SelkiesSeduction (17 page)

“You were going to tell me what you and Sasha talked about?”
The smile didn’t extend to the guard’s eyes.

“She told me she was pregnant and lost the child.” Not like
that was news. “She’s still upset about it. I was surprised she could have a
child by a werewolf, and we talked about that a bit. The interspecies thing.
Then we went to bed. It was late, and we were both tired.”

The guard at the main desk scanned Nikki’s collar. She was
almost getting used to the damn thing, which in itself was an alarming
admission. They continued on to Dr. Kvordic’s office, and Mrs. Simmons was
thankfully silent. Nikki didn’t want to have to make up anything else she’d
have to remember later.

* * * * *

“So how are we feeling today?”

Nikki gritted her teeth at Dr. Kvordic’s use of the royal
we. She was feeling downright bitchy, but prudence told her this probably wasn’t
what he wanted to hear. “A little groggy. I haven’t had my coffee yet this
morning.”

Dr. Kvordic tsked sympathetically, as if his summons hadn’t
yanked her out of bed before her scheduled breakfast arrived. “I’ll have Mrs.
Simmons fetch you some. Cream and sugar?”

“No, black is fine.”
Black as your wretched soul, and
just as bitter.
Again, she held her tongue. Quite a feat really.

The doctor hit the speaker button and asked the guard to
fetch the coffee. That would put her in a good mood, having to fetch for one of
the animals. Nikki felt her mood lighten. Amazing what a little petty revenge
could do for one’s outlook.

Dr. Kvordic leaned both elbows on his desk, steepling his
fingers. “So you have met Sasha. What do you think of her?”

“Think of her?” Nikki shrugged. “She’s okay. Kind of fragile
at the moment. She just lost a child, she told me.”

He shook his head, his lips pursed in disapproval. “Not a
child. A werewolf pup. Given circumstances, I felt it better for the pregnancy
to end now.”

“You aborted her child? I thought she lost it naturally.”
Nikki stared at him, amazed at his bluntness.

“Certain herbs do have that effect when added to food. I
felt it best not to let things progress. The werewolves are volatile enough
without giving the alpha a reason to cause trouble.”

But to kill an innocent child… Nikki didn’t know what to
say.

“I take it you don’t approve.” He sighed. “No matter. I want
you to find out how she managed to get into their compound after I strictly
forbade it. Someone on security must have helped her and I want to know who it
was. I can’t afford to have any traitors on my staff.”

Interesting. Maybe she could finger Mrs. Simmons and her
buddy Stan. That could be amusing. She smiled sweetly. “I’ll try. What’s in it
for me?”

“Ah. Self-interest. I knew you were a sensible young thing.
If you help me catch the traitor, I’ll upgrade your status; maybe let you have
some private time. How would you like that? The guards on security duty
mentioned that you go out of your way to make sure they don’t get a good look
at you. They’ve also noted that you have yet to shift.”

Nikki shrugged. “I can’t shift if I don’t feel safe, and
being locked up in a cage is not conducive to feeling safe.”

“You are safer here than anywhere else.” His voice lost the
friendly, I’m-your-best-buddy tone. “The researchers need to study all aspects
of your shift, so I’ll expect you to comply with the rules and shift on a
regular basis.”

Nikki decided to play for time. Direct disobedience wasn’t
likely to do her much good. Then again, they couldn’t physically force her to
shift. “I’ll try, but it might take a while. Maybe having another selkie in
with me will help.”

He wasn’t buying it. She could tell from the hard look in
his eyes. “You’ve got until sundown tomorrow. If we can’t study your shifting
techniques perhaps we’ll have to take another tack.”

An icy finger of fear crept down her spine. He didn’t
elaborate, but the cold look on his face wasn’t encouraging. How far would he
go to get what he wanted? He’d already killed Sasha’s child without a hint of
remorse. An uncooperative selkie would be no trouble at all, especially since
they’d still have one left. How soon could Wolfe get her out of here?

She let her fear show on her face, and saw the glint of
satisfaction in his eyes. Maybe she’d managed to buy herself more time.

Wolfe studied the men who’d hiked up to meet with him,
holding out his hand to the obvious leader of the group. The Druid rescue squad
had shown up on the ridge above the camp without any fanfare, melting into the
clearing with barely a sound. If Jack hadn’t warned him they were on their way,
he probably wouldn’t have noticed them until they were right on top of him.

He’d talked to them earlier, briefing them on everything he
knew about the captives and their abilities. Although he could describe the
selkies’ talents in great detail, he was a bit vague on the abilities of the
rest of the inmates. The squad had managed to get an aerial map of the
compound, and seemed confident that they could mount a successful mission.

“Good to meet you, Wolfe.” The leader’s handshake was firm. “I’m
Ian, the nominal leader of this bunch. First, let me assure you that we’ve done
lots of rescue missions and we’ve never lost a civilian yet. Jack filled me in
on the details, and we’ve got a preliminary attack plan in place.”

The commander didn’t look like much of a fighter. Slender,
with short red hair and a ready smile, he looked more like the bartender at a
local pub. His voice had a ring of authority though, and when he spoke, the men
in the clearing sat up and paid attention.

Ian turned and nodded to the men behind him. They were
settling to the ground in a semicircle, murmuring quietly amongst themselves.
Despite their reputation, they didn’t look particularly dangerous. Wolfe sure
hoped that in this case, looks were deceptive.

As if he could read Wolfe’s thoughts, Ian grinned. “Don’t
let their looks fool you. That’s Francois.” He nodded toward a dark-haired man.
“He’s our sniper, as well as an expert at hand-to-hand combat. He can hit a
moving target at five hundred yards without breaking a sweat. We’ll be using
him to lay down cover fire for the attack team.”

Francois spoke with a trace of a French accent. “Don’t
worry, man. We’ll get your girl back.”

Ian turned to gesture at the pair of men sitting side by
side under a wide maple tree. “The blond Viking there is Jerry, our weapons and
logistics man, and the bald guy is Tony, our demolitions master. Jerry gets
everything where it needs to go, and Tony blows it up. We can always count on
them.”

“Hey.” The two men nodded at him.

“Over there is Dominic, our vehicle specialist, Hank, our
computer expert, and then there’s Craig.” Ian pointed to each man in turn. “Craig
doesn’t really have a title. He’s more like the resident ghost. He can sneak in
and out of just about anywhere without being seen. And that’s the team.”

Wolfe inclined his head to the group. They radiated an aura
of quiet confidence, and he had a feeling they would make formidable enemies. “I
appreciate you guys coming to help me get Nikki back. So how do we make it
happen?”

“We strike hard and fast. They won’t know what hit them.”
Ian paced the width of the clearing. “Logistics are simple. Our plan is to
launch an attack early tomorrow morning, just before daybreak. The longer we
wait, the more likely that something will give our presence away, and security
is always at its weakest point in the predawn hours. I’m going to lay out the
details, and if you think of anything that might help, feel free to interrupt.”

“Fair enough.” Wolfe moved to a point in the center of the
semicircle and sat down.

“We managed to tap into a government surveillance satellite
to get a map of the compound. The first wave goes in here.” Ian produced a map
from his briefcase and tacked it to a tree. He used a stick to indicate the
east side of the enclosure. “We’ll bring in a helicopter, flying low to avoid
any radar and drop the attack team just inside the perimeter wall. Experience
tells us that when the guards hear the chopper coming, they’ll send the
majority of their forces to meet the perceived threat. We have Tony leading
that charge, so I know you guys will have lots of fun. Try to pull as many of
the defenders as you can. You know the drill. Make lots of noise and take out
as many of the guards as you can, and then fall back when we signal that we
have the captives free.”

The blond giant saluted the commanding officer without
bothering to stand up. A sardonic grin lit his face. “Looking forward to it.
Haven’t had a good brawl in weeks.”

“We’re counting on you. We’ll give you five minutes to draw
the maximum number of defenders away from the main area, and then the selkies
will start freeing the other captives. The compound isn’t full yet, and if they’re
as fast as they claim, everyone should be out within ten minutes and heading
for the rendezvous point on the west wall.” He moved the pointer to a position
just left of the main gate. “The main force will be here. We go in and cover
the retreat of the captives, using lethal force if necessary. Francois and
Dominic will stay up on the hills, laying down cover fire. Remember, those
guards think of our kind as animals. Don’t take chances with them. Once the
fighting starts, the helicopter will ferry the escapees to the staging area and
come back as often as necessary. Whole operation should take less than an hour,
start to finish. If we can grab the head honcho, we want him alive but don’t go
out of your way to find him. Our main objective is to get the prisoners out.
Once everyone is clear we’re going to lob a few percussion bombs in and make
sure those buildings aren’t in any condition to be used for an undertaking like
this again. Any questions?”

The group of men shook their heads, but Wolfe couldn’t help feeling
doubtful. “Sounds pretty simple.”

A ghost of a smile crossed Ian’s face, and he looked at each
member of the team in turn. “Sometimes simple is best. This is what we do,
Wolfe. We’re good. Damn good. Craig over there has an affinity for the metals
of the earth. The guards’ guns will jam when he calls on them and the guards
will be forced to fight without their weapons. They won’t know what to do, and
they don’t stand a chance against our talents. I understand your mate is in
there, and you don’t want to trust her welfare to a bunch of guys you’ve never
met, but it’s going to be okay.”

His smile encompassed the clearing. “Don’t get me wrong. I
know that to you this is personal, but to us it’s just another assignment. No
big deal. You have a personal stake in this, which makes it harder for you to
see things clearly. It might be best if you stayed back here and passed
intelligence to the selkies for us.”

Wolfe shook his head. No way. Not a chance. “Nice try. I’m
going in.”

Ian nodded, understanding in his eyes. “Don’t blame you, but
I had to try. If my woman was in there I’d do the same thing.” He turned,
raising his voice as he addressed his team. “Okay, you big lugs. Time to check
your equipment and get in place!”

Nikki sat on a boulder at the edge of the pond, her bare
toes dangling in the water. It was warm, really. It would be like swimming in a
bathtub. Could she force herself to shift when she didn’t feel safe? It would
be tough.

Maybe she should wait until Sasha woke up. The poor thing
had been exhausted when the guards brought her back this afternoon. She’d
fallen asleep within minutes, sprawled on her bed like a toddler taking a nap.

So what are you wearing?
Wolfe’s voice slid into her
head with the smooth touch she’d come to expect.

Why don’t you come and find out?
She felt her mood
lighten immediately. She wasn’t alone. Wolfe was just a thought away.

Getting ready to do just that.
He sent her an image
of himself, dressed in military camo with an impossibly big rifle tucked under
his arm.

Nikki snorted inelegantly.
Going to be pretty slow going
hauling that thing. Probably take you until Thanksgiving to get here.
But
she felt the corner of her mouth curl up in the beginning of a smile.

The massive gun disappeared to be replaced by a serviceable
rifle slung across his back at a rakish angle.
Better? Seriously, we are on
our way. Plan is to hit just before dawn. There’s a team headed for the far
side of the enclosure to launch a decoy attack. That should draw most of the
guards away from the living enclosures. As soon as they engage, I need you and
Sasha to start letting the other captives out. The main force will come in over
the wall by the main gates. We hope to get most of you out before the guards
realize the rear attack was a ruse.

Not a bad plan.
She nodded thoughtfully.
I’d
better go wake Sasha up and let her know what’s going on.

Not yet. She’s got a couple of hours, let her sleep. We
launch just before dawn. You might want to get some rest too.

That brought up the issue she’d been trying to avoid.
Not
sure I can. They want me to shift, like now.

Not going to happen. You are way too vulnerable in your
otter form. Tell them you’ll shift after breakfast. Look like you’re trying and
then say you need to have rest and a full stomach. Hard on the anatomy and any
other bullshit you can think of. You only need to put them off until dawn.

She could have kissed him, but since that wasn’t possible;
she sent him a brilliant smile.
Of course. As long as they think I’m trying
to be compliant, they’ll be happy. You just better make sure you and your
buddies are on time!

Oh, we’ll be there.
Grim determination colored his
tone.
Now get some sleep. I’ll nudge you when it’s time to get up.

Nikki felt a smile begin to curve the corner of her mouth.
If
you plan on blowing up half the south wall, I’ll probably hear it.

Go to sleep, woman!
Wolfe sent her an image of him
scowling. It might have been more believable if she didn’t hear the humor in
his voice.

* * * * *

Kaboom!

Nikki jumped up, staring around wildly as the ground shook
beneath her feet.

Kaboom!
Another explosion came from off to the left,
and Sasha ran into the room.

“What’s going on?”

Nikki threw her arms around the other girl and pulled her
down on the bed, making sure to keep her voice low. “The rescue team is coming.
Keep your voice down and look scared. I hope that the guards have better things
to do right now than listen to us, but you never know. Wolfe said to give the
guards enough time to send all their forces to meet the diversion. Then we can
start letting everyone out.”

Sasha nodded, her voice shaky. “Trying to look scared
shouldn’t be a problem. Can I let the werewolves out first? I’d feel a lot
better if Jackson were with me.”

Nikki shrugged, keeping one eye on the corridor where she
could see guards hustling toward the noises. “I don’t see why not. Makes sense
to let the predators out first, just in case the Druids need some help with the
guards.”

Sasha closed her eyes, her body going tense. When she opened
them, a slight smile graced her lips. “They’re loose. He’s coming for me.”

Nikki took a deep breath. They were committed now. “Okay,
can you open the other enclosures now? Maybe we can get the werewolves to herd
the inhabitants to the main gate so the Druids can pick them up.”

Sasha raised her brows, and Nikki blinked. “Oh yeah. I guess
having a werewolf nipping at their heels might not inspire confidence.”

Sasha giggled. “No, they tend to look kind of scary, even
when they’re being helpful. And I can’t see the big cat putting up with a wolf.
But they’ll be real helpful if we have to deal with any of the guards. No one
can hold a grudge like a werewolf, and the guards haven’t exactly been nice to
them.”

“You might want to open our door.” Nikki pointed. “Jackson
doesn’t look very patient.”

“Oh!” Sasha jumped up and ran to the Plexiglas wall. “Jackson!”

The alpha paced impatiently in front of the entrance to the selkie
enclosure, with a dozen huge, angry-looking guys right behind him. Nikki
recognized Pete, his second. The rest would be his pack, she presumed.

“The door?” Watching her roommate get so excited she forgot
to unlock the door was amusing, but Jackson looked like he’d be capable of
chewing his way in if he had to.

“Of course. Hang on.” Sasha closed her eyes, and a second
later, a quiet click signaled the door unlocking. Jackson and the werewolf pack
swept in without pause.

Sasha threw herself into her lover’s arms, and the rest of
the pack surrounded them like a living wall of protection. Nikki pitied anyone
who tried to get in their way. How had Dr. Kvordic ever managed to capture them
and keep them subdued?

Wolfe?
Where was he? Watching Sasha and Jackson made
her feel their prolonged separation more acutely.

Right here, darling. How’s the party going?

Started with a bang. Where are you?

Just inside the main gates. I’m heading toward your
enclosure. Is Sasha unlocking the cells for the other creatures?

She started. Jackson just got here so she’s a little
sidetracked right now.

Well, get her back on track. This whole thing hinges on
everyone getting out at the same time.

There was that bossy attitude she’d come to expect from him.
Right now, it made her feel safe. If he was confident enough to start throwing
out orders, then he really believed this was going to work.
Yes sir! But
Wolfe…

What?
He sounded distracted, and she wondered if that
had anything to do with the increase in sounds she heard coming from the center
of the enclosure. Had their ruse been discovered already?

I suggest you don’t try to order her around in front of
Jackson. The way he’s looking at her right now, I doubt he’d take kindly to
anyone so much as looking at her the wrong way.

I know how he feels.
He sent her an image of the two
of them clinched in a body-melting embrace.
When I get you back in my arms,
nobody is going to get within a hundred yards of you unless I approve them
first. And that includes Jack, Trina and any other relatives you might have
lurking around.

Nikki didn’t reply right away. She hadn’t realized how truly
scared she’d been until now. Hearing Wolfe’s voice in her head, knowing that he
was only minutes away suddenly brought home to her how precarious her situation
had been. The doctor and his staff thought they had the right to treat her and
every other creature they’d kidnapped with less dignity than that afforded to
animals in a zoo.
What are you going to do about the doctor and the guards?

Not what I’d like to do. They are secondary. Our primary
goal is to get you and everyone else out of here as safely as possible. If we
can, we’ll capture the doctor and hand him over to the Druid Council. If he
escapes, we’ll worry about him later. We intend to blow up this complex as soon
as everyone is clear so unless he has an escape route planned his best option
is to surrender.

The sounds of fighting at the back perimeter wall were
growing louder, and Nikki was amazed that the guards didn’t seem to be using
those big assault rifles they all liked to tote around with them.

She glanced over to see Jackson and Sasha still clinging
wordlessly to each other. She sympathized, but they had to get moving and get
out of here before the guards managed to regroup. She had no intention of
spending one more night in this lunatic asylum. Time to get Sasha on track again.

She moved carefully toward the werewolves, hoping she looked
nonthreatening. It wouldn’t take much to set the pack off right now, and she
needed them to hold it together for just a little bit longer.

“Sasha. Honey. We have to get everyone out.”

The other girl stirred, her eyes opening slowly. Jackson
turned his head to glare at Nikki, growling low in his throat.

The sound seemed to break through to Sasha and she blinked. “The
others. Of course.” She looked up at her lover. “I can’t let anyone be left behind.
You know that. I have to open the locks.”

Jackson shook his head slowly, a half-smile on his face. “I
had to fall for a do-gooder selkie. Okay, honey, but make it fast.” He loosened
his grip slightly, keeping her within the shelter of his arms.

Sasha tilted her chin up, closing her eyes. A frown marred
her forehead as she concentrated. Nikki stood to the side of the group. It was
impossible to tell if Sasha was succeeding, or how many creatures she had
already released. The pack stood silently by, ready to protect their leader and
his mate if needed. While she had to admire their loyalty, Nikki found their
unsmiling faces intimidating.

Wolfe?

“Right behind you.”

It took her a split second to realize that his voice wasn’t
in her head. Twirling, she threw herself into his welcoming arms.

“If you promise to look this happy to see me every time I
show up, I might let you wander off a little more often.” The relieved gleam in
his eyes belied his words.

Nikki didn’t care. For just this tiny moment in time, she
didn’t care if he knew how much he meant to her, or who else saw them. She
lifted her face, and he immediately seized her lips, kissing her thoroughly.
She felt her heart settle firmly into place, as though part of it had been
missing. Lordy, how would she ever be able to give him up?

“My turn to say break it up.” Jackson stood in front of
them, his arm wrapped possessively around Sasha. “She’s opened all of the
enclosures except the one over at the end. We’re not sure who’s in there, but
just from the security, I’m guessing it’s one nasty dude. Any thoughts? Do you
know what’s in there, and if it’s safe to let that thing out?”

Nikki snuggled a little closer against Wolfe. “The doctor
calls it Belgarius, and the guards warned me to stay away from there. I think
it’s some kind of magic wielder, but I’m not sure what. A sorcerer maybe? They
refer to it as a he so it’s not likely a witch.”

“Sorcerers aren’t that powerful. It could be one of the
Tuatha De Danann.” Wolfe frowned. “Very few of them bother to visit this world,
but when they do they tend to be nasty.”

“I don’t want to leave anyone here.” Nikki looked up at
Wolfe. “Surely if we freed him, this Tuatha whatever, he would have to be
grateful?”

Wolfe snorted. “Don’t be assigning human emotions to one of
the fae. They operate under their own set of morals. Still, we have no idea if
that’s what is actually in there. Any creature would be rightly pissed at being
captured by this lot. I say we wait until we’re all mostly clear, then let it
out.”

Jackson nodded, a nasty grin on his face. “Sounds fair. If
it has any kind of power, it’s more likely to go for the doctor and guards than
for us. Nothing like a little payback.”

“Okay then.” Wolfe looked at Sasha. “Are the other
enclosures all open?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Then it’s time to get moving.” He tucked Nikki behind him
and pulled a pistol out, checking the clip before tucking it back into his
waistband. “Stay close. We’re heading for the main gate, so if we get separated
head for there. There’s an extraction team waiting there to ferry us out of the
area.”

“We’re right behind you.” Jackson and the wolf pack spread
out in a tight formation behind them.

They made it halfway across the enclosure without incident,
keeping to the shadows at the sides of the path. The panther joined them at the
first intersection, stalking proudly down the center of the pathway and
ignoring the werewolves and their companion completely.

Nikki studied it curiously. Was it a shifter or not? The
intelligence in its eyes and the calm acceptance of competing predators
indicated human intelligence, but it would have been better able to communicate
in human form.

“Maybe he doesn’t want to communicate.” Wolfe answered her
unspoken question. “Humans aren’t my favorite species right now either.”

“And he probably feels a whole lot safer with fangs and
claws,” Jackson quipped from behind her. “I know I would.”

“Still…” Nikki started at a movement up ahead.

A guard stepped out from behind one of the buildings, his
rifle aimed directly at Jackson. “Stay right there, you dumb dogs!”

He sounded more scared than authoritative. Wolfe tensed, but
before he could make a move, one of the werewolves snarled and leaped directly
at the muzzle of the gun. Terror lit the guard’s face, and he pointed the
weapon at the werewolf, pulling the trigger repeatedly.

“Shit!” Panic lit the unfortunate man’s eyes as the weapon
refused to fire. The wolf grabbed the man in one fluid motion, breaking his
neck with a swift twist of his arm and letting the corpse fall to the ground.