Smith ignored the other wolf and glanced at his watch. “You have roughly ten hours until the sun sets, and the ful moon rises. When that happens, we’l take whatever you’ve come up with and administer it to your young pup, there.” He nodded to Alex’s cage; the boy’s expression remained bland. “Just to make certain he can both control the Change and the rampage, we’l put your friend in the cage with him.”
Chloe’s lungs seized, her heart skipping several beats. No. Gods, no. If the mixture wasn’t perfect, it could be lethal. It most likely would be, and she’d have kil ed her godson, a boy she loved as much as she could any child of her own. If it didn’t kil him immediately, but left him unable to resist the rampage, her best friend would be bitten . . . or worse. Every ounce of blood rushed out of Chloe’s face so fast, tingles pricked at her cheeks. Peyton actual y had to hug her close to keep her legs from col apsing under her. Her bel y revolted at his touch, and she locked her knees to pul away from him.
A shocked breath whistled out of Ivan’s throat.
“What? Smith, I came to you with this. I gave you everything! You can’t think to use my son. We have plenty of other wolves for that!” He gesticulated wildly, sweeping a hand toward the many kennels. His eyes flashed with feral light, and he turned on Smith with bared fangs. Smith drew a weapon from his coat, pointing it at Ivan’s head; the scientist froze, nostrils flaring at the scent of danger.
“Yes, plenty of wolves, but none who would make Dr. Standish give me what I want when I want it. You don’t seem to realize that neither my funds nor my patience are limitless.” He sighed, shook his head. “I believe we’ve exhausted your usefulness, Doctor.”
And then he pul ed the trigger. Once. Twice. Three times.
Ivan crumpled to the floor, and Chloe stared blankly at the broken body, the blood spreading out from under him. Shock made her limbs go numb, and she braced her hand on the table to keep from toppling.
Smith tucked his gun away and motioned to the other two people in the room, a man and a woman, to take care of the mess.
She recognized them both. The Fae woman who’d helped Peyton torture her, and the vampire she’d hit with the SUV. His shock of bril iant red hair gave him away. He offered her a befanged grin as he walked past carrying one end of Ivan’s body. “No hard feelings about running me over. It’s a dirty business.”
“Gregor,” Smith’s tone was reproving. The two people walked through a doorway into what had to be a morgue. There were a lot of bodies. Ivan’s failed experiments? Normals who hadn’t made the Change to wolf? People who’d gotten in Smith’s way? Probably al of the above.
Smith waved a hand at Gregor when they came back into the room to mop up the blood. “Unfortunately, operating outside the law means dealing with some unsavory characters—”
The vampire smiled affably and made no comment.
“—but Gregor is the best at what he does. He’l be keeping an eye on you today. Another safeguard.”
“Fine, but I need Alex. He’s an expert in computers, and he’s worked in my lab before. Let him help me.”
Because she didn’t think she could stand looking at him trapped in that kennel while she formulated her potions. It was bad enough with Tess unconscious, but Alex would be watching her, knowing what would happen if she fucked up. Downward rushes of cold dread made her insides shake as it continued to hit her just how much was at stake. She met Smith’s gaze and shrugged with a nonchalance she didn’t feel. “You kil ed the only other person who might have been useful.”
“Since his life is on the line . . . it only seems fair. Be aware this room has been specifical y designed by Normals and warded by Magickals to prevent unauthorized entry and exit. With the guests we have staying here, it’s proved necessary.” He motioned for the Fae woman to open Alex’s cage. The boy didn’t hesitate, bolting forward. A shield snapped around the Fae, and Alex ricocheted off of it. Smith smiled indulgently, and it sent a chil down Chloe’s spine. “Come, Peyton. Let’s leave them to it. Gregor, Sasha, watch them.”
The two werewolves glided out, Peyton glancing back to send her a long look she couldn’t read. Gregor gave Chloe a smile that told her he would enjoy himself immensely if she tried anything stupid. Alex glared at him, moving to her side. She reached for his hand, her grasp tightening in reassurance. The Fae woman, Sasha, positioned herself by the door and stood at the ready with a deadly little pistol in her hand.
“Okay, let’s do this.” Chloe ignored both terrorists, took a deep breath, and got to work. There weren’t many hours between now and sundown to get it right, and she could not mess this up.
Lives depended on it.
Pain echoed through Merek’s torso, a pounding drum that should have . . . hurt more. It was the lack of agony that brought him to ful consciousness. He let his eyes crack open, careful not to move. The iron stench of blood fil ed his nose, but he lay on something soft. Where was he? More important, where were Chloe and Alex?
“Ah, you’re awake, my friend. Good. I’d hoped those healing spel s I used on you would work, but casting isn’t an expertise of my kind. I’m afraid my methods are rudimentary at best, so you’l wear those scars for the rest of your life.” Luca’s voice sounded from his left, so Merek turned his head before he ful y opened his eyes. “You’re lucky Dr. Standish managed to remove al the bul ets before she was taken, and before the bronze got into your system, or there would have been little I could do in the state I was in. You don’t want to know how I managed the transfusion you needed.”
Luca rose from the chair he was lounging in. “They cut the phone lines, and our cel s were victims of the battle, so we’ve been isolated from any outside contact al day.”
Merek had never seen a vampire so pale, cheeks sunken in, eyes ringed with dark circles. He rol ed his tongue around in the parched desert of his mouth to generate some moisture. “You need to feed.”
A faint grin curved the other man’s lips, the tip of one fang flashing in the lamplight. “Yes, wel . I’ve had enough to keep me going, but I’m not about to suck your blood, now, am I? After al the effort I went to, to get more into you.”
Blankets had been nailed over the windows, so there was no tel ing what time of day it was. No way of knowing how long it had been since Alex and Chloe were taken. Utter failure stabbed into Merek. He’d failed the people he cared for most. Again. Failed to protect them, failed to keep himself from getting shot, failed to stop them from being taken by terrorists. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Everything he’d promised them and Mil ie and himself, he’d failed at, and now his people—his family—were in the hands of Leonard Smith. Merek didn’t even know if they were stil alive, and the thought alone made bile burn the back of his throat. He swal owed hard, shoved away the yawning sense of desolation, and got a hold of his emotions. If there was a chance, no matter how slim, that they could be saved, Merek and Luca had to act now. Lying around feeling sorry for himself would help no one.
“What about Smith’s people?” Merek sat up slowly on the living room sofa, waiting to see if the world would spin. It stayed steady, though every muscle in his chest and back protested the movement. The bul et wounds had healed to tender scar tissue. Not pleasant, but manageable. “Any of those bastards stil breathing?”
“Funny you should ask.” Luca nudged a man sprawled across the floor, wet with blood and his own urine.
Elf, by the points of his ears. He groaned, twitching away from Luca’s boot. The vampire crouched beside him, his fangs bared in what only a fool would cal a smile. “You have blood and information. I need both.”