Page 44 of Guarded By a Monster

His muzzle tipped to the ceiling. In thought or exasperation, I wasn’t sure, but I knew I was close to winning.

“It doesn’t have to be deep or long. Just enough for you to feel it.”

He grunted and used his thumb to pop the cap off his index claw. After a deep breath, he pushed it past his fur and into the skin of his forearm.

I stared at my arm with bated breath. The sting came without preamble. I rubbed at the spot. “Okay, yeah. I felt that.”

Thurl fussed like it was me that was bleeding.

My stomach twisted at the pain. Not what I’d felt, but what I’d caused him. “Okay, we’re never doing that again.”

twenty-eight

With Jade’s experiment concludedto her satisfaction (not mine—knowing she felt any pain sent a spike through my heart), she fell fast asleep. I watched over her. I wanted to crawl into bed with her, snuggle up and wrap her in my arms, but I was restless. Unable to settle in one place for long.

My fur itched. Even though I sensed no danger, my mind was on high alert. Something triggered my protective instincts, but I couldn’t work out where the threat lay. I patrolled the house, then stalked the outside. I wanted to prowl along the fence, but my instincts screamed at me not to leave Jade unprotected.

The first streaks of dawn muddled the sky when one of Superhuman Security’s standard black SUVs coasted to a stop in front of the common hall.

I started to go discover what brought our allies to our door, but before I lost sight of my house I’d turned back. I needed to go, but I couldn’t leave Jade.

I scooped her sleeping form into my arms, maneuvered her into loose pajamas, and resettled her against my chest before draping a blanket over her.

I met Drym on the path to the hall. He had Kendal wrapped much as Jade was, only she blinked sleepily in his arms.

I’d be alarmed at Jade sleeping through me dressing her and walking in the chilly night air, but she’d admitted that I’d worn her out. Our bond, blinking strong around us, reassured me she was okay.

Cavi joined our group, and by the time we crossed the threshold, all five of my brothers lined up behind me. Inside, we found Bull tapping away at his ever-present computer and Zeus poking a fledgling fire in the fireplace. Neither of them looked particularly alarmed, so my brothers and I relaxed a fraction.

Kragen took point, as usual, and we were happy to let him.

“What brings you to us today, Zeus?”

Bull’s head whipped up and he looked around like he’d forgotten where he was.

“We have news on BioSynth.” Zeus’s eyes flicked to the far side of the room, where Roul stood behind the chair he’d helped Nanna into.

Kragen nodded and then took his own seat at the end of our long, live-edge table. One of the few things we’d kept from the days we lived in a cave just after our escape. The rest of us followed suit, taking our usual spots: Kragen and Drym at the ends, Roul next to Kragen, and me next to Drym. Cavi and Quin sat in the center. They were just as deadly as the rest of us, but they were healers, and we naturally protected them.

Jade burrowed deeper into my chest. Zeus had kept his voice low, perhaps because of our sleeping mates, and I was grateful.

“We were able to follow a low-level scientist north, thanks to a tracker placed on one of the cars Wasp didn’t incinerate during Drym’s extraction.”

Drym had allowed himself to be taken in the hopes we would learn where their new base of operations was. Kendal almost killed us when she realized we had planned for that eventuality. Another member of Superhuman Security, Wasp, helped him escape—again—but his method involved a large amount of explosives.

There wasn’t much in the way of clues left behind.

“He eventually stopped over five hundred miles west of here. In satellite images, the area is untouched forest. I sent Colt to poke around a bit, and he found nothing. At least, not on the surface.”

I tilted my head to give my good eye line of sight to Roul. I wanted to monitor his mood. I suspected there would be mention of Isabelle, the scientist who helped us escape, and his mate. I wasn’t sure what his reaction would be. I shifted Jade slightly to free one arm. Just in case the other was needed to restrain him.

I noticed Kragen angle his chair into a position that would allow him to leave it quickly and suspected it was for the same reason.

“Colt is adept at sensing heat, and there was a lot of it coming from underground. He found a ventilation tunnel and was able to get a sense of the place. It’s not as large as the campus you escaped from. About a third of the size. It’s not a new base of operations. More like a gathering point to regroup. He said it was lightly staffed, with what appeared to be mostly junior employees.”

“You’re certain?” Roul’s voice was more growl than anything but remained calm.

“Yes.” Zeus stared pointedly at Roul. “We’ve received communication from someone on the inside.”

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