Now that was a look he had no trouble interpreting. Joaquin wanted Cristían to take the lead, direct the questioning and flow of information. He was giving Cristían control, the alpha position.
“Have you been able to investigate and collect data from the accident site?” It was as good a starting point as any; after all, it was the point from which this all began. Cristían had given Joaquin the code for the cipher lock when they arrived at the institute. Then he and Jeremy had reluctantly turned over the hard drives from their laptops.
“A joint team from the clans began work immediately and are under close scrutiny.” Joaquin crossed one leg over the other. The folder had yet to be opened. He most likely had everything inside memorized. “There's no reason why Jeremy's experiment should have gotten out of control the way it did. Something new was introduced that provided a catalyst. The resultant explosion commingled with your experiment using Rose's DNA. It also may have commingled that DNA with yours, Jeremy's, Lupe's, and Barry's.”
“Barry?” Jeremy leaned forward, his forehead a washboard of furrows. Just as quickly, he eased back. “Oh…Lupe scratched the hell out of him. Paper towels had his blood on them.”
“The team is still shifting through the data and analyzing it. Once we get more thorough DNA results back on the three of you, they'll be able to determine how that mix might have affected you…if it did at all.”
“It did affect us,” Cristían said. “We've all been changed.” Steven too, as a result.
“Yes. There's little doubt Jeremy is one of us. DNA will show more, but he couldn't be more one of us than if he'd been born to the clan.” He lifted his palm. “Before anyone starts spouting theories that we're creating shifters in the lab, it's important to realize that few of us know all the aspects of our DNA. It could very well be that Jeremy had the shifter gene in his historical family DNA. His experience and close proximity to us this last year could have triggered his change.”
It made sense. Nice and logical. Perfect and safe. “So you're satisfied Jeremy is still Jeremy.”
“We are. Once this meeting is over, we'll give Jeremy your tracking chip to begin his analysis.”
“Does the rest of our clan know there's a potential breach in the tracking chip?” Jeremy asked.
“No, we didn't want to alarm them without just cause. If there is a breach, Wyatt and I also decided that deactivating the chips might alert whoever's responsible. Only those of us in this room know about it. The GPS chip has not left my possession.”
Wyatt rubbed his eyes, his first action of any kind since they'd walked into the room. And in that moment, Cristían knew Wyatt wasn't tired from being at the lab all night. He'd spent the time hiding the women and children at the safe house, and setting up personal guards. That explained Barry's absence—he'd be guarding the families. It was the logical course of action—protect the future of the clan. It had to be killing Wyatt and Joaquin that they couldn't be with their wives, children, and soon-to-be-born. Cristían would have been half out of his mind with worry if he were in their place.
Joaquin reached for his coffee mug. His gaze flashed to Lupe, so quick, anyone not looking at him would have missed it. On the surface Joaquin was letting Cristían lead the discussion; however, he clearly wanted Cristían to ask about Lupe next. The reason for the subterfuge, if that's what it was, Cristían couldn't guess. But he covered Joaquin's subtle prompt just in case.
“Love…” He tapped his upper lip. “You have a little cream here.”
Lupe flushed red—that's new—and licked it off, then set her empty mug on the small table.
“What did you learn from Lupe's tests?” Cristían asked.
“We're still evaluating the data and would like to run a few more tests.”
“No.” Lupe's tone invited no discussion. “I have my babies to think about.”
Joaquin's eyebrows shot up. “Babies?”
“Yes.” She placed her hand over her stomach. “I'm having babies. Two babies. One is Cristían's and one is Jeremy's. We've mated many times, and their seeds are deep within me, waiting to be.”
Wyatt cleared his throat.
Joaquin opened the folder and flipped to a page. “Of the tests so far, physically Lupe is a human female. She—”
“Do not speak about me as if I'm not here,” she snapped. “You speak to me.”
Damn, she made him hard! She probably made them all hard, but Cristían wasn't about to verify that by looking, or sniffing, around. Joaquin had the grace to look down, giving her the respect and the role her tone demanded. When he looked up again, it was at her.
“My apologies, lady cat.” He tilted a nod her way. “All scans show you to be completely human. If we didn't know you'd once been a cat, we wouldn't know it now. Even your blood panel says you're human. Blood type O positive, by the way. From your experiences, we've guessed your age in cat years to be around six, which would presumably make you around forty-two in human years. However, all tests show your human body to be approximately twenty-five years old. Your brain-wave activity is high, but then, you are processing a lot of information.” The smile Joaquin tried didn't quite make it.
“Lupe, as a cat, you had kittens. By our estimation, that was five years ago. When you were taken to the animal shelter, the vet operated and removed everything that allowed you to have babies. It's why you haven't mated as a cat since then. Those parts didn't grow back once you became human.” He gave a small shake of his head. “I'm sorry. You aren't having babies. It's not physically possible.”
Lupe lifted her chin. “I'm not physically possible, and yet here I am.”
There was no explaining that one. Cristían was content to let Joaquin flounder.
Joaquin steepled his fingertips under his chin as he struggled for words. “Lupe, there's nothing inside you to create children, nothing inside you to—”
“I've watched the Discovery Channel and The Learning Channel, Joaquin. I might be newly human, but I'm not stupid. I know where children come from. But I also know this”—she kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet under her, nestled firmly in the chair—“after being locked away in that cage, all I wished for was to go into the wild. When Mrs. Wallace took me into her home, she let me have that. Wish granted. Then I wished to be human, even more so when I met Cristían and Jeremy. I studied and learned as much as I could, and I wished. Wish granted, with the bonus of loving Cristían and Jeremy. I wished I could mindspeak with them.” She paused and added, “Wish granted.”
Joaquin, Wyatt, and Steven sucked the air out of the room with their intakes of breath.
“When?” Wyatt asked.
“Within the last hour,” Cristían replied.
Lupe folded her hands over her stomach. “I wished for babies. Cristían's and Jeremy's babies. I cannot explain how or why. All I know is that those seeds are now inside me. Two tiny gold sparkles waiting for life. I will have my babies—our babies.”
Joaquin drew breath to respond. Wyatt jumped in.
“Quite a transition, little warrior. Any regrets for what you might have lost?”
“None.” She cocked her head to one side and studied her fingers. “Although having my claws would really come in handy from time to time.”
“Indeed it would,” Wyatt replied.
“Let's move on.” Cristían pointed to Joaquin's folder. “What did you learn about Steven?”
Joaquin flicked the folder closed. “The blood on the towels contains a very aggressive virus. It's going to take a lot of study to determine who or what it affects and how it's transmitted. After we're done here, we hope to meet with his people to work together on this.”
“Lupe bit Frieda and drew blood. Is she infected?”
Joaquin shook his head. “There's no sign of the virus in any of you, nor was there any sign of the virus in the blood samples obtained from the lab accident. So that continues to support that it isn't transferred to other species and might be unique to Steven's clan.” He squared his sh
oulders on a deep breath. “We introduced our semen, and the virus mutated on contact. Into what, we can't begin to guess. We tried the same procedure with our blood and saliva; no change. However, your fresh blood, Cristían, kills it, both the original strain and the mutated. As far as we can tell, there's no longer any sign of the virus in Steven's system.”
“Fresh, as in…?” Jeremy lifted his palms for a response.
“Blood to blood. Direct contact.” Joaquin snapped his fingers. “Like you two did with Steven.”
A little tricky, but they could manage that. “It's doable, I suppose, with proper medical support,” Cristían said.
“There's a little bit more to it than that,” Joaquin replied.
“Of course.”
“Don't be a smart-ass,” Joaquin snapped.
“Sorry.” Cristían crossed his ankles. “I presume we've now come to me.”
Joaquin nodded and scooted to the edge of his chair. The folder slipped to the floor. He left it. “Your brain-wave activity is off the chart. It's like you're using one hundred percent of your brain. I've never seen or heard of anything like it.”
“Could it be from the microchip?” Jeremy leaned forward, his forearms on his knees.
“Doubtful, but you'll be able to research that aspect.” Joaquin looked at him hard, then refocused his attention on Cristían. “You both took hard hits to the skull. Jeremy's X-ray shows a hint of what might have been a concussion. Cristían, you show nothing at all. Every scar you ever had is gone. You heal in an instant. Your body's producing…” He shook his head, as if he couldn't believe it himself. “Whatever it is, it's very close to stem cells. When your blood is introduced, it seems to reset the genetic code of the receiving body.”
You created a monster, only you can fix it. “How?” Cristían asked. He felt small, humbled.
Joaquin spread his arms wide. “We don't know yet. The team investigating the accident site doesn't have this information either. Only the six of us here know the full impact. Your blood cured and reset Steven back to what his people were before the virus. That same blood was found on Jeremy's clothing. And though we can't say for certain, we found a small paw print overlaid with a palm with three types of blood mixed—cat, female human, and…your blood as it is now.”
Logic and science. Hard to beat that. The how and why—they might never know.
“And my speed—the ability I had to move things with a wave of my arm.”
“Speed, we aren't sure. The other is a subsonic sound wave of some kind. More tests…”
A lifetime of tests, and considering how long-lived their species was… Hells, was he even still part of their species? “Conceivably”—Cristían swallowed the lump of dread in his throat—“if I happen to be walking along the street and cut myself and touch someone else who has an open wound…”
No one answered. There was no need. His blood would heal the other person and reset that person's genetic code. To what, Cristían doubted even the powers that be he'd found hovering in the indigo void knew. Or maybe they did and expected him to rewrite everything, everyone. To fix whatever had gone wrong on Earth.
“I am the monster.” The words came out so softly, he barely heard them. He should be screaming at the injustice, at the heavy weight of responsibility a freak accident had foisted on him. Instead his words were so quiet, it was almost as if he weren't even there. In his heart, Cristían knew why—he'd accepted his fate, whatever it might be. Now to use it wisely.
“You are not a monster.” Lupe fell to her knees before him. Her green eyes swam with tears. “You are my Cristían.”
Jeremy slipped into her seat and grabbed his arm. “There are no monsters here.”
“None.” The word rasped from Steven. “You are the salvation of my people.”
“I am the one whose thoughtless actions mutated the virus in Frieda.”
“That was inevitable.” Cristían heard disagreement in Steven's voice. “We suspected a year ago and ignored it. Frieda knowingly put herself in harm's way, then spread that mutation herself through our people. First their minds go. Then their rage builds. They become more beast than human. If we'd been open with you when we first met, all of this could have been avoided. Now we have a cure. Odd how the universe works,” he added with a halfhearted chuckle.
Cristían looked his way, at the hope he saw in Steven's eyes. “The cure will change them.”
“So will the virus, and not in a good way.”
Cristían nodded. “All right, we'll leave the choice in each individual's hands. If they see the benefit to one—”
“Then the others will follow.” Steven gave a sad smile and turned to Wyatt. “They won't come here willingly. We'll have to go to them. They might want proof on the spot.”
Joaquin shuffled the folders together. “I'll assemble a team, and we'll go to your compound.”
“No.” Cristían shook his head. “They'll see it as a threat. Let's approach a small group first. Those working at the Prentice estate would be a good start. It's a neutral location, with people from both clans on hand.”
Cristían pulled in a breath and faced Jeremy and Lupe. “I want you two to stay here.”
“No!” Lupe's tousled hair whipped from side to side as she shook her head.
Jeremy's protest was right behind. “Cristían—”
“You need to work on those microchips.” He dropped his hand to Jeremy's shoulder and squeezed. “It's something only you can do. I'll be safe. We have people there.”
Jeremy gave a reluctant nod. “I don't like it, but…all right.”
Lupe dug her nails into his knees. Cristían was really glad they weren't claws. They hurt like hell just being fingernails.
“I will not be left behind. With Jeremy here, who is left to protect you?” Tears poured down her cheeks. “It is important I be with you. It is…imperative. I must be with you. Frieda will be there. I must be there to protect you. I must. I will. I demand. I…I wish it!”
Joaquin slid forward. “Cristían, she's been through tremendous changes in so short a time, her mental state—”
“There is nothing wrong with my mental state!” She turned on him so fast, Cristían feared for both their safety. “I will go with my mate! And I will defeat anyone who tries to stop me!”
Cristían wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to his lap. “No one will stop you, my queen,” he whispered against her ear. “No one.”
With some shaky breaths and fire in her eyes, she settled against him. He stroked her hair but knew all the petting in the world wouldn't calm her. Lupe was geared for battle. Gods help the soul who stood in her way.
Her fingers gripped his shirt. “You promised no one would separate the three of us, Cristían.”
“That is what you promised,” Jeremy added.
Yes, he had promised that…when he knew they would all be safe. Now… Gods, he couldn't battle them both. “Yes…I did. We stick together…as promised.”
Chapter Seventeen
Cristían knew Steven's cadre of guards had followed them to the institute; after all, that had been Steven's last order to them. They'd taken him at his word and waited in the reception area for their leader. They stood as one when Steven appeared.
No one said a word. It wasn't necessary. A nod from Steven signaled to his people—two men and two women, all wearing business suits—that all was well. Still, the mountain lions waited until the six of them piled into Joaquin's red crew cab before getting into Steven's Cherokee.
Cristían drove. Joaquin and Wyatt flanked Steven in the backseat. Joaquin and Wyatt had their eyes closed, heads braced against the windows. The sleep would do them good; energize their minds and bodies for whatever was to come. Steven dozed too. His head lolled on the back of the seat, his body slumped. Cristían hoped to hells his people didn't think they'd done something to him.
Traffic was light. Cristían's mind had a tendency to wander to the many scenarios that might play out. Lupe kept
him grounded—one hand on his thigh, the other on Jeremy's. None of them spoke—out loud or in their minds. After all, what was there to say?
The exit leading to the hilltop Prentice estate came more quickly than Cristían anticipated. Resembling a former rancho, the beautiful jewel of a house overlooked San Diego on its exclusive perch. No other homes occupied the hill. Former owners had made the place a fortress against the world, an homage to Maya gods. Now it belonged to the jaguar clan, a hard-earned prize in a centuries-old battle. Cristían prayed they would not be facing another battle today.
The three men in back roused when Cristían made the final turn onto the steep, winding driveway. The other vehicle was a car length behind him, as it had been the entire drive. Surveillance cameras would have picked them up by now, alerting those at the top. Work investigating the lab accident would have stopped, and members from both clans would have come outside to await their arrival. Some might even be lurking along the perimeter with weapons.
Cristían snorted. No, any weapons would be visible, locked and loaded. Frieda and her followers were more explosive than all the C-4 in the world. Which reminded him…
“All the C-4 was removed, wasn't it?” he asked Wyatt.
“Yes, and the detonators too,” he replied. “They haven't put any more in place.”
Steven's sigh was subtle. But the relief Cristían saw reflected on his face in the rearview mirror wasn't.
“At least there are still a few saving graces in the world,” Cristían told him.
“More than a few, I hope,” Steven replied. “I can't figure out how Frieda and her rebels could manage to buy C-4, much less hide it from the rest of us. For her to have accomplished such a thing might mean alliances with factions I don't care to think about right now.”
Wyatt smoothed his fingers through his hair. He looked like he could do with about twelve hours more sleep. “How do you want to do this?”
Into the Heart 3: Into the Wild Page 16
