Her Perfect Mate (33 page)

do to you?”

She moaned, her eyes fluttering open. “No more…please…”

Her pleading tore at his heart. He cupped her face. “Ivy, sweetheart. It’s me. It’s Landon.”

She blinked up at him, as if trying to focus. Tears filled her eyes. “Landon? Are you alive, or am I

dead?”

“You’re alive, baby.” Tears burned Landon’s eyes. “I swear it.”

“They told me you were dead. I thought you were gone.”

“I’m not,” he assured her. “I’m right here, and I’m going to get you out of this hellhole.”

Mickens dropped down beside him. “Captain, let me check her before you move her too much.”

Landon was afraid to let her go even for a minute, but Mickens was right. They didn’t know how

extensive Ivy’s injuries were, and he didn’t want to do more damage.

“She’s pretty beat up.” Mickens glanced his way. “It looks like she has a few cracked ribs and maybe a

fractured arm, but the breaks must be old. They’ve already set.”

“They’re recent. She heals quicker than we do,” Landon said quietly.

Mickens looked stunned at that but didn’t comment. He pointed at the scar marring the perfect skin of

her thigh. “I don’t know what this puncture wound was, but it’s like someone stuck her with a thin, dull

knife.”

Landon ground his jaw. He was going to not only kill Stutmeir slowly, but excruciatingly painfully, too.

The medic checked Ivy’s eyes, and Landon saw her trying to focus on Mickens’s face. “They drugged

the crap out of her, too. But I think she’ll be okay long enough for us to get her out of here. I’ll check her

out more when we get to safety.”

As soon as Mickens picked up his bag and moved out of the way, Landon was beside her again. Ivy

reached up with her bound hands to touch his face. He swore under his breath. Grabbing the knife from his

belt, he sliced through the tape around her wrists, then pulled her into his arms.

Ivy laced her fingers in his hair, pulling his mouth down to hers. The touch of her lips on his did more

to convince him that she was going to be okay than anything Mickens had said. He wanted nothing more

than to sit on the floor and kiss her like this for the rest of their lives, but he knew their lives would be very

short if he did.

He reluctantly pulled away to gaze at her. There was so much he needed to say to her, but the words just

wouldn’t come. Not now, not like this. He cleared his throat and turned his attention to the tape around her

ankles, slicing through it with his knife. The skin was red and raw underneath it, just like on her wrists.

She’d been fighting with all her strength to get free. He clenched his jaw so hard he felt his teeth crunch.

Damn those bastards. They were going to pay for hurting her.

First, he had to get Ivy to safety. Landon shoved the knife back in its sheath, then shook off his tactical

vest so he could take off the button-up shirt he had on over his tee. He’d worn it to blend in with the other

hikers on the trail yesterday and had almost ditched it more than once. Now he was glad he’d kept it on.

He gently helped Ivy into it and buttoned it up, careful not to hurt her. It was way too big on her,

hanging down to the middle of her thighs, but at least it covered her. He put his vest back on and slung his

M4 over his back. Slipping one arm under Ivy’s knees and the other around her back, he got to his feet and

turned to the door.

Buchanan, Kendra, Mickens, and Angelo were waiting for him, their faces grim.

“We won’t be able to get her through the window we came in,” Landon said.

Buchanan let out a ragged breath and tore his gaze away from Ivy. “You just keep her safe. I’ll find a

way out of here.”

They were halfway down the hallway when Landon’s radio crackled.

“Captain, trouble is heading your way,” Griffen reported. In the background, Landon heard the echo of

automatic weapons firing and the thumping boom of grenades exploding. Griffen swore. “We’re keeping

the bad guys from getting out, but they’re keeping us from getting in, too. Looks like some of them are

starting to pull back inside. I don’t know where they’re going, but if you don’t have company already, you

soon will.”

“Roger that, Griffen. We’re heading up to the first floor with Ivy now. Try and make your way inside if

you can. We’ll need your help to get out of here.”

“Wilco, Captain. We’ll do our best, but these things are fast as lightning and damn near impossible to

kill. They’ve almost gotten us a few times.”

“Stop your whining,” Angelo growled over the line, “and get your asses in here.”

***

was in the one place she wanted to be more than anywhere else, the one place she never thought she’d be

again—Landon’s arms. She closed her eyes and buried her nose in his neck, breathing in his scent. It

warmed her right down to her very soul.

When she’d awakened from her drugged stupor, she was afraid it was someone coming to shove

another needle full of tranquilizers into her arm. Then she’d heard Landon’s voice through the fog and

she’d seriously thought she was dead. She knew she wasn’t the moment she’d felt his warm, gentle hands

on her face.

She never should have doubted him. He’d told her he would come for her, and he had. She should have

known nothing would stop him from keeping that promise. He was the most amazing man in the world.

And she planned on telling him that as soon as they were out of this horrible place.

Ivy reluctantly lifted her head from his shoulder to look around. The first thing she saw was Mickens.

So she hadn’t imagined him. How had one of Landon’s Special Forces buddies gotten here? Then she saw

Angelo a little farther back and between them—Kendra?

The drugs must be making her see things. There was no way Kendra could be here. Ivy couldn’t

imagine why her friend would show up in her drug-induced hallucination, but there she was—and she was

carrying a weapon.

Ivy shook her head and breathed deep to draw in more oxygen. That was when she saw Clayne running

in front of them.

She wasn’t hallucinating. Mickens, Kendra, Angelo, Clayne—they were all real. And they were there to

rescue her.

Up ahead, Clayne growled. It was quickly followed by a woman’s scream.

Ivy jerked her head around to see Zarina Sokolov standing in the middle of the hallway. She was

holding a piece of angle iron in her hands like a baseball bat and doing her best to stand up to Clayne.

Clayne ripped the piece of metal out of her hands and flung it on the floor, then grabbed her by the arm.

“Clayne, no!” Ivy ordered. “She’s one of the hostages.”

He snarled, giving the doctor a glare. “She doesn’t look like a hostage to me. She damn near brained me

with that thing.”

“Well, she tried to help me escape at the risk to her own life, so cut her a break.”

Clayne grunted but released her. Zarina took a wary step back as she rubbed her arm.

“Doctor Zarina Sokolov, right?” Landon asked. “Don’t be afraid. We’re here to rescue you.”

Zarina glanced at Ivy. “She told me that earlier, but I didn’t believe anyone else would come.” She

wrapped her arms around her middle. “Stutmeir figured out I tried to help you escape and locked me in my

room. When I heard shooting, I didn’t know what to think. I took the bedframe apart so I’d have a weapon,

then hit the guard on the head and ran.”

“Stutmeir and his men are headed right for us,” Landon said. “Do you know another way out of here?”

“Beside the main entrance?” She shook her head, then stopped. “Wait! I heard Klaus and Renard talking

about a secret passage they found. It’s somewhere off the main floor atrium.”

Landon frowned. “Renard? The French doctor who was kidnapped?”

Ivy growled. “He’s joined the dark side.”

“Then he can die along with Stutmeir.” Landon looked at Zarina. “How do we get to the atrium from

here?”

Zarina gave them quick directions, then picked up the piece of metal Clayne had taken from her and fell

into step behind Kendra.

If Stutmeir and his men were headed downstairs, it wasn’t in their direction. They didn’t run into

anyone on their way to the main floor. Ivy told Landon to put her down several times, that she could be

more use if he gave her one of the extra weapons they were carrying, but he ignored her.

As Landon carried her into the atrium, Ivy caught a glimpse of Stutmeir, Jeff, and several other men—

including the two doctors who’d tortured her—rushing down a set of stairs on the other side of the lobby.

Ivy’s claws came out as she bit back a growl.

Landon’s arms tightened around her briefly before he gently set her down on her feet. “Get Ivy

somewhere safe. I’m going after Stutmeir.”

Fear gripped her. “Landon, no. Not by yourself. He has hybrids with him.”

“I’m taking Angelo with me.” He cupped her cheek. “Those bastards are going to pay for what they did

to you.”

She covered his hand with hers, afraid if she let him go, she’d never see him again. But how could she

talk him out of going when she’d vowed to get the same revenge a few hours ago? “Be careful.”

His mouth curved. “Always.”

Then he leaned in to kiss her—right there in front of everyone.

Ivy clung to him when he pulled away. “I love you,” she whispered.

It wasn’t the perfect time or place to say it. And she certainly hadn’t wanted to have an audience. But

she didn’t care. She wanted him to know.

“I love you, too.” His voice was deep and husky, the words so heartfelt they made her want to cry. He

kissed her again, then looked at Clayne. “Keep her safe.”

Landon met her eyes for one long moment before he gave Angelo a nod. Ivy watched through tear-

filled eyes as they ran across the atrium and disappeared down the steps after Stutmeir.

Ivy was feeling steady enough to walk on her own, but Clayne picked her up in his arms anyway.

Mickens led the way this time, heading toward the front door. They were almost there when four hybrids

burst into the lodge. The creatures looked shocked to see them, and it took a second for them to react,

which gave Mickens and Kendra more than enough time to shoot them.

“Griffen,” Mickens shouted into his headset. “We’re coming out. Hold your fire.”

The courtyard was littered with both hybrids and men alike. Thankfully, Ivy didn’t see any of Landon’s

friends among them.

Griffen and the rest of the men were waiting for them outside the wall. Ivy was amazed to see how

many of them there were. She was also horrified to see that two of them were injured. Diaz was sitting back

against the stone, bleeding from a set of vicious claw marks across his chest. Tredeau was lying on the

ground beside him with some serious bite wounds on his thigh and stomach.

Griffen frowned. “Where’re the Captain and Angelo?”

“They went after Stutmeir,” Clayne said.

Ivy held her breath as Griffen tried to contact them on the headset. Her stomach clenched when neither

Landon nor Angelo answered.

“They were headed underground,” Kendra said. “They probably can’t pick up the radio down there.”

Ivy prayed she was right.

Griffen looked at Mickens. “Take care of Diaz and Tredeau. The rest of the team and I will go after the

captain and Angelo.”

As Griffen took off running toward the lodge with Deray and Marks, Clayne gently set Ivy down on the

ground near the wall. He brushed her hair back from her face, his gaze unreadable, then cleared his throat

and got to his feet, ostensibly to stand guard with Kendra while Mickens tended to Diaz and Tredeau.

Zarina came over, dropping to one knee beside her. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine.” Ivy gave her a small smile. “You should help Mickens.”

“I will, just as soon as I’m done with you.”

Ivy sighed but sat still and let Zarina play doctor.

The woman’s brows drew together. “You’re a remarkably fast healer, Ivy. A normal person would have

been incapacitated for days, maybe weeks if they endured what you did.”

“Shifters heal fast.”

“Klaus thought that might be the case, but until you arrived, he didn’t have anyone to test his theories

on.” She gave Ivy a rueful smile. “I wish he’d never gotten to test them on you.”

Taking Ivy’s hand in hers, Zarina gave it a squeeze, then went to help Mickens with the injured Tredeau.

Ivy looked over at Clayne and Kendra. They were talking too softly for her to hear unless she used her

shifter abilities, and she was too tired for that.

“Clayne,” she called.

He was at her side in a heartbeat. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she assured him. “It’s Landon I’m worried about.”

His mouth tightened. “Donovan can take care of himself.”

“I’d feel better if he had backup.”

“He has backup.”

Why couldn’t Clayne ever make anything easy? “I meant shifter backup.”

The muscle in his jaw flexed. “I’m not leaving you here unprotected.”

“Kendra and Mickens are here. And even if they weren’t, I can take care of myself. Besides, all the bad