She grinned as if her forgetfulness pleased her. “I’m sure they will obey my commands, as much as any natural born werewolves do.”
“You don’t know that.”
“We’ll learn soon enough.” Her voice held a teasing note, carefree.
“If my lab is destroyed, we won’t have the resources to create a pack.” He sighed. “Killing Svetlana was a mistake.”
Nik wasn’t too surprised. Saskia could turn on anyone who displeased her, although it was foolish to kill Svetlana who was well schooled in running a mob. Worse, Saskia casually turned lose all eleven werewolves. If need be, he and Bolton might be able to kill four or five, but not all eleven. The odds of them surviving were as low as the temperature during a Siberian winter.
“I grew tired of Svetlana’s whining and anyway, it’s not my fault the chimera drug didn’t work on her.”
“Call them back and I’ll search for her,” demanded Bolton.
Saskia lunged at him with her clawed hand, seized him by the throat and lifted him as if he weighed nothing. “I run the pack. Understood?”
Bolton rasped, “Yes.”
Saskia dropped him onto the floor. “Stay here. I’ll take care of the pack.” She left.
Bolton sat on the ground, nursing the gash on his throat.
Nik smiled. “Now do you realize how dangerous she is?”
He glowered at Nik. “She’ll come around to my way of thinking. If not, she won’t last long.”
“I say a well-aimed shot with a wolfsbane rifle will do the trick.”
Bolton snorted. “You think I won’t kill you with one?”
Nik changed the subject. “Once the men go over an hour won’t they eventually want to return to human form?”
“They can’t. Once they are werewolf, they only return to human form after they fall asleep. If they bother to sleep. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to tire easily. They are mindless to commands, and eager to savage anyone in their path, men, women, or children.”
“Release me. Together we can stop them before they kill your entire staff.” That was the only way he could save Emma, unless she’d already left the island. Knowing her, she might already be reaching the mainland. Yet, would she simply return home, and as he intended, forget about their mission and him? Rylee and her team would search the globe for her, then realize he mind-controlled her, making him a rogue wolf. If captured, he’d be thrown in prison with the enforcer and perhaps given a werewolf lobotomy with no memory of ever being human. Of ever loving Emma.
Bolton shook his head. “Not a chance. Saskia is not stupid. She knows our scientists will make her dream of superior packs come to pass.”
“Except for the fact she is insane.” At the very least, she’d save them as an evening snack.
Emma, under the cover of vaporo, used the authorization code and easily entered the main lab facility. Nexus said it granted access to any room.
Alarms blasted throughout the building. “We are on full lock down. Remain in your quarters. Repeat, this is not a drill. We are on full lock down.”
Emma found a lab coat to help disguise herself. The werewolves were outside searching for her and Nexus. That wouldn’t last long. By now, Nexus had moved the boat, maybe circled without much notice. Regret bit at her. I should have told her to sail off without waiting. She is much too vulnerable.
At least humans heeded the lockdown, not a soul in sight. Better for her to move around and safer for them to stay alive.
A door opened followed by a low growl.
Shit. H
ow did they enter the code? Maybe all the doors were electronically opened while they searched. Emma went inside a closet and waited.
Lab monkeys screamed. The sound of falling cages startled her.
The thump and then scuff against the cement floor of big-clawed paws hitting the floor made her skin crawl. She held her breath. They might not be able to smell her, but they’d certainly hear her. There were at least two. They sniffed loudly.
Glassware crashed to the floor and they pattered away, growling. Cabinet doors banged. Objects fell. The beasts wreaked havoc in the lab. Maybe that was a good thing. It saved her the trouble of destroying the place.