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Tristan was back.
Mac knelt in the back of the van next to his still body. She’d covered him with her raincoat, but he was showing no sign of life. She yelled at the two men in the front of the van, “How could you shoot him? He was unarmed.”
“I didn’t shoot him. These are Nyght stun guns.”
“Night? Guns?”
He spelled it out. As if that helped.
She had no idea who Nyght was, or what kind of gun Brewster carried, but the strike had taken Tristan off his feet and blue energy had covered his body.
How could any human survive that kind of power?
Maybe he’s not human after all.
She rolled her eyes and forced that thought back into the corner of her mind where curiosity bubbled nonstop, and where she’d shoved that thought so long ago when she’d first been taken in by his little joke. Tristan clearly did not have glowing green eyes now, which confirmed that “bad joke” was the right thing to call what he’d done. In fact, his eyes had looked brown when the light hit his face. The blast had been similar to a lightning bolt, but people survived lightning strikes and those had to be more powerful, right?
Brewster called back, “He’s alive, right? Mr. Kossman will be pissed at the Nyght weapons group if their stun gun killed a specimen.”
She warned Brewster, “You’d better hope he doesn’t die, or you’ll have worse to face than Kossman.” She’d turn that damn gun on the lot of them and see how they liked it.
Sure, she was still angry with Tristan, but she had not signed on to attack humans, or nonhumans, with weapons of any kind. Kossman had some explaining to do.
This couldn’t be what he had in mind for her or the program.
He’d never seemed like the kind of man who would endorse attacking a defenseless human. Had Brewster been so determined to please Kossman that he’d made this decision on his own? She didn’t know, but there would be no repeat of this event, not with her involved.
Her hands were finally warm enough to feel for a pulse in Tristan’s cold wrist.
How could he be back? Okay, Atlanta was a big city. Maybe he’d never really left at all. Just walked away from her. But why had he been targeted when he clearly did not have glowing eyes?
She’d wanted to choke him back then for the ugly prank—and for what he’d done to her heart.
Now she feared he might be dying. Or was he already dead? She kept feeling for a pulse.
Brewster yelled at the driver, “Look out!”
Something slammed the side of the van. They skidded and spun, then were hit again. The van lifted up on one side, rolling over.
Mac screamed and went airborne.
Hands snatched her out of the air as the van banged over on its side, then rolled onto the roof, then back onto its other side. She rolled over and over, bouncing against walls, but she wasn’t hitting hard or getting banged up much, which made no sense.
Everything happened so fast, then suddenly nothing.
The van had stopped upright, but tilted at an angle. The motor still ran. Mac’s heart fought inside her chest. She sucked air in gulps. She tried to push up, but she was pinned down to ... Tristan’s body.
His arms were banded around her. That’s what had kept her from being bashed. But what about him? First stunned with those blasters and now bounced in a rolling van. How was he even conscious?
She whispered, “Tristan?”
“Shh. Be quiet. Don’t let them know you’re awake.” He’d given that order in a taut voice.
Before she could ask what he was talking about, his arms flopped loose just before the rear door opened and a harsh voice demanded, “What the hell? Which one of those two is the target?”
“Don’t know. Let’s take both and sort it out later. We gotta go.”
Tristan’s lips moved against Mac’s skin when he softly said, “Act limp and unconscious.”
Her heart was beating too fast for her to pretend to be unconscious. Who had hit their van and what did they want?
She lifted her lashes enough to see that one man was directing another man who backed a panel truck.
She whispered, “Who are they?”
Tristan sighed. “I don’t know. Don’t ask.”
She hissed, “Why?”
“Because I said so, dammit.” He sounded pissed, but he had reason to be after this insane capture.
She narrowed her eyes at the familiar comment. Growing up around male arrogance had immunized her. Ordering her around hadn’t worked on her in the past, and it wouldn’t now either.
But when the two men came back to pull her out of the van, some innate sense told her to do as Tristan said. He sounded as if this was not unusual for him, but Mac had zero experience with getting kidnapped. She stayed quiet and limp while someone carried her to the panel truck, where he tossed her in.
Literally tossed her.
She clamped her jaws to keep from groaning when she landed hard on her shoulder and it popped. Hot pain blinded her.
Don’t say a word. She clenched her teeth and tried not to move. Tears stung the corners of her eyes. If she’d ended up facing the rear of the truck, her captors would have known she was conscious by the way she bit down on her lip. She took shallow breaths, trying to hold on to her composure.
A body dropped behind her and the doors slammed shut on the back of the box truck. The sound of a heavy lock being snapped followed. No chance of getting out of here.
As soon as the truck took off, excruciating pain shot through her shoulder and upper arm. Mac couldn’t stifle a cry at the movement and rolled onto her back, gasping to keep from throwing up.
Tristan’s inert form came to life beside her. “What’s wrong?”
Stupid contacts. Tristan couldn’t see Mac’s body clearly in the back of this pitch-dark, enclosed truck bed. Without the contacts, he’d be able to see in here, but removing them would be a mistake even though Mac had seen his eyes in the past. Once the contacts came out, they couldn’t be used again. He didn’t want to confirm he was nonhuman to anyone else until he had no choice.
The less his captors knew, the better.
Finally, he had the woman who’d stolen his freedom. He’d waited five years to pay her back, and now he had her alone and at his disposal.
So what are you going to do, chump?
You’d think he’d have spent every minute of those five years planning her death, or at least some degree of torture.
But no. A sigh broke loose from him. Good thing no one could hear his thoughts, or his dickhead reputation would take a hit.
The diesel engine and road noise drowned out most sounds, but he was sure he’d heard Mac moan.
Was she pretending so he wouldn’t kill her, or had that been a true sound of pain?
He asked, “Are you hurt? What’s wrong?”
“Landed hard. Think they dislocated my shoulder.”
Yep, that hurt. He’d done that to his own shoulder once, and if not for his beast power, he wouldn’t have been able to fix it. Even then, he’d yelled at the top of his lungs, pissed and in agony.
Why wasn’t she screaming her head off?
Because I told her to be quiet. If he were as dedicated to payback as he’d thought, his gut wouldn’t be churning at the idea of her in the kind of pain he’d suffered.
Now he wished he’d fought the two trolls that captured them, but with his power at a trickle, he might have gotten Mac killed even if he had survived.
He could still regenerate from death one more time. Maybe. He wasn’t sure that worked unless he was in gryphon form. Talk about a screwed-up heritage.
And why would it matter if Mac died, chump?
What the ever-loving goddess had brought on all the fucking yammering going on in his head? Until he made up his mind what to do with Mac, no one killed her but him.
That should shut up his rogue conscience.
She sucked in a harsh breath and his conscience thumped him again.
Tristan dug into his pocket for the extra key to Petrina’s building. It had a tiny LED light the size of a quarter on it. When he flashed it on, Mac turned her head away, but not before he saw the tear tracks running down her face.
He said, “Hold this for me so I can take a look.”
“Why?”
Obstinate woman. “I can fix your shoulder, but I need to be able to see.”
“Do you have a medical background?” she asked in a snappy voice.
Pain pissed him off, too, but he wasn’t looking for any sort of connection between them, so he answered in a surly voice. “Sort of.”
She turned back to him. “Is your medical degree sort of like having glowing eyes?”
Does she think these are my normal eyes? No, she had to be jerking his chain. They’d have the conversation about his eyes and this unfinished crap later, once he fixed her shoulder and put her back on even ground with him.
That way, she couldn’t blame him for taking advantage of her weakened situation. “I didn’t say I had a medical degree, but I can fix your arm.”
“Don’t touch me–” The truck bounced over a bump. She clenched her teeth and whined in pain.
What reason did she have to sound angry? He hadn’t captured her and put her ass in this mess.
He wouldn’t waste the time finding out right now when he had no idea how long this ride would be. “I can put the bone back into the socket, but you have to help by relaxing. Yes or no? Make up your mind.”
A tear slid down the side of her nose.
He’d never seen her cry. He didn’t like watching the tears snake down her face now.
Tristan growled, “Just hold the damn light, would you?”
She must be ready to rip her arm off for relief. Without looking at him, she lifted her good arm and opened trembling fingers. Tristan placed the LED between her index finger and thumb, closing them carefully.
He told her, “Point the light down so you don’t blind me.”
When she did, he finally got a look at her shoulder. This was going to hurt like a son of a bitch.
He’d barely touched her arm and she hissed, “Don’t!”
“The longer you wait, the harder this will be, Mac.”
She muttered something about that being easy for him to say. That mouth hadn’t changed a bit in five years. Constantly asking questions or debating whatever anyone said.
But now that he could see more of her, it was obvious she’d grown up since the last time they were together. The soft curves were still there, but she had a sharpness about her that didn’t fit the sweet young woman he’d met in Piedmont Park so long ago.
The same woman who sent you to South America in chains the first time, and played a role in your capture tonight.
True, and he wanted to give her a piece of his mind, but not while she ground her teeth in pain. Even he wasn’t that much of an asshole. He’d get his chance to ask her why she’d turned him over to the Beladors so long ago.
Did she even know who the Beladors were?
She pretty much had to for them to come after Tristan when he was captured. Right? But they were hypervigilant about secrecy, so how could she have known of them? He’d wanted that answer for a long time.
Mac turned to face him, but kept the light pointed down, which left his face in shadows. “What makes you think you can do anything with my shoulder?”
Surviving all those years in a dangerous jungle made him a fucking expert. “If you’ll stop the twenty questions and work with me, this will go faster.”
“Not until you explain how you’re going to–”
Tristan sighed, gently grasped her injured arm and she shut up with a hiss. In that moment, he couldn’t deny it. He hated seeing the woman he’d once cared for hurt.
Exhaustion had to be messing with him, but as much as he wanted to lash out at her, he gentled his voice. “Just relax.”
If he’d been a normal human, he’d have to put his foot against her torso to do this, but even at low energy he still had supernatural strength. He only had to put one hand under her arm to push against her body for leverage.
Bad idea. His fingers were inches from her breast. What kind of horn-dog thought about a woman that way when he was supposed to be helping her? Me, evidently.
He closed his mind to everything except gently pulling on her arm as she panted and made noises that were gutting him. Could he ease her pain the way he’d once used his energy to help heal a nonhuman?
Tristan called up his beast and fed healing energy down his arm to his hand that touched her body.
Sweat ran into his eyes, in spite of the cold air.
The shoulder popped back into the socket.
Relief flooded him. He let out a breath, not questioning why her being hurt stressed him so much.
When he looked down, he found Mac sniffling, but she hadn’t made a sound the men in the cab might have heard over the road noise and rumble of the diesel engine. Damn, but he admired her grit. “Are you okay, Mac?”
“Yes... I’m surprised the pain is easing, but I’ve never had a shoulder go out like that so I guess ... that’s normal, huh?” she answered with a swipe of confusion in her voice. “I feel a weird ... sizzling where you’re touching me.”
“Just the feeling coming back to some of the nerve endings,” he said, pretty sure that was a lie. He moved his hand quickly, thankful his beast energy actually did something for her.
But she didn’t think he had glowing eyes.
That made no sense. She knew he had glowing eyes. She’d seen them.
She acted as if she didn’t know he was a nonhuman.
A thought hit Tristan square in the chest. Someone had turned him in, just like Claire had done to Bernie tonight. What if that someone was not Mac? Tristan dug through old memories, trying to sort through what had happened and who owed him for lost time. Could she have said something back then to a human who knew of the Beladors?
Or more likely, said something about glowing eyes to a Belador she thought was a human?
If so, that would mean he’d spent five years hating her for no reason.
Mac wasn’t the only one confused.
What had really happened back then? He started to ask, and got sidetracked when her teeth chattered.
Crap. She had to be freezing between the cold air, the metal truck bed, and the shock of being hurt.
Touch her again or not?
Yes, he wanted to, but what man wouldn’t want to hold this woman in his arms?
Even after all the shit he’d been through with getting captured, and all the time he’d spent in the bowels of jungle hell, his stupid heart thumped hard when he looked at her. In his mind, he still saw the sweet young woman who’d waited for him each day after they’d met.
Waited just to talk.
That had been the closest he’d ever come to normal in his life.
His head kept reminding him that she could have been behind his capture, and he had no business touching her any more than necessary.
His heart didn’t have a lick of sense, and kept pounding loud enough to drum out the noises in his mind.
When she shivered hard, Tristan reached down and lifted her into his arms.
Mac tensed.
He stopped moving. “What?”
“Nothing ...” She relaxed and let out a sound that was a mix of weariness and acceptance. “Okay, I can admit my arm is feeling better every second. Thank you. I’m amazed at what you did. Where did you learn how to do that?” She kept the LED on, but with that arm hanging at her side, she had the light pointed down, giving off a soft, ambient glow.
And we’re back to twenty questions.
He settled her in his arms and turned to lean his back against the metal wall. “I spent a lot of time alone in South America where I had to take care of my own injuries.”
“So that’s where you went,” she murmured. “What were you doing there?” She stared up at him with eyes lacking the devious quality he’d expected. She looked completely innocent of any crime.
Doubt scampered through his chest. Was this an act or real?
He wanted answers, too, and tossed back, “That’s where I was sent after you alerted someone to my existence.”
“What are you talking about?”
He studied her face. “I was grabbed the day after you saw my green eyes. Who’d you tell about me?”
“I asked my professor and some students about your condition, which clearly was not a condition, but a lie. I could have accepted that you played a practical joke on me, but not the way you left, and now this ... story.”
He thought back over everything that had happened. “Damn.”
“What?”
“I bet one of your professors was a Belador.”
“A bella-what?”
“Never mind. So you had nothing to do with me being captured?”
“You were captured?” The astonishment in her voice sounded sincere. She breathed deeply, and on the exhale said, “If that’s true, I don’t feel so bad about you disappearing on me. I’ve been pissed at you for five years. Why would you think I’d be behind someone capturing you and keeping you in South America, Tristan?”
He stared at her, trying to accept what she was saying, but still not sure what to believe. “If you really weren’t behind that, what were you doing tonight, with men carrying those kinds of weapons?”
“I don’t know anything about the weapons except that they’re Nyght stun guns.”
“Stun guns? They hit me with enough charge to take down a pack of stampeding elephants, but that makes sense if it’s a Nyght weapon. I’ve heard about those.”
“Oh, please.” She cocked her chin at him with a wry grin. “Exaggerate much? If the stun had been that powerful, you’d be dead. It doesn’t excuse them for mistreating you, but that’s a bit much. And who or what is Nyght?”
Did that mean she didn’t realize that he was an Alterant? “It’s a weapon designed for specific use,” he hedged. “Who were those men and what were you after?”
“I wasn’t after anything,” she said indignantly. “I was only there as a consultant.”
“What kind of consultant?”
She became very still. “You’ll laugh.”
“No I won’t.” Not much.
“I just signed on with Jacob Kossman.”
“That name means nothing to me,” he lied. He’d heard rumors about Kossman’s supernatural encounter years ago, but wanted to see what Mac would say.
She took his measure with her next look. “Have you been living under a rock? Kossman’s in the news every other week.”
“I told you I was out of the country.”
“Oh, right. He’s a mega billionaire who is mostly known for his international enterprise in medical-research-based, unusual healing methods and medicines, and ... uh, other types of research. I went to a university he built.”
“And you’re a consultant for him? Doing what?”
She huffed with a defeated sigh. “Might as well tell you. Kossman is considered an eccentric, and I got my degree from the Titan University of Georgia. It’s north of here, in Rome. Years ago, Kossman claimed to have had an experience with a supernatural being. He’s obsessed with investigating the unusual.”
“A ghost hunter?”
“No. I’m tired of everyone calling this ghostbusting,” she groused. “Kossman thinks supernaturals walk the earth, and he’s determined to prove it. I graduated at the top of my class and he noticed. I have a chance at a really good position with him later, and I’ll dress up as a wookie if that’s what it takes to win it, so when his men picked me up to join them, I didn’t really have a choice.”
Warning. Danger zone. Tristan scratched his chin. “So what did you and your two gunmen think you were going to find tonight?”
She whipped an angry gaze at him. “They were not my gunmen. They said Kossman wanted me on-site to consult on a potential target.”
“Which was?”
She rubbed her hands over her eyes. “Where is a bottomless sinkhole when I need one?”
Tristan fought a smile at the reminder of the woman he’d met years back, who would always say whatever was on her mind.
She dropped her hands and stared at the other side of the truck body. “Apparently they had a report from a woman who claimed that she’d met a guy earlier this year. He supposedly had green eyes that glowed and claimed he could change his body into a beast. She said he’d disappeared for a few months and had just turned up again. He called her tonight and said a witch had captured him, but he was now free. She called in on Kossman’s tip line for a bounty fee, and said she’d told the green-eyed guy to come to her new apartment.”
That bitch, Claire. Tristan swallowed the “I told you so” hanging on the tip of his tongue. Bad as this was, poor Bernie had gotten his heart ripped out.
Tristan asked, “So you didn’t know I was going to be there?”
She twisted around, a frown marring her face. “Why would I? And what were you doing there?” Then it hit her. “I’m an idiot. I thought my br—” She swallowed that word and continued. “I thought someone was setting up me and my boss to be embarrassed by the media with the whole glowing eyes crap. Now I get it. This was a scam to get the money, wasn’t it?”
“I don’t know. How much money?”
“Fifty thousand. Are you in cahoots with that woman who called?”
“No. The guy she was talking about is a friend of mine. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Mac didn’t look like she believed him, but he wouldn’t believe it either if the tables were turned. Shit. Did VIPER know someone was after Alterants and other nonhumans?
Would they care? Yes ... if humans got involved, which had happened tonight. Tristan had to leave here with information so he’d know how to protect his pack of Alterant-gryphons. But who would he tell?
No one could find out he’d left Treoir.
Much as he wanted to prevent Mac from learning the truth, his first priority was her safety. He had to let her know what they were up against for any chance of getting her out of here.
Not that he had any intention of playing white knight. With his black soul, he was far from a savior, but he couldn’t let her continue naively thinking this was a basic kidnapping.
One thought kept poking at him.
Mac had not turned him in the first time.
The Beladors who took him captive had said something about a woman getting her Alterant fee. He’d put two and two together, and come up with Mac as the one at fault.
The truck slowed, as if it had reached a destination.
No time to waste. He turned to Mac. “Listen to me and do what I say if you want to get out of this alive.”
“We’ll be rescued as soon as they send a ransom demand to Kossman. I just need you to pretend to be a supernatural being until we get to Kossman, then I’ll explain and he’ll understand the lie, considering the circumstances. Can you do that?”
What? Tristan paused at the sound of voices yelling outside the truck, but couldn’t make out the words. The truck pulled forward slowly. “They may or may not be asking for money.”
She frowned. “Why wouldn’t they?”
“Because they’re not human. The two guys who tossed us in here are trolls. They want me because I’m what’s called an Alterant, and even if they are after a bounty fee, it may have nothing to do with Kossman.”
Mac’s face swirled with confusion then her eyes narrowed. “Really? What is it with you wanting to be some comic book character? I actually believed you the first time and where did that get me? It wasn’t bad enough you broke my–” She clamped her lips shut.
What was she going to say? That he broke her heart?
How was it that he’d been the one thrown into a spelled cage and yet he felt guilty?
The truck stopped. Tristan quickly argued, “I had no choice about leaving. I told you I was grabbed. They took me to South America and locked me in a spelled cage.”
“The more I hear, the harder time I’m having accepting anything you say.”
“I know, but it’s true.”
“You know what? I’m amazed at how little you care for anyone else. I suffered through your little trick the last time, but not again. If you were a supernatural being, it would be wonderful, because Kossman would pay dearly for–”
Tristan covered her mouth.
A jangling metal noise meant the lock was being opened.
He leaned down next to Mac’s ear. “I know this sounds fantastical, but those two guys who grabbed us really are trolls. That means they’re taking us to someone hunting for supernatural beings who will very likely be far more dangerous than your man Kossman.”
Mac lifted her hand to his cheek and studied his face. “I never realized...”
“What?” Tristan asked cautiously, not sure what she was thinking.
“I never forgave you for making love to me, then, well, breaking my heart when I never heard from you again. I realize now that you couldn’t help it, could you? You’re delusional. I shouldn’t have asked you to pretend, because it’s real to you, isn’t it? Try not to cause any trouble so they won’t harm you while we wait on the ransom.”
Tristan wanted to shake her, but not with her sore shoulder. He warned, “Listen to me! Don’t let them know you’re only human. They’re probably looking for an Alterant right now and won’t risk doing anything to either of us until they know for sure. I’m not delusional, but I am short of patience and too low on energy to trust my powers for a bit. I do have glowing eyes. I didn’t pull a trick on you back then. I’m not removing these brown contacts until I feel stronger, but if you’ll work with me, I’ll get us out of this.”
She shoved up until they were nose to nose. “You listen to me, Tristan. The media will get wind of this kidnapping because I live under a damn microscope as a Mackenzie, and they’re already rabid to get another news flash out this week. If, once we’re released, you start mouthing off that you’re some kind of being with powers, I will strangle you myself. I’m willing to help you get mental counseling, but your eyes do not glow, for crying out loud. I need this job with Kossman. I will not see it go up in flames in the media because of a scam artist.”
The door swung open with a loud whine.
Tristan dropped his head.
We’re going to die painfully.
