Lawful Claim Read online

  Alas, he had to act professional, calm Dane, and save Irina. Time to go see what the fang-burdened a-hole wanted.

  Chapter Thirteen

  His head pounded, his muscles felt like lead weights, and his eyes were crusted shut. Groaning, E tried rolling onto his side, deciding a fetal position might not be a bad thing, but found himself shackled at each limb to a gurney.

  He searched for his last memory, trying to defog his mind. There were problems at Sigma, his wife—

  Ana! Julio!

  E pried his eyes open and waited for the room to quit spinning. Oh wait, the room was holding still, his mind was taking a ride on the tilt-a-whirl. Blinking rapidly, E cleared his vision and looked around.

  He wasn’t in his own room, no big surprise. He felt…good…excellent. A little weak from blood loss, but he was rapidly recovering. No sickness welling up from his gut, no more blood leaking from orifices. Bonus. Covered in dirt and grime, it looked like he was just thrown into the cell and left alone.

  Madame G would know he was no longer tied to her, he’d bled out her essence. So why wasn’t he going through round two of what she did to him ten years ago? Most likely she wanted him to witness, and suffer through, what she planned for his wife and son.

  His mind ran through scenarios of what she had planned for his family, none of it palatable. E scanned the room for something he could use to test his strength. The doc at the lodge thought he’d retain his enhancements for the most part. He’d need them to save Ana and Julio. If he could save them.

  Metal clunked and E stilled. Malevolent foreboding preceded the entrance of the dark lady who had ruled his life.

  The tall Asian beauty floated in, her floor-length kimono making it appear as if she didn’t move a muscle, just levitated a few inches off the floor. Her ebony eyes assessed his demeanor. She didn’t need guards or weapons and wasn’t concerned about an impending attack. She could stop him in his tracks, cut off his air supply at whim, squash him like a bug.

  Her powers seemed all encompassing, and from what well she drew them from, he and X hadn’t yet figured out. It was the reason they hadn’t—couldn’t—make a move to annihilate her. Her mental powers were staggering and unheard of.

  “Agent E,” her smooth voice intoned, “I’m so disappointed in you.”

  He remained silent, waiting for her to continue, maybe reveal her intentions.

  Instead, she cocked her head to the side, regarding him quietly for a long moment. “You were one of my best Agents. I gave you freedom, and you betrayed me.”

  Freedom? He wanted to say so much to her, tell her he never betrayed her—he was never on her side to begin with. But anything he said would get taken out on his family. “You didn’t leave them alone. That was part of our deal. All you had to do was leave them alone.”

  The madam’s almond-shaped eyes lifted in surprise. Busted. She got greedy and she knew it. “I assumed your boy would have as much potential as you, but Agent G wanted him out of the way before he married your wife.” She shrugged one delicate shoulder. “No matter. Your son will be your replacement, and you’ll be my guest here.” her voice dropped low, menacing. “You can watch all the uses I have for your wife. Unless…you agree to work for me again. Then I’ll take pity on poor Ana.”

  E forced his rage down, debating whether he should beg, bargain, or play dumb until he came up with an escape plan. He didn’t get a chance to do any of those things. Madame G gave him one more embittered look and swept out.

  *****

  The click of the lock alerted E to another visitor. To whom did he owe the pleasure to today?

  After a subtle inhale to absorb the scent, he wasn’t surprised to see their new doctor and researcher. After Dani’s mate Mercury was held captive, and subsequently killed their last mad doctor, E’s wicked mistress readily found another replacement. This one was a young female who relished the chance to have free rein studying other species. Where she might have balked at performing her insane experiments on humans, she seemed to revel in the torture of the non-human types, personally carrying out her sampling and testing with certain zeal. Once she saw the results, well…bring on the humans.

  Flicking his eyes open to watch Dr. Hansel approach, he steadied his surprise at the activity behind the young doctor. He watched the petite doctor, allowing nothing to change on his face, while letting his peripheral vision take in the slender fingers that wrapped around the edge of the door, holding it open before it shut. The tall figure with the faux hawk soundlessly slid inside before letting the door close behind her.

  What the fuck was his partner thinking? All these years and she was putting their hard wrought plan in jeopardy.

  “What’s the word, Doc?” He had to keep the woman’s attention toward him and not behind her. The doctor’s human ears might not pick up on the presence of his partner immediately, but the room was small. It would only be a short minute before X was discovered.

  “Dr. Hansel,” the young physician corrected him in her professional, clipped tone. “You’re an interesting case, Agent E. I’ve been studying your samples, comparing your current blood work to your pre-mated results, and also to other Agents still under Madame G’s influence. The results are very interesting indeed.” She tapped a pen to her chin, looking over the data on the clipboard she carried.

  With the doctor’s attention off him, he lifted a brow at X. She jutted her chin, then shimmied her shoulders, like she did when she sang the song she got his nickname Biggie from. His partner could be a real ass sometimes.

  Guess they were playing the get-as-much-information-as-you-can-before-killing-the-bad-guy game. “How interesting am I, Doc?”

  “Dr. Hansel,” she repeated, slightly more irritated. Then she sighed, like why bother explaining anything to him when it’d be like describing rocket science to a housecat. Countdown to giving in to the ego in three, two, one… “Agent E, your DNA profile closely matches your initial profile—the sample they took when they apprehended you.” What a bitch. Like the public had been saved getting him off the streets. “However, now you’re missing the bands we assume tie all the Agents Madame G has created together.”

  Paging through the papers clipped to her board, her brow furrowed and she shook her head. “You still have the bands representing the extra genetic material that your body incorporated into its own to enhance your humanness. Now I can start determining which genes get integrated and what abilities they code for.”

  “How would you do that?” Experimentation, torture, more kidnappings to provide her test subjects.

  Dr. Hansel blinked her owlish gray eyes, excitement growing. “Using the subjects I already have, I can isolate the individual genes and inoculate a fresh subject. From there, we’d just wait and see.” Setting down her clipboard and pen on the medical-grade tool box next to him, she opened a drawer to don a pair of gloves, then began taking out various tubes and syringes. “If they survive, it’d be as simple as monitoring what ability goes with which gene.”

  If they survived. The doctor had no qualms using “fresh” subjects, which meant human women, children, and average Joes who had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Not to mention she’d euthanize each subject after their useful life was over.

  X floated across the room and grabbed the mad doctor around the neck, her hand over Dr. Hansel’s mouth. There was a flash of surprise in those studious gray orbs, followed by intense pain as X slid a knife through her ribs into the doctor’s heart, effectively stopping its beat. When the young woman went limp, X carefully lowered her to the floor and cleaned her blade on the lab coat.

  “Do I even need to mention how epically stupid you’re being?” E patiently waited for X to undo his shackles, torn between slapping some sense into her and hugging her, thankful for the chance to rescue Ana and Julio.

  “I love hearing how epic I am.” When E sat up, rubbing his wrists, she hung back, hands on her hips. “I ignored a lot of my better judgment to
stick to our goals of ending Madame G. I have enough innocent blood I didn’t spill on my conscience. I’m not standing by while she destroys your wife and mutates your kid. And hey, good call on hiding with the Guardians. I bet it took a massive set of brass balls to march up to their door and ask for help.”

  E lifted his shoulders in a stiff shrug, looking over his clothing still dusted with dried blood. “Needed to be done. Do you know how Madame G found out so fast?”

  “Same mysterious way she always finds out shit. I don’t think anyone would’ve thought you’d go there. Or that they’d take you in.”

  True that. “You gonna run with us?” He knew the answer but asked anyway.

  X grimly shook her head. “Nah. She’ll beat the crap outta me, but I’ll stay. She has to expect my disobedience when it comes to you, and especially Ana and Julio. But she won’t kill me.”

  “She might very well kill you for this.”

  “Doubt it. She needs to terrorize me to make herself feel better, needs me to show everyone that she still controls me even she if lost you. If I run, I lose the chance to get in close.”

  Holding out his hand, he turned up his wrist. “You need to feed before she gets hold of you.”

  X’s faced paled and she looked like she was going to puke. “Yeah, you’re right.” But when she only stood dubiously eying his offered vein, he dropped his hand.

  “What’s wrong? Are you sick or something?” Then his eyes widened. “Is it my mating? Does that ruin the appetite?”

  X shook her head, attempting to brush it off. “Yeah, you’re too sweet now. Back off of the donuts.”

  “Bullshit. What is it?”

  X eyed his wrist one more time, then crinkled her nose. “I’m guessing my other side has reared its ugly head. I drank from…” She couldn’t finish, anxious about saying any of it out loud. “Whatever. You’re still a little low on the hemoglobin levels, anyway.”

  Other side?

  Vampire.

  Drank from who?

  Ah. Her true mate. He was too impressed that the brooding Guardian got X to tap his vein to be shocked. Full-blooded vampires couldn’t be with anyone else physically once they encountered their true mates, unlike shifters. They could drink from others, but it often made them sick. X was only a half-blooded vampire and the no sex rule hadn’t pertained to her, but maybe blood was different. There wasn’t enough known about hybrids.

  Standing, E worked the kinks out of his neck and back from being prone so long. “Now it’s even more dangerous for you to stay.”

  “Yep.” Otherwise ignoring him, she continued. “They’ve got Ana in the fangbanger rooms. They’re enhancing her so she’ll survive being used as recreation.” Rage pounded at E to get to his mate as soon as possible, but he forced himself to hear X out. “Julio is across the compound. They plan to convert him and study how he grows into his powers. You go get Ana. I’m sure they’ve pumped her full of sex drugs, so it won’t be as awkward if she jumps your bones. I’ll get Julio out.”

  “Us against the world?” How in the hell were he and X going to get Ana and Julio out of their holdings, out of the compound, and then get them to safety? Maybe if they got to freedom, if, they’d have a chance this time since he was no longer cosmically tied to the madam.

  X’s mouth curved into a ghost of a smile. “Rumor has it the compound is going to be under attack any moment.” She shot him a grin with a rare flash of fang. “Ready to party?”

  “The Guardians are coming for us?”

  “You must’ve made quite an impression.”

  E grunted. “They fucking love me. Did your information leak happen to say when exactly?” E needed to get to Ana before another male did.

  Then he heard it. A muffled boom followed by the walls rattling.

  “That’s our signal.” X lifted the doctor’s cooling hand, while E found a scalpel to secure one of her fingers. They’d need her digit to open the door so it’d look like only the doctor entered and left his room. Hopefully, whoever was watching the cameras were intent on the shifters’ attack.

  Tucking the severed finger into his pocket, knowing his prints would access a whole lot of nothing after his defection, he and X parted ways at the end of the corridor. Blasts to the exterior walls shook through the buildings. Thanks to the attack, there were no Agents in the lower levels, and hopefully none servicing his mate.

  His jaw ached from grinding his teeth, and he forced himself from an all-out sprint. He needed to get to Ana without incident before he could save her. Swiftly maneuvering through the corridors, he made it to her room and heard a commotion inside.

  “Leave me alone!” his mate raged.

  Sidling up to the long rectangular window in the door, he peeked inside. A nearly naked male circled Ana, who was nude, flushed, and swinging a metal leg she’d ripped off a rolling nightstand. Guess her strength had increased.

  The male’s back was to the door. His shirt was off, his pants undone, and Ana was backed into a corner. Blood splattered the walls and floor, but little was on Ana. She must’ve gotten in some serious hits, catching the male by surprise before he opted to keep his distance.

  In awe, E watched as the male lunged for his terrified, but extremely pissed off mate. She flew under his reach, catching the male with a solid strike to the torso and backed into another corner to defend herself before he could disarm her. Looked like her speed was coming along quite well, too.

  E remembered the day he woke up after his capture. He’d been under for weeks, adapting to the chemicals and blood concoctions that had been administered, and recovering from the injuries he had obtained while getting abducted. When he finally came to, he had no sense of who he was and was helpless against his driving needs.

  Ana had been taken three days ago. Had she just woken up? The conversion process didn’t act that rapidly. Only three days? Watching Ana fend for herself with amazing speed and reflexes, he wondered if their mating had made the conversion go more smoothly. Before capture, her natural senses were increasing in acuity, like human mates of shifters.

  E waited for the male to make another move for Ana before he used Dr. Hansel’s finger to open the door. He stalked inside as Ana’s batting hand was yanked by the male, and she was dragged closer.

  Gliding up behind him, E grabbed the male, a recruit from the smell of him, around the throat, and pulled and twisted until he heard the signature snapping that accompanied a broken neck.

  Ana gasped and as soon as the male’s hand slid limply from her arm, she raised her weapon to brain E.

  “Ana!” E raised his forearm to protect his head from her beating. It wouldn’t kill him, but it certainly would incapacitate him.

  “E!” Dropping the mangled metal, she jumped into his arms, smashing her mouth into his.

  At her unexpected reaction, he stumbled back, recovering to her lifting his shirt, trying to get his clothes off. Fucking libido drugs.

  “Ana.” Setting her down, he tried to keep her from undoing his pants, and as appealing as a certain appendage of his found her actions, he wouldn’t let it go that far. “Ana, stop!”

  She stalled and blinked up at him. “I need you, E. You have to help me. I need this.”

  “I know you do, honey.” He really did. “But we can’t. We have to get Julio and get out of here before they drive the Guardians off.” As good as the Guardians were, they could level the place, but wouldn’t be able to reach Madame G.

  “Just a quickie, E, so I can concentrate.”

  He batted her hands away again, and grasped her by the shoulders, giving her a little shake. “The feeling won’t go away, only time will make it go away. I’m not debasing you like that, and I’m not putting your rescue and Julio’s rescue on the line for a quick fuck. Not even for you.”

  Blinking and shaking her head like she was trying to clear her mind, he knew he was getting through to her. But the drugs pumped her hormones higher and higher until they overrode her common sense so she would ju
mp on the nearest dick available.

  Or the drugs tried to because she had fended off the recruit pretty well, but E’s presence made her throw her sense out the window. The pheromones she exuded would harden any male who came near her.

  “Let’s get you some clothes, get me some weapons, and go meet Julio.”

  He rummaged around the drawers in the room, looking for a gown or shirt, something to cover his mate’s delectable body. If the situation wasn’t so dire, he didn’t know if he could steel himself against the scents she was throwing off and ignore her nudity.

  While he was bent over, opening the drawers that lined the walls, she came up behind him, rubbing his back, pressing into his backside. E bit his cheek and cursed mentally. She wasn’t going to make this easy; she couldn’t help herself.

  Gritting his teeth to ignore his own jacked-up libido, he finally found a drawer with cloth of some sort. A hospital robe. Perfect.

  He spun on the woman pawing him from behind and swung the robe around her shoulders. When he snagged one arm to help her into it, she shook him off to keep trying for his pants.

  Should he give in? Just a quickie?

  No. Nope. Once he went there, he’d have as hard a time stopping as Ana. He had to remember his son was waiting for them, and he needed get his sex-crazed mate to safety.

  E wrestled her into the robe, got it tied around her roaming arms, and dragged her to the door. He’d feel a lot better if he had a weapon, or twenty. Especially dragging a horned up female down the hall. The primary armory was on the main level, but they had some storage lockers in the lower levels, usually to hold the weapons they stripped off their captives.

  He’d have to take the long way before meeting X at the stairwell, but he couldn’t fight his way out and protect his family with his bare hands.