Page 51 of Their Shared Mate
“What’s going on?” She didn’t know their names, but she had seen both before, so they didn’t make her uncomfortable. “Where did my mates go?”
“They’ve gone below to explore the tunnels,” one guard said.
“They found an opening within the walls of the village,” the other added.
“Damn. That can’t be good.” She stepped down off the porch and wasn’t surprised when the guards followed her. “Is it alright if I drop by the bunkhouse before I head over to the lab?”
“Our only directive is to go where you go.”
She accepted the explanation with a nod and headed up the hill. Not waiting for the guards to assist her, she heaved open the wooden door and entered the bunkhouse. As before, the guards remained outside. Breakfast was well underway, but the neat rows of matching tables and chairs had been replaced by an assortment of mismatched furniture. Okay, this was different. Not wanting to become the center of attention, she walked over to the nearest table and sat down.
“Do the wolves account for the redecorating or did you run out of firewood?” She kept her tone conversational. This was the third attack this group of women had endured. Were they becoming accustomed to the fear and violence, or was the ongoing trauma wearing them down? Claire’s emotions were trending heavily toward the latter. She wasn’t sure how much more of the uncertainty she could take.
Olivia, the blonde on Claire’s right, nodded. “We were all upstairs, but we heard the crashes and bangs.”
“And the growls and howling.” Verrin sat across from Claire. Her thin face was pale, dark eyes wide and haunted. “And the screaming. Don’t forget the screaming.”
Claire tensed, but didn’t question Verrin directly. The attack must have been a lot more violent than Claire first thought. “Was all the fighting down here?” she asked carefully. “None of the wolves made it upstairs?”
Olivia looked at Verrin meaningfully, then nodded toward the buffet table. “I need some more coffee. Walk with me.”
Understanding the silent message, Claire followed Olivia across the room.
“The wolves got all five of the women in room six,” Olivia told her. “Verrin isn’t dealing with last night very well. She’s close friends with Shannon and Shannon was in that room.”
Claire searched her memory, trying to remember the names of the other four women.
Easily interpreting Claire’s expression, Olivia listed, “Evelyn, Tianna, Jill, and Luna.”
Claire tensed, trepidation forming a knot in the pit of her stomach. Luna and Evelyn had medical training and a strong background in genetics. Claire knew because she’d worked with both during her years at Nuevo Biotech. “Is there a reason that room was singled out?” The similarity in their education and background had to be a coincidence. There was no way the wolves could have known.
Olivia shrugged. “It’s at the end of the hall and there’s a huge tree just outside the window. Who knows. It might not have been anything more significant than that.”
Claire wanted to believe that, but the tension in her belly refused to release. “Damn.” Claire shook her head. “I don’t think anything can stop the wolves from attacking, but I thought we’d be safe inside these walls.”
Olivia’s eyes narrowed and her expression hardened. “Hasn’t anyone told you about Heather?”
Claire’s heart lurched and her mouth went dry. “What about her?”
“One of the raptors recognized her from Nuevo Biotech. He was so angry, I thought he’d kill her right then and there.”
Claire felt sick all over. Raphael and Victor knew she was close to Heather. Why wouldn’t they have told her about this? “Where is she? What happened?”
“He threw her over his shoulder and went down the back stairs. No one has seen her since.” Olivia crossed her arms over her chest as resentment froze her gaze. “Raphael just stood there and let it happen. In fact, they all did. I guess their offer of protection only works against the wolves. Other raptors are welcome to abuse us.”
“I didn’t know anything about this,” Claire said defensively. She knew a confrontation was a possibility. That’s why she’d pushed so hard to ensure that Heather would be taken back to the feline village. Well, the worst happened. What should she do now?
“Odd that neither of your mates bothered to tell you,” Olivia continued, her tone as cold as her eyes.
Claire had been asleep when Raphael returned, and the males were gone this morning when she woke up. But had they intentionally left the cabin to avoid the conversation, or werethey with Gabriel right now? She couldn’t convict them of disloyalty until she had all the information.
“I’ll go find out where she is and why nothing was done to stop it,” Claire promised.
“Good luck with that,” Olivia muttered dismissively then turned toward what was left of the food.
Claire pulled on her coat and left the bunkhouse with her stomach tied in knots. Despite Heather’s determination to avoid Patrick, Claire was relatively sure he had her. She strode through the village, but she wasn’t sure where to go. She didn’t know Gabriel well enough to confront him without her mates, so she decided to return home. Raphael’s office was in their cabin. Hopefully he’d returned while she was in the bunkhouse. She eased open the door and sighed. The living room was empty.
If Patrick and Gabriel were also searching the tunnels, there was a slim possibility that they’d left Heather unattended. The most obvious place for them to have secured her was in their cabin, but they could have stashed her in any of the empty cabins just as easily. Still, she had to start her search somewhere.
