Primal Heat 3 by A. C. Arthur Read Free Book Online Page B

burying his fingers in her hair, and guiding her mouth up and down. “This is definitely first.” She went down on him all the way, until it felt like his tip was touching her tonsils. He gasped, tightened his grip on her hair, and thrust his hips forward. “We’ll deal with them … after,” he continued before words were lost in the deep guttural moan of pleasure.
    *   *   *
    “We’re out of test monkeys,” Crowe stated with finality, as if his word really carried any weight in this room. “Each time we send one out, they don’t return. I don’t know what they want me to do now. There’s obviously a flaw and I can’t fix it!”
    The man, the great captain of the U.S. Armed Forces, was falling apart. Sweat dotted his brow, his hands shook as he dragged them through his hair. He was pacing back and forth, threatening to wear a path in the lovely dark gray carpet that lined the rooms of the suite. It would have been funny if this human’s demise didn’t directly affect Boden’s ultimate plan.
    With a resigned sigh, he smoothed a hand down the silk tie he wore. Dressing the part of a rich and influential human had become a ritual for him, the baser animalistic instincts he’d been born with still running close to the surface, however. Ready and waiting.
    “The meeting is in three weeks,” he stated.
    “I know,” Crowe whined. “I know. They won’t let me forget it.”
    “Who will be there?”
    Crowe spun around then, his lips drawn in a tight line. He wondered why Boden was asking, wondered how the man could be so calm in the face of this catastrophe. Boden knew all this and questioned why he had chosen this human to start things rolling in the first place.
    “There’re all going to be there!” he yelled.
    Boden sat up, resting his elbows on his knees. He raised his brows, aware of how intimidating that could be with his bald head and bushy brows. He liked that look as it cultivated the calm before the storm in his mind, the normal that layered over the beast. The low chuffing sound that emanated from his chest was the icing on the cake and had Crowe stopping, rethinking his answer.
    “Every high-level defense delegate in the world will be there,” he said with a frown. “So far the Russians are making the top bid, but Pierson thinks the Chinese might have an ace up their sleeve. There’s a lot of money riding on this deal.”
    “There’s a lot riding on this meeting, period,” Boden added. “Nothing can go wrong. Your hybrids have to be in place. Hundreds of them, ready to create the scene.”
    “All we need is maybe fifty good ones, fresh out of the lab, to put on a show for the delegates. They’ll see what they can do without any interference and then the money will be on the table. We’ll deliver the merchandise later and to hell with what happens after they’ve taken possession. Right?” Crowe was nodding. “Okay, we can do that. Then we’ll all take our cut and get as far away from here as we can.”
    The man had begun pacing again. Boden simply shook his head.
    “I want hundreds of them. Five hundred to be exact,” he told him.
    “No, that’s not necessary,” Crowe continued. “We just need a small amount. It’s safer that way because they’re so volatile. The more we create, the more unstable they become. Besides, I just told you I don’t have any more test subjects. Where am I supposed to get enough DNA to create five hundred more? And in three weeks no less.”
    “Enough!” Boden finally raised his voice. “The stench of your panic is making me nauseous.”
    He stood then, pulling out his cell phone to make a call. His teeth clenched as it rang and rang until the voice mail picked up. Boden tried another number. No answer there either.
    “Dammit,” he muttered.
    He’d been trying to reach Richard Cannon for over a week now and had not been successful. That bastard shifter owed Boden his life. In fact, his family owed Boden their lives considering all the