noah's eyes softened. “God, baby. I hope I'm not married."
He pulled her close, and Lanie didn't fight him. She wanted nothing more than to have his arms around her. With a tortured sigh, she embraced him, crying out her frustration into his shoulder.
Sixteen
"His stink is all over you."
Rogan scowled at Tam as he threw Noah's shirt at him, now torn to shreds. “I found this."
"And Noah? The woman?"
"Nowhere,” Rogan replied. “I followed their tracks for about a mile, but their scent disappeared once I reached another road not too far away. It's possible they stole another car or hitched a ride."
"Damn it!” Tam paced back and forth as his eyes flashed, giving Rogan a glimpse of the panther he was.
Inwardly, Rogan shuddered, knowing Tam wouldn't hesitate to rip out his throat if he so much as suspected he was a traitor. He needed to be careful—very careful—of how he played this game. Running his fingers through his dark brown hair, Rogan sighed. He'd gotten dressed a few minutes before, and he was thankful that at least the agency had the foresight to send changes of clothing for their shifters, knowing the men would destroy any clothes they were wearing once they changed into the creatures they could become.
Justin rounded one of B*E*A*S*T*'s Hummers next to them, pulling a white t-shirt over his head. He was the youngest shifter at the agency, only twenty-one years old and able to shift into a hawk. But his physical condition was top notch, probably the reason he'd been chosen for the B*E*A*S*T* program.
Rogan smirked at his own thoughts. Chosen wasn't the word he'd use to explain how B*E*A*S*T* obtained their subjects. Abducted would be a better word. Rogan could even remember the moment he'd been taken off the streets, and he growled every time he thought of it, anger boiling inside of him. If the agency ever found out that he could remember, they'd mind-wipe him again. Rogan would escape before that ever happened.
"Did you see where they went?” Tam asked Justin, turning his harsh eyes on the younger man.
Justin looked back and forth between Rogan and Tam, licking his lips. Rogan knew the kid didn't have the skill to lie convincingly, but he hoped Tam wouldn't be able to see right through him.
"Yeah, they were heading east."
"East?” Tam spat the word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth.
"Yes,” Justin said with a nod. “They hitchhiked on the road Rogan told you about and climbed into an older Ford pickup."
"What color was it?” Tam asked irritably, pulling out a notepad he scribbled on.
"Blue. Light
blue."
"Did you see its plates?"
The tone of Tam's voice was condescending, and Justin narrowed his eyes. Even from where he sat, Rogan could smell Justin's anger.
"Yes, I did,” he answered in the same mocking tone. Tam gave Justin an icy glare that made even Rogan's skin crawl, but Justin held his eye contact. “Iowa plates, 993JDV."
"Iowa?” Tam's eyes went wide. “Iowa?"
"That's what I saw,” Justin said. “My eyes haven't failed me yet."
Tam scribbled more notes and moved to talk to the police who were searching the stolen vehicle Noah had lodged in the snowdrift. Rogan watched him walk away and breathed a sigh of relief, then he looked at Justin.
"Where did you get that info?"
"Pulled it out of my ass,” Justin replied. “Impressive, eh?"
"Better hope Tam doesn't find out, J. He's not right in the head."
Justin scoffed. “Are any of us right in the head?"
"Touché,” Rogan said with a chuckle.
"Besides, I'm not afraid of Tam. I can do something he can't."
"Oh? And what's that?"
Justin winked. “I can fly."
* * * *
Tam scowled as he gave Justin's information to the cops who were pulling the tan Acura out of the snow bank with a tow truck. Just because Noah had gotten a ride from someone with Iowa plates didn't mean he was heading to Iowa, although he'd probably wanted to move in the opposite direction in order to confuse the agency.
Now Tam had no idea where he was going. Perhaps the Arizona plates he'd stolen had merely been a coincidence. Noah could remember flashes of his life before, but the agency thought he'd never remembered anything specific. Did he even know he'd once lived in Arizona?
The Iowa lead was too promising to pass up, however. Tam would send Rogan on to Arizona just in case Noah doubled back, but he was going to personally check out the lead Justin had given him. If Noah and Lanie were indeed headed to Iowa, Tam wanted to be the one to catch them. In his hand, he still clutched the ripped shirt Noah had once worn. It reeked of the traitor, but it also smelled of the flowery perfume of the woman Tam was going to take as his mate. Her scent made him salivate, and he wiped his mouth with the shirt's tattered remains.
The B*E*A*S*T* Within Page 8