“I'm not going to stand around and watch you self-destruct again.” She gave a hard shake of her head, disappointment clearly etched on her face. She turned to walk away, and then stopped. Her words were almost inaudible, “I hope you know what you're doing.”
Lora didn't have a freaking clue what she was doing, but she wasn't about to tell her sister that. Not when Jenna already believed that Lora was on a one-way road to total and complete self-annihilation. The worst part about it was she knew her sister was right.
Jenna didn't know that Chase had marked her, but Lora doubted it would make a difference in her sister's mind. She clenched her lips together to keep from calling her back, begging her to stay.
When she heard the front door click shut, Lora threw herself across the couch and sobbed. She had no clue what she was going to do, but she needed to get out of Chase's apartment. Needed time alone, to think.
Austin said there was a way to reverse the mating, and she had no reason to doubt him. When she was around him, her animal stayed dormant. With Chase, she could feel her control slipping, the lioness rising inside like a tsunami that couldn't be stopped.
She quickly dressed in the jeans, sweatshirt, and running shoes Jenna had brought, grabbed her clutch and cell phone, and called a cab.
Her sister was right. She was irrational where Chase was concerned. If she was going to make the right decision, then she needed to keep her emotions out of it, and that meant she couldn't be anywhere near him.
Chapter 15
Chase stared at the newspaper laid out on Jacob's desk, and cursed as he read the headline.
RARE SUNDA CLOUDED LEOPARD FOUND IN NORTHERN MICHIGAN
“Where is it now?” Chase took a seat across from Jacob.
Jacob leaned back in his chair and let out a heavy sigh. “Our agents were able to convince the local authorities to hand the animal over. It's being placed with the others.”
“You're sure it's another spontaneous morph?”
Jacob lifted a brow. “The last time I checked, leopards weren't indigenous to Northern Michigan.”
Sarcastic asshole.
Chase frowned and shook his head. “So what are we doing about it? We've got our top geneticists working day and night, and are still no closer to figuring out what the hell is causing it, or how to turn the poor bloody bastards human again.”
“We've got bigger problems than just a few spontaneous morphings.” Jacob brushed his fingers through his dark hair, making it stand on end. He kept his voice calm, but there was a clear edge of anxiety that filtered through. “In the past few days, Cyber division has shut down multiple blogs and websites, each one claiming that the random shifts are nature's retribution to mankind. They can barely shut one down before another pops up.”
“Those sites pop up all the time.” Chase shrugged. “People pass them off as nothing more than conspiracy theories.”
“Usually. But whoever's behind the most recent blogs have solid evidence that can expose us to the general public.”
Chase narrowed his eyes, his chest tightening. “What kind of evidence?”
“Pictures. DNA samples. And—” Jacob twisted his computer so that Chase could see the screen. “Every secure file the Therian Agency has produced in the last thirty years.”
Chase jumped from his chair and paced. “Bloody fucking hell.”
Jacob steepled his fingers and frowned. “We've been able to contain the leaked material, but so far we've been unable to locate the original source.”
Chase swallowed tightly. If news of their kind leaked out to the general population, things would go to hell faster than shit in a handbasket. He tried to replicate Jacob's exterior calm. “Do we have any leads?”
“Nothing concrete.” He stood and made his way across the room to a metal filing cabinet. “What we do know is that those three kids you found in that warehouse were doing more than just studying the coyote. They were creating a detailed
Lora didn't have a freaking clue what she was doing, but she wasn't about to tell her sister that. Not when Jenna already believed that Lora was on a one-way road to total and complete self-annihilation. The worst part about it was she knew her sister was right.
Jenna didn't know that Chase had marked her, but Lora doubted it would make a difference in her sister's mind. She clenched her lips together to keep from calling her back, begging her to stay.
When she heard the front door click shut, Lora threw herself across the couch and sobbed. She had no clue what she was going to do, but she needed to get out of Chase's apartment. Needed time alone, to think.
Austin said there was a way to reverse the mating, and she had no reason to doubt him. When she was around him, her animal stayed dormant. With Chase, she could feel her control slipping, the lioness rising inside like a tsunami that couldn't be stopped.
She quickly dressed in the jeans, sweatshirt, and running shoes Jenna had brought, grabbed her clutch and cell phone, and called a cab.
Her sister was right. She was irrational where Chase was concerned. If she was going to make the right decision, then she needed to keep her emotions out of it, and that meant she couldn't be anywhere near him.
Chapter 15
Chase stared at the newspaper laid out on Jacob's desk, and cursed as he read the headline.
RARE SUNDA CLOUDED LEOPARD FOUND IN NORTHERN MICHIGAN
“Where is it now?” Chase took a seat across from Jacob.
Jacob leaned back in his chair and let out a heavy sigh. “Our agents were able to convince the local authorities to hand the animal over. It's being placed with the others.”
“You're sure it's another spontaneous morph?”
Jacob lifted a brow. “The last time I checked, leopards weren't indigenous to Northern Michigan.”
Sarcastic asshole.
Chase frowned and shook his head. “So what are we doing about it? We've got our top geneticists working day and night, and are still no closer to figuring out what the hell is causing it, or how to turn the poor bloody bastards human again.”
“We've got bigger problems than just a few spontaneous morphings.” Jacob brushed his fingers through his dark hair, making it stand on end. He kept his voice calm, but there was a clear edge of anxiety that filtered through. “In the past few days, Cyber division has shut down multiple blogs and websites, each one claiming that the random shifts are nature's retribution to mankind. They can barely shut one down before another pops up.”
“Those sites pop up all the time.” Chase shrugged. “People pass them off as nothing more than conspiracy theories.”
“Usually. But whoever's behind the most recent blogs have solid evidence that can expose us to the general public.”
Chase narrowed his eyes, his chest tightening. “What kind of evidence?”
“Pictures. DNA samples. And—” Jacob twisted his computer so that Chase could see the screen. “Every secure file the Therian Agency has produced in the last thirty years.”
Chase jumped from his chair and paced. “Bloody fucking hell.”
Jacob steepled his fingers and frowned. “We've been able to contain the leaked material, but so far we've been unable to locate the original source.”
Chase swallowed tightly. If news of their kind leaked out to the general population, things would go to hell faster than shit in a handbasket. He tried to replicate Jacob's exterior calm. “Do we have any leads?”
“Nothing concrete.” He stood and made his way across the room to a metal filing cabinet. “What we do know is that those three kids you found in that warehouse were doing more than just studying the coyote. They were creating a detailed
Similar Books
