by Milly Taiden
“This should be fun,” Kyro looked at the phone and laughed. “Yeah, he’ll never forgive you for this one. Maybe that will jump-start his warrant process.”
When they arrived at the hospital, Xeon parked in the parking garage. He felt lucky enough to get a parking spot on the first level. Still being dark out, not many people were there other than the staff. Two service vans nearly ran them over when they stepped out into the street.
Xeon shook his head and turned to the left around the side of the parking garage. He glanced around for the set of keys Mara had dropped. Just like she’d said, the keys were lying between columns.
“I wonder if the Sheriff can use those for proof it happened,” Kyro commented.
“No, he’ll just claim they’re a lost set of keys. Besides, he doesn’t need to know about these. If shit hits the fan, we can use them to get everyone out.”
Xeon put the keys in his pocket, and together they walked into the hospital. By the time they got to the front sliding double doors, the Sheriff had pulled up. Xeon had hoped they would have made it inside before he arrived. With a shrug, he continued through the doors.
“Told you he’d follow,” Kyro commented, following Xeon in.
“Never doubted it for a second. Now let’s see if he can keep up.” He looked around to get his bearings on the entry and exit points of the building.
They didn’t stop at the reception desk in the main lobby. Instead, they went straight for the elevators. Mara had told them where to go. He didn’t want to give anyone time to warn Dr. Phenix of their arrival. Hopefully, they would catch him in the act, and there wouldn’t be any doubt about what he was doing. Kyro pressed the down button and waited for it to open.
“Hold up a sec,” Sheriff Langley called out, rushing through the hospital’s double doors.
The moment the elevator slid open, they stepped inside. Xeon quickly pressed the button for basement level two. He’d hoped the doors would close before the Sheriff reached them, but luck wasn’t on their side. They needed a passcode or key card.
Xeon pulled out the keys and found a white card hooked on the ring. He slid it, then pressed the basement button again. The doors closed, but the Sheriff stuck his hand in, causing them to slide open.
“I believe you did that on purpose.” The Sheriff cut his eyes at Xeon.
“You’d be right,” Xeon admitted.
“Why are all alphas assholes?” He rolled his eyes.
“If you were a shifter, I would wipe this elevator with your ass.” Xeon’s eyes turned golden, his anger rose. He took a few steps and stood in front of Langley. The Sheriff took a step back, and cowered slightly. “Lucky for you, you’re just a frail human. We’re not assholes. We just don’t deal with bullshit well. Seems to me you’re standing in the way between my pack and me. I don’t like that.”
“I’m not standing in the way. I have procedures to follow.” His voice cracked as he spoke.
“Fuck your procedures. These people have been, and still are, going through hell. Seems the good old doctor didn’t bother to follow ethical procedures that come with his career.” Xeon’s voice raised, his eyes glowing now.
“I’m doing the best I can.”
Xeon wanted to comment on what he thought of the Sheriff’s best. The elevator stopped, and the door slid open. A low growl came from his throat, he turned away from the Sheriff.
There was a short hallway with a large door at the end. He’d get Trina back along with the others. When they reached the door, Sheriff Langley turned the handle. Xeon was surprised that it wasn’t locked. The door opened effortlessly.
“What the hell?” Kyro said when they walked into the room.
Filling the large room were cage-like cells, just like Mara said. The shifters were nowhere in sight. The locked cages were empty. Instead, they were filled with cardboard boxes, piled high as the ceiling. Xeon walked over to the cages. He smelled the shifters that had once been inside. He examined each cell. His sister’s scent was strong in the fourth cell on the right. Reaching his hand into the cage, he ran his finger along the top of one of the boxes. No dust had settled on them. They hadn’t been there long.
“Looks to me like your witness may have been wrong.” The Sheriff went back to the door.
“She couldn’t have been wrong,” Xeon snarled at him. “Since when do you see cages in a hospital? That’s not normal.”
The sheriff shrugged. “One of the employees said that they’ve been there for years. Apparently they used to do clinical trials on monkeys a long time ago and when they stopped, they never got rid of the cages.”
“These are human sized,” Xeon snapped. “There were shifters here. I smell them all over the place. Trina’s scent is still here.” He pointed at the cage bar he still held on to. “Mara was over there.” He pointed to the next cage over.
“Well, no one’s here now. I can’t do anything with an empty room.” The Sheriff opened the door.
“Her scent is here, damn it!” Xeon yelled and ran to the door, pushing it shut in the sheriff’s face. “My sister’s too. They were treated like fucking lab rats!”
Kyro placed his hand on Xeon’s shoulder to calm him. There’s still another level to look at, Kyro said telepathically. Xeon took a deep breath. Kyro was right. There were still more places to search. With one last look around, he walked out with Kyro.
Sheriff Langley had a smug look on his face, as they got onto the elevator, one that Xeon wanted to punch off him. They rode in silence. If he said anything at all, he wouldn’t be able to hold back his temper. Right now, he wanted to rip the man’s head off for his lack of concern for the people being harmed.
When the elevator door slid open, a long corridor revealed itself. Doors lined both sides of the hallway. Silence met them as they walked down the hall. The rooms were filled with empty hospital beds. Two of the rooms were filled with equipment.
“This isn’t right.” Xeon ran his hands through his hair. “This doesn’t make sense. How can everyone be gone?”
“As I said, your witness seems to be wrong.” Sheriff Langley shook his head. “I can’t believe I got out of bed for this.”
“Then go get back in your damn bed,” Xeon said through gritted teeth.
“I will, soon. After you leave this hospital.” He walked down the hall and stood at the elevator.
“There’s nothing more we can do here.” Kyro placed his hand on Xeon’s shoulder. “Let’s go home.”
Infuriated, Xeon knew Kyro had it right. Their pack mates weren’t there. Maybe spending a little time with Mara tonight will help him recoup for a fresh start tomorrow. If she was still awake.
Chapter Seven
While the guys were gone, Mara sat on the couch and flipped through the magazines stacked on the coffee table. Finishing another one, she dropped it on the table. Sighing, she grabbed her nearly empty whiskey glass and drank the last sip. Xeon and Kyro were gone for hours. Before they got back, she wanted to freshen up.
She stopped briefly by the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. She headed down the hall through the master bedroom to get to the shower Xeon suggested she use.
His bedroom didn’t have a lot of furniture. Only a dark oak dresser, a chest of drawers, and a bed large enough for three completed the room. The bed, of course, was unmade, a typical man. At least there weren’t a ton of clothes lying all over the room. She entered the bathroom and looked around. It was a lot bigger than she expected. A double vanity, a huge tub that could easily fit a trio, and a large walk-in shower with three shower heads took up the majority of the space. She couldn’t wait to feel hot water wash the grime off her body.
Mara took a small sip of water then set the cup on the vanity. Nasty. She stripped down and folded the clothes, laying them on the counter by the sink. She hadn’t been wearing them long and could put them back on after her shower. Reaching in, she turned on the water and waited a moment for the water to heat. Looking around, she spotted a couple of bod
y washes and shampoo bottles, but no conditioner. Of course not, a guy with short hair wouldn’t need a conditioner.
“Oh well, I’ll have to do the best I can.” She saw a decent brush and a large-tooth comb, that should work.
She tested the water with her hand to make sure she had the temperature right, then stepped into the shower. The downpour of hot water on her dirty, tired body felt so good. She stood with her hands pressed firmly against the tiles on the shower wall. The water flowed freely down her long hair and slid down her ass to her legs.
“What am I supposed to do now? How do I live with a panther, a vampire, and who knows what else messing around in my head?”
We work together. We can do this. We’re strong, fierce, and badass, her panther answered.
Mara chuckled. “Okay, bitches, let’s do this. Just don’t give it to me all at once, okay?” She felt a little tingle like her mind sighed.
She grabbed the body wash and looked at the bottle. Double Coconut scent. “He must really like coconut.”
She scrubbed hard to get the stench of the cages off. After her shower, she went to the kitchen to find something else to drink. It might be a stressful situation and in movies people drank liquor to help them with the shock of things, but how could they do that when that shit was nasty?
Opening the fridge, she looked on all the shelves for something different.
“Don’t want a beer. Nope, don’t want milk, yuck, juice, nope.” She finally settled for plain water.
Her energy level dropped fast. A nap was probably the best idea.
Mara startled awake when she heard the front door lock turn. How was it so loud? She sat up as the front door swung open.
“Now what the fuck are we going to do?” Kyro asked as he followed Xeon into the house. “That Sheriff seems like he’s going to be absolutely no help.”
“I’m not sure what we can do at this point.” He looked ragged. He ran his hands through his hair and started pacing.
“What happened?” Mara asked, concerned for the way Xeon paced. “Come and sit. Let me fix you two a drink, then you can fill me in.”
“A beer would be good right now. I’m pretty thirsty,” Kyro said. Xeon nodded in agreement.
Mara went to the kitchen and grabbed them both a cold beer from the fridge. Xeon and Kyro watched as she walked to the other room. Her ass swayed so temptingly. They both let out a small growl. They looked at each other, then grinned. She was cute, even down to her little bare feet.
“Okay, start talking. You both look really frustrated.”
Xeon took a deep breath and told her of their evening. Explaining his frustration over the lack of concern the sheriff displayed and how he wanted to slam him in one of the cages to see how he liked it. He told her what they found and what they didn’t find.
“It doesn’t make any sense. Well, the sheriff not doing anything makes sense,” she stated with a shake of her head. “He and Dr. Phenix have lunch together frequently. That was why I called you when I escaped and not the sheriff. Now what do we do?” She wrung her hands as she sat on the couch.
“Nothing much we can do. Just keep looking and hope no one else goes missing and plan on doing this ourselves with no help from the law enforcement,” Kyro replied as he watched her intently.
“Go home, Kyro. Grab a shower, get something to eat. We’ll start over in the morning. Call a meeting of the elders and the security team. Maybe they can come up with an idea.”
“You sure? I can stay here and keep you guys company.” Kyro smirked at him.
“Kyro, go home. We’ll be fine. We’ll see you tomorrow.” Xeon wanted to physically kick him out.
After Kyro left, Xeon took the beer bottles to the trash can in the kitchen. Mara walked over to the window and peered out at the woods. Her reflection shone in the glass. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and tell her everything was going to be all right. He wasn’t sure if it would be. He might never find his sister.
“I’m going to shower. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Will you be okay for a little while?” He walked up behind her.
Her breath hitched, and he noticed goosebumps on her arms. It gave him a little satisfaction knowing he caused such a reaction. A soft purr escaped her, her body leaned back slightly, touching his chest.
“Yes, I’ll be fine. Go ahead and get cleaned up.”
“I’ll be back.” He planted a small kiss on her cheek. “Rest.”
Xeon left her, still gazing out of the window and walked through the master bedroom to get to the bathroom. He turned the hot water on and stepped in the shower. He smiled as he spied the coconut wash and shampoo on the little ledge on the shower wall.
He showered quickly and rinsed. Then he hung his head and let the water run down his back. How would he explain to Mara that she was his mate? Would her panther accept that fact? Wolves and cats were not common on the mating levels, hell, any level. He had to convince her it was true. Besides, they’d added vampire DNA in her too. He wondered how it would all work. Hopefully, she would feel the pull like he did and make it easier for her to accept.
He put on pajama pants and he headed back to the living room where he left Mara.
Mara turned when she heard footsteps coming down the hall. When she saw him, her body reacted in an unexpected way. Her arousal at the sight of his bare chest caught her off guard. He was strong. It was obvious he did manual labor and did a lot of heavy lifting. No, he didn’t have a body that resulted from long hours in a gym, his body was built from work. A scar in the shape of claw marks covered his left pec. That had to have been one hell of a fight to leave that kind of scratch.
“Are you hungry?” Xeon asked as he came farther into the room. Her stomach rumbled despite having eaten just a few hours ago.
“Yes, I am. Something simple would be just fine with me.” She couldn’t stop looking at his tanned, muscular chest. She glanced farther down to his waist. His pajama pants rested low on his hips. Her heart beat faster. She watched his fluid movements. The man was so sexy he made standing still a work of art. Oh, how she would like to ride that.
“Okay, then how about a sandwich. I always have fresh bread and plenty of ham and turkey around.” He motioned her to the kitchen.
“Sure, but I want to help.” She followed him and watched his tight ass as he walked in front of her. She never really looked at a guy’s ass before. She suddenly imagined his naked ass peeking out of an apron while he stood at the stove. Wow, where did that come from, she wondered.
Side by side, they made sandwiches, then sat at the table and ate in silence, taking quick glances at each other.. When they finished, Xeon put the dishes in the dishwasher, and while he finished up in the kitchen, she went into the living room and sat on the couch.
Xeon walked into the living room and sat close to her. The heat from his leg touched hers, a little sigh, almost a purr, escaped her lips. Why did she keep purring? Her panther groaned. She wanted to cuddle up to Xeon and crawl into his lap.
That was me. He just feels so good, her panther purred in her mind.
Mara took a deep breath. He did smell good, good enough to eat. Her eyes scanned his face.
“Xeon,” she said hesitantly. “How do I...” she paused, “how do I exist with a panther and a vampire in my head all the time?” Her hands nervously rubbed up and down her thighs. “What do I do when I change into either of them? I didn’t even know that vampires existed except in books until the other day.”
She nervously bit her bottom lip, her legs bounced frantically, uncontrollably. She couldn’t stop thinking about the alterations to her body. How much would she change and into what? Would the other parts of her completely take over? My God, someone could go crazy thinking about this shit.
He reached over and took her hands in his, stopping the rubbing motion. “I imagine it will be quite a bit harder than it had been for me since I was born this way. Has your panther talked to you yet? If you have a panther and a vampire inside you,
both will demand their time to be exposed and both will talk with you. Each will know when they are the best to deal with a situation and should have different voices.”
“Yeah, she started when I woke up in the hospital. I guess after the first injection. I’m not sure how many shots they gave me. It scared me at first. I thought I had to be going crazy but I kept hearing this voice that sometimes purred and then would roar when it was angry or demanding I do something. I think she helped me escape. She calmed me and also annoyed me. She didn’t calm me when I shifted the first time. Trina did, though. She talked me through it.” She licked her lips. Why did she get aroused just by sitting next to him? “She kept telling me it would be all right. She even said I was a beautiful panther. That’s how I knew what I was.”
“I have no doubt you are. I’m glad she helped you,” he said sadly.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t help her escape. I had planned on getting us all out of that dreadful place, but I couldn’t.” Her voice cracked, tears trailed down her cheeks.
“I know you would have if you could,” he paused. His thumb rubbed across the top of her hand. “The voice will be quieter the more you get used to her being there.”
One of his hands went to the side of her face. The low purr from within her became louder. He cupped her face with his hands. Leaning forward, his lips gently touched hers. Her lips had a little quiver to them. His kiss deepened. He pulled back slightly, then nipped her bottom lip gently between his teeth. She placed her hand on his chest and savored the feel of his skin.
“Xeon,” she whispered, “why do I feel this way?” She leaned closer to him. Another purr escaped her. “And why do I keep purring every time I’m near you?”
