Wolf Charmer, Team Greywolf, Book 3

by Eva Gordon

  “You know how powerful the werewolf is and on top of that, he can mind control humans. Avery’s father is committed to wiping out the werewolf threat to our species.” He waved his hand. “Go and I’ll let you know if and when you can see him.”

  “Can I go back to my cabin?”

  “No. Just let Mr. Leeds know what to pack. You stay here until you fly to Avery’s lab.”

  Gabby nodded. “I’ll wait for your call.”

  She left and dashed back to her headquarters apartment. Immediately, she went into her bedroom. Gaby took out the burner phone she hid inside her winter gloves. She quickly texted. Dear Phil Renshaw, they know you hacked into the chimera lab, and plan to kill you during your run. Contact FBI. Go to a safe house. Do Not respond to this text. Save yourself and your sons.

  Gaby disabled the phone and then returned it to its hiding place. She had to help Kane escape. Now. How could she move him while he was out?

  Her phone buzzed. “Hello.”

  “Dr. Tomlin thinks it’s a good idea for you to try talking to the werewolf and Avery agrees,” said Giles.

  “I’ll be right over.” She ran out and in less than five minutes walked into the area she never wanted to see again, the treatment room. She pushed the button and security answered. “Gaby.”

  The door opened and she shivered. The area remained as it was ten years ago, a horrific dungeon. The dark room where she had been kept was bolted. Kane lay in wolf form on the floor of a steel cage.

  Dr. Tomlin turned from his computer console and stood. “Gaby, I’m happy you are here.”

  She glanced around. Only Tomlin and the armed security guard at the door in sight. “How is he?”

  “He is in a deep sleep.”

  “You mean a coma.”

  “He was, but he is moving. Like a dog having a dream.”

  “I bet Avery was disappointed he turned wolf before revealing too much.”

  “Actually, he stayed human during the interrogation. He turned wolf after he passed out.”

  “You would think he would have turned as soon as he was drugged.”

  “Avery warned him if he turned wolf, you would be tortured.”

  She swallowed, at a loss of words. He tried to protect her. “Happy someone cares about me around here.”

  “Avery knows all about his kind, but unfortunately, the poor beast has no memory of his identity. Only that you can’t charm him.”

  Had he revealed their plans to escape? “Did he say anything else about me?”

  “He says you can see his inner wolf, but when Avery started to ask him why he was so fond of you, he convulsed and passed out.”

  Gaby bit the inside of her cheek. He fought the drug before he revealed their plans. His fondness.

  Avery Kraig entered. “Gaby, how nice to see you again.”

  Can’t say the same. “Hi.”

  His smile slipped and he turned to Tomlin. “So Doc, how is the wolf doing?”

  “The serum is out of his system and he’s out of danger.”

  “Good. Gaby, perhaps, if he hears your voice, he’ll wake.”

  She snarked. “So you can torture him with more drugs?”

  “You couldn’t be further from the truth. You and he will be my guests.”

  Tomlin gazed at the wolf. “I need to do my rounds, but I’ll return in a couple hours.”

  “No problem. I’m on my way to make a few calls,” said Avery. He turned to Gaby. “If he wakes, have him turn human and tell the guard to call me immediately.”

  He left and ordered the guard to stand outside the room. Probably to keep him from being mind controlled by Kane.

  Gaby sighed and knelt next to the huge gray wolf. She glanced at the camera. Even if he shifted, better they not talk. She wanted to promise she’d never betray his kind, that is, if she could believe an entire secret society of them existed.

  While he lay still as an animal rug, she avoided looking at the dark room where she’d been imprisoned. It felt like only yesterday. She found paper and pen and drew the unconscious wolf. She sketched him lying inside a den.

  After a half an hour, he woke. The wolf stood and shook his fur. He walked forward and banged his head on the bars, whining. He shimmered into human form. He held his head between his hands. “My head hurts…get Tomlin.” He moaned.

  She nodded and called him. “Dr. Tomlin, Kane has a headache.”

  Kane groaned, “Stop the pain.”

  “Hurry!” She put the phone down and looked through the cabinet for pain meds. Nothing for humans. She found a bottle of water in the refrigerator. “Drink.”

  Chapter 8

  Kane winced and dropped the water bottle. On seeing Gaby’s pained glare, he winked before returning to faking his pain.

  She narrowed her eyes, on to his game. “Don’t worry, he’s coming.”

  Tomlin rushed in. Two guards accompanied him, but they and the security man assigned to him remained outside as he shut the door. He approached the cage, but didn’t get closer than arm’s length. “Where exactly does your head hurt?”

  Kane sealed his eyes shut and rasped, “Stop the pain.”

  “Could be a reaction to the serum.” He looked in the cabinet. “I can give you morphine.”

  “Will that work against a truth serum reaction?” asked Gaby.

  “Hard to say. Avery added trace amounts of wolfsbane to the serum.”

  Wolfsbane? His wolf snarled. Poison. He knows how to kill us. Yet, will small amounts force the truth out of us? Explains why I spilled everything about Gaby’s charm. Unfortunately, the serum hadn’t helped him regain his memory.

  “You mean like the flower mentioned in the movie The Wolfman?” Gaby asked.

  “Not precisely.” Tomlin drew a dose of morphine from the vial to the syringe.

  Kane grimaced and grunted, “Quick.”

  “Extend your arm,” said Tomlin.

  Kane moved closer and narrowed his eyes at the doctor. “Turn off the camera, and then let me out.”

  Tomlin stilled. “Yes.” He switched off the camera and unlocked the cage.

  “Now take the syringe...”

  Gaby grabbed Tomlin’s arm. “No. The dose might kill him.”

  Kane smiled. Not sure why she wanted to keep the mad scientist alive, but he respected her wish. “Hand Gaby the morphine and get inside the cage.”

  Tomlin gave a robotic nod, handed the syringe to Gaby and stepped in.

  “Lie down and sleep. When you wake up, you will remember nothing.”

  Tomlin lay on the floor and closed his eyes.

  “You can do that?”

  “My wolf told me to.” He smirked. “And guaranteed not to harm him.”

  “What about the guards?”

  “Leave them to me, but it won’t be pretty.” They were armed and carried two-way radios.

  Gaby sighed. “I get it.”

  “First, I need something to wear. Tell them to come in.” Kane hid behind the door and then nodded at her.

  She opened the door. “Guards! Dr. Tomlin needs your help.”

  The regular security guard and the other two rushed in.

  Kane snapped the first guard’s neck in one swift fluid motion. The other two drew their weapons, but with cunning speed, Kane charged and knocked them on the floor before they released a single shot. He grabbed them by the scruff of their necks and banged their heads together, reverberating as if two coconuts knocked. Their eyes glazed in death.

  “Holy crap, you are a Navy SEAL team with a bite.”

  He tilted his head. “Makes sense.” In fact, the idea of being special ops felt right. He quickly removed the first guard’s uniform and donned it. “Where to?” He found sneakers he wore earlier and pulled them on.

  “My office.”

  “Are you sure we have time?”

  “I’m not leaving without my bracelet and I like the idea of the tracking device in the ball.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Anyway, I n
eed to get the key to the predator facility.”

  “Are you planning to free all those man eaters?”

  “They will buy us some time. Besides, there’s an exit to the outside on that floor. Makes it easier to transport them.”

  He nodded and followed her into an elevator that dropped them directly across from her apartment. “I’m going to change into something more comfortable.”

  He scanned the floor and closed the door. “Hurry.”

  Gaby entered her bedroom and returned wearing blue jeans and a black hoodie. She also held the box with the bracelet and tennis ball that held the tracking device. “I have the key code to the predator area. You are in charge of convincing the guard to let us in.”

  They ran into the elevator and exited into the predator area.

  The security guard stood and pulled out a gun. “Hands up.”

  Kane met his gaze. “No, asshole, hands down.”

  The guard swallowed and repeated. “Hands down.”

  “You will remember nothing.”

  The guard repeated in a monotone. “Nothing.”

  “We should go to Las Vegas,” snarked Gaby.

  Kane punched the guard in the side of the head. Knocking him out cold. “I didn’t take you for the gambling type.”

  “Not gambling, but winning.”

  His wolf snarled. Compelling people for profit is wrong. Says who? The wolf barked, I just know.

  Gaby went in and he followed. A male lion roared. She closed her eyes. “Silence, Ghost.”

  The big lion stopped immediately. She winked. “After gambling, we can visit a circus and cause chaos.”

  Kane could get used to her dark humor. “Sounds like fun.”

  “I’ll release them all at once. Stay behind me.”

  He liked her protecting him. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Gaby pressed the electronic key and all the cages opened, first the primary doors and then the secondary. The big cats stepped out and stood at attention. They appeared to wait for her command. “Now for the bears and attack dogs.” They went through the next door and she unlocked the cages.

  The loose large predators crowded in with the dogs in the tunnel. Not one tried to attack the other. Noah must have been a wolf charmer.

  “Speaking of gambling, I bet you would do well at the race track.”

  She smiled. “I actually thought about it, but realized I’d get noticed.”

  “Not if you bet on one race.” She could influence the horses to allow the horse with the greatest odds to win.

  Gaby threw him a pointed stare. “As soon as I open the exit, the alarms will go off.” She opened the exit and a siren blared, hurting his sensitive wolf ears.

  “Breach! Breach!” repeated a robotic voice.

  Like the Pied Piper, she led the beasts outside. They stalked away, but not too far.

  “I told them to stop anyone from following us.”

  He smiled. “You really are good at charming.”

  “This won’t be pretty.”

  “Sweets, not doing things pretty is something we have in common.”

  She stopped in front of an SUV. “Shit. We forgot the keys.”

  Kane chuckled. “Ready for more surprises?”

  “What?”

  He broke the driver’s window with his fist. “Apparently, I know how to hot-wire a car.” He went to work and in seconds, the engine started. “This will do until we find another.”

  “I still think you were a special forces’ soldier turned werewolf.”

  “You might be right. Avery suspected I was on some lycan army mission.” He glanced at the fork on the road. “Hmm. Which direction?”

  Gaby looked at the group of animals lingering in the shadows. “My cabin is on the right along the way.”

  “That’s the first place they’ll look.”

  “Sucks. I could use more clothing.”

  He winked. “Money won’t be an issue.” Mind control made stealing so much easier. He stepped out and threw the ball with the tracking device in the direction of her cabin.

  “Good throw. Might even land on the front porch.”

  “Have the big cats head toward your cabin.”

  “And the others?”

  “Have them attack anyone who runs out.”

  She raised her arms and the animals from bears to dogs obeyed her commands.

  Kane snarled and she turned.

  Director Giles and one of his men stood with assault rifles aimed at them. “Don’t move!”

  Gaby froze and held Kane’s arm. If he charged, Gaby might be shot and killed. “Let her go, and I’m yours.”

  “I don’t bargain with assets.”

  Gaby scowled. “I quit.”

  Giles twisted a wicked grin. “Nelson, if she doesn’t come, shoot her in the leg.” He snorted. “Make that both legs.”

  Kane tried to make eye contact with Giles, but he stared only at Gaby, knowing how to avoid his mind control. If he could grab him, he could force him to look into his eyes. The stalking tiger and African male lion came ever so slowly toward them. Better yet, he’d let the cats deal with him.

  The tiger attacked the director’s soldier and ripped his head off. Giles shot at the tiger winging him, but the lion pounced on him. The lion muffled his cries as he bit into his scalp, crushing and spilling gray matter like gruesome tapioca.

  Gaby gaped.

  Kane drew her in his arms and opened the car door. “Let’s go.”

  She hopped in and they sped away.

  Gaby glanced at her watch, five thirty p.m. on a Sunday. Almost an hour since their escape. They made it to the main freeway out of the closest town. Traffic consisted of campers and other vacationers heading home from a weekend in the country. She clutched her bracelet and looked back. I’m free. Away from the man-eaters she turned loose. Away from Director Giles, who forced her to kill and robbed her of a normal life. Project Sabertooth was over or was it? Tomlin would take over. What now? Would Tomlin and Avery hunt them to the ends of the Earth? Would Kane’s memory return? If he was Prince Steele, he meant something to his kind, or to a pack or even mate. If he remembered, she had to be prepared to let him go. Not that they had an intimate relationship. Just friends on the run. Yet, their explosive sexual tension could annihilate their friend status. He kissed her passionately the first day they met as if they had been parted lovers. He flirted with his eyes, language, and so had she. Removing his shirt displaying his broad chest and ripped abs didn’t help. No mistake as to why she dressed in her tightest dress for dinner. A rotor clap from above brought her back to reality.

  Kane barked, “Shit, helicopters.”

  Gaby glanced at two military helicopters. “Heading toward the compound.” Hopefully, they were focused on capturing the animals. She knew the drill: tranquilize, kill, and if need be, take out any witnesses. With Giles dead who knew how Tomlin would handle the chaos?

  “They might stop traffic and look for us.”

  He got off the freeway and turned into a truck stop. Semis parked in a row across from several fast food restaurants. “We’ll have to ditch the car.”

  “And steal another?”

  “Not a good idea. Any other suggestions?”

  Gaby pointed her chin at the parked trucks. “We can hitch a ride with a trucker.”

  “I think I can persuade him.” He winked.

  “I’m quite fond of your vampire-like mind control.”

  Kane feigned hurt. “Please, I’m no blood sucker.” He raised his brow. “I prefer my protein to come from tender meat.” He drove the black SUV into an abandoned auto repair shed. “Come on.”

  “Do you have any idea where we should go?” she asked as she kept up with his long strides.

  “How about we just leave the state for starters?”

  She nodded and grabbed him. “Quick.” She headed to a trucker opening her cab. She braved walking up to a total stranger and smiled wide. “Hi, do you think we can hitch a ride?”

 
The stocky woman with a short gray manly hairstyle, who appeared in her fifties, scoffed at her. “Do I look like a taxi?”

  Kane smiled at her. “Hi, where are you heading?”

  She met his eyes. “Houston, Texas.”

  “Pleasure to meet you Miss…?

  “Becky, but most call me Becks.”

  The trucker’s demeanor shifted from annoying to happy to meet them.

  “I’m Jack and this is Jill.”

  Obviously, fake names. Gaby looked up into the sky. Like his fighting skills, his memory of fairy tales came in handy.

  Kane held Becks’ gaze. “Good, we’ll ride with you to Oklahoma.”

  “I’m going through Oklahoma City. Does that work?”

  “Perfect,” answered Kane.

  Hmm. Why Oklahoma? She’d learn soon enough.

  Becks opened the door. “Get in.”

  Gaby climbed in. “Wow.” Behind the cockpit was a sofa dinette. Farther back, a large bed.

  Kane joined her and smiled. “Thanks, Becks.”

  “You two can sleep for now. I’ll drive until midnight and then I get the bed.”

  Gabby twirled her bracelet. “That works.”

  “I listen to audio books, but you can shut the door and turn the volume down.”

  “Sleep is all we need,” Gaby said.

  “You might like the book, Shared Mate.” She snorted. “A bit smutty.”

  Gaby mostly read fantasy novels. “Erotic romance?”

  “Paranormal romance. Hot alpha werewolves and vampires sort of thing.”

  Gaby and Kane gazed at one another. She elbowed Kane. “No problem.”

  Becks drove off and peered out the window. “There goes another helicopter. You would think we had a major terrorist threat.”

  Kane squinted toward the sky. “Must be a training exercise.”

  “Makes sense.” Becks glanced at the GPS screen and shrugged. “Should get there in fifteen hours or less.” She started the audio book. Ironically, the narration began just when a werewolf entered a fighting arena against a vampire to win his mate.

  Gaby mumbled. “Little does she know this is non-fiction.”

  Kane guided her in the back. “Come on, sweetie.”

  Gaby followed him to the small bedroom and closed the door.

  He lay on the bed and pulled her against his shoulder. “Something about the story rings true.” He draped an arm over her.