Marie Harte - Grayson's Gamble

For all that Watts was a monster, he didn’t seem that canny. Nor did he seem to be anything other than shocked by her choice of bed partner. “What do you mean?”

“None of us were ever sent out here to kill you. But he was. Him and that prick, Decker.”

She didn’t understand. “They weren’t here for me, Watts. They came to kill you and the other mutants in the area.”

“Tell yourself whatever you want, but the bastards came to kill mutants. Guess who was top dog on their list? Al Ross.” He dug into a pack by his feet and took out a letter. He crumpled it and threw it to her. “Take a look if you don’t believe me.”

Her hand shook, so she lowered one of the guns. She couldn’t believe it. Didn’t want to. But it made so much sense. Why men like Gray and Bas might want her. Why they’d come to the mountain in the first place. There weren’t that many rogues on the mountain at any one time. But she’d been here for months.

She kept her eyes on Watts while she stooped to pick up the paper. He didn’t move.

“Go ahead and read it,” he growled. “You’re one of us, whether you like it or not. Those assholes don’t care who they kill. If it has red eyes and black skin, it’s a target. I thought you were smarter than that.”

He sat on a rock and waited.

She uncrumpled the paper and read a classified mission statement from one Admiral G. London to an Alicia Sharpe. A Pentagon missive. Some of the lines had been blacked out, but she read enough to recognize Agent Belle and Al Ross —the supposed threat—with the express order to eliminate said threat.

Shaken and trying hard not to show it, she dropped the paper. It fell onto the snow-covered ground as swiftly as her heart broke and crashed at her feet. When she felt she could speak without crying, she said to Watts, “This still doesn’t change the fact that Trenton is a walking dead man.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Watts stood, his power both impressive and awesome to behold. When he crossed his arms over his chest, his muscles bunched with lethal energy. “But sometimes enemies can become allies. I’m in hiding, and I’m fucking sick of it. Deer meat is stringy, and I’m not so far gone that I’m turning cannibal.” He sneered. “The mutants and rogues hunting you down aren’t nearly my caliber or yours. Pitiful challenges.”

“True.” She wanted to return to her home and put a bullet in Gray’s handsome head. Then she wanted to rail at him and kill him all over again. He’d been crueler than Trenton. At least the doctor had never tried to pretend he had her best interest at heart. He’d been all cold science, trying to better himself. But Bas and Gray had made her feel things. Hope that the future might not be so bleak. And they’d planned on killing her all along.

“Why didn’t they just kill me, then? They knew my name.”

“Fuck if I know. Though if it had been me, I’d have gotten my fill of you before offing you. Prime piece of Circ ass can sate a mating hunger. No offense.”

God. I’m so stupid . They would have killed her soon enough. She should have saved them the trouble and told them of her intentions. She’d never planned on a long life anyway. Mates. Ha . Her beast roared with inner pain, and the agony woke her mutant into a froth of brutal hate. It wanted blood, death, and destruction. And it wanted them now.

Watts watched her warily, no doubt sensing the kindred spirit awakened within her. “I propose we join forces. Once we kill Trenton, we can go back to being enemies if you want. You know I’m stronger and faster. I’ll kill you someday, Alison. But I’d rather not.” He tilted his head, studying her. “There’s something about you. More than your ripeness. More than that hot cunt I want.” He seemed confused, and she felt a moment’s pity for him, despite his crudity.

“Thanks, I think.”

He laughed. “Oh, don’t worry. I’ll be fucking you. If not now, then after Trenton’s dead. And I don’t particularly care if you’re willing.”

“Be hard to fuck me if I cut your balls off.”

“True.” He nodded. “But the thing is, we don’t have to be enemies. Once we kill Trenton, the larger threat to us is gone. We can erase evidence of our existence. Bring down his lab. Hell, we let the government in on it, and they’ll clean up the problem in two shakes. Once we’re free, we can be together. You and me. Live away from all this, or live here if you want.”

Watts wanted to live. He wanted freedom, and he’d kill again and again, hurting those around him because he couldn’t help himself. The mutant and beast in her knew the truth, and it knew she was just like him. She just hadn’t reached her limit yet, when she’d no longer be able to differentiate right from wrong.

With her world ripped out from under her, she had little choice in the matter. “Call me Ali, Watts. If we’re going to partner up, we might as well become friends.” She lowered her weapon. “Now let me tell you what I know.” She gave him the laboratory codes she’d used to escape, codes no one knew she had. They’d blamed another rogue and killed him for “allowing her to escape.” Or so she’d heard.

After some time, Watts nodded. “With that, and with what I know about the rest of his security, this will be a piece of cake. But don’t fuck me on this, or I’ll kill you, Ali. And I’ll make it last.”

Giving in to the inevitable, she held out her hand. “Same goes. Partners?” Until we kill Trenton; then I kill you. And finally, me.

“Partners.” His large hand dwarfed hers. A hint of lust appeared on his face, but he wisely took a step back. “Now let’s go hunting.”

Bas had a hard time functioning by the time he returned to the cabin. He’d done his best to mask his tracks, but the dread growing in his breast became impossible to ignore. Something bad had happened to one of his mates, maybe both. He’d already shifted into his beast to make the return trip faster, but he was too late. He’d been calling out to Gray repeatedly in his mind. Gray wouldn’t answer. And no matter how much Bas tried, he couldn’t sense Ali.

Though they hadn’t truly bonded together, he knew she was his. The way Gray was. But he and Gray had forged those emotional and physical ties. Bas and Ali hadn’t. Not yet, because they needed Gray to pull the three of them together.

He tore through the cabin and found it empty. So he headed for the area underground.

Gray lay tied to the bed, unconscious. Two darts were buried in his chest. Of Ali, there was no sign.

Sincerely freaked, he removed the darts from Gray. Then he grabbed water and splashed it in Gray’s face. He tried to waken him, the way Gray had pushed through to him before. He opened himself on every level and poured his heart and soul into Grayson Belle.

After a minute, his partner—his mate —woke.

“Thank God.” Bas kissed him hard on the mouth and dragged the key out of Ali’s hiding spot. After releasing Gray from the restraints, he carried him upstairs and placed him on the couch. He grabbed some leftover rogue clothes from her armoire and tossed them at his lover. “Well? What did you do to Ali?”

He hated to jump to conclusions, but the scent of sex, joy, and confusion, not to mention Ali, lingered over Gray like a perfume.

“Huh? Ali?” Gray called out.

“She’s not here.”

Gray held his head. “That little witch.” His growl turned into a roar as he stood and looked around. “She fucking held me with that scent. Then she tranq’d me. Again!” Gray pulled on the clothes Bas gave him, to include his own boots that sat in the bottom of her armoire. “You filled in the admiral?”