“Shift!” Emma recognized Bolton’s voice.
They growled.
He shouted, “Fuck!”
The growling continued for a few minutes. She pressed her ear against the door and listened to the muffled voices of the men.
“Get dressed and meet me in the rec room,” commanded Bolton.
Another man entered. “Sir, Mason went over an hour.”
“Contain him! If you can’t, put him down.”
“Yes, sir.”
Nexus told her she had entry clearance into the wolfsbane lab. Did Bolton plan on using wolfsbane rifles to kill the turned werewolves or wait until they returned to their human forms after hours of savagery? However, she compared being a werewolf to being a human on speed, with no need for rest or sleep.
Finally, they left.
The door clicked shut. The sudden silence from the monsters brought out the grumbling and whining of the animals. Emma was alone, or at least the only human. She peeked out the door. The lab looked like a cyclone had hit. A few monkeys ran around, while some lay dead in their cages. About time Bolton realized the mess the werewolves could make while not under an alpha leader.
With the stealth of a panther on ninja steroids, Emma left the closet and scurried to the so-called wolfsbane lab. She punched in the numbers. Presto! The code worked. Inside were an array of wolfsbane rifles and pistols. Emma took a pistol and stuffed it in her pocket.
As she headed out, another alarm blasted through the halls. Now what? Then the lights went out. The alarm cut off. Good, until small explosions went off in the lab areas. Not good. Was that Nexus’s work? Her surprise? What was going on? She stole away in the darkness. Men raced toward the lab, probably to save what they could. She slipped inside a smaller lab. The entire area remained dark. Computers sat dark, they were off the power grid. Why hadn’t the emergency generators kicked on? Surely a compound of this nature had them. Nexus must have thought of everything. Time to look for Nik.
Closeby, soldiers shrieked as a werewolf savaged them. Shots fired. The place had gone from off the grid to off the grid monster mayhem.
Soon the sun would rise and erase the cover of darkness. Emma left the lab. A fire in a distant lab provided her with enough light to see and she headed where, according to Nexus, they kept Nik.
Nik raised a brow. What? The entire compound lost power. He cocked his head. Odd. No emergency generator turned on. Only Nexus was capable of such a feat. He’d find out the how later. Regardless, it proved to be a brilliant distraction.
Nik pushed the cage door and the electronic lock disengaged. Clever. If Emma and Nexus worked together, they were a force to contend with. Yet, how was it possible? His mind control to make anyone forget was fail proof. Nexus must be working solo and Emma dead. His heart broke and he sighed. Would he know if she weren’t alive? Wouldn’t he feel something?
Rapid gunfire and blood-curdling screams echoed from the hall. His hackles rose. The men must have gone beyond an hour in werewolf form.
Saskia charged in with two armed guards carrying wolfsbane-rifles. Nik recognized Ed. A flashlight shone in his eyes, almost blinding him. “What the hell did that bitch do?”
What bitch was she talking about? Nik blinked rapidly and around the edges of the flashing colors, he noticed the rifle stocks being raised and the click of bullets entering the chamber. He covered his eyes with one hand. He had a strong urge to laugh. Outsmarted by a fledgling werewolf. Instead, he acted like he didn’t understand. “What are you talking about?”
“Emma and that little betraying Nexus hacked our grid and somehow the emergency generators.”
“You should have befriended the hacker.”
“Bolton should have had her killed. And Emma, too!”
His heart lightened. Saskia implied Emma was alive.
Shrieking howls sounded from outside the compound.
“Now you have to deal with out of control werewolves.”
Saskia scoffed. “Bolton failed to contain them. It will be up to me to round up the beasts.” She turned to the men. “Escort Nik back into the cage and use a bolt to lock him in.”
Nik backed in. A bolt wouldn’t hold him for long.
Saskia smiled. “Good dog.” She ordered the men. “Tranquilize him if he tries to escape.”
Nik shrugged. “Is that any way to treat your mate?”