Page 81 of Blade's Battle
“He thinks I’m a shifter,” Anna blurted out, not sure why. The information wouldn’t change what Drake had done to her. And yet she wanted them to understand that the alpha wasn’t quite in his right might.
“Why would he think that?” Blade asked.
“I don’t know.” She could still remember Drake withholding food and water, insisting she shift. Always calling her by another woman’s name and never quite reacting when she said she was human, not shifter.
“Drake’s finally snapped,” Blade said as he started pacing. “Not that he was ever quite sane. Look at what he did to Hayden.”
“Let’s not,” Hayden said, his countenance dark as he folded his arms over his chest.
“Enough already,” Damien said, a slight growl mixed in with his words. “It’s safer for the pack, and Anna in particular, if you and she leave for a while, Blade. Long enough to allow Drake and a few of his shifters to poke around and convince themselves that she’s no longer here.”
“Fine. We’ll go,” Blade said, his words clipped.
Damien approached Blade, his movement slow and cautious. “You havenotfailed us, Blade. This is temporary.”
Anna didn’t quite understand the undercurrent to Damien’s words, but Blade stood there, spine completely straight, jaw tight, and hands fisted at his sides.
“I hear you loud and clear,” Blade said.
“I’ve never given you a reason to doubt me.” Damien sounded offended. “This isn’t a vote. I’m still alpha here. I’m sending Anna away to continue her work. Even if she doesn’t succeed in returning Tess’s abilities, her research may lead to a better understanding of the virus and help Alex create a lasting vaccine.”
“If we find Alex, that is,” Pryce added.
“Not helping,” Damien said to Pryce without taking his eyes off of Blade. “It’s not like we have a lot of scientists or doctors on our side. Anything we can learn is worth pursuing and we don’t have the equipment she needs here.”
“Everything we moved back to Alex’s lab in Boulder is still intact,” Pryce added. “Alex won’t mind her using any of it, including his apartment.”
Callen was already shaking his head. “No. We have to assume his place has been compromised.”
Damien slid behind Tess and started stroking her hair. The movement settled Damien as much as Tess.
That, right there. That’s what Anna wanted with Blade. That easy-going force that brought them together, one person knowing what the other needed without a word between them. The ability to comfort and be comforted by a simple touch. She and Blade could have that. . .
No! She had her chance at happiness once. Blade wasn’t her future. She needed to solve the shifting issue for Tess and find a way to stop Blade from going feral, and then find a quiet place somewhere away from the WSSO, away from shifters. . . away from Blade.
“Find another location, Callen,” Damien’s voice boomed, shaking her from her daydream. “Move Alex’s equipment at night. In and out fast with whatever countermeasures you need in case anyone is watching.”
Could she tell them? Anna had promised Katy she wouldn’t tell anyone their secret, but Blade’s situation was only going to decline. Tess’s too. It would be a lot taking on both projects simultaneously, but she had been so close to solving the feral problem and she was sure she understood Tess’s issue perfectly now. Katy would understand.
“I have my own lab in the woods a few hours from here,” Anna spoke up, watching their reactions carefully. A few of the shifters looked at her with a blank expression, another with suspicion—Damien of course—and one lit with an immeasurable sense of hope—Tess.
“After everything that happened with the WSSO, I wanted a place off the grid, away from everyone including the government. It’s isolated and no one else knows about it.”
“Where?” Damien asked.
“I shouldn’t say.”
“You don’t trust us?”
She tipped her head toward Blade. Those soulful eyes of his reminded her of what she could have. “I trust you,” she said as if she were speaking to Blade alone.
The way the corners of his mouth kicked up nearly did her in. God, she was falling for him in the worst way. She needed to get away from him. The cabin was the perfect place. She could bury herself in her work, away from Blade.
Anna gave them the location.
“That’s bear territory,” Hayden remarked, though he didn’t seem too worried. “I could go ahead, let them know what we’ll be doing.”
“Too risky,” Damien said. “This virus has only affected wolves so far, but the bear shifters north of Liam have never been receptive to any negotiations, let alone intrusions. A small detail. Anna and a few guards only. Blade, you and the others will have to keep a low profile, so keep your wolf and yourself in check. No honey runs.”
