“No, you don’t know what I was planning. It’s not like I’m going to bring her up and have sex on every available surface!”
Karey’s cheeks flushed as she pressed a hand to her mouth. He’d told someone about what they did? And he planned to tell the rest of them?
Of course he did, she tried to tell herself, to stop this sinking feeling in her stomach. That’s why he had me tell the cameras that I wanted to sleep with him, wasn’t it? Because he was going to be open and honest with his colleagues about it. They’ll find out soon enough anyway.
It didn’t stop that feeling of betrayal, though. Had he been bragging? And his tone now… she didn’t like it. Had she completely misjudged him?
The other man sighed. “So what were you going to do?”
“I was going to tell her what was happening,” Adam replied, his voice softening. “And I was going to reassure her that I’m going to do whatever I can to keep her here. She doesn’t want to go back, Stephen. She deserves better than to be thrown back to that man. The abuse she’s gone through…”
Stephen made a noise in his throat, and Karey pressed a little closer to the door. So Adam didn’t want to hand her back over? He was trying to help her out genuinely after all… Her heart beat a little faster, a little harder. Did he really care about her, then? But if he did, what was with his comment about having sex on every available surface.
“Is that why you slept with her?” Stephen demanded. “Because she’s got you feeling sorry for her?”
“I didn’t sleep with her. Not technically. It was oral sex, that’s it.”
“There is no ‘that’s it’ when it comes to something like that! She’s the enemy, Adam. She’s a war criminal. She helped experiment on innocent people. She supported her father in his campaign. And let’s call it what it is. Eugenics. We’re fighting Nazis here, Adam, and she’s one of them.”
A cold ball sank into the pit of Karey’s stomach. It wasn’t until nursing school that she learned anything about history. Hearing about what the Nazis had done made her feel sick. There were times late at night when she couldn’t stop herself from thinking about the similarities. She’d tried to tell herself that it wasn’t the same. Her father didn’t want to commit genocide.
But he did. Maybe not by killing off all humans but by making them into shifters. Wiping out humans by making them into something else.
Bile rose in her throat. It was eugenics. It was exactly what Stephen said. She was a war criminal, only they weren’t at war. As much as her father liked to say they were, as much as he wanted to start a war, they weren’t at war. That just made her a criminal. A criminal who had done terrible things. Inexcusable things.
A black ball of hatred rose in her. Was it worth it? Everything she had done, hoping to make her father proud. All the people she had hurt. Here she was, thinking that she would help the Blaze Ops because it meant she might be free. But what about everyone else?
Her hands clenched at her sides as she went back to the bed. She sat again, sinking heavily onto the thin mattress.
What did she deserve? Certainly not a happy life. Certainly not a chance to be with Adam. Even if she gave the Academy everything she knew, it wouldn’t be enough to make up for what she had done in the past. And it wouldn’t make her worthy of being with Adam.
She laid down on the bed, covering her head with the blankets. What could she do? Kill her father? Even that made her hands feel like ice.
She’d been stupid to think that she could ever have a happy life, ever deserved any bit of freedom. No. She would take what the Academy had in store for her. And then she would take whatever her father had planned. But one thing was certain—she wasn’t going to help him anymore. Even if it killed her.
No more, she vowed. I’m not going to hurt any more people.
Chapter Twelve
Adam wasn’t sure how to tell Patrick, Fiona, and Maura what had happened. With Stephen glaring at him and Liam, Eugene, and Evan asking him what was going on, it only made it worse. Liam and Eugene were going to really kill him for being a hypocrite, but they’d find out anyway and it was better to tell them himself.
So, rather than letting them get too much into what the next leg of the plan was, Adam told them all that he had something that he needed to say before they went further.
Then, before he told them, he said he needed to talk to Karey. She sat on the bed, looking dazed and in the middle of deep thoughts. When he called out to her, she jumped.
“Oh.” She got to her feet, her hands twisting. “Am I being sent away now?”
“No.” Adam shook his head as he moved closer. “I’m just coming to tell you that… well, I’m going to tell them all. I thought you should know.”
Karey opened her mouth then closed it again. She ducked her head and nodded.
“I’m sorry that it’s like this,” Adam said, feeling helpless and hating the look on her face. “But I do need to tell them. It’s going to affect how we move forward. And... well… it’s going to come out, and I’d rather control how that happens.”
“I know.” Her voice was so quiet he strained to hear her. “But can I come with you? I want to be able to at least reassure them that I’m not going to try to use it against you.”
Adam took her hand and squeezed it. She squeezed back but pulled away quickly. Her arms wrapped around her waist and she stared determinedly at the floor. If he knew what to say, maybe this wouldn’t be so awkward. But there was nothing he could say, and so Adam merely gestured for the stairs. They headed up together.
The others all gave him looks that veered between alarmed and exasperated. At least Stephen’s glare had eased. His shoulders were still tense, but he gave a small nod of support.
“Before this gets any further,” Adam said, nerves building in his stomach and making his fires flicker wildly, “I have to say something. Karey and I…”
He shrank back from the furious look on Patrick’s face. Beside him, Fiona looked no less disappointed but put a hand on her mate’s arm, stopping him from exploding—for the moment at least. Adam tried not to look at the others, knowing that they’d have guessed where he was going by now and not wanting to see the judgment on their faces.
“Well, we have had a sexual encounter,” Adam finished. “Shortly before you all arrived.”
Silence answered him. Karey wrapped her arms more tightly around her waist, her gaze fixed firmly on the floor. Patrick turned away, pinching the bridge of his nose while Fiona shared a look with Maura, both exasperated. Liam and Eugene looked deeply disappointed while Evan shifted on the spot, grimacing.
“Well, at least we didn’t walk in on you,” he mumbled.
“That’s not the issue here,” Patrick spat.
“No,” Maura interrupted. “It’s not the issue. But I don’t want this to turn into a shouting match, either. I take it that because you brought Miss Fisher up with you, she has something to say as well?”
“Yes.” Karey’s voice was little more than a whisper. She cleared her throat and looked up but quickly looked back down again. “I just wanted… I wanted all of you to know that I wanted it. It’s not like Adam tried to make me do anything. He made sure that I was sure before anything happened. And he even was worried about the power dynamics but… but that wasn’t an issue for me. And I’m not going to pretend like it was. I don’t know if that makes any difference to you…”
“We wouldn’t expect anything else from Adam,” Fiona said, and Adam flinched at her tone. So cold, so disappointed. “But then, I also expected him to behave better than that. What were you thinking, Adam? Out of all the Blaze Ops, I expected that you would be able to keep your hormones under control.”
Adam flinched again as the others of the Blaze Ops, including Patrick, made grumbling noises of protest. He wasn’t sure how to explain what had happened. Why he’d been so certain that it was the right choice to make, even though every bit of logic told him it was a terrible idea and he was setting himself up
for disaster.
“I just thought that it would be best to come clean about it,” he mumbled, shrugging helplessly. “I’m not going to try to justify my actions. I know that it was against the rules and… But it wasn’t just hormones, Fiona. I can’t explain it more than that, but it wasn’t just hormones.”
Maura sighed. “Well, we’re going to have to cut you out of these discussions, and you will no longer be permitted to guard the prisoner. In fact, roll up your shirt sleeve. You’re going on the blockers as well.”
Adam’s eyes widened. His jaw dropped open in protest, but he couldn’t actually say anything. Because Maura was right. It was the smart thing to do. For him to do something like that, they couldn’t trust him. They had too many instances in the past where one of the team had gone rogue for a woman, and he’d already protested handing Karey back over to the pack.
Grimacing, he pulled his sweater off and rolled the sleeve of his t-shirt up. He looked away from the needle as Maura prepped it. Her lips were set into a hard line.
“Is that really necessary?” Karey ventured, still whispering like her throat was too dry for any volume. “It was just…”
She trailed off, probably from the glare Maura was giving her. Karey ducked her head as Maura gave Adam the injection. He braced himself for the disappearance of his flames. At first, there was no effect, but they soon started dwindling. It made his heart race and his hands clench. He had to fight down the urge to fight his way into the snow and shift, to hold onto his dragon form as long as he could.
“May I have a map?” Karey’s arms dropped to her sides.
“Why?” Patrick snapped.
“I want to show you where the compounds are. I don’t think you know all their locations.” Karey took a deep breath and met his eye. “I don’t want to go back. I don’t want to be part of that anymore. Any of it. It’s wrong, and I’m tired of being too afraid to stand up against my father.”
Adam stood. A grin stretched across his face as he stepped toward her—they had to realize that she was telling the truth, right?
But Stephen grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
“Are we supposed to believe that?” he snapped, narrowing his eyes at Karey. “Are we supposed to believe that you decided to turn your worldviews upside down just because you like Adam’s—”
“Stop it,” Adam snarled, yanking himself free.
“No, you stop it.” Stephen grabbed him again and shoved him toward the bedroom. “You’re too close to this. You were supposed to be winning her trust, but she’s done a real number on you, hasn’t she? She’s got you wrapped around her little finger, and you don’t even realize it.”
Adam’s cheeks flushed as his hands clenched. He opened his mouth to tell Stephen to shove it but stopped himself. There was one thing about what he was saying that was true—he wasn’t thinking all that clearly.
“But I didn’t—" Karey glared at Stephen even as she cut herself off.
“Stephen, it’s not your place to scold your teammate,” Maura said. She gave him a significant look, and Stephen reluctantly released Adam’s arm. “Both of you have to realize that this isn’t going to be resolved on your words alone. Unfortunately, we don’t have the time to figure out if we can trust you or not, nor do we have the resources to continue this without some of your participation. No,” she added as Adam opened his mouth, “that does not mean that you are going to be part of the discussions, nor will you participate in the actual missions in any capacity. However, you will continue to contribute in other ways.”
“What ways?” Stephen demanded. “We can’t trust him to do anything other than chop wood!”
“Then he will chop wood,” Maura snapped back.
Stephen growled.
Maura glared at him. “That is enough, Lieutenant. This is not open for discussion. I know that you’re used to a looser structure, but with the events that are happening, we can no longer have the benefit of democracy. You will do as you are told by your superiors, understood?”
Wow. Adam had never seen Maura lay down the law like that. It was impressive and scary at the same time. He was happy to see Stephen stand down, though. There was enough going on that he didn’t want to have to argue with Stephen about this.
They couldn’t trust him and Karey. Fine. That was perfectly reasonable. But that didn’t mean they should be completely cut off here. Karey was trying to prove that she didn’t want to be a part of the Pack anymore, the least they could do was get the information she was willing to share. And they could at least let him give her the support she needed to continue to be brave enough to stand against everything she was raised with.
“Get a map,” Maura ordered. “Miss Fisher will give us the locations of the Pack’s compounds and any arms stockpiles. You will also answer all our questions. Understood?”
Karey nodded. “I’ll do everything I can to help. I just… don’t want to go back.”
“That might be out of our hands,” Maura said, but her expression softened. “We will, however, try our best to keep you away from your father if that is what you truly want. Now.”
Patrick had retrieved a map and rolled it open on the kitchen table.
Maura handed Karey a pencil. “Let’s see where these compounds are. And you,” she gestured at Adam. “You can go chop wood.”
Adam opened his mouth to protest, but Maura narrowed her eyes at him. He swallowed down the protest and headed for the door. He passed by Karey as he did so, giving her a small smile of encouragement. She looked truly terrified but somehow managed a smile back at him.
It was cold out, far colder than it ought to be. Adam shivered, reaching for his fires to draw them around him. But they were gone. He was cold inside and out. His heart rate increased again as his stomach clenched. Goosebumps rose along his bare arms. He hesitated a moment, knowing he needed to go back in and get a coat.
But he didn’t want to look at them again. So he headed for the woodshed, hoping that the physical activity would warm him up. And hoping that whatever happened would happen quickly, so Maura would trust him again and let him get his fires back.
Chapter Thirteen
Watching Adam walk out the door was hard. Karey felt her shoulders tensing. Felt them rising up and hitching forward. She wanted to wrap her arms around herself again, as though that could protect her from the intense glares directed at her from every side. She half expected them to launch into an interrogation, to accuse her of using Adam for her own gain.
Maura, though, only gestured at the map again.
Karey stepped up to it, her gaze sweeping over the familiar terrain. As she started to mark down the locations where the Pack had their compounds, she murmured, “Someone ought to take Adam a coat. He doesn’t have his fires anymore to keep him warm out there.”
“Oh.” Stephen grabbed a coat. “Why didn’t he take one?”
It had to be a rhetorical question, so Karey didn’t answer. The answer was obvious, after all. He didn’t take one because he wasn’t used to being cold. His fires kept him warm and with everything that had happened, he probably forgot that he’d been given the blocker. How many times had she suddenly felt the absence of her wolf and was struck by a sense of panic before remembering that she was on blockers herself?
As she worked, she snuck a glance at Maura from the corner of her eye. Dr. Rizzoli was perhaps the most fearsome woman Karey had ever seen. She was beautiful, for one thing, and even though she’d be what the Alpha would describe as fat, it didn’t look wrong on her. Her body was built looking like she had more strength in her little finger than even the muscle-bound dragons had in their whole bodies. Power just exuded from her.
It reminded Karey of her father. That aura of authority and confidence. Combined with the stories she had heard of Maura coolly ordering the imprisonment of even her friends if they spoke out too much against her and the way that Stephen backed down from her, it made Karey’s stomach twist. She didn’t want to think that Maura was anything
like the Alpha, but she was just so… frightening.
Once Karey was finished with marking down the locations of the compounds, she stepped back. “Those are the ones that I know of. The ammunition stocks are scattered through the woods in small caches. Father was paranoid about the Academy finding them, so he only had five on a map at any time. But I was the one who marked the maps and distributed them. If you get me another map, I can try to remember where they are. I’m not sure how good my memory is, though.”
“Just mark down as much as you remember,” Maura replied. “Gentlemen, please give us some room, will you?”
The Blaze Ops grumbled, and Stephen especially looked upset, but they all filed out of the cabin. Rather than making her more relaxed, though, being here alone with Maura made her tenser. She kept her gaze on the map as Fiona and Maura murmured to each other, their voices too low for Karey to make out.
When the two of them wandered back over to her, her shoulders tensed even further.
“So. You say that you don’t want to go back to the Pack. Where do you want to go, then?” Fiona asked, her tone mild.
Karey shook her head. “I haven’t thought that much about it. You’d put me in jail, right? But it can’t be worse than…” Her stomach twisted even harder, making her choke on her words as acid rose in her throat. “Unless you’d just kill me.”
“Is that what your father said we’d do?”
“Of course. He told everybody that you killed Utopia. He doesn’t want anybody to turn sides. If they did that, then… So he keeps us afraid. It’s us against you and you want to kill us all and make us weak and destroy us.”
Fiona snorted. “Sounds about right for propaganda.”
Karey let out a heavy sigh. She leaned against the table, staring at the map. She had a feeling that this conversation was going to decide whether she was kept with the Academy or sent back to the Pack without another thought. Or maybe it was more about Adam? She didn’t know and—she took a deep breath—she couldn’t think like that. She had to simply be honest with these two if she was going to have a chance at showing them that she really didn’t want to go back to the Pack.
Dragon's Prisoner: A Curvy Girl Military Romance (Dragon Blaze Ops Book 4) Page 8
