by Lacey Thorn
Gideon nodded. “We were trying to recreate some of the variations they’d managed to make with it, to see if we could study them.”
“You were trying to find a way to make shifters immune to its effects?” Abby asked.
“That’s always been the plan,” Gideon said. He prowled the room. “We were close, so close. Thomas did most of the work with the samples, mixing them and creating new strains. I managed the tests, compiled data and watched for anything that might come close to the results we were looking for. One day, Thomas was late. I went to grab one of the samples and realized there were a lot missing, more than should be.”
“Dillon,” Murphy muttered.
“Yes,” Gideon agreed. “I didn’t realize he was drugging Lydia.” He shook his head, letting the guilt hit him. “Honestly, I didn’t think much of her, at all. She wasn’t important to me, and for that, I’m sorry.”
“What happened to Thomas?” Logan asked and Gideon was relieved they weren’t calling him out.
“I don’t know,” Gideon said. “I really don’t. He was acting strange the last few times I was with him. I thought we’d been working too hard. We were close, or at least, it felt like we were getting close. I had to leave for a bit. I told him to take off, go for a run. He wasn’t there when I got back, and I could tell something was up.”
“Did he plan to be captured again?” Tah asked.
“No,” Gideon said. “But that doesn’t mean he didn’t find the opportunity and take it.”
“Do you know what strain Dillon used on Lydia?” Abby asked.
“I have my suspicions,” Gideon admitted. “ And no, I can’t save her. I’m surprised she’s lasted this long.”
“You’re going after him,” Vic said, and his hellcat looked angry. “That’s why you brought Ariel and Griffin here. You weren’t searching for Clara. You knew where she was. You brought them here to leave them, as well.”
“The safest place for them is with this group,” Gideon said. He turned to Tah. “With you.”
“Gideon,” Vic said.
“I’ve told you all I can,” Gideon said, ignoring her and focusing on Tah. “I think my time here would be better spent with Diane in the labs.”
Tah nodded and, without glancing at anyone else in the room, Gideon turned and left.
Vic watched him walk out the door. She’d tried to catch his gaze, but he kept it diverted. Her heart was breaking for him. She wanted to follow him, to comfort him, and wasn’t that a shock.
“This is much bigger than we could have ever imagined,” Reno said into the hush that had fallen over the room with Gideon’s exit.
“Yeah,” Tah agreed.
“He’s going after him,” Vic said. “Gideon. He’s going after Thomas. That’s why he’s not staying.”
“I’d do the same,” Reno said. “For a friend. For a brother. Any of us would.”
“Damn straight,” Murphy agreed.
Vic was reminded of when they’d done just that. When Finn had gone off on his own and nearly been killed before Murphy and Zane had found him.
“Gideon’s the one who discovered the anomaly in Logan’s blood,” the Professor stated. “Diane and I both missed it.”
“What anomaly?” Vic asked, but she remembered Clara telling her Logan had recessed shifter DNA similar to Finn.
“Apparently, I have a shifter in my gene pool somewhere,” Logan admitted, finally sitting back down next to Reno. “That’s why the feral fever hasn’t left my system, yet.”
“Makes sense,” Vic said.
“Looks like Finn and I are in the same boat at the moment,” Logan stated. “No idea if or when our animals will emerge.”
“But we’ll be keeping an eye on it,” the Professor replied.
“Yeah, I know,” Logan groaned. “You’ll want more blood.”
Chuckles sounded and some of the tension eased from the room. Logan was good at doing that, always had been.
“At least, we have a better idea of what we’re up against, now,” Reno finally said.
“We need to get our hands on some of those vials of feral fever,” the Professor said.
“You would think that,” Vic said.
“He’s right.” Abby surprised her by agreeing. “Right now all we have to go on is how it works in the blood once it’s been injected. At that point, it’s diluted, mutated in a way that’s specific to the individual. There’s no way to test it outside of that. But if we had a vial of it, we might be able to do research along the lines of what Gideon and Thomas were working on.”
“We’ll see what options we have once we get to Riverton,” Tah said. “We’re going to stick with the current plan. We’ll re-evaluate once we get there.”
“We need more people,” Reno stated.
“Yes, we do,” Tah agreed. “Orsai can help with that. He said he’d spread the word among other shifters as he travels.”
“You want to let everyone know where we’re headed?” Murphy said. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
Tah sighed. “I think it’s time for someone to take a stand. No more running. No more acting like prey.”
“So we go to war,” Vic stated. War she knew, understood. War she could handle.
“No,” Tah said, and Vic watched his gaze move to linger on his mate and child. “We dig in. We make a home, not just for ourselves but for anyone who needs one. We train. We learn. We prepare. And the next time they come looking for us, we stand our ground.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Logan said.
“We have to be willing to be as cold-blooded as they are,” Murphy added. “No holding back.”
“I know,” Tah agreed.
“Don’t forget about Dillon,” Vic reminded them. “We move and open our doors, we need to be damn sure we’re not inviting the enemy in with us.”
“Exactly what I was thinking,” Reno agreed. “We need to remain cautious.”
“Our inner circle stays together,” Tah stated. “Abby and I, Reno and Amia, Logan and Clara, Zane and Diane, Holt, Kenzie, Vic and the Professor.”
“Ariel and Griffin?” Vic asked.
“Use caution for now. I don’t know them well enough to trust them,” Tah said. “And I won’t have my mate and child around people I can’t trust with their lives.”
“Agreed,” Reno said.
“What about Kenzie’s mate?” Abby asked. “What if Holt ends up mating? Or Vic?”
Vic shook her head, but Tah spoke before she could.
“We’ll discuss it if and when it happens,” Tah said. “As for Gabriel… I’d say he’s already proven himself with the job he does, with the way he protected Zane and Diane. We may not like the choice he made to leave Kenzie. But none of us have walked in his shoes.”
“What did he say when you spoke to him?” Vic asked. She didn’t know if the others had already heard about the conversation, but Kenzie was her friend, too. And she wanted answers. “Other than the information about Riverton, Oklahoma?”
“He asked me to make sure we looked out for Kenzie and kept her safe. I could see how much it was killing him to walk away from her. Zane noticed the same thing. And we both picked up on the fact Gabriel felt as if he didn’t have a choice,” Tah added. “I’m guessing we’re all finally starting to see why he felt that way.”
“I—” Vic began, wanting to question what he meant by keep her safe, but a knock on the door cut her off.
“Come in,” Tah called, and an angry Zane shoved it wide.
“She’s gone,” he said, and the way his gaze locked with Vic’s let her know exactly who he was talking about.
“Shit,” she muttered under her breath, drawing several gazes her way.
“Who?” Tah demanded.
“Kenzie,” Zane said. “She and Holt are both gone, and I don’t think they just went out for fresh air. Did they?” he asked, looking right at Vic.
“What makes you think Vic knows anything about this?” Tah asked Zane though he was starin
g at her.
“Kenzie has been avoiding everyone,” Zane answered. “She hasn’t seen Diane since my mate went up to check on her after Regan was born. Kenzie hasn’t spoken to anyone since then except Holt and more recently, Vic.”
“What are you? A stalker?” Vic asked.
“Diane and I were worried, so I’ve been keeping an eye on Kenzie,” he said.
“What’s going on?” Tah asked, and this time he was directing his question at Vic.
“I don’t know,” Vic said. “All I know is Kenzie said she needed to take care of something, and she needed to do it by herself. She and Holt will meet us in Oklahoma.”
“Did she tell you what it was she needed to take care of?” Zane demanded. “Where exactly she was headed?”
“I didn’t ask,” Vic said. “I trust Kenzie. She said she’ll meet us there, and she will. What’s the big deal?”
“Kenzie could be in danger,” Tah said softly.
“More danger than normal?” Vic asked.
“Her mate is a legend, an angel who takes vengeance. She would definitely be a prize hunters would want to get their hands on,” Tah said.
“I asked her if she was going to put herself in danger. She wasn’t. She’s smart, crafty. Holt’s with her. Whatever this is, she needed it. Trust me. She looked like utter hell,” Vic said.
“Well that could be because there’s a chance she might be pregnant,” Zane stated.
“What?” Tah thundered, cutting off anything Vic might have said.
Her head was spinning. Kenzie? Pregnant?
“The shot she was given by the Professor,” Zane said, glaring at the other man. “The drug he used on Diane to force ovulation did the same to Kenzie.”
The Professor said nothing. They all knew he felt what he’d done was justified.
“Shit,” Tah said. “How long do you think they’ve been gone? We’ll need to move quick if we’re going to catch up.”
“Wait,” Vic said. “Wouldn’t you be able to smell if she was pregnant?”
“If she were here, in front of us, then yes,” Zane answered. “When she came back, all we could smell was the fact she’d…mated.”
“I can head out, now,” Reno offered.
“Stop!” Vic yelled.
“Did you not hear me? She’s might be pregnant,” Zane said.
“So, being pregnant means we can’t trust her to be smart? To stay safe?” Vic asked.
“I don’t think that’s what he’s saying,” Logan said. “You heard what Clara witnessed with her aunt. None of us want that for Kenzie.”
“No, we don’t. But we don’t get to lock her up and keep her prisoner just because she might be.” She turned her attention to Tah and Abby but addressed her question to Abby. “Would you have done anything to harm Regan while you were pregnant?”
“Of course not,” Abby answered.
“It’s not the same,” Zane said.
“Why? Because Kenzie doesn’t have her mate with her to protect her?” Vic shook her head. “If what Gideon told us earlier doesn’t change anything, then this shouldn’t, either. You know Kenzie. You know how capable she is. Hell, you sent her out there alone with Diane to find Zane.”
“And she was captured,” Zane thundered.
“And it wasn’t your fault,” Vic said. “We all made the choice to be here, and in making that choice, we accepted any consequences. You don’t get to take responsibility, not for us or from us.”
“She’s right,” Abby said. “As much as I want you to go after Kenzie, Vic is right. You gave everyone the choice to leave instead of going with us. That choice isn’t negated because of something Kenzie may or may not be.”
“I promised her mate we would keep her safe,” Tah stated. “We owe him for what he’s done for us.”
“You promised Kenzie, as well,” Vic argued. “I’d say you owe her more than you do a mate who walked away.”
“Vic,” Zane said.
“I don’t give a fuck what his reasons were,” Vic stated, letting her anger pour through her voice. “All I know is Kenzie isn’t the same woman we’ve always known. That bastard broke something inside her, and if she needs a little bit of time to deal with it, then we’ll fucking give it to her. She’s more than earned that much from all of us. I don’t know what he said to you, and I honestly don’t give a shit. I know what I saw on Kenzie’s face, what I heard when she spoke.” She stopped and blew out a rough breath. “Don’t be another one of the people who let her down,” Vic warned softly. “She deserves better from us.”
“She’s right,” Abby agreed. “If it eases your mind, call her or Holt, but don’t go after her.”
Tah looked torn, as if he wasn’t a hundred percent sure of what choice to make. Vic decided to press one more time.
“Give her the benefit of the doubt here,” Vic urged. “If she doesn’t show up in Oklahoma like she promised, I’ll go after her myself.”
Tah sighed. “We’ll give her a little time. For now,” he said, glancing between Vic and his wife. “Reno, see if you can reach either of them on a phone. Make sure they know to get in touch if they need us. And let Kenzie know we support her, no matter what, but we expect her to keep in touch and let us know exactly what the hell is going on.”
Reno nodded. “We need to adjust our plan then. That leaves Vic with Ariel, and you know that’s not a good idea.”
Tah snorted and shook his head.
“What?” Vic said. “I won’t kill her.” She’d made no bones that she didn’t trust the other woman, but that didn’t mean she’d do anything stupid. Besides, Ariel was the last person on her mind at the moment. Gideon was front and center with Kenzie not far behind.
“Take Ariel with you,” Tah told Reno. “Vic, you go with Murphy, Finn and Griffin. That gives an extra pair of eyes to help with Dillon. Probably better that way, anyway.”
“You just want me to keep the hot heads from killing him,” Vic said.
“He’ll get there,” Murphy said. “However, I won’t make any promises about what condition he’ll be in when he arrives.”
“I’ll keep them in line,” Vic promised with a look at Murphy.
He just grinned at her and winked. It would certainly be an interesting road trip traveling with the brothers.
“That’s it then. We all know what we need to do. Let’s get to it,” Tah said, dismissing them.
“I’d suggest you head down and get stuff wrapped up, Professor,” Reno said. “You only have a few more days to be packed and ready to go.”
Vic planned to be one of the first to leave, but Abby walked over, cutting off Vic’s escape plan. She wanted to go to the labs but knew it for the excuse it was. She had no reason to be there. She just wanted to see Gideon, to make sure he was okay.
“I wanted to talk to you for a minute,” Abby said.
“Sure. What’s up?”
“I told you I had a favor to ask of you. Actually, Diane and I both do.”
“Okay,” Vic said, waiting to hear what the request was.
“Tah’s agreed Diane and I should know how to defend ourselves. We need to be trained with firearms as well as hand-to-hand.”
“Tah agreed to that?”
Abby nodded. “We both know there are times he may not get to me in time. I won’t let anything harm Regan. I’d like you to teach me. Diane, too, but she’ll have to hold off on any physical training until the baby’s born.”
“Fuck,” Vic said. “You know Tah will kick my ass the first time you get even a tiny bruise.”
Abby laughed. “No, he won’t. Anyone else he might. You and Kenzie, he won’t say a word. He knows how important it is that we all be able to help defend ourselves and each other. Please, Vic.”
“As soon as we get to Oklahoma, we’ll work out a schedule.”
Abby grinned and leaned in, giving Vic a squeezing hug. “Thank you! I knew we could count on you.”
Vic watched as Abby turned and nodded at Tah. He didn’t se
em upset, in fact the look he gave Vic was one of gratitude. She knew he was trusting her with the most important person in the world to him. It went a long way toward letting her know how much she did mean to the group and to him in particular.
Murphy walked over and nudged her. “Ready to go?”
She nodded and fell into step beside him as they left the room and headed down the hall.
“Finn and I will need a little extra time before we all head out,” Murphy told her.
“Why?” she asked.
“Need to make sure there’s nothing left behind that can be used in any way—not to find us, not to learn anything about us,” he said.
“What are you planning? Surely you’re not going to burn it to the ground?”
“Nope,” he said with a grin. “I’m going to blow it up.”
Chapter Seven
She skipped dinner and found herself back at the cabin where she and Gideon had spent the previous night. Inside, it still smelled of Gideon and sex. She wanted him, wanted to feel his skin on hers again, wanted another night like the last.
As if conjured by her desire, the door opened and his wide shoulders filled it. His long hair hung loose around him, just begging for her fingers. He watched her with a hooded gaze, saying nothing as she crossed to him. He stepped forward just enough to shove closed the door then leaned against it.
She stopped in front of him and ran her hands up his chest. He closed his eyes and bent down his head, his lips grazing her temple. She buried her hands in his hair, cupping his head and tugging him closer until their mouths met. It started slow and easy, a brushing of skin as he dropped his hands to her hips and lifted her into his erection. Then fire ignited.
“I’ve thought of you all day,” he whispered, nuzzling her face. “Of us. Here.”
“Me, too,” she agreed, scraping her teeth along his jaw and loving the way he trembled at her touch.
“I wasn’t sure you’d want me,” he admitted.
“For as long as we have,” she told him, finding the hem of his shirt and hauling it up, revealing the muscled wall of his abdomen. “Fuck me,” she urged.
