by Gale Stanley
Spent and sated, they lay side by side.
* * * *
Brady grabbed his cell phone and left Cade snoring. Thank God he had Cade, but he still missed Ayala, and he couldn’t wait another day to talk to her. He went downstairs and called Roy’s number. New Mexico was two hours behind Philadelphia, so even though it was only five a.m. here, it was seven there, and Roy always got an early start.
A woman answered. “Hello.”
For a second he wasn’t sure he had the right number. “Is this Roy Granger’s office?”
“Yes.”
Not very professional. “I’d like to talk to him.”
“So would I,” she drawled sarcastically.
A tingle of apprehension ran along Brady’s spine. “Can I leave a message?”
“No. I don’t work here anymore and I’m not getting paid to take messages. In fact, I’m packing up my stuff as we speak, but if you want to know where you can find him...” The irritating voice paused long enough to let the words sink in. “I’d bet money that right now Dr. Granger is probably fucking his new assistant.”
Slam!
A long furious growl rumbled up from Brady’s chest. Son of a bitch. If that motherfucker put a hand on Ayala, I’ll kill him.
He took the stairs two at a time, ran into the bedroom, and shook Cade.
Cade rolled over and yawned. “What’s up?”
“Get the fuck up. We’re flying to Philadelphia today.”
Chapter Nine
Ayala sat against the headboard, her arms wrapped around her knees, arousal and panic battling for control of her body. Right now she felt like a cornered animal, and her wolf didn’t like it one bit. Any threat primed her wolf for fighting or fleeing. As soon as she had opened that door, her inner beast knew it couldn’t fight two animals in a cage, but it had picked up on her stress, and the urge to escape took over. She’d run straight to the elevator and tried every key. None of them worked. Out of options, she had no choice but to wait for Roy. Only the scalpel under her pillow made her feel safer.
Unfortunately fear and anxiety did nothing to tamp down her arousal. There was only one remedy for being in heat, and she’d use the knife on herself before she let Roy touch her. He’d lied to her, used her, and she couldn’t get past that. How could she have been so stupid? Instead of seeing through his elegant façade, she’d let education and smooth talk blind her to what should have been painfully obvious. The man cared nothing for her as person. She was merely a means to the end.
The hours passed in a series of changing emotions, mostly negative. Exhausted, she teetered on the edge of a meltdown. One minute, ready to yell…the next, yawn.
She opened her eyes and bolted up on the bed. Apparently she’d fallen asleep. How the hell had that happened?
Roy watched her intently from a hardback chair across the room. Her hand snaked under the pillow for the knife. It was gone.
“Looking for this?” Roy held the knife up then slammed it so hard into the bureau that the blade broke. “Now, why would you need a scalpel under your pillow?”
“How—”
“My keys had been moved. A scalpel was missing. I’ve never had trouble putting two and two together.” He stood, and she instinctively moved back on the bed. “So how are you feeling?” he asked, as if nothing had happened.
She stared in disbelief. The man was a robot, completely devoid of feelings. “Do you really care?” she spat at him.
His brows drew together. “Of course I care. Your body is going through changes, and you’re frightened. It’s perfectly understandable, but I’m going to be with you every step of the way.” He sat down on the edge of the bed but didn’t touch her. “You have no idea how important you are to this research. And you’re the only one here I can trust with the real nature of my work.”
Bullshit! He hadn’t told her the whole story, just that she’d be trying a new drug and undergoing tests—all for the good of her people. Hot tears threatened to spill. He’d promised to fund her education so she could have a career and be independent, and she bought the whole thing hook, line, and sinker. God, she’d been so stupid.
“Believe me, Ayala. I want this to be over as much as you do.” He stood and held out a hand. “Let’s go to the exam room so I can run some tests and give you the last injection.”
She shook her head adamantly. “There will be no more injections.”
“Don’t play games, Ayala. We have to finish the regimen in order to achieve the best possible outcome. I know you’re uncomfortable, but this will be over soon.”
“It’s over now!” Single-minded determination kicked in, and she thrust out her chin. “I saw your lab rats breeding in some kind of mating frenzy. Is that what you have planned for me?”
Roy’s face darkened. “You had no right to disturb my test subjects.”
“I had every right,” she screamed at him. “You tricked me, made promises you never intended to keep. Told me my participation involved testing. I won’t be bred like some animal.”
“I never said what the experiment entailed. You filled in the blanks with whatever you wanted.”
“You’re as bad as Alex, making up your own rules and trying to breed me with some stranger.”
“It’s not like that. We’re hardly strangers. I’ll always take care of you and our child.”
Her eyes went wide. “You?”
He smiled at her as if she were a small child. “Do you know any other Lycans around here?”
“I came here to start a new life and a career. I don’t want to raise a child.”
“Nor do I. Think of the big picture. After our hard work comes to a successful conclusion, our people will be able to reproduce again. The viability of the drugs is my only concern. After the birth, the child will be sent to the pack to be raised with our kind and you can continue working here.”
“You would do that, give up your baby? I could never let someone else raise my child.”
He frowned, and his tone went sharp with impatience. “You’re free to go back with the baby and raise it yourself. I will, of course, provide for it financially.”
“No! You don’t understand. I want to make my own choices, and I don’t choose this.”
Roy gave up all pretense of pleasantness. “There’s no choosing here, Ayala.” He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. “My work is too important, and I can’t allow you to ruin it.”
She pounded on his back as he carried her to the exam room, but in her weakened state she was no match for him. In a matter of minutes, her wrists were bound with duct tape and her body bent over the exam table.
Anger ripped through her, and she bucked back wildly against his heavy body. “You won’t get away with this.” She growled at him. “I’ll go to the Alpha. I’ll tell him everything.”
Roy laughed at her. “It will be too late. I’m going to speed this up a little. By the time you talk to Alex, our mating will be a done deal, and if all goes as planned, he will be so thrilled with the outcome, he won’t care how it came about.”
* * * *
Cade felt as though they’d lost an entire day, and indeed they had. It had been early morning when Brady called the FIRM. He and Cade had stormed the Alpha’s office half-dressed, and a big blowout had taken place.
Alex saw no reason for them to fly off to Philadelphia half-cocked. He reasoned that if Ayala wanted to fuck Roy, it was their business, no one else’s. They didn’t see it that way. Brady felt sure Ayala was in trouble, and Cade agreed.
The Alpha tried to calm them down and offered to call Ayala. Voice mail answered Roy’s number at the FIRM, and a recorded message informed Alex that Dr. Roy Granger would return the call as soon as possible. Alex tried Roy’s cell phone next, and it went immediately to voice mail. Brady and Cade were forced to sit through breakfast with the Alpha while they waited for a call that never came. After several hours, Alex had to concede something was off. Roy always answered his private cell.
&
nbsp; Knowing how upset he and Brady were, Alex would not let them go to Philadelphia without him. Besides, Alex had funded the building. He knew the layout, and he had a set of keys. If an experiment had gone bad, and someone had been hurt, he could get around the building faster. No one could argue with that reasoning, and Alex had booked three seats on a red-eye flight.
Now in the wee hours of the morning, they were in a slow-moving taxi headed to Roy’s condo. If Cade thought he could get away with it, he’d shift and find his way on four paws.
The taxi pulled up to an ultramodern, towering high-rise. Cade had to admit even he was impressed. He and Brady couldn’t offer Ayala anything near as grand.
Security let Alex pass without a problem, and Cade was glad he’d come with them. It was a silent elevator ride to the twenty-fifth floor. Brady raised a brow when Alex pulled out a set of keys. It didn’t surprise Cade. Roy and Alex had been lovers, probably still were on their infrequent visits back and forth.
Inside, the modern furnishings screamed money, and the walls of windows offered stunning views of the waking city. Roy’s lifestyle was a far cry from theirs in New Hope. If this was the life Ayala envisioned for herself then he and Brady would have no choice but to let her go.
There were no signs of life, but they checked the bedrooms anyway. Cade and Brady shared an unhappy look when they found Ayala’s clothes in one of them.
Alex knew the way to the FIRM, a short walk through a park, and that was where they headed.
* * * *
“Feel good?” Roy asked, grinding his rampant erection against Ayala’s ass.
She tried to push him away, but she couldn’t budge him, and his cock grew at the contact. “You pervert. Raping women turns you on?”
“Hardly. It’s usually the other way around.” He chuckled. “I’ve been taking something, too. Not the same drug, of course. My interest is triggered by your heat, and I’m more than ready to take you.”
“I’d rather fuck one of your gray wolves,” she spat.
Roy let out a gruff laugh. “That can be arranged but right now, just do your duty for the pack. One last dose and your fertility will be at an optimum level for impregnation.”
He covered her with his body and reached between her thighs to cup her mound. “Hmm, so wet for me, Ayala. I can hardly wait to get my dick inside your sweet cunt.”
She envisioned herself shifting, lunging at Roy and tearing his throat out with her canines. It made a pretty picture. How would he like to fuck her wolf? Unfortunately, he might like it just fine. He could shift, too, and fuck her just as easily on four feet as on two.
“This could have been fun, but as long as the job gets done, I really don’t care.” He wound tape around her ankles and laid her on the exam table. “I’m going to inject the last dose, give the drugs an hour to move through your system, and then we’ll get to phase two.” He winked. “I’ll take good care of you when the time comes.”
She moaned, unable to stop the terrifying thoughts going through her head. Oh, God. She saw herself in a cage, just another animal in Roy’s zoo.
He made a few notes, and suddenly his pen stopped moving. She heard it the same time he did. There was someone else down here. She let out a bloodcurdling scream and heard footsteps pounding toward them.
“Shut the fuck up.” Roy reached in one of the metal cabinets and pulled out a handgun, raised it, ready to fire, but Brady came barreling through the door, slammed into Roy, and knocked the gun out of his hand. He slammed a fist into Roy’s face just as Cade came through the door and flew to Ayala’s side. Gathering her into his arms, Cade crooned. “Are you all right, baby?” Ayala buried her face in his chest and started crying.
Cade spat in Roy’s direction. “Kill the son of a bitch, Brady.” He swept instruments aside on the counter and found a scissors to cut the duct tape binding Ayala.
It looked like Brady intended to follow Cade’s order, but before he could land another punch, a snarling, black wolf walked through the door, and everyone froze. The pack rarely saw the Alpha in his wolf form. Glowing, yellow eyes pinned Roy, and the snarling Alpha bared his canines in a challenge. Roy stood stock-still. “I won’t fight you, Alex,” he said softly. “Kill me if you want. I won’t pick up a hand against you.”
The wolf’s body contorted, black fur receded into flesh, and his muzzle shrunk. The transformation was over in seconds, and the Alpha stood, hands on hips. “What have you done, Roy?”
“My research is at a crucial point. I needed a Lycan female to try it on.”
Brady growled and made a move toward Roy, but Alex put a hand up. “Will she be all right?”
Roy nodded. “I put her into an extreme heat, but without the last shot it’ll wear off shortly. It won’t come back unless I start the regimen again.”
“You’ll have to come through me to get near her. There’s no way in hell she’s taking anything again,” Cade yelled.
Alex quieted him with a look. “You and Brady take care of Ayala.” The Alpha tilted his head toward the door. “I want to talk to Roy alone.”
Cade carried her to the little bedroom and set her down. He and Brady stood there looking at her. An awkward silence followed. She wrapped herself in the sheet, drew her knees up, and rocked back and forth. She’d never been so glad to see anyone in her life, but she didn’t know what to say.
These men really cared about her, and it was worth so much more than a career and a fancy house. But, a little voice whispered in her head, Lycan men don’t know when to stop. They’ll smother you with their protectiveness and controlling personalities. She wanted to cry. Why were their lives so complicated?
Chapter Ten
Ayala was shocked when the taxi pulled up to the fanciest and most expensive hotel in the downtown area. Brady and Cade whisked her inside and walked her through the mirrored and marble-floored lobby to the front desk where Brady requested a room.
The clerk tapped a few keys on his computer. “The only suite available has a king-size bed.”
“We’ll take it,” Cade responded enthusiastically.
The desk clerk raised his brows. “How long will you be staying?”
Brady slid a credit card across the counter. “One night.”
Ayala’s face flamed as Brady accepted the key card and pulled her toward the elevator. “He probably thinks I’m a hooker,” she complained.
Brady scowled in the clerk’s direction. “Who cares what he thinks? Tomorrow we’ll be out of here and on our way back to New Hope.”
Ayala didn’t miss the look that passed between the men, but she ignored it. There’d be time enough to talk about the future when they were alone. Right now she enjoyed the feeling of safety that Brady and Cade provided. With the men flanking her, even riding in the elevator didn’t seem so scary.
The doors slid open and the men led her to room seventy-four. Brady slid the keycard into the slot and Cade swept her off her feet. He carried her inside as if they were on their honeymoon. Her eyes went wide as she took in the elegant period furniture and beautiful paintings that graced the walls in the living room. “This is beautiful but you shouldn’t have spent so much money.”
“Only the best for our girl,” Brady replied. “Our flight leaves tomorrow afternoon and—”
“We can talk about that later.” Cade set her down and tilted her chin so she looked into his eyes. “How do you feel, sweetheart?”
She knew what he meant. Embarrassed, she bit her lip. “A little less…uh, anxious.”
“A hot soak and some rest and you’ll be good as new.” Brady disappeared and in a few minutes she heard water running.
Cade led her into a huge, marble bathroom. Brady was on his knees adjusting the jets in a whirlpool tub. He looked up at her and smiled. “Your bath awaits, milady.”
Ayala blinked back tears. The men were being so sweet and she really didn’t deserve all their attention. Cade kissed her cheek. “Come on, let’s get these clothes off.” He and Brady helpe
d her into the tub and she sank under the warm water.
“Mmm.” Ayala’s eyelids fluttered closed and some of the tension left her body. She could get used to this. When she opened her eyes, the men were gone. She kept her gaze on the door, expecting it to open any minute. Finally, she had to concede that they weren’t coming back. This was totally unexpected. Most men would try to take advantage of her present condition and offer their help. Maybe she’d misread them. Or maybe they were just tired of being rejected and gave up on her. She couldn’t blame them. Sighing she tried out the fragrant soaps and shampoos and then let her eyes drift shut again.
* * * *
Brady lay on his side with his head propped on a hand and watched Ayala sleep. On the other side of her prone body, Cade was in pretty much the same position. They’d both been up for the last thirty minutes, but they didn’t want to wake Ayala, she needed her rest. Poor baby, she’d fallen asleep in the bath and remained asleep while they dried her and tucked her in.
He and Cade had talked far into the night. Seeing what Ayala had gone through in order to gain independence made them see things in a new light. Their world had changed. Even the Alpha had made adjustments. But not him and Cade, oh no, they had expected Ayala to put aside her own needs and revolve her life around theirs. No wonder she left them. If she gave them another chance they wouldn’t screw it up this time.
Cade caught his eye and made a gesture with his head. He understood immediately. Keeping still was no easy feat for a hot-blooded wolf with a morning woody that just wouldn’t quit. The two men got off the bed and moved almost soundlessly into the bathroom.
The door had hardly closed when Cade dropped to his knees and wrapped his lips around the head of Brady’s stiff cock. Brady groaned at the wet heat that swallowed his length and his legs trembled. So fucking horny, he couldn’t hold back and he started thrusting in and out. Cade’s strong suction on his prick felt so damn good he didn’t even hear the door open. He froze when two feminine arms came around him and soft lips brushed his nape.
