She lifted her chin. “Then we should let them know, Rylee gave me beta status.”
“I doubt they’ll see it that way. They scent your biological status.”
She sniffed her underarms. “That obvious?”
He snorted. “You smell almost human.” He furrowed his brow. There is a possibility they might consider you useful for whatever nefarious plan they have.”
“They don’t seem to have a problem including human sycophants, like Pinky biker.” Her blanket slipped, exposing her breasts.
His glance honed in on her girls, but quickly met her eyes and half-growled. “Get dressed before they come in.”
“Yes, sir.” Not going to end up as Pinky’s plaything. Just yours. She donned jeans and a long sleeve shirt, covering as much skin as possible. Too bad I didn’t pack anything like a burlap bag or something to hide my curves. “I suspect we’re heading to Patagonia.” Randi had picked up the brochures. Did he know his intended mate was dead? They probably didn’t take her because she fought to the death protecting the unchanged ones.
Slade nodded. “If they wanted to get away from our governing packs, the Southern Hemisphere is the ideal spot for eluding us.”
“I wonder if they are conducting some breeding program for high status lycans?” Why else take perfect specimens? She shook her head. “Yet, I would think abducted alphas and betas are going to put up a big fight.”
“Not if their memory is erased.”
“Like what you suspect Henri tried to do to you?”
He snorted. “Calls himself Henrik. Tried again yesterday.”
Cricket grabbed the bars, needing to touch him. To soothe his furrowed brow. The mind drug could eventually work and then what? No memories of their passionate trysts. No memory of him knowing her true name, Abella. How could her shattered heart mend, knowing she had no way to force those memories and feelings out into the open? Having him, at least for a short time, but losing him terrified her. “He drugged you?”
“Just like last time. I remember everything now. I fell into a deep sleep and recall Dr. Warner catching him giving me the dose. Only Warner didn’t know it was an amnesia drug.”
“Yesterday, do you have missing time?”
“Yes, maybe two to three hours at least before Henrik returned. When he prodded me awake, I lunged at him, my identity and memory still intact. I wanted to bite off his remaining earlobe. He said I required a bigger dose.”
“That sucks, at least for me.”
“Oh?”
“As soon as you forget who you are, they’ll waste me.” That is, if Pinky got tired of his toy.
“I won’t let them.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” But if he didn’t lose his memory, how could he protect her from a pack of oath breaking werewolves? Cricket glanced at a tray of beef jerky, but she didn’t have the stomach to eat. Still, she couldn’t escape without fuel. She reluctantly chewed the top grade beef jerky. The kidnappers had killed the lower ranked weres, without bothering to give them the amnesia drug. Would they drug her once they arrive? Or torture her for info on LIA? Worse, use truth serum. This situation sucked. “Have they said much to you, or have they left us alone?”
“After they fed me, Henrik came in and warned me, if I tried anything, he’d throw you out.”
Cricket shuddered. Would she have woken up before she plunged out of the plane and fell to her death? “Thanks.”
Slade’s face relaxed and he winked. “I can’t possibly continue without my mission leader.”
Now we’re talking. Finally, respect. “Good to know.”
The plane dipped in elevation. The wheels rumbled as they lowered. Slade growled and shook the steel bars of his cell. The wolf in him wanted to escape and challenge his enemy.
Cricket sat on her cot and braced for landing. She had to keep her wits about her. Play it right, and they could rescue the kidnapped werewolves. Play it wrong, she’d end up dead.
The plane touched down and rolled down a runaway of what felt like potholes. She clung on. Bump, bump, bump. Obviously not an airfield. Shitty bad-wolf airline.
Slade’s fangs extended.
She kept her tone business-like. “Remember, we are on a rescue mission.”