Dark Wolf (Shadow Pack Book 1) (13 page)

Their boss stalked down the hallway, his composure regained. He had some guests gathering in his conference room. There was business to discuss. A demonstration to hold. Then he would finally take his mate.

Ambrose halted for a moment, mid-stride. What if she had been with another? But that was impossible. She had had a few human men in her life, but she had surely not met another of her kind to bond with…had she? From his own bitter marriage to Katie’s mother, he had learned that werewolves were true wolves in matters of the heart. They mated for life, and it galled him to have a wife who would never truly be his since he had murdered her true mate years ago.

But where did Katie’s strange new courage come from, then? Troubled, he headed down the hall.

»»•««

David crouched in a thicket of brush off the beach, pelted by freezing rain. Freezing his balls off for her yet again. He surveyed Seven Devils Island, the private fortress of Hugh Ambrose, a mile out into the water and barely visible in the beginnings of the storm. Wolf eyes were the best tools to penetrate the dark. His nearby team stocked the three Zodiacs with their gear. They warily eyed Frank, who was head and shoulders above all the Special Forces members present. The man was dressed in the largest black fatigues David could ever remember seeing and strongly resembled a gigantic black thundercloud. He gave them all an evil grin, showing his larger-than-even-a-werewolf’s incisors. “You keep working, pups. I’ll show you what I’m made of later.”

The nine soldiers present were also werewolves and dressed in their own special fatigues, designed to expand with the owner through the Change, thus eliminating the need to shed weapons and gear. David had flown them in from every direction over the last twelve hours. Many Weres found that military service suited their need for the hunt, and their abilities were, as long as they either kept them secret or joined a team that was completely formed of their kin, a useful tool in the battles that had always plagued the world. They were fascinated by Frank and spent most of the trip to the lonely windswept strip of beach guessing what the hell the man was. They knew he was a Were. But not what kind. And neither Frank nor David was in any kind of mood to chat.

“My sources say buyers are there for the arms sale tonight. They haven’t raided the place yet because they want to know what he is up to. The residence part of the island is lit up like Mardi Gras, though almost everyone else was taken to the mainland hours ago. I guess there are fewer witnesses that way.” David studied a map with the needle-thin beam of a taped-up flashlight. “The part of the island where the labs and offices are is blacked out, however. The generators are located over there, and they’ll have to go first. That is our insertion point. For such a nasty guy, Ambrose is a little shortsighted on security. Guards and the buildings are wired, and there is a large perimeter fence topped with razor wire. I’ll take out the generators.”

One of the men spoke up, a sandy haired man built like a compact Sherman tank named Gus Johns. “The powers that be are not gonna be happy about you prancing into their op. There’s a guy in deep cover over there. He’s gathering information and evidence to prosecute that slippery bastard and everyone who’s in there to buy from him tonight. We’re on our own in this. There are at least fifteen guards plus God-knows what else in that place. And of course there’s the storm. Doesn’t anyone but me watch the Weather Channel? Drowning is something Weres do occasionally.”

“Too many people know about the Weres now as it is. We can’t afford to let the powers that be in the US government know what we are. They aren’t as easy to deal with as the British. There are only a few guards, and they’re nothing against armed werewolves and one part-human monster like Frank here. I doubt anyone here, including you, Gus, is afraid of getting a little wet tonight.” David gritted his teeth, picturing Ambrose’s hands on his mate. “I don’t intend for that slippery bastard or anyone in cahoots with him to live long enough to go to trial or to tell what they know.” He turned to the group. “We all have had kin murdered or missing in the last few years. I think this bastard did it, and I think there are some of our kin trapped on that island. We don’t have the luxury of time. And if there’s too much going on over there to hide, we have no choice but to blow the place to protect our people from idiots like this.”

The other men murmured their agreement and began to disappear into the sturdy Zodiac Futuras to prepare for the stormy crossing.

Frank turned to survey the younger man. “You and Katie will make quite a pair, my boy. Try not to let your sense of honor and thirst for his blood make you go off half-cocked, David, like my goddaughter did. She finally found the wolf in her soul, and I fear her beast is on a rampage to regain her honor. You know that once it gets loose, God help the Were that cannot get their wolf under control. I feel there will be enough beasts with bloodlust in their hearts on the island for all of us.”

“This isn’t bloodlust, Frank. For Katie or myself. All I’m seeking is justice and the recovery of my mate. God can come along if He wants, or I can send Ambrose straight to Him for judgment. It makes no difference to me.” David stalked to the last boat, not looking back to see if Frank was coming.

The were-bear paused to look up at the threatening black sky. “God save me from idiot pups.”

“I heard that!”

Katie sat dressed in a robe, a bundle of clothes beside her on the bed. She listened to the hall outside for the return of her stepfather. The guards were terrified and had gone to the far end of the long hallway to watch the door. They did not want to be too close to whatever was behind it. She could smell their fear as it seeped under the door and through the walls, a fetid smell that pleased her to no end.

Deciding she would be left alone for a while, she rose and let the silk of the robe drop to the floor. After positioning her mattress over the door to muffle the sound, she turned on the stereo and cranked up the rock until the room shook. In her heyday here on the island, Katie had listened to Death Metal with the express purpose of pissing her stepfather off. No one would comment on her rocking out now. Gathering her power in the pit of her stomach and with every ounce of concentration she possessed, once again she Changed into her wolf-woman form. She reflected that in the last few days she had gone through the Change more times than she had in the last few years. She hoped she could keep it up.

The carpet in a back corner of the room pulled away easily, revealing the floorboards of the old house. They popped up, one by one, with a flick of one of her strong-as-steel claws. Patiently, she waited for a screaming guitar solo before punching downward into the plaster. She knew better than to try the windows, which were barred. She could probably rip out a wall, but walking out a door downstairs would be less noticeable.

In thirty seconds she had a hole big enough to drop through with her bundle of clothing into the guest bedroom below. Examining her clawed hand, Katie winced at the sight of the bloody knuckles. She Changed back and then dressed carefully and as quickly as possible into black wool slacks, expensive loafers, and a red cashmere sweater set. The color red would disappear as easily as black in the dark shadows of the house and grounds. A second glance at her knuckles convinced her to take a washcloth from the bathroom and wrap it around her hand before hiding it in her pocket. Bleeding publicly would be bad form.

If any of the guards downstairs knew who she was, she had to look like she was happy to be home. Hopefully, however, they wouldn’t know her and merely surmise that she was one of the well-dressed prostitutes Ambrose kept on the estate to amuse himself. She knew her stepfather had probably not bothered to tell anyone he had not reconciled with his fugitive stepdaughter yet. Nor would he have filled all of them in on her unique abilities, and what the men in his employ didn’t know could hurt them badly.

The casual stroll down the empty hallways of the huge mansion was difficult, and it seemed like forever until she saw another human being. The rich blue carpet under her feet muffled all sound, but that did not matter. Stealth had gotten her loose last time, and now boldness would get her to the labs. One of the members of Ambrose’s endless parade of thugs stood watch beside the closed door of the conference room.

∙•∙

Norm Stewart looked startled and was reaching for his radio when she approached him with a sweet smile. He had been as jumpy as a cat on a lit gas stove since pissing himself on the mountainside in Blowing Rock. When he reluctantly reported to Kane what he had seen on the mountain, Kane had looked at him pityingly and promised not to report that Norm was hallucinating on the job if Norm promised to see a psychiatrist as soon as possible. Sobbing, the man had agreed immediately to counseling. What Norm had seen was impossible. The approach of the whore made him start like a deer in high beams.

“Oh, don’t bother Ambrose in his meeting, darling.” Her husky voice dripped with a Southern accent. “I was going for a snack in the kitchens before the boss needs my ‘services’ again.” Her giggle rolled over him, warming up his nerves down to his crotch. It was a shame this one belonged to the old man.

Relaxing a bit, Norm nodded at her and winked. “Go ahead, honey. But don’t try to go outside tonight. That storm is about to hit, and then there is the fact that you might get that pretty little tail shot off by a bored guard.” He dismissed her with a flick of his hand. A whore was beneath his notice unless he got the use of her body. She was not worth his time, and to disturb his boss in this meeting to ask about his current piece of ass might mean something much worse than losing his job. She must have been a special one not to be sent to the mainland this afternoon with the others. What harm could the little bitch do?

∙•∙

Katie slowly walked down the hall and turned into the deserted kitchen and straight out the doors. She immediately disappeared from sight into a patch of shadow near the door. Then all that remained of her was a pile of clothes on the frozen grass. The Were woman, covered in a gold pelt, was up the wet stone wall. She ascended into the weaving and blowing treetops, leaping from one to another with inhuman agility and speed and completely circumventing the motion detectors on the ground.

»»•««

Ambrose stood in his customary pose at the end of a shiny mahogany table. Five men were seated around it. The conference room was windowless and soundproofed, effectively blocking the sounds of the rising storm. Several flunkies stood striking various intimidating poses behind the men seated at the table. His guests looked bored, and he had the distinct impression they were not admirers of his faux military clothes or the rich silk hangings of the room. The sumptuous meal he had served them might as well have been army rations out of a foil packet. But they had an endless supply of money and the burning desire to buy whatever deadly device he had to offer. And tonight he had something very special.

Most of the service personnel and non-essential guards had been whisked by boat to the mainland earlier in the day. He wanted to keep the chance of extra witnesses to his guests and what he had to sell them as remote as possible.

“Gentlemen, I would like to offer each of you a place on the ground floor of an incredible enterprise that will change the face of modern warfare.” Hugh Ambrose spoke with the supreme confidence of a seasoned salesman. Wasting no words, he outlined the basics of what he had to offer. He could manufacture werewolves.

A small, dark-complexioned man with an intense gaze stood without asking his host’s permission. Dressed in an impeccable Saville Row suit, he spoke with a hint of accent. “This is insane! Werewolves! You have brought us here for a fairy tale, my dear Ambrose. It is a good joke, but tell us the truth. What is the real item you’ve brought us here to buy tonight? We’re all busy men.”

Ambrose motioned to Kane, who stood near the door. Kane opened the double doors to admit three large men, dressed only in short towels wrapped about their bodies, and the scientist, Dr. Williams. “Observe, gentlemen. Here are three magnificent soldiers. They are the absolute best in the business, ex-US Navy Seals. And I ought to know, I have to pay them what they are worth. But no matter how much training and armaments they have, their human selves are helpless against what I can make them become!” With a flourish, Ambrose stepped back as the newcomers began to glow an unearthly blue. The men at the table began to gasp and move to the other side of the room as one by one the newcomers began to Change. First it was subtle…their hair grew thicker and longer and then seemed to spread over their bodies like a sock being pulled up a bare leg. Then the men began to grow, their shoulders bursting through the air, their faces elongating, and their teeth becoming long white razors before the shocked eyes of the observers. Half wolf/half men stood before Ambrose and his amazed buyers, who all began to excitedly talk among themselves.

∙•∙

Kane, who still stood near the door, fought to hide his horror. The killing and kidnapping of the Were people had sickened him. He had been in touch with the US government for months, staying to gather as much information as possible before fleeing to their protection. He had given them little pertinent information, fearing leaks or the real possibility of Ambrose having planted spies in the bureaucracy of the government agencies. Instead he planned to be long gone from Ambrose’s reach before he spilled the beans on the entire nasty operation here at Seven Devils Island.

“Imagine, gentlemen, an entire army of these creatures. Unlike the legends you have heard, they can Change at will at any time of the day they wish, and silver has no effect on them. They can move like shadows, have the strength of ten men, and kill with the ease of swatting a fly. They can also take the form of an actual wolf and run for days on end. Bullets bounce off of them, and if they do penetrate, the wounds heal instantly. An army of these men could accomplish anything!” He turned to address Ahmed, the skeptic. “Think of sending a troop of these men into Jerusalem and then having them Change inside the city to kill and wreak havoc among your enemies, who will say that the Day of Judgment has come because demons are among them!”