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Severin sent Thana an image of him slapping a paddle in his palm. The leather handle felt good even though it was in his imagination. Thana’s narrowed eyes in his mind made him chuckle. “I would love to test that when we finish with this business, leanabh-nighean.”
He led them down, amazed to find the low, ambient vibration from above becoming less obvious the further they went. Still, the ceiling shook constantly from cars, trucks, and other vehicles passing overhead. It was no wonder the fuckers utilized the space for whatever nefarious shit they wanted, knowing the deafening acoustic barrier ensured no one outside would ever hear what happened within.
“I need to lead since Mari is connected to me, Severin. And before you repeat yourself and piss me off, I won’t do stupid shit that endangers myself or the victims.” Thana’s words left him no room to argue. He knew she had skills and she was right.
“I’m sticking to you like glue. Don’t dissipate without telling me, and don’t transport unless you—”
“Severin, you’re pissing me the fuck off. I’m not a child nor am I dumb. Let’s go,” she growled.
He didn’t know how to explain that his fear wasn’t about her listening; it was about losing her. His deepest regret in life would always be not being able to save those he loved, and dammit, he fucking loved Thana.
She flowed through another unseen door, but with their keen sight, she’d recognized the slight gap at the bottom. He followed close, their forms mingling as if they’d done it a thousand times.
After another solid-looking door breach, they entered a large octagon area containing several desks facing glassed-in rooms. He didn’t need to be a genius to figure out that the padded rooms on the other side of the glass were like the one Mari showed Thana.
“She’s over there.” Thana’s mist form jetted straight through the middle.
“Wait. I sense magic,” he yelled. Thana ignored his warning.
He used an alpha order through their link, hoping it would halt her. Her shimmery mist wavered, then stopped as if she’d hit a wall.
“What did you do?” she asked, hurt and outrage lacing the words.
“You’re not thinking or watching your surroundings. Do you not feel the vibrations of magic?” he bit out.
Severin waited for several seconds that felt like an eternity before she flowed back toward him. “I...I didn’t. That was really stupid of me. Can you trace the spell and undo it, or are we going to need to figure out another way into the room?”
“Let me take a look. I’m sorry, baby.” He wanted to touch her and reassure them both.
“I’ll listen for off sounds. We’ve dealt with a lot of different shit, but I’ll admit it’s not my strongest weapon,” added Thana with a sigh, chasing away some of Severin’s anger and worry.
“I’ll teach you as I go. Flow into my mind and see what I see as I do,” Severin offered, flashing her a hopeful grin through their link.
He worked the perimeter in slow, precise waves, testing boundaries and scents. He realized the magic wasn’t a trap or ward, but leftover residue from beings who worked there or had been through there recently.
“So, we were right in thinking this isn’t average human or organ trafficking shit. There are beings actively hunting paranormal beings for purposes we don’t know yet. Hell, they could have an entire global network selling different beings for different things. You need a shifter mate? Call one eight hundred assholes. We’ll kidnap one for you. Oh, you want a vampire blood bag? Same fuckers, different protocol.” Thana sent him images, and he chuckled.
“I will kill every asshole we find in this site. They’re nothing but parasites, spreading like poison through our world.” His teeth ached to rip their throats out.
“Easy, killer. We might need to keep at least one alive to interrogate.” Thana’s gentle tone eased the fury rising within him.
“We can cut through like you wanted, Thana. Stay alert.” It grated on him to allow her to lead, yet she sensed.
Unlike the other doors they’d entered, these didn’t seem to have any gaps for them to flow through. However, he noticed an air vent at the top. He flashed the image to Thana, who streamed up and in. They both came out the other side and into the space she’d described to find two males in pristine suits standing around Mari’s prone form.
“Do you think the little rat is worth as much as they’re offering?” One of the males asked.
“She’s pretty enough and has a nice body. I’ve seen better on both accounts. We have buyers for mates from packs here in America and across the ocean looking for ones like her. Female shifters are a dying breed because the males are savage bastards. The males often kill when they go into heat if the one they are with isn’t strong enough to handle them during mating. Females go into heat once they hit puberty. If they’re not claimed, they will fuck anything with a cock, and if the heat happened when their males were away, or they were single, many males became enraged. Although a barbaric thing in today’s era, that’s the way of their kind.” The speaker ran a pale hand along Mari’s arm. Severin could smell the male’s lust.
“Of course, the males can screw other shifters or humans. Hell, if they have a dick, they can screw whatever species they choose, be it male or female. They could literally fuck anything their cocks want, but they lose their shit when the females do the same.” The male sneered, pinching Mari’s cheek.
Severin felt Thana’s inner beast roar, losing the mist form and becoming human. Her control shouldn’t amaze him, but he was pleasantly surprised to see her stay floating as mist, unwavering. “Good girl,” he murmured.
Chapter 13
Hellfire, he couldn’t wait to finish the mission and get Thana back to his cave. The way she responded to those two little words made him want to grab onto her and transport them away.
“We cannot damage the property, Earl. Besides, the doctors haven’t finished getting all the samples we need from her or the others yet.”
