by L. E. Horn
How many enforcers feel that way? I thought of the Nightshifters, mixed in with those on the island. Would they rescue us or take us out?
There are some that hate wulfleng. But Jason is in control, and he’s on your side.
“What’s in that?” I asked, as Wallace approached with the needle. He didn’t answer as he stepped close and jabbed the needle hard into my pectoral muscle, wiggling it to make it hurt like hell.
You do have a certain effect on people, Sam said with a sigh.
Crap. I think I’m about to take another nap.
It’s for the best. This time, she eased me off into the blackness. Considering the nasty things I saw lying on the cart, maybe she was right.
* * *
When I woke, I was chained to a wall, which was a substantial improvement, considering how badly I needed to pee. My body had small incisions in various places, some stitched, most not. The chains were attached to thick manacles around both ankles and one wrist, but they permitted me enough movement to step away from the cot to the crude commode.
I staggered to the unit in question. The fact that my urine was tinted pink and stung like hell indicated that the good doctor had been in places I’d rather not think about.
Better not to know, agreed Sam.
My sense of violation twisted into rage, and my hands sprouted claws. Which I must say, wasn’t great timing. I struggled with both the wulf and my emotions for a moment. I might need him for the next round, and I couldn’t afford the effort now.
Warmth swept through me from head to toe, giving me strength.
Thanks, beautiful.
Anytime.
I averted my gaze from my current occupation. Mindspeak had its drawbacks when it came to modesty. How long was I out? I asked, as much to distract her as because I really wanted to know.
About four hours.
Still on target? I finished at the commode and paced around the room, testing the length of the chains.
Yes. Chris and I are coming with the last group, scheduled in about three hours. We’ve four loads already delivered, mostly our gear, and about fifteen enforcers, including Jason.
You’re not coming in as wulves?
Half of us are. The other half will be human and armed.
A howl sounded from not far away. It started deep and ended on an escalating scale that made my neck hairs stand on end. It roused several others, all tinged with a familiar madness. I shuddered. I was not alone in paradise.
They’ve got other mutants housed near you. And they don’t sound happy. Or sane.
Other than Keith, it was the first sign of the madness that had infected Dillon. When Lily spoke of the teams, she mentioned Alpha was back and that it had issues.
A group of mutants infected before the new antiviral was ready?
Maybe. A new antiviral might explain why she wasn’t afraid to . . .
The reminder might not be prudent in Sam’s presence, but she caught the reference anyway, and I sensed her ire build as the howls abruptly cut off, like someone had thrown a switch. In the sudden silence, I heard the warning click of high heels.
“Is everything still functioning as intended?”
I turned to see a pair of icy blues staring at me through the slot in the door. It took effort to not hide my nakedness. Even in her heels, she was the perfect height to look in without having to bend over. Are all wulfan females petite and feisty?
You are sooo not comparing me to her.
I was, but only in the most complimentary manner.
I’m leaving you to rot.
No, you won’t. You find me irresistible.
“I asked you a question, pet. Did you survive the attentions of the good doctor?”
“He may be a doctor, but the term good is relative.”
She nodded and grinned at me. “Well, he has more things to keep him occupied now. Or shall I say, more wulfleng.”
A chill traveled down my spine. I took a step toward her, the chains clanging. “What do you mean?”
“It seems you are a better teacher than expected. We’ve brought your precious students in for . . . questioning. One held Bradford against a tree with a long hairy arm while in human form.”
A Nightshifter did a flashmorph?
Oh, crap, supplied Sam.
“Your big red wulf. Good thing one of your other wulfleng talked him down before someone had to shoot him. Now we have your entire group to help us determine how you do those super-partials.”
I struggled to contain my horror at this news. Me being in the middle of a war, complete with the stereotypical mad scientists, was one thing. But I had wanted Danny and the others left out of it.
I remembered the howls. God, no.
It couldn’t have been them. Even if they were headed that way, they wouldn’t sound like that so soon. You only left them yesterday.
The words and her logic calmed me.
“We don’t know why we can do super-partials. I’ve never seen my guys do them at all. Are you sure?”
“I’ve seen the tape myself,” Lily purred. “A lovely hairy arm and shoulder, muscles all big and bulgy right into his chest. Nice big claws. Much more than any wulfan or wulfleng can achieve. Bradford’s lucky to be alive. Your redhead is a rather striking specimen, I must say. Although I prefer blonds.”
Christ. If she touched Nate like she’d touched me, he’d kill her, or try to. He was way too messed up inside for that crap.
“That’s the first time he’s ever done that,” I said, desperation driving me forward. “I’ve done partials and the others—the ones you call super-partials—many times. It’s easy for me.”
Liam, stop it. Enough.
No. I can take it, Sam. Nate and the others—they’ve lived through too much. If she messes with them, they’ll shatter.
You are underestimating them and not thinking clearly. Don’t give her more of yourself than you have already.
One of Lily’s eyes disappeared behind the door as she tilted her head. “We’ll have to test them—see if they can do it under duress.”
No frigging way she would torture them. My wulf surged to the surface.
Dammit, Liam! You have to wait. Stand down!
Lily laughed. “Oh, you are so much fun. Don’t worry, my blond wulf, we will have time yet to dance. We drugged your friends to transport them and they’re still sleeping it off.” She tapped her nails on the door. “I’m sorry, my pet, but I must leave. I’m due at a meeting, but I’ll be back.” She sketched me a wave and vanished, leaving me dealing with an enraged wulf and a frantic woman ranting in my head.
For God’s sake, Liam, what the hell is wrong with you? I thought you had better control than that! She’s goading you.
I sighed as my fangs slid back into my gums, leaving a trail of blood across my chin. My instinct to protect had been automatic. Thanks largely to Nate, I now knew where that reaction came from.
Her mention of my guys being drugged finally penetrated, flooding me with relief.
I told you it couldn’t be them howling. But you shouldn’t have lost it. It serves no purpose as long as you’re locked up, and it puts her on guard.
She was right, of course. I needed to conserve the effort for when it counted, and the less Lily knew of my abilities, the better. I thumped my naked butt down on the hard cot. She pushed some buttons you don’t know about. I rubbed my face. I need to tell you about Trevor.
I sensed her confusion. Who’s Trevor?
I dropped my head into my hands. My brother.
24
Long after Sam left me, I paced in my cell. If I stretched the chains to their absolute limit, I could reach the door. By peering through the slot, I’d already determined that my room was one of many along a hallway very similar to those at the processing center. If Danny and the others had been moved to this facility, they were likely housed near me.
I called out, but only the howls of madness answered. If what Lily said was correct, the Nightshifters s
till slept off the drug. I returned to my cot and stretched out for a couple of hours, unsure if I could unwind enough to sleep. I woke to the sound of someone throwing up.
The curses that followed sounded familiar. My chains clanged as I moved again to the door. “Danny?”
“It’s Reese.” He sounded rough—they must have dosed them heavily.
“It’s both. I’m here,” came a voice from the next room over. “That you, Lee?”
“I thought I told you guys to stand down,” I said.
“Well, we decided to join you,” Danny replied in a hoarse voice. “Can’t let you have all the fun.”
Our words sent the Alpha members back to howling. How long would Lily keep trying with the antiviral before admitting they were too far gone? The howls, followed by crashing and the clanging of chains, made further conversation impossible.
It added an edge to my frustration. I should have known the Nightshifters might try something like this, but I would never have guessed any were capable of flashmorphing.
Sam reappeared, voicing her thoughts. Chris says he’s not surprised since they’re infected with the same virus as you, and you trained them.
Is it the virus? There has to be more to this than anatomy and visualization.
Hayek thinks the virus enables you. If the others can do them too, he might be right.
If it was the virus, then the other mutants might be capable, too. No wonder Lily was so damned keen.
I told Chris about Trevor, she admitted, her mindvoice tentative. But I didn’t mind. Chris knew all my secrets, or all the ones I’d known about, anyway. He suspects strong emotion is part of what drives the flashmorphs. So your little group of tortured misfits might be perfect for them.
I considered that. They’ve been using homeless people for their mutant virus for months.
Yeah, but they weren’t trained in anatomy or to control and channel their emotions. Your group’s unique, much like you. She hesitated. Josh told Chris that Keen misses you.
The comment came out of left field, but at Keen’s name I experienced a rush of warmth. I miss her too.
Josh says she and Havoc are destroying the house.
Her attempt to cheer me, combined with the emotion I sensed beneath the surface, made me recognize her worry about my ability to control the mutant.
Sam, I’m fine. Really.
You’re strong, she said after a moment. It won’t be long now. Just hold on.
The surrounding tumult faded to groaning, and in the relative calm Danny spoke.
“Lee, you okay? Did they do anything to you?” The concern came through clearly in his voice.
“I’m fine, or I was until you showed up.” My frustration carried in my voice. I wasn’t fragile, damn it.
“Face it, you’ve been lonely without us,” Travis said.
I remained conscious of the cameras and audio monitors. “Well, you’d better hope the good doc doesn’t take an interest in you. ‘Do no harm’ is not his personal motto.”
A crashing noise came from down the hall, followed by a familiar roar. My heart skipped a beat. I pushed my face as close to the opening in the door as possible. “Nate!” I shouted. “It’s okay, we’re here.”
More crashing, with the distinctive clang of chains being tested. I pulled deep and put all the authority I could into my words. “Nate. Stop.”
The sounds ceased so abruptly I worried he’d dropped dead.
“Lee?”
The voice was hoarse, but recognizable. I sagged against the door with relief. “Nate, sit down on the cot and practice your breathing. It’ll be okay.”
Silence, then Danny’s voice, sounding sheepish. “Maybe we should’ve thought this through.”
“Yeah. Nate and chains do not go well together.” I sighed. How could I blame them for following me? In their shoes, I would have done exactly the same thing.
I expected a quip from the peanut gallery, but she remained silent. I got a brief impression of thundering rotors and trees beneath. She was on the helicopter with the last load of enforcers. They were on their way.
“Are all the Nightshifters here?” I asked Danny, but he didn’t reply.
The Alphas’ silence should have warned me of the shark prowling the shallows. A breath of spicy scent and icy blue eyes peered through the slot. Only inches from my own, I barely suppressed a flinch.
“Nightshifters,” she breathed. “What a poetic name for a bunch of homeless misfits.”
“For a bunch of homeless misfits, we seem to have caused quite the stir.”
“Yes.” She tapped her claws against my door. “But it remains to be seen if any of you are worth it. I’ve been authorized to do whatever it takes to find out.”
That didn’t sound good. I swallowed. “I have a proposition for you.”
Her brows quirked and she rose up on her toes to show me her lips through the slot. A pink tongue flicked out to lick them, then she dropped so that her icy eyes stared into mine. “Oooh, I love propositions. Do tell.”
“I’ve trained this group through the changes and formed us into a cohesive unit. Just as we are, we’d be a force to reckon with. What if I trained them through the super-partials too? I don’t know if they’re capable, but obviously one is, which means they all might be. But they need to be guided through, or things could go south in a hurry.”
She tilted her well-groomed head, considering, before pursing her lips. “I need the secret of the super-partials. My father wants our wulfleng able to do them.” She bared her teeth. “And I’m afraid we’ve a bit of a deadline.”
As I considered the reference to her father, I gazed around me at the vivid scrapes and dents from claws that scarred my cell. “Are all the wulfleng calm enough to try? Whoever is down here with us doesn’t sound too sane.”
A frown line appeared between her brows. “We had issues in the past,” she admitted. “Alpha is one of our older units, and they require rehabilitation. It took us time to manipulate and guide the virus. But we have that under control now.”
My heart leaped at her admission, and hope proved a potent energizer. If I convinced her of my plan’s value . . . “There’s no way to know if your other mutants have what it takes to do these,” I pointed out. “But I think my guys might, if I had a chance to train them properly.”
Her eyes narrowed. “We’re willing to make sacrifices to nail this down.”
My blood ran cold at her words. “You do that, and you might destroy your best resource.”
A pink tongue appeared, running along her teeth. “A thinking wulfleng is so much fun. Usually they just pant and snarl.”
“Let me try. All you have to lose is time.”
“Time is something we don’t have.” She considered. “But your suggestion has merit.” The pale eyes fastened on mine. “I knew you were more than just another pretty face.”
I gritted my teeth and took it.
You are pretty.
Am not. Are you still on the helicopter?
Just landed. I leave you alone for twenty minutes and you’re arranging a Pilates session.
“Your eyes—so unusual,” breathed Lily. “I’ll go have a chat with Dad. Don’t worry, I’ll be back.” And she vanished, the clicking noises retreating down the hall.
She’s a bitch.
Literally.
We are not dogs, Liam. And she has four hours until I tear her a new one.
I bought us some time. You caught the bit about dear old dad?
Yes.
She said they had the virus under control.
I didn’t catch that. I sensed the excitement in her, the surge of hope. Do you think it's true?
Keith lost it, but he was a mess to begin with. The other wulfleng on the island were vicious but in control, so she might be telling the truth. I dragged the chains to the bed and sat down. Wallace referred to Lily as royalty. I also detected a slight southern accent, although not as strong as Bradford’s. Have you guys got anything on her yet?
Jason’s too worried to dig for info on Lily right now. These guys are well connected and he doesn’t want them tipped off. He wants to grab them first, then ask questions.
Jason’s smart.
I sensed her frustration. Why are they doing this, Liam? What’s their endgame?
I sank back onto my cot. Somewhere down the hall, someone else was sick as they came off the drug. By the cursing in Cree that followed, it must be Lucas.
I sighed. I wish I knew.
* * *
About an hour later, a trio of big wulfleng arrived with the ice-eyed princess to escort me from my room.
“Daddy says to give it a go,” Lily said with a smile, staying near the door while her minions took the risk of entering.
I did my best to ignore my nakedness, focusing on the wulfleng’s nervous twitches as they unfastened my chains. They secured me into heavy but more portable manacles that locked my arms together from the elbows down and connected to a steel band that circled my waist. The metal was icy cold and made me shiver as it touched my skin. They had to leave my legs free enough to walk, but those remained linked by a length of chain to more steel at the ankles. The entire contraption weighed enough to slow an elephant. Did they really think I could break free? Could I? While one scurried around me, the other two covered me with guns. No darts today.
They take you pretty seriously.
How close are you guys?
We’re grouped and on the move. But we’re three hours until we engage.
Could I keep Lily occupied for three hours? Or would she lose patience and switch to a more violent Plan B? I need you to hang back.
No way, soldier. I want my claws in that woman.
We need her alive.
She’ll live. She’ll just hurt. Maybe I’ll give her some pretty scars.
Sam. I tried to break through the rage that filled her. I might need to act. Before you guys storm the fort, or even during. We’re underground. At some point, she’ll figure out you’re coming and lock us down. That means I need you with me, not pounding the turf as a wulf.
