Unmasking the Wolf by Christy Gissendaner Page A

her, slowly moving his gaze up and down the narrow, long hallway.
    The lab was at the very end. It appeared to be dark. If Dominic wasn’t there, where was he? There were four other doors, one for night security, two for the bathrooms, and another for a file closet. Someone was hiding in one of the rooms, but which one?
    Not wanting to risk Gina’s safety, but reluctant to leave the lab unprotected, he turned to her and whispered, “I need you to go upstairs.”
    Defiance lit her gaze. “Absolutely not. Dominic may be down here. I’m not leaving without him.”
    “He’s not here.”
    “How do you know?” She sniffed the air, her nostrils delicately flaring.
    She must’ve caught the scent that had been plaguing him. Whatever it was, it definitely wasn’t human . . . or wolf. “You’re right. He’s not. But someone is.”
    “Exactly. That’s why I need you to leave now.” He shoved her toward the elevator a moment before the bathroom door to their right banged open.
    A man appeared, holding a deadly-looking knife in both hands. A loud gasp let him know Gina hadn’t left. Shit.
    Grabbing her arm, he pushed her behind him. No matter what happened, this fucker wasn’t going to hurt her.
    He studied the intruder carefully. Despite the weapons, the man wouldn’t be much of a match for him. In wolf form, he could take him down in an instant. As a man, there would only be a brief struggle. Checking to make sure Gina was still behind him, he called out, “What do you want?”
    The man smiled, his teeth sharp and pointed. What the hell? His words lisped across red lips. “I think it would be obvious.”
    Anger filled Luke. It did have to do with L-12. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to spell it out for me.”
    “Gladly.” In a lightning swift move, the man tossed a knife at his head.
    Cursing, Luke ducked to the side, toward Gina. The blade missed them both by a few inches and sank into the plaster of the wall behind them. “Whatever you do, stay behind me,” he whispered in a fierce rush.
    Gina’s eyes were wide with fright, yet adrenaline made the pupils take on a bright glow. The blue of her iris contracted until nothing but luminescence was visible. God damn it. She was going to shift.
    “No!” he commanded in a dark undertone. “Don’t fucking shift. Do you hear me?”
    Her breath came in short gasps, her chest heaving and falling with the rapid intake of air. He gripped her arms and gave her a tiny shake. “I’ve got this, Gina. Just trust me.”
    Spinning back around to face the intruder, he gave a cocky grin. “You’re going to have to do better than that.”
    As expected, anger made the man react hastily. He tossed the other knife, this one several inches off target. Now weaponless, it would be a more even match. Well, not quite even. How could the intruder know of Luke’s strength? Or maybe he did. Someone had certainly known about the research taking place in the lab.
    The need to shift was so strong he ached with it. His skin felt tight, his ears buzzing with the blood flowing through his veins at a rapid pace. Like Gina, when faced with danger his wolf’s natural instincts took over. In a flight or flee situation, wolves never chose the latter. If it was a fight he wanted, a fight Luke would give him.
    Gina’s scent lingered in the air, sweet, seductive, with a tang of her fear. He wished he could’ve gotten her away so she didn’t have to witness this. Praying she would stay out of the way, he lunged for the intruder.
    The man anticipated his action. He rushed forward, his fists swinging in an arc toward Luke’s face. Luke caught his fist in mid-swing and clamped a grip about the man’s hand. Bones crunched as he squeezed.
    “Oww,” the man cried out.
    “Not much of a fighter I take it,” Luke goaded. Fury spread across the man’s face. He kicked out, his foot connecting with Luke’s knee. Holy shit . . . that was going to leave a bruise. Ignoring the pain, he punched