She walked to fetch her coat and scarf, lifting both from the chair where she’d tossed them with no memory of doing so. Down fell an envelope to the floor. She retrieved it and carried it to Ariel, who opened it immediately.
“That sorry ass son of a bitch,” Ariel said fiercely, staring at the photo of Ryan. “This is how he got her. He took Ryan.”
“Looks like he’s being held in a barn,” Matt slid the photo from Ariel’s hand. Ordering his anger to stay in check, he stared at it, something nagging at him.
Ariel rose. “Damn that Travis. I wish I’d chased that bastard down and killed him. Reed stopped me from doing it. I’ll not make that mistake again. He and his cousin were both warped.”
“Stupid,” Katarina spat. “Family who try to kill you deserve to die. Any female help Temptation make more clones. Maybe make better ones.”
Matt stood. “Come on. I think I know this barn and not everyone around here has that model of tractor. It’s at least worth checking.”
Ariel grabbed her things. “I’ll call Brandi and Gareth on the way.”
Heidi had to duck her head to run under the blades of the helicopter. Travis’s hand pulling on her arm wouldn’t let her stop moving, but she tried to look around as much as she could. The field they walked through was the same as the one where they found Katarina.
She looked at the pilot, hesitating to climb inside. Every instinct was telling her that going with Travis would be a very bad thing. Too late, she realized she should have told her pack mates. They could have waited to see where they went before making themselves known. Hindsight really was 20/20 but that wouldn’t help her now. Running was all she could think of.
She pushed against Travis surprising him enough to knock him flat. She took off running, head down until she reached an opening. Something inside her screamed she’d be better off in the woods, so she ran full out towards the nearest set of trees. Maybe she could hide there until help came or Travis gave up looking for her.
A sudden stinging in her shoulder spread rapidly through her body. It slowed her actions and forced her to her knees in the dirt. She reached back and pulled the dart out of her shoulder. It had gone through several layers and still managed to break enough skin to inject the drug. The now empty device fell from her hand as the ground rushed up to meet her spinning head.
10
Matt had been right. They found Ryan in a barn several miles out of town. Looking around Ariel saw the woods and the field where they’d found Katarina. Snorting over the adage about criminals returning to the scenes of their crimes, she pushed her hair out of her face. Her anger was so large she could barely keep from yelling at everyone. Worry for Heidi ruled her.
She reached out to shake Katarina’s arm. “Give me your scarf.” Katarina pulled it off and handed it over, watching while she used it to remove the collar. Matt stared when she stood up with the collar now in her hands.
“It was already unlocked,” she said quietly. “Heidi at least had gotten that far. She wasn’t going to let Ryan die like Katarina almost did.”
“Heidi can touch silver without harm?” Matt asked.
Ariel shrugged. “Apparently… or at least sometimes. In this case, I know she would have done whatever she could. She loves Ryan. She just hasn’t gotten around to admitting it to herself yet.”
Matt nodded, reached down, and pulled the dart out Ryan’s leg. He knelt beside the partially conscious werewolf and tapped his cheek. “Ryan? Can you hear me?”
Moaning, Ryan rolled his head.
Matt looked up and waved his hand. “You two stand back. This is not going to be pretty. Ryan’s going to be one pissed off wolf when he comes around and figures out Travis took her. He may come after me.”
Ariel and Katarina walked towards the door. When they were standing a good distance away, Matt leaned down to Ryan and growled. “I’m your Alpha, Ryan Calder, and you will do what I say. Shift, boy. Do it now.”
Still groaning, Ryan’s body obeyed his Alpha’s command. His wolf snarled as it managed to finally stand up on wobbly legs. Matt stood, crossed his arms, and planted his feet, waiting for the fight he could feel coming.
“I know they took your mate, but attacking me won’t get her back, boy. I want you to shift until the drugs are gone from your system. We need your help to look for her. Do it now.”
She and Katarina worried when Ryan’s wolf peeled back his lips showing fangs. He limped forward, growling louder and louder. He took several unsteady steps toward Matt, getting more vicious with every step.
“If you make me shift to wolf to fight you, I’m only going to kick your drug weakened ass,” Matt threatened.
Ryan in wolf form growled more loudly and then whined in abject frustration. Matt glared down at him, never moving as he faced off with him.
Ariel looked down in surprise when Katarina elbowed her side.
“Bossy Alpha Matt is hot, yes?”
Ariel snorted. “Yes. He’s being hot. I just wish this was one of those times I could enjoy it.”
“Da. You are lucky mate.”
Ariel nodded. “Yes. I am.”
Matt never stopped staring until Ryan’s wolf sat down and hung his head. Moments later, a groaning human Ryan crawled on hands and knees at Matt’s feet.
“Shift again,” Matt ordered, showing not one shred of sympathy.
Ariel winced as Ryan glanced up, glared, but eventually nodded. He morphed into his wolf again, who howled loud enough to shake the barn walls. Then once again Ryan changed back to human. This time he fell in the dirt at Matt’s feet and didn’t move.
Ryan hadn’t kept a stitch of clothing on during his last shift. She looked down at Katarina’s wide-eyed stare as Matt dragged a barely conscious Ryan to his feet and threw him over one very wide, very responsible shoulder. She’d never loved him more.
“It’s not what you’re thinking. I’ve seen Ryan shift before. He normally keeps his clothes,” Ariel said to a still staring Katarina.
Katarina blinked a couple of times and then shrugged. “Sure. I was thinking other thing.”
“What other thing?” Ariel asked.
Katarina waved her hand at Ryan’s naked butt now positioned over Matt’s chest. “Why sexy Ryan has Heidi’s favorite dick. Both his sides look good.”
Despite all her worry, Ariel had her first real laugh for the day.
When Heidi finally came around to consciousness again, she was in a cage. It was a roomy cage with a cot and a toilet, but it still had bars and a lock on the door. There were five other cages in the room, but they were all empty. Travis was obviously running behind in his kidnapping assignments.
Pacing to shake off her drug induced stupor, Heidi stopped when a white-coated woman walked into the room.
“Good to see you’re up at last. I’ve been waiting a whole day for you to get over the tranquilizer,” she said cheerfully.
Heidi didn’t answer her captor. Silence seemed like a better option. She’d never see the woman personally, but she had a pretty good idea who she was. This setup was just as Brandi had described from her first encounter with Dr. Diane Crane.
“Oh, don’t be so mad at me,” the woman said gleefully. “You’re going to be the mother of a brand new species. You should be honored to be chosen for the task.”
“Is that what you intended to do to Katarina?” Heidi asked.
The woman looked confused, then the confusion cleared. “You’re referring to the original specimen Travis tried to bring me? Yes. I specifically asked for a female werewolf of breeding age. Instead he brought me something much, much better. He brought one of my brother’s successes. When I figure out how it works for you, I’ll be able to create all the werewolves I want. Perhaps I’ll wait and breed the next one he brings.”
Heidi crossed her arms, feeling chilled by the woman’s words. It brought back memories of being converted. Unpleasant, painful memories of what Randall Crane did to her were never far from her mind.
&nbs
p; “Are you sure you want to do that? It didn’t work out so well for your brother,” Heidi reminded her.
To her amazement, the woman laughed. “Yes. I know. But with you, I’m not dealing with an Alpha, now am I? I think I can manage to handle one or two regular werewolves. Not too long ago, I nearly took your smart-ass Beta down. ”
“Really? That’s not how I heard the story,” Heidi declared.
She laughed merrily again. “Tomorrow we’ll start drawing blood and looking at your cellular structure. I’m so excited to get to do this, but we can’t really do much until I’m sure the drugs Travis used on you have left your system. How about I see some dinner is brought to you shortly. See? I’m not a complete monster.”
“You know, that’s what Travis said about himself, but I don’t believe either of you,” Heidi growled.
“Ooooo… you’re feisty, aren’t you? We’re going to have such fun getting to know each other,” she said.
Heidi’s mind went numb as she watched Diane Crane leave the room. She was in far more trouble than she’d been able to imagine.
Brandi marshaled them into the DC facility without any resistance. The kids were too stunned to be back there to think anything was super strange. Sheldon Crane, government sanctioned scientist, her current boss, and not so wicked brother of the man who’d changed her into a werewolf, met them all at the top level.
The kids innocently ran to him for hugs and to tell him they’d come for a visit. Her first instinct was to yank them back and deny they were staying there. But that was stupid. It had been her idea to stash them with Sheldon in the only place she felt they were truly safe when they weren’t with her.
Gareth pushed on her back to propel her forward with him. “Hello, Sheldon,” he said sharply.
“Hello, Gareth. Good to see you looking well. Brandi…” He drifted off in his greeting as he studied her. He held up a hand. “Please calm yourself before you implode. They’ll be as safe here as you want them to be. I promise. Lars and Fallon have volunteered to watch over them.”
Brandi nodded. She couldn’t seem to get actual words out of her throat. But the children had to stay and she had to go. Jesse and Marilyn were great, but they were just werewolves. Their house wasn’t a fortress. She couldn’t take chances with Travis running loose—not with the kids.
She cleared her throat. “Just so we’re clear on things… your former collector is going down,” she said tightly.
Sheldon nodded. “I would expect nothing less for Travis,” he answered sadly. Then a smile briefly crossed his face. “I have missed the children, you know. I’m looking forward to having them around for a while.”
“You can always come to the house to see them. I meant that promise,” Brandi said, blinking against the burning in her eyes. What in hell was wrong with her?
She stopped blinking, knelt, and held out her arms. One by one the kids came to hug her. She hugged, kissed their cheeks, and warned them to behave. It would have all been very normal had she not had several weapons holstered on her person. She was armed and intended to kill Travis as soon as she caught up with the deceiving bastard.
When she stood again, Gareth took her arm and they turned to leave. Sheldon chased after them, catching her other arm in time to whisper in her ear.
“About Diane…” Sheldon whispered.
Brandi wiggled from his hold and held up a hand. “No promises,” she whispered back. “I appreciate you telling us where she might be. If Heidi lives, then maybe she lives. If Heidi doesn’t, you know what’s going to happen.”
Sheldon sighed and nodded. “Yes. I suppose I do.”
“We’ll be back to get them when this is over. Don’t get too used to them, Sheldon. They belong to me now.”
Brandi slapped her hand on the exit door, slamming it open as she left. Her equally tense mate was right on her heels.
When his phone rang, Ryan saw it was his mother.
“Hi Mom.”
“Sorry to bother you with this right now, but the realtor has a buyer for the house. They’ve offered five thousand under your asking price,” Marilyn said.
Ryan did some mental calculations. It would still leave enough profit to buy the other place.
“Tell her to take the offer. I’d like to close as soon as possible. Ask her to put in the offer we discussed on the Mahoney place.”
“Are you sure? That’s a really big house with a lot of land to keep up, Ryan. Maybe it would be best to wait until…”
“No,” he said firmly. “I want to make the offer. I want the new place. It has a vegetable garden and a sunroom. It has a hot tub I’m trying to talk them into adding to the deal. It’s a haven for a Healer. I’m bringing Heidi back with me, Mom.”
There was silence on the other end of the line. “I know you will,” Marilyn whispered as bravely as she could. “You just keep doing what you’re doing. I’ll see you get the house.”
“Thanks, Mom. I have to go. Love you.”
“Okay. I love you too. I’m very proud of you, Ryan.”
His jaw hardened with determination as he hung up and slid the phone into his pocket.
He’d opted to stay with the plane while Brandi and Gareth dropped off the kids. Suddenly all the precautions those two had taken at Gareth’s place—precautions he’d once laughed about with his parents—made a hell of a lot of sense. If it meant taking another job, he was having the same precautions installed at his new place.
Bulletproof windows were one thing, but then who would ever have believed a werewolf could betray their whole species? Travis rebelling against his pack was wrong but at least understandable on some level. Kidnapping those of his kind and selling them to the highest bidders? That went beyond anything his mind could have ever imagined.
Worse… he wasn’t completely sure Brandi and Gareth weren’t similarly guilty. He still hadn’t puzzled out their roles with the federal government. He told himself to be grateful they’d caved to his insistence on coming along. He had no doubt they could have said no and might have if he hadn’t argued so fiercely.
The pilot started the engine after taking a brief phone call. Less than an hour after landing, they were all suddenly heading back into the air. They had a destination to check out somewhere in Canada, and a possible plan about rescuing Heidi if she was being held there.
His thoughts about her capture grew darker with each story he heard. He wondered what they would find when they did find her. What had they done to Heidi since her capture? Three days had gone by now since Travis had disappeared with her.
Ryan closed his eyes and prayed to whatever helpful spirits were willing to listen to him. He wanted Heidi to be safe and sound and whole. He wanted one more chance to tell her how she brought him back to life. He wanted to bring her home with him and make her his forever.
One way or another, even if it took him years to talk her into it, she was going to willingly become his mate.
Then he was going to kill her himself if she ever did anything so stupid again as trading her life for his.
11
Heidi lay on the table, strapped down and shackled with metal bands on her wrists. She worked hard to push away the panic her restraints caused her. Panic of any sort would be counterproductive to her plans. It took a lot of focus to do what she was doing.
“I don’t understand these results,” Diane said. “Your blood appears to be completely human. I don’t even see any nanos in it. Did my brother fake the pictures of you as a wolf?”
Heidi sighed and closed her eyes. It was much easier to lie effectively when you weren’t making eye contact. “I’ve told you all I know—the experiment wasn’t completely successful. My changes are random. I can’t control them. When I do change, it hurts and I have trouble changing back. Ariel and Brandi have the same problems. Ariel says your brother failed with us.”
“Hmm…” Diane said. “My bears didn’t have any problems changing back. Or at least none that I observed. When I round them up again,
I’ll have to study that closer. Random, you say? Fascinating. I wonder what gives a person control over their transmutation process.”
“You really turned people into bears? I thought Brandi was making that up,” Heidi said.
“No. No. They were real. And I did it without expensive nanos. Randall was always too impatient to wait for more natural results.”
Heidi winced. “Didn’t it hurt the people to shift into bears?”
“Not enough to kill them,” Diane said. “Turning into such a majestic creature ought to be worth a little bit of suffering, don’t you agree?”
“No. I think you’re as crazy as your brother,” Heidi said firmly.
Diane laughed. “Haven’t you heard there’s a fine line between genius and crazy? I have no problem walking that line when necessary. One day I’ll go down in history as a medical visionary.”
“Or as a wannabe supervillain who never quite made it,” Heidi declared.
Diane patted her arm as she laughed again. “Your angst is very amusing. I don’t think I’ve ever been so entertained by a test subject. You know… Randall thought the moon phasing had something to do with turning werewolves. We’ll look at that next. Maybe it’s like in the storybooks. Maybe the full moon will bring on your urge to shift into a wolf.”
Heidi rolled her eyes and then glared. “And if the moon stuff doesn’t work?”
Diane shrugged. “Travis is already bringing in my next werewolf. I’ve decided that she’ll become the mother of a new species and you’ll move to the dissection table so I can learn from your dead body. Like Leonardo DaVinci working on his cadavers in secret, most of what I learned about bears was from forensic study of each failure. I wish you could have seen the one I created last. He was absolutely breathtaking. I blended two kinds of bear DNA—compatible species, of course—and the creature I created was extraordinary. He killed several guards on his way back to the cage.”
Heidi: Nano Wolves 3 Page 8
