Carson slowed and looked back, then increased his pace once again. They trotted to the top of a hill and Carson came to a halt. Below, she saw the cabin. She sensed unease in Carson as he slowly crept forward. She saw him sniff the air and then stiffen. She couldn't seem to sense what he did and she looked around, searching for something out of place.77 It was then the first dart hit her in the haunches and she yipped. Carson whirled around at the sound. She saw a dart hit him in the shoulder and he went down. Another caught him in the haunches.

The world began to blur. Moments later she had shifted to human form. She dragged herself across the ground toward Carson, who had also shifted back to human form.

"Carson," she whispered, desperate to reach him. Darts protruded from his arms and legs. He rolled over and tried to get to her. Reaching across the ground, her fingertips brushed against his and then their fingers entwined.

Oh, G.o.d, not like Jamie. Please, don't let this happen.

"So animals will find each other no matter what. I always knew this is how you'd turn out, Petra." Petra had all she could do to turn her head to look up and see her adoptive mother standing over her, surrounded by a group of men dressed in PIA uniforms.

"No. Mother, if you've never done anything else in your life for me, please d-don't hurt him," she begged.

Two of the men wrenched Carson up by the arms, ripping his hand from hers.

"No!" She watched them drag him away. A booted foot shoved Petra onto her back.

Deborah's cold eyes raked over her body. "Well, I can see he mated you," she said as her gaze surveyed the marks on Petra's body.

"H-how did you find us?"78 "Remember that operation? A microchip was surgically implanted beneath your skin as well. How else does one track their pets these days?"

Petra fell onto her back, unable to hold her eyes open any longer. "Why?"

"Research. But I've found out what I wanted to know and now is probably the perfect time to end the experiment once I've recorded my findings. Unless, of course, I decide to wait to see if he's bred you."

Petra had no strength left. There was no way she could help Carson. What had she done by coming here? How many lives would be destroyed because of her?

Oblivion overcame her.

79

CHAPTER 10.

When Carson started to regain consciousness, he realized he was seated in the back of an SUV. Someone had shoved a pair of black jogging pants on him and his hands were bound together behind his back. And there was something heavy encircling his neck. A man dressed in black was seated on either side of him; both bore the insignia of the PIA.

He and the man driving locked gazes in the rearview mirror. Carson recognized him. It was the man with the sword, the one who'd beheaded the Dalwin brothers with such relish.

"So you're finally awake. We were starting to wonder if you planned to stay in dreamland all the way to Spokane.

Certainly would make it easier on my men. I wouldn't advise trying anything. We've learned how to control your kind."

He lifted one of his arms and Carson noticed he held some kind of remote in his hand. He pressed a b.u.t.ton and Carson felt excruciating jolts of electricity pa.s.s through his body from the neck down. He realized the voltage emanated from the metal collar surrounding his neck.

He stiffened, gasping for air until finally the pain eased.

"Just a sample," the man said as he tossed the remote onto the dashboard. "That's not nearly as bad as it could be. I put it on max and you'll be dead. We decided handcuffs alone didn't work on you shifters. But we made adjustments and now your kind don't give us any trouble at all."80 Carson heard his dirty little snicker but refused to respond to the b.a.s.t.a.r.d. His neck throbbed from aftershocks and his mind was still slightly muddled from the drug. What had they done with Petra? Her safety was his immediate concern right now. He had to find a way to get to her.

He reached out for a sense of her and was surprised when he found it. He felt the steady beating of her heart. Carson didn't understand why he knew it was her, he just did. At least she was alive, even if he couldn't pinpoint where she was located.

He tried to clear his head, attempting to jump-start his brain. He didn't know what they'd used in the darts, but it was taking too long to wear off. He didn't dare attempt to shift. The restraints on his arms wouldn't be a problem, but the collar could strangle him. He doubted it would simply break open. And that would be if he was lucky enough to complete a shift before the man in the front seat managed to hit that d.a.m.ned b.u.t.ton again.

He stared at the man in the mirror. His eyes were ice cold and dead. Carson saw no humanity in evidence.

"Was she a good f.u.c.k, wolfboy?"

Carson stiffened but refused to rise to the bait.

"I mean my fiance, Petra," he went on. "Not that I was ever going to marry the b.i.t.c.h, but the Thorntons wanted someone to watch her closely when they weren't around. Not bad in bed, but certainly nothing I'd take home to mom, if you know what I mean."

Carson felt the rage surge. He had touched Carson's mate and the only thing he wanted right now was to see the man's81 throat ripped open and to watch him slowly bleed out. Why hadn't Petra told him she was engaged to vermin like this?

She had to have recognized the murderer when they were in the woods.

Carson heard the man sitting next to him chuckle.

"Interesting use of wolf bait, Rolland."

Rolland. So that was his name. Carson planned to remember that name.

Rolland laughed again. "Yeah, think of me as her teacher, wolfboy. Training a virgin isn't for the faint of heart, you know. And it takes a strong stomach to bed a para."

Carson felt the savage inside himself fight for control. The growl of rage seemed unstoppable and he felt the impotence grate at him. They would all die. His head dropped forward, lips were drawn back in a snarl, yet he met the eyes of the man in the mirror.

"You know what they'll do with her now, don't you, boy?

Now that they know the operation was a success? They'll do what they do with all the paras at the facility. But you won't be seeing her again. They won't be taking her to Spokane.

No, she's a special case-they'll probably ship her back to D.C. for observation. You won't ever be seeing that one again, wolfboy. Not in this lifetime."

"f.u.c.k you," Carson's angry response was more of a snarl than actual words.

"Though maybe there will be concessions." Rolland continued as though Carson hadn't spoken. "If you tell them what they want to know. They might make you into a nice house pet, do what they want, and just maybe you can save82 the b.i.t.c.h. There are a few around from what I understand that have been house trained with some success."

Carson shot up, his intent to reach the man in the driver's seat, but then he dropped back as the electrical pain drove through him, sending him reeling backward, gasping for air.

G.o.d d.a.m.n the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds. If they hurt my mate, I'll kill every last one of them.

Suddenly he was thrown to the side of the vehicle as the car swerved.

"What the f.u.c.k?" Rolland yelled as he tried to straighten out the vehicle. "s.h.i.t. Somebody shot out the tire. We'll see how far they think they're going to get. If they pull anything out of this car it will be your dead carca.s.s, wolfboy." He slammed his foot down on the accelerator.

Carson was thrown to the other side as the car swerved again. This time he heard the loud pop as a bullet sliced into another tire and the car careened to the other side. Rolland lost control and the car skidded into a ditch, toppling it on its side. Carson fell on top of the guard sitting on the other side of him.

Moving as quickly as his restraints would allow, he launched himself over the front seat straight at Rolland. His hands might be tied, but by G.o.d, his teeth weren't. Carson bared his fangs and clamped onto the man's shoulder with as much force as he could manage. Hot blood spilled into his mouth. Rolland screamed and tried to claw Carson off of him, but Carson wasn't going anywhere. He had a firm grip on the man's flesh and used his own body weight to keep him off83 balance. The only way he was letting go was if he could manage to get a clear shot at his throat.

The remote, which had been on the dashboard, had apparently rolled off onto the floor. Rolland grappled with one hand, attempting to pry himself free of Carson's grip. With his other hand he searched frantically for the remote.

"Where is it? Sonofab.i.t.c.h, where'd it go?" he screamed as his desperate search failed to locate the object in the front seat. Just then the car door was ripped off its hinges and a hand reached in to grab Rolland by the back of the shirt and dragged him from the car. Carson released the b.a.s.t.a.r.d and lost sight of him, but he heard Rolland scream again. Carson spit out blood and smiled. He recognized the scent of his pack brothers.

"Don't kill him," Carson yelled. "Not yet."

The men in the backseat were yanked out the back window and then someone reached in to lift Carson out. When he was sprawled on the ground, he looked up into Trey's face.

"Get these things off me," he said. In no time Donovan had freed his hands as well as the metal collar around his neck. Quickly, Carson jumped to his feet. Trey handed him a cloth and Carson wiped the blood from his face. Rolland had sure left a nasty taste in his mouth. His brother then handed him a bottle of water. Carson took a swig, swished it around in his mouth and then spit it out. It helped somewhat with the metallic taste from Rolland's blood. He'd never understand how the vamps drank that stuff on a regular basis. It turned his stomach.84 Looking around he noticed other shifters from the Falls were there as well. Two cham shifters stood guard over the men who had been in the SUV.

He turned back to Trey. "What are you doing here? You should be with Rainna."

"She's safe where she is. No one can get to her. You needed our help. You didn't think we were going to let them take you, did you? Enough of our family is lost to us. We weren't going to lose another."

"How did you know what happened?"

"I saw it all. When you weren't at the cabin, I went looking for you," Donovan said as he walked up to them. "I was just leaving the cabin to head out to track you when I saw the PIA b.a.s.t.a.r.ds coming in. They've done something so their stink isn't as easy to detect. If I hadn't actually seen them, I might not have made it out in time. We're going to have to put some feelers out to see if we can find out what they've developed now. They almost got me. But I shifted and jumped out the broken window in the bedroom before they found me." He shook his head as he looked at his brother. "I couldn't get to you before they did. So I went straight back up the mountain. I knew there was no time to waste."

"Did you see where they took Petra?"

"No. After about ten minutes they split up. The woman left with a team of four and they took the girl with them. They got in one of those SUVs and took off. The other group dragged you back down to the cabin. I knew I wasn't going to get you out by myself, so I sent for backup. I got a message to the85 sentry at the base of the mountain and then hightailed it back to the cabin."

"Thanks for getting me out." He picked up the discarded collar lying on the ground and strode over to where the three men were kneeling, hands bound behind their backs, and rather a bit the worse for wear. He immediately made his way to Rolland. Blood still oozed from the wound on his shoulder.

Grabbing a shank of his hair, he yanked Rolland's head back.

"It wouldn't take me much to make a meal out of your throat, Rolland. Where is she?"

The guard sneered up at him. "You're too late, wolfboy, you'll never find her."

Carson held the collar up in front of Rolland. "You know, I think this would look pretty darn good around your neck.

Maybe we'll see exactly how high that setting goes." Carson snarled and bared his teeth. "Maybe we'll strip you, let you see what it feels like to be owned first. See how you like having a s.a.d.i.s.tic master making you dance? Would you like that, Rolland?"

Rolland was shaking his head now, and tears shimmered in his eyes. Carson could smell the stink of his fear. He knew it wouldn't take much to break him. All talk. He was the type who liked to prey on the weak, but when it came to someone stronger, he'd be the first to fold.

"No," he gasped. "No. I don't know where they are.

Another team went with Deborah, and I think they were headed for Vancouver. That's where Deborah has set up headquarters."86 "What's the name of the hotel? Make it fast, my patience is just about at an end."

"The Night Wind. I think that's the name of it. It's just outside of town."

"You better be right. Because if you're not, I'll be coming back for you. And whatever the council plans to do with you once they get their hands on you, I'll find you, and when I do"-he hunched down closer, until he was practically nose to nose with the sweating b.a.s.t.a.r.d-"my bite is a h.e.l.l of a lot worse than my bark. Take my word for it. And your death won't be either easy or fast." Carson whirled away, sick of looking at the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds. Sick of their smell.

"Wait!"

He wheeled back to look at Rolland. "You have more to tell me?"

Rolland licked his lips. "You bit me. On my shoulder. Will it ... will it turn me?" There was so much dread in the quivering man's voice that Carson wanted to laugh. Just went to show how stupid these PIA guys really were. They had no clue what they were dealing with.

"h.e.l.l, no. Wrong pack. We don't make werewolves out of vermin like you. But if you live long enough, it could make you so sick you might wish you were dead." Carson chuckled as he pivoted away and walked back to where his brothers stood waiting. "I need to get to Vancouver. I don't suppose any of you brought any extra clothes?"

"You can't go after them, Carson," Donovan said. "There's too many of them. She's back with her people. She-"87 "Don't say it, don't say another word." Carson burned his brother with a savage look. "She's my mate. I've made her mine. She's a shifter."

His brother's eyes widened. "You're kidding. She's one of us? But that's not possible."

"There's too much to explain. I don't have time." He looked back at the men kneeling at the side of the rode and an idea struck him. He whirled around to face his brothers.

"Will you help me or not?"

"Carson, you can't be serious," Trey began. "You'll never get her out."

Carson stepped closer to him until they were nose to nose.

"She's my mate, just as Rainna is yours. I will not lose another mate. Not this time. I either get her out or I die in the attempt. Whatever happens is my choice. But I cannot live with the loss of my woman. Not this time."

He didn't wait for Trey's answer as he strode back to the guards. Either way, he was going after Petra. His desire for this woman made no sense at all. Carson didn't understand how he could be so drawn to her, how he had chosen her as his mate when he had turned down so many others since Sybilla's death. But the fact was, everything he said was true.

If he lost her, he could not go on. She was already buried that deeply into his heart and soul.

"All right," Trey finally said. "We'll help you. What do you want us to do?"

88

CHAPTER 11.

Petra awoke slowly from the effects of the drug. Turning over, she realized she was lying on a bed and was dressed in a pair of beige linen drawstring pants and a midriff cut T- shirt.

But she felt something else as well. Lifting a hand to her neck, she felt the metal collar that encircled it. What she didn't understand was why it had been placed there.

"Good, you're finally awake." She stiffened when she heard the hard voice of her adoptive mother. "Now we can get out of this filthy little rat hole."

Petra was dragged up roughly from the bed and a chain attached to the collar. She fought against the rough hands and turned toward the woman she had once thought of as her mother.

"Why?" Just one word. But it was a word drenched with Petra's pain and confusion.

Deborah uncrossed her long legs and rose from the chair she'd been sitting in. She took her time as she stubbed out the half-smoked cigarette, then looked across the room at Petra with expressionless eyes. "Why did I come for you? Or why did I let you live in my house? What exactly is it you want to know, Petra?"

"All of it. Why did you pretend to be my mother all these years? Was there ever any speck of love in you for me? Or for Jamie?"89 If it was possible her expression grew even harder. "After your parents' ... deaths, I picked you from the litter, so to speak."

"You what? What does that mean exactly?"

"Your parents were paras. They were captured in Albany and taken to the facility in New York. You couldn't have been more than a few months old at the time as I remember. We got what we could from them and then they were ...