Shepherd's Moon (41 page)

“Where’s Nia?” I asked, remembering the cheetah shifter.

“Nia has proven herself to be a liability,” he responded cryptically. “She’s been returned to the lab for euthanasia, and you can thank yourself for signing her death warrant. Alejandra, you’re the same person you’ve always been. You continually attempt to assist these beasts without any consideration for how it affects you.”

“I sort of thought that was in the job description,” I replied.

“They are here for us to use, Alejandra. Nothing more.”

Suddenly, I knew why I was here. Why I was chained to a chair in a room. I gasped the words. “You helped clone Diego.”

He nodded, a chilling smile on his face. “Who am I to stop progress?”

Swallowing the thick bile that rose in my throat, I turned away. Blood and guts I could handle. Betrayal was a different horror.

“Enough.” The voice rung out from across the room carrying enough authority to stay both our words.

Our eyes turned towards the voice. The man walked through the heavy doors pushed open by two members of what I could only assume were members of his private clan. He wasn’t a particularly large man — maybe a few inches over five feet. I was larger in both height and weight, but he carried himself as a much larger man would. I watched him approach as Adolfo backed quietly away and moved through the doors that the bear-shifter and another man now stood sentry over. Both looked remarkably similar to Diego.

“You must be Keenan,” I said.

He had a pronounced Middle Eastern accent. “And you are Alexandra — our elusive little Shepherdess.”

I shrugged, the best I could do under the circumstances. The unfamiliar dress and high-heeled shoes left me more than a little apprehensive about facing anyone down, let alone this tiny man. “Little, huh? If that’s not the pot calling the kettle black.”

He slapped me. Hard.

“We’ve been trying to reach you for some time,” he said, wiping his hand and regaining his calm.

“I haven’t exactly been in hiding.”

“Well, you’ve certainly been difficult to meet with privately.” He studied me as if I were a new science kit rather than a person.

“You could have made an appointment. That probably would have been better,” I smiled politely, glancing at my fellow Council member who now stood slightly to the left of Keenan. “And Adolfo knows how to reach me.”

The percussion of Keenan’s hand across my face flipped the chair and I hit the floorboards with a grunt. But it did have the effect of bringing me back into reality. A reality I wasn’t sure I was ready to face.

Now I was pissed.

A quick glance at Adolfo showed him cringing at the strike. A reaction to what the Council would do when they found out, perhaps? Or worse, what my pack would do to him when they learned of his betrayal? And he hadn’t even
begun
to feel my wrath…

“You will be respectful to me,” Keenan warned, staring down at me. “I am not one of your
beasts
.” He said the word as though they were the dregs of society. And I guess according to him, they were.

But, to me his words were just plain offensive. I opened my mouth to tell him so, then hesitated and bit my tongue. One more smart-ass comment would land me another slap. Even I could predict that. I stared up at him, my jaw tight.

He motioned for his men to set my chair upright and I tasted the blood on my tongue from where my teeth had sliced open the inside of my cheek. Licking my dry lips, I glared at him through angry eyes.

“Forgive me,” he said softly, wiping his hand with a white handkerchief, as if the strike had dirtied him in some way. “My temper — it gets away from me on occasion.”

“Well, the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.” I spat blood onto the hardwood floor where my face had been planted only a second earlier. If they didn’t care about a little blood spatter, neither did I.

He circled my chair like a predator.

“Despite your affinity for the animals you surround yourself with, we have something in common, you and I.”

I rested my head against my shoulder, doing my best to look bored. “An interest in destroying one another?”

His long nails gently scraped against my cheek as he pulled my thick hair away from my ears, as if I could not hear him. Slowly, he leaned towards me until his breath was warm on my neck. “You have something I need,” he whispered.

I struggled to pull away but was unable to move far. The result was an uncomfortable shift in posture that made me look weaker than I was. I immediately straightened. “You’re delusional.”

“I’ve been called many things, Alex.” He laughed out loud, and threw his hands around like a symphony conductor as he spoke. “I’ve been called visionary, insightful — but never delusional. Of course, I can understand why you might view me as such. It takes time to understand the lengths we will go too to preserve our dynasty. But Adolfo understands. And you will come to understand as well.”

He moved to an end table that held a decanter of brandy and poured two fingers, taking a sip before offering me a glass. I lifted my tied hands at the wrist with as much sarcasm as possible. He motioned for Adolfo to cut the binds.

“I trust you will behave,” he said.

Sure. Because I’ve been behaving so well this far…
I rubbed my sore wrists, but kept my thoughts to myself this time.

Crossing the room, Keenan handed me the glass and I took a sip, appraising my new opponent.

“There is no reason this can’t be a civilized transaction.”

“Transaction…” I repeated. “So far I haven’t heard anything that could qualify as a transaction. A transaction is an exchange of goods or services. So what exactly do you want from me?”

Keenan took a step back. It did not appear to be a retreat — more of a relocation — and he smiled an eerie smile that seemed slightly
off
.

“I’m in need of your expertise. And for that, I am willing to trade something that you need from me.”

I finished off the brandy and held out the glass. Keenan motioned for Adolfo to take it from me, and I used the opportunity to level a hard stare towards him.

“What would a lowly shepherdess have to offer someone like you?”

“You have a unique ability — one that others do not have,” Keenan explained.

I gave a derisive laugh. “I’ve got news for you, Keenan. Whatever skill I have can also be found in your very cooperative Shepherd standing over there.”

“No,” he replied quietly. “It cannot. Yours is a different skill. And it is unique to you.”

Well, that was news to me. I accepted another glass of brandy and downed it in a single gulp. After just two drinks, my head was starting to swim.

“What exactly are you referring to?”

“Legend states that female Shepherds are more empathetic, in most cases it is hardwired into their DNA. Communication skills are enhanced, pack loyalty is increased, etcetera. This allows you to gain control over any animal, not just the ones that you have bonded with, such as your pack. This skill would be very valuable when it comes to the animals we have created.

I just stared at him. “When you say animals, you mean more than one?”

He nodded. “But, of course.”

Christ. How many of these things were we dealing with?
I shook my head. “Let me get this straight. You’ve been developing these hybrids without any way of controlling them? “

“It’s not optimal, but science rarely is,” Keenan said without a hint of regret. “Men love to wonder, and that is the seed of science. Ralph Waldo Emerson.”

“We cannot command nature but to obey her,” I replied angrily. “Francis Bacon.”

He lifted his glass in salute and took another sip. “Once you fulfill your end of the agreement, we will release you back to your pack.”

“That’s your trade?” I asked dryly. “You need to work on your negotiating skills.”

“The alternative is death.”

“Oh, Keenan…” I smiled. “You see, that’s
not
a negotiation. That’s a
threat
. And you just told me I was valuable, so I don’t think you’re going to kill me. What we may be able to discuss is a financial arrangement. Then it would be a negotiation.”

He was not amused, and I was having a really tough time viewing him as some kind of evil genius.

“What exactly do you need done?” I pretended to be interested. “What kind of cooperation are you talking about?”

“We have a situation that we need managed in Central America, an area I believe you are intimately familiar with.”

“Actually, Adolfo would be far more valuable in that area,” I smiled. “He even speaks the language.”

Keenan’s mouth turned up slightly in what I could only believe was a smile. “Unfortunately, Adolfo has proven to be less than helpful with this situation.”

I couldn’t help but laugh as Adolfo turned away. “Is that right, Adolfo? Are your clones getting out of control?”

Keenan continued, silencing Adolfo’s response with a glance. “We believe you may have the skills needed to deal with this particular problem.”

If he only knew… But, I couldn’t let on that my ability to read the creatures was as pitiful as Adolfo’s attempts had been.

“I want information. Data on all of the operations, names of all that you’ve turned.”

“That can be arranged once you arrive safely in the Central America,” he said softly. “Adolfo will provide transport for you and two members of your pack.”

I shook my head. No way was I going back to the jungles of Costa Rica with only two enforcers. “I’ll need four. Adolfo can attest to that.”

He looked at Adolfo who nodded slightly. “The region is dangerous and she will be dealing with things well beyond her understanding.”

Well, hell. That didn’t sound good…

“What kind of things will I be dealing with, exactly?” I asked.

“Creatures that you have never seen in your short life.” Adolfo’s snort was loud enough to make me wince. “Notwithstanding our most recent transplant to your pack.”

I stepped back involuntarily. What was he talking about?

But the second I had the thought, I understood…

Daniel… Daniel was a clone.

The new information hit me as hard as if I had been physically punched. That explained why he transmitted at a different level, the rarity of his being a chimera. It explained everything. Daniel hadn’t escaped and lost his memory, he was sent to us. And worse, he was now out with my team infiltrating a building that was his own territory. I sat in stunned silence, unable — or unwilling — to process the information. Shocked and angry, I tore my gaze away from Adolfo to stare at Keenan. He wore a self-satisfied expression that suggested he had been pleased to share this news with me.

Stunned, I choked out the only words I was capable of. “What do you want?”

Keenan smiled. “Your assistance in managing a situation that has grown, let us say, difficult to manage. That is all. Afterwards, you and your pack will be free to leave.”

I heard the soft buzz of a phone set to vibrate and looked up at Adolfo. He read the message. “Señior Fa’al, the team has arrived at the expected location.”

He meant
my team
. My team, complete with a traitor in their midst — the traitor I had sent into battle with them. The very thought made me physically ill.

I had to get to them
now
.
Right now.
Somehow I had to warn them. But my ear transmitter was not picking up a signal and as far as I could tell, no one knew I was even missing yet.

My panic grew as I realized I was alone, completely alone, in fixing this mess and getting my pack safely out of that building.

“Anything happens to my pack and I will spend the rest of my life hunting every one of you down.” The threat was sincere and my voice held no waver.

Keenan returned my threat with cold, dead eyes before turning to Adolfo. “Handle it.”

The words hung in the air as he turned to leave, finished negotiating. He knew he had me. He knew I had no choice but to cooperate. But before his hand was on the doorknob, I felt an explosion erupt in my mind. Without warning, I unleashed a tidal wave of psychic power on Adolfo who then grabbed Keenan and spun him to the floor.

That fast, I had control of the Shepherd’s mind without even knowing I had the ability to do it.

“Tie him,” I told Adolfo. He obediently raised the man from the floor and slipped the plastic zip ties around his wrists.

From the doorway, the sound of hands being clapped slowly together brought me out of the red haze I had seemed to slip into and I stepped back with a blink. There stood Tristan, a grin spreading across his face, as he surveyed the situation.

“Not bad. Now you just need to learn how to control it.”

Still in shock, I began rambling, trying to explain the situation and not even knowing where to begin. Tristan grasped my shoulders, forcing me to meet his eyes.

I quickly learned that with focus, I could calm myself. I took a deep breath. “Where were you?”

“I was tying up some loose ends.” He nodded to two unconscious shifters outside the doorway, unconscious and bound. “Now, what did I miss?”