by Kali Argent
“Rebels?” She pressed a hand to her chest in feigned surprise. “That’s awful. They’re not dangerous, are they?”
“Well, ma’am, we don’t think they are, but you can never be too careful.”
“Of course. We’re so lucky to have someone like you out here protecting us.”
If she laid it on any thicker, they were going to have to peel the guy off the blacktop, but he seemed to be lapping up the praise. It probably didn’t hurt that Mackenna was gorgeous as well as charming.
The officer bent, leaning closer to the window to get a better look at Cade. “This your pet?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Can I see your registration tag?”
“Of course.”
She held her wrist out, and Cade had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from growling at the asshole when he took hold of her arm. There wasn’t a damn thing he could do about the chemosignals pouring off him, but with any luck, it would go unnoticed. At the very least, he could hope to play it off as being overly protective of his mistress.
He hadn’t missed Mackenna’s reaction to the honorific back at the hotel. The revulsion on her face had been worth any amount of humiliation he might have felt at being treated like a stray dog. A dog that had bitten once and probably would again.
“Where are you coming from today?” the guard was asking when Cade tuned back into the conversation.
“Vegas,” Mackenna answered cheerily. “We’re just on our way home to Denver.”
The soldier nodded. “I’ll just need to run your pet’s registration. It’ll only take a moment.” He pulled a cell phone from his back pocket, tapped at the screen a couple of times, then typed in the number as he read it out loud. A moment later, he nodded and tucked the device back into his pocket. “I’m going to ask you to step out of the vehicle.”
Cade tensed. That wasn’t happening.
“Why?” Mackenna demanded, all traces of compliance evaporating. “Is there a problem with my registration?”
“It checks out.” He sounded disappointed about that. “I need you to step out so I can search your vehicle. I’m sure you understand.”
Cade kept his eyes forward, but he could easily picture the handgun and knives tucked safely into the canvas bag in the back. Even Gemini citizens weren’t permitted to carry weapons under the ARC regime. Even if they could come up with a plausible reason for having them, it wouldn’t matter.
“I’m sorry, but no, I don’t understand. I haven’t done anything wrong.” Mackenna’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel, and the muscles in her jaw twitched as she spoke.
Of course, her refusal only increased his suspicion. “You said you’re coming from Vegas? Which hotel did you stay at?”
“The Bellagio. We were attacked by Raiders on our way into the city, and the staff there was kind enough to offer us aid.” A low growl rumbled through the interior of the cab. “Call the front desk. I’m sure they’ll be happy to confirm.”
Jesus, she needed to calm down, but he didn’t know how to convey that to her without blowing their cover. Not for the first time, he wished they could communicate telepathically like vampires.
“Raiders? Did you report them?”
Mackenna arched both eyebrows. “Obviously.”
“Did you go anywhere in Vegas other than the hotel?”
“Yes, I visited a brothel and a crack den,” Mackenna threw out sarcastically. “Would you like to know how many times I showered as well?”
Cade bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood. He didn’t know whether he wanted to laugh, cry, or grab his mate and shake her. The guard didn’t look like he knew quite what to do with the female, either. His lips pressed into a thin line, and he rested his hands on his hips but didn’t speak for several long seconds.
Eventually, he pulled a black card embossed with silver writing from the breast pocket of his uniform and passed it to her. “If you see any humans on the road, be sure to call that number.”
Mackenna took the card, but she didn’t look happy about it. “You mean Raiders, right?”
“Or rebels.”
“And how will I know if they’re rebels?”
The guard growled at her. “Just call the number if you see anything suspicious.”
Mackenna nodded curtly. “I’ll be sure to do that. You have a nice day.”
Less than a minute later, they were back on the highway. Vibrating with fury, it was a wonder Mackenna could keep the SUV between the painted lines.
“You okay?” he asked.
“No,” she answered through clenched teeth. “What was that?”
Cade shrugged. “That was the Coalition.” He had tried to warn her. “Would you like to guess what would have happened if he’d actually searched the car?”
“We’d be dead.”
Or the guard would have been, which could have been just as bad.
“But why?” she pressed. “We didn’t do anything.”
Cade had wondered as well. At first, he’d worried his so-called pet registration had been flagged. When that hadn’t turned out to be the case, he’d wondered if the guard had been reacting to his scent. He could keep his mouth shut, but he couldn’t just turn off his emotions. Thinking back over the conversation, he suddenly realized exactly where she’d gone wrong.
“You said we are returning to Denver.”
“Well, we are. There are two of us in the car. What the hell else was I supposed to say?”
“If I was a Labrador, would you have included me in that statement.”
“I don’t know. Probably.”
Fair enough. She had been studying to become a vet after all. “What if I was a bug?”
She wrinkled her nose and frowned. “No, probably not.”
“Or if there was a cooler of blood in the front seat?”
Her scowl deepened. “Of course, I wouldn’t.”
Cade sighed. She still didn’t get it. “That’s how most Gemini think of humans, Mack. At best, we’re property. At worst, we’re bugs to be crushed.”
“Crap, you’re right.” Her brow creased, and she shook her head. “The couple at the diner didn’t treat you that way, though. Hell, even the staff at the hotel weren’t as bad as that douchebag.”
The couple at the diner had certainly been the exception. He could grant her that. The hotel, however, had been something completely different. “In Vegas, you presented yourself as a responsible pet owner. Maybe a little strange, but not enough to draw suspicion.”
“But—”
“You didn’t act as if we were equals.”
Mackenna opened her mouth, but no words came out. After a moment, she turned to him with red-rimmed eyes. “Cade, I’m so sorry.”
“No, shh, it’s okay.” He stroked her hair and wiped away a tear that had spilled down her cheek. “That’s exactly what you should have done. Baby, I know you don’t really feel that way. I’m not offended.”
“Good, because I don’t think I’m better than you. I would never—” She cut herself off abruptly, and her eyes narrowed. “Cade, sit back.”
“What?”
“Put your hand down and sit back.” Her gaze flitted to the review mirror, then back. “He’s following us.”
“Shit.” Dropping his hand, he settled back in his seat and glared at the cruiser in the side mirror.
“What do I do?”
They couldn’t outrun him. If they turned off the highway, it would only make them look guilty, which would ultimately lead to another confrontation. They sure as hell couldn’t lead him back to the safe house.
Cade rubbed both hands over his face and groaned. “I guess we’re going to Denver.”
Chapter Sixteen
Something had changed while they’d been away.
Mackenna didn’t know what, but tension flowed through the hospital now, a disquiet that hadn’t been there before she and Cade had left for Nevada. The sense of unity remained, but there was now an edge to it, a
precariousness evident in the way people ducked their heads and didn’t speak as they passed each other in the halls.
“Oh, my god,” Roux exclaimed when they entered the dining hall. Jumping up from her seat, she hurried across the room and hugged them both hard. “Where the hell have you been? You were supposed to be back days ago.”
“We ran into a little trouble with Ravagers.” Cade offered no further explanation. “We’re okay, but what is going on here? Where is everyone?”
They had driven all the way to the north side of Denver before the Coalition guard had finally abandoned his pursuit. Even then, she’d driven around in circles for another half an hour, just to make sure he wasn’t lurking somewhere, waiting to ambush them. When she’d felt confident that he really had resumed his patrol, she’d turned the SUV south and started back to the safe house.
Caution, and maybe a touch of paranoia, had her doubling back twice and heading down side roads whenever possible. So, by the time they’d reached the hospital, it had been well after sunset. At that time of night, the rec room and the dining hall should have been filled with people, alive with conversation and laughter.
Beyond the few people they’d passed in the corridors and the group of Revenant seated around a single table, there was no one. Mackenna had assumed they’d all retreated to their rooms, but Cade didn’t seem to think that was the case.
“Coalition,” Deke answered, standing from the table to join them. “It’s been eventful here since you left.”
Mackenna widened her eyes and fisted her hands at her sides. “Is everyone okay?”
“A little shaken up, but they’re fine.” Roux rubbed the back of her neck and shook her head. “We had to hide all the humans in a storage room in the basement. It freaked the kids right out.”
Cade’s eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. “They’re not still in there, are they?”
“What?” Roux clapped a hand over her mouth to muffle her laughter. “Jeez, Cade.”
“Then, where are they?”
“Gaines and Grim took a lot of them on to Olympus. With so many humans in the group, we thought that would be safest. They left last night.”
It took Mackenna a moment to put faces to the names. She didn’t know either male well, but she liked Orin Gaines. He was incredibly calm for a werewolf. As for Oliver Grimble—Grim—she didn’t think she’d ever spoken to him. Mostly, she just knew him as one of the humans who followed around Luca and Abby.
“And the guards didn’t suspect anything?” Cade sounded skeptical.
Roux tilted her head. “Why do you think we’re starting to move people?”
“Well, shit.”
“Oh, it gets better,” Deke added. “One of the patrol teams had a run-in with Coalition guards. Barnes got separated from the group. He never made it back.”
Cade’s expression turned contemplative. “Barnes? Dude who looks like a ghost? Not very likable?”
“That’s the one.”
“Dead?”
“Or taken.” Sighing, Deke rubbed a hand over the stubble on his jaw. “We haven’t been able to find him.”
“We had our own run-in,” Mackenna told them. “About ten or fifteen miles west of here. The guard said he was looking for rebels in the area. Something about local grocers being broken into recently.”
Deke grunted. “That wasn’t us.”
“Well, it was someone,” Cade said. “We had to drive all the way into Denver to shake him off.”
“We made sure we weren’t followed back.” After the trouble they’d expended to get the refugees out of the state, Mackenna wanted to ensure them she and Cade had done their part to keep everyone safe. “Who do you think has been taking from the grocers?”
All three of them shrugged, clearly unworried about it.
“Could be Raiders,” Deke offered. “Could just be people passing through. We help as many people as we can, but there are plenty doing a pretty damn good job of taking care of themselves.”
Obviously, there were other survivors beyond those under Revenant protection. That probably should have occurred to her earlier, but frankly, she hadn’t given it much thought. Some days, it felt like she’d woken up on an alien planet, and she still had a lot to learn about surviving on it.
“You said you ran into Ravagers?” Roux glanced between them. “Where?”
“Nevada,” Cade answered before Mackenna could say anything. “I think they’re living in the mountains. Pretty big packs, too.”
“Packs? Plural?”
“We crossed paths with two different packs. The first one was average size, about seven that we saw.” Wincing, he rubbed at his injured shoulder. “The second one had at least sixteen pack members.”
“Ravagers give me the creeps,” Deidra said as she wandered over to join their loosely formed circle. “How the hell did the two you fight off that many feral werewolves?”
Mackenna tensed as she shared a look with Cade. With everything else going on, maybe it wasn’t the best time to tell them her secret. The slight inclination of his head told her Cade didn’t agree.
Her pulse raced, making her heart hammer against her ribs. She knew Deke and Deidra heard it since they were both staring at her with concern, but even Roux seemed to have cottoned on that something wasn’t right.
Putting it off wouldn’t make it any easier. She nodded.
Cade turned to the others. “Get everyone together and meet us out back. We have something we need to show you.”
“That sounds ominous.” Deidra jerked her shoulder toward her ear. “I like it.” Then, she hurried off, presumably to round up the rest of the Revenant.
Five minutes later, everyone had gathered on the back patio. Mackenna was surprised to see Dr. Lancaster among them. She had assumed the female would have moved on with the rest of the human refugees, either to another safe house or to the haven in Washington. Clearly, the rest of her staff had.
Standing a little apart from the rest of the group, she offered Mackenna a warm smile, appearing nothing more than mildly curious about the proceedings. Other expressions ranged from confused to plain out disinterested. Luca just looked annoyed.
“What the hell is going on, O’Malley?”
The she-wolf pointed to Cade and Mackenna where they stood in front of the group. “Ask them. Apparently, they have something to show us.”
Lynk rubbed his eyes and yawned. “This better be good. I haven’t slept in three days.”
The only one in the group who didn’t look at all surprised about the impromptu meeting was Abby. Wrapped in one of the hospital’s blue, cotton blankets, she leaned into Luca’s side and gave Mackenna an encouraging nod.
The chick was weird, but right then, Mackenna would take all the support she could get. “Thank you,” she said, raising her voice loud enough to be heard over the drone of conversation. “I promise this won’t take long.” Silence fell over the group as their focus on her intensified. “Just…maybe back up a little.”
“Mack, you’re starting to worry me,” Roux said. “What’s going on?”
Retreating off the patio, she made sure to stay within the glow cast by the porch lights. She received a few raised eyebrows when she began stripping out of her clothes, but even the humans were accustomed to nudity at that point in their new lives. Cade cursed under his breath and stepped sideways to try to shield her from their view. Then, he must have realized that defeated the purpose, because he cursed even louder as he shuffled back out of the way.
Crouching on the ground, Mackenna looked into the small crowd, searching each of their faces until her gaze landed on Roux again. “Don’t freak out, okay?”
Growing and changing into a beast eight times her normal size was no easy feat. It didn’t hurt exactly, but she’d always hated the pressure it created in her ears that blocked out all sounds except for the roaring of her own blood.
It wasn’t the cracking, popping, and contorting mess she’d witnessed from virus-riddled sh
ifters. Her transition flowed over her like water, realigning bones, lengthening muscles, and redesigning the very fabric of her being. The entire process took only seconds, and when she’d completed the change, she rose to her full height and shook her massive shoulders to settle her fur just the way she liked it.
And everyone freaked right the fuck out.
Expressions were harder to read in her wolf form, but thankfully, she could still rely on her other senses. She lowered her head and sniffed the air, relieved when she didn’t detect anger in their scents.
They also didn’t appear afraid as they rushed off the patio toward her, their voices rising and coalescing into a barely intelligible din of noise.
“Oh, my god.”
“Holy crap!”
“She’s immune?”
“She’s a wolf.”
“She’s a huge wolf.”
“You can shift? Why didn’t you tell us?”
“What does this mean?”
On and on, it went, every word tumbling over the last and into the next. Too many sounds. Too many smells. Too many feelings.
“This is incredible,” Rhys breathed.
There was so much pain in his voice, so much longing. He was close now, closer than anyone else, his hand reaching out toward her face.
Mackenna held perfectly still. She didn’t exactly want him to touch her, but she didn’t want to frighten him, either. Besides, he honestly didn’t seem to have any idea what he was doing. His gaze held hers, but his eyes were dazed and unfocused, and he seemed to be moving on complete instinct.
Cade, on the other hand, had no such reservations. Catching the male by the wrist, he placed his other hand in the center of Rhys’ chest, halting him in his tracks.
“Back up, brother.” He didn’t sound angry, but nor did he sound in the mood to argue. “It’s not a fucking petting zoo.”
Rhys blinked, and while Mackenna couldn’t see the blood rush into his cheeks, she smelled it. The werewolf ducked his head sheepishly and took a measured step back as he mumbled an apology.
Roux’s eyes rounded comically as she stared up at Mackenna. As one of the only humans in the group, she seemed to be having the hardest time comprehending what she was seeing.