Full Moon Rising

“No. But I’m fairly certain they’re not military.”

“Why?”

“Because while I have no doubt the military are striving to create the ultimate soldier, I very much doubt that they would allow their creations to walk the streets and raise suspicions.”

“So you think it’s a private company with visions of taking over the world?”

He smiled. “Maybe just a country or two. Conglomerates these days are into power as much as money. Control the government, and you have the power.”

“So bribing or blackmailing politicians has fallen out of favor?”

“Bribing and blackmailing can be traced. Clones would raise far fewer suspicions.”

“Clones can be traced as easily as blackmail. The Directorate, and many other government departments, are begi

“The cell scans wouldn’t pick up irregularities because there would be none. For all intents and purposes, the clone would be identical to the original. And I doubt the blood scans would pick up anything—they haven’t in Gautier, have they?”

“Well, no.” I frowned. “Why is that, if he is a clone?”

“I have no idea. Perhaps they wean the accelerant off and wait until the blood tests are clear before they slot in their replacements.”

“But if they’re cloning to grab power, why not start cloning politicians? Why a guardian?”

“Because the process is not yet perfected. While Gautier appears to be without problems, most of the other clones I have come across seem to have the sort of problems usually associated with extreme age.”

“Which would surely be co

“Not necessarily. When cloning was first being explored back in the twentieth century—well before the growth accelerant was discovered—it was noted that cloned species seemed to have age-related problems.”

“That didn’t stop them.”

He smiled. “It’s still not stopping anyone. Science and morality are not often bedfellows.”

The car crested a hill, and Melbourne lay before us, a sea of bright lights that was quickly lost to the trees again. The shrill ring of my cell phone cut through the brief silence. As I took it out of my pocket to answer it, he gave me a hard glance, and said, “I hope you were intending to turn that off before we broke into the grounds of Hoyle-Brantin.”

“Nah,” I bit back. “I was intending to leave it on, just so we could have the thrill of being discovered when it rang.”

Though the truth was, I’d actually forgotten it was on. I pressed the receive button, expecting it to be Talon demanding to know where I was and why I wasn’t panting for him

Only it was Misha

And he sounded no happier than Talon would have been

Chapter 12

“What in hell have you done to Talon?” he said, his fury evident even down the line

“What in hell does it matter to you?”

“He’s harassing me.”

That raised my eyebrows. “How can he harass you when you’ve gone back to your pack and neither he or I know which of the silver packs you come from?”

“I’m back because it turns out my mother was embellishing the truth. My sister had an accident but it wasn’t anything major. Mother just wanted me to meet someone she considers a perfect mate.”

I had a feeling he wasn’t telling me the truth, though the bit about meeting a mate was typical mother behavior. I’d witnessed similar contrivances throughout my teenage years, before we’d been kicked out of our pack. At least neither Rhoan nor I had to worry about that—though part of me wished that we did

“So what do you want me to do? You’re a big boy—deal with it yourself.”

“I’ve tried reason, but he’s off the rails.” Misha hesitated. “He told me you two were exclusive.”

I snorted. “As you said, he’s off the rails.”

“So if I get rough, you have no objections?”

“Not as long as you leave me enough to kick.”

Misha chuckled, and the tension I’d been hearing in his voice eased. “Sorry to get hostile on you, but the last few days have been a bitch, and Talon was the last straw.”

So he had rung me to complain? Somehow, I doubted it. Misha was a nice man, yet he was also a very successful businessman, and had always handled problems quickly, often ruthlessly. If he was seriously pissed off with Talon, he’d have done something about it. That he’d called me instead suggested there was an ulterior motive behind his call

Or was Jack’s warning about Misha making me see things that weren’t there? “Is that all you rang for?”

“Hell, no. I wanted to know if my car was still in one piece.”

I smiled despite my reservations. “It’s parked safely at the Crown Casino.”

“Why is it parked there?”

“Long story. But it’s in one piece.”

“A miracle.” He hesitated, then added, “Don’t suppose you’re intending to drive it home anytime soon?”

His voice had dropped several octaves, sliding across my senses like warmed chocolate. Jack might have implanted doubts about him, but that didn’t stop me from wanting him

Though given the moon heat, I’d want the devil himself if he had a nice enough bod

“I’m on assignment at the moment, but if you can wait, I’ll be there.”

“I thought you said you were nothing more than a gofer?”

There was an underlying hint of steel in the warmth of his voice that made me frown. “Even gofers at the Directorate get drafted when the need arises.”

“So that’s what has made Talon crazy,” he commented. “You’re not at his beck and call.”

If Talon was acting crazy, it was because I’d said no—something he was not used to hearing. I doubted he was going crazy over missing me sexually. As good as we were together, he had seven other mates to keep him satisfied

A hand touched my thigh and warmth scooted across my flesh. My gaze jumped to Qui

I glanced across the road and saw the old graveyard. “You can’t park along this section of Camp Road.”

“I realize that, but I don’t know the area.” His voice was patience itself, but something in his dark gaze hinted at a

“There’s a playground ahead on the left. You can park there.”

“Who’s that?” Misha said into my ear

“No one important,” I replied, and could have sworn Qui

“Riley, wait—”

I didn’t wait, just hung up on him. I’d apologize later, but at present, I had work to do

I turned off the phone, climbed out of the car, and sniffed the air. The breeze was cold and filled with the scent of rain. Overhead, dark clouds shuttered the light of the stars, and the moon was nowhere to be seen. Yet the power of it crawled under my skin, igniting the fire deep inside. The metal in the car had, to some extent, protected me, but there, out in the open, there was no escape. The fever burned and would need release soon

But the full moon was still two nights away, and the vampire half of me was keeping the fever within control—for the time being. But while it might be contained, the wolf part still raged, and it hated the restrictions of so many clothes. If I was to remain in control, I needed to appease at least one need. I shucked off my coat and threw it back in the car. My stilettos quickly followed

“What are you doing?” There was an edge in Qui

“The moon is high and the fever burns. I need to feel the ground under my toes. The wind on my skin.” Plus, I couldn’t exactly creep around wearing spiked heels, which was all I had with me unless I went home