“Dex?” Sloane whispered.

  Dex closed his eyes. “He’s gone.”

  Numbness flooded through him as the shadows moved in. As he laid Kenley on the floor, an odd stillness he’d never felt before settled over him. Eyes closed, Dex put his hands on his lap and inhaled slowly through his nose. The quiet didn’t last long.

  Rage exploded through him, and his eyes flew open. His vision flickered and pain shot through him, his muscles straining, pulling as if someone were trying to tear him apart. A presence he’d felt on the fringes of his consciousness for a long time stirred in the darkness, only this time, he didn’t bother restraining it, didn’t fear it. Instead, he welcomed it, embraced it, called to it.

  Something inside him broke open, and he was no longer alone in his head.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Sloane did something he’d never done since knowing Dex. He took a step away from him.

  A shadow flashed through Dex’s bright blue eyes, one Sloane hadn’t seen before. His heart pounded in his ears, the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck standing on end. Sloane’s inner felid startled awake and roared out a warning.

  Run!

  Something inside Dex had woken up. Sloane could see it behind his husband’s eyes as the amber spread into the pale blue. Whatever was going on, it was nothing Dex had ever experienced before. For years TIN had been trying to figure out the extent of Dex’s mutation, a result of Sloane infecting his mate during their bond, his blood altering Dex’s DNA. Since their bond, Dex had inherited some of Sloane’s jaguar Therian traits, but none of them knew how far the change would go.

  Until now, Dex had always been Human with jaguar Therian traits. He had jaguar Therian claws, fangs, and appetite, but over the years, he’d been getting stronger than Sloane, faster. For a while, his mutation seemed to have stabilized, and they’d believed he’d stopped changing. How could they have been so foolish?

  Sloane took another step back as Dex lifted his head, his fangs growing in and claws piercing the tips of his fingers. He rolled his shoulders and flexed his neck, his eyes glowing with the presence of something else behind them. Another soul. It couldn’t be…

  “Dex?” Sloane whispered.

  “What the hell is going on?” Seb asked through Sloane’s earpiece.

  “Kenley’s dead,” Sloane replied quietly.

  At his words, Dex slowly rose, a low rumbling coming from him. He threw his head back and roared loud enough to hurt Sloane’s ears, making him wince. Dex lowered his head, his eyes never leaving Sloane. A flicker of something moved across Dex’s face, shifting just under the skin on his face, neck, and hands. What the— Oh shit!

  Faint rosettes appeared on Dex’s skin. Jaguar Therian rosettes.

  “Oh my God.”

  “Talk to me, Sloane,” Seb demanded.

  “Something’s triggered a change.” Sloane swallowed hard. They all knew why, but Sloane was afraid to mention Kenley’s name again. “Fuck! He’s mutating again!” Sloane’s inner jaguar roared again.

  Run!

  Sloane turned and took off, speeding down the corridor as fast as he could, his inner felid warning him of the apex predator on his heels. As a felid Therian, Sloane was at the top of the apex predator chain, but his inner jaguar knew that whatever was behind him, was far more dangerous. There was no telling what the hell was going on with his husband.

  “Abort,” Seb called out as he appeared in the corridor. “Where’s—”

  Horrific screams filled the corridor, this time coming from Therians who’d stupidly chosen that moment to flood the hall and get between Dex and Sloane.

  “What the hell is going on?”

  Sloane skidded to halt at the familiar growl. “Ash?”

  Ash stood with Seb, both dressed in all-black tactical gear armed to the gills. Fuck, but it was good to see his best friend. Relief flooded through him until he recalled the reason for the chilling screams.

  “What are you doing here?” Sloane asked.

  “I told Austen to put me on your extraction team in case shit went wrong.” Ash’s amber eyes filled with concern. “Looks like shit went wrong. We need to move.”

  They all turned and hurried down the corridor. “Any word on the other kids? The ones Vaughan brought with him?” Sloane asked.

  Ash shook his head. “Nothing so far. We might have to consider that Vaughan’s already moved them.”

  Fuck. If Vaughan moved them, who knew where the hell they were or where they’d end up.

  Seb threw a glance over at Sloane. “What did you see?”

  “Rosettes,” Sloane replied, barely able to believe it. “Just under the surface of his skin.”

  “You think he’s going to shift?” Ash asked, knowing the full history of Dex’s mutation. After all, he’d been there for all of it.

  “I have no fucking clue.”

  A wall of Therians appeared in front of them, bringing them to a halt. They readied themselves for a fight when a blur swept past them.

  “What the fuck…” Ash threw an arm in front of Sloane to stop him from moving closer.

  Dex stood, claws dripping with blood, his once white shirt soaked red. The air around them crackled with danger, a deadly silence surrounding them as Dex stood with a stillness Sloane had never seen in his husband. It didn’t last.

  With a fierce roar, Dex launched himself at the Therians, the feral display nothing like Sloane had ever seen before. They’d killed on missions, but only when absolutely necessary, only when their lives had been in danger, and even then, it had been with reluctance.

  Razor-sharp claws pierced through flesh, Dex’s form moving so fast Sloane struggled to keep up. The Therians, no matter their size, didn’t stand a chance. Dex was stronger, faster, more agile. They tried to shoot at him, grab him, punch him, stab him, but even the blows that landed did nothing. As if he didn’t feel any of it.

  Screams filled the air as the Therians clutched at their guts, blood leaving their bodies too quickly for them to do anything about it. Some were dead before they hit the floor, others gurgled through the blood, their hands on their slashed throats. Dex hissed, fangs bared, rosettes blanketing his skin, his eyes glowing as he moved, faster than any Therian Sloane had ever seen. What the hell was happening to his husband? Was Dex even aware of what he was doing? He had to be.

  A sea of dead guards lay in pools of blood on the floor, Dex standing in the middle barely out of breath, head lowered.

  “Dex?” Sloane made to step forward, but Ash held him back. “Sweetheart?”

  Dex straightened. He turned and cocked his head to one side, regarding them. Slowly he stalked forward, his eyes intense as he approached. They stilled as Dex stepped up to Seb. He sniffed at Seb’s neck, then turned to Ash. A sniff and hiss later, he moved on to Sloane, who met Dex’s gaze.

  “Hey, baby. It’s me,” Sloane said quietly. “You know me, right?”

  Sniffing at Sloane’s neck, Dex stilled. Then he dropped his head to Sloane’s shoulder, the tension seeming to drain from his body as his shoulders slumped.

  “Sloane,” Dex whispered. “They killed him.”

  Sloane wrapped his arms around Dex and hugged him tightly, the metallic scent of blood filling his nostrils. He kissed the side of Dex’s head. “I know, sweetheart. We need to finish the mission.”

  Dex nodded. He pulled back, determination filling his gaze. The rosettes had faded, his eyes once again blue. “We need to get Reuter and the virus, then hunt down Vaughan.”

  “We’re aborting the mission,” Seb said, and Sloane cursed under his breath when amber filled Dex’s eyes again.

  Dex stepped around Sloane and marched up to Seb. “I’m not leaving without Kenley, the other Therians, the doctor, and that damned virus.”

  Seb opened his mouth, but the rosettes flickered over Dex’s skin again.

  “I’m not leaving without them,” Dex growled.

  “Fuck. Okay. While Ro gets Kenley, Ash and I will find the virus. Sloane, find Dr. Reuter, and Dex, you find Vaughan. He has to be around somewhere.” Seb tapped his earpiece. “K, any luck on locating Vaughan?”

  “Negative. He’s initiated some kind of defense protocol. We’re in the dark.”

  “Okay. Keep us posted.”

  Seb and Ash took off while Sloane and Dex continued down the corridor. They had so much to talk about when they got out of here, but first, they had to find that goddamn virus. Until they had that thing secured, no one was safe, especially his husband. If word got out Dex was a Human-Therian hybrid, monsters like Vaughan would spend the rest of their lives hunting them down. Decades later and that damned virus was still ruining lives.

  Hadn’t the world suffered enough? Had it not done enough damage the first time around? If it were up to Sloane, he’d destroy the fucking thing. With Dex at his side, they made their way through the maze of white halls and doorways until they finally reached the lab. Like the rest of the facility, the lab was empty.

  Dex sniffed the air. “She’s close by.”

  “What are the chances she left the virus behind?” They both knew the answer, but they searched the lab regardless, checking every vial, every tube, every case. Sloane opened what he believed to be a cabinet, only to find a large metal container. Opening it revealed a liquid nitrogen storage unit, but the vial case was empty. “Shit, it’s gone.”

  “No luck finding any of the serum either. Come on,” Dex said, leaving the lab. “She can’t have gotten very far.” They left the lab and turned, then saw someone they hadn’t expected.

  “Vaughan.” Dex took a step forward, but Sloane stopped him.

  “Handy little weapon,” Vaughan said, holding up the knife Dex had given Kenley. Ice flowed through Sloane’s veins at the bloodied blade. “It came in real handy.” He moved his cold gaze to Dex. “He never saw it coming.”

  Dex sucked in a sharp breath and bolted after Vaughan, who was on the move, disappearing around the corner.

  “Dex, wait!” Sloane cursed under his breath and sped after Dex. They rounded the corner and skidded to a stop at the sight of the small army waiting for them. Vaughan flipped the blade in his hand as he faced them.

  “Hello, Dash. Or would you prefer a different name? A TIN alias perhaps?” Vaughan moved his gaze to Sloane. “That must make you a TIN operative as well.” Vaughan tossed the knife on the floor, where it skidded until it hit Dex’s shoe. “A memento of our time together.”

  Dex picked up the sheathed knife. He stared at the bloodied handle, then seeming to snap himself out of it, placed it in his pocket.

  “I’ve heard rumors of a Human TIN operative, and I asked myself, why would a Therian organization recruit a Human? Unless this Human was more than he seemed. So I spent a good deal of time and money finding out everything I could about this operative. To think the answer to all my problems would present itself. How did you do it?” Vaughan looked from Dex to Sloane. His lip curled up in disgust. “You bonded with an infected First Generation Therian.”

  “You’re coming with us,” Dex growled.

  Vaughan laughed. “I think you have that backward. You’re coming with us. I’m going to enjoy taking you apart piece by piece and stealing everything that makes you the gift to Humankind that you are. Then I’m going to dissect your mate.”

  Dex shook his head. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”

  “Then we’ve both underestimated each other.” Vaughan nodded to his men. “But I won’t make that mistake again. I want them alive.”

  That was definitely a mistake on Vaughan’s part.

  Vaughan stood back while his army charged. Without the authority of shoot to kill, they counted on their Therian strength to take Dex and Sloane down, expecting they were fighting any other Therian and someone not quite Human. Standing back-to-back, Dex and Sloane readied themselves. Several Therians attacked at once, and Sloane called on his inner jaguar Therian strength. His growl joined Dex’s as he relied on years of training in various fighting styles. Where Dex was faster, skilled, precise, capable of mimicking his opponent’s moves, Sloane used brute strength. He put all his weight and power into his blows. His objective was to put his enemy out of commission quickly and effectively in as few moves as possible.

  For years Sloane had sparred with Ash, an expert in close-quarter combat. Ash had taught Sloane to hit close and hard, to aim for his opponent’s weaknesses and take them down fast. For tiger Therians, he kicked out at their knees. To bring down lion Therians, the head. Wolf and leopard Therians, the solar plexus. Luckily, Vaughan didn’t have any jaguar Therians under his employment, or Sloane would be facing a real challenge.

  The more guards they took down, the more appeared. Where the fuck were they coming from? Had Vaughan rounded up all his guards to take them on? It seemed like it. The bodies hit the floor, and Sloane prepared himself for the next wave of Therians when an alarm blared and red lights flashed around them.

  “What the hell?” Sloane turned as Vaughan grinned at them.

  “Did you really think you could walk away from me?”

  Sloane tapped his earpiece. “K, talk to me.”

  “¡Mierda! The place is rigged to blow,” Keane replied, the sound of him furiously typing away coming through. “You have thirty minutes to get the hell out of there.”

  Vaughan’s grin turned evil. He snapped his fingers and the door to his right opened. Armed guards flooded out, heading for Dex and Sloane. Then they started going down. Sloane spun around, his heart thundering at the sight of Ash leading the formation, rifle raised as he fired round after round, hitting every target, Seb, Keane, and Ro right behind him.

  “Take them out,” Vaughan ordered. “I want the hybrid and his mate!” Suddenly he didn’t sound so sure of himself. He motioned for one of his guards to get him out of there.

  “Where are the young Therians?” Dex asked Ro.

  “With the extraction team on the way to the plane,” Ro replied.

  Sloane turned to Dex. “Go. We’ll take care of these assholes.”

  Dex nodded. “Don’t get blown up.”

  “Been there, done that,” Sloane teased. “Go.”

  While Dex fought his way after Vaughan, Sloane joined his team, pride filling him as they worked together. Few operatives at TIN worked with a team. They all preferred to work on their own, but not Dex and Sloane. They’d spent too long as part of a family, working with those they trusted. Keane and Ro had quickly joined that list. Dex had sensed something in them. As if he’d known they needed Dex and Sloane as much as Dex and Sloane needed them.

  Keane might be their tech guy, but he’d been military at some point. He was as skilled a fighter as he was a computer guy. He was also a lion Therian, and although not as big or muscular as Ash, Keane had more power behind him than most gave him credit for.

  Ash plowed through the guards, his close-quarter combat skills only getting stronger over the years. As a lion Therian, Ash was one of the fiercest Therians Sloane knew. There wasn’t one wasted punch or kick. When his opponents went down, they didn’t get back up. His best friend was the only one who could give Sloane a run for his money.

  Seb had been a team leader for the THIRDS, and being a huge tiger Therian, one blow could knock a guy out. He’d once been hindered by a bad knee, a result of him being prone to ill-health, thanks to being a Pre-First Generation Therian. When TIN recruited Seb, the first thing they did was take care of his knee. Seb was now in peak physical condition, and as Therians flew overhead, hit the floor and the walls, it had never been more evident.

  As far as enigmas went, Ro was impressive. She might look like some college kid, but she was a master gymnast with flawless balance, moving almost as quickly as Dex did. She was far more graceful, her feet looking as if they didn’t touch the floor, and she possessed a fierce strength Sloane had never seen in someone with such a slight frame. Ro shouldn’t be able to throw a tiger Therian across the hall, but she did it without breaking a sweat. Whatever she was, Sloane was grateful she was on their side.

  Sloane ducked under a fist and came up with an uppercut. He was the only one Vaughan’s men weren’t shooting at, but Seb and Ash wore tactical gear. For them, it was nothing new. They’d been wearing a similar uniform for decades. Of course, Keane had provided upgrades. Speaking of, Keane and Ro were younger and a little less old-school. Their clothing was lightweight but provided the same ballistic protection as Seb and Ash’s gear, Ro’s especially. She needed to be able to move fast and jump high. Like a felid, she always landed on her feet.

  The five of them moved together, working as one unit. It shouldn’t have worked. Not when you had four felid alpha apex predators, three of whom were used to leading, but they were more than a team. They were family.

  “K,” Sloane growled. “Find me Dr. Reuter.”

  Keane finished knocking out one of the guards and removed a small tablet from his pocket. Ash and Seb kept the guards away from him as he tried to get into Vaughan’s system.

  “Finally. Found a backdoor. There you are. She’s carrying a case. It’s most likely the virus. Possibly the serum too. She’s heading for the arena. Six guards are with her.”

  Seb turned to Sloane and nodded. “Go get her. We got this.” Their team cleared a path for Sloane, and he took off the way he’d come. He had to get to the doctor. Wherever Dex was, Sloane had to trust his husband would be okay. Thankfully, Sloane hadn’t felt anything that suggested otherwise, but Vaughan was a slippery fuck. No telling what else he had up his sleeve.

  There were few guards in the corridor on the way to the arena. The majority of Vaughan’s forces had most likely been dispatched to take care of them. Sloane should have expected Vaughan’s backup plan. None of the other facilities he’d used around the world remained, so why would this one? They didn’t have a lot of time.

  Sloane reached the arena, spotting the doctor ahead of him. “Stop,” he growled.

  Dr. Reuter halted. She turned, clutching a large silver case to her chest.

  “Surrender,” Sloane demanded.

  Reuter shook her head, her eyes wide. “Humanity needs this. There’s nowhere left for us to go. We’ve stopped evolving. We’re getting sicker, dying younger. This virus can provide an answer, can push us toward evolution.”