Maura shook her head. “The Shadow Ops have been here much longer—”
“They’re not keyed up for rescue, though, are they?” Patrick interrupted. “They are meant to uncover information. If they go against the Pack in this, it’ll make it harder for them to gain information in the future. People will recognize them, and they’ll lose their advantage.”
Cooper snorted and shifted in his seat, glaring.
Patrick ignored him. “The Blaze Ops can do this. Maybe we’re not in an ideal situation, but I know these men.”
“After two weeks?” Cooper sneered.
“You will not find a more dedicated group.”
“So, you think that you can just make out with Fiona and suddenly you’re the only one who cares about her?” Cooper mocked.
Maura’s head whipped back and forth between them. “What?”
“That is completely irrelevant,” Patrick snarled. “And it has nothing to do with our abilities. My team is good, Maura. We are ready for this.”
“If your team was any good, then Fiona wouldn’t have been taken in the first place. This is a joke.”
Maura held a hand up to Cooper, stopping him. Patrick kept his eyes on hers. His flames burned; his heart hammered. And he knew if she said no… well, deep in the core of him, he knew that he’d have to throw what was left of his career away and go after Fiona by himself. Guilt swamped him; maybe if he hadn’t been so focused on his anger and resentment, she wouldn’t have been taken.
Part of him hoped that this was somehow all a test, that Fiona was forcing them to work together in order to rescue her. He knew it wasn’t true, though. That only happened in the movies. Fiona was in danger and if she was hurt… he didn’t know what he’d do.
“I never leave my people behind,” Patrick continued, softer now. “I didn’t respect Fiona as much as I should have. For that I owe her. I swear. You let us go in, and I will bring her back.”
Maura inhaled deeply. She sat, studying him. Then nodded.
“You have to be kidding me!” Cooper jumped to his feet again. “You’re going to send him in untrained and—”
“The Shadow Ops relies on keeping their identities secret,” Maura interrupted. “Fiona would be the first one to say you can’t risk your greatest weapon to save her. And the Colonel is right. His men are trained in other areas. The Blaze Ops will be the ones to go in after her. End of discussion.” She turned her face to Cooper, eyes blazing with determination. “Now go find out were those bastards have taken her.”
Chapter Six
The long slash mark on her back stung when the nurse applied an antiseptic. Fiona hissed in pain, struggling not to show just how much it hurt. Maybe it was a ridiculous show of bravado, since it wasn't anything compared to what she was sure was coming, but with how helpless she felt in the moment, she had to have at least one thing she had control over. She certainly couldn't calm the pounding of her heart.
What did the Pack want with her? She didn't know. And at the moment, she didn't care. It couldn't be good.
The only thing that kept her from spiraling into fear was the memory of Patrick's kiss. The way his strong arms banded protectively around her when the plane was going down. The fierce look in his eyes as he made sure she was safe. If—no, when—she got out of here, she was going to give him another chance. That look he'd been giving her and Liam… maybe it was her imagination talking, but now it seemed like jealousy. Maybe, just maybe, there was something he could give her…
Another swab of antiseptic made her growl. The nurse, a young woman several years her junior, flinched. Her shoulders hunched inward, and she gave Fiona an almost terrified look.
It was so clear that she didn't want to be here that Fiona took a chance. "Where am I?"
The nurse made a noise in her throat, like she started to answer and choked on it. Her head bowed and she pressed her lips tightly together.
"My name is Fiona. What's yours?"
A beat of silence. "Karey."
"Do you know why I was brought here?"
"The alpha wants you."
Well, that cleared nothing up. Fiona let herself show more pain, jerking away from Karey. The girl's face creased with concern and she drew back, biting her lip. Tears of pain formed in Fiona's eyes and she let them fall.
She sniffed, making herself look more vulnerable. "What does he want me for, though? What did I do?”
“I don’t know.” Karey’s voice was heavy with sympathy now. “He doesn’t tell me these things. All I was told was to patch you up and not tell you anything. Which…” Her shoulders hunched even more, and fear exploded in her eyes. “I shouldn’t have told you that. Just give the alpha what he wants; it’ll be much easier for you.”
“What will be easier?” Fiona tried to keep herself calm but the way the Alpha had looked at her when he caught her and now to know that he wanted her? Her mind went to the worst possibility, and her stomach roiled. “Is he going to try to rape me?”
Karey flinched and let out a shivering breath that made Fiona want to recoil into herself. When the girl spoke, though, her voice was firm, the only firm thing that she’d shown so far. “No. He’s not like that at all. You will not be molested while you’re here. It’s a law in the Pack. So that is one thing you don’t have to fear.”
She sounded so certain that Fiona relaxed with a sigh. There were plenty of people who would not allow their prisoners such assurances, but she believed Karey. Before she could question the girl more, however, the door opened again. A woman with dark hair wound into a bun entered, checking a medical sheet with a stern expression.
“Utopia,” Karey greeted, looking relieved.
“Doctor,” the woman replied, snapping. But she didn’t look at Karey when she spoke, instead looking at the still-open door with a worried expression. She shut it quickly and crossed the floor. “You know the Alpha doesn’t want us using our names, Nurse.”
Karey flinched.
Fiona rose a brow, intrigued with that. She didn’t comment, though, instead filing it away to tell Maura and the others if—when—she got out of here. Once more Patrick’s face came into her mind. If he were the one who’d been captured, would he be sitting here, waiting for medical treatment and not attempting to escape? A pang hit her stomach, almost like she was letting him down.
She knew it was ridiculous, of course. She had to stay small and quiet. She’d gleaned that the Pack didn’t know she was a shifter yet, and she could use that to her advantage. They had to keep underestimating her. She didn’t know where she was or what they wanted from her. What she did know was that the Magnus Academy wasn’t going to leave her here—Patrick wasn’t going to leave her here.
So, she needed to know as much as she could before they got her out, so she would be able to give them information on how to take the Pack down. The new doctor started checking her vitals and Fiona twitched.
“I don’t suppose you know what the Alpha wants with me?” she asked. “Ransom? Torture? To send a message?”
“I understand what you’re trying to do, but you aren’t going to get anything from me,” Utopia replied, her voice as cold as ice. She didn’t look Fiona in the eye, though, and her hands shook as she wrapped a pressure cuff around Fiona’s upper arm. “Nurse, take notes.”
Karey fumbled with a pen for a minute before nodding.
“Specimen seems to be in good health. Vitals all within a normal range. Reflexes good. Bloodwork normal.” Utopia stepped back and turned to Karey. “Subject is cooperating. Ideal for the first phase of testing.”
Fiona stiffened. “Testing? What do you mean, testing?”
Utopia moved to a shelf on the wall, her shoulders starting to hunch inward. She snapped them back like she was forcing herself not to feel anything and took in a deep, shuddering breath. After she picked up a cheek swab, she turned back to Fiona.
“If you want me to cooperate, you’d better start giving me some answers,” Fiona snarled blackly. She tensed, ready t
o spring from the table and lunge at the doctor if she tried anything. “If the Alpha has been waiting to meet me, that means he knows me. Which means he knows what I do. Do you really think that the two of you can get out of here without some serious injuries?”
Karey looked terrified, but Utopia’s expression remained smooth. “If you were going to attack us you would have done so already.”
“Unless I’m changing my mind and I’m about to attack.”
Utopia met her gaze. She considered her for a moment before shaking her head. “I can’t tell you. And I am sorry for all of this. But it’s best if you just cooperate. All the trial runs we have tested on animals have been successful, and the chances that it’ll go wrong with you are slim.”
Fiona’s mouth ran dry. “So, you’re going to test something on me. And knowing the Pack’s policies… Are you trying to turn humans into shifters? Is that it?”
“Just open your mouth so I can take a DNA sample.”
If she did that, she’d find out that Fiona was a shifter. Her tiger snarled, huddled in her chest and ready to burst out. “No. No, I am not going to be experimented on like some lab rat. You’re supposed to be a doctor. What happened to that oath you took? Do no harm?”
“Don’t,” Karey blurted. “We don’t have a choice!”
“Nurse!” Utopia grabbed her arm and pulled her away. “Stop. I mean it or I’ll have to send you out.”
The threat must have been a terrifying one because Karey started hyperventilating. As Utopia pulled her to one side of the room and started talking to her in a low voice, Fiona glanced around. Her eyes lit on everything she had previously decided could be used as a weapon.
If they were going to experiment on her, would it be best to just bust out of here, rather than wait and try to gather information for when she was rescued? They were going to find out she was a shifter anyway. She shifted on the examination table, moving ever so slightly closer to the pen laying on the counter.
“If you don’t have a choice,” she said in a low voice, “then you don’t want to be here. If you help me escape, the three of us can get back to the Magnus Academy. We can protect you—”
The door opened again, and Fiona cut herself off. Karey leapt toward the examination table, her pen clattering to the floor while Utopia picked up the cheek swab again, looking suddenly even stiffer. Like she was forcing herself not to react to the newcomer.
Fiona’s blood ran cold at that mountain of a man who stepped in. The Alpha. Piercing blue eyes shone from weathered skin. He wore clothes now rather than the skins he’d been wearing when he took her captive. His expression was blank as he turned to Utopia.
“When will she be ready for the first phase?”
“I just have a few more tests to take, to make sure she’s in proper—”
“Tests?” the Alpha scoffed as he stepped in and shut the door. Karey cringed back from him as she retrieved the pen. “You’re not trying to delay are you, Doctor? I know you already have the bloodwork back. How bad were her injuries?”
Karey answered, shaking so bad she stuttered. “Not bad.”
That was another thing to be worried about. She was going to heal much faster than a human would and that would give her away as a shifter. The bandages would only give her time to hide it as long as they weren’t checked.
“Then I see no reason so delay the tests,” the Alpha said pleasantly toward Utopia, who put the cheek swab down.
“What tests?” Fiona demanded.
The alpha turned to her and viewed her for a long moment before smiling. “Tests to bridge the gap between shifters and humans, of course.”
“You’re trying to turn humans into shifters?”
“Not exactly. But that’s all you need to know. You’ll just work yourself into a tizzy if you know too much.” He turned back to Utopia. “I want you to start the tests right away. And you both know the consequences if you fail… or if you let yourself be blinded by this woman’s lies about finding safety at the Magnus Academy. They’re nothing but liars there. They want to destroy shifters and keep us under the thumbs of humans.”
Karey nodded. “Yes. Yes, they’re liars and want to destroy us.”
She sounded so eager to believe it that Fiona’s heart broke a little for her. The girl was clearly terrified—but how had she ended up in this place to begin with?
The Alpha nodded, cupping her cheek with a smile. He kissed Karey’s forehead and motioned to the door. “Run along, now. Your test scores are due back today, and your mother is looking for you.”
Karey nodded and headed out the door without a word. Fiona glared at the Alpha, not knowing the situation but reading Karey’s fear of him well enough.
“What is that look for?” the Alpha smiled at her. “You can’t be so disappointed with being here. After all, your training program is all about stealth, isn’t it? Encouraging shifters to keep themselves hidden. Stop them from embracing their animals. You’ll be happy with our tests… After all, you can’t want your tiger if you never let her run free.”
Fiona’s breath caught in her throat. They knew. How could they know?
The Alpha laughed. “Senator Kinsman had that same look on his face when I told him what we were doing.”
They had the senator? Why? And they were going to try to turn her human? What was the purpose? Her hands curled into fists. “What are you doing?”
“Starting a war of course. And if you’re not with us, you’re with them. And soon enough, you’ll be one of them, too.” The Alpha chuckled and headed for the door. “Prep her, doctor. I want phase one started tonight.”
Fiona turned to Utopia, fear in her eyes.
Utopia gazed back with pity. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. Then a needle struck out, hitting Fiona in the neck. Utopia plunged the liquid in, and everything went black.
Chapter Seven
The night was still and clear around them. Ahead, the compound glowed with lights flooding the tree lines. Yet another reason why Cooper and his team would have been at a disadvantage. Patrick glided closer, his stomach churning with nerves as he inspected the compound from their distance. There were two low buildings, nothing special, with several lumps under various tarps scattered throughout the area. A high fence surrounded it. No guards to be seen, though.
Was that because they were certain they weren’t going to be found or because they didn’t have enough men for the job?
It didn’t matter—this lax security was to their favor. He dipped his wings, the signal, and dove for the compound. Behind him, his men followed suit. Patrick’s heart pounded hard in his chest, his fires boiling. This was where they were holding Fiona. He could almost taste her scent in the air, even though he knew it wasn’t possible.
His fires flickered in his throat, ready to be unleashed. He’d show them what happened when they took something that was precious to a dragon away from them. And Fiona was precious—she was a valuable resource for the Magnus Academy and vital to their continued work.
They were only a few hundred yards above the compound when a sharp whistle ran through the air. Patrick’s head whipped from side to side as the canvases were pulled off the featureless lumps. Beneath, anti-aircraft guns glistened in the floodlights of the compound.
Ah, shit!
The guns exploded into the night, sending bullets tearing through the air at them. Patrick swerved and dodged, feeling the hot air whistle by him. Two roars of pain came from behind him, and he knew that Stephen and Adam had been hit.
With a snarl, he tucked his wings in close to his body and plummeted toward the nearest gun. They wheeled it about but not fast enough. His fires burned white-hot as he blasted the gun. The men handling it leapt away with cries of terror and pain, and Patrick ripped the gun from its base. He threw it into another one, while Liam torched a third.
Eugene moved to help Adam, whose wing had been badly torn by gunfire, and Evan dropped down by the last of the guns. As soon as the dragons were inside the
compound, blue electricity sprang to life above them, cutting them off from the sky.
Patrick bit back a snarl and curse. They’d been ready for them—this was a trap.
Patrick let out another bout of dragon fire at his attackers but quickly saw that they were prepared. The men wore fire-proof suits. Machine guns crackled and a series of pings launched off his flank. Scales spurted into the air as he roared a command.
The Blaze Ops retreated behind a low melted scrap of metal. Patrick shifted, the others following suit. Evan carried the weapons they’d brought with them and the men quickly put on their armor and grasped their guns. Adam was hit bad, his face twisted with pain as he panted raggedly. Patrick bit back another curse as the machine-gun fire rang off their shield.
If they turned back to dragons with those guns pointed at them, they’d present targets that could not be missed, and it wouldn’t take much for the bullets to peel off scales and work their way to the tender flesh beneath. His own leg stung terribly from the first bout he’d suffered.
“Evan, Eugene, take this electric field down,” he ordered, glancing upward. Dragons might be able to get through it, but it’d pack a wallop, one he was certain would kill Fiona. “Stephen, Liam, Adam, cover them. I’m going to get Fiona back. If you get that shield down and I’m not back, get out of here. That’s an order.”
He could see in Liam’s eyes that the Captain would have liked to protest, but he only nodded. The five of them hunkered down, quickly discussing what they needed for Eugene and Evan to get their job done. Patrick left them to it, dodging out from behind the shield to hide behind a flaming gun turret. The gunfire continued to be focused on the rest of them while only a few turned to his hiding place.
With the smoke billowing thick and black, he crept through it unseen and reached the back of the nearest building. The lights inside were off, the smell of antiseptics and blood inside making his stomach churn. He ignored the smell, moving silently forward with his weapon at the ready.
The first two rooms were empty. The third held an assortment of rats, rabbits and even a chimpanzee. The chimp started shrieking at the sight of him, flashing long canines. The other animals cowered in their tiny cages. A well of disgust went through him, but his mission wasn’t to free laboratory animals.
Dragon’s Mission (Dragon Blaze Ops Book 1) Page 4
