Asia looked down at the ground and scented the area. She needed food, water and a bath. After repacking her bag, she climbed down and headed toward the nearest town. Pleased to be included in the group with the women, she refused to rush.
Chapter 9
Several hours passed before Asia returned to the hidden passage she’d used once to escape. She was certain they’d erased or placed an alert on Jerry’s pass codes, so she avoided using that and used a code she’d picked up from the hybrid’s memories. A long shot but it might buy a few minutes. The door opened into the looming dark hall. Asia morphed into Jerry again and after a quick scan, raced up the stairs and out the door toward the communications center. She moved with blinding speed across the hall, hoping the cameras didn’t pick her up until safe in the room.
Within seconds of reaching the hall, four hybrids filled the area. A tall slender human male pushed through and strode forward. He eyed her up and down. Jerry called him Greggor, Lord Boris’ nephew and manager of the castle. But she remembered him from Madam’s Boudoir and his strange fetish.
“I can’t imagine why you returned here after what you’ve done. Lord Boris is furious and on the way.”
Asia smelled the lie and breathed with relief.
“You better have a good excuse and it better match the cameras. Hawke was able to restore the camera footage, what was Ponce doing in that room?” Greggor pointed to the communications room.
Another lie. Greggor had no idea what happened and expected her to fill in the blanks. “He had been in the communications room most of the day and went crazy. When I heard the alarms and went downstairs to help Chuck and Tank, but got hit over the head and passed out. Earlier, I woke up in the forest and returned here.” As lies went, that one wasn’t all bad.
“He is lying,” one of the hybrids said.
A flash of satisfaction crossed Greggor’s face. The punk set this up. “I gave you a chance to come clean, to explain what happened to the Liege. Your chip was off the grid for hours and reactivated when you entered the door. Why is that? How did you disable the thing?” Greggor wasted a sneer and nasty gaze on her. Asia had been busy locating the cameras and devised ways to prevent them from recording the fight.
“No answer?”
Asia met his gaze with a raised brow.
“Jerry you have worked for Lord Boris for ten years, you know the rules and the punishment. This is out of my hands.” Greggor stepped back and gave the order. “Kill the bastard.”
Asia exhaled and steadied her focus as all four breeds charged. And then waited until the first one was close and dropped into a split hitting the floor. The sound of skulls smashing into one another filled the hall. And then paused a beat while they moved apart, scooted to the side to stand and slammed her fist beneath the chin of the closest breed. The hybrid’s head snapped back in an awkward position, she grabbed him by the collar and threw him toward the two breeds heading in her direction.
The other hybrid behind her tried to grab hold, but she jumped and roundhouse kicked him in the chin. Next the beast spun and fell through the glass to the lower level and hit the ground hard, splitting his skull on the concrete.
Two hybrids rushed from the front. Asia leapt forward, grabbed the camera embedded in the wall and swung until the base tore from the ceiling. Hearing the hybrids behind her, she ran toward a second camera on the opposite wall, grabbed and pulled the metal away from the wall. She held the device and slammed the metal into the face of the first hybrid that reached her. Jagged metal cut through flesh and bone like a cleaver, dropping the hybrid to his knees.
The fourth hybrid leapt over the downed breed and caught the tail end of her jacket, yanking her forward. Hot breath from the beast scorched her skin. He wrapped an arm around her and squeezed. The buttons of Jerry’s uniformed pressed into her skin. She scanned the hybrid for metals. There were none in his arm, just his left calf.
Asia exhaled, leaned her head on his chest so the camera wouldn’t see more than she intended, and pushed his arms away. The hybrid’s body vibrated with intent as he struggled to maintain the bear hold, but his muscles were no match for the metal in her arm and legs. As soon as she had leverage, she pulled her legs up and pressed against him.
Sweat poured down his forehead, yet he continued to hold on to her. When the gap widened between them, she dropped to the ground, hopped back and punched him in the eye twice in rapid succession. The second time she ripped out his chip, threw the device on the floor and stepped on the chip with the bottom of her boot. The hybrid fell forward. Asia caught him with one hand allowing his body to shield her healing arm from view.
“Jerry, I don’t know how you did all that, but I wonder if you can stop this,” Greggor said standing in the hall. Asia heard the whirring of the laser and leapt out of the way as it burned a hole through the breed.
She moved with lightning speed zig-zagging across the area. Greggor took aim and fired repeated shots knocking out more security cams, glass partitions and chunks of the wall.
“Stop.”
Asia hid against the wall at the command and closed her eyes. That was not the same voice that called to her through the night. Damn. The computer was in control of Hawke again. Now she had to fight or die. And dying was not an option.
“You are destroying the building you imbecile.”
“No, it’s Jerry, he’s out of control,” Greggor said taking deep breaths.
She heard Hawke’s footsteps and flashed to the other side. Greggor blocked her way, but he hadn’t seen her yet. She punched him, knocking him to the ground.
“Mistress?” There was no answer. She’d come face to face with Hawke. He was slightly taller than La Patron and just as wide.
“What are you doing Jerry? Why is Greggor attempting to destroy you with weapons when he can push the red button on your chip?”
Asia couldn’t believe the man expected to have a conversation while her adrenaline spiked through the ceiling and her wolf did flips in her belly.
“I don’t uh, know.” The red button wouldn’t work with the chameleon, but she didn’t want to go into her chameleon biology right now.
Hawke’s gaze narrowed, and he crossed massive arms. “Why are you lying? I don’t understand why. Logically you cannot win, and yet you have defeated superior beings. Greggor is not included in that statement of course. Your behavior puzzles me.” Hawke gazed down at her as if she were a lab experiment.
“Mistress? I need you to pull his wolf.” Asia watched him watch her. Seconds ticked with neither of them speaking.
“Something… your scent is different. The distinction is slight but there. Did you eat onions with your meal?” Hawke placed a finger next to his chin, and continued to stare.
“No.” She cleared her throat. “Curried lamb, that’s what I ate, no onions.”
“True, I smell no onions.”
“Sorry, we were… uh, busy. Silas is here. Ready?”
Asia looked at Hawke, and the next moment she jumped to the left as his fist slammed into the wall where she’d been standing sending debris in all directions. Quick as a flash he was on her trail, tracking her, throwing punches.
“Mate my ass,” she growled and returned a punch to his mid-section. Hawke staggered but didn’t fall. Oh shit. She had punched him with her metal arm and he didn’t hit the ground. He leapt forward. She ducked and rolled out the way as he crashed into the wall.
“Now, Mistress call his wolf!” Asia gasped taking in gulps of air, while he moved slower than before but still moved. All the fighting and running took a toll. She couldn’t keep running much longer. Unprepared for the blast of energy that shot through her, Asia fell to the floor. Her chest heaved as she struggled to breathe.
Seconds ticked without a sound.
“You came back.”
Asia’s head dropped for a moment of gratitude at the sound of his voice. She looked up and stared into his eyes. “We need to leave,” she said aloud refusing to use the link.<
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“Please, I need to secure my research. No one needs to access those files again. You will need to do key the codes for me. Come.”
Hawke padded toward the lift.
Asia headed toward the communications room instead. Greggor had blown the door away with the laser and she planned to upload the virus. A few seconds later she’d typed in the code. An error message appeared.
Asia frowned.
“We need to leave before the system reboots and locks everything down again.”
She glanced at the intelligence shining in his eyes. “I had a back door in this system.”
“Yes, I know, I fixed the breach. You will need to access the back door from my system, please hurry.” He turned and headed to the lift.
She followed. “Key this in,” he said and then gave her a series of numbers which she typed. The door closed, and the lift headed down to the lower level.
When they reached his door, he said another series of numbers which she keyed and the doors opened. “Quick, sit at the table and type exactly what I say. There is less than ten minutes.”
Asia sat without questioning him. Hawke sat nearby on his haunches watching as she typed in several series of key-strokes, some she had to re-type. Seconds ticked on the clock but he remained adamant that they complete this first. Once done, he instructed her how to upload the virus throughout all the systems, not just the one's in the castle.
“I disabled the door but I don’t know how to leave the castle, do you?” Hawke asked when she finished.
Asia searched Jerry’s memories and there was one place on this level. She had seen the door before, but if time was their enemy, returning upstairs to the staircase wouldn’t work. “Yes, come with me,” she said and ran to the lift. Together they reached the door, she placed her palm on the panel and the door opened. Apparently she’d been wrong; they hadn’t changed Jerry’s security level. Hawke padded out beside her and they went down deeper into the bowels of the castle to the locked mechanical room. The other day she’d seen the steam flowing from this vent and hoped they could turn off the heat so the metal didn’t burn them. After keying in the code they stepped inside and she closed the door.
“This is the way out?”
“Through the ventilation system.” Asia pointed to vents high on the wall and frowned. The other day it seemed as if there was one vent, now she saw three.
“The vent is high, I cannot jump that high.”
“Shift and climb.”
“No. I don’t trust him. The computer controls his mind.” Hawke trotted around the room seeking another way out. “That one, the middle one leads to the outside, plus it’s better insulated and won’t burn. The other two are live.”
She glanced at him and then looked at the vents. Pipes ran all through the room, a couple close to the middle vent.
Instead of agreeing to Hawke’s suggestion she crawled toward the top of the pipe to reach the vent. So far he’d been right, the temperature was bearable. Leaning to the side, she pulled off the grate and climbed inside. At the end of the chute she saw outside and exhaled. He hadn’t tricked her, at least not about this. But then again he wanted to leave the castle.
“Behind you,” Hawke said surprising her. “When I saw your claws I remembered I can partial shift. If you move to the side I will go first.”
“No.” Asia scooted forward and crawled toward the opening. His claws scratched the metal making an irritating sound. She hoped there were no sound or movement sensors in the vents. The natural scent of his beast made her wolf push to shift. Asia took a moment and reminded the beast to be patient, safety first. Her beast calmed but let her know of her displeasure. Asia grabbed the iron grate and pushed. The damn thing didn’t move. Damn. She’d need the power in her legs.
“Can you back up a little? I need to turn.” She sensed his hesitation, and then he moved. After moving around a bit she managed to change positions and placed both feet against the grate and pushed. Instead of the grate pushing outward, she slid backward on the metal.
“Damn.” She scooted forward again. Hawke moved close, his furry chest rested against her back. She stiffened at the contact, and pushed again. This time she had the leverage necessary, and the grate bowed forward and then popped from the concrete on one side. She pushed it open and slid forward. The drop shouldn’t be too bad.
“You should turn and look below to make sure it’s clear.” Hawke moved back, the soft warmth of his fur vanished.
Asia ground her teeth at his suggestion and jumped. It was further to the ground than she thought. The graveled walkway near the castle jolted her system on contact. Moments later, Hawke hit the ground beside her. He had partially shifted, which made for an easier landing. Their gazes met, and he returned to his wolf. She took off running into the woods, not quite sure what to do now. Once again she hadn’t thought beyond the mission, that whole act first think later thing had to change. For now the safety of the tree beckoned. The world appeared different from that vantage point.
“Where are we headed?”
Asia ignored his question and continued running. Boris would send hybrids after them as soon as he realized all the test wolves were missing, including Hawke. Goddess please let the plane be on the way.
“I need to access a computer.”
She rolled her eyes as they ran around trees and jumped over thick roots or vines. Where did he expect her to get a computer?
“This is important. I need to get to a computer.” He sounded cross.
She stopped, turned and glared down at him. Two wolves slammed into his side, knocking him back, snapping at his hind legs. His inability to fight surprised her. He stood taller than his attackers and yet he didn’t fight. In human form she doubted she would’ve defeated him. Was his wolf that much different? These wolves were getting the best of him. Asia stepped forward prepared to grab one of the animals.
“Don’t.” Hawke said to the savior who looked like Jerry the security guard. His wolf didn’t agree. He’d puzzled over the inconsistency since he heard the disturbance in his lab. Something big happened. Bigger than the destruction of the lab, the excitement of a new discovery niggled at the edge of his reason. He’d deal with her ability to alter her appearance later and focus on surviving the night.
Hawke recognized the scents from the test wolves before they attacked. Both had undergone several operations and were unwell. He refused to hurt them further. After allowing them a few nips, he batted the older wolf across the jaw with his paw, knocking him across the grass. The other wolf whimpered and ran to check on her mate. Both wolves shifted to human. Their combined pain and sorrow and anger buffeted him.
“You travel with this scum?” the female hissed at Jerry. “He is a murderer, a defiler of innocents.” She spit in his direction. “I would kill you for what you’ve done. Goddess strengthen me to kill this abomination.” She rose, and he saw the glint of steel as she ran toward him. Hawke prepared to shift to his hybrid form, but Jerry stopped the woman.
“No, you cannot kill him. You don’t know everything, and cannot judge him.”
The remarks surprised Hawke.
“I know what I saw,” the woman said, her chest heaving.
“That doesn’t mean what you saw was real, there’s always more sides to the truth. At any rate I won’t allow you to kill him.” Jerry stood between him and the woman.
The older woman broke down in tears. The loud sobs cut Hawke to the core. He looked away, right into the eyes of her mate. The man lay on the ground but his hate filled gaze didn’t falter. The mate would gut Hawke in a split second.
“He killed my pups. Slaughtered them on the operating table while trying to turn them into something hateful.”
Hawke sensed surprise from Jerry and wondered if he’d be left alone in the woods which were more than he deserved. He had little recollection of what happened when the computer ruled his actions. His wolf hid from the horror in a small corner of his mind ignoring the outside world. At
the time hiding seemed the best way to survive, listening to the female wolf now, he wasn’t sure.
The older man stood slowly never releasing Hawke’s gaze. “Come, the Goddess will judge him. He will not have peace or rest easy. A mark will always be on his back. One day he will sire pups and experience the pain of loss.”
Hawke flinched beneath the harsh words and hoped the man spoke from anger speaking and not a prophetic declaration. The woman dried her face with the back of her hand, threw a hard glare in his direction and went with the male. Together they left the clearing.
Heavy hearted with a gut full of guilt and shame, Hawke looked at his rescuer. Their gazes locked.
“Let’s go.” Jerry turned and ran.
Surprised and pleased at not being abandoned, Hawke followed.
Chapter 10
Ingrid ran through the trees trying to find the way home. How long had she been a captive? Five? Ten years? The time no longer mattered, she ran free down the road. Oh how she missed mother, and her sisters. She stopped at the cross-road and read the battered sign.
Highlands Cross. Ingrid smiled and wiped the moisture that ran down her nose in a constant drip. Home wasn’t too far. Last night she’d told the others she could make it on her own and she had. Turning down the dirt road she ran. Her vision blurred, but she ignored it. Grandmother’s house came into view first. Ingrid slowed down and veered toward the front porch. The house was dark. And she heard the heartbeats upstairs in the bedrooms. One moment she thought it strange she could hear their heartbeats, the next it disappeared from her mind like the morning mist.
Pain, sharp and nauseating, ripped through her head. Ingrid fell to the ground and rolled into a fetal position moaning as waves of mind-numbing needles pierced her brain. The intense pain lasted for a few moments. She tried to stand and emptied her stomach.
Sword of Inquest (La Patron's Sword Book 1) Page 5
