Chapter 20

TWENTY

T he emergency exit burst open as Lucas carried Emma into the fresh air, his body shielding her from the chaos erupting behind them. More explosions rocked the lab section of the building, but all he could focus on was her racing heartbeat and the way her crystal pulsed in perfect sync with his protective instincts.

“The data,” Emma insisted, clutching her tablet. “We have to make sure?—”

“Already secured,” he growled, setting her down but keeping her close as his security team emerged from the shadows. “Victor and Sofia activated the emergency protocols. Everything’s backed up to secure servers off-site.”

“Good. But who’s Victor?”

“You’ve not met him yet, I guess. He’s one of my inner circle. Those I trust most. He has his hands in just about everything--”

Another boom cut him off. Lucas pulled her closer, fighting the urge to shift as smoke billowed from her lab windows. Her crystal flared hot against his skin where she pressed against him, its energy harmonizing with his in ways that made his cat rumble with calming vibes.

“We need to move,” he murmured, already scanning for threats. “That wasn’t a random attack. Someone knows what you found.”

“The timing of the deletions... the genetic markers...” Emma’s scientific focus remained unshaken despite the chaos. “Lucas, I didn’t get to tell the council anything.”

His mate had just painted a target on her back by uncovering a conspiracy that powerful people clearly wanted to keep hidden. Because her brilliant mind had connected dots that others had deliberately obscured. Because every protective instinct he possessed was screaming to get her somewhere safe.

He guided her toward the waiting SUV as his security team formed a perimeter. As they reached the vehicle, Lucas caught movement on a nearby roof. A familiar scent carried on the wind. There stood Malcolm, eyes narrowed, aimed directly at Emma.

If someone from the pride was behind the attack, it seemed Malcolm was the prime suspect. Lucas had always known there was something different about his uncle, but never gave it much thought because the man hadn’t been around a lot. He seemed to be gone for days and then suddenly show up for a couple hours and then vanish again.

But now that the elder’s interest was on Lucas’s mate, the game had changed.

Emma’s discovery had changed everything. Now Lucas had to protect his mate, manage pride politics, and run a corporation. All while fighting the growing urge to claim her completely, consequences be damned.

He opened the vehicle’s back door and helped her in.

“Sit tight,” he said, “I’ll be right here.” Then he closed the door to completely protect her in the bulletproof SUV.

“So,” Zayne drawled, catching up with Lucas, “your mate found evidence of secret genetic manipulation, pissed off the wrong people, and now her lab’s on fire. Typical Tuesday for you, really.”

Lucas growled, standing beside the SUV, not willing to be far from her. “Not helping.”

“Never said I was trying to help.” Zayne’s grin was all fang, but his eyes scanned the area with predatory focus. “Has she seen you shift yet?”

“No,” Lucas replied, worry creeping into his mind. How would she react to seeing him physically transform from human to animal? She knew he was a shifter, but as far as she was concerned, was it all still hypothetical until she witnessed it?

“She might be all right with it,” Zayne added.

“Yeah,” Lucas replied, “but she hasn’t seen it with her own eyes yet.”

Another explosion rocked what remained of the lab.

Lucas cringed just as Emma jumped out of the SUV and ran toward the burning lab windows. Lucas caught her before she could rush too close to the flames.

“But the data—” she protested.

“Will still be fascinating from a safe distance,” he growled, pulling her back toward the truck.

From across the parking lot, Victor and Sofia jogged toward them. “The security team is verifying the annex is secure,” Victor hollered as he approached them. “We’ll regroup there and?—”

“Sir,” Security guard Tinker materialized from the shadows, making Emma jump, “there is an intruding group moving toward the north entrance.”

Emma gasped. “That’s where the archives with all the original data is.”

That data would prove deliberate manipulation. The evidence that someone had been engineering shifter bloodlines for decades.

The proof that would put Emma in even more danger.

“Zayne.”

“On it.” He turned to the guard. “Take a group of men to help sweep the lab annex. Then report back.” His friend’s casual demeanor vanished as he and a group of security men ran off to intercept the north entrance.

Lucas turned to Victor and Sofia. “Status report?”

“All backup systems are online,” Victor confirmed. “Though Dr. Greene’s recent readings about your... energy signature... have produced some interesting theories.”

Lucas pinched the bridge of his nose. “How interesting?”

“The term ‘supernatural frequency manipulation’ may have been mentioned.”

A crash from the north wing drew their attention. Lucas moved instantly, shielding Emma as he ran with her toward the lab annex. The scent of blood carried heavy on the wind.

“Let’s get you inside the annex away from all this.”

Emma huffed. “You don’t have to treat me like a?—”

Tinker stumbled from the shadows, this time bloody and panting. “The annex… has been compromised. They were waiting for us.”