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  “We didn’t need one before,” I murmured teasingly, capturing his lips again.

  He chuckled, the sound vibrating against my body from all the places we were connected. “Good point.”

  Determined to prove just how good my point was, I wriggled in his arms, signaling for him to put me down. He did, reluctantly, and before he could do or say anything else, I dropped to my knees in front of him.

  The ground was probably as rough as it had been the last time I’d knelt on it, but right now, I was so far gone for this man I didn’t feel a thing. At this height, his cock was just about at the perfect level, and he widened his stance slightly to accommodate my shortness. He tipped his head down to watch as I encircled the thick base with one hand, grabbing a handful of his toned ass with the other.

  “Jesus, Alexis. You’re gonna fucking kill me,” he groaned on a strangled whisper as I darted my tongue out to lick the broad head. A few drops of precum had spilled out, and the tangy taste drove something primal inside me.

  I wrapped my lips around him, using my saliva to wet his entire length as my hand worked in tandem with my mouth, stroking, swirling, sucking. I knew what Rhys liked—he had shown me—but I didn’t know what Jackson liked yet. I made it my business to learn as I worked him over with my mouth again and again, varying the tempo and pressure, running my tongue along the broad underside of his thick length.

  The more I learned, the more confident my movements became, and I felt Jackson’s body shudder, his ass clenching as he met the movements of my mouth with his own thrusts. His cock thickened, pulsing against my tongue as the head seemed to swell slightly.

  “Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuck.”

  The string of curses fell from his lips as he fisted my hair, pulling me away from his dick with a wet slurp. His chest rose and fell fast as he stared down at me with smoldering, disbelieving eyes.

  “Yeah,” he gasped, “you’re definitely trying to kill me.”

  I grinned evilly, pulling against his hold on my hair to flick my tongue across his tip, mirroring what he’d done to my nipple. He jerked and grunted, tightening his grip on my brown locks.

  “Stand up, sweetheart.” He released my hair, taking my hand to help me rise.

  A twinge of disappointment filled me that I wouldn’t be able to finish the job I’d started, but it was overruled by my excitement and curiosity to see what else he had in mind.

  His next words, spoken in a low voice, made goose bumps pop out all over my skin.

  “Turn around. Bend over.”

  My heart thudded hard in my chest, but I obeyed without question, turning away from him and tipping slightly at the waist. The blood rushed to my head, and I felt a moment of embarrassment to be exposed so completely to him. I couldn’t imagine what the view looked like from back there, and a blush filled my cheeks as I thought about it.

  I felt Jackson’s approach before he even touched me, the heat from his skin warming mine like the sun. Then his palms skated up the backs of my thighs, pausing on my ass, which was presented so perfectly for him. One hand moved lower, sliding between my legs as his large finger teased my entrance, checking my readiness.

  The other skimmed up my spine, pressing gently to angle my upper body down even farther.

  “Okay?” he asked softly, his finger sliding in a little deeper.

  My head jerked in a nod, an unintelligible sound of assent falling from my lips.

  God, it was more than okay. Better than anything.

  My walls clenched hard around his finger. The night air was cool against my slickness. And the thought of the view he was getting no longer made me cringe in embarrassment—it made me burn with a new kind of ache.

  I loved how much he wanted me. And I loved that he could see and feel just how much I wanted him.

  “Jackson,” I whimpered. “Please.”

  “I got you, Alexis. I’ve always got you.”

  His finger stroked in and out of me as his body curved over mine, his firm lips pressing kisses up and down my spine, over my shoulder blades, along my neck.

  One arm wrapped around my waist from behind, holding me steady as he slowly withdrew his finger. I moaned at the loss of him, but a heartbeat later, something much thicker took its place. His cock stretched my channel as he worked his way in with slow, deliberate thrusts. Twin sounds of satisfaction fell from both of us as he filled me completely.

  The poor man’s thighs must be burning, but he didn’t seem to mind at all as he withdrew and pushed in again. The angle was incredible. With every thrust, he got so deep it was like he became a part of me. And there was something about the helplessness, the vulnerability of my position that turned me on even more. I couldn’t do anything but accept him, accept the feelings cascading through me, as he held me up and fucked me.

  My breasts bounced each time his pelvis slapped my ass, and even though I knew he was working twice as hard as I was, my own legs felt about ready to give out.

  I felt high.

  Euphoric.

  Another orgasm was building up inside me, and I forced my body to relax, letting the nearly overwhelming sensations wash over me.

  Muffled words poured from Jackson’s lips, telling me how beautiful I was, how perfect I felt, how much he loved me.

  His hold on my hips tightened, and his thrusts became deeper, more erratic, before he bottomed out inside me, grinding his hips as his cock swelled and jerked.

  The feel of his come flooding me made me cry out, losing my own battle to hold off my climax. An orgasm tore through me just as Jackson snaked a hand around to my front, circling my clit with the pads of his fingers and sending me flying over the edge again.

  Wave after wave of sensation crashed into me, and I bit my lip hard, muffling my cries of pleasure.

  We were both breathing hard as if we’d just run a marathon, and when Jackson pulled out of me, we almost toppled over. He laughed, grabbing me and spinning me in his arms, holding me in a tight hug as our legs wobbled together.

  “See?” he panted. “This is why we need a bed.”

  “What? Why?” I laughed, breathless and exhilarated.

  He pulled me tighter against him, dipping his head to whisper in my ear as his hand trailed a lazy path down my spine. “You need a headboard to hold onto.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  We all took turns keeping watch throughout the night, making sure Doctor Shepherd didn’t work his way out of his restraints and try to run or attack us. I thought I might have a hard time sleeping, given my anxiety about what we’d face the next day. But after everything my body had been through in the past twenty-four hours, sleep dragged me under as soon as I curled up in a ball, tucking my muzzle into the crook of my ankle.

  The second day of driving was long and brutal; our combined nerves filled the van like a thick haze. The first part of the trip had been fairly straightforward, but as we approached the GPS coordinates, our route became much more difficult. We were so far off the grid that no map could help us—we only knew the exact spot we needed to end up, not how to get there.

  Doctor Shepherd was no help, keeping his lips zipped tight as we drove down long, winding roads only to have to backtrack and try a different route. His poker face was so damn good that he didn’t even betray his concern about us being on the right track until the Strand building itself finally came into view.

  It’s real. It’s here.

  As soon as we saw it in the distance, Rhys pulled the van to a stop on the winding mountain road in western South Dakota. The road dipped down again on the other side, leading into a valley. And in the expanse beyond, several miles away, a building sat tucked into a flat stretch between two rising peaks. A third peak rose up behind them, completing the picture.

  Just like Doctor Shepherd had said.

  “You won’t get away with this, you know.”

  The doctor’s voice was mild, back to the cool, soothing tone I’d heard from him for so many years. His calm demeanor terrified me, honestly
, but I bolstered my courage by reminding myself that the man was a liar through and through. He had told me more untruths than I could count, so there was good reason to believe his air of confidence now was an act.

  Still, his words sent a prickle of fear down my spine.

  “Shut up,” Rhys grunted.

  “Do you really think they’ll just let you drive up to the entrance? Even if you hold me hostage, it won’t be enough to get you in and out of that facility untouched. I care more about protecting the Source than my own life, and my security team knows that. They’re loyal. I pay them well.”

  “Yeah, and if you die, their paycheck goes to hell with you, so maybe they’ll think twice about risking your life.” My mate didn’t take his eyes off the structure as he spoke.

  The other Strand complexes I’d seen had all been designed to appear as boring and nondescript as possible. Their mundanity was the perfect disguise for the elaborate facilities housed underneath the façade.

  But this…

  Everything about this building screamed get out.

  The walls were gray steel, thick and imposing, unbroken by even a single window. The structure appeared to be built into the side of the mountain—which made sense, I supposed, if it’d been designed to hide and protect the cave where Doctor Shepherd had found the Source.

  “Believe what you want, but I’m telling you, you will not make it one foot inside that building.”

  “I thought I told you to shut up, old man!” Rhys snarled, turning around to glare at him.

  Doctor Shepherd smiled serenely, clearly pleased to have gotten under Rhys’s skin. “Is that any way to talk to your creator?”

  “Jesus, you’re fucking sick. So, what? Not only is the Source a gift from the gods, but you think you’re a god now too?”

  “I’m the closest thing to one that’s ever walked the earth,” the doctor shot back, a feverish light gleaming in his eyes.

  Rhys looked about ready to crawl into the back and let loose on him again, so I quickly raised my voice. “Guys! Let’s talk outside.”

  I slid open the side door of the van, stepping out into the dry late-afternoon air. There was a chill on the breeze at this elevation, and I crossed my arms over my chest as I waited for the others to join me. They all piled out, Rhys glaring at Doctor Shepherd until Sariah slammed the door shut, locking our captive inside the van.

  My gaze drifted back to the facility just visible in the distance. A thick wall surrounded the property, with a large gate where the single-lane road passed through. Nerves coiled in my stomach.

  It looks like fucking Fort Knox.

  “So… what do you think?” I asked, turning back to my mates.

  “He’s bluffing,” Rhys said immediately, a growl in his voice.

  “Nah, dude. I don’t think he is.” Jackson shook his head, his gaze sliding over to Doctor Shepherd, who sat in the van with an impassive look on his face. “Hell, if he really thinks he’s chosen by the gods, maybe he thinks he’s immortal too or some shit. Either way, I don’t think we have any bargaining chips we can use against him. We’ll never get him to cooperate, even on threat of death.”

  “Fuck!” Rhys punched the side of the van.

  Doctor Shepherd jumped and looked over sharply. Then a slow, smug grin spread across his face.

  “Okay.” I licked my lips, dragging my gaze away from the psychopath inside the van and looking at the small group around me. My fingers twisted together nervously. “Okay.” I could practically feel the gears in my brain grinding as I tried to force a solution out of our impossible situation.

  We hadn’t been able to plan much before we saw what we were up against. And now that we’d seen it?

  My hopes were crumbling.

  The sheer scope of what we were up against loomed over me, and I wondered if Doctor Shepherd was right. Had we been crazy to think we could do this? That we stood a chance against him and his corporation?

  He had built a massive fortress in the middle of nowhere whose sole purpose was to protect the Source. The resources it must’ve taken to carry out that kind of construction project was mind boggling, at least to me. We were miles away from the nearest sign of civilization. How many work crews had had to be bussed out here? How many trucks carrying loads of equipment had traversed this narrow, winding road?

  Oh shit. That’s it!

  “The road,” I murmured.

  “What?” Sariah cocked her head in confusion.

  My mates all turned to me, and I could feel Doctor Shepherd’s gaze on me through the van window, but I didn’t even care. He wouldn’t help us get inside the fortress? Fine. We’d help ourselves.

  “The road.” I pointed at the narrow strip of pavement leading away from us in either direction. “It’s the only way in or out of this place. It’s got to be, unless they have a fucking tunnel through the entire mountain.”

  “Which they could.” Jackson grimaced.

  “They could,” I admitted, my enthusiasm dimming for a second before I shook my head. “But I don’t think they do. Look at the way this place is set up. With the building surrounded by cliffs like that, it narrows down the points of entry to one—the front. That’s what makes it so fucking hard to get into, but it’s also what’s going to help us.”

  “Goddamn, you’re sexy when you strategize.”

  I ignored Jackson’s remark, although I could feel my cheeks warming. Instead, I pointed to the fortress in the distance. “The guards who work there? They need to eat. They need basic necessities. Those things have to come from somewhere.”

  “And when they do…” Noah picked up my train of thought, his gray-blue eyes shining with pride.

  “…they’ll come right down this road,” West finished.

  “Yup.” I nodded.

  “Fucking hell, Lexi. That’s good.” Rhys’s expression was fierce, almost bloodthirsty.

  I could relate. The anger that’d simmered in my heart ever since I found out what Strand had done to me, what they’d done to so many people, was building, expanding inside my chest until it felt like it would overtake my entire body. I wanted to tear down the fortress Doctor Shepherd had built brick by fucking brick.

  But first, we wait.

  And wait.

  And wait…

  Ten hours later, my plan seemed a lot less brilliant. In fact, it was starting to seem pretty damn stupid.

  We’d backed up the van and parked it across the road on a more even section of ground a few miles away, creating a blockade. Then the six of us had camped out by the roadside, hidden behind a large rock.

  My joints were stiff from the chill, and I shifted uncomfortably, peering around the side of the boulder at the empty road for the hundredth time before pulling my head back and resting it against the hard stone. West met my gaze, and I shook my head.

  “Come on, you fuckers…” Jackson looked physically pained. The frustration on his face had been growing by the hour, and now his body was practically vibrating with pent up tension.

  The sky in the east was beginning to lighten, shifting from inky black to a bluish gray. We’d waited all night.

  I reached out and squeezed Jackson’s hand. He looked over at me quickly before blowing out a breath; for a moment, his features relaxed.

  “There!”

  Noah’s hissed warning almost made me jump. We all scrambled to peer around the large rock as headlights cut through the gloom in the distance.

  “Thank fucking Christ.” Jackson grinned, his teeth flashing.

  We held our position as the large truck lumbered toward us, its headlights disappearing and reappearing as it traversed the winding road. When it hit the straightaway leading toward us, Jackson, Noah, Sariah, and I quickly stripped and shifted.

  The truck slowed when its lights picked up the shape of the van blocking its way. It rolled slowly forward for a few more yards, then stopped. Just as it began backing up, Rhys yelled, “Now!”

  We bounded onto the road, easily overtak
ing the truck. The window rolled down on the passenger side, and bullets sprayed in our direction, but the shots went wild. Rhys bared his teeth, yelling like a madman as he leapt for the passenger door. Clinging to the side, he fired twice into the cab.

  West leapt up on the other side, yanking the door open and sending the driver tumbling out. Noah’s wolf pounced, tearing his throat out to finish the job.

  The truck rolled to a stop, and Rhys tugged out the lifeless passenger. He was a burly guy, with a military style haircut and an ID badge clipped to his uniform.

  The rest of us shifted back to human form, and I joined Noah to help him undress the man he’d helped take down.

  “Geez, give the rest of us something to do, why don’t you?” Jackson grumbled good-naturedly as he moved to assist Rhys in the same task.

  “Don’t worry, brother. There’ll be plenty more once we get inside.”

  “True story. Guess I shouldn’t get too excited.”

  My brown-haired mate tugged on the dead man’s uniform. He was a little taller and leaner than the man had been, but it fit him passably well.

  “Fuck. Should’ve been gentler.” Noah gestured at the blood staining his own uniform, grimacing.

  “It’s okay. It’s not that noticeable,” Sariah assured him. The uniform’s fabric was navy blue, and it was still dark enough outside that the bloodstain wasn’t completely obvious. “But… maybe take the passenger side, just in case.”

  Rhys moved the van off the road, and we collected Doctor Shepherd from inside it. I dressed in the tactical gear Carl had given us, and we gathered the supplies we needed from the back of the van. West and Rhys each slung a bag full of explosive charges over their backs, and then everyone but the two dressed like Strand employees piled into the back of the truck, which contained large bottles of water and crates full of other supplies.

  Doctor Shepherd struggled hard as West put the gag back on him, which I took as a good sign. Whenever the good doctor acted calm and smug, it worried me. If he was pissed, that meant he thought this plan had a chance of working.