Eden cringed. Just the phrasing would’ve sent Mitch over the edge. “You mean, a way for the Hydes to control themselves, right?”
Alex looked at her blankly. “Isn’t that what I said?”
“I hope so.” God, I hope so. “And all of this can be done with my DNA? Like it’s some kind of miracle cure. How do you know?
“We did some very basic, very preliminary tests from some brain scans and a small blood sample we took when you first arrived,” Alex said. “But that’s really all we did. You haven’t been given any kind of drug.”
Her assurances were absurd—Eden wouldn’t believe it, no matter how many times Alex used words like, ‘really,’ ‘small,’ or ‘very’.
“And what did you really find out in these very small tests that you told me you didn’t do?”
She rubbed her lips together. “Honestly, not a lot more than we’ve learned from other Abnormals. But once we conduct other genetic and endocrine tests and have a longer-term sample of your physiology and behavior, we hope to understand how you’ve been able to integrate. You have to understand that this science is in its infancy. There weren’t even any observations of the phenomenon until about twenty years ago.”
About twenty years ago, Eden was barely out of toddler-dom. About twenty years ago, her mom checked herself into a clinic. About twenty years ago, Eden had probably thought clinics helped people and gave them lollipops. But evidently, she would’ve been wrong. “You knew about my mom.”
She paused. “Not me personally, but yes, she came here.”
“And my father.”
Alex nodded. “The Clinic tried to help both of them.”
“But it didn’t. It didn’t help them.” Eden sagged in her chair, the weight of her life catching up with her.
“Not enough, no,” Alex said quietly. “Your mother never said anything about you. If she had, The Clinic would’ve tried to help. The facility was just being set up and everything was new and disorganized and…”
Parents dead. Childhood nonexistent. Love who doesn’t want her. And no one in the world to trust.
“It doesn’t matter.” Eden slid down and rested her head against the back of the chair, arching her neck and staring at the ceiling. All to make sure that the tears weren’t helped by gravity.
“Of course it matters. You matter. Even if you weren’t special, you’d be special. If that makes any sense at all.”
Eden felt it as Alex’s light chuckle and attempt at empathy broke through a section of the wall Eden had painstakingly put up between them. No. That was not going to happen. If she let these people in at all, she’d lose herself. Whatever was left.
“You’re right—it doesn’t make any sense,” she said, sitting up straight. “You may not have known about me, but what about Mitch and his father? Why didn’t you bring Mitch in and let him live here like Justin does? Or, at least, kept him away from his father?”
“I can’t explain something that happened before my time. It’s impossible to know my predecessors’ reasons. Justin lives here because he has nowhere else to go, no one who can offer the kind of care he needs. His mother would’ve kept him in an institution for the rest of his life. And without the care we provide, he would start to become more and more dangerous to himself and to others.”
“So why didn’t you tell me? Why keep it a secret and have someone who I trusted drug me?”
“We were trying to do the right thing. I realize we made mistakes.”
“Ya think?”
She took a deep breath. “Our intent was simply to keep you from transforming, so that you could have as normal a life as possible.”
“You think my life was normal?” Eden wanted to throw something at her. Instead she stood and started pacing, keeping the chair and desk between them. “I spent every waking moment afraid of who I might be, trying so hard to be perfect, good. Is that what you mean by ‘normal’?”
“Eden.” She waited until Eden was calm enough to look her in the eyes. “You’re a Jekyll. That is what made your human side…good. That’s who you are.” She flicked her head. “Or were.”
“Gee, thanks.” She didn’t ask what she was now because Alex would just tell her they needed to run some more of their stupid tests. As if tests could understand the war going on in her mind and body with every breath she took. Every word she said. Every move she made.
“What do the drugs do?” she asked finally.
“They regulate the transformations, and soften the inhuman side when it appears. When an Abnormal stops taking them, they revert to their natural selves and their inhuman side becomes more powerful. But, in your case, you don’t seem to need any regulation at all. You have some of the physical and physiological attributes of your Jekyll, but you’re still human. It’s never happened before, and we want to know why.”
“So you haven’t been spiking my soda or anything?”
Alex shook her head. “Absolutely not.”
It made sense—if they’d given her the serum, she wouldn’t be like this. Chastity would be dormant or whatever it was. Eden would probably be in grad school, being drugged by Carter, having never even met Mitch. Never…
When Eden thought of him, she shuddered. “Mitch has been off the drugs for a few weeks. Does that mean he’s changing more often?”
“Yes and no. But more yes than no. Since emotion is such a key component, we think it may be affecting him quite dramatically.”
Eden thought about what Mitch had theorized. The more he let his rage out as a man, the less power Hyde had over him. “Dramatically how?”
“From what we’ve been able to see—Turner not being one we want to approach too closely—he’s found…other ways of coping. But he will change. Like I told you, without the drugs, it’s inevitable. And each time he does, the man will have a harder and harder time reemerging. Until the man he is now will disappear completely.”
Disappear. After a moment of stunned silence, Eden’s brain started functioning again. And it moved fast.
There was a lot she didn’t know, and one thing she did. Even if there was a shred of truth to that, she couldn’t let it happen. She had to try to help him. If he needed the drugs, she’d get him the drugs. Period. But first she had to see him, talk to him, convince him that The Clinic was his only chance. And wouldn’t that be a delightful conversation to have. Hey, Mitch. Remember those drugs you were on—the ones you didn’t know about. Yeah, well. You need to keep taking them so you don’t… What was the word Alex had used? Disappear.
It was hopeless. She’d never be able to convince him. Would he do it if she begged him? Begged him to do it for her?
“But the serum is only a temporary solution,” Alex said. “We think, by studying you, we’ll be able to create a better serum. And eventually might be able to create a cure. For everyone, not just you and Tur— Mitch. Everyone. Isn’t that worth giving up a little of your blood for?”
She eyed Alex thoughtfully. Sure, it’d be worth it. If it were true. She’d give them whatever they needed if it would end all of this. Make it so that The Clinic could go study cancer or something, instead of spending all of their resources on some paranormal freaks of nature.
“How long would I have to stay here?” she asked.
“A little longer. A few months maybe. I’m not sure. We’d like to test your reflexes, senses, those kinds of things. Because they’ve changed as well, haven’t they?”
“Yes,” Eden said quietly. She’d give them a chance to play with her blood, do their tricks, think they’ve won. And maybe they’d be able to figure out what she hadn’t. But only if they gave her a chance to help Mitch along the way. She needed to know if Hyde was stronger, if what Alex was telling her was true. And while she was at it, she’d see just how ‘free to go’ she was.
“I want to see Mitch first. Make sure he’s alright.”
“I think something could be arranged, but you can’t get too close.”
Eden flinched. They were really g
oing to let her go. “Okay,” she said in utter disbelief.
“I’m serious, Eden. He’s more dangerous than he’s ever been. It’s just not safe. You’ll be able to see at a distance that we’re not doing anything terrible to him. But I think any visiting should be planned out and in a public place. After we can develop another serum, a better one, then we’ll need your help to convince him to take it. But right now, there’s too much riding on you to put you at risk.”
“Okay,” she repeated, knowing how wrong Alex was.
Mitch might be dangerous to some, but not to her. He’d rescued her from Hyde, somehow stopping the bastard from killing her. Now she had the chance to return the favor. And nothing would stop her from trying.
CHAPTER IX
“She wants to know we don’t have Turner caged somewhere.”
“Good thing we’d never do that to anyone.” Chuckle.
Sigh. “I suggested Fields could take her to a public place, so she could see him without getting too close.”
“Well, that was stupid. If she just waves at him through a window, none of us get what we want. She’s testing you, Bertram. You said she was free to go, so she’s calling your bluff. Just imagine what she’ll think when she finds out you weren’t bluffing.”
“I was bluffing. If we let her go, we can’t control what happens to her.”
“Unless you’ve been bullshitting me, I think she’ll be able to control what happens to her. Besides, you’re a behaviorist. Here’s your chance to see how she behaves in the wild. Just make damn sure that she comes back. Turner’s still part-human, isn’t he?”
“Yes, although we—”
“Perfect. So give her a day or two with her boyfriend. That should be enough, shouldn’t it?”
“Probably.” Sigh. “We haven’t done any testing since she woke up, but if the guards’ reactions to her are any indication, two days should be plenty of time.” She’s giving off so many pheromones, even I’m attracted to her. “What if she wants to bring Turner back with her?”
“Your facility is big. I’m sure you can find a nice place for him to stay. But only if he and his Hyde can behave themselves. And by ‘behave’ I mean, not fuck things up with Colfax.”
“Understood.”
“Great. Now that I’ve figured everything out for you, you need to leave me alo—”
“Yes, sir. Thank you.”
“Wait! Don’t hang up.” Pause. “You need to play this right.”
“I will.”
“No. No, you won’t. Not unless I tell you exactly what to do. And right now I’m telling you to be quiet while I think.” Pause. “Right now, you’re her enemy. However, if you do this right, you could come out of it as an ally. But before she starts trusting you, she needs to find another enemy. Therefore, I nominate…me.”
§ § §
The second Eden woke up, she jerked off the mattress. Same damned room, different day. Maybe different week, who knew? She hadn’t wanted to close her eyes around her enemies. But even two weeks of constant slumber didn’t seem to be enough. And assuming that she hadn’t been out for longer than a few hours, today was the day she’d see Mitch.
She didn’t care what Alex said, Eden was going to talk to him, touch him. A drive-by wasn’t enough. Not to appease the ache she felt every time she thought about him. God, it was brutal. Remembering his face, his voice, his body. Everything about him brought a smile to her face. But it was short-lived. Because right after that initial sense of ‘holy crap, I want to taste him so frigging bad’ was quickly followed by a ‘oh crap, what if he never lets me inside of him again’. If she’d eaten anything in the last twelve hours, she’d have thrown it up by now. Anticipating and dreading the moment they stood close enough to touch.
Someone knocked on the door. Then she heard Alex say, “Eden, can I come in?”
“No,” she mumbled, rolling her eyes. She had no expectation of privacy, here or anywhere else. First she’d had to deal with Chastity ripping off her clothes every chance she got. And she imagined that when The Clinic henchman had brought her here, they hadn’t gotten her into the hospital gown with their eyes closed. No. Her body wasn’t hers—before or now.
She got off the mattress and went to the door, flipping the pathetic excuse for a door lock. It was not the thought that counted. Then she laid back down on the mattress and closed her eyes before yelling, “Come on in.”
Alex was carrying a black garment bag and smiling. Eden hated it when she smiled—it just meant Alex was about to do something to show how likeable she was. Eden hated her.
She held the bag out. “It isn’t much, but it’s better than the scrubs.”
It wasn’t as if Eden had anything else to change into. The clothes she’d been wearing when they kidnapped her—despite their protestations it was for her own good—had been tattered anyway. From when Hyde had ripped them off her. Wow, she really needed to make new friends. The crowd she was hanging out with right now sucked.
“You bought me clothing?”
“No, I brought you clothing. I don’t wear it anymore, and I thought you might like it. Now that you’re going to stay, we’ll get your things out of storage and—”
Eden jolted up. “What did you say?”
Alex’s smile got bigger. “It’s just a summer dress, Eden. Really not anything to get worked up about. There are some flats in there too.”
Eden ripped the bag out of her hand. “I’m not talking about the dress. I’m talking about my stuff. Why did you move it?”
“Oh,” she said slowly. “Well, we needed to make sure Carter hadn’t left anything behind that tied him to us. And since he was unconscious at the time, we thought it was best to just move everything. But you can have it back whenever you want.”
“Now. I want it back now.” Her jaw was so stiff, she had to speak slowly and carefully to get the words out. “I want you to go get a truck and fill it up with all my worldly possessions that you felt you had a right to paw through. And I want them all put back. Now.”
“Okay, I’ll put someone on it.”
“No, Alex. Not someone. You. I want you to do it. Because, for some ungodly reason, you seem to think that this is normal. That it has no effect on me whatsoever. I want you to take my life, which I assume is now in boxes, and I want you to move my life. And as you get more and more tired and achy, I pray that you will finally understand that I am a person. I have feelings. I have memories. And no one has the right to touch those without my permission. Do you understand?”
At least the woman had the decency to look ashamed. “Yes, I understand. I’m sorry. It wasn’t my choice.”
“Whose choice was it?” Eden asked, opening up the bag. It didn’t matter. Her point had been made, and all she really cared about was getting out of here and seeing Mitch again. And she knew she wouldn’t get a decent answer, anyway.
“I don’t know. Someone above me. They don’t discuss those kinds of things with me.”
Surprise, surprise. Eden pulled out the sundress, holding it up and trying to imagine Alex wearing it. “No offense, Alex, but I never pictured you as a sundress kind of person.”
“I’m not.” She looked down at the khakis and button-down blouse that she wore. “I bought it because I thought it would impress a man I was interested in.”
“No offense, Alex, but I never pictured you as the kind of person who was interested in men, either.”
Her shoulders slumped and she tilted her head. “Wow, Eden. That wasn’t very nice.”
“What does ‘nice’ have to do with anything?” Eden shook her head. “Our relationship isn’t about being nice to each other, Alex. It’s about being honest.” Or pretending to be, at least.
“You want honesty?” she snapped, all pretense of politeness gone. “Honestly, if you don’t help us, Mitch will die. He’ll become more and more violent. He will hurt anyone around him—without transforming. And then, at some point, he will transform. And he’ll stay that way. The man you k
now and love will disappear, and all that will be left is evil. That is what happens to Hydes, Eden. If they live long enough.”
Her mind refused to believe it. The image of Hyde momentarily superimposing on the image of Mitch that was constantly there. Mitch was strong. He’d been regulating Hyde’s visits for fifteen years. But that wasn’t exactly true, was it? Jolie had been doping him with a drug, the serum from The Clinic, the whole time. How long would he be able to fight without it?
“What about the drugs?” Her voice caught. “What if you give him the serum?”
“I don’t know,” Alex said, looking somewhat pleased about Eden’s discomfort. “He’s already been without it for a few weeks. We’ve tried to observe him, but aren’t able to get too close. Not if it threatens the whole operation. He and Landon are on a warpath against us.”
“Wow. Are you actually surprised by that? You don’t get to secretly drug someone for fifteen years and expect them to just let it go.”
Alex sighed, glancing at the door. When she started speaking again, it was almost a whisper. “That’s why you need to convince him. But unless he agrees to come in peacefully, and without causing any damage, we can’t take the chance.”
These people spoke in riddles without ever getting to the punch line. “I can’t exactly convince him by shouting, ‘Hey, Mitch! Let’s go over to The Clinic for drugs!’ out of a car window.”
“We’ll figure something out soon. Don’t worry.”
Don’t worry—the most useless phrase ever spoken…by anyone…anywhere. Especially by Alex.
Eden had everything to worry about. The last time she’d seen Mitch, he’d told her to go away. Not a great place to begin a discussion. Would anything have changed in two weeks? She wanted to believe part of the reason he was on a ‘warpath’ was to get her back. God, how she wanted to believe that. But she also knew there was a chance that she had nothing to do with what he wanted.
Jekyll, an Urban Fantasy Page 8