Page 68 of The Alien Reindeer's Bounty
As if she were reliving a nightmare, a car pulled up behind her. She fumbled for her phone, hands shaking, ready to call 911.
“Mommy?”
Please be Rocco or a good Samaritan.
Karl tapped on the driver’s side window.
“Fuck,” Odessa said. She turned the key in the ignition, ready to take off, flat tire be damned. She’d ride on the rims.
Glass shattered. Ruby screamed. Something sharp jabbed her in the neck and the world went hazy.
Chapter 19
Mads
They pulled up to Karl’s warehouse at dusk, only to find it ablaze. Mads threw himself against the locked door until it gave way. Svallin shouted for him to stop.
Flame and smoke engulfed him. His eyes watered and he felt his respiratory system strain to compensate. If the male remained inside, Mads had moments to search for Karl.
He quickly divested himself of his garments and with a mental flex, shifted to his four-legged form. The heat and smoke no longer overwhelmed his senses. Fire enveloped the workbenches, doused with accelerant. The fumes of burning plastics gave the smoke a greasy, sick quality. Mads lowered his head for the bit of breathable air near the floor and shuffled forward.
Beams overhead groaned as the ceiling threatened to collapse. Mads rounded a corner. A figure sprawled on the ground. Smoke irritated his eyes and prevented him from checking the aura. He moved faster, ignoring the heat and the squeeze of smoke around his throat.
Mads reached the person and identified them as a female human. He nosed her to roll her over, hoping she was still breathing. He lifted his head, searching for Svallin. He could carry the female out on his back, if he could get her there.
Sparks drifted down from the ceiling, followed by another groan.
No time to wait. He shifted back to his two-legged form. Heat slapped against his bare skin. Tomorrow he would be red and blistered but that was tomorrow’s problem. He squatted down, wrapped his arms under the female’s armpits, and moved them both to a standing position. He then hefted the female into his arms to carry. Of average build, carrying her should have posed no issue but the lack of oxygen made him stagger under the weight.
Heading toward the door, the ceiling gave way. A falling beam caught him on the shoulder, searing him like a brand. The force of the blow knocked him to his knees.
The air was less smoky near the floor. He inched forward, dragging the female. His shoulder screamed from the abuse, but he would worry about it once he exited the burning building.
If he could.
He coughed. A strong pair of hands lifted him to his feet, then shoved a mask over his face. Fresh oxygen flooded his system, burning as badly as the acrid smoke.
Svallin wore a similar mask. He carried the female to the exit. Mads stumbled behind him.
Far from the building, Svallin laid the female down on the ground and placed his mask over her face, then rolled her onto her side. Mads crouched, ignoring the way pebbles dug into the soles of his feet, and checked her pulse. It was faint, but there.
“Is she alive?” Svallin asked. Soot covered his face.
Mads removed the mask to speak. “She requires a medic.” He retrieved his clothes and dialed the emergency number on his phone. Coughing, he asked Svallin to retrieve the water bottle from the vehicle. He drank deeply, saving a portion for the female if she regained consciousness.
“I know her,” he said. “She works with my—” He nearly said mate.
“With your mate,” Svallin said, nodding. “What? Was it a secret?”
He coughed, working the smoke and phlegm from his lungs. “At least you believe that she is my mate and will not claim I’m imagining the bond.”
Svallin gave him a solemn look. “I believe thatyoubelieve the human female is your mate.”
Mads frowned, displeased with the condescending attitude. Sometimes he forgot that Svallin rose rapidly through the ranks not solely due to his ambition but also because the male had a knack for digging up information to use as leverage. “This female has been missing for several weeks. The authorities searched for her.”
“Was she a known associate of your uncle?” Svallin looked from the female to the burning building then back again. Gently, he pushed her hair from her face. “Is she meant to be this thin? She appears malnourished.”
The female appeared as if she had received little food and limited access to hygiene facilities. Her hair was matted, and dirt caked her fingernails. Under the soot and stench of smoke, it was difficult to tell if she was unwashed, but Mads would not have been surprised to find her so neglected. As to why she had been in Karl’s warehouse, he recalled the male bemoaning a need for test subjects.
