Page 8 of Their Defiant Mate

As he approached the cabin, Isaac drew energy into his body and prepared himself mentally for the maneuver he was about to perform. Releasing his corporeal form took absolute concentration and an immense amount of energy so he used the ability judiciously. If he lost focus for even a millisecond he could materialize inside a solid object.

He reached the cabin and pressed his hands against the rustic logs. Cold wind wafted across his face, but he ignored the distraction. Through many years of trial and error, he found that releasing his form a section at a time was less exhausting. Pouring energy into his hands, he dissolved their bones and flesh, allowing pure energy to sink into the wood. As his forearms entered, his hands re-solidified. He eased himself forward, rolling the shift through his body so he passed smoothly through the wall.

Weakness hit him on the other side and his knees nearly buckled. He blindly reached for support and found the back of a chair. His shield was still active, so he took a moment to catch his breath.

The cabin’s occupant stood by the door taking off his coat. His back was to Isaac, but already murderous rage welled inside him. Graying brown hair, slim build, even the arrogant tilt of the man’s head was horribly familiar. The Shadow Program was oneof the last and most successful divisions of the Griffin Project so Babcock supervised the procedures personally.

Babcock turned around and Isaac felt his claws extend. He could release his lion and rip out this demon’s throat before Babcock even realized he was there. Isaac pictured the act, felt warm blood coat his tongue and savored the metallic taste. This fucker deserved death a thousand times over, but first they needed to know what the hell he was doing with the wolves. Babcock wasn’t the only scientist on Rydaria. If Isaac killed his tormentor, the wolves would likely move on to someone else.

Calming down enough to retract his claws, Isaac walked across the cabin and made his way to the back of the house. As with the basic layout of the village, the wolves had patterned their cabins after the cats’. A small utility room was tucked away in the back corner of each cabin. Isaac eased open the back door and felt Jon and Kyle brush past him.

Travis is right. It’s Babcock, but we don’t have permission to kill him, Isaac stressed.Believe me, I want to as badly as you do.

In single file formation, the team edged their way into the main room of the cabin. A long table had been set up along the front wall. Isaac recognized the molecular scanner and a primitive data access terminal, but the other equipment was unfamiliar.

Babcock analyzed some sort of report, entering data from time to time and reassessing the resulting figures and diagrams. Isaac stared at the holo-display for several long moments before admitting,I have no idea what that is.

Same here, Kyle said with a sigh

I think it’s…no, I’ve got nothing. This is a waste of time, Jon concluded, obviously frustrated by the outcome.

Someone knocked on the front door and Babcock quickly deactivated the display. “Come in.”

A rangy lupine male entered followed closely by a human female. She kept her head down, eyes on the floor. There were no bruises or other obvious signs of abuse, but her demeanor bothered Isaac.

Babcock picked up a small device and approached the female. “How did you tolerate the last injection?”

“A few hours of nausea,” she told him. “But I got through it.”

Babcock ran the scanner over the female’s body from shoulders to knees. He never actually touched her, just skimmed the device an inch or two above her.

“She was… unusually responsive that night,” the wolf said and smiled at the female.

“That’s to be expected,” Babcock assured them.

What the hell were they talking about? What sort of injection made a female ‘unusually responsive’?

Babcock paused and scrolled through the readouts on the handheld scanner. “Everything looks good here. Shall we move on with the next injection?”

“Will she become that needy again?” The wolf sounded a bit concerned, yet desire ignited in his yellow eyes.

“The dose increases each time so the side effects will likely intensify as well.”

“She’ll be even more desperate? Shit,” the wolf muttered. “It took me and both of my brothers to settle her down before.”

Babcock shrugged, completely unconcerned with the complication. “So invite a couple of friends. Willing partners shouldn’t be a problem in this village.”

A distressed sound escaped the female and she shook her head. “I don’t want to go through that again.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, and she kept her gaze on the floor.

The wolf went to her, cupping her chin and raising her face. “We didn’t hurt you, did we? I was there the entire time. I made damn sure no one hurt you.”

“But that’s not me. I would never…” A soft sob rattled her chest and she covered her mouth with her hand.

“I thought you wanted this as badly as I do,” he chided, displeasure hardening his features.

“I do, but I didn’t realize what it would take.”

“No one will hurt you.” He kissed her forehead. “No one will touch you unless you want them to.”

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