Circe's Recruits: Gideon: A Multiple Partner Shifter Book (7 page)

“But I will if you try anything,” Roane added.

Gideon flipped him off. Derrick laughed, then covered it with a cough when Roane shot him a look.

Hale gave an innocent shrug. “I’m not laughing, Roane. Not out loud, anyway,” he added with a snort. “Look, Gideon. I know this must suck. We know about your friends.” He grew serious. “What was done to you was done to us a long time ago. But we volunteered at the beginning. I have the feeling you didn’t.”

The smaller man just watched him with a clinical assessment Gideon didn’t care for.

He felt his gums tear as his fangs descended, and he snarled at the older man.

“I’m Doctor Evan Dennis, but you can call me Doc,” the older man said. He didn’t appear scared at all. Nor put off by Gideon’s aggressiveness. He watched Gideon with understanding and...compassion. That was something Gideon hadn’t expected, and his beast quieted down. “We had thought all of this was behind us. But every time we think we can relax, one of Elliot Pearl’s old protégées appears.” Doc sighed. “Do you have any idea what’s been done to you?”

Gideon took another step back. Then, not liking his position, he paced in a tiny square which gave him room to move and an ability to keep an eye on the others. “I know I was kidnapped, probably drugged, while in a fight in Philly.”

“A fight?” Roane asked, moving back to stand with Derrick and Hale while Doc positioned his tray in the center bed.

“An underground fight club. That’s where they found us. Me, Ortiz and Freeman.” And poor Ollie and Rod. He gritted his jaw to keep from screaming his rage. His pain.

“Elijah Ortiz and Carter Freeman,” Hale said.

Roane nodded. “So you were there for the fight, then…”

“Then I got dizzy in the middle of a bout.” Gideon ran a hand through his hair that seemed to have grown an inch. “I woke up strapped to a lab table while Smith and Lang tortured me.” Fury returned with the memories, the feeling of being a victim not sitting well. Seeing Rod’s organs in a jar.
Jesus.
They’d learned how to ride bikes together.

“Easy, Gideon.” Doc held up his hands. “We’re not here to hurt you at all. But to help you, I’ll need to take a few samples. I’ll even explain everything while we do it. You and your friends are different than the Circs we’re used to. You might have issues that crop up you won’t be able to handle. I can help.”

“What else to you remember?” Derrick asked. The large African American appeared intimidating even without the Circ DNA. Hell, all three of them did. When Derrick crossed his large arms over his chest, Gideon shifted slightly, putting more weight on the balls of his feet.

He read the body language in the room and adjusted, ready to fight back at a moment’s notice. They might say they didn’t want to hurt him, but he’d be ready in any event.

“I was there a month. They pumped a lot of shit into me that hurt other people when they came in contact with it. Some black crap that burned, filled up my lungs. And they had scientists watching everything. A disease guy, some neurospecialists or something. And Lang. That fucker wanted me like this. He turned me into a Circ, I think. Like you guys, but different.” He stared at Doc. “Lang acted like that Elliot Pearl was some genius. But Lang called his serum EL13.” Gideon frowned. “He pumped it into my friends—they didn’t survive.”

Hale sighed. “Sorry, man. That sucks.”

Roane nodded. “A lot of our Marines died when they got the serum too. Of over seventy of us, only five survived. And it wasn’t easy.”

Gideon grunted. It helped a little that they understood.

“What made it worse was we volunteered,” Roane offered. “Thinking we’d be helping make the world a better place, we accepted the drugs that changed our DNA. You didn’t have that choice.”

“No.” Gideon would find and kill everyone involved. He had nothing left to lose. At the thought, the creature inside him purred in acceptance, needing the feel of blood over his fingers once more.

“Gideon?” Doc snapped his fingers. “Gideon, what’s wrong?”

Gideon blinked and saw the Circs circled around Doc, ready to pounce.

“Huh?” He glanced down and saw his fingers curled into claws, felt his fangs distended past his lips, digging into the flesh and causing blood to flow down his chin. “Shit.” He wiped his mouth and his fangs retreated, as did his claws. “Sorry. Thinking about Lang.”

Doc urged the Circs with him to back away. “Let me give you a little bit of background. I once worked with Dr. Elliot Pearl, back when he was working for the government, trying to enhance our military. Pearl took too many chances with our men’s health, and I quit the project. He was fired as well, but he started his own lab privately.

“I did my best to help our remaining squad, Circe’s Recruits.” Doc motioned to the men standing with him. “You’ve met Roane, Hale and Derrick. Zack and Ace are outside, and McKinley’s a part of us as well.”

“Family, but he’s not part of our squad,” Roane said. “He works with General Shields to take down outside Circ influence. We help Doc round up those who can be saved.”

“And those who can’t?” Gideon wanted to know.

Roane looked him in the eye. “Those we terminate. No question.”

Doc hurriedly filled the awkward silence. “What Roane means is that not everyone handles the serum like you, Gideon. Many of those infected with Elliot’s original EP12 serum had mental breakdowns. Some turned mutant, meaning they grew misshapen, hungering only for death.”

“And some demented sex. Don’t forget that, Doc,” Derrick added. “Some weird ass shit.”

“Seriously?” Hale socked him in the arm.

“Ow.”

“We’re trying to clue him in. Not freak him out.” Hale rolled his eyes. “What Doc’s telling you is true. He saved us, helped us deal with mating heats and the need to destroy when in a real mood.”

“Mating heats?”

“Oh boy.” Roane sighed. “Talk about being back at square one. Tell him, Doc.”

Doc adjusted his glasses. “Let me get back to the beginning. EP12 was designed to recombine your DNA, to make you stronger and able to heal, to sustain an increase in energy, particularly in mitochondrial production whereby increasing your energy intake.”

“English, Doc,” Roane murmured. A good thing because Gideon was growing seriously confused.

“In other words, we were creating supersoldiers. You’ve seen the men when they’re changed. Their skin gets tougher. Their bones and muscles expand. Their senses are sharper, and they grow claws and fangs for offensive deterrent. They are the ultimate weapon.”

Doc stared at him. “But you, Gideon. You seem to possess all these traits, but you have one more. Camouflage.”

“Huh?”

“You look human. Well, except for the eyes. Even your size can be explained away as you just being a large individual.”

“What’s the deal with my eyes?” Gideon asked. “I have better vision, especially in the dark. And I can sense…stuff.”

“Like?” Doc asked, looking more animated.

Gideon felt uncomfortable, but not threatened. He felt like a freak. “I don’t know. I can sense others like me. But it’s not a smell or anything. It’s something else.” He swallowed hard, instinctively trusting the need to confide in Doc. “I think I’m like a split personality or something.”

“You want to kill shit? To tear apart people that screwed with you?” Derrick asked. “That’s your inner beast talking, man. It’s good. Listen to it.”

“What Derrick means is that being Circ means getting an added benefit from the serum. It’s an animalistic sixth sense that will guard you well. You’ll take in everything from your environment, things you’d normally disregard. But your Circ nature absorbs body language, scent, sound, sight, and it puts it all into a language you understand on an instinctual level.”

He wondered if that included the need to fuck Palmer. Because that had been lingering on his mind, something he wasn’t yet ready to handle. But they’d mentioned mating heats…

“Another thing you’re going to have to come to grips with, and that’s the mating heat,” Doc added. “You’re a Circ now. That means you can only find sexual satisfaction with another Circ.”

Gideon blinked. “Hold on. What?”

“Oh, you can still hook up with women, or guys if that’s your thing,” Hale said. “But you won’t impregnate anyone. And screwing them won’t feel as good.”

Doc nodded. “A Circ can only find real satisfaction from another Circ. So twice a month, maybe more since you’re so new at being Circ, you’ll feel the need to mate with other Circs.”

Gideon felt himself flush. “So, ah, are there women Circs, then?”

“Yeah, but there aren’t that many. The ones here are all mated,” Roane warned. He nodded to the window. “That pair out there with McKinley are spoken for. You’ll scent us on them.” Roane watched him. “Do you feel anything looking at them?”

“Anything like what?” Gideon glanced at the women again. But the only person he “felt” anything for, more like curiosity than lust, was for McKinley and maybe Hale. The yellow-eyed demon buzzed deep in his psyche, like a live wire with all that power inside him.

“Like you want to fuck them?” Derrick added.

“
Derrick.
” Doc flushed. “Gideon may not be in a heat right now. And if he felt anything, he would be feeling it for you as well,” he said to the Circs.

Gideon shook his head. “I’m not feeling anything for you guys or the chicks outside. But the big guy hums.”

“What do you mean?” Doc asked.

“I can feel him from here. He’s got power. Hale has some too.” Gideon could have told them more, but he wanted to keep his own secrets. They already knew he could fry guys with a mental blast. But they didn’t realize he’d been able to predict patterned behavior—
before
he’d become Circ.

“Interesting.” Doc studied him. “Gideon, I know this is difficult. But I’d like you to trust me. At least let me take a look at you and see if I can help. None of us will force you.” He glared at the others. “We don’t work that way. You’re free to go if you like.”

“But we’ll be with you inside the compound. We have people to protect,” Roane said.

Gideon could live with that. “Seriously? So if I want to walk out of here…” He stepped toward the door.

Doc and the others just watched him. “Go ahead.”

To test them, Gideon walked outside the room. The hallway was bright, cheery. Totally different from the lab in which he’d been tortured. He heard the others behind him. “Can I see Elijah and Carter?” He couldn’t have said why, but he felt a responsibility for them. “What about Palmer? Is he here too?”

“They’re all here. Alex is upstairs with our people. He came willingly, I might add.” Doc blew out a breath. “Your friends Carter and Elijah have been a mite unpleasant. Carter’s abilities make it imperative we separate him from others.”

“Keep Elijah away too if you value your team.” Gideon hadn’t meant to warn them, but he found he liked Doc. The Circs still bothered him, because they’d defeated him once. But he took comfort in the fact it had taken several to knock him out. Cheating with guns. His inner beast gave a contemptuous snort. He’d have clobbered them individually in the ring.

“What’s wrong with Elijah?” Roane asked.

“I don’t know, but Lang’s team knew he was dangerous.”

Doc smiled. “That’s what Alex told us. Thank you, Gideon.”

“Whatever.” He stared at McKinley standing in front of the females. Gideon took a sniff. They smelled Circ, but he had little interest in them or the guys behind him. McKinley though, he’d be a nice addition to Gideon’s pack.

Gideon shook off the thought, bemused by what it might mean. “So you need my blood?”

“Yes. But only if you donate willingly.”

Gideon turned around. “Okay. I’m in. But I want you telling me everything you find, okay? No holding back. No secrets.” He stared into Doc’s eyes, saw the older man swallow, his pulse race.
A bit of fear there. Good.

Then Roane was there, blocking Doc and returning Gideon’s stare. The ass didn’t look away. Gideon didn’t like that. Not his pack, alpha of a rival group. A threat.

“Back down, boy.” McKinley said from behind him. “Or I’ll scramble you like I did last time.”

“Fuck off.” Gideon kept this back to the big man as an insult. “Doc and I have things to do. Take your women and blow.” That said, he walked back into the lab and settled into the surprisingly comfortable hospital bed.

Doc returned with Roane and Hale by his side. “You’re good with this?” the man asked again.

Gideon nodded. “Explain this mating heat again though, cause I don’t get it.”

Roane and Hale exchanged a glance.

Gideon glanced at the leader. “Roane, you explain. You live with it, right? So what’s the deal?”

Roane shrugged, and Gideon could sense his unease. A vulnerability. Bingo.

“Doc’s right. It started a few years after we changed into our alternate forms. You saw us. We’re more than human when we toughen up. But with that power, we have certain needs. A Circ needs a Circ. Like, sexually.”

Hale continued. “When we first changed, there weren’t other females. We had to form bonds, to be a pack, to be tight.”

What he left unsaid… “So you guys got busy with each other? Is that what you aren’t saying?” Gideon stared in surprise. Because no way he’d peg these macho, tough dudes as being loose with their sexuality. Growing up tough in the city, he’d never much cared one way or the other. A guy did what he had to to survive. If that meant blowing a John, so be it.

He’d been fortunate not to have to perform sexually to eat. Rod hadn’t been so lucky. But Gideon hadn’t loved him any less for it. Brothers stuck together, no matter what. Blood, sex, none of it mattered.

And now it didn’t matter anymore either, because Rod had paid the ultimate price.

Roane studied him. “That’s right. It wasn’t easy. Not all of us on the team were okay with it. But we couldn’t contain ourselves when the hunger hit. You’re Circ, you’re strong. You need to fuck. It’s not a want; it’s a necessity.”

Chapter Five