Hawk's Revenge: Lone Pine Pride, Book 3 Page 24

  He inhaled deeply, his head canting to the side. “You smell like the bird.”

  Rachel nodded, wetting her lips. “I’m on your side,” she whispered, proud when her voice didn’t shake. “I helped one hundred and fifty-two shifters escape from the Organization. I got them out.”

  “You didn’t get me out.”

  Something about the simple way he said it, so frank and calm, made her heart rate quadruple. “No. I didn’t.”

  He nodded and his eyes shifted to feline and back to human, so fast it was dizzying to watch. His teeth were pointed, making him work extra hard to enunciate. “You think I’m crazy?”

  Hell yes. “No.”

  “I am.” He smiled again, his head tilting so the light played grotesquely over the mangled scars that dominated one side of his face. “I’m a killer. But I wasn’t always. Your Organization did that.”

  “They aren’t mine,” Rachel whispered, incapable of more volume. “We’re on the same side.”

  “So you’ll let me kill these people?” he asked conversationally, tipping his head toward the silent prisoners who sat motionless and staring. “You won’t stand in my way?”

  Rachel swallowed, her throat a desert. “I can’t do that either.”

  Dominec cocked his head, studying her. His eyes kept partial shifting, along with his hands, flicking between forms in a way she’d never seen before. “I can smell your fear.”

  “I know.”

  “Smells good.”

  Every cell in her body was quiet and alert, hyperaware of the fact that these could be her last breaths. I should have told Adrian I loved him. He must know, but she should have said the words.

  He would go after Dominec when he found her body. Would the tiger kill him? They’d had a confrontation over her once before, back at the labs. She remembered thinking at the time that it had been a miracle neither of them had died that day. Somehow Dominec’s madness had been leashed.

  When Grace arrived.

  Rachel swallowed, trying to force moisture down her throat. Please let this work. “Grace is my friend. She wouldn’t want me hurt.”

  “Why do I care what Grace wants?” he asked, but a welcome gleam of clarity entered Dominec’s eyes. He straightened, shuffling away.

  Rachel wasn’t sure whether he was angry and viciously clever or genuinely mad, but either way, some of her terror eased its grip as he walked to the far wall, propping himself against it and waving a hand at her. “Go on. Heal them.”

  It was hard to concentrate on her work with one eye on the madman, but she managed to do a rough approximation of first aid until Dominec straightened suddenly. Rachel flinched, cowering down to make a smaller target—but then she too heard the footsteps and the rasped curse.

  Grace burst into the room, taking it all in with a sweeping glance. “Dominec, what the fuck?”

  The tiger simply nodded to her, like he was greeting her on a stroll in the park, and walked past her into the night.

  Grace swore, and Rachel slumped against the wall, all the rigid tension leaving her body in a rush.

  “How did you know?”

  Grace slanted her a look, most of her attention still on the door through which the tiger had retreated. “Kelly wasn’t responding. He’s a pain in the ass on security detail because he can’t go for five seconds without flirting over the coms, but he’d been silent for almost ten minutes. Figured he had to be unconscious or dead.”

  “Dominec tranqed him.”

  Grace nodded, still glaring after him. “He’s going to be a problem.”

  “Wasn’t he always?”

  Grace grimaced, finally wrenching her gaze away from the door. “Believe it or not, he was keeping together relatively well before. But ever since the raid where we picked up you, when he went batshit crazy, he’s been chugging the extra special psycho Kool-Aid.”

  “Lucky us,” Rachel grumbled.

  “Lucky you.” Grace studied her, speculation lighting her pale gaze. “How are you still alive, Doc?”

  Rachel didn’t know how to say she’d used Grace’s friendship like a talisman against Dominec. Somehow it didn’t seem like the kind of thing the lioness would react well to. “I reminded him I was on his side.”

  Grace’s golden eyebrows flew up. “And that worked?”

  “I’m alive, aren’t I?” Before Grace could ask more, she asked, “Did you find Madison?”

  “Still looking. Bitch knows how to cover her tracks. She found the fucking lake and swam to throw off her scent trail.” Grace pulled a face. “Come on. Let’s get you and your patients to the infirmary.”

  The sun was rising and Adrian had just decided to leave the tracking to the lions when movement far below him snagged his attention. He’d located one of the other escapees and returned him to the lions’ care earlier, learning at the same time that only Madison Clarke remained at large. So it was with particular eagerness that he fell into the dive, rocketing toward the figure moving furtively along the eastern border fence.

  She never looked up.

  Adrian shifted ten feet off the ground, letting his full weight fall onto her back and drive her to the ground. Her shriek was cut off by the dirt filling her mouth—but she was far from cowed. She twisted and thrashed, spitting curses. Adrian, without any clothes or anything to restrain her, struggled with the prisoner for a moment before managing to capture her wrists, using his weight to pin her legs. The neck of her shirt stretched in the struggle, revealing part of another tattoo that threatened to trigger a memory, but he pushed it down. He would not think of what she’d done to him. She was a job. Nothing more.

  “You’re caught, Madison. May as well come quietly.”

  She went still at the sound of her name. He could almost hear her brain working frantically. When she spoke, it was with the reedy, girlish voice she’d used in the barn. “I don’t know who you think I am, but I swear—”

  “Madison Clarke. Organization henchman. Give it up.”

  He ignored her continued protests. A narrow leather belt wound around her waist. He partially shifted his hands and used a talon to slice through the leather—which sent her into screaming fits, bucking and shrieking.

  “You will not violate me, you animal! I’d sooner die! You’ll have to kill me! I’ll not submit!”

  He cuffed the side of her head, as much to get her attention as shut her up. “No one is violating you. I’m just short on restraints at the moment.”

  Getting the belt around her wrists and tight enough to do any good was a battle the entire way, but after several minutes he finally had her contained enough to flip her over. No longer seeming concerned for her virtue, her eyes raked over him as soon as he let her up enough to see him. The look in her eye screamed that she was seeing an object, not a man. She no longer looked young or innocent, just the light in her eyes adding ten years to her age, and he realized what a spectacular actress she was.

  “I know you,” she smiled. “You’re Rachel’s toy.”

  “Nice try.” He would not let her get to him. Grabbing her by her bound wrists, he dragged her to her feet and shoved her back in the direction of the main compound. “Walk.”

  Madison obeyed, but not without editorializing. “She’s one of us, you know. She always will be. A human can never be one of you.”

  “Shut up.”

  “A war is coming. You know it as well as I do. When the day of reckoning is here, she’ll either die for standing with you, or be killed by your own animal brethren.”

  “You’re the animals.”

  “Are we? So when your righteous shifter army is raining down hell, are they going to care about anything other than the fact that she smells human? I’ve seen what you creatures do when you’re pushed to violence.”

  “Then don’t push me.” He cuffed her again on the back of the head. “Walk.”


  Chapter Thirty-One

  Waiting was never one of her favorite pass times, but waiting to hear if the love of her life was all right and the bitch-of-the-universe had been recaptured or would be leading the devil himself to her doorstep at any moment? That had to be a new kind of hell.

  Rachel had tended the wounded. Later, Brandt and Moira had insisted that she stay at the infirmary with them rather than going back to Adrian’s cabin alone and she had taken absolutely no persuading to accept their offer. She’d tried to sleep on one of the open beds—and failed miserably. No matter how exhausted her body might be, her mind refused to allow even a second’s rest until she knew Adrian was all right and Madison was safely imprisoned again. Or dead. It might make her unchristian, but she wouldn’t mind dead—especially after hearing of Madison’s role in Adrian’s torture.

  Around four in the morning, Rachel gave up on sleep entirely and began the meticulous task of synthesizing more of the lynx hormone for Kathy. It kept her busy until just past eight, when the door to the lab swung open.

  Rachel’s head snapped up, but it wasn’t her hawk who walked through the door, rather the alpha’s mate and a tall, lovely blonde.

  “Patch,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound as disappointed as she felt as she rose to greet the pair.

  “Have you met Lila?” Patch asked.

  The pretty blonde extended one perfectly manicured hand and Rachel realized this was the former Alpha’s daughter. The one pride gossip told her had been originally supposed to marry Roman before the love stick had hit her upside the head and made her choose a jaguar architect instead. Roman had apparently been relieved to be free to pursue Patch—which Rachel would have expected to make the women rivals, but they were still, by all accounts, the best of friends.

  “You’re here awfully early.” Rachel took the offered hand.

  “I didn’t want to wait.” Lila took a deep breath, visibly nervous. Then wrinkled her nose. “Are you all right? You smell of blood.”

  “Lots of it,” Patch added, her own nose crinkling.

  “There was a little problem last night with the prisoners.”

  “That explains why Roman got up in the middle of the night. No, baby, stay in bed, everything’s fine.” Patch made a face.

  “Another riot?” Lila asked.

  “No. More of an internal dispute.”

  Lila bit her lip. “We should go. This isn’t important and you’re busy.”

  “No, I could use the distraction. Right now I’m just waiting for news. What can I do for you?”

  Lila glanced at Patch, who gave her a little nod of encouragement. “We hear you can help cross-breed couples conceive. We want to know how it’s done. And if you can do it for us.”

  Patch held up a hand like a stop sign. “Don’t include me in that. I’m not even sure I want kids. You’re the one who’s so desperate to breed.”

  “Not right now,” Lila protested. “Santiago and I are still planning our mating ceremony. I just need to know that we can. So Santiago will stop freaking out that I’ll stop loving him if we can’t have children—which is ridiculous, but he’s determined to give me babies.”

  “Because he’s seen the way you go all mushy every time you even see a freaking Pampers commercial,” Patch said dryly.

  “Regardless of why.” Lila shot her friend a quelling glare. “I need to know that we can have kids.”

  “We aren’t positive that you can,” Rachel admitted. “Not yet.” She had never given her patients false hope and she wasn’t going to start now. Especially with such a high-profile patient. Something uneasy worked through her. “Are you sure about this? Did you hear about Susan?”

  Patch arched a brow. “Susan?”

  “She didn’t want me treating her son. And Adrian is nervous about me treating Kathy. I don’t know how it would go over in the pride if I were treating you two.”

  Lila just smiled. “That sounds like a PR problem, and PR happens to be my specialty. You leave your image to me. And I’ll leave the medicine to you. Deal?”

  Still Rachel hesitated. “I can give you a better shot than you would have on your own—and the fact that you’re a lioness, surrounded by lions in this pride should help you, but we’re still learning about shifter biology. I can’t give you any guarantees.”

  Lila nodded. “I understand, but can you give me a chance? Will you at least try?”

  “That I can do.” Adrian was going to kill her. Provided he was all right. He had to be all right.

  Marching through a snowy forest naked with a bitching woman who seemed to think it was her duty to periodically make a run for it was officially on Adrian’s top ten list of activities never to repeat. By the time he got back to the pride, his feet were half frozen and cut up to hell and back and his temper was worse. He turned Madison over to Hugo, who had temporarily taken over prisoner duty and seemed to enjoy growling at the woman until she nearly wet herself.

  Adrian wanted nothing more than to find Rachel and fall into her arms, but he’d had the chance to do a lot of thinking on the walk back, and as much as he hated to admit it, Madison Clarke had a point. Rachel would never be safe here. So no matter how much he had grown to like it here, it was time to leave. His mate’s safety came first.

  He showered quickly and grabbed a change of clothes in the barracks, then borrowed a computer to type up a quick letter before heading to Grace’s office. Anyone else might have been taking the morning off after their busy night, but he knew Grace didn’t know how to rest. He knocked on her door and at her call, marched inside and tendered his resignation from the Lone Pine security team.

  Grace looked at him, nonplussed, when she was done reading his letter. “You’re an idiot.”

  He wasn’t surprised by the declaration, but he raised his eyebrows anyway. “Excuse me?”

  She waved the letter. “What is this?”

  “My resignation.”

  “I noticed. It’s all nice and official. Why are you resigning?”

  He pointed to the letter. “I told you. Rachel and I need to leave the pride. She’ll never be safe here.”

  “Stop being a dickhead, Adrian. Rachel will never be one hundred percent safe anywhere. But she’s part of this pride now. If anyone touches her, they answer to the Alpha. Not to mention half a dozen other badass lions most shifters would rather not tangle with. Hell, even Dominec seems to have decided not to kill her.” She flapped the letter. “But I don’t think that’s what this is about. You can drop the self-sacrificing bullshit.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Oh, that’s right, I forgot you were brain damaged from testosterone poisoning.” She looked him dead in the eye. “You are part of this pride too, Adrian Sokolov, hawk-man. It’s not going to kill you to let yourself be one of us. So man up and feel the love, dipshit.” She ripped the letter neatly in two. “Resignation rejected. Get back to work.”

  Adrian didn’t move. He wasn’t sure what to make of this forcible acceptance. Community wasn’t a comfortable feeling for him. He was better at being alone. This sense of belonging somewhere, with someone, it was hard to take in.

  Grace eyed his poleaxed expression and snorted. “God, the two of you are ridiculous. So much nobility and martyrdom in one couple. It’s positively revolting. I think you deserve each other.”

  “Rachel—”

  “Is staying right here. Unless she wants to go. You aren’t the boss of her. And if you try to take away our fertility specialist, you’re gonna have a fight on your hands, boy-o. Lila and Patch have plans to use her for their baby-making, so unless you want to tangle with the Alpha, I’d slow your roll.”

  He scowled. “What are you talking about?”

  “Didn’t you know? She promised to help Patch and Lila get knocked up.”

  Adrian felt all the blood leave his bra
in in a panicked rush. “She did what?”

  Grace rolled her eyes. “Do I really need to say it again?”

  “Where is she?” he demanded, barely recognizing his own voice.

  Grace’s eyebrows arched. “I don’t have a tracking device on her, but my best guess is the infirmary.”

  Adrian didn’t say another word. He bolted out of Grace’s office, running through the pride compound toward the forest. His feet were too slow. Too fucking slow. He wanted to reach for his hawk, but he didn’t want to be naked when they had this argument. And it was going to be an argument.

  It was one thing to treat Kathy, but Lila? And the freaking Alpha’s mate? When the pride found out, there was no telling what the reaction would be. And if something went wrong, if either of them were hurt in any way, there would be a lynch mob. No one would care whether it was Rachel’s fault or not. All they would see were the darlings of the pride hurt by the ex-Organization doctor. He wouldn’t be able to protect her then.

  Fuck. When had he begun to care more about her safety than anything else in the world? She was more necessary to him than breathing.

  He would forbid it. He couldn’t let her risk herself. She didn’t need to prove herself to the pride. Not like this. They’d just found one another again. He couldn’t lose her now. It would destroy him.

  She was fidgeting with a machine of some kind when he burst into the room she’d taken over as her lab at the infirmary.

  “Adrian,” she gasped, and then she was running toward him, flinging herself into his arms with such force that he could either swing her around in the air or let them both crash to the ground. He chose to make her fly.

  “Did you get her?” she asked breathlessly, before her feet even touched the ground.

  “Madison Clarke is back in shifter hands.” He set her on her feet, though she kept her arms around him as she tipped her head back to meet his eyes.

  “I thought you might have killed her,” she murmured, and he thought he detected a note of hope in her voice.

  “Maybe next time.” She clung to him—and the feel of her, heaven in his arms, only reinforced his ire. “I hear you were busy while I was gone.”