I lift my head and see him already staring at me. “So, that is what you want?”
He rests his forearm against the glass. “I want you.”
My heart stutters as I blindly begin to fasten the buttons back up on my lab coat. “But what about the other one like you? You said he was here for me too.”
He smirks. “My brothers have always wanted what’s mine.”
“What? Brothers? There are more?”
He nods.
“But…how am I…does that mean… You’re telling me you all want me?”
“You belong to all of us.”
I take a step back, suddenly frightened. “I’m a virgin, though. You know that, right?”
His eyes soften. “We know, Angel.”
Footsteps approach the door, so I run back to my desk and pretend to look through my files. I need a few more moments to collect my scattered brain cells from all over this lab.
“What are you looking for, Mikka?” I hear Ava ask.
“Nothing important.” I lift my head, hoping my flushed face isn’t as obvious as I think it is. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” She walks over to her desk. “We’ll be putting that new dynamo to the test tomorrow morning. You’ll also be spending some time with the new Zed-Two down the hall.”
That makes me feel sick, but not just from the mention of the dynamo, but because I get the feeling she knows something’s going on between Thorn and me.
It’s so hard not to look at him.
“Uh, okay…”
She eyes me as she sits down. “Problem?”
Fuck yes, and I don’t like her attitude either. “No.” What the fuck is her problem all of a sudden?
“Good.”
I swallow uncomfortably as she looks down at her computer, then I turn to face Thorn. He's lying with his back to me, but I know he's not asleep.
What do you want me to do? I think, knowing he can hear me. Do I quit or stay?
Silence.
God, I feel so lost and confused. I am way out of my depth. Did you hear what she said? Do you know what they’re up to? You and your brother need to leave here, Thorn.
He grunts, but it almost sounds like a laugh.
I'm in all kinds of shit and he thinks it’s funny? Fuck, I have no idea how I'm going to get out of any of this. And if anything, something tells me this will only get worse before it gets better, too.
If it ever does.
Nine
Mikka
I'm anxious on the way up to the lab the next morning.
Although Thorn basically told me his intention is to fuck me to get me pregnant, seeing the karyotype of what we’d create on screen was still enough to make me physically sick from nerves. If we had a kid, it would have ninety-eight chromosomes, and my extra piece would be absorbed into all others.
The extra pieces of thirteen we both carry would all merge to make them longer, and it also means that any sperm that he releases and any eggs I did, wouldn’t split like they usually do. So the baby would have full sets of both our cells…
This is all hypothetical at this point, but I think it’s safe to say that Thorn knows more about how all this would work, so the questions now are, do I have a choice in this, and what led him to me?
I’ve really landed myself in some serious trouble…
They're gonna shock the shit out of him today too, with that new dynamo, and I'm scared for him. He might not have felt pain up to this point, but I’m well aware that today could be different…
It's quiet when I enter the lab, and I stop dead in my tracks when I see him standing at the glass staring at me.
“Uh, hello?”
His eyes discretely glance up at the cameras.
They're back on.
I nod to myself as I walk over to sit down at my desk, but I remain acutely aware of Thorn standing at the glass for the next thirty minutes while I work. My heart is all types of unsteady in my chest.
Why is everything feeling so, off?
I look up as Ava enters. “Come with me,” she says, not even saying hello first.
I hold my tongue as I get up to follow her, barely resisting the urge to ask her what the hell her problem is. She clearly has it in for me all of a sudden, which makes me believe even more that they know about Thorn and me.
Zane’s barely been around, and when he has, he’s hardly flung a few words my way. I know I can’t trust any of those two, so they most likely had hidden cameras set up in Thorn’s lab.
Fuck…
They could pretty much know everything. Which is probably why they’re taking me to see this other Zed-Two. I wonder if they know they’re brothers. The fact they didn’t upload his karyotype to the online file didn’t go unnoticed to me when I checked for it last night.
Big fuck.
I follow her down the hall to the guarded door on the right. As soon as I get inside the room, my eyes meet an almost black pair that quickly turn a flaming red. He’s donning a green tracksuit like his brother, and he has a slightly fuller beard than Thorn—still not that long. I can see the faintest resemblance to Thorn around his jawline, and although his skin tone is a little lighter, his body is built the same.
He smiles, and the attraction is breathtakingly instant, but I worry because he doesn’t seem to be as guarded as Thorn, and I know Ava saw the look between us.
“Oh, look, this one seems to like you, too.”
I keep my mouth shut, ‘cause I’m pretty sure this is a set up. I just don’t know how.
“This one talks, a lot. Name’s Blade, apparently.”
I wring my fingers. “Uh, okay…”
Ava blatantly glares at me. “No need to be shy, Mikka. We all know they’re attracted to you. Maybe you can find out from this one what they want.” She steps around me to the door. “You have twenty minutes. We’ll be getting Thorn prepped while you’re gone. Don’t be longer than that. Myers won’t be impressed if you are.”
She leaves and I stare at the closed door. This shit has just gotten a whole lot worse…
“Don’t worry about her. She’ll be out of your hair in no time.”
I turn to Blade, my stomach filling with butterflies when I do. “You do know there are cameras in here, with microphones, right?”
He shrugs. “Won’t matter.” He gives me a sweeping once over and makes me feel naked like his brother does. “You look a hell of a lot better than you did in your picture.”
I frown. “My picture?”
“Uh-huh. The one in that paper you wrote for Cambridge University, on DNA.”
“What? Is that why you found me?”
He unleashes a devilish smile with the nod of his head. Shit, he’s even got a dimple. “Oh, yeah. Thorn said you’d be able to help us figure this out, but as soon as he found you in that coffee shop, he found a lot more than he bargained for.”
I try to get my head around what he’s saying. “So you tracked me down to help you?”
Another nod. “We couldn’t figure out why none of our kids survived when we tried to breed with human females, then Thorn found you.” He gives me another brief look. “Now I get what he meant.”
“About what?”
He slowly smiles. “The feeling.” He rests his hand against the glass. “Damn, I can’t wait to get out of here.”
I step closer but stay far enough away to retain my senses. “Why did you risk coming here? It’s not safe.” I feel just as protective of him as I do Thorn…
“I had to see for myself. And don’t you worry your sexy little self about our safety. We’ll be just fine.”
I chew my lip as I study him. He looks familiar, but not because of Thorn. “Another one like you got himself captured. Is that another one of your brothers?”
A smirk plays on his lips. “Pin is the sharpest needle in the haystack, but sometimes he does the craziest shit. Idiot went to Cheshire instead of Cambridge.” He shakes his head. “You’ll meet him soon. They’re on their way.”
>
“Pin? What’s with the sharp objects?”
“Mum was into black magic and shit.” He shrugs. “We have a Dagger and an Axe in the crew, too.”
“There are five of you?” My God…
He laughs and his eyes glint. “I like you already. Don’t worry, contrary to what your work buddies think, we’re not monsters, Mikka.” His finger trails the glass. “We’ll take care of you. In everything.”
I step back because my body begins to heat. “Um, I need to get back to Thorn.”
He makes a sad face, but I can see the smile trying to escape. “Playing favourites already?”
“No,” I answer quickly. “I only had twenty minutes, remember?”
“Hmmm… I guess I’ll see you soon then.”
“Uh, yeah,” I say before I turn.
I shake my head as I walk past security and back to Thorn’s room. This has got to be the most fucked-up situation ever. Five brothers? I must be out of my mind to even be contemplating this madness, but what’s even madder is that after meeting Blade, I’m pretty sure this twisting in my stomach is excitement at the thought of meeting the rest of them.
The threat of physical sickness soon returns with a vengeance, though, when I see Thorn strapped to the stretcher, wearing only boxers and prepped to be electrocuted.
I’m given a mask by one of the technicians, which I quickly put on, but my attention stays fixed to Thorn. He pretends to be drowsy again, but my thoughts divert to why his scent is so much stronger all of a sudden. He’s always had this sickly-sweet death type of smell about him, but it’s overwhelming now.
But why?
I reluctantly stand at the foot of the stretcher beside Ava as the other technicians continue to pump drugs into his arms. Why the hell is he letting them do this to him? What is he gaining from this? I’ll quit my job and leave with him, if that’s what he wants.
I am totally out of my mind!
Zane stands beside me, but I ignore him and keep my eyes on Thorn, which results in him almost huffing. “Are you okay?”
“I'm fine,” I answer curtly, his sarcasm not missing me. I hate this prick.
Ava tells everyone to stand back, but I almost fall because Thorn raises his hands and legs, breaking every single one of his restraints before sitting up and shifting with the angriest groan I've ever heard.
I cover my mouth over my mask and stare in shock as all hell and more breaks loose.
Ava runs past me to the door, but she quickly steps back as Blade appears and closes it behind him. He’s in his zombie form; his skin is mottled and has a bluish-purple hue like his brother’s, and I can see the few patches on his neck that have shed.
I shudder at the sight of his flaming eyes, and his soft lips dripping with blood, telling me he’s eaten his way through security in the hall.
Ava screams but she’s quickly silenced, so I turn my attention back to Thorn. He’s already killed three technicians in here and is currently eating chunks out of Mister Myers’ face, while he shakes violently in his grasp.
Thorn rips the windpipe clean from his throat before letting his body drop to the floor with a loud thud. His blood spills out in a spray, merging with the blood already pooled on the floor.
It literally is a blood bath. There’s blood all over Thorn’s tank, over me, on the walls, and even on the ceiling. The coppery scent of it is overpowering, but I still can’t make my legs work to move myself out of the puddle at my feet.
Everyone left alive is still screaming and yelling, but I stay planted to the spot and watch in amazement as Thorn and his brother fuck up everyone in here. Some almost manage to escape, including Mike Hamish, but all their attempts are futile.
Then, only Zane is left, and as my eyes meet his, he begs me to help him.
“Tell them to stop, Meek! Tell them I’ll give them anything they want!”
I think about all the shit he’s put me through, and then I look at my Zombie Kings stalking towards him, and I shake my head. “The thing about karma, Zane, is that it always gets you in the end.”
“Meek—”
Blade grabs him from behind, and he struggles, kicking and jerking, but even I can see it’s pointless. Blade doesn’t even flinch trying to restrain him.
He straps Zane to the stretcher and I still don't move, not even when he attaches the straps to hold him in place. The brothers keep looking at each other, clearly conversing in each other’s minds, then Thorn walks around the bed like he's got all the time in the world before hitting the switch.
The scream that erupts out of Zane makes my bones chill, but as quickly as it comes, the quicker it disappears, until just the sound and smell of burning flesh fills the room.
Thorn flicks the switch again once Zane’s dead, then him and his brother run over to the computer at Ava’s desk. I don't know what the hell they do, but they soon stand back up straight and look over at me.
I suck in a breath when they take a step my way, but then they stop.
I pull the mask from my face as I take another look around at the unimaginable sight in this room. “Go,” I whisper, finally finding my voice. I look back over to them. “Go, now!”
I can think of something to explain this, I have to. As long as those two get away, it will all be okay, won’t it? I'm desperate to look at the cameras to see if they're still on, but I daren’t.
Thorn takes another step, but his brother holds him back and his jaw clenches. My chest suddenly tightens because the look in his eyes is different to any one I’ve seen him direct at me before.
“Get out of this building, Mikka,” Blade says. “It’s about to go up in flames.”
I blink as what he’s told me registers, but I can’t tear my eyes away from Thorn’s. “Okay.”
I hear the alarm sound and then quicker than I can blink, they’re both gone and I’m left alone to step over the bodies to make my own escape. Curiosity gets the better of me, though, and I make my way to the other room that was previously guarded by the dead security guards at the doorway.
I shove the door open and gasp in horror.
Small tanks filled with embryos are scattered throughout the room. They’re tiny but already look about six weeks gestation.
How did they get them to grow so fast?
I spot another tank like Thorn’s and Blade’s at the back, but it’s empty. My blood runs icy cold.
Was that for me?
“Get out,” Thorn says in my ear, his warm breath on my skin making me shiver.
I turn, but he’s gone. My heart races when I hear banging from down the hall, but I decide to do as I’ve been told. I won’t make him tell me again.
I turn and run over the bodies towards the lifts, slipping a few times on the river of blood. I already smell the smoke chasing after me from down the hall and can only hope that the cameras are destroyed in this fire, because if they aren’t, I actually have no idea how I’m going to explain how no one else from this floor made it out alive.
Ten
Mikka
I’m allowed home Saturday morning, after being interrogated for eighteen long hours. It seems as if the brothers let a few other people live, including most of the staff in HR, so now we’re all on paid leave.
The police seem to think I'm traumatised and suffering with PTSD because of my constant zoning out through the interview, but I’m far from traumatised. I just can’t stop thinking about Thorn and Blade absolutely annihilating the fuck out of everyone in that lab like it was nothing.
You have to admire the way they worked. Hell, I sure as hell do. The way they moved effortlessly through them all, snatching their lives and demonstrating all that incredible strength… That shit was hot.
They eradicated all my problems in about three minutes flat, but most of all, I'm relieved as hell they escaped. I might still be torn on the zombies that roam the streets at night, but the brothers aren’t like them.
The camera footage from the entire day seems to have been destroyed in the
fire, too, so the police only have what me and the rest of the staff left alive told them.
Which isn’t much.
I worry about who has access to the company’s main servers and what kind of information could still be stored on there, though. I’m hoping the brothers somehow know where to find me, too, ‘cause if anyone gets proof of what Zane, Ava, Mister Myers or any of their friends knew, I could still be in some serious shit.
My cell rings while I’m running a bath. “Hello, Clara,” I answer
“Hello, Mikka. I just thought I’d check on the employees to make sure you were all okay. I tried you a few times.”
“I not long got home.” I sit on the edge of the bath. “The police wanted me to repeat what happened about a million times.”
“Oh. How are you feeling?”
“Exhausted more than anything, but I’m okay. What about you?”
“I’m coping. I can’t close my eyes without seeing them busting their way inside my office, though.”
“Hey, they let you live, just focus on that.”
“They let you live, too, Mikka, and you were part of the team running those experiments on them.”
“I know…”
“Ava mentioned Thorn liked you. Do you think that’s why they let you go?”
“I don’t know. They didn’t just let me go, though, did they?”
“True. What if they try to find you?”
My heart races at that, because I wonder if she suspects something. “Me? No. Why would they?”
“Because…”
“In all honesty, Clara, I felt sorry for them,” I lie. “I know what they are on paper, but they’re really not what we think they are. They’re still human inside. Maybe they somehow knew I didn’t want to hurt them.”
“I guess. Just, be careful, okay? Just in case they do. I spoke to Seb earlier and he told me the police were asking him questions about yours and Thorn’s relationship.”
“What? We didn’t have a ‘relationship’.” I frown as I turn off the bath. These lies are coming to me way too easily.
“Yeah. I think maybe they thought you helped them escape.”
Love For My Zombie Kings: A Reverse Harem Zombie Romance (Zombies Rule The World Book 1) Page 5
