Rhyannon Byrd - Primal Instinct 04 by Touch of Seduction Page A

them.”
    “It is,” he told her, flicking the wipers onto high as
the rain began to come down in a hard, steady pour. “But the human soldiers are
working with Westmore, which means they’re working with the Casus, as well.”
    Twisting toward him in her seat, she pulled her left
leg beneath her and shook her head. “Okay, you’re going to have to explain that
one.”
    Aiden could understand her disbelief. Hell, he hadn’t
believed it himself when he’d first been told. “From what I understand, it all
started because the Collective found the ancient archives—documents that
apparently hold endless amounts of information about the clans. They were lost
not long after the Casus were imprisoned and the Collective Army began hunting
down the clans.”
    “How did they find them?” she asked. “And where?”
    Frustration coiled through his body, cranking his tension.
“We have no idea, but from what we’ve been told, Westmore found out that the
Collective had discovered the archives, so he went to the Army Generals,
offering them a trade. In exchange for allowing him access to the archives,
their bank accounts and even their men, he offered them the one thing they
apparently couldn’t resist—the location of every ancient clan that remains in
existence.”
    “Oh, m-my God,” she whispered, her stammer returning.
“C-could he actually do that?”
    Aiden blew out a rough breath, hating that she was
afraid. And hating that he hated it, because it meant that he gave a crap, when
he knew he shouldn’t. “I hope to hell not,” he muttered. “But he already gave
the bastards four vampire nesting grounds. The Collective caught the Deschanel
completely off guard, and from what I understand, it was a complete slaughter.”
    She shuddered, wrapping her arms around her middle.
“Have you ever f-fought against the Collective?”
    Nodding again, he decided not to tell her exactly how
many of the human soldiers he had taken down over the years. Instead, he simply
said, “We may need orders to take down a clansman, as far as the Consortium is
concerned, but the Collective are free game.”
    “Sounds d-dangerous.”
    “It can be. But they haven’t given us much trouble
since Riley’s awakening last month. Idiots are probably wondering what they’ve
gotten themselves into, teaming up with those psychopaths.”
    Quietly she said, “And so their greed will be their
downfall.”
    “Who said that?” he asked, thinking the words sounded
vaguely familiar.
    She gave a soft laugh. “To be honest, I have no idea.
The words just came to me.”
    “Well, whoever it was, it about sums things up. By
making the deal with Westmore, the Collective Generals have created a hell of a
mess for themselves. Now it’s the Merrick and Watchmen against the Casus,
Collective and Kraven, with all of us in a race to get our hands on the Markers
before the other side.”
    “Why do they want them?” she asked, resting the side
of her face against the back of the seat.
    “We wish like hell that we knew. But some of us have
started to suspect it has something to do with bringing the flood. We just
don’t know how.”
    “The flood?”
    “When all the Casus escape at once.”
    “God. That would be…” Her voice trailed off, and he
knew she was trying to think of a word that would do the horrific idea justice.
    “Yeah.” Lifting his hand, Aiden scraped his palm
against the hard edge of his jaw. “That’s why we’re doing everything we can to
keep it from happening. Kierland Scott, Kellan’s older brother, is in Prague
right now, addressing the Consortium. You know who they are?”
    “I know a little. Monica and Chloe told me about
them.”
    Aiden was about to explain the purpose of Kierland’s
visit when he caught the flickering glow of a neon sign through the driving
sheets of rain. After being in the car with her for so long, he was covered in
Olivia’s scent, the drugging perfume seeping into his pores, filling his
head—and