Merrick's Maiden (11 page)

Avery looked at the guard who was sitting back in his chair. The desire to wipe the smug expression off his face was beginning to become unbearable. She itched to see him sweat.

She had already interrogated the other guard who had been at the gate. It was clear he hadn't known what the hell was going on. In fact, he had been concerned about another employee called Addie Banks, who did Housekeeping. So far, the team had found the dead body of the guard whose girlfriend had called them and no one else.

“Listen, asswipe,” Avery said with a cold glare. “I don’t have time for this. I want to know where your friends went.”

“I know my rights. I haven’t done anything wrong,” Josh Johnson said. “I want an attorney.”

“If you haven’t done anything wrong, then, you don’t need an attorney,” Avery commented. “Though, I think finding a dead body might be considered a touch unlawful.”

“I didn’t kill Crawford,” Josh replied with a shrug. “I didn’t know anything about it until you mentioned it a few minutes ago.”

Avery knew the bastard was lying through his teeth. She started to turn away to tell Trudy and Rose to leave the room, she didn’t want them to see what she was about to do, when the familiar lights of a portal suddenly appeared in the room. She heard Trudy and Rose’s low curses at the same time as she heard Johnson’s louder one.

“What the fuck?!” Josh muttered hoarsely, pulling the chair that he was handcuffed to up with him when he twisted and watched in horror as three huge warriors stepped through the shimmering door. “What the hell is going on?”

“That, Mr. I-didn’t-do-anything,” Avery replied sarcastically, “is something you are going to wish you really hadn’t seen.”

Avery watched warily as Core Ta’Duran stepped through the portal. The last thing she needed right now was another damn headache in the form of a huge ass, bossy, in-her-face, alien. She had plans for him, but she refused to become distracted before she had completed her current assignment.

“What are you doing here?” Avery demanded, folding her arms across her chest and looking at the three men with a raised eyebrow. “Does Cosmos know?”

“I do not answer to Cosmos,” Core snapped, glancing at the handcuffed male. “Have you found Merrick?”

“He was here,” Avery replied in a clipped voice.

“But no longer?” Core stated more than asked.

“But no longer,” Avery agreed, glancing to where Josh Johnson stood pressed as far as he could go into the corner with the chair attached to him. “I was about to have a conversation with Mr. Johnson here about that.”

*.*.*

Core’s eyes narrowed on the pale male. His eyes swept over him in distaste. He was beginning to intensely dislike the majority of human males. In fact, except for Cosmos, he would just as soon not have anything to do with another damn one.

“Why?” He asked bluntly.

“We found the body of another guard,” Avery explained in exaggeration. “This one has the guard’s blood on his shoes.”

“What the fuck!” Johnson exclaimed, looking down at his shoes and turning even paler than he had been before. He had forgotten to check them after he dumped Crawford’s body in the Biohazard waste container out back. “Listen, I was just doing what I was told. I didn’t kill Crawford. I had to do it, if I didn’t Wes… If I hadn’t, I would have been next.”

“Leave,” Core ordered, not looking at Avery as he took a step closer to the trembling guard.

He heard the door open and close behind him. The human male knew where Merrick was and he would get the information out of him one way or the other. He was finished with wasting time. This had dragged out far longer than it should have.

“Core,” Teriff’s voice cautioned from behind him.

Core glanced over his shoulder at Teriff, before turning his head when he noticed that while the other two females had departed, Avery had not. She stood near the door, silently watching him.

“You should leave,” he ordered.

“Since you shouldn’t be here in the first place, I think that is a moot point,” Avery reflected.

“I will get the information that I need, Avery,” Core cautioned her. “All of it.”

“What’s he saying?” Johnson demanded, looking back and forth between Avery and the creature that had stepped out of the nowhere.

Core watched Avery’s face turn to a blank mask as she turned to look at the guard. His respect, and curiosity, about her continued to grow. While she had maintained her distance from him, refusing to allow him close enough to touch her, he was certain she was his bond mate. The physical pull to be near her, have her, was becoming almost impossible to resist.

“He says you are screwed,” Avery replied in a voice devoid of emotion. “If I were you,” she continued, turning to look at where Johnson stood, “I’d tell him every damn thing you know.”

“And… And if I don’t?” Johnson asked hoarsely.

Avery shrugged her shoulders. “That’s entirely up to you,” she said, leaning back against the door. “Sometimes it can take a very, very long time to die.”

Core watched as the male melted in front of him into a quivering mass on the floor. His loud sobs and pleas would not save him. He would not kill the man in front of Avery, though. Turning, he nodded when Teriff released a sharp command that would not translate in the device that each member of Cosmos’ response team wore. With a nod, he stepped forward, snapping the arms of the chair. Grabbing the male by the back of his neck, he pushed him toward the portal that Teriff had opened.

“You can’t take him yet! I need the information he has first,” Avery demanded, straightening and glaring at Core.

“I will get the information,” Core replied, nodding to Derik, who stood silently next to his father, to take the human. “What we do is not something a female should see.”

“He is my prisoner,” Avery retorted in a low, angry voice. “This is my assignment. We are too close to have it jeopardized now.”

“I will get you your information,” Core repeated, watching Avery’s face closely as he continued. “Once Merrick has been returned to my world, you and I will finish this, Avery. You will not avoid me any longer.”

Avery’s delicate eyebrow rose and her mouth turned up at the corner. He had expected shock, perhaps denial, not the look of challenge she was giving him. A sense of forewarning shivered through him. This woman was not like Borj’s mate, Hannah. This one was a predator, much like him.

“I never complicate a mission with distractions,” Avery replied in a low, steady voice. “But, I do enjoy my distractions, big guy. When this is over, you’d better make sure you look over your shoulder, because I plan on taking you up on your invitation.”

A curse escaped Core as Avery pulled open the door and disappeared through it. Forcing the confrontation to the back of his mind, he turned and disappeared through the portal. The sooner this mission was over, the sooner he could start one of his own.

*.*.*

Addie was startled awake when Merrick suddenly twisted and covered her body with his own. A low, menacing growl rumbled through his chest. She watched in fascination as his top teeth slid down. Instead of being afraid, she found it comforting to know that if she had to be in a situation like this, it was better to be in it with someone who wasn’t human.

Turning her head, she looked at where he was staring. A frown darkened her brow when all she saw was the closed door. Sliding her hands up between them, she carefully touched his chin.

“What is it?” She asked in a husky voice.

Footsteps. I hear at least six different sets,
he replied.

Addie opened her mouth to ask him how he could tell how many, but her mouth snapped closed when she saw the door open. Fear threatened to choke her when she saw Doctor Rockman’s face among the group. The look of satisfaction in the woman’s hazel eyes was enough to cause Addie’s stomach to turn in disgust.

“We can do this one of two ways,” Doctor Rockman said. “I can have the guards tranquilize you again and take Addie, or you can cooperate with me. If you try anything, the guards have been instructed to kill her. Do you understand?”

The dark snarl that escaped Merrick had the guards aiming for him. Terrified that they would shoot him again, she cupped his face between her hands and pulled it down until he was forced to look at her. She frantically shook her head back and forth, a look of pleading in her eyes, before she spoke in a low, trembling voice.

“Please,” she begged. “Do as she says.”

I will not let her hurt you,
Merrick snarled with such force that Addie winced from the fury in his thoughts.

If she thinks you’ll cooperate with me here, it will give us a better chance of getting out of this alive. She’ll think you are behaving and not be suspicious of me. We can use this to our advantage if she thinks it is a way to control you,
Addie insisted.
If they knock you out, there is no way we can get out of here.

Merrick bowed his head until his forehead touched hers for just a moment. Addie could feel him trying to get control of his emotions. She could also feel the fatigue pulling at him. It was only going on the second day for her and she was already mentally and physically exhausted and stressed to the point that all she wanted to do was curl up and cry, she didn’t know how he had been able to endure it for months!

Please, Merrick. I really think if I can get a signal, we can get help,
Addie begged.

She watched him pull back and close his eyes. After several deep breaths, he opened his eyes and nodded. A tentative smile curved her lips as he carefully shifted his weight off her and stood up next to the bed.

He kept his body between the men and Doctor Rockman and her. Addie tiredly sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Pushing her hair out of her face, she stared at Doctor Rockman’s satisfied face. For the first time in her life, Addie seriously considered using physical violence against another woman. She would love to snatch the bitch by the hair and drug her ass to see how she liked it!

“That was a smart decision,” Doctor Rockman said.

“What do you want?” Merrick demanded.

Addie could see the surprise on Rockman’s face at Merrick’s sudden demand. The woman’s eyes flashed back and forth between him and Addie before she looked back at him. A calculating look came into her eyes that immediately had Addie suspicious that the woman was up to something.

“The guards will restrain you and you will be escorted to the lab for additional testing. This will be the first time that I can perform some tests without you being under the influence of drugs. As long as you do the tests that I need, you and Addie, isn’t it,” Rockman asked, looking at where Addie was sitting on the bed, trying to follow along. Addie nodded her head. “Addie will be given time to refresh herself and return here. If you attack any of the guards, try to escape, or refuse to complete any of the tests, I will order her immediately terminated, do you understand?”

Addie could feel the rage in Merrick and laid her hand on the back of his thigh in an effort to remind him to remain calm. They needed to play along until they could escape or were rescued. No matter how bad it got, as long as they were alive, they had a chance.

Merrick, please,
Addie begged silently.

I will do what she demands… for now,
Merrick replied before closing off his thoughts.

Addie turned her eyes to the woman again as Merrick nodded his head. Rising to her feet, she bit her lip when Merrick stood stoically while two of the guards put shackles around his waist, wrists, and ankles. The sight of such a proud, powerful man reduced to this made her want to cry. There was just something so very wrong about chaining a creature so powerful.

“Take him to the lab,” Doctor Rockman ordered. “I’ll be there shortly.”

“Yes, ma’am,” one of the guards said. “Move it.”

Addie’s eyes remained focused on Merrick’s back until they turned the corner at the far end of the corridor and she couldn’t see him any longer. She jerked in surprise when she felt cold fingers touch her arm. Turning, she watched with wide, wary eyes as Rockman indicated for her to follow her.

Nodding, Addie’s hand went to her stomach as it turned. She didn’t know what was about to happen. It took everything in her to not touch the cell phone that she had hidden in her bra just to make sure it was still there.

Addie followed Doctor Rockman while the remaining guard followed. She was surprised when they turned the same corner and stepped into an elevator. The silence that had been such a huge part of her life since she was sixteen suddenly felt overwhelming.

I am here, Addie,
Merrick suddenly whispered through her mind.
I will not leave you.

Sorry for being such a wuss,
Addie thought back as she watched the elevator numbers going up.
I swear, I don’t know how you’ve kept your sanity. Two days and I’m ready for a straight jacket and a padded room.

Who said I kept my sanity?
Merrick teased back.

Addie bowed her head to keep the sudden grin on her face hidden. She hadn’t expected his teasing, but it was definitely welcomed, she thought as warmth filled her. Who would have thought… an alien with a sense of humor.