Page 49 of Their Shared Mate
They stepped outside and locked the door. The security team had just arrived, so Raphael told them what he expected. They were not to enter the cabin, but they were to escort Claire anywhere she chose to go.
“Am I allowed to know what happened to Heather?” Victor asked as they started walking along the main footpath. He sounded slightly annoyed. “Your answer seemed intentionally vague.”
Raphael hadn’t avoided the incident to hide it from his second. He only knew how the conflict began. He had no idea what had taken place after Patrick carried her off over his shoulder. “Heather was part of the medical team that was assigned to Patrick’s tribe. As you can imagine, he didn’t respond well when he saw her in the bunkhouse.”
“Holy shit,” Victor muttered. “Did anyone else from his tribe see her?” His eyes widened as he asked, “What about Gabriel?”
“He’d already left the bunkhouse when the altercation took place, but I’m sure he’s seen her by now.”
They walked along in silence for a moment, each lost in thought. Raphael knew damn well that Claire would want him to intervene, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to meddle in such a volatile situation. Patrick and Gabriel had every right to be furious. They would find creative ways of punishing Heatherfor her role in their captivity, but both were honorable. They would never intentionally harm a female. Her life would become unpleasant for a time, but that was no more than she deserved.
Compassion softened his anger. He was damning Heather without knowing her side of the story. Had there been extenuating circumstances for her involvement in the experiments?
“This is what Claire was hiding from us,” Victor muttered a few minutes later. “It’s why Heather was so desperate to return to the feline village.”
“Of course it was, but why wouldn’t Claire tell me the truth? I know how much Heather meant to her, and I hope to hell Claire knows how much she means to me.”
Victor’s brows drew together as he shot Raphael a sidelong look. “You would have smuggled Heather out of the village?”
Raphael shook his head with a defeated smile. “I’d do anything for Claire.”
“Well, how the fuck do we tell her now?” Victor shook his head and released a heavy sigh. “This is going to get ugly no matter what we do.”
“I need more information before I attempt the conversation with our mate. She’ll want to know what Gabriel and Patrick intend to do with Heather.”
“You know damn well what they’ll do, and Claire is not going to like it.”
“It’s beyond my control.” Raphael threw up his hands, letting his frustration show. “My ability to help Heather ended the moment Patrick saw her.”
After another tense pause, Victor asked, “How would you react if you came face to face with one of the members of your medical team?”
Raphael let the question resonate. He’d spent half the night imagining his reaction and he still wasn’t sure. Blind rage would come first, then the consuming need for vengeance. He was honestly surprised Patrick had been able to control himself well enough to leave Heather alive. The rest of the emotions would depend on the person. Some reacted to captivity with hopelessness and grief, while others drew strength from plotting their escape or getting their hands on their captors.
Finally, Raphael took a deep breath and admitted, “They have every right to punish her. I would have done the same, and so would you.”
Victor nodded, but his expression remained grim.
Claire would be furious. There was no way of avoiding her anger. Still, he could not let Heather’s peril compromise the connection they were building. Claire was so close to accepting their claim. He’d have to work with Victor to find a way of defusing her temper.
The entrance to the tunnels was wide open and secured by two armed guards. Raphael paused to examine the design before entering the subterranean labyrinth. The cats had found an entrance near their village. It was concealed by a holo-projection and some sort of matter generator that made the opening appear to be solid rock. Both were deactivated by a palm scanner. The technology had been left behind by whatever civilization dug the tunnels. The wolves had simply discovered it. This entrance had been covered with dirt and weeds, making it blend in with thesurrounding ground. There didn’t even appear to be a locking mechanism on the inside of the hatch.
“Why did the builders put so much effort into controlling the entrance by the cats, yet this one can be pulled open by anyone? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Our villages weren’t here when the tunnels were built,” Victor reminded. “It must have made sense back then.”
And the builders were long gone, so their motivations were anyone’s guess. The energy source enabling the technology to continue working year after year was much more interesting.
Using the shoulder strap to rest his lantern against his back, Raphael climbed down the stationary ladder and entered the mysterious tunnels. When he reached the bottom, he turned on the lantern and looked around. There were three passageways, each branching off in a different direction. Accessing the telepathic link he shared with his brother, Raphael sent his thoughts to Gabriel’s mind.We just entered the tunnels. Which route did you take?
We went left, and all we’ve found was more tunnels.
Understood. We’ll go right.He was tempted to ask about Heather, but changed his mind. It really was none of his business.
Heather is unharmed, Gabriel told him.She’s unhappy with her situation, but it’s far less than she did to us.
Not surprised that his brother correctly interpreted his emotions, all Raphael said was,Understood.
He motioned toward the tunnel on their right. “Gabriel’s team went left and found nothing. Let’s try right.” He held his lanternaloft, lighting as much of the passageway as possible. Victor did the same and they began their exploration.
