Nick. He had to get to Nick.
Todd knew what had happened after he’d left his quarters. His memory of the kelbit’s attack was fresh and vivid. He’d seen the kelbit in its true form just prior to its transformation into a likeness of himself.
Fine job of protecting his mate Todd had done this time. Nick was a big, strong fighter of a young man. He was tough and had become an incredibly capable sentry, but this creature was too much for one man to handle alone. It had drugged and abused Nick, beaten him down and weakened his defenses, mental and physical.
Promises he’d made to Nick certainly hadn’t been kept. He didn’t know how he’d ever win back Nick’s trust and love. If he had to, Todd would spend the rest of his life trying.
Todd completely understood the brutality of the previous attacks in the estate.
The kelbit without disguise was wider than both Todd and Nick put together and then some. Its arms and legs were lined with multiple rows of scales going against the grain of its skin that rose and fell at what looked to be the creature’s will. Todd understood at once what they were for, grabbing and holding its victim still. A small amount of liquid beaded near the scales, another method of administering its venom, no doubt.
Drugged with venom and overpowered, Nick would be at its mercy. Todd had promised to protect Nick, his mate, from assault, and he’d practically delivered Nick right to the monster. Nick wasn’t supposed to be bait or some sacrificial lamb, and he’d become both.
Todd staggered to his feet, and took a better look around. The decayed shell of the chancellor’s cocoon was a few feet away, split open, his body crumpled and gray. Todd gagged and shuffled backward, away from the thing and its horrible stench. Clamping a wrist against his nose, Todd made his way to the entrance and struggled to the surface.
He’d left Nick in his quarters across the compound. Battling hard to move normally, Todd was outside the slave dorms before he managed a smoother gait and steadier pace. Stumbling, he went down, sliding on his knees and lurching forward onto his hands. Skin from his palms scraped away, but Todd was able to push off the ground, legs pumping to a run before he was completely upright.
Charging into the employee complex, Todd didn’t have time to get weapons. He’d have to use what was in his quarters. There were at least two knives. Killing the kelbit required taking its head off. Even if Todd hadn’t read that in the literature he’d found, he’d know that was the method. Every type of shifter died when its head was removed from its body. The knives he had were thinner and more for stabbing, not decapitating, but he’d have to make it work.
He heard the commotion inside his room when he got to the door. Todd heard Nick cry out and knew at once by the strangled quality of his voice he was in pain, terrorized, and fighting for his life.
Todd didn’t hesitate. He backed up a step, got a good start, and landed a solid kick to the door.
* * * *
Nick backed up until his feet slid over the end of the bed. He glared at the thing wearing his master’s face, brain whirring while he frantically tried to picture where the knives were and formulate a plan.
Crawling at him, the kelbit curled its lips into an evil smile. “A sentry and his mate.”
It swung off the bed as Nick’s feet hit the floor and he stood to his full height. His head swam and his vision blurred. Stomach churning, Nick realized it was the effects of the venom the kelbit had been feeding him for days. Knowing those facts didn’t help him, however.
“I know what you’re thinking. You’ll turn me in. But who is going to believe you, a slave? No one. You’re mine. Such a fine, fine specimen I have for a slave. I can go anywhere, do anything, and no one will ever question me. I’m a sentry. Your master, he’s far stronger and more virile than that pathetic old man.” The kelbit stalked around the bed. “I’ll be able to feed from him and use you for months.” A low, sharp laugh. “Maybe even years.”
“You’ll never get away with it. I won’t let you,” Nick spat. He dodged for the bag with the knives.
The kelbit was fast, faster than Nick, faster than any human. It was in Nick’s space so rapidly he never saw it move. It snarled, and its tongue snaked out, spitting venom into Nick’s face before he could twist away. The effects were immediate. Nick’s skin tightened down, and blood rushed through his veins, in his ears, and along every nerve, igniting each path with white-hot, burning desire.
Roaring, Nick clapped both hands together and brought them up, channeling the unwanted passion into rage. He swung as hard as he could, combined fists smashing against the kelbit’s face. Caught off guard, the creature flipped sideways and went down on one knee. Nick dove for the bag and knife. Just as his fingers brushed the hilt, he was grabbed by the hair and jerked backward with such power he landed hard on his ass.
The kelbit was on him, straddling him and standing over him in a flash. Nick was hauled to his feet, and the creature’s face thrust close to his, tongue swiping over his neck and face, smearing him with more venom. Ears ringing, Nick brought a knee up and slammed it into the kelbit’s middle at the same time he cranked back one arm and let fly another solid punch, breaking the creature’s hold on him.
Nick stumbled back as the kelbit staggered in the opposite direction. Laughing, the kelbit pulled the shirt he wore away from his body.
“Well, well, you like it rough, huh? Me, too.”
Nick edged away. His back connected with the wall. He tried sidestepping out of reach, but again he was trapped by the kelbit. He barely registered the sound and feel of his tunic being ripped away and how his pants legs were shredded. Claws digging into his shoulders, the kelbit pulled Nick away from the wall and slammed him into it again, sending sparks of white dancing across his vision.
Grabbing a fistful of Nick’s hair, the kelbit forced his head to the side, and Nick felt stabbing pain along his arm when the creature’s teeth sank into the meat of his shoulder. Screaming, Nick tried shoving away, but the kelbit’s arms bent at the elbow and clamped down on Nick’s arms. He felt something move between them. Razor-sharp lines rose off the kelbit’s skin and dug into Nick’s flesh, trapping him. Throbbing set up almost at once along the path of the wounds and strung down his arms.
The kelbit pulled Nick against its chest, widened its stance, and spent all of a few seconds getting its belt loose and jeans off. It shoved Nick so his legs were between the kelbit’s thighs. More sharp points of agony blossomed along the outer parts of Nick’s thighs. He was held firm in the creature’s grasp with no way of escape. Any sudden or violent movement on his part would shred flesh and muscle completely away from bone, most likely causing Nick to bleed out and die in minutes.
Nick wasn’t dying until this thing did. It was his only chance of saving Todd and freeing his master before his body reached a point it wouldn’t heal. There was no way to know for sure, of course, but Nick reasoned if he could get Todd out of the cocoon within a few hours, there wouldn’t be more damage than couldn’t be fixed. Freeing Todd required the kelbit to die and the cocoon to be removed.
Without warning, he was free, the kelbit backed away.
Dropping to his hands and knees, Nick fought to focus his vision and bring his swimming head back into line. The room flipped and flopped, nearly turning over on itself. The area grayed out for a few seconds, only to sharpen back to vibrant color after a few slow blinks of Nick’s eyes. He gulped in a huge breath and forced himself to stand. Reeling forward, Nick swung again.
The kelbit grabbed his arm and spun him around, this time latching onto Nick from behind. “You’re both mine.” The thing hissed in Nick’s ear and forced him down.
This isn’t Todd. Isn’t Todd.
Gagging when the kelbit’s tongue forced between his lips and more venom was dripped over his tongue and drizzled down the back of his throat, Nick shuddered. Tingling along the points of contact from the scales gripping his flesh intensified. An odd, biting warmth started in the wounds and spread across his arms and legs. I
t made him woozy and uncoordinated.
Anger welled up in Nick’s chest. Was this what the rest of his life would be, an unwilling partnership with this creature? It wasn’t really much of an issue, since Nick fully expected both their lives to end shortly.
This isn’t Todd. Isn’t Todd.
The kelbit bent its knees, pressing more of its slimy flesh against Nick. Its hot, fetid breath threatened to smother him. Nick tried turning his face away, but strong fingers gripped his head and held him in place. Gritting his teeth, Nick steeled himself and prepared to tolerate the invasion he knew was about to come. Survive and wait for his chance. The thing had to sleep sometime. It was the best he could hope for at the moment.
Sounds from across the room filtered through his ears and into his mind. The sharp rattle of the door, then the louder, sharper sound of it hitting the wall and bouncing off filled the room. Heavy footsteps hit the floor, and an enraged voice shouted, “Get the hell away from him!”
* * * *
Holding one arm up to keep the door from coming back and slamming into him, Todd didn’t miss a step. He kicked and was running into his quarters in the same movement.
The sight that met him nearly froze him in his tracks. Nick, naked from the waist up, was pinned by the kelbit against the wall. He was barely standing, his legs were bent, and he was held off the floor by the kelbit’s short talon-like scales digging into his arms and thighs. The pants he was wearing were in tatters from mid-thigh down but otherwise intact. Todd realized that wouldn’t be the case for long. Mind flooding with dozens of what-ifs and possibilities, Todd pushed away thoughts of his kindhearted mate being brutalized and abused in such a way, and right under Todd’s nose.
Todd sprinted across the room and grabbed the kelbit’s shoulders with both hands. He spun the thing around and jerked back a step when he came face to face with himself. One quick inhale brought everything back to focus. After letting go of the kelbit with one hand, Todd pulled his arm back and smashed his fist into the creature’s face with every ounce of strength he had in him.
Caught off guard and probably not expecting Todd or his attack, the kelbit reeled away. It would have crashed to the floor had Todd not been holding it with his other hand, gripping its shoulder. Todd hit it again, and a third time, each punch driving the thing farther away from Nick.
The kelbit hit the ground and rolled, throwing its body into Todd’s legs and bowling him over. The kelbit knew his moves. Todd was in a fight for not only his life, but Nick’s as well, with an opponent he couldn’t trick—himself. His complete equal. Like all shape-shifters, it acquired its victim’s thoughts, skills and emotions when it assumed a new identity. It knew how Todd fought, how he reacted and what he’d do.
Dropping to one side, Todd avoided being pinned by the thing. It might have appeared to have his height and build, but in reality, the kelbit was far heavier than Todd. Just as the creature reached out to grasp his legs, trying to take him down, Todd kicked. He landed a hard, solid hit with one foot to the kelbit’s middle. Smirking, he ground out, “That surprised you, didn’t it?”
Grunting, the kelbit inched away, lurched off the floor, and charged Todd. Standing his ground, Todd met him head-on, brought his hands up and wound his fingers around the kelbit’s neck.
“No one, sentry or not, has bested me yet,” the kelbit snarled. “You and your boy are mine now.”
Somewhere at the edges of his vision, Todd saw Nick drop to all fours and stretch along the floor, reach out with one arm, then crawl forward one inch at a time. Todd caught a glimpse of Nick’s fingers winding around the duffel.
The kelbit threw its weight forward, knocking Todd off balance. They stumbled backward until Todd’s back hit the dresser. He was pinned down, spine painfully bent backward over the hard wood. The kelbit’s fingers found their way to Todd’s jaw and neck, pushing against both, trying to break Todd’s death grip.
“Ni-iick.” Todd barely ground the word out of his constricted throat. Looking over the kelbit’s shoulder, Todd saw movement. Nick crept closer, then stood, a dark figure looming behind the kelbit.
Todd got a knee bent, drove it into the kelbit’s ribs, and shoved the kelbit away. Shouting, Nick lunged forward and caught the kelbit, one arm wrapped around its shoulders. He clenched a knife in his other hand and brought it to the kelbit’s neck.
Twisting, the kelbit stomped on Nick’s foot and wedged an elbow into his side. It turned far enough to spit venom all over Nick’s face. Nick let go of the kelbit’s shoulders, staggered back, and rubbed the liquid from his eyes. The sting from the venom showed on Nick’s pinched face and in the way his shoulders stiffened and hunched.
Todd shoved away from the dresser and hollered. The kelbit turned away from Nick and toward him. Todd was ready. He brought both fists up and slammed them into the kelbit’s face.
The creature stumbled back, but not before catching Todd’s legs with its own, taking him down. Nick shouted something, but Todd only heard the noise, not the words. Nick hit the kelbit broadside, knocking the creature sideways. It hit the ground and rolled to get both hands under its body and off the floor.
Nick pounced and flattened the kelbit facedown. Gripping the knife in both hands, he drove it down and into the creature’s neck. Nick jerked both hands up, pulled the knife out and repeated the action as the kelbit’s hands scrabbled at Nick’s knees. Saliva dripped from Nick’s mouth as he rammed the knife through the kelbit’s neck over and over, shouting with each powerful blow.
The kelbit screamed a few times, then went still. Nick didn’t quit. Arms pumping like pistons, he pummeled the thing’s neck with the knife blade, severing its spinal cord completely. The head—Todd’s” head—rolled away to one side.
“Nick,” Todd rasped out. He struggled to his feet, hand holding his throat, and stumbled to his mate. Todd dropped to his knees behind Nick, and wound one arm around Nick’s waist. “Nicky, stop.”
Nick wasn’t listening or probably even hearing Todd; he was simply reacting.
Bracketing Nick with his arms and legs, Todd pulled Nick back against his chest. His free hand got around Nick’s wrist, stopping the attack. “It’s dead.” He slid his hand down Nick’s arm until he covered Nick’s shaking hand with his own and reached for the knife. “It’s dead. It’s over.” Todd took the knife from Nick, tossing it to the side.
Nick slumped back against him. Holding him tight, Todd rocked them. He moved the hand he’d taken the knife with to Nick’s forehead and pressed Nick even more tightly to his chest. Nick’s deranged shouts softened to harsh sobs.
“It’s dead, Nicky,” Todd whispered in Nick’s ear, holding him as tightly as possible. Resting his chin on the top of Nick’s head, Todd clutched his mate to him, rocking Nick gently and repeating softly spoken reassurances in Nick’s ear that the kelbit was dead. They were safe.
The words of comfort finally got through, and Nick’s sobs eventually turned to broken whimpers. Todd’s arms cramped and his legs felt like lead, but still he held on.
He held on tight.
Chapter 11
Larry Witze dug the keys to the armory from his desk drawer. His newly hired second-in-command had disappeared, as had the chancellor. Now there were reports of a huge disturbance in the employee quarters, same floor as the missing Tyler McCabe’s room. Why was it Witze simply didn’t believe this guy was really who he’d claimed to be anymore? Not to mention he was fairly sure he was going to find out the missing McCabe and the missing chancellor had connections to one another.
There was far more going on here than was evident on the surface, and Witze intended to get to the covered-up secrets at the bottom of everything. As he straightened, keys in hand, his gaze dropped to the box delivered that morning for McCabe. It was long and narrow, and Witze had a burning desire to know what had come in such a box and why it had been delivered to McCabe via his office. He needed to find the missing McCabe and probably that slave kid McCabe had taken such a liking to
. He had a very strong suspicion he’d find a lot of answers with the two men.
He’d taken no more than a few steps and was still behind the big desk when his office door crashed open and a very bloody and beaten Tyler McCabe stalked through. Right behind him was the slave kid, Nick, looking even bloodier and more beaten, if that were even possible. He no longer wore the state-issued slave outfit, but jeans and a T-shirt. Tiny points of red dotted the sleeves of the shirt, and cuts on his arms showed under their edges. The only bits of him that looked like any of the orphans living here were his bare feet. His eyes had an odd, glazed look to them, and his skin had patches of something faintly darker than his skin and with a slight sheen. Witze’s first thought was that the boy was coming off the effects of some drug.
McCabe snapped his thumb and middle finger together once. The boy dropped to his knees, gaze glued to McCabe’s back. McCabe sidestepped a few paces so he was directly in front of the kid and stared straight into Witze’s eyes. It was difficult to tell if the man was angry with him or some situation. Witze dearly hoped he was not the subject of McCabe’s wrath. The fact that he was a dangerous man exuded from his pores like sweat.
“McCabe, what—”
“Ruger.” A small leather folder was dropped onto Witze’s desk. “My name is Todd Ruger. This is Nick. He’s not an orphan slave. He’s my slave as well as my mate. I’m a sentry, we’re sentries, and Mr. Witze, you’ve got a big problem that is right now dead in my quarters.”
Witze stared at the two men for a few seconds, completely dumbfounded. He pulled the folder to him and opened it. Within were indeed papers for both men, verifying they were in fact exactly who this Todd said they were. His mind spun. He needed a few moments to process. “What are you hunting?”
“Were hunting. It’s dead. There has been a predator here for months. It is called a kelbit and was responsible for the attacks on the slaves. This thing can take on whatever form it wants and assume anyone’s identity. In this case, it chose Chancellor Shaffer.”
Together Bound Page 15
