Logan's Acadian Wolves (41 page)

As expected, Wynter had been exhilarated when he’d shown her the newly created lab. It was the least he could do, considering the circumstances. Immediately, she started taking blood samples, not only from herself but from both him and Dimitri. At his request, Chandler donated his blood as well, and Emma’s samples had been sent by FedEx from New York. Obsessed and determined, Wynter worked day and night.

Selfishly, Logan wanted more time with her, but the lab provided her with a welcome distraction, keeping her safely in his home. Even though the killer had found out where she was staying, Logan had increased security, ensuring no one could get into the house without his permission. The place had been sealed tight, preventing further attacks. It’d be a cold day in hell before they took her from here, he thought.

The most difficult task for Logan had become resisting his growing need to mate. Each time they made love, he fumbled to tell her how he felt. Goddess, he loved her. But he wanted the memories of their love to be untainted, and right now, they both were obsessed with the killer. Their mating should be extraordinary and peaceful, not laced with the flashbacks of hatred and death.

For the past two days, Wynter had done nothing but work and make love. As wonderful as it was, she still hadn’t told Logan she loved him again. Always on the tip of her tongue, she felt as if she was waiting for the right moment. She kept thinking it would be when they mated but he’d delayed it. She wasn’t sure of the technicalities of mating, but her wolf was not at all happy. Logan told her that he wanted to wait until they caught the killer. But a small part of her questioned his decision. Why didn’t he want to mate with her now? Her wolf didn’t understand and neither did she. Why hadn’t he told her he loved her? Admittedly, she felt his love every time he smiled at her or caressed her hair, but something about those three little words…she needed to hear it, to tell him. Hell, she needed to tell the whole damn world.

As she looked at the data, she held her excitement with bated breath. While her own blood had showed abnormalities compared to typical wolf samples, unusual gene markers indicated significant anti-viral capabilities. She’d extracted the genes, inserting them into Emma’s samples. As impossible as it seemed, her blood had irrevocably irradiated the virus. Given that random mutations could occur within human populations, she considered that perhaps somehow Emma’s immune system had been weakened. As she’d known, Emma’s blood, as hybrid, didn’t register as pure wolf. Her human genes adulterated the wolf genes which provided immunity. A miniscule variation existed within the genetic code. Her initial assumption that Emma had been deliberately infected appeared to be a less plausible theory than random mutation.

But who had genetically modified her own blood? How did they do it? All the time she’d lived in captivity, had they been working on the genetic alteration suspecting it would cure Emma’s affliction? If that was true, Wynter’s blood had been cultivating for weeks as if she were a human petri dish. No wonder they wanted her so badly. But how would they know if their experiment had worked? They couldn’t have known she’d shifted for sure, could they? If they knew she’d successfully shifted, they’d want her back…her blood. Like a possession to be owned, they’d seek out their experiment and wouldn’t stop until they had her back. With the virus and the antidote, they’d be able to blackmail, extort and torture others at will.

Startled by her discovery, Wynter inserted the needle into her vein. As she collected the vials, Logan knocked on the door. It was time to tell him. She wanted Jax to personally take her blood to Emma. She’d send the instructions for delivering her plasma in the right dose.

“Hey sweetheart…whoa, what ya doin’ there?” Logan asked.

“It’s my blood. I’m doing my final tests. I was right,” she confirmed with a tight smile.

Logan kissed her cheek and quickly backed away, giving her space to finish. He took a seat at her desk next to where she was standing, grabbing a container of bandages off of a tray.

“I need to get this blood to Emma.”

“Okay.” Logan’s brow creased with worry. Her heartbeat raced, and he could tell she’d come to some kind of conclusion he wasn’t going to want to hear.

“They won’t stop looking for me, Logan. They’ll need my blood. They created me…my wolf,” she began.

“I won’t let them have you. They can’t get you here,” Logan interrupted. “Listen to me; that bastard may have done something to you, but that doesn’t change who you are inside.”

“Don’t you see? My genetic structure’s been altered. I’m not like you. I’m not human. I’m a monster.”

“No, you’re not. Stop with this. You’re perfect the way you are. Don’t ever think otherwise.”

Wynter shook her head. Her small smile never reached her eyes, because she knew the truth about what they’d done to her. She loved him so much. She loved that he didn’t care what she was or that her genetics weren’t quite wolf or human. But she knew her next suggestion wasn’t going to go over well. With a small tug, she withdrew the needle from her arm, applying pressure with cotton to the pinhole in her flesh. Later, she planned on extracting more blood, increasing the quantity to pints. If something happened to her, she wanted to make sure there was enough of her blood for future research…for a cure. She steeled her resolve and wiped the bead of sweat from her forehead.

Without asking, Logan readied a Band-Aid. He gently took her arm and applied the dressing.

Wynter blew out a breath, and looked up into his concerned eyes.

“I think we need to use me as bait.” There, she’d said it.

“No,” Logan told her firmly, without missing a beat. What the hell had she been thinking? So not happening, he thought.

“Please, Logan, just hear me out. He’s coming for me.
They’re
coming for me. It could be more than one person. Léopold said he made other vampires. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I don’t want to just wait here like a sitting duck. We could use me to draw him out, then you and Léopold could catch him. It’s the only way…”

“No,” Logan repeated. He released her arm and took note of at least fifty vials of blood, Wynter’s blood.

“But why won’t you listen? I’m telling you that I’m what they want. I’m their antidote. They won’t give up. I don’t know how they figured out that my blood would cure Emma. They could already have samples of my pre-shift blood. I didn’t test it, but it’s possible that even then my cells could have cured the virus. If we set up a trap…you could be there. I wouldn’t be in any real danger.”

“I said no.” Logan slammed his palm onto the desk a little harder than he intended. He wasn’t so much angry with Wynter as he was with the entire situation. But she needed to understand how serious he was. He didn’t want her wandering off and doing something foolish that could put her and the whole pack in danger.

“And for the record, I am listening. But as Alpha, I’ve made the decision. You will not be used as ‘bait’ as you so casually put it. I’ve asked Dimitri to track down the IP address locations of every incoming and outgoing email on that laptop. Within the day, we should have the information we need to look at patterns, possibly identifying where they went next. We cannot risk having something happen to you. No, let me rephrase that, I will not risk having something happen to you.”

He glanced again at all the blood-filled tubes. “I’m already concerned something’s happening to you. What the hell is with all the blood, Wyn?”

“I’m fine,” she dismissed him. Standing too quickly caused her to wobble. He rushed to her side and placed her back in the chair.

“Sweetheart, what are you doing?” Logan knelt before her and exposed her inner arm sporting the bandage.

“I said I’m fine.” She pushed at his hand and looked away. Admittedly, she’d taken too much blood, but with her preternatural healing, her sense of balance would quickly return.

“Talk to me, Wyn. What’s going on?” Logan shook his head. Damn stubborn little wolf.

A tear threatened to fall from her left eye and she deftly captured it with a finger.

“I just…I know that they aren’t going to give up. I don’t know about Emma’s illness. If it’s a random genetic abnormality, then it could happen to another hybrid. The chances are small but I just thought if I stored enough of my blood…I didn’t have any bags here or an IV, so I started with the vials…” Stupid, stupid idea, she thought. A cloud of desperation rained overhead.

“Baby, look at me.” Logan waited until her red-rimmed eyes met his. “This virus, we only know of one wolf, one hybrid who’s been affected. You told me yourself that you don’t believe it’s mutated yet. Jax will get your blood to Emma. He can be there within the day. As for all this blood…” Logan paused and glanced to the vials.

“It’s admirable that you want to store it for future use in case we need it. I get that. But you can’t beat yourself up about this. Nor should you turn yourself into a pincushion. If you want to store some bags, we’ll order the IV supplies and make it happen and do it later. Right now, though, you need to take care of yourself. You’ve been working nonstop, barely eating or sleeping. I need you,” he told her lovingly.

“I’m just so worried. Something’s going to happen. Something bad. I can feel it. I need to make sure there’re enough samples of my blood in case…” She knew Logan only wanted to protect her, but the overwhelming sense of foreboding shadowed her thoughts.

Logan refused to admit his visions. It was a dark part of him that he’d openly share with her once she was safe. Last night, the nightmare had surfaced once again. This time, it was clearer; Wynter’s face, her neck splayed open. He screamed while the life drained from her body. Refocusing, Logan rubbed her knee and placed his forehead on her thigh.

“I know you’re worried. But you have to trust me.” He raised his head and took her hands into his. “I’m not going to use you as a lure. I love you too goddamn much. You’re not just my mate, you’re everything to me.”

Wynter’s heart caught in her chest.
He loved her.
As the words fell from his lips, she took his face into her hands, and he kissed her palm. “I love you too. My Alpha, I love you so much.”

Logan pulled her down into his embrace, kissing her forehead, her cheeks and finally claimed her soft trembling lips. Gently, he coaxed her mouth open, his tongue found hers and they lost themselves in their love, reaffirming their future. Hearts bursting with passion, they took their time exploring and tasting each other.

Logan tore his lips away, pressing his forehead to hers. Chest to chest, their lips were mere inches away from one another.

“I want you to know how badly I want to mate with you. I love you more than life itself. But when we complete the ritual, it’ll be without fear, without death. Our day, Wyn; it will belong to no one else but us, do you understand?”

“Logan, I’ve never felt like this in my life. I wondered why…why we hadn’t. I don’t understand it all but my wolf…she’s there. I want to be your mate in every sense of the word.”

“And you will be…forever.” Logan captured her lips again, pouring reassurance and love into their kiss. Visions be damned, no one would take her from him…not ever.

The next day Fiona called the house asking if Wynter could go into town to shop. As much as Wynter wanted to get out, she and Logan decided that it wasn’t safe for her to leave. At Fiona’s suggestion, Logan reluctantly agreed to a short boat ride, allowing the girls to do some crabbing. He figured they all could use an hour or two relaxing. After being cooped up in the house, their wolves were going stir crazy. He hadn’t told Wynter yet, but he and Dimitri had narrowed down a few locations where they suspected the killers might have been. Tonight, they planned, along with Devereoux, to do reconnaissance.

When Fiona contacted Wynter, she felt relieved that a member of the pack showed interest in getting to know her. Before they left, she and Fiona ate a light brunch, discussing Dana’s passing and also Luci’s challenge. Wynter had been worried that other females would read her aggression as being unfriendly, but Fiona showed no animosity. Rather, she explained that even though she and Luci were friends, it was the way of wolves. She did, however, thank her for showing mercy and not killing the she-wolf.

By the time she’d made it down to the dock, Wynter’s optimism had returned. The winter sun beat down, warming her exposed skin. Logan brushed a kiss to her cheek, helping Wynter onto the boat. She spied the red and white race vessel, wondering how fast it would go. As she made her way onto its deck, she settled into a comfortable leather seat. Fiona followed her, bringing a bushel of branches she’d secured into a tarp. Wynter knew it had something to do with the crabs but wasn’t sure for what. Drinking in the sight of Logan preparing for launch, she couldn’t help but notice his well-defined pecs that strained against his white t-shirt. As he pushed on his sunglasses and went to work, Wynter smiled at how totally unaware he was of his uber-sexy presence.

The sleek Cigarette purred as Logan fired up the engine. Guarding Wynter was his priority. There was no way he’d let her go out on the lake by herself with Fi. She’d been right about them coming for her. Despite not seeing the threatening letter they’d delivered to his home, she knew. If he didn’t discover the lab’s location with the new intel, it’d just be a matter of time before they attacked. A strike in broad daylight was unlikely, but the hum of the six hundred horsepower engine put his mind at ease. Another boat would be hard pressed to outrun his speedboat if they tried.