Her head hung low as she shuffled around the desk. “The Alpha told me to give you some blockers. He doesn’t want to risk you shifting and getting the upper hand on us.”
Clementine scowled and drew back as Karey pulled out a needle. Her mountain lion shied back from it, whimpering. “Can’t you just say you gave it to me? I don’t have any plans for shifting, anyway. The Academy had me on blockers. I don’t think straight without my mountain lion.”
“The Alpha would be angry if I disobeyed him.” Clementine backed away as Karey came forward again. The girl stopped and peered up at her as she chewed her lip. The bruise on her face was just fading to nothing. “Please, don’t cause trouble. I know you don’t want to, but it’s not just me the Alpha would be angry with.”
They didn’t know how the blockers would affect a fetus at this stage of development. Clementine hesitated as she stared at the needle. No, this wasn’t what she wanted at all. But she knew what her dying would do to her unborn baby. Better take the risk of the unknown rather than anger the Alpha into killing her.
With a sigh, she rolled up her sleeve and offered her arm to Karey. Karey expertly wiped down the spot on her upper arm and stuck the needle in. She moved quickly and efficiently.
“You worked as a nurse for Utopia, right?”
Karey pressed a bit of gauze to the needle site. “Yes. The Alpha put me through a nursing program years ago. He doesn’t like doctors, but I’ve been able to take care of the Pack well enough. Well… for the most part, at least.” A cloud passed over her face as she shook her head. “I knew that the serum wasn’t ready. I tried to tell him, but I’m only an Omega. Nobody listens to us. I can hardly get people to let me set their broken bones these days, without someone with a stronger personality to back me up.”
Clementine frowned at her. “But you’re the Alpha’s daughter.”
“Yes, I am. That doesn’t mean anything, though.”
“And why not?”
Karey sighed. “We go through trials when we enter puberty, to see what our strengths are and where we can best serve the Pack. We are then given our station, whether Beta, Gamma, Delta, all the way to Omega. My scores were…” She hung her head, her cheeks turning pink as her hands clenched. “So I’m an Omega.”
Clementine’s heart ached for her. What would it be like to have your whole life determined when you were twelve years old? That was ridiculous. She put a gentle hand on Karey’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. That’s not fair.”
“That’s what Utopia used to say.” Karey glanced at the door and lowered her voice. “Is she okay? The Alpha told us that the Academy executed her, but the way the dragon looked at her…”
“She’s fine. They’re mates and living happily together, although it doesn’t surprise me that the Alpha would lie about something like that. I guess he just wants everybody to stay too afraid to try to leave him.”
“Something like that,” Karey agreed with a sigh. “But you shouldn’t say things like that. I know it’s tempting, but the way he is right now… I don’t know what sort of reaction he’d have.”
Clementine nodded her understanding. The whole situation was more terrifying than she realized. The first thing she needed to do was stabilize the Alpha so he didn’t kill her for looking at him wrong. “I haven’t found anything about the makeup of the serum. Where are the notes on it?”
“They should be…” Karey went to the filing cabinet in the corner of the room and sorted through the folders inside. She withdrew one and brought it over. “This is the one that was used on the Alpha and his men. I don’t understand most of it.”
“Thanks.” Clementine opened it and glanced over the first few pages. She grimaced at the sloppy writing. Not even printed? This was going to take a while. “I think the first thing we need to do is start working on an anti-serum. Undo the effects of this one. That means stopping the Alpha from accessing his new dragon powers.”
Karey shuddered. “He’s not going to like that.”
“I’m sure he won’t, but we can work on this serum after we’re sure he’s not going to drop dead.” Clementine tried to force herself to sound more confident than she felt.
Hopefully, they’d develop the anti-serum and get it back to the Academy. Even though she hated the idea of leaving anybody in the rotting state the Alpha was in, her first mission was to get information in order to help people. Right?
The door opened again, and Clementine jerked so hard she dropped the file. The smell preceded the Alpha as he strode into the room. Clementine got to her feet, her hands shaking. It was difficult to breathe deeply but she did anyway, trying to get herself back into equilibrium.
“Alpha,” she nodded at him. “I haven’t finished catching up with the information I need to move forward.”
“You worked with Utopia; you know it all.”
Clementine shook her head. “I only worked with her briefly, and she shared very little of her research. I was arrested before I was able to familiarize myself with her research. But I really think I ought to give you an examination. There is something wrong with you, and I think maybe if I was able to administer antibiotics, we’d at least stop you from deteriorating further.”
“And that might be something we do,” the Alpha agreed. “But right now, you will come with me.”
Clementine swallowed nervously as the Alpha walked away. She followed, Karey trailing after her. What did he want? They left the building and emerged into a wide, open field. Here, the Alpha led her to find a seat on a set of bleachers. She gazed over the field and she gasped.
Eugene stood in the center of it, stripped to the waist. A burly man, shorter than Eugene but more compact and muscular, stood facing him. Eugene’s expression was difficult to make out from this distance, but as soon as he saw her, he headed toward the bleachers.
Karey nervously scooted in behind the Alpha and tapped his shoulder. “Alpha, is this wise? Having something like this out in the open, when the Academy—”
“Shut up,” the Alpha snarled at her. “You are an Omega. Don’t question your Alpha. You shouldn’t even be permitted to sit in the same vicinity as me. Take the advantage that being my daughter gives you; sit down and don’t open your damn mouth again.”
Clementine made a noise of protest. “That’s no way to talk to—”
“Did I ask your opinion, Doctor?” The Alpha turned blazing eyes on her. “I do not take backtalk. Now you are going to give advice only on those matters which I say, or I’ll put you through the trials. If you don’t measure up well enough to be the mate of a dragon, I’ll give your Eugene someone else—and you to a wolf of your station.”
The blood drained from Clementine’s face. Her shoulders hunched as she turned back around. As frightened as she was, she had to bite her lip to keep herself from exploding at him. How dare he? How dare he think that he could decide who were mates? How dare he threaten her like this?
Normally, she’d turn her fear into anger and demand to know just who he thought he was. But she knew who he thought he was, and trying to stand up for herself wasn’t going to do any good, not any more than trying to stand up for Karey.
Eugene stopped at the base of the bleachers and glared up at the Alpha. His gaze softened when he turned to Clementine. “Are you okay?”
Clementine nodded. “I was just familiarizing myself with everything when the Alpha told me to come to watch… something. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Peachy. I’m just being pitted against this ugly guy here.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the burly man. “Apparently they want to see how a real dragon stands up against one of their serum soldiers. Although I didn’t know that you’d be brought.”
He glared at the Alpha again.
“I thought you could use some extra encouragement.”
Clementine twisted her hands together. She had no desire to watch Eugene get into a fight with anybody. She abhorred violence, even in television shows. But she also didn’t want Eugene to get b
eat up but not have her on hand to tend to him. On the other hand, this was delaying her research into the serum and how to undo it.
The Alpha patted her knee, making her cringe. Eugene snarled and the Alpha laughed. “Go on, then. Let’s see what you can do.”
Eugene’s scowl deepened but, with one more look at Clementine, he turned and walked back to where the burly man was waiting. As he opened his mouth, the burly man’s fist shot out. It hit Eugene hard in the jaw, knocking him back.
“That’s not fair,” Clementine protested. “He wasn’t ready. The fight hadn’t even started!”
Eugene ground his heels into the dirt. He flung himself forward, roaring.
“The fight has started now,” the Alpha replied.
Clementine glared at him.
The burly man ducked under a swing aimed at his face, following it up with a punch at Eugene’s jaw. Eugene deflected the blow, spinning in closer to elbow the man in the chest. He stumbled back, coughing and wheezing. Eugene followed it up with a spinning kick, knocking the man into the dirt. Clementine half rose to her feet, relief washing through her. It was over. That had been quick and not so bad.
“Sit down.” The Alpha grabbed her wrist and yanked her back down. “They haven’t even shifted yet.”
Chapter Eighteen
Eugene spat out a mouthful of spit and blood, glaring at the Alpha’s form on the bleachers. How dare he put his hands on Clementine? If his opponent didn’t get back to his feet, stumbling, at that moment, Eugene would have done something about it. But the man spat and charged. Eugene sidestepped the attack. He stuck his foot out, snagging the man’s arm and yanking him down once more, throwing him over his head.
The man bounced back up like a toy ball. He snarled, his form starting to shift. Eugene sighed as he backed up to put distance between himself and his opponent. Of course, he’d go for his shifted form rather than—
Eugene’s eyes widened as the man fell to his knees, howling. Scales sprouted over his body, followed by patchy fur. Ragged wings, half-formed and crippled, sprang from the man’s back. Smoke belched from his mouth. Soon, some sort of twisted wolf-dragon hybrid crouched on the ground before him. The limbs were all at the wrong angles, the posture hunched. The claws were too big, drool dripping from his mouth.
“What the hell?”
The creature howled and charged at him again. Eugene threw himself to one side, avoiding a collision with the beast. He cursed under his breath as it let out a stream of fire that burned the ground and created heat waves in the air. Whatever the Alpha was doing, this was wrong. Seeing the deformed creature before him, Eugene understood why it was the Alpha himself looked so terrible in his human form.
A scream and laughter both came from the bleachers. Eugene didn’t spare any time in casting a hateful look toward the Alpha. Instead, he brought his fires forward. He wouldn’t be able to fight this beast as human. The shift rippled over his skin, the transition to dragon smooth as skating on a pond. The beast jumped at his face, but Eugene batted him away.
He grabbed the creature, flipping it over his back. He followed after it, grabbing it by the scruff of its neck. The stubby wings flapped, and it clawed at the dirt as Eugene pinned the man to the ground. He used his bulk to keep him down. A howl was followed by a burst of flame, but Eugene kept him down.
This has to be the end of this, Eugene thought, struggling to keep the creature pinned. The Alpha has to say this is a victory.
“Do you call that fighting?” the Alpha jeered from the bleachers, but who he was mocking, Eugene didn’t know. He wanted to shift back to human form, to say that this was over for now, but if he did that, he had an uncomfortable feeling that he was going to be ripped to pieces.
Black smoke stung Eugene’s eyes. Another deformity caused by messing with genetics? He clutched the creature harder until it felt like his hands were getting hotter somehow…
The creature threw back its head, eye wild, and let out a tormented howl. Cracks split open in its scales and fire burst out. It shot straight for Eugene’s face, and he threw himself backward. Horror washed through him as the scent of burning fur filled the air. The creature clawed at its own skin as the fire consumed it. It raced toward the bleachers, the howl growing louder.
Eugene sprang after it. He landed hard, pinning the creature down. Using hands and wings, he tried to beat out the fire. White-hot spikes shot through his chest and wings. But it was no good. The creature spasmed, then its whole body was engulfed with flames. Within seconds, it was nothing but a pile of ash and charcoal.
Bile churned in Eugene’s throat, and he backed away. He retook his human form, staring at the corpse. What had happened? What…?
Clementine was halfway between the bleachers and where he stood. She slowed to a stop, a hand pressing to her mouth. He looked at her, his horror echoed in her eyes. The serum was more unstable than they’d thought. But why hadn’t the Alpha warned them this was going to happen if—
“You bitch!” the Alpha screamed as he tackled Clementine. They both fell to the ground. Eugene ran for them, his fires spiking again. The Alpha grabbed Clementine’s shoulders and shook her hard. “You should have told me this would happen! Now I’ve lost a good man and it’s all your fault!”
The guards were close behind them. Four of them circled where the Alpha was shaking Clementine and came at Eugene. He snarled, knocking two of them aside and facing off with the other two.
“I didn’t know,” Clementine shouted.
The Alpha spat in ire, his hands reaching for her neck. Fury burst through Eugene. He punched one guard in the face, disarming the second and shooting a third that had joined them in the leg. The Alpha shouted something else but the blood pounding in his ears was too loud for him to hear what it was.
He pistol-whipped a fourth guard, then charged straight through two more. He tackled the Alpha off of Clementine. They rolled, the Alpha howling. Pain spiked through Eugene’s abdomen and he bucked, throwing the Alpha off him entirely. Throwing the gun away, he scrambled back to Clementine. She reached for him, but he didn’t wait to hear what she had to say. He tucked her into a tight ball and shielded her with his body.
Blows rained down on him, sending spikes of pain through his back, his arms, his neck. He wrapped his arms tighter around Clementine, trying to spread his body over hers. He could take the attack if it meant those fists were for him, not her.
“No, stop!” Karey’s voice rang through the air. “Stop it! He’s just protecting his mate. They couldn’t have known this was going to happen, none of us did!”
A vicious kick hit him in the head, nearly knocking him off Clementine.
“Stop!” Karey shouted again. “Father, please, make them—No!”
A gunshot rang out. Silence fell. The beating stopped, but Eugene didn’t dare look up. His heart slammed wildly in his chest, and he could feel Clementine’s beating just as hard. A bitter taste rose in the back of his throat. Something cold pressed into the back of his neck and he knew the Alpha was going to kill him.
“Don’t try that again, Dragon.” The Alpha’s voice was hard, cold. “Never touch me.”
Eugene closed his eyes, hating the helplessness that washed over him. If he tried to shift now, the Alpha could simply blow out his brains before the change was complete. He could blow out his brains anyway, just because he wanted to.
The gun was taken away and two of the guards dragged Eugene to his feet. He kept a firm grasp on Clementine, bringing her with him. At the Alpha’s glare, he put her behind him. The gun was still clasped loosely in the Alpha’s hand. Karey stood several feet away, both of her hands pressed against her mouth. Nobody was dead, though. The Alpha must have shot the gun in the air.
“Take them both to their cell,” the Alpha ordered as he turned on his heel. He grabbed Karey’s arm. “As for you, we are going to have a little talk.”
Eugene wished he could spare more emotion to worry about Karey, the girl who had spoken up for him and Cl
ementine, but he was too worried about himself and his mate. He kept his grip on Clementine as they were roughly shoved toward the building where the prison cells were.
“Wait,” Clementine said. “Wait, he needs medical attention, he—”
“Move it,” the nearest guard snarled as he shoved her.
Eugene growled at him and earned a gun in his face for his efforts. He fell silent, satisfying himself to glower at the guard. They were taken back to that tiny cell and shoved in. Clementine hissed as the door was locked. She looked around, a defeated look in her eyes. As he reached to embrace her, though, he saw a swath of blood over her back.
A thunderous snarl burst from him as he yanked up her shirt. “You’re hurt!”
But there wasn’t a mark on her.
Clementine rolled her eyes. “No, you are. The Alpha stabbed you.”
Blinking in surprise, Eugene glanced down. Sure enough, the blood was from him. He became aware of the pain in his abdomen as the blood seeped in a widening circle on his shirt. Clementine pushed him to the bed, making him sit, and lifted his shirt. They didn’t speak as she tore a strip off her own shirt and wadded it against the wound.
“It doesn’t look that deep but you’re going to bleed quite a bit before it stops. I think you should heal in an hour or two.” Her face was rather pale, but her hands were steady as she directed him to put pressure on his wound.
She got water and some cloth from the guards and came back, washing him up as best she could. There was a split in his lip that stung, and bruises ached all over his body, but it wasn’t anything that he didn’t get during a normal sparring session.
“The Alpha is more unstable than we thought,” Eugene murmured. “Do you have access to who got the serum and when?”
Clementine shook her head but sighed. “If I don’t, I’m sure that Karey will know.”
If we ever see her again, Eugene thought grimly but didn’t voice it out loud. “Maybe it’d be better if we just let him combust, then. That would take out the leadership of the Pack, at least.”
Dragon's Pride (Dragon Blaze Ops Book 3) Page 11
