moment. “After all their hellish tests, the first time didn’t take. I didn’t plan to let them have another go at me.” Her eyes hardened, and his beast felt her fury as if it were his own. “I’m going to kill Caleb Trenton and destroy his lab. And I’m taking out all of his mistakes.”
Including me , he swore she said to herself. His beast roared inside his head in denial. No way in hell he’d let that happen; Gray and his beast agreed completely. “Yeah, well, if you’d let me out of these, I’d help.”
She shook her head. “Sorry. No can do. You talk pretty, but I’m not in the habit of trusting Circs.”
Frustrated yet proud of her sense, he didn’t know what tack to take until he remembered how she’d treated Bas. She might not want to, but she liked his partner. Hell, everyone who met the big bastard liked him. Even Gray.
“So you won’t free me. Could you at least help him out?” He looked over the bed at Bas, crumpled on the ground.
She nodded. “You’re right, you know. He’s dangerous, but he’s no killer. Doesn’t have it in him. That’s why I…” She didn’t finish. Instead, she changed.
Darker, thicker hair. Skin that scaled in odd places where the black was most prominent—her forearms, her hands, parts of her neck—a thickened and taller frame. She reminded him of the wild women where he’d grown up, deep in the Amazon jungle. Strong, sturdy, and lethal. They hadn’t been raised in the soft environs of human society. Instead they’d grown up alongside predators and the rich flora of the jungle. Ali possessed that same edge. A hardness she tempered with the natural purity deep inside her. A little girl forced to become a monster to survive.
He understood her, and it floored him. Because he sensed a kindred spirit. A lot like the one he’d felt in Bas, only she had a stronger backbone. Dominant, not submissive like his mate—partner.
He watched as she managed to take Bas over her shoulder and dumped him half on Gray. She pulled out the dart from Bas’s chest and pocketed it. “Scoot over,” she ordered, used to being in charge.
We’ll have to break her of that . He and his beast agreed while he shifted to make room for Bas.
She didn’t tie him up but turned to leave.
“Wait. Where are you going?”
“I have tracks to cover, mutants to watch out for.”
“No. Stay here. Don’t tempt them. Mutants aren’t—”
“I know exactly what they are,” she snapped and turned back to him. She held out her forearms. “Look at me. I’m the same fucking thing.”
“No, you’re not.” And he meant it.
She opened her mouth to respond but said nothing. Then she frowned. “I, well, it feels like I am.” She continued toward the exit. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back in a few hours. I won’t let you starve.” A pause. “And if you’re really who you say are , I won’t kill you. But you can’t stay here.”
She left before Gray could say more. He heard her on the steps, the sound of a door closing, then silence. So much for getting a bead on where she went or what she did next. Gray pulled and twisted, but the damn restraints didn’t budge.
“Woman is paranoid.” And smart. She could hold a Circ down here indefinitely if she wanted.
He turned to Bas. In sleep, his partner looked no less soft but strangely vulnerable. Bas’s head faced him, and his breath fanned Gray’s face. Unable to stop himself, Gray let loose his telepathy and tried to penetrate the fog around Bas’s thoughts.
“Bas? Answer me. You okay?”
It took some doing, but when Gray’s beast joined forces to push at Bas’s inner awareness, the stubborn man finally answered. “Gray?”
Relief made him light-headed. Though Gray had seen and believed Ali had only used a tranquilizer, who knew what she’d drugged him with. Not all chemicals worked on Circs in the same way.
“I’m right here next to you. Your girl knocked you out with a
Including me , he swore she said to herself. His beast roared inside his head in denial. No way in hell he’d let that happen; Gray and his beast agreed completely. “Yeah, well, if you’d let me out of these, I’d help.”
She shook her head. “Sorry. No can do. You talk pretty, but I’m not in the habit of trusting Circs.”
Frustrated yet proud of her sense, he didn’t know what tack to take until he remembered how she’d treated Bas. She might not want to, but she liked his partner. Hell, everyone who met the big bastard liked him. Even Gray.
“So you won’t free me. Could you at least help him out?” He looked over the bed at Bas, crumpled on the ground.
She nodded. “You’re right, you know. He’s dangerous, but he’s no killer. Doesn’t have it in him. That’s why I…” She didn’t finish. Instead, she changed.
Darker, thicker hair. Skin that scaled in odd places where the black was most prominent—her forearms, her hands, parts of her neck—a thickened and taller frame. She reminded him of the wild women where he’d grown up, deep in the Amazon jungle. Strong, sturdy, and lethal. They hadn’t been raised in the soft environs of human society. Instead they’d grown up alongside predators and the rich flora of the jungle. Ali possessed that same edge. A hardness she tempered with the natural purity deep inside her. A little girl forced to become a monster to survive.
He understood her, and it floored him. Because he sensed a kindred spirit. A lot like the one he’d felt in Bas, only she had a stronger backbone. Dominant, not submissive like his mate—partner.
He watched as she managed to take Bas over her shoulder and dumped him half on Gray. She pulled out the dart from Bas’s chest and pocketed it. “Scoot over,” she ordered, used to being in charge.
We’ll have to break her of that . He and his beast agreed while he shifted to make room for Bas.
She didn’t tie him up but turned to leave.
“Wait. Where are you going?”
“I have tracks to cover, mutants to watch out for.”
“No. Stay here. Don’t tempt them. Mutants aren’t—”
“I know exactly what they are,” she snapped and turned back to him. She held out her forearms. “Look at me. I’m the same fucking thing.”
“No, you’re not.” And he meant it.
She opened her mouth to respond but said nothing. Then she frowned. “I, well, it feels like I am.” She continued toward the exit. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back in a few hours. I won’t let you starve.” A pause. “And if you’re really who you say are , I won’t kill you. But you can’t stay here.”
She left before Gray could say more. He heard her on the steps, the sound of a door closing, then silence. So much for getting a bead on where she went or what she did next. Gray pulled and twisted, but the damn restraints didn’t budge.
“Woman is paranoid.” And smart. She could hold a Circ down here indefinitely if she wanted.
He turned to Bas. In sleep, his partner looked no less soft but strangely vulnerable. Bas’s head faced him, and his breath fanned Gray’s face. Unable to stop himself, Gray let loose his telepathy and tried to penetrate the fog around Bas’s thoughts.
“Bas? Answer me. You okay?”
It took some doing, but when Gray’s beast joined forces to push at Bas’s inner awareness, the stubborn man finally answered. “Gray?”
Relief made him light-headed. Though Gray had seen and believed Ali had only used a tranquilizer, who knew what she’d drugged him with. Not all chemicals worked on Circs in the same way.
“I’m right here next to you. Your girl knocked you out with a
Similar Books
