Cross Breed (Breeds 23)
• • •
Lobo stepped from the connecting cavern as the door leading into the main house slammed above them with enough force to echo into the underground rooms.
Sliding his hands into the pockets of his slacks he looked up, stared at the door, and sighed heavily. God help him. If he could change any of this he would, for her. If he could have ensured a mating between her and Tiberius, it would have destroyed him, but he would have done so. For her.
“Oh, stop feeling so damned sorry for her,” Graeme growled, disgust filling his voice. “If you and Tiberius would stop allowing that girl to bury her head in the sand and hide from the truth, then you’d all be far happier.”
Would they, Lobo wondered, still staring at the stairs, the scent of his mate in his nostrils, her need increasing his, reminding him why he stayed as far away from her as possible.
“She’s so very young,” he sighed.
And he felt so very old sometimes.
“Ten years?” Graeme snorted. “Keep burying your own head in the sand, Lobo, and someone’s gonna knock you in the ass. You may even cause Khi more pain than she’s already known. That might piss me off.”
And of course pissing off Graeme just worried the hell out of him, Lobo thought mockingly.
“You lied to her,” he pointed out to the Bengal. “Multiple times.”
Graeme shrugged. “Tiberius may well mate before he returns, and as for the hormonal serum, there are some anomalies showing up in her that I want to study before she receives more. I believe it could be detrimental for the injections to continue.”
“What sort of anomalies?” Lobo tensed, staring back at Graeme suspiciously.
The Bengal frowned almost as though confused. “I’m still studying the anomalies,” he murmured, his expression turning strangely thoughtful. “I do know the hormonal serum is reacting oddly on the Mating Heat hormones in her system, though she’s likely not realized it yet.”
And what exactly did that mean?
“Reacting oddly in what way? Is she okay?” For a Breed who had never known fear, what he felt was strangely similar to the descriptions he’d heard.
“Oh, it won’t affect her health.” Graeme waved the thought away. “The projections I’ve been running aren’t conclusive yet. I’ll let you know as soon as they are.”
Mad fucking scientist, Lobo thought in disgust. Some days, Graeme seemed to have the answers to any Breed genetic or physiological problem that could arise. Then, on odd days, he could be amazingly reticent.
“Graeme, what’s going on?” Lobo could feel a suspicion that went beyond the surface now. Something the Bengal wasn’t saying, but should be.
“As I said, I’m not yet certain,” Graeme reminded him. “I will be certain to let you know, though.”
Lobo felt his jaw tense, frustration rising inside him. As though he needed more frustration.
“How long does she have?” he asked then, glancing up the stairs once again. “Before the Heat kicks in?”
Graeme paused, the green of his eyes darkening over the gold as his lashes narrowed.
“Twenty-four to seventy-two hours,” he said, his expression becoming a bit brooding. “No more than
seventy-two definitely.” He finally nodded.
Seventy-two hours. Not nearly long enough to find a way to make her understand when she refused to discuss more than the time of day with him. Not nearly long enough …
• BREED TERMS •
Armored F-16 Dragoon: Vehicle based on the Armored Sergeants Dragoon but weaponized and more advanced.
Armored Sergeants Dragoon: Vehicle with the same design as the Dragoon Elite but built primarily for off-road use.
Breed Appropriations Committee: Group responsible for regulating expenditures of money collected from various persons and governments whose political and/or military arm were found to be involved with or funded, knowingly or unknowingly, Breed research and creation.
Breed Criminal Cabinet: Breed and human members who act as a grand jury of sorts to decide if Breed Law has been broken and if a matter should be referred to the Breed Tribunal. The Breed Criminal Cabinet is part of the Breed Defense Initiative