Blood Moon (Entangled Select Otherworld) (12 page)

Chapter Eighteen

Gareth

“Nero?” Was she insane? I ground my teeth together to keep from saying something I’d regret later. “Has Jason forgotten these are the same bastards that
created
the psycho who bit you? Damn it, Nadya, he could be making you worse.
This
is the secret you’re keeping from Adam?”

She nodded. “We know this is risky, but it’s my only hope. Dr. Granger has all the research from Nero. He knows how the DNA was modified. By the time Jason caught up with their research, I’d be…”

She didn’t finish. She didn’t have to. I set her beside me on the bed and stood up. Jason was lucky he wasn’t here right now. The urge to beat the shit out of him was overwhelming. “I can’t believe Jason talked you into this.”

“He didn’t. I agreed because I want to live and this is my best chance.” She stared up at me. “Since I was bitten, I haven’t been able to sleep, but after the first injection of Dr. Granger’s serum, I slept for four hours straight.”

“And when you woke up you almost attacked your sister and your hand started shifting.”

Her jaw went slack for a second. “How could you possibly know that?”

I didn’t understand it myself; how in the hell could I explain it to her? “Since I touched you, things have been changing inside of me.”

She got up and came closer to me. “I had a dream that you held me in your arms. Your scent surrounded me. You were really there with me. How?”

“I’m not sure.” I took her hand. “I dreamed about you, that you needed me, and then I was at your side. Chloe thinks it’s a gift, that I’m a Dream Walker.”

“And what do you think?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know what to think, I’m just glad it helped you.” I lifted her hand to my lips, kissing the back. “This doesn’t change the fact that working with Nero is a bad idea.”

She sighed. “Jason is keeping tabs on Dr. Granger, and the first injection did help me sleep.”

“If he finds a way to cure you, what’s in it for him? Nero has the manpower to send a jaguar assassin for him if they found out. He knows that.”

“Jason’s letting Dr. Granger keep my lab results. He’ll be able to enhance his Nero research with them.”

“Wouldn’t it be better for his project to juice you up even more and see how long you live before the mutation affects your brain?”

She pondered my words and slowly shook her head. “He wouldn’t dare. He’s well aware Jason can and would kill him.”

“Maybe so.” Jason would be the least of that asshole’s worries. “But Nero has the manpower to execute Dr. Granger’s entire family.”

“We don’t know if he even has a family.” She sighed and went back to the bed. “You don’t like this. I understand why, but if we do nothing, I’d be surrendering to whatever poison is in my veins. I can’t let it win. I won’t.”

She set her jaw, fire in her eyes, and I blew out my frustrations. This argument was over. If she believed the serum was helping, I’d need to prove otherwise, and right now, I wanted to believe she could be cured as much as she did. “I want to meet this guy.”

Nadya reached behind her back to unzip her dress. “Jason and Dr. Granger won’t be happy.”

“They’ll live.” I sat down beside her and helped her with the zipper.

She slid the dress off and got under the sheets, while I took off my tux shirt and lay down beside her. I watched her index finger trace the barbed wire tattoo that wrapped around my bicep. “Was this to signify anything?”

“Not really.” Even a gentle touch from her made my pulse jump. “I got it after I graduated high school. I was so pissed that my parents were gone. Thought I was badass.”

She smiled and kissed my chest. “You just made love to me on a Harley. You are
totally
badass.”

And just like that, she made me laugh. I rolled her under me, kissing her, my body already hungry for hers. “I don’t want to miss a second with you.”

She hummed against my lips, teasing my back with her fingernails. “Sleep is highly overrated.”

…

I woke to the smell of bacon and an empty bed. My legs ached, the muscles screaming when I stood and reached for a pair of sweat pants. Memories of making love with Nadya all night filled my head. Holding her, seeing her smile, hearing her moan my name, everything about her called to me.

It almost drowned out the sound of the clock ticking her life away. Almost.

I wandered out toward my little kitchen and found her standing at the stove with her back to me, wearing my tux shirt and nothing else. In spite of my sore legs, another part of me was ready for more.

“Morning. Hope you don’t mind, but I found bacon and eggs in your fridge.”

I moved up behind her, sliding my arms around her waist as I kissed her neck. “Thanks for making breakfast.”

We put everything on my workbench and pulled up a couple of stools. I didn’t own a dining set. No company and no family, it seemed like a waste of space. She made bacon and eggs to feed a small army, which was just enough for the two of us and our werewolf appetites.

I finished another piece of bacon. “Did you sleep at all last night?”

She kept her gaze on her eggs. “A little, I think.”

“
I
only slept a little.
You
were already up and cooking breakfast.”

She sighed and raised her gaze. “I’m sure I’ll sleep like a log after I get another dose of the serum.”

I nodded, but I had my doubts. We cleaned up breakfast, grabbed showers, and got dressed for her appointment. It was all I could do to keep a lid on the conflicting emotions brewing in my gut. Nadya had enough to worry about without having to handle an assault of my feelings on top of it.

“We need to stop by my condo so I can change.”

She was still wearing her dress from the wedding, and the memory of hiking it up reminded me I’d ripped her underwear off. There was nothing under that dress. Suddenly my jeans were tighter.

“We’d better get going then.” I found her helmet on the floor a few feet from the Road King and scooped it up. “And we can pick up your things, too.”

She didn’t answer me. I turned around and she stared at me with her arms crossed. No sign of the dimple in her cheek, either.

“Last night didn’t mean I’m moving in with you.” She pressed her lips together, then added, “You didn’t even bother to ask me.”

“Will you move in with me?”

“No.”

“No?” Her answer took a second to register. My mate just refused to move in with me. I rubbed my forehead like it might help her response make sense. “You’re my mate. Last night we—”

“Had amazing sex. That doesn’t entitle you to make life decisions for me.”

“Last night was just sex?”

“Amazing sex,” she corrected.

Holy shit. She used me. Maybe this was payback for me walking out on her. I had no fucking clue. I thought we’d had some sort of crazy spiritual connection, my wolf claimed her, she’d claimed me. Apparently I was wrong. The irony wasn’t lost on me. I’d never been on this side of the bed. Damn, it sucked.

“Fine.” I handed her the helmet. “I’m sorry I misunderstood.”

I swung my leg over the seat and a dull ache pulled at my thigh. The memory of keeping the Harley from falling over while I slid into her filled my head. She got on behind me, her body pressing tight against my back.

She scooted up as close to my ear as the helmet would allow. “My wolf has made her choice, and she’s got great taste, but for me, the human part of me, I need to know you better before I invade your space.”

I digested her words and the hurt ebbed slightly as she slid her arms around my waist. She said no to moving in
right now
, but not forever.

I wished I had forever to spend with her. Maybe I should have said it out loud.

We stopped at her condo, and she changed into some worn blue jeans and a form-fitting red T-shirt. “Ready?”

I nodded and followed her back out to the Harley. The view was outstanding.

When we pulled into the parking lot of Jason’s medical building, I lowered the stand and turned off the bike. Nadya led the way. Most of the offices were closed. The lobby was unnaturally silent. Not helping me calm the agitated wolf that paced inside of me. Our mate was taking a huge chance, and instead of stopping her, we brought her here.

The elevator doors closed and her gaze finally met mine. “Are you sure you want to meet Dr. Granger?”

“Without a doubt.”

“All right.” She leaned on the railing, watching the red numbers change.

I watched her, wishing I was better at small talk. What could I say besides,
let’s get out of here, and I don’t want them touching you
?

“Have you ever been to Virginia City?” The ghost town was about forty minutes from downtown Reno. The opposite direction of Pyramid Lake, but the ride up the mountainside was one of my favorites.

Her attention shifted toward me. “No.”

“Are you free tonight?”

There was the dimple. “Yes.”

I crossed the elevator, closing the distance between us. She brought her hand up and touched my chest as I bent to kiss her. I kept my weight off of her, my hands pressed against the wall on either side of her head. She massaged across my shoulders, searching out all the stress in my muscles. Her touch tempted me to hit the stop button on the elevator.

The doors opened behind us.
Too late.

Taking her hand, we walked into Jason’s office. The doctor frowned as we approached. “What is he doing here?”

Nadya jumped in before I got a chance. “Gareth is my mate. He knows what we’re doing.”

Jason’s eyes narrowed. “I thought we agreed no one else would know.”

“That was before I found my mate.” Nadya stood firm and I smiled.

“This is a bad idea.” Jason glared at me.

I raised a brow, daring him to make a move. “Not as bad as allowing a scientist from Nero to inject her with something.”

Jason stepped up closer, chest out, hands fisted. “I’m trying to save her.”

I let go of Nadya’s hand and gave the doctor a nudge out of my face. “Bringing in the enemy isn’t the way to do it.”

“So are you a doctor now?”

Nadya moved between us. “Stop it. This is hard enough without getting slammed by all your anger and fear. Jason, I brought Gareth because I want him here, and Gareth, I trust Jason. He’s doing the best he can to help me.”

I walked to the window, fighting the urge to knock the smirk off Jason’s face. Another set of footsteps caught my attention. I turned to find an older guy wearing a doctor’s smock. He had gray hair, light eyes, and an aura of superiority.

“Is anyone going to introduce me to our guest?” He held out his hand, exposing a tattoo on the inside of his wrist. The lion’s head with an “N” in the center. The same tattoo Nadya’s sister had on the inside of her wrist.

Nero.

…

From the Journal of Dr. M. Granger – Journal Entry 532

The new formulation of the serum is complete. By my calculations, the subject will rest peacefully for four to six hours while her body metabolizes the higher dosage. The blood samples collected after her most recent injection reveal the increased adrenaline levels we experienced during Operation Moonlight, but she has still resisted the shift. I am unaware if this is due to her body metabolizing the serum too quickly, or if her brain functions are more tolerant of the formula than the werewolf subjects had been due to her psychic abilities.

In order to study her further, I will encourage the subject to remain under my care so that I can monitor the progression. The data we compile here could change everything.

There is a risk. After our first injection, Wyatt Ayers, a subject from our original test group, recognized me. I am not certain how long I will be able to remain hidden from the Pack. I will escalate testing as necessary in order to gain the data we need before I’m forced out.

Chapter Nineteen

Nadya

“Is anyone going to introduce me to our guest?”

The werewolf aggression coming from Gareth and Jason filled the room, suffocating me. I did my best to shield myself from their emotions and turned around. “Hi, Dr. Granger. This is my…”

Gareth met my eyes and for a second I wished I could read minds. Obviously, Dr. Granger had worked with werewolves before, but only males. Did he know they had mates? Would it matter?

He saved me from making that call. Crossing the room, he slid his arm around my waist, his hand resting on my hip. “I’m her boyfriend.”

Dr. Granger cocked his brow, his gaze flicking toward Jason. “Oh, I assumed Dr. Ayers…” He cleared his throat and wisely dropped the subject. Holding out his hand he asked, “Your name was?”

“I’m Gareth.”

He made no move to shake Dr. Granger’s extended hand. The doctor reached up for a pen from his pocket instead, his attention shifting toward me. “He understands the importance of keeping our treatments secret? My employer has been kind to allow me the time to assist in this situation, but with your Pack nearby, I’m also risking my own personal safety on behalf of Ms. Dalca.”

“Your
employer
is the reason Nadya is here in the first place, so spare me your self-righteous bullshit.” The doctor flinched as if Gareth’s words had reached out and smacked him. “You’re not making any sacrifices on Nadya’s behalf. Getting the chance to study someone who survived being bitten by one of your juiced-up freaks is every Nero lab tech’s wet dream.”

I almost laughed. However, Jason and Dr. Granger didn’t seem nearly as amused by Gareth’s comments.

“Back off, Gareth.” Jason took the blood pressure cuff off the wall and I sat down on the exam table. “If I had a better way to get her the appropriate treatment, believe me, I’d take it.”

I hardly noticed the cuff squeezing my arm. All my attention was focused on Dr. Granger. Doctors were always tough for me to read. They had a well-practiced calm that often shielded their true feelings, but Gareth’s verbal jabs had flustered him. For a moment, a flash of fear shot off Dr. Granger. He jotted notes on his tablet while Jason called out numbers, avoiding any chance of eye contact with me or Gareth.

What if Gareth was right? Could the doctor be pushing more poison in my veins, hoping I’d live longer than his soldiers did? Sounded like something straight out of a sci-fi movie. He was probably just afraid of my big boyfriend.

“Your temp is slightly elevated, but werewolves run a little hot sometimes, anyway. The rest of your vitals are within the normal range.” He rolled his stool over and sat down in front of me. “Any nose bleeds or shifting episodes we should know about?”

Gareth’s stare was heavy on my shoulders. If I didn’t tell them, he would.

“My hands started shifting again last night.” I circled my fingers at the top of my head like an invisible laurel wreath. “It felt like something was crushing my skull all the way around until I collapsed.”

Jason looked over his shoulder at Gareth. “You didn’t call me? She could have died.”

“She asked me not to call.” Gareth’s shoulders tensed. “We were coming in today anyway.” His gaze met mine for a moment. Again I caught myself wishing I could read minds. He broke contact with me, focusing on Jason. “We stopped the shift. She felt better.”

“You
stopped
it?” A crease marred Jason’s brow. “How exactly did you do that?”

I held my breath. Gareth’s native chant had reached into my soul, calling to the wolf, healing her. Magic that Jason wouldn’t believe any more than he believed in finding your one true mate.

Gareth shrugged. “We cooled her off with ice packs and the pain eased up.”

“Perhaps you should allow the shift to come.”

We all turned toward Dr. Granger.

Jason got up from his stool. “You can’t be serious.”

“On the contrary, I think it’s reasonable to postulate that the pain is related to her resistance to the shifting of her body. We won’t know unless she allows the change to happen.”

“You’re insane.” Gareth’s anger and fear flooded the tiny exam room. He blocked my view of the doctor, putting himself between me and Dr. Granger. “Jason and I were there that night, when your creature bit her. We watched his head change. That wasn’t a beautiful wolf. You made him into a monster. Every shift cost him and his mind paid the price. Not that anyone at Nero gave a shit.”

“He was no longer in our care. Maybe we could have helped him like we’re doing for Ms. Dalca.”

“He was useless to you. You knew if you juiced him up anymore, he’d die just like the others did.”

Dr. Granger peered around Gareth’s broad torso. “Ms. Dalca, did the last injection make you ill in any way?”

“No, but…”

“Were you able to sleep?”

“Yes, but…”

He nodded. “Then the serum is working. This is not a cure, it’s a treatment. Nothing is going to stop the new genetic makeup in your DNA, Ms. Dalca.”

Gareth turned toward Jason. “So, what’s the point? Why put her through this?”

Jason answered, but all his attention was on me. “Because if we can manage the mutated DNA, maybe we can keep her with us.”

Maybe I wouldn’t die. Close enough for me.

Dr. Granger moved around Gareth and pressed a cool alcohol swab to the muscle in my shoulder. “I believe we’re getting closer to a formulation that would allow Ms. Dalca to avoid the hemorrhages we documented within the Lycan Squad.”

He jabbed the needle into my arm before Gareth could respond, pushing the plunger down and withdrawing the tip in one smooth movement. Dabbing the injection site with another alcohol pad, he nearly smiled. “Let me know if there are any new side effects, and consider what I suggested about allowing yourself to change.”

Fonthill’s misshapen wolf face with the body of a man flashed though my head. Yeah, there was no way I would welcome that.

Dr. Granger turned to Jason. “I need to see her again in three days. We can check her vitals and I’ll have another dose of the serum ready.”

“Is that really necessary?” Gareth stared at one doctor, and then the other. “Far as I can tell, neither one of you know if these shots are even helping her.”

Dr. Granger tightened his grip on the chart and his bedside manner slipped, allowing a bit of anger and frustration to escape. “I already explained, the fact she is alive at all, is proof it’s working. The mutated DNA should have killed her, but she survived. Our Lycan Squad test subjects were strong young werewolves and, in the end, their bodies couldn’t withstand the enhancements. Seeing that Ms. Dalca is still with us tells me the serum is helping her adjust.”

Jason pinned Gareth with a look and turned slowly toward Dr. Granger. “If you make any adjustments to the formula, I expect to see the chemical breakdown before her next visit.”

Dr. Granger nodded. “I’ll email everything.” He glanced at Gareth. “I can’t say it’s been a pleasure.” He reached for the door while he met my eyes. “Rest, Ms. Dalca. I think you’ll see a big change in the next few days.”

He left the room, but his words lingered.

Jason took a seat on his stool again, my medical chart on his lap. “I wish I had a better recommendation, but rest is probably best.”

I nodded, my gaze shifting toward Gareth. He stared at the door as it closed behind Dr. Granger, his muscles pulling at the thin material of his T-shirt, ready to take action at any sign of a threat.

But he’d never be able to protect me from the invisible enemy inside my bloodstream. I wasn’t going to fade away without a fight. With every last second I had, I intended to live fully with my mate, and before I left this earth, I wanted to love him and feel his love in return. Real love.

The mate bond between us was strong, passionate and instinctual, but if I had to leave him behind in the end, I didn’t want Gareth to second-guess my true feelings. He came back to me the other night, knowing he’d be hurt in the end. Alone again.

And I wanted to protect him from that.

I met Jason’s eyes. “I’ll do whatever I have to if it’ll give me more time.”

He got up, chart in hand. “Keep me posted if you have another episode. If we can fine-tune the serum, we might be able to beat this thing.”

Gareth caressed my back, easing tension I didn’t realize had built up. “I’m all for that.”

My eyes met his, and a rare wave of hope brushed my skin. Hope from Gareth. My chest tightened. If there was a way to survive this, I was going to find it.