Chapter 2

 

 

 

 

Racheal felt relief for the first time in years. She’d held onto her emotions so long they exploded out of her in a rush. Tears ran down her face as uncontrollable sobs racked her body.

“Shit.” Hunter scooped her up and kicked in the door to get her into the cabin.

He placed her on the couch, pulling her jacket from her, and tucked a warm blanket around her.

She rolled onto her side, scrunching her eyes closed, attempting to get her raging emotions under control.

Hunter rubbed her back, occasionally running a gentle hand over her hair. The kindness made her cry harder.

He spoke low. “Baby, tell me why you're so upset.”

She took a long uneven breath. “It’s been so long since I’ve told anyone the truth.”

She knew he didn’t understand. She would take this one moment of openness. This was for her. His gentle caresses and soft words were a memory she would hold onto in her last months. She needed him safe. He wouldn't be if he stayed with her. “You have to go.”

“I won’t leave without a good reason.” He rested his hand on her hip.

Even through the thick blanket, she felt the heat from his touch. His possession.

He leaned close to her ear. “Tell me what happened to you, Racheal.”

She'd expected him to ask about her infected body. He’d surprised her again. She felt she owed him this truth. It would make it easier for him to let her go. “I met Jordan three months before my abduction.”

Hunter’s hand gripped the blanket tightly. “Sarah didn’t know about Jordon.”

“No. He told me up front his father was Kevin Kallan, that he was a result of an affair and that he wasn’t allowed to tell anyone. I felt sorry for him. Not telling Sarah was the first of many mistakes I made.”

Hunter frowned. “Go on.”

“I found Jordan fascinating. He's brilliant. His work was intriguing.”

“What was he working on?”

“At the time he was working on Coyote reproductive cycles. He had several DNA samples and was isolating a specific genome.”

“They were shifter samples, weren’t they?” He failed to keep the anger out of his voice.

“Actually, the original samples were from regular coyotes located in the Cascade mountains. I didn’t know it at the time but Jordan was testing me. Seeing how long it would take me to figure out the differences once he switched the samples.”

“Why would he test you?”

Racheal wasn't sure she wanted to expose that truth. “Indigenous Coyote DNA and Shifter Coyote DNA look identical unless you know what to look for.”

“Our DNA matches the form we are in?” he asked.

“It does except for one tiny marker. I call it the shifter gene as it looks the same on every shifter species.”

“Why hasn’t anyone found this marker before? Though we try to avoid it. Accidents happen. Our blood has been tested before.”

“You’ve heard the term a needle in a haystack. Well, your marker is a needle in a stack of needles that has a tiny scratch on it.”

“But you found it.”

“Yes.”

Hunter rubbed his neck. “How long did it take you?”

“I’m not sure exactly when Jordan switched the samples. A couple of months maybe,” she said.

Amber tinted his eyes. “What was the nature of your relationship with him?”

She sighed, knowing this was the end. “We worked together for months. He told me about Kevin’s love for Gerry and his contempt for him. I believed his lies. Even after he told me he worked on the weapon systems to fund his own research. The research was for isolating mating properties in animal species for the purpose of re-population.”

Hunter squinted. “Coyotes aren't on the endangered species list. Surely you questioned that.”

“I did. He said he was perfecting the technique with local wildlife since he had access to an unlimited supply of the DNA samples.”

“He had an unlimited supply of shifter DNA you mean,” he said in disgust.

“Yes. Though I didn’t know that at the time.”

“Go on.”

“As I said. I believed all his lies, including the one when he said he loved me,” she whispered.

Hunter stood. His hands balled into fists at his sides. “You loved him?”

“I thought I should love him. He’s a genius. He saw patterns in the DNA strands that I couldn’t. He’s a whiz with computers and weapon design...”

Hunter sat back down, leaning into her, his lips brushing hers as he spoke. “I asked if you loved him. Were you excited when you saw him? Did you get wet when he touched you?”

Racheal closed her eyes. The intensity of her arousal bordered on pain. She couldn’t think with his mouth so close to hers. Her tongue licked the seam of her lips, brushing against his.

His entire body tensed. Steel bands wrapped around her, crushing her chest against his. “Answer me.”

“I slept with him once. It wasn’t good. He said we would work on it. That we only needed to do it again when we were planning to have a child.”

He growled. “You were planning a child with him?”

“No, he said that. I just went along because I enjoyed our work together. I didn’t think it was his fault I wasn’t attracted to men.”

The arms around her softened. “We both know that isn’t true.”

“I thought that there was something wrong with me. Sarah and I talked about it once. We both had no interest in men... or women.”

Hunters eyes glowed. “Your lack of interest in another is because you were made for me and no other.”

Racheal couldn't hold his gaze. Her eyes went to his chest. “I understand your anger. I was stupid to believe...”

“You were controlled by men who are master manipulators. You understand science. You don’t know how to lie with every fiber of your being like the Kallans’ do.”

She wished that were true. She wanted to leave him with this version of her - a naive little girl who’d met the wrong man. She kept her eyes downcast as a tear slipped from her eye.

“Honey. I’m sorry for what happened to you. I truly am. I wish I could change the past but I can only promise you a future.” He ran a gentle hand down her back.

Everything about him touched her. His kindness. His understanding. His values. He was nothing like the man she thought she should be with. He was the man she wanted.

She hugged him, contemplating whether she could take one moment of happiness and keep it for herself. It would be the only one she would have. But as much as she wanted that moment, it wouldn't be fair to him.

She released him and pulled back. “I wish I had a choice but I don’t. If you touch me, we both die.”

    Hunter’s cat surged forward at her words. He calmed the beast, assuring it he would find out why Racheal’s life was in danger and rectify it. He felt his eyes glowing. He didn't bother to stop it. His cat needed Racheal to see him. Acknowledge him. “Why is your life in danger?”

“I was given an advanced serum. If you mark me, you will expose me to the hormone your species produces. I will transform instantly. It’s unlikely I will survive.”

Hunter’s cat backed down. It wouldn’t risk her life. “You’ll find a way to counteract that serum.” He hadn't meant it to sound like a command.

Her eyes hardened. “I don’t have time. They keep finding me. This last time was the longest stretch I had before having to run.”

Hunter rubbed his chin. “You think they have a tracker on you?”

She shrugged. “I thought so, but when I did a scan, I couldn’t find one.”

“How long were you at that building?”

“Almost two weeks,” she said.

“Did you leave often for food or supplies?” Hunter asked.

“I stayed holed up until two days ago,” she said.

“You stayed in there for almost two weeks? I didn't see a kitchen. What did you eat?” he asked in a low voice. His eyes roamed over her skinny frame.

“What does that matter?” she asked.

He leaned into her. “Answer the question, Racheal.”

She cleared her throat. “I had chips, pop and other nonperishable items.”

“When was the last time you had a home cooked meal?”

“Who cares!” she shouted.

Hunter slipped his hand behind her neck, positioning his face directly in front of hers. “I care and the sooner you accept that the easier this will be for you.”

She pushed against his chest.

He allowed her the slight retreat. “Now answer me.”

She crossed her arms.

His little spitfire was contemplating not answering him. He acknowledged the insane arousal that her defiance invoked in him. He wanted to fuck her so badly his balls ached. He tilted his head to the side, raising his eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes. “Sarah made me dinner a couple days before my abduction. I don't cook.”

“Fortunately for you Miss White, I do. Keep talking while I fix you something.”

Her defiance was replaced by shame. “Just call me Racheal okay?”

Hunter knew she was an orphan. Does she think I care about her background? Is she embarrassed? He decided that parental insecurities were an issue best left for another time. He needed her focused on the issue at hand. “No problem.” He pulled a pot from the cupboard, filling it with water. “The building where you were was made of steel and thick concrete. That kind of heavy-duty construction would interfere with a signal going out.”

Racheal put a knuckle to her lip. “I didn't have Wi-Fi there. I tried to steal it from an exterior host but couldn't get the signal to work.”

Hunter cut up vegetables before putting them in a pan to sauté. “The building shielded your signal from going out. When you left, they were able to triangulate your approximate location. They were searching from building to building when I found you. We’ll have to figure out where it is and mask it until we can get it removed.”

She wrung her hands. “That doesn’t change the toxic compound in my system.”

Hunter placed the spaghetti noodles in the boiling water. He forced his tone to remain even. “Will it kill you?”

“Not for a number of years but eventually yes,” she said.

As much as he wanted to comfort her. Tell her everything would be alright and that he would make sure of it. He sensed she was at the end of her emotional endurance. “Racheal...”

She sucked in a quick breath. “Is he alright?”

Hunter was taken off guard. “Who?”

“Cyril,” she said sadly.

He sensed her guilt. He wasn’t sure he should answer even though he believed she was stronger than she realized and he needed her trust. “No, not yet.”

   Racheal’s gut tightened, thinking about the things she’d done to Cyril. She couldn’t change the past. She could only sabotage the Kallans’ future experiments, but Hunter would never agree to what she had planned. The smell of grilled chicken pulled her from her thoughts, forcing her to inhale the tempting aroma.

She watched Hunter cut crisp garlic bread. Her mouth watered as the smell of her old time favorite tickled her nose. She had always marveled at how the simplest things could be so amazing.

Hunter filled a plate with spaghetti, vegetables, chicken and garlic toast, handing it to her, before dishing out his own.

She was halfway through the meal before she realized he hadn’t sat down. She swallowed hard. “Everything alright?”

He walked around her adding more chicken on her plate. “You’re starved, and eating as if this is your last meal, so NO!”

She wasn’t about to tell him it was the best meal she had eaten in four years. He was already far too confident. “I was hungry.” Her tongue slipped over the sauce on her lips as she looked Hunter in the eyes.

He groaned, slipping his hand behind her neck, as his lips gently kissed her. He nipped lightly at her bottom lip, forcing her to open her mouth, allowing him entry. His tongue swept masterfully into hers. Claiming her.

She felt the fire in her body flame out of control. Her body beaded with sweat, pulsating with need. Pain slithered through her abdomen, making her cry out. “No!”

Hunter put his forehead on hers. “Racheal, I won’t hurt you.” He forcibly brought his breathing under control.

She clutched his shoulders. “You won’t mean to but you will.” She sobbed as memories from the past seared through her, pain far worse than the one slithering through her abdomen.

“Do you think that shifters act like Cyril when affected by the mating hormone? We don’t. He attacked women because he had been driven insane. Don’t hold his actions against my species.”

Of course, he thought Cyril's actions were responsible for her reaction. He had no idea regarding the scope of the experiments she had done or the ones in which she had been a guinea pig. She would have told him she didn’t blame Cyril but a ripple of awareness went through her body. It was gone quickly, leaving her questioning the cause. Was she starting the transformation without being bitten? Was more harm done than she had originally thought? Was there a side effect she hadn’t thought of? Hunter would never let her go either way. She pushed away from Hunter’s arms. “I can’t do this.”

His eyes glittered. “Do what?”

She gave him a hard look. “Get close to you?”

He huffed. “Honey, you’ll be more than close to me when I take you.”

“So, you will force me to have sex with you.”

He looked disgusted. “Hell no! I won’t take you until you beg me to.”

She rolled her eyes at his audacity. “Then it won’t happen.”

He smiled smugly. “Oh, it’ll happen.”

She held in the tears forming in her eyes. “I won’t go through that again.”

Hunter’s smile died. “Go through what again? Did Cyril bite you? Attack you?”

She pursed her lips, unsure if she should answer him. “No. It wasn't Cyril.”

Hunter laid his hands gently on her arms. “Please tell me what happened to you. I won't touch you in any way without your permission.”

“You promise?”

“You have no idea how much it hurts me that you believe this is a promise you need me to make. I could never hurt you. You seem to know a lot about the science behind my species but nothing about what makes us who we are.”

He was right. She knew a lot about the genetic makeup of his species, but nothing of their value system. The things that were truly important. “Jordan made a degenerative version of the mating serum for short-term use.”

“I don't understand what that means.”

“He made a version that was more potent but would die out in the subject’s bloodstream within a few hours.”

“What advantage would that have on any shifter species?” he asked.

“It wasn’t designed for the shifter species. It was targeted to work on humans.”

“Why would he want humans to experience the mating side effects?”

“It was originally designed for Sarah. So, she would feel the need to mate with Gerry despite her aversion to him.”

Hunter rubbed his face. “Fuck me. Devon will have a shit fit when he finds out.”

“Do you have to tell him?” she asked.

“Yes. We don’t keep secrets from our family. Our lair,” he said.

Racheal thought about the secrets she kept from Sarah. “Even if they would hurt the ones you love?”

Hunter crossed his arms. “Especially if they would hurt them. Lies always come out Racheal. The longer their hidden the more damage they do.”

She bit her upper lip. It was a nervous habit she had never been able to break.

“Is there something you lied about?”

“No,” she said too quickly.

Hunter cleared his throat. “You do know we sense lies.”

She took a deep breath. “I didn’t lie to you, and if you want the rest of this story you will drop it.”

Hunter raised his eyebrow. “Alright. I'll drop it...for now. Go on with your story.”

Kallan spent millions on the serum variations. He asked Jordan to see if there could be other applications for their use. I don't know the extent of his experiments but he decided to try it on himself."

Hunter’s voice held a hint of threat. “What did he want exactly?”

“Jordan has an IQ of one-eighty-five. He doesn’t fit in with society. His experiments are the only things that truly matter to him. While he’s had sex, he did it more for research than personal interest.”

Hunter looked confused. “I still don’t follow.”

“I told you we had sex and that it wasn’t good. He wanted to see if he could pair us. Make us both want each other in the way you desire your mates.”

“What the Fuck? He wanted to simulate a mating because he has no libido?” he snarled.

“No, because I had no libido. He said I was the problem. I was the first woman that he was attracted to. You know, because my IQ is almost as high as his.”

Hunter’s fingers flexed. “What did he do to you?”

“He injected both of us with the serum.”

“Did it work? Did you want him?” he asked through clenched teeth.

“No. It had an adverse effect on me. It hurt when he touched me,” she said.

“Mates cannot be near any man other than her mate or immediate family during transformation.”

She shivered. “It was excruciating. I screamed and screamed.”

“What effect did it have on him?”

“He wanted me. He was insane with lust,” she said.

Hunter’s eyes glowed. “What happened?”

“Jordan attacked me.”

   Hunter’s cat went berserk. He felt his claws pierce his fingers before halting the transformation. He had to remind his cat that hunting Jordan down now would leave his mate unprotected. Racheal looked weary. “I’m sorry, Racheal. I promise I will track that disgusting motherfucker down and kill him.”

Racheal's eyes widened. “NO! He’s too protected. No one gets near Kevin, Gerald, or Jordan without going up against an army. Besides he didn't rape me. Kevin had Gerald present for the experiment. Gerald tranqued him before it could go too far.”

“I don’t care that he was stopped. He put his hands on you.” Hunter put his arms around her. He needed to comfort her, admitting he wanted to feel her body close to his when he told her about Jordan’s brother. “Racheal. Gerald is Dead.”

She pulled back, looking up at him. “What? When?”

“The day you were released. Devon ripped his throat out. He was attempting to break the mating bond between him and Sarah. No shifter will allow another to take his mate.”

“I know about that research but wasn’t aware of any trials. Was Sarah harmed? What effect did it have?” He saw the interest in her eyes despite her attempt to hide it.

“Devon was shot with the serum. Sarah is fine. It did have a side-effect to their bond but they are as strong as ever.” He waited for her to ask questions. He wanted her engaged. Wanted her helping his family. The lair. He silently cursed when she looked away.

“Was it on the news?" she asked quietly.

Hunter’s cat hated her retreat as much as he did. “No. We've been wondering why he’s keeping it a secret.”

She turned back, her eyes speculative. “How long was Devon with the body?”

“We were there to get Sarah and get out. So, less than a minute. Why?”

She bit her bottom lip. “Gerald may not be dead.”

“Cougar claws do irreversible damage to the jugular. He’s dead.”

She shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

Hunter wasn’t amused by her evasiveness. “Racheal.”

“I wasn't part of that project,” she said hastily.

“Then how do you know about it?”

“Jordan... needed someone to talk to. His father despises him. Gerald doesn't understand most of what he says. So, he would tell me about some of the things he was working on. I didn't add input. I just listened.”

“He loves you, doesn't he?” Hunter growled.

She shook her head. “Jordan is a sociopath. He’s incapable of love. He recognizes my intelligence. He wants it for the children he will breed.”

“Why does he want children if he is incapable of loving them?”

“I don't think Jordan wants them for himself. He’s obsessed with gaining Kevin’s respect.”

Hunter decided Jordan's daddy issues were less important than this new research. “What’s the project that may have helped Gerald?”

Racheal cleared her throat. “The Kallans’ are involved in regenerative testing using shifter DNA. It's still in the experimental stage.”

Hunter’s eyes flickered. “Are you saying Kevin already has what he needs from us? He can cure any disease?”

“Not at all. It’s extremely volatile. It kills over half the subjects, and the ones who live are left with severe side effects.”

“What kind of side-effects?” he asked.

“They are stronger, faster for a couple of years, then they start to rot from the inside out,” she said looking down.

Hunter tipped her head back, cradling her chin in his fingers. “The same thing that happened to Cyril?”

“On the outside, it would look similar but the genetic differences are massive. Humans dissolve from the inside out. The fact that Cyril is still alive means there is something the Kallans’ are missing.”

Hunter released her and grabbed his phone. “I have to update Talen. Liam and Luca will be here soon...”

Racheal backed up quickly, bumping her leg on the coffee table. “No! They can’t come here. I have to leave.”

Hunter dropped the phone. “You’re not going anywhere,” he snapped.

“You don't understand!” Racheal cried out, terrified.

The stench of her fear had his cougar backing down. “Enlighten me.”

“The hormone was designed to effect a shifter male. They’ll attack me.”

“My brothers would never hurt you. Ever,” he said.

“It wouldn't be their fault. You would fight them. I would be responsible for ripping your family apart. Please let me go. I've done enough damage,” she sobbed.

The degradation in her voice was his undoing. Her pain went far past guilt. He strode up to her. “I’ll make the report but I’ll ask my brothers to stay back until we figure this out. Okay?”

She calmed, slipping her arms around his waist. “Thank you.”

It was the first time she had sought comfort from him. He rubbed her back, allowing her tension to drain away. “Devon said he wasn't affected by you when you ran into him.”

Racheal looked up at him. “I was surprised about that myself. I think something happens during mating that changes your chemistry. It didn't occur to me until after Devon showed no interest in me.”

“My family won't hurt you,” he repeated.

Racheal tensed in his arms. She looked lost. A broken bird that had its wings clipped too many times. He needed her. She had to understand what she meant to him.

His lips descended on hers.