Logan's Acadian Wolves (45 page)

“Fiona. What the hell?” Logan couldn’t believe what he saw on the video.

“Today on the lake,” Dimitri began.

“She jumped to the other boat. I thought she was crazy. But she did it deliberately, luring Wynter. She knew Wynter felt guilty about Dana dying. She used it. I just can’t fucking believe this. Why?”

“Your guess is as good as mine, but she’s got to be working with a vamp. Dana was bitten up good.”

“She may be working with a vampire, but look at her. She’s smiling. Baiting us. And the letter. She must have planted it. She’s been watching us this whole time,” Logan spat out furiously.

“Shit,” Dimitri began. “You know with the pack, there’s not too many secrets. The guys who worked to build the lab, they may have told her.”

“Fiona’s here,” Logan breathed.

“Fi knows this place just as well as we do. She knows we’ll find her.”

“She’s going to kill Wynter for her blood, then take off.”

“We’ll have to break the search into sections. The whole pack will help,” Jake suggested.

“No, let me think. If she’s got Wynter, she’s going to want to drain her blood. It’s what she’s after. But she won’t use a vamp, though. She’s going to need privacy, supplies…to collect it properly. The swamp’s too messy. And she wouldn’t keep a boat out in the open. She’s going to need shelter. A cabin maybe.”

“Ours?”

“I think…I think she may have built one,” Luci interjected quietly.

“What exactly do you know, Luci?” Logan snarled.

“Nothing, I swear. Fiona’s been the same person she’s always been. Sweet, gentle Fi. This isn’t her…she wouldn’t hurt anyone. I know she’s on that video,” she shook her head and gestured to the tablet, “but I’m telling you we’ve been friends for a long time. I just don’t see how she could be capable.”

“How long have you known her really? Marcel, he brought you here. You haven’t been with the pack that long, Luci. Sometimes, we don’t know people,” Dimitri told her. “I’ve known her for the past fifty years and there she is…right there. She did this.”

“Where’s her cabin? We know every single blade of grass out here. I’ve never seen it. Where’s it at?” Logan demanded.

“We do know what’s out there, but maybe she’s been busy over the past couple of months. We’ve been preoccupied with the challenges.” Even to Dimitri, it didn’t make sense, but there was no denying that he and Logan and the entire pack had been distracted by Marcel’s death and the fights that followed.

“She took me there once,” Luci said solemnly. “Made me promise not to tell anyone. But last month when I asked, she told me that a storm took it out. I believed her. I had no reason to doubt her. It happens all the time, you know. I guess she could have rebuilt something.”

“Let’s go.” Logan glanced at Dimitri and Jake. “Fiona is not leaving this swamp. And bring stakes. She isn’t alone out there.”

“But what if Wynter isn’t…”
Alive.
Dimitri hesitated to suggest it but the reality of the situation was bleak.

“She’s alive.” The vision of Wynter dying before him played in his mind like a horror movie. He’d be damned if he let it happen. “She will not die, do you hear me? The next person who suggests it can find another pack. She’s mine and I can feel her. Now, let’s stop wasting time and go.”

Wynter pretended to type out information about the virus. She made up data, dates, measurements and ratios. She’d never help to create a viral weapon. They could kill her; drain her of all her blood, but she’d never ever give them what they needed. Wynter had spent the time gathering her strength, deciding she’d try to escape. But first, she had to shift. If she pretended to comply, she might be able to get him to take off the silver. Then, she’d fight with her last dying breath to get away.

“There’s nothing more.” Wynter pushed the save button as if she were truly cooperating. A reiteration of what they already knew would help to confirm her story, play to his arrogance. “You were right. My wolf blood, it’ll cure Emma. Her immunity will show in her viral titers but the symptoms will disappear. It isn’t contagious either.”

“See how nice it is when we collaborate, Dr. Ryan? Professionals discussing our research,” he lectured as if he was a professor.

“Your genetic modification was spot on. My shift was difficult, but it was enough to manipulate the blood. I need to continue the research to learn more about why my blood is counteracting the virus,” she continued.

“That’s the spirit. We’ll set up a new lab in Wyoming. I’ve grown quite tired of this heat. And the Mistress, well she’ll want to return here eventually. Perhaps the mountain air will entice her to stay.”

“Out West? Really? I’ve always wanted to see Yellowstone.” As a camper, not a captive. “When do we leave? I’m a mess.”

“Always beautiful in my eyes, darling. Your intellect is captivating,” he purred into her ear.

“I’m still weak though. I don’t think I’d be able to keep up with you. If I could just shift, I think I’d be okay to go,” she suggested innocently.

“We’d need to discuss that with the Mistress. I can’t allow…”

“You don’t have the power to do it? What I meant to say is that it was your brilliance that researched the genetics, created a wolf from a human. It’s the first time it’s been done in history. Your name should be published in the New England Journal of Medicine. This is a historic medical breakthrough. It’ll have far-reaching implications across the world. I imagine all the Ivy League schools will be clamoring to have you teach,” she boasted. She knew she was laying it on thick but she watched in pleasure as his eyes glossed over in dreams of grandeur.

“Sir,” Wynter pleaded demurely. Batting her eyelashes, she seductively glided her fingers from her mouth down to the valley between her breasts. “I really am a mess. My lips…my neck. Of course, I’d need to take my clothes off in order to shift.”

Étienne’s cock jerked in response. How he’d missed watching her in her underwear while he held her in his lab. Viewing her nude was a gift he’d earned, deserved. The Mistress would not approve but she wasn’t here, was she? Just a small peek wouldn’t hurt. She’d be well enough to travel and he’d fuck her later.

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt, but you must promise to be a good girl.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Wynter breathed calmly as his cool lips touched her skin, resisting the urge to flinch. She just needed to shift and then she’d have a chance to escape. In her current condition, she couldn’t stand, let alone run or fight. For a second, she thought he’d changed his mind as he stood to retrieve a pair of gloves from his pocket.

“Gloves, darling. The silver,” he noted. He knelt before her like Logan had done to her in the lab. “This’ll take just a minute.”

She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping he’d hurry. Luckily he couldn’t get too close to the silver as he wrapped his arms around her, unfastening the corset. Her lungs wheezed as the poisonous metal fell to the floor. A fresh rush of energy circulated throughout her body.

“I think I’m okay,” she told him. He’d braced her sides with his hands, his thumbs resting under her breasts. “I need to do this alone. You can watch, of course.”

“Of course,” he hissed. She was so lovely. And his. With the Mistress gone, he could take her quickly but then thought better of it. He stood and backed away but not before adjusting his erection that strained against his zipper.

Wynter slowly opened her lids and took a cleansing breath. Finally, he’d stopped smothering her. Freed, she could shift. She licked her lips nervously, considering how it would be the first time she’d attempted to do it by herself.

“Go on then,” he urged.

“Sorry, I just need a minute to make this work. I’m not as good at it as the others,” she told him truthfully.

“Aren’t you going to disrobe? I thought you said…”

“I will,” she cut him off. The pervert just wanted to see her naked. “I need to concentrate a minute first. The silver, my energy is low.”

Wynter closed her eyes again. Breathing in and out, she meditated, searching for her wolf.
Come on, girl, let’s go.
In her mind’s eye, she saw her wolf crouching, yelping in distress. Another wolf flashed as if she’d seen a vision:
Logan
. She could sense him and was certain he was coming for her.

As Étienne watched, she quickly tore off her shirt, shorts and bikini. The vampire’s eyes on her skin repulsed her, but she had no choice. Calling her wolf to the surface, the metamorphosis claimed her. But as quickly as it came her wolf disappeared, leaving her in a naked heap on the floor. She tried to shove off the silver corset that lay across her legs but once again she’d been impaired by the insidious metal. Unable to stand, she scrambled to pull on her shirt and shorts.

“What are you doing?” Fiona screamed at Étienne.

“She needs to shift if she’s going to go with us. Also, as you know, the shift enabled her blood count to rise,” he explained dryly.

Wynter gave him a look of confusion. Allowing her to shift had been a ruse to get her blood to regenerate? They were going to drain her.

“Idiot,” Fiona countered. “You do realize they’re coming? Get her blood now. We’ll take it with us.” She threw a bag at him.

“Sorry darling, this’ll only take a minute.” Étienne, still gloved, pushed Wynter to the floor, dragging the corset over her torso. He sorted out the needles, tubes, plastic bags now strewn about the wooden planks. “You are a quick dresser, aren’t you? Pity.”

“No, please,” Wynter begged, struggling under the weight of him. She needed to stall. “I promise I’ll help.”

“Certainly, now just a small prick,” he told her, jabbing the hypodermic needle into the crook of her arm. Smiling, he laughed as he did so. “I’m quite good at finding a vein.”

Like a quick-moving stream, her blood gushed through the thin plastic tubing, slowly filling the first bag. Wynter turned her face away from him, praying Logan was close. She knew from experience it would take at least ten minutes for him to collect the first pint. A woman of her size probably had only eight pints of blood in her whole body. Even though she hadn’t fully recovered her blood volume after his bite, she figured that with her preternatural wolf healing, she might survive after losing four or five pints, which equated to fifty minutes, tops.

“Hurry up with her,” Fiona yelled. She took the first bag and then a second from Étienne. “The boat’s ready to go. We’ll kill her, leave her body. Logan will stay here with his mate for at least a while. We’ll have plenty of time to get to shore. It’s only a short drive to Mississippi.”

“I hate to disappoint you Mistress, but we need to take care in collecting the samples. I don’t want to damage the red blood cells. Careful,” he instructed. “Put equal bags in the cryo-storage unit and the cooler. Some of these need to be frozen for long-term usage.”

“Whatever, just hurry,” Fiona said dismissively. “I can feel the pack. They’re getting closer.”

“I thought you said no one knew where this hellhole was?” he said accusingly.

“No one does,” she lied. “Just come on.”

She took the third bag and sealed it into the freezer and snapped it shut.

“Just one more bag and then we’ll go. She’s almost done,” he insisted.

“Fine, I’m taking this out to the boat. I’ll be right back.”
No I won’t,
she thought to herself.

Fiona opened and shut the door, careful not to make any noise. With the pack on her heels, time was up. She scurried over to the small skiff, got in and settled the cooling box between her legs. Frozen samples were better than fresh ones, she reasoned. She still had samples of Emma’s blood stored safely in another state. All she needed to do was get to dry land. She’d fly under the radar for a month or so and find a new scientist.

As the small outboard purred into the night, she caught the sight of lights in the distance. She smiled coldly knowing her Alpha would find his mate dead. And Étienne would fight to the death, wondering where she’d gone.

“So sorry, I’m afraid this is going to be the last bag, darling. Feeling weak, are you?” Étienne asked, placing it into the cooler.

Wynter’s eyelashes fluttered. Unable to speak or move, she lay face up, staring up at the rusted metal ceiling. So this was how she was going to die? A tear ran down her face as she thought of how her life might have been with Logan. They would have mated. Wynter realized she wanted a wedding, with Jax giving her away. She wanted Logan’s children. Together forever. But, sadly, it was all a dream. She was dying. Peacefully accepting the inevitable, she closed her eyes and prayed that Logan would survive without her.