Mission: Her Protection (Team 52 #1)(14)

“Seth?”

“I’m okay. The fucker’s strong, Lachlan.”

Lachlan stared at their attacker. The man’s face was wrong. His veins stood out against his white skin, and his eyes were clouded. Right in the center of his chest rested the circular artifact. It was embedded in his skin.

“My God, Lars,” Rowan cried.

Lachlan glanced her way. She was white-faced and staring at the attacker.

“Rowan?” Lachlan said. “You know him?”

The man had swiveled his head, his cloudy, blue eyes settling on Rowan. He tilted his head.

“That’s…Lars.” She pressed her gloved hand to her chest, her eyes wide. “But it’s also not Lars. I don’t understand. He’s bigger, different.”

Lars shuffled closer to Rowan, sniffing. Then he charged at her.

No, you fucking don’t. Lachlan dived, slamming into the man.

The bastard spun, grabbing at Lachlan. Seth hadn’t lied, the man was strong. Lachlan felt icy claws rake across his chest, tearing up his coat.

The man snarled and then charged at Lachlan. They fell, Lachlan slamming into the ice, Lars landing on top of him.

Fuck. The air rushed out of Lachlan’s lungs. He sensed his team closing in. He tensed, ready to make his move against Lars.

The next thing Lachlan knew, Rowan had leaped onto Lars’ back.

“Lars, no, don’t hurt him.”

“Rowan, no,” Lachlan growled. “Blair.”

“On it,” his friend said.

Lachlan watched Blair tear Rowan off the man’s back and shove her at Seth.

Lars sprang back, eyeing them all warily. His hands curled, and Lachlan saw the claw-like blades on his hands. Then Lars moved into a crouch, looking confused.

Lachlan saw Axel and Callie standing nearby, both aiming weapons at Lars. Lachlan rose and nodded. “Do it.”

“No!” Rowan cried.

Axel fired. A black net tangled around Lars’ form. With a roar, the man started struggling.

Callie moved closer, holding the tranquilizer gun. She fired. A red-tipped dart hit Lars in the neck.

The man thrashed wildly for a few long seconds, and then finally, fell on his back on the ice. With one more burst of energy, he thrashed again, but his struggles were slowing down.

He went still.

Lachlan moved forward cautiously. It was obvious that the man was unconscious.

Seth was still holding Rowan, who stared at Lars, her eyes wide.

Lachlan reached through the net and yanked the artifact off the man’s chest. He held it up, frowning. It was surprisingly heavy.

Callie crouched and pressed a small medical monitoring patch to Lars’ neck.

“What’s happening?” Axel said.

They all watched Lars as his body began to shrink, the white on his skin dissolving, leaving pink behind. Soon, he was back to a regular size.

Lachlan glanced at his medic. “Get him back to base and warmed up. And Callie—”

“Yeah?”

“Keep him restrained.”

Smith moved forward to help Callie. Together they hefted the unconscious man up.

“What the fuck?” Rowan whispered. Her face was pale, her eyes huge. She stared at the artifact in Lachlan’s hand. “What is going on?”

“I’ll explain, I promise.” Lachlan looked at Blair and handed the artifact over to her. “Get this into a containment box.”

“On it.”

Then Lachlan turned to Rowan. “Everything is going to be okay.” He cupped her shoulders.

She shook her head. “I’m pretty sure that’s a big fat lie.” She frowned, staring at his chest. “Lachlan, you’re bleeding.”

Lachlan looked down at the tears in his suit. Blood was soaking into the white fabric. Dammit.

Then he frowned. Suddenly, he was aware of an icy cold creeping over his skin.

He staggered. Rowan caught him, swaying under his weight, as she fought to keep him upright.

“Amigo?” Axel said.

“Lachlan?” Panic skimmed Rowan’s face. “Someone help!”





Chapter Five





Rowan jogged beside Seth and Axel as they carried Lachlan between them. His face was ashen and his jaw tensed.

Ahead, she watched Callie and Smith disappear into the base with Lars.

“We have a small infirmary.” Rowan raced ahead to hold the door open. “It’s off the second lab dome.”

“Got it,” Axel murmured.

They hurried through the base, and the men helped Lachlan onto the bunk in the infirmary.

“It’s nothing,” Lachlan growled. “It’ll be fine.”

Rowan hurried to flick on the bunk’s heating pad. Lachlan’s color still wasn’t great. Then she turned to a cabinet, yanking it open and pulling out the first aid gear.

“Right. Like when you told me your arm was fine when you fell out of my treehouse as a kid.” She glanced at the men. “It was broken.”

Axel snorted, shooting her a sexy grin. “Sounds like she has you worked out, amigo.”

“She pushed me out of the treehouse,” Lachlan grumbled.

Seth let out a quiet laugh. Axel’s smile made Rowan’s brain go blank. With his sexy, brown eyes, smooth, brown skin, and that smile…he was designed to short-circuit a woman’s brain.