Divided Loyalties-epub (8 page)

He coughed, but managed to say, “Kill me.”

She shook her head. She couldn’t kill her own father. “Hang in there. I’ll get help.”

“Too…late. Mutant. Virus.” He started to convulse in her arms, his skin much too hot.

“Hang on, damn it.”

He cupped her cheek with a shaky hand. “Kill me before…” He coughed again then continued, “…I turn into…mutant.”

She peered over her shoulder to the creature she’d killed and shuddered. Grief hit her hard, and she knew he was right. After all, her brother-in-law was a shifter and had warned them of the mutants.

With slow movements, she rose and walked over to where she’d dropped the gun. After picking it up, she aimed. “I love you, Dad.”

A gunshot echoed off the trees in the forest around her, bringing her back to the present. A mutant lay dead on the forest floor at her feet.

A moment later something large and heavy hit her in the side, knocking her to the ground, hard enough to knock the wind out of her. She struggled to catch her breath as she started into the eyes of a mutant. Two-inch-long fangs poked out from its top lip. Its eyes glowed an unnatural gold.

She raised the gun, but before she could fire, he gripped her hand and slammed it to ground, knocking the gun out of her grip. Pain shot through her wrist and traveled up her arm. She ground her teeth together, forcing the pain away.

With her uninjured hand, she swung at the mutant’s head as hard as she could. She felt the sting of the slap the instant her hand made contact. It didn’t, however, hurt the creature, but it did distract it long enough for her thrust her hips sideways to throw him off balance.

The beast let out a growl as she scrambled from under him, desperate to get to her gun. Just as she reached out and grabbed her gun, the mutant latched on to her ankle and squeezed. She cried out at the same time she swung her arm around, aimed, and fired.

The shot echoed through the forest, and the mutant dropped with a heavy
thud
beside her.

When she stood, Hayden stepped into her line of sight. She met his gaze and blinked. “You froze up.”

She pursed her lips and went to move around him. She so didn’t need to be told that. Yeah, she’d fucked up. “It was nothing.”

“Nothing hell. You could have been killed.”

She swung around and met him head-on. “That would solve a lot of our issues, now wouldn’t it?”

“You don’t mean that.”

When she said nothing, he drew his brows together and reached out to touch her cheek. She slapped at his hand and stepped back. Of course she didn’t mean it, and she didn’t think for a minute that he believed that.

Damn it, she’d fucked up. Freezing up when facing a mutant went against everything she’d learned during training. It wasn’t like her.

Hell, she’d never frozen up before. The memories hit her hard, and she didn’t know why. She turned and walked back to the den, not really caring if there were more creatures out there.

“Christa.” Hayden’s stern voice boomed through the forest. She didn’t look back; she couldn’t look at him. She was afraid she’d see that he thought she was weak. Why did she care? She was still going to leave as soon as the twins were safe and secure.

Once she exited the forest into the den, she headed straight to the medical center. All the while she heard Hayden’s heavy footsteps behind her. She closed her eyes briefly. He wasn’t going to let this drop. He’d probably give her a lecture. She sure would if the situation was reversed.

She entered the building and stilled.

Standing in the middle of the large waiting area was a mutant, or at least Christa thought it was. This one was female and looked more human than any she’d ever seen.

The female’s eyes grew round, and she tightened her grip on the armful of food and a first aid kit. “Please, let me go. I’m not here to harm anyone.”

Shock made Christa draw back and study the female a little more. Just then Hayden stepped inside. Christa grabbed his arm when he stopped next to her and drew his gun. “Wait. She can speak. I’ve never heard any of them speak.”

Hayden pulled his arm from her grip and took a step forward. The female mutant backed up a step. A tear rolled down her cheek, and Christa saw real terror in her eyes.

“What do you want, female?” Hayden asked in that commanding tone of his.

The female shifted her gaze from him to Christa and back to him before peering at the floor. “Just food and some supplies.”

“Supplies.” He indicated to the first aid kit. “You don’t appear to be hurt.”

She started to shake, and Christa almost felt sorry for her. This mutant was not at all like the blood-hungry monsters she’d tracked over the last eight years. No, this one still had her humanity.

“Speak, female.”

Hayden’s harsh tone made both of them jump. Christa watched as the female took a deep, shaky breath before answering. “My friend is hurt. He’s dying.”

“Where?”

She hesitated and looked up to meet Christa’s gaze. Christa didn’t say anything. She couldn’t really. Hayden was the superior in this situation.

“I’ll show you,” the female said and pointed to the door.

Hayden stepped aside to allow her to pass.

They followed her to the back of the den to a small dilapidated house. The mutant walked to the back of the house and into the only bedroom still intact. Christa’s gaze went to the dirty mattress on the floor where a male mutant lay.

She gasped and covered her mouth. It couldn’t be.

But it was.

She’d know the brown and gold fur of her brother-in-law anywhere. Only this wasn’t Rick, not fully. She’d always thought he’d just gone rogue, but the man in front of her was no ordinary rogue. He was a mutant.

Her sister’s husband.

The twins’ father.

Hair covered his body, but unlike other mutants Rick had pants on. His extended fangs weren’t as large as the others either. Then there was his eyes. They held more clarity like he’s been lifted out of a fog or something.

His eyes grow large when he met her gaze, then grew shiny. He shook his head and started to sit up. The female mutant rushed over and placed a hand on his shoulder. “No, Rick. Don’t sit.”

He didn’t take his watery eyes off Christa as he lay back down. “Sorry,” he said and held out a hand to her.

Christa shook her head and ran out of the house. Outside, she fell to her knees and released the hold on her pain, her tears. Her whole body shook as she just cried for the parents she’d lost and her sister, who’d died by the hand of her mate.

Hayden’s warm, large arms lifted her off the ground and cradled her to his chest as he walked. She didn’t bother to speak. Instead, she gave into the warmth of him and allowed him to care for her. Even if it was only for the moment.

Hayden had suspected Christa held on to demons from her past. The panic she’d experienced when they first arrived at Hunter Ridge and he’d brought inside the dark house was only one clue. The next was her lack of trust in all things shifter except her niece and nephew.

Now he was certain that something traumatic had happened to her. Whether it was before she became a Shield hunter or after he wasn’t sure.

Because trained soldiers—human and shifters alike—didn’t freeze up in the middle of an OP.

He carried her into the temporary house and sat on the sofa and held her. Brenna and Bryce were there in an instant, taking Christa’s hands in theirs to offer their love and strength. He didn’t push them away or tell them to leave. After all, they were her family, her small Pack.

The twins didn’t ask any questions. Then again, they could already know.

Hayden dug out his cell from his jeans pocket and called Blaine. The Alpha answered on the first ring.

“Yeah!”

Hayden sighed. “I need you to bring Ana here.”

“What do you want with my sister?’

He really didn’t want to do this over the phone, with the twins so near. “There are a couple of mutants that have taken shelter in the ruins of the den. One is dying, and the other…appears more human than any others I’ve seen.”

Blaine let out a growl. “Why haven’t you killed them? Are you going soft on me?”

Hayden chuckled, but there wasn’t much amusement in it. “They can speak and one looks more human than beast.”

“Christ. We’ll be there in five.”

Blaine hung up without another word. Hayden ignored the stares from the twins and focused on Christa. “Has she ever been attacked by a mutant?”

Brenna went to speak, but Bryce spoke before her. “Grandma and Grandpa were.”

“Bryce.”

“Shush, Brenna. Christa holds on to too much guilt. She needs to realize she did the right thing.” Bryce met Hayden gaze with the dominance of a senior soldier. Pride bloomed in Hayden’s chest at the boy’s confidence and strength.

“We overheard Mom and Christa talking once. During the attack, Grandpa was infected with the mutant virus.”

Hayden’s chest tightened. He could guess what the outcome was, but he still asked, “What did she do?”

“I killed him,” Christa said.

Hayden ran his knuckles down her cheek. “The twins are right. You did the right thing. There was nothing you could have done to stop it.”

Christa wiggled out of his hold to stand. “Just like there was nothing I could have done to stop my sister’s mate from going rogue and killing her. I know.”

“Then why does it still haunt you?”

Christa drew her nephew and niece into a hug, one on each side of her, and pressed a kiss to each of their cheeks. “Because Rick was still out there. Until a few moments ago, I’d wondered if he too had been turned.”

Both Brenna and Bryce tensed, their bodies going taut, forcing Christa’s hold to tighten around them. Fear crept into Brenna’s eyes. Hayden quickly filled in the blanks.

Until a few moments ago…

The dying male mutant. He apologized to her. At the time Hayden had thought the creature was out of his mind from whatever was killing him.

Hayden stood and stared into her hazel eyes. “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know.”

She was lying. Hayden could smell the sharp scent roll off her, and he was sure the twins smelled it too. Yet, they remained silent.

Before he could call her on that lie, a knock sounded on the door. He whirled around and yanked open the door. Blaine raised a brow at him. Hayden just grunted and motioned outside. Blaine stepped aside, and Hayden walked out of the house, leaving Christa to either stay or follow.

He really didn’t care what she did. It pissed him off that she withheld information from him. It didn’t matter that they’d just met and she was in denial about the mating. She was his, damn it, and he was going to have her.

Soon.

Ana fell in step with him and Blaine as they made their way to the back of the den. “Is this human-like mutant female?”

Hayden nodded.

“Have you hurt her?”

That made Hayden miss a step. “No. She a friend of yours?”

“Yes, she is.”

Hayden speared a questioning glance to Blaine, who just shrugged and didn’t seem concerned about Ana’s admission. From what Hayden had heard, Ana passionately hated the mutants so much that she’d spent her adult life killing them while living in the Onyx den.

When they approached the ruins the mutant used for shelter, Ana ran inside calling out, “Gina!”

The female mutant met them in what used to be the living area of the house. “Ana? Why are you here?”

Ana hugged the female tight. “I’m here for you, silly.”

“I can’t go back. Please don’t take me back.”

Hayden took a step forward, and Gina started to shake and looked as though she was about to bolt. Ana held up a hand and took one of Gina’s with the other. “Gina, we aren’t going to take you back to Onyx. I escaped Felix too. I have a new home in a loving Pack.”

Gina looked at Blaine then Hayden before returning her attention to Ana. “Rick is with me. It’s my fault he’s dying.”

Hayden saw the slight tension in Ana’s shoulders at the mention of the other mutant. “Does Onyx name all their mutants?”

Ana peered at him over her shoulder, her leopard in her gaze. “No. Only ones like Gina can remember their names before the turn.” She turned to Gina. “Show me.”

Gina nodded and walked to the bedroom, where Rick still lay on the mattress. “He’s asleep.”

Hayden cleared his throat. “We need to question her.”

Ana nodded. “Gina, come with us. Just outside so we can talk. Can you do that?”

Gina peered down at Rick and nodded.

“Good.” Ana linked her fingers with Gina’s and lead her out of the house.

Blaine ran a hand through his short black hair. “Go get Tanner, Christa, and the twins. We’ll have a fucking show and tell party.”

****

Christa sat next to Hayden on the ground with the others. She wasn’t sure what to expect. Hayden hadn’t said much when he came and got her and the twins, although, by the wary glances she got from Blaine, she could guess that this meeting wasn’t only to talk about the mutants.

Averting her gaze from the Alpha, Christa focused on Ana, who sat next to Gina, holding her hand in a comforting way. Christa didn’t know much about Ana other than she’d grown up in the Onyx Pack and had only recently moved into the Ashwood den.

Blaine let out a sigh from where he stood against the wall, arms crossed over his broad chest and feet crossed at the ankles. She wondered if he knew his attempt to look relaxed wasn’t working out so well.

He just looked tired.

“Ana, please explain. I need to get back to my mates.”

Ana flicked her brother an irritated glance before turning back to Gina. “I was sent to kill Gina several years ago. Fath—” Blaine let out a growl that Christa felt deep in her bones. Ana took a deep breath then continued. “Felix knew the virus hadn’t taken in Gina and ordered her death. At the time I was assigned to ‘put down’ rogue mutants.”

Hayden snorted. “Mutants can go rogue. Weren’t they made to go rogue?”