Fatal Call (New Breed Novels Book 4) (13 page)

Pax took the tiny army-guy sized pistol Ana offered in his hand and looked up at her from his annoyingly short new body. “You want me to carry this?”

“Well, you can’t be fully armed.”

“Give me my pistol.”

“Pax, Blue Eyes wouldn’t be packing.”

“Dame mi pistola, Ana,”
he said in their native Spanish.

“Fine. But if you get me killed, SE’s gonna murder you.”

He hid his Beretta under the dwarf’s clothing. “Looking like this it’d be a favor. Let’s go, sis.”

“Okay. Remember, I’ll be above you the whole time. I’ll be hard to sense at that size, so focus.”

Pax waited for the female to phase to Cobra and gleam herself above the drop ceiling. That was actually a really cool move, but he wouldn’t have much use for it as Stallion. As they moved slowly down the corridor, he worked on getting comfortable with his new body and persona. Ideally, he would have had some time to observe the asshole, but he only worked with a certain female—the one whose daughter was right above his head.

Troy swore as his partner held the male against the wall. Which, in the case of a mated male, would have been perfectly acceptable behavior if the scientist wasn’t three feet off the ground.
Jesus Christ.
“X! Put the nice man down.”

X lowered the shifter to the ground. Actually, the Ben dude didn’t look all that shaken up, considerin’. “My apologies. My partner here is lookin’ for his female. Her name is Rose. Rose Sato.”

The sandy haired scientist looked from one to the other, then took his glasses off. “So, you’re mated then.”

“Damn straight we’re mated—”

Troy rolled his eyes. “X, you graduated from here. Pull it together, for Chrissakes.”

That did the trick.

X’s brain seemed to catch up with his hormones. Wait a second. Had he just held a member of MIT faculty up against a wall? “Ah, excuse me. I apologize. Yes, we’re mated. Just recently. My name is Xavier.”

“Then I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be the one to tell you this. You’re in my lab at the Koch Institute. My name is Benjamin Stokes. I’m a cancer researcher. I’ve known Rose for almost fifteen years. She came to me in 2001 with a diagnosis of chronic myelogenous leukemia or CML.”

“Nagasaki,” X mumbled.

“What?” he heard Troy say.

The male continued, but X couldn’t focus
.

Oh, Goddess, no. This couldn’t be happening. Not again.

“As you know, the incidence of cancer in shifters is all but non-existent. However, under the circumstances of a radioactive blast at such a young age while she was still human, well, that changes things. She developed the cancer over fifty years later. She came to me after reading about a new treatment, STI571, a drug we now know as Gleevec. The trials went incredibly well. Rose went into complete remission, as so many others did, but in her case, I honestly thought she was done with it as long as she stayed on it. I expressed as much. That’s most likely why she hadn’t told you yet.

“I should have realized it could continue as unpredictably as it started. When Rose was here earlier, she told me about fainting, some fatigue, and loss of appetite. This morning she woke with a night sweat and sent me a text. I can’t say for certain, but these are symptoms of a possible relapse. I’m sorry.”

Troy cleared his throat. “So, does she take the same medicine again?”

Stokes shook his head “CML is chronic. Rose has never been off the Gleevec. There are newer, even more effective drugs now. They haven’t been tested on shifters, but then, neither had the Gleevec. Xavier, Rose has told me that you have a surgeon who works with the warriors. She can do the appropriate testing.”

X was numb. He couldn’t think. Couldn’t feel. He knew they were probably looking at him, waiting for him to say something. Suddenly, his gray matter came back online.
Rose.
She was alone somewhere dealing with this. He turned and headed out of the lab.

“We’d appreciate it if you could keep this to yourself. Thanks a lot, Doc,” Troy said from behind him.

His partner caught up and moved in unison beside him. “I need you to check the house for Rose. Let me know as soon as you find her.”

“You got it, chief,” his boy replied and vanished.

X thought for a moment, then gleamed out. He materialized in the living room of his mate’s condo and found his mate sitting in front of the cold fireplace. He bent down behind her.

“I wasn’t keeping it from you. I swear, my male. I just thought it was over. I thought I was tired from everything that’s been going on the last couple of weeks. And then this morning I just…I panicked.” She looked up at him, tears falling down her cheeks.

He pulled her into his arms. “I know. It’s okay.”

She pulled her head back and looked into his face. “Did you get my note and follow me to Ben’s?”

Note?
“Um, yeah. In a manner of speaking.”

Her eyes widened. “What did you do?”

“Ah, we just had a little chat.”

“Xavier.”

“Everything is fine, Rosie. Trust me. The guy’s got nerves of steel.”

“Oh, no. You went all mated male on him? Xavier,” she began just before he gleamed them out.

Hearing about Victrixa and standing in front of the actual horror was another thing entirely. Pax just stood there hoping he wasn’t staring too much at the female’s scar. Jesus.

“I asked you where the hell you’ve been, Cerberus. I’ve been waiting for half an hour.”

“I was detained.” Was that too snide? Not snide enough? He had no idea. He didn’t speak dumbass.

She leaned across her desk and her yellow-green eyes bore into his. “You’re my demon. No one else matters.”

He was a fucking demon? Looked like Ana had been right all along. “Of course.”

“I’ve been called away this afternoon. Do you think there’s any way I can convince you to do your job and meet with Batiste? The car is waiting.”

“Fine.” Was that too snide? Not snide enough?

“Remember what we discussed. He’s not to know anything except what is absolutely necessary.”

Well, that wasn’t going to be too difficult, seeing as he didn’t know dick shit. Damn it. They were getting nowhere like this. There just wasn’t enough time. On a Hail Mary, he threw out the pitch. “When do I get rid of him?”

“I haven’t decided yet. It’s the rogues we want, not him. But all the same, I want to be sure we can kill him without alerting the human police or the Order.”

“When it’s time, I can make it look as though he was taken down by a human rival. Make it appear part of their drug war.”

“Hmm. I’ll consider it. Now get going.”

Pax walked out and closed the door behind him. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. Was he nervous or were demons just sweaty? Of all the things he thought Blue Eyes might be, he had to admit that one hadn’t even entered his mind. He started down the hall and thought about what the hell he was going to do. With him going to see Batiste, their exit strategy was blown to hell. He had no idea how long it would take to get out on his own.

Helen looked from X to Rose and back again.
Dear Goddess.
Everything they were telling her was such a shock. Rose was such a gentle female and the two of them were newly mated. When Helen had worked at the hospital, she had genuinely cared for all of her patients. But practicing here was different. It was like treating your family. She was concerned not only for Rose, but for X as well. The two of them had shared some things while she was training him to be Diesel’s back-up medic. She knew his mother died of leukemia some years ago while he was at MIT. She wasn’t sure who else even knew.

“When was your last bloodwork done?”

“About four weeks ago.”

“Okay, let’s get you up on the table. Have you had any symptoms other than the fainting spell and the night sweat?” Helen asked.

Rose sat up on the table and her mate moved back behind her. “Some fatigue. My appetite is down a little.”

“And the night sweat this morning. That was the only one?”

Rose nodded.

“Any fever?”

“Not as far as I know.”

“Stomach pain or shortness of breath?”

“No, no pain.”

She took her patient’s temp while X rubbed the female’s back. “You’re running a fever, but it’s mild. I’m not surprised you didn’t notice it. Now, let’s have you lay back. I’m going to check your spleen.”

X took his female’s hand as Helen placed her fingers on her patient’s right lower quadrant. “Okay, deep breath now.”

She waited for Rose’s spleen to palpate her fingers. It was enlarged.
Damn it.
“Okay, lady. I’ll have the results of your blood work this afternoon. By then I’ll have seen your records. Let’s plan to meet later on today. Try to get some rest. Maybe have some lunch, okay?”

The female nodded. “Okay. You’ll let us know?”

“I’ll text Xavier right away. I promise.”

Pax closed the car door and stared up at the warehouse housing the endless illegal activities of Emanuel Batiste, one of which was running a dog catching ring for Toltec. Shit, it was probably his boys who had captured James in the first place. What a cocksucker. He suddenly wished Victrixa had ordered him to gank the fucker.

He walked up to the guarded door and the two rogues stepped aside. Huh. Looked like Blue Eyes carried some weight.

“The boss is waiting for you on the third floor,” the one on the right announced.

How special. Pax entered the building, found the stairs, and took them all the way to the top. He followed the smell of fresh cigarette smoke around the corner. Expensive brand. Figured.

“Cerberus,” Batiste said in way of greeting when he saw who he thought was the demon.

“Batiste.”

“I have put together the information you asked for.” He handed Pax a manila folder. “If you have time, I will go over it with you.”

Not really. The real Blue Eyes was lying in a room at the Toltec compound ready to wake up at any moment. He figured Ana would keep a lid on that end of things for the time being, but a two hour operation had already been expanded to six. Not good. He could feel his energy beginning to ebb. He’d never held onto a second form other than Stallion anywhere near this long. Much less a demon. He had no idea how much longer he was going to last. It would be pretty freaking inconvenient if he changed back during the meeting with this asshat. Not to mention he had no idea if fake Cerberus or real Pax needed to piss, but somebody had to go. Awkwaaard. “You may proceed.”

“In our last conversation, you mentioned Victrixa has a particular interest in the number of rogues under my direction. We estimate the number to be around two-fifty.”

Pax actually choked when he heard the number. He coughed a couple of times, then cleared his throat.
Oh, my fuck.
They were so royally screwed. “Excellent.”

“They are assigned to perform various duties, but many of them are trained as guards.”

“So they would be trained to use firearms.”

“Certainly.”

Make that double screwed. “Victrixa will be pleased.”

“May I ask what she wants the rogues for?”

“How about I let you know when you can ask a question. Now, let’s move this along.”

Xavier and Rose held hands as they walked down the compound hallway to their room. He unlocked the door and followed her in. “Do you feel like you could eat some lunch, Rosie?”

“No, I think I’ll pass, my male. I’m actually a little tired.”

“Why don’t you take a nap? I’ll wake you when I hear from Helen.”

Just then, Cool appeared from under the bed. And didn’t she just have a post-it stuck to her little black butt. X plucked it off and looked at it. Sure enough, it had Ben’s name and number on it. He rolled his eyes before picking her up and handing her to his female.

Rose got them both settled in and he covered her with her quilt. She was asleep almost before her head was down. She was so lovely when she slept, so peaceful. Her long hair fanned across the pillow, her chest rising and falling in slow, even breaths. He sat down on the desk chair opposite the bed. Man, he wished he could relax, but shutting his head down wasn’t an option. No one was saying it, but Rose was symptomatic. She was out of remission. The Gleevec had somehow lost effectiveness. He rubbed his goatee. None of it made much sense. She was being monitored regularly. She’d just had routine bloodwork done about a month ago and now the CML was back and possibly aggressive? He turned the chair around to boot up his computer. He wasn’t about to meet with Helen unarmed. He needed to know what the next steps would be. He needed a plan.

Ana stood atop a factory roof and looked across the empty lot at Batiste’s building. The windows were blackened, but she could pick up on the demon’s energy. Pax was still inside. Damn it. She’d spent an extra hour in the ceiling above her mother’s office only to ultimately watch her leave for wherever she was headed. She’d checked on Blue Eyes and he was still out cold. From where she was standing that’s about the only thing that had gone right so far. “Hang on, Pax.”

Oh, shit.
They had to be crawling up the walls back at the mansion. She decided to go there first before checking on Blue Eyes. She gleamed back to the study. Richard and Reyn were doing their best to look busy, but she could tell her male was totally stressed out, right down to the glowing eyes and braided hair.

He was by her side almost as soon as she landed. “
Ihkweea.
Thank God.”

“What the hell happened?” Richard asked.

“Things got complicated.”

“Where’s Pax?” Reyn asked.

“He’s still in play. He wound up getting sent to a meeting with Batiste. He’s been there about ninety minutes. It blew our exit strategy, but I’m keeping an eye on the sitch. Pax is smart. He’ll find another way out. I’ll keep the demon out of the way until he does.”

Richard’s face tensed. “Did you just say demon?”

She felt a male presence in the doorway and met James’s eyes head on.

Reyn pointed right at him. “You aren’t going anywhere. Got it?”

The male buried his hands in his pockets and nodded.

She didn’t dare look at SE. “Yeah. Turns out Blue Eyes is a demon. It’s a long story. I should get back.”

Reyn nodded. “Be ready for a full debriefing when you get in. And, Ana, be careful.”

She gave him a thumbs up and dematerialized.

Rose woke up when she heard Xavier’s text tone. She sat up, stretched, and looked across the room. Her male was deep in concentration as he read from the screen.

“Was that Helen just now, my male?”

“Oh, Jesus. I didn’t even hear it.” He checked his phone. “Looks like she’s ready for us.”

She climbed out from under the quilt and walked to the bathroom. “I’ll be right out.”

She recognized the pallor in her skin as she held her hair back and threw some water on her face. That was something she never thought she’d see again. Ben had just seemed so sure. And Goddess, the timing. She took a clean hand towel and started to pat her face dry. Without warning, the light colored towel became covered in red. She looked in the mirror. Blood was streaming down her face, hitting her neck and blouse. She cried out for her mate just as the room started to spin.

Xavier rounded the corner and came through the doorway just as she started to fall, his arms catching and lifting her at once. He pulled down a large towel and sat her on the floor with her back to him. Then, so much pressure hit her face she thought her nose would break. She coughed against the blood running down her throat and a wave of nausea hit her stomach. He brought her back against him, supporting her with his chest. She wasn’t sure exactly how long they were there, but it was enough time to soak two New Breed sized bath towels

Man alive. X didn’t know his female had that much blood in her entire body. He checked his watch. It took him almost forty minutes to get it under control. He was sure it was the CML, so he had alerted Helen in case Rose needed it packed. Thank the God it stopped. Nose packs could be brutal. He didn’t want his mate to have to deal with that on top of everything else. He looked down at their bodies. They were both covered in splotches of blood. He was used to it, but he quickly started a warm shower for Rose.

“Do you feel okay to stand?”

She nodded. “I think so.”

He gave her some privacy, but he waited right outside the door. He was worried she might faint in the shower. He heard her shut the water off and brought her a towel.

“Would you text Helen and let her know I’m okay to meet?”

He wrapped her up, then pulled off his own shirt. “Already done. We’ve got about twenty minutes.”

He kicked off his jeans and started the shower.

“I’m so sorry, my male.”

He turned around and looked down at his female. She was staring at the floor and gently tugging at her towel, trying to get it over her shoulder to cover her scar. There was a look on her face that he’d only seen once before, but it just about turned his heart to dust. In Rose’s mind, she connected all of this to the bombing. Her burn, her mark, the illness. And the bombing still somehow made her feel ashamed. “Hey, none of that.”

He sat her on the vanity. Was it him or did she actually feel lighter? “Rosie, this isn’t your fault. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

“I just wanted you so much. I didn’t think about the consequences. I never thought this would happen.”

“I know.” He wrapped his arms around her, lifted her hair, and leaned down to kiss her mark. “Second shower?”

He felt her nod against his chest. As they stepped into the warm spray, X found himself wishing he could somehow wash her pain away.

Pax turned to the last page in Batiste’s list from hell and that’s when he saw it. His hand shimmered very distinctly.
Fuck my life
. “I think we’re done here. I will see that Victrixa gets your information. It’s more than complete.”

“Before you go there is something I would like to say.”

He glanced down at the demon’s watch for show. “Make it quick, human.”

He looked at his feet. Was that a foot shimmer? He had to get out of there. He was about to get fucked ten different ways and take the Order down with him.

“I am not new to the game, Cerberus. I understand that there could come a time when Victrixa may have no more use for me and may be tempted to, shall we say, tie up loose ends? Tell her that I plan to make my services invaluable to her.”

Pax was already backing up. “I’ll make sure she gets the message.”

He pulled the trench coat he was wearing around himself, turned on his heels, and beat it like he owed the guy money. Then, just as he hit the stairwell, everything went all fun house on him as a wave of dizziness hit. He clamped down on his insides and full on demanded that they hold onto his current form. It was no use. The stairs tilted and he fell against the wall, phasing back to his true form. This was so not good. Gleaming was out until his batteries had time to recharge and his phone was in the same shape, but it was imperative for no one to see him. Or, at least not live to tell about it.

That’s when it hit him. Fighting his way out was his only option and one pistol wasn’t going to do the job. He quietly slipped down the third floor hallway in the opposite direction from meeting central. There had to be something around here. It was a warehouse. A soft whirring came from behind a door at the end of the hall. It was worth a look. The room on the other side was full of discarded crap. Maybe he’d luck out after all. Or maybe he’d just entered garage sale hell. Holy Storage Wars. Navigating around the cleaning supplies and other discarded shit that lined the room, he added Batiste’s research to the pile. Two hundred fifty rogues. Awesome. What he wouldn’t give to have his knives right now. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed some old piping on the floor.

Boom.

Just like that he was back in the game.

Helen guided Rose to one of two chairs near the front of the lab. “Hey, lady. How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay. I think it just startled me.”

“It would have startled anyone.”

Xavier sat down next to his mate. “Honestly, I thought I broke her nose for sure.”

They all laughed a little and the pressure inside X’s chest was relieved a bit. But he knew Helen well and the look on her face said a lot.

“Alright, let’s start with your physical exam. Your spleen is enlarged, which is another sign telling us you’re out of remission. So, the Gleevec has clearly stopped working.”

Rose nodded and X rubbed her back as he waited for Helen to continue.

“Now, your white cells are up. That’s to be expected. But your bloodwork also shows a sharp drop in red blood cells. I’m a little concerned about that. Sometimes that can indicate the disease is in a more active state. I think the logical next step is a bone marrow biopsy. We need to know how far this has progressed.”

Rose sat forward. “How soon can we do it?”

“I’d like to do it as soon as possible—tomorrow if that works. X, I’d like to bring Diesel in to assist, with your permission. That way you can focus on Rose during the procedure.”

He nodded and tried his best to get his gratitude across to the surgeon. He’d had a lot of respect for her ever since his training, but this went way beyond that. “Thanks, Helen. We appreciate it.”

She smiled and put her hand on his shoulder. “I know you do. We’re going to give this thing one hell of a fight.”