The Mountain Man's Mate(11)

       
           



       

Jason pressed his back into the sofa, his knees up to his chest. Tears streaked down his face.

Not certain how to convey his desires to his mate in wolf form, Michel   had to trust in the bond they had between them. He knew he'd already   damaged it with his actions, but he had to try.

Lifting his head, Michel pricked his ears forward and wiggled closer.   When Jason didn't move, but stared at him with fear in his eyes-which   hit Michel like a punch to his gut that he had to ignore for now-Michel   slowly lifted one massive paw onto the couch edge and rested his head  on  Jason's chest.

"You weren't supposed to hurt me," Jason whispered, pain lacing his words. "Sean said you wouldn't hurt me."

Michel whined, wishing he could convey his sorrow, his regret. He wished he could explain.

Later. I'll make certain I get a chance, he vowed.

Sliding higher up Jason's chest, Michel wiggled his nose under his   mate's fingers. He licked, his long tongue sliding across the flesh.   Slowly, his breath hitching, Jason eased his hands away from his neck.   Michel kept his movements slow, but took advantage of the sudden trust.

Michel quickly cleared away the blood and soaked Jason's neck with his   saliva. The torn skin healed swiftly under his ministrations. He   finished by cleaning the sticky fluid from Jason's fingers, then eased   off the couch and rested his head on Jason's lap. Once again, he whined.

Jason stared down at him. Michel still saw the fear, but now there was   confusion and uncertainty as well as he fingered his neck, tracing the   newly healed skin. Slowly, Jason lowered one hand to his knee, then-to   Michel's near shock, awe, and pleasure-he settled the other hand on   Michel's head.

"Are you really Michel?" Jason whispered.

Michel pressed more firmly into his lover's hand while nodding his head once. He peered up at Jason and chuffed softly.

"This is what we needed to talk about."

The softly spoken words weren't a question, which was good, because Michel couldn't answer anyway.

The bang of a door sounded, and Michel jerked away from Jason, suddenly   remembering the scientists who'd been in his home. He turned his back  to  his mate and growled low in his throat. His anger and aggression,  which  had eased in the face of what happened with his mate, flared  bright and  hot when the trio trooped through his kitchen into the  dining room.

Once again, the doctor held a dart gun, but the syringe in the second   male's hand was what raised Michel's hackles. Snarling, he watched them   stop, Sampson crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, well, well. I've never seen one of them overcome the aggressiveness created by the drugs," Sampson commented, frowning.

"Maybe we didn't give it a big enough dose?" the second attacker said.

The woman just stared blankly at them. Michel couldn't figure her out.   While the men smelled foul with maliciousness and cruelty, the woman   smelled faintly of shifter … and something else. It seemed odd that a   shifter would aid these people, but from her attitude and reactions,   Michel wondered if she was all there or if under some kind of drug   induced coercion.

"Well, we'll have to find out. Sedate them and bring them both," Sampson ordered.

At that, the man with glasses started toward them. Michel bared his   teeth, snarling. At his back, he felt Jason move, perhaps rising to his   feet. "What do you guys want? Who are you?"

Doctor Marlow smirked. "Didn't I already say? I'm so sorry. I'm Doctor   Sampson Marlow. This is my assistant Brett and our … " He looked toward   the woman, who didn't even acknowledge him. "Helper, Rachel."

"Well, kidnapping is a crime," Jason said, his voice only wavering slightly. "You won't get away with it."

Sampson grinned. "Ah, but you see, I've been getting away with it for   years." He shrugged negligently. "Besides, it's not like these beasts   have any rights. They're just animals."

"No, they're not," Jason insisted. "They're not just animals."

"You don't know what you're talking about, boy," Sampson snapped, obviously losing patience. "Hurry up, Brett. Get on with it."

"Stop right there, Doctor Marlow. Ye won't be taking any more of us,   ever again," a deep lilting voice snarled from the shadow of the   doorway. Seconds later, Michel's alpha strode into the room. "Nice to   finally meet ye face to face, Doctor. Ye've been a thorn in the side of   shifters long enough."                       
       
           



       

The doctor snarled and backhanded the female. The blow snapped her head   back. "How could you allow these dogs to find us without warning me?  You  useless bitch!" He lifted his hand again and the woman didn't even   flinch.

"That's enough," Declan roared. "Shane, Carson, grab the scientists. Manon and Kade, secure Rachel," he ordered.

Doctor Marlow swung his other arm up and pointed the gun at Declan. As   the doctor fired at the alpha, Declan dove forward and sideways. He   rolled once, and in the process, shifted, clothes tearing from his body   as he went from man to wolf in seconds. Four others, who Michel   recognized as the beta, Shane, and the three enforcers, Carson, Kade,   and Manon, joined the massive brown wolf.

Howls sounded outside in response to the growls in the small cabin, which told him more shifters were near.

Jason's whimper of fear drew Michel's focus and he backed against his   mate's legs, trying to offer comfort. Brett, standing halfway between   the charging shifters and Michel, decided to run past him toward the   front of the cabin, probably intending to run out the front.

He didn't get far. Shane appeared between him and his intended exit. The   scientist held the syringe in front of him threateningly, wielding it   like a sword. A burning need for revenge-and a desire to keep the human   from injuring another-swept through Michel and he leaped up onto the   sofa, catapulted off the back and landed on the man's back. They both   hit the floor with a thud, Michel landing on the human.

Michel sank his teeth into the guy's wrist. Blood spurted. The man   screamed. He watched the human's hand snap open on reflex, dropping the   syringe.

Shane's snout appeared in his line of sight, and the bigger, more   dominant wolf growled softly, then chuffed. Obeying his beta's command,   Michel released his hold, taking care to slide his teeth out carefully.   Unfortunately, as soon as he loosened his grip, the man yanked his arm   away. The move tore flesh, and blood spurted. Brett screamed.

Except instead of applying pressure to his heavily bleeding arm, the   human again reached for the syringe. Grabbing it, Brett screamed, "Vile   beasts," and swung the needle-tip at him.

"No!"

Michel recognized Jason's scream at the same time his mate shoved him   aside. Shocked that the human had followed him, Michel didn't react in   time, flopped sideways, and slid across the floor several feet.

Jason screamed.

Michel righted in time to see the needle embedded deeply into the flesh   of Jason's upper arm. His lover collapsed. This time, Michel's   panic-induced attempt to shift succeeded. Pain ripped through his   system, but he ignored it, forcing his bones to realign, and his muscles   to reshape.

Ignoring the sweat pouring from his body from forcing his shifter genes   to counter the drugs he still felt swimming through his system, Michel   launched at Jason. He yanked the needle from his lover's limb and  pulled  Jason into his arms.

When Jason didn't respond, Michel tucked his face against his human's   neck. He gently rubbed his beard over Jason's skin as he knew Jason   liked and pleaded, "Come on, sweetheart. Talk to me. Tell me ye're   okay."

"Here, let me see," a soft voice urged, reaching for him.

Michel growled, then realized it was Lark, the alpha-mate, and he   adjusted his hold on Jason, allowing Lark closer. After the human   checked the dosage on the syringe, he verified Jason's pulse, pulled up   his eyelids, and listened to his breathing. Just as Lark pulled the   stethoscope away, Jason's body shuddered in Michel's arms. He clutched   his mate so he didn't flop away and slam his head on the floor.

"What's going on?" Michel asked, sending a panicked look toward Lark.

"I think the syringe held a tranquilizer and it was loaded for a   shifter's mass and metabolism. The overdose has sent him into a   seizure," Lark told him while pulling another needle from his black bag   and prepping it. "I need to get him to the lodge."