The door opened and the man Nicky had called Jeremy Tate stood framed in the doorway. He came slowly down the steps, and Tucker was horrified to see that he wasn’t alone. Nicky followed him, naked, head down and lolling forward on his shoulders, he was obviously stoned on something. Tate held tightly to his arm, helping him down the steps and pulled Nicky across the room to stand in front of Tucker. Tucker glanced up first at Nicky, who seemed to be almost out on his feet. He was startled to see a huge erection bobbing in front of Nicky, throbbing and red. He was rubbing it now with his free hand, up and down, up and down, slowly, though it didn’t seem to bring him any relief. With his head down and his hair over his forehead, it was hard to see any expression on his beautiful face. Tate held his arm possessively, pulling his body close to his side.
“You’re awake! I thought it might be an hour or more yet. You creatures really do have the most amazing metabolisms. ” Absently he caressed the side of Nicky’s face. “We’ll have to wait a few minutes more after all, sweetheart, for me to take care of you. Just long enough for me to give your friend, Tucker, here, another dose. ”
“Dose of what?” Tucker asked quietly.
“A special cocktail I made up myself. I’ve been experimenting with some of the other so- called pets of the wolves, and I think I’ve finally got it right. Tommy was almost perfect, but your big bad wolf killed him too fast. I didn’t have time to see what effects my drugs might have had long term. I hope to have more luck with you, and possibly I can do some fine-tuning. ”
“What the hell are you talking about? What do you mean, luck? What are you trying to do?” Not that he gave a shit what the maniac was trying to do, but he wanted to keep him talking if he could on the off chance he’d come up with an idea.
Tate smiled. “You don’t remember me, do you? I saw you once at that bar you liked to go to in Florida. I tipped my glass to you, and I thought for a moment you might come over to speak to me. It would have made things so much easier. But you only had eyes for that damned wolf. ”
Tucker shook his head, his memory fuzzy. He had a vague memory of the man the night Tucker had come in with his gammas. He remembered the sight of Tate had given him a slight chill. “Why did you bring us here? What the fuck are you doing?”
“Why, I’m building an army, an army of pets under my control. Not the humans, of course, like Nicky here. They’re just victims of the monsters. No, I need creatures like you. The Hunter scientists went wrong by experimenting on the wolves. Wolves are too difficult to manage, too strong, and way too arrogant. The pets, however, are genetically predisposed to be docile creatures. They have the added bonus of being very special to the wolves, so they hesitate to hurt them. By turning them into killing machines, I can eventually wipe out the wolves and then I can simply destroy the pets under my control. ”
“Tommy was killing innocent humans, you prick! Thewolves aren’t the murderers—you are!”
Tate shook his head, a nasty little smirk on his lips. “Now, now, I can’t expect you to understand. You’re one of them, after all. One of the half-breed abominations. The deaths of the humans in Florida were unfortunate, yes. Some of that fine-tuning I was talking about. You see, Tommy was sent there after you, Tucker. He just got a little mixed up. Poor Tommy. Not the brightest bulb in the box, was he? I hope to have more luck with you. ”
That gotTucker’s attention. “With me? What the hell are you even saying? And why would he come after me? I didn’t have anything to do with the wolves before a few weeks ago. ”
“Yes, but your mother did. Your mother was married before she met your father, Tucker. To Elias Winters. ”
Elias Winters? Why did that name ring a bell? Tucker searched his memory for a moment, then mentally shrugged. “Who? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I never knew my mother, and my grandparents never mentioned that to me. ”
Tate gave a short bark of laughter. “No, I would think not. Too ashamed of their little whore, I would think. Elias Winters was the founder and leader of the Hunters, Tucker. They fought the wolves for over thirty years until the wolves attacked them and wiped them out to the last man. ”
“Wait. I’ve heard about this. Gavin told me. They weren’t wiped out, not like you’re saying. The ones who surrendered were adopted or assimilated into the pack. ”
“Adopted! Made into whores for the wolves! Wintersand the other leaders were killed!” Tucker shook his head. “I still don’t understand how this has anything to do with me. ”
“Your mother, damn it! She left Winters and their son. Then she turned around and mated with a damn wolf. Quite a slap in the face for Winters. That’s why she had to die. ”
Tucker felt the blood drain from his face. “He k -killed my mother?”
“Of course! Tried to kill her little abomination too, but you lived! Your grandparents took you and ran away, but it didn’t take too long for Winters to track you down. He had quite a network of operatives. He’d been planning to have you killed for years once the war with the wolves settled down. He just never got around to it. So, in his memory, so to speak, I thought it might be a good test of Tommy’s training. I wanted to see if I could send him on a mission and have him complete it. He came damn close too, but your mate got in the way. Lustful bastard couldn’t stay away from you once he found you. ” He looked down at Tucker. “Understandable, really. You’re a beautiful little thing, even if you are one of them. Maybe I’ll have a little fun with you later. ”
Tucker dropped his head so he wouldn’t see the disgust sweep over his face. No sense in antagonizing him even more at this point. “Maybe I’ll film it, like I plan to do with Nicky here. Send it to the alphas and tweak their noses a bit. They’re so damn possessive and jealous. Yes, it really was a bonus to have the alpha take you for his mate and bring you back here for me to try again. So convenient. I’ve wanted an alpha’s pet to kick this off all along, but none of the others were suitable. Nicky and Gabe are humans, and that other one is a wolf. You’re perfect— practically royalty to them with your father a beta and your mate an alpha. How humiliating it will be for all of them to realize they can’t even keep their own precious pets safe. ” Tate’s smile grew even wider. “Now enough stalling, Tucker. Time for your medicine, sweetheart!”
“Wait, please! I still don’t understand! What’s in this for you? Why are you doing this?”
His smile faded and his eyes became icy and still. “Revenge, of course. Why else would I have come back to some little backwater town to practice medicine? I’m a heart surgeon! But when the opportunity arose, I couldn’t pass it up. Elias Winters was my father. I was illegitimate, of course, but he took very good care of me and my mother, and paid for my education. I have an obligation to him to restore the Hunters and lead them back to their former strength. I won’t make the same mistakes my father did, and this time, we’ll annihilate the wolves along with their half-breed bastards. ”
“Wait a minute,” Tucker cried out, stalling for time. “Nicky said your sister is mated to a wolf. ”
“My half-sister, yes. Stupid cow. It did give me the perfect in, though. I could say I was visiting her and get all the information about the pack that I needed. Now, enough prevaricating. ” He let go of Nicky’s arm and reached for Tucker, hauling him roughly to his feet. His legs felt like boiled spaghetti, and he could barely stay upright.
Tucker made a silent vow to kill Tate at some future time and place, slowly and with extreme prejudice. Pulling the Taser from his pocket, Tateheld it pressed to Tucker’s temple as he dragged him over to a wooden chair in the center of the room. He had only walked the perimeter before and totally missed it in the dark. Underneath the chair was a large roll of duct tape. Shoving him down, Tate stepped back and reached for Nicky, who shuffled over to stand in front of him.
“Shit, what have you done to him? I thought you said he was just a victim?”
“Oh,he is, and when I have him properly trained, I won’t have to drug him anymore. Until I can find a cure for the blood he has to drink, I’ll have to give him a synthetic substitute, but the real problem is the brainwashing they’ve done to him. I have to train that out of him. ”
“Training, hell—he’s been drugged!”
Tate smiled and caressed Nicky’s rounded little ass, giving his ass cheek a squeeze. “Just another little cocktail I devised. A bit of Valium, some ecstasy and a few Oxycontin. Makes him nice and compliant, with the added bonus of getting him hooked on Oxy. Hooked like a fucking fish! He’ll be all mine soon, and much more obedient that way. Nicky’s been mine from the first moment I saw him, really,but he hasn’t figured that out yet. I almost had him too, except for the interference of that stupid creature he was mated to. ” He released Nicky’s ass, reached under the chair for the tape, and shoved it at Nicky. “Tape him to the chair, Nicky. Make it nice and tight, baby. ”
Nicky, with his head still lowered, sank to his knees and dutifully began wrapping the tape tightly around Tucker’s legs. Tate was smart. Tucker didn’t feel inclined to fight Nicky, even if he could have mustered the strength, and even if he had, the Taser was leveled at his chest again. Nicky’s blond head was bowed, and his hands were trembling violently.