started playing with it if I had known something like this would happen just as we were about to leave for the wedding. And I can’t postpone it. Not that I want to. No scientific discovery is worth it if I don’t have Blake by my side.”
At least those words pulled Bennett out from his stupor.
“You turned into a wolf,” he stated like a child.
“I did. I can turn into a lion if you need me to.”
“No!” Bennett put a hand to his heart. He couldn’t take much more of this.
“Just so you know, Blake is a shifter, too. Her whole family is. It’s genetic. I have a folder with all of their genetic portfolios you can go through while you’re here. You were always much better at biochemistry than me. And your background in physiology might prove to be quite useful.”
“How did this even happen? Is that why you look like a Chad?”
Gray’s laughter surprised him. “Yes, actually, it is. I was dying from some gruesome injuries. Blake saved my life by injecting me with the serum. It was lifesaving, but it was also life-altering. It changed my entire body. I don’t need glasses anymore. No contacts, and no need for laser eye surgery.”
“Add wolf,” Bennett whispered under his breath.
“Exactly,” Gray said. “Oh, and I have exceptional hearing now. It’s part of this whole thing. So do you think you can do it? Look into all of this and make sure the serum stays stable during the week?”
At least this explained why Bennett had been invited to the house and not the wedding.
“Okay,” he said.
He was scared shitless, but this was a big deal.
Bennett had always wanted to be part of a huge scientific discovery. That was precisely why he spent all of his time doing research and writing papers for scientific journals.
He was searching for something.
Something that would define his life, his career.
This could be it.
“Perfect.” Gray pulled out a few files from his desk across the room and dropped them onto the counter. “This is everything I have so far.”
For the next few hours, they poured over what Gray had discovered. It became easier for Bennett to distance his friend from the animal he had seen. That had been all kinds of scientifically impossible.
Seeing the science behind it was helping.
It was still highly improbable and unlikely, but at least there was some truth in the data.
“I called you because I know you like to work alone. Like me. I wouldn’t have shared this with you if I didn’t trust you.”
Bennett nodded. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” He cleared his throat. “You should join the guys and me for a game of Wars of Sorcerers when you get back from getting hitched.” It was an odd thing to bring up, but Bennett needed to talk about something that brought him comfort. The day had been a hard one what with Gray looking like a Chad now and turning into an animal in front of his eyes.
Gray nodded. “Yeah, that would be fun. You’re free to have them over. Just make sure you keep them out of the lab. And you’ve got to lock up after they go. This place has to be a fortress.”
Bennett tried not to let Gray’s intensity scare him. “Sure, of course.” He gulped loudly despite his best efforts.
“You’ll be fine,” Gray assured him. “We’ve also hired some security. I don’t have the name of the guard yet, but Nick Milan’s company has a great reputation. And I’m not just saying that because his workers saved my life. Or because I’m marrying into that family. You can trust whoever they send.”
“Will the guard be a shifter like you?”
Gray shrugged with a very muscular shoulder. Bennett would have to get used to seeing Gray looking the way he did.
“Oh, she is,” Blake said as she joined them in the lab. “Her name is Dakota, and she’s a gem. Or at least, she seemed to be. Nick just hired her on a trial basis. But you should have nothing to worry about. Gray and I took care of all the bad guys when we met.” She gave Gray a wink. “Let me show you the guest suite before we head out.”
Bennett hadn’t missed Blake’s words. The guard who would be living with him for the week would be a woman.
That’s how much of a weakling he was.
He had to get a woman guard to defend him against an improbable foe.
Not that women couldn’t be total strong