by Brenda Trim
“No. Izzy suffered the most injuries in their training class,” Blaine shared as he recalled the Vampire Princess getting hit and twisting muscles. He missed her more than he thought he would since she left two years ago. “And there was only one time I was concerned that she might need a potion to help her heal so she didn’t suffer unnecessarily. By the time I found her in the playroom an hour later she was fine.”
“I don’t think he was buying potions,” Dyson interjected. “These pages are written in the Fae language. They’re folk remedies about healing damage of an overtaxed body and increasing one’s energy stores. This last page talks about maintenance.”
“Get Theo. I want to know how his son got a hold of Fae information. That’s no’ printed on our paper.” Angus pointed at the stack in Dyson’s hand.
Legette cleared his throat. “I’m not so sure that’s going to help anything, Sire. Theo would never abide by his son sneaking contact with a Fae. He would turn him in without hesitation. He is utterly loyal to the Cuelebre.”
“I agree, Sire. They have been through enough losing their son,” Blaine added. He had hoped to have some answers after looking into the matter. Granted his investigation had just begun, but he had more questions now than when he started.
“I can agree to wait to bring him in. I too, recall his loyalty before I disappeared. He was one of the few that was there helping search for Kiera when everyone believed her dead.” Angus turned to the witches. “Can you perform a spell on this to see if it is some new way Cyril developed to kill dragons? It’s precisely the underhanded thing he would do.”
Isis clenched her jaw and tilted her chin back. “No. I won’t. Not until you release my son and pardon him.”
Pema crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. “You have imprisoned Donovan wrongfully. Neither of us will help you until you give us something. Donovan has been in jail for two years suffering when he did nothing wrong. He was protecting Izzy when you failed her.”
Angus growled and scales rippled over his skin. “Watch it, witch. I am the King of this realm and I will send you home withoot your nephew. I canna release him. You know this. My people need to know their sovereign is on their side. I left them helpless for centuries.”
Kiera stepped up and put her hands out at the same time Isis and Pema took a step forward. This was as entertaining as the movies from Earth. Acting was new to Khoth, but Blaine imagined that soon enough they would have shows of their own.
“Stop, Angus. Isis and Pema are protecting their own. You would do the same for Blaze or Josie.” Kiera turned her focus to the witches. “Please understand this is hard for us, too. We love Donovan, but we have to balance more than him and you guys. We will do everything possible to help him.”
Blaine stepped in and said “Look, I just started looking into this and already it’s clear there is definitely more here. I think it’s safe to say there was something up with Troy. Don’t you want to know the truth for Donovan? I know he feels guilty for killing one of his friends. Helping with this could not only help clear Donovan’s name, but also alleviate any guilt he feels.”
Isis glared at him for a couple seconds. “Alright. We’ll do it, but you owe us Angus. I want Donovan to have better meals and books to read.”
The sisters clasped hands with their mates behind them. “Live and learn, learn and live. I endeavor to receive the secrets hidden within. Bring to me, the knowledge true. Shine a light to the darkest pit. By the Power of Three, so mote it be,” the witches called out in unison.
For the second time that day mist gathered at their feet and built to surround them. The electrical current was back, but this time it carried a cold current. The room was silent as the magic worked to gather the information they needed.
Blue and gold light emanated from their hands then images formed in the mist. Everything seemed to stop when they saw Cyril standing in a clearing close to Raynah Beach talking to an unknown Dark Fae. If Cyril made this then chances were good that it was designed to carry out his vendetta against the Cuelebre dragons.
Fucking hell! Blaine hadn’t anticipated that asshole being involved when he took on this case. It was supposed to be an easy investigation, likely to reveal drug use on Troy’s part, that would explain his behavior and give a reason for Donovan’s reaction. Instead, he was looking at a nightmare.
Chapter 9
Millie was walking a tightrope. Jack had chewed her out for being nice to Hayden. Jack was pissed. She’d never seen him so mad. She’d barely managed to calm him a fraction when she pointed out that she was merely trying to get him to cooperate with them. She had pointed out that she hadn’t been able to take what they needed from him, so she was going on instinct that it had to be given.
It was the only thing that made sense in the situation. Against her better judgement, she’d cut him open and removed biopsies from various parts of his body. No one should be able to keep their full DNA profile hidden. And yet, that’s precisely what Hayden had managed.
She had switched days ago from taking samples to giving him injections of various medications designed to elicit a response from him. Nothing seemed to do a damn thing to him. She wondered if his body was simply so efficient at filtering out foreign substances that it was gone before it could work properly.
The blood test yesterday confirmed that theory when there wasn’t one drop of morphine present despite having been given a dose ten minutes before. The half-life of the drug was between two and four hours.
Millie’s gut burned along with her guilt. She couldn’t stand what was happening to Hayden. Her subjects were supposed to be little more than animals. She’d had no problem testing shampoo on monkeys early in her career. Sure, she felt bad when their skin was burned, but she also took care of them and made sure they healed with no lingering side effects.
Perhaps if she’d taken the job at the drug company, she’d have been better prepared for this. The experiments there had much higher stakes and when something went wrong it could be lethal.
If scientists like her had never taken any risks, they wouldn’t be where they were now. Every advancement was possible because a person or animal suffered to give doctors the knowledge, they needed to improve the outcome for others.
She’d heard the arguments and encountered the protesters countless times. Thankfully, the early studies provided information that enabled them to avoid the worst of the possible problems. Some sacrifice was necessary for the greater good.
Now you’re justifying your behavior. What she was doing had the potential to cure many diseases and provide people with better bodies, or she hoped it did anyway, but there was no guarantee.
Every speck of information she gathered on paranormal creatures told of their enhanced strength and their superior senses. There were rumors they lived for centuries and were possibly even immortal. Surely, if she could borrow some of that genetic information, she could use that to help eliminate what caused people problems. Aging and disease.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she entered the base and waved to the guard before heading to her office. She was so lost in thought when she passed her keycard over the scanner that she didn’t see the door was already ajar.
Her heart started racing. Pausing to listen, she heard the guards down the hall talking about the game last night and the lab techs using the machines to run tests. Who the hell was in her office? No one should be able to enter without her thumb print.
“Get the fuck in here Seijo.” The harsh command stopped her racing heart so suddenly she was dizzy. Inhale, exhale. Except her boss.
Jack being there was not a good sign. Apparently, she hadn’t calmed him down at all. Straightening her suit jacket, she pushed the panel open. “Morning, Jack. What brings you here today?”
Jack was sitting in her chair behind her desk. “What do you think? I want to see the subject. I’m going to make him give us what we need. You clearly aren’t trying hard enough. You haven’t collected a
ny new samples in three days. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were going soft on me.”
He’d messed with her system and piled the various papers she had scattered across the surface in one pile in the corner. It was a minor annoyance, but now she would have to sort through it all again. She’d been reviewing her notes from various conversations over the years along with the results of Hayden’s latest bloodwork.
“As I’m sure you’re aware, there was an incident, and he was badly injured. I was giving him time to heal.” She hoped she wasn’t shaking too badly as she crossed to her desk to set her bag down and grab her lab coat. She was on uneven footing with her boss and had no idea how to deal with it.
Jack sneered at her. “And I told you he doesn’t need time to heal. He’s here to give us a way to enhance our soldiers. We need results and fast or we will lose our government funding and support.”
“You would risk his life? There is only so much a body can handle before it gives out. I refuse to jeopardize our only subject. Unless you’ve been successful in capturing his friends.” She was fishing now. Jack had taken over the search for the paranormals that had gone to the bar looking for Hayden right after Millie shared her plan with him.
Over the past week Jack had shared less and less information with her about their success since she had informed him, they’d killed the others and that had been the reason for their sudden disappearance. Jack didn’t believe it and insisted Hayden had manipulated and lied to her.
Millie figured that was one issue Jack was probably right about. She would lie to protect her friends if she found herself in a similar situation which was why she hadn’t forced the issue with Hayden. Jack was right, she had gone soft, but she didn’t give a shit about his opinion.
At some point she’d begun to see Hayden as a person, and she couldn’t torture and threaten him like she’d been told.
“His friends continue to elude me, but that will change after I meet with him.” Jack stood up and lifted the phone off the cradle. “Stan, have the subject collected and placed on Dr. Seijo’s table.”
“Yes, sir.” Stan sounded eager. Millie hadn’t allowed him to have contact with Hayden since the incident.
Bile flooded the back of Millie’s throat as she followed Jack from the room. She heard the guards cursing and a commotion around the corner. Her mind raced for a way out of this situation. Jack would force her hand and make her take more from Hayden. Something she didn’t want to do.
Hayden didn’t feel like she’d held back with him, but she had. Even when she had cut into him, she’d only taken small samples, and did it in the least invasive way possible. Jack would want to see a full sternotomy. Not the two-inch hole she had previously cut to do a needle biopsy.
She didn’t think she could cut into Hayden’s heart muscle, but no doubt Jack would expect it. Her hands were shaking so badly she almost dropped her keycard when she went to open her treatment room.
Stan and Ed carried Hayden in and dropped him on the table. He’d lost weight since they’d kidnapped him. She no longer tried to minimize their actions in her head. They had taken this man from his life and were torturing him. They had no right to do this to him, but it was too late for her to turn back now.
Hayden’s head hit the table with a loud thump, that made her wince. There were dark circles and bags under his eyes. She expected to see him lethargic, but the despondency was new when he looked at Jack.
“How many darts did you use this time?” They had to have given him too much. That would explain his reaction to her boss being in the room.
“We only had to use two this time. He’s not so strong now, is he?” Stan got in Hayden’s face. Millie almost laughed when Hayden snarled at the guard making him jump back with a screech.
Jack shook his head with an upturned lip. “Get out of here. We have work to do.”
Unsurprisingly, Stan and Ed tripped over themselves to leave the room. That got Hayden’s attention. He was more alert and tracked Jack’s every move after that. Millie sighed in relief when she saw that. She couldn’t stop the visceral reaction to seeing he hadn’t been beaten.
“Hello, Hayden. I’m Jack Walton and I own Triton Incorporated. I’ll be directing Dr. Seijo today to ensure she collects the necessary sample to further her research. You’ve been a difficult subject.” Jack leaned over Hayden in an attempt to intimidate him.
Millie saw the disbelief in Hayden’s eyes. He wasn’t going to be frightened of this guy. She’d bet he’d seen and faced far worse. Problem was, Jack had the power in this situation, and she found herself holding her breath as she waited to see how Hayden would respond.
Hayden held Jack’s gaze. To her surprise, Hayden’s eyes started glowing before they shifted to black. “You haven’t seen anything difficult yet.”
Jack reared back. He had to have felt the energy surge from Hayden. It stung and made her want to run far away as fast as she could. That was a predator letting its prey know he had them locked in their sights.
“I hope your friends will be smarter than you. Perhaps they will give us what we need. Now, we can do this easy way or the hard way.” Jack crossed to the tray of surgical implements and picked up a ten blade.
Millie approached Hayden and doused a four by four with alcohol then cleaned off his chest. There was dirt and blood crusted on his skin over burn marks. Jack had given the guards permission to tase Hayden. He wanted the shifter tormented in the belief it would weaken him.
Millie had never seen a stronger person in her life. An animal would have devolved into nothing more than a snarling beast that attacked everything that came near it. A man would have become a simpering mess giving her anything she asked for. Hayden kept his head high and refused to give into despair.
“You have no hope of ever finding my friends. You’re not smart enough.” Millie wanted to laugh at Hayden’s taunts.
“Who says I don’t have them already? Let’s get started, shall we? It’s time to take a sample of his heart muscle, Dr. Seijo. That’s where we will find the genetic code that we need to unlock his secrets.”
Millie flinched at the command even though she expected it. “This could do more harm than good, Jack. The sequencer is still running through his code and might have it completed any minute. I’m not going to hurt him when we don’t need to.”
Jack surged forward and pushed her against the counter behind her. “Those samples will never yield results. They aren’t sufficient. That’s why the computer hasn’t been able to complete the analysis.”
“I’ve taken samples from his heart already. You need to back the hell off and let me do my work. It’s why you hired me.” Her insides wiggled like bowl of worms at standing up to Jack. She’d never done anything like that before and her heart raced with every second Jack stood there glaring at her. He was a very powerful man and she thought he would do anything to get what he wanted and mow down anyone in his way.
“And you will take more right now. It would be unfortunate if your parents had a fatal accident. Wouldn’t it?”
Millie’s heart stopped then dropped to her feet. This man would kill her parents or have someone else do it without hesitation. At that moment she wished more than anything that she hadn’t kept Hayden so weak during his time with them.
If he was at full strength, he could knock Jack out giving them the chance to escape. There were dozens of soldiers standing between them and freedom, but with her help, they could avoid most of them as they ran. Why had she kept him drugged and under fed? She wanted to kick her own ass.
Millie swallowed down her defiance and bobbed her head. She had to shove the bile back down her throat while her heart was racing, and she was fighting the emotions that threatened to break her. Never once in her career had she been on the verge of tears at work, but she felt like she could start bawling any second.
At that moment she vowed to find a way to get Hayden out of there. Perhaps he would let her go with him. She would be a hunted woman the
second she freed him, but she didn’t care. This couldn’t continue.
Hayden wanted to erase the regret from Millie’s gorgeous brown eyes. Then he wanted to rip her boss’s head from his shoulders. Jack Walton was worse than an archdemon. The male had stood there and forced Millie to slice open Hayden’s chest and take a piece of his heart.
Hayden watched as she tried to talk him out of the procedure. He’d seen the second she considered trying to escape with him and the moment reality sank in that there were too many obstacles for them to overcome.
He’d been shocked to see her eyes well with tears for several seconds. She’d lowered her head while she strapped his arms and legs down so Jack wouldn’t see her. She looked him in the eye and explained what she was going to do before she injected another sedative and a numbing agent into his chest.
She’d discovered anesthesia didn’t work on him the first day of his incarceration. He wanted to believe Millie was genuinely sorry for what she’d done, but he couldn’t. This could be another ploy of hers to get him to lower his defenses.
He had no idea why their machines hadn’t given her his genetic code yet. She had taken countless samples and he was certain their secret was now out. Thankfully, they hadn’t been able to learn about much more than his enhanced healing abilities. He’d bet it was the Goddess at work ensuring her creations are protected.
This procedure had been the worst to endure. There was no way for her to take the pain away as she excised a piece of his heart. It was fitting that she did so, given she already owned part of him. She might actually be his Fated Mate. He couldn’t be certain. It was impossible to think straight when it came to her.
His chest ached and his heart had slowed to the point he worried he wouldn’t last much longer under these conditions. His entire life he believed it would take so much more than this to end his life. Now, he knew starvation, drugs and torture would be enough to kill any shifter.