Bound to Secrets (8 page)

“I think it melted,” he answered Sebastian’s question.

“So they don’t work with her, even double strength?”

“No it worked at first, but it’s buggered now.”

“So it’s unsafe for me to go in there?” Sebastian asked.

God, he was persistent. Connor shifted uneasily. He so didn’t want to have this conversation. He took a deep breath, shoved his hands in his pockets. Opened his mouth, saw Anya and Tasha waiting expectantly for his words, and closed it again. Perhaps he should talk to Sebastian alone.

Sebastian frowned. “Come on, Connor. What happened?”

He could do this. “It was fine, no problems, we talked—I’ll go through that later. Then…”

He watched as Keira took a bite of her sandwich, licked the crumbs from her lips and heat flickered along his nerves.

“Then later on, we were making love, and she came, and my brain exploded.” He said the words as quickly as possible then waited for the fallout. It never came. Nobody appeared in any way shocked. In fact, Tasha nodded.

“Tasha reckoned that’s what happened,” Anya said.

Sebastian grinned. “I said not likely, you’re such a miserable bastard. But at least you were making a good job of it.”

“Fuck off,” Connor growled.

“So I should be okay?” Sebastian said.

“Just don’t get her excited, because it fucking hurt.”

“Did it force you to shift?”

“Yeah, I’d have been dead otherwise. I was very nearly dead anyway.”

“You like her don’t you?” Tasha murmured.

He turned at the question and shrugged; it was nobody’s business but his and Keira’s. He’d had to tell them about the making love, because of the implant, that didn’t mean he had to expose the rest of how he was feeling.

“Of course he likes her,” Anya replied when he said nothing. “You saw how he looked at her.”

Okay, so maybe nobody else realized it wasn’t their business.

“We could wait for Jack,” Tasha said. “He could always keep me out of his mind.”

“No, I’ll go in.” Sebastian replied. “Perhaps we’ll save the vampire for when she’s more settled. Jack can be a little…overwhelming.”

Connor took up position behind Anya as Sebastian disappeared behind the first set of doors. A few seconds later, he appeared in the room. Keira almost jumped.

“Is there audio?” Connor asked.

“Yes, just a second.” Anya pressed a few keys and Sebastian’s voice came through clearly.

“I’m Sebastian Quinn.”

“Is Connor all right?” Keira asked.

“He’s fine.” He nodded at the camera. “He’s in the next room watching over you.”

Sebastian approached the bed slowly as if uncertain. He glanced up at the camera. “I’m okay, I think. I can feel something, like a buzz, but it’s manageable.” He turned back to Keira, pulled up the small chair and sat by the bed. “Welcome,” he said. “I won’t stay for long, but I wanted you to know you’re not alone.”

“What’s going to happen to me?”

“We’ll do some tests. See if we can work out what was done to you. Maybe we can reverse it, or somehow help you control it.”

“Do you think that’s possible?”

Connor recognized the hope in her voice, and he prayed they would find some way to help her. Tomorrow when they were both stronger, they would start the tests.

Sebastian shrugged. “I honestly don’t know, but we’ll try.”

She nodded and Sebastian got up. “There’s paper and pens in the drawer over there. Make a list of questions and we’ll get answers for you. Now I suggest you sleep. We’ll start work tomorrow.”

“Okay. Will you tell Connor…” she trailed off. “Never mind.”

She curled on her side as Sebastian left the room. Her eyes were open and she stared at the closed door, where he’d disappeared. She appeared so small, hunched on the bed. Connor couldn’t bear to think of her alone in a strange place. Almost without conscious thought, his tugged his T-shirt over his head.

Tasha whistled, but Connor ignored the sound. Being a werewolf had almost cured him of any modesty. They usually stripped before they shifted—it saved having to replace their clothes every time.

Sebastian came through the outer door as he kicked off his boots.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“She shouldn’t be alone. Not on her first night.”

“You’re going to shift?”

Sebastian sounded shocked, but then Connor had never shifted except when he had no choice. He nodded and pulled off his jeans.

Closing his eyes, he willed his wolf to the surface. He shivered as the magic rippled through him. Then he was standing on all fours. His senses more acute, he could scent the others in the room and the metallic smell of the walls. It made him uneasy; he wanted to be outside, back on the moors. Wolf had liked the moors.

His claws made clicks on the tiles as he headed for the door. Sebastian opened it for him, then the inside door and he stepped into the small room.

Keira gasped as he appeared and then a smile curved her lips. He padded across the floor and leapt lightly on the bed. The narrow cot was hardly big enough for the both of them, but she scooted over and he stretched out beside her so their bodies touched all the way along.

He lifted his head to face the camera and curled his upper lip in a snarl. The green light turned to red. He laid his head down and she turned onto her side and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pressed her face into his neck.

A sense of peace stole over him. He closed his eyes and slept.

Chapter Eight

“Can you reverse it?” Sebastian asked.

Connor pressed his fingers to his eyes trying to ease the pressure. His head ached constantly. He knew it was Keira, however hard he tried to deny it.

And he wasn’t the only one affected.

Headaches. Nausea. They were all suffering.

Only the vampires were immune.

After a week, he knew Keira was beginning to despair.

He held up the X-ray of her brain and pointed to the dark patch of scar tissue. “I doubt they knew exactly what they were doing,” he said. “They probably just blasted a laser at her brain to see what would happen and then decided to dispose of her when it didn’t work.”

Sebastian traced a finger down the film. “So what does it all mean?”

“That there’s fuck all we can do.”

“You can’t operate?”

Connor ran a hand through his hair pressing his skull. “We don’t know enough about that section of the brain to even try. We could do irreparable damage. And besides, the scarring is too bad.”

“Maybe once we’ve all moved out, she can stay without doing too much harm. Might give the people in the neighboring buildings a headache, but they won’t know the cause.”

“And she might give them all brain cancer.” Connor had to point out.

“You think she caused her mother’s cancer?”

Connor didn’t want to consider it but he knew he had to. “I don’t know, but it’s a distinct possibility. For us it’s okay, each time we shift we clear anything. But for humans…”

“Send her back to Scotland?”

No way was Connor letting her return to the moors to live out her life alone. “That’s not an option.”

“You know there is one thing you could try,” Sebastian said, his tone bland.

Yeah, Connor knew. He’d been trying not to think about that particular route. He’d always sworn he would never change anyone. But things were different now.

“Would it work?” he asked.

“There are no guarantees.”

God, Sebastian could be annoying. “But what do you think?”

“I think if she survives, then it will work. I’ve seen amputees regain their limbs after they shift. Blind people see again. So yes, I believe it would heal the damage to her brain.”

Connor latched on to one thing. “If she survives?”

“Many don’t. Some go insane and have to be killed. Some just don’t recover from the wound.”

“Thanks,” Connor muttered.

“You need to be aware of the dangers if you go ahead with this. You both need to be aware.”

“What are the chances?”

“With normal humans only about one in ten survive. But you’re strong and that’s important.”

“Would she be better off with you doing it?” Connor’s wolf nipped at his insides at the thought of Sebastian touching her, but he had to ask.

Sebastian shook his head. “No. You might not want to admit it but you’re as strong or stronger than me and you’re much younger.”

His wolf settled.

“The other factor in her favor is both her sisters survived,” Sebastian said. “She has to be very close genetically. I think there’s a good chance. But will
she
accept it?”

“She asked me already. In Scotland. Back then, I didn’t want to. I still don’t know whether I have the right to do that to anyone.”

Sebastian gave a casual shrug. “So send her back to the moors.”

“No.”

Sebastian leaned back against the wall, arms folded across his chest. He appeared vaguely amused, which pissed the hell out of Connor.

“You do know even if it works, she has to have sex before she’ll shift,” Sebastian said.

Shit, he’d forgotten all about that bit. When a human was attacked, they wouldn’t change until after they had sex, and then they’d shift at the next full moon after that. Or before if they wished. But they had no choice when the full moon came around. Connor hadn’t known about the sex thing when he’d been bitten. Hell, he hadn’t known about the werewolf thing. Why would he have? If he’d known, he might never have had sex again.

But he remembered the days after the attack. Once he’d recovered, he’d gone around with a constant hard on. At the time, he’d reckoned it had been some sort of survival reaction. He’d nearly died, but he hadn’t, so he wanted to screw every acceptable woman he came across as a celebration of life. That’s how he’d excused it anyway. Apparently, the urge was normal. Something else he hadn’t known.

“And it’s not going to be you,” Sebastian continued.

The words dragged Connor from his less than pleasant memories. “The hell it isn’t.”

It certainly wasn’t going to be anyone else.

“She won’t heal entirely until she shifts for the first time, and until then you can’t get near her. I think her best bet is a vampire. They’re the only ones who aren’t affected. Not Jack—Tasha might stake him first. But Keira can pick one of the others.”

Connor growled. “Any one of them fucking bloodsucking leeches touches her and I’ll rip their fucking throats out.”

Sebastian grinned. “Hey, did you know you’re actually starting to sound like a werewolf?”

“Piss off.” He had the distinct impression Sebastian was baiting him.

“Seriously though,” Sebastian said. “How are you going to do it? Maybe you could drug her—though I’m not sure it will work if she’s unconscious.”

He so did not want to be talking to Sebastian about having sex with Keira. But the alpha had a point. “I need another implant.”

“Yeah, because that worked
so
well last time.”

“I’ll be careful.” All he had to do was make sure she didn’t enjoy it. She’d been fine right up until the point she came. He just had to ensure she didn’t come. He’d make it up to her later.

“And I thought you’d decided against another implant.”

“I had. And now I’ve changed my mind.” He hoped his tone made it clear the conversation was over.

Finished.

Sebastian shrugged. “So, I’ll go put it to her. See what she says.”

“I’m coming.”

“You are?”

Connor was already stripping.

***

Keira glanced up as the outer door clicked. She fixed a smile on her face.

Trying to feel optimistic was getting her down. As was this place. She longed to be able to talk to Connor face to face. Though she supposed she did talk to him, every night when he came to her in wolf form. Only trouble was, she wanted him to answer back and apart from the odd growl when he disapproved of something she said, she didn’t get much response.

Her sisters had also spent time with her in their wolf form. Tasha was a beautiful slinky red wolf with golden eyes so like Keira’s own. Anya was silver blond with dark eyes. Keira wanted to talk to them so badly. They were gone now. They’d written her a wonderful letter, but said they couldn’t block her out and it hurt.

She hurt everyone.

Connor and Sebastian were working hard, doing tests, trying to find a way to help her. But she also knew that so far they had come up with nothing.

When the inner door opened, she was surprised to see Sebastian. He’d stayed away since their first meeting. She suspected that despite the implant, she gave him a headache.

She’d been expecting one of the vampires and had braced herself accordingly. She hated to admit it, but they terrified her. Jack was okay. She reckoned because he was older and better able to hide what he was. With some of the younger ones, you could almost see them sniffing at her neck. Or maybe it was just her overactive imagination.

Behind Sebastian padded a huge black wolf. Connor. Her fake smile faded to be replaced by the real thing. He came to a halt by her chair and sat on his haunches, resting his great head on her lap. She stroked him while she waited for Sebastian to speak.

He perched on the edge of her bed, his expression solemn. Keira glanced from one to the other.

“Tell me,” she said.

It was bad news. She knew it. She was killing everyone. Or dying. Or…

“Hey, it’s not that bad. We just want to talk to you about something.”

“You do? About what?” She still couldn’t shake the conviction the “something” wasn’t good.

“How would you feel about becoming a werewolf?”

For a moment, she thought she’d misheard. Since that first time she’d mentioned it to Connor and he’d reacted so negatively, she hadn’t considered it again. Or she’d tried not to.

She’d asked Jack about it, but he’d said she needed to talk to one of the wolves. It wasn’t his place to give out pack information. That was all very well, but the only wolf she spent time with was Connor, and he wasn’t talking.

“Connor said it wasn’t an option.”

“He was maybe a little hasty. I’m not going to lie. It might kill you or send you crazy. Only around ten percent of people successfully make the transition. And we have no guarantees it will reverse whatever was done to you.”