She had, but I was hoping to stall for time. Maybe someone would come across us before they drove off. I gave what I hoped was a pitiful shake of my head.
"Whatever causes him to shift"—he jerked his head toward Connor—"I want to know how it works and recreate it. The ramifications for medicine and the military are astronomical. Not to mention the recreational uses. If you could take a pill and be a werewolf for an hour, wouldn't you?"
I turned my head away because I didn't want him to see how badly I wanted what he might one day be offering.
"Let's go," he said.
The van started up and was soon bouncing over the road. They had the windows rolled down and the wind whipping through made it difficult to hear their exact words. As much as I strained, all I could hear was the droning of their voices.
Then I heard, "What the f—"
"Shh," I whispered, my face only a couple of inches away from Connor's. There was light coming from the dash, the moon, the stars, maybe even streetlights…I didn't know. Or maybe my eyes had just adjusted to the gloom but I could see his features through the shadows.
"Brittany?" he questioned in a low voice.
"Yeah." I saw the whites of his eyes as he rolled them upward, trying to see. "Mason," I said, striving to keep as quiet as possible. With the wind drowning out our voices maybe we could figure out an escape plan without them hearing us.
I could see Connor straining against his bindings. "Save your strength," I suggested.
With a low grunt, he gave up. "I can't believe they got the drop on me."
"I can't either." Surely he would have smelled them before they got too close. "How—"
"They shot me with something."
Thinking of the wolf in the woods, I realized they'd probably used a tranquilizer dart on Connor. I didn't know why they'd decided to take the close approach with me. Maybe they'd run out of darts. I was crushed that they'd overpowered me so easily. Connor had been right. No matter how much I'd prepared, I hadn't been fully prepared.
"Any ideas for how we get out of here?" I asked.
"Guess we try to convince them that we're not werewolves."
They'd already figured that out about me, but Connor didn't know that. I thought about telling him, but I was still reeling from my shame over my mixed parentage. "They tested our blood. It's not human." One truth, one lie. His wasn't human. I wasn't yet ready to say out loud that mine was.
I heard the frustration in his groan. Then I was acutely aware of him shifting, not into wolf, but into warrior mode. His shifting into a wolf might mean he could escape, but it would also confirm for them the existence of our kind. Besides, transforming while he was still bound would have been difficult, and I wasn't certain it would free him from the restraints. I could see him studying our surroundings and recognizing the futility of our present predicament. A time might come when we could escape, but it wasn't now.
"This sucks," Connor hissed beneath his breath. Then he looked at me. "Are you hurt?" His voice reflected genuine concern.
"Just my pride."
He flashed a grin, and I was amazed that he was able to do it considering our dire circumstances. "You'll survive."
I thought about the bruising his pride had taken over Lindsey hooking up with Rafe. "We both will."
One way or another.
"How many?" he asked, and I knew he was talking about our captors.
"Four. Mason, Ethan and two badass-looking dudes."
"Must be the hired mercenaries."
Even with the shadows, I could see the determination in Connor's features as he contemplated how best to take them on.
"They have guns," I felt compelled to tell him.
He gave a little nod. He wasn't surprised.
"I think we're stuck here for now, until we reach our destination anyway. They're taking us to the lab."
Connor nodded again, even though I knew he wasn't happy with my assessment. Neither was I but we had to face the reality if we wanted any chance at survival.
I was afraid that Mason might be able to hear us—although it seemed unlikely with the wind rushing through. But I didn't trust him. Connor must have felt the same way because he scooted across the short distance that separated us and pressed his forehead against mine.
"It's going to be okay, Brittany." He brushed his lips across my cheek. The warmth of his nearness chased off the chill of fear that had gripped me ever since I'd realized that Mason had caught Connor as well. I was beyond caring what happened to me, but I didn't want anything bad to happen to Connor.
Especially when we were lying so close together. The timing really sucked but I couldn't help but wonder what might happen if we were alone in this position with no one around and our hands unbound. I imagined him undoing my braid. I could see me shaking out my hair. I envisioned us doing all the things my mother constantly warned me not to do until I was older, until I was in a committed relationship. For this small space of time, with us lying so still, I felt as though anything was possible between us. I wanted so badly to be unbound so I could touch him.
His mouth was so near my lips that if I turned my head just a fraction of an inch we'd be able to kiss. I squeezed my eyes closed. How could I be thinking about us getting intimate when we were in danger of losing our lives? Maybe it was because we might die that I suddenly wanted to experience all the passions of life that I hadn't had until now.
I wanted everything: his kiss, his touch. ..everything.
We stayed near, our foreheads touching, for what seemed like hours. My body began to ache but I didn't want to move away from Connor to find a more comfortable position. I doubted that one existed anyway. My calf cramped painfully, and I did what little I could to stretch it out. My neck grew stiff.
He was the one in the most danger, because he was what they wanted.
He was a Shifter.
I slept off and on as the hours progressed. I wanted to be rested as much as possible, ready to fight as soon as we could.
The national forest was millions of acres. To drive around it, to get to where the lab was, would take a good part of the night.
It was nearly dawn when the van came to a stop. Doors slammed. Then the back door swung open. Johnson pointed a gun at me. There was a pop and a sharp pain spiked in my thigh. I saw the little dart…