Sitting cross legged on the middle of the bed,
Barclay cuddled the duck close. “I’m sorry, little one. I know I’ve asked much
of you, but you can’t shift into your human form, not yet.”
Clay ran his chin over the duck’s downy head.
“We both know I wouldn’t be able to stop from mating with you. It’s all I long
for, but the scientists said I would transfer the poison to you and our union
would cause both of us to die within minutes.” Clay closed his eyes, trying to
withstand the constant agony pushing through his insides. “I will die soon
anyway, but I will not take you with me.”
Clay smiled as the duck nibbled at the tips of
his finger. The bird was the only thing keeping him sane over the last few
months. He was the only one Clay could talk to.
“At least my idea to find companions for my
brothers has finally paid off.” Clay lightly scratched under the duck’s eye
and was rewarded by a dreamy look covering its sweet face. “I had hoped by
exposing them to paranormals in the lab rescues that somehow they would find
someone to help elevate their heartache when I’m gone. How wonderful it is
that they found real mates. At first I was sure it was a trick of the
scientists, but they have proved to be true mates of the soul.”
The duck turned his head and took one of
Clay’s fingers into his bill before tugging on it. “What is it, little one.”
The moment Clay loosened his embrace, the duck
launched into the air and landed by the door. When he began jabbing at the
door with his bill, Clay knew what he wanted.
“You’re feeling it too, aren’t you?”
The duck looked at Clay and waited.
“What if it is a trick? Their deceptions know
no bounds.” The scientist’s tricks were Clay’s greatest fear. As a child he
had fallen for so many while imprisoned in the labs. “What if this urge to go
to that lab is a trap to capture us so they can do something despicable to
both of us?”
The duck continued to stare at Clay.
Clay rubbed his forehead trying to cope with
the constant ache. If it grew any worse he wouldn’t be able to think anymore.
Looking back at the duck, he gave in. “Alright, I will go check out this lab
and see what’s going on, but you are staying here where it’s safe.”
The duck responded by plopping down on the
floor in front of the door.
Clay raised one eyebrow. “I can easily move
you out of the way, little one.”
The duck tipped his head to the side and Clay
swore it raised both of its nonexistent eyebrows. Without saying a word, the
ten pounds of feathers could do something no one else could get away with.
Change Clay’s mind.
Sighing, Clay left the bed and suited up in
his tactical gear. Once he was ready, he looked at the duck. “Alright, let’s
go, but be extra quiet,” he warned. “We don’t want anyone to know we’re gone.”
As he slipped out of the room, Clay wondered
why he couldn’t resist the overpowering need to go to this lab. An unbreakable
heavy chain around his soul was drawing him in. He could do nothing about it
What was waiting for him? He only sensed it
was big and overwhelming. Somehow he knew that much. Well, so be it. He had
nothing to lose in this life but the nonstop, debilitating, excruciating pain.
With the duck waddling behind, Clay went to meet his fate.
Getting out of the mansion with a duck in tow
was a little easier than he had anticipated. Clay expected one of his brothers
to come around the corner at any moment. One of Dario's soldiers at the very
least.
He didn't see anyone.
At the front door, Clay leaned down and picked
up the duck. From here on out, he would be in too much of a hurry to wait for
his feathered mate to follow him with his less than graceful walk. They would
need to move as fast as possible if they wanted to avoid being seen.
And they wanted to avoid being seen. Clay
didn't think any of his brothers would understand his need to investigate a
building he had never told them about. In fact, they would be seriously
pissed. Clay didn't have time to deal with them right now, or their mates. The
need growing in his gut was getting bigger, and more painful.
Clay knew he didn't have much longer before
the pain overwhelmed him. He had done what he had set out to do and found
mates for three of his four brothers. He just needed to hang on long enough to
help Basil find his mate.
And discover what was drawing him to this new
facility. Trepidation made his heart beat a little faster. As much as he was
being drawn to the place, he was also afraid to go. What would he find there?
Who would he find there?
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