by Eve Langlais
“Involved how? Gonna give me a gun and tell me to guard shit again?” Last time he played soldier for the company, he almost put the weapon to his head. It would take only one bullet to stop what Chimera had done.
“We need hunters to help us comb the woods.”
“You mean someone with a good sense of smell.” Another trait he’d inherited.
“Yes. Someone who can track by scent, sight.”
“What am I looking for?”
Chimera’s lips flattened. “It would seem the subjects that escaped a while back aren’t dead as we first believed.”
“Did daddy’s experiments come back for a visit?” Luke taunted.
“One of them almost killed Nurse Henley.”
“I can’t track a lake monster.”
“Not that one. The hybrid from the woods. It would be unfortunate if that were to happen again.”
“Don’t you threaten her.” Luke pushed away from the wall he leaned against, body bristling.
Chimera held up a hand. “Not a threat. Just the truth. The creatures are getting bolder, but my men have been unable to take care of them.”
“So your plan is to send a monster to catch a monster.”
“You are not a monster.”
“Aren’t I?” Luke said with a sneer.
“Will you do it?”
“Yes. But only a few conditions. One, I want that room you promised. No more guards shadowing my every move.”
“Done.” The reply was quick.
“And I get to see Margaret. Now.”
“She’s unconscious.”
“Don’t care. I see her or there’s no deal and you can hope your pet projects don’t come back to bite your ass. Literally.”
“Very well.” Chimera held out his hand.
It was like shaking with the devil. Which was why Luke didn’t feel bad that he planned to bolt the first real chance he got.
And fuck anyone who got in his way.
Chapter Sixteen
Margaret awoke in a bed.
Not her bed, she should add. She didn’t recognize the light suspended overhead. The manacles were also not something she kept in the bedroom. Too kinky for her tastes.
However, she didn’t get the impression these were for fun times. Not given the antiseptic smell.
A tug of each arm showed her firmly held, and yet her legs were free. Which didn’t do her much good. She didn’t have the flexibility to use her toes to untie herself.
“What the hell.” She yanked and tugged, panic swamping her quickly at her inability to free herself. Was this how Luke felt when they tied him? Helpless. Afraid. Much easier to understand his anger now that she experienced it.
What she didn’t understand was, why had someone restrained her? Last she recalled she was sinking in water.
Cold. Cold. Water.
She remembered her lungs bursting for air. The need to breathe. The terror as she realized whatever pulled her under wasn’t about to set her free.
A sound from behind, the rustle of fabric and the soft scuff of a shoe, did nothing for her panic level.
“Who’s there? Where am I?”
“Calm down, Nurse Henley. You’re safe,” Dr. Chimera said in a soothing tone.
“Untie me at once.”
“I intend to. Give me a moment and I’ll release you from the restraints.” He moved into sight, looking as perfectly coiffed as ever. His deft fingers went to the cuff.
“While you’re taking them off, you can explain why I’m tied down in the first place,” she snapped. What had happened after she was pulled from the lake?
Who pulled her out?
She recalled a shape arrowing toward her, the eyes glowing green.
Dr. Chimera freed her wrist, and she snatched it close, eyeing him with suspicious caution.
“Nothing nefarious about it. Merely a precaution to ensure you didn’t pull the nutrient line from your arm. Surely you’ve encountered the need before in hospitals with patients who are volatile.”
Not often, but it did happen. A turn of her head meant she could see the IV on a pole, the tube extending from it snaking into her arm, the liquid clear. Relief filled her at the lack of color or murk. For a moment she’d feared she was being injected with something else.
“Why are you giving me fluids?” It wasn’t standard in drowning cases, given the whole water thing was the problem in the first place.
“We needed to keep you hydrated while you recovered.”
“I wasn’t out that long.” Or so she assumed. No way of telling time in this barren room.
“Longer than you think. The lake water was cold. Too cold for your body to handle. You were suffering from hypothermia. A severe case. It took us the better part of the last four days to regulate your core temperature.”
“Four?” It chilled her to realize how much time she’d lost.
“Four and it was iffy for part of it. But thankfully you pulled through.”
“Oh.” Realizing she’d almost died, her anger deflated. “Thank you.”
He finished untying her second wrist and then activated the mechanism to lift the head of the bed. “We weren’t about to let you die on us, Nurse Henley. Although, I have to admit, you caused quite the challenge. We’ve never had someone fall in the lake before and had to improvise when it came to slowly adjusting your core temperature.”
Fall? “I didn’t fall. Some thing”—emphasis on thing—“pulled me in.”
“A fish?” A smile hovered around his lips. “I’m pretty sure humans catch the fish and not the other way around.”
“I’m telling you something grabbed ahold of me.” A slimy tentacle wrapped around her wrist, pulling her hard through the cold water.
“I’m sure it seems very real. However, your recollection is possibly marred by the hypothermia you suffered and the lack of oxygen when you took water into your lungs. Memory loss and false memories can be side effects.”
The explanation certainly had some validity, and yet the realism of the memory didn’t waver. The details too vivid, too real. The green eyes so bright and somehow familiar. But impossible surely. Which made her wonder. “Who saved me?” Because she’d certainly not saved herself.
“Luke dove in after you.”
Luke with vivid orbs that sometimes flashed in her presence. He’d braved freezing cold water to save her? It warmed any cold left in her body. The very idea he’d brave danger to rescue her was the sexiest thing ever. “Did he get hypothermia, too? Is he okay?”
Dr. Chimera retrieved some items from a moving metal tray and laid them on the bed beside her. “Luke is tougher than you when it comes to polar swims. He’s fine and enjoying his new quarters. He’s been by to see you a few times. You had him quite worried. It would seem you’ve formed quite the bond.”
“We’ve been nothing but professional,” she primly stated.
“Indeed, you have. I’ve gotten reports on your very perfect patient-nurse interactions.” Said in a way that almost sounded mocking. “He’s made great strides with your help.”
“I didn’t really do anything.”
“Yet Luke has advanced since he came under your care. He’s much calmer now. Cooperative. Cooperative enough he’s been moved to the habitat level.”
The new surprised her. “He’s free?”
“He was never a prisoner, Nurse Henley,” Dr. Chimera chided. She noticed how he chose to address her by her title and not her first name. A step back from a month ago when he’d insisted she call him Adrian.
“Since you’ve deemed him recovered enough to be placed among the staff, does this mean he can leave?”
“Perhaps soon. We want to see how he does first. It wouldn’t do to release him too quickly, only to suffer a relapse. Should he continue to make progress, then we’ll reevaluate. In the meantime, he has access to the common area and can indulge in outdoor excursions. Under supervision of course. Perhaps you’ll join him. Although I might recommend you steer clear o
f the lake.”
She shivered. “Don’t go near the lake or the woods. Doesn’t leave much. Maybe it would be better to stay inside.”
“Now, now, Nurse Henley. Don’t let fluke incidents scare you from the beauty of these mountains.”
One almost-death experience was a fluke. Two weird occurrences displayed a pattern.
“When can I get out of here?” she asked. Being a patient was for other people. She didn’t like the feeling of being an invalid. It made her testy, which again only made her understand Luke more.
Luke. The man who saved her life.
“You may leave as soon as you feel capable,” Dr. Chimera replied, spreading his hands.
“I’m ready to go.” She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, turning her body, feeling the IV line in her arm tugging.
“Hold on. Let me remove that for you.” Chimera leaned close, his fingers, extra hot, deftly pulling free the IV then pressing gauze against the spot.
“I’ve got it.” She shoved at his fingers and applied pressure on the hole to stop any bleeding. The floor swayed underfoot when she hopped off the bed. Her vision spun, and the whole room wobbled for a moment.
Dr. Chimera steadied her with a hand on her arm. “Slowly, Nurse Henley. You’ve been lying down for quite some time.”
“Yeah, so I noticed. I’m fine now.” The world had steadied. She felt firmer on her feet. “How long was I out?”
Rather than reply, he said, “Would you like me to escort you to your room?”
“No thanks. I’m sure you have better things to do.”
“Ensuring my staff is healthy is important.”
She rolled her eyes once she’d stepped past him. What a load of crock. For some reason his words didn’t ring true. Perhaps it was Luke’s cynicism rubbing off, or Chimera wasn’t hiding it as well, but she heard the falseness in his words. Detected even a hint of mockery.
Whatever the case, she wanted away from him.
Lucky for her, she wore socks thick enough to repel the chill of the floor, just like the track suit she wore kept her toasty, especially once she pulled down the sleeves. Exiting, she recognized the location. Her old ward before she took over Luke’s care. Level four for patients.
Not saying a word, Chimera followed her, activating the elevator. She wondered for a moment if he would follow her to her room. But he stayed on board when she exited at the habitat level.
Quickly, her strength returning, she made her way to the women’s wing and was surprised to see Becky coming out of her room. She almost didn’t recognize the girl. The woman seemed hunched in on herself. Frail. If she didn’t know better, she’d say Becky appeared afraid.
How long since she’d seen her? Too long she realized. Margaret had gotten too caught up in her work—and burgeoning affair—to notice. “Becky?”
The word sounded loud in the silence, and the girl jumped. As Becky turned to face Margaret, she almost gasped at the sight of her eyes, sunken in her face, her cheeks hollow, her skin sporting a grayish cast.
“What happened to you?”
“I don’t know what you mean.” Becky pulled the door to her room shut then hugged her sweater more tightly around her body.
“You look exhausted.”
“Probably because I am.” Shoulders rolled as Becky shrugged. “It happens. I’ve been working long hours and not sleeping well.”
“Is everything okay?”
“I’m fine. Just having some weird nightmares.”
“About?” For a moment, she wondered if Becky had formed a bond with someone, too. Someone with less gentle manners.
“I’ve been dreaming about water. Lots of water with me in it.” Becky’s lips twisted into a wry smile. “Which is crazy because I don’t swim.”
“Good thing. That lake is dangerous.”
“I heard you fell in and almost drowned.”
“I didn’t fall.” For some reason she blurted it out.
“So, what, someone pushed you?” Becky asked.
Margaret shook her head. “Something in the water yanked me in.”
At that, the other woman turned serious. “Do you remember what it looked like?”
It surprised her Becky didn’t mock. Chimera certainly hadn’t taken her seriously. “I didn’t really see it. It felt like a tentacle, though, wrapped around me. But I’ve never heard of a lake creature with arms. Octopuses live in the oceans.” And surely didn’t have appendages that long.
“There’s all kinds of things in this world we’ve never discovered. Could be the Ogopogo?”
“The legendary lake monster? It’s not real.” Margaret wrinkled her nose. She didn’t mean to mock, especially since she’d seen the hybrid Sasquatch. But it was too late to temper her remark.
Becky stiffened. “It’s possible. The lake is deep and could have something never seen before. Scientists find new species every year.”
“Of course, they do. I didn’t mean to say it wasn’t possible. Dr. Chimera says I imagined it.”
“Dr. Chimera says a lot of things. But keep in mind he has secrets.”
“That’s what Luke says.”
“Ah yes, your miracle patient who recovered. I’ve seen him around. I can see why you didn’t mind playing nursemaid.” A coy reply.
“I wasn’t the one who chose the job,” Margaret said, feeling defensive.
“Wonder what they’ll have you doing now that he’s all better.”
Now that Becky mentioned it, she wondered herself. “I’m sure they’ll find me something to do.”
“Speaking of doing, I should get back to work.”
“Take care of yourself, Becky. You really do look run-down. Maybe you should ask for some time off.”
At Margaret’s words, meant to be caring about her friend, Becky shook off the slumping shoulders and wan expression. “I don’t need a break.” Becky shook her head, and her eyes took on an angry cast. “What? So you can take my place? I don’t think so.”
Not really, given how bad Becky looked. “I’m worried about you is all. Maybe you should see about getting some vitamins or something. Have you been getting fresh air?”
“I don’t need you worrying about me,” the once bubbly girl snapped. “I’m fine. All good. I just came to grab a sweater. I’m going for a walk.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
The glare said it all.
She stared at Becky’s back, stunned by the change, but at the same time unsure what she could do about it.
Entering her room, she found herself restless. Unable to sit still. It didn’t help that her terminal was down. She wanted to see Luke. Especially since she didn’t remember dreaming of him at all during her recovery. Had her almost drowning broken the link between them?
I have to see him.
But how? Chimera said Luke had been moved to a new room. How would it look if she asked someone to tell her where? Nothing wrong with a nurse inquiring about a patient. Especially the man who’d saved her.
That was the argument she used to convince herself. She’d find someone and ask them to point her in Luke’s direction.
Before leaving her room, she took a moment to shower, needing to wash the smell of the antiseptic ward from her skin. Whilst in the shower, she spent a moment checking herself over. Turned her wrist back and forth. The skin appeared smooth and unblemished.
The only mark was the one on her arm from the IV, barely a red pinprick. No bruising. No mottled skin from the hypothermia. No sign she’d almost died at all.
She dressed comfortably and pulled her hair back into a ponytail, and then she went in search of her dream lover.
Four days she’d slept. Four days and she didn’t recall a single thing from it. Had they induced a coma? She’d not thought to ask Dr. Chimera, and yet that seemed to be the case, else she’d have regained consciousness here and there.
A coma would explain the lack of dreamtime. Because she refused to contemplate a possibility that the link bet
ween her and Luke was broken.
He saved me. Surely that strengthened the bond.
Odd how she didn’t have a problem believing they share an esoteric link but scoffed at the idea of a lake monster.
What were the chances of two legendary creatures in one place?
If she listened to Luke, it wasn’t coincidence but science.
Science gone wrong.
The hallway for the women’s wing ended at the intersection, and she halted as she found the object of her thoughts coming out of the men’s wing.
At the sight of her, Luke’s nostrils flared and his eyes flashed.
Green fire in them. There one minute, gone the next. Just like in the water. What did it mean?
Is he a monster, too?
She didn’t let the idea take root as he exclaimed, “Flo!” His expression was bright with surprise and happiness. Luke took long strides toward her. Ignoring the camera surely watching, he scooped her into his arms and hugged her tight. He buried his face in her hair and whispered, “I was so worried.”
“I’m fine.” At least she seemed to be on the surface, but her mind was a different matter. Confusion plagued her, and she didn’t know a cure for it. Although, the press of his body, his real body for once, not the dream one, did alleviate some of her concern.
Still whispering he said, “I couldn’t find you in my dreams.”
“I know.” She pulled away lest those watching make note of their inappropriate intimacy. “I hear I should thank you for saving me.”
“No thanks. I should have paid better attention.”
He blamed himself for what happened? “Not your fault I’m clumsy.”
“You almost died.”
The reminder caused her heart to stutter. “But I didn’t. I’m fine now. Although I am beginning to wonder at my luck. That’s twice now the wildlife in this place has almost killed me. Did you see what grabbed me?” He’d surely know what it was.
Luke hesitated before saying. “What do you mean grabbed? You fell in.”
Lie.
She wondered if the cameras watching heard the falseness in his words. The damned cameras. Always spying and listening.
She wanted away from this place.