Strange Case, an Urban Fantasy (Hyde Book III)

by Stewart, Lauren

  “I’m not sure.” His voice was controlled, like everything else about him—absolutely still until movement was necessary. “I think you’re trying to tell me not to move. But if I’m wrong, maybe you could say it a few more times.”

  Amusing. That comment almost made her smile. “I think you got it.” She gestured for his hand and went to work, still standing. He was right—impressive metal. The lock was definitely the weak point.

  “You’re really going to let me go.” He seemed shocked. Maybe he had PTSD. Maybe I have PTSD too. “I didn’t mean to sound unappreciative.”

  “After a little while in this place, it’s hard to believe anyone isn’t screwing with you, right?”

  He nodded slowly. “You took all of them out?”

  She shook her head and leaned closer to the lock. “Just Ryan. He’d already taken care of the others.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I didn’t do it for you.”

  “Doesn't matter. I got something out of it.” His voice was deeper than it had been a minute ago, more guttural.

  She took a step back. “Yeah, well. Don’t start thinking you’re going to get anything else out of it because I’m not in a great mood.”

  “Sorry.” He looked it—sorry, frustrated, confused, disgusted by things he couldn’t control. “Everything feels different now. I’m still trying to figure it out.” He hadn’t touched her and he was only reacting to the pull, so she wasn’t worried. He might not be normal, but he was human. And humans shouldn’t be caged.

  “There’s a lot to get used to,” she said. “If I let you go, are you going to be a problem for me?”

  “If I am, I’ll cuff myself. Or you can kill me.”

  “Try not to make that necessary.” When the lock clicked open, she straightened and stepped back.

  “Thank you.” He rubbed his wrist but waited until she was across the room before he stood. Smart man.

  “You should know that if any of this comes out, everybody loses—you, me, your family, everybody. All that will happen is you’ll end up in another room in another building with another cuff around your wrist. Because people suck and will want to know how you function now. So until we understand it, don’t do anything stupid.”

  “So you’re saying I can’t use the story to pick up women?” he asked dryly. “Damn it. Alright, you win—I’ll try not being stupid.” He shrugged. “It might work.”

  “Try hard.”

  “Have you seen the other men?”

  “No. Don’t let anyone out until you know they’re safe and sane.” God, she hoped they all were sane, because she had no idea what they would do with any who weren’t.

  “I’ll take care of them.”

  She could tell he wanted to get out of the room—who likes to stay in their prison cell any longer than necessary? But he waited. She didn’t think it was because he was a gentleman. Or even because he saw her as a threat.

  Okay, so the guy has some trust issues. Who doesn’t? “If you think I’m with Ryan, I’m incredibly offended. I’d hate to think I look that stupid.”

  One corner of his mouth curled ever so slightly, but only for a second. “What did they do to you?”

  She paused. “Everything they could.”

  But not anymore. When she realized it, the knowledge didn’t have the impact she thought it would. She was free, Ryan, Alex, and the Board were gone, but she was still scared. For Mitch.

  “Once you’ve freed the others,” she said, “meet me in the fight room. All of you. Because we need to chat.” After giving him the code for the doors and the lock-pick, she started running down the hall, back to Mitch.

  “What will you be doing?” Fox called.

  “Praying.” And crying. She would be doing a whole lot of both.

  Chapter XLVII

  Hope.

  It had been so long, Eden almost didn’t recognize it. Or understand why she was so overwhelmed with the feeling. Mitch was still unconscious and hadn’t moved in days. But he was Mitch. Stunning to look at, even more so in slumber. Maybe because he couldn’t ruin it by saying something obnoxious.

  Jesus, she loved how obnoxious he was. He was stubborn and snide and wicked and one-hundred percent male. And she knew he’d wake up soon. His breathing was steady and his pulse was…perfect. Because it was his. The normal rhythm of the man, not of Hyde.

  She was perched at the foot of the mattress, never looking away, expecting his eyes to open any minute and not wanting to miss it. She wasn’t stupid—the cuffs and chains stayed where she could grab them quickly if necessary. But she didn’t think he would need them.

  After she’d left Fox and gone back to the fight cage, there was no seizure. There was no Hyde. Just Mitch, lying completely still with his head in her lap, her hand smoothing his hair like she’d done for Justin. It was the most fearful moment of her life, sitting there waiting. Hoping. Praying. But he hadn’t even twitched. Not even when Fox helped her carry him to one of the ‘Normal’ rooms. And she’d definitely dropped her half a few times.

  Since then…nothing. But their time together had been good for her. It would’ve been better if he were conscious, but the quiet helped her focus, to think about things she hadn’t allowed herself to think about—those she’d lost, who she was, what she wanted their lives to be like after he woke up.

  Aside from certain areas, Eden actually liked living at the Shop. Since they’d changed the codes for all the doors—on the building’s ground floor and to the basement—and only a few people knew the new codes, it was incredibly secure. Even though Mitch was unconscious and Landon was still recovering and didn’t leave his room much, Eden felt safe. Because her family was here.

  Strangely, Danielle had become part of that. She came to check on Mitch—and maybe Eden too—frequently since she’d brought Landon back here. But most of her time was spent in the small lab. They were quietly excited about using the J-0026 in all its forms. But it was taking time, and, after what had almost happened to Landon, Danielle wouldn’t let them use any of The Clinic’s drugs until she understood them better. So frustrating, but the smart thing to do.

  Fox and the four men referred to as ‘Normals’ stayed away from Eden if they could help it. They were all really uncomfortable with the pull, even though she’d explained it to them a few times. All she knew about them was that Ryan had hired the team for a job that had actually been a set-up. Everything else was even vaguer. But how many kinds of teams agree to do secret jobs for evil people and whose members are all built like brick walls and move like panthers?

  Thankfully, they all seemed to fall right in line under Fox’s leadership, tracking down the ‘zookeepers’ and visiting the other Malvers labs, but checking in daily. Of course, a huge part of that was because, until further notice, they would keep taking The Clinic’s meds.

  Eden heard Danielle’s voice in the hallway, a laugh, and then a knock on the door. She opened the door for them. “How are you feeling, Landon?”

  “Better.” He looked better, but he still wasn’t back to normal. “The guys said it took them at least a full week for their bodies to adjust to the drug, so I guess that means I get to feel like shit for another couple of days.”

  His room was just down the hall, but Eden rarely saw him. Because she couldn’t leave Mitch. If he woke up while she wasn’t here, she’d hate herself. And that was a place she was never going again. Hate, gone. Rage, gone. Replaced by the parts of herself that she loved, and that Mitch loved too.

  Landon was in good hands though, and one of them was currently holding his. “How is he?” He looked over her shoulder into the room. “Can I see him?”

  Eden nodded and let them both into the room she’d been keeping vigil in. There was no reason for her to leave—Mitch was here. Ryan was dead. And Justin was gone. She leaned against the doorjamb while Landon sat down next to the bed.

  “Here,” Danielle said, holding out a Styrofoam box. “You need to start eating, because I already have too
much to worry about.” She waited until Eden ripped off a piece of bread and shoved it into her mouth.

  As soon as it hit her tongue, Eden realized how hungry she was and really dug in. “Thanks.” She tried to focus on the food and not what Landon was whispering to Mitch. Words of friendship and curses of impatience—guy talk.

  Not wanting to intrude, she turned to Danielle. “It’s none of my business, but are you guys…?”

  Danielle’s smile was answer enough. “I don’t know exactly what we are yet, but we’re definitely something.”

  “I hope it works out. He deserves something great. A whole bunch of great things actually. And you completely lucked out—he’s amazing.”

  “I might agree with that once he’s done his penance for all the lying.”

  “That’s fair.” Because she imagined that penance would be something he’d enjoy paying.

  Danielle’s smile faltered when she looked at him. “I’m not sure he’ll be able to come off it.” She didn’t have to be more specific. The drug Landon and the other Normals were on seemed to be an all-or-nothing kind of thing. If they stopped taking it, what happened to Carter would happen to them.

  But Fox had offered to be the guinea pig for all of them. His doses would get smaller and smaller until he was back to a true normal…or was dead.

  “Come on, Danielle. With your brain, Fox’s insanity, and Landon being such a baby about the needles, it’s gonna happen.” And if not, they had a large supply of it and, since Danielle was close to understanding where she’d gone wrong with the batch she made for Landon, she’d be able to reproduce it soon.

  “Hope so. I’m still not even done going through all of the files. That will never get old.” Danielle rolled her eyes. “So much fun. But you know how I feel about testing before injecting.” She closed her eyes. “Ugh, that’s like my mantra around here. ‘Test before you inject.’ That’s just sad.” She paused. “I worry about the long-term effects, too.”

  “Well, if it makes you feel any better, Ryan and I were on J-0026 for years and look how well-adjusted we both were.” She laughed and then looked at Mitch. “I know you can figure it out. You were right about the big dose—he hasn’t transformed.”

  “He hasn’t woken up either.”

  “I took a two-week-long nap, so he’s not due for a few more days.” But he would wake up, she was sure of it.

  Landon turned towards them. “The guys called from the other facilities. They seem legit—no Abnormals or Normals found in any basements yet. Fox told them to stick around until the labs get word of Ryan and the Boards’ disappearances.”

  Another point for Fox. Eden didn’t ask what he and his men had done with the bodies—Ryan’s, Alex’s, the Board members, all the Hydes who’d taken each other apart after taking apart the Board. She wasn’t even sure she cared what happened to the zookeepers they tracked down. If it were up to her, she’d never hear the word ‘Clinic’ again.

  But she understood the necessity of watching to see who stepped up to lead the business-end of the operation. Because people are people, and business is business, and money is money. The Clinic knocked down only to rebuild itself under new management? That was not going to happen—there was no way any of them could do this again.

  A few days ago, Eden had gone back to Ryan’s office and cracked open his safe. No secret drug stashes beyond the stuff he’d stolen from them, but she did find a shitload of cash and an envelope. She’d already sent the money to Fields. It was only fitting that Ryan’s blood money went to support those whose blood he’d earned it from, and Fields would put it to good use.

  What she’d found inside the envelope proved to be far more interesting—a list of names with dates next to them. She knew better than to think it was Ryan’s version of a little black book, although there was a good chance he’d been screwing them metaphorically. No, the people whose names were on that list were involved, Eden just didn’t know how. They could be investors, handlers, or Abnormals.

  Eden sat down on the edge of the bed. “What about the list?”

  “That’s where you come in,” Landon said.

  “How’s that?”

  “You can sense them, right? If they are totally human or not?”

  “Yeah.” The pull she felt around every Abnormal she’d met and, to a lesser extent, Fox, Landon and the other men. “But I can’t leave.” And frankly, she didn’t want the responsibility. Not now. Maybe not ever.

  “I think right now we all need a chance to recover, so it can wait. Maybe until Turner can go with you.” The confidence in his tone verified what Eden already knew—Mitch would come back. It was just a matter of time.

  “Maybe.” She’d try to do what Landon wanted—get close enough to sense if they were like her—but that was it. She didn’t just need a chance to recover—she needed a chance to live. A regular life—no fighting, no evil, no drugs.

  The next few hours were the most relaxing Eden could remember. She sat in her regular spot at Mitch’s feet with her hand on his ankle just to feel his warmth while Landon and Danielle told stories about odd memories of normalcy. They laughed like good friends might do over wine and cheese. The only thing that would make it better would be if the fourth member of their group could laugh along with them.

  But he didn’t laugh. He didn’t move.

  Did he…?

  “Did he just move?” She scrambled onto her knees.

  They stared down at him, waiting. Waiting for another sign.

  He grimaced.

  Eden sucked in a breath and heard one, or both, of the others do the same. Calm. It could’ve just been involuntary. It would still be incredible, but it didn’t mean he was just going to—

  She fell on her ass when his eyes opened. They were different—not hazel anymore but not silver-blue either. They were light blue, like an unpolluted ocean or a pristine swimming pool. Absolutely beautiful.

  “Mitch?” Landon said hesitantly.

  Eden stayed still, knowing there was a chance she’d have to jump for the chains, not sure if she could believe in the eyes that stared back at her. She really wanted to believe.

  “Hey there, beautiful,” he said softly. “Why aren’t you naked?”

  She threw herself on top of him, relishing the heat of his arms as they wrapped around her. He held her so tightly, she could finally breathe.

  “Did it work or am I dead?” His voice was muffled by her kisses.

  “You’re alive, Mitch,” she whispered. “And you’d better fucking stay that way.”

  Epilogue

  Two and a half months later…

  Unfortunately, just because Hyde wasn’t around anymore didn’t mean Mitch had any more patience than he used to. They stood in the master bedroom of yet-another house. Mitch would give anything to go back to bed…with her. But he kept his mouth shut…because he wasn’t stupid. And because he didn’t want anything to take that look off Eden’s face. Ever.

  “What do you think?” she asked.

  “It’s fine.”

  She tilted her head in annoyance. “That’s not an answer.”

  “It’s a perfectly fine answer.”

  “No. It’s a perfectly useless answer. Because it’s the same answer you’ve given the last four times I asked you.”

  Oh, it had been way more than four times. Four times per house, at least. So it was more like sixteen times. Today.

  He sighed. “I like the walls—they look strong enough to bolt some heavy-duty cuffs onto.” From behind him, he heard the realtor gasp.

  “He’s just kidding,” Eden said quickly, throwing a glare his way.

  “Could we have a minute?” he asked the woman.

  “Take whatever time you need.” She looked as tired of showing them houses as he was of looking at them. “I’ll be downstairs.”

  He followed Eden into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. “We need to talk.”

  “Do you like the shower?” she asked, sliding the glass door op
en and closed, open and closed, open and closed, open and closed, open and—

  “Please, Eden! Can you just stop for a second?”

  She flipped around and waited for him to explain himself.

  “The shower’s great. Obviously the door works really well, and it’s big enough for both of us, so I think it’s...great. But that’s not what we need to talk about.”

  She sighed, went to the vanity and leaned back on it, her arms folded across her chest. “What do we need to talk about?”

  Patience—was it a virtue or a vice? “Look, I know why we’re doing this—why it’s important to you to put down roots and have a real home and all that shit. But in case you haven’t noticed, we’re not normal. As big as this property is, you could spy on the neighbors without trying, and I’m still getting used to sleeping outside of a cage.” He shook his head. “That’s not normal.”

  “So you’re worried we’re going to bring down the property values?”

  “I’m worried that you’re trying so hard to forget that you actually will.” He wasn’t complaining—the last two and a half months had been better than anyone had a right to. Watching things get cleaned up without lending a hand or a fist, minimal fighting between the two of them, and lots and lots of incredible sex.

  With no more danger, she’d mellowed—and he’d make sure she stayed that way—but there was more to it than that. They’d gone through a shitload of really bad stuff—her more than him. And her inability to talk about it was taking a toll on both of them.

  “When’s the last time you spoke to Fields?” he asked. “Danielle? Landon? Anybody?”

  Landon was in Dallas with Danielle and the others. Still trying to understand how the Normals worked and if there was a way to make them un-Normal. Thus far, Fox had almost died six times. Maybe seven. That guy had huge balls and was a tiny bit scary. Danielle continued to look for the right way to use the J-0026. And, for some crazy reason, she didn’t think Mitch had followed proper scientific protocols when he’d taken whatever amount he’d taken whenever he’d taken it.