Saving the Beast (4 page)

“The Professor called me,” Abby said after a brief moment of silence. “He’s worried.”

“He called you? We’re in the same house! And why the hell would he call you? The last thing you need to do is worry about me. You need to be concentrating on your health and the baby getting ready to make his appearance in this world.”

Abby smiled. “Trust me. I’m not going to do anything to put my child at risk. That doesn’t mean I’m not here for my friends. And we are, you know. Friends.”

Diane smiled. “I know.”

“I’ll never forget the moment you came in my bedroom to see Tah. You checked on him and muttered under your breath before you left.”

“I did? What did I say?” Diane asked.

“You vowed that you’d save him. You made a friend for life in that moment. In me. I heard you, and I found comfort. I knew you would do everything you could to save him.”

“Reno saved him,” Diane said.

“Yes,” Abby agreed. “But you kept me sane with that vow. I was less afraid because you were there. You gave me hope at a time when I felt like my whole world was ending. And you’ve continued to do so. When Tah and Logan were shot, you removed the bullets and saved their lives.”

“Oh, Abby, I’m pretty sure Tah would have survived with or without my help on that one. This shifter ability to heal is something else. Plus, the Professor was the one overseeing everything during the surgeries.” Diane said.

“Overseeing isn’t the same, and we both know it. He trusts you implicitly. There is no one else he even considered when I told him what I’d found.”

“I don’t think I can live up to his expectations of me,” Diane admitted.

“You don’t have to,” Abby countered. “You’re family, Diane. We don’t need you to be perfect. We just need you. As soon as this little guy makes his appearance, we’ll both be down here more to help out.”

“Abby, you’ll have a newborn.”

“Yes, and I’ll have a lot of help with him. I’m very lucky. We’ll set up a playpen for him to sleep in. Between you, me, the Professor and everyone else who wanders through down here, this little guy will be spoiled rotten. And I’ll get the chance to help more. I’m a hell of a scientist. I know my way around research. I should be able to step in and at least give you a break on the constant analyses the Professor has running.”

Diane almost snorted. She wished the Professor good luck in keeping anything from Tah if Abby was down here helping him with his testing.

“Promise me you’ll think about it?” Abby asked. “Staying here with us. I really don’t want you to go.”

Diane believed her. She could see it in Abby’s eyes. Diane had never really had many friends. Most of the people she’d had in her life consisted of colleagues who were as busy as she was. They might share a drink or dinner, usually as a platform to discuss whatever they were currently working on. She’d never once thought she was missing out on something until she arrived here. The deep love Tah, Reno and Logan felt for one another was obvious to everyone. They really were more brothers than friends, and they swept up everyone there in that sense of family. Then there was Abby. For one so young, she mothered all of them. Scolding and offering love and wisdom depending on what was going on. Diane had to admit, she didn’t want to leave. These people were the only family she had. Before, she would have easily walked away. But now, she knew what family was supposed to mean, and despite her self-doubt at the moment, there was no going back.

“I’ll think about it,” Diane vowed. She’d be thinking about a lot of things, but mostly about Zane. If Clara was right, if Diane was his mate, then it was imperative she go after him as soon as possible. The idea filled her with hope and dread at the same time and set off a litany of what if’s in her mind. The most pressing one was what if she was Zane’s mate? What if she really was?

The panther rested in the tree. While it slept, the man struggled to hold on. There was something he needed to do, someone he needed. To protect? To find? To claim? It was all so jumbled in his head. He was sick. He knew that just as he knew the beast was growing stronger as he grew weaker. Soon, the connection between them would cease to exist, and the animal would take full control of the body they shared.

He couldn’t let that happen. It was the one thing he was certain of. He pictured blonde hair and hazel eyes, and the name Diane floated in and out of his thoughts. Briefly, he swore he felt her touch, a phantom caress that wasn’t nearly enough.

As the animal continued to rest, the man found strength by repeating three words over and over.

Diane. Mate. Mine.

Chapter Three

Diane barely slept, and when she did, her dreams were filled with Zane. His golden gaze haunted her, begging her to come find him. In the dreams, he would hold out his hand to her, an engaging smile on his lips as he bid her to join him. But as she drew closer, fog rose up from the ground and obscured him from her sight. No matter how fast she ran or how loud she called, she couldn’t find him.

She finally rose with grim determination. She was going after Zane. Mate or not, she knew she wanted to help him, to save him from the beast taking over. She knew Tah would question her. He might even tell her no. The only thing that might persuade him to give her a chance was if she told him she was Zane’s mate. She still wasn’t sure if she believed it or not. She wanted to. She really wanted to believe Clara was right. Surely, Clara would back her up and go with her to find Zane.

She headed toward the office as soon as she’d showered and dressed. It was the first time she hadn’t gone straight to the labs since she’d arrived, and with each step, she grew more certain, more confident. The door was closed, which meant Tah was there—he only closed it when he was talking with someone. Part of her wanted to walk away, to not interrupt, but another part urged her it was now or never. Taking a deep breath, she knocked and waited.

The door opened, and Reno stood there.

“Hey, Diane,” he greeted, opening the door wide and waving her in. “Come on in.”

She faltered when she stepped beyond the door and saw the group in the room. Tah and Abby, the Professor, Reno, Murphy and Vic. The entire council Tah had put together minus one—Logan. He was probably on patrol with Clara. Diane remembered the couple usually took the early shift.

“Am I interrupting a meeting?” she asked. “I can come back.”

“No, not at all,” Abby said. “In fact, it’s a good thing you joined us.”

“Oh?” Diane asked, feeling uncertain with everyone’s focus on her.

“The Professor stayed up most of the night searching for people who might be interested in coming here to help us out, to give you a hand in the labs with testing and medical care. We’ve managed to narrow it down to four possibilities. We’ll dig a little deeper to see if they’d be able to handle who and what we are without running for the hills,” Tah said, rising and coming toward her.

His gaze took her in from head to toe, and she realized just how much her outburst the day before must have worried him.

“We’ve been remiss in getting you more help. I’m sorry about that. We’ll do everything we can to get it taken care of as soon as possible. We can’t afford to lose you. No one knows us as well as you. We don’t want you to leave,” he finished, letting her know he knew what she’d told the Professor.

“I…” She wasn’t comfortable discussing what she had planned in front of everyone. “I promised Abby I would think about it.”

“And you promised to stay until after the baby was born, regardless,” the Professor reminded her.

He was angry with her, and she understood why. She’d been his first and only choice. He saw the possibility of her leaving as a betrayal.

She nodded. “I did.” Of course, if all went well, she’d be leaving for a little bit despite that promise.

“Best case scenario would be if Clara’s Uncle Thomas appeared,” the Professor grumbled. “He’s a self-trained physician for shifters. I’m betting he would be a fountain of wisdom for us all. Even better would be if I could persuade Orsai to stay.”

Tah sighed. “We can’t afford to send anyone off to search for Thomas right now, especially since we have no definitive direction to search in.”

“Not when we finally have our hands on some money to make upgrades with,” Vic said with glee in her voice. “Well, once Abby goes to Denver to sign for her portion of the inheritance from Professor Mueller’s untimely death.”

A rumble of displeasure sounded from Tah’s chest, and Diane knew he wasn’t happy about his mate going. Abby sighed.

“We’ll wait until after the baby is born,” she said. “That should give you plenty of time to plan whatever you need to in order to get me safely to Denver and back. We need this money.”

Abby was right. They did, especially since none of them had a source of income right now. They were dwindling through the money reserves they had put together with cost of living and upkeep on their vehicles. They needed more than just the money Abby was inheriting from the Professor’s feigned death—a precaution the Professor’s daughter Jess and her wolf mates had taken when the man’s life had been placed in jeopardy. They needed a viable business idea to generate some income for them.

“We’ll get it all figured out,” Reno assured, arms crossed over his chest as if daring anyone to contradict him.

“That we will,” Murphy agreed, rising and walking over to Diane. “How’s Finn doing this morning?”

Diane shook her head. “I haven’t seen him. I came straight here to talk to Tah when I woke up.”

“He’s in the lab by himself?” The Professor’s face showed the horror Diane was feeling at the thought of Finn unsupervised in the labs.

“I’ll head down,” Diane said and began to turn back toward the door.

“No need,” Murphy said, patting her on the shoulder. “I’ll go get him. Make sure he hasn’t caused any mischief for you. You came to talk to Tah. Besides, I’m pretty sure this meeting is over. Too much to do around here to be sitting on our asses talking about it all morning.”

Tah rumbled again, and Murphy laughed. It was good to see Murphy so happy. She remembered the look on his face when he’d brought Finn back so near death. Diane hadn’t believed Finn was going to make it at the time. But he had, thanks to the Professor and his research. Without it, Diane had no doubt that Finn would have died. It was one of the reasons Diane found it so easy to keep her lips sealed for the Professor.

“I’ll head down with you. I want to check on a few things. You can give some more blood while you’re down there,” the Professor told Murphy.

“You’ll be bleeding me dry at this rate,” Murphy bickered good-naturedly as he headed out the door.

“We’ll talk later,” the Professor said to Diane as he passed her. Would he be on her side? Would he back her on her wish to go after Zane? She wasn’t sure.

“That’s my cue, too,” Vic said as she rose to her feet. “I’ve got a wish list to prioritize.”

Reno glanced at Tah. “We’ll talk more later.”

“I don’t want to interrupt,” Diane said. “I can come back another time.”

Reno shook his head. “You came here before you went to the labs. That tells us how important you feel the need to talk to Tah is.” Reno’s gaze bore into hers, making her feel as if he were seeing deep inside and uncovering all her secrets. “I remember the day you arrived. The Professor had talked my ear off about your accomplishments, and I’ll admit, I’d been expecting someone far older. I watched you like a hawk, just waiting for you to make a mistake.”

“I’m sure I made plenty,” Diane said quietly, lowering her head to glance at her feet.

Reno reached out and tipped her chin up. “I have no idea if you did or not. All I saw was a woman dead set on saving my best friend. You didn’t shy away from anything. Every challenge thrown at you, you met head-on. I can’t imagine this place without you. I hope I never have to.” He leaned forward and kissed her softly on the forehead before turning and leaving the room, shutting the door behind him.

Her eyes grew a little damp as she fought to blink back tears. She’d spent a lot of time with Reno when she’d first arrived. One upon a time, she’d fancied herself falling for him. But that had never been a possibility. She’d understood that the day Zane had arrived, and she’d felt a zing straight to her core the first time she’d set eyes on him. Zane—the whole reason she was there now with a foolish plan.

“What can we do for you, Diane?” Tah asked, breaking into her thoughts.

She turned back to face him and Abby. He stood behind his mate, one hip resting on the back of the couch she sat on, a hand rubbing over her shoulder. They looked so good together, so perfect and right. Even now, Abby had the fingers of one hand threaded through Tah’s where it rested on her shoulder, while the other rubbed circles over her distended belly. They were the embodiment of how Diane pictured mates. Watching them, she knew they had what she wanted with Zane.

“I want to discuss Zane,” she said. She was really glad Abby was there. It would be easier to spit it all out with the other woman in the room. Despite Tah’s confidence in Diane, he still intimidated her at times.

Tah came to his feet immediately. “Have you found something? A way to treat the feral cat virus?”

She started to nod, then shook her head.

“Well, which is it? Yes or no?” Tah demanded with that growl of his.

Diane knew him well enough not to take it personally. He was worried, concerned and feeling powerless, something that frustrated him to the point he growled.

“I’d like to talk to you about the possibility of sending someone to find Zane.”

Tah shook his head. “You know we can’t. He’s feral, and from what Clara says, is probably no longer in control of his animal. Going after him could get one of us killed, or get him killed.”

“That might not be the case,” Diane murmured, beginning to feel all her doubts trying to creep back in and make her unsure of herself.

“The only one who would be safe is his mate.” Tah reiterated what they all had been assured of. “So unless you’ve discovered who she is, there’s not much we can do.”