by Sydney Croft
It wouldn’t be easy. Not to mention, an exchange of money might get her into a shitload of trouble with Dev. Oh, well. She had to try.
She reached her hand across the table, and Logan took it. “Deal.”
They shook. “Deal.”
He didn’t let go of her. Instead, his thumb swept over her knuckles in long, smooth strokes. Her heart rate doubled, and she started to sweat.
“Logan!” The tent flap whipped open, and Dax burst inside. Logan dropped her hand. “It’s Chance. Something’s wrong.”
Sela and Logan rushed to the medical tent and found Chance lying on the floor, eyes open, pained yet intense.
“What’s wrong?” Sela asked, moving toward him. Logan grabbed her arm and yanked her back.
“Fever,” the doctor said. Wes, if she remembered right. “He woke up like this.”
“Have you been able to examine him?” Sela asked.
“Not much. He … growls.”
“Let me try.”
“No fucking way,” Logan said.
Speaking of growling …
She shook off his hold and eased close to Chance. His fevered gaze took her in, and as she knelt next to him, his lips peeled back.
“Hey. It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. We want to find out what’s wrong.”
His gaze skipped to the men in the room and then back to her. “Marlena …”
“She’s okay. She’s safe. Shep is—”
“No,” he growled. “Mine.”
She frowned. “What’s yours?”
Lightning fast, his hand flew out to grip hers. Behind her, the unmistakable sound of weapons being brought to bear cracked in the air. Her heart went into overdrive as Chance squeezed her hand, his skin so hot it felt blistered.
“Marlena,” he rasped. “She’s mine. I … need her.”
Now Sela’s heart stopped as a chilling suspicion put a knot in her gut. Gently, she peeled his hand away and stood. She turned to Logan, who lowered his pistol, a silent signal for the other guys to do the same.
“I need to speak to Marlena,” she said. “Now.”
MARLENA PUSHED THE SCRATCHY BLANKET OFF HER AND STARED into the darkness of the supply tent, where Dax had housed her for the night.
He hadn’t handcuffed her, which she was happy about, but there had to be a guard stationed outside the tent. They wouldn’t want to risk finding her with Chance again, had no way of knowing that was the last thing she wanted right now.
Didn’t matter that her blood ran hot when she thought about him. Her fear was more potent than her lust at the moment.
Sela was on her own with Logan. Truth be told, relief had coursed through Marlena when Logan had her escorted out of his tent.
She’d felt bad when she’d caught the look on Sela’s face, knew that her fellow operative was no longer a Seducer for ACRO and had not wanted to have to work that particular angle for this mission. But there was no way Marlena would be able to seduce anyone right now.
Well, except for Chance—she could apparently do that with no problem. Or was it he who seduced her? She couldn’t be sure now. It happened so fast, like some kind of steamy jungle porno, a prison theme complete with handcuffs.
She shook her head to clear it, realized she needed to steel herself for what lay ahead. The mission had changed, and she would change to accommodate it.
The rational, goal-based part of her brain told her that discovering Chance was a chupacabra was pretty damned big news.
And still, she couldn’t wrap her mind around what had happened, and she’d seen some crazy things in her days with ACRO. But that handsome man changing into a beastly, uncontrollable killer …
Something the wild chupacabra had done to him must have been responsible for Chance’s condition. Maybe its bite? Or a scratch? Panic made breathing difficult as she replayed every moment of contact with him. She didn’t think he’d bitten her, or scratched her, or marked her in any way. At least, not physically. He’d definitely marked her mentally, and she couldn’t say whether that was a good or bad thing.
Physically … God, she needed a full-length mirror so she could check. Maybe he could make her into one just through his saliva, in which case, she was most definitely screwed.
She stared down at her hands as though they were already clawed, and wished she could’ve gotten Sela alone to ask her about this.
She also wished she understood why she wasn’t head-over-heels, crying-into-her-pillow, sure-her-life-was-over in love with Chance. She was sure the curse wasn’t broken, and for a moment she considered sleeping with Shep to test that theory.
Maybe he had more intel than he knew, she attempted to justify to herself; it didn’t work.
And she knew what a new part of her mission needed to be—bringing Chance safely into ACRO without hurting him or having him hurt anyone else.
As humanely as possible, Dev’s voice echoed in her mind, something she’d heard a thousand times before when he spoke to ACRO’s Convincers. She’d never actually been privy to the Convincing part, although she’d had some training in that area.
She’d definitely have to grab some more alone time with Chance. And try to keep him from turning into a chupacabra. And try to forget that maybe he could actually fall in love with her.
As strange butterflies flittered in her stomach at the possibility, she tried to push the thought of love out of her mind.
Love was not part of the mission.
Unless, of course, you were an ACRO agent, and then it seemed to be par for the course.
And you are an ACRO agent now.
She curled into a ball and tried to forget she’d had sex with a man who’d turned into a monster, even as she continued to think about why she wasn’t head over heels in love with him. And she wasn’t sure how much time passed before she heard “Marlena?”
It was Sela’s voice floating through the darkness, and Marlena’s stomach dropped, because maybe she wasn’t ready to talk about it at all.
“Is everything okay?” Marlena managed to make her voice sound normal, watched as Sela made her way toward the cot with a small lantern.
She set it on a crate as she sat down on the end of the cot. “There’s a problem. With Chance.”
“Did he … change again?”
Sela chewed her lip. “No, nothing like that. He’s running a fever. I don’t know if the transition was just really hard on him. I mean, God, there’s no data on what happens to someone when they’re bitten by a chupacabra and become one, you know. But you might be able to help.”
Marlena sat up. “What do you think I can do for him?”
“Can you tell me exactly what happened when you and Chance were together? Even if it seems insignificant, it might help. He tried to hurt Shep and Dax and anyone else who got too close, but he wouldn’t let go of you. It was like he was protecting you.”
“Shep handcuffed me to the bunk and Chance was trying to escape. We, ah, talked. And I felt … funny, in his presence.”
“Funny? Like sick?” Sela looked concerned.
“No, not like that. I was … turned on.”
Sela cocked her head to the side but didn’t say anything and Marlena continued. “He was able to break the metal chain without much effort—he seemed as surprised as I was by that. And one minute we were talking and the next … he was on me. Telling me my scent was driving him crazy. And he … he wanted sex. I had no way of stopping him. And I didn’t want to. It was like I had no control. My hormones went wild.” She stopped, her face hot with embarrassment. “So I had sex with him, then Shep came in and yelled at Chance to move away from me. And that’s when he turned.”
Sela pressed her lips into a grim line. When she spoke next, her voice was deadly serious. “Marlena, we have a problem.”
“I know. I’m probably a chupacabra now, just like Chance,” she babbled miserably, but Sela put a hand on her arm.
“We’ll test you for sure, but that’s not the problem I’m talking about.�
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CHAPTER
Seven
Sela stood there like a dope, trying to figure out a gentle way to break her theory to Marlena.
“Marlena, you’re sure you had sex with him? It wasn’t a dream or hallucination or anything?”
The other woman swallowed. “I did.”
God, the courage it must have taken for her to admit that she’d screwed a beast.
Then again, Sela had fucked her share of monsters in her time too. Sure, her monsters had been fully human, but that only made them more frightening. It was harder to see the claws coming at you when the owner wore clothes and a smile.
Sela took a deep breath. “How far did you get in the book I gave you to read?”
Marlena frowned. “Chupacabra: Myth No More? Not very far. I paid more attention to the files you told me to study, since you said the book was fiction.”
Fiction. Sela still wanted to believe that Grady was full of shit, but given what she’d learned over the last few hours, she had to at least consider the possibility that his accounts were true.
“Yeah, I said it was fiction. But if it’s not …” Sela swallowed dryly. “You’re probably aware of the fact that some species of animals mate for life. When their mate is taken away or is killed, the survivors sometimes exhibit very pronounced physical reactions. They can become agitated, ill. They can even die.”
“That’s very sad,” Marlena said, “but what does this have to do with anything?”
“Chance is sick.” Sela’s throat felt tight. This was seriously awkward. “He’s asked for you, and he … Well, he’s very possessive. We don’t know this for sure, but in his book, Grady says that chupacabras appear to mate for life, so if he’s bonded with you …” She trailed off as Marlena paled.
“Oh, God.” She covered her mouth and turned away. For a moment, Sela thought the other woman would break down. But shockingly, a couple of heartbeats later, she turned back, chin set in a stubborn line. “You said he’s sick.”
Sela nodded. “Like I said, it’s just a theory—”
“Take me to him.”
“What? No. Marlena, if I’m wrong—hell, if I’m right, it’s a risk I’m not willing to take.”
“It’s my risk, and I’m willing.”
“This isn’t necessary.” Shooting Marlena a meaningful look, Sela put emphasis on the last word, wanting her to realize that what Marlena was asking her to do went beyond ACRO duties.
“We’re here to study chupacabras, right?” Marlena said loudly, for the benefit of anyone listening outside the tent. “So let me do my job.”
Damn her. She was using their cover to do something Dev would no way approve of. Why was she so adamant? Sela ran her hands through her hair and froze as a horrible thought popped into her mind. If Marlena was infected, she might very well feel the mate bond. “How are you feeling? Right now.”
“Annoyed. If he’s sick, and I can help, I want to do it.”
“I mean, are you feeling a need to go to him? A primal pull? Or is this just concern?”
Marlena appeared to consider Sela’s question. “Concern. Why?”
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
Relief flooded her. Maybe Marlena wasn’t infected. “We just need to get you tested.”
“Not until I see Chance.”
“That’s not a good idea—”
“I don’t care.” Marlena lowered her voice and leaned toward Sela. “I need to get close to him. And we need to get him into ACRO. You know that.”
True. And if they could enlist his help, they could get him away from GWC and Itor. Chance was now very valuable to almost anyone who knew about him. The healing abilities Logan mentioned would make him a gold mine for medical researchers; his ability to shift, aggressiveness and killing abilities would make him a major find for weapons developers—and pretty much every scientist on the planet would give a limb to study him.
“Okay. But be careful. I’m going to take saliva, blood, tissue and hair samples and get as much information logged as possible to take back to ACRO, just in case something goes wrong and we can’t bring in Chance or the chupacabra.”
Marlena moved back and said loudly, “I want to go to him. Now.”
Sela cursed and threw open the tent flap. A few feet away, Logan waited, and when he turned, she saw in his expression that he’d heard everything they’d wanted him to hear.
“I don’t like it,” he said flatly.
“I don’t either. But it can’t hurt to just let them see each other and go from there.” Sela glanced at the medical tent and back at Logan. “Would you rather have him die?”
“You really think it could come to that?”
“I don’t know. But the thing is, Marlena has already been with Chance. If he was going to hurt her, he could have done it earlier.”
Finally, Logan nodded, and Sela called for Marlena. They walked to the medical tent, and although Marlena’s hand shook, she opened the wood-framed door and entered without hesitation. Almost instantly, Chance’s entire body seemed to relax, and when he saw Marlena, he simply closed his eyes, as though now that she was here, they were both safe.
“Marlena,” Sela whispered, catching her by the arm. “I need you to keep track of how he’s feeling. We need to know if his fever breaks, or if anything else unusual happens, okay?”
Marlena nodded.
“Also,” Sela added, “keep in mind that in most animal relationships, especially in bond-mate relationships, the female holds the power.”
Marlena gave her a startled, confused look, but then shrugged and said, “You’ll leave us alone?”
“No,” Logan said. “There will be guards right outside, and I’m going to have Wes come in hourly to examine Chance.”
Sela cleared her throat. “I want some tests run. I want to know if he can transmit any kind of virus through a bite while he’s, ah, in human form.”
Logan nodded. “You got it. Chance, will you let us do some tests?”
“Yeah,” he croaked.
Sela and Logan headed back to his tent. “You sure she’ll be okay?” Logan asked, and Sela wished she could say yes.
“I’m a little surprised at your concern,” Sela said, as they ducked inside.
He rounded on her. “My order put her inside with him in the first place. He attacked her, forced himself on her and could have done much worse. Now I’ve left her in that situation again. So yeah, go figure, I’m a little concerned.”
She held up her hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. Sorry. Didn’t mean to offend you.”
Cursing, he reached for his bottle of Scotch. “Ah, hell. Can’t blame you for wondering. We did take you captive.” He held up a cup. “Want one?”
“Damn straight.”
He smiled, the one that took away her breath. He splashed a couple of fingers of Scotch into two cups, handed her one, and then held up his own in toast. “To you and Marlena, the most dedicated cryptozoologists I’ve ever met.”
“The only ones you’ve ever met,” she muttered wryly, and tapped her cup against his.
“Good point.”
They downed their shots, and silence fell in the tent. “Well, what now?” she asked.
“I think,” he murmured, “it’s time for bed. We have to get an early start.”
Her mouth went dry, and all she could do was nod.
“Good. It’s settled.” He climbed onto the cot and rolled toward the tent wall. “You get the floor.”
CHANCE WAS LYING ON THE COT, HOOKED UP TO AN IV, AND HE looked … pale. Sick. But infinitely more relaxed the closer Marlena got to him.
She was vaguely aware of the door closing, of Sela and Logan and everyone else leaving her alone in the tent.
Suddenly, her heart beat faster. The air changed, her body warmed, her nipples hardened. She was completely and utterly turned on by Chance, despite the fact that he’d morphed into a chupacabra in front of her mere hours ago.
But now he was all man.
A gorgeous, albeit tired-looking, man—one she was both frightened of and drawn to, judging by the fact that she was now kneeling next to his cot, taking his hand. Staring down at the tanned fingers twined with hers.
But there was still none of the overwhelming, head-over-heels-in-love feeling she normally got after sleeping with a man. No, this was pure and simple lust.
Apparently, this was normal.
Listen to yourself, Marlena. There’s nothing normal about any of this.
“You’re afraid of me,” Chance said, his voice gruff. She turned her gaze from their joined hands toward his face. His eyes were bright and he appeared to have suffered no ill effects from the massive doses of tranquilizers they’d pumped into him … or from changing into a chupacabra.
How much he knew—remembered—that was another story.
We don’t know this for sure, but in his book, Grady says that chupacabras appear to mate for life, so if he’s bonded with you …
If he’d bonded with her and she left him … My God.
She needed to focus on the mission. Keeping Chance calm. Let Sela figure out what the hell they would do next. “Are you in pain?” she asked, ignoring what he’d said about her being afraid.
He shook his head slowly. “Whatever was happening, it’s better now. Since you walked in.” He paused. “What the hell happened, Marlena?”
“You don’t remember?”
“Bits and pieces. Like a dream.” He made a noise in his chest, something like a purr, but as his expression hardened, it turned into a growl. “Or a nightmare.” He shoved himself onto one elbow. “What did I do? And why do I want you so much?”
When she didn’t answer, because how was she supposed to say that he’d jumped on her, screwed her and then shifted into a beast, he gripped her hand tighter.
“We were talking—”
“I remember that,” he broke in. “Get to the part where … I think we fucked.”
“We did. And then Shep came in, and you went crazy.”
“Why?” he said quietly, his voice low and deadly. “What did they do to me? What did you do to me?”
“You think I did something to you?”
“Why else would I act like that? I’m not in the habit of fucking strange women or attacking people at random.”
