Chapter 145: Chapter 145
Elara POV
“What do we have here?” The man sneers as Mason and I stand motionless. “Seems you do want some fun, after all.”
“Get down,” I mouth to Mason, and he slightly nods in understanding.
With hybrid speed, I duck, kick backwards, and sweep the man’s legs out underneath me. He lands with a thud, but the gun never reaches the floor, because Mason grabs it midair. I turn around and kick him in the face. He grunts, and Mason is immediately on top of him, hands around his throat, choking him.
The man claws and scratches at Mason’s hands and arms, but after a while, he goes limp.
“Is he dead?” I ask, nudging the body with my foot.
“No,” Mason says, standing up. “Just lights out.”
Mason runs through the house, while I pat the man down, finding his phone and wallet, and I put them in my pocket.
“We’re in luck,” Mason says when he returns. “He has a basement; we can lock him up in there.”
I help Mason drag the body downstairs. We tie his ankles and wrists tightly together. I squat down and pluck a hair from this head.
“You okay?” Mason looks at me, and warmth blooms in my belly as he steps closer and slips his hands around my waist. I am not sure if it is true attraction or adrenaline, but I need to be held.
I lean into him instinctively, letting his arms slide around me and pressing my body into his. I tilt my head up, and he leans his head down, so our lips meet in a gentle but passionate kiss.
“I’m glad he didn’t kill you,” he whispers against my lips.
“Yeah,” I smile softly. “Me too.”
I take a deep breath, take out the potion, and carefully uncork it, dropping the hair in. It sizzles as it hits the liquid, and an acrid, smoky smell fills the air.
“Goddess, that’s going to taste terrible,” Mason says as we both cough.
“No shit,” I brace myself, and raise the potion high.
“Bottom’s up,” I grunt and swallow it in one gulp.
Mason’s eyes bulged out of their sockets as he stared at me.
“What?” I ask, and immediately clamp my mouth shut with my hand when I hear my voice ... his voice.
“That’s nothing,” Mason says, dragging me to a mirror, and I gasp.
“I’m ugly,” I pout, turning to Mason. “Kiss me.”
“What?” He gapes at me, taking a step back.
“Kiss me,” I say sweetly, and he looks around nervously.
“I’m just fucking with you,” I laugh heartily. “I’m going to change.”
“That’s not funny,” Mason shouts as I walk to the room, and I keep on laughing.
I put on the guard’s uniform and pull an ID out of his pocket.
“You are Sergeant Philips,” I say into the mirror to convince myself, before returning to Mason.
“Goddess, I’ll never get used to that,” he says, shaking his head.
“Well, hopefully I never have to do it again,” I shrug. “Do I still smell like me?”
“No,” he shakes his head. “It’s creepy. But no one, human or wolf, should be able to tell any difference.”
“Good.” I nod. “Let’s go before this shit wears off.”
We take the guard’s truck and speed off to the facility. My heart is pounding wildly. Now that the moment is here, the full extent of our plan finally resonates in my mind.
“I’ll be right here waiting for you,” Mason says as he parks the truck.
“Got it,” I exhale deeply. “Let’s pray if anything goes wrong, it’s after I have the twins.”
“Let’s not even think about that,” Mason says stiffly. “Everything will go according to plan. In and out.”
I get out of the truck, praying to the Goddess that he did not just jinx us.
It is easier to get inside than I thought it would be. Too bad wearing this guy’s face does not also transfer all of his memories to me. I have no idea where to go, so I just start walking. There are a few signs, but nothing that screams ‘here’s the room where we keep babies.’
The scent of coffee has me salivating, and I pause outside a room with an open door. It will not be where the twins are held, but I need an excuse to linger while I figure it out.
I help myself to a paper cup of coffee, marvelling at the size of my hands. This is nothing like when I shift and Lily takes control. I shift from foot to foot.
“Ants in your pants?” A man behind me pushes past to get to the coffee maker.
“Apologies ... sir,” I clear my throat. “I needed caffeine. Bad night’s sleep.”
I have no idea what the patches on his uniform mean, but I add the “sir” just in case he is a higher rank than Philips. It seems I made the right choice, because the guy, whose name badge says Franklin, pours coffee and lifts his cup in my direction.
“You’re covering Smith’s post today.” Franklin sips, wincing. “Coffee’s shit today. Anyway, Smith was called away to provide protection to the High Council. So, you’re covering.”
“Why does the High Council need more protection?” I blurt out the question before I can stop myself.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” he shrugs, dumping the coffee in the sink and tossing the cup into the trash. “I heard something about a vampire coup, killing all the Alphas. Something like that.”
He sounds totally unconcerned, but ice flashes through my entire body. My back snaps up straight, shoulders squaring. Fortunately for me, Franklin is too occupied with the fridge to notice. By the time he closes the door to show off the bottle of iced tea, I have managed to compose myself.
“You better get to Smith’s post,” he lowers his voice. “You know we can’t keep those yahoos waiting. I’m headed that way, we can walk together. I must tell you about this date I had with a hot little honey.”
The grin on his face grosses me out, but I am grateful for the tour. Even if it means I must listen to him bragging about his sex exploits.
“So, then she goes, ‘but I wanted the lobster,’ and I’m like ... ah, shit, I’ll tell you later. Smith’s too sensitive for this story.” Franklin huffs.
Honestly, I have been tuning him out while I kept my eyes and ears open, paying as much attention as I could to all the different corridors and signs. After all, I must get out of here again.
Franklin ducks his chin toward the tall man at the door on our left.
“Dismissed,” Franklin barks. “You’ve got a new assignment.”
“Better than the smell of diapers and listening to those two little freaks screaming their heads off, I hope,” Smith grins.
Franklin slaps him on the shoulder, and they head down the hall, leaving me to take my post outside the door without another word. My heart is pounding when I take a quick peek inside the room.
The twins are inside.
