Page 56 of Guardians

“Why in Creation’s name are you being so stubborn?” Elias demanded. Babcock just glared up at him, not bothering to sit up. “You cannot escape. Even if you did, where would you go? Your camp is a pile of rubble, and the cats hate you even more than I do.”

“There’s a flaw in your strategy.” His voice was hoarse, likely from screaming.

“Is that so?” Elias crossed his arms over his chest and glared at his nemesis. “Do tell. Where did I go wrong?”

“As soon as I cooperate, you will end my life. You said as much the day we met. The only way I can stay alive is to be irrationally stubborn.”

Well, damn. The piece of shit was right. By taunting him with his fate, Elias had unraveled Babcock’s motivation. “So, make yourself indispensable. You’re the genius. Offer me something that will convince me to keep you alive.”

Babcock propped himself up on his arm so he could look at Elias directly, but he didn’t speak.

“Just spit it out,” Elias snapped. “If I get the scanners back from those worthless cats, can you locate the nanobots or not? There must be something we can do.”

For a long tense moment Babcock stared into space, then he dragged his gaze back to Elias. “Forget about the scanners. The nanobots aren’t the only way to transform a female.”

Elias narrowed his eyes. Chances were pretty damn good that Babcock was making this up to save his ass, but Elias was curious enough to delve deeper. “Meaning?”

“Offspring were critical to our success, so we tried a variety of methods to achieve the goal. The nanobots worked best with the cats, so their team focused on that method. Your team, however, found a different method much more successful.”

“And that method was?”

Babcock heaved his body up off the cot, sitting on the edge with his feet resting on the floor. His limbs shook and the color faded from his face. “My memory is more accurate when my stomach is full and I have a comfortable bed to sleep in. What little food I’ve been given has been disgusting. I expect everything about my existence to improve immediately.”

Elias growled, lips pulling back from his teeth. He despised this creature for good reason, but he also needed him badly. “Come with me.” He’d feed the bastard and assign him a room. Babcock needed to rebuild his strength. But his information better be nothing short of illuminating or he’d be right back in that cell.

CHAPTER 9

Malik crept along the mountainside, darting from tree to tree and carefully placing his feet to make as little noise as possible. It had taken almost three weeks to determine the perfect opportunity for retaliation against the wolves. Their attack on the human camp had been savage and murderous. The humans were defenseless, struggling just to survive. And the wolves had slaughtered them anyway. The initial reaction had been to move on the lupine village in mass and kill as many wolves as possible. But cooler heads pointed out that doing so would make them no better than the wolves. Still, they had to react, to punish Elias and his pack for their senseless brutality. A measured, strategic strike had been agreed upon and today’s transfer of personnel and supplies became the target.

A break in the winter weather allowed the wolves to send supplies and relief staff to one of their perimeter outposts. The supply convoy consisted of eleven soldiers and three hovercrafts filled with valuable goods. Every person involved was a soldier, so there would be no collateral damage. The hovercrafts were extremely valuable. Each village had been allowed six upon their arrival and they had been fighting over them ever since. Thesupplies were also needed now that the human females were living inside the feline village, at least temporarily.

As of this morning, one hundred and nine of the human females were actively looking for coalitions. Another forty were regularly attending the nightly gatherings and the rest were frantically searching for a way to stay in the dormitories without submitting to the terms of the alliance. Their efforts were futile, of course. The only reason Zion tolerated human females was because they were potential mates and creating stable family units strengthened the entire village.

All Malik knew for sure was he was intensely grateful that Lexie had chosen his coalition. They supervised the courting process, helped it along wherever they could. But their struggle was over, their future secure. Lexie provided so much more than sexual pleasure. In three short weeks, she had transformed a military team into a family.

“Are you sensing anything unusual?” Kane asked in an urgent whisper.

Malik forced his wandering thoughts to the back of his mind and quickly scanned his surroundings. “All’s quiet. They’re still unaware of us.” Scent had been their first obstacle. The olfactory receptors of lupine hybrids were even more sensitive than those of feline hybrids. Most of the guardians simply stayed downwind of the wolves, but the ones positioned ahead were using a scent blocker developed by the birds.

“Keep scanning,” Kane directed. “They’re almost to the gorge.”

Diego and most of his Shadows were up at the raptor village negotiating the details of an alliance with the birds, so this mission had been entrusted to the guardians. Kane was thehighest-ranking member, which made him responsible for the mission. The strategy was simple, a fast, aggressive ambush. They’d surround the convoy to ensure that no one escaped, take out the guns on the hovercrafts first, then capture or kill all the soldiers. Zion wanted as many as possible alive, but he’d approved deadly force when necessary.

The convoy had chosen a narrow road that wended its way through a river valley. The scenery was beautiful, but the path was strategically unwise. It left the party vulnerable every time the valley narrowed, and the walls became steep. Such a narrowing was a short distance ahead. The forward team was in position blocking the wolves’ escape. As soon as the convoy reached that gorge, the guardians would attack.

The lead craft had just entered the gorge when one of the wolves suddenly lifted his head and let out a warning howl. Damn it. The wolf either spotted or sensed one of the guardians and the convoy wasn’t yet in position.

“Move in,” Kane ordered, alerting the entire team. “They’re on to us. Move in now!”

Armored guardians as well as massive lions rushed in from all directions, easily surrounding the convoy. Half the wolves released their human forms, the other half targeted the guardians with pulse rifles. The wolves snarled and growled, baring their fangs and swiping the air with long, sharp-looking claws.

Malik’s eyes burned and his fangs distended as he let out an instinctive roar. His shift was fast and painless, a mercy he was thankful for every time he transformed. For most changing shapes was excruciating. His senses expanded and intensified. Malik could hear insects buzzing through the trees, smell thewildflowers blooming in the stray beam of sunshine. Most important, he could sense every emotion, hear every thought of everyone in the gorge and beyond. Most were confused and afraid. Only two possessed the focus of an experienced warrior.

“Go for hovercrafts,” Kane urged, and energy pulses pelted all three crafts simultaneously. Sparks flew and explosions indicated that the cats’ blasters had found their targets. The hovercrafts’ weapons had been disabled. Knowing the crews could no longer fire at them, cats rushed the hovercrafts. The pilots and gunners put up a fight, but were quickly overtaken by the guardians.

With their primary means of escape now controlled by the enemy, the wolves scattered into the surrounding trees. The lions pursued, determined not to allow a single wolf to escape retribution.

Malik chose a tall, muscular hybrid who was shouting orders at his frightened companions. Malik didn’t know if the wolf was the designated leader or if he was just more experienced than the others. He honestly didn’t care. Without trying to, Malik picked up guilty flashes of memory that revealed the wolf’s participation in the human massacre. Not only did this bastard know why the convoy was under attack, but he reveled in the violence.

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