The Wolf Within (Purgatory 1)

The wolf growled. The sound hung in the air.

“I’m still your director here.” Pate’s chair squeaked and Duncan knew the guy had shot to his feet. “You will listen to what I say and—”

Duncan glanced back over his shoulder. Pate’s eyes widened as he gazed at Duncan’s face. What does he see there? “Staying away from her may not be an option.” Not when the moon rose. He was very much afraid that when the moon rose, the wolf would go straight to her. “You work on keeping her away from me. Send her away from this place. Get her out of the town. Do whatever you need to do.”

“Why? Why her?”

“Because the beast knows I want her.” I can still taste her. “And he wants her too.”

Then Duncan yanked open the door and hurried down the hallway. He had a serial killing werewolf waiting for him. One that needed to get broken out of his cell.

***

The guards outside were dead. So much blood. Everywhere. The attack from the werewolves had been brutal.

The scent of that blood…it was so strong.

Feeling light-headed, Holly stumbled back inside. Her shaking body told her that she’d gone too long without her dose. She knew how dangerous her condition was, and she should have been paying more attention to the passage of time.

But the little matter of the attacking werewolves had distracted her.

She hurried into the med unit, then made her way into the section she’d designated for her lab. She just needed one dose to get her through the next twelve hours, and—

“She smells so sweet.”

The rasping voice froze Holly in her tracks. It was a familiar voice. Saul’s voice.

“Why does she smell that way?” Saul asked.

Then a hand was curving over her shoulder. A hand with long, thick claws. Saul’s hand. Holly opened her mouth to scream.

But the cry never left her lips. Because suddenly Duncan was there, and he put his hand over her mouth, choking back the cry.

Duncan? No, no, he wouldn’t hurt her. He’d helped her before.

“You shouldn’t be in here now,” Duncan whispered. His lips brushed over her cheek and a shiver shuddered through her body. “You were supposed to be outside. Helping the guards.”

There were no guards to help. But she would have still been out there, securing the bodies, if she hadn’t gone too long without her dose. She’d been afraid to go any longer without it.

Her hand slid into the pocket of her lab coat.

“She’s going for the remote!” Saul’s fierce warning as his hand jerked from her shoulder and grabbed hold of her wrist. His grip was brutal as he twisted her hand, and the bones snapped.

She was staring straight into Duncan’s eyes when her wrist broke. His stare was blue, with streaks of gold, but as she cried out in pain, the gold seemed to explode in his gaze. He released her instantly, and he grabbed Saul—then threw the man across the room. Saul crashed onto the operating table. “You don’t hurt her!”

Holly stumbled back. Her wrist throbbed and…the bones were facing the wrong way. She grabbed her wrist with her left hand, and yanked the bones back into place. A tight, high moan escaped her as the pain shot through her again.

“Holly…” Duncan growled her name.

Fumbling, her left hand managed to grab the remote.

“Stop her!” Saul yelled as he leapt back to his feet. “Stop her or every agent left in this building will come after us!”

Duncan caught her left wrist in his hand. His grip was gentle but strong. “I can’t let you stop us.”

“Us?” Holly whispered and shook her head. “There is no ‘us’, Duncan. There’s you. And then there’s a killer.” Nausea rolled in her stomach. The dose. She needed it so badly. The pain she felt just made her all the more desperate to have it.

Saul ran toward them.

Before he could reach for Holly, Duncan swung out at him. This time, Saul slammed back and crashed into a cabinet. Bottles fell. Shattered. Bags of blood hit the floor, and Saul’s claws cut right through them as he scrambled back to his feet.

Holly tried to lurch forward.

Duncan snatched the remote from her. He shattered it in his hands. Then he pulled her against him. “I’m sorry.” He barely breathed the words into her ear.

“Let me go!” He didn’t understand what was happening. His wolf must be trying to take over, just as he’d feared and—

“You can’t stop us.” He lifted her up. Carried her to the table on the right.

She struggled against him, fighting with all of her strength, but she was no match for him. Not then. Not with the sun up and her body desperate for a dosage. And certainly not with his new enhanced strength pulsing through his body.

He strapped her down. Her legs first. Then her stomach. Her chest. Her left arm. Her right-her right hand he lifted to his mouth, and he pressed a kiss to her wrist. “I’m sorry,” he said again.

Then he…left her there. Strapped to the table.

Just. Left. Her.

She opened her mouth to scream. What the hell had she been thinking? She should have been screaming the whole time! She’d just been stunned. Shocked.

Betrayed.

Now her scream ripped from her, only to be quieted into a muffled groan when Duncan tied a twisted cloth around her head—and put part of that cloth in her mouth.

“Oh, damn, but she looks good that way.” Saul was coming back toward her.

Holly tensed. She could see his claws.

“Let’s just slice her, a little bit…”

Duncan grabbed Saul’s hand, keeping those claws away from Holly. “We’re getting out of here.” His shoulders lifted. Fell. “I want to run.”

Saul smiled. “The beast. It wants out.” He nodded quickly. “You were right to get me. I can help you. We can stick together. Fuckin’ destroy anyone who comes after us.” His gaze lingered on Holly. “Anyone.”

Duncan wasn’t looking at her.

He was just whirling away and running toward the room on the right. Toward the secret entrance and exit to the facility that only she and the other agents knew about. The guards on staff didn’t even know about that room—agents only.

So much for security. That exit would take Duncan and Saul past all of the security. Past the guards who were now being extra vigilant. It would take them to freedom.

She shook her head.

But Duncan didn’t see the move.

He didn’t see anything she did. Because he left her there. Tied. Gagged. With her wrist broken and her whole body aching.