face. "
He shook his head at the thought. She drove him crazy, made him so horny he thought he was going to die, and she warmed him. God help him, she warmed every comer of his soul and he hadn't even realized it until that fucking Raider had flipped and those bastard soldiers had opened fire on the defenseless vehicle.
He had thrown himself at the first rider, snapping his neck before jumping for the second. Rage had boiled in his blood, a red haze of fury unlike anything he had known sweeping through him.
As he killed the second, she had pulled herself out of that damned Raider, staring back at him, dazed. Wobbling on her feet, but alive. And he had bit her.
He shook his head in confusion as he remembered the primal compulsion. It had surged from his gut, swept through his body and he had acted. Without thought, without remorse, his only instinct had been to lock his teeth into her vulnerable shoulder as the glands of his tongue spilled their rich hormone into the wound.
"What do you know about the Mating, Jonas? He had to fight to stay calm, even though calm had always been easy to attain, no matter the situation. "Why the hell do I keep biting her?"
"Come to Sanctuary and we'll discuss it," Jonas suggested evenly.
The blatant blackmail had Braden staring back at him coldly. Jonas was a manipulative bastard, there was no doubting that. But Braden had no intention of letting him manipulate Megan.
"We've never fought, Jonas," Braden mused softly. "We've butted heads a time or two, but never really been at odds. Don't put us there now. "
Tension thickened between them. Jonas was his supervisor. For the most part, Braden did his job and was usually in agreement with Jonas on how it should be done. Until now.
"Tell me what's going on, man. " The rumbling growl in his throat was something he seemed to be doing often.
Something he had rarely done before. Megan was not a good influence on him. "And tell me now. "
Jonas sighed roughly. "We're not sure yet, Braden. Too much is still unknown. The bite to the shoulder allows the hormone into the mate's body faster. We know that much. At the moment, that's all we know. But the Council scientists know this as well. They're dying to get their hands on a Breed mate. And they will, eventually. "
They were testing them then. The soldiers that attacked them were Council based, Braden had no doubt of that. But now he was beginning to suspect that Megan's death wasn't all they wanted. They would suspect the Mating; it would be impossible not to if they were aware of the possibility.
Attempting to see if mates were more effective, if Megan's abilities were stronger in his presence, if she could be used against him or vice versa. It was the way the Genetics Council worked. They researched each strength and weakness, tested and tortured until the subjects were dead or just too damned numb to care if they lived or not.
Which meant the stakes were raised, as well as the danger.
Dr. Elyiana Morrey was a Breed with dark brown eyes and short dark brown hair. She was tall, nearly five-ten, with a compassionate expression and a hard-as-nails voice when things didn't go her way. But despite her likability, she made Megan uncomfortable.
"I need you at Sanctuary," the doctor said as she took the final vial of blood and packed it in her case.
"The samples aren't going to be enough soon. We need to keep a close watch on the Mating signs, compare them to the others. "
Sanctuary wasn't a place Megan figured she wanted to be confined to.
She had seen reports on the high security compound the Felines called a home base, and she didn't think much of it. She couldn't handle being watched like that, day in and day out, knowing that the moment she stepped out of those gates any number of people were photographing her, profiling her and attempting to determine her weaknesses as the journalists often did the Breeds and their wives.
"That's okay. " Megan rubbed at her arm before rising from the bed and moving stiffly to the robe she had laid across a chair. "I'm doing fine here. "
She was living for a change. She restrained her smile, reliving the sheer exhilaration of the chase earlier and the knowledge that no matter how close it had been, they had won.
"The Mating is different with you. " Dr. Money sat comfortably at the end of the bed, watching her with a hint of confusion. "Biting is normally rarely done, and only during sexual situations. Braden is the first Breed male to bite outside of that situation. The bite is different as well. Deeper than normal and if I'm not mistaken, which I'm usually not, the hormone he's injecting into you is more potent. The scent around the bite is stronger than the others.
This will increase instinctive responses and emotions. Be careful of that, especially where anger is concerned. It seems anger and arousal are the two responses it increases first. Judgment can be hindered in some
cases, and it's not always easy to control. "
No shit. But strangely enough, the bite didn't hurt.
Megan reached up, rubbing at the
muscle as she flexed her shoulder. It was the only spot on her body that wasn't sore.
"It's already beginning to heal," the doctor pointed out. "That's odd as well, considering the depth of the bite. I can't do the proper tests this way, Megan. And until I can see what's going on, I have no idea what's causing it. "