Bonnie Vanak - The Covert Wolf

The lieutenant’s jaw tightened. “His name isn’t to be mentioned outside his team.”

She kept her voice low and gentle. “Are you going to shoot me? At least grant me the courtesy of saying his name. He was a man who died for his country. Everyone deserves to be remembered after they die. What makes him so different that his name is top secret?”

“Because it is,” Parker said, but she caught the flash of deep grief shadowing his face.

Both the lieutenant commander and Shaymore stood. “Thank you, Miss McClare, for your condolences.” Curtis gave Parker a meaningful look. “Matt, I’ll leave this to your discretion. Knock on the door when you’re finished.”

The connecting door closed behind the men. Do what? Kiss her? Or kill her? Wild thoughts surged through her. Sienna studied Matthew Parker’s full, firm mouth, set now in a grim line. “What’s going on?”

The lieutenant ran a hand through his thick, dark hair. “I’m going to wipe your memory of what you overheard. It’s easier if there’s no one else in the room.”

Her jaw unhinged. “What? Why?”

Grief shadowed his expression. “It’s a condition of being a SEAL on ST21. If we die, any memories of us as SEALs are erased. Our families are allowed to remember us, but there’s no recollection of us being SEALs. You weren’t supposed to know about Adam.”

As he reached into his pocket and withdrew what looked like a cell phone, panic surged.

“You can’t!”

Sienna’s stomach pitched and rolled. Pushing back from his chair, Parker approached her, power shimmering in the air. His broad shoulders blocked out the overhead light. She tensed and held out a hand.

“You’re not going to let me remember anything about your unit after we’re done?” She tried to keep her voice from trembling.

“It’s all right. It won’t hurt. The NeuroBlaster targets specific memory centers. You won’t feel a thing.” Parker’s voice was low and soothing.

Deep inside, a door was locked and she’d tried pushing it open for a long, long time. Sienna suspected it was a long-buried memory.

“Please don’t do this,” she whispered.

“I must.”

But it could wipe out the memory she desperately longed to surface. Sienna shrank back as he approached. Magick shimmered around him, pushing at the air. He looked regretful as he pressed buttons on the NeuroBlaster.

“If you’re going to erase my memories when this is over, why now erase the memory of the SEAL who died? When knowing what the demons did to him may help us pinpoint who stole the Orb? I need all the information I can get. This doesn’t concern only him, Lieutenant. You’re gambling with the lives of countless innocent civilians.”

It was a long shot, but she had to gamble. Sienna clasped her hands together. Parker lowered his hand.

He seemed to struggle with a decision. Finally he pocketed the device. “I’m not letting you out of my sight, though. Get it? That’s the condition. We stick together.”

She released a quivering breath. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. After this is over, I must take your memories. Deal?”

She’d deal with after much later. For now, she had a respite. Her mouth wobbled in a tremulous smile. “Deal.”

She held out her hand in a formal gesture of thanks. Parker took it, his palm swallowing hers. A shiver raced through her as he stroked her hand with a thumb. Current sizzled between them, a flare of something deep and significant. The scent of pine forest, leather and pure male invaded her senses. He was overwhelming from a distance, but this close … her hand trembled in his.

Retreating back into formality, she pulled her hand away. He frowned, his gaze whipping around the room.

“I smell something … dark.” Parker’s nostrils flared. He pounded on the wall and the men came into the room.

“Shay, did you do a full scan of the suite for bugs?” Parker demanded.

“Clean.” The Mage rapped his knuckles on the table.

“You didn’t scan her.”

All three men stared at her. Her blood pressure dropped. Sienna couldn’t move. Parker took the cylindrical scanner and swept it over her body. It gave a sharp, tinny beep and lit up red as it hovered over her shirt collar.

“Hellfire,” Shaymore muttered.

Something was crawling on her neck on furry, tiny legs.

“Stay absolutely still,” Parker said softly, setting down the wand.

“Hitchhiker demon worm. Careful,” the lieutenant commander warned.

She wanted to bolt, but forced herself to stay still. Sienna reached up to pluck it off.

“Don’t.” Parker crept toward her, his gaze intent on the creature. “Your move will trigger its defenses.”

“Get it off me,” she whispered.

“Easy now. Close your eyes and mouth. It accesses your body through your orifices.”

She felt it approach her cheek, linger near her mouth, then move downward over her neck. Sweat broke out on her forehead. Her heart pounded like thunder in the silent room.

Then suddenly the crawling sensation was gone. Something pressed against her chest like two hands doing compressions.

Sienna looked down. Latched to her blouse was a worm the size of her palm. It opened its mouth to reveal rows of pointed teeth. Yellow foam dripped from the yawning jaws.

Matt tackled her hard, toppling her to the floor. The move threw the creature off her body. He seized the worm, which released a high-pitched squeal. A hard yank and the SEAL twisted off its head. Gray goo splattered.

Breathing hard, more scared than she wanted to admit, she sat up. He squatted beside her, patting her down, his brow furrowed. The lieutenant used the wand again and frowned.

“Need to do a physical check.” Then he gave an apologetic glance. “I’m sorry, but I have to make sure nothing else is on your clothing. May I?”

At her nod, he slid his hands over her body, gentle but thorough. Heat flushed her at the intimate examination. A lock of hair fell over his forehead and she felt a sudden compulsion to brush it back, feel the soft silk between her fingers.

The lieutenant ran his fingers lightly over her breasts, his jaw tight, his gaze impartial. A man with a touch like that would be amazing in bed…. Sienna put her hands to her burning cheeks.

“You okay?”

She gave a breathless laugh. “Fine. Considering a worm almost ate into my Donna Karan suit. My only good suit.”

A small smile touched his mouth, erasing his weary look, and it made him appear younger and more approachable.

“Did you have any contact with anyone today, other than us? Anything unusual? Demon hitcher worms are transmitted through touch.”

“This is New York. I probably bumped into hundreds of people.”

“Must have been recent. They can’t survive more than a few hours, which is why they’re rarely used by demons.” His expression tightened. “Blood. The subway, the suit who followed you. He cut you. You had blood on your collar.”

Sienna thought about it. “The man on the subway. He cut me with a knife. I changed shirts after I got to my hotel. How could he have infected me with the worm?”

“The worm was on the knife. They begin as microscopic organisms, hiding on hard surfaces and then blend with whatever clothing a victim wears so they can hide.” Matt touched her healed wound. “He wasn’t trying to molest you. He was planting the worm. You’ve been followed and targeted, and traced. You okay?”

The deep tone of his rough voice slid over her raging nerves, soothing them in an odd way. She didn’t trust Draicon wolves. Yet it was Lieutenant Parker whom she turned to now, laying her palm into his outstretched hand. He pulled her to his feet, his action decisive, his gaze alert.