Sword of Inquest (La Patron's Sword Book 1) (11 page)

Chapter 20

Early the next morning before the sun peeked over the horizon, dressed in beige khaki’s, Asia and Hawke strode across the tarmac to the sleek jet parked on a far corner of Chacal’s land. They would fly to London, and catch another flight to New York. Excited that Hawke fixed the problem with the test wolves, Asia was ready for him to meet Jasmine and La Patron. She hoped Hawke would work in La Patron’s lab to help her pack win against the Liege.
Besides, she wanted Jasmine to meet Hawke. Dr. Passen would be in heaven with all the information her mate stored in his brain.

The large hangar held another jet, and a helicopter sat on a pad nearby.
They didn’t come into contact with anyone else other than Chacal this morning when he joined them for breakfast. Asia wondered who cooked the two meals they had eaten since arriving. Did the odd man live alone? When breakfast was done, Chacal placed a tablet in Hawke’s hand and left the room. The tablet held instructions for them to reach Chacal’s private airstrip.

Although grateful for the hospitality, the food and much needed rest Chacal
creeped her out. The old man’s silence and stealth-like movements were the stuff of spy movies. Returning home sounded better than ever.

The tablet held a picture of the plane, captain and one person crew. Those individuals met
them as they approached. Asia suspected Chacal had done the same for them.

Hawke greeted the two males while
she scanned the area. A stiff breeze brushed the back of her neck. She couldn’t get a handle on what made her skin itch. Her beast stood, sniffed a few time before releasing a low, rumbling snarl. An elusive scent tickled her nose.

“
Tell them to leave the plane and walk away.”
Asia told Hawke, trouble headed in their direction.

“
Done. What’s coming?”

“Don’t know, yet.”
She sensed Hawke move in the opposite direction of the hangar. Good thinking, they didn’t want any damage to Chacal’s property. They still needed a ride out of here.

“
Incoming
.” Hawke bulked into his hybrid and ran to the left away from plane into the nearby woods. He moved so fast Asia turned and for the briefest second saw the tattered ends of his shirt flapping in the wind.

A burst of air blew past
her almost spinning her around. “What the…” She jumped back as something ran by her in blurring speed. Worse, she hadn’t picked up anyone or thing on her scan. A loud thump and then crunch came from behind her. Two blue spotted… huge beasts attacked the plane, rendering it useless in a matter of seconds. And then jumped to the other plane, repeating their motions. Before she could react, they leapt forward and headed in the same direction as Hawke.

Hawke.
Asia took off at a run.

“
Don’t… shift. They… have cameras… Liege will see… you.”

“
Dammit, you have to stop doing this. Stop trying to protect me. I’m La Patron’s warrior. This is what I do.”

“Argue later.”

Hawke’s short response sent a shaft of fear rolling through her. What were those things? How did she kill them? She increased her speed and followed the trail of broken limbs and fallen trees. Her eyes widened at the bloody sight.

Hawke fought like a man possessed,
his movements so fast she could barely make them out. The sound of flesh hitting flesh, bones breaking and rearranging, bodies flew in all directions, but they didn’t stop, they came back at him like a fucking Duracell battery.

Three of
them piled on top of him and her wolf flipped. Running forward, she morphed in a hybrid. Asia’s twelve inch claws plunged into the face of the nearest… whatever it was. While impaled, she lifted it from the pile and rammed it into a tree. She placed both hands on its face to twist off his head but the damn thing wouldn’t move. “What the…”

Something, a sledge hammer perhaps, hit in the back of
her head, she released the beast and stumbled a few steps. The thing she had held shook its head a few times as its flesh repaired.

Oh shit. What the hell had the Liege created? The beast behind
her took a few steps back like a bull, and charged. At least that hadn’t changed, these things always charged. Asia stepped aside and slammed her steel fist into his stomach sending him flying forward into a tree so hard the trunk cracked. The beast slumped to the ground, rolled to his side, the back of his head split open like a melon.

Asia
jumped in time to miss a punch to the face and rolled across the ground. There had to be a way to knock these things out, at least long enough for them to get away. She picked up a fallen limb and brandished it like a spear. The beast snarled, and she had a strange feeling he laughed at her makeshift weapon. She glanced at Hawke. He held his own but his movements had slowed, he favored his right side.

Two of these creatures weren’t moving, but the two that
were, had an unholy light in their eyes. Asia suspected Lord Boris channeled his excitement through these beasts. Filthy bastard. The beast in front of her charged, again. She side stepped him, but this time he changed directions, following her.

She
leapt into the air and jammed the sharp point of the limb down through his skull. The tip of the stick came out at the end of his spine. Claws outstretched, he staggered a few steps. The glow in his eyes dulled and then he fell. Asia picked up another limb and speared the beast on top of Hawke.

The loud howling sound coming from the defeated thing sent chills down
her spine. For a moment, she thought Lord Boris screamed his frustration. Enjoying that image, she kicked the beast a few more times, moving it off Hawke and stooped to check his pulse. The strong, steady beat eased her concerns, even though his eyes were closed. There were marks all over his body where they stabbed and cut him with their claws. Asia frowned. The wounds should be healing instead of oozing blood.

“Hawke?”
She slapped his face.

“
Don’t talk, use the link. The cameras are still live.
”

Asia
closed her eyes, grateful to hear his voice, even if he insisted on telling her what to do. “
What happened? What were those things? I need to move you, but you’re bleeding and it’s not stopping
.” She tried to keep the panic from her voice and failed.

“
Their nails were dipped in the same serum used in tranquilizers, sent traces of it into my system. Everything’s slowed. I’ll heal, it’ll just take longer.”
He turned, opened his eyes and looked at her. “
Smart
.” Hawke laughed and then started coughing. “Genius, y
ou copied my hybrid. Boris and the others probably thought they were seeing double. That’s genius.
” He returned to human.

Warmth from
his compliments warred with concern over his condition and their open location. “
You’re the genius, at least that’s what the rumors say.
Can you stand? I want to get you out of these woods before the tranq drags you completely under
.”

Hawke
rolled to the side, held his head a moment and then pushed. She helped him stand and stabilized him. “
When you’re feeling better, we’re going to talk. You ran off –”

“
I needed to know who their target was
.”

Asia
didn’t know what to say, she’d thought he tried to keep her safe.

“
There… There was a project
…” He coughed and almost fell. She bulked a bit more and held him steady. “
Bluebird, it wasn’t ready, far from it, but it looks like… like it had a test run today.”

“
Bluebird? Is that why their skin looked funny?”

“Funny?”
He glanced at her and then at the forest floor, picking his steps carefully.

“
Speckled. They had blue speckles
.” Asia frowned in concentration. “I saw something like that before… where?” The memory teased her.

“
At the lab
?” His steps faltered.

“
I
think so. But not in the lab, afterward maybe. In the forest with the others
.” Trying to remember, she shook her head and held him tighter. Their movements slowed. She didn’t think he’d make it out of the forest. “
Let me carry you.
”

“
What? No. I… can make it to the hangar. I’ll lay down there and then
…” He stumbled. She grit her teeth and held onto his waist. The only way they would make it to the hangar before night fall was if she carried him. Asia doubted he’d last five more minutes.

“
Hawke
.”

He
stiffened and continued walking without answering her.

Hawke
stopped. “
Someone’s coming
.”

Asia
morphed into the male from this morning but retained the extra strength needed to help her mate.

The scent hit
her the same time he spoke. “
Chacal
.”

Hawke straightened.

A few moments later the older male stood in front of them dressed in a white ruffled blouse, black tights and matching boots reminding her of a painter from a bygone era. Asia didn’t sense any emotions from him. Not anger, curiosity, fear, nothing. No one spoke. She wrapped her arm around her mate’s waist in preparation to walk past the man. Hawke needed to rest not stand in a staring match.

Chacal
waved them forward and turned. Relieved they had someplace for Hawke to sleep and heal, Asia tightened her hold and walked him out the forest. A large golden brown Mercedes was parked not far from their exit. Chacal surprised her and sat in the driver seat. She opened the back seat for Hawke, assisted him inside and climbed in next to him. Next, she wrapped her arm around him and held him close. Chacal glanced at them in the rear view mirror and drove.

The drive took them pass the hangar. The damaged planes looked like a toddler had thrown a tantrum and broken his toys. How would they leave now? Once she got Hawke settled, she’d contact Mistress and give an update. The silent return drive to the house took less time than she remembered. Had it been a two hours ago they’d prepared to board a plane and leave. So much happened in such a short period. Asia couldn’t believe the Liege was still creating monsters.

“
Damn Liege
.”

The car stopped. Instead of parking in front of the house,
he entered an area she assumed was the garage. There were at least six vehicles, and room for more, of different styles and functionality parked in spaces.

“Thank
you,” Asia said grateful while opening the door. Mindful of Hawke’s injuries she pulled him out the car and lifted him in her arms. Her knees buckled beneath his weight. Inhaling, she grabbed energy from her beast, and hefted him higher in her arms. Chacal stood watching until she met his gaze.

Chacal
nodded, turned and walked toward a door, did the strange thing with his fingers. The door slid open. She followed him inside the building. Nothing looked familiar. Uncertain which way to go, she looked into his golden gaze and waited for a hand sign, or grunt or head tilt to point her in the right direction.

After a few tense moments the last morsel of
her patience vanished, another door opened, and he stepped through. She exhaled, shifted Hawke in her arms and followed. The bracelet required a lot of energy and she’d expended quite a bit this morning already. Fatigue bombarded at her. But she needed to get her mate settled and check his wounds. She hadn’t seen any blood on the seat of the car, hopefully the bleeding stopped.

Chacal stood to the side and stopped in front of what appeared to be the same room
they’d occupied last night. Tired, she nodded her thanks, and stepped across the threshold acknowledging the ward. With Olympic worthy strides she headed for the bedroom and lay him across the mattress. Head bent, hands on her knees she took a deep breath and then stood arching her back in a slow stretch. Asia’s arms and legs ached along with her head and shoulders. She twisted her neck and rolled her shoulders while watching him sleep.

The bleeding had stopped. From where
she stood, the wounds appeared red, inflamed, but, not as bad right after the fight. She pulled off his shoes, socks, and pants. A few strips of jersey material remained from his tee-shirt, so she left it alone.

Confident
she had done everything she could she morphed into her true form on the way to the shower. Standing beneath the steaming water her mind drifted to the events of their morning.

Bluebirds… the Liege must have zeroed in on
Hawke’s chip. The damn thing turned on, and she missed the ticks. Not that she could monitor the ticking in his mind all the time, but she’d become accustomed to listening for the soft sound. What were Bluebirds? Her skin chilled in remembrance of their thick padded necks and off color flesh. Those things had been difficult to slow down, and she wasn’t one hundred percent sure they were destroyed, not with the cutting edge technology the Liege now utilized. Hawke said the cameras were still live which meant those beasts were still on-line. No telling what Boris and his cronies were able to do with those computer chips embedded.