Three Mates, One Destiny (10 page)

Ross’s hold on him loosened, and Paulie was invaded by a sense of encouragement. He began to struggle once again. At first, Ross didn’t
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let go, but then, another gunshot echoed around them, and Ross hesitated. Paulie caught the moment and pushed away from his attacker.

As soon as he freed himself, he took greedy gulps of air, coughing and struggling to breathe. It didn’t help the smoke traveled down to the lower level by now, and at this point, he inhaled the fumes. Oddly, his arms and wrists hurt, too. Perhaps he’d hit them in the struggle with Ross.

A comforting, familiar voice reached out to him. “Come on, Paulie,” Linden said. “We have to get out of here.”

Paulie managed to focus his mind a bit. He registered Ash and Dan picking up an injured and bloody Ross. At the same time, he took in the increasingly dangerous fire. “The patients,” he croaked out.

“The research.”

“We sent people to get the ferals out,” Linden said. “But the offices have already gone up in flames. We can still get to the lab, if you—”

An explosion shook the building, interrupting Linden’s words.

With a cry, Paulie realized it came from the direction of the laboratory. “It’s too late,” Ash shouted over the noise. He picked Paulie up and draped him over his shoulder. “Go, go.”

They rushed outside, and before Paulie knew it, they’d reached safety and fresh air, a good distance away from the burning building.

He breathed in deeply, having a distant thought that one never appreciated oxygen until he was deprived of it.

Mixed feelings swamped Paulie, gratitude that he’d even been rescued, and heartbreak for all the information they’d lost. He couldn’t pinpoint the exact cause of his blurry vision. It could’ve been an effect of the smoke hurting his eyes, or simply the pain of the wasted effort.

Paulie shook himself and focused on practical considerations.

They could rebuild the clinic and redo the data files. As far as he could tell, there were no casualties, but he needed to be sure.

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“What’s going on? Why weren’t the guards at the post? Is everyone okay?”

“I’m not sure what happened,” Dan said. “We were reading over some reports, when all of the sudden we had this overwhelming urge to…uhh…”

Ash cleared his throat, and Paulie grasped the meaning of Dan’s words. It wasn’t unusual for wolf mates to want constant sexual contact, but at the same time, their race was trained in discipline and absolute control. They wouldn’t go off to fuck in such circumstances.

“Anyway,” Ash continued, “Linden sensed something was wrong and dragged us off to get you.”

“It seemed everyone ended up in similar states, distracted in one way or another,” Dan added. “Thankfully, no one received any significant injuries. Some fell asleep, others started fighting or were in our situation. Another remembered disabling the alarms. In the end, we managed to break them out of the trance.”

Paulie’s eyes widened. “But if the alarms were off, we could very well be under attack now and not know it.”

Ashton nodded glumly. “We’re scouting the entire perimeter now.”

Paulie stared at the burning clinic in the distance. Ash had taken them away from the area, most likely to keep them safe from any potential blast or viral spread. Some spirit wolves were fighting to control the fire, but with all the volatile chemicals and substances in there, it would be difficult. “I think whoever engineered this got what he wanted,” he said. The serum had been destroyed, along with everything else. It wouldn’t hurt to check the area, of course, but in his heart, Paulie knew the attack here was over.

“He’s right,” Linden said, confirming his suspicion. “I’ve been having these ominous premonitions for the past few days. They’re still there, but they’re focused on something else.” Linden paused, as if struggling for words. “I couldn’t figure it out before, but I think Ross was sent here by someone.”

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Paulie’s eyes widened. He’d have thought Ross’s mental instability caused the attack inside the clinic, but he trusted Linden.

This must be all a part of a greater plan. Fucking hell. Were Sebastian and Marcus heading into a trap? His mates, his family, they were all in danger. No wonder he’d felt anxious back in the lab.

Paulie cursed and knelt next to Ross. The man’s injury didn’t seem very severe. He’d been shot in the shoulder and the leg. A brief look told Paulie the bullets had gone clean through. They would heal in no time. Of course, humanitarian sentiments abandoned Paulie.

Ross had betrayed them all. He’d been sent here for the specific purpose of destroying them from within. Somehow, Sebastian and Marcus unknowingly brought a treacherous viper here.

“Look at me,” he told Ross, gripping the other man’s arm. “Look at me. What’s going to happen with the others? Who sent you?”

Ross’s expression looked as cold and hard as an iceberg. He said one word, “Blood.”

A storm of red engulfed Paulie. He let go of Ross’s arm and staggered back, his entire vision filled with memories of the horrible moment of the feral’s suicide. He could feel the blood splattering on his face, taste it in his mouth, smell it all around him. It almost seemed more intense than he remembered it.

A heavy slap brought him back to reality. “Snap out of it,” Linden said. “It’s not real.”

Ross chuckled. “Of course it’s real. Things are always as real as you believe them to be. Isn’t that right, Linden?”

Their gazes fixed together, as if fighting a silent battle. Linden looked away first, panting hard. “He did all this,” he said. “I’m not sure who sent him, but he did it.”

Ross got up, now looking completely calm. Dan and Ash stepped forward, only to freeze in their tracks. In that moment, Paulie began to understand. Ross’s power to manipulate had dissipated through the compound, and it distributed to each person without grabbing too strong a hold. But now that Ross didn’t bother to control everyone, he
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could focus his power on each individual. It made sense. Otherwise, Ross would have never bothered to attack him physically in the clinic, and he’d have never gotten caught by Dan and Ash in the first place.

They needed more people. Linden could apparently fight him on a mental level, but not without losing. Paulie called out, drawing the attention of several patrolling guards. In less than a minute, they were surrounded. Ross didn’t have time to make his escape.

“There’s nowhere you can go,” Paulie said. “Just surrender now.”

“Don’t you people ever get tired of spouting clichés?” Ross gave Paulie a look of sheer disdain. “You’re safe now,” he said in a mocking tone. “You’re going to be fine. We just want to help. There’s nowhere you can go.”

Yes, Paulie said all that during the past week or so, but he’d meant everything in those words. Clichés were common for a reason—they applied to many situations in real life. Clearly, Ross didn’t understand that. Paulie wondered if anything they’d seen of Ross held any truth.

Could he ever rely on Ross to tell them anything about his mission and boss?

They only had one choice, to take Ross down and imprison him.

They couldn’t chance any further delays. The Harts needed to contact the group sent to investigate the supposed attack, if they hadn’t done so already. This way, they might be able to prevent a catastrophe. But Ross’s power flowed freely over them now. They were all in a circle, close to him, and all reluctant to take charge.

An unexpected arrival changed the course of events. The crowd of guards parted to let Clay pass. “Ross, why are you doing this? You’re my mate. We are your family. Why are you hurting us?”

Ross laughed. “Do you still believe that? Surely you realize it was all a lie. You wanted a mate of your own so badly you fell for it. Poor little Clay.”

Amy’s slender figured appeared behind her brother. “Clay, what’s going on?” Her eyes widened when she saw Ross. “Oh my God…”

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Ross seemed to find this funny. “Hello, little girl. It’s nice to see you again. Now run along and play with your foolish brother. Leave this up to the grown-ups.”

Paulie could see the heartbreak in Clay’s eyes and the young wolf’s sorrow broke Ash out of his trance. He shifted to his animal form and lunged at Ross. The other man’s entire power shifted and focused on Ash, but in his anger, Ash seemed untouchable. Ash didn’t take kindly to seeing his little brother being toyed with and his sister mocked.

And yet, in spite of Ross’s words and actions, Clay shouted for his brother to stop. It had the opposite effect. All the guards followed after Ash, immobilizing Ross. Clay looked like he wanted to jump in Ross’s defense, but Amy held him back, shaking her head.

Before Ross’s figure disappeared in the scuffle, Paulie thought he glimpsed a small flash of remorse in his eyes, but it was gone before he knew it.

Finally, the agitation cleared and Ash returned, carrying Ross’s limp body. “I’m going to store this piece of shit somewhere he can’t hurt anyone,” he said.

“Ash, wait,” Clay said weakly.

Ash ignored him, and stalked away, followed by a respectable number of guards. Clay and Amy rushed after them. “Where’s this attack supposed to be?”

“A few miles away from Portland,” Dan answered. He checked his watch and turned a little pale. “They should have reported in by now.”

Paulie nodded. With Ross unwilling to cooperate, they’d have to find information in a different way. No matter. They’d follow the trails of their loved ones. Surely, they’d manage to come up with something.

Together with Linden and Dan, they set out to organize a search party. Technically speaking, it was still too soon for them to worry about the troops they’d sent to Portland, but with what had happened
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here, they needed to take into account every option, including the worst ones.

Ash returned, sans Ross on his back. “Where did you leave him?”

Paulie asked. He didn’t have to elaborate on who he was referring to.

“I put him in one of the cells,” Ash answered. “I have the only key, so he can’t try anything funny while we’re not here.”

“But what if something happens?” Linden protested. “What if there’s another fire?”

“I guess we’ll just have to take that chance,” Ash replied.

Paulie did feel a bit apprehensive, but between focusing on Ross and saving his family, he chose his family. Just as he thought this, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Ross emerged in his mind.
“The
Grand Canyon. Hurry. You don’t have much time.”

At first, Paulie thought he was just hearing things. Then, he noticed the expression on Linden’s face. “Did you hear it, too?” he asked.

Linden nodded silently, while Dan gave them both a quizzical look. “Hear what?”

“Ross,” Linden replied. “He said we should go to the Grand Canyon.”

Ash scoffed. “As if we can trust scum like that.”

“It’s a lead, at least,” Linden shot back. “We can’t afford to disregard it.”

Paulie shared a look with his friend. He had a feeling Ross was telling them the truth, for whatever obscure reason.

Ash glanced toward Paulie. “What do you think?”

Paulie would have been surprised Ash included him in this decision-making process, except he understood the reasoning behind it. Essentially, Paulie had the most to lose in this. While everyone here would be heartbroken would something happen to the squad, Paulie would be left without his fathers and his mates. But no, it wouldn’t come to it. He’d find his loved ones in time.

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Taking a deep breath, he took his decision. “I say we go to the Grand Canyon.”

For a few moments, Ash didn’t speak. He stole a look at the house, his expression thoughtful. When he turned toward Paulie again, he said, “Very well. Let’s hope you’re right.”

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Sebastian cracked his eyes open to utter and complete darkness.

Even with his advanced sight, he couldn’t see a damn thing. It wasn’t the blackness of a cell, but one comparable to a tomb. Was he dead?

He didn’t think so. His body hurt too much.

He remembered boarding the helicopter that would take him to the site of the attack. He’d been talking about Paulie with Marcus. Then, he’d heard something, and after that, everything turned black.

Marcus! Where was Marcus?

Panicking, Sebastian tried to move and realized he couldn’t.

Unsurprisingly, he seemed tied down, bound by heavy cuffs. Judging by the way his wrists burned, the shackles must’ve been made out of silver. Someone had taken him prisoner, but who?

Sebastian took a deep breath and focused on calming down. He needed to keep a cool head. He could still sense his connection with Marcus, and this meant Marcus remained alive. Marcus must be unconscious because his spirit seemed a bit dim, not in pain, but still distant.

Sebastian could work with that, as long as he managed to get out of here. He needed a plan. But with this terrible darkness, he couldn’t even tell if his prison had any weaknesses at all.

He strained against the cuffs, uselessly trying to break them. The silver hurt his wrists, and still, he could not free himself. He didn’t know how long he continued to do so, but at one point, he collapsed against the wall, exhausted.

In that moment, Sebastian felt it, the terror, the anger, the shock, and misery. It didn’t come from him, or Marcus. The feelings
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swamping him originated from Paulie. For a few minutes, Sebastian dared to hope Paulie merely figured out the investigating crew had been attacked, but the dim spark vanished when he experienced physical pain through their connection. He sensed the moment Marcus regained consciousness, his alarm flooding their connection.

Because they’d claimed each other, Sebastian could feel Marcus stronger than he did Paulie. Even so, the bond with the young human already seemed quite strong. Sebastian began to have trouble breathing, and he realized someone was trying to choke the life out of Paulie.