The Scent of Seduction (21 page)

"I'd like you to meet Kaden and Gavin."

"Who's the biological mother of these babies?"

"Their egg donor was a human named Nicole Holland.” She frowned. “It happened about four months after she was brought to the compound. For some reason, Broyles decided to use another human as surrogate instead of having Ms Holland carry the twins.” She turned away from the crib and stared out the glass into the lab. “Once we detected her cycle, we began giving her hormones in her diet without her knowledge to nurture the egg development. She was drugged and brought down for regular ultrasounds so we could monitor the progress and make a determination when it was time to harvest. I was here when Broyles brought her down for the final procedure. She was already unconscious.” Charlotte wiped her eyes. “She never knew it happened. Has no idea Kaden and Gavin even exist. I'm a mother, Mr Chaunterel. I can't even imagine..."

Jaryn came over and squeezed Charlotte's shoulder. “It'll be okay."

"After Ms Holland's procedure, Broyles ordered us keep her locked up in a suite of rooms on the second floor. She was never put with the other humans again."

"What happened to the surrogate?"

"She didn't handle the pregnancy well, and we were forced to deliver Kaden and Gavin by Caesarian a month early. She haemorrhaged out. We weren't able to determine what went wrong. We shouldn't have even been... We're all researchers. I haven't treated patients since my residency, for God's sake.” Charlotte wiped away a tear rolling down her cheek. “About two months ago, Craig was forced to perform germ line gene therapy on Ms Holland. Broyles was convinced that the therapy would alter her DNA to that of a wolf shifter.” She looked back at him. “I don't even know what happened to her. I heard she disappeared a couple of months ago. Most likely she's dead, along with the others."

Jaryn walked back over to the crib. Both of the babies watched him quietly. Jaryn stared into the two innocent faces. These little boys shared DNA with his mate. He reached down into the crib and lifted the infants into his arms.

"She's not dead. She's my mate. Right now she's at our home in Montana.” Jaryn cradled the small bodies against his chest. “Hello...my sons."

[Back to Table of Contents]

"Jeff?"

"Surprised? I bet Cooper told you only Jaryn's inner circle knew about this place? Well that may have been true for a while, but all secrets come to light eventually. Once I obtained the particulars from my associate, it was easy enough to lift Cooper's palm print from the station.” He stepped aside from the opening and gestured with his gun. “Now move. I have a schedule to keep."

Nicole's mind moved beyond the shock and she remembered the gun in her hand. In one motion, she flipped the safety off and raised the weapon, taking aim right between Jeff's eyes.

Jeff shook his head. “I wouldn't do that if I were you."

She had to get in a better position. Gun or not, Jeff had her cornered in the war room, and she was completely on the defensive. Jaryn had drilled into her that anytime she found herself in a situation like this, she had to do everything in her power to shift the status quo.

"And why is that?” She took a step closer and inwardly smiled when Jeff moved back. She tried not to look at the gun in Jeff's hands. If she let him see the fear currently roiling through her body, Nicole knew it would all be over.

Jeff let out a huff. “Let me play this out for you. You'll pull the trigger, I'll dodge the bullet with my superior reflexes and speed, my training will kick in and I'll most likely shoot you before you can blink. Then not only will you be in excruciating pain, but I'll have to explain to my boss why I shot the woman he intends to claim as his mate. Somehow I doubt that'll go over real well."

"I'm supposed to simply go with you quietly? Not bother defending my home, avenging my friend whom you killed in cold blood?"

"That would be nice, yes. But, I suppose unrealistic.” He held up his gun. “I really don't want to hurt you Nicole. I'm simply doing my job."

"So am I.” She squeezed the trigger and the kick of gun firing vibrated through her palm. Her eyes widened as the six-foot man in front of her disappeared before the bullet found its home in flesh. Instead she heard a crack as it burrowed into the log wall. A low growl rumbled through the room, and Nicole blinked only to find herself now facing a tanned and white wolf whose teeth looked extremely sharp with his lips curled back. She screamed and took off running.

Nicole made it to the living room, but her steps faltered as she saw Cooper lying on the floor. In that moment, her back was struck with the force of a tsunami, which sent her plummeting to the floor. She tried to push up, but a heavy weight kept her pinned to the wooden planks. The weight released, and Nicole flipped over. If she was going to die, she'd do it facing her attacker. The size of Jeff's wolf seemed massive from her vantage point. His snout was long and pointed down at her. She could see his teeth, and tears came to her eyes as she anticipated the sharp points piercing her skin and spilling her blood.

As she lay there, waiting to die, anger took the place of fear. How dare this man betray his pack, his Alpha? How dare he callously take the life of a good man all for the sake of seeking approval from someone as demented and maniacal as Adam Broyles?

A buzzing sound filled Nicole's ear, her vision turned black and white, and every muscle in her body seemed to go into convulsions. Jeff whimpered and padded backwards, then sat on his haunches. Nicole tried to ask him what was happening, but all that came out was some kind of yipping sound. She curled up into a foetal position as pressure filled her body. Her head pounded and she cried out, but instead of scream it sounded more like a howl.

"Jaryn! What's happening to me?"

She felt as though she'd explode if something didn't give soon. She clawed at the floor, trying to escape but she couldn't move.

"Nic! Don't fight it! Relax and let your wolf take over."

"Jaryn? Oh thank God! Help me, please. I'm scared."

"I know, baby. I'm sorry I'm not there. Cooper will help you."

"Cooper's dead! Jeff...Jeff's..."

She couldn't finish her thoughts as the pressure built to intolerable levels. Jaryn had said to relax. To let it happen. To let her...wolf...? Oh fuck, she was turning into a wolf? But Jaryn had said that their mating wouldn't make her change. Nicole realised that having a mental argument with herself was not helping the situation. The resistance and anxiety only caused her pain. She closed her eyes and calmed her mind. If she couldn't stop this, she might as well embrace it. A flood of warmth filled her, and light seemed to surround her in a bubble in her mind.

I've been waiting for you.

It was a voice in her head like hers and Jaryn's link, but this one was decidedly female. Was that her wolf? Jaryn always spoke of his as almost a separate entity. Something that lived inside him...that lived with him. An alternate form with which he shared a symbiotic relationship.

The pressure inside her released in a climax almost orgasmic in its intensity. Nicole opened her eyes and was shocked by how sharp everything was. Her colour vision wasn't what she was used to, but it wasn't completely black and white either. She lifted her head and rolled so she could stand up. Okay, standing on four legs versus two was a little weird.

Just then Nicole remembered exactly what had been happening right before her world was turned upside down. She turned to see Jeff, now in human form, staring at her with an expression of complete shock.

"Holy shit,” he whispered. “How...when...? You're not supposed to be..."

Nicole growled. An honest to god growl rumbled from her chest. It was kind of funny that she could still understand him, even as a wolf. She guessed this is what Jaryn experienced when she talked to him in wolf form. She stalked him across the living room. Each step backwards took Jeff closer to the front door. Jeff shook his head and in a heartbeat, Nicole was once again faced with his wolf. Man, she was going to have to learn how to change that fast.

They circled each other. Jeff was clearly larger than her, but Nicole didn't feel the fear that she had as a human in this situation.

"Nicole? Baby? Are you all right?"

"Not now Jaryn. I'm about to kill Jeff. I'll get back to you in a minute."

"What!"

Nicole shut her mental link to her mate and focused on the wolf in front of her. She watched as Jeff crouched, his eyes boring into hers. His lips curled up and he let out a howl-bark, warning her to back away. Like that was really going to happen. Nicole took a step forwards, tensed the muscles in her hind quarters then unleashed all the furry coiling inside her in a burst of kinetic energy as she sailed through the air. But, before her wolf body slammed into Jeff's, the front door burst open and Nicole was pushed aside by a human. She skidded across the hard wood floors. She looked up and was shocked to find Kenneth standing in front of her.

"Please, we're here to help you."

Nicole looked around the young man and saw that Jeff had disappeared. She couldn't let him get away! Nicole growled at Kenneth for his trick. He must have been the one spying on her, feeding information back to Adam. She dodged around him and took off out the front door. The snow had stopped falling, but the wind blasted against her fur and caused her to squint.

Out in the meadow were two wolves, fighting. Who was the other wolf? She sat on the porch and watched as the unknown wolf grappled with Jeff. Powerful jaws snapped and paws swiped at each other. The guttural sounds of their struggle carried on the cold night air. The unknown wolf's jaws clamped down on Jeff's neck. Nicole instinctively knew this meant he was demanding Jeff's submission. However Jeff refused so with one quick snap, the unknown wolf's jaws closed, and Jeff paid for his crimes with his life. Nicole couldn't seem to find any remorse inside. Something came up beside her and Nicole yipped as an all-white wolf sat down next to her and met her gaze. The wolf rolled onto his back and exposed his belly, submitting to Nicole. She tilted her head down and received a lick for her efforts.

The white wolf got back to his feet and went inside. Nicole glanced over her shoulder to find the unknown wolf standing just off her front porch. His tail and ears were down as he tried to appear smaller and subservient to Nicole. She turned and went back inside, leaving the other wolf to follow.

When she reached the living room, she was shocked to find Cooper pulling his jeans up over his backside. Cooper held up his ruined shirt and shook his head with a sigh then walked over to the sofa and collapsed onto the cushions. She ran over to him and tried to hug him, only to realise that she was still a wolf when her paws landed on the back of the sofa beside his chest.

Cooper laughed and buried his hands in Nicole's fur. “Well, this is certainly a surprise. You didn't think a little bullet was going to stop me, did you?” He continued to pet Nicole after she jumped up on the sofa beside him. “Although it's probably a good thing your friends here showed up. I'm not quite at my fighting strength yet."

Nicole had forgotten all about Kenneth in her excitement to see Cooper. She looked around the living room and saw him standing beside the French doors leading to the back patio. She leapt off the sofa and cornered him against the glass.

Kenneth held out his hands to ward Nicole off. “Please, it's not what you think. Give us a chance to explain.” He looked towards the front door behind Nicole. “Jasper and I...we couldn't do it. We couldn't take you back there. Yes, we fed Broyles information, but most of it was false.” He dropped to his knees in front of Nicole. “It's my fault, though, that Jeff was able to get to you. I used my telepathy to read your mate's mind and found out about the secure room when we first got to town.” He dropped his chin to his chest. “Jeff got the information out of me. I broke my promise to you. I'm sorry."

Nicole knew Kenneth really didn't have an evil bone in his body. The young man was generally friendly and had really seemed to care about the other inhabitants. She didn't know what Adam had held over his head, but clearly it was something strong enough that he felt he had no choice. She looked over her shoulder and saw Jasper standing a few feet away. His eyes were filled with regret, but also fear as he looked at her then focused in on Kenneth. Nicole looked back at Kenneth and something caught her eye. A mark on his neck, one that looked very familiar. She moved her head forwards and sniffed Kenneth's neck. There were two distinct scents mingling on the young man's skin.

Kenneth was Jasper's mate! That's why there was fear in Jasper's eyes. His mate knelt before Nicole, waiting for judgement. She gave Kenneth a little lick then stepped back and sat. Kenneth's head rose, and she saw the moisture pooled in his eyes.

"Thank you,” he said softly.

"Nicole Marie Holland! You'd better tell me what the hell is going on there or so help me God!"

"Don't worry, mate. Everything has been taken care of.

"You killed Jeff?"

"No, Jasper did."

"Who the hell is Jasper, and did you say Cooper was dead earlier? I just got a comm link from him and nearly had a fucking heart attack when I heard his voice."

"Don't you snap at me! It's complicated, and I really did think Cooper was dead. You have some things to answer to yourself, mister. As soon as you get home, I think we need to have a little talk."

"Um yeah about that...how do you feel about children?"

"I love kids, you know that. Are you saying you want to have children now?"

"Baby, I can't wait till you're pregnant with our pups, but I was thinking more along the lines of in the immediate future. Say when I get home in a few hours."

"What!"

"That talk we're going to have? There are some things that were happening here on Broyles’ compound that were kept very secret. He and his predecessor, whom we determined he'd killed about five years ago, have been engineering super-shifters for the past twenty-five years. There are fifteen survivors. They're kids, Nicole, just kids."