alive over there?”
No reply, and she was surprised to realize how worried that made her.
Minutes passed before Dillinger fully shifted to a thirty-something white male. She jabbed the tranq dart into his chest and watched until the vial emptied.
Then all the energy seemed to seep out of her body. Her arms and legs hurt like hell, and the side of her head throbbed. She got up and made her way to Dempsey, who was moving slowly and had shifted back to human.
She dropped to her knees next to him and pulled a cell phone from her suit. She speed-dialed the troops and told them the package was ready for pickup. She was ordering an ambulance for Dempsey when he grabbed her arm and said, “Don’t.”
“What?” she asked.
His eyes were closed. “No ambulance. No doctors.”
“You need to be looked at, Dempsey.”
He opened his eyes. “They can’t help me. Your medicine doesn’t work the same for us.”
She realized he was probably right. XCEL knew nothing about Shifters health-wise. They were just going to be put on ice anyway. “Cancel the EMTs,” she said and hung up.
Then Dempsey rolled to his side with great effort.
“What do you need?” she said.
“You really don’t want to know,” he replied, sounding distracted. He seemed to be concentrating on his breathing. She glanced up thirty feet to the hole in the apartment. That was why he’d told her to get outside. He was expecting to push Dillinger out. Dillinger wasn’t.
“Try me,” she said.
He rubbed his neck. “I could use a cold drink.”
Seneca helped him to his feet as the cleanup crew arrived. They could take it from here, and luckily, they never asked questions. “That makes two of us.”
From the shadows, Max watched Seneca deal with the guys in black suits. An ominous-looking truck had pulled into the alley, blocking most of it. Dillinger was neutralized and being loaded into a steel container.
And Seneca Thomas could make Shifters shift against their will.
In all the places he’d been and all the people he’d seen, he’d never met anyone who could do that. Was she unique or were there others with that ability? How had she discovered her power? Did she know about it before she joined XCEL? Did they know? He had a lot of questions, but he doubted he’d ever get answers from her.
Seneca glanced at him with a flicker of concern and then turned around to talk to another uniform. He’d had the opportunity to see her in action, and she was good, even without the added special skills. Between being able to spot them and being able to make them shift, she was a born Shifter hunter.
The lid was closed over Dillinger, and Seneca walked back toward Max. She handed him a bottled water. “Sorry, the best I could do.”
He took it and nodded toward her bloody cheek. “Thanks. Are you okay?”
She gave a short laugh. “I’ve had worse. You?”
“All healed,” he said and took a drink from the bottle. “Did you ask them where they take the bodies?”
Seneca nodded her head. “They wouldn’t tell me.”
She’d asked? He was surprised, which, considering everything he’d just witnessed, was quite a feat. He turned to her. “I saw how you made Dillinger shift. I’d like to know how you did it.”
She didn’t look at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He could see the tension in her shoulders. She knew exactly what he was talking about. “You put your hand on him and said, ‘Shift.’ And he did. Care to explain that?”
“Not really,” she said, her gaze fixed on the cleanup crew.
Max leaned back against the brick wall. “I know what I saw.”
She finally looked at him, her expression guarded. “It’s personal.”
This was why he preferred to work alone. Partners were a royal pain. “Or I could talk to MacGregor and all the other agents to see what they know about it.”
Seneca glared at him for what seemed an eternity. “Yes, I can force-shift or shift-force or whatever you want to call
No reply, and she was surprised to realize how worried that made her.
Minutes passed before Dillinger fully shifted to a thirty-something white male. She jabbed the tranq dart into his chest and watched until the vial emptied.
Then all the energy seemed to seep out of her body. Her arms and legs hurt like hell, and the side of her head throbbed. She got up and made her way to Dempsey, who was moving slowly and had shifted back to human.
She dropped to her knees next to him and pulled a cell phone from her suit. She speed-dialed the troops and told them the package was ready for pickup. She was ordering an ambulance for Dempsey when he grabbed her arm and said, “Don’t.”
“What?” she asked.
His eyes were closed. “No ambulance. No doctors.”
“You need to be looked at, Dempsey.”
He opened his eyes. “They can’t help me. Your medicine doesn’t work the same for us.”
She realized he was probably right. XCEL knew nothing about Shifters health-wise. They were just going to be put on ice anyway. “Cancel the EMTs,” she said and hung up.
Then Dempsey rolled to his side with great effort.
“What do you need?” she said.
“You really don’t want to know,” he replied, sounding distracted. He seemed to be concentrating on his breathing. She glanced up thirty feet to the hole in the apartment. That was why he’d told her to get outside. He was expecting to push Dillinger out. Dillinger wasn’t.
“Try me,” she said.
He rubbed his neck. “I could use a cold drink.”
Seneca helped him to his feet as the cleanup crew arrived. They could take it from here, and luckily, they never asked questions. “That makes two of us.”
From the shadows, Max watched Seneca deal with the guys in black suits. An ominous-looking truck had pulled into the alley, blocking most of it. Dillinger was neutralized and being loaded into a steel container.
And Seneca Thomas could make Shifters shift against their will.
In all the places he’d been and all the people he’d seen, he’d never met anyone who could do that. Was she unique or were there others with that ability? How had she discovered her power? Did she know about it before she joined XCEL? Did they know? He had a lot of questions, but he doubted he’d ever get answers from her.
Seneca glanced at him with a flicker of concern and then turned around to talk to another uniform. He’d had the opportunity to see her in action, and she was good, even without the added special skills. Between being able to spot them and being able to make them shift, she was a born Shifter hunter.
The lid was closed over Dillinger, and Seneca walked back toward Max. She handed him a bottled water. “Sorry, the best I could do.”
He took it and nodded toward her bloody cheek. “Thanks. Are you okay?”
She gave a short laugh. “I’ve had worse. You?”
“All healed,” he said and took a drink from the bottle. “Did you ask them where they take the bodies?”
Seneca nodded her head. “They wouldn’t tell me.”
She’d asked? He was surprised, which, considering everything he’d just witnessed, was quite a feat. He turned to her. “I saw how you made Dillinger shift. I’d like to know how you did it.”
She didn’t look at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He could see the tension in her shoulders. She knew exactly what he was talking about. “You put your hand on him and said, ‘Shift.’ And he did. Care to explain that?”
“Not really,” she said, her gaze fixed on the cleanup crew.
Max leaned back against the brick wall. “I know what I saw.”
She finally looked at him, her expression guarded. “It’s personal.”
This was why he preferred to work alone. Partners were a royal pain. “Or I could talk to MacGregor and all the other agents to see what they know about it.”
Seneca glared at him for what seemed an eternity. “Yes, I can force-shift or shift-force or whatever you want to call
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