Chosen by Sin (10 page)

Memories of the were’s vigor and stamina flashed through her. Heat
flared across her body, leaving pockets of searing warmth. The intensity of her
response surprised her now just as much as it had last night. Deliberately, she
kept her gaze on her computer monitor, not trusting her ability to control her
expression.

“He appeared to be in stellar health,” she said quietly. Thankfully,
her voice was as cool and modulated as ever. “I still need to test the samples
I took. If he has the gift, he certainly has no knowledge of it.”

She still felt guilty for invading his mind. In doing so, she’d
violated vampiric notions of honor and morality. Although she hadn’t been part
of that society for decades, her parents had taught her the importance of
honesty and ethics.

In many ways, her actions shamed their memory.

Even so, she should be long past caring now. Long past the need to
explain, even to herself, that she read minds not for titillation or personal
gain, but for a much greater purpose. Yet it didn’t matter. Each time she
entered someone’s mind without his consent, her sense of identity became more
and more lost to her.

“But you really believe he carries the gift of immortality, don’t you?
Based on a rumor about a werewolf legend? Based on the ravings of a werewolf
who’s on the verge of senility and death?”

The disdain in Amanda’s voice made Jes frown. Bodin of Hammersham
deserved respect. He was the ruler of the werewolves, a descendant of the first
werewolf to walk the earth. He’d also been Jes’s savior and benefactor. He was
coming to the end of his life, his muscles withering with age just as much as
his brain, but he had led his people for almost five centuries and still
received their love and respect. For him to be so easily dismissed, especially
by Amanda—his own granddaughter and Dex’s half sister—bothered Jes
immensely.

Amanda had been given love and support, and most of all, a place in
Bodin’s life. Those were all things that Jes had craved from the werewolf
leader ever since he’d saved her so long ago. Instead, to Jes he’d been a
distant guardian. One who time was determined to take away from her. But not if
she had anything to do about it. “Bodin must have been confident Dex had the gift.
It’s the only reason he would have gone to such extreme lengths to keep him
away from the pack. To disown him,” Jes said.

“He
says
he disowned him because
he was a half-breed bastard,” Amanda pointed out. “An embarrassment.”

Jes immediately bristled at the unsavory description of Dex. Even
Bodin, despite his dedication to Otherborn unity, still occasionally expressed
disdain for half-breed werebeasts; his lingering bigotry had obviously
influenced Amanda. Jes wanted to leap to Dex’s defense, tell Amanda she didn’t
know what the hell she was talking about, but she didn’t. Instead of reacting
with emotion, she tried logic instead. “A werewolf who’d save a vampire child,
a stranger who meant nothing to him, isn’t a werewolf who would abandon his own
grandson without a better reason than bigotry.”

Amanda’s eyes narrowed at Jes’s subtle jab. “Fine. Even assuming you’re
right, that means Bodin sent Dex away to protect him. To protect his destiny.
Yet you’re willing to jeopardize Dex’s life for your own purposes.”

Jes hesitated. It was a fair accusation, one she’d agonized over. It
was why she’d done things the way she had. If she’d had any other choice, she
wouldn’t have told even Mahone about her research, but she’d needed the money
to purchase the high-tech equipment that now awaited her. Plus, there was
always the chance something would prevent Jes from continuing her experiments
before she could learn the truth. If that happened, she wanted someone else to
carry on her research. Amanda had too much at stake, so Jes had chosen Mahone.
It had been a calculated risk, but a good one, she’d reasoned. Dex worked for
Mahone so on some level Jesmina had felt she could trust Mahone, too. Talking
to him on the phone had merely confirmed that she could trust him.

“Of course I don’t want to jeopardize your brother’s life,” Jes said.
“What I meant was, I understand what Bodin was thinking. I understand the
danger Dex would be in if others knew. Those who don’t understand the legend
might even begin to hunt all werebeasts and werewolves in general, on the off
chance they were similarly blessed, able to give others immortality. But I have
no plans of exposing what I know. If it turns out the legend is true and that
Dex is part of it, I have his blood. That’s all I wanted. It’s all I need. I
won’t tell anyone about Dex.” She stared challengingly at Amanda. “Will you?”

“I love my grandfather. If you can do anything to help him live, I want
to help, not hinder you.”

The werewolf looked at her without guile, but unease flickered through
Jes. She was tempted to read Amanda’s mind, just to be sure… But she had no
reason to believe Amanda was a threat to Bodin, Dex, or anyone else. If she
went around reading minds anytime she felt like it, she really would shame her
parents’ memory. It was why she hadn’t invaded Bodin’s mind. Why she’d pieced
together her suspicions about Dex on her own before ever approaching Amanda.
She owed Bodin way too much to disrespect him that way.

Still, because it wasn’t just Jes’s welfare at stake, Jes reached into
Amanda’s mind, probing for deceit. Nothing. Either Amanda was telling the truth
or she knew how to block Jes’s mind-reading powers. Jes prayed it was the
first.

Jes turned back to her monitor and her fingers trembled slightly before
descending to tap at the keyboard.

Words formed on the computer screen in front of her, the sum of which
was the information about various Otherborn during her visit to L.A. She typed
the information she’d gathered about the felines, including their own reports
of sexual assault and how the reports had turned out to be false, motivated by
the need to rid themselves of their sexual heat via sterilization. She added
her observations of the one named Wraith and her discussion about wraiths in
general with the Para-Ops team. And then…

To be fair, she had to include her observations about Dex, too. As a
researcher, gathering information—even information that didn’t seem
relevant—was critical to help explain, avoid, and duplicate certain
results. If something were ever to happen to her, she wanted her notes to be
thorough enough that another could take her place and carry on her research.

She typed in Dex’s physical condition. The way he’d interacted with his
team members in the bar in Los Angeles. The fact that he’d commenced a sexual
relationship with one of those team members, a feline mage.

Amanda sidled up to her, hovering over her shoulder, reading the
computer screen. Jes’s fingers faltered slightly as she typed Lucy Talbot’s
name, but she forced herself to keep going, only pausing when Amanda spoke.

“I don’t like the fact he’s sleeping with the mage, even if it is just
to alleviate her feline heat. If what you believe is true, how do we know her
physical chemistry won’t affect him somehow? Or that she hasn’t siphoned
information from him? The aftereffects of such a mating has never been studied
before—”

“—that we know of.” Jes forced her voice to remain calm.
“Besides, Lucy can’t read minds, and even if she could, she can’t siphon
information that isn’t there. Dex Hunt doesn’t know what he is. Lucy certainly
doesn’t. And as for whether or not her body chemistry would somehow affect his
gift, there’s no reason to think that. It’s not like we know how many females
he’s slept with anyway, or what races they were.” Though according to Rurik
Pitts, Dex had probably been with more than his fair share of vampires. Again,
Jes couldn’t help wondering—had he simply been attracted to her vampire
exterior? Or had it been
her
he’d truly
needed?

“I suppose you’re right. So, tell me. Did you find Dex attractive?”

Amanda’s tone was teasing, so Jes tried to respond in kind. “You’ve
seen the photos I took. He’s an attractive male. Why wouldn’t I think so?”

“But did you—”

Afraid of what Amanda was going to ask next, Jesmina said, “I haven’t
had a chance to see Bodin yet. Have you?”

Amanda frowned. “I saw him earlier. He was fine. The same. Coming in
and out of lucidity. It wasn’t like he was going to die while you were away.
You mean too much to him.”

As she occasionally did, Amanda sounded bitter. The werewolf’s seeming
jealousy perplexed Jes. Over the years, Jes had barely seen Bodin. The only
reason he was here now was because he thought Jes might be able to treat him.
By natural means or through science. Yet, he had no idea that she knew about
the Legend of Wolves or that she’d sought out Dex. The only reason Amanda knew
was because Jesmina had finally broken down and asked her to confirm that the
rumors the Draci had heard about the legend were true. Amanda had been
reluctant to answer at first, but once she’d realized Jes was serious about
finding a way to extend Bodin’s life, Amanda had verified the rumors.

Amanda had trusted her with that information, and Jes needed to trust
her, as well.

She put her hand on Amanda’s arm. “Would you go tell him I’m here? And
that I’ll check on him in a little while. Please?”

Amanda hesitated, then nodded. “Yes. I will. You’ll keep me informed
about the test results?”

“I will, Amanda. Thank you.”

As Amanda left, Jes breathed a sigh of relief before continuing to type
up her report, including the details she’d rather keep secret. She noted the
fact that Dex had come to her hotel. How many times he’d taken her. How many
times he’d come.

How many times he’d made her come.

Once again, her fingers stiffened and fumbled for a moment, and this
time she couldn’t get them moving again no matter how much she mentally
commanded it. Blankly, she stared at the screen.

It wasn’t the memory of the orgasms he’d given her that was the cause
of her frozen state, though they’d indeed been surprising. Instead, it was the
memory of what had happened afterward. How Dex had fallen into an exhausted
slumber, but not before he’d wrapped his arms around her and held her as if she
was something precious to him.

She typed for another minute, then read over the report.

Then …

Although she knew it was wrong …

Although she knew it was a dereliction of her duties, that she should
make note of everything she knew about Dex Hunt …

She hit the delete key over and over again until she’d wiped out all
details about their intimate encounter.

She licked her lips. Closed her eyes and breathed in his smell. Felt
his touch. Savored his voice and warmth.

She’d never be able to experience the feel of him against her skin
again. Not anywhere but here, in her mind. She’d been given one night with him.
The fact that he’d taken her...The fact that he’d held her—that he’d
cherished her, whispered her name, nuzzled at her hair, and held her through
the night—that, at least, she told herself, would be hers alone.

With a sigh, she rose from the computer station. Fantasies could wait.
She had work to do.

Hours later, Jes stared at the results of Dex Hunt’s blood sample as
disbelief rattled through her. She’d known Dex was special, but she’d had no
idea how Bodin had identified Dex as one who could fulfill the legend.

It wasn’t possible, was it?

But yet it made sense.

Not just werewolf. But vampire, too.

She recalled the words of the legend as told to her by her Draci
family.

Protect the wolf whose ancestry none can see.

Protect the one who can gift immortality.

Cast him out before you let him be found.

He’ll drive hell’s demons back underground.

Protect the wolf whose ancestry none can see, Jes mentally repeated.

Of course. This was how Bodin had known about Dex’s gift.

Mixing were and vampire blood, though not exactly common, wasn’t
unheard of. In all cases, however, the offspring of such a union was a
dharmire, one who carried the outward manifestations and sometimes even the
powers of vamps. Like Knox Devereaux, Dex’s teammate, who was human and
vampire, but who presented as a vampire.

Not Dex Hunt.

He was an anomaly, one whose werewolf genes dominated his vamp
ancestry.

And an anomaly was consistent with a rare creature, one that might
fulfill a legend. His blood might be able to save not only Bodin, but countless
others.

A flutter in her stomach told her she was excited. Too excited. If Dex
knew, he’d have to accept his destiny, wouldn’t he? She’d never force him, but
wouldn’t he want to help her? Wouldn’t he—

No!

She brought that thought to a screeching halt.

Shame on you, she thought. This was exactly what Bodin had feared.

She couldn’t think of Dex Hunt as a trophy or a means to an end. His
life would be in danger if she ever revealed just how special he was. Every
mortal on the planet would be after him. Not only that, he carried enough
baggage already from being abandoned by his grandfather. From never knowing the
love of his mother.

Had Bodin’s daughter fought Bodin’s plan to send Dex away or had she
simply gone along with it? If so, had she regretted it? Had she longed for the
child that had been taken from her, even after she’d had Amanda?

Jes couldn’t imagine giving up her child under any circumstances. Once
she’d dreamed of having children, but over and over again her body would reject
the life as it began to form in her womb, until the doctors had finally told
her she’d been damaged beyond repair. She would never be a mother. She’d be
alone for an eternity.

That’s when she’d dedicated herself to a higher purpose. To healing
others. To saving lives by trying to prolong them. But in doing so, she’d
cemented herself as an outsider, treating patients whose lives she’d never
truly be a part of. Helping families, but never having one of her own.