Gray (The Boundarylands #10) - Callie Rhodes Page 0,9

to drown her in the hot pool or bash her head against the rocky basin. Maybe photographing him naked was a greater insult than she'd imagined.

After all, Olivia knew very little about alphas beyond the crash course her handlers had given her—information that now seemed suspect, given that they'd also assured her there was no way he'd ever know she was nearby.

Despite watching him for two days in a row, the most she could say for certain was that he was quiet, left-handed, and liked to drink his coffee outside in the morning.

On the other hand, if he'd wanted her dead, he could have done it back at her campsite. During her many hours of observation, Olivia had noticed a certain efficiency to the alpha's movements, an economy and precision in the way he conducted himself. No matter what task held his attention, he was methodical, never wasteful.

He wasn't the kind of man who'd haul a woman half a mile over difficult terrain if he didn't have to.

The thought wasn't much comfort. The alpha might not be about to kill her, but the fact that he'd brought her this far meant that he was planning something.

The unknown was so much more terrifying than a threat she could see. But the good news was that Olivia didn't have to wait long to find out what it was.

"Take off the suit." The alpha leaned against a wall of solid rock to watch, his expression flat.

Olivia looked down at the suit that was supposed to keep alphas at bay. Fat lot of good the damn thing had done—it was obviously defective. "Why?"

The alpha's mouth tightened. "Because I fucking told you to."

It wasn't much of a reason, but she didn’t have a choice. Her only solace was that he sounded no more thrilled by the idea than she was.

She reached behind her back, trying to reach the zipper that had been secured by the agent who had dropped her off days ago. Unfortunately, her hands were trembling so hard that she couldn't seem to grasp the zipper's tab.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled after several unsuccessful attempts. "I'm trying, I swear."

The alpha rolled his eyes and yanked Olivia forcefully to her feet, turning her so that she faced away from him. She felt a hard tug, and the zipper separated to allow a cool rush of fresh air into the suit, the first relief her skin had felt in days.

The alpha stepped back and repeated his command, his voice testy.

"Now, take that damn thing off."

Olivia didn't dare argue. She peeled off the hood, then pulled down the sleeves. The strange material crackled stiffly as she shimmied out of it and let it fall to the ground.

Olivia was grateful that the suit was roomy enough to accommodate a thin tank top and cotton boxers underneath, the underwear she'd determined was most comfortable for long-haul assignments spent in a small tent. But it wasn't exactly suitable for public display. Her subjects generally didn't care if she wore a bra or preferred shorts over thongs, but revealing them to the alpha wasn't something that Olivia relished doing.

"Okay," she said after the alpha had been staring at her for an uncomfortably long time. "I took off the suit, just like you asked. Now what?"

The alpha seemed in no rush to respond. He ignored her, taking deep breaths—trying to smell her again, no doubt—before his scowl intensified. "What kind of scent blocker are you wearing?"

Olivia was confounded by the question. Hadn't she made it clear that she knew nothing about the technology? "I really have no idea. Just something they sprayed all over me."

The alpha's eyes narrowed as he gave a skeptical growl. "Who created it? This Alpha Control Division of yours? The army? Someone in the private sector?"

All Olivia could do was hold her hands up in defeat. How could she convince him that, until he'd shoved that badge in front of her face, Olivia didn't even know such a thing existed? "I already told you, I don't know. And I don't have anything to do with Alpha Control!"

"Whatever lab it came from, they did a hell of a job," he growled, ignoring her denials. "Even without that suit, I can't get a good enough read on your scent to tell if you're lying or telling the truth."

"It's the truth, I swear to God."

"I trust my senses over your God," the alpha retorted disdainfully. "You can save your breath until you get in that water and scrub that shit off