by Eva Gordon
Bolton sneered. “What do I care?”
“Other werewolves are hunting her. It’s only a matter of time before they find your operation.”
He rubbed his head. “Team Greywolf, I know.”
Without revealing he was a member, Nik nodded. “She threatens to expose lycan society and her days are numbered because of it.”
“Soon we’ll outnumber the lycans. I plan to recruit thousands. By next year, I’ll have one hundred thousand troops. At best, the lycans only number twenty thousand, which I might add, in terms of evolution, is not a sustainable population.”
Bolton had a point, their numbers were low and reproduction had become an issue. Worst of all, the change prevented most new adults from surviving. “So why risk Saskia ending your genetically modified soldier program?”
“If Saskia’s appetite can’t be curbed, I have no problem fulfilling her sweet tooth desires for fresh blood.”
“You are one sick son of a bitch.” What Bolton didn’t know, according to the lycan profiler, was Saskia enjoyed the hunt as much as the kill.
Bolton smiled. “I have no problem using humans as cattle.”
“Tell Saskia if she harms Emma, I will never be her mate.”
“I don’t think you have a choice.”
“If I’m dead, she will really be pissed.”
“You would commit suicide if she murdered Emma?”
Nik never dreamt he’d kill himself. Not voluntarily, but when a lycan lost his mate, the will to live diminished. Saskia might believe him if she sensed how his wolf felt for Emma. Life wouldn’t be worth living if something happened to Emma. Wrong as it was, he desired only Emma. It was more than lust and more than simple love for a beautiful, brave, and intelligent woman. His wolf had chosen her as his soul mate. A woman he’d sacrifice his life for. “Tell her, if she allows me to block Emma’s memory and then releases her so no harm comes to her, I’ll serve as her mate until the end of days.”
Bolton shrugged. “I have no problem with that.” He regarded the torn pants in the corner of the cage and turned to one of his men. “Get him some clothes before he meets with his fiancée.”
Emma paced in her room. She tried to fall asleep during the night, but only managed an hour. She had spent the night looking for a means of escape and found none. How soon before Saskia waltzed in and dragged her away to be her blood shake? And how was Nik doing? Earlier, she had heard sorrowful howls. Had that been Nik? Were they torturing him? Saskia would delight in torturing him and then forcing him to please her. Would he? At daybreak, she dressed in shorts and a T-shirt.
The door unlocked and her heart stilled. The time had come—fight, flight, or death.
A guard walked in with breakfast. On seeing two guards behind him, she hesitated jumping him. At least they respected her enough that they considered her a dangerous prisoner. Emma sighed. As if she’d have a chance fighting werewolves. Fortunately, she had one advantage—they took longer to shift into werewolves. He put the tray down. “Eat.”
Emma eyed the tray. Scrambled eggs, sausage, toast, hash browns, juice and coffee. Saskia must want her well-nourished. “Thanks.”
The guard left and shut the door.
Famished, Emma hastily ate the meal and then reached for her bag. She took out her makeup kit. The lipstick container held vaporo. Should she take it now? No. It might give her away. She tucked the vial inside her bra. Better to wait until she could escape. In the base of her jar of makeup foundation, she took out a red pill that would keep her from being compelled to obey werewolf commands. Nik had never compelled her, nor would he. It was forbidden for him to compel a member of the team or anyone in Rylee’s pack. Normally, only alpha males had this skill, however, it was hard to say if the chimera virus gave Bolton or his men the ability to mind control. The pill blocked neurotransmitters in her brain and lasted for three days at most.
Emma had three pills so she had to use them wisely. She popped one in her mouth. After she finished her coffee, she brushed her teeth and thought of ways to steal a lab coat in order to pass as one of their scientists. To do that, she’d have to get into the lab. How the heck would she accomplish that while being held prisoner? No more masks. All she had was a simple makeup kit and change of clothes.
The door opened. The guard spoke. “Come with us.”
“Where to?” Her pulse quickened at her impending doom.
“Move.”
She followed him. Regardless of the two guards behind her, she scanned for any escape routes. None. Her only hope was Nik. How soon before he attempted an escape? Or was it remotely possible he’d changed teams?
Chapter Fifteen
Nik and Bolton entered the pool area. Two armed men shadowed them. Instead of fighting, he’d bargain and beg if need be, to give Emma a chance to live, even if it meant having her forget him. Better that I give her up. As long as he cooperated with Bolton and Saskia, she had a chance, and he vowed to do just that. Nik spotted Saskia. She wore a tiny black bikini that accentuated every one of her assets. Too bad she was too far gone with blood lust to make any willing werewolf male a perfect mate.
Saskia turned. “Darling, come enjoy the sunlight.” She raised her red cocktail.
Nik sighed and smiled. Thankfully, the drink wasn’t blood, but a bloody Mary. He had caught a whiff of Emma earlier and relief washed through him that she lived. He did his best to appear happy to see Saskia. “You are as beautiful as the sunrise.”
She smiled and called over the bartender as if she already owned the island. “Would you like a bloody Mary?”
“I prefer mango juice.”
Bolton sat. “I will have a Mimosa.”
Nik raised a brow. “Is Svetlana still sleeping?”
Bolton answered, “She’s in the lab.”
“Hmm.” Svetlana enjoyed criminal activity and loved the finer things of life, but setting her foot in the lab wasn’t one of them.
Saskia sipped her drink. “That old bitch may or may not join us for dinner.”
Bolton laughed nervously. “I will leave you two alone. I’m meeting my men for some mental exercises.”
Nik smirked. “What, mindful meditation for new werewolves?”
Bolton frowned. “We newbies need to learn control, isn’t that right, Saskia?”
“Absolutely.” She smiled at him. “Yes, but then I’ll teach you how to channel your fierce werewolf.” Knowing Saskia, she’d eventually turn them into mindless killing machines.
“Yes, ma’am.” Bolton left, followed by his men.
Saskia’s personal guards remained. Recent chimeras, but despite the danger to themselves, armed with wolfsbane rifles. If he confronted them, he’d have no chance of survival. If he died, he couldn’t save Emma.
As if reading his thoughts, she smiled. “I’m happy you respect our weapons.”
“You must trust them, knowing they can turn their weapons on you.”
“After I broke them out of death row, you might be right, but then again, they were more than happy to take Bolton’s chimera drug.”
He glanced at them. Their mugs and arms marked by scars showcased the brutality of a violent life. “Where did you spring them from?”
“Prison is all you need to know.”
Death row meant they had committed murder. “All this time, I thought you had been hiding in colder climates.” He didn’t want to reveal he had traced her to Eastern Europe before being called back to guard Emma. He had failed miserably to keep Emma safe. Even if he managed to tell Rylee about the nefarious plot of Bolton and his new partner, Saskia, if Emma died because of it, Rylee would have him fired. No, banished.
“I acquired them six months ago. I occasionally enjoy warmer climates, but when hunting, I prefer winter.”
“You mean murdering humans for their blood?”
“Come now, it’s not like they are superior to us. Humans are sheep for our taking. One day, you too will learn to appreciate the delicacy of human meat.”
&
nbsp; Nik tightened his lips as if tasting the flesh of some hapless victim. “I see you still are an adherent of Gunter Wolfstrom, the last Nazi werewolf.”
Saskia rolled her eyes and changed the subject. “Bolton tells me you want to bargain for your human lover.”
“I will be your mate if you allow me to compel her to forget everything. Drop her off somewhere safe and I promise to be yours. Those are my conditions.”
“Ah, but I was so looking forward to the taste and scent of her sweet blood bathing my skin.”
“So you would choose a onetime blood bath instead of your destined mate?”
“And how do I know you’re not lying to me about remaining as my mate?”
“Let her go and I will give you my mating claim.” The one thing she could not force him to do was give her the mating bite. Nik knew little about the mating bite, but heard he’d be lost to the blood bond and become hers forever. At least Emma would be free. Imprisoning my soul for Emma’s safety is a reasonable deal.
Her eyes widened. “That means you would protect me with your very life.”
As much as he found Saskia revolting, the blood bond would compel him to kill anyone, even his comrades from Team Greywolf, who threatened Saskia, no matter how evil she was. “Yes.”
“Not the most romantic proposal, but I accept.” She raised her cup, but he didn’t raise his.
“That means ensuring she is gone and safe.” Why not show his jealous side? He lifted his glass. “You, my soon to be wife, will not mate with Bolton or any other new werewolf.”
“I agree. Better that we turn more human females into werewolves for them. I would never pollute my litter with their blood.”
Emma sat in the cage. They had left her alone in the lab room for over an hour. No one came in or out and it didn’t sound like anyone guarded the door either. Why bother? There was no way to break out.
The vaporo vial in her bra was her only weapon, if she escaped. What she really needed was an invisibility cloak. What about Nik? What would happen to him if she escaped? The thought of leaving him as Saskia’s mate twisted her guts.
Any minute, they’d come and take her to Saskia. A blood sacrifice for her sick pleasure.
The door opened and she held her breath. Emma sighed. “Nexus.”
She took off her headphones and quietly shut the door, obviously sneaking. “Hey.”
“What brings you down here?”
“We need to talk.”
“I’m all yours.” Emma pointed her chin to the camera.
Nexus stepped closer to the cage. “Don’t worry. They can’t see I’m here. I inserted a loop of you pacing because that’s all you do.”
“I think better on my feet.”
“Ready to escape?”
Do you even have to ask? Emma couldn’t believe what she just heard. “I thought you liked being part of the werewolf pack.”
“This place sucks.”
“No kidding.” She frowned. “What exactly made you change your mind?”
“I did some research. That she-werewolf, Saskia, has left a trail of missing women all over the globe. I don’t want to be her next tasty meal.”
“Aren’t you too valuable as a hacker to Bolton Industries?”
“There is something you need to know.” She turned to the door as if worried someone might come at any minute.
“Tell me.”
“Svetlana forced Bolton to take the chimera drug.”
“You were there?”
“No. I have my own undetectable surveillance camera in every lab room.”
“Are you a spy?”
“No. I just like being informed.”
“I can see why. Especially after seeing Saskia’s brutality.”
“True, but listen to me. Every new male chimera eventually stays in werewolf form and becomes as mindless as those horror movie werewolves. That’s why they are ordered to shift for less than an hour.”
“If they don’t, what happens?”
“They go on a killing rampage and they put them down. A few were taken down by soldiers they fought. Many who fought them were not so lucky. Talk about a gruesome death.”
“I’m sure none of the men would purposely stay in werewolf form for more than an hour knowing what would happen.”
“No. What I’m trying to say is after two to three months, they all go mad raving werewolf even if they don’t choose to turn. And each time, they have less time to remain in werewolf form before they go monster mad.”
Emma frowned. “Now I see why Bolton was forced. He must be worried that will soon be his fate.”
“His research team has been working round the clock to solve this problem, but now that Saskia is here, I doubt she’ll really care.”
“You must be worried.”
“Nope. The madness only occurs in males. Something about the Griswold gene found only in males.”
Nexus referred to a trait that turned some werewolves that carried the gene into serial killers, although they always kept their human minds. “What does Svetlana think about all this?” She was a mob queen, but greed and revenge would not make her suddenly stupid enough to endanger herself.
“She’s dead.”
“What? When?”
“Last night. Saskia asked her to take the chimera drug.”
“I take it Svetlana refused and they murdered her?”
“Got that right. She was pissed as hell at Saskia, accusing her of the ultimate betrayal. That’s when Saskia injected Svetlana with the drug.”
“And here I thought they were allies.”
“Right?” Nexus shook her head. “That’s what I’m saying, Saskia is nuts.”
“At Svetlana’s age, I wonder how long she lasted?”
“She was dead in less than five minutes. As soon as I heard what happened, I took a look. She seized endlessly and then died.”
Emma had no sympathy for Svetlana’s death, knowing she had murdered Danny and her team. She wanted justice, not necessarily a gruesome death. “She might as well have just pulled a trigger and killed her.”
“Since Svetlana carries the Stallo gene, Saskia thought the drug would work.”
“Now she knows.”
“The other two women died pretty quick.”
“What other women?”
“Bolton’s companions. The ones I called the pool girls. She got bored waiting for them to turn. Bolton told her women take longer, but Saskia didn’t give a rat’s ass. She ripped out their jugulars and began to...Then I…turned off my camera.”
“Let me out and we’ll figure out a way to leave.”
“I’m working on it, but it won’t be easy, even for me.”
“If I get caught, I’ll make sure Saskia doesn’t know you helped me.”
“As long as I get out, too. I overheard her tell Bolton never to let me breed. Probably because of the floppy ears when I’m in wolf form.”
“We are all going to get out of this hell hole,” said Emma.
Nexus stiffened at the sound of voices.
Emma whispered, “We have company.”
Nexus went to one of the computers and punched in a code. “Okay. I’m here to check on the computers.”
“Got it.”
Nik was relieved to see Emma. Despite the fact she was locked in a cage, she appeared unharmed. Nexus sat in front of the lab computer, busy looking at a series of odd numbers and graphics. Saskia’s two guards stood by the door, their weapons ready for anything. Bolton walked in as well. He politely gave him a friendly nod. Apparently, his stress hormones were high, since the serial killer werewolf joined his cause.
Saskia approached Nexus. “What are you doing here?”
“Routine scans.” She turned the computer off. “Done here.”
“Yes, run along, pup.”
Nexus left, not once making eye contact with any of them. Nik raised a brow. Why was Nexus running scans from here? He wanted to tell her to leave the island and never come back, but maybe she�
�d already figured that out. Her scent, like Bolton’s, had conveyed nervousness.
Saskia opened the cage. “Come. Sit over there,” she pointed to a computer chair.
Nik remained calm. Luckily, Emma had not made eye contact with him or even said hello.
Emma sat and folded her arms.
Saskia smiled. “You are lucky. If everything goes well, you get to leave.”
Nik took a stool and sat in front of Emma. “Time for a hypnosis session. You will listen to my commands.”
Emma frowned. “What do you mean?”
Saskia sighed. “An alpha werewolf male like Nik can make a human forget everything that’s happened. I gave him permission, despite my better judgment, to let you walk away from this facility, but lacking any memory of it.”
Emma glanced at Nik. “How much will I forget?”
“You will forget ever coming here and forget you ever met me,” said Nik.
“Well, that sure beats killing me.” She raised a brow. “A bargain as I see it.”
“Stop talking and listen,” said Nik.
Saskia laughed. “Nik has agreed to be my mate if we let you go.”
“Getting married?” Emma turned to Nik. “Will you go down on one knee and hand her a ring or does that come later?”
Nik knew she played dumb. She must know the sacrifice he made to save her.
“Werewolves don’t bother with rings. Once he bites me, we’ll have a blood bond that makes us inseparable forever.”
Emma shrugged. “Okay, get on with it. The sooner I forget, the better.”
She must know he’d bargained for her life. She seemed much too casual about him mating Saskia. Perhaps he’d felt more for Emma than she had for him. Then again, her first priority was to get back to Rylee and warn her about Bolton and Saskia. Yet, once her memory was erased, she’d have nothing to tell Rylee. “Look into my eyes and obey.”
She stared at him with her beautiful blue eyes. “Yes.”
