Elizabeth smiled. “Let me kill him, Dash,” she whispered. “We can find the papers later.”

Grange’s gaze flickered in concern.

“Not yet, baby.” Dash sighed. “I told you, if he cooperates he can live. We need the papers more than we need his death.”

Elizabeth shrugged. The look she gave the other man warned him, though, that she would relish the chance to kill him.

Grange cleared his throat. “Ah well. It was a good plan if I could have pulled it off.” He shrugged carelessly as he nodded toward the safe Danica had found while checking behind portraits and prints that hung on the wall. “The file is in the safe.”

“Combination.” Dash moved to the metal door. “And don’t fuck with me, Grange. Elizabeth will take your head off your shoulders with that gun. It was all I could do to convince her to do this my way.”

She fingered the trigger of the gun as she begged Grange with her eyes to give her an excuse, any excuse, to pull the trigger. He gave them the combination instead. Elizabeth kept her gaze on Grange, watching carefully as she listened to Merc communicating with the men outside and Dash punching in the numbers to the digital combination. She was expecting an alarm to sound. Was praying Grange would give her an excuse to kill him.

“Got it.” Dash’s voice had her grimacing.

“He has you leashed. Interesting.” Grange smirked. “Tell me, Elizabeth, what’s it like to fuck an animal?”

Elizabeth snorted. “I have no idea. Let’s call your mistress in here and ask her.”

His expression tightened as anger flashed in his eyes.

“Elizabeth, that trigger isn’t something to play with. It’s damned touchy,” Dash warned her as he moved carefully behind her. “Merc, watch our buddy there while we go over this file. I need to make certain everything we need is here.”

Elizabeth turned to Dash, almost missing Grange’s sneer of satisfaction. She watched as he opened the file. The first page had him stiffening. Several more pages later and he turned haunted, shocked eyes back to her.

“Martaine did enjoy his little experiments,” Grange sighed with smug amusement. “I thought it very ingenious actually. The creatures have no soul I’m told. Vicious killers who enjoy playing with their prey. I had high hopes Cassie would live up to her DNA. He made certain he gave it every chance, of course.”

Elizabeth felt her heart explode in her chest as she moved over to Dash.

“Elizabeth.” She stopped as she saw the grief in his eyes.

“I want to see it,” she whispered. “I want to know what they did to my baby.”

She moved until she could read the notes Martaine had made.

Genetic splicing of the Coyote and Wolf DNA was successful and not nearly as difficult as I first surmised. I have created enough of the unique sperm to ensure the chance of conception with the right female. Dane Colder seems more than interested in my little experiment. His sterility makes him a viable partner in this, as does his belief that a man should kill if necessary and train his children to take what they want. It will be interesting, watching the growth of the child. I can only hope it’s male.

Three months later

The in-vitro process was more successful than I had hoped. I wonder if Ms. Colder is aware of the little abomination growing in her womb. All initial test results from the amniocentesis shows the DNA has held. I’ll have to be certain to be there at the birth to perform all tests on the infant myself.

Elizabeth made it through the first page before she stared up at Dash in horror. They couldn’t let Cassie know. Couldn’t allow this information to ever become public knowledge. Already the news was littered with rumors of the Coyote experiments. Human animals, experiments that had finally given the scientists the killers they had been working to create. So far, none had been found, but the lab reports, training notes and scientific files attested to the fact that they existed. Cold-blooded, as soulless as their animal cousins and glorying in the blood they could spill. It would destroy Cassie if she ever learned she was part of the creatures the Council had created.

“Stephanie, you and Gloria secure the exit out,” Dash ordered the other woman. “Merc, contact the men outside and make certain the guards are disabled. Danica, tie that bastard up before we leave.”

Grange sneered humorously. “I’ll be certain to follow her maturity, Elizabeth,” he told her coldly. “Once that information gets out, there’s no way you can hide it from her. No way you can stop her DNA from shaping her. She has no soul. She’s a corruptible little shell, nothing more. A bitch to breed the perfect son.”

Elizabeth aimed the gun in her hand. She saw Cassie, so sweet and loving, her soul shining brightly in her eyes, in her laughter, in her love for everyone around her. She saw the strength it had taken the little girl to rise above what this monster had already done to her and she wanted to scream out at the cruelty, the monstrous lack of decency it had taken to do what he had tried.

“Elizabeth?” Dash stood behind her, not stopping her, no censure in his voice, only love and understanding. “He’s not worth it, baby. We know better.”

“He’ll destroy her,” she whispered hoarsely.

“Not if we don’t let him. Cassie’s stronger than he is.”

Danica stood to the side, watching the scene carefully as she held the length of rope Merc had brought along to restrain Grange.

Elizabeth turned to Dash. As she did, from the corner of her eye, she saw Grange move. His hand whipped under the desk, a gun emerging, pointing toward her, fury lighting his face. Elizabeth smiled as she lifted her arm just as quickly, in a split second, aiming her weapon as her finger tightened on the trigger. Grange would never hurt anyone else. She saw surprise flash in his eyes the second the bullet buried dead center between his eyes even as his own weapon discharged. Fire seared her chest, took her breath, causing her legs to buckle as Dash screamed out her name. She collapsed in his arms, her gaze going to the rapidly spreading stain across her shirt. She raised her gaze to Dash, agony searing her soul at the horror in his eyes.

“Protect my baby,” she whispered.

“God no. Elizabeth, don’t you fucking die on me!” Dash screamed as he lowered her to the floor. She could hear Merc yelling out orders in his comm. link, felt Danica press a cloth hard to the wound, but she could feel ice spreading through her body. Her breath hitched as pain seared her heart.

“I love you.” She fought to hold back her tears. “Forever, Dash.”

“Merc, get that ambulance here now. Have Chase contact Mike and meet us at the hospital. Have the men pull back. All of them. Goddammit, get her some help.”

He was holding her, rocking her. She felt his arms around her, felt the dark edges of cold peace shifting at the corner of her mind. Dash would have to ease Cassie’s fears now. He could protect her. She had killed the monster. She had made certain Cassie would never know.

“Elizabeth. Stay with me.” Dash’s voice was fierce as he picked her up in his arms, rushing from the room. Sirens were echoing in the distance, shouted orders filling her head. “If you love me, if you love Cassie, then you stay with me, damn you. If you love that baby you’re carrying in your womb now, then by God you’ll live.”

She blinked up at him. His gaze sliced down to her.

“My child, Elizabeth. You’re carrying my child. Do you really want it to die as well?”

“No,” she cried weakly. She could feel the cold spreading through her, the blood pumping from her chest. “No. Dash. Dash…”

“Stay with me, Elizabeth.” He was running down the stairs, Danica at his side, somehow managing to hold the makeshift tourniquet to her breast.

The foyer was chaos, a dizzying rush of color and pain and Dash’s voice yelling at her, begging her. And she fought. She fought, but the crashing waves of dark ice were covering her, slipping through her mind, carrying her away. Her last thought was of Dash. His touch, his gentleness, and the price he had paid for letting her close. He had lost the protection he had kept around himself so long. His protection and now the child he had dreamed of. Like Elizabeth, he had lost it all…

Chapter Thirty-Three

One Week Later

“Remember, you have to be quiet.” The hospital door opened and Dash eased in, carrying the somber, frightened little girl who clutched her new teddy bear with desperate hands. Elizabeth opened her eyes groggily, her heart swelling in her chest as she saw her baby for the first time in nearly a month. Dash held Cassie against his broad chest, his golden-brown gaze meeting hers with warmth and love as he carried her child to her.

“Momma.” Her voice was whisper-thin as tears sparkled in her eyes. Dash brought her to the chair that sat by the bed, settled into it and let Cassie lay her head next to her mother’s on the pillow of the hospital bed.

Elizabeth couldn’t contain her tears. They fell from her eyes as she turned to the little girl, reaching up painfully so she could sink her fingers into Cassie’s curls as a thin little arm curled around the top of her head.

It had been so long since she had felt Cassie’s warmth, saw her innocent little face and knew in her mother’s heart that her baby was safe. The hellish events of the week past was a recurring nightmare, her struggle to breathe, disjointed memories of agonizing pain and bright operating lights as surgeons rushed around her.

Thankfully, the bullet hadn’t caused any lasting damage, though it had been close. She had been lucky, she was told. Very lucky. As was the child resting safely in her womb. Despite the terror of those conscious moments, she had lived and would heal.

“How is my baby?” she whispered weakly. “Momma missed you, Cassie.”

Cassie sniffed back her low sobs as she nodded faintly. “I missed you, Momma. I was so afraid you wouldn’t come back. That I would be all alone and scared for forever. I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Elizabeth lifted her gaze as Dash smoothed his hand over Cassie’s hair. Elizabeth knew he had been the one to tell Cassie of her mother’s accident and that she would be confined to the hospital for a while. Exhaustion had sapped her body before the wound, making her healing take progressively longer. But she would be leaving the hospital soon. In a few days. Though the doctors warned her she would have to take it easy.

“Hey, beautiful.” Dash touched her cheek as she gazed over at him. “I couldn’t keep her away. She’s as stubborn as her mother is.”

His voice was rich and gentle, nothing like the hoarse, pain-filled tone he had used to scream at her as the darkness flowed over her the night she had been shot. She could still remember the horror that had echoed in his ragged howls as the darkness closed over her. She didn’t want to ever hear such pain coming from him again.

“Hm.” She smiled sleepily. She was sleeping a lot. The doctors had assured her it would help her heal. “I get to leave soon.” She couldn’t wait to sleep in his arms again, to feel him holding her, loving her through the night.

He stayed with her as much as he could at the hospital. When he wasn’t there, Dawn or Sherra, who had come from the Breed Compound with Cassie, stayed with her instead while guards waited outside the room. No chances were being taken with either her or Cassie’s protection.

“Soon,” he promised.

“Momma?” Cassie raised her head. “Dash said I’m going to have a brother or sister. Am I?”

Elizabeth smiled, fighting to hold her eyes opened. She had missed Cassie so desperately, she hated to fall asleep on her.

“Yeah,” she sighed sleepily. “You like that idea?”

“Yeah.” Her head bobbed swiftly. “We should celebrate with chocolate, though. I told Dash we need a big ole chocolate cake, just like the one Simon brought me the other day. It was all kinds of chocolate.”