Circe's Recruits 2: Zack and Ace (10 page)

“Ace?”

“What’s the matter?”

“I need to see Caitlyn. Some girl time would really help, you know?” He shrugged. “Sure.”

“Plus, there’s a few things I need to do at the compound --”

“Hell, no. I don’t want you around those horny bastards.” Ace fumed.

“Ah, okay.” She hadn’t thought about that. Still, she could use an objective viewpoint.

Caitlyn had once been where she was now. “But I don’t see the harm in going over there. I love Derrick and Hale. I know they’d never do anything to harm me. And Roane’s so in love with Caitlyn, he’s no threat.”

“Yeah, well, you might want to keep all that love to yourself,” he snarled. “If the guys scent you now, they’ll want to fuck you. And I won’t be able to stop myself from taking them apart.”

He wasn’t joking. Instead of frightening her, his anger appeased her. She needed a worthy mate, one strong enough to protect and support her. Ace’s aggression triggered satisfaction in her beast.

“Okay. Then I’ll call her to come here.”

He nodded stiffly, clenching his fingers tight.

“Relax, Ace. I can barely handle two mates. I don’t need any more.”

“That’s right. Mates. Mine and Zack’s.” Ace stepped forward to nuzzle her cheek.

“Mmm.” He stepped back. “Okay. You call Caitlyn, and I’ll make myself scarce. I promise.

Besides, I need a shower. I wasn’t kidding about coming in my shorts.” His eyes flashed with heat. “That was really hot. I wonder how we can turn sixty-nine into a three-way.” He grinned and left her staring after that perfect ass, as if he knew what he did to her.

Kelly groaned and fanned herself. Oh, hell. I’m really turning into a bitch in heat. I need help.

She picked up the phone and dialed Caitlyn.

Caitlyn arrived a few hours later.

“Thanks so much for coming. Ace doesn’t want me around the compound until I can put a lid on…this.”

Caitlyn smiled. “He’s right. You’re safer away from the others just now. Doc explained to us what’s going on. Should I say congratulations?” Kelly shrugged. “Ah, sure. Thanks, I guess.”

“This is a hard thing to understand until you go through it.”

“That’s an understatement.”

Caitlyn nodded and sat across from Kelly in the living room. “Let me give you what I know. The guys mean well, but even Doc doesn’t understand that being a female Circ is a lot different from being a male Circ. Women and men think differently. To men, it’s a huge plus to be bigger and stronger.”

“Frankly, I don’t see the advantage being gargantuan will get me, not when I have to run errands around people I know.”

“Yeah, that might be a problem. Scaring the mailman won’t win you any favors around town.” Caitlyn grinned.

“Please tell me this will get easier.” Kelly sighed. “I like that I’m closer to Ace and Zack, but this intense relationship is complicating things. I’m so confused right now.”

“Maybe I can help with that. As far as what to expect physically, you’re going to turn into a she-beast. When changed, you’ll be able to see, hear, smell, and taste like you wouldn’t believe. The enhanced senses are there when you’re normal, too. But they’re magnified to the nth degree when you’re beastly.”

“Beastly. Great. You mention your beast a lot.”

“It makes sense. You probably already understand that part of yourself I’m talking about. Oh, and before I forget, the first time you change, it might get a little rocky.” Caitlyn blushed.

“Rocky?”

“Since you’re not mated yet, you’ll want to screw anything not nailed down. That’s why Ace wants you to stay far away from the others. And trust me, when you’re mated, you’ll know. It’s more than just sex with the guys. It’s something hard to describe.” She paused. “Any questions?”

Kelly stared, wide-eyed. “Uh…”

“Sorry, too much? It’s a lot to take in. And you have two guys. That’s gonna be tough.”

They remained silent for a moment as Kelly absorbed what Caitlyn had said. “So what’s it like? The mating heat?”

Caitlyn squirmed. “You want to screw everybody with a Circ heartbeat. I couldn’t control myself around Roane at all. But at the same time, I had to challenge him. My beast wanted someone I couldn’t control. He had to be the strongest, fastest, toughest -- you get the drift. It’s an animal urge, Kelly. You just have to accept and go with it.”

“I understand what you’re saying, but I don’t want everybody. I only want Zack and Ace. You told me I haven’t yet mated, but my beast knows what it wants.”

“What she wants,” Caitlyn corrected. “The beast we talk about lives inside you. It’s a real part of you now, not just an instinct or a feeling. I think of mine as a second level of consciousness. And your beast is never wrong. Doc thinks she’s almost psychic.” Kelly considered that. “Lately, I’ve sensed when something’s bothering the guys, or if something’s wrong. And it’s more than hunch. It’s almost like I know things.”

“Right. My intuition pretty much flares at anything to do with Roane or my safety. But there it ends. It’s not like I’m psychic now, just really tuned in to what I consider necessary for survival.”

Kelly nodded. She’d known something bothered Zack. And she’d felt off even after lying with Ace -- when Zack had gone. “Does your beast control you?”

“Only in the first stage of the mating heat. But Roane quickly took charge of that.” Caitlyn grinned. “It’s so weird now to think I was dying. Before the others found me, I’d been very ill. Doc explained I was simply gearing up for my first change. It was a huge relief to know I’m perfectly healthy.”

“Yeah, me too.” Kelly explained her circumstances. “For the longest time I thought there was something wrong with me. Doc’s shots helped; of course they helped. He was stopping my development.” She should have been angrier about his deception, but she couldn’t fault Doc for wanting to help her and heed her mother’s wishes at the same time.

“Does it feel finally like you belong?” Caitlyn asked. “I was alone for a long time. Now I’m happy, fulfilled. The Web design business is booming. Roane is mine, and I have a new family.” Caitlyn frowned. “If it weren’t for the PPA, life would be perfect.”

“I feel closer to all of you, but I admit, I’m a little worried about the PPA. I never used to worry about them, since they were a part of Doc’s life I didn’t belong to. But now I wonder if I’ll lose control of my Circ side in public. What if they find out about me? You think they might try to kidnap me like they once tried with you?” Kelly had been living with that fear since she’d learned the truth from Doc.

“I don’t know. Until you’re more secure with being a Circ, I’d suggest staying close to Doc and the guys. Your guys,” Caitlyn emphasized with a grin.

“Not a problem.”

Caitlyn stared at her.

“What?”

Her friend leaned closer. “So, what’s it like with Zack and Ace?”

“Words can’t describe it.” Kelly gave her a naughty smile.

“Wow.” Caitlyn’s eyes widened. “It’s incredible with Roane. I can’t imagine two guys with that stamina.” She turned bright red. “I mean, I can, it’s just that --” Kelly looked over her shoulder to see what caught Caitlyn’s attention.

Ace stood in the kitchen wearing a pair of shorts and nothing else. Talk about a perfect body. He grabbed a soda from the refrigerator and paused when he felt them staring at him.

“What?”

“Nothing.” Caitlyn shook her head.

Ace gave her an odd look. He winked at Kelly, saluted her with his drink, and left.

“Double wow,” Caitlyn breathed. “You have your own personal bookends.” Kelly laughed out loud. “Bookends? I think I like that better than ‘boy toys.’”

“Yeah, well, I don’t want to talk about your sexy playthings. They remind me of my ‘boy toy,’ and I’m deliberately steering clear of Roane for a while. That idiot had the nerve to argue my designs for our bedroom.” Caitlyn scowled as she reached for her ample purse. She pulled out three bottles of nail polish. “How about we hang out and do girl stuff? Pretty Pink, Barely Blue, or Primal Purple?”

“Primal Purple.” Though she wondered if the polish would cover her beast’s nails later tonight. Kelly felt the need to change with every breath she took. It wouldn’t be much longer until she let it out. At the thought, her beast purred its approval. “Once you changed, did you finally settle into your own skin?”

Caitlyn nodded. “I was scared at first, but after you embrace that part of yourself, you’ll feel better than you ever have. You can’t deny who you are, no matter how much you might want to. And trust me, after you claim those knuckleheads who’ve been mooning over you for years, you’ll wonder what held you back so long.” Remembering how good she’d felt sandwiched between them, Kelly smiled and focused on the polish in Caitlyn’s hand. Tonight couldn’t come soon enough.

“Caitlyn Chase is leaving. Derrick Packard is driving her back,” Simon reported to central command.

“Good. Keep an eye on the house. I want to know the minute Malloy is vulnerable. Our Circ is standing by.” Command disconnected.

Some days it paid to be a normal human. Simon grinned, feeling superior once more.

For all that those dickhead Circs strutted around Pearson Labs, there were many instances where only a human could perform.

Take this cushy assignment. He had to watch the woman’s house. Due to the house’s isolated location, Simon remained a quarter mile away near a neighboring housing development, where he could better blend in. He’d planted surveillance equipment several nights ago, keeping watch on the woman he’d once seen with Caitlyn Chase -- the one that got away.

Malloy wasn’t bad. Big breasts, a nice ass, and dark red hair he could easily imagine digging his hands into. She didn’t have that same animal magnetism Caitlyn had, but then, from what he understood, she hadn’t changed yet.

That was what the surveillance was for. According to Pearl, the woman neared her time. She’d turn into an animal, one who wanted nothing more than to be fucked by her own kind. Able to sniff out any rogue Circs in the area, she’d alert the assholes with her of the PPA’s presence. Hence the need for a human operative. He blended in with the rest of her neighbors.

Simon sighed. So far, so good. English and Two Bears remained inside the house. Two Bears had recovered nicely, and English hadn’t taken enough damage the last time he’d seen him. Not enough to seriously mess up his sexual performance, at any rate.

Simon still wanted to know how Pearl received so much information on Circe’s Recruits, but the scientist remained closemouthed. No doubt he relished knowing what his original Circs were up to every second of the day. Then too, there was a rumor floating about that the PPA had a mole within its own ranks. Several subjects in the subbasement had expired sooner than anticipated, and computer files vanished, or so Simon had overheard Pearl tell McKinley in a moment of panic. Pearl suspected a traitor, as did Simon.

For that reason, Pearl kept his secrets hidden and had revised step two of the new Project Dawn’s timetable. The original plan had been to seduce Kelly Malloy and manipulate her away from Circe’s Recruits and Doc -- Dr. Evan Dennis. With worry of a traitor in their midst, Pearl had taken Simon under his wing and confided a few things.

Kelly Malloy was changing sooner than anticipated. Thanks to the rogue Circ attack in upstate New York, Ace Two Bears had been infected with a drug that, when passed to Malloy, would hasten her change. Apparently, Two Bears had fucked her well, because Malloy was in serious heat. The little slut had taken on Two Bears and English and was due to change any minute.

The cameras around her property would detect heat signatures and rises in pheromone levels. All Simon had to do was sit and wait, report back to his boss, and follow new orders.

Easier said than done. He frowned. It had been a week since he’d gotten laid. One thing he could say for the freaks in the basement, they craved sex. He could fuck as many of the females as he liked. So long as he kept them tied down and drugged so they wouldn’t change, he suffered no injuries, just mind-blowing orgasms. Or at least he had, until that bitch took over the test subjects and took away his clearance for the sublevels.

Sabrina Torrence. Talk about frigid. The only woman he’d met that had the nerve to deny him. As pretty as she was, she’d more likely freeze a man’s dick off than suck him dry when she opened those ripe lips of hers. Even McKinley had waited her out as she’d ripped Simon a new one. As if Simon should consider violating those things in the basement rape.

They were less than human. Who cared what he did with them? Or had done with them.

He glared at the monitor in front of him. It showed nothing more than the heat signatures of the people inside the house. All three occupants remained in separate rooms.

No sex there, and no sex in here. Simon knew he couldn’t let Torrence get away with her superior act. She was no better than him, just another peon in Elliot Pearl’s rise to greatness.

Except she didn’t yet know her place.

On her damned knees.

He knew how Pearl felt about her. He’d heard the man complain to McKinley on more than one occasion. Simon made up his mind. As soon as he finished this job, he planned to show Torrence just where she belonged in the new order at Pearson Labs. Under him. He hadn’t worked his ass off for the last four years to submit to her like some fucking dog. Simon had plans of his own. And he’d be damned if he’d let some geek with glasses, no matter how fine her tits were, get in his way.

The equipment in the van beeped, alerting him to the rise in temperature of the individuals in the house. Pheromone levels spiked. Finally. Simon called in his status and sat patiently. He’d wait it out and then make his move. He had his own secrets and his own agendas, ones that didn’t include Elliot Pearl, Circe’s Recruits, or Sabrina Torrence.

* * * * *

Ace stared at the bedroom door separating him from Zack, who had finally ventured into the hall bathroom for a shower. While Kelly and Caitlyn chatted, he’d wanted nothing more than to confront Zack about his bullshit attitude. But he didn’t. The feelings he had for Zack were too new. He didn’t want to say or do the wrong thing, like it appeared he already had. So he sat on the bed, his head in his hands, wondering where the hell it had all gone wrong.