Page 20

Garth took a seat on the private jet, his thoughts on Nicolette. The very idea that his brother had her left him fighting his wolf. At the idea she might be gone, Garth growled, knowing he would kill Grid without hesitation.

He should have never lost control to start with. If he’d have held himself together a week ago, he could have handled his brother then, making sure Nicolette was safe and sound.

Instead, he’d been as weak as Auberi liked to point out he was.

He’d given in to his beast.

Edee walked by Garth on the jet and touched his shoulder as if she sensed his fight to stay in control. She gave him a small squeeze before she went to a large bag she’d made Striker carry onto the jet. She hadn’t backed down once on her insistence to join them on the hunt for the missing young women, no doubt sensing a bond after the ordeal she’d lived through.

Garth watched as Edee pulled a number of small black computer tablets from the bag. She made her rounds on the jet, handing them out. She stopped before getting to Garth. “Okay, everyone, Brooke and Laney pulled all this together for you. They’re waiting for James to track down the rest of the medical records on both ladies.”

“Medical records?”

asked Garth. “Why is it we need them?”

Edee glanced around the jet. “Because apparently, Landros’s niece and her friend are no strangers to the PSI system. They have a history—and it involves testing.”

Garth tensed.

Edee cast him a soft look and took a seat that faced Garth. She had a tablet on her lap. “They’ll send the records as soon as they get their hands on them. If you give me any details you have on your woman, I’ll make sure the girls begin mining the off-the-books sites for any chatter that might involve her.”

Garth lowered his head, doing his best to stay in control of his wolf. It was far harder than it should be.

The plane hit some turbulence, and Duke let out a string of obscenities that could only be labeled a masterpiece as he held firm to the arms of his seat on the jet. The man’s eyes were closed tight, his body rigid. It was a well-known fact that the wolf-shifter hated to fly. Truthfully, there were very few things the man didn’t hate. Technology was up there at the top but flying had to take the cake. From the expression on Duke’s face, the man was hanging on to sanity by a thread.

Garth didn’t mind flying in the least. But given the choice, he preferred being on a boat rather than any other form of transportation. Sailing the ocean was in his blood. Something his people had perfected. He’d never dreamed that man would be able to take flight. That great distances would one day be able to be covered in hours, rather than days, weeks, or even months.

The advancements of mankind continued to impress him. And he welcomed learning new things. Duke, and a number of other supernaturals Garth knew, did not share his open-minded view. They clung to habits of old and saw every step mankind took forward as a challenge they weren’t willing to take on.

Boomer walked past Duke’s seat and gave it a good shove, making it rock.

Duke yelped and nearly ripped the arm off the chair as his eyes shot open. “Ohmygod, we’re all gonna die!”

Rurik, who had managed to nod off on the plane ride, kicked awake three seats back and rubbed his face. “Is the American shitting himself again?”

Boomer bent and laughed. “No, but I think he nearly wet himself. Does that count?”

“Fuck you,”

snapped Duke as he eased his grip on the chair arms. “I hate you both.”

“Americans are cowards,”

said Rurik, glancing lazily out the window.

“Bite me, Ivan.”

Duke growled but made no move to attack the Russian. No surprise. Duke firmly believed if all the men sat on the same side of the jet, it would make it tip and they’d all plummet to their deaths.

So far, no one had bothered to do much to dispel that theory. In fact, a number of the men seemed to perpetuate it, going out of their way to make up stories about how planes they’d been on had gone off-kilter due to uneven weight distribution of passengers. It was too amusing to watch the man freak out. And freak out he did.

Duke stood slowly, and Boomer began to jump up and down in the center aisle. Instantly, Duke dropped to the floor, like his weight might do something to counterbalance Boomer’s.

Edee laughed until she teared up. It was good to see her finding a happy spot. As her focus returned to the tablet in her hand, her smile faded quickly, and a somber expression settled over her.

Striker, who had kept quiet for the majority of the trip thus far (making Garth wonder if the man had something terminal), moved from his seat to the one next to Edee. The Scot draped his arm around the back of Edee’s chair and crossed his ankle over his knee.

It was impossible to keep from noticing the changes in Striker around the young woman. He was famous for lewd remarks and coming on to women endlessly. And Garth could recall him doing just that in Egypt five years prior when it came to Edee. But the Scot was reserved around her since they’d reconnected—since they’d learned what she’d lived through. It might very well be his first real friendship with a woman.

That was saying something.

Maybe there was hope for the Scot after all.

Her pulse slowed steadily with the closeness of Striker. The Scot met Garth’s gaze.

She’s doing better than I thought around you, said Striker on the mental pathway they’d all spent years perfecting. Nearly all of the men with PSI could speak telepathically. It was easier to do it with some than others. Garth found it far easier to communicate in that manner with fellow shifters. Vampires took more effort on his part.

Yes. But I make her nervous. I can’t blame her, returned Garth, wanting Edee to feel at ease around him. He’d never harm her, and he’d kill anyone who dared to lift a hand in her direction.

Tut tells me she’s nae sleeping well, pushed Striker, his attention on the beauty next to him. I found her taking a catnap in the labs earlier in the day. She shouldnae have to steal sleep throughout the day.

Garth locked gazes with Striker. We’ll find my brother, and when we do, he’ll pay for what he’s done to her.

Guid.

That one word hung between them for what felt like minutes.

We’ll find yer woman. She’ll be fine. I feel it in my bones.

Garth let out a long breath. From your lips to Odin’s ears.

Edee leaned slightly into Striker as she held the tablet to her chest, hugging it gently. She then exhaled slowly and extended the tablet in Garth’s direction. “Here you go. Like I mentioned before, it’s everything we could pull up on Landros’s niece and her friend thus far. I’ll check in with Brooke in a minute to see if they found anything else. How about I ask about your woman?”

Striker turned slightly and then faced Garth again. “Auberi seems to be taking this assignment seriously. That’s rare for him.”

It was.

Auberi tended to dismiss most everything. Now he seemed almost on edge. He held the tablet Edee had given him and stared down at it, confusion coating his face.

Rurik snorted, and he stared at the tablet he held. “She is a very attractive American. I would even let her share my bed.”

Auberi snarled and was up and out of his seat in seconds, charging the werebear.

Boomer and Duke intervened, pushing the vampire back.

Duke paled. “Everyone take a deep breath and calm the fuck down so we don’t roll the plane. I’d like to go home to my wife when this is done.”

Boomer gave him a side-eye look and then focused on Auberi. “What’s with you?”

Auberi glared past Boomer at Rurik. “Continue to look upon Landros’s niece in such a manner and I will tear your eyes out!”

Edee sighed. “Alpha males basically leak testosterone, don’t they?”

Garth nodded.

“Could be worse,”

said Striker with a smirk. “The vampire could have been starting another fight with the Viking. Then the entire flight we’d be stuck watching them growl at each other. Turns out they can do that for hours and nae tire.”

Edee grunted. “Men.”

Boomer stayed in front of Auberi. “Listen, I get Landros is your friend. We all like him. And we’re all here to help his niece and the other missing women.”

“Auberi, I thought you said you didn’t know he even had a niece. You’re taking this really hard, friend or not,”

said Duke, taking his seat once more, looking a bit shaken.

Auberi jerked slightly. “I don’t know her.”

Duke lifted a brow. “Could have fooled me with the way you’re acting right now. The Russian made one comment and got your knickers in a twist.”

Rurik held up his tablet so the operatives near him could see it. “I’m not wrong. She is a very attractive American female. So is her friend.”

Edee shook her head, laughing softly under her breath. “I hope when he finds his mate that she’s American. It would serve him right.”

“I hope she’s Russian with his temper,”

added Striker. “And hot. I’m nae gonna shy away from admitting I think all the men are mated to hotties. Makes for great viewing at gatherings. I never miss a barbeque because I know it will be full of hot chicks.”

Edee sighed before giving Striker a quick once-over. “Men are so stupid.”

Striker opened his mouth to protest and then closed it again. He gave a slight nod, indicating he agreed with her assessment. “Aye. We’re nae that bright.”

“Speak for yourself, Scot,”

snapped Rurik from his seat.

“I’m with Russia,”

interjected Duke. “You’re a fucking moron but the rest of us aren’t.”

“Och, at least I can work a cell phone and a DVD player.”

Striker gave the other man a haughty look.

Garth offered nothing profound on the matter. He knew he was a total dumbass when it came to the opposite sex, and he knew his temper often caused him to make poor decisions. No point in denying it. Besides, he didn’t feel like joking around. Not when Nicolette was missing.

“Garth, I know you’re thinking about your special someone. We’ll be there soon. For now, how about you get up to speed on the other two women?”

Edee thrust the tablet at him more, her actions saying she wasn’t going to let him refuse to take it. He eased it from her grip.

Glancing down at the tablet, he found a picture of the single-most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in all his life. A woman he knew in the biblical sense. A woman he’d spent the entire day, from the moment he retook human form, trying to get back to.

He stood fast, clutching the tablet, his mind racing. He looked to Edee. “You said you hadn’t asked Brooke and Laney to look for anything on my woman yet.”

“I didn’t,”

she said with wide eyes. “Why?”

Vaguely, Garth heard someone speaking to him, but he paid them little mind as he continued to stare at the photo on the computer tablet. It took Garth a moment to realize all the men on the private jet were staring at him.

Boomer lifted a dark brow. “Are you all right? You’re kind of freaking out about Landros’s niece.”

“Landros’s niece? What do you mean? This is Nicolette and her roommate, Clara,”

said Garth, still holding the tablet tight. “Nicolette is the woman I was with.”

Edee stood fast. “Garth, are you telling me that your woman and Landros’s niece are the same person?”

He began to shake his head but stopped as he thought about what Nicolette had told him. Her uncle had raised her when her parents died. “No. They can’t be the same. She wasn’t a supernatural. I’d have known. It would have meant my claim on her was true and legit, not something caused by the fucking serum Auberi tampered with!”

Striker stood too. “Fuck. Did you just say you claimed the lass?”

Auberi stared at him, looking lethal. “What do you mean, tampered with? I did nothing to the injection. Well, I did ram the shot into your arm harder than need be, but other than that, I did nothing.”

Garth let the vampire’s words bounce around in his head a second before he felt weak in the knees. Auberi hadn’t screwed with him?

That meant he’d acted out because nature demanded it. Not a serum.

He’d laid claim to Nicolette because it was meant to be. And that meant she wasn’t human. His eyes widened.

Striker grunted. “No one had better ever give me that suppression shite again. That is two alphas it’s taken down in nearly the same manner. That shite should be outlawed, burned, and the recipe destroyed!”

Edee cast him an annoyed look. “Oh, do shut up.”

He closed his mouth for a second, and then looked her up and down seductively.

“Not on your life, buddy,”

she said with a haughty look.

Striker grinned more as if he enjoyed the challenge she presented.

Garth lifted the tablet and stared down at Nicolette’s picture. “I didn’t smell Landros on her at all. She should have smelled like him.”

Boomer stiffened. “Garth, James was worried about you when you left. He wondered if there would be side effects that were similar to what Malik suffered years ago. That shit James had you test may very well have blocked your ability to fully sense everything about the woman.”

“Nicolette,”

he said softly. “Her name is Nicolette, and the woman next to her is Clara. They’re close. Like sisters.”

Edee’s phone dinged and she withdrew it. “Brooke sent the medical records.”

Rurik raised his hand. “Captain, can we revisit the part about you claiming her? You never mentioned that before.”

Duke eyed him. “No. You left that bit off.”

Auberi snarled. “He better not have claimed her!”

Boomer sighed. “We should have really tied you both to your seats before we took off.”

Edee leaned forward, something he was sure took all of her willpower to do, considering what his twin had put her through. She touched the edge of the tablet in his hand. “She’s very pretty.”

“No,”

said Garth straightaway. “She is the single-most exquisite creature I have ever seen in all my years. She is like a Valkyrie on the back of a winged horse, sent from Odin to collect my soul. Being with her was like dying and going to Valhalla. I never wanted to leave her body, or her. I wanted to remain forever there with her.”

Edee offered a sympathetic smile. “Who knew there was a romantic under all that hair and all those weapons I know you have hidden on you?”

He did have a fair number of weapons on him. He always did. At the mention of being romantic, Garth paused. That wasn’t a word that had ever been used in reference to him. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it.

A snarl caught his attention from the other end of the jet. He glanced up to find Auberi being held back by Boomer and Striker.

Malik appeared from the restroom and glanced at Auberi and then Garth.

“What did you do?”

he asked of Garth.

Boomer leaned around Auberi and looked in Malik’s direction. “Apparently, he claimed Landros’s niece.”

Malik’s eyes widened. “Claimed? What? When? I thought you spent last weekend banging a random chick you ran into in Savannah.”

Edee grunted. “Real classy there, Malik. Some chick?”

Malik stiffened. “Um, sorry. I’m just confused.”

“Oh, he spent the night with a woman all right. One he apparently claimed, and who just happens to be Landros’s niece.”

Edee eased the tablet from Garth’s hand. “I’m pulling up the medical reports now. Give me a second.”

Malik drew back slightly. “Shit.”

Auberi snarled again. “You had no business touching her! In fact, you’re not to look upon her at all. Am I clear?”

Malik rubbed his temple, looking incredibly tired. “Auberi, what in the hell is going on?”

Boomer grunted. “He wanted to go at Rurik too when the guy pointed out how attractive Nicolette is.”

Malik stared at Auberi. “You can’t possibly think she’s your mate. Especially if Garth already claimed her.”

Anger bubbled up and out of Garth. “No! She is not his mate! She’s mine!”

For a split second a pin drop could have been heard on the jet. And then, just like that, Auberi tried to attack Garth once more. It took Rurik, Boomer, Duke, Striker, and Malik to hold him in place.

“Fucking vampire is strong,”

snapped Duke, sounding strained. “Can we stake him? Sure, we’ll have to deal with the dust afterwards, but it will put an end to this bullshit.”

Boomer pushed hard against Auberi. “You can’t kill him. My mate will be pissed. That woman has a pet panther and a chimp who are more than willing to do her bidding. Trust me when I say, Lil’ Duke can be a shit when he wants to be.”

Striker groaned. “I’m with Duke. The vampire’s strong. Let’s just kill him.”

Malik groaned. “No killing Auberi.”

“Och, he’s already dead. It willnae count,”

returned Striker. “The Viking pointed it out already today.”

Edee gasped. “Guys.”

Auberi hissed and slashed at the men holding him, his gaze darkening as it remained on Garth. “She is not his mate! He’s not to touch her!”

“Auberi, calm down,”

said Malik.

“Tut, I will tear his heart from his chest if he dares to go near her again,”

said Auberi, his voice deepening, indicating his vampire side was pushing closer to the surface.

Malik lifted one hand off Auberi and put it in the air making a stopping motion. “Take a minute here to think about how you’re reacting to this. You don’t even know Landros’s niece. Why in the hell would you care who she is and isn’t mates with? Tell me you don’t want her for yourself.”

Garth growled.

Auberi jerked back, horror on his face. A line of French spewed forth from him as he called Malik a sick bastard for insinuating that he thought of the woman in that manner.

“Guys,”

Edee said louder than before.

Malik glanced at her. “What’s up?”