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  “See you then,” Robert said.

  “Look forward to it,” Roark said, then disconnected. He had a lot to do before the commander arrived. He wished his assistant, Michael Travers, was around. He didn’t want to get his hands dirty. Unfortunately, Roark had little choice. If Robert Santiago wanted to play games, he’d let him. One thing Roark would guarantee was that this would be a visit the commander of IPTT wouldn’t soon forget.

  chapter twenty-four

  J

  onah knocked and stepped into the room. “There’s a man outside asking to see you,” he said.

  Morgan jumped, dropping the screwdriver he’d been using onto the floor. It clattered and rolled under his chair. He hadn’t realized he’d dozed off. He scrubbed a hand over his face and yawned. “Did he give you a name?” No one but Demery and the Sand Moles should know where to find them. He pictured the hole Gina had left in Gray’s chest and the shock on the Sand Moles’ faces. He didn’t want to bring trouble to Jonah’s door, if he could avoid it.

  “He’s wearing a white protective suit and says his name is Demery,” Jonah said.

  Despite telling Gina otherwise, he hadn’t expected to see Demery again. The Sand Devils were the type of people who didn’t forgive mistakes. That was why he’d been so determined to get her out of there. Had Demery managed to escape, too, or were the Sand Devils waiting nearby? “Is he alone?” Morgan asked.

  “Looks to be. I put the guards in the towers on high alert. If anyone is sneaking around out there, they’ll spot them long before they get here. You expecting company?”

  “No one I want to see,” Morgan said. He debated how much he should share with Jonah. They’d been through a lot. Made some hard decisions. Morgan had no doubt that he’d understand, but would Jonah want to anger the other groups when he had to live here? “Have you told Gina about Demery?”

  “No.” Jonah shook his head. “I didn’t want to wake her. Besides, he was asking for you. Didn’t mention the girl.”

  The hair on Morgan’s neck rose and his muscles tightened as his wolf brushed his flesh. “Did he say what he wanted?”

  “Said something about needing your help.” Jonah scratched his head. “Not sure what he meant by that. Do you know?”

  Morgan ignored the question. “How does he look?” he asked instead.

  “Can’t tell.” Jonah rubbed his whiskers. “Can only see his face in that suit he’s wearing. Looks okay, I guess.”

  That was a good sign, wasn’t it? Morgan thought. The Sand Devils wouldn’t have allowed Demery to leave with his suit if they’d wanted him dead. But that didn’t explain Melea’s absence.

  “You sure Razor and the others didn’t see anyone else with him?” Morgan asked.

  “Not unless they’re invisible. My men have him covered. Mind telling me what’s going on? I’m beginning to get that twinge in my side that tells me trouble’s coming.”

  “It’s a long and complicated story,” Morgan said. “If I knew there was going to be a problem, I’d warn you.”

  “Appreciate it,” Jonah said. He leaned against the door frame. “Is this fella really a friend of yours?”

  “Not exactly, but we were traveling together until we ran into the Sand Devils. Parted company unexpectedly after that.”

  Jonah stilled, then let out a long whistle. “Never did care for that bunch. They have a camp about ten miles south of here. They leave us alone, but it’s not by choice. We give them incentive to stay away.” He patted the weapon strapped to his leg.

  “Do they know about Eden?” Morgan asked.

  Jonah eyed him suspiciously. “No, and I’d like it to stay that way.”

  Morgan’s chair screeched as he scooted back to stand. “Then I’d better get out there and see what he wants. If Gina wakes up, tell her I’ll be right back, but do me a favor.”

  Jonah paused. “What’s that?”

  “Don’t tell her where I’ve gone,” Morgan said. He wanted to find out what was going on before he brought Gina into the mix. If it turned out he had to kill Demery, Morgan didn’t want Gina to have to witness the vamp’s death.

  “Thought you said you weren’t expecting trouble.” Jonah’s face pinched with worry.

  “Nothing I can’t handle.” Morgan met his gaze fleetingly, then looked away.

  A moment of silence stretched between them.

  “Did you get that thing working?” Jonah nodded at the mass of wires and circuits that passed for a transmitter.

  Morgan was relieved by the change of subject. “Don’t know. I have a signal, but I’m not sure if I’m able to broadcast. Haven’t received a reply yet.” He stood and rolled his stiff shoulders. They popped. “If this takes longer than I anticipate, please give this to Gina and tell her to keep trying to contact the Eye of God. He’ll know what to do with it.” Morgan handed Kane’s recording to Jonah. “I’ll be back soon.”

  “Make sure that you do. I’m not going to be the one to break bad news to your woman. She’s liable to take my head clean off.” Jonah grinned and walked out of the room.

  Morgan rode the lift up to the opening of the missile chamber, listening to the steady hum of the hydraulics. His nerves were taut. He’d gone over their encounter with the Sand Devils multiple times in his mind. He’d had no choice but to leave Demery and escape. Morgan hoped the vamp understood why. He would’ve done the same given the chance, or so he told himself as he stepped into the blistering heat.

  The sun had barely poked above the horizon, yet the temps already soared. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, scenting the air for traps. When he was sure he wouldn’t be ambushed, Morgan exited the dome.

  Demery stood on the other side of the moat with the guns in the towers trained on him. His hands were in the air, and when he got closer Morgan realized Demery’s hands were trembling. He knew it wasn’t from fear.

  Morgan waved to Razor and the other guards, then signaled Demery to lower his arms. They came down in a rush. The protective suit he wore was no longer white. Dirt and sand tarnished it, leaving only fleeting glimpses of the color it used to be. It looked as if he’d been rolled down a hill and then stuffed into a sand dune.

  “Didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” Morgan said, approaching cautiously. Demery may be in a protective suit, but he was still a vamp.

  “I’m not surprised, since you left me to twist in the sun, mon,” Demery said. His words were hoarse, but they still held a bite.

  “I looked for you before we left. Checked everywhere I could think of. You weren’t in any of the vehicles.”

  He swayed and winced, clutching his side. “You mustn’t have looked too hard, because I was there,” he said. Demery’s gaze flickered to the guards.

  Morgan reached out to steady him. “I’m telling you, I looked everywhere.”

  “Don’t touch me.” Demery shrugged out of his grasp.

  Morgan released him and held up his hands. “After what we’d witnessed the night before, I knew I had to get Gina out of there as soon as possible. You would’ve done the same,” he said.

  Demery laughed. “No, I wouldn’t, mon. I would never leave a man behind. Every soldier knows that. It’s the first thing you learn. Obviously you forgot, or maybe you were the type who saved his own hide and didn’t worry about your men.”

  Morgan flinched. “You would if it meant your mate’s life,” he said. He’d already lost Gina once. It wouldn’t happen again. He had felt bad about leaving Demery, but knew he wouldn’t change a thing.

  “Melea and I have a blood bond,” he said.

  “True,” Morgan said, “but she’s not your mate or you wouldn’t have left her.”

  Demery’s expression sobered. “I guess we’ll never know, mon. Did you find what you were looking for here?” He nodded at the dome.

  “Maybe,” Morgan said. He needed to know more about what happened before he shared information. For all he knew, Demery had come here to gather intel for the Sand Devils. “How did you esc
ape?”

  “Easy. I waited for Reaper to get bored with beating the shit out of me, then I grabbed Melea and ran, but not before he raped her in front of me. Since we are blood, I got to share the experience with her.” He drew a pair of pants out of his pack and tossed them on the ground at Morgan’s feet—the back was covered in blood.

  Morgan winced at the savagery.

  “You ever experience anything like that in the war, Hunter? Know what watching and feeling something like that does to a man?” Demery asked, his face contorted with anguish. He didn’t bother to conceal his rage.

  “My cousin Kane, a man I loved like a brother, attacked and killed three women. One of whom I had a relationship with. His intention was to go after Gina and force her to be his mate. He would’ve used any means necessary, including rape, to get what he wanted. If it hadn’t been for Jesse Lindley, the owner of the water trader you were staying in, he would’ve succeeded. I found Gina beaten and lying on the floor with a sack shoved over her head.” He took a deep breath as he relived the nightmare. “Jesse was an old wolf and was in even worse shape, since she’d fought Kane off. He killed her while she lay helpless in the emergency care center because he was angry that I’d claimed Gina as my mate. I didn’t see any of these things happen, but I know how helpless I felt afterward. I imagine it was the same for you, not being able to help Melea.”

  “As you can see,” Demery said, pointing to the pants. “It was so much more than a feeling. I experienced what she went through, thrust for thrust, tear for tear. Perhaps you didn’t notice, but Reaper is not a small man.”

  “I’m surprised you let him live,” Morgan said. He’d have killed the man, even if he died in the process.

  “I didn’t have a choice. It was leave or die,” Demery said.

  Morgan understood Demery’s outrage. No, he’d never been sexually assaulted, but he had been repeatedly violated at the genetic labs, his body subjected to extreme pain and psychological torture. There were times Morgan had thought he wouldn’t live through it, but he had. And had come out the other side a changed man. “Where is Melea?” he asked.

  Demery indicated to the foothills in the distance. “I had to leave her against that outcropping of rocks. She was too exhausted to continue and my injuries prevented me from carrying her. That’s why I came here. I figured if you’d made it, you would be able to help.”

  “And if we hadn’t been here?”

  “Then I would’ve asked the guards for assistance,” Demery said.

  Morgan glanced at the rocks and tried to gauge the distance. The wind moaned as it picked up sand, carrying it from dune to dune. “You left her unprotected? What if there’s a predator around?”

  “She’s safe for now, but she won’t be if Reaper finds her.” Demery looked around. “As for you not being here, where else would you have gone?”

  He was right. There was no place to go. Morgan knew that and so did Demery. Oh sure, they could’ve kept walking, but to where? The Sand Devil encampment? They’d only heard about this outpost. He supposed they could’ve theoretically been sent on their way by Jonah, but Morgan knew they were running out of options. Hell, they’d run out of them when they arrived here. It was either make this work or die trying.

  “I heard the Sand Devils making their way around the mountains, when Gina and I hit the foothills.”

  “Reaper sent some of his men ahead to prepare the encampment south of here. Not sure where it is, but I saw my chance to escape then and I took it,” Demery said, his dark gaze dropped to the sand at his feet.

  “So they’re not out looking for you?” he asked. “I find that hard to believe.” Morgan scanned the horizon for movement.

  “I’m sure they have scouts in the area, but the group has moved on.”

  Morgan glanced at the sun. It wasn’t getting any lower. If there was even a chance that what he was saying was the truth, then helping Demery was the least he could do after leaving him. “We’d better get going before it gets too hot,” Morgan said. It was difficult to get a read on Demery through his protective suit. He could be lying, but what if he wasn’t? Did he really want to gamble on Melea’s life again? The answer was obvious. No, he did not.

  He debated for a moment whether to retrieve his pistol, but decided against it, since using the lift again might wake Gina. Besides, if Demery tried to pull anything, all Morgan had to do was grow a claw and rip a hole in his protective suit. “Lead the way,” he said.

  “Thank you.” Demery turned and wobbled.

  Morgan’s hand shot, but stopped short of touching him. “Are you sure you’re up to this trip?” he asked. “You can wait here. I can get Razor to come with me. Between the two of us, we should be able to carry Melea.”

  Demery’s eyes narrowed and he shook his head. “You’ve left me little choice, mon. After what she’s been through, Melea’s unlikely to come to anyone but me. She knows to hide if she doesn’t see the white suit.”

  Morgan’s hackles rose at his tone, but he let it slide, given what Demery’d been through. He owed him that much. Contrary to what the vamp thought, Morgan had never left a man behind before.

  If the circumstances were different, he wouldn’t have in this case either, but it wasn’t all about him anymore. He had to keep Gina’s welfare upmost in mind. He’d noted the Sand Devil leader’s predatory gaze when it fell upon Gina. It wasn’t a matter of if he acted, but a matter of when. And Morgan would die before he’d let Reaper lay a finger on his mate.

  They made good time crossing the desert floor, despite the sand sucking at their boots and Demery’s injuries. It wasn’t long before they reached the outcropping of rocks he’d pointed out. They were much smaller than they’d appeared in the distance. There weren’t many places to hide.

  “Where is she?” Morgan asked, inhaling in an attempt to catch Melea’s elusive feminine scent. The hot oppressive air refused to give up its secrets. He walked a few more paces and looked around. “I don’t sense her presence.” Unease prickled Morgan’s scalp. He looked around, preparing for a possible ambush.

  “She’s over there,” Demery said, pointing to a cluster of boulders thirty feet away.

  “I should be able to smell her by now,” Morgan said. “Especially if she’s injured.”

  “She’s there,” Demery said, taking the lead. “I cleaned her up the best I could. Can’t exactly have her running around smelling of blood, when I’m in this shape.”

  Morgan followed, his senses alert. If this was a trap, as he was beginning to suspect, he needed to be ready. Claws sprung from his fingertips. He welcomed the pain.

  “Melea,” Demery called out, then ducked behind a boulder. Morgan frowned and approached cautiously. He still couldn’t detect her scent. He sniffed again, finally catching a faint musky odor.

  Demery was still hunched over. “It’s okay, I’m here. You can come out now,” he said.

  Morgan waited.

  A scarf appeared in Demery’s hands. Morgan recognized it as being one that Melea had worn. His muscles relaxed and his claws retracted. Morgan thought getting him out here had been a ruse, when he’d been unable to smell her. Had been expecting one, which was why he hadn’t wanted Gina to come along. He was relieved to be proven wrong.

  “You know what I love about wolves?” Demery asked, laughing.

  He shook his head. “No, why don’t you tell me.” Morgan’s unease came back in an instant, along with his claws.

  “It’s that they rely on their sense of smell and ignore what’s right in front of them.” Demery turned, the material bundled in his fist.

  Or at least Morgan thought it was material. He didn’t register the laser pistol in the vamp’s hands until it was too late. The shot rang out, catching him in the chest, knocking him onto the rocks. His skin burned as if a torch had been taken to it. Gina . . . He’d lost her for good this time.

  Morgan glanced down, expecting to see a gaping hole where his heart had been. Instead of a fatal wound, his skin
reddened and continued to burn. A stun blast. The son of a bitch had hit him with a stun blast. Morgan’s body stiffened and a wave of pain rolled over him, then he felt nothing at all.

  chapter twenty-five

  D

  emery unzipped a pouch in his suit and pulled out a short-range comdevice. “It’s done,” he said. “Come and get your pet.”

  He put the comdevice away, then picked up the shackles the Sand Devils had left for him. He shoved his blood’s scarf into his pocket, then went to work. Within a few minutes, he had a collar around Morgan’s neck and his limbs bound. He’d removed his shirt and replaced it with a long silver chain, which fastened at his neck and ran to his waist.

  Demery tugged at it, testing the leash’s strength. It clanged, but otherwise stayed strong. Perfect for leading the wolf around. If Reaper wanted a pet to bleed for sport, then he’d damn well give him one.

  The Sand Devils arrived quickly. Morgan was still out and would remain so for at least another hour or more, since he’d hit him at such close proximity.

  “I’ve done as I promised, mon. Now give me my blood and let me be on my way,” he said with more authority than he felt.

  Reaper signaled to someone at the back of the caravan. Melea was shoved out of one of the vehicles. She ran toward Demery on shaky legs. Before she could reach him, Reaper snatched her by her braids, stopping her.

  “We had an agreement,” Demery said, between clenched fangs.

  “I will keep my end of the bargain, but not until I’m sure that Other blood runs through his veins.” A fat finger pointed at Morgan’s unconscious body. It was followed by a swift kick to the ribs.

  Morgan moaned, but did not wake.

  “I gave you my word,” Demery said.

  “And look where it got me,” Reaper said.

  Demery growled in frustration. “I had no control over their actions,” he said.

  “Maybe that’s true. Or maybe you helped them get away.” He shrugged. “Your word doesn’t mean much around here. You gave me your word before and you ran off to live on the other side of the boundary fence. If I hadn’t taken care of your blood, she would’ve perished.” Reaper cupped Melea’s ample breast until she cried out in pain.