Chapter 8

 

 

 

 

Racheal pushed against Hunter's body, meeting every thrust, needing the unique sting of pain and passion. She felt the beast within her rising. A flurry of images and instinct, warring with her human intellect.

She felt claws pierce her fingertips, scratching along the glossy wooden surface as she willed her animal to wait, knowing what she needed. “Bite me!” she screamed as she came.

The bursting desire too overwhelming to ignore.

    He pumped into her hard, growling his pleasure as his warm jets emptied into her. He nuzzled her neck, his incisors scraping across her skin before he sucked in a sharp breath. “No Racheal.”

She felt the rejection in every cell of her body. Her cat snarled its frustration before retreating in anger. Shame. Denial. Hurt. All washed over her as she held her body completely still, squinting her eyes closed, praying she could disappear.

Hunter pulled out of her slowly. “Racheal, did I hurt you?”

More than you can possibly imagine. “No. I just want to leave.” She squeaked out.

She felt Hunter’s body stiffen. “Leave? What the fuck are you talking about?”

Her voice dropped to a mere whisper. “You don't want me. I'm not your mate.”

Hunter turned her around so quickly she grabbed his shoulders to steady herself. She looked into his angry eyes. His cougar was pissed.

He growled low. “I want you with every fiber of my being. I am barely keeping my beast under control. He is furious he can't give your animal what she wants. Hell, needs. But neither of us will risk your life until we know what will happen when I bite you. We get Jordan's research, then we proceed accordingly.”

Racheal looked down, ashamed. “I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking straight.”

Hunter ran a finger down her cheek. “It's your cat. She's almost fully formed which is a concern since I haven't marked you and you haven't had a partial shift yet.”

Racheal nodded. “She does seem to be getting stronger. I think I had claws for a moment.”

Hunter looked concerned. “Are you sure? That shouldn't happen unless you have fully shifted.”

Racheal rubbed her forehead. “I thought so but honestly with the images and... urges. I'm not sure what is me or her right now.”

Hunter tipped her chin back. “Everything you are feeling is normal during the transition but I need you to be very clear about what's going to happen when you shift for the first time.”

Racheal pursed her lips. “It's painful isn't it?”

Hunter nodded. “Yes, but that will dissipate quickly. Your cat will want to play at first. Explore her surroundings. She will rebuff my male until she is ready.”

“Ready as in mate?”

“Yes.”

“Then what?”

“Then I'll bury myself inside your body daily for the rest of your life,” he growled.

Racheal smiled. “That's unrealistic,” she said in a teasing tone.

Hunter’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?”

She ran a hand over his chest. “Yes. What if I was sick or hurt? You wouldn't expect me to have sex with you then, would you?”

Hunter’s face dropped to hers. His lips brushed against hers as he spoke. “You'll be a shifter. You won't get sick and you’ll heal in minutes from an injury. So, mark my word. You’ll be crawling all over my cock on a nightly basis.”

Juices gushed from her pussy. The attraction caused as much by his words as his dominance. She swatted his chest in mock anger. “Jerk.”

He grabbed her hand, bringing it to his lips, so he could kiss her palm. “As long as I'm your jerk,” he said sucking her finger into his mouth.

She shivered as her body began to heat. “We really need to get that data.”

 

 

 

 

Hunter texted Cade from his watch. “Are we good to go?”

“We're in position,” Cade texted back.

“I want us in and out of there in ten minutes tops.”

“Understood.”

Hunter pulled the black suit sleeve over his watch. “I'm going to activate your suit. Hold still.” He flipped back her collar. There was a soft hum as the black neoprene turned grey. A second later it reflected the forest behind it.

Racheal looked down at her hands. “This is incredible.”

Hunter activated his own suit. “Have you got the flash drive?”

Racheal gave him a withering look. “For the third time. Yes, I have it.” She ran her hands over both arms.

“Nervous?” Hunter asked.

Racheal glanced at the building in the distance. “This is the last place I want to be.”

Hunter ran a thumb gently over her cheek. “Understandable. I won't let anything happen to you.”

She nodded, looking away quickly.

Hunter grabbed the masks from the bag hidden in the brush. “Put your mask on. As soon as it's in place it will connect with the suit.”

Racheal took the garment from Hunter, fitting it over her head snuggly. There was soft hum for a split second then it was gone, signaling the head camera had kicked in, giving her a front and rear view of her surroundings.

Hunter attached his mask.

“I can't see you,” she said.

“I can use my cat's eyesight to see your outline but Garrett’s work is outstanding.”

“How do I stay close to you?”

Hunter touched her arm. “We'll climb the tree, go out on the limb and drop down on the other side of the fence. Once you land, wait for me. You will hold my hand as we run to the building, then you will climb on my back as I scale the wall. Once inside, don't speak unless it's absolutely necessary.”

Racheal followed his instructions. They reached the far side of the building quickly.

Hunter's claws sprung out, piercing the suit when a guard on a routine patrol rounded the building.

He retracted his claws, grabbing Racheal’s hand to hold them both perfectly still. The guard continued to smoke a cigarette as he passed, pausing to flick the smoldering butt on the ground. He shifted the weight of the rifle strapped to his back before continuing.

Hunter felt his cat stir at the man's proximity to its mate. He pulled Racheal behind him, placing her arms around his neck.

She clasp them tightly as his claws sprang loose from his hands and feet. She gripped tighter, her feet leaving the ground, as he ascended the building. The faint sound of mortar crushed under his claws.

He ascended quickly, placing Racheal on the roof. He grabbed her hand and led her to the ventilation shaft. After a cursory inspection, he saw the red light of a sensor. He exposed his watch to text Cade. “There is a sensor on the shaft. It wasn't in the plans.”

Cade replied instantly. “I'm sending over a smoke bomb. Let it hit the sensor. Go in right after it lands. We will attack here so they think it's us. It's coming in thirty seconds.”

Hunter covered his watch, taking Racheal's hand so she wasn't too close to the shaft. He heard the hollow thump of Cade's launcher.

The smoker hit the ventilation shaft, point blank. They opened the shaft and slipped into the pipe as the alarms sounded.

 

 

 

 

 

Racheal calculated the distance to Jordan's lab in her head. She knew approximately where they were in relation to the lab, so they should be coming to a wide pipe soon. Hunter crawled steadily behind her. She couldn't see him but she sensed him and heard the soft sound of shuffling against the metal shaft.

She stopped as the shaft veered in two directions. The plans hadn't shown the second shaft. Hunter didn't rush her as she decided which way to go. She continued to the right, hoping she was correct.

She saw the light shining through the grate and knew she'd been correct. Once above the lab, she looked down, confirming Jordan's laptop was in place, before moving to the opposite side of the grate so Hunter could assist her in lifting it.

As they were about to remove the mesh metal plate Jordan and Camila Cortez entered.

“Who are they?” Cortez demanded.

Jordan was looking at his phone. “Since Racheal's tracker has come in range, I assume it's the shifters.”

Cortez put her hand on her hip as the red dress she wore clung seductively to her body. “Can you retrieve her? Is it too late to cancel the poison from killing her?”

Jordan's voice was low. “I have lowered the capsules warafin disbursement levels. She will only bleed out if she doesn't receive treatment within a few hours of exposure. If I can retrieve her, I will clean out her system and breed her as soon as possible. I may dispose of her after that. She has become more trouble than she's worth.”

Cortez moved aggressively toward her son. “You may have your father fooled but we both know you won’t let her go so easily. Not because you love her. You are incapable of that emotion, but because you have invested too much time and both your parent's money to disappoint us. Besides, you want to breed her intellect into your progeny. Don't you?”

Jordan nodded. “It's true that finding her level of intellect would be difficult in a viable breeder and I need her blood for the next stage of development. So, you’re correct. I won't kill her but I will make her suffer for her insubordination.”

Cortez laughed rudely. “Your arrogance is rivaled only by your father’s. I wonder if he would have released her, despite his strict rules, had he known how close you were to creating a female shifter.”

“Had I told him. You would have killed me. You also live by a set of rules,” he said in disgust.

Cortez smoothed back her hair. “That's true. However, my rules are to ensure you take over the Kallan empire instead of that half-dead brat you call a brother. If you fail in your duties you are undeserving of such a reward.”

“I won't fail, Mother.”

Racheal leaned closer to the grate. Was Jordan's apparent admiration for his father all a ploy or was he telling his mother what she wanted to hear? What did he plan to do to remove Kevin Kallan?

Cortez looked hard at her son. “You better not. Now go see what your father is doing to rectify the problem outside.”

Jordan left obediently, leaving Racheal to wonder how she had so much power over him.

Cortez hit an intercom button on the desk. “Darren. Bring Colin to my office.”

Racheal heard the door open and watched as two men in black fatigues entered the lab.

“Do you want us to remove the threat outside,” the shorter of the two men asked.

Cortez waived her hand. “No Darren. Let Kevin lose a few of his men. It forces him to come to me for more.”

“What would you like us to do?” Darren asked.

Cortez pushed the straps of her dress off her shoulders. It slipped silently to the ground, exposing a red lace bra and underwear. “Me,” she said.

The men unshouldered their weapons and unbuttoned their shirts as she unclasped her bra.

Racheal clenched her hands together, knowing they couldn't wait. She put her hand on the grate. They lifted it together.

Hunter lowered Racheal into the room. She released his grip when her feet silently hit the floor, moving toward the computer.

She glanced at the naked trio as she palmed the flash drive. Darren was on the floor. Cortez was moaning as she pumped on top of the cock buried inside her. Colin was behind her with his finger in her ass, surveying the room, with a suspicious look.

He removed his finger and thrust into Cortez's ass, causing her to call out in pleasure. His eyes continued to dart around as if he were oblivious of the pleasure he should be experiencing.

Racheal reached the computer. Thankful it was turned away from the threesome on the floor. She inserted the drive, waiting the few seconds before the screen came on and the download started. Hunter touched her arm to reassure her he was near.

She looked up at Colin's face. He was looking straight at her. His eyes flickered to the window, she glanced at it, realizing he could see the computer screen's reflection in the dark window. Had he seen her? If so, why hadn't he called out? He thrust harder into the moaning Cortez.

She felt Hunter move away. She reached out blindly, grabbing his arm. She shook her head, hoping he understood.

When she felt his hand on her hip, she gave a sigh of relief. The screen turned off, signaling the download was complete. She removed the drive and returned it to her pocket.

She moved away from the computer with Hunter at her side. Colin's eyes tracked her the entire time. As she reached the side of the room, before the open grate. Colin shook his head and raised his hand.