Full Moon Rising (Riley Jenson Guardian 1)

Then it was the Directorate. But that didn't mean I was entering the system without a fight. If Jack wanted me as a guardian, he was going to have to drag me there kicking and screaming

"So what happens now?"

"The drug doesn't appear to have had any ill effects yet, but even so, we'll begin regular blood tests and cell scans. We'll also begin regular psi tests, in case alterations start showing there."

"I'm telepathic - you know that."

He nodded. "Entry tests also indicated latent skills in clairvoyance."

"Which is not exactly a skill the military can give a damn about."

"On the contrary, clairvoyance provides an excellent means of information gathering."

"Yeah, but as you said, it's latent. As in, not active and not used."

"Granted. But your telepathy skill isn't. Given it can be used for both information gathering and as a weapon, it definitely is a desirable skill as far as they are concerned. You already rate high - this drug could very well put you off the scale."

I didn't want to be off the scale. Didn't want to use my skills for anything more than defense. But I had a vague feeling Talon had taken all choice away from me. I kicked another stone into the dam and imagined it was the head of a certain golden wolf sinking under the murky brown water

Jack squeezed my shoulder gently. "You could be one of the lucky ones. It might have no effect at all."

My smile was grim. "You don't believe that any more than I do."

He hesitated. "No. But right now, there's nothing we can do about it. Time will provide our answers. Meanwhile, we have a clone factory to hunt down."

I turned and followed him down the path. "Did you know a company named Konane apparently owns Moneisha?"

He glanced over his shoulder. "No. How do you?"

"Misha told me."

"Interesting. Wonder how he knows - and why he told you."

"Because I asked him."

"Maybe you should ask him a few other things - like whether he knows anything about the clones or the crossbreeds."

"I can if you want."

"Might be worth a try. In the meantime, I'll get a search done on Konane."

"You don't think the crossbreeds are coming out of the same factory as the clones?"

"No, and the evidence that Quinn has collected confirms it."

Rhoan was no longer sitting out in front of the cabin when we arrived. But given the delicious smell of roasting meat that hung on the air, he was probably inside harassing Liander to hurry up and serve the meal

"I'll never get tired of that smell," Jack said, taking a deep breath. "Which is why I live above a restaurant."

I opened the door for him and waved him on through. "I always thought the smell of food turned a vampire's stomach."

Jack shook his head. "Hollywood myth. You of all people should know better than to believe something like that."

"Hey, some myths sound very reasonable."

"Sounding reasonable doesn't make them so."

He moved over to the table and I looked around for Quinn. He wasn't in the living area, but a second later he came rattling down the stairs. His gaze met mine, dark eyes warm and filled with hunger. The fever surged through my veins, its intensity soaking me in an instant. And the full moon was still two days away. If the mission went on much longer, I'd be in trouble. The fever was still leashed, but the sheer force of it suggested it wouldn't remain that way too long