"Would you prefer that?" She stepped over to him and ran a hand down his jaw. "Oh no, I know you're aware of our hybrids. Soon, everyone will be."
He jerked away from her. "Please tell me this isn't a world domination thing."
She laughed. "What if it is? Paranormals have been out of control for far too long. And breeding too many anomalies. Sparrow shifters," she spat.
"Yep, dragons are much better," Rob said sarcastically.
Layne smiled. "They're much more visible, yes. It's much easier to control the public with visible means."
"I think she's crazy," Rob said to me.
I nodded. "I'm picking that vibe up, too."
Layne looked from one to the other of us. "I'm not crazy. Far from it. The world is a mess. It needs to be taken in hand. Zeta will do just that." She paused for a moment before she added, "Did you not know we have full government funding and cooperation?"
"That makes sense," I said. "They're corrupt as fuck too."
"There does seem to be a lot of that to go around," Rob said.
"Fucking or corruption?" I asked. At this point I didn't care if Layne was standing there listening.
He grinned. "Both."
I grinned back, then looked at Layne. "So, what kind of paranormal are you?" I could tell by the look on her face the question had taken her by surprise. She quickly pushed a smug expression back on her face.
"Whatever makes you think I'm one of you?" she sneered.
I flicked my gaze back to Rob. "She's one of us, no doubt about that."
"None at all," he agreed. "I'm guessing she's a shifter."
"That's what I was thinking." I returned my gaze to the woman. "I suppose you had to wait a while for the gas to clear before you could pick us up and move us here. Or you sent someone in to do your dirty work."
She sniffed. "None of that matters. What does matter is what we plan to do with you two." She fixed me with a steely look that gave me chills. "We've been working on a very special hybrid. We're close, but we need more cats in the mix."
"No thanks," I replied lightly. "I'd like to keep it for myself."
"I'm sure." She stepped away from me and closer to Rob. "As for you, we need more research into why shifters appear in such a lowly form as a bird. The more we learn, the more chance we have of eradicating the tainted genes from paranormal kind."
"I'm not sure what offends me more," Rob said, "the word lowly or tainted. Neither are accurate. Bird shifters have existed since the dawn of—well—bird kind. Unlike dragons and gargoyles. What's next, vampires?"
Layne snorted and looked disgusted at the very idea. "Vampires are fiction."
Rob paused for a beat. "You tried to create vampires, didn't you, but it didn't work?"
She didn't respond.
"I'd say that's a yes," I said. I thought for a moment, then said, "Dog."
Layne flinched.
"Ah-ha, I thought that dog was unusually cowardly for a guard animal." I nodded to myself.
"That makes sense," Rob agreed.
"It really does." It also explained why she mentioned a sparrow a couple of times. While it was possible she viewed the footage, she would have to be in that room for a while to do that. No, she saw us and ran to set the gas off. That was all pretty clever, really.
"You know, us paranormals could just all be on the same side," I said.
"Oh we are," Layne replied. "We're on the side of keeping control of this world and the humans on it."
I blinked. This whole Zeta thing obviously went deeper than I suspected. To be honest, that scared me.
"I see you're finally starting to understand," Layne said. She gave me a cold smile. "Understand this—you will take part in the program. We have the elements we believe we need. All we require is more cat DNA, which will come from the host."
I frowned. "That doesn't sound like something I'm down for."
"Did I give you the impression you had a choice?" she asked.
"No, I can't say you did," I agreed. "But I like my DNA. I'd prefer to keep it all. Same with my blood and all the other bits."
She laughed. "Oh, we won't be taking anything. You'll be impregnated. The foetus you carry should be the perfect specimen. If not, it'll be discarded and we will try again."
I stared at her. Impregnated? What the hell? "No thanks, I'm good. Besides," I raised my shoulder slightly, "I have implants to prevent unwanted pregnancies."
"Those are easily removed when you get to Zeta HQ," she replied. "There, you'll remain sedated until your fertility cycle is at it most optimal. You'll be artificially inseminated—"
"What, you're not going to let some fucker rape me?" I snarled. These people were twisted enough. My stomach churned. Could I get her shoes if I spewed at just the right angle?
She stepped closer and cupped my chin. Her eyes were twin chips of ice. "If the material didn't have to be genetically modified, we would do whatever is necessary. You are nothing more than a vessel."
"With the cat bit you think you need so much," I snapped. "I don't suppose it crossed your mind to ask?"
"Would you have said yes?" she asked.
"Fuck no." I would have spat in her face, but my mouth was too dry.
"Exactly," she replied. She let my chin go. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to make the arrangements to have you moved."
"You're not very nice," Rob told her. "Not nice at all."
She smiled at him. "Of course not. Nice doesn't get the job done." She turned and disappeared out the door.
I blinked away tears. "This sucks. I don't really want to be part of a kitten farm." Especially against my will. I had no illusion of what might happen in the long run. They would do their best to break me so I'd stop fighting. Had they done the same to Layne? How the hells did a dog shifter get involved in a plot against her own kind? I guess it's true what they say about dogs and cats. They're natural enemies. Still, I would have played nice if she had.
"We'll get out of here," Rob assured me. "I don't know how, but we will. And then we'll hunt down the rest of Zeta and free any women they're using to breed dragons and the gods know what else."
I wished I could believe him, but the bonds around my wrists and ankles were tight. These people had clearly been at this for a long, long time. Whatever methods they used to capture paranormals like us, they had time to perfect.
A tear leaked down my cheek.
Twenty
I must have dozed off at some point. I woke to the sound of scraping. My sleepy mind assumed we were about to be moved.
When I awoke a little more, I realised it wasn't scraping, it was scratching—at the roof above us.
"I think we have a giant rat," Rob remarked.
"Oh?" I got the impression he was lying there listening to it for a while now. "Zeta made giant rats too?" Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised by anything at this point.
"Not on purpose," Rob replied.
It took a moment to understand his meaning. Nott on purpose.
"Accidents happen." I squinted at the ceiling. A few specks of dust drifted to the ground. "It must be dark out there." If there was a dragon on top of the house and no one had seen it yet, it must be pitch black.
"Yes, it must. I guess no one thought about keeping rats off the roof."
"Their bad," I said.
The scratching persisted, but was a little faster now. Plaster broke off the ceiling and fell in increasingly bigger chunks.
I pressed my lips together to keep anything from falling into my mouth. My nose, however, was a different story. I took a breath and promptly sneezed out a bunch of dust.
A moment later, a large rent appeared in the ceiling. A talon poked through, then another. They drew back and were replaced by a large nostril and part of a glowing eye.
"Dick!" Rob exclaimed.
"Maybe you should be nice," I said, "if he's come to rescue us."
"Good point," Rob agreed. "Hi, Dicky."
I snorted—a bunch more dust flew out my nose—and said, "I do
n't think that's much better."
The muzzle disappeared and the talons scraped and scratched until the hole was bigger. Big enough for a person.
Nott dropped through the hole, a knife in one hand.
"How did you—" Rob started. "Never mind, You can explain how a dragon carried a knife later."
"Claws," Nott said, but he stepped over to me and started to saw at my bonds. "Good to see you too."
I smiled. "We appreciate the rescue. I didn't like the plans they had for us too much."
He nodded. "I wouldn't imagine you would."
"You know what they're doing to shifter women?" I asked.
"I suspected," he said. "I exist, after all. I wasn't sure if it was—voluntary or not."
"I'm sorry."
He freed my left wrist and started on the right. It felt so good to be able to scratch my nose. Sometimes it's all about the small things.
"It is what it is." He gritted his teeth and cut. "This would be easier in dragon form."
"I don't mind if you shift and blow the roof off," Rob remarked. "Although it might draw attention to us."
"I'd rather wait patiently for him to free us, than risk—"
The door flew open with a crash that made me jump.
Layne stood in the doorway, a burly man behind her.
"Detective Nott," she said coldly. "I should have known that would be you."
"Are there so many dragons around that there would be a doubt?" Rob asked.
Layne ignored the question. "I'm glad you returned," she said to Nott. "Your DNA will be useful. Perhaps we'll see what happens when we cross a dragon with a cat."
"You get a pissed off cat," I spat.
"I have no intention of helping you," Nott said coldly. In fact, he kept working on my bonds. "You're a poison on the paranormal community."
"Your cooperation is irrelevant." Layne gestured to the man with her. "Remind him who is in charge here."
The man nodded and raised his hands. They began to glow with magic. A ball of light formed on either palm.
"Hey," Rob protested. "We can't duck!"
The man threw the first ball.
Nott threw up a hand and a bubble of magic popped up around us. The magic ball struck the bubble and forced it inward before it was absorbed. The distorted effect of looking though magic increased.
"Did that just make your magic bubble more powerful?" Rob asked in amazement. "Cool."
"Isn't it?" Nott said. "It can come in very handy."
"Well shit," Rob said. "I'm officially scared of hybrids. Can you get these two off our asses?"
The man growled and tossed the other ball of magic. It bounced off the bubble and flew back toward him and Layne. They had to step aside to keep from being incinerated.
"Or we could wait and let that guy do it for us," Rob said.
"Nott, can you give me the knife?" I asked. "Keep the bubble up while we get loose."
He handed it to me and I went to work freeing my other wrist, then my ankles.
"Gerald, call for backup," Layne snapped.
His face red, Gerald hurried out of the room.
Layne stood with her arms crossed. "You can't hold on to that magic forever. How about we do a deal?"
"Why would I deal with you?" Nott growled. The effort of keeping the bubble in place showed on his face.
"Because I'm sure I have something you want," she purred. "You're much more useful to us alive. You can go back to your old job, your old life, with Zeta's support. I'll even throw in some perks. Perhaps the cat? You came all this way to save her, you must care about her. You could test dragon and cat DNA with her, the old fashioned way."
I glanced at Nott. He licked his lips. Gods, was he actually tempted by that?
"She's a friend," he said finally. "Friends don't do that to friends."
I let out a sigh of relief and pulled the blanket around myself before I hopped off the bed and started to free Rob.
Layne tried another tactic. "I could give you power. More than you could ever dream of."
"I have power," he reminded her. "I'm using it right now, to get away from the evil you're perpetuating toward paranormals. I'll use it to stop you all."
Layne laughed. "You have no idea what you're really dealing with. This goes far beyond me and the government of Australia."
I paused. "If even half the current leaders of the world's countries are involved, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised." Even though she couldn't see me through the magic, she glared.
"Such ignorance, little pussycat," she scolded. "We have a role to play and you will play yours."
"No thanks," I said lightly. "I don't believe in fate or higher powers." I sent a silent apology to Tucker. "We make our own way in this world. I won't be spending my time making mutants for a bunch of sick fucks."
As I spoke, I sawed at Rob's bonds until the rope finally came apart and his wrists were free.
"Furthermore," I added, "when it rains, you're boned."
She looked up and cursed. "You'll pay for that, one way or another."
"Nott." I glanced over to him. His face was pale with the strain. "Is she always so melodramatic?"
He smiled slightly. "Yes. She plays the b-grade villain well."
"You didn't complain when you shared my bed," Layne said.
Nott grimaced.
I made a face of disgust. "Really?"
"I didn't know any better," he said.
I shrugged and tugged the ropes from Rob's other wrist. He nodded his thanks and sat up to untie his ankles.
I caught Layne's glance behind her. "I think we're going to get company really soon."
"Agreed." Rob threw the rope aside. "Marion, shift. I'll lift you up."
I simultaneously dropped the towel and shifted, then leapt into Rob's arms. Under other circumstances, I would have snuggled up to him and purred. Right now though, I let him lift me, and jumped off his hands and out the hole.
The roof sloped and was slippery, but no worse than any others I tackled in the past. I used my claws to help me grip and looked back down into the room below.
Rob shifted and flew up to land beside me. There, he reverted to human form and called down the hole. "Nott, shift. We can get out of here quickly if we need to. We—"
Have company.
I meowed loudly and waved a paw toward an approaching helicopter. The door was open and two people stood inside.
I knew that hair, the red t-shirt.
"Willa," Rob breathed.
The woman beside her held a gun to her head.
"Give yourselves up," she called out over the roar of the rotors. "No one has to die here today."
Rob cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted back. "You do if you don't let her go."
From below us, Layne laughed. "You can't win!" she yelled. "Come back inside and we'll go easy on you."
"Not a chance," Rob replied.
"I'm going to count to three," the woman in the helicopter said. "It's up to you. One."
I turned my face up to Rob. His eyes were wild with a combination of anger and fear. I took a step toward the hole. He put up a hand to stop me.
"No, we can't give up."
I meowed. We could always find another way out later. We still hand Johnny and Tucker in our corner.
"Two," the woman called.
"Whatever happens, we can't let them win," Rob said firmly. "We need to call their bluff."
I sat on the roof. What if they weren't bluffing?
"Three!" the Zeta agent shouted.
Silence fell except for the whir of the rotor blades and the hard beating of my own heart.
It was broken by the sound of a shot. It echoed through the night air like a crack.
Willa sagged in the woman's arms, then began to fall. She plunged out of the helicopter and became swallowed by the darkness below.
"No!" Rob shouted. He shifted a moment before the gun was turned on him. The second shot went wide.
The roof sh
ook underneath me. It almost threw me off, but I dug my claws into a tile and hung on.
A head burst out of the hole, followed a dragon body and great wings. They flapped and sections of roof cracked and fell away.
I let out a squeak and started to slide down from the roof.
Nott launched himself at the helicopter.
The woman took a step back inside and turned the gun on him. She fired. A shot took him in the shoulder.
He screamed in pain, but the scream became a roar, which became a blast of magic. The blast struck the helicopter and blew it back, hard. For a moment, it hung in the sky, then the rotors stopped and it dropped like a rock.
I winced at the sound as it smashed against the branches of a tree, but I had other problems. I scrabbled frantically and tried to regain my grip on the roof. I scraped my claws, which did nothing but slow me down slightly. I reached the edge of the roof and made a grab for something, anything. Not even a cat could survive a fall from this height.
My front claws managed to hook around the guttering, but my back legs hung in the air. I gripped with everything I was worth and tried to catch my breath.
This was all right, I told myself. I could pull myself up again, easy peasy.
I inhaled deeply. Just a careful swing, and—
Under pressure from my weight, the gutter shuddered. It was designed to hold a small amount of rainwater, not a relatively large amount of cat. Gradually, it started to give.
Fuck.
I swung my body up, but couldn't manage to get my back paws up onto the roof.
The gutter groaned. It came loose from the side of the roof.
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
With an ominous creak, the guttering broke away.
I let out a loud meow and started the long plunge toward the ground.
Twenty-One
I scrabbled wildly as I fell. Sure, cats are graceful, but anything falling three storeys isn't going to do without panicking, at least a little. I tried to grab onto something, anything, even if it meant shifting mid-fall. On this side of the house, there was nothing.
No trees.
No handy balcony.
No—
Thump. I landed on something hard. Warm. Scaly.
Nott?
I slid a little way before he banked just enough to keep me from falling off his back. When he flew around a tree, I almost slid off the other way.
Wicked Souls: A Limited Edition Reverse Harem Romance Collection Page 73
