Mating Call

by Martha Bourke

  Joey banged on the door. “Let’s go.”

  Damn it. She checked the shower while she flushed the toilet and ran the sink. Nothing. She opened the door and picked up her chain.

  “Took you long enough.”

  “Sorry.”

  Sorry wasn’t the word.

  Reyn leaned back in his chair and looked the big Russian New Breed up and down. You’d never know Viktor and Dimitri were brothers. No blond hair and blue eyes here. Viktor had short brown hair, brown eyes, and facial hair that reminded him way too much of Wolverine.

  Richard leaned back in his chair. “So, when exactly did you receive the call to join the Order? And don’t bother lying. Reyn here rolls with the Goddess.”

  Viktor looked Reyn straight in the eye. “It was about two months ago.”

  Not exactly what he wanted to hear. “Mind if I ask what you’ve been doing for two months? Get lost? I mean, this is your mansion.”

  “Yeah, I do mind and this isn’t my mansion.”

  “Easy,” Richard said. “No one is questioning the fact the Goddess wants you here. We’re just a little curious as to your delay.”

  “Afraid you’ll just have to stay curious.”

  “Well, you obviously know Geoffrey. He’ll get you whatever you need. Richard will work with you on your training.”

  “That won’t be necessary. You can put me on the schedule whenever you’re ready. I’ll need some steel.”

  “I’ll see that Diesel gets you what you need. Get the door on your way out.”

  The male pulled the door closed behind him.

  Reyn looked over his desk at his partner. Thank the Goddess he was a telepath. “Did you get anything?”

  “He’s telling the truth about when he was called. Other than that all I got were images of him in bars, fighting.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Well, there were a lot of bars and there was a lot of fighting.”

  Reyn rubbed his eyes. Jesus, his head hurt. “We really have no choice. We need him. I wish like hell we didn’t. Dimitri has been so good to us and there’s gotta be a reason he’s never mentioned him.”

  “Yeah, I think you’re probably right about that.”

  “Well, there’s no way he’s fighting with James, that’s for sure.”

  Richard stood and stretched. “Why don’t we put James with Pax until Diesel’s ready? Pax is his camzah anyway.”

  “That’s a good idea. I’ll take Viktor with me for now. I need more time in the field before I go straight up batshit. We’ll reshuffle when Diesel’s ready to go.”

  “At the rate he’s going, that won’t be long.”

  Reyn shook his head. “He’s been something. I don’t know if I could do it. He’s a pain in the ass, but I respect the hell outta that male.”

  Richard grinned. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Troy waited until he heard the click of the lock and the rev of an engine a few minutes later. He slid off the couch and phased back to his New Breed form. Well, his cell still had juice. That was something. The GPS showed that he was still somewhere on Corey Road. He was still in Allston. Thank God. He had no idea if he would be able to get his connection with Evy back as it was—he sure as hell didn’t want to test drive it by ending up miles away from her.

  He exhaled and took a step. “Fuck!”

  A searing pain cut through his right shin. Once his pant leg was up, he could see there was some bruising. He had a feeling there was some seriously evil shit going on underneath. “Goddammit.”

  He walked gingerly on it as he headed for the door. He grabbed an apple from the counter on the way by. No doubt the douche that hit him was going to wonder what kind of dog helps himself to an apple and then lets himself out. Too fuckin’ bad. He needed to eat if he wanted his leg to heal. Once outside the apartment building he slowly made his way back toward Commonwealth Ave. No warm library to hang out in today. He didn’t dare leave a five block radius.

  His cell went off. It was X. This was gonna be fun. “Hey.”

  “Where have you been, asshat?”

  “Stow your crap. I got nailed by a fuckin’ SUV last night in my second form.”

  “Jesus. You alright?” X asked.

  “Yeah, I’m okay. Listen, I was gettin’ real close to Evy last night before I got hit. I’m gonna stick to this area ‘til nightfall.”

  “I don’t even wanna hear how you know that.”

  Troy wasn’t about to share either. “Nope, you don’t. Trouble is I don’t know if I can get it back or not.”

  “Jesus Christ, Troy. Alright, listen. Just stick to the plan and call in when you know where she’s at. Got it?”

  Silence.

  “That’s a fucking order, Troy!”

  “I got it. I got it.”

  “Be safe, my brother.”

  Reyn rubbed his temples as he leaned forward and put his elbows on the desk. Goddamn headache. Thank fuck he was going to get some time out in the field. This desk work sucked ass. The phone rang and he picked up. “Hotline.”

  “Yo! Listen up. We still got what you need. She’s been safe so far, but she’s got an expiration date. I can’t keep giving you assurances. If you want her to stay healthy, you know what the price is. Straight up immunity. We got a no bullshit clause. You so much as stick one of your big ass toes anywhere near us and the deal’s off.”

  Reyn hung up. Jesus Christ, Troy. Why couldn’t the brother have been as into antisocial networking as it seemed? He picked up the phone and dialed the compound’s extension. “X? Have you heard from him?”

  “Yeah, man, just. He thinks he’s within striking distance. He’ll call in when he’s sure.”

  “He goddamn better. I just got another call from our friend. He sounds like he’s getting testy.”

  “I traced the call. It’s a pay phone. The most it’ll do is give us an idea as to his location, but Troy’s already close.”

  “Keep me updated. I want to know the second he has an addy.”

  “Will do, boss.”

  Ana let the hot water from the shower run down her body a moment longer and reluctantly climbed out. That was a hell of a run the night before. She wrapped herself up in a towel and combed through her short, dark hair. She fidgeted with it a bit longer than usual. SE had just cut it again. Man, the things they don’t bother to tell you. New Breed 101: Your hair is gonna grow fast as fuck. Her hair grew so freaking fast she felt like a Chia Pet. It needed cutting every other week. SE finally gave up and decided to grow his to his shoulders. Which was fine by her. God, he had incredible hair. She was toying with the idea of growing her own, but SE liked it short. Ah, what the hell. As long as he didn’t mind cutting it.

  She’d just put on her robe when a loud crash came from the bedroom. SE. The protective instinct hit and she bolted to the next room. Her mate was lying on the floor with his head against the wall. She knelt down and gently laid his head in her lap. Another vision. There was no point in trying to wake him. He would come around on his own when it was over. She stroked his hair gently until he opened his eyes.

  “Ihkweea?”

  “I’m right here, my male. Are you okay?”

  He slowly sat up and shook his head. “Yeah.”

  “Was it any clearer this time?”

  “Some. I can’t piece a whole lot together, except that there was a female. It was kind of like I was seeing through her eyes.”

  “Can you remember anything else?”

  His eyes locked on hers. “Yeah. I’m almost positive she was human.”

  Evy started to nod off on the couch. Warm sunshine was coming in through the big window and Joey had been watching a Fast N’ Loud marathon for two hours and she just couldn’t deal. Then she heard the sound of a key at the door. Her body responded automatically, pulling in on itself against the back of the couch.

  Joey looked over his shoulder. “Yo, Nick, where ya been?”

  Oh, no.
/>   “Out doin’ the same damn thing we’ve been doin’ for a week, what else?”

  Joey laughed. “Word.”

  “I just got a call from Seth. He wants you to meet him at the Harvard Avenue T stop.”

  Part of Evy’s bagel lurched into her throat.

  “What the fuck for?”

  Nick threw up his hands. “How the hell do I know?”

  “Aight. I’m out. I’ll catcha later.”

  Her body started to shake as the door closed.

  Nick looked at her like a predator would look at its prey. He moved slowly toward her in that not quite right way they all had. And then he was in front of her, sitting on the coffee table just like before. Only this time there was no one coming back to stop him.

  “Hey, little shorty.”

  X walked down the compound’s main corridor to the medical facility. Diesel was sitting in a chair listening to his iPod making sounds that reminded him of a yowling male cat that used to hang out under his window in Brooklyn. He hated that cat.

  “Yo, Dies. Dies!”

  Diesel popped out an ear bud. “Hey, bro.”

  “I’m not helping you with therapy until you promise to stop singing a crapella every time you got those things in your ears.”

  The brother smiled and cracked his gum. “‘Fraid not. I gotta do something around here besides lab work.”

  “You ready?”

  “Yup. Any word on my missing appendage?”

  “I think it’s made it as far as the Iranian border. He’s a cool cat, Dies. You gotta wait if you want the best, dig?”

  Helen walked in the room. “Have you seen my glasses, my male?”

  Diesel held them up.

  “Damn it. I feel like I’m losing my mind today. Any word from Troy, X?”

  He gave a nod. “Thinks he’s closing in.”

  X froze suddenly. The protective instinct. Holy shit. He had a way to help his boy after all. The rogue was asking for immunity. There’s no way the motherfucker was going to take the Order’s word for it. He needed Evy. She was his insurance policy. He didn’t intend to give her up. All his boy needed was a little reboot brought on by some extra Evy related stress and…

  Helen’s voice broke into his thoughts. “X, are you alright?”

  “Uh, Dies, can we wait on therapy a bit?”

  He left the ward without even waiting for an answer. He walked to his room and dialed his cell.

  “X? What the fuck. I’m tryin’ to focus here.”

  “We got a problem. The rogues that have Evy are asking for immunity, right? Even if the Order grants it, which it won’t, the only way to guarantee we follow through is to hold onto her. Troy, they don’t intend to give her up. Maybe ever, dig?”

  Something inside Troy snapped. A feral growl rose up from his gut and his breathing picked up.

  And then it hit.

  The protective instinct.

  He pivoted and ran flat out, hands pumping at his sides, breathing in perfect rhythm, shit kickers barely touching the ground. As he hit forty miles an hour he felt no pain in his leg. He was a machine. He existed for one purpose—to find his mate and end whoever had taken her from him. Cutting through the yards of endless apartments and triple-deckers, he hit Commonwealth Terrace and cut through to the next street. A row of bungalows lined the opposite side and his eyes focused, like two laser beams, on the brown one. He crossed the street and picked up speed.

  Ilah.

  Mine.

  He leapt forward, phasing into Wolf in mid-air, pounding into the bay window. Glass shattered everywhere, splintering all around him from the impact. He landed on all fours, phasing back to his New Breed form. Evy was crouched on the couch, her hands over her head as glass fell onto her back. She had a heavy chain around her ankle and some cock-sucking rogue had his hands on her.

  The roar that left him shook the room.

  Evy covered her ears and screamed as the deafening sound rattled everything in sight. Troy reached over and pulled the mutant off of her with one hand. There was a sickening crack as he twisted Nick’s neck and let him drop to the floor.

  “Is anyone else here?”

  But she couldn’t answer. All she could do was look into his glowing aqua eyes.

  He was the one.

  She was right all along.

  She watched dumbfounded as he pulled the cushion off the couch and slammed his boot into the metal bedframe underneath over and over. Suddenly, she heard the key in the deadbolt. “They’re coming back!”

  He pushed her against the couch. “Put your head down. Put it down!”

  Frantically she obeyed. She heard Seth’s voice.

  “What the fuck?”

  One minute Troy’s legs were right next to her, the next they had just vanished. How was that possible? She looked up just in time to see Troy pull a long knife from under his coat and take Joey’s head off in one swift motion. She heard herself scream until an arm came around her neck from behind the couch. Seth.

  “Yeah, you want her. I could tell the second I saw you watching her at the club. Well, guess what. Time’s up.”

  Suddenly there was a sharp pain in her gut. She felt Seth release her before everything went black.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Dimitri was using the leg press in the gym when Viktor walked in. Aw, Christ. He watched him take a seat at the arm press on the other side of the room. Good move. Maybe if he didn’t open his mouth they’d have a shot at getting through their workouts without all hell breaking loose.

  “Like what you’ve done with the place. I always did think it was kind of stuffy. You’ve got everyone all settled in. One big happy family.”

  Well, there went that. “You weren’t there when papa was sick. What did you expect?”

  “I didn’t want any of this. I never cared about the money.”

  “God forbid, you should be responsible for something.”

  Viktor’s nostrils flared. “Same old Dimka. Always believing whatever the old man said. Haven’t you been wondering where I’ve been all this time?”

  “Newsflash, asshole. Sharing DNA does not make us tight and it sure as hell doesn’t make us brothers.”

  Viktor sneered. “What, and these males are? Because you took some oath?”

  “It’s not about that, Viktor. If you’d ever given a shit about anyone but yourself, you’d understand that.”

  “Fuck you, Dimitri. I don’t have to listen to this.”

  “That’s it. Bail. There’s a shocker!” he yelled at his brother’s back.

  Evy opened her eyes. Bleach white ceiling. Same with the walls. Was she in the hospital? She blinked at the harsh lighting and looked to her side. A gorgeous blond woman was walking toward her.

  “You’re awake. Good.”

  Evy tried to move away, but got tangled in a bunch of IV lines.

  The woman smiled. “Easy. Don’t pull out your IV. You’re okay. You’re safe here. My name’s Helen. I’m a doctor. You were stabbed in the abdomen. Do you remember that?”

  Evy thought for a moment and nodded. She glanced at the other side of the room. Troy was lying on a bed a few feet away.

  “Oh, he’s okay. He’s been asleep for hours. He passed out as soon as he knew you’d be alright. I don’t think he’d eaten or slept for days. He was looking for you for quite a while. Evy, right? Is that short for Evelyn?”

  She nodded and watched the doctor sit down on a stool.

  “Pretty name. Well, you’re just outside of Boston, Evy. Troy brought you back here with him this morning. Luckily, the knife was small and whoever stabbed you decided getting away was more important than pulling it out. I took it out myself. Your CT scan looks good, but you’ll be here for a bit, I’m afraid. It appears he missed your major organs, but we can’t take any chances. Not with a stab wound like this.”

  “Can I…are you human?” She felt her face get hot. “Oh, God. I’m sorry. That was so rude.”

  “You’re allowed. You’ve been t
hrough a lot. I’m a shifter.” She turned around and lifted her hair so Evy could see her mark. It was of a beautiful gazelle.

  She exhaled. “As long as you’re not what those…things were.”

  “No. This is the last place you’d find any of them.”

  She focused on the ceiling for a moment. “New Breeds.”

  The doctor cocked her head. “How do you know those words?”

  Evy tried to think, but everything was so fuzzy. She looked back into the doctor’s pretty gray eyes.

  “Yes, Evy. You’re in the New Breed compound. And you’re safe.”

  An emotion tugged at Troy so hard it woke him part way out of his sleep. Evy. Half awake, the events of that morning played in his memory.

  “Evy!” He sat straight up and looked over at the female lying in the other bed. She was staring right at him, her big brown eyes wide and her breathing elevated.

  “I’m okay,” he said softly as he lifted a few fingers, gently tugged at a layer of her stress and let it dissipate.

  Helen got up from her chair and walked across the room. She adjusted his IV bag. “The hell you are. How long has it been since you’ve eaten?”

  He shook his head. “I dunno. A few days.”

  She pulled down the sheet and touched his leg where his jeans had been cut away. He started to pull away before he managed to stop himself.

  She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment and then went back to examining his shin. “We’ll get a couple of good meals in you and this hairline business will be healed in no time.”

  When she touched his face to check the cut above his eyebrow he flinched and looked back over at Evy. She hadn’t moved. Not at all. He closed his eyes and called away another layer of stress. Then it was his turn to have his eyes pop. Underneath was a well of emotion so strong, it made him suck in his breath. Gratitude. Curiosity. Desire. Heat hit his cheeks. He never dreamt anything like this could happen to him.