Chapter Thirty-nine
Hamel laid his head against the thick doors separating him from the love of his life. The last words she said tore at his heart. Yes, he did love her. He didn’t give a shit about his job or his past anymore. All he was worried about was his future and having the one person he loved in it.
Grabbing hold of the steel rings attached to the door, he cleaved them open. Metal squealed and wood splintered. His eyes searched the room, seeing the white sheets trailing out the window. He rushed over and looked out. Melinda dangled dangerously many feet from the ground.
A growl escaped him. His cat said the distance to the ground was too great for them to risk a jump. They needed to get outside.
Hamel ran out of the room and down the hall. Why was there never a door when you needed one? Damn, he wished there was one now. The wall ahead turned blurry and fuzzy. When he reached the spot, a door sat slightly ajar.
He pushed it open, wondering what in the hell had happened a moment ago. Nothing about the door looked strange. In fact, it looked perfectly normal. He headed outside, heading back the way he came down the hallway. Coming around a corner, he saw Melinda hanging ten feet off the ground.
She wore a thin white material wrapped toga-style around her. After seeing her in lab coats for so long, her being almost naked was breathtaking. She probably wore little to nothing underneath. As he stared, her hands slipped over a knot on the tied blankets, not slowing her descent. A shocked squeal escaped her.
Hamel’s cat exploded through him and dashed toward her. He could shift when his faster cat reached her so human arms could catch her. But then she’d storm away, not wanting to see him as Hamel.
Staying as a cat, he ran under her. Reaching the last knot, Melinda hollered when it slipped through her hands. Hamel’s cat slid along the ground, rolled belly up, and provided Melinda with a safe landing spot. Her knees slamming into his chest wasn’t the best of feelings, and neither was not being able to breathe. But he got over it quickly and to his feet, growling for any demons to get away. There were none. Looked like Cuzork was keeping his word about letting them “escape.”
“Jag,” he heard Melinda say, and turned to her. She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I knew you were my protector. Sent to keep me safe. No man can compare to the true heart of an animal.” He licked the tears on her cheek then pulled away. They needed to get going. Since they weren’t sneaking out through the castle, hopefully they’d get a head start and be at the circle before Cuzork realized they’d gone.
In his cat form, Hamel set off away from the castle, around to where the trail led to their rendezvous point, Melinda following him. He kept them at a run not only to get them there quickly, but to keep the sadness at realizing that he’d failed his mate from obliterating his heart.
He couldn’t seem to keep her from danger, couldn’t make her love him. He didn’t deserve her. If that didn’t suck. All these years going on missions to save others and when the time came, he couldn’t save his own mate. He’d get her back to their dimension, work with Sefu to destroy the serum and virus, then return to the States.
Maybe it was time to retire. Get new blood into ALFA. Young blood. He was old and tired. In his hometown, everyone was a shifter and knew everyone. There were other towns across the American continents that were shifter towns, but since they hadn’t been discovered, they weren’t “contracted” to work with the government.
Perhaps he should visit and see about living close to one of them. Maybe even find a suitable partner for companionship. He’d give her kids and love and protect them. But his heart would never be truly happy. It was apparent he didn’t deserve that.
In the distance, his cat eyes spotted the pile of desert stones. Good thing. The sun was becoming alarmingly low on the horizon. Melinda panted behind him, never falling too far back. Even though she’d said she wanted to stay in the harem, she didn’t. He must’ve really pissed her off for her to even think that, much less say it to him. More proof for him to go.
Then the next problem hit him. How did they get back to their side of the veil? Did they just stand in the circle and Sefu would zing them back? How would he know they were there? He blinked, then his pounding heart about blew from his chest. Fucking Cuzork was there.
The son of a bitch had an oasis image that would’ve been right at home in Elizabeth Taylor’s Cleopatra. The bastard lounged on a golden chaise. Women in scant clothing waved large palm leaves over him while another female fed him grapes.
If he didn’t know what the hell was going on, he’d swear this whole place was one movie set scene after another. Or duplicates of pictures in history books of how Egyptians and kings used to live. Then he realized everything here existed on earth. For being in another dimension with creatures with magical powers, nothing was new or something he’d never seen before. He wasn’t sure what that meant, if anything. But right now, he had an asshole to deal with.
Melinda walked by him, hands on her hips, breathing heavily. “How the hell did you get out here? You weren’t here, then suddenly you were.”
Cuzork looked at Hamel and he shifted back to his human form. “So, Clint, did you find where the serum is?”
Melinda’s head cocked. “What the fuck are you talking about. Clint?” Hamel put a hand on the small of her back as he stepped beside her. She startled away with a screech, then stared at him, her eyes taking in his bare chest and buckskins. His eyes stayed on her, but he spoke to the Demon King.
“I have an idea, but not the exact place. I’ll have to search the area then bring it back. You can pay me then. That is if you’re still planning to abide by our agreement.”
The demon snorted and his eyes raked down her sweat-covered body, the thin white fabric transparent where it touched her flesh. He licked his lips. “Of course, transformer. I’m abiding by our agreement. You get what I want and the female and I will wait in my rooms. I believe it’s time to put my plan into action. Starting with her.” The tented area of the demon’s crotch became very evident.