Page 25 of Alpha Geek

She straightened his body, covering him from his hips to his feet. Her heart raced as she opened the small metal box. Neatly secured between a thick rubber insert was a steel needle. She held it up to the light. Its long slender point glinted in the yellow glare of the flashlight.

Nick had given her this serum just as he provided it to all his agents. It was the last resort. A combination of a year of genetic research. She wasn't sure what he originally began formulating it for, but she knew he was close to finding what he was looking for. Though it wasn't 100 percent successful, it succeeded in changing humans into shifters.

It was a risk, but he was dying. He had already lost so much blood that his body would soon start to shut down if it hadn't already. This small vile of possibilities contained the only thing that could potentially save his life.

This was all she had left. Her only hope.

She skimmed his body, looking for the largest undisturbed vein she could find. She wanted to give the serum the best possible opportunity to take hold. She figured giving it a straight shot to the heart couldn’t hurt.

Amelia found the large vein on his inner thigh. Pinching the icy skin for accuracy, she inserted the needle. Careful to make sure she pressed down in a slow, steady motion, she said a silent prayer. Her heart felt as if it was breaking through her ribs with every second that passed. She pulled out the needle. She wrestled Tripp into his shirt and pants and covered him up to his neck.

This was it. Now all she could do was wait helplessly and hope he was strong enough to survive the change.

Amelia shifted, giving into her other form. Her body screamed from exhaustion. She curled up beside him. Nuzzling the side of his face, she leaned her head against his. Her leopard would keep him warm as they slept.

She may not be able to fight this battle with him, but she would be right next to him.

Amelia drifted into a fitful sleep, urging the universe to allow him to survive the night.

FOURTEEN

TRIPP

Tripp was on the edge of utter oblivion. He had never had any considerations of mortality or the existence of deities despite the fact that he risked his life rather often. To him, organization and strict planning were a lot like praying; he had deep faith in it to keep him safe.

The presence of the wolves on Everest came back to him as he was pulled from the light. Why they would be up so high in altitude where oxygen was sparse was beyond his comprehension.

His eyes fluttered open as he felt the crisp air of dawn flow over his body. It didn’t move through him completely, though. Something was holding him, something warm, comforting, delightful.

A slice of the sunrise came through the cave in a crescent-shaped, red, radiant banana. Tripp frowned at the clarity of his vision. He felt a brush of something soft as velvet, then turned to see what was encasing his body.

“Amelia?”

She blinked her eyes open, the snow leopard with dazzling green pools regarding him in the light of the dawn.

Tripp was awake suddenly, but he wasn’t afraid. He felt like his entire body was buzzing, his ribs and stomach aching with hunger, a dire need for fuel. His mind raced with possibilities, images, memories, and projections of the future, throttling him with a breathtaking carousel of the infinite wonder of being alive.

Within a split second of being awake, Amelia shifted back into her glorious human form. She remained wrapped around him like a cocoon, her expression was one of cautious curiosity, but she was also inexplicably naked.

Tripp licked his lips as his eyes scanned her body. His vision was remarkably sharp, the valleys of her breasts cascading to meet her torso and hips like a rolling landscape, the shaking of her breathing a stunning tremor of miniature movement.

He wanted his tongue to be the paintbrush, and her body, the endlessly provocative canvas.

He felt his cock harden faster than it ever had, feeling like a rock under the blanket that now extended from his body. He physically ached looking at her, a pang of ravenous hunger for her body and cries of pleasure driving him like a possession.

But there was actual, literal hunger that needed satiation first. Tripp felt his skin clinging to his ribs like he hadn’t eaten anything for months on end.

“Tripp,” Amelia whispered gently. “Are you okay? We have to get you down the mountain. I can’t believe you’re alive.”

Her voice quivered with concern which only made him want to fuck her even more. But he felt like his stomach was starting to eat itself, a macabre Goya painting taking place in his gut.

He shot up from the thermal blanket, nearly splitting it apart, feeling more agile and athletic than ever before. Amelia was slightly startled, pulling the covering up to her breasts as she sat up to observe him.

“I’m fine, Amelia!” he claimed. “I feel like every cell in my body is vibrating. I’m so fucking fine. I can do anything … anything, everywhere, and all at once!”

He craned his neck to look out of the cave, the spill of light sparking and magical in its natural essence. He started to move, and Amelia took him by the wrist.

“Tripp, wait,” she said. “One thing at a time. Let’s get some food in you.”

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