“Nothing important.” But he pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to her temple. Everything important, actually.
They’d made it halfway around the lake when movement across the water caught his attention. A figure stumbled onto the muddy shoreline on the far side, maybe three hundred yards away. Hunter’s enhanced vision sharpened immediately, wolf rising to assess the threat.
Male. Six foot two. Lanky build. Dark jacket.
The man was moving erratically, lurching forward a few steps then stopping, turning in circles. His arms gestured wildly at nothing, like he was arguing with invisible opponents.
Hunter’s blood went cold. The figure on the far shore continued his bizarre behavior, shouting something they couldn’t hearacross the water. His movements became more frantic, jerking and uncoordinated.
Then Hunter recognized him.
“That’s Brennan.”
“What?” Brie grabbed his arm. “But they found his car. The blood…”
“I know what they found.” Hunter’s jaw clenched as he watched the chemist’s erratic movements. “But that’s him.”
“Something’s wrong with him,” she whispered.
Brennan suddenly froze, his whole body going rigid. For three heartbeats, he stood perfectly still.
Then he convulsed.
The shift was violent, uncontrolled. Bones cracked audibly in the still air as Brennan’s body exploded outward. A massive grizzly bear erupted from the man, easily eight hundred pounds of muscle and fury.
But something was catastrophically wrong.
The bear’s movements were spastic, uncoordinated. It reared up, roaring at the sky, then collapsed forward onto all fours. The roar cut off mid-sound, replaced by a desperate, keening whine that raised every hair on Hunter’s body. He drew his gun.
“Oh god,” Brie breathed.
The grizzly tried to move forward but its legs weren’t working properly. It stumbled, fell, tried to rise again. Then, without warning, the shift reversed.
Bones cracked again, fur receding. Within seconds, Brennan was human again, naked and convulsing in the muddy snow. Even from across the lake, they could see him thrashing, his screams now human and piercing.
“He’s tested it on himself.” The realization hit Hunter hard. “The shifter drug. He’s been using himself as a test subject.”
Brennan’s body jerked again. Another forced shift, faster this time. Bear. Then human. Then bear. His transformation ability was completely destroyed, his body unable to maintain either form, trapped in an agonizing loop.
The final shift left him human, collapsed face-down in the snow. He wasn’t moving anymore.
“Is he...” Brie’s voice shook.
“I don’t know.” Hunter pulled out his phone clicked a photo for Dom. He was about to send it when he remembered there was no signal. “We need to get back to the cabin. Radio this in. I’m getting you out of here.”
They turned back toward the cabin, moving faster now. The peaceful morning had shattered, replaced by the stark reminder that their enemy wasn’t just dangerous. He was desperately, catastrophically unstable.
Chapter
Twenty-Three
They ran through the forest,snow flying from their boots. Brie’s lungs burned from the cold air and fear, branches whipping past as they raced back toward the cabin. The peaceful morning had shattered into something nightmarish, and she couldn’t shake the image of Brennan’s convulsing body, the way his shifts had gone violently wrong.
The cabin appeared through the trees. Hunter took the porch steps two at a time, Brie right behind him. Inside, he went straight for the satellite phone mounted on the wall near the kitchen.
“Dom.” Hunter’s voice was clipped, professional, the soldier emerging. “Brennan is at Crystal Lake. North shore, about three hundred yards from the cabin across the water. He’s alive but incapacitated.”
Brie couldn’t hear Dom’s response, but Hunter’s expression stayed grim as he continued. “No, you need to see this to understand. It looks like he’s been testing the shifter drug on himself. Multiple forced shifts, complete loss of control. His transformation ability is destroyed.” He paused, listening. “Idon’t know if he’s dead or dying, but he’s not moving. How fast can you get the feds up here?”
