Finding the Magic (17 page)

“Now, as much as I enjoy seeing your hot
bod
…why don’t you get dressed?” She shook out the top and held it up. “Hospital scrubs… Have I told you my fantasy about playing doctor?” She winked at him and he caught the garments as she threw them, pulling them on quickly. Cam recognized her attempt to make light of their situation. She was doing her best to pretend the camera didn’t bother her. He didn’t need to read her emotions to know the truth, he saw it in the slight tremor of her hands and the too bright smile.

She was afraid.

Hell, so was he. He had to get them out of here before they found out exactly why they were needed alive.

Jayne sank onto the edge of the cot and watched Cam start to pace like the lion he was. “A caged one,” she muttered, and she was caged along with him. His hair hung loose around his shoulders, glinting gold in the overhead lights. The blue scrubs just a little too tight across his broad shoulders and the thick muscles of his thighs. Even now, her body responded to the wild, masculine energy that seemed to surround him. Not that she was in any state to do anything about it. Her head pounded and she felt shaky and a bit
lightheaded
from the drug she had been given. It was a horrible feeling to know that she had been unconscious and helpless in unknown hands. Surely she would know if anything had been done to her? She would feel it. She had never been more scared in her life, not even in the last few days and that was saying something! But she refused to show any weakness to whoever might be watching them.

She looked at the camera and rubbed the goose bumps on her arms. It really was a small room. Very small… It didn’t really help that it was all painted white, like the walk-in refrigerator at work. Maybe if she thought of it like one of those reality TV shows. The ones where they stuck people in a locked house and kept the cameras on twenty-four hours a day. Except those people volunteered and they knew they would eventually get out. And there was no chance they might lose their lives, well, unless they had a horrible household accident…

“Jayne!”

She blinked and focused on Cameron’s face where he had crouched in front of her.

“Did I mention I’m claustrophobic?”

He slid his hands down her arms and took her hands. His voice was almost a growl, his expression fierce. “You have to focus, sweetheart. This is not the time to lose it because if you do, so will I.”

He sat beside her, pulled her into his arms, brushed his cheek along hers.
Remember I can feel everything you do
,
I need my head to be clear right now
.
His voice was warm and reassuring in her head. She met his eyes, seeing the worry in their depths, and did her best to pull herself together. “You’re right, I can do this…I can. I’m sorry.”

He smiled. “It’s okay, if ever there was a situation to panic, this is probably it.”

“What do they want with us, do you think?”

“I don’t know but the men who brought you in mentioned a professor and this place looks and smells like some kind of medical facility. There have been other shifters in that carrier so they obviously know about us, especially now since I evidently shifted back while I was unconscious.”

He stood and started to pace again, his anger and unease clear, but some of his words had given her hope.
Other shifters
…

“Do you think Nick is here?”

Cam stopped and turned toward her but he didn’t look surprised by her question. He had clearly already considered the possibility. “I
dinnae
know,
mebbe
.”

Let
’
s hope so
,
but I don
’
t think we can count on it
.
The team probably doesn
’
t even know we
’
re missing yet
.
We have to try and get ourselves out of here
.

Right.

“How long have we got until,” she flicked her gaze toward the camera and gestured vaguely at his body, “you know?”

“I don’t know, a few hours perhaps, judging by the last time.” There was tension in his voice and she knew instinctively that he would hate the fact that he would be forced to be on display while he was that vulnerable. But there was something she could do about that.

“Then don’t you think that now would be a good time to complete that thing?”

His voice was a low growl that raised goose bumps on her flesh. “No!” Then softer, “No. I don’t want you forced into this by circumstance and besides that,” he touched her face, “it should be a private, intimate thing between two people, not a performance for strangers. It can wait, we have time.”

Aw, that’s so sweet…and annoying. Was there nothing she could do to convince him that she wanted him? All of him? But still…it
was
sweet. She kissed him,
reveling
in the way he responded to her, pulled her closer.

The professor watched the couple embrace on the monitor in front of him, an expression of mild distaste on his face. They were all the same, unable to control their baser instincts. Except for his Theresa, she would never have made such a spectacle of herself. Until the end. Why would she believe he would want to do that to himself? He was a man of science, not an
animal
. And now she was lost to him, but he
would
get her back. If he could only learn how the so-called mating bond worked. He knew the first part was instinct. Get a pair together often enough and it took care of itself, after that though… He shook his head. He had lost too many subjects already, there was something he was missing but he would find it eventually.

Meanwhile there were potentially other, more lucrative, opportunities to be gained from his research. The
shapeshifters
had some incredible abilities—speed, increased strength, enhanced senses—and then there was their healing. That alone was priceless. If he could find a way to harness these abilities, perhaps even transfer them, the possibilities were endless. Imagine soldiers who had the ferocity of a lion and the ability to heal almost any wound.

He supposed some would ask why not just recruit the shifters themselves? But really, where was the profit in that? Men couldn’t be sold to the highest bidder and made to fight for someone else’s cause. At least not without motivation and certainly not reliably. But the means to give those strengths to already loyal soldiers… What government would not be interested in that? He smiled grimly, he might even finally get the recognition he deserved instead of hiding away like some dirty secret. And he would still make them pay for the privilege, of course.

The couple in the cell separated, the girl going to lie on the bed while Murray prowled the room. He had taken blood from them both while they were unconscious, but he still needed some from Murray while he was in his human shape. Ideally, it would have been better to get them here before they started to link, Henry would certainly have to make some recompense for that. However, all was not lost since they had yet to make that final step. Perhaps this time, this couple would be the one. He would certainly give them every encouragement…but if it was not to be then he still had other options. He reached for the intercom and flicked the switch. It was time to get to work.

“Bring the male subject to the examination room, usual preparations.”

“Yes, sir, Professor.”

Chapter Thirteen

Cameron walked the edges of the small room, exploring, checking for any weaknesses. There were none. There was only one door, securely shut with no access of any kind to the electronic lock from this side. There were no windows except the observation window to the corridor and the ventilation grate was too narrow even for Jayne’s slim form. The furniture was securely fastened to the concrete floor. He was making another inspection of the door when he heard the lock click. The springs on the cot squeaked as Jayne sat up and he backed up a few steps so that he stood in front of her.

The man who entered was the one who had led the way when they brought Jayne in earlier. His lab coat was missing and he wore black cargo pants and a black shirt. He held a gun in one hand and some restraints in the other. He stopped just inside the door, weapon pointing at Cam’s chest and threw the restraints to Jayne.

“Put these on him, do it right or we’ll do this the hard way.” He nodded at the gun. “He’ll probably heal if I shoot him, but it’ll hurt like hell.”

The cat rose up within him and Cam concentrated on controlling its rage. He growled softly and the man smiled mockingly at him.

“You can growl all you like, mate, you
dinnae
scare me. You might be fast but you’re no’ faster than a bullet.”

He felt his
fìor
cèile
’s
uncertainty and turned to give her an almost imperceptible nod. “It’s all right, Jayne, do as he says.”

He held his hands out and allowed her to fasten the heavy manacles on his wrists. She leaned her forehead on his and he caught her fingers in one hand, giving them a reassuring squeeze.

“Get on with it! Feet, too!”

Jayne muttered something uncomplimentary about the man’s parentage under her breath but did as she was ordered.

“Now, get on the bed and stay there. Murray, let’s go.” He backed out of the door, keeping the gun trained on Cameron until they were both in the corridor. Cam had to force himself not to look back at his mate as the man closed the door and waited for it to lock. She was holding on to her control by her fingernails and her distress cut through him like a knife.

His guard gestured to the left, stepped behind him and shoved Cameron forward with the gun. The unexpected motion caused him to stumble over the short chains binding his ankles and fall heavily into the wall. The collision sent pain shooting through his shoulder where it was still healing. “Just remember her if you feel yourself getting any heroic impulses, mate. The professor says she’s the only one you can fuck now so it’d be a shame for anything to happen to her. She’s a babe, right enough, long legs, great tits.”

Cam’s fingers flexed as he imagined sinking his fist—or better yet, his claws—into the man’s face. Instead, he righted himself and shuffled forward in silence. He would remember this man’s scent and make him pay later. For now, he would try to find some way out and stay alert for any signs of Nick. He willed his mind and body to calm and focused on his surroundings. Like their cell, the walls were painted white and the concrete floor was covered with
gray
vinyl tiles, cold beneath his bare feet. He could still hear the faint mechanical sound of machinery and a solitary set of footsteps nearby but all else was quiet. Beneath the now familiar scent of disinfectant and blood was a multitude of other smells. Most disturbing was the distinct scent of other feline shifters. They had been here recently but where were they now? None of them were familiar but they were all tainted by fear and anger and more faintly, arousal. It made the hair stand up on the back of his neck in a primal warning. What was this place?

Within a few feet, they came to another door and, past that, another observation window with its camera looking into an empty cell. Another two cells followed before they rounded a corner and crossed the hallway to another unmarked door. Here the scents became stronger, so strong in fact that Cameron came to a dead halt. Neither he nor the cat wanted to go in there. Whatever happened in this place seemed to be focused here and Cam wanted no part of it.

“Move.” The gun poked painfully into his back and he forced himself to step forward and open the door.

The small room was set up as some kind of laboratory. In the
center
of the floor was a reclining chair with arm and leg restraints and a small wheeled stainless steel table. Countertops, storage drawers and cupboards lined the walls. The surfaces were covered with equipment and devices. He recognized a few but most were unfamiliar.

“Get into the chair.” Again his back was prodded and he reacted with the lightning-quick ferocity of an animal cornered. Turning to snarl at his guard and grabbing hold of the gun. The man held on but took a quick step back, fear on his face, reflex causing his finger to tighten on the trigger.

Cam closed his eyes and took some deep breaths, reaching for his control. “Don’t touch me again.”

He turned back to the chair and reluctantly sat, staring fixedly at the wall while his restraints were attached, ankle and wrist, leaving him helpless.

The sound of footsteps drew his attention and he turned to see another man enter the room. He was average height, around five-foot-ten with dark hair and cold blue eyes. He wore a white coat over a pristine white shirt and
gray
pants. The guard stiffened, almost coming to attention. The arrogance and mocking amusement that had been present in his tone so far was absent as he spoke to the newcomer. It was replaced by an almost fearful respect and a disturbing excitement.

“Do you need me to stay, Professor?”

“No, thank you, Michael, that won’t be necessary yet. I’ll call you when I need you.”

The door closed, leaving them alone and the professor picked up some papers from the nearby counter and began to read. Moments passed in silence as Cam waited for him to speak but when he finished, he merely turned back to the counter and picked up a shallow metal tray. When he sat it on the metal table beside him, Cam saw it was filled with syringes and blood collection bottles and some small vials of drugs. He kept his gaze impassive as the professor wrapped a blood pressure cuff around his arm and switched on the electronic monitor to record his vital signs.