I landed on the ground with an oomph. I pushed up off the ground and spat out the dirt in my mouth, glaring at the girl across from me who was doing the same thing.
"Really? The forest? That's what you went with?" I asked her slightly annoyed.
"I didn't want to be seen. They've been watching me, they'll be watching for portals and this was all I could think of." She argued.
"Yes but people portal all the time near the city, it's less suspicious there and now we have a three day walk ahead of us." She grimaced at that.
"Let's go." I gripped her arm and hauled her up. She trailed after me quietly for a while but like all good things, it didn't last.
"So what's the plan?" She asked.
"I don't know." I replied, ignoring her dumbstruck expression.
"You don't know! What do you mean you don't know!" She yelled panicked.
I shoved her roughly against a tree and pressed my forearm against her throat to quiet her. Her eyes flashed in fear and then glowed but she didn't use her powers against me.
"Would you be quiet? You portaled us out in the middle of nowhere while people are looking for you basically making them aware of something going on out here, you don't need to give away exactly where we are. And no I don't have a plan just yet because hey, I just found out we were coming here and didn't have time to gather any intel on anyone or anything. I'm flying blind here and I don't need you to make things worse before they need to be, got it?" I growled, my wolf satisfied when she smelt fear.
She nodded, "But-" I glared, "but we can't just storm in there. They'll kill you and who knows what they'll do to me."
"I know I'm working on it." I motioned for her to get walking again.
When night fell I shifted into a wolf and Ayla curled up next to the fire. She drifted off to sleep quickly but I stayed awake to keep watch. Being in a relatively unfamiliar realm was dangerous. Especially when you were being hunted by the people who were in charge.
Looking at Ayla, she was just girl. She didn't ask for these powers. All she wanted was a normal life. And if I could help her get that then I would.
I woke her up in the morning and pushed her hard through the day so we could make it to the city by nightfall.
When we arrived I booked us a room at a hotel and ushered her inside before too many people noticed us. I didn't need the wrong person to be alerted to our presence before it became relevant.
She sat down on the bed and looked at me expectantly. I sighed and ran a hand through my knotted hair wincing, the lack of shower from the past two days did more damage than I thought.
"Here's what's going to happen. Tomorrow I'm going to get some things and you are going to lay low." I said in a voice that raised no room for arguments.
"But for now, you're going to go shower." I motioned to the bathroom. She looked in the mirror and grimaced at her reflection before darting into the bathroom.
Thirty minutes later she came out clean and in fresh clothes. Finally I thought.
I walked in after she was out and was about to close the door when I heard her speak up.
"Thanks Emma." She said softly before turning away and going to sleep.
I showered quickly before changing and heading back into the room. I climbed into the other bed, the one closest to the door. After making sure my gun was under my pillow I drifted off to sleep.
Waking up in the morning to the smell coffee immediately put me in a fowl mood. I shot up to see Ayla setting two cups of coffee and a bag of what smelt like pastries down on the counter.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I asked incredulously. Seriously did this girl not know how to follow orders?
"I got breakfast?" More like a question than a statement even though breakfast was sitting right behind her.
"I can see that. And what about me saying that you need to lay low. Did you not hear that or do you just not follow orders?" I climbed out of bed and started getting ready.
"I just went down to the bakery in the hotel. It's barely seven no one's awake yet." She grumbled.
"How did you get out without waking me up?" I asked suspiciously. I was exhausted but being a werewolf meant enhanced hearing, I should have been able to hear her getting up and definitely should have heard the door close.
"I put a sleep spell on you." She looked down guiltily. "You just looked so tired, I just wanted you to have a good nights sleep!" She tried to defend her actions but it just managed to piss me off more.
"You can't do that! I can't do my job if you spell me! You understand what kind of risk you put us in right?" I wasn't going to survive this mission. This girl was going to get us killed before it barely even begun, I was sure of it.
"I'm sorry I won't do it again I promise!" She sounded panicked when I headed towards the door.
"I have to go get a few things. You are not to leave this room. You can follow that order or I can break your leg to ensure you follow it." I flashed my eyes yellow and stepped forwards to show I was serious.
"I won't leave!" She held her hands up before sitting on the bed and turning on the TV.
I narrowed my eyes in her direction suspiciously, not sure if I should believe her but I didn't really have a choice. It was too risky to bring her. Grabbing one of the coffees I locked the door from the inside and left.
I was back two hours later with several bags and a very petrified woman with specific instructions to not speak a word unless spoken too. When Ayla first realized I returned and I wasn't alone, well she freaked.
"What the hell are you doing? You can't just kidnap people!" She shouted and jumped up from her spot on the bed.
I shut the door and pointed to the bed for the woman to sit down on. She knew to follow my orders from our previous altercation earlier which resulted in a gash on her upper forearm which I was kind enough to wrap when she made it clear she would behave from now on.
"You agreed to my methods. This is it. She won't be harmed as long as she does as she's told and answers honestly." I gave her a pointed look and she nodded enthusiastically.
"Won't be harmed? Isn't that blood on her arm?!" Ayla shrieked pointing at the woman .
Good Lord, I thought. This girl wields an insurmountable amount of power, has no problems using it against anyone wishes, everyone fears her and she has a problem with blood. What the hell happened to the powerful and fearless girl who wanted to take down the government at all costs who came knocking on my door like three days ago?
"We resolved that. I'll stitch it up for you if you'd like and while I do that you answer some questions?" I looked at her in question but it wasn't up for debate.
"I'll tell you anything as long as I have your word you won't hurt me when it's over." She replied.
"When I have everything I need from you, you'll choose the place you want to go, a new identity, and you'll get a new start." I answered and she looked surprised but nodded in agreement.
I grabbed the first aid kit and pulled up the chair to start working on her arm. When Ayla started getting restless in the corner she wandered over to stand behind me.
"So who is she exactly?"
"Her name is Dr. Sarah Porter. And she's going to help us take down the government."
"How is she going to do that?" She questioned sitting next to her curiously.
"She's works in the lab. She's an essential part of the team, that is tasked with capturing you. She does research, runs tests, oversees the program-the hires. She's very important." I grinned at her and the doctor flinched.
"Now Dr. Porter, before you take your leave of the company, you're going to put in a very good word for a new hire. And I'll need access to all of your files as well."
"That's it?" She asked confused.
"There's a few minor questions and details we can go over on the walk back," I glanced at Ayla who was watching the television, "but I'm very smart and adaptable. So yes, for the most part that's all I need."
"Alright." She nodded. "So we're leaving now?" Wariness clear in her eyes as if she really couldn't believe I would let her go.
"Yes, we're leaving now." I confirmed standing up.
I turned to Ayla, "You know the drill."
She didn't glance away from the screen but nodded her hand, "No leaving the room or you break my legs. Got it."
I headed for the door and motioned for the doctor to follow. She tried to speak once we were in the hall but I shushed her. Once we were a good distance from the motel I allowed her to speak.
"She's not a dumb. She has hearing spells, anything said in the hallway she would have heard." Dr. Porter nodded in comprehension.
"Your questions.." She trailed off waiting for me to finish my interrogation.
"I need to know." I paused and she shifted nervously on her feet. "Are there any others in there?"
She looked away ashamed but nodded her head. I let out a low growl, too low for any of the humans to hear but they all moved towards their mates instinctively because they knew something was amiss, and those who could hear, well they looked in our direction with curious eyes.
"How many? What kind?" I tugged her in the direction of the building once again.
"Dozens. Of all species..well uncommon species that is." She glanced at me from the corner of her eye.
"Elaborate please." It was better to get as much information I could directly from the source before reading the files.
"The subjects, they're hybrids of all types. Vampire and werewolf. Mermaid and witch. Witch and fairy. Angel and human." So many innocent people, my stomach churned at the thought.
"What are you doing with them?" I asked my voice filled with hostility.
She once again had the decency to look ashamed. "Victor, he wants to find a way to harness the power of hybrids. Because they have the blood of two species flowing through them they can withstand more. More pain, more power. He wants it. And he wants her." She glanced back in the direction of the motel. "Ayla is the prize he's been waiting for. Her power is insurmountable. No one knows what she is, but if he got his hands on her. The power he would wield and the damage he would cause would be devastating."
I took a hard look at the woman standing before me. She was a scientist, someone who yes, had done awful things to get the research she wanted. But I knew in my gut she was doing what she could to protect them along the way.
"I know he's working on something. He won't tell me what but I suspect it's a way to transfer abilities." I looked at her sharply.
"Can that be done?"
"I'm not entirely sure..but possibly. Maybe a serum or a machine, I don't know." She was going over the possibilities in her head when we stopped in front of the building.
"Okay listen. Go in there and don't act any different because if they suspect anything I will have to break in there and kill you and I don't want to have to do that, it will be a set back in my plans. Tomorrow when you go into work you're going to be "transferred" to a different research facility, don't ask questions because everything will be taken care of. You need to make sure that I get hired. Whatever it takes. I need copies of all your files and any other files you can get your hands on. Also a detailed plan of every floor in the building if you can get one. When you get home tonight there will be everything you need to start over. I've also made a call to get you into a medical research facility so you can continue working, but on the right side this time."
"I..didn't expect that. Thank you." She looked quite touched. It wasn't just for her though. She was brilliant, she could help so many people if she put her talents into helping people instead of hurting them.
"Just hold up your end." I motioned for her to go inside.
I waited until I could no longer see her before heading back to the motel. "Let the fun begin."