by Lexy Timms
And that’s when I notice that she’s shaking slightly.
“Shh.” I run my hands through her hair. “It’ll be okay. Everything will be okay. I’ll be right here.”
“I know.”
She runs off and this time, she closes the door and doesn’t come back.
I let myself fall on top of the bed and stare at the ceiling, letting out another sigh.
I hope she comes back.
Primal or no primal, I’ll beat the balls out of Sebastian if anything bad happens to her.
Chapter Seventeen
~ Clarissa
SEBASTIAN TURNS THE key and the engine dies down. Everything goes silent.
In the distance, I can hear lion cubs snarling as they play. I can hear the cracks in the ground widening beneath the feet of elephants. I can hear the quiver of a porcupine’s quills.
But that’s all in the distance. There are no creatures nearby, not a living soul. There are no trees either, except the few ones dotting the horizon.
It’s the middle of nowhere, a wide, open space that gets seared by the sun’s unforgiving rays during the day. It’s the last place where you’d probably want to put up a building, yet there is one right ahead.
A two-story building with no sign.
A chill goes up my spine.
I have a bad feeling about this.
It’s going to be alright. Sebastian turns to me. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.
I nod, taking a deep breath in hopes of diffusing the fear that’s building up inside me. In spite of my decision to come here, my determination to see this through, it’s been building up inside me ever since we arrived here in Africa.
But I can’t let it gnaw at me from the inside. I can’t be afraid.
I have to focus, to do what needs to be done. I mean look what happened the last time I let my thoughts wander - I nearly fell off a slope. I can’t make any wrong moves this time, not when we don’t know who exactly we’re dealing with. A misstep could be fatal.
And I can’t die. I promised Theo I’d come back. I promised Kyle I’d come back.
Kyle.
First, he gets angry, walking out on me, which he’s never done before. Then he gives me that look like he’s about to cry, a look that makes me want to cry as well. What’s going on with him? What does he want to tell me?
Are you sure you don’t know?
I glare at Sebastian. “How many times have I told you not to just barge into my thoughts?”
“Sorry.”
I shake my head.
I shouldn’t think about Kyle right now. I should think about the task at hand.
Focus, Clarissa.
Suddenly, Toshi appears out of nowhere.
“The building’s clear,” he reports, throwing himself across the backseat. “At least, the top two floors are. There seem to be more floors below. Underground. I don’t know how far down it goes. I’ve disabled the security system.”
“If this building is abandoned, why have a security system?” Sebastian asks.
“I was going to go straight down and check the whole building but I decided to wait for you guys.”
Sebastian frowns. “How kind.”
“Thanks, Toshi.” I jump out of the vehicle, taking a deep breath. “Shall we go in?”
TOSHI’S RIGHT.
Aside from the two floors above the ground, there are two more a hundred feet below. And they’re way bigger, maybe spanning more than an acre, the walls and ceilings lined with metal.
This is definitely where the real deal happens, where I’ll find out what I need to know.
Like the above floors, this first one’s empty, though no dust seems to have gathered. Walking around, my gaze falls on empty boxes, toppled chairs and shards of glass.
When this place was shut down, it was done so in a hurry. Recently too.
I go down a corridor but Sebastian, coming from the other end, stops me, gripping my arm.
You don’t want to go through here.
I wrench my arms free. You brought me here to find out about my past, didn’t you? Well, I’m here.
I shove him aside, taking a deep breath before moving forward. Thankful that he follows. Even more thankful that he respects me enough not to argue when I’d defied him.
Now, I’m curious.
And scared.
And it doesn’t take long to find out why. The corridor is lined with doors, doors with bars and slits for trays.
Prison cells.
Peering inside one, I see a bed with a blanket and what looks like a small, plastic, portable toilet.
They kept humans here?
I keep going, finding most cells the same but one of them is different, with dried blood spattered on the walls.
I step back, clasping a hand over my mouth as I feel my stomach coil, the image of my father dying in this cell popping in my head.
No.
“Clarissa?” Toshi places a hand on my shoulder.
“I’m fine,” I tell him, forcing the contents of my stomach down.
My hands and knees shaking, I move on. Finding a staircase, I go down, finding myself in an area with hospital beds, cuffs tied to the beds, blood on some of them and on some parts of the tiled floor. There are a few tanks of oxygen and a bunch of medical equipment as well as empty shelves where bottles of medication must have been kept. On one pole, a bottle of IV fluid still hangs. Metal trays are scattered everywhere, some empty, some with tools like scalpels some on them.
Again, my stomach churns.
What did they do here?
I don’t know but I’m guessing whoever was here wasn’t being treated for something and that whoever is responsible for this bloodbath isn’t human.
“Cats,” Sebastian tells me, his entire face mirroring his distaste. “This whole place stinks of Cats.”
“And blood,” I add, stepping carefully though the puddles have long since dried, leaving only sinister stains on the floor.
This may look like a hospital ward but human lives were not being saved here. No. Clearly, something sinister has been going on.
Were my parents here?
“Clarissa,” Toshi calls me. “There’s something you should see.”
Forcing my knees to become steady, I run to him.
“What did you find?” Sebastian asks from behind me.
“Files,” Toshi answers, handing me a folder. “Most of the files were taken but these were in a secret compartment in the wall.”
With trembling fingers, I open the folder. The first few sheets are scientific gibberish like those back at the Lab, chemical formulas and mathematical equations. But under those are patient files, the first of which has a picture of my mother.
The folder falls out of my hand as I fall to the floor, clasping my hands over my mouth as I let out a silent scream.
Toshi wraps his arms around me. “Shh.”
“It says here that your mother was one of the...participants of Project Eden,” Sebastian says, reading from the folder, though his words seem to float in and out of my head. “It was an experiment designed to...”
He stops.
“What?” I ask him, barely able to speak.
Sebastian closes the folder and swallows. “The experiment was conducted to create human females who could become mates for primals.”
“What? How?”
“A serum was administered on females who were carrying female fetuses.”
In other words, pregnant women were experimented on, including my mother.
I throw up.
Toshi, studiously avoids looking at me, but hands me a handkerchief all the same.
I take it, wiping my mouth. “Thanks.”
“You were one of those fetuses,” Sebastian continues, as he continues reading the file.
His eyes meet mine, which grow wide as realization sinks in.
No.
Suddenly, Toshi stands up. “They’re here.”
Before I can ask who they ar
e, a leopard pounces from the darkness, followed by others. In the blink of an eye, Toshi transforms into a huge, black cat, Sebastian turning into a Wolf before he leaps in front of me.
I run. There’s nowhere to hide in this room. The next offers a desk. It’s not much but it’s somewhere to go. The men hold their ground behind me somewhere. They’ll face whatever this is head on.
Just stay put.
Sebastian’s warning is unnecessary. I’m not going anywhere.
Outside in the hallway I hear the fighting get into full swing. Growls and hisses fill the air. I hear bodies crash against the walls. Furniture breaks. Instruments clatter to the floor. How many of them were there? Will my two be able to hold? What if they get hurt? What if they die and all I’m doing is cowering under a desk. Useless. Unnecessary. I look around for something to use as a weapon but come up blank. I don’t know how to fight, but I need to learn.
I hear a yelp. Like an injured dog. Sebastian? I reach for his mind but draw a blank. It’s like he’s not even there anymore.
I’m going to be sick.
I don’t have time.
The desk above me suddenly disappears, tossed away by a man in black, a mischievous grin on his face.
“Found you.”
He points a dart gun at me.
Clarissa!
At the last second, I manage to move, avoiding the dart by an inch.
Sebastian growls. I hear another body crashing against the wall, bones cracking.
I’m coming.
I glance at him just in time to see another big cat jump on his back, preventing him from reaching me.
“Sebastian!”
Another dart is fired and again, I dodge.
“Stay still, will you, bitch?” The man in black sneers, reloading.
Fight back, Clarissa!
Suddenly, I see the tattoo on the man’s arm, the same pattern that I saw on the folder.
He’s one of them. He helped kill my parents.
My anger simmering, I move without thinking and grab the gun, breaking it into two, bullets clattering on the floor.
He glares at me. “Why, you...!”
I kick him in the groin and as he falls, whimpering, I punch him across the jaw.
His head hits the floor, his eyes closed.
One down.
Just then, I hear a Cat coming for me.
Clarissa!
I turn to face it just as it pounces on me, pinning me to the ground. I grab its neck then kick it against the ceiling as hard as I can.
When it falls, it comes down unconscious.
Two down.
And they’re not all that’s down. I can already see a pile of other primals on the floor, all thanks to Sebastian and Toshi’s fighting skills.
Sebastian shifts to his human form, walking over to me. “Are you alright?”
I nod, tearing my eyes away from his lower half.
He goes to the backpack he’s tossed off, getting a pair of boxers. As he does, one of the Cats gets up and runs towards the stairs.
Toshi goes after him.
With at least some clothing on, Sebastian heads to the man I fought, the one who was holding a dart gun. Kneeling beside him, he presses his fingers to his jugular.
“Is he dead?” I ask.
Sebastian shakes his head.
Craning his neck, he spits on the man and he wakes up. He doesn’t get up, though, Sebastian has him pinned down. I’m amazed that it takes so little water to bring a primal Cat around. I file that information away for future reference.
“Who are you working for?” Sebastian asks. “How did you know we’re here?”
The man laughs.
Sebastian grabs his neck. “How did you know we’re here?”
“We knew you’d come,” the man answers. “Ever since we found out someone was asking questions, we knew you’d eventually find this place.”
“Who are you?” Sebastian asks.
The man doesn’t answer, looking at me. “You’re her, aren’t you? Eve. The only survivor of Project Eden. We thought you were dead.”
Project Eden? So, he does know those monsters.
“What did you do to my mother? To my father?”
“No men were held here. Your mother...she was wonderful. It’s too bad she died but at least, you lived. You are the hope and salvation of all primals.”
“Who are you working for?” Sebastian asks, gripping his neck tighter. “I won’t ask again.”
“They’ll come for you,” he goes on, staring at me. “They are too powerful and you are too precious.”
“Who’s coming?” Sebastian demands.
“You can’t escape your destiny, Eve.”
“Tell me who you’re working for!” Sebastian shouts.
The man falls silent, saying nothing. Nor will he. He’s dead.
I fall on my knees on the floor slowly, my vision and thoughts a blur.
I already suspected my parents didn’t die from an accident, but to know my mother was abducted, kept here against her will and experimented on? And to know that I’m...a product of some scientific experiment?
“Clarissa.” I barely hear Sebastian’s voice, the noise in my head drowning it. “Are you alright?”
As I open my mouth, the remaining contents of my stomach spew out to form a puddle in front of me.
Yeah, just fine.
Chapter Eighteen
~ Kyle
CLARISSA IS A MESS.
Not that she looks like it now, since she’s sleeping soundly on the bed, her hair a winding russet - caramel river across one of the several, huge pillows creating a fort around her, the sheets tucked up to her armpits.
But I know what I saw.
She looked like a zombie that had just come out of its grave, her hair messier than a dropped plate of noodles, her shirt torn in places, her khaki pants stained with blood. Even Sebastian looked better than her. The worst part, though, was that her shoulders wouldn’t stop shaking, and when I grabbed her to look into her eyes, all I saw past the tears that wouldn’t stop spilling over, was fear and devastation. Empty holes with barely a soul staring out.
Clarissa came to Africa to find answers. Instead, she seems to have lost herself.
I wasn’t even sure if she remembered me because she didn’t say a word to me or hug me back when I wrapped her in my arms. She just stood in them until her knees gave way, then she cried until exhaustion finally took over. Of course, she didn’t remember that I had something important to tell her when she returned.
How can I tell her now? It would be the height of selfishness to push my own feelings for her on those fragile shoulders. She doesn’t even know me right now. And truth be told, I’m not all that sure I know her.
I hunch over, resting my elbows on my knees, burying my face in my hands in frustration.
What exactly happened at that facility?
Knuckles tap on the door and I lift my head. “What?”
“We need to talk,” Sebastian says from the other side.
For a moment, I hesitate, not sure if I want to see him or if I can keep myself from punching him right in the face. This was all his stupid fucking idea, after all. Then again, he’s right. We do need to talk. Whatever horror Clarissa just walked out of, I want a full report.
I need to know.
I get out of the chair and open the door, letting him and Toshi in.
“How is she?” Toshi asks, hands on the moist towel draped around his neck.
“Sleeping,” I answer, closing the door. “And I won’t be surprised if she never wants to wake.”
Sebastian’s jaw clenches.
I grab his arm. “What happened back there?”
I was half expecting him to punch me for touching him or at least, throw me one of his death glares. I was prepared to punch him back. Instead, he simply shrugs off my hand and gestures to the door leading to the adjoining room.
If even Sebastian’s changed, then this thing is a whole lot worse.
I follow him to the next room, Toshi behind me. As he closes the door, leaving it slightly open, I lean on the edge of the desk, my hands over my chest.
“Talk,” I tell Sebastian.
“Just a sec.”
He nods at Toshi and Toshi takes his phone out, making a call. After a few seconds, someone answers.
“Hello.”
It’s Theo.
“Hey,” Toshi greets him. “I’ll put you on speaker now but just listen, okay?”
“Okay.”
He places the phone down on the desk, pulls the chair closer to the door and sits on it.
I turn my gaze back to Sebastian, who hands me a folder.
Project Eden?
“We came here to Africa to find out who...or what Clarissa Wagner is,” Sebastian starts talking as I go through the files in the folder. “Now, we know.”
He takes a deep breath. “When we were at the facility, we were attacked by Cats. One of them tried to escape. Toshi ran after him and questioned him. He said...”
“Something about Project Eden,” Toshi continues, picking up the story. “He said it was a project in operation decades ago to find a cure for the dwindling primal population. As we well know – well, with the exception of Kyle here – females in most races have become rarer over the centuries and now, only few remain, endangering our existence.”
“We still have sufficient females,” Theo says, his voice gravelly, almost lost over the faint connection.
“I said most races,” Toshi clarifies.
“But I am aware of the situation,” Theo adds.
I look up from the folder. “And primals and humans can’t...”
“A primal cannot mate with a human,” Sebastian explains. “No offspring would come of such a union. All primals know this and it seems that Project Eden was undertaken to remedy this exactly. The project involved developing a serum that could make human females compatible with primals.”
I continue browsing the files, my eyes growing wide as I see that of a woman. And another. And another.
Human females.
“Of course, this required changes at a cellular level,” Sebastian goes on. “And so, it was proposed that the serum be administered to human fetuses while they were still in their mother’s womb. The earlier, the better.”