11. Chapter 11
Sharp rays of sunlight sliced through the crack in the curtains the next morning and I panicked, worrying that what happened last night had been a dream.
Serenity washed over me when I realized she was still beside me, sleeping.
I rolled out of the bed and walked into the bathroom, the memory of what happened the night before still fresh in my mind.
I stared at my reflection in the mirror, trying to recognize the man staring back.
I touched my cheek, the man copying my motion, but he was unrecognizable, a stranger.
Even after all these years, it was so disconcerting, disturbing, to see myself and not know who I was.
I let it go; now was not the time for self reflection.
I pulled myself together, took a leak and got dressed, then left, walking down the stairs and into the lobby.
“Good morning, Mr Grayson. Sleep well?” I tried not to let the grin that was threatening my lips spread.
“I did, thanks. Something happened to my truck on the way back yesterday.”
“Culver mentioned a burned out vehicle on the east side of the island. Is that yours?”
“Craziest thing, it just started smoking. Luckily I was able to get out before the fire started.” I paused, letting her process the lie.
“Do you have a car I could borrow, just for a few hours?” I needed to pick up the things we left behind and it would take forever to get there and back on two legs.
She reached into the drawer beneath the register and retrieved a set of keys.
“The red Jeep outside,” she said warmly as she handed me the keys with a smile. “Don’t let this one catch fire.”
“I won’t, thanks.” I left it at that and turned to leave.
“Oh, did you hear about the fire?” She asked and I paused, assuming that she was still talking about the truck.
“No, what happened?”
“That compound you were asking about. It burned down.”
“What?”
“Last night apparently. The place was empty by the time the local firemen got there. I guess the residents got someone to fly them out.”
“Oh…uh, thanks for letting me know.” I smiled stiffly and tried to stay calm as I left. The ancient Jeep was easy to find and I ground it into gear and backed out onto the road, easing down the main street and taking a right when I hit the intersection, then hauling ass towards the compound.
I could see smoke drifting into the sky from a mile out and as I got closer, I realized that the house was completely gone. The group of buildings surrounding it were burned out shells, and any evidence would be destroyed.
“Fuck!” I screamed as I hit the steering wheel with the heels of my hands and watched the lingering smoke drift into the sky.
It was my fault, I should’ve left with Nadia, I shouldn’t have stayed to kill the demons.
The act was self-serving and there was nothing left for me here.
I stared at the ruins for a few more minutes, then pulled out my phone and called Isla.
“What do you want, Max?” Isla was unnervingly abrupt. Even with her normal brusqueness, she always sounded happy to talk to me. Something was wrong.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, just…sorry. We’ll talk about it later.” She exhaled and continued. “Anyway, what’s going on?”
“The group I was observing burned their facility down and it looks like they’ve moved on.” Annoyance surged through me as I gritted my teeth. I should’ve been more careful.
“There’s no need for you to stay if they’re gone. Albert’s not going to be happy about this.” I wondered if she’d known about Gus, if she was hiding information, too. I didn’t want to know. “I’ll send the plane to pick you up in a few days.”
“Thanks, also, I should probably tell you,” I paused. “I found the lycan. She’s alive. I want to bring her with me.”
“That’s fine, I’ll make the necessary arrangements.
You can stay at my place. It’s near the Peerage research facility and we can take a look at your lycan.
” Should I tell her the rest? I decided to wait — there was still work to be done and I was certain the experiments hadn’t stopped, only moved elsewhere.
“Thanks, for everything.”
“You know I’ll do anything for you, Max. I…” she started, abandoning the thought before getting back to business. “Send over your report and I’ll take it to Albert. We can meet with him when you get back. See you soon.”
She hung up and I shook my head, staring at the rubble for a few more minutes before getting out and retrieving the things we left behind.
A flash drive fell out of the pocket of Nadia’s jeans as I shoved them into the bag.
I looked at it for a second before replacing it, then gathered the rest. The lab was gone, but Nadia would be able to help identify the equipment and processes, and that would go a long way in the investigation.
I turned around and drove back, the weight of defeat pressing down on me.
I’d failed. I took my time, driving slowly, thinking about Gus, wondering if he could actually do something like this.
I hated that I couldn’t convince myself that he wouldn’t.
I hadn’t seen him since that night, since we were kids and so much had happened in the years since.
I’d searched for him and Ray, but hadn’t made it easy to find me.
Maybe that had been a mistake. Maybe I could’ve prevented all of this.
As I entered the room, Nadia rolled over, groaning as I opened the door. She saw me and smiled, then buried her face in the pillows, a light laugh escaping. Sunlight bathed the room in a warm glow and she looked radiant, happy.
“What?” I asked, a ridiculous grin plastered to my face.
The sex had been incredible, but it was the bonding that meant the most. A week ago, the idea would’ve been a pipe dream, I’d written off ever finding a true mate, but here she was, in my bed, happy to see me and the other frustrations of the morning sloughed away.
I crawled onto the mattress next to her, kissing her softly, then pushing her hair aside and staring at the oblong pink mark on her neck. It had mostly healed, but it was clear and mine. She was mine. “Are you okay?”
The question sounded insufficient for what I really wanted to know, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask if she was happy with her decision or if she had regrets. I couldn’t deal with the honest answer.
“Very okay,” she said, bursting into a fit of giggles and I leaned over to kiss her again.
Her lips were so sweet and the intense scent of heat was gone, but her natural fragrance lingered.
We still had a few more days and I intended to make full use of our free time while we waited for our flight out.
“I got the camera and the rest of your things. Maybe you could go through the photos with me.” As much as I wanted to stay and fuck the morning away, getting the report done while our memories were fresh would be the responsible thing to do and I crawled out of bed. “Take your time.”
I retrieved my laptop and the memory card, then gave Nadia one last kiss before walking through the door and back towards the lobby. Eileen was at the desk and I slid the keys to the Jeep across the dark wood surface.
“Thanks for letting me borrow this. By the way, we’ll be leaving in a few days.”
“Oh really? That’s too bad. I thought you were staying with us for a month.”
“Change of plans. You know how the government is,” I said with a casual what-can-you-do-shrug, then walked into the dining area and sat in my usual corner seat and turned on my laptop.
The photos were good and I took some notes from what I remembered and sent a couple to Isla to get the ball rolling, as well as a preliminary report. I included everything except the demon's revelation about Gus. That could wait.
Nadia arrived a few minutes later and leaned down for a kiss, then slid into the seat across from me. She was wearing her clothes from yesterday and one of my sweaters, her skin glowing, radiant. She was so beautiful and as we ordered, I noticed that she delicately fingered my mark on her neck.
“Does it hurt?” I asked once the waitress left and she shook her head and smiled.
“No, I like it.” I like it. Those three words set me on fire. I couldn’t get enough of her and had to force myself back to the task at hand.
I sat upright in the stiff chair, getting down to business as I turned the laptop so she could see the screen. “We need to identify the equipment so the team in Washington can figure out what’s happening.”
“Whatever you need,” she said, massaging her head distractedly, and we got through a few of the photos before our food arrived. I put the laptop away as Suzie slid the plates onto the table and I realized how ravenous I was.
Nadia licked her plump lips, then reached for her knife and fork, digging in as I watched.
Alphas derive pleasure from feeding their mate.
I remembered the look on my father’s face when his were fed, but never understood the intense satisfaction that came with it until this precise moment.
She stared at me as she ate, but she looked worried and I hoped that she wasn’t regretting her decision.
“I can’t go home like this,” she murmured, then stared at me. “Can I stay here, with you?” My heart jumped and I grinned like an idiot. Her wanting to come with me was the best thing that had ever happened and I needed her to know that, yes, she could stay with me forever, or as long as she wanted.
“I don’t live here. I have a cabin in the mountains, in Virginia. It’s beautiful.” A fantasy of her being there, waking up with her every morning fixed itself in my mind. “First we need to go to Washington, DC so they can take a look at you, to make sure you’re stable.”
“Will I be able to go? I don’t have papers.”
“We’re in Alaska so there won’t be any immigration checks inbound, but Isla is handling the details.” I was starting to get excited, then I wondered if she would be happy in my cabin.