Full Moon Rising (Riley Jenson Guardian 1)

I frowned. "He owns Rollins Enterprises."

Jack nodded. "Which has suffered five years of substantial losses, yet Misha's personal fortune keeps getting larger."

"Undoubtedly thanks to good investments." Like the South Bank apartment complex

"Damn good. Only, as yet, we can't locate all of them."

I stared at him for a moment, not sure what to think. "You think Misha's a crook?"

"I honestly don't know, because both the gold and silver packs are notoriously tight when it comes to giving out information about pack members and money. I do know he's covered his tracks very well, and my instincts suggest he's up to something. While I doubt that something involves the Directorate, I am sure it involves you in some way."

I rubbed a hand across my eyes. The day that had started out so well was becoming positively shitty. "Why haven't you mentioned this before now?"

"Because I haven't any evidence that he is up to something. My instincts could be wrong. It wouldn't be the first time."

I took a deep breath and released it slowly. Misha and I were going to have a heart-to-heart when he got back. If I didn't get answers that satisfied me - and Jack - he was struck off my list, right alongside Talon

And to think only a couple of days ago I'd been blissfully happy with them both

"So how did Talon get hold of ARC1-23 if it's not on the market?"

"It's his company doing the fertility research."

Fingers in every pie, as Jack had said. "He doesn't know I'm part vampire. He probably thought it was safe to give to me."

"That doesn't excuse what he's done."

"No." I paused, trying to calm another rush of anger. "So what happens now?"

He considered me for a moment. "He'll be charged, of course."

As long as I got to him first, I didn't care what they did to the bastard. "I hear a 'but' after that."

He nodded. "The military badly wants to explore the possibilities of this drug, and Talon is the key to their getting their hands on it."

Meaning, of course, they weren't about to let anything happen to him until they did. "I'm gathering it's no longer being marketed as a possible fertility drug?"

"It's undergoing a larger trial, and test applicants are being carefully screened. After all, it worked for a good percentage of the test group."

I took another deep breath, then asked the one question I'd avoided. "So what, exactly, does it do?"

"It appears to enhance certain abilities. Six of the ten were either human-werewolf crosses or human-shifter. All became able to take on any shape."

Relief slithered through me. Taking on any shape was pretty cool when compared to some of the scenarios I'd been imagining. "That doesn't sound too bad a skill to have."

Jack snorted softly. "Yeah, only if they changed too often, they discovered they couldn't change back to human form. Their body chemistry had altered so much the cells no longer remembered true form, and they got stuck in animal form."

Which wasn't a good thing. Death would surely be better than never being able to regain humanity. "And the remaining four?"

"Were shifter and werewolf crosses, and all four had psychic skills. Three of the four were unaware of the fact. These skills were all enhanced to the point where they became dangerous. I believe all four have now been transferred to one of the military programs."

I glared at him. "Don't try putting me in any military program."

He gave me a toothy smile I didn't trust one bit. "Darlin', you're mine. If you go anywhere, it'll be into the guardian program."

"That ain't going to happen, either."

"You may not have a choice. If that drug does affect you, it's either us or the military until we discover the full breadth of the changes."