Wolfe's Mate by Caryn Moya Block Page B

car the English Alpha sent was a good-sized sedan with leather seats. Esme didn’t look forward to being stuck inside a car for more than seven hours. At least, it was roomy.
    Jared opened t he driver’s side door and smiled at her as he got in. Granger climbed into the backseat, and they headed back to the M1 highway.
    “We should be able to make Aberdeen tonight, if we don’t make many stops,” Granger said from the back.
    “Well, then, I guess we push through. Everyone get comfortable.” Jared winked at Esme.
    She reached over and patted his leg. He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss.
     
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    Norris went from patient to patient , checking their vital signs and giving them the next dose of morphine. He hated knowing that pain would soon wake them from their drugged states. For the moment, everyone seemed fine.
    Norris remembered how quickly Esme started feeling pain from the change as lycan cells spread throughout her body. He had sedated Esme, slowly working up to using morphine. Now, morphine was already in the patients’ systems. However, the more lycan cells there were in their bodies, the less time morphine worked.
    He ’d lied when he told the nurse the change could take as long as five days. Esme had shifted after a few hours. He didn’t want the nurse to make plans to transfer the patients. He wouldn’t be able to get them out if she suspected they would be changing that soon. He didn’t need any thugs forcing the wolves into cages.
    A small moan came from one of the women, Miss Scott. Her head began to thrash as she awoke. Norris shuddered in sympathy. The pain must have been horrible to wake her. He walked to her bed and pressed the button for another dose of morphine. What he was doing was dangerous to a human, but it wouldn’t be long now before the patients were fully lycan.
    He took the woman’s hand. “I know it hurts. When the pain is gone, the cancer will be gone, too. Hang on. Try to sleep if you can.”
    Her silver -gray eyes looked up at him. Tears glistened in her lashes. “Thank you, doctor,” she whispered. Her eyes closed slowly as she drifted back to sleep.
     
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    Granger moaned in the back seat. Esme looked behind her, worried that something was wrong. Granger had fallen asleep an hour ago. Now, he seemed to be sweating. He moaned again. Esme reached over the seat and felt his head.
    “Jared, Granger is burning up . I think he’s sick.”
    “That’s impossible . Lycan’s don’t get sick. Granger, wake up. You’re having a nightmare.”
    Granger moaned again. Jared used his Alpha voice, calling to his friend telepathically as well as vocally. “ Granger!”
    “The pain . It hurts. I hurt all over,” Granger mumbled before he sat up. He blinked his eyes and looked around. “What happened? Where are we?” Granger rubbed his chest.
    “Not far from the Scottish border. What is wrong with you? Should I pull over?” Jared frowned and looked at Granger in the rearview mirror.
    “No, I’m okay now. For a moment there, I felt like I was someone else, or maybe linked to someone else. There was a lot of pain.” Granger shook his head, his hand resting on his heart.
    Esme looked back at Granger and gasped. “Granger , look. A mating bond, at least a thread of one …”
    “Holy heavens ! She’s right. Great Goddess Asena, I have a mate …Wait, that pain I felt must be hers. We have to find her and help her. Something is really wrong.”
    “Can you re-establish the link with her? It would help to know where she is.” Jared glanced back at Granger.
    “Right. I’ll try.”
    Granger closed his eyes and went into a trance. Esme knew some part of him wasn’t present anymore. Granger jerked, and his eyes flew open. “She’s with Norris. He’s doing something to her. I saw him for a moment in her mind, then everything went dark. I think he drugged her. I’m going to kill him. If he harms one hair on her head, he will answer to me.”
    “Now ,