The door opened quickly and Evan was shoved inside, still wearing a hospital gown, barely able to stand on his own two feet. Brett caught him in his arms, ripping away the gown and picking him up to carry him to the bed. As Evan rolled his head back and forth on the pillows, whimpering in need, his erection hard and urgent, Brett examined every inch of him. He found the place on his arm where they had drawn his blood and he licked at it to heal it. Satisfied his mate was in good condition, he pulled him back into his arms and took his throbbing cock in hand, pumping it hard and giving him release while he kissed his neck soothingly. Evan came in seconds and once he was spent, he turned toward Brett to throw his arms around his neck and bury his face in Brett’s neck. He held on as tightly as he could, while Brett held him close and rubbed his back.

Over the next few hours he fed him again and made love to him twice. He finally settled him down and was able to snatch a few hours of sleep for himself, dreading the next time they would come for his mate.He couldn’t stay here much longer. As soon as Evan was able to travel, he’d get him out of this place and take him home. At the very least, they could make it to Mountainwood. Once there, Evan could rest and assimilate into his new life.

Late in the evening, a soft knock on the door came, and Dr. Cornsilk opened the door. Brett immediately tightened his hold on the sleeping Evan.“No. He’s been through enough.”

“I’m not here to take him, Brett.Calm down.”

Brett pulled the covers over his mate and sat up on the side of the bed, turning to face the doctor.“Sorry, but it’s been hard on him.I’ve had to give him a lot of my blood,and I’m a little lightheaded myself.”

“I’ll have a tray sent in to you. It will do you good to eat and drink something.I’ll give you some iron supplements too.” He held up a hand at Brett’s protest. “It can’t hurt, and it’ll make me feel like I’m doing something to help.”

Brett shrugged.“How were the tests? Do they show anything?”

“Too soon to tell yet, but I don’t think they’ll show a thing. I’ve tested my own blood for years and never found anything.” The doctor had been mated for the last few years to a female wolf who lived in the Dark Hollow pack. His home was in the mountains, about fifteen miles away from the wolf lodge, and his mate spent most nights with him, careful to sneak in only at night to circumvent any prying into his personal life. They were well respected in the wolf community for sacrificing so much for the good of the pack. After so many years, the Hunters barely bothered checking him anymore, other than routinely, but he was still careful to keep his cover.

He nodded over at Evan.“How is he? Did he have any problems with the knot? Do I need to examine him?”

Brett shook his head.“No, he’s fine. I’ve checked him. The orgasms were pretty bad, so they took a lot out of him.He’s responding well to the blood.By this time tomorrow, I’m getting him out of here.”

The doctor nodded.“I’m staying at the complex until the experiment is over, so I’ll be around. The guardswill come for him again tomorrow evening around five o’clock. They mean to separate the two of you then. You have to make your move.Be ready for them.” He glanced over at Evan.“He should be better by morning.”

Brett nodded and the doctor left. As he sat on the bed, he went over his escape plan in his mind. If everything went according to plan, he’d soon be on his way back to the mountains and away from the hated complex. He lay back down and gathered Evan in his arms. Just a few more hours, baby. Then no one will ever take you away from me again.

The next afternoon, Evan awoke, stretching his arms over his head and reaching for Brett. Brett must have showered earlier that morning as he now sat on the bed next to him, still wearing the same filthy jeans he was captured in.

“Hi, beautiful. Feeling better?” He took Evan in his arms and kissed his neck gently. “Yes, I guess...I feel surprisingly good.Sore,” he said, blushing,“but good. What time is it?”

“About three thirty. You need to get up and take a shower, sweetheart. The guards will come soon.”

Evan looked down at himself for the first time. Crusty bits of dried cum covered his stomach.“Oh God. Yeah, I’d better do that. He went to bounce from the bed and shuddered to a halt as the soreness really hit him.“Damn. I can barely walk.”

“A hot shower will help, baby. Hurry now, before they get here.”

Evan hobbled into the bathroom as quickly as he could, feeling the burn deep inside. Good thing that knot thing only happened on a first mating and then rarely after that, he thought. His ass would never hold up. He hesitated then, his hand still soaping up his chest as he realized what he’d just been thinking. This was a one-time thing for him, no matter what Brett had said. He was a Hunter, and had no intention of becoming Brett’s bloodmate. They’d come to extract him soon, and he’d probably never even see Brett again, and that’s the way it was supposed to be. So why did the idea make his chest hurt and his stomach churn with nausea?

He stood under the shower spray for a long time, relishing the feel of the hot water on his sore muscles. He scrubbed at himself and washed his hair with the shampoo the complex had provided. He got out and toweled himself dry, then wrapped the towel around himself and went back in to Brett.

Brett looked up and smiled at him, his green eyes lighting up. He pointed to the towel. “Take that off. When I get you home, you’ll be naked most of the time in our rooms.”

Evan pulled the towel away and dropped it on the bed, stepping between his legs.“Get me home? Look Brett. This is just a one-time deal.I like you and you’re good looking and all, but I’m not your bloodmate.” Brett sighed.“Evan, we’ve been all through this. Yes, you are. We’re mated now and you belong with me. We’re getting out of here, and I’m taking you with me to the mountains. You’re just feeling confused, baby. You’ll feel better when I get you away from here.” He smacked Evan’s ass lightly. “Now get dressed before those asshole guards come in and see you again. This time I might have to rip off their faces for putting their hands on you.”

Evan stepped over to retrieve his jeans from the floor and pulled them on, then slipped his T- shirt over his head.He needed to find some way to get through to Brett. He didn’t want to go anywhere with him. Did he? He turned back to Brett and held out his hands.“Better?”

Brett growled at him.“Not much.They’re too damn tight. Oncewe’re back at the lodge, you won’t wear something so tightagain.”

“Jealous, much? You keep saying when you get me home, but I’m trying to explain to you that this is just a temporary thing. I mean, I only agreed to this as an experiment. I appreciate the sentiment and all, but my life is here with the Hunters. Besides, what do you have in mind? You think they’ll just let you walk out of here? We’re stuck in here till they let us out.”

“Patience, baby. We’re leaving tonight. I told you that you belong to me now, and you agreed, remember? You’re not thinking straight. If you don’t drink my blood, you’ll become feral and play right into their hands. Unless you wantto be in their fuckin’ feral army?”

At the confused, yet horrified look on Evan’s face, Brett nodded. “Right. Get your shoes on.They’ll be here soon.”

“Wait! No, Brett. Promise me you won’t do anything crazy.Don’t hurt anybody!”

Brett nodded solemnly.“I promise.” And he meant every word. He had no intention of hurting anyone—if they didn’t mess with him. He only wanted to get out of there with his mate.

“But what...” A slight noise at the door made him turn around quickly, and that was when Brett moved so fast it was frightening.

He wrapped one strong arm around Evan’s neck, the other around his waist, pulling his back and hips up close to his body. Brettcould feel Evan’s sweet body nestled against his crotch and a strong feeling of protectiveness washed over him. His scent clogged Brett’s nostrils, and it was all he could do not to take him down to the floor and make love to him.

“Be still, Evan. Look scared.”

“Not a problem,” Evan said in a choked voice. “Let me go, Brett!” He didn’t know what was going on, and he really didn’t think Brett would hurt him, but this violence scared him more than a little. He put both hands around Brett’s strong forearm and tried to pull it down from his throat. He couldn’t budge it, and that was when apprehension and anxiety overcame him. What if this had all been a lie? What if the Hunters were right and he wanted to kill them all? His throat went dry and he struggled in earnest.

The door opened and the guards came in.

Brett was amused to see the guards do an almost comical double take and then quickly draw their weapons.

“Stop right there,” one of them yelled frantically, as the other one went for his assault rifle and took up a position behind the door.“Release that man!”

“Don’t shoot!” Evan managed to yell as Brett made his way almost casually across to confront them. He still gripped Brett around the throat and waist, but was totally unarmed. Brett hated using Evan as a shield this way, but there was no other choice if he was to get them both out of there alive. They had to believe that Evan was his prisoner.

“Shoot and I’ll snap his neck before I die,” he said in a low, menacing voice. “I promise you, I’ll take him with me.”

Evan gasped at the words and began to struggle harder, forcing Brett to tighten his grip around Evan’s neck. In his peripheral vision, he could see Evan’s face growing alarmingly red, and his legs stopped moving as he was deprived of oxygen. Horrified that he might have hurt his mate, he loosened his grip just a bit, but the sight of Evan’s slump was enough to make the guards back off.

“Let him go!” one of them yelled.

Brett laughed shortly.“Not fuckin’ likely! Now back off and put your weapons down or I’ll kill him.”