The Scent of Seduction (20 page)

The angle made it impossible for him to follow Shaun's orders to put pressure on his wound. His hand fell to the floor. He turned his head enough to see Shaun looking around the room. Shaun crossed to the dresser. He jerked open several drawers, rustled the contents then slammed the heavy wood shut time after time.

"Check the closet,” Jaryn suggested weakly.

Shaun yanked open the closet door with such force that it banged against the wall and caused Jaryn to wince, not only at the echo of sound that pulsed through his poison-ravaged body, but in sympathy for the several hundred year old walls. Shaun came back out with a shirt in hand. In a matter of seconds, his best friend fashioned a field dressing from the garment and had it secured around Jaryn's waist.

He tried to push up to his feet from his knees but almost fell back to the marble floor. Shaun's arm came around Jaryn and helped stabilise him. He lifted one of Jaryn's arms around his shoulders, and the two of them shuffled out of the master suite. Jaryn had never felt so weak in his life, and he hated it. He was not at all looking forward to walking down that grand staircase. When they got to the landing, Jaryn moaned and closed his eyes for a second.

Suck it up, you pussy.

He gripped the banister with one hand and used Shaun's body as a counter-support. If he didn't think he would fall right off the edge and plummet to floor below, Jaryn would climb up and slide down the gently curved railing just as he'd always dreamed of doing as a child.

Step by step, they slowly made their way down. The fucking poison was pumping its way deeper into his bloodstream, making Jaryn's muscles convulse and become weaker by the second. He wouldn't tell Shaun, but his vision was also getting a little spotty, and his ears rang with a chorus of bells that wouldn't stop.

They made it to the base of the stairs and Jaryn clenched Shaun's shoulder. “Wait up a second,” he gasped.

"Fuck this!” Shaun exclaimed and swung Jaryn up over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

"What the hell? Put me down, or I swear to God I'll slip wolfsbane into your coffee for a month!"

"Shut the fuck up, Jaryn, and let me get you help before you fucking die on us. I would rather be shitting and puking my guts up than have to go home and tell your mate that you croaked because you were too fucking stubborn to admit you can't do everything on your own."

At the thought of Nicole being told the news of his death, he immediately stopped struggling. He refused to leave his mate alone in this world. He hadn't told Shaun everything Broyles had divulged, and with his wolf not responding, Jaryn had no way of opening his link to his mate to find out what was happening back home.

"I hate you right now. You know that?” he grumbled.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Shaun crossed through the foyer, and continued towards the back of the house. “It's a good thing I'm supernaturally strong because you weigh a goddamn ton,” Shaun grunted.

"You remember that time in Libya? You weren't exactly a lightweight, smart ass."

Shaun started chuckling. “I'd forgotten about that."

"Dragged your busted-up ass for two clicks till we got to the ex-fil site. You conveniently came to right as the chopper arrived."

Jaryn had no idea where Shaun was taking him, but at that moment talking to his best friend was pretty much the only thing keeping him conscious. Despite his portrayed annoyance, Jaryn tried to keep his adrenaline down because he knew it would make the poison spread faster through his system. Fuck, he hoped someone somewhere really fucking soon could tell him what they were dealing with.

Shaun started down another set of stairs. Jaryn would never admit it out loud, but he was grateful for the ride, even if Shaun's shoulder dug into his gut with each stomp down the treads.

Jaryn lifted his head and the world spun on its axis. Shaun had said something about a basement, so he figured that's where they were. However, this didn't look like any basement in his experience. As Shaun carried him through the room, he saw glass holding cells that housed everything from a few little kids to teenagers. They all stood with their noses pushed against the glass and followed his and Shaun's progress down the aisle. A multitude of computers and test tubes and equipment that Jaryn was quite frankly afraid to know the purpose of filled the room. They went through a set of double doors, and Jaryn's world tipped end over end as Shaun set him down on what appeared to be some type of gurney.

What the hell is this place?

Jaryn moaned as a spasm of pain racked his body.

Shaun swallowed hard. “Hold on, buddy. I've got you some help."

Jaryn followed Shaun's gaze and his eyes widened at the sight of four men in lab coats bound together.

Shaun went over to the corner and yanked one of the men to his feet. He dragged him over to where Jaryn lay on the gurney.

"Your boss stabbed him in the back, and now he can't find his wolf. He's going to die if he can't shift and cure himself. Fix it!"

Jaryn's vision was little more than muted halos at this point. His breathing was shallow, and he knew he was in trouble. He pictured Nicole as he'd seen her last—the early colours of dawn making her bare skin glow as she slept peacefully in their bed. He recalled the soft feel of her skin and the warmth of her body pressed up against him. He loved her. He needed her. There was nothing better in his world than a moment in time when he made Nicole smile.

A sharp pain in his ass pierced his foggy consciousness, and a few seconds later Jaryn's vision cleared and his mind was once again sharp. He tried to shift and howled in joy as the familiar change overtook him. Colours turned grey and the world seemed to shift as his body changed shape in an instant. He was a large wolf, and naturally his perspective of the environment changed as he ended up standing on all fours atop the gurney. He let out a little huff and bumped Shaun with his snout.

Thank you!

Jaryn jumped off the table and stalked over to the corner, growling. He saw the scientists cower. Jaryn imagined it was probably pretty intimidating to the humans to have a black and white furred paranormal predator heading your way with murder in his eyes.

"Jaryn, don't. We need them."

He turned his head to look behind him and saw Shaun standing next to another one of the scientists. The man had saved him, had saved Jaryn's wolf. He figured that one could be allowed to live. He looked back at the remaining three in the corner and let out another growl. The scent of their fear permeated the air, and Jaryn was perversely proud.

He turned around and walked back towards Shaun. By the time he reached his best friend, he was human again. Shaun handed him some scrubs that were lying on a shelf nearby and Jaryn quickly dressed.

"Thank you."

Shaun smiled. “It's all good."

Jaryn nodded to his Beta then turned to the thin man beside him. “Now, who are you? Tell me what the fuck just happened, and what's going on here."

"My name is Dr Craig Johns. The knife Adam Broyles used on you was coated in compound CRS-264. When used in small doses, it prevents a shifter from being able to make the change. Broyles uses it to control his hostages. What you experienced was basically an overdose. Without the antidote, you were minutes away from death. We keep a supply on hand just in case."

"Why would you help me if you work for him?"

"What makes you think I do any of this willingly? Broyles has my family here in the compound. If I didn't do my job, he threatened to kill them.” He pointed towards Shaun. “He said that all the hostages in the barracks had been freed, and that Broyles was gone. That your men had taken control."

Jaryn put his hand on Craig's shoulder. “It's true. He's not dead, but he's definitely not here.” He saw the man's complexion go white. “Don't worry. We're going to put you someplace safe until I find the son-of-a-bitch. And when I do, you'll never have to fear for your family's safety from him again.” He looked at the double doors and remembered what lay beyond them. “Now, tell me what was happening down here."

Craig looked over at his colleagues still huddled in the corner. “Let them go, first."

Jaryn glanced over at Shaun and gave him a slight nod. Shaun walked over and released the others’ bindings. They all slowly got to their feet, rubbing their wrists.

"Done. Now talk."

"I know you're not going to believe me, but those are not your normal children out there.” He walked over the doors and peeked out the window. “They are genetic engineering at its most terrifying and finest. Each one is a shifter but with the added twist of some type of extrasensory talent or power. Born of human surrogates who were sacrificed for the cause."

"What cause?” Shaun growled.

"Those children are supposed to be a new generation of super-shifters bred specifically to act as soldiers in a revolution that will change the world."

For the first time in his life, Jaryn was truly speechless. What could a person possibly say in the face of such a revelation? How did one process such atrocities committed against the innocent?

"How long has this been going on?” he croaked.

"Twenty-five years. For the first few years, there were numerous failures.” He shivered and wrapped his arms around his waist. “I've seen recordings of... The things that happened during the first trials were... We have fifteen in residence. The oldest is nineteen the youngest is two months."

"How in the fuck does something like this happen?” Shaun exclaimed.

"Do you mean literally or ethically?"

"Both!"

"From the literal aspect, all conceptions were achieved via in vitro fertilisation. We used various combinations of sperm and eggs from shifters, humans and mutants, depending on Broyles’ goals for that test subject. We were able to bypass the enzyme that prevents conception between non-mated pairs by introducing a synthetic hormone that tricks the egg into accepting the sperm of the selected donor. Then with the help of advanced gene therapy, we either triggered a mutation in the shifter embryos during the initial stages of brain development that allows latent extrasensory talents to emerge, or we spliced in the shifter gene to a subject with inherited extrasensory talents."

"That's sick."

"I know. And while the scientist in me is in awe of what's been accomplished here, as a human, I'm disgusted by the callous disregard for life."

One of the other scientists walked up to Jaryn. “I'm Dr Tran Guppa. We only know a little bit about what those kids’ lives were like before we arrived five years ago. Our predecessors left detailed notes, both in what they did during the developmental stages and the kinds of experiments they performed on the children, starting as early as two months of age. They were treated as expendable commodities. No sense of identity, kept in isolation...and you really don't want to know what else. We've done what we can to take care of them. To nurture their development as best we can under the limitations placed on us."

"What about the experiments? Did they suddenly stop when you came on board? Why do the children trust you?” Shaun asked.

Dr Guppa faced Shaun. “When Broyles brought us here, he shifted the programme's focus. He had us training the children in physical and mental exercises. He was building an army, not trying to destroy his product. Unfortunately, the experiments didn't cease completely. He reserved those for the others. And believe me—I'm sickened by some of the things I've done."

Jaryn watched a young woman walk up and put her arm around Craig. She gave him a little squeeze then turned to face Jaryn. Dr Craig's face was decidedly more ashen than it had been a moment ago. Jaryn suspected that the doctor was struggling with his own guilt.

"I'm Dr Charlotte Kelly. It was Craig's idea to give the children names. Up till that point, they were simply referred to by their subject number."

Craig eked out a smile for Charlotte. “And it was you who taught them basic social skills. Before that they did little more than exist. Now I've seen how they band together."

The last scientist brought over a data chip and handed it to Shaun. “This is everything we have. All our data and the data of those who came before us."

"And you are?” Shaun prompted.

"Dr Irvin Rakaza. I'm in charge of intellectual development. You should know that every one of those kids have IQs off the charts. Given the proper development, they'll probably have more knowledge in their little toes than you or I ever will have in our entire bodies."

"What will happen to them now?” Charlotte asked.

Jaryn rubbed his eyes and sighed. “I don't know. I need to contact the council.” He looked over at Shaun. “Has the rest of the team checked in?"

Shaun nodded. “All secured. Oh, and your buddy Mac found his brother among the hostages. The council already has a team on the way to debrief them. As soon as they're cleared, they'll all be sent home to their families."

"Good. Let's take this one step at a time shall we? Let's go out there and get them out of those fucking cells.” He looked at Craig. “You can introduce me then we'll get everyone ready to leave. Tell them that they'll never be coming back so bring whatever they want to keep. I have a private jet on standby, and if I can get the council's agreement, I have the perfect place to hide them for a while."

"Sir, they don't have any personal possessions. They don't even have their own clothing. Broyles had us distribute items each day from a stock pile."

Jaryn cursed and clenched his fists. He heard Shaun grumbling next to him in similar fashion. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He wanted to present a calm front to the children, who were probably scared out of their wits right now.

They pushed their way through the doors then Charlotte took Jaryn's hand, pulling him towards the closest cell on the left. Inside the glass was a crib.

Oh, Jesus. They're just babies
.

Charlotte pushed in a numbered sequence and the glass slid away. Jaryn very slowly and quietly walked inside. He reached the edge of the crib and looked down. His heart slammed against his chest and his hands tightened on the wooden railing. Staring back at him were two sets of forest green eyes and two tiny heads covered in a slightly brighter shade of extremely familiar red hair. There was something about them that called to Jaryn. The features could have been a coincidence, but this primal recognition could not be ignored.