The O’Riellys’ converted castle had not only became their operating center, it also became their home. The family gathered for dinner around the large custom table, with the uneven edges and lines in the wood telling the age of the tree it came from. Patrick sat at the head of the table. Austin found a seat to his right—the perfect place for Patrick’s right-hand man—while Jade sat at the opposite end, and Luke, Blake, and Chase took seats around them.

Patrick shoved a bite of pot roast into his mouth and glanced at Jade, who was eyeing him curiously.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “I can feel your lion’s impatience, and I saw you whispering to Luke. Why don’t you just tell us what crazy mission you want us on now?”

“Not you, little sister,” he said. A shudder of fear went through him at the very thought of sending her back out into the world again. He’d rather have her here, where they could keep a close eye on her. He wasn’t willing to risk her again, and he knew she wasn’t ready for field action.

Underneath her innocent look, there was a kick-ass warrior just like her brothers, but right now it was hidden behind the fear and anxiety caused by what had happened to her. It wasn’t until recently that her outspoken, smart-ass attitude had begun to reappear. Though he wouldn’t admit it to her, he was happy to have that side of her back. They didn’t live in a world where they could afford to appear weak, and she knew it. Since he had rescued her from the lab, she’d gone back into her work for Shifters Underground and her training. She was learning to protect herself again, but even with how far she’d come, he wasn’t ready to send her back into the field. Not yet.

“Patrick,” she said. Austin adjusted in his seat, nudging his brother to let him know he had missed something.

“What?”

“I don’t have to be involved, but at least tell us what’s going on. I haven’t seen anything urgent come through Shifters Underground.” She leaned forward and tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. “What’s so bad that you’re hesitating?”

“I’m going after a woman, Doctor Clarissa Greenwood. I need someone to cover my back on this mission.” He stabbed one of the potatoes on his plate and brought it to his lips. “Any volunteers?”

“That’s all the information we get, a woman and her name?” Blake dished more roast onto his plate and didn’t bother to look at Patrick. “Shifter?”

“She’s human, but she might have some information that could help us.” He side-stepped the full story while still doing his best to answer Blake’s question.

“You’ve got to tell them,” Luke said. When Patrick remained silent, Luke set down his fork. “We have to find her for information on how to get into a lab we’ve found. It’s the best way.”

The word lab stilled everyone at the table. Jade gasped. Her fork fell from her grasp and clinked off her plate. Each of the siblings looked at him for more information.

Seeing the fear spark in his sister’s green eyes, he wished he could refute it, but it would do them no good. Ignoring the situation would mean leaving the shifters who were being held there in danger, not to mention countless others could be kidnapped and brought there against their will.

He had a duty to his kind, his family, and Jade to ensure that place was destroyed.

“A lab…” She paused, wrapping her arms around her body. “You found another one?”

He nodded and watched as she retreated within herself. The memories that had returned to her were obviously playing out in her thoughts. “Don’t you worry, we’re going to take this one down.”

“What about this woman? How does she play into all of this?” Blake questioned before taking a sip of his coffee.

“She’s a scientist Hathaway Medical brought on, but from what I understand, when she found out what she’d be working with, she took off. As of right now, she has a five day lead on us, but Luke is working to pinpoint her location. We’ve got to get to her before they do.” He didn’t need to tell them what the goons behind Hathaway Medical would do to her if they caught her. Her simple betrayal would be enough for them to want her dead. Tortured and dead if they thought she had betrayed them in other ways.

“Do we even know she’s alive?”

He shook his head at Blake. “We can only suspect she is, from what Luke has found.”

“I’ve picked up a phone call from a pay phone to her brother. I believe it was her, and they’re meeting in two days in their spot. I’m not sure where that is, but I’ll find it,” Luke explained.

Chase pushed his chair away from the table and rose. “You can’t honestly be suggesting that we bring a human here? One who might have experimented on us?”

“She won’t be brought here if we even suspect she had anything to do with it.” He took another bite. “We don’t know what really happened there, or how much contact she had with the captives, but we do know this is our best chance to get into Hathaway Medical. If we don’t do this, we’re not going to be able to save the shifters who are being held there.”

“Excuse me.” A very pale Jade pushed back from the table. “I need…time.”

Before anyone could say anything, she spun on her heels and hurried toward the staircase. Patrick knew she didn’t like to think about the existence of the labs, that others were suffering the same things she had gone through. But it was a factor in their lives, one they’d have to deal with. At least until the day came that either the paranormal community stood up against it or the government put a stop to it.

“I’ll go.” Blake’s statement brought Patrick back to their conversation.

“Me too.” Austin nodded in agreement.

Patrick stirred his food around on his plate. “No, Austin, I need you here. I don’t know how long we’ll be gone, and I need you in charge until we get back.”

“I still don’t like this, but I’ll go.” Chase still stood behind the table, his hands on the back of the chair he had vacated.

“Blake and I are enough. There are other things to be done. Focus on Hathaway Medical while I’m gone, find out everything you can about them. When I get back, I want to work on a plan and go after them straight away.” Patrick left his fork on his plate and stood from the table. He didn’t feel much like finishing his dinner. “I’m going to check on Jade. Blake, I want you ready at a moment’s notice. Once Luke has a location for Clarissa, we’ll go after her.”

“I’ll be ready, and I’ll make some devices in case we run into any trouble.”

Patrick nodded. He’d leave the explosive devices to Blake. If there was one thing the middle brother enjoyed more than fixing things, it was blowing them up. There was no one else who could come up with various ways to blow things up like he could.

“Patrick, wait a moment.” Austin cornered him at the bottom of the staircase before he could make his way up to his sister. “You should let me go on the mission, and you stay here. With the mention of a lab, it’s bringing everything back for Jade and she needs you here with her. You’re the only one she’ll confide in. What am I supposed to do if she starts retreating into herself, closing us off again?”

“No, she’ll be okay while I’m gone. I’m going to talk to her now. If things change, you’ll call me and I’ll come home. I need to go after Doctor Greenwood because if anyone has the ability to get through to her, it’s going to be me. I might be able to use my knowledge to get her to see our side of things.”

“What about the fact you’re supposed to break down the chemicals in this new drug? We need a way to combat that, or we’re all in trouble.”

He had almost forgotten about the drug the government had developed. He combed his shoulder-length hair from his face with his fingers. “Did you get in touch with your contact?”

“He’s going to get us some once it arrives on base. In exchange, he’ll be staying here with us. They’ve already warned that military personnel will be tested, so he has to get out of there. He’s made the arrangements so that he’ll be one of the workers unloading the cargo. Testing is to begin the following day, so he’ll get some samples and be gone before then. It’s set to arrive next week.”

“Very well. Just give me these two days to find her. If we haven’t found her by then, I’ll come back, and you can take over the hunt with Blake or Chase. I think I can convince her to help us. She obviously didn’t want to test on shifters, or she’d have stayed instead of putting her life in danger.”

Austin didn’t look convinced that Patrick would be back in two days, but instead of saying anything, he just glared at him. Patrick was their Alpha; he didn’t have to justify his actions to anyone. Instead of using that moment to show his dominance, he added, “You have my word. We need a counteractive measure, and I can’t find one to help us if I’m out hunting a woman we’re not even sure is alive.”

“Fine.” Austin crossed his arms over his wide chest. “See what you can do for Jade before you have to leave. No matter how much I try, she just won’t talk to me.”

“She finds comfort with Chase when he’s in lion form. That’s why I’m leaving him here. If she has a nightmare or a bad day, have him go to her and just lay beside her.”

Austin glanced toward the table where Luke, Blake, and Chase were still eating. “What is it about you and Chase? She won’t open up to the rest of us.”

“She doesn’t talk to Chase, either, just cuddles against his lion body. Each of them are running from something, maybe that’s why she relates to him.”

“What about you? Why you?” Austin turned his gaze back to him. “She was always close to both of us, but ever since you rescued her, she clings to you.”

“It’s only been a few weeks since we got her back.” Nine weeks and three days. He had been unable to forget the date, and even now that she was safe, he couldn’t stop keeping track. “She needs time.”

“She might not have time. We need her at her best now.” Austin tipped his head toward the steps, letting Patrick know he wanted to put more distance between them and the other brothers. “With each passing day, things are getting worse. Nolan, my military contact who’s getting us samples of the new drug, mentioned there are plans to start doing sweeps door to door once the drug comes out, testing everyone. For the past few weeks, they’ve been rounding up anyone they suspect of being a shifter and imprisoning them. There’s terror in the streets. While normally the military and police work to control the chaos, they’re only adding to it. Terrorizing citizens, imprisoning anyone they want. There seems to be no law and order any longer.”

“The world was going to Hell before the existence of shifters became known. Now it sounds like things have gotten worse.” None of them had left the castle since they rescued Jade so this adventure would be the first one in over nine weeks. They’d find out how bad things had really gotten. They’d have to stick to the shadows to make sure they weren’t caught up in any of the drama that was happening, and to be sure to stay away from anyone who might be in possession of the drug. “By the way, did Nolan mention a name for this drug?”

“I didn’t even think to ask. Didn’t the article Jade find mention it by name?”

“I was just double-checking the facts. I want to do some research online once I talk to her.” Patrick stopped at the landing on the fourth floor. “I think you should go back downstairs, see if you can help Luke or Blake, and let me handle her.”

“I hadn’t planned to follow you there.” Austin leaned against the wall, his hand on the banister. “Whenever one of us leaves the castle, we’re risking everything and everyone still here.”

He turned toward his brother and nodded. “There’s not much choice. Can you really just sit here, safe and sound, while there are others out there who need help?” When Austin remained silent, he added, “I didn’t think so. It’s not in your nature, just like it’s not in mine. We have to do something. I think it’s only a matter of time before we have to stand against the government.”

“We’ve been thinking that for months, but with this drug, and the way law enforcement is targeting people, everyone is scared.”

“All the more reason we need to build our army and be ready for whatever comes our way. We’re strong together, but we’ll be stronger with more shifters around us. Nolan joining us will be the beginning of it, but he won’t be the last.”

“A fight’s brewing and you’re gearing us up to be on the front lines.” Austin started down the steps, leaving him standing there for a long moment.

The fight was coming whether the siblings were ready or not, so it was better to be prepared. He’d rather see each of them dead than caught in a lab as Jade had been. The lion within him growled at the torture these so-called doctors and scientists were performing on shifters. What they were going through was pure Hell on Earth.

He climbed the last flight of stairs to the fifth floor and tried to put his thoughts together. He needed to go into Jade’s room to put her at ease, not make her more terrified of what the future held. Sometimes, he wished he could pass the job of oldest sibling on to someone else. Instead, it was his job to take over the family’s pride and the position of Alpha, leaving all the responsibility resting on his shoulders. Not that he’d be capable of being a follower. The beast within him was too controlling and dominating to be under anyone’s rule.

Halfway down the hall, and just across from his suite, he found Jade’s door open. When they’d moved into the resort, he had taken the center room because it had the best view and allowed him to watch over the grounds when he couldn’t sleep. They had decided Jade should take the room across the hall from him, so she’d be surrounded by the brothers if anything happened. Austin and Blake each had their own rooms on one side of Patrick and Jade’s rooms. Luke and Chase had rooms on the opposite side. All six of their suites were situated close together, allowing them to protect each other if the time came.

“May I come in?” Respecting her privacy, he stood in the hallway. She didn’t bother to look up from where she sat in the small sitting area across from the bed. The bedroom was cozy and painted in welcoming colors. The accent wall behind the bed was a warm mauve, adding just enough color while the other walls were a snowy white. Since they had been there, she’d made it her own space, with the sparrow gray comforter and white and pink pillows accenting the bed.

“If you must,” she said.

“Are you okay?” He strolled toward her and she glanced up, her eyebrow raised.

“I can’t recall the last time I didn’t feel this terror. It’s become a constant companion and I don’t even remember half of what happened to me.” She ran her fingers her through her hair. “Maybe that’s part of the problem…not knowing what happened.”

“If you want to know I can help you with that.” Not wanting her to stumble across them, he’d hidden the recovered documents and hard drive in the safe in his room. If she were ready, he’d give her what information he had. If that weren’t enough, he could try some of the tricks he had learned in medical school to help her remember.

“Every time I close my eyes, I see enough of that place. Even through the haze that still hangs over it, I remember bits and pieces. When I look in the mirror…” Her voice cracked and he thought about the scars that marred her body. “I’m not sure I ever want to know the whole truth.”

“There might come a day you do. When that time comes, let me know, and I’ll do my best to help you. You might never know everything that happened there, and maybe that’s a good thing.”

“There are others who are suffering the same fate, and yet we sit here doing nothing.”

He sank down on the sofa next to her and took her hand into his. “We can’t run off half-crazed every time we get a lead. We need to put together a plan and go there with our best chances. Otherwise, we could end up captured or killed.”

“You think this scientist will be willing to help?”

“I hope I’ll be able to get to her. She’ll help. We’ll close down this lab, too.” He squeezed her hand in reassurance. “Austin can be a little too threatening at first, but if you want me to stay here with you, I can send him to find her instead.”

“Stay with me, why?” She tipped her head to look at him.

“The thought of another lab might make the nightmares harder.”

“I can handle them.” With a deep sigh, she leaned back against the sofa. “Okay, so I haven’t been doing a very good job of it, but don’t let that stop you. You need to go and find this woman. I hate to think of the captives suffering one more day there. We’ve got to stop it.”

He turned enough to be able to see her and still keep his hand over hers. “We’re going to, I promise.”

“Then you have to go. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.”

“I always worry about you and the rest of the family, but as long as you stay here I know you’ll be safe. I don’t want you venturing too far from the castle while I’m away. Got that?”

She nodded, but it did little to quell the fear within him. Since he had become Alpha of their outlaw band, he had a deep connection to each of them that wasn’t only family but was what a true Alpha would have. He could sense them, their emotions, and if they were in trouble.

When she was a prisoner in the lab, they’d kept her so drugged that it minimized their connection. He could have mistaken her for dead if there hadn’t been a slight tug between them. He couldn’t determine where she was, but every once in a while he’d feel the terror within her. When his guard was down he could feel the pain they inflicted on her, just as if they were doing it to him. It tore at him, making his lion testy, but he held it together for his pride. As any good Alpha would, he tried to send his strength to her, to let her know they were coming for her. Maybe that’s what got her through it and kept her fighting.

Subject has more fight within her than previously studied subjects. Unable to determine the cause. Use extreme caution when handling the subject. Those statements were repeated over and over in the files he had found on her. While she’d always refused to take anyone’s shit, she was naturally more outspoken than physically combative. According to the files, her attitude had become more pronounced when she was captured. Now it seemed as though it had all but dissipated. Even her outspokenness had gone. She was more reserved than she had ever been before.

Oh Jade, somehow we’re going to help you find the person you were. I miss my baby sister—the woman she was.

Sometimes he felt as though he was still trying to rescue her. More than ever, he was determined to get her back.