Forbidden Call (New Breed Novels, Book 1) (18 page)

“But,
ihkweea
, even with Pax’s fighting skills, this male is weak. I’d prefer it if you went in with someone who stood a chance against the enemy.”

Bastian uncrossed his legs with an irritated look on his face. “Love you too, sweetie.”

SE pushed forward again, this time with more force. Ana blocked him again, and turned to face her mate. “Do you trust me?”

“What?”

“Do. You. Trust. Me.”

“Of course,
ihkweea
.”

“Good. Because if you don’t, we will lose Adriana. Let me handle this. I know what I’m doing.”

He took a step back.

Ana nodded toward the storage room. “Bastian, can I speak to you alone for a minute?”

“Oh, all right. But make it quick. It’s not every day I have two juicy New Breed morsels in my shop.”

“Jesus Christ,” Pax mumbled.

Ana took Bastian’s arm and led him into the storage room.

“Ouch, hey, take it easy!” he whined.

Ana shut the door behind them. “Look, Bastian, I need your help. I wronged this New Breed and his mate not long ago. They were important to me and I crossed them. Now they’ve taken the female and she’s pregnant.”

“Lemme guess. The Wicked Witch of the West.”

“It was on her orders, yes. But I had a choice a while back, Bastian, and I made the wrong one. I need your help to make this right. Please? I owe them this.”

He looked into her eyes. “Wow, you really mean it, don’t you, honey?”

Ana nodded.

He smiled. “Well, then, let’s get this show on the road. What do I need to do?”

“Actually, nothing. All you need to do is stand where Pax can see you. He and SE will do the rest. And, Bastian, thank you.”

Bastian placed his hand over his heart and exhaled. “You’re welcome, honey.”

Ana followed him out of the closet and watched as he went to stand in the center of the room where Pax could see him.

SE closed his eyes.

“Whenever you’re ready Pax,” SE said.

Pax focused on Bastian for a moment and then closed his eyes. Suddenly, he bent over at the waist, and there was a flash of light that burned Ana’s sensitive eyes, forcing her to duck. SE vanished and appeared at her side, clearly ready to grab her and yank her the hell out of the way if things went wrong. But when the light faded and her shifter vision cleared, she looked over at where Pax had been standing. A second Bastian stood before her eyes.

“Pax, you okay, man?” SE asked.

“Yeah, actually, I’m totally fine. I don’t know how, but the change was smooth. Hardly any pain, either.”

Ana looked over at Bastian who was looking at his replica. “Shit! He’s going over!”

SE gleamed behind him just in time to catch him. “He’ll be fine. He just fainted. I’ll stay here with him until he comes around.”

She walked over and touched the side of his face. “Thank you, my male.”

“Let’s move,” Pax said. “I have no idea how long I’ll be able to hold this form.”

She turned to go, but SE took her arm. “Ana. Come back to me.”

She smiled. “Always.”

“So where are we headed?” Pax asked. “I don’t know if I can gleam in this form.”

“No need. We’re actually already in the building where I think they’re holding them. Just follow me out this door and try to act natural.”

“Natural as who? Him?” Pax asked with a nod in Bastian’s direction.

“Look, just try not to act like a New Breed. Cut down on the swagger, okay?” She opened the door and Pax followed her through. “This way,” she whispered.

As they moved quietly down the hall, the few Toltec shifters they passed just gave their usual nods. Ana let out her breath.
Looks like Pax-as-Bastian is working.

Ana glanced at Pax. “We’re going to have to check each cell quickly.”

“How many are there?” Pax asked under his breath.

“I’ve never counted. Maybe twenty.”

As they rounded the corner, the stench from the cells hit her nose.

“Jesus.”

She nodded. “I know. Just breathe shallow and work fast.”

“No problem.”

As they started looking into each dark cell, Pax suddenly stopped cold. “Holy fuck.”

Ana had to agree with him on that one. Seeing the shifters mid-transformation was something you never forgot. Most of them throwing up all over the floor, as they had nowhere else, and their howls of pain could be heard throughout the hallway.

“Keep moving,” she whispered.

She hurried from one cell to the next, trying to pick up on Adriana’s scent, but the air was so putrid it was nearly impossible.

Come on, come on.

“I’ve got them,” she whispered. “Let’s go.”

She pulled back the bolts and they entered the cell. Adriana was sitting on a mattress in the corner, her head up against the wall, her eyes closed.

Ana wasted no time. She quickly moved to Adriana’s side. “Adriana? It’s Ana. Can you hear me? Pax is here, too. We’re here to get you out.”

Adriana took one look at Ana and the unfamiliar male and curled up on herself. Ana gently touched the female’s cheek. “Listen to me. We’re here to get you out. But I need you to trust me. Can you do that?”

Adriana’s nod was almost nonexistent.

“She’s dehydrated and very weak. She’s not going to walk out of here,” the other female shifter said.

“You’re Helen?”

“Yes.”

Damn it
. Well, she was Adriana’s doctor. If anyone would know, she would.

“Pax, you need to carry Adriana. Can you do that in Bastian’s form? X and Dimitri should be outside by now.”

He bent over and gently picked up Adriana. “Let’s roll.”

Ana crossed back to the doorway and listened. “We’re good. Let’s move!”

She held the door open for Pax and Helen, then bolted it behind them. They moved quickly down the hallway until Ana suddenly slowed down.

“Pax, you feel that?”

“Yeah. There’s a shitload of
k’ul
coming from somewhere.”

“I don’t get it. It’s too high for a shifter and too low for a New Breed.”

She moved quickly past the heavy doors, slowing down only momentarily in front of each. “Here,” she whispered, “It’s coming from here.” She peered into the cell, her eyes adjusting quickly to the darkness. A teenage boy was curled up on the mattress. But he didn’t seem sick. He hadn’t been given the formula yet. Ana yanked the bolts aside and flew in the room. She’d be damned if she was going to let her mother take another kid on her watch.

The kid sat up as soon as he heard her footsteps. “No, please don’t take me. I’ll do anything you want—”

“It’s okay,” she hissed at him, “We’re here to get you out. What’s your name?”

“James.”

“Well, James, today’s your lucky day.” She helped him stand and led him out the door. Just as she shut it, a regiment of shifter soldiers rounded the corner.
Fuck.
She had cost them too much time.

“Pax, if you go straight down this hallway, you’ll end up at Bastian’s shop. Hurry. I’ll hold them off.”

She watched momentarily as Pax headed down the hall, holding Adriana in his arms with the other two shifters close behind. Then she drew her crescents, gave a battle cry, and ran full on at the enemy.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Richard ran out the front door of the mansion. Reyn and Diesel were close behind. Quickly they reached across the back seat of the Navigator and helped lift Adriana out of the vehicle as Helen hopped out of the front seat. Richard picked his mate up in his arms, tears streaming down his face.

“Is she…?” His voice broke off.

Helen nodded. “She’ll be okay. She’s dehydrated and exhausted, but she’s going to be fine. Do you have medical facilities here?”

“Yes, downstairs,” Diesel answered. “I’ll take you down.”

SE flew through the front door. “Pax, where is she? Where’s
Ana
, goddammit?”

“SE, I’m sorry. I’m not sure. She didn’t come back with us. She held off a group of shifters so I could get the others out.”

SE put his fists to his forehead. The roar that left him was so loud the stained glass window above the front door shattered.

“SE, you wait for us before you do anything,” Reyn snapped. “Do you hear me? That’s an order.”

But the warrior was already gone.

Victrixa paced back and forth. The air that came in and out of her body was more of a hiss than a breath.
This had to be some kind of colossal joke.
Of course, she had only herself to blame. After all, she was the one who had taught her ungrateful wretch of a daughter everything she knew. The possibility of betrayal had been at the back of her mind ever since she realized her files had been compromised, and now this was the proof she needed. And then some. Ana had not only broken into their facility and freed Adriana, but she had also leaked vital information to the Order.

She stopped pacing in front of a window and looked out at the godforsaken New England winter. Ana would suffer for this betrayal.

There was a knock at the door.

“What is it, Roman?”

“Pardon the intrusion, Victrixa. I just wanted to let you know that your daughter has been moved per your request.”

“Thank you.”

For some reason, Roman remained standing where he was. Were they all determined to drive her mad?

“Yes?” She made no effort to hide the irritation in her voice.

“I…I just wanted to be sure you hadn’t changed your mind.”

“Do I ever?”

“No, no, of course not.”

“You may go. And, Roman, tell him I want to know everything she knows about the Order.
Everything
.”

As Ana opened her eyes, everything was a blur. She blinked a few times and things cleared up enough for her to see that she was in the old mental hospital. She tried to move. She was lying on a surgical table, strapped down, her arm hooked up to some kind of IV. She tried to gleam, but she couldn’t.
Fuck.
Panicking, adrenaline pumping through her, she started to pull against the cuffs with everything she had.

A male backed into the room, pulling a cart. “Good,” he said. “You’re awake.” He turned and watched her struggling with the straps. “Oh, I wouldn’t bother with that. You won’t be going anywhere any time soon. Unless, of course, you tell me everything you know about the Order.”

Her mouth dried up. Her heart started to pound in her chest. Fear started to work its way down her spine. She could sense his
k’ul
. He had enough to be a shifter, but he seemed…different. She couldn’t pin it down. When the male turned around, she realized she hadn’t seen him anywhere before. He was wearing jeans, a leather jacket, and boots. His face was weathered and scruffy. His pale blue eyes were almost totally lifeless. No, she’d never seen him before.

She would have remembered those dead eyes.

How was it possible that she had never seen this room or this male before? She had the highest clearance at both Toltec facilities. Suddenly, the truth hit her—
no one had clearance to this room.
No one needed it. Shifters didn’t come and go here.

They only stayed.

Oh, God,
he’s going to torture me.

Almost of its own volition, her body strained against the straps again. She ignored the pain in her raw ankles and wrists.

Blue Eyes spoke. “Are you going to settle down or do I need to restrain you further?”

He had the trace of an accent. What was it? Eastern European? Russian?

Glaring at him, she lay still.

“That’s a good girl.”

As he wheeled the tray to the table, she could see what was on it. Syringes in a dozen different sizes. Vials of colorless liquid. He pulled on rubber gloves, selected a small syringe and filled it with liquid.

“This is a small dose of liquid silver nitrate. When taken intravenously, although it is not necessarily fatal, it can be quite painful. You have no doubt noticed that you have a slow drip running into you now. It’s keeping your abilities in check.”

Blue Eyes poked the needle right through her leathers into her thigh, and compressed the plunger. Within seconds, she felt a burning sensation in her leg. She closed her eyes and thought of Soaring Eagle. He would come for her. She needed to stay strong until he could find her.

Blue Eyes smiled. “Now, that was just a taste. You don’t have to withstand any more of this if you answer my questions. Let’s start with the location of the Order’s compound, shall we?”

SE materialized in Bastian’s shop. At first glance, it looked deserted, even though the lights and computer monitors were all on. Casting out his senses, he picked up on a shifter down the little hallway where Ana had spoken with the male. Taking out his nine, he walked, opened the bathroom door, and checked inside. Empty. He crossed the hall, opened the storage closet, and flicked on the light.
Damn it.
Bastian had taken a couple of bullets to the head at close range.

Motherfuckers.
He closed the door to the closet and leaned against it. If they got to Bastian, then they had Ana for sure. A cold blast filled his body and he realized his second soul was feeling the absence of his mate as much as he was.

Anah.

For some reason, it wanted out. He never sent his
nagual
to another shifter for anything other than to help with pain.
Pain.
God help them if they touched her. Going out into the hallway, he switched from his pistol to one of his daggers just in time to gank a shifter on guard duty. Pulling the body down the hall and into an empty cell, he continued down the corridor. The whole place reeked of fear.

Checking more of the cells, he picked up Ana’s scent. He opened the door and walked to a mattress on the floor. She had been there. There were black boot marks from the mattress to the door. She had been dragged from the room, probably drugged. A low rumble moved through his chest as he left the room, menace and mayhem fueling his every step.

Ana spat. “Is that all you’ve got, you sick twisted bastard?”

He smiled. “You will tell me the location of the Order’s compound.”

Ana trembled on the table, her body covered in sweat. “I don’t know anything. You’re wasting your—”