by Erin Hayes
Or that he had help…
In either case, it didn’t bode well for their mission.
And while the new report still earned an eye-roll and disgusted scoff from Isaac, what details were provided were more than enough to fill Zoey with an all new set doubts.
How could she hope to track down an extremist rogue who’d been avoiding capture longer than she’d even been alive?
Trying her best to avoid letting her emotions show to Isaac and Delilah, the three of them reviewed the new report:
NAME:(NA), EZRA
SPECIES:HYBRID (SANGSUIGA/THERIOMORPH)
ORIGIN:POLISH
APPEARANCE: (AS OF MAY 7, 1945)*
SEX: MEYES: BLHAIR: BLHT: 6-09
(POSSIBLE SCARRING ON/AROUND UPPER TORSO)
SUMMARY: Ezra, during his time in captivity within a Nazi research
facility, was subjected to many experimental procedures conducted to better understand the workings of his unique physiology.
Are there weaponized human/mythos hybrids as a result of these experiments?
REQUEST DENIED
REQUESTING FOLLOW-UP AS OF AUGUST 11, 1957
reluctantly
*DETAILS PROVIDED ^BY DOCTOR FRIEDRICH VON SCHNEIDER,
HEAD MEDICAL RESEARCHER – MATHAUSEN-GUSEN (1938-1945)**
**Dr. von Schneider died shortly
after his interrogation due to
medical complications
(Lead interrogator, decorated auric
agent Eran Czarniecki, was charged
with torturing and murdering a wit-
ness following the death of Friedrich
von Schneider on May 18, 1945.)
The reports following Ezra’s escape and his attacks on neighboring towns depicted a similar scene that the more recent reports of the new subject had. In a matter of a few short days, hundreds of men, women, and children were left butchered in what many described as a “hellish massacre.” Witnesses of the aftermath were certain that the carnage couldn’t possibly be the work of a single mythos, but without any survivors of the attacks there was no way to prove otherwise. And, like the attacks that Delilah was describing from the previous night, every human body found was defiled with a swastika carved somewhere on their body. In prior attacks, the few cases of a mythos corpse turning up among the heaps of dead humans wore a different sort of carving:
“Verrater?” Delilah repeated, not bothering to try hiding her confusion.
Zoey nodded. “Means ‘traitor’ in German,” she clarified.
Isaac glanced her way. “You speak German?” he asked with a smirk and a quirked brow.
Blushing under the heat of his gaze, Zoey shrugged. “No,” she admitted, pointing at the report just under the translation, “I just read ahead.”
“Oh,” Isaac chuckled at his own folly and gave a casual shrug with a single shrug. “It’s still sexy,” he confessed.
Delilah cleared her throat and shook his head. “You two fishing for ‘aw’s or something? You’re not going to get them from me? Not right now! I’ve got victims, human and therion alike, dead, cut up, and, in a few cases, practically liquefied! So you’re telling me this Ezra guy was some sort of Nazi prisoner? Tortured, experimented on, and who-knows-what-else, right? You wanna explain why he’d go slapping the symbol of the folks that did that to him on his human victims? Or why he’d be calling his own kind—”
“Half his own kind,” Isaac corrected, sounding disgusted.
Delilah nodded, seeming to share the sentiment. “Right. So why call other mythos ‘traitors’ like that? It’s not like he could’ve known them!”
“And in German,” Isaac added, looking over at Zoey questioningly. “Wouldn’t he be tagging them in Polish?”
Zoey shrugged. “The Nazi impact on Poland at that time was… well, very harsh to say the least. It could be that he only ever learned to speak and write in German.”
“And the swastikas?” Delilah pressed again.
“The… uh,” Zoey began skimming the rest of the report, “The psych evaluation said that it might be some sort of an accusation.” When neither Isaac nor Delilah said anything at that, she added, “Because he was held captive and tortured by humans during wartime, it’s possible that he views all humans as Nazis. The swastika may not be a signature so much as it might be a label.”
Delilah scowled at that but nevertheless said “That makes sense, I suppose” before turning away from them. “So,” she called behind her, “are you two ready to see them then?”
“Them?” Zoey frowned.
Delilah glanced back and rolled her eyes. “The bodies.”
“Declan and I will be waiting out front,” Delilah called out, already starting to leave Zoey and Isaac’s room. There’d been another flare of embarrassment as Zoey felt Delilah’s aura spike from behind her at the sights (and smells) they’d left behind to discuss their business. She’d wished that they could’ve skipped this step, but with them not dressed to hit the streets or properly armed it wouldn’t have been wise in the long run. Before crossing the threshold and leaving the two to get ready, Delilah turned to them, offering a prolonged glance in Isaac’s direction, and added, “Don’t take too long.”
If Isaac planned on responding, he didn’t have the time to start before the door slammed shut.
Zoey, at that point, knew better than to try.
Just get through this without killing any of them, Zoe, she was almost surprised that she “heard” her thoughts in Serena’s voice. Almost. The sad reality, though, was that she wasn’t sure she could hear such strong words come to her in her own.
She sighed, looking over at Isaac for a moment as he finished pulling on a pair of black cargo pants and started fastened a sheathed knuckle duster Bowie knife around his left ankle. Though Zoey didn’t know much about fighting with knives and even less about the details surrounding them, Isaac, who passionately referred to it as his new “toy,” insisted on training her with it. And while she knew better than to say it aloud and give him what she knew he’d view as a victory, even she had to appreciate the sleek design and comfort of the handle as she slipped her fingers through the grips. She might, if she knew it was safe enough to think such thoughts, go so far as to say that it was sexy. Isaac’s aura curled as he caught her staring and, as she glanced upward, she saw the same sly curl in his lip.
“Your new toy? Really?” she forced herself to roll her eyes and hoped that it didn’t seem too phony.
She didn’t need to read his mind to know Isaac didn’t buy it.
“Don’t see you complaining,” he said.
Feeling her face go hot at that, she turned away and began buckling herself into a leather halter top that Serena had given her. While she appreciated the range of motion and the layer of protection it provided, Serena’s comment that it made her “tits look extra bouncy” was not far from her reasoning, either. In that, however, Serena was not wrong. Isaac’s words earlier had been enough to make her fall in love with him all over again, and, dammit, he more than deserved to see something “extra bouncy” for his efforts.
“Is it too much?” she asked as she caught Isaac staring. “I haven’t worn it yet,” she confessed, suddenly feeling more and more self-conscious about it, adding, more out of defense than anything else, “Serena bought it.”
“It looks fantastic,” he assured her, lingering a bit longer on her chest. “Serena’s got a good eye,” he winked.
“You didn’t say if it was too much or not,” Zoey pointed out.
Isaac smirked at that and shrugged. “Sometimes,” he drew out the word a moment, considering his words, “‘too much’ can be a good thing.”
She chuckled and slid into a pair of jeans on and then yanked on a pair of ankle-high boots. Isaac finished with a tank top that hugged his physique in ways that Zoey believed should’ve been unlawful, but, in a bitter-sweet act, concealed the majority of under a black leather jacket.
“Come on,” Isaac smirked, ca
tching her looking once again—this time at more than just his Bowie knife. “Otherwise we’ll never make it out in time.”
Zoey grinned and nodded, following him out. She noticed that there were even more therions out and about than last night, and she also noticed the intensity of their glares towards her.
No mind-reading needed, she thought, letting her eyes drop to the floor as she walked.
Isaac squeezed her and hand in his then and she felt his aura twist with need as it usually did when he had a thought he wanted to share. Probing into his mind, she gave him a subtle nod to let him know that she was “listening.”
Don’t let them see you shy away, he warned her. It’s what they’re looking for; what they’re trying for. The moment they get it, they’ll see nothing but prey.
And if I try to stand my ground? she asked, still refusing to meet any of their gazes. They answer to Delilah, and I can’t—
So help me, Zoey, Isaac’s face twisted with the ferocity as though he was speaking the words aloud, I will not allow you to compare yourself to her any more than you already have! Her dominance was challenged the day I refused her, and she’s had a point to prove ever since. She’s not competing with you, though I’m sure she doesn’t even realize that, she’s fighting to keep control of her pack. If she crumbles and shows that same weakness, her pack will eat her alive! A lot of the therions here are here solely because she ordered it! If they thought for an instant that she wasn’t the alpha she pushes to be the system she’s worked this hard for would be doomed! He looked at her then and gave her hand another reassuring squeeze. But don’t for an instant think that gives her a right to walk all over you or that it gives you a reason to start questioning everything about yourself… or about us! You take what comfort you need in knowing she’s only acting this way to maintain everything she’s built, but if it comes down to it I want you to bury your fist in her face and show her the badass I know you are.
Zoey blushed at that. I don’t think I could do that, she confessed.
We both know you can, Zoe, Isaac smirked and one of the nearby therions growled with the realization that they were having a conversation that none of them could hear. The only question now is whether or not you will.
She paused to look up at him, taking in the flicker of a loving smile in her direction before he shot a glare at the others. A stab of guilt hit her as she realized that Isaac would kill each and every one of them in that instant if they tried to lay a finger on her. He was walking a thin line, on one side were his diplomacy and professionalism and on the other were his pride and the love he’d never been shy about proclaiming. Chances were high the only reason he hadn’t turned his back on the first side was because of her dedication to her own diplomacy and professionalism. In many ways, she realized, he’d probably turned his back on his own long ago, and it was only his love for her that had him following suit. How quickly that could all change, all because of her. These therions hated her—hated her kind—and, because they weren’t afraid to show it, they were risking everything.
She wasn’t sure which she regretted more: holding their lives in her hands without them realizing it or being the sole reason that Isaac wasn’t like them, hating her and her kind all the same.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, feeling the words needed to be said aloud.
“Why are you apologizing?” he asked with a chuckle. “You don’t need to worry. They’ll come to understand…” Then, with a sly smirk that was every bit as cunning and mischievous as a fairytale wolf, he added “One way or the other.”
She smiled, wanting to laugh at that but thinking better of it and containing the impulse at the last minute, and nodded. Though the feeling of guilt lingered a moment longer, she decided that if he wasn’t upset about it—didn’t regret his decisions thus far—then it was foolish for her to regret them for him. Besides, it wasn’t as though she’d change his mind anytime soon.
That she knew above everything else.
They made it through the crowded hallway (thankfully) without incident, and Zoey resisted the urge to glance back to see the glares that she already knew from the angry auras were tracing their steps. A bizarre calm fell over her as they met up with Declan and Delilah in front of the building, and even after catching Delilah frowning at their clasped hands she found this new company more accepting than the last. The kind of hatred they’d just pushed through was a storm of darkness with no roots or destination. There was no way to understand it; you either let yourself be carried off and be changed forever by it or you sought shelter from it and dared not give it a second glance. But jealousy… jealousy made sense. Jealousy she could understand. Isaac was Isaac, after all, and Isaac was hers!
No matter what Delilah wanted to think.
Remembering what Isaac had told her, Zoey made a show of tightening her grip, not letting the female therion or the fire in her eyes drive her to let go.
You go, girl! the voice—Serena’s voice—chimed in her thoughts.
Serena, even if it was just a projected version of her over her own thoughts, was right, though. If Zoey wanted to be respected—and for the sake of the mission she needed to be respected—she’d have to earn it. Isaac’s aura swelled once again with fresh pride at the gesture, and he returned the squeeze with one of his own before leaning down and kissing her on the top of her head.
That’s my girl, she heard him praise in her mind.
You’re damn right I am! she replied, not even trying to hide the growing smile from Delilah.
She was surprised that the voice she heard was her own this time and not that of her friend’s.
It sounded so right.
Fucked
“These are the friends you mentioned?” Delilah’s associate, a therion who was simply introduced as “the detective,” asked as he cast her a suspicious glance. “You didn’t used to care for vamps, if memory serves.”
“Your memory serves just fine, Dick,” Delilah answered, though Zoey couldn’t be sure if the title was in regards to his role, his name, or if she’d just insulted him. “And I still don’t care for them, but Isaac’s one of… well, he was one of us, and she’s—” She shook her head and waved her hand as though she was wiping her words off a cluttered table. “Look, they’re both with the Vailean Clan,” she finally clarified, “and The Council sent them to deal with all this:” she nodded past him towards the scene that lay beyond.
“Ah, well, I suppose I should be honored, huh?” Dick, if that was his actual name, said, sounding anything but honored as he turned away from them and led them further into the whitewashed room that awaited beyond the long, narrow staircase they’d entered from. The building, from the outside, had the stoic, purposeful design of an old hospital, but had since been sectioned off and rented out as office space. Delilah left Declan at the entrance, a nondescript door waiting at the end of three shaded steps that cut into the side of the building, before ushering Zoey and Isaac after, passing through the door and revealing more steps that descended into more darkness. Beyond that, the basement that revealed itself proved to have maintained the cryptic, sterile feel of the rest of the building’s wonder years, resembling the interior of old med tents from wartime: rows of empty gurneys lined up in parallel rows like old, dirtied cots, and, at the end of the room, a long, white curtain stretched across the width of the room, hiding the other side from sight. Stepping between two of the gurney rows, the detective started towards the curtain as he said, “Your perps certainly left quite a mess for you to deal with, Vaileans.”
Zoey frowned, ignoring the snide tone in the detective’s voice and keying in on something else entirely. “Perps?”
“Yea. As in the ones that did this,” Dick paused to sneer at them over his shoulder before giving Delilah another suspicious look. “You sure this was the best The Council could dredge up?”
Isaac growled. “She knows what it means, Dick,” he snapped, taking a long step that closed most of the distance between them, “but you�
��re talking like this was done by more than one perp!”
Dick’s eyes widened at the display and Zoey caught a wisp of panic slither off his aura as he took a step away from Isaac and bumped into one of the gurneys, knocking it out of alignment with the others in its row. Even though he couldn’t see the therion’s aura, Isaac’s own gave away that he’d picked up on the panic.
Don’t let them see you shy away, she remembered him telling her.
… they’ll see nothing but prey.
She couldn’t help but smirk.
“We-well, yea! I… well, I mean, I can smell more than just one mythos on the bodies, it’s just hard to discern what kind.”
“That’s because it’s a hybrid,” Zoey interjected, stepping up beside Isaac then and scanning the area with her mind’s eye. Sure enough, there was auric residue from more than one source, wafting like fading plumes of colored smoke trailing from invisible embers just beyond the curtain. “Or, rather, two hybrids,” she clarified with a frown, studying one of the trails in particular.
There was something familiar about…
“Hybrids? As in—”
“Can I see them, please?” Zoey interrupted the detective, already starting past him—using her aura to push several of the gurneys beside him out of her way—without a response.