“The people we’re going up against are…well, they’ve been genetically modified to make them meaner and nastier. When they’re in control of themselves, they’re your basic hair-trigger soldier. But once they start fighting, they go into a battle lust like nothing you’ve ever seen. Bottom line, at that point, they’re essentially berserkers, pure and simple.” Angelo jerked his head in Tanner’s direction. “He’s one of them, except he’s on our side. If he lost his temper and accidently killed you, he’d feel really bad about it later. The ones we’re going to be running into out there in the jungle, not so much.”
Butler’s gaze swung back and forth between Angelo and Tanner. No doubt the lieutenant was trying to convince himself that the red glow he’d seen a few seconds ago had been nothing but a reflection of light, or that maybe he hadn’t seen anything at all.
“You’re shitting us, right?”
Angelo should have known they wouldn’t believe him. The whole thing sounded like something out of a sci-fi movie. Hell, he probably wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t seen those hybrids out in Washington State with his own eyes. But if Carter and Butler waited until they came face-to-face with a real-life nasty-ass hybrid, there was a good chance they wouldn’t live long enough to help rescue anyone.
He glanced at Tanner. “This has to come out sooner or later, and sooner would be better. Could you show them, so we can get on with this?”
Tanner didn’t move.
“Well?” Angelo prompted. “You gonna, you know, go a little tooth and nail for me?”
“I can’t. It doesn’t work that way. I can’t control it.” The look Tanner gave him was almost apologetic. “It’s an all-or-nothing thing. And you really don’t want me cutting loose here in camp.”
Carter chuckled. “Okay, real funny. I like a good joke as much as the next guy, but it’s time to get serious. Who are we going up against? Drug runners, Revolutionary Commandos, People’s Vanguard, what?”
Angelo swore under his breath. He was just about to say the hell with it and let the two of them find out the hard way, but Clayne pushed away from the tree and came over.
“We call them hybrids,” he said. “And they look a little like this.”
Clayne had his back to Angelo but whatever he did got the Special Forces guys’ attention. Both men almost fell on their asses they stepped back so fast. That had been Angelo’s reaction the first time Clayne had gone all shifter on him, too.
“Holy shit,” Carter muttered.
The wolf shifter let his claws and fangs retract. Carter and Butler were still staring at him as if they were wondering what the hell they’d gotten themselves into.
“It’s like Angelo tried to tell you, only a bit more complicated,” Clayne explained. “I have a few animal-like traits. Tanner has a lot more. He occasionally needs a little help with his control, but he’s dealing with it. The things you’ll be facing once we get out in the bush are rabid animals with a few human traits. They’re vicious, psychotic, and would rather rip out your throat with their fangs or claws than shoot you—though they probably won’t have a problem with shooting you, either. They’ll go down if you put a round through their heads or their hearts, but anything less will leave them standing long enough to finish you.”
Butler exchanged looks with Carter. “How many of these things do you think we’re up against?”
“Based on what Tate told us, there could be as many as thirty of forty of them,” Angelo said.
Butler let out a low whistle. “Forty against eleven? Not real good odds.”
“No, it isn’t,” Angelo agreed. Understatement there. “But when the sun comes up in the morning, we’re going out in that jungle anyway.”
Chapter 5
Kendra couldn’t believe she’d slept so well. She definitely had Declan to thank for that. Not only had sleeping in those big, strong arms of his allowed her to completely forget the dangers existing outside the confines of their shelter, but the warm cocoon he’d created had kept her snug and dry the whole night. It might have been her imagination, but she swore she could still feel the heat of his body, and they’d been on the move for a couple hours already this morning. That was the kind of warmth she could definitely get used to—she was a sucker for a warm, muscular guy to put her cold feet on at night.
She kept her gaze moving from side to side as they crossed a semi-open patch of jungle. It was nice to actually feel the sun on her skin, even if it was only for a short time. Between the trees and the rain showers, there wasn’t a whole lot of sun. But on the upside, they hadn’t caught a whiff of any hybrids. Maybe Declan’s plan was going to work. Maybe all they had to do was slip through the perimeter the bad guys had set up and they’d be home free. They were still being careful anyway. Declan kept his ears open for any sign of trouble while she depended on her eyes. She appreciated that he took her contribution to their protection seriously, checking every few minutes to see what she thought and letting her know what his ears were telling him. She just wished he would have treated her as his equal last night. She was still miffed that he hadn’t woken her up to take her turn standing guard.
“The sun came up before I realized it,” he’d said.
As excuses went, it was pretty lame. It was more likely he hadn’t wanted to wake her because he knew how zonked out she’d been last night. She hadn’t called him on the oversight though, mostly because he was probably right. She had needed the rest. She hadn’t realized how crappy she’d been sleeping out here until last night. And whether she liked admitting it or not, she had to keep herself fresh if she was going to keep up with Declan.
“I’ll pull extra duty tonight,” she told him before they left the shelter.
He just grunted in that typically male fashion that meantIheardyou; I just don’t really agree with you.
As they moved back into the deeper confines of the jungle, the early day sun disappeared again to be blocked almost entirely by the thick canopy over their heads. She shivered at the sudden drop in temperature. It only served to remind her how warm she’d been snuggled in Declan’s arms.
She glanced at him as they walked. How the heck had she been so wrong about him? She’d thought because he was quiet and introspective that he was boring. But that wasn’t true. The conversation they’d had last night had been the most insightful she’d had with a guy in a long time. And, okay, the topic of their conversation wasn’t the stuff of first dates, but neither was the situation they were in. But she couldn’t think of anyone she’d rather be stranded with than Declan.
Kendra glanced at him again, her gaze lingering a little longer this time. Since they’d started out that morning, she’d spent as much time sneaking peeks at him as she had keeping an eye out for hybrids. It was dangerous, but she wanted to make up for lost time. Even covered in the remnants of their impromptu mud bath yesterday, he was still a sight to behold. Dark blond hair that looked as if he ran his fingers through it all the time, captivating blue eyes, and a square jaw with the perfect amount of scruff. Not to mention a body that wouldn’t quit. Even now, his thigh muscles bunched and flexed under his uniform pants. She’d never noticed how graceful he was for a man his size.
She was still marveling at that when Declan suddenly stopped and held up his hand, fist closed in the universal sign for halt. Kendra immediately dropped to one knee behind the closest tree, her finger curling around the trigger of her M4. She followed Declan’s gaze but didn’t see anything except trees. That was when she realized he wasn’t really looking at anything. Instead, his eyes had that unfocused look he got when he was listening intently. She remembered Ivy telling her once that shifters could get so absorbed in what they were doing that they literally lost connection with the real world.
