Strategic Vulnerability

by Mandy M. Roth

  The man pulled a handgun from his waist and fired at Wilson.

  Wilson jerked, hitting the wall behind him hard enough to cause an echo. Kim screamed and fought against her restraints as blood seeped from Wilson’s shoulder.

  “No!” She tried to reach him but couldn’t.

  The bald man laughed. “Open your mouth again and I’ll aim for your head. I doubt you can heal that one, dickhead.”

  “Mendel!” someone called out.

  The bald man licked his lower lip as his gaze bore into her. “I’ll be back, cupcake. I’d like to teach you some manners and find out if you’re telling the truth about having black hair naturally.” He rubbed his clothed cock. “Should be educational all the way around.”

  Kim waited until Mendel was gone before focusing on Wilson. “Ohmygod, Wil, are you…”

  He winced. “I’ll be fine. He likes to do that.”

  “You mean he’s shot you before?” She took a deep breath, doing her best to soak in everything.

  I’m not going to panic. I’m not going to panic.

  Wilson nodded. “Daily.”

  “What? He shoots you every day?”

  Okay, I’m going to panic.

  “Kim, it’s okay. I’ll be fine.” He moved as much as his chains permitted, trying to reach out to her. Pain washed over his face and she knew his effort to comfort her cost him greatly. “Mendel is trigger happy. I’ll be okay. Promise.”

  “How are you alive?”

  He stiffened and cleared his throat. “It’s complicated.”

  “Complicated? Oh, that is a good one,” a familiar, heavily German-accented voice said.

  Chapter Four

  Kim looked up to find Krauss standing just outside of the cell. “Professor, you’re okay. I thought you were—” She stopped and narrowed her gaze on him. Something wasn’t right. He didn’t look as though he’d suffered at all. In fact, he looked damned comfy. Not to mention he was outside of the bars. As her mind wrapped around it all, anger flashed through her. “You did this. You’re the reason we’re here, aren’t you?”

  The short, chubby man winked. “So sorry, Kimberly. I needed you here. You were too career driven to ever agree to willingly allow me to run tests on you. I have to admit, I thought you were only pretending to be human. I had no idea you truly thought yourself to be one.”

  Confused, she shook her head, deciding it best to avoid anything pertaining to her being human or not. “What? Professor, tests? I don’t understand. This trip was to study indigenous plants of the rain forest.” She tugged at her restraints. “What have you done to me?”

  A wicked laugh ripped free of him. “Kimberly, the moment I read your file and saw your picture, I knew you would blindly trust me. It is your nature. You are also not a violent person and in excellent health. The addition of your supernatural blood made you the perfect candidate for what we are trying to accomplish.” He pulled a key from his front pocket and unlocked the cell. “You have proven to be a wise choice.”

  Kim lay still, unsure what Krauss would do. He approached slowly and placed his hand on her lower abdomen. A sickening grin spread over his face as he palmed her, causing Kim to shudder. He laughed. “Do I repulse you?”

  Assuming it was a rhetorical question, Kim remained silent. Krauss rubbed her lower abdomen once more. “It still amazes me that you, of all the test subjects, were receptive.”

  Receptive? She held in the scream wanting desperately to come.

  Krauss looked her over, his demeanor smarmy, different than it had been back home. This felt real. He was truly the bastard standing before her. “It was luck that you were at the height of your cycle when I brought you in. I think my choice for a match for you was excellent. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  “Get your filthy fucking hands off her, you piece of shit,” Wilson said, not seeming to care that his last outburst had gotten him shot. Apparently, being chained in a cell had affected his common sense, that or he had very little sense to begin with. Either way, he’d end up dead if he continued.

  She stared at him. “Wil, please.”

  Krauss’s smile grew. “Interesting.”

  Kim didn’t like the sound of that. “What did you do to me?”

  “I’ve given you the opportunity to be the mother to the next generation of super-soldiers.”

  “You son of a bitch!” Wilson fought against his restraints, rattling them and growling like an animal. “I will kill you. Know that.”

  “I am sure you like to think as much,” Krauss said nonchalantly. He took hold of the strap on Kim’s ankle and undid it. Running his fat hand up her leg, he came to a stop on her inner thigh. “I am going to release you. Try not to overexert yourself, Kimberly. So far, everything is going well. I would be very,” he squeezed her thigh hard enough to leave a bruise, “upset if anything happened to you. You’re very special to our program.”

  For a moment, she couldn’t breathe. Shaking her head, Kim stared up at Krauss, worried he’d had her raped and might have even done it himself.

  A deep laugh came from him. “Oh, fear not, young one. I oversaw the procedure necessary to produce the next wave of warriors. It was sterile and done in a lab, Kimberly. I have not,” he grinned, “as of yet, allowed a man to commit the act naturally. Though,” he glanced at Wilson, “I imagine this one will take you soon enough.”

  The idea of Wilson pinning her to the bed and having his way with her should have terrified Kim. It didn’t. It excited her. Her skin began to tingle at the very thought of Wilson touching her. Shocked, she looked toward Wilson to find him watching her closely, as if he knew she was anything but repulsed by him.

  Krauss undid her other ankle, and Kim stayed as calm as she could, not wanting to tip her hand. “You’re taking the news better than I thought you would.” He touched her cheek lightly before moving to her wrists and undoing the straps there. “I knew in my heart you would be perfect, Kimberly. I knew I could trust you to do the right thing, to be a good girl.” He helped her sit up and directed his gaze out toward the hallway. “Bring her something to wear!”

  In a matter of seconds, another beefy man appeared, this one carrying a handful of clothing. He gave the clothes to Krauss who, in turn, handed them to Kim. “There is a shower in the corner. My apologies for the lack of privacy you’ll have, but I’m sure you’ll make do. I’ll have soap brought in momentarily. Is there anything you need? Aside from being let go, of course.”

  She put her chin up defiantly. “Wilson needs medical attention.”

  Krauss laughed, unswayed by her stance. “He is fine. Besides, he does not allow our people near him when he is not sedated. Shall I have him shot with another tranquilizer? It might be best considering what we’ll be injecting him with very shortly. Shall we knock him out, Kimberly?”

  “No,” she said a little too quickly.

  “Are you sure? I like to push how far my test subjects can go, and you should know he’s had an unusual interest in you since you first arrived.” Krauss smiled. “In fact, the moment he saw my men dragging you in, he went crazy, trying to get to you, trying to save you from your fate.”

  Kim’s gaze flickered to Wilson. Had he really done such a thing? The look in his brown eyes told her he had. He’d do it again. She knew it. “I don’t want him knocked out. He’s been through enough.”

  Krauss touched her knee and gave it a good squeeze. “What if I told you my men will be administering a drug that will drive him mad with lust, with need? Would you want him tranquilized then?” Krauss leaned in more. “He’s chained, for now, but can you imagine what he will be like, struggling to get to you, to fuck you, to fill you so full of his seed he can’t see straight?”

  Yes. Therein lay the problem. Kim wanted exactly that and she shouldn’t. She didn’t know Wilson, but it didn’t matter. She more than wanted him.

  She jerked her knee away from Krauss as Wilson yanked on the chains holding him. He growled. “Sedate me! Do it now! You know goddamn well
if I lose control and take her, it could kill her! You of all people know how dangerous it is to mix our semen with—”

  Kim drew in a sharp breath and Krauss laughed. “Changing your mind, Kimberly? The animal speaks the truth. Under normal circumstances, his semen is deadly to a human. Too powerful. Too full of supernatural DNA for the human to bear, leaving them either in a state of withdrawal, which they die from, or pregnant with a child they aren’t strong enough to see to term.” He reached for her lower abdomen. “But you’re different, Kimberly. You can not only tolerate what he offers, but are so receptive to it. So…very receptive.” He licked his lower lip. “I’ll leave the last bit a secret. For now. But I will offer again to have him sedated after he’s injected with his daily dose of meds.”

  Kim stared at Wilson, doing her best to keep her emotions in check. Wilson shook his head, pleading with his eyes. “Do it, Kim. Tell him you want me—”

  “I want him,” she whispered, realizing after the fact that she’d slipped in what she should have said. She opened her mouth to correct herself but stopped, letting her statement stand.

  Krauss looked as if he would leap for joy. “Very interesting.”

  “I don’t want him to be shot up with anything.” She reached for Krauss and stopped just short of touching him. “Please don’t hurt him anymore, Professor. Please. I’ll do whatever you ask me to but only if you stop hurting him.”

  Krauss seemed to think upon it for a bit before tipping his head. “I could have you put in the cell next to this one, separate from him. There are other females here I could bring in. Ones who volunteered for the greater good of science and ones who want nothing more than to be fucked by the animal you see behind me. I personally do not see what they do when they look at him, but these females have been tripping over themselves for a chance to be fucked by him.”

  Tears welled but she kept hold of them as she stared past Krauss at Wilson. “I don’t see an animal. I see a man. A man who has been tortured and who has somehow kept his humanity through it all.”

  “Very interesting, indeed,” Krauss whispered before smiling. “Then you do not look hard enough, Kimberly. For he is an animal. He could rip an unwilling partner apart with ease while fucking her. Shall I sedate him, or remove you from his clutches before the next phase of testing begins? I like you. It’s why I’m giving you the choice.”

  She glared at him, understanding the man’s game more than she wanted to. “No, you’re giving me the choice because you like to push your test subjects. You said as much yourself. You want to see what I’ll do to keep him safe, don’t you?”

  “So intelligent.” He stroked her inner thigh and she wanted to release her hidden powers and blast him away. If only she could. “So beautiful and so innocent. See where it is I am coming from, Kimberly. See it and understand it. A woman like you could spend eternity by my side, helping me raise an army.”

  She fought the urge to vomit.

  Chapter Five

  Krauss moved in close enough to kiss her. Thankfully he didn’t or she would have really been sick. “Now that you’re on to my reasoning behind giving you a choice, what will you do to keep him safe, Kimberly?”

  “Nothing,” Wilson bit out, shocking Kim because of how softly Krauss had whispered the question. Wilson shouldn’t have been able to hear it, yet he had. “She’ll do nothing. Get her out of my cell. I don’t want her here. I want—”

  She would have been hurt had she not sensed Wilson’s lies.

  Krauss apparently sensed the lies as well because he called Wilson’s bluff. “Very well. I shall have her moved to the cell next to yours. I have two other males waiting in the wings. Their bodies are so pumped full of aphrodisiacs they can’t even wear clothing—it burns. I’m sure they’ll enjoy two-on-one time with Kimberly. She already knows them. Brad and Vic.”

  Brad and Vic? They were alive and being held captive too?

  Wilson roared to life, jerking so hard against his chains that for a moment she thought he’d break free, or at the very least, rip a chunk of the wall out. “You will not touch her! No one will!”

  It made her chest tight, seeing the sheer determination to protect her in his gaze and knowing he was powerless to do so. Unable to stand another moment of it, Kim touched Krauss’s shoulder and avoided the urge to retch. “I want to stay with Wilson. You said I’m valuable to you and your project. If that’s true, and I think it is…” She kept back the part about sensing the truth in his words. He wouldn’t let her be harmed. Not yet anyway. “I don’t know what it is you’re doing, or what your end goal is, but I do know I cannot and will not watch that man suffer another minute.”

  The sly smile that swept over Krauss’s face told Kim she’d played into his hands as he’d assumed she would. If it kept Wilson safe, it didn’t matter. “Such a good girl, Kimberly. So caring.” He stroked her leg. “I will offer you one additional gift for your honesty.”

  “You’ll unchain him?” she asked, hopeful.

  “If you wish, but that wasn’t the gift, Kimberly.” He stepped back a bit. “I will have another female brought in during the height of his attraction—shall we say—and she will be a willing participant.”

  “I’m not fucking anyone or anything,” Wilson said, a low growl following.

  That wasn’t the truth and Kim knew it. She could sense Wilson holding something back, and when she met his gaze, she knew what it was—he could and would fuck her if it came down to it. Her, but no one else. The thought should have terrified her. It didn’t. It gave her the resolve she needed to lift her head high and meet Krauss’s gaze.

  “You bring anyone else into this mix and you will not have my cooperation. You’ve apparently studied me long enough to know what type of person I am.” Or at least you think you know. “If that’s the case, then you’re well aware of how resourceful I can be, Professor. I see you have no respect for Wilson and limited use of him because of the way you let your men treat him. I don’t get the impression you’re so willing to let them do the same to me.”

  Something flashed in Krauss’s gaze, telling Kim she was right. He wouldn’t allow her to be harmed just yet.

  “I want to remain with Wilson, and you will not bring in other women or men, or allow your men to continue to torture him. I want to be able to treat his wounds, help him get cleaned up, and if I’m right, he’s not been fed a decent meal since he’s been here. I want him to eat.”

  She swallowed hard, continuing on her spiel. “If you think you can sneak things into his food, know that I’ll eat it first. If you don’t want or need me, then by all means, administer something harmful—I’d rather be dead than here if that helps to ease your mind any.”

  Her gifts tapped into Krauss’s paranoia, and she nearly rejoiced to know they were still there, working their way through whatever they’d done to her. Krauss needed her way more than he wanted to admit, and he needed her safe and calm. “Wilson will be unchained and left with you and you alone, Kimberly.”

  Krauss motioned to the man who had brought her clothing. “Paquin, gather what Kimberly will need. Bring her soap and,” he ran his fingers through her hair, “shampoo. She has the most beautiful hair.”

  She shuddered, wanting desperately for him to step away from her.

  “Yes, sir.”

  Krauss reached for her cheek and she moved off the bed quickly, scrambling toward Wilson. Krauss laughed. “So, my touch does repulse you.”

  She knew better than to answer that in particular. She glanced back at Wilson. “He needs clean clothes. The ones he’s in are hanging on him by a thread.” Kim left off the part about them smelling horrible.

  Krauss chuckled. “I have always admired your resolve, Kimberly. Very well. I will also see to it that he is provided with clean clothing, but I should warn you. He is a trained killer. He could snap your neck with little effort.”

  “He won’t hurt me.”

  I hope.

  Kraus inclined his head. “If you say so.”
He turned to walk away but stopped in mid-stride. “Have fun, you two.” With that, he walked away, leaving his flunky to lock the cell behind him.

  The man thrust a key through the bars at her and shook his head. “I can’t believe you’re going to free that thing.”

  Kim’s legs were shaky as she stood, and for a split second, she thought she’d fall. Bending down, she retrieved the key and ignored the man. She went to Wilson’s side and knelt down before him. Unable to help herself, she reached to touch the gash on his cheek but stopped just short of it. “Wil?”

  He closed his eyes and exhaled loudly. “I’m fine, Kim. Just another day at the office.”

  She went to work on his shackles and noticed how raw the skin on his wrists and ankles was. “Do I need to beg you not to snap my neck?” she asked with a wink.

  “No.” Wilson stretched his arms and legs, wincing slightly. “Thank you. But I should tell you that pushing Krauss isn’t safe. He’s a sick man, Kim.”

  Nodding, Kim moved a little bit closer to Wilson. “Is he gone?”

  “Yeah, they’re all gone now.”

  Her lip began to tremble as she gave in to the need to cry. Before she knew it, Wilson had his arms around her, holding her close. It wasn’t like she even knew the man, yet she found comfort in his arms. At first, it was hard to ignore the fact he smelled like he’d been rolling in the city dump, but it wasn’t his fault and she knew it. She also knew on some level that he needed the comfort of human touch as well. She was also sure he was safe. As she realized she was indeed cuddling with a complete stranger, Kim drew back slightly, wiping her eyes and glancing at his shoulder. No bullet hole remained. In fact, there was absolutely no sign he’d been hurt at all.

  “Your shoulder…it’s healed.”

  That wasn’t possible.

  He sighed and her gut clenched. Scrambling away from Wilson, Kim drew her knees to her chest. “W-what? How? Who?”

  Chapter Six