Page 14 of Feral Mate

“I’m not a medical professional. I’m a researcher,” said Emery.

“True, but your expertise is in repairing and replacing DNA. Dr. Payne has had some cellular disruption, and we think might benefit from some of the theoretical approaches you suggested.”

“I am years away from even clinical trials, much less using them on a human subject.”

“No one’s asking you to do anything right now. We can keep him in a medically-induced coma while you and our best teams do what you do best—come up with innovative solutions to complex and unique problems.”

For the third time that day, Emery watched as Kam went through the security procedures in place to unlock a door. Emery stifled a gasp as she stepped inside. Carson Payne was laid out in a hospital bed attached to monitors, IVs, a feeding tube, and a nasal cannula.

“As I said, there’s still no guarantee he’ll survive. With your help and your research, he has a chance. Without…” Kam shrugged her shoulders and let the sentence trail ominously off.

An old-fashioned pager attached to the pocket of Kam’s lab coat beeped, and she looked down.

“Bad timing. I need to deal with something. How about if you just go inside and sit with Dr. Payne. Maybe someone he considers a friend and colleague will make him rest easier.”

Emery stepped in and tried not to flinch when she heard the door close and lock behind her. She made her way to the foot of his bed. A wave of familiarity washed over her as she looked down at the man in the bed.

Unfortunately, no clinical chart or notes were hanging conveniently there. She began to scrutinize the monitors. All of his vital signs as well as other indicators of physical traits, capturing, tracking and recording a patient’s status were listed. She looked at two bags hanging next to the bed. One was a nutritional solution—which seemed high in protein and fat for a human. Had they figured out the man was not precisely, wholly human? If they’d figured that out, did they know what he was? The other bag held antibiotics, pain suppressants and a powerful sedative. There was no way the patient would wake up with that amount of sedation.

She glanced nonchalantly around the room and located two small cameras that could monitor the area. Positioning herself where she could use her body to block what she was doing from both the doors and the window, she discreetly turned down the sedation. To turn it off might trigger an alarm, but slowing it to a mere trickle shouldn’t.

Retreating from the bed, Emery found a chair and positioned it so that she could block most of what was about to happen from prying eyes, but not in a way that would raise any suspicion. Taking hold of the man’s hand, she waited.

His eyes fluttered open, then closed, then opened again, and he groaned. He squinted, flinching in pain at the bright light. Emery didn’t know who the patient was—although she could make a good guess—but the one thing she knew for certain was that he wasn’t Dr. Carson Payne. He groaned, and Emery gave him a push of morphine to try and ease his suffering.

No. He wasn’t Carson, but he was her fated mate.

All the confusion and disappointment she’d felt working alongside Carson dissipated. The reason Carson had looked so familiar, but felt so wrong, was now easily explained. Her fated mate was the brilliant scientist’s twin brother, Mason.

She wiped away the tears that managed to leak out of her eyes. No. She wasn’t going to lose him. She’d just found him. She had so many questions, but first she had to figure out what was going on and how she was going to get Mason out of here.

CHAPTER 7

MASON

Slowly Mason began to swim his way through the muck to reach the surface of consciousness. He’d been schooling himself to do so without alerting anyone to that fact. Days and nights held no meaning as he was in a windowless room. If his memory served him correctly, he was also underground.

Before he could open his eyes, he could feel her presence. What was she doing here? He had to get her out.

Good luck with that buddy. You can’t save yourself. What makes you think you can save her?

Down the link trickled an answer in a voice he’d only heard in his dreams. What makes you think I need you to save me? Maybe I’m here to save you. Better yet, how about we save each other?

She’d used the link. She’d have to be a shifter to even know such a thing existed, much less how to use it. Bonding links only existed between fated mates and identical twins.

He could feel her fear and concern for him, but also had the distinct feeling his fated mate was laughing at him. The surface was getting closer. He tried to reach up, fighting how heavy his arm felt. It was restricted at his side. Two soft, feminine hands took his hand.

“It’s all right,” she whispered soothingly in a voice so quiet he wasn’t sure if it was verbal or down the link. “Try not to move around. Restrict your movements. From where I’m standing, I don’t think they can’t see you, but they have you wired up to all kinds of monitors. I don’t know how long we have, but they want me to help with your care.”

Opening his eyes, he saw her staring back at him. In a more normal tone of voice, she said, “Dr. Payne. It’s Emery, Dr. Smoak. Do you remember me?”

She didn’t know he wasn’t Carson. Disappointment seared, and he closed his eyes. Had she felt something for his brother? She tapped the top of his hand with her index finger, drawing his gaze again. Slowly she traced an M. When he locked eyes with hers, she smiled. Yes, I know.

“How?” he asked in a gritty voice.

“Did you get here?” she replied. “Unknown. Dr. Perkins only advised me that they had recovered you this afternoon. You’ve been under NLGP’s considerable and superior medical attention since they brought you back. Kam believes some of my gene sequencing might help you.”

Damn, she was good. He was beginning to see why Colby valued his female operatives every bit as much his male agents. If the watchers couldn’t see her face or feel her emotions down the link the way he could, there was no way they would know what she was saying out loud bore little similarity to what she was communicating to him.

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