Forbidden Call (New Breed Novels, Book 1) (21 page)

“SE? Where are you?”

“In my room. Listen, Ana’s really upset. She just took off. Can you track her cell or something?”

“No problem. I’ll check it out. Give me a sec and I’ll call you back.”

Jesus Christ, being stuck this room was driving his white ass crazy, especially with his mate out God knew where.
She’s out there somewhere…alone.
After everything that went down, she may as well have a target on her head. She was easily at the top of Toltec’s most wanted list, just above his name. The protective instinct roiled in his gut. Finally, the phone rang.

“X?”

“You got your TV remote handy? Turn it to Channel 2.”

SE picked up the remote and clicked the TV on. He was looking at an image from a security cam. There was his mate, sitting alone on a bench by the pond in the garden. She was throwing rocks at the water and watching them skip across the half-frozen surface.

Tears came to his eyes. “Thanks, man.”

“Anytime, my brother.”

He turned the TV off. She was safe. That was all he needed to know.

He thought for a moment, then reached for his cell again and punched a number. “Mary? It’s SE. Listen, my mate is sitting by the pond out in the garden. Would you bring her a coat?”

Ana looked out past the pond to the whited-out landscape. As the December wind blew, she shivered and pulled her coat around her shoulders. She could have been sitting on the fucking tundra, and the weather wouldn’t even begin to touch the cold inside of her. Where had she gone wrong? She went through it over and over in her mind. Why had she ever made such a shitty decision? By choosing to use Bastian’s form, she had signed his death warrant. She might as well have pulled the trigger herself. He wasn’t even going to get a proper funeral pyre.

Sure, shifters went through this kind of shit all the time. Commanders made bad decisions. Circumstances changed. They lost warriors on their watch. This was different. She had put a friend in danger. Someone who cared about her. The Ana of a few months ago might not have noticed or given a crap, but she wasn’t that female anymore. Was she so desperate to make up for past mistakes that she’d made another one? She had totally let her emotions cloud her judgment.

Now wasn’t that just too fucking ironic. One of the first lessons she had been taught as a kid was
not to feel
. It had been drilled into her again and again. It turned out bio-mom had been right about something after all. Emotions had no place in the field. She had learned that lesson the hard way. And she would remember that lesson when she stood over her mother’s cold, lifeless body. Mommie Dearest was so going down.

And not by any other hand but hers.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Reyn paced across the drawing room, the muscles in his face visibly tense. “How’s Ana?”

Richard shook his head. “She was pretty shaken up. She’s upstairs with SE now. I think she’ll be okay.” At least as okay as you could get when your mother sent you a decapitated head.
Christ
.

“What I wanna know is, how the fuck did that package get in Geoffrey’s car? They’ve known the location of the compound in Mexico for ages, but how compromised is this facility? We need to know how much they have on us. X, how bad is this?”

“I don’t think they have our location, but it’s possible they’ve got something on Geoffrey. They may have hacked into Adriana’s health records and found Helen’s office. It’s easy enough to do.”

Diesel came through the door. “What about Helen?”

Richard rubbed his forehead. “That’s a good question.”

“Listen,” Diesel said, “I’ve been thinking about it. She can’t go back. Helen’s a target now and so are her patients.”

Reyn shrugged his shoulders. “So, what do you suggest?”

Diesel sighed. “I think she should stay here for the time being. Eventually, Toltec may lose interest in her. She was never the real target. Then maybe we can move her out of state somewhere.”

“She’s gonna love that,” Xavier said.

“No, he’s right,” Reyn said. “She’s in this mess because of us, so it’s our obligation to protect her. We just don’t have the manpower to do that anyplace but here.”

X stroked his goatee. “Holy shit.”

Richard looked over at the brother. “Pretty much.”

Ah, hell.
This was all because his mate was pregnant and needed a doctor? First they’d gotten Helen kidnapped. Now they were totally rearranging her life. A heavy weight descended on Richard’s chest. The Order was starting to leave casualties in its wake and not just in battle. A new phase in the war against Toltec was just beginning. Shit, it had only been months. How many would be injured or killed in the brothers’ quests to live normal lives while fighting in the war?

Diesel cleared his throat. “I think I should be the one to tell Helen.”

Reyn nodded. “Agreed.”

SE put the TV on pause and looked down at his mate as she stirred in her sleep. He’d suggested a nap after she came in from the garden, exhausted and practically frozen solid. As she turned onto her back, he could see how tired and pale she looked. Deep shadows showed under her eyes. She’d been through a hell of a lot, including the lovely gift from her mother. The Return to Sender that bitch was going to get when he was out of that fucking bed was going to be a killer. Literally.

Ana sighed in her sleep and his thoughts returned to her. He wondered if there was something else in the injections that torturer had given her. The thought that it could be the mutant serum crept into the front of his mind. He quickly pushed it aside. It was rare for a shifter to catch cold, but it did happen. Maybe she had been outside too long. He gently brushed her hair off her forehead.

There was a knock at the door.

Shit
.

“It’s open,” he said as quietly as he could.

“Hi, it’s just me.” Helen said. “Want me to come back later?”

“No,” Ana groaned. “I’m awake.”

Helen came over to the bed and touched SE’s forehead. “How do you feel?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Fine. To be honest.”

“Good. I’ll just take a quick look at your incision then.”

SE watched as Helen peeled off the layers of surgical tape and gauze.

“I don’t believe it,” she said.

Ana moved closer. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“It’s healed. I mean, it’s completely healed. Even the scar is almost gone.”

Soaring Eagle sat up and looked down at his chest.
Fucking A
. Welcome to being a New Breed.

Helen smiled and walked toward the door. “Well, kids, it looks like I’ll be seeing you both at dinner.”

SE grinned. “Thanks for everything, Doc.”

“You’re very welcome.” She closed the door behind her.

Ana brushed her lips against his cheek. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“Oh, my God. I want to crawl in the shower for a week. Then I’m going to make love to you until we both drop, female.”

“I’ll be waiting right here,” she called after him. “And I’d better not be waiting a week.”

But when he came out of the bathroom, she was fast asleep.

He covered her with the duvet, got dressed, and headed downstairs.

Diesel walked into the compound’s medical facility. “Packing up?”

“Yes,” Helen said, “I have to get back to my practice now that SE’s all set. I thought I’d stay for dinner, then head out.”

“Helen, I…”
Dammit.
He just couldn’t tell her that her life as she knew it was over.

She looked up. “Diesel? What is it?”

“Ah, Helen, the thing is, your office isn’t safe for you anymore. They know where you are now. It’s likely they’ll go after you again. To get to us.”

She went back to her packing. “So I’ll move it. It’ll be a pain in the ass, but¬—”

Diesel put his hand on her arm. “No, I’m not talking about moving your office.”

She took off her glasses and looked up at him with her beautiful, intelligent gray eyes. “What exactly are you talking about? Moving out of state?”

He shook his head. “The only way the Order can guarantee your safety is if you’re here at the mansion. At least for the time being.”

“Well, I’m not afraid of those bastards. Besides, my patients need me.”

He should have expected this. She was so goddam tough. He’d felt her strength the moment he first met her. “Helen, if you go back, you’ll be putting your patients, your family, virtually everyone you care about at risk. Is that what you want?”

She moved forward until she was almost touching him. “Look, you can’t force me to stay here. I have a right…” Her voice trailed off and she took a step backward and turned away from him.

He hated himself for playing that card, even though it was the truth. “I’m so sorry, I can’t imagine how hard this is for you.”

“How long?”

“I don’t know—as long as it takes for you to drop off Toltec’s radar. I wish things could be different. But for now… there isn’t any other option. We can set you up here in the meantime. You’ll still have your work.”

She looked at him with an ironic smile. “Well, now that’s a relief. Playing medic to a football team. At least I won’t be bored.” She shook her head. “That wasn’t fair of me. I know what you do here is important. I just…”

Diesel ran his hand through his hair. Part of him wanted to bolt out the door. The rest of him wanted to comfort her somehow. Christ, he sucked at this. He found himself reaching out, but he quickly pulled his hand back.

“Is there anything you’d like me to pick up for you from your home or office?” he asked. “I can make a last stop at each.” What a total douche he was to make it sound like some fucking act of chivalry. Like he didn’t have to go to each and scrub them of any information about her anyway?

“Thanks. I’ll make a short list.”

“Don’t worry about medical supplies. We can get you anything you need. I should move you upstairs into the mansion, too. It’s a lot more comfortable. There’s no reason for you to be stuck down here with the guys.”

She put her glasses back on and started to look for a pen. “Don’t worry about that. My room down here is fine. I’m closer to the facility.”

“I’ll drop by later for that list.” He turned in the doorway. “I’m really sorry, Helen.”

And he meant it. Mostly.

James looked around at the big table at dinner and was struck by how much this collection of warriors looked like a family. Ana sat next to him on one side and Helen on the other, while Diesel and Pax sat across from them.

“Oh, my God. Roast beef! Yes! Bless you, Geoffrey!” Diesel called.

Geoffrey’s face lit up. “Well, I thought your first meal back together called for everyone’s favorite.”

“Jesus, Diesel, have a coronary,” Pax laughed.

“There’ll be none of that. I’m hungry,” Helen said.

James looked across the table at Pax. The male caught his glance and James looked away. It was amazing the way he had saved him from that cell. He imagined himself doing something like that someday. He had to smile and shake his head at that. It just seemed so…ridiculous.

“You okay?”

James jumped when he realized the question was for him.

He looked up into Pax’s big brown eyes. They were…
glowing
. “Yeah, I’m good.”

Pax gave him a wink and passed the gravy boat to Diesel.

“Helen, let me know what kind of equipment you’ll need while you’re with us and I’ll get right on it,” X said.

“Oh, all right. Shouldn’t I have some kind of budget first?”

Dimitri shook his head. “Nope. Just let X know what you’ll need and he’ll find a good distributor.”

Helen looked shocked. “Oh, okay. Thanks.”

James had met Helen just once when she had checked him out after he was rescued from the asylum. He didn’t realize she’d be staying, too.

There was a sudden dinging sound from the foot of the table and he turned his head to the pregnant female, who was holding her glass in the air.

“I would like to propose a toast,” Adriana said, “even though it’s with apple juice.”

As everyone laughed, James felt a sudden warmth inside.

“To Ana, SE, and Pax for getting us all home safely. Including Baby New Breed here. Cheers!”

James picked up his glass of sparkling cider and raised it high.

“Cheers!” they all chorused.

“
Ihkweea?
” SE said.

James looked up at Ana who was leaving the table.

“I’m sorry,” she said with a yawn. “Still recuperating, I guess.”

James thought the female looked so tired.

“Go get some rest,” Adriana said.

Helen nodded. “I’ll come up and check on you later.”

“Do you want me to come up?” SE asked.

“No, no, it’s okay. Enjoy your dinner. I’ll see you in a bit.”

James couldn’t help but pick up on the vibe at the table. Could liquid silver really do all that? Of course he’d heard stuff about it, but he wasn’t sure what was true and what was just talk. One thing was for sure, that female did not look right to him. There was something off, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. The whole time he’d been sitting next to her he’d felt it. It was like her energy was somehow wrong. Had the others sensed it? All he needed to do was look at the faces around him. They’d all sensed it. And they were worried as hell.

SE woke up suddenly. It was still pitch dark outside.
What time is it?
His night vision kicked in and he looked over at his mate. She had kicked off all of the blankets, even though she was shivering.

“Ana?” He slid over and felt her forehead. She was on fire. “Ana? Ana!”

“Mm?”

“Do you feel all right? You’re so hot.”

“Achy,” she mumbled.

SE leaned over and turned on the lamp. “Burning like before? From the silver?”

“No…achy.”

He shot up and ran to the phone.

“Helen?”

“SE, are you all right?”

“It’s Ana.”

“I’ll be right there.”

He sat back on the bed and pulled Ana’s head onto his lap. Her hair was soaked with perspiration, her cheeks flushed. Helen must have been there in a matter of minutes, but it gave him plenty of time to think about what he’d been trying so hard to ignore.
Was there something in that IV?
No, he had to stay strong and keep it together, for Ana’s sake. If she knew how scared shitless he was, it would only make things tougher on her.
Please, Goddess,
if you’re there, help her. Please. I’ll do anything. Just make her healthy again
. Where the fuck was Helen?