Mason fixed his eyes on Sterling. “I assume you set him up?”
“Oh, yeah.” Sterling grinned. “I told him I thought you had overreacted and I didn’t want to tick off Holly by locking him in the room. I gave him the freedom to show us his true colors.”
“Why, Roger?” Holly asked softly.
He looked at his hands where they rested in his lap. Finally, he looked at her. “I knew they injected me with something and I didn’t want you to think badly of me.”
“What did they inject you with?”
He averted his gaze. “I… I don’t know.”
“You do know,” Mason said tersely. Holly looked at Mason. “He knows, Holly.”
“Maybe he doesn’t.”
“Trust me on this, Holly,” he said softly, his eyes fixed on hers. “I know.”
Her expression said she was trying to understand, to make up her mind. It was several seconds before she turned back to Roger. Her voice said she believed Mason. “Why, Roger? Why would you do this?”
His face crumpled, knowing she didn’t believe him, knowing he was busted. “It was join them or die.”
Holly didn’t move to comfort Roger as Mason thought she would. Instead, she looked at him. “Mason?”
He stepped to her side, laying his hand on her back and speaking close to her ear. “No, Angel, he’s lying.”
Holly nodded and spoke only to him, in a very soft voice. “I really don’t want to talk to him right now.”
Mason understood. Facing betrayal from someone you cared about was hard to swallow. “You want to go upstairs and wait for me?”
She nodded again. He kissed the top of her head.
When Holly had stepped onto the elevator and Mason knew she was no longer able to hear, he turned to Roger. “Was this all a setup?”
Roger looked at the ground. “I don’t know.”
Mason crossed the room and effortlessly lifted Roger, his shirt balled in his fists. The chair toppled to the ground and Roger’s toes dangled in the air.
“I could make you talk but I think this method is much more enjoyable.”
Roger was breathing hard, his face etched with fear. “Please, I didn’t know what to do. They had me tied up. I was scared. I really did think they would kill me.”
Holly’s appalled voice rang through the air. “Mason!”
Mason grunted under his breath. Damn, what was Holly doing back?
“Mason!” Her hands touched his shoulder.
He looked down at her and then back at Roger, meeting the whimpering man’s eyes and willing him to answer. “Was it a setup?”
“Yes!” he yelled. “But you weren’t supposed to kill their men!”
“Who got killed?” Holly demanded.
Sterling touched Holly’s arm. “Holly.” It was a plea for her to back off. “Mason needs to know what Michael is facing.”
“Put him down, Mason!” Holly demanded.
Slowly, Mason lowered Roger but only because Holly asked him to. “Who gave Michael up?” Mason said as Holly grabbed the chair and sat it upright, allowing Roger to sit down.
Roger looked at Holly, a plea in his eyes. “I don’t know.”
Mason stared at him, irritation and distaste trying his patience. Sterling must have expected as much because he said, “Roger, I highly recommend you tell us everything you know.”
“Tell us, Roger,” Holly said through clenched teeth.
He swallowed. “They wanted me to find out where Holly was being held.”
“And you would have told them?” she asked incredulously.
Roger moved to the edge of his chair. Mason’s hand flattened on his chest. “I had no choice!”
“You always have a choice,” Holly said in a shaky voice. “I considered you a friend.”
Mason pulled his hand back from Roger’s chest. Without looking at Sterling, he spoke to him. “Get him out of my face before I do something I’ll regret.”
Sterling looked at Roger. “Would you prefer to walk or shall I find another method of transport?”
“I’ll walk.” He stood up and took a step toward Sterling, and then turned back to look at Holly, “I really am sorry, Holly. I never meant for this to happen.”
Holly turned away from him, arms crossed in front of her body. She could hardly believe Roger had betrayed her. It hurt, yes, but it made it made her angry more than anything else. Angry at the betrayal and angry at the Arions for their intent to destroy all that was good. It made her more dedicated to battle against the Arions than ever. She needed to test all the blood, to start her research.
Now.
She knew when Roger was gone and she was glad. Crossing to a supply cabinet, she yanked out a handful of supplies before turning back toward Mason. He stood near the doorway watching her. She held up a needle and syringe as she sat down in a chair. “I need a sample of my blood to compare to the others. Have you ever taken blood? I don’t like sticking myself.”
Mason crossed the room and knelt down in front of her, his hands on her knees. “I’m sorry, Holly.”
She let out a bitter bark of laughter. “You didn’t make Roger betray me. Why are you sorry?”
“Because you have to go through this. Because I lost my temper.”
“Are you kidding?” she said with a very unlady-like snort , quite out of character for her. “I wanted to hit him. Yes, sure, I was upset at first, when I saw you being aggressive, but you knew what I didn’t.” Then she added, “Can you take my blood?”
He took the supplies from her hands and put them on a small table that sat next to her chair. “It’s the middle of the night, Angel. Come back to bed with me. Start fresh in the morning.”
Her eyes shut and she swallowed. “I really need to get started if I’m going to find answers.”
“Tomorrow,” he said, as she opened her eyes and looked at him. “Please.” He let the word linger in the air. “Come to bed with me. We have a huge battle ahead of us. Let’s take tonight to rest. Give yourself a little time to digest all of this.”
“What are you going to do about Michael?”
“I’m to meet up with him tomorrow night. The problem is, he’s bringing men to join us. One could be the traitor.”
“You won’t be able to trust any of them,” Holly said, laying her hand on top of one of his.
His expression was grim. “I’m aware of that.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“The only thing I can do,” he said, “make the best of the worst. I’ll meet up with them and deal with it as the moment indicates necessary.”
Not a good answer. “That’s not much of a plan.”
He smiled but it held no happiness. “You call it how you see it, don’t you, Angel?”
Her lips began to tremble. “I really hate this, Mason.”
He took both of her hands in his. “Me, too. Me, too.” He stood and helped her do the same. “But I would hate it a whole lot more if I didn’t have you. It’s your conviction to do what’s right that has helped me see why we have to stand up and fight.” He kissed her forehead and then added, “And why losing simply isn’t an option.”
Holly wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her ear against his chest. Listening to his heartbeat always calmed her for some reason.
“Let’s go to bed,” she murmured.
* * * * *
The next day, Holly spent hour after hour in the lab, determined to find a way to contribute to the challenges ahead. The problem was, research took time. It was almost evening when an idea occurred. She raced to the elevator, eager to find out what Mason and Sterling had to say about it.
She found them sitting at the kitchen table, eating sandwiches as they reviewed some map. Without even waiting for Sterling to finish his sentence, she raced across the kitchen and leaned her palms on the table.
A bit breathlessly, she announced, “I’ve got an idea!”
Both men looked at her. Mason’s lips hinted at a smile. Damn,
he looked good, she thought. She shoved aside the thought, refocusing on her idea. A glance at Sterling told her he was irritated by her interruption.
Holly didn’t care. “Sedate them.”
“Sedate who?” Sterling asked.
“The Arions.” Holly pulled a chair out and sat down, excitement in her face. “Don’t you see, if you can’t kill them, sedate them. Like a wild animal. Even if it doesn’t knock them out, it should deaden some of their mind powers.”
“Huh,” Mason said thoughtfully. “Interesting concept.”
“It’ll work,” Holly insisted. “I know it will.”
“We could test it out,” Mason said, running a hand across his jaw.
Holly was encouraged by Mason’s response. “A tranquilizer gun would be no different than shooting a regular weapon.”
Sterling shook his head. “They could still deflect the bullets. It won’t work any better than a gun.”
“It will,” Holly insisted. “From what I understand, a bullet won’t kill them, at least not easily, and they can block the pain. Once you get the tranquilizer in them, they won’t be able to block the pain of the next bullet. They’ll at least go down. I hope.” She frowned. “I think. Really, I’m almost positive. I don’t have the ability with my limited resources to test the theory. You’ll have to do hands-on testing.” She looked between both men and then said, “I say it’s worth a try.”
“I agree,” Mason said, without hesitation. “I’ll see what I can get my hands on but it’ll have to wait until tomorrow. I can’t risk being delayed before meeting Michael.”
“Why don’t Sterling and I go pick up the supplies?”
Mason’s disapproval was instant. “No way. I want you here, underground and safe.”
Holly’s eyes flared with irritation and a hint of anger. “I can’t live like some kind of caged animal, Mason.”
A muscle in Mason’s jaw jumped. “Until I get things a little more controlled and at least know who the enemy is, you’re going to have to live within some boundaries.”
“You mean caged, like an animal?” She pushed to her feet, shoving the chair back with her legs. “Maybe you should just use the tranquilizer gun on me. Then you certainly could keep me locked up, couldn’t you?”
Mason’s eyes followed her movement but his face was a mask—no expression, no anger. Just nothing. “It is as it is, Holly.”
Holly was livid, her hands clenched in tight balls by her side. “I don’t need a babysitter. At least send Sterling without me.”
Very quietly, but with a definite tenseness to his tone, Mason said, “I’m not leaving you here alone.”
“It’s worse than alone. We have Roger to think about,” Sterling added.
Holly’s head turned to Sterling. Her tone was icy. “He’s locked up. It’s not like he’s going anywhere.” She turned back to Mason. “Have you decided what to do with him?”
Mason pushed his chair back from the table as he stood. “I don’t have time to deal with him. Right now, he’s staying under lock and key.”
“He’s not an animal either. You can’t leave him locked up forever.” Her hands went to her hips. “As for leaving me here alone, or rather, alone with Roger, this place is a fortress. No one is getting in who doesn’t know how. Sterling can get the tranquilizer and be back in no time. We can’t afford to go without something that could make a difference.”
Mason and Sterling looked at each other. Holly glared at both of them. “Well?”
“I have a friend who can get what we need,” Sterling offered a bit tentatively as if he wasn’t sure Mason would appreciate his input. “If I leave right away, I can be back not long after you leave. I think I should try and get what we need, Mason.”
Mason took several steps, stopping a mere inch in front of Holly, ignoring Sterling. They were so close, she could sway and they would touch. He looked down at her, his eyes dark and brooding. “Woman, you’re going to be a pain in my ass for the rest of my life, aren’t you?”
Holly blinked.
The rest of his life? They had never talked about forever but it was there, in the back of her mind, wanting to be talked about. But then there was the baby thing. She couldn’t have them. She told herself that didn’t matter but she would always wonder if it did to him.
“No,” Holly said quietly, the wind suddenly knocked from her sail. “No, I’m not.”
She started to turn but his hand snaked out to stop her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Whatever you want it to mean,” she said, staring at his chest. His very nice chest with a nice cotton shirt pulled snug across rippling muscles. Damn, why did she always want him so badly?
“Holly—”
She looked up at him, not letting him finish his sentence, not wanting him to. “I don’t want to talk to you right now, Mason.” Then she did something she never did. She rambled. “And I definitely don’t want you to touch me.” She shook her arm where his hand rested but he didn’t move it. “When you touch me, I forget everything we should be talking about, that I don’t want to talk about right now.”
Sterling cleared his throat. Mason frowned. “And yes,” Holly added before they could speak, “I know that makes no sense to you but it makes perfect sense to me. Just let me go back to the lab.”
A long pregnant silence filled the air.
His hand dropped. “As you wish, Holly,” Mason said, taking a step backwards.
There was something about the way he said her name that kept her from moving. Her eyes went to his face but he turned, as if intentionally guarding his expression.
Sometimes, no, most of the time, she could feel what he was feeling. Now, she couldn’t. It was almost as if he had shielded his emotions from her. And perhaps he had. He had powers he was only now learning to use. Thinking he had shut her out that completely felt like a sharp prick in her heart.
She turned on her heels, moving toward the door as quickly as possible. Yes, she had wanted some space but not like this.
Would she ever understand her feelings for Mason?
* * * * *
Sterling took one look at Mason’s face and said, “You both took each other wrong. You’re both under a lot of stress. Go after her.”
Mason stood rigid, unmoving. “I won’t force myself on her. Mate or not, if she doesn’t want to be a part of my life, so be it.”
Sterling had known Mason a long time. He was a trusted friend who was unique in his abilities, both mentally and physically. David’s turn for the worse had messed with his head though. Sterling knew Mason needed Holly if he was to lead them all to a better tomorrow. Leaning forward, arms on the table, Sterling said, “I don’t believe that for a minute. She loves you. It’s clear to see. Don’t let what you’re facing skew your judgment.”
Mason looked at the clock on the wall. “I have to leave soon.”
He wasn’t letting him off that easy. Sterling’s voice was firm. “All the more reason to clear things up before you go.”
Mason sighed. “I do need to show her how to monitor the perimeters while we’re both away.”
Sterling pushed to his feet. “I’ll be here. She’ll be fine. Unless you’ve reconsider and want me to go? I’m worried this could be a trap.”
“I need to know someone is here for Holly. And you won’t be here when you go for the tranquilizer. I want her to understand what to do if something goes wrong.”
Sterling didn’t like idea of leaving Holly alone any more than Mason did but he really wasn’t keen on Mason going to meet Michael alone. Not after what they knew about Roger.
He also wasn’t convinced the tranquilizer thing would work. Still, it was worth a try and leaving Holly alone in the cave was safer than taking her above ground. They did need every advantage they could get.
Sterling let out a frustrated breath. He had few options. “I’m going to leave now so I can get back as quickly as possible. The less time she is alone, the better we will both feel. You know, i
t might be good for you to tap into some of those special powers you possess.”
“I feel better going with what I know. There is too much on the line for me to get carried away with things I don’t even fully understand.” Mason’s voice was thick with worry as he reverted back to the prior subject. “You really think she’ll be fine here alone?”
“It will be an hour at the most.”
Mason was silent a long moment before he gave Sterling a quick incline of his head.