Deadly Call (6 page)

Ana ran up a dark alley between Boylston and Newbury streets. With her New Breed sight she quickly assessed the sitch. Xavier had one
hellion
on the ground, while another pulled a switchblade at his back.
Screw running
. She gleamed out mid-run and materialized behind the second Frankenshifter. She disarmed the enemy, unsheathed her knife, and took its head off. She looked behind her and noticed Dimitri assisting Troy with two more mutants. Where the hell were they all coming from?

As X sent the other mutant home to the Goddess, they watched to be sure no others made an appearance.

Ana cast out her senses to check the area. “Did you find a new den?”

X shook his head. “No. That’s just it. These four just showed up and attacked us on their own.”

“On their own? You mean, with no Toltec shifters?”

Troy sheathed his dagger. “They came outta fuckin’ nowhere.”

Dimitri shook his head. “I got a bad feeling about this.”

Ana nodded. “You and me both, D. I think we need to let Reyn know, right away.”

X started back down the alley. “It’s late. Let’s do one final sweep and head in.”

SE looked at his watch and followed it up by doing a lousy job with his pool cue.

Richard shook his head. “Wow. That may be the worst shot I’ve ever seen you make. Would you stop pacing? They’ll be in any minute.”

SE handed the cue to Pax. “Something’s not right. I can feel it.”

That’s when he heard it. Dimitri was shouting his name from the main foyer. He flew around the corner and down the short hallway. X was holding Ana in his arms.

SE’s blood pressure spiked. “What the hell happened?”

“
Hellion
comes outta nowhere. Second time tonight. Douche whacks her with a two by four.”

His female was sounding a tad ornery. “I’m fine, X. Would you please put me the hell down?”

SE held out his arms and took hold of his mate. “I’ve got her. Thanks, X. Let’s get you downstairs to Helen,
ihkweea.
”

“Guess where it got me, my male?” She grinned. “In the ribs.”

SE shook his head. “There’s a surprise.”

When he got his hands on the Frankenfucker, he was going to pull its insides out through its mouth and leave it to die out in the cold. No returning to the Goddess bullshit.

The worried males all followed them down into the compound and then waited outside the exam room door in silence. Every time Ana said
I’m fine
, they chuckled.

Troy smiled. “We should come up with a drinkin’ game.”

Pax laughed. “Yeah, we should.”

SE poked his head through the curtain. “She’s all set, my brothers. Just a couple of broken ribs. I’ll be taking her upstairs in a few minutes.”

Half an hour later, he had them set up in bed with the TV and snacks. They’d pass out when dawn hit in another hour.

Ana pulled the duvet off and gingerly slid her legs over the side of the bed.

“Whoa! Park it. I’ll get you whatever you need.”

She raised a brow. “You gonna pee for me, too?”

He laughed. She wasn’t one to put up with his alpha male crap that was for sure. And goddamn was it hot.

When she came out, her mate helped her climb back into bed. He kissed her cheek. “Are you comfortable enough,
ihkweea
? How’s the pain?”

“Not bad. It’s just…”

He could see she was working something out. “What is it?”

“You should have seen those
hellions
tonight, SE. Something wasn’t right. They just showed up with no shifters.
None.
I’m talking for miles. It just doesn’t make any sense. Toltec would never allow that. The only time they’re on their own is when they’re asleep in the dens. Even then, there are shifters checking on them. I’ve never seen a mutant without one. Have you?”

He shook his head. “No, I don’t think any of us have.”

“Let’s think about this. Toltec’s formula is based on that scientist, Sean Delaney’s work, right? He’s the one who originally isolated the shifter gene, but he never intended for it to be used this way. He was simply a geneticist who had a shifter for a daughter and thought he could find a scientific explanation for shapeshifting. The
hellions
are still highly experimental.”

He didn’t like where this was going. “Yeah, when you put it like that.”

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

SE looked into his female’s eyes. “Rogues.”

Seth ran up Berkeley Street and turned down one of Boston’s gazillion Public Alleys. The city was old as fuck and provided the perfect playground for those who needed to live in the shadows. He grabbed the top of a fence, and easily hiked himself over the top. His new body was so strong and way faster than his shifter one had been. Sure, he had to pull over, knock off a shifter, and borrow some
k’ul
every couple of days, but it was a necessary evil. Kinda like stopping for gas. And it was worth it for this body. Before he’d had the body of an athlete. Now he had the body of a
hellion
. It was like comparing LeBron James to Superman or some shit. Except, as far as he knew, there was no kryptonite for mutants, other than the sharp blade of some dickhead, New Breed warrior.

Seth knew he had lucked out.

Big time.

Not every
hellion
came through the process with their gray matter still in working order. Tons of them were practically brain dead. They could barely think and when they did, it was only about following orders so they could find more
k’ul.
He shook his head. No wonder they were easy pickings for the Order.

But there were others like him.

Mutants who had maintained their level of intelligence from before they were given the serum. They had learned how to stave off the cravings for longer periods of time and found their new capabilities brought them a new kind of freedom. Well, after they took care of the shifter soldiers from Toltec. He couldn’t figure out what was going on there. He and his boys would take care of one, only to have another show up in its place. Obviously, the Order was taking care of a fuckload. Maybe Toltec figured it was all the Order.
Yeah, right.
Those New Breed bitches wished.

It didn’t matter. They were in no hurry. They would watch and wait. There had to be more of their kind among the dens throughout the city. He and his crew would find them and add them to the ranks. They would take out both Toltec and the New Breeds. Then, as far as he could see, the sky was the limit. Once they were organized, they could take whatever they wanted. No more waiting for the poor shifter boy to get his basketball scholarship.
Fuck. That.
Man, he felt sorry for his boy, James, though—still back in school, going to practice, and fighting off the Aberzombie cheerleaders. But he was hella relieved to be off that hamster wheel. For real.

Reyn sat at his desk facing Richard, SE, and Dimitri. The looks on his brothers’ faces made him want to cringe.

“So, you’re saying we’ve got some kind of weird-ass aberrations running around out there?” Of course the mutants were already aberrations. So what the hell did that make these things? “There’s no other possible explanation?”

Richard rubbed his forehead. “Logically, I’d say there’s a remote possibility that it could have been a coincidence, but my gut’s telling me that’s unlikely.”

SE nodded. “Yeah, Ana made some good points last night. This stuff is still totally experimental and they’re messing with shit with no idea where it’s headed. It’s not like this shit is FDA approved.”

Dimitri sighed. “Look, there’s all kinds of crazy running around out there. I really think all we can do right now is be aware of the possibility and wait. If there’s some kind of rogue faction out there, they’ll eventually show their stripes.”

“I agree,” Reyn said. “Whether or not they think the same way, they still seem to bite it in the usual manner. Let’s get the word out to the rest of the brothers and for now we keep our eyes peeled. If it is happening, there’s a possibility Toltec doesn’t even know about it yet. Let’s be the first to find out.”

Diesel was down on one knee holding a female across his lap. “Pax!”

The brother trotted down the alley toward him.

“We got a problem.”

Pax took a gander at the female shifter. “Did a couple get to her?”

Diesel shook his head. “That’s what I thought at first, too. Notice anything off?”

“Her
k’ul
was drained ‘til it killed her. Nothing new…”

Their eyes met.

Diesel sighed.
Son of a bitch.
He’d really wanted to be wrong about this one. “How often have we come across a dead shifter with no
k’ul
who still had both souls? Something out here drained her dry and
k’ul
was all it was after.”

Pax went through her purse. “Found an ID.”

“Got an addy?”

“Yeah, why?”

Diesel got up and brushed the snow off his leathers. “I’m gonna drop her off. Someone’s gonna be looking for her.”

“Meet you at Anarchy in ten?”

He answered without even thinking about it. “Naw, man. I’m gonna head back.”

“No worries. I’ll be there if you change your mind.”

Diesel lifted the shifter’s body over his shoulder and gleamed out.

Helen paced to the opposite side of the bedroom and back again. Three o’clock. Were the brothers always out this late? Figures she’d never bothered to pay attention before. But still. Just as she sat down, Diesel materialized by the door. She ran straight across the bed, her arms closing around his neck, legs tightening around his waist.

“Whoa, hey, female. Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” she said into his shoulder, “I just missed you.”

“I’m sorry. I know it’s late. I missed you, too. Although I gotta say, you keep welcoming me home like this I might have to get that extra duty back.”

She smiled and kissed his cheek. “Don’t you dare.”

He leaned down and kissed her. Helen’s body heated up right on cue. God, he smelled good. Like a mix of sweat from battle and…

She pushed back. “Dies, where were you tonight?”

“What do you mean?”

“You didn’t go anywhere after duty?”

“I stopped for a quick beer with Pax.”

She took another step back. “At Anarchy?”

He cocked his head. “Yeah, where else? Why are you looking at me like that?”

She tried to swallow but she couldn’t get the spit past the lump in her throat. “I’m going to ask you a question and I need the truth.”

He drew his eyebrows together. “Okay.”

“Were you with someone tonight? Another female, I mean.”

“No, of course not.”

“I can smell her all over you, Dies. Are you sure you don’t want to change your answer?”

“Hey, you’re shaking.”

He moved closer and God help her, she let him put his arms around her.

He smoothed the back of her hair with his hand. “Where is all this coming from? I could never be with anyone but you, Doc. Ever.” He pulled back and looked into her eyes. “You know that, right?”

Of course she knew. Jesus, this was so unlike her. She fought hard against the tears, but a couple escaped anyway.
Traitors.
“I guess I jumped to conclusions. I’m sorry.”

Diesel pulled his mate back in close. “It’s okay. Pax and I found a dead shifter tonight and I brought her body home. You must’ve picked up on her scent.”

Although, why would that have bothered her? Not that he minded her being territorial. It was actually kinda hot. But she was a surgeon. She knew the difference between the scent of a live and dead shifter better than anyone. And she’d gotten emotional so fast. That wasn’t like her. Why would she…

“Pax,” he said under his breath and backed away.

“What?”

“What did that asshole tell you?”

“What do you mean?”

“About me. What did he tell you about me?”

“Oh, God. Diesel, please don’t be angry with him. He came to me as his doctor. He was worried about you and he didn’t know what else to do. It was before we were mated.”

“I answered your question, Doc. Now you answer mine. What the fuck did he say?”

She sighed. “He told me that your moods were becoming more erratic and that you were trying to self-medicate with alcohol to control them.”

“And? What else?”

She squirmed. “That you’d also been using…sex.”

“That son of a bitch.”

He turned and headed for the door, but she beat him to it. “No! Dies, you can’t confront him. He can’t know that you know. I broke my word telling you. If he finds out, no one here will trust me. It’ll make me ineffective as the Order’s physician.”

He froze where he stood. There was no way he would ever compromise her integrity. And it wasn’t her fault anyway. It wasn’t even Pax’s really. It was his. “I’m sorry. I should have told you myself right after we were mated. And I wanted to. I just…”

She took his hand and led him to the bed. He sat down next to her, his head in his hands. Hot tears clouded his eyes. “I wanted to tell you so badly. I was just so ashamed. I didn’t think you’d want me if you knew.”

She stroked his shoulder-length hair back. “Oh, Dies, of course I want you.”

“God, I felt like such an asshole. What a user. I couldn’t even get myself to kiss them. And then I’d feel so guilty afterward. ”

“Shh. It’s okay. We’re going to get you through this, my male.”

He nodded, but even then he was so worked up he could hardly sit still. His breath came in quick, shallow pulls and his heart pounded so hard his chest actually hurt.

Helen was so angered by the unfairness of it. Her mate was expected to fight for the Order, but it was the very thing that was keeping him from getting the help he needed.
Their damned secrecy.
It dawned on her that all she was wearing was one of Diesel’s huge T-shirts and her panties. She swung her leg around and positioned herself so that she was straddling him.

“Whoa. Hey there, female. What gives?”

“Me to you,” she said.

She took him by the sides of his face, leaned in, and ran her tongue along his bottom lip.

He licked at the spot, closed his eyes, and exhaled. “You don’t have to do this.”

“Do you hear anyone complaining?”

She unzipped his leathers and sprung his erection.

The fact that he needed it started out in the front of her mind, but was somewhere at the very back by the time she was sliding her panties over and pulling up onto her knees. Then she sat down on him. Hard.

His head jerked backward. “Fuck.”

She smiled with satisfaction as she looked into his glowing, yellow eyes before taking his mouth and going in deep. There was that satisfied sound again, like a throaty sigh. She started to move in a circular motion, but it wasn’t long before he picked up her hips and moved her toward him so that she was thrusting. Their mouths found one another again and he kissed her until they could hardly breathe. She pushed him back on the bed and fell forward, her hands on his chest for support. She moved slowly, never breaking eye contact, refusing to give into the faster rhythm they both craved. They were covered in sweat, and still she wouldn’t give in. When he finally came, he hollered so loud she was pretty sure he woke everyone downstairs.

Oh, well.

The next evening, the whole of the Order stood in the drawing room and waited for their leader to begin the meeting. Reyn looked out at their grim faces. He knew they were probably responding to his own, but there was just no way to sugar coat this. At this point, it was like they were fighting three different wars. There were exactly nine New Breeds. It wasn’t like the math was tough. A second grader could do that shit.

“I’m sure you’ve all heard about the strange circumstances surrounding the attack on Ana two nights ago. Well, there was another bizarre incident last night while Pax and Diesel were on duty. They found a dead female shifter civilian, totally drained of
k’ul
, but with both of her souls still intact. It’s possible a
hellion
simply drained her of all her
k’ul
, but I think we all know how rarely that happens, especially if the mutant is supervised by a Toltec shifter. From what I’ve been told, there were no Toltec shifters seen or even sensed during either incident. Right now, all the evidence seems to point to the existence of a rogue faction of
hellions
.”

He stood quietly for a moment, letting his brothers digest the news and swear a little. Or a lot. Not that he blamed them. He cleared his throat. “Now, the good news is, these rogues all seem to die the old fashioned way. So we won’t be changing any part of our approach for now. But it’s important to be aware that a rogue mutant won’t be taking orders from Toltec. If there is a new faction, we have no idea what their goals may be. They’re most likely more intelligent than Toltec’s
hellions
tend to be if they were smart enough to desert the ranks and then organize themselves. Keep your eyes open. Anything that may seem of the slightest importance needs to be reported to me or Richard immediately. If there is a leader, the faster we can take it out, the better. As a side note, X will be trained in emergency medical procedures and some surgical assistance. It’ll be important to have a second on deck to help the Doc if Diesel can’t get here or is injured himself. That’s all.”

Richard sat down on the bed and took baby Maya from his exhausted mate.

“Try to get some sleep, Adri. You need it.”

“I will, my male. Ana has started taking her in the afternoons. Maya just loves her.”

He raised a brow. “Are you sleeping then, or hanging out with Ana.”

She smiled. Jesus, she was ravishing. He was going to have to get a sitter for Maya some night soon. Really soon. Like tomorrow.

“A little of both, I guess. You need the rest even more, my male. You’re back fighting now and you’re doing baby duty on your nights off. You need to rest so you’re alert out there. Your girls need you safe.”

“I agree. But I’m sleeping in after my shifts and she’s letting me get about five hours when I have her. That’s plenty. Right, beautiful?”

Whenever Adriana saw Richard with Maya she wanted to melt. God, he was such an amazing father. She always knew he would be. They had decided against having a family, mostly because of the dangers of their work. Apparently, baby Maya had other plans, thank the Goddess.

“How was the meeting tonight?”

“Well, I can tell you even Pax and Diesel were mellow.”

She cringed. “Wow. That’s really saying something.”

“Yeah, pretty much. Hopefully, the Goddess will show soon and give us some guidance, if not more recruits.”

“This must be so hard on Reyn. How’s he holding up?”

“Not great. Actually, I think he’s more worried about her. He thinks she’s in danger, crossing through the Otherworld to get here.”

“Not from the Gods that destroyed her?”

“Yep. Are you smiling at me, Ana Maya?” he cooed at the offspring.

“I never even thought about it. I mean, she is dead, more or less. She’s pretty much spirit now, right?”

“Don’t look at me. I didn’t even realize she could corporealize until SE and Ana’s induction ceremony. Reyn never even mentioned it.”

She shook her head. “She’s leading another race’s war from beyond the Otherworld and she’s in danger because of it? Jesus, what next?”

He playfully covered baby Maya’s ears. “Hey, watch that stuff around our offspring, female.”

She giggled. “Wiseass.”