Alpha Blood Box Set(91)

I tapped a finger against my temple. “I’ll also stick with my natural defenses and my wits, whatever’s left of them.”

Emily returned to us with her arms laden with the spoils of war. She dumped rifles, shotguns, and ammo boxes at our feet, and glanced at our empty arms. “You’d better get in there before all the good stuff is gone,” she advised us.

“We prefer a more natural approach,” Luke told her.

She shrugged and bent down to rummage through her treasures. “All right, but you’re missing a lot of good stuff.” She pulled out a bowie knife with a blade sharp enough to cut hair. “I don’t know who Callean’s supplier is but I have to get his number.”

The devil she spoke of made his appearance at the end of the road walking toward us with Adam at his side. They had exited a tent and strode toward the chaos that was winding down in front of the empty ammunition boxes. They reached us and their grim faces told me they weren’t brimming with good news.

“The message may not have reached Burnbaum,” Adam informed us.

Luke raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”

“Lance could have figured out Burnbaum was still sending messages through the radio and, being unable to decipher the code, he’s now broadcasting constantly to jam as many of the airwaves in the southern regions as he can manage,” Adam explained.

“So you couldn’t talk to Burnbaum because Lance is trying to talk to everyone at once?” I summarized.

Adam nodded. “Exactly. I sent the message several times, but there’s no guarantee it reached Burnbaum or any of his men.”

“We will have to take that chance and proceed without him,” Callean spoke up.

Luke smiled. “Then we can still count on you and your men?”

Callean frowned and glanced over his shoulder. Leonor stood at the Hummers passing weapons and ammunition to the men piling into the vehicles. He rubbed his still-red cheek. “I would not want to attempt to go against God’s will,” he muttered.

“Then let’s get this party started,” Emily spoke up. She cocked a rifle and loaded it. The grin on her face made me glad she was on our side. “I have a little bit of revenge to get done, and a lot of ammunition to spend.”

Callean looked to Luke. “Does Lance have any other tricks up his long sleeve that we need to know about?”

Luke pursed his lips and nodded. “There is another chemical we need to worry about. Lance calls it the Alpha Formula. He infused his scent into a mixture and when the mixture is sprayed on a werewolf Lance or anyone of his blood have the ability to control them.”

Callean’s eyebrows crashed down. “Some sort of a mind-control formula?” he guessed.

“Yes, and he may have used it on our friends, including Stacy,” Luke told him.

“How quickly does the formula work?” Callean asked him.

“Nearly instantly. He sprayed my retainer and ordered him to kill me,” Luke replied.

“Is there any way to have them regain their free wills?” Callean wondered.

“You used to be able to slap them, but Lance said he changed the formula so that wouldn’t work anymore,” I spoke up.

Callean looked off in the distance and his eyes darted to and fro without seeing anything as he thought about our info. “I see. We must try to do what we can, but be prepared for the worst.”

“Are you five coming for the war or not?” Leonor shouted from one of the last empty Hummers.

Callean gathered himself and swung around to glare at Leonor. “You are not coming!” he yelled at her as he marched toward the Hummer.

She snarled back. “Yes, I am, and you’re not going to stop me!” She tried to climb into the Hummer, but Callean pulled her out and handed her off to his bodyguards who stood close at hand. Leonor twisted and nipped at them, but they held her tight. “Make sure she remains here. If we don’t return in two days leave for the next hiding spot. You’ll find money in the barn,” he told them. The men nodded and dragged Leonor kicking and screaming into the barrack formerly occupied by us. Callean turned to us and stepped aside so the door was open to us. “Get in. She could escape at any moment.”

We piled into the Hummer. Callean took the front passenger seat and was the last inside. He paused before climbing inside, stood on the sideboard and waved to the front vehicle. The front vehicle revved to life and the whole train moved down the road. Callean ducked inside and shut the door. At the helm of the vehicle was Tracker. “How many men and vehicles do we have?”

“A hundred men, fifteen Hummers and five jeeps,” Tracker replied.

“Did any refuse to come?” Callean asked him.

The edges of Tracker’s stoic lips twitched. “No, sir. All the men are ready to obey your commands.”

Callean grinned and leaned back in his seat. “Then we have a fighting chance, but we still don’t know what we’re up against.” He glanced over his shoulder at the three of us stuffed in the back. I was in the center and Emily’s guns poked me in the side. “Do you know how large this convoy is?”

“We haven’t any idea,” Luke replied.

Callean sighed and looked ahead. “Of course not, this is a suicide mission,” he muttered.

“The men are aware of that, and they’re willing to risk their lives to stop Connor,” Tracker told him.

“I hope it doesn’t come down to that,” Callean returned.

I leaned forward between the front seats and glared at Callean. “Come on, we have a chance. It’s not like Lance is expecting us.”

Callean snorted. “That may be the truth, but Lance didn’t get to the top of the food chain by making mistakes and underestimating his enemies.”

I grinned. “No, but he made one really big mistake.”

Callean turned to me and raised an eyebrow. “And what is that?”

“He’s not counting on us not killing each other so we can beat the crap out of him,” I told him.

Emily barked out a laugh and Callean blinked at me. The corners of his mouth turned up and he chuckled. “You may have something there.”





22





Tracker pulled our car into the lead as Luke directed us to the research facility. I got to see the view out of the Hummer windows this time, but there was the usual trees and grasslands. The sun traveled across the sky and nearly finished its daily chore when the landscape grew more wild. There were more trees and tall brush, and the smell changed. We were on the corner of the Prospera, Scientia, and Manutia borders, and it just wasn’t that impressive. The light grew dim as our country road bumped us through the trees. Ahead of us a faint fog drifted through the trunks and wafted over our vehicles.

When we entered the fog I noticed my compatriots sniff the air and wrinkle their noses. “Scent screen,” I heard Emily mutter as she placed her hand over her face.

Callean bent forward and grabbed a small paper mask from beneath his seat. He fixed it on his face and turned to us. “There are masks beneath your seats,” he informed us. I had no idea what he was talking about, but the others quickly retrieved their masks and covered their faces.

I sniffed the air and smelled a hint of something. I took a deep breath and choked on some small, indistinguishable scent. It smelled like an all-topping pizza with an extra helping of mold. I wrinkled my nose and turned to my mask-wearing mate. “What’s that smell?” I spoke up.

Luke pressed the mask closer to his face and glanced out the window. “A scent screen. It’s a mix of wolf’s bane, garlic, and other strong-scented items made into a spray and spread along the ground. It keeps werewolves from tracking the movements of vehicles because our noses are too sensitive to follow any trail.”

“So I’m guessing we’re on the right trail?” I commented.

Callean nodded. “Yes. Lance may have the ability to hide the scent of his men, but not that of his convoy.”

“Then we have a problem,” Emily spoke up. “Lance is mad, but he isn’t stupid. He’ll have spread the spray mixture across several miles to hide his route.”

“Do you know how many roads lead out of the research area?” Luke asked her.

She shook her head. “No, but I can guess it’s more than one. Lance and Mullen would have made sure they had a way to escape no matter which direction an enemy came from.”

Callean half-turned in his seat and looked to Emily. “How would you know about his research facility?” he wondered.

Emily smirked. “I just happen to be a Captain,” she revealed.

Callean raised an eyebrow. “A what?”

Emily’s smirk slipped off her face and she crossed her arms over her chest. “Damn it, didn’t anybody learn about us?” she muttered.

I patted her on the shoulder. “We know about you,” I assured her.

She snorted. “That means a lot when you’re not the ones who are supposed to fear us.”

“You reputation among Lance’s men will be to your advantage, but we don’t have time to argue over reputation,” Luke interrupted. He turned to Callean. “We should send scouts out as soon as possible to gauge where Lance may be traveling. We know he intends to enter Prospera. He knows he’s vulnerable so he would take the quickest route.”