Primal Claim Read online

  “What did you do for the mission?” Dani asked tightly.

  “What didn’t I do,” Janice panted, and kicked her hip out. “Let me tell you, the one they had me steal the product from, the weird one, he could go all night. And big. It’s a good thing you didn’t have to get pregnant by him the old-fashioned way. Giiiirl, he’d a broke you.”

  Anger built on top of anger for a reason Dani couldn’t understand, and this woman needed to shut the fuck up. But as the elevator door opened, she kept talking.

  “I sucked him off so long, I should’ve gotten a gallon of cum. But I had to be sneaky.”

  Must. Not. Throat. Punch. It was like a sledgehammer was hitting her brain and reverberating through her chest, her blood hammered through her. As they neared the corner where they would hopefully part ways, Janice turned to what she must’ve felt was an avid audience and continued. By now Dani was breathing heavy, like a bull ready to charge, glaring at Janice through lowered lids.

  “It’s just not the same here. The new recruits are so inexperienced with someone of my vast skills. The others...been there, done that.” Janice leaned in closer, speaking to X who had come to a stop next to Dani, and whispered conspiratorially. “I’m going back to Pale Moonlight. I mean, those shifters don’t know what happened. I just need one more night. To wrap my mouth around his-”

  Dani’s fist whipped out and throat-punched the woman. There was no thought, just action. Not even X saw it coming. Janice dropped to the floor, choking, grabbing her throat.

  “Oh my God! What did I do?” Clarity came rushing back. Dani stepped back, watching Janice writhe on the floor, struggling to draw in a breath. Sure, she’d killed before, but not an innocent. Well, Janice wasn’t exactly innocent but Dani didn’t know if she deserved to be watched while suffocating on the floor.

  Dani looked at X, who gazed back impassively, waiting for Dani’s reaction.

  “Shouldn’t we save her?” Dani asked, yet neither one made a move to do so.

  X shrugged and looked back down at Janice, whose bulging eyes were pleading with X to help her. “I don’t know. You gonna miss someone who lures doped out young girls at the clubs to come here and be blood feeders and fangbangers?”

  Blood feeders were the blood supply for the vampire Agents at Sigma. Dani had heard Madame G even had a few vampires she kept for her studies and they required blood feeders also. Those poor girls were usually the most strung out, too far gone of the batch. And they rarely came back from the feedings. It was better for them if they didn’t survive. Sane vampires could seduce the blood from their prey, but vampires kept for lab experiments weren’t often sane.

  “I knew I never liked her,” Dani replied.

  Not looking forward to watching a person die a slow, painful death, especially one she caused, Dani was relieved when X used her booted foot to fling Janice’s hands off her throat and step down until the sexual artist’s air was completely cut off. It was only a matter of moments before the woman went completely still, her eyes vacant and fixed.

  “Besides, Doll, she was just telling us she planned to disobey orders and jeopardize Mission Baby.” X whipped out her radio and spoke into it, “Clean up, aisle 5.”

  Once X was done radioing directions to some recruits, she turned to head toward Dani’s room.

  “Did I understand her right?” Dani rushed after. “The shifter they got for the...stuff, he hangs out at Pale Moonlight?”

  “Yep.”

  “Is he...”

  “Yep.”

  Fuck. A Guardian. Her sperm donor is not only a Guardian, he’s one of those Guardians. One of the pack that frequents the infamous Den in the shifter-owned club Pale Moonlight. Dani had heard many tales of what went on in The Den, especially about the three Guardians who liked to play together with their women in one of the back rooms. And now she was carrying the baby of one of them.

  “Look, Doll. I gotta jet and tell Madame G that I have to replace her seduction trainer. They were getting sick of her anyway. ‘Loose and flappy’ was Agent W’s description. That vamp cracks me up. Any hoodels, you gotta be dying of curiosity so here’s the run down: he’s kinda weird.”

  Not quite what Dani was expecting, but the unexpected insult toward the baby daddy started the low thrum in her head again. What was going on with her?

  “He’s hot as hell, don’t get me wrong. They all are. His looks are...unique. If you ever see him, you’ll know why they call him Mercury. Helluva fighter, if I have to give a damn Guardian a compliment. Just seems a little...slow. Don’t know what his issue is, but we all got one. Am I right?” X clapped her shoulder and opened the door for Dani, who hadn’t noticed they already reached her room. She wandered in and turned back to X.

  “How did Madame G know that he and I could produce an interspecies young? Don’t they have to mate first?”

  The underlying seriousness that was always there, suddenly dominated X’s face.

  “No mating required for baby making. I have no idea how she gets the information she does. It’s not through natural means. Can you imagine what she’ll do with a baby?” X turned to go and then turned back. “It’s a good thing those wolves don’t know what you carry. They’re protective as hell so imagine what a Guardian would be like. You’d be on lockdown with all of them protecting that little bundle of furry joy.” Shaking her head, X sauntered off.

  Dani let the door fall shut, but continued to stare at it. She knew what she had to do.

  Chapter Three

  Lying in bed, plans that were started during those dark days after her assault began cementing in her mind. Her Plan A needed to have a Plan B and C, and be meticulous. Madame G would keep close tabs on her now that she was the only successful interspecies insemination. Dani wasn’t naïve. There’d been more attempts. There had to have been. While she was off with Agent X and Agent E, hunting the bastards that killed her family, there were demented Agents that hunted and kidnapped innocents only because they were shifters. Dani didn’t know what Madame G did with the captives, but she heard enough screams, enough hushed conversations, to know it wasn’t good.

  At first, she’d convinced herself that those creatures crying in despair were guilty of the same crimes she’d witnessed those feral shifters carry out. Later, after more interaction with the recruits and Agents, Dani realized there were few under Sigma’s umbrella that joined with her same righteous intentions of forever protecting the innocent. Most joined because of their intense hatred of paranormals, unless they were a vampire, then their hatred was aimed at shifters. Many joined because they wanted a license to kill, anyone or anything – didn’t matter.

  Still needing one light left on in the room, Dani drifted off.

  Someone’s in here with me. Grateful she took advice from X and got used to sleeping armed with at least one knife, her hand crept under the blankets until it wrapped around the hilt. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

  The room was completely dark. A shrill of fear sizzled up her spine. I wish a light was on!

  Her bedside lamp flickered on.

  Her gaze landed instantly on the form that stood at the edge of her bed. Agent T’s face registered the shock of the light turning on.

  “I can’t get your smell out of my head,” he rasped.

  “You should’ve gotten enough of it a couple of weeks ago,” she said through clenched teeth.

  “There wasn’t much I could do. Couldn’t fuck you. Tried to play with you, but you kept passing out.”

  Her stomach roiled at the few memories she did have of that day. So he was back for more.

  “I heard the news. Congratulations, by the way. Before you get big and bloated with that freak you’re carrying, I need to have you. I’ll keep my promise that you’ll enjoy it.”

  “I seriously doubt that.” The thrumming was back. He insulted her baby. Rage began to build. This man insulted her baby. He assaulted her, copping feels, attempting more, and now he thought he could rape her in her own bed. Fuck. That.


  “I need to have you.” Agent T lunged for her. Dani came up, whipping her knife out, aiming for a vital spot on his body.

  He was too fast for her, hitting her arm out of the way. She almost lost the grip on her knife, but managed to keep hold of it. He grabbed her arms and pinned them above her head as she bucked wildly beneath him. The blanket still covered her, and he had to get through that and her boy shorts before any penetration, so she still had time.

  Unfortunately, his size and fighting experience overpowered her quickly. One hand pinned her arms; he used his other to move blankets while his large body pinned hers. She continued to struggle, frantically looking around her room for something, anything, she could use against him. All she could see was her lamp and some books, but no free hands to grab at them.

  Her tank top ripped open and he was ripping at her shorts when she spotted one of her old textbooks from college. She felt hot breath drift over her breasts when he leaned his head down intending to use his mouth on her. More ripping fabric and her bottom half would be open to him.

  I wish I could smash his head with a book.

  A heavy, thick book came flying off the shelf and slammed into Agent T’s skull. With an oomph, he fell to her side. Yanking her hands free, the knife still clutched tightly, she swiftly brought it across the most vulnerable spot she could find, his throat.

  Hot blood sprayed her. Agent T gurgled, grabbed at his throat futilely trying to dampen the blood flow. A sense of déjà vu hit her. Another throat attack, she was two for two. Scrambling out of the bed, she turned to see him grabbing for his sidearm but his blood-coated hands were too slippery to get a good grip.

  Dani slapped his hands away and shoved him on his back; he was weakening rapidly. Climbing on top of him to pin him down, she made sure he couldn’t grab at any more weapons, then leaned down close where he gaped like a hooked fish.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you enjoy this,” she hissed and waited until the last bit of life drained out of him.

  Mercury sat straight up in bed. His bed, in this case, was the floor. He’d only moved inside in the last thirty years, uncomfortable with a roof over his head. It’d be another thirty years before he slept on an actual bed. They were just so...soft.

  He walked around all day feeling like something momentous had happened. But what? It was business as usual at the lodge. Kaitlyn was in the final phase of her training. Her youth and vitality were a breath of fresh air. The search for her true paternity was a welcome change to the daily grind. Jace was adapting to their brotherhood nicely and Cassie seemed happy living deep in the woods. Mercury thought it was nice to be around the mated couple, seeing them laughing and chatting, looking for any excuse to touch. Mercury’s missions usually took them to families devastated by Sigma or the dregs of their society – feral shifters that turned on humans or their own kind.

  Not everyone at the lodge got a little mood boost from the new arrivals. Mason Ternes, in charge of security and more or less their IT support, was becoming more and more withdrawn. He went down to the club to blow off steam more and more frequently, ignoring Commander Fitzsimmons’ and Bennett’s warnings. Mason was always an asshole, but his moods continued to grow darker, and his lack of respect toward those they helped in the field was concerning. It was convenient that modern times brought rapidly changing technology – it kept Mason busy with cameras, computers, and firepower, and away from society.

  The twins, Malcolm and Harrison Wallace, continued to do their own thing, barely contained by the commander. They got along well enough with the other Guardians, but had not yet accepted them as the family they felt like to Mercury. Master Bellamy, the retired Guardian who trained and mentored them all, was the father figure Mercury never had.

  Otherwise, nothing had changed except the feeling that someone needed him. Now.

  Not bothering with any clothes, Mercury walked out the door and let his beast run.

  Sometimes they come back. That was a Sigma inside joke. Only it really wasn’t. Was Agent T enhanced enough to survive a throat slitting? It didn’t matter. Even if Dani dragged him to the bathtub, she couldn’t burn his body without drawing way too much attention. No one could be alerted because right now, fuck Plans A, B, and C. Sleazy Agent T dropped Plan A-plus right in her lap. Literally.

  As much as Dani wanted to shower the blood stains of Agent T off her, she needed to be covered in his blood. Just not as much of it. Not that she wanted to rush to the bathroom, strip down, and shower while a dead Agent was in her bed. So instead, she washed off her hands and face, gave her hair a quick rinse and then put it in ponytail.

  His blood was her freedom. And his finger? She’d get that after she packed. Rummaging through her drawers, she threw on her tactical pants and a fitted long-sleeved black shirt. After donning her boots, she proceeded to load up with every weapon she could possibly carry. Unfortunately, it wasn’t much as she hadn’t been promoted yet. Full Agents could own whatever they wanted. Recruits were given only the basics, nothing that couldn’t be defended against by the Agents if a recruit needed putting down. Dani was somewhere in between. But two guns and five knives were better than nothing. She took what she could pilfer off Agent T’s body, which wasn’t much as he wasn’t loaded for a mission. His goal had been to finish what he’d started before with her, so he only carried the bare minimum. After strapping her gear in place, she wiped off only the handle of the knife she took Agent T down with.

  Dead men were heavy. Completely limp and malleable. Grunting and cursing, Dani wrestled with Agent T until she could cut away and strip off lightly-coated fabric from his blood-soaked shirt to stuff in her pocket. A little extra scent never hurt.

  Next, she rummaged through his pockets looking for his keys. After stuffing them in another pocket, she drew her knife once more and grabbed the Agent’s limp forearm, separating his right index finger from the rest. And this isn’t worst I’ve done, she mused at the one-eighty her life had taken from a privileged, well-respected member of society to a hardened mercenary on the run, while she sawed away at the digit.

  Madame G’s other drones may not be watching her that closely yet, since she just received the news of her expectant status. They may not even be sure that she’d jet as soon as possible, only that she and her baby-on-board needed to be protected, and that most likely included limiting her excursions into town. There was no doubt, however, if they had any inkling she wanted to cut ties with Sigma and leave, that she would become the most locked down, without-hope prisoner that was there.

  Agent X was a shifter and had all their heightened senses. The human-enhanced Agents, like Agent E, also had heightened senses and increased speed. Dani was human. As much as she respected the two Agents, Dani didn’t trust them with ensuring her freedom. They may turn the other way when they saw normal shifters going about their lives, they may not have used unnecessary violence when dispatching feral shifters and insane bloodsuckers, but they at least did the minimum necessary to stay under Madame G’s radar. Madame G employed enough mindless killers, so she utilized X and E’s highly-skilled ways to further her own agenda, not to fuel her avid joy in slaughter and mayhem. No, X and E would not be alive if they did things like let the vessel carrying the coveted shifter baby go free.

  Escape came back to the fact that Dani was human. If she passed other Agents in the garages, they’d question her immediately. Recruits didn’t own vehicles and couldn’t drive unless they were issued a vehicle for a mission. She’d have no business in the garages. Her only hope would be to remain unseen. But to do so, she had to give off the least human scent as possible. Recruits weren’t granted any access to the loading bays without an Agent escort and she had to go through those to get to the garages. She knew Agent T’s obnoxious red Mustang sat in one of the bays, hence the reason for the index finger. Dani was grateful that the secure areas hadn’t been upgraded to retinal scans yet. Sometimes, it was the small things.

  Straightening up, Dani wrapp
ed the finger in another little scrap of cloth she’d cut off to carry it in. It seemed less gross than shoving it in her pocket, plus she didn’t want to damage the print impressions on it. Hoping fervently the blood that covered her wouldn’t be too fragrant, but masked her scent adequately. If some of her scent remained, she trusted the gossip channels running through the compound. Many would assume that after his “help” during insemination, Agent T finally got a piece of her.

  A deep breath and quick mental run through the new and improved (and only) escape plan, Dani was ready. Opening the door a crack, she put her ear close to the opening. It was after midnight in a compound of night creatures. Agents would either be sleeping because they had day missions or were out for the night, but vampire Agents could be roaming. Recruits still trained during the day and any on field assignments would be out. She’d have to stay away from training gyms, the most likely spot to find anyone at this time of night.

  Hearing nothing, Dani crept out. Heart pounding, she carefully maneuvered the hallways. For three years, she’d been relieved to evade the “enhancements” Madame G assigned to those humans who were to become Agents. Oh, there was the curiosity about why, but her new status as the vessel for shifter babies answered some of her questions. At this moment though, Dani wished for at least one heightened sense. But then there was the light she wished on, and the book she wished would slam Agent T’s head – one wish and done. All in her imagination? Did she somehow get three wishes and had only one left?

  No time to wonder. Time to get the fuck out. Dani made it to the stairs. Most residents of Sigma’s compound used the elevator. The stairs were dark and creepy, and poorly maintained. No matter how badass anyone here thought they’d become, they still avoided the stairs.

  As nimbly as she could, she took the stairs two at a time – getting it over with as quickly as possible. Glowing lights flickered along the walls, casting shadows along them. The faint sickly, sweet odor of death lingered, leaving those who braved the passage to ponder just who met their fate here, how long ago, and if were they still haunting the stairwell.