“What can you tell us about those who attacked you?” Derrick asked. As touching as the father-son reunion was, time was slipping away. This man was the only viable link they had to the ones who had Angelica.
“Madmen,” Liam said, his voice dripping with hate and disgust. “Zealots.”
“Humans?”
“Aye, but humans with very effective weapons. Mercenaries hired by a scientist named Schaeffer and led by a monster named Carrow. He knows about us, what we are, our weaknesses. They hit us hard and fast. We never saw it coming.”
Silas and a few of the others muttered a string of curses while the adolescents blanched, looking as though they might be sick.
“It was a massacre. Our males fought fiercely, but they didn’t stand a chance. The mercenaries, they had silver bullets.”
“How did you survive?” Niko asked, lending voice to the question that had been plaguing them all.
Liam’s face reflected the shame he felt. “They shot me full of tranquilizers. Me and a few others. We continued to fight for as long as we could.”
“What happened to the others?”
“I heard some of the humans talking. They said they were taking them to a research facility somewhere. I do not know where.”
“Why did they not take you as well?”
“They needed me,” Liam said, his eyes filled with regret. “To find those who escaped.”
Before he could draw his next breath, Oskar was yanked away from him and a steel blade was leveled at Liam’s throat. “You led them here?” Steffen hissed.
“I had no choice. My mate, she managed to elude them...”
Pain lanced through Derrick. Pack was everything. Betrayal was the worst possible act a wolf could commit against one of his own. But the mating bond was unbreakable. The thought chilled his blood. Would he ever be capable of betraying his brethren if he thought it was the only way to save Angelica?
“Mama, she is alive?” asked Oskar hopefully. Liam’s face fell once again. “She was,” he said softly. “But I felt her terror when they shot me and tossed me into the sea to drown. I have been unable to sense her since I regained consciousness.”
They all understood. The mating bond was so strong, a she-wolf would not survive the death of her mate. Because her male’s blood ran in her veins, she would have felt his agony, sensed his approaching death. She would claw herself to death in grief.
“How did you find us?” Silas asked.
“I tracked Oskar,” Liam said, avoiding his son’s gaze. Oskar’s head fell to the floor in shame, as if this was his fault.
“They will be coming soon,” Liam warned. “There are only half a dozen on the boat, but I do not think they had much faith in me. Now that you have been forewarned, you will be able to capture them and make them tell you where they are holding the others.” The possibility that he might be able to save those captured and put an end to this madness once and for all was the only way to justify his actions.
“They have already come,” Antoine said quietly.
Liam glanced up quickly. “You have already captured them? Or have you killed them?”
“They did not attack us,” Christophe said.
“They did not?” Liam blinked.
“No,” Dieter growled, making the hair on everyone’s neck stiffen. “If only they had. They took our Alpha’s mate and fled.”
Liam’s eyes widened. The implications were staggering. “They will come back for you.”
Derrick suddenly doubled over as a wave of fear and pain ripped through him. Angelica’s pain. It rippled throughout the pack, though with less intensity.
“No, they won’t,” Derrick said, staggering to his feet. “We shall find them first. And you are going to help us.”
Chapter 16
“Help me.” Angelica’s breathy plea nearly tore Lachlan apart, but he had to remain impassive and analytical. Every move was being meticulously recorded with state of the art equipment. Schaeffer, the sick fuck, was watching, probably jacking himself off as Lachlan took a variety of blood, skin, and hair samples, among other things.
“You will feel a pinch,” he informed her, his voice holding all of the warmth of the stainless steel speculum he carefully inserted so as not to do any harm. A moment later, he removed it, making sure he did not expose any part of her to the cameras. It would piss Schaeffer off, and Lachlan took some small satisfaction in that.
“Please.”
He ignored her, focusing on properly preparing the slides, as he was expected to do. But his beast already knew what the tests would reveal. The young female was pregnant. Perhaps that might extend her life a bit. Schaeffer would be ecstatic the moment he found out.
“You’re not like the others.”
Lachlan’s hands stilled. No one should be able to sense what he was. No one. But if she had, she could seal both of their fates and those of his family with but a spoken word.
Listen to me, he said, pushing into her thoughts. Lachlan had centuries to practice and she had about as much chance of blocking him as an infant. I am the only thing standing between you and a thorough vivisection right now. Shut up and do exactly as I say, and we both just might make it out of here alive.
You are one of us.
Aye. Now beg me to stop again. It looks good on camera.
Lachlan held his breath. It had been a great risk to reveal himself so early in the game. Either she would believe him and aid him in this or she would expose him and destroy them both.
“Please, help me,” she cried softly. Lachlan exhaled quietly in relief. “I swear, I won’t tell anyone,” she said, her near-silent sobbing adding a pathetic hitch to the plea.
Good girl. Out loud, he simply said, “Silence.” Angelica pressed her lips together, allowing only a small whimper to escape. It would be easily picked up by the sensitive microphones.
Lachlan moved to the gleaming stainless steel sink and washed his hands with the practiced skill of a surgeon. He didn’t dare look at the female again. He knew she was watching him with the intensity of prey in the midst of predators.
“Please, sir...”
“What is it?” he asked, injecting both impatience and arrogance into his tone.
“I’m cold.”
He spared her a cursory glance. Shit. She really was shivering. It was yet another indication of how newly transformed she must be. As a she-wolf, her body temperature should be running several degrees warmer than a human female. A quick re-check of her vitals listed her temp at ninety-six. That was cool for a human, but uncomfortable as hell for a wolf.
He exhaled heavily, as if put out by the request, but grabbed a warming blanket from one of the cupboards and arranged it over her.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Do not mistake practicality for compassion. It is to my benefit to have your veins closer to the surface of the skin.”
Please come back, she said into his mind. I’m scared.
I know, he answered before leaving the room, wishing he could offer her more hope.
* * *
Every last one of them refused to be left behind, wanting to go after the bastards who had stolen Angelica from them. Short of a command from their Alpha, nothing could keep them on the island, and Derrick would not issue that command. Not when every extra set of claws might be needed to free her.
Leaving the resort in the capable hands of a few trusted humans who had proven their loyalty over the years, Steffen navigated the boat through the waters toward the mainland under the cover of darkness. Rather than docking at their normal location, however, Liam directed them up the coast.
“How is she holding up?” Silas asked, joining Derrick at the railing. He and the others could sense her, but not to the same extent as Derrick. As both her mate and her Alpha, he had a direct link to her the others would never have.
“I feel her terror,” Derrick said, frustration and an unfamiliar sense of helplessness coloring his voice. “I cannot seem to break t
hrough it.”
“Yet, she fights,” Silas mused. They were all willing her courage and support through their blood bond, but whether she was capable of receiving it was unclear. Her presence among them seemed to ebb and flow like the tides. Christophe theorized they were probably keeping her sedated, and it was only in those few moments between the black wall of sleep and the fear in wakefulness they felt her the strongest.
“She is small, but she is fierce,” Antoine said, joining them.
“Of course she is,” grunted Dieter. “She is ours.”
* * *
It was impossible to tell how much time had passed. Surely, it was not anywhere near the eternity it seemed. Here, in this temperature-controlled, sterile environment, beneath the harsh fluorescent lighting, there was no day or night.
Angelica floated in and out of consciousness. They were keeping her sedated, but not enough to put her out completely. She almost wished they were. She was aware of everything being done to her. The drugs and the restraints kept her from doing anything about it, though.
He was trying to be gentle, she could tell. The one called Lachlan. The wolf who pretended to be human. From what she could gather, no one here knew his secret. No one but her. And she wasn’t going to tell on him, not when he was the only one who had given her even the slightest glimmer of hope.
It was the other one who scared her the most. He only came to her when Lachlan wasn’t around. He’d been in earlier. Angelica had woken up to find him standing beside her, staring at her as a dog might a juicy bone. He didn’t touch her, but she felt his gaze raking over her clearly. “Soon,” he had said when she’d opened her eyes. Whether he was speaking to her or himself was unclear.
A technician came in and changed the I.V. bag. He didn’t speak to her, didn’t meet her eyes. They never did. Every few hours, another would come. She’d tried to appeal to every one of them, but to no avail. Covered from head to toe in surgical scrubs and masks with only their eyes visible, they all looked the same.
Warmth began to flow through her arm at the point of the I.V. insertion point. That was different. It pooled in her eyes, her ears, and every other orifice as her mouth filled with a metallic tang. She knew this; she recognized it from when she had first been diagnosed with cancer. It was a special kind of dye injected into the bloodstream that would light up her insides. Her heart began to pound and a sheen of sweat formed over her skin even as she felt herself shutting down. Not just dye, but more sedatives, probably to keep her still during the tests.
Angelica! Derrick’s voice whispered in her mind as it began to cloud over, so faint, she thought she must be imagining it again. She had heard it several times as she drifted in and out, but it was always gone before she could latch onto it, remaining just out of reach.
Derrick?
“I’ve got her!” she heard Derrick shout to the others. His relief was evident in his voice. Yes! Yes, Angelica! Hang on, love. We are coming for you.
Derrick was coming for her! The warmth was consuming her from the inside out now, an uncomfortable burn.
“She’s going under again. They must be drugging her.” Stay awake, Angelica. Help us find you.
Trying to... Angelica knew she could not hold on much longer. Find...help...Lachlan...wolf...
Angelica, stay with me! Angelica!
I love you...
* * *
“Goddamn it! I lost her again.”
“Relax, Derrick,” Silas said. “She spoke to you. That is a good sign.”
“What did she say? Was she able to provide any information that will aid us?”
Derrick rubbed his hands over his face, mentally exhausted. He hadn’t slept or eaten in days. The only thing keeping him going was the driving need to find his mate. He replayed the all too brief exchange in his mind. Angelica had sounded so weary, so scared. What were they doing to her? He was going to personally rip out the throats of every one of those monsters who had anything to do with this.
“A name, I think. She mentioned a name.”
“What name?”
“Lachlan. She said ‘find...help...Lachlan...wolf’. I was already losing her at that point.”
Liam went very still. “Lachlan? Are you certain she said Lachlan?”
“Yes. Why? Does that name mean something to you?”
“Lachlan is my brother.”
Chapter 17
“Angelica.” Lachlan spoke the name more harshly than he would have liked. The small, gentle creature did not deserve to be treated like this, but he had no choice.
“Angelica,” he repeated, louder and sharper. She didn’t stir. Christ, how much had they given her? She’d been out for hours. Complete bioscans had been taken of her entire body, every internal system, organ, bone, and joint. He’d ordered every possible test he could think of in order to give himself more time, arguing with Schaeffer that such things had to be completed while she was still “whole”.
It made him sick to his stomach.
Schaeffer was chomping at the bit. He wouldn’t wait much longer. Lachlan knew the doctor had been sneaking in to see Angelica when he wasn’t around, giving himself a little preview. Twisted anticipation literally rolled off the demented bastard every time Lachlan drew near. It had a sickening stench, like the sweet rot of decay.
It was just one of a hundred reasons why Lachlan had no problem slipping a little additive of his own into the doc’s personal whiskey stash. The man always had a drink before bed, without fail. Maybe it was to help him forget some of the atrocities he’d committed that day, but Lachlan didn’t think so. He’d spent enough time around the man to believe Schaeffer had nothing even remotely close to a conscience. The man was the quintessential mad scientist. Nothing was sacred to him — not God, not life. There was only the pursuit of knowledge, the drive to know and understand things never meant to be understood.
Angelica. Lachlan slipped into her mind. Here, he could be gentler with her, but not much. They had a very small window of opportunity as it was. He’d already made up his mind to make her a priority. He’d try to get the other males out, too, but she was the most important. His conscience aside, God only knew the kind of damage Schaeffer could cause with Were stem cells.
Wake up, sweetheart. Time to go.
“Derrick...” she murmured the name.
Who the hell was Derrick? Still in her mind, Lachlan clearly felt the love she had for him. Was he her mate? Was he the stupid fuck who left his pregnant, newly transformed bride alone to be captured by the likes of Schaeffer’s mercenaries?
A deep growl answered his question. Not Angelica’s. Who are you and how are you in my mate’s thoughts?
Jealousy, rage, a bloodthirsty desire to kill — Lachlan clearly felt all of those things as the words slammed into his mind with great force. More force than he would expect, unless...
You’re an Alpha? Lachlan quipped in disbelief as he unhooked Angelica’s restraints under the guise of checking her vitals, making sure to follow the exact same sequence he did every time he came to her. He was too old, too intent on his task to feel any fear, just a sense of urgency.
How does an Alpha lose his mate and unborn cubs?
There was a pause as Lachlan felt the rippling waves of shock echo back through him. Stupid bastard. Yes, Angelica is pregnant. How long have you been an Alpha, anyway? A week?
I am going to enjoy killing you slowly.
Yeah, well, get in line, pal.
The last cuff was released. Lachlan detached the I.V., tucking the end beneath the mattress. Just a few more minutes, sweetheart, then you and I are out of here. Lachlan deliberately put extra emphasis on the endearment.
I am coming for my mate.
Good. Bring an army. I need all the help I can get.
There was a brief pause. You are helping her?
Not the brightest bulb in the box, are you? Lachlan said sarcastically. Yes, I’m getting her out of here before they start carving her up into pieces.
Y
ou are Lachlan.
That surprised him, but only for a moment. Talks about me then, does she?
Lachlan felt the tsunami-force wave of possessive jealousy pound against his mental barriers for several moments before it receded slightly. You are a wolf.
Duh. At nearly nine hundred years old and holding an untold number of degrees in alchemy, medicine, science, chemistry, and a host of other disciplines, Lachlan didn’t think he’d ever used that word before. It took him a few moments to realize the unexpected utterance came from Angelica. She was awake.
Thank God.
Help us, Derrick.
Angelica, my love! Derrick’s voice was filled with relief. Who is this male? Has he hurt you?
Angelica opened her eyes and looked at Lachlan as he waited for her to answer. I trust him, she answered carefully. Please help us.
Lachlan was glad she had kept the details of the things he had done over the last few days from the forefront of her thoughts. He hoped she understood he had only done that which was necessary to keep her alive long enough for a chance at escape. But her mate wouldn’t understand. Not yet, anyway. He shoved that and all other non-essential thoughts to the far recesses of his mind where he would deal with them later, should it become necessary. The most important thing right now was getting her out of here in one piece.
Liam is with us. Lachlan heard the words spoken into Angelica’s mind, knowing they were meant for him. Open your mind to him and show us where you are. We have a retrieval team ready.
Lachlan couldn’t hide his shock. Liam? But they said he was—
He’s not.
There are others here, Lachlan responded. Males from Liam’s pack.
How many?
Three. They may need assistance.
They will have it.
Lachlan did not have a very high opinion of Angelica’s mate, but there was no denying the strength of conviction he managed to convey. Lachlan felt a great burst of energy as the rest of Angelica’s pack pushed their way into her mind. He counted at least six others, all old, all strong, and said a silent prayer of thanks.
Black Wolfe's Mate (Paranormal Shifter Romance) Page 11
