Omega (5 page)

Tribes were bristling under the new ordnances being rammed through by Ian and his cronies. There was a lot of work to do, bullshit to clean up once his father was put down. He stared at the orange shag carpet, tufts brushed the sides of his shoes. Robbie would never leave without him and he didn’t just have her and the problems Ian created to worry about. He still needed to address the information he learned from Boris. Reana had a lot of explaining to do.

Robbie curled into a ball and cried out in her sleep. Colin leaned back skimming his fingers along her form while murmuring soft words against her neck. “It’s all right, luv. I’m here, you’re safe.” He pressed his lips in the spot behind the shell of her ear. “Get some rest for you and the babe.”

She unfurled and stretched out, turning toward him. He lay down next to her, above the covers, and listened to her breathe. Another few minutes with her wouldn’t make a difference. He closed his eyes.

Her soft, slim fingers walked across his arm and weaved between his digits. “I thought you might have left.” She inched over and rested her head on his shoulder.

“Nae, I thought you were sleeping.” Colin twisted his head toward her.

“You moved,” she accused, her breath flowing over his skin.

“I’ll not make that mistake again then.” He chuckled. “Now go to sleep.”

“Don’t tell me what to do.” She giggled. “If we are leaving—”

“When we leave,” he corrected.

“Uh-huh, anyway, when the time comes I want to take the toddlers with me.”

“How do we keep adding children to the trip?” He rose up on his elbows. “They will slow us down.”

She gazed up at him and her nose flared lightly. “I won’t leave without them or yours. If those kids slow us down, then I suggest you be prepared to keep us safe because I can assure you I will fight to protect them and you if necessary.”

“That will never happen.” He snorted. “I’ll find a way to take your two and my three.” His plans were once again shot to hell.

“Thank you, Colin.” She pushed off the bed and kissed the corner of his mouth.

He shook his head. “You might be the death of me.”

“Don’t joke like that. If I wrote a letter to my mother, would you mail it for me?”

“Of course, I could drop it off at the post on my way home.” He lay down. “Now will you get some rest? It will be morning before we know it.”

Snuffles reached his ears and he realized she’d fallen asleep while he was talking. He needed help moving so many children, especially since he may not be able to accompany Robbie. Goddess, could things get any more complicated?

Chapter Five

Light seared his lids, and Malachai twisted his head in an effort to escape the brightness. His head thumped like someone was using his brain for congas. Groans escaped through his lips when he pressed them together, and an ache radiated up his jaw. Voices chattered around him and he realized he wasn’t alone. He forced his eyes open.

Tom stood over him, gripping the side rail tightly. His features were a tight mask of emotion with his lips pursed and eyes narrowed. Malachai turned his head in the direction Tom gazed and swallowed back the yelps from the sudden stinging behind his eyes. Ian Blaidd, Alpha of the Volkshire pack, leaned against a glass partition with his arms crossed. Machinery beeped. He was in an isolated room in the medical bay.

He breathed through his nose as Tom drew his arms close to his body.

“Take it easy, Colonel.” Tom placed his palms on Malachai’s shoulders. “You’ve been in and out of consciousness for twenty-four hours.”

“What the hell did you do, dumb ass?” Ian stomped toward the bed.

“Fuck you, dog.” Malachai croaked. His tongue felt thick and dry in his mouth.

“You forget your place, human.” Ian growled. “You’re pathetic. You despise my kind yet you want so badly to be a part of us.” Disgust colored his tone. “How long have you been injecting yourself with the serum?”

He peered sharply at Tom.

The scientist’s head dropped. “I had no choice but to tell him.” His voice dropped so low Malachai could barely make out the next sentence. “He tried to disembowel me.”

“If I’d wanted you dead, doctor, trust me, you would be dead,” Ian bellowed. “Now I want to know how long Malachai has been using himself as a test subject and I want an answer now!”

“Lower your voice.” Malachai struggled to sit up. Tom pressed a button and the bed started to rise. “I made a judgment call. I can’t expect my men to do something I will not.”

“You put the program in jeopardy. When your bosses find out, they could end our contract!” Ian shook the side rails and the metal rattled.

“Grow a fucking pair! Who’s going to tell? You’re an avaricious bastard. Half the funds you negotiated never reach your clan.” It hurt to talk but he couldn’t back down or Blaidd would have the upper hand and be in the position of power. Malachai worked his tongue in his mouth and swallowed. “As long as we keep this episode to ourselves, life can continue as normal.”

“You obnoxious, arrogant idiot. Colin is here every day; hell, he moved his office here. My son is nobody’s fool. Eventually he will put the pieces together and realize that this is not a government installation. When he does, all hell will break loose.” Ian’s chest heaved. “Our backers will disappear like mists in the wind.”

“You forget their motivation is yours.” Malachai scoffed. “Greed. Like you, they want something out of our partnership. Be it information from our trials or opportunity to have a say in our newly formed Shadow Clan Mercenaries. Either way it suits their purposes to continue with us.” The ache was dulling in his head and his voice was growing stronger. “Our only concern is your bastard and his ties with so many different tribes.”

“I dare you to say that to Colin’s face.” Ian snickered. “He would kill you before you could get the last words out.”

Tom shuffled back. “I’m going to my lab now that you’re up.” He swiveled on his heel and hurried from the room.

“Ian, we no longer have a choice. Colin has to go.” The grogginess was abating. Malachai’s head dropped back against the pillow and he stared up into the cold gaze of the Great White Wolf.

“My son will not die by my hand.” Ian crossed his arms.

“Then find some-fucking-body to do it, but he is the only one standing between us and greatness. Imagine the money that will flow into our hands when we can prove to the government we have created the perfect soldier.” His voice rose with each word. “I gave up my damn military career! That’s how strongly I believe in this! Where do you stand?”

Ian cocked his head. “There has been an ongoing feud between my clan and a tribe back home. Black Mountain wolves are small-minded and easily manipulated, they can’t see past their pockets. I have a track of land on a desolate rocky mountain. No doubt they would take that in trade to challenge Colin.”

“Who gives a damn about a challenge? Kill him and be done with it.”

“That is the difference between us, Malachai. I wonder who is the true animal? We find honor in death while your species can’t comprehend the concept. I will reach out to Black Mountain.” Ian spun on his heel and stalked toward the door.

“If you don’t handle this, Ian, I will and honor or not, his blood will be on your hands.” Malachai shot off the words to Ian’s back.

Ian stopped, his shoulders squared. He didn’t turn around. “No matter what you think you know, the drugs have obviously addled your brain, human. Colin is a Blaidd and we do not die easily. If you chose to try, no doubt the grim reaper will have no problem finding you and you will never see it coming.” He continued out the room.

Malachai sighed. Ian was becoming as much of a problem as his son. When Tom returned he needed to find out how the girls were doing. The test-tube babies were proving to be the better experiment. Using shifter women as surrogates, Tom’s team crossed human eggs and sperm with genes extracted and spliced by Robbie. Marree and Seri were the result of genetic ingenuity and his girls were beautiful.

He planned to raise them as his daughters. Sadly, Marree wasn’t exhibiting any shifter tendencies while Seri had an aggressive streak that would make any animal proud. The wolf gene was apparently the stronger link. They would have to scrap the reptile DNA and, if necessary, destroy Marree, daughter or not. He couldn’t have one of his failures escape, or worse fall into the wrong hands.

Robbie apparently took an instant liking to the children as he expected. She created the gene-splicing technique he used. Too bad he hadn’t been able to implant them in her but that would have drawn way too much attention to him and his farce that Code Name Shadow Clan was a military program. Her developing an affinity for the little ones was a good thing he could use to his advantage. It was one more way to tie her to him. With her soft heart, he knew she would find it hard to leave his girls.

He scooted up in the bed and a wave of dizziness engulfed him. Malachai reached for the phone and dialed nine. The rotary phone’s clear plastic disc did one rotation and the deep rings chimed through the line.

Tom answered with a touch of hesitation. “Yes.”

“I’m alone. What the hell is wrong with me?” Frustration at be bed bound made his tone hard.

“I don’t have many answers for you yet. My best guess is that your body is rejecting the serum. Tests are still running.” Tom came across as distracted. His answers were stilted.

“Focus on what I am saying. I want answers by dinner, do you understand me?” Malachai grunted.

“I need more time, at least twenty-four hours to get the results back. This is science dammit, not stock-car racing.” Tom became quiet.

Was his scientist losing it? “I want answers and you have no more than the time requested.” He held the handset closer to his mouth. “Did you hear me?”

“Yes…yes. I should have some information by then.” Tom’s voice grew distant as if he was moving away from the mouthpiece. “I must go. Seri is shifting.”

* * * *

Leaving Robbie that morning was one the hardest things he’d had to do in a long time. Colin rolled his shoulders and slipped the manual transmission into fourth gear. His car sped down Main Street. After he’d left, Robbie, he’d gone to his office and pulled the duplicate set of books that he kept there out. In the early morning, quiet with no distractions, he was able to concentrate. Contracts he’d located in his father’s office didn’t match the documents he’d been given by the pack accountant. The books were seven shades of fucked-up. Once he figured out the anomalies, the logical next step was to confront his father. It was time to tame the monsters that were creating havoc within his clan.

First he would have a long talk with Ian, and then he would move onto Reana. If he wanted to leave with Robbie, there were a lot of loose ends to tie up. He parked behind the main house to use the kitchen entrance. Fatigue drained his energy; he had so many balls in the air if he wasn’t careful everything could come crashing down around his head. He exited the car and slammed the door behind him. Rolling his head on his neck, he mentally prepared for the battle he knew was coming once he cornered his father. Silently, he opened the screen door and slipped into the shadowed kitchen. The staff had cleaned the area and left until it was time to prepare dinner.

Colin prowled down the hall. Children’s laughter drifted on the air. Somewhere in the house his boys were having fun. The thought made him smile. He slowed his pace and placed his palm on his father’s office door. Words his father uttered halted his hand before he could push the barrier open. The slim crack widened just enough for him to get a view of the man pacing behind his desk.

“I am willing to offer you a tract of land and a hundred and fifty thousand dollars. What you do with it is your problem.” Ian’s crisp tone became quiet.

Silence. Colin eased closer to the entrance, leaning on the doorjamb.

“I cut ties with my European pack; my son in Ireland is on his own.” He snickered. “Not that you Black Mountain mutts could do anything to him. What I want is for you to send your best fighters here, to the States, to challenge my youngest son, Colin.”

A pregnant pause. Colin tugged on his earlobe. What he was hearing was a figment of his imagination; it had to be.

“You must follow Pack rules, a fight to the death…yes, I know that. I don’t care who you send over.”

So focused on the conversation his father was having, Colin drowned out all other noises.

“Boy, feel free to try. The only reason your pack is still around is because I was feeling generous when I killed your grandfather. That pussy of a wolf you claim as your sire hid so he wouldn’t follow the same fate. Don’t forget my sons are my progeny. Trying to kill them and actually doing it are two different things. So don’t get arrogant because once the challenge is over I may feel the urge to avenge my son’s death.”

Colin shoved the door open. It bounced off the back wall and swung back. He crossed the threshold, anger roiling in his belly. “You want me dead, old man, fucking do the dirty work yourself.” He sneered.

Ian stopped cold and lifted his head; he tilted his head and cocked a brow. “Give me an hour and I’ll have the money wired directly to your account.” He dropped the handset in the cradle. “Listening to other people’s conversations is bad business, son. Eavesdropping on mine will get you killed.”

“Works out for me considering what I just heard.” Colin marched up to Ian’s desk and place his fists knuckle down on the wood. “Let’s end this now. Challenge me.”

A wicked, slow smile lifted the corners of his dad’s mouth. “No.” Casually he ambled from behind the desk and past Colin. His movements were slow as if he hadn’t a care in the world but his hands shook as he stuffed them in his slacks’ pocket. He left the room.

Colin stared at his retreating figure and stomped after him.

Ian opened the front door. Sentinels on duty spoke quietly as they walked by. He passed the formal living room opening where his sons were playing with blocks by the sofa. This was for them, for everyone in the pack. Colin gripped his father’s shoulder and spun him around.