“I don’t know,” he murmured.
Chapter Twenty
Hollis was fighting for control. His bones ached, strained by his wolf’s efforts to break free. Now wasn’t the time to panic. Being careful, deliberate, and rational was the best way to survive this. There was no chance Cyrus would honor his promise to Kim. But would he spare her life? Knowing the bastard, the chance was slight. He paced, his mind working through all Ellen had shared. The longer he paced, the more agitated Ellen and Kim became.
Until he stopped pacing. “Kim, where is the latest strain of vaccine?” he asked.
Kim swiped her eyes and stood. “It came back yesterday.” She shook her head.
“No improvement?” he asked.
“The mice died within an hour. The heart collapsed.” She glanced between them. “Do you want the data?”
“Yes. And whatever samples we have left.” He moved to the counter, preparing a catheter and sample tubes in case he needed more blood.
“What are you doing?” Ellen asked, watching Kim as she retrieved the vaccine from the refrigerator.
“You’ve been gone for a while. He’s probably weak.” The motherfucker was probably out of his mind for her blood. Since Cyrus had grown reliant on her blood being without it for six months would be a nightmare. Not that he could risk saying so out loud. The wolf was too close to losing his fucking mind as it was. Still, it might just give them the edge they needed. “And impatient.”
“You’ll give him the tainted blood?” she whispered.
“It will kill him or cure him. Either way, we win.”
“He’s not going to drink it right there.” Ellen understood the way his mind worked but didn’t seem convinced.
“We’ll have to make it irresistible,” Hollis argued.
“Drink it?” Kim asked, horrified.
“Cyrus White is…unlike anyone you’ve ever met before,” Ellen offered.
He focused on the task at hand, setting one vial of Ellen’s blood aside and splitting the remaining into three new vials. He added the vaccine, shook the samples, and slid the rubber stopper in.
“You need to call Finn,” Ellen said, staring at the vials on the metal tray. She looked resigned—almost defeated. Because she accepted they couldn’t defeat Cyrus. She couldn’t shift, he couldn’t shift, and there was no way to win. And it had his wolf howling.
He glanced at the clock as he dialed. It was almost midnight. “They won’t get here in time,” he said.
“In time for what?” Finn’s voice reached him. “What’s happening?”
“He’s here.” Hollis winced through Finn’s long string of expletives before he summarized the evening’s events. Kim’s mother, the blood, Cyrus’s imminent arrival—all of it. By then, the rest of the pack had joined in, too—their general sense of impatience and helplessness threatening his attempts to keep his own wolf in line.
“The tainted blood is a good idea,” Finn said. “Mal, have Gentry get the plane ready.”
“He’ll smell it,” Dante argued. “Know something is different.”
Hollis cleared his throat then, torn between feeling guilt and pride. “She’s pregnant—maybe that will cover it.”
“Fucking A, Hollis.” Anders laughed. “I didn’t know you had it in you. Congrats, man. With Ellen. Bet that’s scary as—”
Hollis silenced him with a glare.
Mal interrupted. “I’m with Anders on this one, Hollis. Never pegged you as a papa type.”
Hollis didn’t disagree.
“What’s the aversion to condoms?” Dante asked. “Is it a bond-wolf thing for you to lose your head and take stupid chances or what?”
“Chill,” Anders said. “I get it. My wolf wants to get laid, too.” He laughed at his own joke.