Stand still and keep quiet.
Do as you’re told.
Two of his favorite phrases. The master liked it when I was quiet.
But did I…like it?
The cloud swirled, flashes of light penetrating the shadows. Then a roar shattered the fog.
My head turned without permission. A massive brown bear fell to the ground twenty feet away, blood pumping from a gash in its side. The crimson pooled beneath its body and steamed in the cold air.
Dr. Henry stood over the beast, fangs bared and dripping red. Blood splattered his white lab coat. His eyes glowed like chips of ice.
I looked at the bear, and my breath caught. Light flashed in my mind. Something fluttered in my chest. A spark ignited.
The bear’s silver eyes met mine.
Beck.
My heart slammed against my ribs. Heat spread through my body, racing along my limbs and burning away the shadows. The spark became a flame. The flame became an inferno.
Light burst in my mind.
I screamed, falling to my knees as something shattered inside my skull with acrackthat shook my bones. The snake in my mind thrashed once, twice, then dissolved into ash.
Heat blazed under my skin. My love for Beck roared through my head like a tidal wave, its cool, clean water sweeping away Dr. Henry’s control.
The blood bond couldn’t endure under the force of the mate bond.
My mind cleared, the black cloud rolling away. Gasping, I dragged air into my lungs. Cold and crisp, it burned until my eyes watered and my nose started to run. My breath puffed in front of my face. Pain shot up my legs. Other aches bloomed here and there. My fingers were bright red from the cold.
But I was free. And now, I had to help Beck.
I scrambled to my feet, my leggings soaked to the knee. A short distance away, Beck and Dr. Henry circled each other. Beck shook his massive head, sending blood flying from the thick ruff around his neck.
With a roar, Dr. Henry lunged for him, but Beck lunged at the same moment, and they crashed to the snow in a tangle of fur and limbs.
Their roars shook the ground. Blood sprayed. Beck raked his claws across Dr. Henry’s chest, tearing fabric and flesh. Henry flipped them over so he straddled Beck. His wounds healed quickly, and he pummeled Beck with crushing blows, his fists swinging so quickly they raised a hum in the air.
Beck roared, spinning so Dr. Henry crashed toward the ground. Dr. Henry twisted before he hit the snow, his movements a blur. A second later, he was behind Beck with bared fangs. Dr. Henry punched Beck in the back of the head. Bone crunched. Beck jerked, his roar of pain reverberating around the clearing.
I couldn’t get between them. Not without being crushed or torn apart.
Around me, other bears grappled with humans I didn’t recognize. The humans’ eyes glowed, and they fought with strength and speed no ordinary person possessed. They were members of Dr. Henry’s stable, as Beck had called it. That meant they were addicted to Dr. Henry’s blood and compelled to do his bidding.
Dr. Henry’s words echoed in my head. His compulsion hadn’t robbed me of my hearing, and I’d absorbed everything he said as he taunted Beck.
Shifter blood combined with CRISPR technology…
You’re more likely to be willing participants in my experiments…
Her cubs will undoubtedly prove useful…
My stomach lurched. I couldn’t let him run experiments on Beck or our children.
I whirled toward the work tables covered in monitors and microscopes. A centrifuge spun. Collection tubes stood in neat rows, waiting to be filled. The CRISPR machine gleamed in the utility truck’s headlights.
I ran to the nearest table, grabbed a laptop, and smashed it into the machine. Glass shattered. Lights winked out, but a few remained steady. Gritting my teeth, I swung again. Sparks flew. I grabbed a second laptop and smashed it into a rack of vials. Glass crunched. Clear liquid splattered the snow.
