by Eve Langlais
Off she flew, lightning quick, her adrenaline racing in her veins. Marcus trailed her, not acting so much as observing. Which was fine. For now.
He’d have to help out soon. Overhead, the hum of a helicopter added to the chaos.
But she couldn’t do anything about it. The men on the ground, though. There were quite a few, some kneeling and firing, a few prone, taken out in the initial attack. They appeared as a unit, dressed in camo gear and easily distinguished from the institute guards all dressed in black.
Where they came from would have to be answered later. As would the how and why. Right now, protecting the clinic—survival—was all that mattered.
She ran toward another man, knowing she was about to kill again. Wondering how she’d explain to Marcus that she had permission to attack. To take lives.
How to make him understand she could control her monster? He’d already seen parts of it. He just didn’t seem to grasp the full extent of it. Jayda didn’t often fully let herself loose. Mostly because there was a lot of screaming and crying and people making the sign of the cross when she did.
Would Marcus hate that she was part monster too? She’d told him they were alike but knew he didn’t believe it because he didn’t see it. She appeared so very human—on the outside.
Inside? The same wild that ran through his veins pulsed hotly through hers. An untamed side that she now let out.
Marcus would finally see it, in all its bloody violence.
Might even fear her after. Or worse, he’d hate her.
For now, he shadowed her as she hunted in the deepening darkness of the coming night. Hunched over, and breathing hard, Marcus became the silent sentinel at her back.
With another target down, she uttered a cry, that of the hunter seeking the enemy. She was answered with howls and ululations. Her allies were here. Together they would hunt. Kill.
Protect the nest.
Loping toward the building, she saw the enemy stand and aim his gun at her. She dodged left suddenly, hearing only after she moved the echo of the shot.
Silly human missed.
She wouldn’t.
Her lip peeled back over her teeth, and she opened wide as she pounced.
Chapter Twenty
Amidst the gunfire, roar of helicopter blades, and even the shrill screams, Marcus felt remarkably calm and acute. His mind clearer than he recalled. Which meant he had no problem deciphering everything happening from the ground force that emerged from the woods in silence to attack to the air support landing on the empty helicopter pad.
It was utter chaos, and Jayda—that gorgeous idiot—ran right into it, uttering an ululating cry that raised his hackles. Especially as it turned into laughter. Crazy, maniacal laughter that was especially awful when she killed. And she killed a lot. Without hesitation or mercy. Ripping with her bare hands.
Now claws.
A monster just like me. He’d just never believed it. She seemed utterly perfect.
Still was. The fact that she appeared entertained by her killing spree was more attractive than expected.
Of course, her antics drew attention, the kind that turned the muzzle of a gun in her direction.
Oh hell no.
Marcus might have stayed out of this battle because, after all, he had no interest in helping the clinic, but no one put a bullet in his baby.
Before Marcus could think twice, or Jayda got shot, he roared. Not some puny-ass roar, but a king of the fucking jungle, reverberating all around kind of roar.
The epic sound caused more than a few to freeze. He was pretty sure someone pissed themselves.
Kind of gratifying.
He smiled—with lots of teeth—and beckoned those now staring at him.
“Come and play,” said the lion to the meat sacks.
The demand only partially worked. Two guys at opposite ends of the field took aim. As for the rest?
They didn’t run. They went after Jayda.
What the fuck? His surprise meant he didn’t move in time and got shot, the bullet grazing his arm. He stared at the bloody furrow, then the human who’d shot it.
“Run,” was the word he growled. Then he hit the ground on all fours and loped, moving faster than he could on two legs, able to twist and weave without losing his cadence.
He caught up to the man with the gun quickly, and he soon became the man with no arm.
Who knew they were so easy to tear off?
He used it to club another guy firing tranquilizers. No time for sleeping!
There were too many people fighting. To add to the confusion, he was pretty sure some of the guards were fighting each other. Traitors to the clinic.
Also allies to Marcus in a perverted sense. Enemies to Jayda, which meant they had to be dealt with.
He ran toward them, bellowing as tranquilizer darts thudded into his chest. Weak stuff. The humans underestimated what it would take to fell a lionman.
“Rawr.” He let them know their grave mistake. They ran before him, fleeing his wrath, climbing into the metal birds that lifted into the night sky.
He threw his head back, his mane rippling in reply, and roared in triumph. The enemy had been sent fleeing.
“What the hell happened here?”
The words didn’t distract but rather who spoke them. He turned to see Chimera himself standing amidst the carnage.
The man to blame for his state.
No bars between them. No chains holding him down.
“Hello, doctor.” The guttural words spilled from his lips.
“Marcus.” Said quite warily.
“I’ve been looking forward to us meeting again.” He took a step forward.
“Do you really think that’s a good idea?” Adrian asked. “My men are still around and armed.”
“Can they react before I rip out your throat?” Marcus mused aloud. “What do you say we find out?” He lunged for the doctor, who proved faster than expected. Adrian dove to the side and tried words to calm the beast.
“Killing me won’t help you.”
“Are you sure about that?” Marcus teased. “I’m pretty hungry, and I’ll bet your flesh is tasty.”
“I didn’t come out here to fight with you. Where’s Jayda?”
The query dumped cold fear over Marcus. He whirled around and glanced at the scene of the battle. Registered the groans of the fallen. Saw the misshapen humps of those who couldn’t rise again. But he didn’t see or hear Jayda.
Saw only the receding lights of the chopper.
Chapter Twenty-One
After the attack, Adrian went into overdrive overseeing the emergency movement of the clinic. The brazen strike by parties as yet unknown meant someone was aware of them.
They know what you’ve done, boyo. And they’re coming for you.
He ignored that nattering inner voice. He knew better than to give it power over him.
You’re good at ignoring shit. How else could you live with what you’ve done?
Once upon a time it had been easy to tell himself he did it for the greater good. He still believed he was doing the right thing; however, he did have a few regrets. Wished he’d perhaps done things differently with some people.
But on the road to greatness, one had to expect a few bumps along the way.
While some guards cleared the grounds of bodies, feeding them to the creatures in the lake who would enjoy the change in diet, others escorted personnel to the helicopters called in at great expense to escort them to another secure location. Not home as some requested. Who knew what secrets they might divulge if allowed to go free?
Adrian was proud of what he’d accomplished. But his actions would still put him behind bars if caught.
There was a dilemma with the transport of the patients. Too many of them to move quickly. Some impossible to move at all.
What should he do?
You know what must be done.
The right answer meant killing, not in the name of science but out of fear his preciou
s pets might be used against him. The world wasn’t ready yet for the wonders he had achieved.
Incinerating the entire clinic, a failsafe already built in, would solve so many problems. Yet, for some reason, the idea left a bad taste in his mouth. He swigged some cognac to wash it away.
Instead of killing, you could instead let them loose.
Most would never make it out of these mountains. Hell, most probably wouldn’t last a week. But then there were the others…
There was a brisk knock on his door. A murmur of his secretary’s voice followed by a minor roar.
Not the first since the attack. Marcus had come calling rather than running away in the confusion.
Adrian sighed as he rubbed the spot between his brows. Best deal with him. Adrian hit the intercom button on his desk and said, “Let him in.”
The door slid open to reveal Marcus, a big blond man with an excellent head of hair. The applications to receding hairlines and the money that might bring to fund more projects barely excited Adrian anymore. He had more pressing concerns.
Who lives? Who dies?
“I’m rather busy right now, Marcus.”
Bright green eyes fixed Adrian. “Any word on Jayda?”
Adrian shook his head. “She disappeared in the fracas.”
“Because they took her!” Marcus seethed. “What’s the plan?”
“Evacuate. Wipe the evidence. Hide until the fracas blows over.” Adrian recited the orders he’d already given numerous times at this point.
“What about Jayda? We have to rescue her,” Marcus demanded.
“What’s this we shit? You might have gotten some privileges of late, but you’re still a patient here.” A volatile one that could snap at any moment, like he had on the ground below when he realized Jayda was gone. After confronting Marcus, Adrian watched in disbelief as Marcus went scrounging through enemy bodies, looking for someone that might be alive enough to give him answers. And when that failed…that was when he began ripping limbs and tossing them.
Admit it, boyo, you were jealous. In a sense he was, because it kind of looked fun. A way to blow off steam, except there wasn’t time to indulge himself. Adrian had to move quickly if he was going to save himself and some of the others. Instead of severing body parts, he began making calls.
Marcus slammed the desk with the flat of his hands, rocking it. “You don’t want my help? Fine. But do something for Jayda. Those fuckers took her!”
“So you keep claiming. But it makes no sense. Why would they take her?” Because surely those attacking had not taken such casualties for only one woman?
Marcus pushed away from the desk and paced. “That’s just it. They didn’t take anyone else.”
“And you know this because?” he prodded.
“Because, unlike you, I was down on the ground asking fucking questions. Once they got their hands on her, they fled.”
“Why take only Jayda?” Adrian frowned. Jayda was a success story, grant you, but not one of his best. While she could behave in a civilized fashion, she didn’t have a great appreciation for life. Other people’s lives that was.
Taking Jayda made no sense.
Adrian’s phone rang. Private number. Which wasn’t unusual. He answered it, ignoring Marcus.
“Speak,” he barked.
“Sir, it’s Gary.” The pilot for their usual helicopter. “Sorry, I didn’t call sooner. I got jumped by some thugs when I landed. They took Doctor Cerberus.”
Adrian’s blood ran cold as the attack took on a purpose. No wonder they’d kidnapped Jayda. What better way to make the doctor bend than threaten his daughter? This wouldn’t end well. For anyone. Which made his next decision easier.
He ran his hand over his desk, and the surface of it changed to a screen that said, “Please select a target.”
Adrian ignored Marcus’s “What are you doing?” to say, “Show me the location of Aloysius Cerberus.” A tiny pinprick of green lit and the map zoomed on the desktop, the action quelling Marcus’ annoying queries.
“You had the doctor chipped.” Marcus sounded so surprised. And coherent. Would it last?
“Everyone in this facility is. Although Jayda keeps managing to disable hers.”
“You think she’s with her father?”
“I’d say that’s a fair guess given the two-prong attack. Pretty brazen, too. Which means they don’t care if they draw attention.”
“They don’t care if they kill, either.” Marcus lips tensed into a thin line.
“If they took her, then it’s because they figure they need her.”
“For what?”
Adrian shrugged. “I assume to control her father. Could be to study her. Or something we’ve not even thought of.”
“I have to save her. Where is…” The light on the map blinked out.
Adrian frowned. “That’s unfortunate.”
“Don’t say that. Tell me the signal will come back.”
“I’m afraid not.”
“Then I’ll go to the spot they were just at. Track them from there.” Which they both knew was almost impossible.
“We’ve lost them.” Which meant no saving the doctor. Aloysius would spill their secrets. Adrian shouldn’t be around when that happened.
“No.” The wild shake spun Marcus’s mane in a golden halo. “I’m not giving up.”
“That’s your choice. But don’t expect help from me.” Because he needed every resource at hand.
“I can track them. I just need a ride out of here so I can start from Cerberus’s last known location,” Marcus stated.
For a moment Adrian thought about saying no. Hell, a bullet to Marcus’s head would really be the most efficient solution.
That’s it. Keep on killing because you can’t handle the fact your patients talk back.
Shut up. He almost snarled it aloud. He wasn’t killing anyone because, what if there was a chance Marcus could save Jayda? Or even reveal his enemy?
Adrian couldn’t fight back until he knew more. But he also couldn’t spare any of his loyal troops. However, he had a man standing in front of him who was motivated and expendable.
“Get on the next helicopter. The one with Lowry and crew. They’re heading to the city to minimize damages.” Also known as deny, deny, deny. It would take a large chunk of cash for people to forget the activity as metal birds flew in and out of the mountains. As folk appeared out of nowhere, some possibly babbling about a secret clinic and an attack.
“Thanks.” Probably the first time Marcus looked grateful and not even for the second chance he’d gotten but because he could go after a woman.
A man in love—and no longer crazy.
Was that truly the simple answer to the problems they’d been having all along?
Adrian planned to explore it more once he relocated to their new location. As to the clinic that had been his home for many years now…
A pang of regret filled him as he trailed a hand over his desk one last time before grabbing his briefcase and exited to grab the last ride out of the valley.
The moment the chopper lifted, he gave the order. “Destroy it all.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jayda woke tied to a bed. A nice one. Four posters strutted upward from the corners, the wood a varnished mahogany. The ropes around her wrists and ankles appeared to be scarves, diaphanous fabric twisted before being looped around her wrists. A small tug served to tighten the simple noose.
The lingering effects of the drugs in her system fled, and she grimaced. Shot by some of the clinic’s own guards. Traitors to the cause. She’d have to track them down and kill them.
But first to figure out where she was. Who’d kidnapped her?
A part of her kind of hoped for Marcus, even as she knew the impossibility. Last she recalled she was being tossed into a helicopter, her eyelids blinking in an attempt to stave off sleep. Yet, before she lost consciousness, she remembered seeing him on the ground, fighting. Glorious and golden in the strobing li
ghts.
Even if he had found her, he wouldn’t resort to tethers. Not after what was done to him.
A turn of her head showed flames burning merrily in a stone fireplace. The bear rug in front was a nice touch. She had a bigger one in her bedroom back home.
Further scanning showed a man sitting in the chair. A big man. His skin swarthy yet much lighter than hers, his eyes a vivid blue. His expression arrogant. His beard thick and lush. As far from golden as you could get.
And human.
“She finally wakes. Not so tough after all. And here I was told you are an excellent example of your father’s skill.” The foreign accent proved heavy, making his words hard to follow.
She frowned. “Who the hell are you?” Because she’d never met him before.
“Petrov.”
“Well, Petrov, I don’t know why you thought it was a good idea to nab me, but you might want to rethink that and let me go.”
Laughter boomed from him, loud and boisterous. “After the trouble we went through acquiring you? You aren’t going anywhere.”
“Your optimism is cute, but misplaced. So tell me, who do you work for?”
“I am in charge,” he blustered.
She eyed him. Smirked. “No, you’re not. You’re just a hired hand. How much did the job pay?” she asked, winding a scarf once around her wrist and watching to see what he did.
He did nothing but puff out his chest. “None of your business.”
“Hope it was enough to justify the cost of all those lives. How many did you lose?”
Petrov glowered. “Shut up.”
“What is it with men who can’t handle the truth? You went in blind, like an idiot, thinking it would be an easy job and—”
“I was told there was only a guard on duty to watch for animals. The building itself is small.”
She wanted to slap him in the forehead for being so stupid. “That building goes six stories underground. There are usually thirty guards at any given time somewhere around the complex.” She took joy in pointing out his stupidity. It wasn’t as if he’d live to tell anyone.
“That many guards for a research lab?” The idiot scoffed.