Mating Kendra Read online

  “Yeah, well, the damned piece of shit GPS fucked up, again.” He glared at the unit mounted to the windshield. “I’m just about ready to shift and sniff out that bastard.”

  “Do it and call me when you find him. Don’t go in until it’s dark again.” Bastien sighed. “We both know you won’t find them until it’s light, and he’ll have changed her by then.”

  “He’s changed her already. They stopped on the side of the road for a bit. Her scent was there, but it wasn’t the same as it was at her home. She’s about to change soon, if she hasn’t done so already.”

  “Damn it all!” Bastien sighed again. “We have to stop that bastard before he changes someone important enough to draw the attention of the media to this situation.”

  Galen didn’t add that eventually the idiot was going to change someone who would escape, make it into some public place and shift their shape in front of a crowd—or even worse, someone’s cellphone camera.

  “How does the Alpha want this to go down?” Galen needed to know whether his superiors wanted prisoners. He knew both the Alpha and the healer would want them to bring anyone in a cage back with them. What he really wanted to know was what to do with the guards and those responsible for turning innocent humans into werewolves against their will.

  “Jake wants you to take down everyone who resists, with extreme prejudice.” Bastien hung up the phone, preventing Galen from asking the man anything else.

  “So?” Jackson asked as he and Anderson approached from Jace’s truck. “What did he say? How does he expect us to proceed?”

  “We’re to shift, trail them by scent, then wait until dark before we go in. We storm the compound with extreme prejudice to anyone who resists and take all of their prisoners into custody. Relay that to the twins on your way by.” He glanced over his shoulder to the McDonald brothers staring at them from inside their Hummer. They rarely ventured out unless told to do so.

  “Are we taking the caged into custody for their safety or ours?” Jackson asked dryly.

  “Both.”

  Galen moved his vehicle off the road, parking it in the desert sand. It was a good thing he had four-wheel drive, or he’d worry about getting stuck.

  Quickly he unbuttoned his shirt, removed it and tossed it through the opened door. The less clothing he lost on this trip, the happier he’d be. If he could shift and leave his clothes here in the truck, all the better. He’d lock the keys inside. He could use the combination entry system to get back in when he returned. That was at least one good thing about the keypad entry. He just hoped the battery didn’t go dead. If it did, he was screwed. He did a quick check on the interior to make sure he hadn’t left on any lights.

  “If we split up, we’ll cover more ground. The sooner we find this place, the faster we can stop that lunatic from injecting more people with that serum.” And the faster he could find the woman that had him walking around with a hard-on ever since the moment he saw her crescent kick a man in the head and knock out his ass.

  Generally, he didn’t go for women who got their jollies man hating. However, she didn’t strike him as a woman who hated all men, only those who attempted to assault her. He couldn’t blame the woman for trying to defend herself. Besides, she had a killer set of legs, wide hips and a lush bum he’d wanted to squeeze ever since he’d seen her. Yep. He was definitely a leg and ass man.

  “I’ll take the north,” he said glancing in that direction. The road ran East and West, but something told him that North was the way to go. “The rest of you split up any way you see fit. Contact everyone telepathically, stating that you’re giving up for the day and heading back to the rendezvous point if you find it. No cute covert radio messages like, the package has been found, or anything like that. They’ll figure out we mean them and run. I want that bastard this time.” Galen stared at the younger men for a moment. “Do you understand?”

  “Yes, sir. We understand,” Jackson replied. “I don’t think any of us want that crazy asshole turning any more people. Being a were-being shouldn’t be something that you get just because you have the serum to inject into someone. It should be in our control because not every human has the character to be a good shifter.”

  “You’re learning, Jackson,” Galen said with a smile.

  “Hey. What happened to your glasses?” one of the MacDonald twins asked.

  “I took them off. I don’t really need them. Besides,” he said with a grin. “Why would I want to emulate a dick like that fucking doctor? He wears glasses, and he’s a first-class asshole.”

  Galen shook his head. “That doesn’t mean that all men who wear glasses are assholes.”

  “I know that.” Jackson looked away and pressed his lips together with a chuckle. “But who wants to take the chance?”

  ABOUT FIVE HOURS LATER, Galen was alone, tired, thirsty, and had still found nothing. He should have gone back to the nearest town for a working GPS. However, that would have taken too long. Just as he climbed a craggy hill dotted with cactus, he spotted a compound in the distance. Lifting his nose into the air, he took a long sniff and... nothing.

  Damn it. He was going to have to get closer, and he was already thirsty as hell. There was no water in sight, and he didn’t think he would get a drink from anyone at the compound. They wouldn’t mistake him for a dog the way most humans would. They would assume he was a shifter and shoot first and maybe, if he was still alive, ask questions later.

  Slowly, he made his way down the other side of the hill and loped toward the fence. After another thirsty mile, he found a small opening in the perimeter fence behind an out-building and made his way inside the compound. Two men stood guard outside the smallest building, their arms crossed over their P90s and talking. Slowly, he circled around the back of the structure and dashed toward another structure in the distance. On the other side of this building, he saw a spigot and licked his dry lips. He had to risk it. Otherwise, he might not make it back to where they had left their vehicles parked.

  He reached out on their telepathic link, making sure he sounded weak. I—I can’t take this anymore. I haven’t found a thing. I’m heading back to the rendezvous point. If I’m not there by sundown, assume I’ve perished in the desert sun.

  None of the others answered. It was a good thing. The less their enemy knew about their numbers, the better. If they’d learned to pick up on their telepathic messages, all they knew now was that there were shifters nearby, and they were looking for something, but hadn’t found it.

  Quickly, he shifted into his human form, cracked open the spigot to a drizzle and took a long drink. Turning the water off, he glanced around, changed back into his wolf and loped toward the fence opening where he’d entered. Now that he knew where they were, Galen would bring his team back after dark and rescue the woman. It was just too bad that they hadn’t been able to get to her before that asshole had changed her life. Becoming a were-being should have been her decision, not that of a madman.

  Chapter Five

  Kendra pressed her hands against her stomach and peered around her cell. It appeared large, but the clear glass walls surrounding it on three sides merely gave the illusion of space. Perspiration beaded on her brow as she sat on the edge of the queen-sized bed and leaned her head against the cinderblock wall someone had painted a light cream semi-gloss.

  She curled her lip as she stared at it. Someone really should tell the person who’d taken the time to try to make this look like a bedroom not to bother the next time. A prison was still a prison, no matter what color they painted the interior walls.

  Nausea threatened to make her retch. Pain wracked her body, burning from the inside out. Wrapping her arms around her middle, she watched her captors leave the room, closing the thick clear door behind them. A lock snicked into place and she closed her eyes. No matter what her abductors wanted from her, she was determined they wouldn’t get it.

  “Why are you doing this?” Her question came out on a sob as another wave of burning pain blazed
through her stomach and seared her intestines.

  Of all the things to worry about, all she could think about was her house, her job... her class. Who would give her students the holiday parties she had promised them? Who would give the special needs kids the help they needed when their parents refused to acknowledge to themselves or anyone else they even had special needs?

  “For lack of a better way to put it, you are yet another of my test subjects—a guinea pig, if you will.” It was that crazy man who called himself a doctor again. He wasn’t a doctor. A doctor first vowed to do no harm. Harm was this jerk’s middle name.

  “Test subject? What kind of test?” She stared at the Englishman. The wild gleam in his eyes grew brighter when she groaned. The sound startled her. How had she made that noise that had sounded more like an animal than her normal self? And why was that crazy bastard getting off on watching her in so much agony?

  Another wave of fire hit her and she screamed. Lying down, she brought her knees up and curled into the fetal position. Tears streamed down her face as the pain spiked yet again. “It hurts. God, it hurts so bad. Help me, please!” If he was a doctor, he would help people and not look on with glee while they suffered through the fires of hell.

  Even her hair hurt. The fine hairs on her arms and legs felt alive. It was as though something... different crawled beneath her skin, searching for an escape.

  The two men stood outside the door, watching. The doctor nearly danced with glee while Martin observed impassively, his face devoid of any emotion. She wished she could read the expression in his eyes, but since he still wore his sunglasses even that was denied her as another surge of agony washed through her and she squeezed her eyes tight.

  Wave after wave of pain surged over her, coming at ever-shortening intervals as the agony grew more and more intense. Each surge sucked the energy out of her. Each wave stole her will to fight, even to live.

  For one short, blessed moment the torment subsided. Kendra closed her eyes and took a deep breath, thankful for the respite even though she knew it was only a temporary reprieve. Soon, the painful surges would start all over again. She turned her attention to her captors. It no longer mattered that this was a nightmare from which she couldn’t wake. All that mattered was that she knew what was happening to her and why.

  “What have you done to me?” She fought the urge to retch as the burning pain built inside her again.

  “We have made you better, dear girl,” the older man said. “You’ll thank me soon enough.” Bright eyes shining with the light of madness, Thornton grinned, the action making him look crazier than ever. “You’ll see in just a few moments.”

  He grew more excited when another wave of pain hit her hard. Her face ached, as though her jaw had just split apart.

  “Do you see that, Martin?” The man pointed at her, excited. “Her jaw is lengthening. Do you see it?”

  “Yes, Doctor,” Martin said dryly. “Did you expect something else? It’s not as though she is your first test subject.”

  “You’ll see, Kendra Mortensen. You’ll soon see. I’ve made you better. Just look at yourself in the mirrors. You’re turning into a wolf!” He clapped his hands as though he were a child at Christmas just gifted with a longed-for toy.

  “People don’t turn into animals, you nut.” Now she knew without a doubt that the so-called doctor was a lunatic.

  Though she realized what the man had said was totally bizarre, his statement made her feel better. No one was that crazy. It only proved that no matter how painful this was, it was just another of her strange, post-horror movie binge nightmares.

  Really, Kendra. You just have to stop reading those books and watching all those damned horror flicks.

  Another surge of pain struck, followed by another and another. One after the other, the waves hit in quick succession, giving no respite. Her bones ached, her fingernails narrowed and turned dark. Thick, reddish-brown hair grew on her arms and legs.

  It’s a good darned thing this is just a dream. Otherwise, I’d be cheesed off about getting that Brazilian wax last Wednesday.

  Had she known that she would suffer like this, she would have forgone the bikini wax. It wasn’t as though anyone ever saw it, anyway.

  Kendra heaved a sigh as she stared up at the cameras mounted on the walls. The blinking red lights told her they were on and recording. She’d worry about just what they were recording if she didn’t know the two men who had abducted her were crazy.

  No matter how many times she tried to convince herself, something told Kendra she wasn’t having a nightmare and this bizarre situation was actually happening. Maybe it was the drugs and she was hallucinating. Whatever was going on, she couldn’t seem to bring herself to believe she’d just shifted into a damned dog.

  Looking down at herself, she noticed the fur-covered legs and paws. Her clothes hung off her like too-large rags when she stood. It didn’t really surprise her when she tripped as she took her first few steps.

  Shaking her body, Kendra dislodged the clothing draped on her transformed body. No matter how farfetched all of this seemed, she had to hand it to herself. It was obvious she had a great imagination. It actually felt as though she had four legs.

  A noise from her left caught her attention, and she growled at the two men who still stared at her through the glass partition.

  That crazy old man who called himself a doctor beamed as though she had just made his year.

  Kendra laid down on the bed, panting. She stared at the two men and wondered where she’d seen them before. Though she couldn’t remember, she must have seen them somewhere before because she just didn’t credit herself with enough imagination to come up with that sexy voice and totally scary old man picture. Shivering, she rested her head on her front legs.

  As much as she wanted all this to be a dream, she knew it couldn’t be one. She’d never had that active an imagination.

  Still, how could she believe any of this was happening? No way was this possible by any stretch of the imagination. They had drugged her when they injected her and now she was hallucinating. It was the only explanation. Knowing that was the only thing that kept her from going into a total meltdown.

  Closing her eyes, she ignored the two men staring at her. Maybe, if she was lucky, she could fall asleep and when she woke up, she would be back at home in her warm bed instead of imagining that she was in a secret lab and turning into a wolf.

  Kendra opened her eyes just a bit and looked down at herself, just in case things had changed. Nope. Everything was the same. She was still on the strange bed and she was still locked in a glass partitioned cell. She sighed and closed her eyes again. It was most likely the drugs they’d given her that had made her so tired. It was probably a good thing. She could use a nap. Maybe when she woke up, things would be the way they should be.

  Martin removed his sunglasses and stared at her through the glass. His totally blank expression told her nothing but something in his eyes told her he felt remorse.

  How could that be? He worked with that crazy asshole. Didn’t that make him just as bad as the rest of them, and equally culpable?

  Chapter Six

  Galen and his men crept stealthily up to the nearest building. It had taken them the better part of the day to decide it had to be the entrance to an underground facility.

  The McDonald brothers had brought along a trunk full of equipment, including several pairs of high-powered binoculars they’d used to monitor the compound from several miles away while they waited for the cover of darkness. Throughout the day, they’d watched as several dozen people entered and exited the smaller structure that the men had guarded. The building was too small to hold so many people comfortably and there was no visible air conditioner. It looked like an old garage or a large storage shed from the outside, but more likely was the entrance to the lab complex below.

  Randy MacDonald stealthily crept toward Galen, who attempted to wave the man off. The idiot either didn’t see him or he just ign
ored him. Either way the other man continued his barely perceptible approach.

  Damn it! The fool is going to try to storm the place before I give the order. Galen scowled. His brother, Kalen, had said the two were order takers. It didn’t look that way to him as Randy MacDonald continued his approach.

  He watched Randy with an expression that should have given the newbie shifter pause, but the asshole kept coming.

  “You should have held your position,” he said to the man who looked exactly like his brother.

  “We can’t go yet.” Randy glanced at the building for no longer than two seconds. “There are four guards out there just waiting for someone to rush in.”

  Galen glanced back at the building in question. “I see nothing but desert now. The guards have all gone inside.”

  It made sense. The temperature had dropped considerably after the sun went down and everyone had gone inside, most likely for the warmth.

  “You damn shifters and your fucking sense of superiority.” Randy shook his head. “I’m telling you they’re out there. Cameron says they’re out there as well.”

  “We would scent them, just as we can smell you and tell you two apart.”

  The other man grimaced. Apparently, when the twins first started working for the pack, they had found it unnerving that the shifters could tell them apart when most others couldn’t. It wasn’t until Bastien explained that they could only do so when they could smell them. Their scents gave them away.

  “You make it seem as though all humans stink, or something.” He glared at him. “Don’t forget, Cam and I used to be human. We take exception to that.” He kept both his voice and growl of irritation low.

  Galen grinned. “Humans don’t stink. Believe me. In fact, they usually smell good enough to eat.”