“So you two didn’t…”
“No.” She shook her head and glanced briefly at Tatiana. “You see, the other women they used in the program died before they reached full-term. They weren’t pregnant with the children of their mates, so apparently, it wasn’t working.”
“Jesus Christ,” Tatiana said under her breath. “This keeps getting worse.”
“Yeah.” Courtney let out a short laugh. “Well, they captured Steven as he was trying to break into my room and rescue me. He told them I was his mate, and well, you can imagine how thrilled that made them, especially since we’re both pure-bloods. They held us captive and heavily sedated.” Bitterness edged her voice, and a single tear rolled down her cheek, but she continued looking straight ahead. “At least that’s what everyone told me.”
“Wait a minute.” Tatiana touched Courtney’s arm, and they stopped walking as the main compound came into view. “What do you mean, that’s what they told you.”
“I don’t remember anything.” She sniffled. “I woke up here on the ranch, and I was pregnant and alone. Eric found me wandering in the mountains two months ago, and I’ve been here ever since.”
Courtney swiped at the tears with the back of her hand, and a smile cracked her face as the puppy nuzzled her feet again.
“Steven was thrilled, of course. He thought I was dead. They all did. Everyone wanted to know where I’d been and what happened, but I couldn’t remember anything. I mean, the last thing I remember is getting ready to go out for drinks with my girlfriends, and then I wake up like this.” She rubbed her stomach and let out a shaky sigh. “The truth is… maybe everyone would be better off if I had died.” Her voice quivered. “Especially Steven.”
“Courtney,” Tatiana said gently. “Don’t say that. You’re carrying his baby. You’re his mate, and he’s obviously crazy about you.”
“I know,” she whispered. “He’s an incredible man.”
“Look—I obviously have no idea what you’re going through. I mean, I’ve only gotten a taste of this whole mate thing, and it’s got my head messed up.”
Courtney studied her closely. “It’s Dominic, isn’t it?”
Tatiana nodded but said nothing.
“I could tell as soon as I saw you together,” she said through a teary smile. Her green eyes, edged with sadness, searched Tatiana’s. “That’s how it should be.”
Tatiana’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“Nothing.” She flicked a nervous glance toward the house and started walking again. “It’s nice to have a friend to talk to. I’ve felt like an outsider, and I guess since…”
“And since I’m an outsider too, you feel more comfortable talking to me?”
“Yeah.” Courtney nodded and let out short laugh. “Does that sound horrible?”
“Nope.” Tatiana smiled and linked her arm through Courtney’s. “Sounds human.”
They walked the rest of the way with Tatiana telling Courtney about Oregon and her practice. She found herself enjoying Courtney’s company and had to agree that it was nice to have a girlfriend, especially one who understood how it felt to be a bit of an outsider.
As they chatted, Tatiana wondered why Layla would keep this information to herself. However, she wasn’t the only one keeping it under wraps. Dominic could have told her about it, but he chose to keep her in the dark too.
Lies. That’s what the woman in the dream said. Tatiana gave Courtney a sidelong glance as she spoke about the baby and the names they were tossing around. She wondered if perhaps Courtney was the woman they had heard in the dream realm last night. If so, was she trying to communicate with Tatiana, or had they gotten their dream wires crossed?
As they walked to the barn with the summer sun beating down on them, Tatiana resolved to find out what else was being hidden. She was tired of living in an uncertain world, feeling like the rug could be pulled out from under her at any moment.
The conversation was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of people shouting and the high-pitched shriek of horses whinnying.
“Something’s wrong in the barn.” She grabbed Courtney’s arm. “Stay here.”
Tatiana ran at a breakout pace, and as she got closer, she was battered by the rippling shock waves of the animals’ agitated energy signatures. She stumbled as the power of their energy knocked the wind out of her and struggled to catch her breath before continuing. When she finally rounded the corner and stepped into the barn, nothing could’ve prepared her for what she found.
Skidding to a halt, her hands flew to her mouth in horror. Spirit, the gorgeous white mare she worked with yesterday, lay on the ground in a massive stain of blood-soaked hay and dirt. Her dark, lifeless eyes stared blankly at the world, and her coat that had been pure as snow was now marred with blood splatter from two gunshot wounds.
Dominic had Matt pinned against the wall by the throat, and Eric, the other Guardian, stood next to them. Both men glowered at Matt through the glowing eyes of their clan. Seconds later, the air in the barn burgeoned with static electricity and a blast of heat as Richard, Steven, and Courtney materialized next to her.
“You should have done a better background check on your employee, Tatiana,” Dominic seethed. He leaned closer, tightening his grip and making Matt’s eyes widen. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have brought a Caedo assassin to this ranch.”
Dominic jutted his chin toward the back of the stall, and Tatiana’s stomach rolled when she saw the message scrawled in blood. Your half-breed women are next.
Chapter 6
If he squeezed Matt’s neck a little more he could kill him. The words on the wall haunted him and made his blood boil. Your half-breed women are next. Dominic growled and fought the instinctive urge to shift into his tiger. Their women—his woman—Tatiana? It would be a cold day in hell before he let anyone lay a hand on her. Just a little more pressure, and Matt would be a nonissue.
However, after seeing the horrified look on Tatiana’s face when she walked in the barn, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He could handle anything except seeing her upset, especially upset with him. He loosened his hold but didn’t let go.
“What the hell is going on?” Tatiana looked frantically between them and the dead mare. “Dominic. Let Matt go. He’s not Caedo. For God’s sake, he doesn’t even know about us.” She looked at the group who had just materialized out of thin air. “Well, he didn’t up until a few minutes ago.”
“What’s going on?” Matt squeaked out. “Tatiana?”
“Quiet,” Dominic growled.
“He killed Spirit,” Eric said tightly. “Dom and I heard the horses going crazy and found him here standing over the horse’s body. Besides, I ran a background check on him, and he’s like a fucking phantom. Hardly any information online. He could easily be a Caedo spy.”
“Not everyone posts their every thought on Facebook, dude,” Matt said.
“You’re not good at this whole assassin thing, are you kid?” Dominic bit out. His eyes glowed brighter. “You’re supposed to not get caught.”
“This is crazy.” Matt looked at Tatiana through wide, frightened eyes. “What the hell is going on? What the fuck are they?”
“Dominic,” Richard said firmly as he stared at the message on the wall. “Let Matt go. Since he is unarmed and surrounded by Amoveo, he’s not going anywhere. Everyone needs to calm down a moment while we look at all of the evidence.”