by Amelia Jade
“What was what?” he asked, irritated.
“The thing they gave you in exchange for selling us out. For turning traitor.”
Flint rolled his eyes, took something from the case, snapped it closed, and moved.
But Maddy was quicker. She put herself between him and the door, having gotten just close enough to intercept him. Flint eyed her up and down, evaluating what he had just seen.
“So that’s how you escaped. You took a dose. Very brave,” he said, nodding.
Then, as if coming to his decision, a smile spread across his face. She had expected Flint to become apprehensive of her. Now all of a sudden his continued confidence was fueling the nervousness growing in her stomach. Something was wrong.
Very, very wrong.
Flint headed back toward the secret door that she had left hanging open. She watched as his forward progress halted and he began to backpedal. His outward confidence wavered for the first time as Connor entered the room. He had been waiting there, out of sight, to allow Maddy to see if she could perhaps get any more information from him before they did what they needed to.
“I was wondering where you were keeping him,” Flint said over his shoulder to her. “No matter though.” Before either of them could react, the traitor took whatever it was that had been in his case, flicked his wrist, and downed it.
Maddy frowned, moving quickly to the desk and ripping the case open. There was an empty vial. It was labelled Extremis Serum V2-A.
“You took two doses?” she asked, terrified, backing away to keep herself between him and the door, while Connor looked warily over at her. “
“Two doses of what?” the Sentinel shifter asked.
“Extremis,” she whispered.
“That’s dumb,” he replied. “He’s going to die then.”
Flint began to laugh. “The serum has come a long way since those first trials that your friend Ajax uncovered. Trust me, I’ll be just fine.”
“Thanks to all of those shifters we were unable to save. It was their blood that was used for the serum,” Connor snapped. “How many of those can be laid at your feet, I wonder?”
Maddy eyed the exchange, keeping quiet. She was looking at the now-open case and its contents. Which, among the notes and other things that she didn’t have time to read, was another vial labelled Extremis Serum V2-B. She wondered what the difference between the two was, remembering that her original vial had had an A on it.
“Not enough of them,” Flint spat. “Bunch of circus freaks, changing into animals and shit.” He looked smug. “We’ve taken the only good part of you and refined it, so that proper humans can use it.”
Now Maddy spoke up. “Only half-bloods can use it,” she said. That was how it had worked for her, after all. It was her father’s blood that the serum bonded to, giving her the enhanced effects of the shifter serum.
Flint smiled even wider. “As you two shall see momentarily, we’ve moved beyond that. I am no half-blood. I am pure human, unmixed, unlike you two blackbloods.”
She looked at Connor. “Blackbloods?” She didn’t know that term.
“The opposite of blueblood,” he said. “Impure. We’re not true humans to him.”
“Exactly,” Flint sneered. “We’ve developed a serum that will bond with the human portion of the DNA.” His sneer turned to a smile. “Soon you will be extinct.”
Connor rolled his eyes.
Maddy’s eyes, however, shot to the vial in front of her.
So Flint is pure human. And he took the vials labeled A. Which is the same as what I took. So it’s bonded to my human DNA, not my father’s DNA.
Her eyes focused on the vial labelled V2-B, lingering there for a long time.
“When did they get to you?” she asked, looking up.
Flint laughed derisively. “You two aren’t looking big enough,” he said with a shake of his head.
“What do you mean?” Connor asked.
“Do I really have to spell this out for you?” he said with an overly dramatic roll of his eyes.
“Yes,” she said bluntly.
Flint blew air from between his lips. “Fine. The Agency didn’t buy my loyalty from you. They didn’t have to, you see, because they have always had it.”
Maddy went cold at the implication.
“That’s right,” he said, mocking her. “You’ve been working for the Agency all along, and you never knew it!” He laughed, the sound almost like a cackle, a reflection of how proud he was of his big charade.
She stared at Connor. This was much, much worse than either of them had figured.
“Yes, you should be worried,” Flint said, getting his laughter under control. “Oh, it was amazing. You see, we needed a way to flush out the shifters in the city. Many of them led very unassuming lives. Makes it hard for us to find them. But with you guys—” he broke off with another chuckle. “Oh, you made it so much easier.”
“They saved so many though,” she said, fiercely protective of Connor’s efforts. “Ones that you’ll never get back.”
“Yes, Genesis Valley,” Flint mused. Then he shrugged. “Some sacrifices had to be made. I’m not aware of everything going on, but I would be hesitant to believe them safe, if I were you. Now, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll be going.”
“I don’t think so,” Connor said as Flint made his way to go.
Out of her peripheral vision, as she stared at the vial, she saw Connor tackle Flint. The pair went flying past the desk to crash into the far wall. The dark-tinted windows above them vibrated rapidly under the impact, though they didn’t shatter.
Connor grunted, and was thrown backward as Flint kicked him away. Maddy was forced to dodge out of the way as Connor landed on the desk and flipped over the back of it. She curled her body protectively around the item in her hand, bouncing solidly on the floor until her back came to a rest against one of the bookshelves.
Noise sounded from above her as Connor and Flint tangled once again. It wasn’t much of a contest, however, as Flint was easily overpowering the man she cared for. The only thing keeping Connor in the game was his training. Flint had none, and it showed, but he was landing enough hits to keep Connor reeling.
Maddy thought about jumping into the fray, but she had less training than Flint, and was weaker than him. He had taken a double dose. From what little she’d been exposed to, someone surviving that was a new thing. Who knew what he was capable of?
She scrambled to her feet as Connor stumbled backward, reeling from a blow to his face. Blood streamed from his nose, and his left eye was rapidly swelling up.
Her choice was made for her just then. If she didn’t do anything, Flint would either escape, or kill them. Or both. For the second time that day, she twisted the cap off and downed a vial of liquid that would have unexpected effects on her.
Power coursed through her veins almost instantly, a crackling flow of electricity that was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. She could feel it building within her as it spread throughout her entire body. Unlike the last vial, this one was immediate, happening without delay.
“Flint,” she shouted, her powerful voice filling the room with ease, snapping the Extremis-enhanced traitor around to look at her.
Connor saw what she was doing and dove out of the way, just before Maddy kicked the desk across the room.
Maddy blinked as the piece of furniture flew forward in a tumbling roll, thick wood snapping from where she had planted her foot in it. Flint cried out in surprise as he was hit by three hundred pounds of solid wood.
The desk plowed right through him until it smashed apart against the far wall, bowing the thick steel outward slightly as it did.
“Wow,” she whispered, marching over to where Flint lay curled up. She bent down to pick him up, but was sent reeling by a surprise backhand that caught her completely off guard.
Apparently Flint wasn’t as hurt as he appeared. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she pushed herself off the wall, reaching
for something else that she had on her.
“Over here,” Connor said, spitting blood at Flint, distracting the man before he could make another charge at Maddy.
Flint glanced over at Connor before casually hauling a bookcase from the wall next to him and hurling it at the shifter. He then charged at Maddy. She stood her ground, letting him hit her.
Ow. The singular thought pulsed through her mind as she flew backward under the impact, slamming into one of the thick metal columns that separated the panes of tinted glass. The metal bowed under the blow, and the glass on either side of her shattered, raining shards down upon the both of them. She was cut and sliced in numerous places, as was Flint.
That wasn’t the damage though. She flexed her arms and sent him flying back. He collapsed into a ball, then rolled to his feet, just in time to cry out in pain as Connor hit him from behind.
Flint spun, his closed fist crashing into Connor and spinning him away.
But as he moved, Maddy could see that the damage was already done. His white shirt was rapidly becoming soaked in blood.
Flint focused on her. “You think two little knife wounds are going to stop me?” he roared, the sound a mixture of pain and anger.
Maddy held up the knife she had pulled from its hiding place on her back. It was covered in Flint’s blood. She had stabbed it into his gut at the last second as he leapt at her.
“Notice anything?” she asked, noting the flow of blood begin to soak his pants.
In the corner, Connor climbed back to his feet. He didn’t look very good, but he didn’t wobble either. Her heart soared with pride. Her man was one tough customer.
Her man.
Maddy’s smile grew bigger. Yes, he was hers, and she was his. All his. Somehow they had found each other amidst the violence and craziness that seemed to be descending upon her city.
She couldn’t be happier.
Flint grunted as he looked down at his wound, noting the way his clothing was sticking to him, soaked as it was with his blood. “Bastards,” he muttered. Then his eyes rose, fixing on Maddy. “Still enough time to kill your precious man though.”
He whirled and went after Connor.
Maddy screamed and launched herself forward.
She was too late.
Flint arrogantly knocked aside Connor’s defenses, making the strong shifter look weak. If Maddy hadn’t understood before why the Agency needed to be stopped, she saw it now.
Connor’s mouth exploded with fresh blood as another blow landed. Maddy had closed half the distance. The small room seemed to be a mile wide at that point, stretching on forever, as if the world itself was collaborating to ensure she couldn’t get there in time.
Rage rushed to the surface as Flint’s hand snapped forward, grabbing Connor around the neck and squeezing. He was attacking her man. Something deep within Maddy awoke at that, spurred by the protective instinct.
Whatever it was, it was angry.
She hit Flint in the side, and the whole world went dark.
Chapter Seventeen
Connor
He was flung aside like a rag doll as Maddy collided with Flint. The world spun crazily as he tumbled across the floor.
Connor couldn’t believe how strong Flint was. The war on shifters had just taken a new turn with the discovery that this new serum could be taken multiple times, upping its effectiveness. Did it do so permanently? Or was it just a temporary thing, like a drug? So many unanswered questions raced through his mind.
They were mostly washed away by the pain from his broken body, and the relief as he gasped, able to breathe at last. His lungs worked furiously, sucking down air as fast as they could, replenishing it within his body.
The world began to stop spinning, revealing something else to Connor.
Great, I can see without getting dizzy again, but now I’m fucking hallucinating.
He was so ready for the day to be over.
His eyes were telling him that a massive light-brown bear was currently ripping Flint to shreds, knocking his blows aside as easily as Flint had done to Connor just a few seconds earlier.
Flint screamed as the powerful jaws latched onto his arm. The bear shook its head, and the arm came with it. The screams increased in pitch, until mercifully the man passed out. Connor watched as the bear tossed the severed limb aside and ripped out the flesh from his throat, the blood fountaining down the deceased man’s body.
Then it stepped back and unleashed a roar so loud it made Connor wince in pain.
Shit.
He wasn’t hallucinating.
“Maddy?” he asked carefully, looking around the bear to see if he could find her. His voice sounding pained even to his own ears.
The bear turned, eyes blazing almost red with rage.
“Shit.” This time he spoke aloud.
Connor closed his eyes and called forth his own bear. The animal didn’t protest, despite the pain they were both in. Connor knew that it was hurting just as much as he did. The pain of wounds sustained transferred between the entities. Even though his bear wasn’t truly intelligent, it was a tangible thing inside him. It could communicate with emotions and the simplest of thoughts.
Connor expressed his thankfulness, appreciative that the animal had come just then—even if it had no choice, it could still be unhappy about it. But the beast knew it was needed, so it surged forth, massive furred limbs ripping apart his human skin as he blurred and then dropped to all fours. His bear was gigantic, larger than the one across from him.
Where is Maddy?
The other bear stopped at the sight of one of its own, pausing just long enough for Connor to breathe a sigh of relief.
Then it charged.
Oh fuck. This is going to hurt.
He hurled his bear forward, the entire room shaking as the two titanic beasts collided. Belatedly he remembered that they were in a room suspended above the club. It was the creaking of the floor that reminded him.
Dammit.
The single dull thought echoed through his mind as metal shrieked under the load, reaching a fever pitch just before it gave way.
The two bears dropped twenty feet to the ground below, landing in a tangled pile. Connor quickly rolled away, trying to focus through the haze of agony that washed over him.
The light-brown bear roared in pain. He glanced over to see its rear leg bent awkwardly beneath it. The beast trumpeted again, this sound decidedly less anger-filled, and more of a bleating noise. It looked over at him.
Connor froze as he made contact with it. He would recognize those eyes anywhere.
Maddy.
The thought focused his mind instantly. Connor forced his bear away as fast as he could, the quickness of his shift tearing at his mind slightly, but he ignored the pain. It was just one more bit of hurt on top of all the others he was feeling.
“Maddy?” he asked once he could form human words again, looking at the other bear in disbelief.
The bear growled.
“Madison Rychel,” he said, standing up, looking down at it.
Although the bear was bigger than he was, it wasn’t taller. Connor used his position emphatically.
“You need to take control of your bear. Look into your mind, and envision a cage around it.”
The bear’s growl grew louder.
“You can imagine that cage to be as plush and comfortable for it as you want. But you have to make it go into the cage. It won’t go on its own. You have to be forceful with it, to make it do as you command. You are the boss, not it.”
The growl was so loud it was vibrating the ground underneath him. Connor didn’t approach, but he wasn’t worried. With a broken hind leg, the bear wasn’t going anywhere.
“Take command, Madison,” he said forcefully, using her full name again. “Don’t let it push you aside.”
The bear snapped at him.
A thought occurred to him, based on something he had heard her say before.
“A shifter who cannot control
her bear is an outcast.” He paused. “They don’t fit in.” He delivered the last line with as much emphasis on the point as he could.
The bear’s head, which had begun to droop, snapped up at him. Even on three legs it lunged after him, but Connor stood his ground. It limped closer, but he only smiled.
The bear was shrinking. It snapped and snarled, growled and roared as it closed the distance, but it didn’t matter.
By the time it got to him, all that remained was a ghostly pale Maddy, who took one look at him with her gorgeous brown eyes and promptly fell into his arms, unconscious.
He knelt down, holding her tightly as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.
It was then that he noticed the crowd around them for the first time.
Of course. It’s night, and this is a club. Connor felt like an idiot as he saw the horrified stares of so many people, people who wouldn’t know what it was they had just seen.
A shocked-looking Deanna finally pushed her way through the crowd.
“Are you okay?” she asked frantically as she came to his side.
“Yes,” he replied, nodding sharply. “But we might not be for long.”
“We?” Deanna asked.
Setting his jaw, Connor nodded. “Flint was the traitor,” he said at last.
“Holy shit.” She grinned humorlessly. “I always did hate that bastard.”
“He was with them from the start,” Connor said hastily. “That means the Agency knows everything.”
Deanna’s face went as white as a sheet. “Oh God,” she whispered.
He nodded. “Get everyone out of here,” he commanded as Maddy began to come around.
“But where will we go?”
“Those without family, go to ground. Everyone should have their own safe house ready. Get to it. Those without,” he paused, then gave her an address.
“What’s there?” she asked, frowning in confusion.
“A place I set up a few weeks ago, when I began to suspect there was someone feeding the Agency information,” he said.
She nodded and took off, pulling a phone from her purse.
Maddy groaned in his arms.
“Come on Maddy,” he said, giving her a shake. “We need to go.”
