by L. L. Raand
“I’ll tell her to call you.” Niki kissed Sophia and smoothed her hand over the bite she had made in Sophia’s shoulder. “I won’t be long, mate.”
The caress heated Sophia deep inside and she trembled at Niki’s words, knowing the truth of them in her deepest self. “I love you, Niki…my mate.”
*
Niki headed back to the Compound on a little-used fire trail. In another ten minutes she’d be able to make her report and rejoin Sophia. She didn’t want her mate going through any more of this alone. She didn’t blame Sophia’s parents for keeping the whole story from her, for if Sophia had known the entire truth, she might never have let herself tangle at all. Niki’s wolf snarled at the idea of being kept from Sophia, even by Sophia’s fears. But all that was behind them now. She didn’t understand everything Sophia’s parents had revealed, but what she did understand was that Sophia and the Prima might share the same origin, and the Prima was fine. Drake was healthy and able to bear young. Sophia might not be able to have offspring, but Niki knew she was healthy. She’d felt her strength, tasted her essence. Sophia was wrong to fear biting her, but she could be patient. She had waited all this time, and she would wait for as long as it took for Sophia to believe.
The radio receiver on the dash crackled and she grabbed the microphone. “Kroff.”
“Where are you?” Sylvan said.
“About five miles from the Compound. Alpha, there’s something important I need to tell—”
“Is Sophia with you?”
“No, Alpha. She’s with her parents.”
“At their cabin?”
Niki’s wolf stilled her relentless pacing and growled. A hand squeezed Niki’s heart. “No. They went to the lab—”
“Turn around,” Sylvan said, “and go after them. Keep them away from the lab. We’re sending word to evacuate it now. I’m on my way, but you’re closer.”
“Why?” Niki’s throat went dry, and her wolf threatened to climb through her skin to race after Sophia. She held her down despite the claws flaying at her insides.
“Someone is planning to blow it up, and we think the bombs are already planted.”
Chapter Thirty-four
Niki screeched to a halt and jerked the wheel around, flooring the accelerator and tearing back through the woods toward the cabin. She’d only been gone a few minutes, but the lean-to where the Revniks’ vehicle had been parked was empty. Sophia and her parents were gone. A black curtain of panic clouded her vision, and she gathered her strength to push through it. She’d fought by the Alpha’s side in battle, she’d faced death without fear. Now more than ever, she needed to stand strong. Facing her own death had been easy. Contemplating losing Sophia threatened to destroy her.
She careened around the cabin and accelerated down the mountainside, navigating the twisting turns in the narrow dirt road so fast the vehicle skated around turns on two wheels. Once she hit the highway, she slowed, weaving her way through the early-morning southbound traffic as quickly as she dared. She couldn’t afford to be stopped by the authorities—she would not be able to explain the urgency of her mission. The Timberwolves did not reveal Pack matters to humans. Gripping the wheel so hard her knuckles threatened to tear through the tops of her hands, she fought for calm while every instinct screamed for her to go faster. Sophia was somewhere ahead of her, in danger, and she wasn’t there to keep her safe.
Failure was unthinkable. Her only purpose was to protect. She wasn’t the Pack enforcer by accident. She was born for that role—the need was programmed into her DNA. Now that she was mated, the drive was even more acute. Her wolf was so close to taking over, her pelt shimmered beneath her skin, and her muscles tightened over bones growing heavy and hard. She could sense her mate’s urgency and stress, but she registered no fear. Sophia was not afraid. Pride displaced the last of Niki’s trepidation. Her mate was as brave as any warrior she had ever known.
She exited onto the drive leading to Mir Industries and picked up speed. Cars streamed past her, going the other way. The evacuation was well under way. Security vehicles blocked the main entrance to the vast parking lot surrounding the sprawling complex, and officers in black BDUs ringed the building, some guiding employees on foot toward safe zones while others directed the fleeing traffic. Niki barreled around the circular drive that marked the inner perimeter until she reached the entrance to the north research wing. That’s where Sophia and her parents would have gone. A command station had been set up, and wooden barricades blocked the road. She screeched to a halt abreast of a guard with an automatic rifle slanted across his chest.
She rolled down her window as the dark-haired Were shouted, “Turn around and proceed—”
“Have you seen the Revniks?” Niki growled.
The security officer came to sharp attention. “Sorry, Imperator. I didn’t recognize your vehicle. The Revniks passed here several minutes ago.”
“Why did you let them in?”
His face went white. “They insisted, Imperator. Dr. Revnik said they had to secure the lab. He assured me they’d only be a few mi—”
Niki didn’t wait to hear anything else. She slammed the SUV into gear and bounced up over the curb onto a grassy strip and veered around the barricades. Once past the obstacles, she gunned the engine, careening around security vehicles with rotating light bars, squads of guards setting up more barriers, and clumps of employees rushing from the building. She left the road and shot up a walkway toward the entrance. The Revniks’ lab occupied the entire top floor of this wing. Another guard stepped through the double glass doors as she sprinted forward.
“Stand aside,” Niki shouted.
“Imperator!” Chris, a blond Were lieutenant and head of security, pushed the door open to let Niki by. “The Alpha sent orders—”
“I know.” Niki slowed. She needed to find Sophia, but she also needed to secure the safety of all the Pack members at risk. “Who’s left inside?”
“Not many—the evacuation is almost complete. I have containment teams searching every wing with radar and infrared explosive detectors. So far nothing.”
“Where are the Revniks?”
“In their lab. They insisted they needed to safeguard data vital to the security of the Pack. I sent a team up with them to search the floor and ordered a guard to stay with them.” Chris pulled her radio from her belt and keyed her mic. “Status update?”
A voice crackled over the radio. “They need five more minutes, Lieutenant.”
Niki grabbed Chris’s mic. “This is Niki Kroff. Get those civilians out of there now.”
“I’m sorry, Imperator,” the guard said, “they refuse to leave until their data downloads are complete.”
“I’m on my way.” Niki tossed the mic back to Chris. Nothing was worth their lives. “Radio?”
“There’s one at the security station.” Chris pointed to the counter with a bank of monitors just inside the door. “Comm channel three.”
Niki grabbed a radio on the run. “Make sure all civilians are out of the building. Alert me if the search teams find anything.”
“Yes, Imperator.”
Niki glanced at her watch—0657. At 0700 the night shift would be clocking out and the day shift clocking in. A perfect time to effect maximum damage.
Three minutes.
*
“Andrew, pull over here,” Sylvan ordered, surveying the barricades and the line of cars filling the drive to the complex. She kissed Drake as Andrew stopped the Rover. “I’ll go on foot from here. I’ll be back as soon as we have an all clear.”
“I’m going with you,” Drake said.
Sylvan held back a snarl. She understood Drake’s need, she just couldn’t accept it. Not this time. “If we have injured, you’ll need to triage. You’re the best one for it, and you’ll have to be clear of the danger zone to do it.” She pushed the rear doors open and was about to jump down when Drake grabbed her arm. She spun back. “We don’t have time to argue, Prima. Don’t make me orde
r you to stay.”
“I’m not going to fight you on this, but don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing, Alpha. You can try to manage me all you like—but don’t imagine I won’t know.” Drake cupped Sylvan’s face, her dark eyes pools of molten gold. “I happen to agree with you this time. Just be careful.”
“I will.” Sylvan kissed Drake and pressed her hand to Drake’s belly. “I’ll see you all soon.”
She raced for the buildings, Jace and Max right behind her. “You two be sure the main wing is clear. I’ll take research.”
“Yes, Alpha,” the centuri called and loped away.
Sylvan checked her watch—0658.
*
Niki didn’t bother with the elevator but pushed into the stairwell and raced up the stairs. Even on two legs, she was faster than the elevator. Halfway to the top floor she met a security team coming down. Several officers carried handheld bomb detectors and infrared heat detectors.
“Anything?” she called.
“Nothing, Imperator,” the team leader, a redheaded female, reported smartly.
Niki remembered the explosion in the human lab and the near-instantaneous collapse that ensued. “Have you searched the underground loading facilities?”
“Not yet. We started in the labs.”
“Check the support columns on the lower levels. If they want to bring down the building, that’s where they’ll set the charges.” She didn’t bother to see that her orders were followed. She knew they would be. She shoved through the fire doors into the main corridor of the high-security Level 4 lab and ran toward the air lock leading to the Revniks’ lab. As she keyed in the code to the decontamination chamber, she scanned the lab through the glass window in the inner door. A security officer stood just inside. Leo and Nadia were bent over computer monitors where data streamed in complex, indecipherable rows. She couldn’t see Sophia, but the stirring in her core signaled her mate was near. She passed through the air lock, not bothering with protocol, and burst into the lab. “Everyone out now.”
She signaled the guard, who had jerked to rigid attention. “See to it.”
“Yes, Imperator.”
Following the scent of her mate, Niki turned down an aisle bordered by lab benches laden with electronics and other equipment. At the far end, Sophia stood before an open cold case transferring specimen containers and test tubes into a large insulated transport container. Wisps of smoke-like frost poured over the edges of the box, enveloping Sophia in cold mist. Niki grasped her arm. “You need to get out of here.”
“I’m almost done,” Sophia said, continuing to transfer labeled vials into racks sitting on dry ice in the chest.
“There may not be—” Niki’s radio buzzed and she grabbed it. “Kroff.”
“We found them, Imperator,” Chris said brusquely. “Multiple C-4 packs dispersed throughout the infrastructure.”
“Can you deactivate?”
“Not enough time. They’re set for zero-seven hundred.”
“Evacuate your teams.” Niki jammed her radio back under her belt and shouted, “We’re out of time. Clear this area. Exit the building now!”
Sophia scooped up another handful of test tubes and put them in her case. She snapped the cover closed and grab the handle. “I have to help my parents. We have raw data—”
Growling, Niki raced back up the aisle. “I thought I told you to evacuate!”
“We need another sixty seconds,” Leo said calmly, continuing to key in instructions on his computer. Next to him, Nadia pushed in another jump drive. She said, “Ninety seconds and I’ll have all the latest figures.”
Niki wanted to smash every computer in the lab. She could carry Sophia out bodily, but if she left Sophia’s parents behind and they perished, Sophia would never forgive her.
“You.” She pointed to the security guard. He was young, but solid, his eyes calm and clear. “I want you to escort the Revniks down the north stairwell and across the parking lot to the woods.”
“Yes, Imperator,” he said, his eyes flicking to Leo and Nadia, who ignored him. The clock above their workbench read 0659.
“Leo—take your family to safety. That’s an order.”
Leo spun around but Nadia continued to work, saying, “We can’t lose this. This work is vital to the Pack.”
“Then I’ll wait for it,” Niki said. “Officer—remove these three from the lab.”
“No,” Sophia said.
Niki growled and grabbed her by the shoulders, pushing her toward her parents. “Don’t argue. I’m ordering you to go. Leo?”
Leo met her eyes. He was dominant, but she was second only to Sylvan in power. He looked away and nodded. “Yes, Imperator.” He grabbed Nadia’s wrist and wrapped his arm around Sophia’s shoulders, pulling them toward the air lock. “Let’s go. Hurry.”
Sophia tried to pull away, but the guard blocked her from turning back.
“Niki?” Sophia cried.
“I’ll be there,” Niki called as Leo shepherded Sophia and Nadia into the chamber. The air lock swished closed, locking her mate away from her, leaving her with a gaping void in her chest. “I promise.”
Chapter Thirty-five
Sylvan loped up the sidewalk to where Chris guarded the entrance. “Any word?”
Chris came to attention. “Yes, Alpha. Multiple explosive charges are deployed throughout the lower levels, set to detonate at zero-seven hundred.”
Sylvan led Chris into the building and mentally reached out through her Pack to locate the life signatures of her wolves. Only a few remained inside the complex, but losing even a single life was unthinkable. “Instruct your teams to withdraw immediately. Escort the remaining civilians to the safe zones.”
“Yes, Alpha.” Chris keyed her microphone and barked out orders while Sylvan paced. She had ordered the evacuation based on Francesca’s information alone because she hadn’t any choice—she couldn’t risk several thousand lives while she verified what the Viceregal called a credible rumor. Francesca had maintained power through centuries of internecine wars and held the Clans together during an era when Vampires had been hunted nearly to extinction by secret cabals of humans who knew of their existence and vowed to annihilate them. Francesca protected her reign through labyrinthine alliances and by erecting complex intelligence networks. She was always one step ahead of her enemies, and today, she had put Sylvan in her debt.
The fire door just beyond the security station banged open, and Nadia Revnik burst out, followed by Leo and a security officer. The males escorted a struggling Sophia between them.
Sylvan signaled the officer. “Get them outside.”
“I’m not leaving,” Sophia said, ripping her arm free of the security officer’s grip with surprising strength. “Niki is still upstairs.”
“I know,” Sylvan said. “I can feel her. She sent you out with good reason. Do as she asked.”
“Please.” Sophia shivered, her eyes huge and wild. “Please, tell her to leave.”
“I intend to,” Sylvan said. “But I want all of you outside on the far side of the safety perimeter. Go now.”
The force of her command crashed over the four of them so sharply a low whine escaped Nadia’s throat. They didn’t argue, and even Sophia stopped resisting.
Sylvan turned to Chris. “Time?”
“Thirty seconds, Alpha.”
Sylvan calculated the distance to the lab. Not enough time for her to reach Niki and physically remove her, but she could still reach her. Her connection with Niki was stronger than with any other Pack member except Drake. They were bonded by history, by blood, and by love. She sent her call with all her force. Get out now.
Ten seconds.
Sylvan spun around and saw Chris by the open glass doors. At that instant, sunlight broke over the complex, clear and bright. Beyond the perimeter cordons, civilians and security officers crowded around, waiting. She sensed no one inside except Niki.
Five seconds.
Niki had not yet moved.
Sylvan thought about her mate and her offspring and her Pack, and the war that would surely come. Her responsibility to all of them outweighed her love for the one. The decision tore her heart in two. She raced outside, shifting as she ran and pulling Chris into pelt with her. Follow me.
Two seconds.
*
Sophia quivered, her heart racing and her throat tight with dread. The Alpha and the security chief raced toward them. Frantically she searched the ground beside the great silver wolf for Niki. She wasn’t there. Icy terror rushed through her, and she braced her hands on the barricade. She had to get back inside, had to find her mate. Arms gripped her around the waist and prevented her from leaping over the barrier.
“Let me go,” Sophia cried.
“I’m sorry,” her father murmured. “I can’t let you go.”
“You have to,” Sophia screamed. “She’s my mate. I can’t leave—”
As the Alpha leapt over the barricades, Chris close behind, the earth seemed to shake and heave. Vehicles rattled and jumped, as if trying to take off by themselves. Pack members lost their balance and crashed into one another. And then the north wing of the complex exploded outward, windows shattering and sections of roof blowing up into the air. Shards of metal and glass rained down on the parking lot and beyond like glittering confetti edged in razor blades.
Sophia dropped to her knees, pain lancing through her heart so sharply she thought it might have burst. Niki.
She threw back her head and howled.
Sylvan landed on the far side of the barricade and shifted into skin. Chris dropped beside her, blood staining her brown and white pelt. Sylvan gripped Chris’s ruff and pulled her against her side. Good work, Lieutenant. Get that shoulder looked at. You did well today.
