“You’re coming with us, cat,” the man snapped, pulling his gun from his holster. “We can do this the easy way. Or the hard way.”
Dammit. She carefully judged the distance between herself and the tree.
“Fine.” She sucked in a deep breath, well aware that it was going to take a miracle to escape. “But first, I need to go by my home and tell my family.”
“No.”
“They’ll worry if I’m not there for dinner,” she insisted.
“Trust me, they’ll soon know that you’ve been invited to stay with us.”
“Invited?” She gave a humorless laugh. “That implies I can refuse.”
“Refuse all you want.” The man studied her with all the emotion of a cobra. It truly didn’t matter to him if she came quietly or if she struggled and he had to shoot her. For him, she was nothing more than a job that had to be completed. “Take her.”
Accepting that it was now or never, Cora shifted in an explosion of fur and fury.
There were several cries from the humans at her abrupt transformation, and hoping to use their shock against them, she headed straight for the nearby tree. Two men bolted in fear at the sight of the two-hundred-pound tiger heading in their direction, but one idiot moved directly in her path, aiming his gun at her head.
With one swipe of her massive paw, she sliced her claws toward his face. He ducked, but not before she managed to draw blood.
The man squealed in pain, dropping to his knees as he clutched his face. Cora didn’t hesitate, bounding over him and leaping toward the tree.
She’d managed to dig her claws into the thick trunk when she heard the click of a trigger followed by the sound of the gun firing a shot. She braced herself for the impact of the bullet, but instead, she felt a small prick of pain on her right haunch.
Had the man missed his shot?
She surged up the tree, not realizing that the pain had come from a tranq dart, not the graze of a bullet as she’d originally assumed. It wasn’t until her mind began to fuzz and her muscles loosened that she realized the danger.
Cora released a snarl of frustration as she felt her body falling through the air, the darkness closing in.
Oh…hell.
Chapter 6
It was the absence of a warm body snuggled next to him that drug Soren out of his nap.
Damn. He hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep since Cora had arrived at the compound. It’d been the feel of her wrapped in his arms that had, at last, allowed him to relax enough to truly rest.
Now he was more than a little grumpy to wake up alone in his bed.
“Cora?” he called out, his brows drawing together as silence answered him.
Pulling on a pair of gray sweatpants, he headed out of the bedroom, his brows drawing together as he realized that Cora hadn’t just snuck out of his bed, but out of his cabin.
He reached the shadowed front room to discovered a short note lying on the battered sofa:
See you around.
Cora
A growl rumbled in his throat as he crushed the paper in his hand and tossed it across the room.
She’d panicked.
Not that she’d admit the truth.
No. Not his Cora. Instead, she would have a thousand excuses for sneaking out like a thief in the night.
She’d say that it was nothing but sex. Or that her father needed her. Or that she had to bake brownies for the picnic they’d planned tomorrow. Or…blah, blah, blah.
But he knew the truth. At some point during the hours of their fierce lovemaking, the barriers that she was so determined to keep between them had shattered.
He’d touched not only her fabulous body, but also the heart that she so jealously guarded.
And now she was on the run, determined to rebuild the walls that kept him out.
“No. Hell, no,” he snarled, heading out the front door. “She’s not getting rid of me that easily.”
Confident that she couldn’t have gone far, Soren didn’t waste time trying to follow her trail. Instead, he headed down the path that would lead to the communal area. If she wasn’t there, then he would go to her father’s cabin.
On the edge of the opening in the middle of the compound, Soren slowed his pace as a wolf with light brown hair and blue eyes abruptly moved to block his path.
“Soren.”
Soren frowned at his Alpha. “Not now, Holden,” he muttered, trying to step around the male.
“This can’t wait,” Holden warned, planting a hand in the center of Soren’s chest.
For a crazed second, Soren considered shoving his friend aside so he could continue his search for Cora. He didn’t want to deal with political bullshit. Not tonight.
But something in Holden’s tense expression warned him that this was more than just another tedious clash between wolves and cats.
“Trouble?” he demanded.
Holden grimaced, his t-shirt straining across his chest as he planted his fists on his hips.
“I don’t know yet.”
Soren frowned. “What’s going on?”
“Theo was doing a perimeter sweep and caught the scent of six humans who’d come over the fence.”
“Over?” Soren frowned in confusion. Although the compound was technically supposed to belong to the shifters, the humans never hesitated to come in and out whenever they wanted. Like the Indian reservations had been years ago. Just a pretense of independence. “Why wouldn’t they use the front gate?”
Holden looked grim. “That’s the question.”
“Are they still here?”
“I’ve just started my search.”
“What about the sentries?”
Holden shook his head. “I prefer to keep this quiet for now, which is why I could use your help.”
Soren swallowed a frustrated sigh. He would help his Alpha track the humans, then he was going to find his mate. And once he had her back in his bed where she belonged, he was locking the door and neither of them was leaving until she admitted the truth.
“Let’s go,” he muttered.
Together, the two males slid through the darkness, moving through the trees with a silence that no human could hope to match.
A thousand scents drifted through the air. The fallen leaves that carpeted the frosty ground. The hint of pine. The smoke from a nearby campfire. And the potent musk of both wolf and feline shifters.
It wasn’t until they’d reached the high fence that they ran across the acrid scent of humans.
“This is where the intruders came over the fence,” Soren said, bending down to touch the ground where he could see the footprints in the mud.
Even in the darkness he could determine the outline of military boots.
So, these weren’t random trespassers who’d entered the compound because of some ridiculous dare or out of mere curiosity.
Holden glanced at the thick trees that grew next to the fence, hiding it from the view of the nearest pathway.
“They obviously didn’t want to be seen,” the Alpha said.
“But why?” Holden straightened. “It’s not like we’re in a position to deny them access to the compound, no matter how much we might want to.”
Soren’s lips twisted with bitter hatred at the thought of the SAU goons who strolled in and out of their private lands as if they were gods.
Jackasses.
“Could they be spying on us?” he asked.
Holden considered for a long moment. Then he gave a sharp shake of his head.
“They’re stupider than I suspected if they thought we wouldn’t quickly sense their intrusion onto our land,” he said. “Besides, if they want to spy, all they have to do is turn their satellites on us.”
Soren couldn’t argue. They all knew that the government devoted a great deal of money and energy to keeping an electronic watch on them.
“Then they must be searching for something,” Soren said.
“Or someone,” Holden added.
Soren s
tarted to nod his head, only to freeze. Looking for someone…
“Shit.”
Fear burned through his blood like acid as he set off at a jog, following the trail of footprints as they led to the center of the thick woods.
Holden was swiftly at his side, darting around the trees with fluid ease.
“Soren, what’s wrong?” he demanded.
Soren’s concentration remained locked on his surroundings, blocking out the stench of humans to pick up the light threads of a female shifter.
“Cora,” he breathed.
“What about her?”
“She would have crossed this area on her way home,” he muttered, leaping over a bush that stood in his path.
“So did you finally get her naked?” Holden drawled, abruptly ducking as Soren halted long enough to aim a punch at his face. “Hey,” he protested. “You poked your nose into my mating with Arial.”
Denied the feeling of his knuckles connecting with his friend’s nose, Soren returned his attention to his hunt.
“Because you were clearly out of your mind,” he snarled, the hair on the back of his neck standing upright as Cora’s scent became more pronounced.
“And you’re not?” Holden drawled. “Just because Cora may have passed through this general area doesn’t-” His words broke off as Soren abruptly shifted into his wolf form. “Soren?”
Howling in fury, Soren was impervious to the pain of the rapid shift that wrenched his muscles and snapped his bones into place. He was even deaf to Holden’s demands for an explanation.
Instead, his mind was filled with a red mist of fury as he caught the unmistakable scent of Cora’s blood.
She’d been injured.
And recently.
Bounding over a narrow stream, he skidded to a halt as he came to a small opening.
Here.
Restlessly sniffing the ground, he caught the scent of the humans, as well as his mate. She’d shifted into her cat, he abruptly realized. A fight? He followed her trail to a nearby tree, his hackles rising at the potent scent of her blood along with something else…
Something that made his nose wrinkle in disgust.
His wolf bared its teeth, preparing to go in pursuit of the female who was his heart and soul. But even as he charged forward, he found himself wrapped in a pair of ruthless arms.
Snarling in fury, his animal struggled to break free, even snapping his teeth at the throat of his captor. The male, however, refused to release his steely hold, speaking directly in his ear.
“Soren, come back,” the voice commanded.
A shudder raced through his body at the powerful sound of his Alpha. He wanted to ignore the order. His every instinct cried out to rescue his mate from the enemies who’d stolen her away.
But as the voice continued to speak in a voice that refused to be denied, he gave a pained whine. With another blast of agony, he shifted back to his human form.
“I’m sorry, old friend,” Holden murmured, laying a hand on Soren’s shoulder as he shivered on the cold ground.
“They have her,” he rasped, forcing his weak limbs to hold his weight as he lurched to his feet. “She’s been drugged.”
“Christ,” Holden muttered, holding Soren’s arm until he managed to regain his balance.
Indifferent to the fact that he was naked in the cold night air, or that his knees felt like jelly, Soren pulled away from his Alpha. Molten anger flooded through him, his fangs still elongated as he hungered for the taste of blood.
“I’ll kill them,” he rasped, his body vibrating with the force of his fury. “I’ll hunt them down and kill each and every one of them.”
“We’re going to get her back, but the only way to do that is to use our fucking heads,” Holden snapped, still in Alpha-mode. “If you give in to anger, you’ll put her into even more danger.”
The older male was right. Becoming lost in his emotions would only give the humans the upper hand. He had to maintain command of his temper if he were to rescue his female.
“Why would they take her?” he snarled.
Holden gave a lift of his shoulder. “Has she mentioned anything about the SAU?”
Soren struggled to recall if Cora had ever mentioned the agency that made their existence a living hell.
“Nothing more than our mutual hatred of the humans who’ve imprisoned us,” he said at last.
“She doesn’t have any inside contacts or intel that might make her a target?” Holden pressed.
Soren gave a sharp shake of his head. His cat was cunning and beautiful and capable, but her talent was creating harmony, not playing spy.
“No.”
Holden circled the small opening with a troubled expression, abruptly pausing to lean down and pick up a tiny dart that was trampled in the mud.
“Then she must have been in the wrong place at the right time,” he said, holding up the dart. “They were looking for one of our people to take, and she was handy.”
Soren battled back another surge of anger. Shit, that had to be how Cora was drugged.
A shudder wracked his body.
Cool, calm, logic…he fiercely reminded himself.
“They obviously came prepared,” he said between clenched teeth, nodding toward the dart.
Holden gave a slow nod. “True.”
“But why kidnap her?” Soren pressed, frustrated by the suspicion that he was missing something obvious. How the hell was he going to help Cora if he couldn’t figure out why she was taken? “They could have demanded we send them a shifter if they wanted one.” His Alpha growled. By mutual consent, they rarely discussed the shifters who were randomly taken from the compound and never returned. What was the point in agonizing over something that couldn’t be changed? At least, not yet. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”
Holden released a hissing breath, his expression revealing the same irritation that plagued Soren.
“Goddammit.” Shoving the dart in the pocket of his jeans, Holden gave a shake of his head. “None of this makes sense.”
It didn’t. Why would they go to the trouble of sneaking over the fence to kidnap a shifter? And why Cora? She might be precious to him, but there was no reason for the SAU to even be aware of her existence. Not unless it was connected to her role as princess…
Soren made a choked sound as an icy dread clenched his heart.
“Shit,” he breathed.
Holden moved to stand directly in front of him. “You’ve thought of something?”
“Cora may not possess connections to the SAU, but she does have something that no other shifter can claim,” he said in thick tones.
“I don’t understand.”
“Her father’s heart.”
Holden sucked in a shocked breath; both of them easily able to imagine the catastrophic reaction when the Alpha of the Golden Pack discovered that his only daughter had been taken.
“You’re right,” Holden muttered, his face pale. “We need to find Jonah.”
“You find him,” Soren corrected. He’d been rational long enough. His wolf wasn’t going to remain leashed. Not when Cora needed him. “I’m going to get my mate.”
Holden reached out to grasp his arm. “Soren.”
Soren jerked free of his Alpha’s grasp. “Don’t try to stop me.”
Holden grimaced, sensing Soren’s feral need to be on the hunt.
“Just don’t do anything stupid,” he ordered. “I’ll work with Jonah to try and get her back without violence.”
Soren peeled back his lips to flash his fangs. “Do what you have to do, but I’m not waiting.”
Turning on his heel, he ran toward the nearby fence, easily climbing over it and leaping to the other side. Then, halting in the shadows of the trees, he slowly shifted into his wolf.
Agony blasted through him at transforming so soon after his last shift, but he needed his animal’s superior senses to track the intruders.
Once he was fully shifted, he gave a pained howl then lowering
his head, he went on the hunt.
****
Dr. Frank Talbot paced his office.
What the hell was taking so long?
He’d requested an update from the guards the moment they’d returned to the SAU headquarters. That had been—he cast an impatient glance at the Rolex that was strapped to his wrist—two hours ago.
How long did it take to toss one unconscious female in a cell and lock the door?
Dammit.
He needed to get in and see the shifter before the Director arrived.
Not only would he have a difficult time trying to explain what he was doing there at such a late hour, but there would be no way he could be left alone with the female long enough to take the samples he wanted.
His hands clenched as he turned to pace back across the large office.
He’d assumed that once he became the head of the research department, he’d be given far greater freedom in the laboratory. After all, he was in charge. But instead, he’d found that he was watched closer than ever.
Almost as if Markham suspected that he was hoping to use the blood samples and various specimens to create his very own shifter virus.
Interfering pain in the ass…
Tonight, however, Frank wasn’t going to be denied what he needed.
The female wasn’t just another shifter. She was the daughter of an Alpha. There was no way he was missing the opportunity to discover if her blood was different.
After all, they didn’t know if the Alpha gained the ability to change a human to a shifter after he assumed his role as leader of the Pack. Or if he became leader of his Pack because he could change humans into shifters.
And if his blood were special, wouldn’t that mean his daughter would be equally unique? Maybe even capable of producing the same DNA-altering elements in her saliva.
He fully intended to have his answers before they traded her away for her father.
Reaching for the phone to make yet another call to the head of security, he was halted when the door to his office was shoved open and a man dressed in camouflage pants and a tight t-shirt stepped into view.
Speak of the devil.
He glared at the middle-aged man with a broad face and buzzed hair. Richard Grant was a rigid, by-the-book ex-military paratrooper who had the personality of a turnip.