Free Michel/Striker by Alexandra Ivy, Laura Wright Page B

bunker,” he told her, his voice filled with the authority of his alpha nature. “Get the others out of here.”
    She nodded before she was abruptly stiffening, her head tilted back as she sniffed the air.
    “Wait.” She glanced toward the door. “Someone’s approaching.”
    “Shit,” he breathed, picking up the unmistakable scent of approaching humans. He knew it’d been too easy to get to the lab. “The guards.”
    Surprisingly the Hunter shook her head, her slender body vibrating with tension. “No, this is the same smell as the men who arrived earlier and killed Terri.”
    Michel’s brows snapped together. “They’re not Locke’s?”
    “No. They belong to Cole Security, the military contractor. The jackasses sent two men earlier this morning to take Terri. There was a nasty fight that ended up with Terri dead and three humans sent to the hospital,” she said, jerking her head toward the broken instruments that had been piled in the corner. “I think there’s some sort of power struggle going on.”
    Michel’s breath hissed through his teeth. “I don’t suppose we’ll be lucky enough for them to kill one another,” he muttered.
    The Hunter looked grim. “Doubtful.”
    Michel turned to the Pantera huddled together in the center of the lab, drawing comfort in being near one another.
    “I need those capable of fighting to stay with me,” he said. “And one volunteer to lead the others out of here.”
    With speed that would astonish a human, three Pantera had moved to stand next to the Hunter while a Healer entered the cell to scoop the terrified human female into his arms and then herd the other two Pantera out the door that led to an escape tunnel.
    Michel followed behind them, closing and locking the door before returning to the Hunters who’d spread out as they prepared to fight.
    “They’re coming,” he murmured, lifting his gun even as the female Hunter gave a low laugh of anticipation.
    “Bring it on,” she rasped, holding up her hands to reveal four-inch claws.
    Michel blinked in shock, his gaze lifting to take in her long fangs and the pure gold of her eyes. God. Damn. It should have been impossible outside the Wildlands. “You can shift.”
    She shrugged. “Only partially.”
    “How?”
    Her lips twisted in a bitter smile. “Whatever shit they were pumping into me, altering my DNA.” She slashed her claws through the air. “Now I get to use my new powers to kill them.”
    He dipped in head in respect to her fierce spirit. “Ironic.”
    “Justice,” she said, turning toward the six humans who entered the lab.
    Justice. Yes. Michel returned her smile as they charged forward, easily overwhelming the intruders.

CHAPTER 6
    Chelsea heard the sound of approaching footsteps only a few minutes after Michel disappeared.
    Instinctively she tried to follow him, only to realize that she wasn’t going to have time to cross the central room before the intruders entered. With no choice, she darted down one of the long hallways, entered the first office she could find and locked the door.
    She breathed a sigh of relief only to give a small squeak of alarm as a hidden door behind her slid open to reveal the male she’d once called her lover.
    Hastily she hid the gun behind her back, her gaze taking in the lean face that was pale and almost gaunt in the flickering fluorescent light. He looked as if he’d aged ten years in the few weeks since she’d last seen him.
    “I thought that was you on the security camera,” he murmured, crossing the small room to stand directly in front of her. “Hello, Chelsea.”
    A bittersweet pain sliced through her heart. She would always care for this man. No matter what he’d done. But she wasn’t a fool. If he realized why she was there he wasn’t going to let her walk away.
    Not again.
    “Locke.” She twisted her lips into a faux smile. “I was looking for you.”
    He arched a brow. “Were you?”
    “Yes, I—”
    Her words were cut short as he