Page 29 of Guardians

Thoughts of their abilities always drew his mind back to the past. The Griffin Project had developed in stages and each generation of hybrids had been more successful than the last. Kane was part of the first generation. He was stronger than a human and more aggressive. His instincts were heightened, which was why he’d known instantly that Lexie was their mate. Kane had complete control over his shifts, but many first-generation hybrids did not. Some transformed spontaneously. Others were unable to shift at all.

Malik was part of the second generation. His transformation had made him faster and stronger, but the ambitious scientists had added other characteristics as well. His instincts were not just heightened, they had been augmented. He sensed the emotions of others and detected danger long before anyone else. Diego suspected that Malik had other psychic abilities, but none of the hybrids liked to discuss what they could or could not do. Changing from his human to animal shape was second nature to Malik. He could shift much faster than Diego, but Diego had more control.

Diego was part of the third generation, which meant a combination of predator DNA had been used to trigger his mutation. He could only guess at the exact makeup of that mixture, but it was obvious that he was more than just a cat. Like all the Shadows, he could bend light around his body, rendering him invisible. Unlike the others, he could manifest the light-refracting field in animal form as well as human. He could also create a strong enough field to encompass objects or even another person. His Shadow abilities dampened his scent, allowing him to sneak up on other hybrids. It was these abilities that he was counting on tonight.

The moon was high above him when he reached the lupine village. The wind had died down somewhat, but it was still bitterly cold. Not wanting to waste time while exposed to the elements, he sent out a telepathic pulse alerting Travis to his presence beyond the wall. The main gate was heavily guarded, but there was a smaller, less used opening on the back side of the village.

It took Travis nearly an hour to open the door. Diego released his shift and shivered. Hybrids could regulate their body temperature much better than humans, but the winter wind still stung naked skin.

“Sorry,” Travis whispered as Diego ducked through the low opening. “I had a house full of people. It took a while to politely get rid of them.” He handed Diego a knee-length coat, a pair of pants, and pull-on boots. “You usually arrive as a lion. Figured you could use that.”

Diego slipped into the coat with a distracted smile then pulled on the pants. “Much appreciated.” He bent and shoved his feet into the boots. They were slightly large, but he was grateful to havethem. His bare feet were much more susceptible to snow than his paws.

“Ready?” Travis motioned toward the path behind him, clearly anxious to get moving.

The two met while in captivity, and mutual trauma created an almost familial bond. They’d been subjected to similar procedures, though the results were very different. And their holding cells were near enough to allow them to talk. Many times being able to talk to Travis was the only thing that kept Diego sane during those hellish years at Nuevo Biotech.

“Did you have any luck locating the scanners?” Diego pulled up the coat’s hood, casting his face into shadow.

“It wasn’t hard.” They wended their way through the village. Unlike the orderly clusters in the feline village, the wolves had built in a messy scattering of wooden houses. There didn’t seem to be a rhyme or reason for the location of many of the abodes. It was as if they simply walked along until they found a flat spot and then started building. “We only have one person with medical training and his cabin is also our clinic.”

Diego contacted Travis right after Kane told him about the theft. There were limits to what Travis would do for Diego. They were on opposite sides of nearly every conflict, but Travis was good at pointing his old friend in the right direction and then walking away.

They seemed to be the only ones stupid enough to brave the elements, but Diego still kept his hood up and spoke in hushed tones. They reached the center of the village where the lupine meeting house was located. Much like the feline lodge, the oversized cabin had multiple purposes. The wolves gatheredthere for meals and parties as well as planning sessions. The upper level housed Elias Morgan, the village alpha.

“It’s that one.” Travis pointed to a largish cabin across the grassy clearing from the meeting house. “The left side is set up like a clinic. The right side is living quarters. If we have the scanners, that’s where they’d be.”

“If?” Diego challenged. “Is there really any doubt? We didn’t take them and the birds never leave their mountain. Who else would have been so bold?” Or so ruthless? He kept the last part to himself.

Travis shrugged. He’d flipped his collar up and pulled his knit cap way down so all Diego could see was the inner circle of his face. “A raid like that usually causes an uproar and I’ve heard nothing. That doesn’t mean we weren’t responsible. I just find it odd.”

“Get back inside,” Diego advised. “And thanks, as usual.” Travis slipped away as Diego focused on the cabin/clinic. Pausing in the shadows of a nearby building, Diego gathered energy. It took stamina and concentration to maintain a refracting shield for more than a few seconds. He pushed energy outward, creating a constant stream that flowed around his body. Light, what little there was of it, was diverted by the barrier, bending the beams around his body. Once he was confident that the effect was working, he strode toward the clinic and looked for his best entry point. He might be undetectable to the naked eye, but doors and windows opening on their own could draw unwanted attention.

There was a nondescript door at the back of the building, so Diego tried to ease it inward. The portal wouldn’t budge. Apparently it had been barred on the inside. Most feline hybrids didn’t bother with such precautions. They trusted each other andknew that the walls would protect them. It had been over two years since the fortification was completed and there had never been a raid inside the village.

Moving on, Diego found a nearby window large enough for him to crawl through and looked inside. It led to a bathroom, but he had no way of knowing if the bathroom was in the clinic or the living quarters. It appeared to be in the exact center of the house.

He didn’t see a better option, so Diego used his pocketknife to rotate the simple lock and then slid the window open. He carefully climbed inside and lowered his feet to the floor. The bathroom was small and unadorned. Hopefully that meant it was part of the clinic. He eased the door open and peered out.

Damnit, that was definitely a living room. He was on the wrong side of the building. Well, there was no help for it. Creeping as quietly as a man of his size could, he made his way across the living room. There were three doors on the other side of the room. One likely led to a bedroom, but one should connect the living space with the clinic. It was too damn cold outside to endure each time the medic needed something from the other side.

The first door he tried led to a storage closet, but the second opened onto a waiting room. Thank God! He stepped through and carefully closed the door. Now how in the world would he tell the humans’ scientific instruments from the wolf doctor’s? Searching was so much harder when he didn’t know what the fuck he was looking for.

The exam room only contained basic medical supplies, so Diego went into the messy office. Directly ahead was a cluttered desk. To his left, he spotted a set of shelves displaying specimens in transparent jars and antiquated instruments. This doctor wasseriously twisted. Thank Divinity he was not a wolf. Two metallic cases were tucked into a corner on the other side of the room. He picked up the first and smiled. Nuevo Biotech’s logo was emblazoned on the front of the case. Relatively sure he’d located his targets, he picked up both cases and stepped out of the office.

He decided not to risk another trip through the doctor’s house, so he headed for the front door instead. Pausing long enough to reinforce his refracting shield, he pulled open the door—and a shrill alarm rent the stillness.

“Shit!” he muttered and took off running, one case in each hand.

Wolves stepped out of their houses, looking sleepy and confused.

“Thief!” the doctor shouted. “Stop that thief!”

Grabbing the cases and pressing them against his chest, Diego poured energy into his shield. His heart thundered in his chest as he ran as fast as he could in his awkward position. He darted down between two cabins as a group of wolves barreled toward him. Hopefully, Travis would realize what happened and have the back door unlocked and open.

“Where the fuck did he go?”

That was Elias. Of course the alpha wolf would immediately respond to the alarm. Diego had heard his gravelly voice often enough to recognize the sound.

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