Hale

Chapter Fourteen

Robbie, Hale, and Caitlyn raced back toward the house. They ran into Zack and Roane on the way.

“Nothing,” Roane said. “Doc's not outside. He's got to be—” Sabrina screamed, and Derrick roared.

They rushed into the house, changing along the way. Clothing ripped and pulled, shoes and socks stretched and popped, leaving a trail of tattered garments along the grass.

Once inside, Hale and Robbie headed after Paige's scent. Hale's beast felt anxious.

He knew the enemy had found them. What he didn't understand was, why now? And what had Robbie meant about Kohl needing a new head scientist?

He scented the enemy before they found Paige at the end of the hallway in front of the elevator. Between them and her raged a bloody battle. Rogue Circs fought mutants while Paige fought to steer clear. As he pushed his way into the fray, Hale saw one of the rogues take some damage while protecting…Paige? It didn't make any sense, but he didn't care. He had to reach his mate.

Robbie helped him clear a path. As he moved, opponents starting dropping like flies, grabbing their heads in pain. Hale didn't know how much Robbie could do, but he hastened his efforts and reached Paige with a few minor scratches. The rogue nearest her nodded at him, his light gray eyes almost white against his darker, changed skin.

Then, oddly enough, the rogue disappeared. The mutants around them continued to press closer but screeched when something slashed at them.

Not sure what the hell was going on, Hale grabbed on to Paige. “Get your ass in that elevator.” He turned to kick at one of the mutants that clawed at his leg in an attempt to reach her.

“No.” She leaned closer to be heard past the noise. “Kelly's down there. If I open the elevator, they might get by me. I won't chance it.”

“Fuck.” Hale turned and roared as two mutants tackled him. “Where the hell are they all coming from?”

“Half of them are fighting with each other in the bedrooms. Then they spill into the hallway,” said a voice out of nowhere. The odd rogue reappeared over Hale and dragged one of the mutants off him. As they fought, Paige pulled at the other mutant.

“Get back!” Hale tried to bring his opponent with him away from Paige, but the scent of cherries captivated him and those closest around them. Everyone around Paige slowed down, focusing hungrily on her.

“I told you not to do that,” the rogue by them growled. “It's not helping.”

“But Hale—” Paige said.

“Is fine.” Hale yanked the rogue back, relieved when Paige retracted that scent.

Holy hell, but she packed a punch. “If you have to, beat them back. But don't attract them to you!”

Robbie fought through a mass of bodies toward them, tossing Circs and mutants back into the rooms they spilled out of. “Hawkins. What the hell are you doing here?” The rogue next to Hale answered back, “Kohl ordered us to capture your doc.

Dunn took off with him and ordered the rest of us here to put an end to Circe's Recruits. Against Kohl's orders.”

Robbie grinned, his teeth wickedly sharp. “Dissension in the ranks. I like it.” Paige growled low in her throat and swiped her nails across a rogue's jugular when he pushed past Hawkins. Hale wanted to help her, but he had his hands full trying to stay upright amid the bodies piling up.

“This is ridiculous. Paige, come on.” He shielded her as they made their way to Robbie. They were forced to step over groaning bodies, the hallway overflowing with the enemy. A stabbing pain hit him in the side, but he ignored it and pulled Paige with him, thrusting her at Robbie. “Take her out of here.”

“What the fuck?” Roane roared beyond them and started to charge into the shrinking corridor.

“No, stay back,” Robbie said as he caged Paige between him and Hale. He continued to backstep toward Roane and the others now with him. “Take Paige out of here.”

“Dammit.” Roane grabbed her and quickly pulled her behind him. “She's good.

You two, get out of there.”

Hale looked over his shoulder, relieved that one of his mates was out of harm's way. His beast nudged Robbie to also move in her direction.

“I know you did not just try to push me back there.” Robbie punched a mutant in the face, cracking its jaw. “What the hell are you doing?”

“I don't know.” Hale felt dizzy but shook it off. “Look. They're just about done.” Only two more mutants were actively fighting. The rest littered the floor, along with a few rogue Circs. Three of the rogues remained standing, using stunners and lethal fangs and claws to dispose of the mutants still struggling.

Hale couldn't believe how many bodies fit in the hallway. It was like a living, or dying, carpet. The sight made him queasy.

Robbie swore and tucked Hale under his arm. “You're injured, you idiot.”

“I'm fine.” Circs healed with amazing speed. Even if he had been wounded, he'd soon be on the mend. Too bad his body hadn't gotten the memo.

“Roane, playboy's bleeding all over the place.”

“New venom in the mutants' claws. You'll need to see to that.” Hawkins joined them, breathing hard. He was covered with blood, both his and the darker stuff that leaked from the mutants. But as Hale watched, his body healed itself. “We're immune.”

“Great. Just when we need Doc. And he's where?” Zack said from over Roane's shoulder.

“Can we get out of this stinking hallway?” Hale tried to push away from Robbie, feeling like a pussy for not standing on his own two feet. But Robbie wouldn't let him go. He glared, and his mate glared back.

“Those guys friends of yours?” Roane asked Robbie, looking at Hawkins and the other rogues with him.

“You could say that.”

Roane wiped the sweat from his forehead, and Hale noticed the healing wounds on his forearms. “Come on, then.” Over his shoulder, he said, “Derrick, bring Sabrina down here to see to Hale. Zack, make sure every one of these fuckers is dead.” Zack passed Hale, carrying one of Doc's special guns. The ammunition had been doctored to counteract Circ healing. A bullet to the brain would kill anyone living.

“Zack, Kelly's safe in the lab with Ace,” Hale heard Paige say.

“Thanks.” Zack started shooting at the ground, one bullet per body. He stopped and reloaded just as Hale left the hallway.

Paige quickly wormed her way under Hale's arm as everyone congregated in the family room and kitchen, where Sabrina stood in a ragged shirt. Her black hair was messed, and a scratch was healing on her cheek. At Hale's raised brow, she shrugged.

“A bunch of rogue Circs took me by surprise upstairs. But Derrick killed most of them.”

“Except for the ones Sabrina tagged. A few got away,” Derrick admitted.

“Damn.” Hawkins leaned against the kitchen counter. “They'll get word back to Dunn about us sooner than I'd hoped.” He looked over his shoulder at the other rogues with him. “Fallon, Tersch, take care of our problem, hmm? And tell Hayashi to bring his ass back here when you see him. He's not answering his cell.”

The rogues nodded and left on silent feet.

“They're solid.”

“Great. Now, who the fuck are you?” Roane snarled. “And why is our house littered with rogue Circs and mutants? What happened to our alarm system? Where the hell is Doc?”

“Shit,” Robbie muttered. In a louder voice, he said to Roane, “This is Hawkins.

He's one of the Circs they tapped at Pearson Labs. A Navy SEAL, right?”

“Yeah.” Hawkins looked uncomfortable around the females. “McKinley, please tell me Doc made some headway with our problem. Torrence looks fine.” He nodded to her.

She blinked up in surprise. “Julian?”

“Julian?” Derrick echoed, less than pleased. “You know this squid?”

“Hell. What were you? Not Air Force. Army? No.” Hawkins sneered. “A jarhead, right? Figures. Marines. All muscle, no brains.” Derrick made a move to go at him, but Roane held him back. “Cut the shit.

Hawkins, I want answers. Now.”

Hale had to admit, Roane was impressive in a rage. He tried to move to his friend's side when his knees buckled, and he slipped out of Paige's arms to the floor.

Paige knelt by his side, worried. “Hale?”

Sabrina motioned to Derrick. “A little help here. Get me a towel and come here.” Derrick did as ordered, no questions asked.

“Sorry.” Hale didn't understand why he felt so weak. “Not sure what happened to my legs.”

“Stanch the bleeding,” Sabrina ordered her mate, as mean as ever. “Dammit, Derrick. Hold the towel here.” She shoved Derrick's hands over his side, and Hale couldn't help squirming to avoid the intense pain.

“That really fucking hurts.”

“Shit. Hold on, Weston,” Hawkins said to Roane. Hale heard him talking but couldn't see him from his position on the floor. “I called, and this time Hayashi picked up. He's going to bring some antivenom with him. He's at the labs right now.” Hawkins paused. “There's some serious shit going down. A special task force just breached security.”

“Dammit.” Robbie crouched down beside him, staring hard into Hale's eyes.

“Mike told me he wouldn't move until I could be there.”

“He probably knows you'll try to rip out Kohl's guts. Can't have one of his men up on charges of murder,” Hawkins offered.

“Who said anything about murder?” Robbie said through extended fangs. “I'm talking extermination. Plain and simple.”

Hawkins chuckled. “Nothing simple about you.” Caitlyn appeared in the dining area, and Hawkins stared at her a minute too long. When Roane growled, he cleared his throat and looked away. “About that headway…?”

Robbie answered, “Sabrina, do you know if Doc's gotten any closer to settling the rogue Circs using my blood? Some of the guys manage to last up to a year without going off the deep end. But with all the experimenting Pearson Labs has been doing lately, it's hard to know where the guys stand. Packard's blood helped you a good bit.

Maybe it would help Hawkins and his men?”

Hale watched Sabrina and Robbie interact as if watching a movie. Everything seemed dreamy, scripted, and disconnected from him.

“I don't know. Doc speculated that Derrick helped me because we were mated.

The nature of a Circ is to keep in tune with his or her own survival. By healing me, Derrick ensured the possibility of a future generation of his DNA. I don't know if the procedure will work for you, Julian. I'm sorry.”

“Doc will know,” Roane said firmly. “As soon as he gets back, he'll know exactly what to do. And if he doesn't have the answers now, he'll work until he gets them.”

“Actually, he's a lot closer than you might think,” Kelly volunteered as she ambled into the kitchen ahead of Ace.

“Ma'am.” Hawkins nodded respectfully but took a step back when Ace threatened him with bodily harm. Zack entered behind them, equally as wary.

“Ace, relax. My beast doesn't sense a threat. And I'm very sensitive to anything that might harm the baby.”

Zack rumbled something.

“Julian Hawkins. Nice to meet you,” Hawkins said. “So about this progress?” Kelly responded. “I think Robbie is the key to a lot of the problems the labs initially had with the Circe serum. I overheard Doc talking to someone on the phone, and I was curious, so I asked him.”

“Robbie?”

“McKinley,” Hale rasped. “My mate.”

“No shit. Found someone who would have you, eh? What about the female?” Hawkins asked Robbie, glancing at Paige.

“She's ours too,” Hale answered for him. “Disobedient female who needs a good spanking…” His voice faded as the room went dark.

He heard her calling his name. He smiled, but he didn't open his eyes. He needed the rest. Once he gathered his strength again, he'd teach her not to worry her mates. In just…a little…while…

Evan struggled against the ties binding his wrists. The rank office they'd thrust him into was filled with gore. Several mutants had apparently revolted, because scientists, rogue Circs, and the PPA were running all over the place trying to sort out the madness. Simon Dunn had definitely been playing with things best left alone. He had greasy hair and splotchy skin. A foul odor wafted from Simon's body with his every movement. The rogues he'd used to infiltrate the compound and capture Evan obeyed him, but Evan could tell it was only a matter of time before they completely turned.

At home when learning as much as he could about McKinley, Evan had been startled to find several properties in the Circ's blood that he'd also found in the men of Circe's Recruits. Comparing McKinley's samples with Caitlyn's, he'd discovered a potential method to creating an antigen to combat the viral strains of EP12 that he suspected caused the mental breakdown in Circs. He would have been more active in his discovery were it not for Paige. He wanted her to stay with them, so he'd been using most of his free time to show his niece he wasn't an ogre. He wanted her to trust him, to feel safe. Except she apparently wasn't safe, because he sat bound and gagged in Pearson Labs. He prayed Dunn only wanted him, and that he'd left the rest of those at the compound alone.

The only redeeming thing about his capture was that Dunn's thugs had isolated him from the chaos outside. He sat in an office three floors above the main level. An executive wing, if he wasn't mistaken, hopefully away from the experimental portion of the labs.

The door opened slowly. When Diego Santana stepped into the room and closed the door behind him, Evan's pulse jumped, and his heart raced.

“Damn, Ev. What did they do to you?” Diego's soft voice carried in the empty room. “Dios, this is all my fault. I never should have left.” Evan couldn't speak past the gag in his mouth.

Diego slipped a knife from a sheath at his ankle. He wore a white lab coat over dark trousers. Had Evan not known him, he would have assumed Diego worked here.

Making short work of the gag and the ropes around his wrists and ankles, Diego knelt next to him. Before Evan could speak, his ex-lover wrapped him in a tight embrace.

“I know you probably hate me. I know I don't deserve a second chance. But let me get you out of here. You can hate me from the safety of the compound, okay?” Evan squelched the automatic joy he felt just seeing Diego again. He betrayed you.

He put your people in harm’s way. He deliberately lied to you for years. But the sight of the wiry older man sent his heart racing. Those same dark brown eyes that had once regarded him with love now looked at him with concern. Diego appeared tired, stressed, and thinner than he'd been. Dark circles underlined his eyes. But the apparent stress didn't affect the steadiness of his hand, wrapped around that gun.

“Come on, querido. Let's go.”

Pain lanced him at the endearment, but Evan said nothing. He had to get out of there before he was found. Dunn had plans for him that Kohl, apparently, wasn't aware of. And most of it had to do with keeping Dunn knee-deep in drugs, “freak pussy,” and helping him to stage a coup as he tried to become the new CEO of Pearson Labs. Talk about a nightmare.

“I'll follow you,” Evan said quietly. But I won’t trust you again.

As if Diego heard what went unsaid, he gave Evan a sad smile and moved swiftly out of the room. He kept Evan behind him, a hand on his person at all times, his gun at the ready. This lethal side of Diego startled Evan, but he had to admit, it intrigued him as well. Diego had always seemed just on the rough side of dangerous. Now, he all but shouted it.

He stopped suddenly and fired a round. A body hit the floor.

“A tech with a stunner. Not a friend,” Diego muttered. They left the hallway via a corner stairwell and descended in a run. Diego shot twice more, killing or wounding Circs, Evan wasn't sure. They didn't stop to check but instead raced toward the basement exit.

“We exit on three,” Diego whispered. “Whatever you do, stay behind me, and stay with me.”

Evan nodded. To his shock, Diego pressed a hard kiss to his lips.

“I still love you. So much,” Diego sighed. He counted back from three, then shoved open the door.

And all hell broke loose.

Robbie paced outside under the clear night sky, too full of nervous energy to sit still. Hawkins's announcement that Pearson Labs had been raided shocked everyone.

Circe's Recruits, and even Robbie, had always expected to be in on the assault when the labs fell. To sit here on the sidelines, fucking ordered by Shields not to interfere, pissed him the hell off.

“Would you sit down?” Roane asked, exasperated.

Roane had pulled guard duty while the rest of the group put their efforts into a general clean up. Hawkins, Tersch, and Fallon labored alongside the squad to clear the dead bodies from the house while the women took charge of sanitizing the place.

Everyone remained in shifted form, on edge and needing to feel empowered, Robbie guessed. He always felt like that, so what the hell did he know?

Hale remained unconscious down in the lab in one of Doc's sickrooms with Paige.

She worried over him, constantly touching him, talking to him. Robbie had tried to sit with his mates, but after an hour of constant nothingness, he'd lost it. Paige had yelled at him to go work off his rage before coming back.

No one else wanted him in the house because apparently, his attitude aggravated them too. Hawkins had the nerve to threaten him with bodily harm if he didn't leave the rest of them alone. And who the hell put him in charge?

“That’s it.”

He glanced up at Roane in surprise, only to feel the Circ's mighty fist slam into his face. The asshole hit him right in the nose, and he was forced to take a moment to clear his watering eyes.

Roane had no qualms about taking advantage. He managed another punch to Robbie's kidney and a kick to his stomach before Robbie got his feet back under him.

“That's for threatening my men and dicking with Sabrina.” A small threat that kept her from Pearson Labs. Jesus. “I saved her life. Hell, I saved all of their lives.” Robbie grunted and ducked the next punch Roane threw, countering with one of his own. He socked Roane hard in the arm, then kicked his leg out from under him.

Roane rolled back onto his feet, as if he'd meant to hit the ground ass-first.

“Not bad. At least my sister found a mate who can fall with grace.” Robbie sneered and moved so fast, Roane couldn't follow. He beat the man again and again, until Roane lay panting on his hands and knees before him. Refraining from kicking the man when he was finally down, Robbie forced himself to calm down. His anger abated, his beast pleased with the skirmish. He reached out a hand.

Only to have Roane grab it, lever his weight, and use Robbie's size against him.

The damned Circ pushed upward and threw him into the trunk of a very thick tree. The wind knocked out of him, Robbie took a deep breath and found purchase on the ground, his knees surprisingly wobbly.

“Better, Weston. Good to know you're not as big a pussy as you look,” he rasped.

Roane started laughing. The bruises and cuts staining his face faded, and he gave Robbie a sincere grin. “You are such a pain in the ass. It's so fitting you're here for Hale.” He snickered. “I told him he'd find his mate when he least expected it. After all the shit he gave me about Caitlyn. Well, now he knows where she gets that mean streak.” His laughter infected Robbie.

Chuckling and feeling the tension ease, Robbie leaned back against the tree. “My sister loves you.”

“And I love her.” Roane paused. “You're mated to Paige and Hale. Hale's place is here, and with Doc her uncle, I'd say Paige's place is here too.”

“So?”

“So, if you're planning on staying here as well, we need to set some rules.” Roane stood, his power clear to see.

Robbie understood why Hale followed this man, why the rest of them followed him too. Roane commanded by simply breathing. He had an innate ability to instill trust and loyalty in his men. He'd won Caitlyn's heart, which was no mean feat.

“Go ahead,” Robbie sighed, needling the man. “Gimme this list of rules I'm not allowed to break, ever, upon pain of death.”

“It's almost uncanny how alike you and your sister are. That same sarcasm, that same need to poke fun, when you know you're going to give in at the end.” Robbie wanted to wipe the smug look off his face. “Do you ever shut up?”

“First, I'm leader here.” Roane ignored him. “I make the calls. It's not a dictatorship, it's a command structure. You want to stay, you fall in.”

“Aye, aye, sir.” He flipped Roane a one-finger salute.

“Dick,” Roane muttered. “Second, Caitlyn may be your sister, but she's my mate.

Soon to be my wife, as soon as I ask her. And you're going to be an uncle. You and I need to make peace. Because if we don't, she'll be unhappy. As will Hale, my best friend.”

They were in deep. Robbie hadn't realized how tight Hale and Roane were. “Best friend, hmm?” Speaking of which… “So I read a few of Pearl's files. Whatever went on between you and Hale before, it's done.”

Roane flushed. “Look, we're Circ. There was a reason for—”

“And so help me, though it makes me ill to think about it, if Caitlyn was ever involved with my mate, it stops there too. There's such a thing as too much sibling love.

I'm not sharing,” he rumbled.

“'Nuff said.” Roane held out a hand, and Robbie moved forward to take it. “This mean you're in?”

“If Doc and you guys are okay with it, I'd like to stay here with Paige and Hale.

But I work for General Shields, contractually speaking. I don't know what's next for me, jobwise. No offense, but if I had to take orders from you on missions, I'd probably kill you. My beast won't let me bow to anyone.”

“No?”

He remembered the feeling of Hale inside him. “Okay. Just Hale. But that fucker's strong, and fast.”

“I know.” Roane grinned. “You should have seen the first time he pinned me. Not sexually,” Roane hurried to add when Robbie scowled. “When we were testing out our new Circ abilities. I was bigger, and so was Derrick. But Hale moves so fast. One minute you see him, the next you don't.”

Robbie's smile left him. “You think Doc can fix him?”

“If anyone can, it's Doc. Hayashi called Hawkins a half hour ago. Said they have another hour to go before they're here. Oh, and he's bringing that antivenom. That'll help.”

Relief filled him. “Right. And Diego's coming too, eh? Imagine that.” Apparently, Diego had nearly gotten himself killed trying to save Doc's ass. He had a bullet lodged in his leg and another hole in his shoulder. But he'd live. “I bet Mike skins him alive when he finds out Diego disobeyed orders.”

“How so?”

“You really think General Shields told me to butt out, but he let Diego inside that place, knowing how attached Diego is to Doc?”

“So it wasn't all lies?”

“Far as I know, it wasn't. Diego's been like a sick puppy since Shields ordered him to pull back. Looks like I might not be your only addition.” Roane rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, about that… What do you know about Hawkins and his guys? Fallon, Tersch, and Hayashi? All of them SEALs and Circs?”

“Afraid so. Don't tell Hawkins, but my beast likes them. Hawkins set me free when I needed help. He could have made life pretty tough, but he didn't. It's actually because of him and his team that we got Doc back. Hayashi had his eye on the whole kidnapping while Hawkins distracted Dunn, focusing his attention on the attack here with a fake blow by blow on his cell.”

“Simon fucking Dunn.” Roane shook his head. “Bad enough we can't help rip Pearson Labs apart. I'd counted on gutting Dunn myself.” Roane's sharp teeth glinted in the moonlight.

“I know what you mean.”

They sat together in the dark, in the silence.

“You hurt my sister, I'll hurt you.” Robbie thought he'd reiterate.

“Same goes about Hale.”

“Okay.” Robbie paused. He didn't want to see his mate lying so still, but he needed to remind himself his mate lived. That his wound was only temporary. “I should check on him.” Robbie slowly got to his feet, surprisingly loath to end his time with Roane, a man he could respect and perhaps grow to like.

“I'll check on Caitlyn. God knows, I don't want her pissing off the squids inside.

Grown men crying, not a pretty sight.” Roane grinned.

Robbie shook his head and followed Roane inside. Before they parted, Robbie grabbed his arm. “Roane? Thanks.”

Roane glanced at him over his shoulder and nodded, then yelled for his mate.

And Robbie went to find his.