by Kathy Lyons
* * *
“Hello, Dr. Oltheten? I’m Dr. Cecilia Lu with the CDC.” Cecilia gripped the edges of her phone and tried not to see the gun that Hank tucked into his jacket. They were at the Griz home base and everyone was suiting up as if they were going to storm Fort Knox. And while they’d been doing that, she and Alyssa had found a phone number for the Gunnolf Lab. It had taken forever, but they’d managed it. The place had to be doing secret government research. No one else was that paranoid about keeping off the Internet.
Cecilia had called, talked to a receptionist who connected her with receptionist who then handed her over to a lab assistant, and then finally, hallelujah, they had called over Dr. Oltheten himself. Or so she hoped.
“Yes, hello? This is Dr. Oltheten.”
Cecilia looked straight into Hank’s dark eyes and grinned. She’d finally gotten through! She didn’t waste time and got straight to the point. “I know about shifters. I know you tried to tell the world about it and no one believed you. I believe you, Dr. Oltheten. And I want to talk.”
There was a long silence on the other end, and for a moment she wondered if they’d been cut off. Then she heard a gasp that might have been a choked off sob. It was hard to tell. But a moment later, he spoke, his voice quavering with his enthusiasm. “The CDC, you say? You know about shifters? Werewolves and cats. Bears, too. Do you know about the bears?”
She released a low chuckle. “Yes, I know about bears. I’m working on the Detroit Flu. I think it’s a poison—”
“Yes, yes. In the water.”
He already knew. She was getting more hopeful by the second. “I’m working for the cure. Can you help me?”
“I can! Oh, I have been praying for someone such as you. You must come here. I can show you what I’ve figured out. It’s been hard, you know, after I tried to speak in New York. Everyone has been laughing at me. I have been trying and trying to make them see that shifters are real.”
The pain in his voice was authentic, and she sympathized. To know something so significant and yet be publicly humiliated for it. It was horrible! “I know they’re real, Dr. Oltheten. I’m so sorry that we laughed at you.”
“So you will come here? We will solve this problem together, yes?”
She nodded even though he couldn’t see it. “Can you email me the data—”
“No, no.” The words came out more like a moan. “You don’t understand. After New York, no one would hire me. I had to come here. They were the only ones who offered me a job, and the work requires security. Do you have a security clearance?”
She grimaced. “No, I don’t.”
“Doesn’t matter. They monitor all my email, I wouldn’t be allowed to send it. But you can come here. You’re from the CDC. They know about the crisis. So many people sick with the Flu. That’s why you can come now because so many are home sick. Otherwise, I couldn’t get you inside.”
“Can you just tell me what you’ve found out?”
“I have to show you the samples. You have to see it for yourself.”
At another time, she would have laughed at that suggestion. Data was data. She would see when the science showed it to her. But she wouldn’t have believed in shifters if she hadn’t seen Hank turn into a bear with her own eyes. She absolutely believed there were shifter issues that had to be seen to be understood.
“What are your samples?” she pressed.
“Shifter blood and tissue. Exact slides of how the water affects the neurons. I think I know how to stop it, but I’m not sure. I need someone else to check my work.”
She nodded, her hands actually itching to see what he had. “I need that data, Dr. Oltheten. Can I talk to your boss? What are you researching there?”
“You know I can’t say. And my boss is not here right now. It’s the only reason I think I can get you inside. He doesn’t know I do shifter research. I hide it from him. So long as I do their work, he lets me be.” Then there was a muffled sound on the other end of the line. Another person speaking? The noise of a fume hood kicking on? She could only guess. Then he was back, his words rushed. “Can you come soon? It must be soon.”
“Dr. Oltheten—”
“I’ll tell them at reception. I’ll tell them you’re bringing me data I need. Show them your credentials. They can’t turn away the CDC, right?”
“But Dr. Oltheten—”
“Come soon!” Then he hung up.
She stared at her phone and then looked up at the room at large. Every eye was on her, but she focused on Hank. With short, clear sentences, she repeated her entire conversation. She could see Hank’s mouth tighten with every word, but to his credit he didn’t interrupt. He waited until she was finished and then shook his head.
“Sounds fishy.”
She shrugged, acknowledging his point without agreeing. “Lots of government labs are like that, and we know he’s been doing shifter research on the side. It’s his passion.” When no one argued that, she pressed her point. “The risk is worth it. I need to see his data, and this is the only way.”
Everyone looked at Simon who didn’t look any happier than Hank did, but in the end he nodded. “We go,” he said. “But we do it smart.”
No argument from her. She didn’t care what precautions they took so long as they left soon. Thankfully, it didn’t take them long. Less than ten minutes before Hank turned to her.
“Ready?”
“You have no idea how much,” she answered.
She looked around him at a circle of normal-looking guys, if “normal” meant ripped abs, loose clothing, and an animal stillness that was almost creepy. Simon and Alyssa were the leaders. Both looked calm, focused, and in Alyssa’s case, heavily armed. Then there was Vic, Simon’s beta, and Detective Kennedy. And damn that guy sure looked exhausted, but he appeared grimly official with his detective’s badge on a chain around his neck.
There were others, too, but they were assigned to stay behind. It was just the six of them with Cecilia being the only one who refused to acknowledge the danger of the situation. They were all walking to their cars when Cecilia’s phone dinged. A quick glance told her it was more information from Dr. Sherilyn, the only shifter scientist on the case. Unlike Dr. Oltheten, she refused a face-to-face and wouldn’t talk on the phone unless it was an emergency. It was all emailed info and texts, but this last one was a doozy. She read it the moment she got into Hank’s car. There was lots of data, but thankfully Dr. Sherilyn was efficient. She’d put in a summary at the top.
The poison worked to activate latent shifter DNA.
It was water soluble and would never be picked up by any water filtration system.
It stayed in the body far longer than expected. Two to three days before the body was able to clear it from its tissues.
It had massive effect on existing shifters. It made them more aggressive, yes. But also more emotional all the way around. It was subtle, but it absolutely colored everything a shifter did for days.
Cecilia had already guessed the first three conclusions, but she stared at the fourth for a long, long time. Shifters who drank the water had heightened emotions and made decisions under the influence of those emotions. Things like passion and love were artificially increased. She looked at Hank while her mind tallied up data points. Would a man like Hank really fall in love with her in the space of twenty-four hours? Was that logical?
No. It was much more likely that he was showing symptoms of the poison. What he called bonding magic was more likely the influence of the Detroit Flu.
Cecilia stared out the window, not seeing the buildings outside. He’d said he loved her, and she’d believed him. She’d ignored logic and gone with what she’d been feeling. What they’d both felt. But what if all of it was a lie because of the tainted water? What if she’d allowed herself to dream about children and a home in the suburbs when everything would disappear after the poison left his system?
Pain cut deep, shredding dreams she hadn’t even realized she wanted so despe
rately. A family with Hank. A life with a man who calmed her, understood her, and was devoted to her happiness. But his feelings weren’t real, and the pain of that realization nearly cut her in two. But she wasn’t going to cry. There wasn’t time for it. What she was going to do is end the Detroit Flu forever and then she and Hank could sit down and figure things out. Or maybe she’d just go back to Atlanta and pretend that this whole magical nightmare had never happened. Because it was just too much to process.
Hank noticed her distress. He even tried to touch her, but she pulled back. She couldn’t allow herself to respond now that she knew his affection was the lingering effects of the poison. She wasn’t going to expose herself to feeling anything with him until this was over. Then they’d see where they were. Until that moment, she would just hold herself together by focusing on the problem at hand.
Eventually, they pulled up to Dr. Oltheten’s lab. She climbed out and headed straight for the front door. The others parked at different locations, hidden somewhere doing supersecret spy soldier stuff in case there was a problem. They hadn’t shared the details with her, and she was hoping that none of it was necessary.
She walked in and met the front desk security guy. He was an older man with dark eyes and a bored expression, but his expression narrowed when he noticed Hank standing a step behind Cecilia. Hank hadn’t said a word, but she’d known he would follow her inside. And despite her revelations of the last hour, she was grateful to have him beside her.
His emotions for her might not be real, but hers had solidified the moment she’d seen the wolves attack him. She loved him and wanted to build a life with him. And even if he turned from her tomorrow, at least he was with her now, supporting her as she faced down this damned Flu.
“Hello,” she said firmly, drawing the guard’s eyes to her. “I’m Dr. Cecilia Lu with the CDC. I’m here to see Dr. Oltheten.”
The guard’s expression cleared. “Dr. Oltheten is excited to meet you. He’s been waiting.”
She nodded. “That’s excellent. If you’ll point the way?”
“Sign here,” the man said. He spun a clipboard around, and then he looked at Hank.
“He’s with me,” she said quickly, hoping to forestall a problem.
“No problem,” the guard said. “Always happy to include our ursine friends…assuming he leaves his weapon here.”
Cecilia’s head snapped up. Oh hell. Hank confirmed her thoughts before she could even phrase the question.
“He’s a werewolf. This is the wolves’ lab.”
“Don’t get your panties in a twist,” the guard said. And yes, there was something definitely wolfish about his expression. “We want to solve this Flu as much as you do.”
That sounded reasonable, except now Dr. Oltheten’s words didn’t add up. Why would he hide shifter research from the werewolves?
“I think Dr. Oltheten needs to come down here to me,” she said, but it was too late. Two more guards came out from a back room and though neither of them looked particularly threatening, she knew they weren’t about to let her leave. Well, not her, but maybe Hank could escape. She touched his arm. “Maybe you should wait outside—”
“Not a chance.”
He wasn’t leaving, so they went through the rigmarole of being patted down. Hank gave up two pistols and a knife. How had he hidden those? And she let the guard inspect the briefcase Alyssa had given her, which had nothing but her electronics inside.
“Second floor,” the guard said, motioning them to go on through a door set behind the security station. “Right through here.”
He wasn’t following them and being threatening? Cecilia took that as a good sign. Even better was that it was relatively mundane housing for a high-tech lab: a two-story office building with security and offices on the first floor and the lab on the second.
Hank didn’t let her go first up the stairs. He pushed her behind him as he slowly opened the door to the second floor and then stepped inside before her. She watched from the stairwell as his body visibly tensed. She saw his shoulders shoot backward and his hands curl into claws. But he didn’t shift. He couldn’t since he’d gone bear this morning and had to wait another two days before doing it again. And then he grimly gestured her inside.
She went nervously, but she was determined. She stepped out into a cluttered, messy lab, allowing the heavy fireproof door to thunk closed behind her. She looked around her, mentally sorting through the equipment scattered about. She noted immediately that it was all secondhand, of the ancient model variety. For all that beta Sims had claimed a beautiful lab, this was not what she was used to even at the cash-strapped CDC.
The second thing she noticed was the smell. Hybrid stench, pure and simple. It made Cecilia’s eyes burn and her gag reflex kick in. Fortunately, it wasn’t bad enough that Cecilia doubled over, but damn, that would take some getting used to. And some industrial-grade ventilation.
And then there were the people. Five plus her and Hank. All men, probably all wolves, and all of them grinning.
That did not bode well, especially since she now recognized one of them as the werewolf alpha Emory Wolf. But closest to her was a middle-aged man with a balding pate and a feverish look in his eyes. He turned to her with the widest grin and approached her quickly.
“Dr. Cecilia Lu. I’m very excited to meet you. Were you at my presentation? I was so sick, but I prayed—literally prayed—that my message would get across. Have you seen my paper? I couldn’t get it to upload onto my website, and of course no one would publish it, but you know about shifters.”
His words came manically fast, but she followed them. Hell, she’d probably sounded like that a few times in her life. So she shook his hand but she kept her expression cold. “Why did you lie to me, Dr. Oltheten?”
“What? Oh, yes! Sorry.” He rubbed a hand over his forehead and across the top of his head. It was like he was smoothing down hair that had long since disappeared. “Emory said you wouldn’t come if you knew I was working for him. But I didn’t lie about the rest. I have data on the Flu. I know all about it. And he’s an excellent employer, I can tell you that for certain. I’m sure we’ll get along famously.”
She held up her hand to stop him from speaking, and her eyes went to the werewolf alpha. “I don’t accept jobs from people who try to abduct me. Or kill people.”
He arched a brow. “I don’t believe I was the one who killed anyone.” His voice trailed suggestively away and his eyes went to Hank. Which was bullshit, and they all knew it. The werewolves had attacked them first. But now that she was here, she might as well make the best of it. If she could get any information out of Dr. Oltheten, then this would be worth it. She hoped. And in the meantime, she’d lead with false bravado before she hightailed it out.
“Whatever,” she said with a sigh. “Consider this my official refusal of your job offer.” Then her gaze went to Dr. Oltheten. “But I need to see your data. People are dying.”
Dr. Oltheten nodded. “You know it’s not a virus. It’s—”
“Privileged data,” the alpha interrupted. He gestured to two of the other men in the room. They nodded, each picked up a cardboard box, and disappeared out a far side door. Meanwhile, the alpha strode forward, his expression congenial. “Come work for me, Dr. Lu. I’m confident that you and Dr. Oltheten will figure out how to stabilize the hybrids. We need them functional, not crazy.”
It took her a moment, but she figured it out. “You’re creating hybrids on purpose.” Not a question, and he didn’t deny it.
“I’ll admit that this has gotten away from me. I didn’t expect so much damage.”
“Damage? You mean the dead people?”
He sighed. “That’s why you’re here. Work with him. Find a way to stabilize the hybrids. It’s what we all want.”
Cecilia glared at him. “And if I say no?”
He smiled as he headed toward the same distant door. “Don’t. People are dying, and he can’t figure it out alone.” Then he push
ed his way through the far door.
“You can’t do this,” Cecilia cried. “You can’t—” Her words abruptly stopped when she heard a heavy thunk. She didn’t at first know what the sound was, but Hank did. He spun around and tried to open the near door, but it didn’t budge.
He spun immediately to search for the other doors, but Dr. Oltheten held up both his hands. “Don’t bother. We’re locked in.” He exhaled loudly. “I’m sorry it had to come to this, Dr. Lu. The alpha means it quite literally that you’ll work for him.”
“Bullshit,” she snapped. “He can’t make me do anything.”
“No, he can’t. But Travis over there can make life very unpleasant for your friend.”
Travis grinned at her. Which is when she noticed he was armed with a pistol and a Taser.
“He can try,” Hank growled in response.
“Yes, but I have chemicals everywhere. Including the serum in its original form. It’s quite potent.” He pointed to a refrigerator filled with vials and bottles where it stood between Travis and Hank. “Nobody would like what happens to them if the shifters get exposed.” He looked expectantly up at Hank. “You are a full shifter, right? They get very aggressive. I’m a hybrid now, but I lose control sometimes. It’s very scary. In fact,” he said with a sigh, “as the only normal human here, Dr. Lu, you’ll be in significant danger. And then all the good things we can do together will be lost. You don’t want that, do you? I’ve gone to a significant amount of trouble to wake people up to shifters. I’ve sacrificed my entire career, you see. My wife, too. She never accepted. Refused to believe and it destroyed our marriage. I had no hope until my sister developed this serum and the alpha funded my research. It’s important. You see that right? People need to know about shifters.”
Once again, it was hard following all his rapid-fire words, and then when she did, she felt her hands tighten at her sides. “You’re saying you’re the one who created the Detroit Flu? You’re the one—”
