Chapter Five
Carter
The brisk evening air blew harshly against Carter’s face as he approached the condo complex, intent on trying to talk to Maria again. His footsteps were soft, an imperceptible noise honed by years of training and covert operations that required silence.
After what he and Seb had witnessed at the facility in the mountains the night before, Carter was concerned that they might have his sister in there, too.
There was no doubt in his mind that those guards had kidnapped the shifter they had taken inside, and their treatment of the man had been brutal.
What further brutality had happened to him inside?
Carter’s gut clenched. Time was of the essence.
He hoped Maria would have some information about the facility, but he’d called by her place earlier in the day and she hadn’t been at home.
Again. He was beginning to worry that she might be missing, too.
Max hadn’t learned anything more about the facility although he had managed to procure the building’s schematics. Carter was getting impatient.
However, as he rounded the corner of the building, a deeper, more primal urge hummed beneath the surface, a thrum of anticipation that was impossible to ignore.
Mate is here, his inner mountain lion murmured with a hint of impatience and excitement. She’s here! The raw yearning in its voice resonated with Carter’s own feelings, creating a contrasting mix of desire and purpose.
Soon, Carter mentally replied, the short word carrying a firm promise. We’ll find her soon. I promise.
Moving stealthily around the perimeter, a figure near one of the entrances caught his attention.
A woman was standing hesitantly outside a door to one of the units as if she sensed something but couldn’t quite pinpoint it.
In that moment, Carter realized the reason for his lion’s excitement.
He hadn’t simply meant that their mate lived here, he had sensed her here now, in this very moment.
His heart pounded loudly in his chest, and he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
Her scent was faint, just a trace on the wind, but it was unmistakable.
For a moment, Carter remained hidden, watching her from the shadows, wrestling with the decision to reveal himself.
The logical part of him wanted to continue unnoticed, to find Maria and get the information he needed about his sister.
However, another more primal part of him just wanted to meet the woman who was destined to be his, and his inner mountain lion would not be denied.
Aside from all of that, the woman was involved in whatever was going on inside that facility so there would be no better person to speak to about what was going on in there.
She might even be able to tell him if they had his sister.
He frowned. He hated the idea that his mate was involved in whatever shady things were going on inside those walls.
At this stage, he had no idea if he could trust her.
But right now, she was the only lead he had, and meeting her was something that he absolutely had to do.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Carter stepped out into the dim light.
Their eyes met, and once again, the world seemed to narrow to just the two of them.
Adrenaline raced through his veins. Even though she didn’t know him, she let out a sigh of relief, her shoulders relaxing visibly as if relieved it was him and not someone else who posed a threat. That had to be the mate bond at work.
“I’m sorry,” Carter began, voice slightly raspy with emotion. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s quite alright,” she said. “I guess I’m a bit jumpy tonight.”
“Oh?”
She shrugged. “Just one of those days.”
Carter took a step closer to her and reached out his hand. “I’m Carter,” he introduced himself.
The woman hesitated for a moment, looking down at his hand like it might bite her.
Then she glanced up at his face, taking a second to get the measure of him before finally reaching out and taking hold of his hand.
The moment their fingers touched, electricity snaked its way up Carter’s arm and shivers of delight rolled down his spine.
She drew in a quick breath making him suspect that she had experienced the same spark of connection between them.
“I’m Emily,” she finally said.
Emily! Mate. Mine. Mine. Mate! Carter’s lion chorused in his mind.
He did his best to ignore the inner monologue as a charged silence stretched out between them. He could feel the weight of his mountain lion’s curiosity, satisfaction, and eagerness blending seamlessly with his own whirlwind of emotions.
“Do you live here?” Emily asked, nodding to the buildings behind her.
Carter shook his head. He hesitated, wondering what he should tell her, but he wasn’t going to get anywhere if he kept his intention to himself.
“No. I’m here to visit a friend of my sister’s—Maria. My sister has gone missing and I’m hoping she can shed some light on the situation.”
“Missing?” Emily repeated, her voice catching on the word.
Carter nodded. “For a few days now. Our parents are worried, naturally. As am I.”
“I’m sorry,” Emily said, averting her gaze. She swallowed audibly. “What’s her name?”
“Megan.”
There was no denying the spark of recognition that flared in her eyes at the mention of his sister’s name. Carter held her gaze.
“You know her, don’t you?”
Emily glanced around then before answering as though checking they were alone. “I think we should talk,” she said, her voice soft yet firm. “But not out here. Please, come inside.”
With a brief nod, Carter waited for her to unlock her door then followed her in.
He hesitated just inside the threshold, scanning the area for any sign of a threat.
He half expected her to pull out a syringe and stick him with it, just as he’d seen the guard do to the shifter at the facility and he shivered involuntarily.
No! Mate! his lion said in an annoyed tone of voice. Mate would never harm us.
Carter rolled his eyes. He took a moment to scan the apartment, noting its clean lines, the muted tones that seemed to be both comforting and organized, so contrasting with the current chaos in his life. It seemed so very her, even though he had only just met her and knew nothing about her.
He turned his gaze to the woman herself.
She was breathtaking. Carter hated that they had met under these circumstances, and even more that he had to question her intentions.
Emily looked both fragile and fiercely determined.
She sat across from him on a small corner sofa, and motioned for him to take a seat, and as he settled into a chair opposite her, the air grew tense.
The pull of the mate bond was palpable, making the space between them feel charged and intense.
“You’re probably wondering how much I know, and why I’ve asked you to come in,” she began, taking a deep breath, as if preparing herself for a challenging confession.
“I have my guesses,” Carter responded, trying to keep his voice neutral. “But hearing it from you would be more…helpful.”
She glanced at him, and for a second he saw vulnerability in her eyes. “I’ve seen your sister, Megan. She’s being held in the facility where I work.”
His heart plummeted. The confirmation of his worst fears nearly took the air from his lungs. “What are they doing to her?”
“She’s...involved in some experiments,” Emily hesitated. “They do tests, I’m not entirely sure what they all are as there are other scientists who work there, and we are all told to keep our research top secret, but I know it’s not pleasant, for any of the shifters there. I’m sorry.”
So, she knew all about shifters, and if she knew about Megan that meant she knew about him, too. Carter clenched his jaw, trying to contain the mountain lion that raged within him at the idea of Megan being treated like a lab rat. The lion’s rage threatened to tear through Carter’s human facade.
Easy, he mentally commanded, taking a deep breath. Rage won’t help Megan.
“How many shifters are they holding there?”
Emily met his gaze and held it. “A lot.”
“What can you tell me about the facility?” Carter asked.
Emily heaved a sigh. “Their ultimate goal is to create some sort of super soldier. Some of the experiments are to try to make the shifters compliant so they can be easily controlled. Others are being used to try to create a drug that can be given to humans to make them stronger and faster. They are trying to determine what in a shifter’s genetics gives them their strength and speed and the ability to shift at will. ”
Carter muttered a curse then his gaze hardened.
“How could you do that?” he asked, even as his lion roared in defense of his mate.
“I don’t do it through choice,” Emily said quietly. “When I applied for the position, I...I thought it was for groundbreaking research, stem cell treatments, cures for diseases...” She trailed off.
“But then I realized the truth. Almost immediately, they started threating my family. You have to understand, my mother and my little sister are all I have, and they’ve threatened to kill them if I don’t do what they ask of me.
What they’re doing to the shifters there, it’s monstrous.
I would never be a part of something that willingly. ”
“They’re using you,” Carter murmured.
“Yes,” she whispered. “And I’ve been trying to help the imprisoned shifters, secretly, to the best of my abilities.
But there’s only so much one person can do, and it’s never enough.
You know, when I saw you the other day, I knew you were a shifter, even before I had any idea who you are and who your sister is. ”
Carter leaned forward and studied his mate intently. “How?”
She smiled wryly. “The first time I saw you, there was this flash of amber in your eyes. I’ve come to recognize it from the shifters at the facility. It’s a glimpse of your inner animal, isn’t it?”