James nodded. “Yeah, that.”
Pax kissed the spot just under his earlobe. “It can wait a few more minutes.”
CHAPTER FIVE
“What did you just say to me?” Victrixa Mata hissed. She made a clawing motion with her hand as though she wanted to grab her demon’s neck and squeeze.
“I said your bitch of a daughter somehow gleamed into my office in Cobra form and bit the shit out of my leg.”
She crossed her arms. It was safer. “No one can gleam in their second form, you miserable dwarf.”
“She wasn’t there one minute and the next she was as Cobra. I would say that was a gleam. And I’m quite sure being bitten by your pernicious daughter is not in my job description.”
“Your job description is whatever I tell you it is. Was there anyone with her?”
“I don’t know. I was out cold for hours. I couldn’t connect it with anything at all until Batiste contacted me this morning. He said there was some form of raid right after I left our meeting yesterday. Except I was never at the meeting. I was on the floor of my office.”
She let the information sink in. This was not the first time Batiste and Cerberus had met. No one could have simply posed as her demon. Unless… The realization that she had never spoken to Cerberus at all yesterday crept slowly into her mind. She’d spoken to a clone of some kind.
“Cerberus, did you speak to me at all yesterday?”
“No, I did not.”
“Then I spoke to some kind of clone of you. An exact physical replica. The Order must have a member with the ability to phase into other forms.”
“That’s quite a high end power.”
“There’s no other explanation. I saw it with my own eyes. Do you think I was hallucinating? You do realize whoever was at that meeting with Batiste knows all of the information in that fucking report. We don’t even have it yet!”
“Batiste told me he was able to take a photo with his phone as the alleged clone left in another form. The quality isn’t fabulous, but he has one of his people working on it. Whoever it was killed thirty of his rogues on the way out, so he has plenty of incentive to get the image as clear as possible.”
“Thirty?” There was no question then. No one but a New Breed could inflict that kind of damage alone. “I want a copy of the perfected image as soon as he can get one to us. Now, get out.”
“I shall keep you informed.”
Victrixa waited for the door to close before she walked to the window and looked out into the cloudy, starless night. It was all well and good if they could identify this powerful member of the Order and take them out, but whoever it was, they were not the mastermind. She knew her daughter’s work when she saw it. After all, she had been her teacher. If she ordered a hit on her daughter, she would lose the opportunity to kill her herself. But the longer the war went on, the more powerful Ana was becoming. Most likely, the female had no idea what all of her powers were or even how to use them. Ana probably thought they were a gift like so many other Order members possessed. But, she had always been very resourceful. She was finding other ways to use them. And with the female still alive, they may as well be messengering their secrets and strategies directly to the Order. Yes, her daughter was behind the Order knowing Toltec’s current location and about the relationship she had forged with Batiste. Victrixa was sure of it. There was little doubt she had somehow been involved in the death of her former head scientist.
Victrixa breathed in deeply and straightened her shoulders. There would be a heavy cost for eliminating her daughter now. Strictly speaking, it had been forbidden. True, it would help everyone involved immeasurably, but she had planned to do it later when everyone else had what they wanted and perhaps wouldn’t care one way or the other. Doing it any sooner was suicide. Yes, it looked very much like her daughter would live. For now.
X walked into the lab and found Helen hard at work on some formulas. He smiled to himself. She was so close to cracking the first part of the serum, her head was practically on fire. Nice.
“Good morning.”
She took her glasses off. “Hey, hon. It’s good to see that smile again.”
“Thanks. Troy and I are finished with the car. I just want to check in with Rose, then I’m all yours.”
“Okay, great. Oh, would you remind her to stop down this afternoon? I know it’s ridiculous, but I just want to check her over.”
He leaned against the filing cabinet and crossed his arms. “Not at all. You’re just thorough, as a doctor should be. We owe you so much, Helen. Between treating Rose and making sure I had my shit straight. I just wanted to thank you. Really. You have my full attention on the serum. That comes first as far as my work goes right now. Whatever you need, anything at all, just ask.”
“Thanks so much, X. Hey, can I ask you, do you really think I’m close to a breakthrough?”
He gave her a wide smile. “I do. I think you’re very close. And I think working together will make it easier. We approach things differently and that can only add good things to the mix.”
The female grinned. “I know it will. Thanks.”
He headed for the hall, tapping the top of the door frame on his way out. “You got it.”
He opened the door to his room and found his mate buried in textbooks on the bed. “Whoa, female. I’m about ten minutes from not being able to find you over there.”
The moment he heard her beautiful laugh he found himself thanking the Goddess again for sending her back to him. He had no idea if the Goddess could even hear him, but he figured he owed her a lot of back payments. Best to get started.
Rose smiled. “Well, I had an idea. I decided I wanted to give Rory placement tests and combine that with the state standards. Her mind is…I almost can’t describe it. She’s able to compartmentalize information in an incredibly interesting and effective way. And she’s amazing with technology. I figured why assign her a grade? You know, she reminds me a little of you, my male.”
He sat down on the edge of the bed and a loud hiss came out from underneath a notebook somewhere. “Easy there, Miss Thing. It wasn’t on purpose now.”
“She’s not too thrilled with the bed situation.”
“Well, her mama’s teaching again. She’ll just have to get used to it.” He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss.
Rose smiled. “I am, aren’t I? And I think I’m really going to enjoy it. Now that I’m well, I feel like I miss it. Oh, is that the time? Shoot. I have a meeting with Rory and Christian in a few minutes. I was just doing some last minute prep.”
X helped her pack her bag, then kissed her forehead. “Go get ’em, Rosie.”
“Thanks, my male. See you at dinner.”
X went over to his desk and sat down. The lord of all hisses came out from underneath him. He jumped up and full-on roared at the feline. Cool all but flew under the bed. “That’s right. Keep your feral little butt out of my chair, you dig?”
Pax walked into the elevator on his way up to grab a quick cup of coffee. He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. His mind drifted to the night he’d just spent with James. He actually got goose bumps when he remembered the way the male touched his skin. And when James said he wanted to try anal. The way he said it made it sound like he’d never want anyone else inside him but Pax. Jesus, that was hot. He sighed. For the first time in his life he felt the exact same way. He knew he was never going to want anyone else and that was never going to change.
“What are you taking cat naps on the lift these days, partner? Young master James wearing you out, dude?”
Holy shit. Pax and his skin practically parted ways. The elevator doors were open and his partner was standing in the doorway. Awesome. He didn’t need a mirror to know his eyes were glowing out of his head either. Fuck. My. Life.
Time to employ the art of distraction. “You’re hilarious, Dies. Got time for a quick cup of coffee?”
The brother clapped his back. “Sure. Nice text this morning by the
way. Always good to know we have another wiseass in the family.”
“I thought you’d like that. Actually, you know, James’s birthday is coming up and I think I have the perfect gift idea. Care to take a road trip with me tomorrow afternoon?”
“Yeah, I’m in.”
He sat with his partner for a few minutes before he poured himself a second cup and filled another. He headed down the hall to the library and found Adriana right where he suspected she would be. She sat at a long table covered with research books. He kissed her cheek. “Hey, gorgeous. Still here I see.”
“Hey.” The female patted the chair next to hers. “Yeah, we’re just going to have a cot moved in.”
“Swanky.”
“Right?”
He sat down. “I brought you some coffee. I thought you might need it.”
“Thanks. I seem to get so much more done when Maya is with Richard.”
He picked up a book. “How is our little fast and furious? Still gleaming all over the place?”
“Yep. But honestly that’s not what worries me. It’s when she figures out that the world doesn’t end with our suite. What am I going to do then? I can’t gleam. And it’s coming. Mark my words.”
Pax put his hand on her arm and gave it a reassuring rub. “You two will figure it out. You always do. Listen, I know you have tons of work and I don’t want to keep you. I just thought I should let you know that my test was negative.”
“You took it? That’s great.” She looked up into his eyes. “Uh-oh. Not great?”
He sighed. “Well, I’m not carrying HIV. Obviously, that’s a good thing, but…I dunno.”
She reached down and took his hand. “It must be hard finding out Luis wasn’t who you thought he was after all you went through.”
“Yeah, pretty much. Obviously, he knew I was a shifter and he couldn’t get me sick. He took advantage of that. I mean, I came out so I could be with him. I gave up my family and the military career my father wanted for me while he was apparently fucking anything he could get his hands on.” A lump formed in his throat and he tried to swallow past it. “It’s just…”
Adriana stood up and wrapped her arms around him. “It’s okay. It’s just me. Let it go.”
“He never thought about what would happen to me if he was gone. I had no one. I was so alone.” Pax lost the battle against tears he’d been fighting back for what seemed like forever. All of his muscles dropped at once as if they hadn’t relaxed in years. He grabbed hold of the back of Adriana’s sweatshirt, buried his face in her dark waves, and wept as she gently rubbed his back.
He wiped his eyes on his sleeve. “God, Adriana. If I hadn’t gone through the second transition a few weeks after he died, I don’t know where I would have ended up.”
She took his face in her hands. “But you did go through it. You found a new family and became a different kind of warrior. And you have a male who loves you fiercely, Pax.”
Oh, God. James. He looked down at the floor. “He’s having such a tough time right now. I don’t know. I don’t want to make things harder for him.”
“Hey, look at me. You aren’t going to make it harder. You two take care of each other. I’ve seen it.” She sat back down. “Have you heard the call?”
“No, but there’s no guarantee two shifters will be mated, gay or not.”
“Actually, it’s rare for them not to be. When two shifters find one another, it’s usually through their naguals, even if it doesn’t seem that way in the beginning. The Goddess may have been taken, but your naguals will eventually find one another just the same.” She put her hand on his knee. “And, Pax, when they do, it’ll be the first New Breed mating.”
“What? What about Ana and SE?”
“I know we think of them that way, because they were mated by the Goddess at their Induction. But in reality, Ana was just a shifter when they were first mated and SE was barely a New Breed himself. They were first in the ceremonial sense. Not the organic.”
Pax rubbed his eyes. He had never really thought about it before, but she was right. Ana had still been a shifter when they broke into Toltec’s lab, rescuing Adriana and finding James.
Adriana closed the distance between them. “Pax, I’ve never seen a connection this strong before a mating. Not to bring up bad memories, but James took a bullet for you. You two have been showing signs of the protective instinct for quite a while, and we don’t really know what it’s like with two full blooded New Breeds. When it comes, you need to be ready. Both of you.”
CHAPTER SIX
Richard knocked on Reyn’s door and waited. When he knocked again and still got no response, he thought he’d help the brother along by copping a little psychic attitude.
Turns out the guy at the door can read your mind and knows you’re home. Dumbass.
He heard the lock release, opened the door, and walked in. The door closed behind him and Reyn led the way into his sitting room.
“Don’t ever do that again,” Reyn growled.
“Oh, come on. You had to know I was going to show up.”
Their leader sat in a high back winged chair next to the fireplace and ran his hand through his newly buzzed hair. “Hence the lack of answer when you knocked.”
Richard took a seat on the couch. He was used to the brother’s fierce need for privacy. This could get ugly. “So, do you want to tell me what you’re thinking? I know it’s a novel idea.”
The male looked down at the floor. “I can’t sense her, Richard. I can’t feel her at all. It’s like she never existed.”
Richard nodded. That explained the eerie calm the brother was sporting. No connection, no protective instinct, but plenty of other feelings. “I’ve seen it before. It’s the distance. You’re on two different planes now.”
Reyn nodded. “I figured as much.”
“Maybe it’s better this way. You can deal with it with a clear head. Have you thought about what you want to do?”
“Not completely, no.”
“But whatever it is involves you going after her, right?”
Reyn stood and walked to the fireplace. He rested an arm on the mantel and forced a log further into the flames with his boot. “What would you have me do, Richard? What if this was Adriana? Are you trying to tell me that you wouldn’t do everything in your power to get her back? To make her safe again?”
Richard crossed his ankle over his knee. “Come on, Reyn. It wasn’t so long ago that my own female was taken when she was pregnant with Maya. That’s why I’m here. I couldn’t have made it through that without help, and I don’t want to see you try to pull off this shit alone either. Actually, Adri and I may have an idea.”
Reyn turned and faced him. “Okay, shoot.”
“Well, it would mainly involve some celestial reconnoitering. I think Evy and I should pool our power and see if we can summon the Goddess.”
“I’m sorry? Am I missing something here or are you seriously suggesting we hold a séance?”
“In a way. She is a spirit, right? So it should work. She probably at least knows where she is, which is more than we know. And Evy’s power changed significantly after she received the Seer’s Ring. I really think if we work together have a decent shot.”
The male rubbed his eyes. “What about this twin brother of hers. Akil?”
Richard sat forward. “Oh, no. No way. The last time he was raised from Xibalba by Toltec, we almost couldn’t get him back in. He’s definitely not an option.”
Reyn dug at the brick hearth with the back of his heel. “He would want to save her, though.”
“Undoubtedly. But since he’s tried to destroy civilization twice during his long unfortunate history—”
Reyn held up his hands. “Jesus. Okay, the freaky twin is definitely out.”
“Look if we contact her directly, maybe she can confirm if she’s been taken and tell us…well, just anything else she can. She’s in her element there, against her will or not. I think she’ll have a lot to tell us.”
“Who should we invite to this little party?”
“Troy, obviously. He won’t let Evy out of his sight. Adri can lead it, and I think SE should be there. He works with naguals, although mostly his ability deals with sending his own guiding spirit to others.”
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but okay. Let’s give it a go. How soon can we do it?”
“We need to pick up a few supplies. How’s tomorrow evening? We can set it up right here in the study.”
“Listen, Richard, I’m sorry if I…”
Richard put his hand on Reyn’s shoulder. “Look. You’re the most private person I know. And I understand that to you she’s Akina. She’s your mate. But she’s their Goddess, too. Everyone understands. They’re all feeling it. And they’re all willing to give this everything they’ve got.”
Reyn nodded. “Thanks, my brother.”
“You got it.”
James followed Pax through the main foyer and down the hallway. The mansion was almost totally silent. He focused his New Breed hearing. Dishes in the sink, a TV upstairs, the old grandfather clock ticking in the study. It was almost creepy. “So why are we going to the library again?”
Literacy was all well and good, but now that he’d been sexually liberated, he kind of wanted to keep, err, freeing himself. Especially with the male walking three feet in front of him.
“Well, I kind of promised Adriana we’d help look for information on the dicks that have our Goddess. She’s been in here pretty much nonstop, and with Maya being such a handful. She just looked exhausted.”
James smiled. “I still can’t believe Maya’s gleaming. She’s not even ready to walk yet.”
“I know. Adriana jokes about it, but it’s definitely freaking her out.”
“You guys have been friends since the beginning of the Order, haven’t you?”
“Yeah, pretty much. She and Richard have been fighting Toltec for like twenty years—way before the Order existed and the war went guerilla style. Richard was the second shifter to go through his second transition, after Reyn. Adriana was the only female around here for quite a while, other than Mary. She’s always felt like kind of a big sister, but cooler.” Pax chuckled.
Desperate Call (New Breed Novels Book 5) Page 4
