Full Moon Rising (Riley Jenson Guardian 1)

But once again I shoved the thought away, not wanting to face the hurt of it until the moment hope was totally gone and I knew for sure she was dead. "Obviously, the bodies were dumped in areas out of the sunlight; otherwise, there wouldn't be any remains to study. Which in itself suggests someone wanted the Directorate to find the remains."

He nodded. "Jack says there was an enormous amount of growth accelerant in the body of the vamp they discovered in Quinn's plane. And the prelim results Quinn got back on Gautier's clones also show high dosages."

I frowned. "Sounds like they don't really care if their creations live all that long."

"Maybe just long enough to complete a task." His expression was grim when it met mine. "A vampire's body degenerates pretty quickly once he's dead. Can you think of a better killing machine than one designed to get in, do its job, then self-destruct before any evidence can be pulled from it?"

"It's not something I actually want to think about." I watched a willy wagtail flit across the backs of the nearby cows. "How come Gautier has been allowed to stay with the Directorate? Especially after his clones started appearing everywhere?"

"We think Gautier is working with someone in the Directorate - someone other than Alan Brown. Until we can ferret that person out, Gautier stays. It's better to have an enemy where you can watch him."

"You're not exactly watching him now."

"Director Hunter is."

"Ah." I closed my eyes, listening to the wind keening through the nearby gums. The storm that had hit Melbourne earlier that afternoon was on its way. "As a guardian, Gautier has to undergo regular health checks. I'm gathering nothing out of the ordinary has ever been found?"

"No. And Jack's told you about his history - or lack thereof."

"Yeah. Bit by little bit."

Rhoan grinned. "He wants you in the program, sis, and he's just trying to reel you in."

"So he's already said."

The man in question came out of the trees as I spoke

"Riley," he said, a smile touching his lips but his eyes all seriousness. "We need to talk if you can give me a moment."

I glanced at Rhoan, who shrugged at my unasked question. I pushed to my feet, and said, "Sure."

Jack followed the path back into the trees and I trailed him. We walked down to the dam and stood on the edge, watching dragonflies buzz the water

"What's up?" I said, after a moment

"Something you may not like." He looked at me, green eyes hard with anger. "You remember the blood sample I took?"

My stomach dropped. "Yes."

"We got some interesting results back."

I briefly closed my eyes, not sure I really wanted to hear this. "So, I was drugged?"

"Yes. There was N529, a fast-knockout drug designed for use on nonhumans, and one which is not due to come onto the market until next month. The other was ARC1-23."

I raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"

"It's a drug that's still on the experimental list because of the serious side effects it appears to have on some nonhumans." He hesitated. "It seems someone is trying to get you pregnant." For several seconds I didn't react, simply stared at him. Then anger surged and I clenched my fists, wishing I had something - someone - to hit. "I'm going to kill the bastard."

Actually, killing him was too quick. Maybe I'd settle for ripping his fucking balls off

"I gather you know who's behind it?"

I nodded and began to pace. "One of my regular mates was talking about me having his child recently."

"But you didn't consent to take this drug?"

I snorted. "Hardly. If I ever do take the risk of having kids, it'll be with someone I love, not with someone I just fuck."