Savage Hunger: Savage, Book 1 (3 page)

“I could’ve handled it,” she muttered defiantly.

He gave a harsh laugh. “The hell you could have. And when we find out what’s been done to them…” His grip tightened on her shoulders and his expression darkened. “Hold on a minute. You know what’s been going on, don’t you?”

Her pulse quickened and she drew her bottom lip between her teeth. For a moment, she wanted to tell him everything. Explain the jump drive and everything she’d seen on it. Because this was
Warrick,
the only one she’d trusted to put a bandage on her scraped knee when she was a child. And right now, more than anything, she wanted Warrick to step in and fix things again. Tell her everything would be okay
.

But then she remembered the words Leo whispered as he’d folded the jump drive into her palm this morning.

I’ve done a terrible thing, but it can be made right. Give the information on this file to your father. Don’t trust
anyone
with this. You may run into someone who thinks they are friends of these creatures—but all is not as it seems. You can only trust your father. He is the key to saving them.

And it was just a little too coincidental that Warrick would show up tonight. What reason did she have to trust him? He’d broken her trust six years ago. How could she really be sure that Warrick wasn’t here to hurt the creatures?

What if his only intent was for him and his friends to free the things and then have them terminated? How did she know he wasn’t just as sick and secretive as her employer?

“Sienna?”

Trust no one but my father
, she repeated the mantra in her head.

Forcing her expression to become blank, she gave a small shrug and lied outright. “I don’t have a clue what’s been going on.”

Warrick swore quietly and glanced beyond his shoulder off into the darkness. A moment later he turned back to look at her. “The hell you don’t. I’m sorry, Sienna.”

“For what?”

He took a step forward. “For this.”

Warrick palmed her mouth again, knowing Sienna would scream the place down once she realized his intent. Disbelief flashed in her eyes just before he lifted her off the ground and carried her across the field to where two passenger vans sat waiting in the darkness.

She was lying. He knew her well enough to recognize her signals. The way she’d nibble on her bottom lip and avert her gaze. He just hoped she wouldn’t have another panic attack. He’d been damn lucky he’d been able to ease her out of the first one. He knew the signals. Remembered how she’d had a couple when she’d been a teen.

When they got close enough for her to spot the van Sienna went wild. Kicking his shins and screaming against his palm. He reached the van and fortunately Hilliard was already waiting for him with the door open.

“She the tango?” The agent’s eyebrows rose as he stepped back so Warrick could bring her in the van.

“Unfortunately.”

Hilliard’s smile widened. “
Nice.
Can I watch her?”

Warrick snarled and cast the agent a glare. “Go help Rafferty and Larson load up the hostages. It’s a fucking mess in there.”

Agent Hilliard’s smile faded and he gave a somber nod. “You need cuffs for her?”

Warrick pulled Sienna into the front seat and, even knowing he’d catch hell for it, gave a swift nod. Sienna screamed in protest against his hand and gripped his wrist, trying to pry him away.

Hilliard pulled the cuffs that were hanging from his belt loop and winced. “Better get ’em on her quick. I’ll be back soon.”

In less than ten seconds Warrick had one cuff around her wrist and the other secured to the handle above the door. He pulled his hand from her mouth and waited for the scream. Surprisingly, it didn’t come.

“Are you going to read me my rights now too?” she asked instead, her tone frigid. “Just who the hell are you guys? The feds?”

No point in lying. She’d figure it out soon enough.

“P.I.A. Preternatural Investigation Agency.” He sat down across from her in the driver’s seat. “We’re a special investigative unit that works unofficially under the feds.”

“Oh my God…” Disbelief flickered in her eyes. “You’re serious? The government knows about those things in there?”

Knew and barely tolerated. Which was why they kept as few humans as possible involved with the agency. His mouth slashed into a grim line at her use of the word
things
.

“I’ll explain later.”

She stared at him hard, before she glanced away. “Don’t bother. Look, you really need to let me go, Warrick.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Like hell you can’t.” Frustration snapped in her voice.

Warrick’s gaze was instantly drawn to her chest. In her anger, her breasts rose and fell rapidly beneath the bodice of the dress. A hot current slid through his blood and he forced in a slow breath.

Six years ago, Sienna had just barely been a woman, only eighteen. The memory he’d never managed to forget forged through his head. A night when she’d almost pushed him over the threshold of temptation.

She’d been so young then. And so damn naïve. He’d wanted her that night. Had wanted her with a ferocity that had shaken him to his core. But he’d forced himself to refuse what she’d so innocently offered. And now he could see that she still resented him for it. But God, she’d have hated him if he’d accepted. She couldn’t have handled the aftermath of what would happen once they had sex. Sienna didn’t really know him. She hadn’t six years ago, and she sure as hell didn’t now.

The memory of how he’d let himself for the briefest moment consider taking her—taking her innocence—that night still had the ability to rattle him.

He’d always been very careful with his relationships—or lack thereof. Oh, he enjoyed having sex with women. Loved the power of knowing he could sleep with them and walk away. Especially when in some cases he had no option
but
to walk away. Not that he’d ever been tempted in the slightest otherwise.

But he’d known Sienna would be different. Had known walking away from her wouldn’t be quite as easy. So he’d turned her down.

Warrick scrubbed a hand down his jaw as he eyed her. The nearly full moon outside cast a small amount of light into the car, showed her twisting her hand in the cuff as she glared at him. He bit back the regret that slid through him.

“Dammit, Warrick,
talk
to me.”

He jerked his thoughts back to the present and blinked. What the hell were they even talking about?

Realization came back, reminding him what could’ve happened to her and dousing his memories like a bucket of ice water. Shifting the concern to her. Shit. Sienna didn’t even realize what she’d done yet, did she? Just how over her head she was.

“You betrayed your employer tonight. They’re not going to be thrilled.”

“Come on, Warrick, you know me better than that. Do you honestly think I’d be that stupid?” she scoffed and her expression took on a hint of smugness. “They won’t have had any idea I was the one who released them. I disabled all the cameras.”

No, Sienna wasn’t stupid. Shit, she’d done pretty well for an amateur, but pretty well wasn’t going to cut it in this case. “Not all of them, kid.”

Her body tensed, even as her gaze flashed with skepticism. “Look, I
know
I took all the cameras off-line before you tackled me like I was some skeevy shoplifter.”

“Yes, you took all the cameras off-line. But there’s one camera that’s not
online
,” he informed her quietly, taking no pleasure in the soft cry she made. The realization that sank in. “There’s one camera maybe they don’t want their employees to know about. Hidden in the corner. Not hooked up to any computers.”

She shook her head back and forth. “No.”

“Yes, Sienna. They may not be aware of what’s going on now, but you can bet your ass they’ll be reviewing that tape later when they realize the cell is empty.”

She stared at him for a long moment. Then her full, succulent lower lip began to tremble. Her icy blue gaze turned glossy with shock and drifted away to stare out the windshield.

Finally she slumped back against the seat and closed her eyes. “Oh, no. I totally screwed up,” she whispered. “They’ll fire me.”

He grunted softly, not quite convinced she would get off that easy. Feloray Laboratories had no reason to have shifters locked up in their lab. Only a handful of people even knew about the existence of shifters—with the government being most of that handful. The lab had some sinister motives for what had been happening in that run-down, piece-of-shit building, and Sienna was going to be one helluva liability to them now.

Unless he could find a way to get the video footage… The idea died in his head before it could take root. Even if the video was on-site, they were already behind with getting the shifters out of here. The clock was ticking on keeping all of them from discovery.

“I can’t stay here now,” she pleaded, urgency in her eyes now. “Look, you’re doing a way better job of doing what I came here to do. Let me go and I’ll just…figure out something.”

He gave a harsh laugh. “I can’t do that.”

Both because of what she knew and what she’d seen. Not to mention, if he was foolish enough to let her go, her brother and father would kill him for putting Sienna’s life in danger. He might not have brought her to this point, but they’d sure as hell consider him responsible for her safety from now on out.

Sienna was a liability now, personally and to the shifter community.

“Well, you can’t just
keep
me.” A hint of panic entered her voice.

He arched a brow in response. Amusement kicked in his gut, but he knew better than to smile as he glanced at her cuffed hand. No good would come from getting Sienna all riled up again.

“
Warrick
.” She jerked at her cuffed hand and shook her head. “Seriously, you don’t understand. You
need
to let me go.”

“Seriously, Sienna. You’re not going anywhere. Sorry.”

“No.” She jerked at her hand, her eyes widening. “
No.
Warrick, I’m going to freaking kill you! At least uncuff me.”

Good. This was good. Anger was much better than panic attacks.

“Can’t do that either. That’s as much for your own safety as it is mine.” He didn’t stop the lopsided grin this time.

“My safety?”

Rabid screams sliced through the air and they both turned to see the shifters and three agents approach. The shifters were all hooked together with rope, eyes wild with pain and drugs, bodies straining as some continued to shift. One man’s hand morphed into a wolf’s paw, claws shooting out from his nail beds. He let out a savage scream and began tearing at the rope.

Warrick’s gut clenched as the somberness of the situation was resurrected.

“I’ll be back,” he said quietly.

He moved out of the seat and hopped down from the van, seeing right away the agents needed assistance.

“Grab the fucking tranquilizers,” Larson yelled, trying to restrain a shifter who was baring his teeth and screaming as his body went through the agonizing change. The poor guy was half-shifted and seemed to be transforming back to human at that very moment.

“I’m on it.” Warrick ran around to the back of the van and dug in the black case for the loaded tranquilizer guns they hadn’t expected to need.

Whatever was going on with the rescued hostages, the shifters were now in a completely feral state. And with seven shifters to the four agents, they were definitely outnumbered.

He rushed back around front where Hilliard had just forced a shifter into the back of one of the vans. Lifting the gun, he took aim at another shifter who was baring his teeth at Rafferty.

Warrick pulled the trigger and watched the shifter fall back with a roar as the tranquilizer dart pierced his thigh. He stumbled, before falling to the ground a second later, twitching several times and finally going still.

“Shit, try and get them in the van first, Donovan,” Rafferty cursed. “Don’t wanna throw out my back lifting these damn guys.”

Warrick’s lips twitched as he took aim at another shifter and pulled the trigger. Then focused on another.

“Easy with her,” Hilliard snapped.

Warrick nodded, knowing she worked for the agency. How the hell she’d ended up here was anybody’s guess. He fired a shot into the shoulder of the female shifter and she let out a whimper before collapsing near the door of the van.

A scream pierced the air, but it wasn’t animal. He spun, ice rushing through his blood as he saw one of the more lucid shifters break free from the rope and leap in the van. He was heading straight toward Sienna.

Chapter Three

“
Fuck
.” Warrick pushed past the other shifters and agents, trying to rip her door open, but it was locked.

The shifter inside was almost completely human again. “Bitch!”

Sienna turned her upper body to look behind her. Her eyes widened and she screamed when she saw the rapid approach of the shifter. The man slapped her across the face, sending her head whipping to the left.

“You knew what they were doing to us!”

Warrick jumped into the back of the van, forcing back a dangerous rage as he took aim and pulled the trigger before the shifter’s fist could connect with Sienna’s head again. The man roared—the sound a mix of wolf and human—before he stumbled back and fell to the ground with a gasp. A second later he was out.