Obsessions: A Monster Squad Novel 7 (2 page)

“And Doc’s okay with that?” Dom shook his head. “Sorry, ma’am, but if I was Doc, I’d have dragged you off to some dark, secluded spot, tied you up, and not let you leave.” She gave him a cautious stare and Dom suddenly stiffened. “Sorry. It didn’t sound nearly as creepy in my head.”

“Evan and I have an understanding.”

“Maybe you do, ma’am, but he’s a guy. I can tell you from experience that we’re not the best at putting how we feel into words.” He held the door for her as it opened. “I’d bet money he’s hurting inside a lot more than he’ll admit.”

She stepped outside of the elevator and opened the door leading to the main hangar. She held it open as Dom stepped out and toward the overhead doors leading to the parking lot. The first rays of dawn were just beginning to break over the eastern horizon, and Laura felt an anxious pang as the two stepped out to the gravel parking area. She unlocked her Jeep, and Dom placed the bag in the back for her then shut the rear door.

He turned to her and lowered his voice. “Ma’am, I’m sorry. I know it’s not my place to say anything. I know you got your reasons for leaving.” He glanced back toward the hangar and then to her car. “I know you’ve wanted to leave for a long time. But if you have any kind of second thoughts, now would be the time to let them know.”

Laura gave him a sad smile and pulled the large man into a soft hug. “I’m going to miss you, Dom. I really will.” She stepped back and smiled at him. “But I need this.”

“Well, okay then.” He tipped his cap to her. “Be safe out there, Miss Laura. You know as well as anybody what’s really out there.”

“I will.” She turned and marched back inside. She felt it best to wait for Mitchell inside his office.

*****

Matt’s first memory after shifting back was of a burning sensation across his shoulders. He looked down at the raw, red marks where the silver bars had scalded his wolf. His arm lay between the bars and rested on Jenny’s bare hip. She lay on the floor, as close to the silver bars as possible without touching them, sleeping.

Matt sat up and stretched, the cold concrete floor having stiffened his body; aches and pains the result of a night spent on a surface not designed for sleeping on. He glanced around and saw Jack, still in the form of his Halfling, sitting at the back of his cell, his eyes glued to the clock.

Mitchell cleared his throat and nodded to Jack. “Chief, I think you can shift back now.” Jack’s Halfling turned and stared at him then back to the clock. In a brief golden glow, Jack shifted to his human form, his bodysuit now hanging loosely from him, but slowly starting to pull back to its original size.

Jack stretched, his body popping as he groaned. “You really should consider putting bunks in here.”

“Had some for a short while. My wolf kept destroying them.”

Mitchell walked to the door and waited for the time lock to open them. He saw Jenny stir on the floor, her soft moans from laying on the cold surface pulling at him.

Jack waited at the door and pushed it open as soon as the locks clicked. “I have something I need to do. I’ll catch up with you.”

Mitchell was picking up the clothes outside the cells as he turned to Jack’s retreating form. “What’s so important, Chief?”

“I think I know where Thorn might be.” He took the stairs two and three at a time and disappeared.

Mitchell slipped on his boxers and pants then hung his shirt over his shoulders. He scooped up Jenny’s clothes and stepped into her cell. She was just sitting up slowly, the cold concrete having stiffened her body as much as it had his. He handed her the clothes she had tossed out of her cell and turned his back to allow her to dress.

“I, uh…I wonder how our wolves reacted last night?”

She placed a hand on his shoulder and turned him around to face her. “We’re wolves, Matt. Nudity means nothing to us, remember?”

He tried to avert his eyes as she turned him to face her. “It’s not…I mean, I…” He exhaled hard and turned his gaze back to her, their eyes meeting. “It’s more out of respect, Jenny.”

She reached up and caressed his cheek. “That’s very sweet. But after last night, I don’t think you need to be so bashful.” Her smile made him tingly inside, and he felt like a teenager again. Someone had released butterflies in his stomach and words couldn’t form in his mind, much less in his mouth.

“After…last night?”

“Our wolves accepted each other.” She smiled sweetly at him and then began dressing. Matt didn’t want to look at her, but his eyes soaked in every inch of her body as she slipped back into her clothing.

“Uh, what…how do you mean, ‘accepted’?” He rubbed a hand through his hair and stared at her. “Did we…I mean, are we…”

“Are we mated?” She laughed gently and shook her head. “No, we’re not. But it isn’t from a lack of trying. I think those silver bars worked a little too well.” She pointed to the burns along his shoulders and the backs of her thighs. “I remember just enough to know that our wolves tried though.”

“I am so sorry.”

“Don’t be.” She worked her bra back on, and Matt had to turn away, the butterflies fluttering in overtime. “It’s natural.”

“It may be natural, but…I mean. I thought that ‘we’ had to accept each other. I mean…” He trailed off, unable to find the right words.

“Our wolves are part of us, Matt. They know what we truly want, even if we aren’t sure.” She pulled her shirt on and slipped in next to him. “All I know is that I remember the dreams after I slept. Our wolves were together and they were happy.”

“Does that mean we’d be happy together?” He truly didn’t understand, but he wanted to so desperately.

“As long as we don’t mess it up, I think so.” She turned and headed for the cell door. “Are you ready?”

Matt squared his shoulders and nodded to her. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

*****

Donovan held the rifle in his hands and inspected it. “Sniper rifle. What do you want to bet that once we trace it, the rifle will have come from South America?” He handed the rifle to Spalding who gripped the weapon so tightly in frustration that he feared the stock might break.

Lamb appeared from the small building. “Looks like our shooter was in the rafters and fired from under the roof overhang. This part of the wall is missing. We’d never have seen him.”

“Not with a suppressor on it.” Donnie pointed to the end of the barrel. “Bravo units couldn’t have spotted him.”

“Neither could the drone.” Jacobs studied the ground where a set of boot prints went off toward the chain link fence. “Looks like he exited this way.”

“Donnie, you and John track him. See if he’s still on foot or if he scavenged a vehicle. Radio back if you find anything.” Spalding turned to Jacobs and Lamb. “You two, back on security detail for the clean-up crew.”

Spalding watched as the two sets of operators broke apart and went in separate directions. He waited a moment then stepped inside the building. He stared up into the rafters where the shooter had laid in wait. Jumping up into the overhead, Spalding suspended himself across the rafters and peered out through the missing gable. He had a clear view of the entire yard. The shooter could have taken out any of them at any time…yet, he’d chosen to only shoot Apollo.

Spalding watched as his men provided security to the clean-up crews and considered the situation. Either the shooter had a personal axe to grind against Apollo or was under orders from somebody who did. Could Sheridan have given an order prior to shifting? Wouldn’t that mean that at least some of the men under Sheridan’s command were human and not wolf?

Spalding slipped down from the rafters and walked out of the small building. “Too many questions, not enough answers.” He turned and headed out to the main yard. He paused as he noticed the clean-up crews placing Apollo into a body bag. He watched as the men zipped the bag shut then lifted the body and placed it into the back of a truck.

Spalding vowed to find out who was responsible, even if it took destroying every last wolf at Simmons’ disposal.

*****

Kalen lay in the dark and stared at the ceiling, sleep refusing to return to him. He placed his hand back against the cinder block wall and tried to feel the leather clad woman on the other side. All he could feel was the cold cement under his fingertips.

He rolled to his side and tried to force the thought of her from his mind. Why had these thoughts invaded his mind like this? He had never been so attracted to a female before that it left him distracted. Was it her skill? Was it her flippant attitude? Was it her defiance?

He sighed and rolled to the other side, unable to get comfortable. He ground his teeth together and fought to force the female vampire from his mind. He tried to think of anything else. His brother Horith. His homeland. The many battles he had fought. Nothing could completely remove her. When he thought of his home, she would be lurking behind a tree, waiting for him to spot her. When he thought of the battles he had fought, she was there as well, fighting alongside him. When he thought of Horith, she always invaded his mind, sitting atop him, unzipping her top, and biting with such speed that it shocked him.

It frightened him.

It shook him.

It excited him.

Kalen sat up and went to the sink once more. He ran the cold water and splashed it across his face. He snapped on the light and stared at the reflection in the mirror, water dripping from his sharp features. Turning his head, he looked to the area on his neck where she had bitten him in his dream. He wasn’t surprised that nothing was there. No matter how real the dream felt, it was still just a dream.

Kalen turned and opened the door of his room. He turned down the hallway toward the bathroom and ran into Brooke, heading the opposite direction. She wore the same shocked expression he did at that moment. “Apologies. I was just…” Kalen pointed behind her. “The lavatory is there.”

She blushed and averted her eyes. “Yes. The ladies room is…” She pointed behind him.

Kalen nodded slightly and stepped out of her way, allowing her to pass. She stepped past him and disappeared through a doorway. Kalen watched her and felt a pang in his chest as she strode purposefully through the hallway. He turned slowly and made his way to the restroom. Once inside, he pulled a towel from the rack and stripped off his robe.

Stepping into the shower, he turned the water on hot and let the steaming water beat his skin until it shone bright pink. He couldn’t help but wonder why she acted the way she did in the hallway. It seemed so out of character for her. She actually blushed when she saw him. He chuckled to himself as the water beat his skin.

Kalen slowly lifted his eyes and stared at the tiled wall.
She blushed?
Why would she blush? What could possibly make her react in such a manner unless…

He turned quickly and shut off the water, toweling off absentmindedly. He dropped the towel in the basket and slipped his robe back on. He slowly approached her door and held his hand up, ready to knock.
What am I doing?
He stepped back and stared at the door. Slowly, he retreated the short distance back to his own room and opened the door. He stepped inside and sat on the edge of his bed. How could he ask her what he wanted to ask?
Did you have the same dream I had?
He snorted a short laugh to himself as he realized how ludicrous it would sound.

Kalen turned off the light and lay back on his narrow bed, staring at the ceiling in the darkness. “Surely she didn’t share the same dream as I did…did she?”

He rolled over and stared at the block wall he shared with Brooke. He raised his hand and placed it gently against the cold cement. “Did you?”

On the other side of the wall, Raven lay in her narrow bed facing the block wall she shared with Kalen, her hand pressed to the concrete block. “Did you?” she whispered in the darkness.

*****

Lilith stood and paced slowly, inspecting those who had already arrived. She cocked her head to the side and whispered to Samael, “Why would some of them take the bodies of women?”

“Women have power and position in this day. Those who can serve a purpose have been taken.”

Lilith nodded and continued walking between the rows of her legion. Satisfied, she turned to Samael, “How many more are coming?”

“About half.” He lowered his voice and pulled her aside. “They’ve taken bodies of people in key positions in order to expedite your rise to power.”

Lilith purred as she rubbed against him. “I like the way you think.” She turned and glanced back over the crowd. “I suppose there are presidents and politicians out there?”

Samael shook his head. “This is an army, my love. We have soldiers, police, those who can operate military machinery and those who can get us access to weapons. We don’t need politicians.”

She pouted and leaned against him. “Politicians can simply hand us over their lands. Armies have to fight to dominate.”

“And they are an army. Fighting is what they know.” Samael squeezed her bottom. “They would be outed quickly if they tried to emulate a politician, but a soldier?” He shook his head.