BirthMark by Sydney Addae Read Free Book Online Page B

Brad?”
    “He’s not in that room?” Tyrone asked.
    Silas stared at him with a raised brow. “No, that’s the first place I looked,” he snapped. “Find him,” he yelled to get them moving faster. The three men jumped up and scattered, searching the halls. Silas looked at the door and shook his head, Brad had been on the outside when he opened the door for Silas to look in, hadn’t he?
    A sick feeling rose in his stomach. He walked toward the door as though tethered by an invisible string and opened it. The smell of burnt flesh, acid, and blood pinched his nostrils. What had they used to make that bomb? He wondered as additional scents assaulted him. There was nothing left of Boggs. Every part of the unfortunate man painted the walls and dripped from the ceiling. Silas stepped back when heard a shout from Hank.
    “Found him.” Silas heard a curious scraping against the concrete and went to investigate. Hank dragged a bloody, unconscious Brad into the hall and released him gently onto the concrete. “He got hit with something in his chest that torpedoed him down the hall. He hasn’t shifted yet.”
    Silas looked at Brad and searched for his wolf. The animal whined and snapped to break free. “Easy…easy,” Silas said softly as he pulled Brad’s wolf. The animal whimpered and lay on its side for a moment. Silas walked over, stooped and placed his palms on both sides of the wolf’s head to hold him steady. Closing his eyes, he sent a steady stream of healing energy into the animal. The damage to Brad’s chest had been severe, he’d probably need to rest for a day or so, but after that he should be fine.
    He removed his hands and stood slowly. The room shifted for a second before he got his bearings. Tyrese didn’t touch him but he did take a step closer. Silas straightened and looked at Brad lying on the floor. “Take him to his room so he can rest. Let him stay wolf until he crawls into bed. He can shift later.”
    Hank nodded and snapped his fingers at the wolf. The wolf didn’t move, instead he looked at Silas and then at Hank.
    “Go with Hank now so you can heal. I need you at one hundred percent.” The wolf whined but stood slowly. As he walked off, he looked back at Silas repeatedly as though asking him to reconsider. Once the wolf and Hank turned the corner, Silas looked at the room and then at the twins.
    “When I looked inside, it activated whatever was inside Boggs.” Tyrese’s brow rose. “I heard a soft whirring noise, which I assume was a trigger.”
    “No…” Tyrese said as his finger tapped his jaw. “You were the trigger. Whatever was inside Boggs, was attuned to you specifically. Damn it,” Tyrese growled as he smacked his fist against the wall. “We didn’t pick up on it.” He looked at Silas and then Tyrone. “They have a device that we cannot detect until it’s activated.”
    “Not good,” Tyrone added, staring at the door to the room.
    Silas agreed. How had the Bennetts come up with such a sophisticated device? Remembering his short visit with them not too long ago, he wouldn’t have thought they had that much brain power between them collectively.
    “Something’s off,” Tyrone said. “I met my kin and I don’t see them doing this.” He looked at Tyrese. “Think, did Boggs say the Bennetts sent him or was it the rebels?”
    Tyrese frowned in apparent concentration. “He was nervous, said they didn’t trust him. He wanted to prove his loyalty to the pack. Claimed I smelled like a Bennett, but he never came right out and said the Bennetts sent him.”
    “I bet someone else sent this guy.”
    “Someone working alongside our dear kinfolk?” Tyrese asked Silas.
    “Could be, or it could be whoever started this whole fucking game,” Silas said, pissed they still had no clue who'd started breeding humans and wolves and why. “The guy in the caves who took Jasmine said he had two offers…”
    “That’s right,” Tyrese said. “One to save mom and one to