* * * * *
Carly squelched the last twinge of pity stubbornly compressing her heart and pushed the needle into the IV tubing. Before her conscience could resurface, she squeezed the syringe and watched the light blue liquid flow toward the patient. The new test subjects were all so damn young. She’d chosen the oldest of the three, the one who appeared least traumatized by their capture, and still the girl was little more than a child.
“What will this do to me?” The young woman stared up at her with wide green eyes. She was surprisingly composed given the circumstances. She’d been darted like an animal and brought to a paramilitary complex. Now she was strapped to a treatment table while an unknown chemical flowed into her vein. Through it all there had been no hysterics, no pleas for mercy or terrified tears. This one had been protective, frequently using herself as a shield when the guards or technicians ventured too close to the other two.
According to project procedures, Carly wasn’t supposed to answer questions. She was supposed to give directives and remain emotionally detached. “You’ll be fine.” The lie tasted bitter on Carly’s tongue, but Life as you knew it is over. You’re now the property of the backers sounded so pessimistic.
“Will I be released when you’re finished with me or do these tests end with an autopsy?” Her lips trembled and tears gathered behind her thick lashes. Somehow she managed not to cry.
Carly rotated her body so her back was to the camera then whispered, “If you die, I’ll be punished. We need you alive.” It was the only reassurance she could offer and she wasn’t even sure it was a mercy. Before the girl could speak again, Carly snatched her tablet computer off the foot of the bed and hurried from the room.
Damn it. She could not let herself be affected by their plight. Their suffering was for the greater good. If their mutative powers could be understood, and ultimately reproduced in humans, the possibilities were endless. At least that’s what the backers were fond of saying. Scientific advancement never came without sacrifice. She could not lose sight of the long-range goals.
She rounded a corner and collided with Osric. Her computer slipped from her hands and she gasped. He caught the tablet half a second before it crashed onto the floor.
“Where are you off to in such a hurry?” He loitered in the intersection, teasing her with the small computer.
“My office.” She straightened and smoothed her skirt then stuck out her hand with obvious expectation. Milliner had promised to change the security code to her office and her apartment so Oscric couldn’t barge in on her. She was anxious to find out if the general had kept his word. “I just injected the refined formula into one of the new test subjects.”
“That’s right. Milliner dropped off three new test subjects, didn’t he?” The announcement about Carissa’s definition had likely distracted him. “Are they male or female? Have you been able to identify their clan?”
“They’re tigers.” Just like you, asshole. “Maybe you know them,” she added with a casual shrug.
“I better not know them.” He seemed anything but amused by the possibility. “The backers assured me that no one from my bloodline will ever be touched unless I approve the acquisition.”
“All I know is they’re from one of the tiger clans and all three are female.” He stared off into the distance, clearly lost in thought, so she quickly snatched her computer from his grasp. “I need to transfer the girl’s information and then type up my observations, and I left my external keyboard in my office. Call me old-fashioned if you like, but I still can’t type worth crap on the touch screen.”
“So upload the readings off your tablet and use the desktop in the observation booth to document your findings.” It wasn’t a suggestion. She heaved a sigh and fell in step beside him. “Have you been avoiding me?”
“I’ve been busy.” She hadn’t intentionally set out to avoid Osric. Preparations for the next phase of testing had made her less accessible than usual. But the change in her schedule worked perfectly with her new strategy. Operation Hard to Get had officially begun.
“Your workload hasn’t kept you from me before. Perhaps I should reassign some of your responsibilities.”
He sounded petulant, and it was all Carly could do not to laugh. Every child wanted most whatever they were forbidden. “I thought we settled this before. I’d prefer to keep things professional between us.”
They stepped into the observation booth and the door closed behind them before he responded to her statement. “And I’d prefer you naked and on your knees.”
“Then I’m afraid we’re at an impasse. You want—”
The phone rang, the distinct tone identifying the caller as someone from security. With a muttered curse, Osric pushed a button and activated the speaker. “What’s so urgent?”
“Delta team just returned with Charley team in tow,” Barns informed him. “They’ve got a fascinating story. Figured you should hear it for yourself.”
“Send them here.”
“Yes sir. They’re on their way.”
“Who is he talking about?” She figured it had something to do with the tripped perimeter alarm, but Barns could be even more secretive than Osric.
“Charley team was sent to check out the phantom intruder, but they never returned. Delta team was dispatched to figure out what happened. This better not be bad news. I’m really not in the mood.”
Two uniformed guards arrived a few minutes later. They nodded politely to Carly then waited for Osric to speak. “What did you find out? And what the hell took you so long?”
The younger soldier had a nasty bruise on the side of his face. On closer inspection, Carly discovered that the older man’s temple was bruised as well.
“We found two hikers, sir. One female, one male,” the older guard began. “They pretended to be lost until I told them to accompany us to the vehicle so I could verify their identities.”
“And then they jumped you?” Osric’s tone verged on flippant. He really could use a class in non-confrontational communication.
“Yes sir.” Though the soldier’s posture was stiff and his shoulders squared, his gaze remained downcast. Was he humiliated by his failure or did Osric make him uncomfortable?
“Were they armed?”
“Not in the conventional sense.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
The soldier raised his chin, but he stared straight ahead. “The male was inhumanly strong and fast, sir. I believe he was one of the shifters.”
“And the female?”
“We had no actual interaction with her, but Barns showed us a picture of Ava Seymour and this female looked very much like her. We also found this.” Hand trembling, he held out a white, lace-trimmed bra. “Apparently we interrupted their activities.”
Osric stepped closer and snatched the bra out of the guard’s hand. “Describe the male.” Menace infused every word.
The guard swallowed hard then licked his lips before he answered, “Dark blond hair, light eyes, either green or blue. I’m honestly not sure which. He was about my height and a whole hell of a lot stronger than he looked.”
“Too vague,” Osric snapped. “Did he have tattoos or scars? Did Barns show you an image of Kyle Lashton?”
“He did, but I couldn’t be sure. I’m sorry, sir.”
“Spent more time looking at the woman than the man?” The guard didn’t respond to the provocation. “Did they leave on foot?”
The soldiers exchanged wary glances before the older one admitted, “They took our Jeep, sir. Barns has people trying to track them, but they’ve got a good head start.”
“Unbelievable.” With the bra crushed in his fist, Osric swept the workspace with his arm, sending plastic organizers and file folders catapulting across the room. “You’re useless. Get out of my sight! Both of you!”
The soldiers eagerly complied and Carly moved to the far side of the console, unsure if Osric would take out his frustration on her. A long moment passed in tens
e silence. Carly split her attention between Osric and the door, trying to calculate her chances of slipping past him.
He raised the bra to his nose and inhaled deeply then growled and threw the undergarment across the room. “She was here!” Osric pushed his hand through his hair as he shook his head in disbelief. “She was on this property and those fools let her get away!”
Carly waited for a moment, hoping his fury would subside. Then suddenly curiosity narrowed Carly’s eyes. “But what was she doing here? It seems like an odd place for a romantic tryst.”
“If they kept that bastard from screwing her, I might let them live.”
As usual, he was missing the point. “The guard said they were on foot. It would take days to hike back in here. Why were they out there? How did they know where to find you?”
He glared at her, nostrils flaring. “Who said they were searching for me? There’s nothing connecting me to this project. I’ve made damn sure of it.”
Was he being purposely obtuse? One glance into his cold brown eyes assured her that she was the one missing the point. Osric was nobody’s fool and he knew far more about this project than she would ever be allowed to know. “Then why? You don’t seem surprised, just frustrated.”
“I have Kyle’s sister.”
This was new information. “One of the test subjects is your rival’s sister? How did you get the backers to sign off on that?”
Spiteful pride curved his mouth into a thin-lipped smile. “They don’t know and you’re not going to tell them. She’s a contingency plan, nothing more.”
“If all else fails, you’ll offer to trade his sister for Ava?”
“Exactly.”
“Which one is—”
“I’m not a fool, Carly. You’ll know what I want you to know and nothing more.”
She nodded, but her gaze shifted to the double row of monitors. Which one was Klye’s sister? Osric had hidden his treasure in plain sight. Her attention gravitated toward Devon’s holding cell. Devon had been one of the first test subjects to be acquired. At present, she was curled up like a child, sound asleep. Relaxed and peaceful, her lovely features gave no hint of the fiery personality hidden within the compact package. Every moment Devon was awake was a challenge. Carly had often wondered why she hadn’t been scrubbed from the program. Devon’s body responded well to the formula, but she really was more trouble than she was worth.
But this new possibility explained so much. Osric was obsessed with Devon. He spent hours watching her, and more than once Ava had caught him pleasuring himself as he stared at images of Devon.
“Maybe they’re more telepathic than we realized,” Carly mused. She needed to pass on what she’d learned to General Milliner, but first she’d have to sneak away from Osric’s watchful eyes. “The sister could be sending out some sort of signal, guiding Kyle to her location.”
His gaze narrowed thoughtfully, but he didn’t seem convinced. “Then why’d they come on foot? They can’t execute a rescue without an escape vehicle. And why drag Ava along? This doesn’t make sense.”
He hadn’t rejected her hypothesis, nor had he confirmed it. Osric seldom shared specifics about the Therians with her or the other scientists. Anything he was willing to divulge was given to the backers and they determined who benefited most from each tidbit of information. It was a frustrating and counterproductive policy, but it kept anyone from learning too much about the mysterious Therians.
“We don’t know for certain it was Kyle.” She’d meant to soothe him with the thought, but his reaction was anything but pacified.
His lips pressed into a thin line as he glared at Devon’s monitor. “There’s only one person who can tell me for sure and this time she’s going to talk.”
* * * * *
“Finally!” Kyle’s hands shook so hard he could barely operate his phone. He’d never ached this badly in his life and he still wasn’t sure where he was.
“Can’t they use your phone to find us?” Ava glanced at him then looked back at the winding mountain road. They’d reached pavement about an hour ago, but they had yet to stumble across anything familiar. They were headed west on Frying Pan Road and they were forty-six miles away from Basalt. But those clues didn’t mean much to either of them.
“The phone’s disposable,” he told her. “That’s probably why it’s taken me so long to find a signal.”
“Who are you calling?”
“Jake. He’s lived all over the mountains. If he can’t point us back to civilization, we’re doomed.”
The call connected and a female said, “Toulouse Tavern,” over raucous music and overlapping conversations.
“Hey, Enya, is Jake around.”
“Kyle? Where the hell are you? Half of the network is out looking for your sorry ass.”
Leaning his head against the window, he smiled. Enya’s familiar feistiness was a welcome reprieve from hours of confusion and pain. “It’s a long story. We’re west of a town called Basalt. Any clue…”
He heard Enya’s muffled protest as someone ripped the phone out of her hand. “Have you passed Ruedi Reservoir?” The background noise diminished as Jake walked into an office or storeroom.
“Not yet. Last sign said we were forty-some miles from Basalt.”
“They found your truck at the cabin where you were supposed to nab the other twin. Is Ava with you?”
“Yeah, she’s here. We had to borrow a Jeep. Probably need to ditch it soon.” Another spasm rippled through his gut and he clenched his teeth to keep from moaning.
“I’ll meet you in Basalt with a couple of my guys. We’ll lay a false trail with the Jeep and get you two to safety.”
“Sounds perfect. We’re on Frying Pan Road. Will that take use all the way to Basalt?”
“Yes. It will take you right through the center of town then hang a left on Two Rivers Road. A couple of blocks down you’ll find a strip mall on your right and a ball field on your left. Pull into the strip mall. We should be waiting for you. We’re closer to Basalt than you are.”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate this.”
“I’ll add it to your tab.”
Kyle ended the call but left the phone out in case they needed Jake again. Kyle had a perfectly good GPS. Unfortunately, it was on the dashboard of his truck.
“He’s going to meet us in Basalt?” Ava’s eyes were wide and she kept pressing her teeth into her lower lip. Though the expression was charming, her anxiety disturbed him. Even with hunger tearing him apart, he felt compelled to comfort her.
“Less than an hour and we’re home free.” He paused, breathing through a spasm. “Jake’s going to bring a couple of his guys with him and they’ll take care of the Jeep.”
“Did he explain where we are?” She manufactured a smile, but her eyes were filled with worry.
He was doing his best to conceal his pain, but she was obviously not convinced. “He said he’d beat us to the rendezvous, so we must not be too far from Aspen.”
“That’s where Jake lives?”
“Yeah. He runs a bar there with his sister.” Gnawing pain rolled over him again and a strangled groan slipped past his lips. Despite his determination to resist the urgent hunger, he was about to lose control.
“Will they be able to help you?”
All he could do was nod. The pain grew worse with each passing moment. His cat stretched and struggled against his human cage. He should have handed the phone to her, had Jake give her directions.
He gasped then forced the words out in a harsh, strained rush. “Keep going until you reach Basalt. Left on Two Rivers Road.”
“Can’t you navigate as we go? I’m not sensitive about backseat drivers.”
“Strip mall…on right.”
“Oh God, Kyle, should I pull over?”
“No!” He clutched his belly, shaking helplessly. “You promised not to run! Now tell me…directions.”
She started to repeat what he’d just said but the roaring in his ears overtook t
he sound. Damn it. He wasn’t going to make it to Basalt. He ripped his shirt off and unfastened his pants then dove toward the backseat, shifting in midair.
Oh my God. The words repeated through Ava’s mind as she dragged her gaze back to the road. She had to be asleep at the wheel. People didn’t turn into animals. Not in reality. Yet Kyle’s long, lean body had rippled and…flowed right out of his pants and onto the backseat. Human one minute and— No, that wasn’t right. According to Kyle, he wasn’t human.
And neither was she.
She glanced over her shoulder, needing to assure herself that a large, limp cougar was now sprawled across the backseat of the Jeep. A Jeep they’d stolen from mercenaries after teleporting to the middle of nowhere. She’d thought being hunted by her abusive father was harrowing enough. Suddenly her life had gone from Law and Order to the Twilight Zone.
And he’d been right to make her promise. Part of her wanted to pull over, get out of the Jeep and run like hell.
As if sensing her thoughts, the cougar growled, but he lacked the strength to raise his head. “Straight to Basalt then left on Two Rivers Road, strip mall will be on the right. I was listening, Kyle. Really, I was. Just relax we’ll be there soon.” She felt like an idiot talking to a cat, but this was no ordinary cat. She’d only seen his transformation out of the corner of her eye and still the image was imprinted on her brain. Effortless, fluid and utterly surreal.
Kyle was a shapeshifter, an honest-to-God shapeshifter. Did that mean— No, she wasn’t ready to continue that line of reasoning. She had to accept one revelation at a time.
Grasping the wheel with both hands, she focused on the road. It wouldn’t do either of them any good if she put the Jeep in a ditch. Kyle’s labored breathing assured her he was alive. Hopefully, he’d stay that way until they reached Jake.
She was part of the Therian nation. The realization echoed through her mind like the ominous toll of a distant gong. Her father was hunting her so he could control what sort of shapeshifter she would become. The explanation rang true, yet it seemed insufficient. Kyle had said Carissa’s definition was special, unique. There was more to the story than Kyle had explained, details he hadn’t reached before they were interrupted by the mercenaries. But each time she tried to fill in the blanks, she was overwhelmed by the possibilities.
Therian Promise Page 6
