by Lacey Thorn
“I don’t… I don’t know how to process all that. Hunters and purists, and god, it makes me sick to think of what you’ve been through, been subjected to. Once I can wrap my mind around it all, I’m going to have hundreds of questions.” Her gaze returned to Michael. “But at the moment, I need to focus on Michael. I need to know what he was given. What drug they laced the dart with. Any chance his blood was checked the day it happened? Or the next? I need a sample. I need to get to work and see what I can find out. Can you help me with any of that?”
“I can.” Cody spoke from the doorway. Derrick was right behind him. Adrian felt the animosity between the two men. Their anger toward one another was palpable. Fuck, Adrian was angry at Derrick, too, and from Michael’s escalating growls, he suffered similar feelings.
Jess somehow managed to ignore all the underlying emotions swirling around the room. Adrian refused to believe she wasn’t aware of them.
“Great. I need my bag—” She broke off as Derrick walked past Cody, making a beeline for her, requested backpack in his hand. “Oh, you brought it. Thanks.” She brushed a kiss over his cheek as she took her pack and opened it, dumping the contents over the floor as she knelt to search through it.
“I need a sample of his blood, and I’ll have to record his vitals. It’d be better if I had something to compare them to, but—”
“I have those,” Cody answered again, and this time, Derrick and Michael both growled. Jess stood and reached down to pat Michael’s chest. Adrian was sure she was offering comfort, and it certainly seemed to soothe Michael. Derrick, not so much.
“Let’s get this settled right now.” Derrick skimmed his gaze around the room before latching onto Jess. “She belongs. She’s not going anywhere. We mated.”
“You’re a bastard,” Cody stated softly, and his show of control made Adrian nervous. All three of his friends were acting way out of character. He appeared to be the only one holding it together, though the way his wolf howled inside made him question himself.
“We don’t have time for this display of alpha syndrome. I need to get back to my cabin. I have supplies there I’ll need,” Jess continued, before she started mumbling to herself, making a list of what she’d need.
“Alpha syndrome?” Derrick repeated.
Jess looked up from Michael and nodded. “You’re all alphas, and this display of testosterone is unneeded. I’m not a possession, Derrick. I don’t belong to you.”
Adrian almost felt sorry for her in that moment. That definitely wasn’t what you said to an alpha mate. Hell, even his wolf responded to her thrown gauntlet. He could tell Cody faced the same struggle to stay in place. Derrick had no such compulsion. He was towering over her in seconds.
“You’re very wrong there. As my mate, you most definitely belong to me,” he growled.
“Something we’ll discuss later,” she countered before turning to Cody. “How can you help me?”
“My lab here. The one I mentioned to you before. I took samples the day Adrian arrived here with Michael, and I’ve checked them daily ever since,” Cody told her.
“We’ll discuss this now,” Derrick interrupted.
Jess lost her temper then, and it was like watching a firework explode. “This isn’t about you or me or mating. This is about your friend and fellow alpha who’s tied to the fucking bed, Derrick. I don’t know what’s going on here—well, I do, but it’s more complicated than I imagined. And I’ll focus on that and you and all of this later. Later, Derrick. After I figure out what’s going on with Michael and save his life, and maybe, find a way to save all your lives if you get hit with something similar. You’re luckier than you know that our paths crossed. I might be the only shot you have at figuring this out.”
Derrick appeared as speechless as Adrian was. Cody didn’t have that issue.
“What makes you think you can do what I’ve been working on for years?” Cody demanded. “I know wolf physiology better than anyone else.”
“Arrogance doesn’t suit you, Cody. Though I’ll allow that you might know wolf shifter physiology better than I do. For now. If the two of us work together, I have no doubt we’ll figure this out. I really want that blood sample then a quick turn in your lab so I can check a few things for abnormalities.”
“You already have a theory?” Adrian asked.
Jess nodded. “Taking into account his aggressive behavior, his increased heart rate and blood pressure, yes.”
“You’re thinking it’s a neurotoxin,” Cody mused.
“Perhaps one that attacks the sympathetic nervous system. Specifically, the adrenal medulla,” Jess stated.
“What does that mean?” Adrien asked.
“Exactly what Cody thought,” Derrick said at the same time.
“It means he’s stuck in a perpetual state of fight or flight,” Cody answered Adrien then shook his head. “But I already checked his levels. There’s no abnormal surge of epinephrine or norepinephrine in his system.”
“Then we need to check again. It’s there. I swear it’s there. We merely have to figure out what they could use to hide it from us.”
Cody moved around the room, gathering supplies, then headed toward Michael. “We’re going to figure this out, buddy. I promise.”
Adrian watched Cody draw more blood, his mind mulling over all they’d said. “What happens if he’s stuck in fight or flight mode?”
Jess blew out a breath as she stared at Michael. “He’ll die.”
“What if we let him fight, then? If he fights one of us, that should take care of it, right?” Adrian asked.
Cody and Derrick shared a look, one that wasn’t focused on the animosity between them.
“I don’t think it’ll work that way,” Jess offered.
“Why not?” Adrian demanded.
“Your enemies. From what you’ve shared, it seems as if that would be too easy of a solution. His aggression seems to have grown in the short amount of time since I was down here earlier. Not to mention, he seems unable to speak. It’s all grunts and growls.”
“Animal noises,” Adrian offered.
“It would be a fight to the death at this point,” Derrick said, voicing what Adrian assumed was Jess’ concern.
“I’m willing to take that risk,” Adrian offered, walking over to his best friend. God, he and Michael had been through so much together. Friends almost from the womb. He saw the anguish in Michael’s gaze, felt the hard rush of blood through Michael’s veins when he touched him.
“Well, I’m not,” Jess told them. “There will be no sacrifices. Cody and I will figure this out and come up with a cure. Quickly. God, I wish my father was here. He’s brilliant. He’d know exactly what to try. Blood. Lab. Now.” She headed toward the door, only stopping when she crossed the threshold and realized she was alone. “Cody. Now!” She snapped her fingers with impatience.
Adrian found himself in the weird position of barking out a laugh while Derrick stared and Cody moved. Glancing down at Michael, Adrian swore he saw a hint of mirth in the other man’s gaze.
“We’ll figure this out and save your sorry ass. We both know that dart could have easily hit me. It might have been meant for me. You had to step in front of me. Christ, Michael. You better not die on me, or I swear… I don’t know, but I’ll think of something. Besides, you don’t want to miss out on Jess. I know Derrick mated her, but I can’t shake this feeling she’s going to knock us all on our asses.”
Chapter Nine
Jess stepped into the lab and glanced around. State of the art. Hell, this lab, hidden in the middle of the woods, had equipment that was as good as, if not better than, the university-funded lab she’d recently worked in. It sure beat her mobile lab. She rubbed her hands together as her mind wandered over everything she wanted to test.
“Where are the samples you took? And the results of any tests you’ve already run?” she asked as Cody joined her.
“Over here.” He led her to a bank of computers. A nearby refrigeration
unit held a multitude of vials in all shapes and sizes. He clicked keys on one of the computers while she checked out some of the labels. She noticed him casting glances back toward the door as he worked.
“What are you watching for?”
“Derrick.”
“Does he often help you in the lab?”
Cody snorted. “No, but you don’t really think he’ll ignore your earlier argument, do you?”
“What argument?”
They had quite the little pharmacy at their disposal here, with some drugs she wasn’t familiar with but planned to be.
Cody laughed. “You enjoy living dangerously, don’t you?”
She shrugged. “After an unexpected conversation with a visiting professor, I left my job a little over four months ago to pursue an idea I couldn’t shake. It reinforced everything I’ve been searching for since I was a young child. I left my friends and family and moved into a cabin in the middle of the woods in Oregon— a state I’ve never been to. I watched a naked man shift into a wolf, wrecked my car, was rescued by two of the sexiest men I’ve ever seen in my life, then passed out. With help, I might add.” She glared at him before continuing. “And woke up someplace I’m still not sure of, with not one or two but four men I’ve never met. All of whom can shift into wolves, which I’m utterly fascinated with, by the way. I’m attracted to all of you, which is incredibly weird since I can’t think of four men in my whole life I’ve been attracted to, much less four at the same time. And I’ve had sex with one of you.”
“Sex?”
“I know you can smell him on me, Cody,” she admonished. Adrian had assured her of that fact. Then it hit her. “We didn’t use birth control.”
“You didn’t discuss that with Derrick before you engaged in sex?” Cody admonished.
She felt her face flush. No, she’d been far too wrapped up in the man to think of safe sex.
Cody sighed. “There’s no birth control for us. Human condoms and pills don’t work with shifter genetics. Jesus! Derrick should have gone over this with you.”
“You’re angry.”
“Yes,” Cody snapped.
“I’ve created tension between all of you. I should run away as far and as fast as I can.”
Cody growled, and Jess had to wonder if he was even aware of the sounds he made at the thought of her leaving. She definitely shouldn’t feel the rush of joy she did.
“But I won’t. I want to stay. Here. With all of you. I want to figure out what’s going on and how I can help in the fight the four of you have taken on.” She moved closer and cupped his face. “I don’t want to leave you.”
“Christ, woman. You’ve mated my best friend, who I fully expect to come crashing through that door soon. You belong to him now.”
Jess laughed. “I don’t belong to anyone. I’m not a thing to be purchased and owned. I’m a person. You can’t honestly expect me to believe he thinks he owns me.”
“Didn’t he tell you what it means to mate a wolf? That you’d belong to him?” Cody asked.
Jess nodded. “He told me I’d belong with you guys. That you wouldn’t disappear on me as you threatened would happen.”
“Did he say us or him?” Cody challenged.
“It was sex talk, Cody. A promise given in the heat of the moment.”
“Sex talk would be him telling you how amazing you feel wrapped around his cock. About your taste, your scent, your gorgeous body and the pleasure you were sharing. He wouldn’t make a promise he didn’t intend to keep.”
“He…” She broke off, confused. He’d meant it. She’d felt it when he’d made the vow but had told herself not to read into it. Her hand automatically went to her neck and the mark he’d left.
“Derrick told you what he was going to do then proceeded to do it. He took you and claimed you as his mate. For life,” Cody stated.
She paused, watching his face for a sign of…what? That he was teasing or joking? It was apparent he wasn’t. As far as her wolves were concerned, she was fully mated to Derrick. She’d have to mull that over. It wasn’t her priority at the moment, though.
She waved her hand. “Derrick and I will discuss that later. Right now, I want to focus on Michael, the tests you’ve already run, and what we still need to run. It has to be some form of fight or flight. I’ve seen it before in different scenarios.”
“Different how?” Cody questioned.
“With wolves.” Jess met his gaze, more than aware of how that sounded. “Real wolves. Not that you aren’t real. That’s not what I mean. I mean the actual animals. Well…” She stopped talking. She’d watched Derrick shift into the animal, so technically they were the actual animals, as well. This was all strange and thrilling and everything she’d hoped and searched for her whole life. Her dreams were coming to life in front of her.
“Where?” Derrick asked from the doorway behind her, making her jump. She’d been so lost in her inner monologue she hadn’t heard him. “Where have you seen it?”
“In the lab. Where I worked.”
Cody stood in front of her, and Jess felt caged between them. And it turned her on. Lord, she was turning into a full-blown wanton.
“Where did you work?” Cody demanded, and it clicked in her head what they were thinking.
“Not for hunters.” She flicked eyes, that had to reflect the hurt she felt, at Derrick, the man who’d decided to mate her. “If you think I’m capable of the things Adrian told me they do, then there’s no reason for me to be here.”
Derrick walked toward her, reaching out and pulling her flush against his much larger form. “You’re mine now, woman. Get the thought of leaving out of your head.”
“I’m not having that conversation with you right now,” she warned, but her heart sped up, jumping around in her chest like a rabbit.
Derrick gave her a questioning look but pressed his lips together, breathing deeply through is nose. “Cody wasn’t suggesting you knowingly worked for them.”
“Then you’re calling me stupid. I’m not. I worked for a university-funded lab in research and development, testing the blood of wolves in correlation to human illnesses. Searching for similarities that could lead to cures or treatments. I didn’t torture or maim or god forbid, kill. And I damn sure wouldn’t have stood by while someone else did those things.”
“We weren’t—” Derrick began, but she cut him off.
“You did. Don’t do it again,” she warned and pushed away from him.
He didn’t let her go. Instead, he growled and dropped his mouth to her neck, nipping her lightly before placing a soft kiss on her skin.
“You have no idea the animal you tempt with your defiance and commands.”
“I am who I am,” Jess told him, turning to include Cody in the conversation. “I won’t be anything less. If we’re together for a while, you’ll get to know me better.”
Derrick shared a glance with Cody, and the two seemed to have a private conversation. It annoyed her. Jess smacked Derrick, bringing his attention back to her.
“You’re being rude. Both of you.”
Derrick shook his head, his expression one of exasperation
“Woman! First, you get mad at me for something that came out of Cody’s mouth.”
“It was on your face, too,” she informed him.
He growled. “Now, you tell me I’m rude when I still haven’t said anything. Care to explain?”
“Forget it,” she said, feeling completely turned on by the rumble in his chest. “You’ve distracted me long enough.” She turned to Cody, and this time when she pushed away from Derrick, he let her go. “Give me a workstation and a vial of blood. Then just.” She made a shooing motion with her hands. “Leave. I’ll let you know if I need anything.”
This time, it was Cody who looked incredulous. “The hell I’m leaving my lab.”
Jess tuned him out as she dove into the research he’d pulled up. “Are you able to print these reports for me?”
Cody growled, which h
ad Derrick growling, and damned if she didn’t growl with her own agitation. Both men stopped and stared at her. “Print?”
Cody reached under the counter and pulled out a tablet. “Use this. Everything’s loaded on there.”
“I prefer print. Habit. I’m most definitely my father’s daughter. Man, I wish he was here. He’s brilliant.”
“Like father, like daughter,” Derrick murmured, hitting on her earlier words.
She felt a pang in her chest. She missed her dad. She needed to call him before he got worried about her lack of communication and came looking for her. How long had she been here? Which brought another question to mind.
“Why did you have my bag with you?” She turned to Derrick. “I needed it, but you didn’t know that when you headed downstairs with it.”
“It was ringing,” Derrick said, and she surged to her feet, mentally cataloging everything that had fallen onto the floor when she’d dumped it.
“Where’s my phone?”
His lips firmed. “I accidentally broke it.”
Cody snorted. Not that she needed that to know Derrick was lying to her. If it was broken, he’d done it intentionally. Somehow, she knew he wasn’t happy he’d done it, but he’d needed to do it for her safety. She rubbed her chest.
“Tug that shirt any higher along your thighs and you’re going to find yourself mounted and fucked right here,” Derrick grumbled.
“Christ,” Cody grunted as he moved across the room.
“I need access to a phone, Derrick. I need to call my dad.” She refused to discuss his mounted and fucked comment.
“We’ll talk about it later.” He crossed his arms over his chest as he stared at her, almost daring her to challenge him on it. Hadn’t she already told him she wasn’t stupid? They’d been talking about the possibility of her unknowingly working for hunters at the time, but the same concept applied. She wouldn’t challenge him. No matter how enticing the idea of being mounted and fucked while Cody watched was. What if he joined in? Shit! She shook her head to dislodge that lustful thought and tried to focus on why she was in the lab to begin with.
