Page 50 of Their Shared Mate
“It all looks the same,” Victor concluded an hour and a half later. “I don’t think it’s a mine. There are no signs of excavation.”
Raphael had been thinking the same thing. The tunnel just meandered on and on with no apparent purpose. “We must be missing something. No one tunnels through miles and miles of earth to take a Sunday stroll.”
“The entrance near the feline village was camouflaged with holo technology. What if the tunnels utilize the same strategy?”
“We’re passing chambers and other tunnels. We’re just not seeing them.” Raphael looked back the way they’d come, but there was no indication of other tunnels.
Victor ran his fingers along the walls as they walked, but felt nothing but roughhewn stone. “Did the cats figure out how the generator concealing their entrance was powered? Our best bet for finding anything meaningful is to deactivate the system.”
“I’ll ask one of the Shadows when we return to our cabin. I’m out of range right now.” He motioned around them. “Too much interference.”
Another hour passed before they emerged into a cavern. Gabriel, Patrick, and a couple of guards were milling about the featureless room looking as frustrated as Raphael felt.
“Did you find anything?” Gabriel asked as Raphael and Victor approached.
“Same as you,” Raphael grumbled. “Long winding tunnel and nothing else. However, Victor has an idea, and I think he’s onto something.”
“The tunnels are disguised?” Gabriel guessed. “We were thinking the same thing.”
“They’re likely using the same tech the cats discovered,” Victor said. “A combination of holographic projection and matter generators.”
“Which means we need one of the wolves to cooperate with us, or we have to locate the power source,” Gabriel realized with a deep sigh.
“And we both know which is more likely.” Raphael crossed his arms over his chest. Tension had been pulsing between Gabriel and him ever since Raphael rescued the human females. Today was no exception. Gabriel’s hostility was banked, but present. Raphael could see it in the press of his brother’s lips and the subtle narrowing of his eyes.
“They might be more willing to cooperate than you think,” Gabriel predicted.
“And why is that?”
Their gazes clashed and Gabriel took a step forward as he explained, “I sent a message to Alex assuring him that we have no intention of retaliating. I told him that I felt like he was entitled to one third of the females and that I intended to bring my concerns to the cats.”
Raphael’s jaw dropped and he stared at his brother in shocked horror. “You did what?” The question burst from him propelled by disbelief. “We are allied with the cats and the cats are at war with the wolves.”
“Elias started the war and Elias is dead,” Gabriel insisted. “Alex needs the opportunity to choose a different path. I intend to make sure he gets it.”
“I don’t believe this.” Raphael threw up his hands and shook his head. “Have you lost your fucking mind? Alex is just as vicious as Elias. Wolves were bred to be killers. It is literally in their DNA.”
“We are all apex predators.” Gabriel remained resolute, shoulders squared, chin lifted. “You never should have interfered.Youcreated this mess, not me.”
Raphael’s fist flew before he could stop himself. Sometimes the only way to dislodge his brother’s stubborn stupidity was to beat some sense into him. The punch landed squarely on Gabriel’s jaw, snapping his head to the side. He grunted and then retaliated with anger-fueled speed. He lunged for Raphael, fists pummeling, feet kicking.
With skillful aggression, Raphael threw Gabriel over his shoulder and slammed him down on the floor of the cave. A fast sweep of Gabriel’s leg snatched Raphael’s feet out from under him. He landed hard on his ass then dove on top of his brother. They rolled one way and then the other, both landing punches.
Suddenly hands grasped Raphael’s arms, preventing him from hitting his brother. He was dragged off Gabriel by Victor and one of the guards, while Gabriel was pulled to the other side of the cavern by Patrick and the other guard.
Panting harshly and wiping blood away from the corner of his mouth, Raphael glared at his enraged brother. “This is the most asinine thing you’ve ever done and that’s saying a lot,” he shouted.
“Fuck you,” Gabriel snarled then stomped off down one of the tunnels. Patrick followed him, but both guards remained behind.
“This was a waste of time,” Raphael stated with a shake of his head. “Let’s go home and tell Claire about Heather. That should add to the drama of this delightful day.”
CHAPTER 7
Claire woke slowly feeling lazy and peaceful. She stretched, expecting to find warm legs and strong arms. There was no one in bed with her. Opening her eyes, she sat up and looked around as the night before rolled back through her mind. Wanting to kill some time while she waited for Raphael to return from the bunkhouse, she took a shower. He still hadn’t returned when she was finished. Victor convinced her to lie down and rest. She was desperate to see Raphael and hear what had happened at the bunkhouse, but emotional exhaustion and lack of sleep conspired against her. She drifted off and that was the last thing she remembered until she woke up a short time ago.
Jason was expecting her at the laboratory, but there was no way she would be able to concentrate on Oratov Syndrome until she saw for herself that her friends were unharmed.
She wasn’t sure where Victor and Raphael had gone. However, she knew one thing for certain. If any hint of danger remained, they wouldn’t have left her alone. She dressed and put on her coat, but her confidence was shaken when she found a security team posted on the front porch.
