Brandi (20 page)

“Bullshit.”

Gareth snorted. “Better put your ass kicking boots on when this hybrid bear hunt is over because I’m now going for a package deal. I’m willing to fight you for all of it if necessary and I have far fewer scruples than Sheldon. I plan to use blackmail or extortion or whatever it takes. I’ll make you wear your fangs 24/7 until you beg me to ease us both.”

Brandi tilted her head and gave Gareth her best chastising look. “Threats and lectures? Is that the equivalent of a werewolf marriage proposal? If it is, I have to tell you it sucks. The only thing missing from your he-man dramatic monologue is you trying to club me over the head to drag me to your cave.”

Gareth chuckled at her counter. “No brute force needed. Logic is my weapon of choice this time. I have a house and a profitable ranch. Technically, we will have two incomes—even if those incomes come with long strings which might yank us back to Virginia any second. I think we’d do fine raising the kids in Wasilla. That way, if any of them turn into full blown werewolves one day, they will have had some experience living the lifestyle.”

Brandi glared. “So this mating thing you’re hung up on is really about the children?”

Gareth laughed. “Oh hell no. This is about us… and the progression of our relationship. Do you want another fangs down demonstration?”

Brandi rolled her eyes. “Gareth, look at me. Why are you even going there in your head? Do I look anything like the wife or mother type?”

“No,” Gareth agreed. “But you do look beautiful to me and I want you every second I breathe. The rest is stuff we’d have to figure out as we went along. I’m not the father type either, but I think I can learn to be one. Those three need special handling… as do you. I figure I can provide it as well as anyone else ever could. For damn sure, I’m going to do better with you than Mark Lafay-fucking-ette ever could.”

Brandi rolled her eyes even as her mouth twitched. Maybe she wasn’t the jealous type, but somebody else sure was. “I wouldn’t know anything about Mark Lafayette. I never met the man. But since we’re talking details, can I get having sex five times a week put in the contract you’re drawing up in your head?”

“Sure. You can have sex five times a day if you need it that often. Two of the five you’ll have to be on top though. I’m not as young as I used to be. And the kids will have to go to daycare someplace so they don’t get mentally scarred.”

“Gareth, stop before I dissolve into fits of laughter over here. You need to get out of this mindset. I’d make a lousy mate. I’d make a worse mother. I don’t cook, clean, or do anything domestic. I can disassemble my gun in less than a minute, but somehow I don’t think that’s a positive when caring for children. They need real parents—as in people who already know how to be one—not a couple of ex-agents.”

“Everyone I know with children has had to adjust to being a parent. It isn’t instantaneous. We’ll learn together. Love will show us the way.”

“
Love?
” Brandi closed her eyes and shook her head. “I don’t even know what that is.”

Gareth unclipped his seatbelt and leaned over. “Sure you do. Love is that feeling of confusion you had when you wanted to kill me and couldn’t bring yourself to do it. You thought it was some sort of character flaw, but it was just your internal self realizing you’d fallen in love with me.”

Brandi did laugh then. “Right. Be serious,” she ordered.

Gareth glanced at the pilot’s area, then back at Brandi. He growled softly at her challenge. “Want to move to the back of the plane and see how serious I am?”

“No,” Brandi declared, blushing for the second time that day as her mind drew up images of them together. She put a hand to her hot cheek before glaring at him for distracting her. “No tempting me. We’re on a mission. Keep your damn distance.”

Though she’d meant what she’d said, Brandi was still disappointed when Gareth started to back away. Then before she could blink, his aggressive and demanding mouth was on hers, cancelling out their entire argument when he pried open her lips. She went weak in the knees at the insistence of his tongue sliding against hers. She strained against her seatbelt to offer him better access. Damn it. Gareth’s ability to make her want him seemed to be growing.

Just as she was rethinking his back of the plane offer, Gareth genuinely pulled away and did put the distance she’d asked for between them. Sighing at the loss of his mouth on hers, and at her way-too-feminine reaction, Brandi watched Gareth buckle himself back into his seat, swearing under his breath the whole time. He met her gaze levelly when he was finally restrained.

“You’re ripe and I’m growing desperate. This is bad damn timing,” Gareth complained.

Confused, Brandi lifted her arm and smelled under it. “What do you mean I’m ripe? I took a shower this morning.”

She didn’t know what to say when Gareth closed his eyes and started pounding his head on the back of his seat.

Chapter 15

When they landed in an open field about a mile from the nearest boat ramp, a man was there with a jeep waiting for them. Lars—still not back on his game—opted to stay behind and handle logistics. The man with the jeep promised to return to retrieve him later if he called.

The jeep ride to their next form of transportation took less than ten minutes. When they arrived at the ramp, they climbed aboard a party barge which the man assured them was a lot more capable than it looked.

As promised, boating out to the island took no time at all. Brandi cut the engine more than a mile out and trolled in quietly, docking next to some trees hanging over the water. They planked from the barge to the shore and jumped the last bit of distance to dry land.

“You weren’t kidding. You really can drive a boat,” Gareth commented.

Brandi laughed. “Why do you say it like that? Did you think I was lying?”

“No… just exaggerating your skills like everyone else I’ve ever met.”

Snickering, Brandi shook her head. “When I was training, they said my missions were going to be in a lot of places surrounded by water. After all the years I got stuck in deserts in the military, I didn’t want to be anywhere ever again that I couldn’t get myself out when I chose to leave. There’s not much in the way of transportation I can’t manage. I don’t like feeling trapped.”

The three of them walked quietly through towering spruces and firs. The air was silent—too silent. Where were the birds? Where were the squirrels and rabbits? Her skin prickled and her wolf went more on alert than she’d already been up to that point.

Finally, they came to the facility. It was a large building and looked a lot like Feldspar. There was no fence, but two armed guards stood outside of it.

Brandi stopped walking and stopped Gareth and Fallon. “We need to split up temporarily and search the surrounding area. I’m going to watch this entrance while the two of you take a look around. Make it fast and let’s meet back here in ten or fifteen to discuss what’s next.”

Fallon nodded and headed off in one direction, staying in the wood line. Brandi turned and found Gareth looking uneasy. “What is it?”

“I don’t like leaving you alone. Something’s not right here.”

“I know. There are no birds and no animals making noise. The only sound is the wind in the trees. I smell a lot of strange things, but can’t really identify them yet. You need to get a grip, Gareth. We have things to do and worrying won’t get them done.”

Gareth swung his gaze to hers. “You understand this is torture for me, don’t you?”

Brandi sighed and reluctantly nodded. “Yes. Probably because I made you talk about the past, but you know I’m not as defenseless as your mate was. I’m a fully trained agent. So stop worrying. We need to know if there are any other entrances. We need to know what’s going on around the facility.”

Gareth nodded and looked in the direction he had to go. Brandi was right, but he still didn’t like leaving her. “Okay. We’ll play by your rules for the moment. Be careful while I’m gone. Know that people are going to die if anything happens to you.”

“Go,” Brandi ordered, ignoring his passionate declaration. “Be back here in ten. You’ve wasted five minutes whining.”

When Gareth growled at her chastising, the hairs rose on the back of her neck, but her mysteriously appearing fangs stayed out of sight. She watched him turn, and in a blink of an eye, he had morphed into a very large dark gray wolf trotting away on all fours. The sight of silver streaks decorating the sides of his head and throat made her smile. Her wolf whined in longing to chase after him.

“I know. Later we’ll all get to play,” she promised, rubbing her midsection where she felt her inner animal the most.

She turned her full attention back to the facility and wondered if somehow Diane Crane had known they were coming. Her thoughts were on that when she heard the distinct sound of a gun’s safety being clicked off.

“Don’t turn around yet. Just keep looking forward and put your hands in the air. You go for the gun in the back of your pants and I swear I’ll shoot you.”

Brandi sniffed. The something strange she’d been smelling since they landed on the island was now standing right behind her. Gareth was going to be pissed when he found out she’d been caught off-guard a mere two minutes after his warning. Obviously, she was going to have to start paying more attention to the man’s instincts.

“Are you afraid for me to see what Diane Crane has turned you into?” Brandi asked. “I came here to stop her, you know… and rescue her victims if I could.”

“That’s a great story. Who exactly are you?”

Brandi knew to ignore his bravado—plus she could smell his discomfort. “I’m Agent Brandi Jenkins. I work for a better-left-unnamed federal research and rescue organization led by Diane Crane’s brother. He’s the one who sent us here to stop his sister from making bear hybrids.”

“
Hybrids?
Is that what they call us? You’re not human either though… not completely. What kind of
hybrid
creature are you?” he demanded.

Brandi didn’t hesitate. “Wolf. I’m a wolf hybrid.” It sounded a bit nicer and more scientific than saying she had been turned into a werewolf.

“Take your gun out of your pants and toss it. Then you can turn around for the rest of our conversation,” he ordered.

Brandi pulled her gun out with one finger and tossed it on the ground beside her.

Hands up, she swiveled slowly so she wouldn’t alarm him. The biggest and hairiest bearded man she’d ever seen was facing her. His hair was four inches or more below his shoulders. A full beard covered most of his face. He was over seven feet tall and had a glare that would freeze nearly anyone in place.

And in his hands was a tranquilizing gun.

She wanted to laugh, but sardonic humor about his pitiful weapon would not serve her purpose well. He probably had no idea yet that he could do far more damage with his bare hands than the tranquilizer gun would ever do to anyone.

Brandi stayed unmoving while the man looked her over. He finally made a decision. She knew what it was when he put the safety back on before shoving the tranq gun into the waist of his ragged jeans. They were strained to the limit on his bulked up body.

“I’m Jonathan Clark—calling me Jon is fine. My wife, Susan, is a prisoner in that facility, as well as are some of our friends. As crazy as I feel saying this, Diane Crane turned Susan into a bear. I can still talk to my wife telepathically, even though she’s now an animal. Susan says she can’t change back to normal. She wants me to run away and save myself, but I can’t leave her. I just can’t.”

Brandi lowered her hands. “No, of course you can’t. Your wife may believe she can’t change back, but that’s not necessarily true, Jon. We need to find her alpha leader—assuming bears have one. He or she can order your wife to change back into a human. Her bear side will have to comply no matter how much it doesn’t want to. The inclination to obey the strongest and smartest of your kind seems to be an innate part of animal law.”

“Are you saying Susan’s situation might not be permanent?” Jon asked.

Brandi saw how hopeful he was and shrugged lightly. “I can’t say for sure. I’m not a scientist. I can only tell you that’s how it worked for me. My alpha ordered me and another woman to change back to our human forms. We were compelled to do what she said. How long has your wife been a full bear?”

“Three days. We were both given the same drugs. Susan changed completely. I didn’t. I just have strange inclinations and about a hundred times more body hair than I used to have.”

Brandi nodded again. “Just to let you know… there’s a panther and a wolf with me. They’re looking around. Don’t freak when they show up. Let me explain you. Mind if I put my gun back too?”

When he shrugged, Brandi bent and retrieved her weapon.

“I watched the three of you leave the boat and followed you here. I couldn’t tell who was in charge—you or the silver-haired guy.” Jon lifted his chin. “What you’re seeing is the only way in or out of that place which is way bigger inside than it looks out here. Susan busted out of her cage three days ago and caused quite a ruckus. I bent the bars of my cage to get out while she was fighting with our keepers. They tranquilized her before I could get involved. There are others, but I had no time to look for keys to release them. I figured looking for help was better than letting them put me back into a cage.”