Page 46 of Anders
Side door,Anders decided instantly, changing direction.Stay close.
They moved silently toward the alternative exit, Anders’s mind cycling through tactical options.His wolf snarled, protective instincts in overdrive as he sensed the danger to his mate.
They slipped through the side door just as the beam of a flashlight swept across the back entrance.Anders pulled Etta into the shadow of a nearby dumpster, wrapping his arms around her protectively as they waited.
Two figures approached the newspaper office—both male, moving with the practiced efficiency of trained operatives.Even from this distance, Anders could tell they weren’t shifters—their scents were wrong, tinged with chemicals and something else, something manufactured.
Command says the transmitter activated,one of them said, his voice carrying in the quiet night air.The asset may be compromised.
Extraction?the second man asked.
Negative.Observation only.If asset is compromised, we activate the Epsilon Protocol and withdraw.
Etta tensed in Anders’s arms, and he tightened his hold, silently willing her to remain still.The men entered the building through the back door, disappearing from view.
The Epsilon Protocol?Etta whispered, her voice barely audible even to Anders’s enhanced hearing.
Anders shook his head, frowning.I don’t know, but I don’t like the sound of it.We need to get you as far away from here as possible.
They moved carefully through the shadows, making their way to where Anders had parked his vehicle several blocks away.Every step seemed to pain Etta more, the mark on her neck glowing with increasing intensity.
By the time they reached the car, she was leaning heavily against him, her breath coming in short gasps.
Something is trying to make me shift,she managed as Anders helped her into the passenger seat.Why would they want that?
Anders started the engine, pulling away from the curb with deliberate normalcy to avoid drawing attention.
Are you okay?
It hurts.
Fight it,he said, though he knew how difficult that must be.Focus on staying human until we’re somewhere safe.
Etta nodded, her jaw clenched.Where are we going?
Not back to my place,Anders decided.They might know about our connection by now.We need somewhere they wouldn’t expect.
He drove through town, taking a circuitous route to ensure they weren’t being followed.All the while, he kept a wary eye on Etta, noting how her features seemed to flicker between human and wolf as she fought against the forced partial shift.
As they drove past the town limits, heading into the wilder parts of pack territory, Anders said,There’s a safe house about twenty minutes from here.Malcolm and Larissa don’t even know about it—it’s something I set up on my own, off the books.
Etta managed a small smile despite her pain.Always prepared.
It’s my job to anticipate threats,Anders said with a shrug.And to have contingency plans.
He reached across the center console to take her hand, needing the physical connection.This is more than my job.I need you to know that.
She squeezed his hand weakly.I do know.I feel it too.
The road grew rougher as they left the maintained highways behind, bumping along an old forestry service route that saw little use, moving up to higher land.Anders navigated with practiced ease, years of patrolling this territory making the journey second nature even in the dark.
Finally, they turned onto what appeared to be nothing more than a game trail, the car’s headlights illuminating undergrowth on either side.After about a hundred yards, the trees opened up to reveal a small cabin, weathered but solid, nestled against the base of a rocky outcropping.
Here we are,Anders said, cutting the engine.Safe house Alpha-3.
Etta peered through the windshield.How many of these do you have?
Enough,Anders said with a slight smile.A good guardian always prepares for multiple contingencies.
