The engine roared to life, and Cash gripped the wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. He tore out of the driveway, sending gravel flying beneath his wheels. We hit the highway moments later, going far above the speed limit as Cash drove towards the city.
Soon, Ariana. We’ll have you back soon.
16
Ariana
A scream cut into my dream, yanking me from sleep. Despite the nightmares, I knew the scream hadn’t come from me. The wailing rose and fell in an incessant drone.
I sat up, barely able to keep myself steady. Something inside me was straining to get out, like one of my beasts had awakened at the alarm. But when I reached for my wolf, she was as weak and injured as I was, and my dragon continued to sleep.
The previous day’s events came back to me, and I immediately wondered if that inhuman beast Dr. Siegfred created had finally broken free. I slid my legs off the bed and took a few steps, my knees shaking with weakness and cold. I made it to the wall where the door always appeared, but there was no way out from this side. Shit. What if it had set the building on fire? I was trapped with only the hope that Muriel found me too valuable to lose.
And the hope that she hadn’t been the first person the beast attacked when it broke out.
I pounded on the wall, though my cries were as pathetic as my wolf’s whines by now.
To my surprise, the door slid back. I had been leaning my weight on it, and when it disappeared, I collided with a solid wall of muscle.
“Hey there, Quicksilver,” Jett said, catching me in his thick arms.
“What’s happening?” I asked, the shock of waking up to sirens and the fog of the drugs making my chest constrict with fear. My fingers closed around Jett’s arms, clinging on. “Did that thing escape?”
“I don’t know,” Jett said, pulling me in and stroking my silver hair back. My wolf trembled with relief at this small comfort that had been withheld from her for so long. Our last mate had finally come to help.
“You have to get me out of here,” I said. “It’s our only chance, Jett. If you don’t do it now, Dr. Siegfred will never let me go.”
“I can’t take you out just yet,” Jett said. “But I will soon. I promise.” His arms tightened around me.
“When?” I asked. “What if she turns against you, too?”
“She wouldn’t dare,” Jett said, his voice menacing.
“She would,” I insisted with a shudder. “You didn’t see how crazy she got when she saw that human turn into… Whatever it was.”
“I’m going to get you out real soon,” Jett said. “For right now, I don’t know what’s out there, or why the alarms are going off. I’m just here to protect you in case anything goes wrong.”
In case anything went wrong?
Anger rumbled up inside me, along with that uneasy feeling I’d had earlier, like something inside me wanted out. Was he fucking kidding me? Everything had already gone wrong. Nothing about this had been right from day one. And then I realized what I was doing, that I was clinging to Jett like he was my savior instead of my enemy.
Fuck that.
I was about to pull away when a realization dawned through my hazy, silver-soaked brain. Jett came and went as he pleased. He must have a keycard to give him access to my room. Which meant that maybe I could get out tonight after all.
Instead of drawing away and sniping at Jett, I turned my face up to his. “Promise you’ll protect me?” I asked.
I could feel a slight vibration somewhere deep in his chest, like an honest-to-god purr. An instinctual response ran through me at the sound of my cat mate’s pleasure.
“I’ll protect you,” Jett said, his voice low, smooth. His fingertips trailed down the side of my face, his eyes intense on mine. I wanted to stay there in his arms, receiving this affection I had craved for so long. I didn’t have to fake the pleasure his touch gave me. I closed my eyes and nestled against his palm, laying my cheek in his hand and turning my face up to his.
His breath caught, and after a second, his warm lips brushed mine. They were so soft that for a second I could only swoon against his hard body, every thought in my head vanishing like vapor. My mouth responded to his, reaching up, seeking the comfort and warmth and connection of a mate-bond. Heat wavered through my cold body, lodging between my thighs, and I moaned against Jett’s mouth. His hand pressed against my lower back, securing my body against his, and his tongue slid between my lips.
The heat of his mouth startled me back to reality, and I realized I was standing in my room kissing the enemy while the building might be burning around us.
The anger that had stirred inside of me roared to life again, and I drew back slightly, breaking the kiss with a small gasp. Before Jett could speak, I gathered all the strength of that anger and drove my head up as hard as I could, slamming my forehead into his.
I was shocked at the force of the hit. I’d felt weak, like I might barely bump his head, but he flew backward, thudding to the floor flat on his back. My own head throbbed, but I rushed forward to crouch over Jett. I checked his pulse. Steady.
He was out cold, body slouched across the floor and head tilted to the side. My heart slammed in my chest, and my limbs trembled, some deep and primal energy running along my arms as if it were magma rising to the surface of my being. How the fuck had I summoned enough energy to knock out a huge man and throw him five feet backwards in the process?
I’d have to consider that later. Right now, I had other things to worry about. While the energy continued to rumble inside me, I might have a chance. I groped at Jett’s pockets, finding his phone in one and his keys in the other. I yanked out the keys, but there was no keyhole in my door. Reaching under him, I slid my hand in his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. Flipping it open, I found a stroke of good luck for the first time since I had arrived in this place. The card was right in the front, as if he’d just used it—which he obviously had. I dropped the rest of the wallet and ran to the door. After searching for a minute, my heart was about to explode. There was no slot for the card!
Finally, I held it up, waving it slowly across the metal scanner next to the door. After a minute, a quiet beep sounded, and the door slid back into the wall.
“Thank hell,” I muttered, stepping out into the hall.
The siren was even louder here, rising and falling with each wail. The bright, fluorescent lights that had lit the halls earlier had gone out, leaving blood-red emergency lights flashing in unison with the sirens. A chill ran up my arms as I looked up and down the dim, shadowy corridors. Taking a deep breath, I started in the direction we’d gone earlier, remembering the lone emergency exit I’d spotted on my way to the lab.
17
Ariana
This place was a fucking maze.
Inching down the hall on my tip toes, I slowed to peer around the corner down the adjacent hall. Nothing. Not only was this place a goddamn labyrinth, but the guards were missing too. Normally, I’d find that comforting, but today, it scared the hell out of me.
A cold shudder ran down my spine and goosebumps pimpled my arms. I rubbed them for warmth, but the chill in my bones wouldn’t go away. Something was wrong. The last time I traversed these halls they’d been lined with guards. Patrols had marched by and a man or woman clad in black stood at almost every doorway. But now? It was like a ghost town.
I sighed and inspected the hall one last time before I slipped past, heading back in the direction I thought was the lab where I’d witnessed the creation of a monster.
Though I hoped it was just a fire, or some kind of chemical hazard that started the alarm wailing overhead, I knew better. Coupled with the missing guards, I could only surmise that the monster had escaped and was wreaking havoc. What did they expect? It was a fucking monster. I’d never seen anything like it before, and I never wanted to again.
I continued down the hall until I reached another corridor. This time, I froze before I had the chance to take a peek. Copper assaulted my nostrils. I
t was a fresh and vibrant—definitely human.
I inhaled sharply and forced myself to look. Blood splattered the once white walls. Half a dozen bodies lie in varying positions on the laminate, their eyes unseeing and gashes torn through their clothes and flesh. Bile burned my suddenly dry throat, and I slowly took a step back.
There was no doubt in my mind that the creature had done this. The gashes were deep and ragged, like an animal had sliced through them. Blood oozed from the wounds and pooled on the floor. The wounds were fresh.
I stilled, my heart pounding erratically in my chest. If the wounds were fresh, than that monster couldn’t be far. My gaze darted back the way I’d come, and then across the hall once more. Nothing moved.
I was safe for the moment at least. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. I had to remember where the exit was. That was my only chance. I closed my eyes for a minute and leaned against the wall. Pushing past the exhaustion, I tried to recall every step of my journey yesterday. The problem was, I had been too out of it to pay attention most of the way to the lab. So instead, I called to mind the trip back. I’d been shell shocked, but far more alert than I had on the trip there.
We’d continued down the main hall, but turned off several times. There was a left, and a right, and another left… I thought.
I groaned and opened my eyes. I just had to keep moving. I’d find it soon.
I faced the hallway with all the dead bodies and slowly made my way toward them. Blood overwhelmed my sense of smell and swirled inside my head. So much needless death, and all for a cure the vampires didn’t want.
I held my breath and slowly stepped over the first body, and then the second. Before I reached the end of the hall, I realized there was no way to get around all the blood. I sighed. I’d have to walk through it.
Gritting my teeth, I stepped over the second to last body. Warm liquid squished between my toes and made me shiver.
I held my arms out at my sides, desperate to keep my balance. I took another step, and then another, trying to ignore the blood against my feet. When I finally stepped over the last body, only then did I look back.
Red footprints followed the path I’d taken to the end of the corridor, ending abruptly behind me.
As I glanced up from the dead bodies before me, I large shape caught my eye. I froze, and my blood ran cold. The monster stood at the end of the corridor, its lips pulled back to reveal row upon row of teeth. It opened its mouth wider, a long, hissing breath rising from its throat.
Shit.
My eyes widened, and my heartbeat sped as I stared down what was sure to spell my doom. There’s no way I could fight that thing off. Not without my wolf or my dragon.
I desperately searched my mind for them. My wolf whined pitifully, and my dragon didn’t even stir. I was alone without my beasties. And I was going to fucking die.
The monster raised its arms and let out an ear splitting shriek.
I slapped my hands over my ears, stars flying across my vision. My eardrums rang with the sound until I could feel it in my bones. Tears pricked the back of my eyes as pain split my skull, and then just as quick as it had begun, it stopped. I panted and opened my eyes—not having realized I’d closed them. The monster shot forward suddenly, almost blurring with its speed.
I yelped and backpedalled, slipping in blood and landing hard on my ass. “Shit!”
The creature flew over me. By some miracle I missed its lunge. I scrambled to my feet and did the only thing I could—I ran like hell.
My wet feet slapped the linoleum as I tore down the hallway back the way I’d come. I leapt over bodies and skidded into the left hand hall as another ear splitting screech echoed behind me.
Shit, shit, shit! I spun into the next hall and sprinted with every ounce of energy I had left. Please, beasties, help! I called to my wolf, and I called to my dragon, but neither could help me. My fists closed, nails digging into the palms of my hands.
I hadn’t survived years upon years of captivity and torture only to be killed at the hands of some creature out of a horror movie. I wanted to fight. I wanted to kill it and rid the world of the monstrosity. But how could I when my beasties were silent and just plain human Ariana was all that remained?
A growl of frustration tore from my lips. Heat burned inside my chest, and an unfamiliar rumble echoed deep inside of me, one I’d been feeling for several days, urging me to fight though I had no strength. My steps faltered, and I slid into a wall. Pain shot through my shoulder, but I hardly felt it.
Something else had awakened in the depths of my mind, answering to my desperate call. Only, the rumble wasn’t unfamiliar anymore, I recognized it just like I’d recognized my dragon the first time she’d shown up. Another beast had awoken to join the other two, and she was pissed.
The sound of claws scraping the floor brought me back to reality in time to roll away from the creature lunging at me.
I leapt back to my feet and opened my mind and body to my third beast. “Let’s kill this bitch.”
My human body was torn away, and in its place, a thick coat of fur extended over my skin. A cry flew from my lips as my bones and muscles shifted into something foreign. When the pain subsided, I was left staring down at the creature which had once been nearly twice my size.
I had huge brown paws tipped with razor sharp claws. I was a bear. A fucking bear! I couldn’t believe it.
The monster screamed, and I looked up. A roar pushed from my throat, but the monster didn’t falter. If anything, a challenge gleamed in its eyes.
Bring it on. If I died today, I was going down fighting.
The creature’s back legs bunched, ready to lunge. Instinctually, I rose onto my hind legs, my arms outstretched. It leapt, sailing through the air, right into my chest.
Its strength pushed me back, but I rolled onto my side while binding it to my chest. I used my hind legs to claw at it while my teeth sank into its shoulder. It shrieked and struggled in my grip, twisting with surprising strength. This thing was stronger than a bear? What a load of horseshit.
I growled and held as tight as I could, but it snapped out an arm and sliced through my cheek. My grip loosened as pain cut through me. That’s all the time it needed to wriggle from my grip and dig its teeth into my thick scruff.
Another slice of pain burned my neck, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as the first. My fur was thick, and it’d take a lot for this thing to dig through it and find my throat.
I recoiled, yanking out of its grip and slammed my massive paw into the side of its head. The creature flew into the wall, its skull cracking against it. The wall caved in from the force, and plaster dusted the air.
I backed up, returning to all fours as the monster lurched out of the wall.
My chest rumbled with a threat. If it didn’t back off, I was going to kill it. But the monster didn’t hesitate. Any creature should have understood my warning, but not this one. It was as if Jade were compelled to keep attacking—or maybe it just didn’t care.
It opened its mouth, and dark, almost black blood oozed from between its teeth, dripping down its chin and onto the floor. For some reason, I almost expected my blood to do something to it. Maybe change it back or kill it. But though it had a mouthful of my blood, it didn’t appear any weaker.
I growled another threat. I knew my strength wouldn’t last much longer. Even if this new beastie had adrenaline working for it, I’d tire soon and transform back. Bear Ariana might be able to take this thing on, but human Ari would be dead in seconds.
“This way!” a distance voice shouted.
I froze at the same time as the monster. Footsteps thundered nearby. It seemed the guards had gotten together at last.
Something flashed in the monster’s eyes. Hunger. It was going to kill them all if I didn’t stop it. Though these people had caged me, abused me, and stolen my blood for their experiments, did they all deserve to die at the hands of this creature?
I shook my head. I was sure some o
f them had families, and I didn’t want to take away the father or mother of a child, not like Dante had done to me.
I raced forward and slammed my shoulder into the monster’s chest, throwing it off balance. While it teetered backward, I grabbed its arm in my teeth and threw it with all of my might into the wall.
The monster twisted mid-air, its clawed feet hitting the wall before it used its momentum to fly right back at me. It hit my neck with the force of a train, driving me straight through the wall into what appeared to be some kind of office.
It clawed at my stomach and bit at my neck. I struck with my hind legs until I threw it off. This time, I slammed my entire body weight against it, crushing it to the floor while I dug my teeth into its throat.
The taste of ash burst on my tongue, but I continued to press down until its flailing slowed, and then finally ceased.
I raised my large body from Jade’s. It didn’t move. With a heavy sigh, I backed up. My body was heavy, and I could already feel my bear slowly receding.
Not yet, I urged. Ignoring the pound of boots in the next hall, I turned and ran as fast as my bear could go. We took two turns before a sign caught my eye. Exit.
Relief coursed through me so intense I lost my grip on my bear, and she fled back into my mind. I collapsed onto my hands and knees, taking a few deep breaths before I climbed to my feet. I was almost there. Soon, I’d be free.
I forced myself forward one foot at a time until I could slam my hands against the door. I shoved it open. Cold night air pushed my silver hair over my shoulders. I breathed it in greedily as I let the door close behind me.
I froze as a familiar scent brushed my senses. Tears sprang to my eyes. There wasn’t just one familiar scent, but three.
My mates had come for me.
18
Her Bear: An Urban Fantasy Romance (Silver Shifter Book 3) Page 10
