Page 90 of Logan’s Acadian Wolves

“Shit,” Dimitri began. “You know with the pack, there’s not too many secrets. The guys who worked to build the lab, they may have told her.”

“Fiona’s here,” Logan breathed.

“Fi knows this place just as well as we do. She knows we’ll find her.”

“She’s going to kill Wynter for her blood, then take off.”

“We’ll have to break the search into sections. The whole pack will help,” Jake suggested.

“No, let me think. If she’s got Wynter, she’s going to want to drain her blood. It’s what she’s after. But she won’t use a vamp, though. She’s going to need privacy, supplies…to collect it properly. The swamp’s too messy. And she wouldn’t keep a boat out in the open. She’s going to need shelter. A cabin maybe.”

“Ours?”

“I think…I think she may have built one,” Luci interjected quietly.

“What exactly do you know, Luci?” Logan snarled.

“Nothing, I swear. Fiona’s been the same person she’s always been. Sweet, gentle Fi. This isn’t her…she wouldn’t hurt anyone. I know she’s on that video,” she shook her head and gestured to the tablet, “but I’m telling you we’ve been friends for a long time. I just don’t see how she could be capable.”

“How long have you known her really? Marcel, he brought you here. You haven’t been with the pack that long, Luci. Sometimes, we don’t know people,” Dimitri told her. “I’ve known her for the past fifty years and there she is…right there. She did this.”

“Where’s her cabin? We know every single blade of grass out here. I’ve never seen it. Where’s it at?” Logan demanded.

“We do know what’s out there, but maybe she’s been busy over the past couple of months. We’ve been preoccupied with the challenges.” Even to Dimitri, it didn’t make sense, but there was no denying that he and Logan and the entire pack had been distracted by Marcel’s death and the fights that followed.

“She took me there once,” Luci said solemnly. “Made me promise not to tell anyone. But last month when I asked, she told me that a storm took it out. I believed her. I had no reason to doubt her. It happens all the time, you know. I guess she could have rebuilt something.”

“Let’s go.” Logan glanced at Dimitri and Jake. “Fiona is not leaving this swamp. And bring stakes. She isn’t alone out there.”

“But what if Wynter isn’t…” Alive. Dimitri hesitated to suggest it but the reality of the situation was bleak.

“She’s alive.” The vision of Wynter dying before him played in his mind like a horror movie. He’d be damned if he let it happen. “She will not die, do you hear me? The next person who suggests it can find another pack. She’s mine and I can feel her. Now, let’s stop wasting time and go.”

Wynter pretended to type out information about the virus. She made up data, dates, measurements and ratios. She’d never help to create a viral weapon. They could kill her; drain her of all her blood, but she’d never ever give them what they needed. Wynter had spent the time gathering her strength, deciding she’d try to escape. But first, she had to shift. If she pretended to comply, she might be able to get him to take off the silver. Then, she’d fight with her last dying breath to get away.

“There’s nothing more.” Wynter pushed the save button as if she were truly cooperating. A reiteration of what they already knew would help to confirm her story, play to his arrogance. “You were right. My wolf blood, it’ll cure Emma. Her immunity will show in her viral titers but the symptoms will disappear. It isn’t contagious either.”

“See how nice it is when we collaborate, Dr. Ryan? Professionals discussing our research,” he lectured as if he was a professor.

“Your genetic modification was spot on. My shift was difficult, but it was enough to manipulate the blood. I need to continue the research to learn more about why my blood is counteracting the virus,” she continued.

“That’s the spirit. We’ll set up a new lab in Wyoming. I’ve grown quite tired of this heat. And the Mistress, well she’ll want to return here eventually. Perhaps the mountain air will entice her to stay.”

“Out West? Really? I’ve always wanted to see Yellowstone.” As a camper, not a captive. “When do we leave? I’m a mess.”

“Always beautiful in my eyes, darling. Your intellect is captivating,” he purred into her ear.

“I’m still weak though. I don’t think I’d be able to keep up with you. If I could just shift, I think I’d be okay to go,” she suggested innocently.

“We’d need to discuss that with the Mistress. I can’t allow…”

“You don’t have the power to do it? What I meant to say is that it was your brilliance that researched the genetics, created a wolf from a human. It’s the first time it’s been done in history. Your name should be published in the New England Journal of Medicine. This is a historic medical breakthrough. It’ll have far-reaching implications across the world. I imagine all the Ivy League schools will be clamoring to have you teach,” she boasted. She knew she was laying it on thick but she watched in pleasure as his eyes glossed over in dreams of grandeur.

“Sir,” Wynter pleaded demurely. Batting her eyelashes, she seductively glided her fingers from her mouth down to the valley between her breasts. “I really am a mess. My lips…my neck. Of course, I’d need to take my clothes off in order to shift.”

Étienne’s cock jerked in response. How he’d missed watching her in her underwear while he held her in his lab. Viewing her nude was a gift he’d earned, deserved. The Mistress would not approve but she wasn’t here, was she? Just a small peek wouldn’t hurt. She’d be well enough to travel and he’d fuck her later.

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt, but you must promise to be a good girl.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead.