by KH LeMoyne
Kaax glanced at him and nodded.
“It’s him.” The words needed to be voiced. “Salvatore.”
Kaax nodded.
Jason felt everyone turn to him. Then, in a palpable reaction of horror, they all watched as Kaax wove the scene with his hands, the image of the monster/man gained motion. He walked backwards, retreating to the corner by the window. Quick bright white illuminated from his fingertips and for a split second, he turned and the moonlight reflected the silver slits of his eyes, visible from the depths of the hood.
Briet’s hand covered his and he realized he was squeezing her shoulder. He quickly let loose, but she gripped harder to his hand with her own.
“How do you do that?” Jason asked.
Kaax let his hand drop and the images disintegrated back into their original form on the paper. “The child’s emotions and memory are in these drawings, her impressions reside there. Her tale as well. I can weave tales into physical, graphical symbols. I can dissect the impressions and intent of others from their symbols and stories also.”
Jason blew out a breath. He’d never even expected such a unique ability, though he’d never conceived of a race of people such as these Guardians either. Ansgar had been right to bring this man. The exercise had solidified into proof, justifying the instinct in Jason’s gut. “Thank you.”
Kaax nodded.
“You’ve suspected him since we spoke in the lab based on what?” Ansgar looked curious.
Jason squeezed Briet’s hand gently. “Annie’s body had marks. I never got a chance to confirm what they were because her body was taken for cremation too quickly.” He glanced at Briet. “She was gone when I went back to the morgue later that day.”
He glanced back at Ansgar. “I suspected, given the heart attack and the marks, that she’d been electrocuted. But the location of the marks, their size and the juxtaposition to the injuries didn’t make sense. The damage to her internal organs was so severe I couldn’t figure out how a current would cause so much damage, without a direct path or huge exit wounds.”
With a glance at Grimm, he continued. “You mentioned he could control electricity. He could bend the current and regulate the capacity. He could do what the evidence said was impossible. I just couldn’t link him directly to Annie. I only had conjecture.”
Briet leaned back against him with a sound. He held her to his side, knowing he couldn’t really protect her. There wasn’t any way to soften the impact of what the child had been subjected to by Salvatore.
“Why?” Her strained voice vibrated with a slight tremble along his skin.
Jason ran a hand over her hair and took a deep breath. “If we go with the premise that Salvatore inserted the DNA splicing into the patients for his own purposes, it makes sense he would monitor all his subjects. Annie had trouble sleeping. I’m guessing she saw him, saw something he did. Whatever she witnessed was information he couldn't risk her exposing. Her death wasn’t part of his experiment. She was a casualty from his crime.”
“He couldn’t escape everyone’s notice.” Brittle with emotion, her voice rose with her stress level. Grimm moved behind her chair to touch her shoulder.
“He stayed on the fringes. There’s no reason he couldn’t fold in and out just like you do.”
She opened her mouth to disagree, but her brows drew up in distress, her whiskey brown eyes wide and pained. “I caused this. She would be alive if I hadn’t been there. Salvatore wouldn’t have targeted her if I hadn’t been involved in the project.” Her voice trailed off to a whisper.
“That’s bullshit.” He dropped to his knees beside her, blocking out the people behind him who had gone still. Jason gave her a gentle shake and jerked his head toward the table. “He’s running at least a dozen of these trials, maybe more. That’s easily over seven hundred people. He might have suspected you would eventually be involved on one of the projects, but his interaction with Annie solidified before you even had visibility into the genetic changes. Before you showed up on his radar. She had these nightmares from the beginning. You said as much yourself.”
Mia reached for Briet’s hand and Ansgar palmed the top of his sister’s head. All the people touched her like one big human octopus. Jason appreciated their efforts to keep her grounded, to try to absorb her pain.
“She was just a number in his plan. I think you working with her, with the pictures, actually bought her time. It took the focus off her dreams, let the limelight die down. He may have elongated his timetable, but he was coming after her one way or another. When her nightmares returned, he picked his time,” Jason concluded.
“I could have gotten her to tell me.” Her hand clutched Mia’s as her head bent, too overwhelmed to justify another resolution.
“She could not disseminate what she had seen,” said Kaax. “These pictures are from the child’s subconscious. She had no frame of reference to deliver her knowledge besides her fear and monsters. He must not have known she had no ability to pass on her information.”
Jason held Briet’s hands, letting her digest the information and come to the painful, logical conclusion. All of them would have done anything to save Annie. Short of stealing her away, they could have done little for her. To strip a dying child from all she knew and loved would have been equally harsh, because Annie was dying.
He had seen that in her samples. Briet must have as well. The child had not responded to the protocol. Despite Briet’s attention and care, Annie would have died from her disease within the year.
“You can’t save them all. I wish you could, but you know it isn’t possible. You made her life happier.” He brushed the hair back from her face. “He’s a monster, but her death would have been quick. Quicker than her cancer.” He whispered the last words.
Jason didn’t want to give Salvatore any credit but he needed Briet to see the options, to weigh the consequences. He needed her not to hold onto Annie's death with a personal sense of guilt. Sorrow, yes. Horror at Salvatore’s actions, definitely. But no doubts that she could have saved Annie.
Briet took a deep breath and Jason curled his fingers around her hand. With Grimm at her back, she had to be aware he was moments shy of sending her back to her room. Jason refused to have her treated like a child, sick or not.
With the incredible strength she’d always displayed, he watched her pull it all back, the doubts and the fear. She would fight her demons, but it seemed she’d decided not to do it publicly. He’d never been prouder of her.
“I’ll be okay.” She stroked his arm and looked at Turen. “Let’s move on.”
With Turen’s nod, everyone broke the tight circle of observation and concern elicited by Kaax’s revelation and moved to find their seats. The cluster of support around Briet moved back and Jason pressed a kiss to her forehead before resuming his spot beside her. Pulling her closer, he offered the comfort of his arm and side to provide an anchor for the volatility of her emotions. He could only hold off the fatigue he sensed gripping her body for so long.
“As you can see, Frank’s team is compiling more information by the minute,” said Turen, glancing at the reams of paper on the conference table. He turned to Tsu. “Any indication of the manufacturing site?”
Tsu shook his head. “I spoke with him several hours ago but no word yet. He’s confident they will locate the man Jason wanted tracked. He has some suspicions the individual may have the details we require. He’s targeting some answers within the next two days.”
“Why would he go to all this trouble?” asked the amber-eyed woman seated beside Grimm.
Jason scrutinized her as she waited on an answer. She’d spoken with strength and confidence. Similar qualities to Briet, though in his mate, they manifested in a total package he found much more sensual, certainly more compatible with his own desires. This woman’s bearing seemed more in line with that of the male warriors. He suspected she could hold her own in a fight, a good thing to note if she was a part of Turen’s team. Given her proximity to Grimm and
her past link to Briet, he assumed it was likely.
“Sagari—” Turen looked to Jason for clarification. “I’ll let you field that.”
Jason handed a pile of papers to Mia, who forwarded them around the group. The last sheet he handed to Briet. “From what I’ve seen, these trials are small, each distinct with little significant crossover or apparent correlation in subjects or purpose. Not all the studies are disease-related and the groups themselves vary by age, level of health, genealogy, geography, and even lifestyle.”
“The majority are children, but not all.” Sagari glanced up from a cheat sheet Jason had constructed with a brief summary of each trial. “I still am having trouble with a connection.”
The confusion built in the room. Briet leaned back against Jason, the tiny ridge between her blond brows deepening as she held the sheet over his thigh, perplexed.
“All options of the human spectrum.” Sagari reiterated, seemingly finding no relief in wrestling with the puzzle.
“A broad spectrum test,” suggested Tsu.
Sagari turned back in annoyance to Turen. “For what end? If he’s testing his nano methods to destroy humanity, it will achieve disaster. Both our races would end. There are easier methods to annihilate a species.” She held up her hands with a snort at the grumbles brought on by her frankness. “You know I’m right.”
“He doesn’t hold humans in much esteem, or us. We can’t rule out that he doesn’t care.” Turen rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “On the other hand, he could be searching for something in this large pool of people. A reaction. A new weapon. Whatever it is, we have to conclude he considers the test subjects expendable.”
Jason noticed the sheet go lax in Briet’s finger a second before she turned to stare at him.
“What happens when Frank’s people find the man connected to Salvatore?” Briet’s question stopped the flow of conversation.
He was going to have to tread carefully here.
“Several of us are going to deal with him,” said Ansgar.
She looked pointedly at Jason, her gaze never leaving his face. He gave her the truth.
“I’m going after him.” He held tight to her hand, not allowing her to pull away from him as he continued. “He has critical information and I need to deal with him.”
“Then I’m going, too.” The line of her jaw tightened and her lips pressed into a thin line.
Jason felt the minute her frustration reached its peak. She’d absorbed a lot in the last several days and she needed an outlet. He was the safest target. He would try to give her what she needed, even if it wasn’t what she wanted.
“I know you’re not going to tell me I can’t do this.” Her voice strengthened with anger.
“You’re right.”
He avoided her gaze but he couldn’t avoid the looks of the others. Ansgar’s brows had furrowed in anger for the first time in several days. Sagari looked perplexed. Turen had his arms crossed, waiting to shut Briet down as soon as Jason was finished. Only Tsu, sitting beside Quan, remained impassive except for the slight shift of his head in support.
“What?” Briet had opened her mouth to argue and narrowed her eyes in confusion.
“This is your project. These are your people.” He dropped his arm from her shoulder and shrugged as she tilted her head at the surprised support. “Since you have all these skills, you are probably as proficient as Tsu, or Ansgar, or Turen in self-defense. Right? You must have their speed, their agility, their talent with weapons.”
He gave her a firm look and didn’t back down because this was all or nothing. He wasn’t about to risk her on her whim. He waited and watched the indecision flicker across her face, watched her brows knit together as she tried to figure a way to gloss this over.
“Because if you don’t,” he kept his hands from her, giving her time, “then you not only put yourself at risk, but you would be a liability to others who would feel compelled to protect you. I’ve never seen you exhibit qualities of recklessness at work. Ever. You’re the best at what you do, Briet. You’d never risk anybody else.”
Her gaze finally shifted to Tsu and back to Jason then her shoulders sagged. “Point made.” Her hands fisted in her lap as she stared at him. “But you’re going.”
Jason sucked in a deep breath and looked to Ansgar. “I’m not driving this battle and I’m very realistic about my limitations. I do, however, have something I need to do.”
Briet turned to look at her brother. Ansgar’s expression had relaxed when she’d backed down. He moved to crouch beside her. “I’m not going to let anything happen to him, Pip.”
“None of us are,” said Tsu.
“Promise you’ll bring him back.” The words came out small and soft, but Jason heard each painful syllable.
He pulled her back into the circle of his arms. “They don’t need to promise. I’ll be back. I have no false illusions of heroics.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen you practice.” Ansgar’s snarky comment brought a choked laugh from Briet.
“But I’ve been a team player all my life.”
Ansgar rolled his eyes begrudgingly.
Turen cleared his throat, the action obvious but everyone refocused. “Even if we are able to shut down the manufacturing facility, we still need some countermeasure to retract the effect of the DNA modification. If it’s even possible.”
“We’ll find an option.” Determination flickered in Briet’s smile. She gave a quick side-glance to Grimm. “We can start today.”
He audibly groaned but said nothing and rubbed at his eyes in feigned frustration.
“Then, Briet, we’ll meet back here when you’re both ready with a plan,” said Turen.
CHAPTER 29
“I don’t want to go back to the room.” Briet rubbed her cheek against Jason’s shoulder as her fingers teased along his neck. Exhaustion and sadness ate at her. Thoughts of Annie’s death and Salvatore’s treachery nagged at her. For Jason’s sake, she refused to give in to melancholy. He’d bolstered her and guided the strategy for a large part of the council meeting, all after days of caring for her. He deserved better than her distress.
A grunt vibrated from his chest to her breasts where he carried her cradled close to him. “Don’t think we’re getting a pass from Grimm just yet.”
“What I mean is I’d rather go to our quarters.”
He paused with her in the middle of the hallway. The vibrant blue of his eyes darkened as he tightened his grip, then he reluctantly shook his head and glanced around. “Probably won’t take long for him to find us. But if I never see those peach walls again, it’ll be too soon.” His eyes met hers. “I almost lost you surrounded by that awful peach wall color. Which way?”
She gestured with her chin to an adjoining hallway several feet away.
“Should you give me fair warning?” he asked.
“I don’t think it will offend your masculine sensibilities. No frills or white feathers.” She pointed toward a double set of doors at the end of the hall.
“I have nothing against feathers. They can be very useful for certain activities.” His chuckle produced an array of wicked images for her imagination. Wanting to torment him a little, she rubbed her face against his neck.
“Stop being a tease.”
“Not teasing.”
He brushed his lips across the top of her head. “I’m perfectly willing to provide examples and extensive instruction on every feather fantasy I can think of—after Grimm’s cleared you for action.”
Briet stifled a sound of frustration, gave him a sour look, and pressed her palm to the plasma plate beside the door. She worried her lip with her teeth and watched the expression cross his face as the door swung wide. His eyebrows gave a quick tilt up as he glanced around and for a second she tried to imagine the room from his fresh perspective.
Several stairs dipped down to the main living area, wooden floors flowed to the floor to ceiling windows on the opposite side. The two-foot wide vertical shutter
panels ran the length of the window, cranked open now for a view through tree limbs to patches of wild grasses bordering the hillside. Long camel colored sofas and side chairs of sage and gold graced the room.
“Nice. Bedroom?” he whispered into her ear, then laughed as she let out an exasperated sound when he didn’t take more notice.
He followed the few stairs directly into the expanse of the bedroom and without hesitation stalked right to the bed, dropped her unceremoniously, and crawled over her body to lie next to her.
Well, thank heavens she’d had the foresight to provide a huge bed. It would give them plenty of space avoiding each other. Before her arms crossed over her chest, he scooped her in his and rolled her on top of him.
“Now we rest.”
She braced her forearms on his chest and leaned up to see if he was kidding. “I don’t want to rest.”
“You—we have a very nice place,” he said as he traced his thumb along the edge of her jaw. “But today’s been stressful, for everyone.” His finger rested on her lips. “We disobeyed Grimm’s orders and now, no distractions. We’re going to hang out here and nap.”
She parted her lips and nipped his finger. “What if I don’t want to sleep?”
“I didn’t say sleep, just nap.” His palm cupped the back of her head, gently maneuvering until her lips met his.
“If I want to talk?” She smiled against his lips and stared into his eyes. “Because I know this isn’t leading anywhere until Grimm says so.”
He pressed closer. “We can enjoy the parts leading up to anywhere.” His lips captured her lower lip, testing and teasing, finally releasing it with a taste from his tongue. “And we can talk.”
The firm muscles of his shoulders shifted beneath her fingers. With a slide of her hands, she curled her fingers into his hair and relaxed her body on top of his. She let herself sink into him. Bodies pressed thigh to thigh, heartbeat to heartbeat, and cheek to cheek, she admitted this had all the potential for restful. “Today was hard.”
“Today was hard,” he repeated, letting his hands stroke along her back and hips, his fingers sliding beneath her shirt gently massaging the flesh on either side of her spine.
