by Kit Tunstall
He looked horrified. “That must be awful for you.”
She let out a startled laugh. “It’s certainly not the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” She forced down a bite of oatmeal, grimacing the entire time. “That honor might belong to trying to eat this meal. I guess it’s marginally better than the tuna noodle casserole though. Do you think you could smuggle me in some real food?”
He looked regretful when he shook his head. “Sorry, but I can’t.”
She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Am I on some sort of special diet in preparation for being transformed or something?” She asked the question in a flip tone, but she was genuinely curious—and concerned.
He shook his head. “It’s nothing like that. It’s just I’m stuck here, same as you.”
Lex chewed a bite of the egg, finding it slightly more palatable than the oatmeal, before answering. “You’re a prisoner too?”
“Kind of. I’m a civilian contractor, but I contracted for three months, and I should’ve read the fine print. Once you’re here, those three months are spent confined to the facility. I’m not allowed to come and go as I wish.”
Since he’d been nice to her, and didn’t seem to be as horrible as the rest of the people involved in the program, she felt almost bad when she asked, “What makes you think they’ll ever let you leave? You know too much.”
He paled slightly, but he nodded. “I’ve thought about that.” His blue eyes betrayed his fear as much as the shaky hand he ran through his already-rumpled brown curls. “I’m sure you’re right. When my three months end in a couple weeks, they’ll either extend my contract whether I want them to or not, or they’ll dispose of me.”
She really wasn’t trying to be a bitch, though her tone sounded kind of snarky when she said, “Or maybe they’ll just recruit you for the program.”
He swallowed thickly. “Yeah, I’ve thought of that too. I’m not going to let it happen.”
She offered him a bland smile. “Good luck with that.” She saluted him with a carton of milk she had opened while he spoke, taking a moment to swallow a mouthful. By the time she’d finished, he had wheeled the cart out of the room and left without another word.
Really, she couldn’t blame him, because she hadn’t been overly gentle with forcing him to contemplate his circumstances. As shitty as they were, they still weren’t as bad as hers—not that it was a contest. He didn’t seem to want to make trouble for her, and he was obviously in a situation he couldn’t control either. He’d likely had no idea what he was getting into when he’d taken the job in food service or whatever his official title was, and once he’d realized the enormity of it, there’d been no way out. With that in mind, she decided she’d try to be nicer to him next time he came for a visit, especially if he brought her something to read and a change of clothes.
***
Her next visitor was as unwelcome as he had been the last time, and she didn’t bother to hide her grimace of distaste when Jasper slipped into her room later that evening. She braced herself, prepared to tackle him the moment he got close enough. She scanned him for any obvious signs of weapons, but other than his hands clenched into fists, he appeared to be unarmed. His fists made her stomach twinge, but she pushed down the fear and focused on facing him. She’d rather die than let him touch her.
He came closer, but paused a few feet away from her. “Hello, Alexandria.”
She just bared her teeth at him, though it would have been more effective in her coyote form. She was prepared to shift in a moment’s notice, pajama set be damned, but she hesitated, waiting to see what he was up to.
“Is that any way to talk to me? Or not talk to me?” He chuckled as he lifted his hand, as though reaching for her. When he beckoned her to come closer with his fingers, she took a step back instead. Her back pressed against the wall, and she pushed herself into the corner where the walls met, happy to have the security of her back covered. “What do you want?”
“I thought we could have a meal together and some pleasant conversation.” At her snort, he lifted a brow. “No? I guess it’s too soon to expect you to be civilized.”
“It’s difficult to be civilized when you’ve been kidnapped and held hostage by a madman.”
He frowned at her. “I’m not mad. I’ve passed all my psychological profiling tests with flying colors. You can’t dismiss me as crazy, Lex. I’m too smart for that.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’d almost prefer you were crazy to be going along with this horrible plan rather than to think it’s something you’ve approached with logic and thought was a good idea.”
“Our mating?”
She shook her head. “Not just our mating, but the whole facility, and Project Enhanced. How can you do the things you do?” She shook her head again. “It’s easier to think there’s something mentally deficient about you than to contemplate the idea that you enjoy your job.”
He shrugged. “What’s there not to enjoy? I’m stronger than I’ve ever dreamed of, I have amazing new powers and senses, and I’m in charge of a valuable program that will aid our country.”
Lex sneered at him. “You’re aiding your country at the expense of all the soldiers and shifters destroyed in the process. That’s the part that makes me think you have to be insane to embrace that kind of job.”
He shrugged. “I disagree. It’s a necessary evil, but we’ve perfected the process now, and we won’t need nearly as many pure human soldiers in the future. Just imagine a world without war.”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s naïve, and I don’t believe it’s possible until humanity evolves, but it still won’t be without war. It’ll just be fought by different people.”
He yawned as though bored with the entire conversation. “They aren’t people, at least not anymore. They’re more than people. Better than. One of our super soldiers is worth at least six human soldiers, and shifter soldiers tend to be even stronger. Even the teammate you ‘liberated’ a few nights ago was still an asset despite not having completed her programming.”
Her mouth dropped open, and she wanted to ask more about Loris’s programming, but he pressed on before she could do so.
“You and your group are proof of the value of shifter soldiers. Even without being fully enhanced, and without the controlling influence of artificial intelligence, you’ve all managed to destroy a number of our super soldiers, and you all remain at-large—except you, sweet Alexandria. Of course, I had to officially record you as dead.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why is that?”
“You’re of interest to the people who fund our project. You and the rest of the remnants of Project Shift. Frankly, they’re impressed by how well you’ve managed to evade capture, and they want to see what you can do once we fully enhance all of you and have you under the A.I.’s control. I can’t let them have you though. For the official records, Alexandria Hall is dead. They don’t monitor my business closely enough to discover differently, so as long as you stay hidden, you’re no longer a target.”
Her stomach clenched when he put a hand on her shoulder, and she shrugged him off. “I’m still your target, and the idea of being your mate makes death sound appealing.”
He moved quickly, his body pinning her to the wall even as she was sliding away from her corner. She started to shift, but let out a startled yelp when he jammed something into her carotid artery. At first, she was certain he’d killed her by some means, but she quickly realized it was just a needle. It hurt like hell, and there would be more bleeding than usual from an injection, but she wasn’t going to die from it. Unless it had something life-threatening inside it. “What was that?” Her voice was raspy as a searing pain overtook her, spreading outward from the site of the injection.
“It’s just a simple suppressor. I can’t have you shifting and trying to escape.”
Her eyes opened wide, and she couldn’t manage any words as she wondered if he had discovered what had happened that morning.
He m
ade no mention of it, so she assumed Aidan hadn’t reported the incident. “How long will it last?” She was barely able to force out the words through her distended throat. The place where he had injected her had already swelled up, and she feared she was having an allergic reaction. Would he just let her die from anaphylactic shock, or would he make some token effort to save her?
If he genuinely believed she was his mate—and he seemed to—he would probably to do everything in his power to keep her alive. Under the circumstances, she wasn’t certain that was a good thing, though she was nowhere near ready to die.
“The injection lasts about twelve hours, but I intend to keep you medicated while you’re here with me. You can take the pills like a good girl tomorrow morning, or I can come back in and give you another shot.”
His voice lowered when he swayed closer, brushing his lips against her cheek. “I kind of hope you let me go for the shot, because it’s going to knock you out soon, and I’ll have you all to myself. You won’t be able to complain or tell me no. I can do whatever I want with you.” He took her hand in his, pressing it against the front of his pants to show her just how excited he was. “I’d rather have you awake and willing, and I won’t claim you until you are, but I’m not foolish enough to waste an opportunity when it’s presented.”
“You…” That was the only word she managed to push out through her lips before she slumped sideways. If he hadn’t been there to arrest her fall, she would have hit the floor. She would’ve preferred that to being lifted into his arms and carried to her bed. She was still awake enough to be aware of him placing her on the mattress before sitting beside her. She peeled her eyes open enough to glare at him as he placed his hand on her breast, but couldn’t manage any words.
His expression was full of false sympathy as he trailed his hand down her body in an inappropriate fashion. “I hear the first suppressor shot is the worst. Shifters aren’t used to being cut off from their animal side, and it takes a hefty dose the first time you’re exposed to it. You’re going to sleep for a long time. Probably until morning. After that, if you take the pills, you’ll have some side effects, but not as bad as they are right now.”
She tried to get her body to cooperate and shove him away, but all she managed was a feeble jerk of her arm before it flopped to the bed as his hand slid inside the waistband of her sleep shorts. She was mercifully unconscious a second later.
Chapter Five
Lex woke slowly, with a morning-after hangover feeling, and she certainly hadn’t partied the night before. Everything came back to her in a rush, but that didn’t mean her body was capable of moving with speed just yet. She lifted her hand, pleased that it obeyed her command, and used it to move the swath of hair off her face. She normally slept with it tucked into a ponytail, and it had tangled all around her, but knots in her hair were the least of her worries. First, she had to get up. Then she could worry about combing her hair, though that was way down on the list.
She was able to sit up, though the room seemed to spin crazily around her for a moment before the sense of vertigo passed. Slowly, she looked down, horrified to see she was naked, and there was no sign of her pajama set. If he had taken it away or disposed of it, that reduced her clothing options to the ridiculously skimpy things in the dresser, or using the bed sheet like a sarong.
That was her preference for now, and she stripped it carefully from the blanket before getting up and wrapping it around her. As soon as she was on her feet, the room spun again, and she placed a hand against the wall to brace herself. Nausea surged up the back of her throat, but she hadn’t eaten since breakfast the day before, so there was nothing to bring up. Paradoxically, her stomach growled at the thought of food despite her nausea.
She stood still for a moment, closing her eyes while trying to take internal measurements of her body. Her nipples were a little sore, and she felt slightly tender between her legs, but she was fairly confident he hadn’t fully violated her. That he had done anything at all while she was unconscious was enough to make her dry heave.
At the sound of the door opening, her eyes snapped open. In her current state, she would be easy prey, especially since she couldn’t seem to call forth her coyote. It was a relief to see Aidan instead, though she couldn’t even manage a shaky smile. That required too much muscle control that she hadn’t yet regained.
He gave her a sympathetic look as he came deeper into the room. When he put his hand on her arm to offer steadying support, she collapsed against him. His touch didn’t repulse her like Caswell’s, and the kindness in his eyes was enough to distinguish him from the man who had put her in this position.
“He gave you a suppressor, huh?”
She nodded at the question, and then moaned when the room spun. He eased her carefully back to the bed, sitting her on the edge, but not joining her. He seemed to be going out of his way to assure her he meant no harm. “Thanks,” she said in a raspy voice. Her throat still felt swollen, and she brought up a hand to touch the spot where he had injected her. It was puffy to the touch, and she hissed when her fingers brushed against it.
“I brought you some breakfast, and some contraband.” His cheery smile fell short, and it was clear he was faking the happy note in an attempt to put her at ease, or perhaps just make the situation easier for her.
“Water?”
He nodded, leaving the wheeled tray near her bed and went to the small refrigerator. He returned a moment later with an opened bottle of water and helped her hold it as she gulped fiercely. By the time she’d finished the bottle, her muscles were no longer trembling, and she was able to hold the cup by herself, but she was nowhere near recovered.
Her gaze moved past him to the small white cup sitting on the cart by another cellophane-wrapped tray. She glared at the cup, instantly recognizing it as the same type the hospital had used to dispense medication when she had been there with her mother as Evelyn endured the last stages of pancreatic cancer when Lex was still in high school.
Her first instinct was to snarl at him and pick up the cup, lobbing it as far away from her as she could. That was instinct, but she forced cool logic to speak instead when she asked, “Are those the pills?”
He gave her a regretful nod as he reached for them, but didn’t hand them over just yet. “You’re supposed to take three with breakfast and three at dinner. If you don’t take them, I’m supposed to tell Caswell, and I guess you’ll get the injection again.”
She glared at him, though she wasn’t really angry with Aidan himself, other than the part he played in the entire operation. She bared her teeth at him, struggling with every fiber of her being to bring forth her coyote—not because she wanted to attack him, but simply because she wanted to know if she still could. Unfortunately, though she could feel sluggish stirring in her cells, there was no immediate response, and she couldn’t coax her form to shift.
Aidan went back to the fridge to get her another bottle of water. She took it, but when she would have reached for the pills, her eyes widened when she saw Aidan palm them instead and stick them in his pocket. He bent down, keeping his voice low. “As far as I can tell, there are no cameras in the rooms, but they might have microphones, so watch what you say. You have to pretend like you can’t shift. Wait for the right time, and when I have it all worked out, I’ll come for you.”
He stood up a second later, making a production of picking up the empty white cup that he had dropped to the floor when he knelt down. Perhaps he was performing for the cameras that he didn’t think were actually there.
She had one million questions burning on her tongue, but she was afraid to give voice to any of them in case Caswell was observing somewhere. To add to the show, she took the white paper cup from him and brought it to her lips, tossing it back as though she had taken the pills inside before gulping down some of her water. Aidan’s smile of approval warmed her more than it should have.
He moved away from her, setting the empty cup on the tray and taking a moment to r
ecord something on the tablet.
“What are you doing?”
“Recording the time you took your pills. I have to track all that, or I would if you were a regular recruit.” He grimaced as he said the last word, and she flinched. They both knew there was nothing voluntary about the process, so the people being subjected to it couldn’t technically be called recruits. It was simply a euphemism to make those in charge disconnect from what they were doing to people.
“I brought you something.” As he spoke, he bent down and slid open one side of the wheeled trolley, standing up a moment later with his arms full. He brought the offerings to the bed and dropped them beside her.
She wasn’t sure whether she was happier to see the two sets of scrubs, a handful of magazines and three books, or the chocolate peanut butter protein bar. She’d never really cared for them before, but when she scooped it up and ripped off the paper, practically inhaling the first bite, it tasted better than a T-bone steak. “Where?” she asked around a mouthful, though it was terribly impolite.
He grinned. “I filched it from one of the soldier’s bunks. Part of my job is cleaning up after those assholes, and considering the messes they make, I figure they aren’t going to miss little stuff like that every now and then.” He winked at her.
She chuckled as she took another bite, savoring the explosion of chocolate, peanut butter, and the subtle cardboard taste that most protein bars had. It was still delicious compared to the food she’d had so far. “Thank you.”
He shrugged. “I’m happy to help when I can. I’m free most of the morning after I do my rounds, since there aren’t many people left that require meals of that sort.” His expression closed abruptly, and he cleared his throat.
She frowned at him as she finished the last bite of the protein bar. “What do you mean?”
“Most of them are on intravenous nutrition as they undergo enhancements. Their body changes, and they can’t eat real food anymore.”