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.When he pulled back, he set his forehead against hers and sucked in a deep breath.“Scared the fuck out of me.”“Me too.” Her eyes were still huge dark spheres.“It’s over now.”“I hope so.”Chapter SeventeenThe following morning, Allison rolled over in Daniel’s embrace and held him tighter.She hadn’t released him for the entire night, and she had no intention of doing so anytime soon.“Someone fixed the window,” she muttered as she kissed his pec.“Yeah, my family doesn’t waste much time.” He kissed her forehead.“Did you sleep?”“A little.I kept jerking awake in a nightmare.”Daniel chuckled.“I’m aware of that.”“Do you think this madness is over?” She bit her lip as she waited for his response.He hesitated before he shook his head.She lifted her gaze to meet his.“We can’t be sure of that.Just because we took several of them into custody yesterday doesn’t tell us how many there are in total and what their long-term objective is.“I’m just relieved none of our men were killed.My family is safe.Their wounds will heal.”She shivered.All of the Spencer men had been in the midst of the battle.Each had received a variety of injuries before NAR had stepped up their involvement and taken over.None had life-threatening wounds.The women were all safe.Natalie had been the only female family member to stay behind, and she was a blessing now that the battle was over, soothing the nerves of the six women still in their care.There was no way to be sure of anything, but for now, NAR was still present and hopefully everyone had been able to get some sleep.“Your brother Scott is going to enlist.”“I know.He made that perfectly clear last night.”“I think Drake is torn.”Daniel nodded.“Yeah, but he has a baby to consider now.If I weren’t already committed, I have to say it would be difficult to make that decision now that I have you.”“If you hadn’t enlisted last year, there’s a good chance I would be dead now, or at least back in their custody.” She shivered.The idea was never far from her mind.She owed Daniel her life.When her vehicle had been stopped on the way off the base and she’d been snatched from the car, she had never expected to survive.Six of these huge feral wolves had been no match for one small woman and the shifter driving her.When those massive beasts had stepped into the road and blocked the car, Allison had nearly swallowed her tongue.She’d lifted her face when the car came to an abrupt stop and gaped at the size of those wolves.In a heartbeat, two of them shifted, overtook the car, shot the driver, and yanked Allison from the back.She’d squirmed from their clutches, but she was no match, and moments later she’d felt the deep penetration of a needle.She’d expected to be knocked out, but instead, she realized she was unable to shift.But much to her surprise, the men who snatched her drove her straight to an airstrip and loaded her onto a small plane.They hadn’t said a word.She’d been surprised when they landed in an unknown location and then driven her straight to the ranch.And then she’d learned the reality of her predicament.They needed her as a pawn, intending to use her as a way to get the Spencers to back down and deliver the six women sheltering in the dorm.She knew that would never happen.And then fear over her fate had crept into her system and shook her to her core.She would die, but not in vain.Her life wasn’t worth an exchange for six other women.As the madman had held her neck, she’d kept her gaze locked on Daniel, knowing she would never see him again and willing him to remain strong.Instead, back up troops arrived and the tables had been turned.She was still in shock, even the next morning.Daniel eased his hands down her body and hauled her on top of him.He kissed her gently before he spoke again.“I have to return to Seattle.”She swallowed and nodded.“I know.”“Jerard would like me to leave you here under the protection of NAR with everyone else.”She nodded again.“I can’t do it.”She exhaled.“I love you.” He threaded his fingers through her hair and held her head in a firm grip.“I love you too.” A tear escaped her eye, unbidden.“I would never be able to concentrate on my job if I had to worry about your safety halfway across the country.You’ll go back to Seattle with me.Okay?”She inhaled sharply.“Thank God.”“NAR is figuring out another safe place to hide you, either on base or nearby.You’ll be safer with me.”Thank God, she repeated in her head.If she’d been left behind as she expected, she wasn’t sure how her sanity would hold out.Daniel stared at her and opened his mouth to speak.“There’s more.”“Lord, what else?”“When the twelve of you were initially rescued, your blood work was sent to a lab for further testing.Apparently it wasn’t a coincidence that half of you had GPS chips.Those of you with tracking devices have a different genetic makeup than the others.”“What the hell does that mean?”“We don’t know for sure.But I’m betting it isn’t a coincidence.The Romulus wants you for a reason.And they didn’t want to misplace you, either.”“You think it has something to do with those giant mutated wolves?” She shivered to consider the possibilities.Daniel nodded, his face serious.“I do.But whatever they intended to do with you, they will never get the chance now.No one is going to snatch you again.I’ll make sure of it.” He pulled her tighter into his embrace.“I don’t know jack about genetics, but whatever the fuck the Alu element is, apparently yours is distinct.”Allison jerked from his embrace and bolted to a sitting position.She stared down at him, shaking.Her mind grasped at what he’d just said.“What, baby?” He touched her arm.“Did you say, Alu element?”“Yes.But I was just repeating what Jerard learned.I can’t tell you what it is.”“I’ve heard that before.”Now Daniel stiffened, his grip on her arm hardening.“Where? When?”“I don’t know, but at some point in moments of lucidity at that strange facility they took me for testing, I heard them discussing that.Something about genomes and the Alu element.I never could have come up with it on my own…but now that you say it, I remember.”“Jesus.” He pulled her back down against his chest.“That’s good, baby.Don’t worry.We’ll figure it out.”“What if there’s more I can’t remember?” She spoke against his firm pecs.“I’m sure there’s plenty.But don’t stress, our professionals are on it.At this point, whatever you could remember would be so loaded with medical terminology, it would be a jumble.Our guys will figure it out.”They lay in silence for a few minutes [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]