Chapter 7

Elliot sat and read the information Salutem had sent over. The scientist they'd captured was fruiter than an apple orchard. The guy was certifiable, which was how A.S. liked him. It allowed him to come up with sadistic experiments to use on shifters they had taken.

The army. Fuck, the hybrid army made Eli pause. If they had one, and he had no reason not to believe Indy's demon mate, Balor, then they could be in trouble. Not just shifters, but everyone. Shifters would no doubt be taken out first, along with vampires, then humans. All out civil war.

If you had an army of hybrid shifters with all the best qualities of shifters and their ability to heal, then they would be a formidable force, and a destructive one at that, in the wrong hands. And they were most certainly in the wrong hands.

From birth, they would have been trained to be the perfect soldier. Do as ordered, no questions asked. Hunt, capture, kill. Eli was positive Morefield and Salutem were top of the list when it came to their plan to wipe out those standing in their way. If he was in their position, it would be something he would do too.

They might be small in number, but they had inflicted damage, which was why those creatures were watching them and attacking when they could. Fabien. Every time Eli thought about those creatures, his mind went straight to Fabien.

The loss of a friend hurt, and he knew it would for some time. He'd lost other friends while serving and the grief remained, but it did ease over time. He hadn't expected to add Fabien to the list of those he'd lost. Then again, he hadn't expected to come home and find himself dealing with this, but he and his team were the right men for the job. He would do his best to keep these people safe and that led him to Alvin.

He'd been stupid to kiss him. Stupid to give in to the anger rushing through him. Alvin was a mate he wouldn't accept, so he was free to date whoever he wanted. Eli had said no to him, so Alvin could go out and be with whoever he fancied. It cut deep, though, and Eli hadn't expected the slice of pain he'd felt. Or the rush of anger that followed. The kiss…

Kissing Alvin had awakened a part of him Eli had carefully sealed away, and now he had to do it again. He would keep his mate and family safe, but from a distance. It would be better that way.

Albie returning to work didn't surprise him, but he would be on light duty for now. He might be human with a shifter mate who made him stronger, but he'd almost died. He'd come so close to dying that Eli had been surprised he'd actually survived.

The man had a grudge and was going to do everything he could to take those creatures down. The information he'd passed on had been useful. How those creatures had lured him and Fabien into a trap, separating them, stalking them. Albie hadn't known Fabien had died, and he'd been devastated when the news had been broken to him.

Eli had visited Albie after his release from hospital, and they'd spoken about Fabien and the night the attack had happened. "They knew how we operated," Albie had whispered, his eyes lowered. "When I look back on it, it seems like they'd watched us, saw how we work together. Knew our strengths and weaknesses. Makes sense they needed to separate us. Fabien is…was…strong, just not strong enough."

Eli had left not long after, leaving Albie in the care of his mate, Serenity. Had told him not to rush back, but the hard look on Albie's face told Eli all he needed to know. The human wanted revenge, and Eli understood. He wanted it too. Wanted to see the creatures' lives ended before they hurt or killed anyone else Eli cared about.

Needing to talk to someone who had been up close and personal with these creatures, Eli left his office and drove to Manu and Preston's apartments. Yes, plural. Apartments. Next door to each other.

Shaking his head, he parked and jogged up the stairs, stopping when he heard shouting. Eli approached their apartments slowly, then froze when the door to Preston's opened and a naked Manu stepped out, holding his clothes over his groin.

"You're so fucking annoying! Why are we mates? Someone fucking hates me."

Preston—also naked—leaned on the doorframe and grinned. "I don't know what your problem is."

"My problem?" Manu went to shove Preston, then scrambled to keep hold of his clothes. "We just had sex, and you said that?"

Preston shrugged. "You know I have a mouth on me. You like that mouth. That mouth got you so hard you shoved your dick in my ass when it was my turn to top." Preston straightened, then spread his legs, bending over to see between them. "Look! I can see your come leaking?—"

Manu threw his clothes to the floor and grabbed Preston. "You need to shut up."

Preston grinned as Manu pushed him inside. "Make me."

The door slammed shut, then Eli winced as a heavy weight hit it. A few seconds later, he heard a loud moan, followed by a second. Okay. Time to go. He pushed Manu's clothes to the door, then turned and left. A small smile lifted his lips. Those two were too similar and neither would admit it. He had to admit it was fun watching them together.

Who else then? Jim. He'd come up close and personal and had survived. Yes, Eli had seen them, too, but he wanted to bounce ideas off another person, go over the information and plan a form of attack. They had to take those creatures out, or they would be screwed. If they came across a group of them, they would no doubt lose many people. Eli still had no idea if they'd killed one when they'd rescued Preston.

Deciding to walk, Eli strolled along the sidewalk toward Jim's house. He lived next door to his brother, Rand, and both men had found their mates in Morefield. They deserved to have some happiness after what they'd endured. Losing their sister had cut them both deeply, and the wait to exact their revenge had taken its toll. Eli wasn't one for vigilante justice, but he understood it in this case.

The men who had kidnapped, assaulted, and killed their sister had gotten away with the crime when they should have been locked up for life. Jim and Rand had waited, watched, and then executed those men. All except one. Smith. He was a victim, too, and he had also found his mate.

He smiled when he saw Jim's house appear, and when he reached it, he knocked on the door. Jim answered a minute later and beckoned him inside.

"Seen the report?" Jim asked him as soon as the front door closed.

"Why I'm here." Eli followed Jim into the kitchen and watched him grab a cup. He held up the coffee pot, and Eli nodded. "What do you remember?"

"From our fight with those creatures?" Eli nodded. "Honestly? I don't want to run into one of them alone."

Eli could understand that having fought one himself. "Any chinks in their armor that you can think of?"

Jim snorted. "Not that I can recall." Jim passed Eli his coffee, then leaned back on the counter. "I've been thinking about them and how we struggle to fight them. They were created—we know that—and probably tested too. Against us. Any time a weakness was found, they eliminated it. Test, find weakness, eliminate. Over and over again until they have what we encountered. I wonder how many of us died for them to create those things."

"I came to the same conclusion. They were created and designed to take us out."

"Most certainly. Since we began working together, pooling our resources, we've become more effective at taking them out. They needed something to stop that. I think these things were always on the drawing board, but the way we've been succeeding in stopping them has changed things."

"You think they always had them in mind?" That was something Eli hadn't considered.

"I do. We don't know the life cycle of these creatures. We don't know what was genetically engineered. How long is their childhood, if that's the right word to use? How long before they're adults? What is their lifespan? They'd have to do this over and over until they had those creatures we faced. They'd want it to be quick as well, so they can have as many as they need in as little time as possible." Jim paused and sipped his coffee. "Is the mad scientist talking?"

"He's a gibbering mess. Meds aren't helping much." Eli sighed and stared at his coffee. "We need to find a way to take them out."

"Rocket launcher." Jim shrugged. "Not much surviving that. Lure them into a trap, then blow them up."

"And how would we do that?" Eli liked the idea, but how to implement it?

"They want you, and we have a mole. Preston was right that we should use our patrols. You on your own. Make it known we have staff shortage." Jim snorted. "Everyone knows we have a staff shortage, but that means you're having to patrol on your own."

Eli straightened. "Make myself a target."

"Lure them to a location we decide and have the place rigged. When they think you're at your weakest, they'll attack."

"Then we hit them."

"Yes." It had potential.

"We'd only get one shot. They'd adapt. We wouldn't be able to do it a second time. We'd have to come up with another idea." Jim stared at the floor. "Maybe two or three. They wouldn't send one alone. They'd want to make sure."

"It would give us intel. How much damage they can take? What we need to do to take them out? It has potential."

"I'll run this by Rand. He's spent more time out in the field than I have." Jim glanced at Eli, then quickly away.

"You both did what had to be done. You won't have anyone here snitching on you. She deserved to be avenged. And I'm sure Ray would be right beside you if the authorities ever came for you." Ray had Jim and Rand to thank for his mate, Smith. If they hadn't saved him, they would have never met.

Jim slowly nodded. "They're happy."

"Yeah. Both Ray and Smith deserve some happiness. I was afraid we might lose Ray, but Smith came along."

"We need to put a plan together. Make sure our spy has a chance to let those he or she answers to arrange things their end. Have to make it look convincing."

"I'll arrange a meeting for tomorrow." Eli rubbed his head, an ache developing behind his eyes. He needed to sleep, but his dreams lately had been…problematic. He could see Jessica, their therapist, but he didn't want to open up about his past.

"Look. Er… Sax told me something…" Jim glanced at Eli, then away. "He was out with Alvin and, well, they got talking…" Jim sighed heavily. "I know?—"

"Don't." Eli briefly closed his eyes.

"He's a nice kid."

"Exactly." Eli opened his eyes. "Kid."

"Who has been dealt a shitty hand. One he's taken on without complaint."

"I know." Eli finished his coffee and placed the empty mug in the sink. "I know, but I'm not going there."

"Your previous mate…" Eli shot Jim a look, and Jim shrugged. "Not sure how that happens, but you've been given a second chance. Someone somewhere must feel you deserve it. Don't throw away your chance of happiness. Take it from someone who is mated. Best decision of my life."

"Sax didn't think so at the time." Eli smirked. "Thrown out naked… Oh yeah, so were Manu and Preston before."

Jim chuffed, then laughed. "I think they're perfect for each other."

"Perfect in bed, but they're still working things out when they're not fucking."

Jim sobered. "Regardless of how I mated Sax. He is the best part of me. Don't walk away from this without trying. Talk to him, date him. Just…don't turn away from him. Don't do something you could end up regretting for the rest of your life."

Eli pursed his lips. He'd made up his mind, and he wasn't changing it.