Compared to her, he was.
He just knew what he wanted and he wanted her. When they got James to safety, Duke had every intention of making sure the woman knew exactly how he felt. Pride moved over him as he watched her doing her thing, quietly mouthing something that Duke could only guess was some brainiac science thing. He’d been fully introduced to all the Immortal Ops team the week prior after helping Eadan, and Duke got a sneaky suspicion Mercy would enjoy speaking with Green at some point.
Green was the I-Ops think tank. He too tended to babble about shit Duke couldn’t understand. Oh yeah, he and Mercy would get along perfectly.
Mercy looked up and her gaze locked with Duke. She smiled and nodded. “We can go now. The cameras on this level are currently showing a replay of yesterday at this time.”
Damn. His woman was good.
Duke stood and started towards the door. He stopped, his sensitive hearing picking up on footsteps. He glanced to Corbin who nodded. He heard them too. Listening harder, Duke picked up on more than one set of footfalls.
Three?
Corbin tipped his head, listening as well and then nodded.
The two of them flanked the door. Striker lifted Mercy and carried her behind a center island that looked as if it was used for serving food. He crouched with her as she held tight to her tablet, her eyes wide.
Boomer kept an eye on everything happening behind them. They didn’t need to be snuck up on. From the data Mercy had been able to show them on the ride over, it looked as if the Corporation had hybrid guards working for them—guards who had started off as some form of supernatural and who were then genetically engineered to be even more than that. He’d run into hybrids several times in the past year. They tended to either be very easy to take down or damn near impossible.
Depended on the hybrid.
He couldn’t stop fear for Mercy’s safety from creeping into his mind. He knew better than to permit himself to be sidetracked. Allowing anything to cloud his thought process at time like this could lead to death. Possibly hers.
That wasn’t an option.
The door opened and the first guard entered. He was decked out in a hell of a lot of gear. More than any old guard on a simple patrol would be. Duke had little doubt this place had been behind the attempted hit on Mercy. They’d probably gotten word back that their strike team was no more. Now they were prepared for battle.
They knew someone would be coming, Corbin pushed through the path to the team.
Duke reacted, grabbing the first and whipping him around to the side. He didn’t stop to make chit chat. Instead, he grabbed the man by the neck and jerked quickly. He tossed the limp body from him and spun, taking on the third as Corbin took down the second.
The third had a bit more prep time and managed to get a good hit in on Duke. Tipping his head back and forth, Duke rotated his jaw, pain shooting through it. He countered the next blow and went at the guard, scoring more strikes than the other guy. He backed the guy against the wall and then grabbed his knife, ending the fight silently. He could have used his claws, but he worried greatly about how Mercy would perceive him. She seemed all right with what he was, but seeing him tear out a throat with his bare hands could alter that.
He glanced in her direction to find her wrestling to break free from Striker’s grasp. She succeeded by elbowing Striker in the groin. Striker bent and Mercy darted away from him, directly at Duke and Corbin. There was an open area between them and Duke’s stomach dropped as he realized Mercy was in the line of sight of anyone else who might be outside the door. He strained to hear if anyone was there as he bolted towards his mate. The sound of his own blood rushing through his veins drowned out everything else.
Mercy looked past him, at the open door and her expression changed. She lifted a hand and suddenly Duke was thrust back by a force he couldn’t see. From the corner of his eye, he caught Corbin being knocked off his feet as well.
Blind panic filled him.
“Mercy!”
She was shouting something and it took him a minute to realize it was pretty much gibberish—at least to him. The flame-haired, stubborn woman ran right out the damn door in the direction of the enemy.
Duke scrambled to his feet and rushed after her, only to collide with Corbin at the door. Fuck, they were suddenly reduced to the status of newbies.
Growling, Duke shoved past Corbin and pushed out to find Mercy there, standing near a downed guard. He wasn’t just dead. No. He was far more than that. His body looked as though it had been twisted around and around several times, and from the way he was lying it didn’t look like he had much in the way of bones left. Duke had never seen anything like it, though he’d heard of a sect of pixie offshoots who were able to cause massive damage with but a thought and the results left bones turning to jelly.
Striker’s question about Mercy having pixie in her came back to Duke. He gulped. She was petite, like all pixies were. And she was certainly more than human. Plus, she did tend to babble and giggle when stressed. Not to mention she’d turned someone into a twisted mass of goo.
Mercy lowered her hand, appearing confused. Her gaze found Duke and he noticed the terror there.
He snatched hold of her, drawing her close, hugging her to his body. “Shh, it’s all right.”
She trembled in his arms. “He was going to use it.”
“Use what?”
She drew back and pointed down at something that resembled a futuristic gun of sorts. He felt more and more like he was living in a science fiction movie rather than real life. He shook his head, not following. “What is it?”
“It’s made to blind and deafen supernatural males with animal DNA in them. The effects can be permanent.”
Corbin let out a low whistle, picking up the weapon in question and then turning and smashing it to bits against the wall. His attention returned to the downed guard and then Mercy. “Doctor, what, exactly, did you do?”
She leaned into Duke’s embrace more. “Huh?”
“You did something that pushed Duke and me away and then we come out to find this one,” he kicked the guard’s foot and it wiggled, “in this state.”
“I-I didn’t do anything,” she said, sounding unsure of herself. “I just, well, I saw the weapon and I know what it can do. I know that from reports it’s actually caused a brain bleed on more than one test subject, resulting in death. All I knew was I couldn’t let the guy use it but I didn’t do anything. He just fell over.”
Duke looked over her head at Corbin. Neither spoke but both nodded.
She was something more than human and that tidbit made his heart soar. That meant he could fully mate with her without worry. Had they not been in the middle of a hostile insertion, there was a better than average chance he’d have mated with her then and there.
Hot need rushed through him and he had to tamp it down. Mercy looked back at him, her eyes wide. He winked at her, wanting her to know everything would be all right.
“You ready, Doc?” he asked. “We need to keep moving and you need to stay behind us. You agreed.”
“The weapon would have hurt you,” she managed.
She protected you as a mate should, Corbin said.
Striker and Boomer joined them. Striker bent near the guard and lifted the guard’s arm. It flopped to the floor like a rubber snake being dropped. “Badass, little doctor. Badass.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but Duke bent, kissing her chastely. He looked to Boomer. “Can you watch her? Striker is shit at it.”
“Hey, you try pixie sittin’.” Striker flashed a wide smile. He was up to no good, again. “She’s tougher than she looks.”
Corbin tipped his head and did the hand signal for company. Duke grabbed his woman and thrust her behind him, before moving to a better position with her. She didn’t protest. That was good. He’d have probably tanned her backside if she had.
Yeah, and she’d have turned me into a puddle of goo.
Literally.
Striker was right. His woman was badass. Manly pride puffed out his chest as he kept her back and out of harm’s way. Corbin and Boomer made quick work of the approaching set of guards, dropping them with ease.
Duke nodded to Mercy. “Go ahead, baby.”
She went to the next biometric scanner. He wasn’t sure what the hell she was doing, only that she talked to herself while she did it. That and the entire thing was adorable.
She was adorable.
As he felt a sappy grin spreading over his face, he cleared it away, trying to look stern. His teammates were there, smiling at him.
Looks like you do nae hate something after all.
Duke flipped off Striker.
The other men laughed.
Mercy stepped back as the next set of doors opened. She paused before following. Duke stopped as well. “One second,” she said.
She fiddled with some wiring and then took his hand, allowing him to lead her down to the next level. They were almost to the next scanner and checkpoint when there was a giant boom from above—where they’d only just left.
Mercy put her hands in the air and did a small victory dance. “That’s right. That’s right. I did it. I did it.”
“Duke?” Corbin asked.
“I’ve got nothing.” And he didn’t. His woman was a breed all unto herself. There really wasn’t a label for her except—his.
She stopped dancing and pointed upwards. “I thought more guards might try to follow us so I rigged the scanner.”
“To do what, exactly, lass?” asked Striker.
Boomer neared, sniffing the air. He smiled wide. “Blow up if tampered with.”
Mercy nodded.
Boomer touched her arm. “I like you a lot, Doc.”
She patted his hand. “I like you too, Miles.”
“Where is the stun gun Striker gave you?” Duke demanded, worrying about her.
She withdrew it from the back of her skirt’s waistband and investigated it closer. Duke could almost see her mind working, figuring out how it worked. His woman was too smart for him.
Way too fucking smart for him.
He touched her cheek. “Stay here with Striker. We’ll be back when the next path is clear. Got it?”
She nodded.
Chapter Fourteen
The moment Duke and the other two were out of her line of sight Mercy raced into one of the side labs. Striker followed her, huffing and shaking his head. “Lass, you cannae just run off. Could be dangerous. What the hell is this place?”
“A lab.”
He eyed the rows of cages that lined the walls. They were small, made for animals, not shifters. Currently, they held many different animal species. Mercy spent a lot of time down here after hours, trying to care for the animals, trying to make a difference and give them something close to love and affection. She always fed them, knowing sometimes the scientists withheld food as punishment.
She wanted them free from this horrible life.
Striker rushed to the lab door and looked out and then back. “We cannae let Boomer see this.”
She didn’t ask why. Striker was drawn instantly to the wolf. He bent before the cage and put his fingers in. Mercy had a feeling the wolf wouldn’t attack him like it always did the scientists from the area. It had been touchy whenever she would near its cage, allowing her to feed it but always giving her a warning stare. One she respected and didn’t push.
As suspected, the wolf nuzzled against Striker’s hands, looking incredibly sad. Striker nodded. “I know, boy. I’m gonna set you and the others free. No harm is to come to the female near me, understood.”
She heard nothing but it certainly looked as if the wolf understood Striker’s command. He undid the cage and she tensed, wondering if the wolf would attack her as it had a doctor just a week ago, tearing the doctor’s throat out. She’d heard talk of them wanting to put the animal down. She’d protested, citing its high aggression as a positive with what they hoped to create—more human shifter males with high aggressive tendencies.
She couldn’t blame the wolf. The tests it had endured were barbaric. If she had the ability to tear out the scientists’ throats, she’d have entertained doing so as well.
The wolf padded over to her and she went ramrod stiff. It sniffed her and whatever it smelled made it press its nose to her crotch. She yelped.
Striker laughed. “Yer in heat, lass. It can smell as much.”
Heat?
She gulped.
“Do nae worry. The wolf can smell Duke’s wolf scent on you. He knows you belong to another.”
She tipped her head. “Not this again.”
Striker shrugged and rubbed the wolf’s head. “Let us free the others, boy.”
Mercy felt more secure in her position and knew Striker would allow no harm to come to her. She searched for what she needed and disassembled the stun gun, making quick work of her tweaks to it. She had it back together in no time. Pleased with her progress, she held it up high and then pointed it like one would an actual gun.
“Make my day, jerks.” She felt like Dirty Harry. Okay, maybe not totally like him. Maybe something more out of a sci-fi movie.
Striker’s laugh filled the room, as did the sounds of happy animals. A group of lab rats raced past her and she stilled, fighting back a scream. They didn’t seem the least bit interested in her. Soon enough the lab was crawling with freed animals. The chimpanzees had a field day, hanging from the lighting fixtures, pointing, two laughing at Striker.
He was a regular Dr. Doolittle.
When Striker released the panthers, Mercy thought the laws of nature would play out and the animals would all attack one another. That didn’t happen. They seemed to follow Striker around, curious as to what he was doing but with no real aggression towards one another.
Well, except for one chimpanzee. He wasn’t yucking it up like the others. He was pressed back in a corner, making antagonistic noises. Strike tried to approach him but he screeched, pounding his chest and then flashed his teeth in a manner that warned to stay back.
Striker growled, the sound low and loud, sounding animalistic, not human. As Striker glanced at her, his normal green gaze was now amber. He looked back at the chimp. The chimp lowered his head.
Feeling bad for the chimp, and slightly worried Striker’s animal side would leave him attacking the poor thing, Mercy tucked the stun gun into her waistband again and rushed over. She went to her knees and much to her surprise the chimp ran into her arms, hugging her as if it wanted her to protect it from the big bad werewolf.
She hugged it back.
“Och, how do you like that? We should call him Duke. He hates everyone but you. Just like Duke does.”
She laughed at the joke as she stroked the chimp’s back lightly. “He does kind of seem like a Duke, doesn’t he?”
“It is settled. Duke 2.0.”
She smiled. “No. Lil’ Duke.”
Striker stood back and looked to the left, at nothing in particular. “They cleared the next guard station and need you to override the system there.”
She gasped. “You speak telepathically with one another?”
He nodded. “We do.”
“That is totally cool.”
He grinned. “I know.”
She stood and the chimp grabbed her leg. “No, sweetie, you can’t come. Not yet.”
The chimp ignored her. Finally, she held its hand and looked at Striker. “He isn’t going to stay.”
“I know. He’s a warrior. May seem sweet to you now, but he’s a fighter. Look at his scars. They tell of his battles. And do nae forget, he was willin’ to take me on.”
Her throat tightened and she squeezed Lil’ Duke’s hand more as they left the lab.
Striker propped the door open and laughed softly as the animals escaped. “If any guards think to flank us, they’ll meet up with a surprise.”
“They’ll kill the animals,” she said, her voice barely there.
“Only if the ani
mals do nae kill ’em first. Besides, these creatures would rather die fighting for freedom than in cages. It is their nature. Trust me. I’ve been where they are. Is best to go down on yer own terms rather than another’s.”
She couldn’t argue with his logic. He took the lead and she and Lil’ Duke followed quietly and as fast as possible. They were to the next guard station immediately. Corbin did a double take when he noticed the chimp holding her hand.
Boomer halted whatever it was he was doing with a keypad. His gaze locked on Striker and Striker lifted his hands. “I released them all. I swear.”
With a nod, Boomer went back to work on the keypad.
Mercy went right at him, the chimp following her. “What are you trying to do?”
“Gain access.”
She refrained from comment as she took the lead on the project. The chimp went to Boomer and surprised Mercy by scaling Boomer, hugging him and forcing Boomer to hold him as if he were a big child. Boomer did, looking as though he had a good deal of experience in the area, and next she knew Boomer had his temple pressed to the chimp’s. They seemed to be joined in silent reflection.
Mercy quickly gained entrance to the next area, bypassing the locks on the sliding doors. They opened and Duke whisked her to the side. The minute he made contact with her, the chimp leapt from Boomer’s arms at Duke, screeching. Duke had to pry it from him.
“Lil’ Duke, no!” shouted Mercy.
Duke and the chimp stopped and stared at her. Duke slid a sideways glance at the chimp. “You named it Lil’ Duke?”
Striker laughed. “Seemed fittin’ and all. The chimp hates just about everything except for the wee doctor. Same as you.”
Duke locked gazes with her. “You named a monkey after me?”
“He’s not a monkey,” she protested.
Striker snorted. “You were the one makin’ monkey jokes before we left the States. Now you get one named after you. Stop bitchin’.”
Mercy put her arms out and Lil’ Duke came to her. He was heavy so she had to set him on his own feet. He stayed close to her, giving Duke the stink eye as they followed close behind him. Mercy was yet again forced to wait as they went ahead to clear the way.
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