Rise to Submit [Rise of the Changelings, Book 4] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) (17 page)

“Get your asses up here,” Sasha called from the edge above them. “We’re clear for now, but we need to find another vehicle.”

“Town?” Rick called up to Sasha.

Sasha nodded. “That’s where we’ll find the best vehicles to choose from.”

“He sounds like they are going to a dealership rather than stealing one,” Ian commented.

Mason grinned. “Sasha has one of those award-winning personalities.”

Mason released Ian and joined Rick as the two began to pull everyone’s bags from the back. “We’ll store these in Bryson’s trunk until we secure another ride,” Rick said as he hauled a few bags over one shoulder and another two in the other hand. Ian was surprised. Rick didn’t look like he could carry so much weight, but the man didn’t look like he was breaking a sweat as he began to climb up the embankment.

Freedman grabbed the rest as Mason walked Dorian and Ian up the steep hill. Mason grabbed Ian’s hand and pulled him along, helping him tackle the dirt and debris littering the ground as he tried his best to make it up to the others.

Ian studied their joined hands, amazed at the contrast in size. Mason’s hand was twice the size of Ian’s, strong, powerful, yet didn’t hurt as it gripped Ian’s. The fingers folded around his, capturing Ian’s, pulling, but never hurting him.

“We’re almost at the top,” Mason said to Ian.

Ian could see that and wondered why Mason felt compelled to reassure him.

The vampires had never reassured Ian. They did what they wanted regardless of Ian’s comfort. They took, but never gave, not in the sense that they should have.

The only thing anyone got in return was a high…Ian slammed the lid on that thought, pushing it away. He purposefully stumbled, falling, hitting his knee on a rock. The pain exploded in his leg as Mason cursed and helped him up.

But the pain helped him forget the other problem that had tried to rise up inside of him.

“You okay?” Mason asked as Ian got to his feet, rubbing his knee, welcoming the distraction.

“I’m fine.” But as he walked, the pain was constant. Ian concentrated on it, welcoming it. It kept his mind from going places he’d rather not go.

“I want Omar, Dorian, and Ian in the car with Bryson,” Rick commanded as they reached the top of the hill. “If things go bad in town, Bryson will get them out of here.”

“Not on your life,” Dorian argued. “I’m just as capable of handling myself in a shootout as you are, Rick. I’ve proven that.”

“You have,” Rick admitted. “But this is a town full of Breed Hunters. The less men going in, the better. I need you watching Ian and Omar, keeping them safe.”

Ian saw what Rick was doing, and apparently so had Dorian.

“You want me to be a glorified babysitter.”

“Exactly,” Rick answered. “Now get in the damn car.”

“Okay, fine,” Dorian replied as he pulled Ian from Mason’s hand. Ian wanted to grab the strong hand and never let it go, but he followed his brother. “But I’m driving.”

“The hell you are,” Bryson argued.

“The hell I am,” Dorian said.

Ian was seeing a side to Dorian he had never seen before. Dorian had never been this aggressive. His brother had been lazy, laid-back, and just floated through life. Since when did he become this hothead who liked to shoot things?

Ian was impressed.

And a bit frightened. Not of Dorian as his brother. But of this bloodthirsty Dorian who didn't look like he would take anyone’s shit and blow someone’s head off without thought.

“Bryson drives,” Rick growled. “Besides, how can you shoot anyone if you are driving?”

“Don’t appeal to my renegade side,” Dorian argued.

Rick chuckled and then pulled Dorian into his arms, kissing him. Ian glanced away, trying to free his hand from his brother’s, but Dorian wouldn’t let him go.

“Let’s get going,” Sasha said impatiently.

Rick released Dorian.

“You play dirty,” Dorian said to Rick before he and Ian climbed into the car, Omar taking shotgun.

“I use what I have.” Rick winked at Dorian.

Ian knew couples got along. His parents were a shining example of how a couple could love each other even after thirty years of marriage.

He was glad Dorian had found someone who loved him that much. Ian wished he had been that lucky. Instead, he had found a sadistic club that…Ian pushed the thought away as the car drove off, leaving Mason behind and Ian—for the first time in his life—missing a man who hadn’t placed a claim on him.

Mason compartmentalized his thoughts and concentrated on the task at hand. Right now it didn’t matter how good it felt to hold Ian in his arms. Right now he couldn’t think about how the man had smelled of relief when Mason came running down that embankment.

Right now Mason needed to keep an eye on the back door of the post office the Breed Hunters had ventured into, not let his mind wander to the scorching kiss they had shared this morning. Mason’s cock was becoming thick with need as he thought about how Ian had tried to give himself over to Mason. It had been the most sensually erotic thing Mason had ever experienced.

And being a full-grown changeling male, that was saying something.

But the look of trust in Ian’s eyes had not been lost on Mason. It wasn’t that he didn’t want the smaller man. God knows he did. But Mason wasn’t going to take advantage of Ian while he was in such a vulnerable state. The man had a lot of things to work out before he was anywhere close to ready for Mason’s desires.

Mason pulled his mind away from Ian as his tail swung back and forth. He studied the surrounding area.

There was a large Suburban parked out back, perfect for all of them to fit into and tough enough to get them through most barricades the Breed Hunters liked to set up.

They were on the outskirts of town, the post office being the last building before the forest took over. It was the perfect cover. They just had to get the damn truck from behind the two-story, red brick building without anyone noticing.

The sun was setting, but there was still too much sunlight. Mason had argued to wait until nightfall, but Rick, Sasha, and Freedman had argued that they needed to be long gone from this place by the time darkness settled in.

Mason sat on the long, thick branch in his jaguar form, his eyes fixed on the back of the building, watching for any sign of the truck owner, or anyone else who might try to stop them.

Miguel and Benito were in the woods to Mason’s left, rifles trained on the back door as Rick, Freedman, and Sasha crept into the parking lot.

Freedman silently pulled the driver’s door open, ducked under the console, and began to work while Rick and Sasha stood guard. The tension was so thick that Mason could scent it all the way up in the tree he was perched in. All the men down below were scared, determined, and willing to do whatever they had to in order to get the job done.

Mason watched as the men worked in silent fervor.

The truck roared to life.

The three men jumped in.

Breed Hunters poured outside.

Mason watched it all, his mind taking everything in, waiting to see if one of his very own needed help. If he could laugh in cat form, he would have. Rick, Sasha, and Freedman were gone before the Breed Hunters had a clue of what was going on.

It took them a moment to understand that their truck had been stolen from them.

Idiots.

His group had set up a meeting point prior to coming to this town. Mason knew they would be waiting for him no matter what happened. But if things became too hairy, then they had a plan B.

Mason didn’t want to chance plan B because it would keep him away from Ian for too long.

He had been extremely perplexed when first laying eyes on Ian. Mason couldn’t understand his feelings toward the human. He feared that Ian would take him under and shred his world apart. Never before had Mason had such a strong and unrelenting attraction toward someone like he had for Ian.

But Mason began to understand what that need was.

He had spent hours tossing those emotions around in his mind. They were complex on the deepest level, yet so simple Mason wondered how he hadn’t seen it before.

Mason wanted Ian as his mate.

But Mason’s jaguar still reacted to the scent of Ian’s blood in a violent way. If his changeling beast didn’t agree with Mason on the subject of wanting Ian, then there would be nothing Mason could do to keep the man.

He just couldn’t understand why his beast was so reluctant. It wasn’t like he could kick his beast out and keep Ian. He and his jaguar had to be as one when it came to Ian. If not, there was no way Mason could mate the man. His jaguar would try to eat Ian before he could claim him.

That was not something Mason wanted to happen.

Ian had grown to mean too much to Mason, and he was going to figure out a way to mate Ian without his jaguar attacking the man. There had to be a reason for his beast reacting the way he did to Ian’s blood and Mason was determined to find out.

Making his way through the forest, Mason ran for two miles before he spotted the Suburban. It looked as though they already had it loaded and were just waiting on him.

Rick pointed to a small pile of clothes on the ground. Mason shifted and grabbed the items, quickly dressing. “Where’s Ian?”

“In the truck,” Rick replied. “We had to clean out the crap the Breed Hunters had in there and came across some very interesting things. In my opinion, the owner of this truck was a very important man.”

“Why do you say that?” Mason shoved his feet into his boots and squatted down to tie them.

Rick held up the man’s wallet. “His driver’s license states his name is Samuel Formente. But his other ID states he is a professor at a college we recently fled from.”

Mason slowly stood, grabbing the wallet from Rick’s hand and dug inside, finding the ID. “I know that name. If I’m not mistaken, he was the professor and head guy of the bioengineering lab.”

“Now why would a man who taught bioengineering lead a unit of Breed Hunters?” Rick asked, but Mason could tell the alpha had already thought long and hard about his answer.

“Because,” Mason replied as the answer formed, “he wants live changelings for the experiments at the detention centers.”

“That would be my guess.” Rick nodded.

“He’s hunting guinea pigs?” Sasha asked through a clenched jaw.

“That’s the only plausible explanation I can think of for a professor of bioengineering to turn to a life of hunting changelings down.” Rick gave a shrug. “Unless you can think of another reason.

“I think he had something to do with the bombing,” Mason said as he continued to dig through the wallet. “Your ex-employee is with him and was at the school. I think the whole thing with my father agreeing to rebuild the school was a cover-up for something bigger.”

“What was in the section of the school that was destroyed?” Freedman asked as he shut the back of the truck.

Mason narrowed his eyes at Freedman, his thoughts beginning to work overtime. “Labs.”

“Just hear me out,” Rick said as he held up a hand. “What if the whole wanting you dead thing was just an excuse? What if your father was funding whatever they were working on in those labs and possibly blew it up when it went bad?”

Mason folded the wallet and handed it back to Rick. “Anything is possible. I think the only way we are going to get any definitive answers is to pay Sellers Pharmaceuticals a visit. We already know he was funding the Calvary Home of Salvation.”

Rick leaned over, placing his hands on his knees, and then bent down to squat. “If your father’s company is funding some bioengineering project, what in the fuck was he funding Garrett for? I mean, I know the kids were experimented on, but bioengineering? What the fuck is he up to?”

“I’m not sure.” Mason knew his father was an asshole, but remembering that the man had experimented on changeling kids—the juveniles being the most precious things to the changeling community—was making him sick all over again.

Not wanting to be discovered as a changeling and lose everything was one thing. But his father was intentionally harming changelings for whatever it was he was doing in those labs. Mason wasn’t sure he could walk away and leave his father unharmed when he finally confronted the man.

“Do you know what happened to Francis and Anthony Oswego at the Calvary Home of Salvation? Did the werejackals kill them?” Freedman asked.

“Logan didn’t say,” Rick replied. “The alpha just said that they rescued six toddlers and burned the place to the ground.”

“It would have been an easier route to question those two about the experiments,” Mason replied.

“Right now we need to find a place to lie low and then we can figure out our next move.” Rick waved toward the truck.

“We’ll figure it out,” Sasha replied as Mason crawled into the truck, pushing next to Ian who was staring out of the side window, looking lost as hell.

“You all right?” Mason asked as he reached up and gave a light tug at Ian’s hair.

Ian blinked a few times and then turned to look at Mason. The circles under his eyes were deepening, letting Mason know the man was sleep deprived. He could scent Ian’s weariness as well.