Undone (The Amoveo Legend) (13 page)

“I can’t help you find her, if you let me bleed to death,” Daniella yelled.

“Priorities.” Pete inspected Tramp’s injuries. “You get help
after
the dog.”

There was swelling along Tramp’s ribs and a large gash on his back from where he hit the tree. With as much care as he could muster, Pete picked him up and carried him into the cabin. He placed the dog on the couch and covered him with a blanket before he grabbed two scarves off the coatrack and went to retrieve the woman.

Pete knelt in the snow next to Daniella, whose color was all but gone from her skin. “If I don’t get you inside soon, you’re going to get frostbite, and I think you’re going into shock.” He knelt and inspected the gunshot wounds. “Not that I really give a crap what happens to you, but I need you to tell me where they’ve taken Marianna.”

“I’m not telling you shit,” she seethed.

“Yes, you are.” Pete grabbed her arm, which put pressure on her wound and had her howling in pain. He leaned close, and his voice dropped to a threatening tone. “If anything happens to Marianna, you’re going to wish that I killed you.”

He released her abruptly. Daniella winced and let out a cry of pain as Pete moved her leg to look at the wound in her thigh. He didn’t like inflicting pain on anyone, especially a woman, but this broad was complicit in Marianna’s abduction, so all bets were off.

“It looks like both bullets passed through cleanly.” He tied the scarves in makeshift tourniquets on her arm and leg. “That should slow the bleeding, but you’ll need an Amoveo healer. I can’t take you to a hospital. There’ll be too many questions since it’s a gunshot wound.”

Pete stuck his gun in the waistband of his jeans, grabbed her by her uninjured arm, and pulled her to her feet. Grunting in pain, she put her weight on her good leg and leaned onto Pete. He brought her into the cabin and dropped her onto the couch, which was no longer occupied by Tramp.

“What the hell?” Pete said as he picked up the bloodstained blanket and looked around the small cabin. “Tramp?”

He looked in the bedroom and around the rest of the cabin, but the dog was nowhere. Hands on his hips, Pete searched with genuine bewilderment. The dog was gone.

“How the hell did he get out of here without me seeing him?”

“Lose something?” Daniella asked weakly as she elevated her wounded leg onto the sofa.

“He is not lost.”

The unfamiliar baritone resonated through the cabin.

“
What
the
fuck
?” Pete drew his gun and swung it toward the voice. Heart racing and gripping the gun for dear life, he pointed it at the large man who appeared out of nowhere and stood in front of the dining table with his arms folded over his chest.

“I said—he is not lost.” The man’s voice rumbled through Pete’s bones. “I am not a shifter, like her,” he said, sparing a glance at Daniella. “And before you ask, no, I am not a vampire either.”

“Since it’s daylight, I figured that out for myself.” Pete didn’t look at Daniella, but based on her silence, he figured she was as surprised as he was. He adjusted his stance and tightened his grip on the gun. “Start telling me who and
what
you are and why the hell you’re here, or I’m going to blow your fucking head off.”

A grin cracked his face, and his eyes glowed red. “Now, is that any way to speak to your father?”

A tsunami of static electricity swamped her, and the bright shimmer of the morning sun on the snow was swiftly replaced by the harsh glare of fluorescent lighting. Furious and terrified by the last glimpse she had of Pete facing down the tiger, Marianna struggled violently against Artimus’s iron grip, but it was no use.

She was outmatched by his age and his size.

“Stop fighting me, Marianna,” he growled. “It’s futile and boring me.”

His black eyes gleamed with pure disdain. Thick, meaty hands squeezed her arms tighter, but she refused to cry out and give him satisfaction. He held her against his barrel chest, but she struggled, wanting to keep some kind of distance between them, but to no avail.

Marianna looked around the room, trying to get her bearings. They were in a hallway with white walls and fluorescent lighting, which reminded her of a hospital. She took in as much of the surrounding area as she could, hoping she might figure out where the hell he’d taken her. She had to keep her wits about her. Losing it now would only hasten whatever plan they had in mind for her and her babies.

Babies.
Artimus was going to kill her babies.

She had to get away. Instinctively, Marianna reached out to find the imprinted path to Pete and the cabin, but she was met with an impenetrable barrier. Her eyes snapped to their clan form as she concentrated, but still… nothing.

“As I said”—a satisfied grin cracked Artimus’s bearded face—“trying to visualize yourself back to your human lover is a waste of time on two counts. First, as you’ve confirmed, you can’t use our particular form of travel, and if you try to shift, you’ll find the same thing blocking your path.” He leaned close, his beard scraping her cheek, and whispered into her ear. “And secondly, that human is dead.”

“No.” She shook her head furiously. “I don’t believe you.”

“Belief has nothing to do with it,” he said flatly. “Your lover is dead. You saw Daniella pounce on him, and we know that no human is a match for one of us. She’s probably eating him for breakfast as we speak.”

Tears filled her eyes as the weight of her situation settled over her, and Artimus’s words ran through her mind. Could it be true? Was Pete really dead? She
had
seen Daniella leap on him, but Pete had his gun, and like he always said, the Amoveo are many things, but bulletproof isn’t one of them.

“We’ll see,” Marianna said through a shaky breath.

She glanced at her surroundings again, hoping to find a way out or a sympathetic face, but the only one she found was Hayden’s. He smirked, his arms crossed over his chest, and shook his head as though she were the most pathetic creature he’d laid eyes on.

“There is no point in struggling,” Hayden said. “My father has placed a dampening field over the entire compound, which will prevent you from utilizing your powers of visualization and shifting.”

“Guess you’re not the hot shit you thought you were.” Marianna flicked her eyes from Hayden to Artimus and smirked. “Daddy doesn’t trust you enough to let you use your shifting abilities either?”

“Shut up,” Hayden spat. He grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her head. She bit back a cry of pain as he tugged harder, forcing her to look at him while Artimus held her firmly in his grasp. “It’s you he doesn’t trust. You and the rest of the traitors.”

Hayden leaned in, his mouth hovering above hers. “But believe me, you’ll sing a different tune soon enough. I think you and I will get to know each other much better in the coming days.” He grabbed her chin and kissed her on the mouth firmly before releasing her. “Better get used to having the taste of me in your mouth.”

Marianna’s face heated with fury and revulsion at his touch. Her eyes shifted to their clan form and latched onto his.

“You should keep one thing in mind, Hayden,” she ground out. “I don’t swallow.”

Before he could reply, Marianna hauled off and spit in his smug face.

To her surprise, Artimus laughed and pulled her out of Hayden’s reach, but Artimus’s rescue came to a halt as he backhanded her across the face. Pain shot through her head. The force made her teeth rattle and her cheek throb. She’d never been hit before, and while the blow brought physical discomfort, it was more humiliating than she’d expected. Tears filled her eyes from the sting, but she refused to let them fall.

Through glowing bear eyes, she glared at Artimus, but he only grinned at her pain. “I don’t relish hitting women, but if you ever do anything like that again, I won’t stop with one slap. Are we clear?”

Marianna said nothing, but nodded her understanding.

“I think it’s time that we take you to see the good doctor.”

Artimus dragged her down the hallway with Hayden close behind, and they passed several doors along the way, all closed. There was a clan name above each door, and she cringed when she saw the one that read
Bear
Clan
because she had a sinking suspicion that would be her room. Each door had a small, square window, but she wasn’t able to look inside.

There were black panels to the right of each with a row of red lights along the top. She wondered what they were, and her curiosity was satisfied when they reached the door at the end. Artimus placed his hand over the panel, which turned the red lights green, and the door opened with a muffled click. He pulled her into a room reminiscent of a doctor’s waiting room.

There was a young woman sitting at a computer at the reception desk. Her brown hair was tied back in a tight ponytail, and she was dressed in all black. When she set eyes on Artimus, her eyes flickered to the bright blue of her clan, and she smiled broadly, fading as soon as she looked at Marianna.

“Good afternoon, my king,” she said, turning her attention back to Artimus. She bowed her head in deference. “Dr. Moravian is expecting you. Please go right in.”

“King?” Marianna said incredulously. “When did you give yourself that title? Richard is Prince of the Amoveo—leader of our people—
not
you
. You’re a traitor.”

“Richard is a weak and pathetic fool.” Artimus didn’t spare her a glance, but tightened his grip on her bicep. “Thank you, Francesca.”

“It’s my pleasure.” A buzzer sounded, and the door to Moravian’s office clicked open.

Marianna knew the girl was a pure-blood, and based on the color of her eyes, she suspected a member of a wolf clan. How could anyone, especially a
woman
, knowingly participate in this sick breeding plan?

The office on the other side of the doorway was far nicer than the rest of the facility. A thick carpet in a rich brown hue replaced tile floors. The eggshell-colored walls had several photographs scattered about, as well as the different degrees that Moravian had earned. There were no windows here either.

The mahogany desk and credenza at the far wall were framed by massive bookshelves littered with books and statues, awards of some kind. Dr. Moravian stood from his high-back leather chair behind the desk to greet them.

“Welcome to our facility, my dear.” He grinned broadly and came around the desk with arms outstretched to embrace her, but his face fell when he saw the fading bruise on her cheek. “What on earth happened?”

The doctor took Marianna by the hands, releasing her from Artimus’s grasp, and led her to one of the chairs in front of his desk. He helped her into the seat as he inspected the mark on her face. While she was grateful for the empathy, she was leery.

“I guess Artimus doesn’t like girls that spit.” Marianna winced as Dr. Moravian inspected the bruise.

“We need our participants in the program strong, Artimus.” He walked to a small refrigerator on the other side of the room and removed an ice pack, which he promptly handed to Marianna.

“Thank you,” Marianna said, taking the ice pack and watching Artimus for his reaction to Dr. Moravian’s kindness.

Artimus, however, seemed unfazed. He simply sat opposite Marianna. Hayden stood by his father, but kept his ugly gaze fixed firmly on Marianna
. You’re
going
to
get
a
lot
more
than
a
smack
from
me, Marianna.
Hayden’s thoughts intruded into Marianna’s mind sharply. She flicked her eyes at the other two men to see if they’d heard, but they seemed unaware.

Perhaps Artimus’s shield wasn’t as strong as he thought?

Marianna hadn’t been shielding her mind because she assumed it wouldn’t matter. She didn’t respond, but immediately protected her thoughts from further intrusions. The smug look on Hayden’s face told her that he knew she’d heard, but hope glimmered brightly. If Hayden could use telepathy with her, then perhaps she could with Pete or Dante.

Hayden said that she couldn’t use visualization or shift, but he didn’t mention telepathy. Perhaps it was only inside this facility that she could? She wanted to try to contact Pete, but she had to wait until she was alone.

“You’ll want to smack her too when I tell you about a new wrinkle in our plans.” Artimus smoothed the lapels of his jacket and looked at Marianna with annoyance. “She’s gone and gotten herself pregnant by that human. We’ll need to terminate this monstrosity immediately so that we can proceed as planned.”

“Let’s not be hasty.” Dr. Moravian pursed his lips and ran a hand over his goatee as he studied Marianna intently.

“What are you talking about?” Artimus snapped. “We need her to breed with Hayden, and she can’t do that if she’s already pregnant and with more than one.”

“Artimus, please.” Dr. Moravian put both hands up in an effort to calm Artimus, but kept his sights on Marianna. “This could be a unique opportunity to study our enemy. Think about it for a moment. The two hybrids we captured both died within a few weeks, and so far, we haven’t had any luck finding the others.”

“You found other hybrids and killed them?” Marianna asked in a far shakier voice than she intended.

“It wasn’t intentional.” Dr. Moravian shrugged. “We ran a few tests, to see if they could withstand certain temperature changes, emotional stresses, and so forth. Regretfully, they couldn’t. Granted, we found unmated hybrids that weren’t aware of what they were, but your situation has given me an interesting idea.”

He strolled to his seat behind the desk, sat down, and folded his hands in front of him. His eyes shifted to the glowing eyes of his clan, and a sick smile cracked his face.
There
it
is
, Marianna thought,
there’s the snake I knew was hiding in the grass.

“If we keep her here and allow her to carry the pregnancy to term, we would have two hybrids to study and experiment on from birth. Imagine what we might learn from them? Perhaps there are weaknesses that we could discover and then exploit in the others we encounter.” He leaned back and turned his attention to Artimus. “When she’s recovered from that pregnancy, we can continue with our original plan.”

Marianna’s heart sank. Experiment on her children? Treat them like lab animals? Her stomach tightened, and she thought she might vomit on Moravian’s polished desk. The only thing that kept her from losing it completely was that this
plan
would buy her and her babies time.

She looked frantically between the three men, but they remained completely calm, as if what Artimus suggested was a perfectly normal idea.

“Fine,” Artimus bit out.

“But, Father—”

“Silence.” Artimus didn’t look at his son, but merely raised his hand in a clear command. “The doctor has proposed an interesting plan. I’m going to allow it for now. Doctor, please make sure she has a full examination and isn’t harboring anything that may cause trouble down the road.”

“No fucking way.” Marianna hurled the ice pack at Artimus’s head and scrambled off the chair toward the door. “You’re not touching my children.”

Hayden came after her, but Marianna spun around and kicked him square in the crotch. He groaned in agony, clutched his balls, and dropped to the floor in a moaning heap. She grabbed the handle and pulled against it uselessly as the rumbling growl of a bear filled the room.

She swung around, fists raised, eyes wild, ready to kick, scratch, and bite anyone who came near, and she came face-to-face with Artimus in his grizzly bear form. Glowing black eyes filled with hatred gleamed, and his dark brown fur quivered over his tremendous body as he held her prisoner.

Even standing on all fours, he was taller than she was.

His black-tipped snout was inches from hers, and his lips curled back with a low growl as he bared his teeth. Warm, fetid breath wafted over her face as he inched closer. Heart pounding in her chest, Marianna squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her body against the door, trying to get some distance. She prayed that he’d kill her quickly. Better that she and her babies die now than become lab rats for the rest of their lives.

“Now, now, young lady,” Dr. Moravian simpered. He sounded close by, but she didn’t want to open her eyes to check. She knew Artimus loomed in his bear form; she could feel the intense heat emanating from his body, and his growl surrounded her. “You’ll be staying with us for quite some time, so I think it would be in your best interest to cooperate. But for now, we’ll help you along.”

Before she could ask what he meant, the sting of a needle penetrated her skin as the doctor injected her with something. Cold washed up her arm and through the rest her body with frightening speed, and within seconds, Artimus’s growl faded.

As darkness and silence claimed her, only one word went through her mind…
Pete
.

***

A dull, throbbing headache greeted Marianna as she came out of the drug-induced sleep, compliments of Dr. Moravian. As the haze lifted, she slowly became aware of her surroundings, and the first thing she noticed was that her hands and feet were restrained to the bed. She tugged against the leather cuffs lashed to her wrists and ankles, but to no avail. Her strength had been sapped by whatever they injected her with, or maybe it was the dampening field that Artimus had placed over the facility, but either way, she wasn’t going anywhere at the moment.