Alpha Hunter (5 page)

There’s another complication.
Blayne waited until both Tori and Lor looked at him before he went on.
Nazerel anchored a tracer strand in Angie’s mind. The link is not fully formed, but she resisted when I tried to remove it so I didn’t force the issue.

Then we can’t take her to the ship
. Lor looked into the distance, obviously searching for alternatives.

I could take her to Ontariese and see if Head Master Tal can sever the link without causing her pain
.
I don’t know anyone who is more skilled with such things
.

Actually, I know one
, but I’d rather not name him in case we are being monitored. He lives way up in the mountains.

It
was highly unlikely that such a private link was being monitored, but Blayne didn’t argue. Lor meant Lord Drakkin. The Bilarrian had trained Vee, the man who founded the Conservatory. Drakkin’s family controlled the mountainous region of Hautell.
I know who you mean.

I’ve been tempted to run some of this by him anyway.
An objective perspective might be exactly what we need right now. Would you be willing to make the trip? His cabin is rather secluded.

Blayne nearly laughed. By cabin Lor meant mountain fortress, the massive royal residence
Drakkin called home.
It’s been many cycles since I’ve seen…that person. I would be happy to escort her there.
Lord Drakkin was one of the most powerful people in their galaxy. It was an honor to be introduced to him, much less spend time with him.

“I don’t
know who the hell you guys are talking about, but I hate this plan.” Apparently she could hear what they’d been saying, but hadn’t yet learned how to access the link directly. She could likely exchange thoughts with Lor, because of their soul bond, but connecting with other minds was a bit more complicated. She crossed her arms over her chest and pressed her lips together. “Just sever the link now, so she can stay with me.”

The muffled rush of the show
er stopped, so Blayne lowered his voice. “Has Angie been…victimized? Her reaction to my attempt to sever the link made it seem as if she was reacting to something else.”

Tori looked down, clearly tormented by the possibilit
ies. “She won’t talk about it, but she disappeared for almost a week right after our mother died. When Angie came home, she was battered and bloody, but she refused to see a doctor and threatened to leave again if I called the police. Each time I’ve brought it up since then she’s turned belligerent and distant until I leave well enough alone. She was never the same after that. The attack, combined with our mother’s death, fundamentally changed her personality.”

“Then we must find a way to eliminate this link without
compounding the trauma,” Blayne concluded.

“
Our plan is the only way to minimize the danger.” Lor faced Tori and rested his hands on her shoulders. “Blayne will take good care of her and if she has latent abilities, as you did, this is the perfect place for her to explore them.”

The bathroom door opened and Angie emerged, steam rolling out in her wake.
Thank the gods, she was fully dressed. “I feel better.” Turning, she saw Tori and let out a happy cry. She flew down the hall and into her sister’s waiting arms. “I can’t believe how much I missed you.”

Tori hugged her in return, her eyes suddenly brimming with tears. “I missed you too.”

“So, all these aliens, was this the reason you wanted me to stay away from Las Vegas?”

Tori laughed and eased Angie to arm’s length. “You weren’t supposed to find out about any of this.”

“And let you have all the fun?” She gave her a playful shove. “That’s so selfish.”

“I just want you to be safe and happy.” Tori stubbornly blinked back her tears. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

“Why are you all weepy?” Angie looked at Lor and then Blayne. “And you two look like you’re about to tell me I have cancer. What’s going on?”

Tori reached for Angie’s hand, but Angie snatched it away. “Blayne is going to take you to a sort of specialist, someone who can—”

“I’m not going anywhere with Blayne. Scratch that. I’m not going anywhere period. I’m tired of running scared and hiding from the danger.” She looked at Blayne, determination burning in her gaze. “Can Nazerel be harmed by conventional weapons or can he deflect bullets or flash out of their way?”

“
Bullets would likely be ineffective. We have weapons that can harm him, but we have to trap him first. That’s easier said than done. He’s fast and careful. If it were easy, he would be in custody.”

“This isn’t personal. I just got back.” Her pain
-filled gaze switched back to her sister. “Why are you sending me away again?”

A sob escaped Tori and she pulled Angie into her arms. “I’
m not sending you away. Blayne can explain it in more detail when you reach your destination.”

“Nazerel knew where to find you,” Lor said
, drawing Angie’s undivided attention for the first time. She wiggled out of Tori’s embrace and faced him. “That means he’s been listening in, perhaps even watching.”

“You’re Lor, right? You’re the man in charge?”

“I am. I’m also your sister’s—”

“Lover,” Tori cut in. “We are lovers.”

Lor looked at her with question in his eyes, then Blayne felt the faint ripple of a telepathic exchange. Why didn’t she want Angie to know they were soul-bonded mates? Wouldn’t Angie share her sister’s happiness?

Just go with it
,
Lor advised.
Tori insists knowing of our union will only upset Angie more.

Blayne couldn’t imagine why that would be, but it was none of his business.

Angie seemed oblivious to the undercurrent anyway as she latched on to her goal with laser focus. “I’m not a coward and I’m not completely helpless,” she spoke directly to Lor. “Give me a weapon and I’ll fight. I will not—”

Lor flashed behind her and trapped her arms against her sides, lightly grasping her throat with h
is other hand. “And Nazerel is faster than I am.”

Angie
twisted out of Lor’s arms, ending up in the middle of the other three. “Why is this happening? I don’t want this…attention. Why did he pick me?”

Tori reached for
Angie, her need to comfort palpable.

Rather than accept her
sister’s embrace, Angie moved to Blayne and dropped her forehead onto his chest. For a startled moment he looked at Tori over Angie’s head. Was she just spiting her sister or did Angie really want his embrace? Feeling awkward just standing there, he slowly wrapped his arms around her and drew her closer to his body.

Suddenly emotions burst from her in a gushing torrent. She clutched his back and sobbed into his shirt, trembling uncontrollably. He stroked her back and smoothed her hair, unable to do more than let the emotions run their course.

Fury, frustration and pain contorted like wrestlers as they flowed into Blayne’s mind. Even minimized by the compressed link, the combination was staggering. The situation had inadvertently tapped into a deep well of past pain.

“It’s ok
ay, sweetness,” he whispered. “Everything is going to be okay.” Protectiveness surged within him. No one should have to bear this sort of sorrow alone. She’d turned to him for comfort and he was going to give it to her. He’d protect and pamper her, provide a safe place where she could heal. She might not realize it yet, but with one impulsive motion, she’d allowed him into her life. And until she no longer needed him, he was determined to stay there.

Tori was
obviously upset by her sister’s distress, so Lor pulled her into his arms. Soon she was sobbing nearly as loud as Angie.

Females
,
Lor grumbled playfully.

Blayne exchanged
a helpless smile with his commander then buried his face in the softness of Angie’s hair.

The staccato clatter of Sevrin’s high-heeled pumps echoed off the walls of the empty warehouse. Reminiscent of gunfire, the sound soothed her, helped her focus on what still needed to be done. Team South had vacated their house and Nazerel had verified that Allenton had no contact with anyone from teams East or West. Once the initial burst of anger had burned itself out, Sevrin had been able to admit that Allenton’s capture hadn’t been as devastating as she’d first thought. She’d intended to relocate the teams to different cities eventually anyway. This just forced her to make the move sooner than she’d planned. As for losing Allenton himself, one alpha hunter was as good as another. She would simply have to mate with Zach Westbrook or Darrian Eastman.

Marat walked at her side, his long legs easily matching her agitated stride. “I’ve established a perimeter rotation, but I wasn’t sure where you wanted my men housed. I presume the crew’s quarters will be taken up with medical personnel.”

They’d reached the stairwell, so Sevrin paused before descending. “I see no reason for the medical personnel to change their routine. They’ll just come here instead of commuting to my house. If they park on the back side of the building, their cars won’t be visible from the road. I’d rather have all the soldiers on hand in case anything goes wrong.”

“What about Dr. Porffer?”

She went to the landing halfway down the twisting flight of metal stairs, then pressed her hand over the scanner. The pad had been designed to blend with the concrete wall, so it was virtually undetectable to the naked eye. “Dr. Porffer needs to stay with her patient, so she’ll bed down in the infirmary. However, she’ll need access to the shower in your cabin.”

“Easily arranged.”

After confirming her identity, the scanner unlocked the door. Sevrin pushed the portal inward and moved onto a landing similar to the one she’d just vacated. A second set of metal stairs continued the descent on the opposite side of the wall. She paused at the railing to survey the chamber she only shared with her most trusted personnel.

Marat moved up beside her and the door swung shut behind them.
Her ship nestled in the middle of a large underground storage area. Ceiling panels could be retracted, allowing the ship to maneuver away from its subterranean hanger. From above, the panels looked like a massive parking lot. The only complication came if the parking lot was in use when the ship needed to depart. She was sole owner of the warehouse, so that hadn’t been a problem.

With a higher level of technology than humans had achieved, the ship offered amenities not found
anywhere else on Earth. Dr. Porffer and her research team had seemed almost relieved to be returning to the compact infirmary and tiny laboratories. Sevrin, on the other hand, had enjoyed the space and privacy her house had provided. Still, there was no point lamenting what couldn’t be changed.

“Home sweet home,” Sevrin muttered as she turned toward the stairs.

Falling into step behind her, Marat followed her onto the ship then melted into the shadows. It always amazed her that such a large man could move so soundlessly. He was her ever-present protector, a shield against external dangers, if not internal conflicts. Those she must battle on her own.

The ship
was divided into three decks, upper, central and lower. The upper deck contained the command center, while cabins, galley and cargo bays stretched out along the larger central deck. Engineering, the infirmary and both laboratories were situated on the lower deck. The entire ship was organized with an effortless flow that maximized its limited space.

Sevrin found
Dr. Porffer in the infirmary, studying images on a holodisplay Sevrin couldn’t begin to comprehend. The Team North deserter was restrained to a treatment table, despite his obvious sedation.

“
I’ve done it,” Porffer announced without tearing her gaze away from the images. “This is the illusive hormone, except it behaves more like a compound protein. I extracted it from his blood twenty minutes ago and already I can find no trace of it ever having existed anywhere in his body.”

“What are you babbling about?” Sevrin nudged the doctor’s shoulder, drawing the other woman’s gaze to her. “Explain it in civilian terms. I’m not a microbiologist.”

Porffer sighed and slipped her hands into the pockets of her lab coat. “The deserter was so battered and bloody, I didn’t recognize him at first. As I cleaned him up, I realized he was the hunter who attempted to bond yesterday. It was a long shot, but I decided to see if the bonding agent was still in his system.”

“The bonding agent is what triggers metamorphosis in the female
s?”

“Their nanites
also play a part, but reproducing the change is impossible without the bonding agent.” Porffer’s gaze drifted back to the holodisplay.

Sevrin could almost hear the ideas churning inside the doctor’s mind. “Have you identified the bonding agent or not?”

“I have, but I can’t figure out where it came from and synthesizing the compound will be nearly impossible without a larger sample.”

The doctor was still too distracted to look away from the display, but understanding made Sevrin smile. “We already have
their nanites. If you can synthesize this mysterious compound, we won’t need those irrational men.”