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A mouse nibbled the corner of Racheal’s granola bar before scurrying across the table.

She looked up from her microscope, rubbing her fingers to warm them before bringing the blood sample back into focus. “Where’s a cat when you need one.”

“How long did you think you could avoid me?” Hunter growled.

She shivered as his growl resonated through her. She refused to look up from her microscope. Time was a commodity she no longer possessed. “If you’re smart,” she said, “you’ll walk back out that door and pretend you never saw me.

The irritation in his voice was evident. “Not gonna happen sweetheart.”

Racheal turned, taking in the sexy male standing with his hands on his hips.

His dark hair and eyes, similar to his brother Devon’s.

She had sworn that she would protect his species and do as much as she could to reverse some of the damage, she had inadvertently helped orchestrate which meant keeping his species as far away from her as possible. “Who are you?”

“Hunter Cascade.”

“What do you want?” she asked.

His eyes flashed amber. “You.”

She rolled her shoulders, inhaling his masculine scent. “Why?”

“Don’t play stupid Racheal. We both know you’re too smart for that.”

Racheal zipped her jacket to the top. Her breath fogged the air as she exhaled loudly. “I can’t go with you.”

His eyes narrowed. “I’ve spent the last month tracking you down and I’ve had a permanent hardon the entire time.”

Racheal frowned. “Don’t you find that a little suspicious? Even for your species?”

“Absolutely. Since you’ve been working for the Kallans’ perhaps you could explain it to me.”

Racheal hissed. “I was abducted. Forced to work for them. I didn’t do anything by choice.”

His eyebrows went up. “You just lied to me.”

“It’s none of your business,” she said.

He folded his arms. “I assure you. Everything to do with you IS my business. Besides, I promised Sarah I would bring you back safely.”

Racheal rubbed her arms at the mention of her best friend. “Sarah doesn’t have all the facts. She’s safe with Devon.”

“Is she?” Hunter leaned into her before glancing at the various pieces of equipment of her makeshift lab. “What’re you doing? Haven’t you had enough experimentation for one lifetime?” The disgust in his voice was evident.

She wanted to tell him he had no idea of the hell she’d gone through, but his scent reached her nostrils.

Her nipples peaked, chafing against the material of her bra.

Her core tightened, causing a streak of pain to radiate through her abdomen.

She hissed. He wasn’t just a Cascade shifter. He was the one. Her mate.

He squinted. “What’s wrong?”

She let out a stuttered breath. “You have to get away from me before it’s too late.”

He sniffed the air, backing up a step. “I won’t hurt you.”

“You will,” she snapped, placing her hand on her stomach.

“We know you were forced to help the Kallans’ experiment on my species. Sarah wants you to come home. Our home.” His eyes held a glint of amber before returning to their natural blue.

Racheal closed her eyes. Sarah. The only person she knew who truly loved her. The woman she loved like a sister. The one she’d betrayed. “I have to finish my work. I’m doing this for Sarah. For your species. You have to LEAVE.” The desperation in her voice was evident.

“I promised Sarah I would bring you home safely and that’s exactly what I intend to do.” He persisted.

Racheal took a calming breath. “Look. I knew she would send you, but she didn’t have all the facts. I can’t be around you or your species. I’m toxic to you.”

“How so?” Hunter asked.

“Jordan injected me with a compound similar to the serum that enhances your mating drive. It will make the males around me... aggressive.” She didn’t want to give him the sordid details. Going through it once was enough.

“Can you fix it?”

“I’m trying to make a serum to counteract the one he made.” She motioned to the vials of blood on the rusty steel counter. “These samples are mine.”

“Will it work on the shifters that Kallan already experimented on?” he asked.

“It’s possible, but Kallan’s subjects all died,” she said.

“Not Cyril.”

“That’s impossible. He should be dead by now.” Her mind raced at what she could have missed. The things they did to Cyril were worse than any other subject she knew about. It made her wonder if Jordan had hidden information from her or if the cougar species had other gene markers she had missed.

“He’s damaged, but alive. He isn’t the only one.” Hunter’s tone serious.

She blew on her fingers, knowing she should have suspected this.

Kallan had samples from most of the shifter species he was aware of.

If Hunter knew the scope of her research, he would never willingly bring her back to his family.

His home. She injected authority into her tone.

“I’m sorry. I’ll try to help, but you need to leave so I can finish my work. ”

He folded his arms. “Hmm. Since we have less than ten minutes before Kallan’s men get here, I’m thinking your time would be better spent grabbing the items you need before we leave.”

“No. They don’t know I’m here. I was very careful. I used every tactic Sarah taught me,” she stuttered.

“Sarah is good, but Kevin Kallan has unlimited resources. I couldn’t track you, but his soldier’s movements are easy. When they started setting up a couple blocks from here, I knew you were close.”

“How did you find me?”

“I’ve had your scent burned into my body since the day you ran into Devon.”

She believed him. He was already affected by her. She could see it in his possessive gaze. She wanted to tell him that she would literally be the death of him if he stayed, but the thud of boots on the pavement outside indicated her time was up. “I need my work.”

“Grab it quickly. They’re in the building next to us.” He said looking through the blinds that covered the window.

Racheal was always prepared to run. She took the blood sample off the microscope and put it over the bunsen burner flame, discarding the slide in the trash after it turned black.

She shoved her papers and the vials into the knapsack that held all her research, slipping the straps onto her back after zipping it. “I’m ready.”

Hunter held his hand out to her. “Follow my lead. Don’t talk.”

She contemplated running from him. Saving him. Fear her research would end up in Kallan hands made her decision. She slipped her fingers around Hunter’s. The man she had just condemned.

* * *

Hunter’s whole body tensed as her small hand gently grasped his.

Her bones were more delicate then he had first thought.

He had taken in every detail of her body.

The long black hair that had him longing to bury his face into.

Her sad brown eyes that made him want to take away the darkness that surrounded them.

Her pink lips that he needed to nibble and her far too skinny frame that told him she had missed too many meals since she had been on the run.

He had seen pictures of her on Sarah’s phone.

She was a skeleton compared to the woman on that phone.

His cat had gone berserk when he smelled her from across the street.

He’d been thankful he’d gotten to her before Kallan’s men, but he didn’t have a lot of time to get her to safety.

Sarah wanted her back at the lair. Hunter wanted her for himself.

He acknowledged his cats need for her. He would be doing everything he could to get her to mate with him.

First, he needed her safe. “We can cross to the adjacent building from the roof. They’re sweeping the bottom floor right now. ”

“I know I set up the eisel to the next building when I moved in here two weeks ago.” She said.

“Smart.” He watched as she scanned the exits. His cat was sending him images of her abandoning him as soon as they got away from Kallan’s men. It was infuriated that she didn’t recognize the connection between them.

They raced up the stairs to the roof, slamming open the door as shouts from below reached them. “They found my lab.”

Hunter heard the men enter the stairway. “We have to hurry. Are you afraid of heights?”

“Not anymore,” she said.

He didn’t have time to question her unusual answer as they sprinted to the eisel connecting the buildings. “You go across first. I’ll be right behind you.”

She was halfway over the beam when the doorway on top of the building they were headed toward, slammed open with multiple soldiers in black exiting it. She turned to Hunter. “You need to go. You can jump to the trellis two floors down. You’ll make it.”

Hunter stepped up on the beam. She had every intention of sacrificing herself so he could get away. “You may have studied our species, but you obviously don’t understand us.” He knew he sounded angry.

“Don’t be...” She sucked in a quick breath as the dart hit her in the back.

Hunter grabbed her, flipping her onto his back as he jumped to the trellis below.

It made a loud creaking sound as he landed.

He didn’t wait to see if the rusty frame would hold.

He jumped to the next one down before ducking into the building.

He ran down the steps and onto the street.

He was thankful his SUV wasn’t far away.

He was quick, but not quick enough to outrun bullets.

He slipped Racheal into the front seat before doing a screeching U-turn, heading back to the cabin Cade had arranged for him when he crossed the border into Canada.

He heard Racheal struggle to sit up properly in her seat.

“You should be out cold.” He had taken the dart out of her back during the jump. It had been a clean hit.

“I’ll metabolize it quickly I just need some time,” she whispered.

“You’re human. And if that’s the same shit he uses on us it’s potent...”

“I’m mostly human, but it isn’t the modified version. He won’t use that on me. He wants me back.” She fought to keep her eyes open.