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echoed off the walls. Pain radiated around his hand, and it felt as if he were shoving the
towels clear through her body. Stop! Oh God&
I can t, sweetheart. He kissed her forehead and the corners of her eyes. I know it
hurts. I m sorry.
What are you doing? Ian s angry voice cut through the pain, but Quinn s
torturous pressure didn t lessen.
Get Erin back here. Now!
The panic in Quinn s tone sent dread rippling through the agony. She was dying,
and there was nothing they could do to stop it.
Look at me. She forced her eyes to open and dove into his velvet-black gaze.
You are not going to die. I won t allow it. We have unfinished business, you and I.
Deep within the throbbing pain a spark of hunger ignited. The flicker sent soothing
heat washing over her body, combating the harsher sensations.
44
Therian Prey
That s right. He kept his weight centered over the hand pressing down on the
towels, so he could touch her with his other. Our journey together has just begun. I
have no intention of letting you go.
She whimpered, tears escaping the corners of her eyes. I need a hospital. A doctor,
at least.
You need a healer, and Ian went to find one.
Erin is& Why am I& A moan overtook her voice as a fresh wave of pain burned
reality away. It lapped at her skin and sank into her flesh until she was a massive
stinging flame, surrounded by the stench of death.
* * * * *
Gage stood beside his truck, hands clasped behind his back, expressionless features
masking his fury.
Team Leader made no attempt to hide his anger. How could you let this happen?
His booming voice echoed in the empty parking lot and Gage looked around. There
were no surveillance cameras and no residential buildings nearby, but it wasn t like
Team Leader to be careless even for an instant. His voice dropped to a menacing
whisper as he went on. Why did you take the shot when Carissa was so close to the
animals?
He hadn t been there, he hadn t seen the look in her eyes when the jaguar demon
transformed into a man. They meant to defile her. It was clear. If I hadn t acted, we
would have lost her forever.
Instead we get to wait and see if those creatures can save her life! And they ll be on
guard now. And they ll still try to defile her, so how has our situation improved?
Team Leader s voice rose again, growing louder with each new point.
I ll find a new vantage point and
You will do as you re ordered.
Gage clenched his jaw and muttered, Yes sir.
The small show of deference seemed to calm Team Leader. He shoved his hands
into his pockets and sighed. Direct surveillance is too dangerous right now. They ll
have patrols out combing the woods. We ll have to rely on my contact for updates. They
can t defile Carissa until she s recovered from this mess. That should buy us a couple of
days at least.
Yes sir.
Go get some sleep. You look like shit. Gage nodded and turned toward his truck.
But don t fool yourself for a minute, if Carissa dies, Nehema will come after you.
45
Cyndi Friberg
Chapter Four
Tearing her gaze away from the bank of surveillance monitors, Dr. Carly Ides
glanced over her shoulder and motioned her partner into the observation room. You re
late.
It was unavoidable, Osric muttered as he closed the door behind him. If his
haggard appearance was any indication, his tardiness was the least of his worries.
She d been an ambitious molecular biologist fresh out of grad school when Osric
approached her at a popular bistro in Boulder. Her in-depth study of a rare genetic
anomaly in the Rocky Mountain cougar population allowed her to network with a
select group of scientists Osric needed to access. At first she d thought he d been hitting
on her, but his frequent requests for technical information and obscure lab tests
developed into a sort of undefined partnership.
Then four years ago their casual partnership became a whole lot more complicated
when he presented her with the opportunity of a lifetime . He promised to make her
part of a world beyond her wildest imagination, but first she had to sign an elaborate
nondisclosure contract. Many of the things Osric brought to her previously had been
intriguing and impressive, so she d reluctantly agreed to his condition.
Hidden somewhere in the Rocky Mountain wilderness, the facility she d been taken
to was most easily reached by helicopter so she wasn t sure of its exact location. Part
high-security prison and part state-of-the-art laboratory, Carly hadn t known what to
make of her new home. She headed one of six teams housed within the closed complex.
They weren t allowed visitors and all their outside communications were monitored.
Except for the scientific personnel, everyone was military. However, the soldiers wore
no rank designation or branch insignia. Carly wasn t even sure which country or
countries were funding the unusual project.
Osric was treated with deference by the military personnel, but he frequently
referred to the backers . Carly didn t care about the power structure as long as it
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