Ryon cradled her as the throes faded, and basked in contentment. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, then collapsed to his back, pulling her into his arms. She snuggled in, resting her head on his chest.
She sighed. “You’re the one I want.”
Contentment spread through his heart. Daria was his.
And he would never let her go.
Ten
That afternoon, Nick called Ryon and Daria into his office.
He was as serious as Ryon had ever seen him, and got swiftly down to business. “I wanted to talk to you both before I brief the others. I spent quite a bit of time after our conference the other day searching through the lab’s files on test subject 356.”
“The one Kalen mentioned,” Ryon said.
“The same. What I discovered is not what I expected. But it answers a lot of questions, starting with the creature’s human identity and why he’s here, in the Shoshone.”
Ryon exchanged a glance with Daria. “I was going to come and tell you on my own, but Daria and I saw the creature earlier today when we were on our run. Actually, we saw him as a man first and then he changed into the creature.”
Nick leaned forward, brows furrowed. “Tell me what happened.”
Quickly, Ryon related how they’d been on their run and encountered the white wolf. That she’d led them to the man, and how they’d watched him change into the beast.
“Were you close enough to identify him as a human?”
“No. I’m glad we weren’t that close, because that was some scary shit and we weren’t equipped to fight him.”
“Just as well. Because I know who he is.”
Neither of them had a clue where he was going. It sure wasn’t where Ryon imagined.
“In the files, test subject 356’s real name was recorded on a single document that took forever to find, and I almost missed it.” He looked at Ryon’s mate. “The name wouldn’t have meant much if Jesse hadn’t called the other day, telling me your dad had been trying to reach you.”
Daria swallowed, growing dread on her face. “Please don’t say what I think you are.”
“I’m sorry. But subject 356’s name was Ben Cantrell.”
“Oh, God,” she rasped. “Are you sure?”
“Unfortunately, yes. Jesse called in some favors, got us a DNA sample from hair in Cantrell’s bathroom. Our own lab performed the DNA test, cross-referencing it with samples of the creature’s saliva that was found on the victims.”
“No.”
“The creature is Cantrell,” he said gently. “Daria, I’m very sorry.”
Her voice wobbled. “I scented him today, in my wolf form. It was Ben, all along.”
Part of Ryon hated that she was so upset over the ex-boyfriend. But she had cared for the man at one time, and she had a good heart. It couldn’t be easy to hear this about someone she knew, so he forced down his irritation. Besides, he reminded himself, his mate had just spent an afternoon loving on him. Showing Ryon that she was his.
“Can anything be done to help him?”
“I think so, but it’s going to be damned difficult to pull off.” Opening a file, he slid it across the desk to her and Ryon. “I took the liberty of calling your father. I wanted some insight into Ben from his point of view, and I found out something interesting. Did you know that Cantrell once defended your dad’s brother, August, in a criminal case?”
“Of course,” she said, brows drawing together. “It was right after we started dating. But what does his defending Uncle August have to do with anything?”
“Plenty. I don’t mean to be indelicate, but you do realize that your uncle was not innocent of the charges Cantrell got dismissed, that he’s involved in a lot of nefarious dealings, correct?”
“That’s why our visits to his estate tapered off over the years. He and my dad could never see eye to eye on that part of August’s life. As interesting as this trip down dysfunctional family memory lane is . . .”
“Did you also know your uncle had dealings with a rich entrepreneur by the name of Evan Kerrigan?”
Ryon groaned. “Fuck, no. Say it ain’t so, boss.”
“Wish I could.”
“Someone clue me in? Who’s Evan Kerrigan?”
Nick answered. “Kerrigan was an alias used by Malik, the Unseelie King, in his human disguise.”
It clicked, and Daria’s eyes widened. “You’re saying my uncle was in on all of that sick experimentation on the shifters? That—that he’s somehow to blame for what’s been done to Ben?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Nick told her. “When I delved deeper into your uncle’s history, I learned that Dr. Gene Bowman was a good friend of his. Your uncle was a financial benefactor of his, along with Malik.”
Ryon digested that. “So, you think her uncle had his eye on Ben as a test subject, bided his time, and then, when Ben and Daria broke up, he took the opportunity to snatch the poor bastard?”
“I’m pretty sure that’s exactly how it happened. Now, what I’ve been able to learn is that August Bradford keeps all of his files on his computer at home. Never trusted leaving them at an office somewhere. They’re much safer with him.” He looked at Daria, who was nodding. “Tell Ryon why.”
“Nobody who doesn’t know the layout of my uncle’s place could possibly hope to steal his files. His estate is only accessible by helicopter. There’s no road in or out, and it’s situated smack in the middle of fifty or so miles of forest in northern Virginia. The Shenandoah River isn’t far from his place.”
“How close are you to your uncle?” Nick asked.
“Not at all. And if he’s behind what happened to Ben and so many others, I want to do whatever it takes to bring him down,” she said fiercely.
“I’m glad you feel that way, because I have an assignment for Ryon. And the catch is, he’s going to need you to accompany him.”
Ryon bolted upright. “No way. My mate does not go with me on any mission. Ever.”
“Um, hello. Your mate is right here, and she can make her own decisions,” she hissed angrily.
“Daria—”
“We’ll hear Nick out, but it’s my decision.”
She was not going to be swayed. His heart sank as he realized that winning this battle would cost him in the long run. If he left her behind, he’d damage important trust between them. Son of a bitch.
“Fine.”
Nick went on. “I believe your uncle has in his possession a lot of important documents about more test subjects, shipments of designer drugs used on shifters, and lists of who’s been in business with him. But I also believe that he never would have allowed these experiments without a fail-safe.”
“An antidote,” Ryon said. “Of course!”
“I believe it’s on his computer with everything else we’ll need. But we need Daria to get you two in and out. She knows the layout of her uncle’s estate, his habits. She knows him.”
“Just us? None of the others will go with us?”
“No. This has to be a quiet op. Aric and Jax will drop you off. You both get in, access the files, get out undetected. They pick you up again and we have the lab work on the serum. The next time you guys find the creature, he’ll get dosed.”
“That’s a tall order.” Ryon shook his head. “I don’t like it. I want her to stay here.”
“I’ll make this simple—without both of you, the op will fail. You know I don’t interfere with free will, but I’m stating the facts. The decision is up to you two.”
“If we don’t go?” Ryon asked.
“Maybe one day we’ll get another shot at the antidote, and the rest of the files, but that day will be far into the future. In the meantime, lives will be lost without that information—some of them close to us.”