He shook his head. “I didn’t say that.”
“Fighting them is wrong,” I said after a few seconds. “I’m not going to self-destruct.” Or at least I hoped I wasn’t. “Making them do that is…is inhumane. And I won’t—”
“You will,” he said simply. “You’re no different than them.”
“No different.” I started to sit up, but he pinned me with a look that had me settling back down. “Mo doesn’t even seem human anymore. None of them do. They’re like robots.”
“They’re trained.”
“T-Trained?” I sputtered as he moved the ice to my chin. “They’re mindless—”
“It doesn’t matter what they are. You keep doing this? Not fighting back, not giving Sergeant Dasher what he wants, you’re going to keep being a human punching bag. And what does that solve? One of these days, one of the hybrids will kill you.” He lowered his voice, so low that I wondered if the microphones could even pick it up. “And what happens to the one who mutated you? He will die, Katy.”
Pressure clamped down on my chest and a whole different kind of pain surfaced. At once, I saw Daemon in my head—that ever-present, infuriating smirk on his expressive face—and I missed him so badly a burning crawled up my throat. My hands curled under the blanket as a hole opened up in my chest.
Several minutes passed in silence, and while I lay there, staring at his brown-and-white-camouflaged shoulder, I searched for something to say, anything to drive the emptiness out of me, and I finally came up with something.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“You probably shouldn’t talk anymore.” He switched the bag of ice to his other hand.
I ignored that, because I was pretty sure I’d go crazy if I kept silent. “Are there really Luxen out there who want to take over? Others like Shawn?”
He didn’t respond.
Closing my eyes, I let out a weary sigh. “Will it kill you to just answer the question?”
Another moment passed. “The fact that you’re even asking is answer enough.”
Was it?
“Are there good humans and bad humans, Katy?”
I thought it was weird how he said humans. “Yes, but that’s different.”
“Is it?”
When the icy bundle landed on my cheek again, it didn’t feel so bad. “I think so.”
“Because humans are weaker? Keep in mind that humans have access to weapons of mass destruction, just like the Luxen do. And do you really think that the Luxen don’t know what happens here?” he asked quietly, and I stilled. “That there are some who, for their own reasons, support what Daedalus does, while others fear losing what life they have built here? Do you really want an answer to that question?”
“Yes,” I whispered, but I was lying. A part of me didn’t want to know.
Archer moved the bag of ice again. “There are Luxen who want to take over, Katy. There is a threat, and if that day comes when the Luxen have to choose sides, which side will they stand on? Where will you stand?”
…
Daemon
I was about ten seconds from snapping someone’s neck.
Who knew how many days had passed since Nancy did the little meet and greet at Mount Weather? A couple? A week or more? Hell if I knew. I had no idea what time of day it was or how much time had passed. Once they had escorted me inside, Nancy had disappeared, and a whole slew of stupid shit proceeded to take place—an exam, blood work, physical, and the lamest interrogation this side of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I went along with everything to just speed up the process, but then absolutely freaking nothing happened.
I was stashed in a room—probably the same kind of room Dawson’s ass had been held in once upon a time—growing more furious by the second. I couldn’t tap into the Source. I could, however, take my true form, but the only good that did was lighting up the room when it was dark. Not exactly helpful.
Pacing the length of the cell, I couldn’t help but wonder for the thousandth time if Kat was doing the same thing some other place. I didn’t feel her, but the weird link between us only seemed to work if we were nearby. There was still a chance, a small sliver of hope, that she was at Mount Weather.
Who knew what time it was when the door to my room opened and three G.I. Joe wannabes motioned me out. I brushed past them, grinning when the one I knocked shoulders with muttered a curse.
“What?” I challenged, facing the guard, ready for a fight. “You got a problem?”
The guy sneered. “Move it along.”
One of them, a very brave soul, prodded me in the shoulder. I turned my glare on him, and he wilted back. “Yeah, I didn’t think so.”
And with that, the three commandos guided me down the hallway that was nearly identical to the one that led to the room we’d found Beth in. Once in the elevator, we descended a couple of floors, and then walked out and into another corridor populated with various military personnel, some of them in uniform and others in suits. All of them gave our little happy group a wide berth.
My already nonexistent patience was stretched thin by the time we stopped in front of two dark, shiny double doors. My spidey senses were telling me the thing was rigged with onyx.
The commandos did some secret squirrel shit with the control panel, and the doors slid open, revealing a long rectangular table. The room wasn’t empty. Oh no. Inside was my favorite person.
Nancy Husher sat at the head of the table, hands folded in front of her and hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. “Hello, Daemon.”
I so wasn’t in the mood for bullshit. “Oh. You’re still around after all this time? Here I thought you just dumped me.”
“I’d never dump you, Daemon. You’re too valuable.”
“That I know.” I sat down without being told and leaned back, folding my arms. The soldiers shut the doors and took up guard in front of them. I shot them a dismissive glance before turning to Nancy. “What? No blood tests or exams today? No endless stream of stupid questions?”
Nancy was clearly struggling to maintain her cool facade. I hoped to whatever God was out there that I pushed every button the woman had. “No. There’s no need for any more of that. We’ve gotten what we need.”
“And what is that?”
One of her fingers moved up and then stilled. “You think you know what Daedalus is trying to do. Or at least you have your assumptions.”
“I honestly don’t give two shits what your little freak group is doing.”
“You don’t?” One thin brow rose.
“Nope,” I said.
Her smile spread. “You know what I think, Daemon? You’re a whole lot of bluster. A smart mouth with the muscles to back it up, but in reality you have no control in this situation, and deep down you know that. So keep running your mouth. I find it amusing.”
My jaw clenched. “I live to entertain you.”
“Well, that’s good to know, and since that is now cleared up, may we move on?” When I nodded, her shrewd gaze sharpened. “First I want to make it clear that if at any time you pose a threat to me or to anyone else, we have weapons here that I would loathe to use on you but will.”
“I’m sure you would loathe to do that.”
“I would. There are PEP weapons, Daemon. Do you know what that stands for? Pulse Energy Projectile. It disrupts electronic and light wavelengths on a catastrophic level. One shot and it is fatal to your kind. I would hate to lose you. Or Katy. Get what I’m saying?”
My hand closed into a fist. “I get it.”
“I know you have your assumptions when it comes to Daedalus, but we hope to change that during the course of your stay with us.”
“Hmm, my assumptions? Oh, are you referencing that time when you and your minions led me to believe that my brother was dead?”
Nancy didn’t even blink. “Your brother and his girlfriend were held by Daedalus because of what Dawson did to Bethany—for their safety. I know you don’t believe that, and that isn’t a concern of mine. There
is a reason why Luxen are forbidden to heal humans. The consequences of such actions are vast, and in most cases result in unstable DNA changes within the human body, especially outside of controlled environments.”
I cocked my head at that, remembering what happened to Carissa. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Even if humans survive the mutation with our help, there is still a chance that the mutations are unstable.”
“With your help?” I laughed coldly. “Shooting people up with God knows what is helping them?”
She nodded. “It was that or let Katy die. That is what would have happened.”
I stilled, but my heart rate picked up.
“Sometimes the mutations fade. Sometimes they kill them. Sometimes they hold, and then people combust under stress. And sometimes they hold perfectly. We have to determine that, because we cannot allow unstable hybrids into society.”
Anger whirled through me like a freight train. “You make it sound like you’re doing the world a favor.”
“We are.” She leaned back, sliding her hands off the table. “We are studying Luxen and hybrids, trying to cure disease. We are stopping potentially dangerous hybrids from hurting innocent people.”
“Kat’s not dangerous,” I ground out.
Nancy tilted her head to the side. “That’s yet to be seen. The truth is she’s never been tested, and that’s what we’re doing now.”
I leaned forward very slowly, and the room started to carry a white sheen to it. “And what does that mean?”
Nancy held up her hand, warding off the three stooges by the door. “Kat has proven to show signs of extreme anger, a hallmark of instability in a hybrid.”
“Really? Kat’s angry? Could it be because you’re holding her captive?” The words tasted like acid.
“She attacked several members of my team.”
A smile spread across my face. That’s my girl. “So sorry to hear that.”
“So was I. We have so much hope when it comes to you two. The way you’ve worked together? It’s a perfect symbiotic relationship. Very few Luxen and humans have reached that. Mostly the mutation acts as a parasite to the human.” She folded her arms, stretching the drab brown of her suit jacket. “You could mean so much to what we’re trying to accomplish.”
“Which is curing disease and saving innocent people?” I snorted. “And that’s it? Really, do you think I’m stupid?”
“No. I think you’re very much the opposite of stupid.” Nancy exhaled through her nose as she leaned forward, placing her hands on the dark gray table. “Daedalus’s goal is to change the landscape of human evolution. Doing so requires drastic methods at times, but the end results are worth every fleck of blood, trickle of sweat, and teardrop.”
“As long as it’s not your blood, sweat, and tears?”
“Oh, I have given this everything, Daemon.” She beamed. “What if I could tell you that we could not only eradicate some of the most virulent diseases, but we could stop wars before they even started?”
And there it was, I realized. “How would you do that?”
“Do you think any country would want to fight an army of hybrids?” She cocked her head. “Knowing what a successfully mutated one is capable of?”
Part of me was disgusted at the implications. The other half was just plain old pissed off. “Creating hybrids so they can fight stupid wars and die? You tortured my brother for this?”
“You say tortured; I say motivated.”
All right, this was one of the moments in my life when I really wanted to knock someone through a wall. And I think she knew that.
“Let’s get to the point, Daemon. We need your help—your willingness. If things go smoothly for us, they will go smoothly for you. What will it take to come to an agreement?”
Nothing in this world should have made me consider this. It went against nature; that was how wrong this was. But I was a bartering man, and when it came down to it, no matter what Daedalus wanted, what Luc wanted, there was one thing that mattered. “There’s only one thing I want.”
“And that is?”
“I want to see Kat.”
Nancy’s smile didn’t fade. “And what are you willing to do to accomplish that?”
“Anything,” I said without hesitation, and I meant it. “I will do anything, but I want to see Kat first, and I want to see her now.”
Calculating light filled her dark eyes. “Then I am sure we can work something out.”
Chapter 9
Katy
My legs ached as I trailed behind Archer, limping our way to the training room. Who would I fight today? Mo? The guy with a Mohawk? Or would it be the girl with the really pretty red hair? It didn’t matter. I’d be getting my butt kicked. The only thing I did know was that they wouldn’t let any of the other hybrids kill me. I was too valuable.
Archer slowed his step, allowing me to gimp my way up to him. He hadn’t said anything since he left my cell yesterday, but I was used to his silence. I couldn’t figure him out, though. It didn’t seem like he supported any of this, but he never said it outright. Maybe it was just a job to him.
We stopped in front of the doors I’d come to loathe. Taking a deep breath, I stepped through when they opened. No point in delaying the inevitable.
Sergeant Dasher waited inside, dressed in the same uniform he’d been wearing since the first time I saw him. I wondered if he had an endless supply of them. If not, he had to have one hell of a dry-cleaning bill.
These were the stupid things I thought of before I was pummeled into one giant bruise.
Dasher gave me a once-over. From the brief glimpse of my reflection in the foggy mirror in the bathroom, I knew I looked like a hot mess. On the right side of my face, my cheek and eye were an ugly shade of purple and swollen. My lower lip was split. The rest of my body looked like a smorgasbord of bruises.
He shook his head and stepped aside, allowing Dr. Roth to check me over. The doctor took my blood pressure, listened to me breathe, and then shined a light in my eyes.
“She looks a little worse for wear,” he said, tucking his stethoscope under his lab coat. “But she can participate in the stress test.”
“It would be nice if she actually participated,” grumbled one of the guys at the control panels. “And not just stand there.”
I shot him a glare, but before I could open my mouth, Sergeant Dasher cut in. “Today will be different,” he said.
Folding my arms, I fixed my eyes on him. “No. It won’t. I’m not fighting them.”
His chin went up a notch. “Perhaps we’ve introduced you to the stress test incorrectly.”
“Gee,” I said, smiling inwardly at the way his eyes narrowed. “What part of this whole thing is incorrect?”
“We do not want you to fight to just fight, Katy. We want to make sure your mutation is viable. I can see that you are unwilling to hurt just another hybrid.”
A tiny smidgen of hope flared inside me, like a fragile seedling poking through the ground. Maybe making a stand, accumulating all these bruises, had meant something. It was a small step that probably meant nothing to them but everything to me.
“But we must see your abilities under high stress.” He motioned to the guys at the panels, and my hope crashed and burned. The door opened. “I think you will be more accepting of this test.”
Oh God, I didn’t want to walk through those doors, but I forced one foot in front of the other, refusing to show an ounce of weakness.
The door closed behind me, and I faced the other door, waiting while knots formed in my stomach. How in the world could they make this acceptable? There was nothing they could—
In that instant, the other door opened, and Blake stepped through.
I choked out a dry, bitter laugh as he swaggered into the room, barely paying heed to the door closing behind him. Suddenly Dasher’s words about being more acceptable made sense.
Blake frowned as he stopped in front of me. “You look like crap.”
>
The simmering anger sparked. “And you’re surprised? You know what they’re doing in here.”
He thrust his fingers through his hair as his eyes moved over my face. “Katy, all you had to do was tap into the Source. You’re making this harder on yourself.”
“I’m making this—?” I cut myself off as the anger heated up in me. The Source stirred in my belly, and I felt the tiny hairs on my body rise. “You’re insane.”
“Look at yourself.” He waved a hand at me. “All you had to do was do what they asked, and you could’ve avoided all of this.”
I stepped forward, glaring at him. “If you hadn’t betrayed us, I would’ve avoided all of this in the first place.”
“No.” A look of sadness crept across his face. “You would’ve ended up here no matter what.”
“I don’t agree.”
“You don’t want to agree.”
I sucked in a deep breath, but the anger was getting the better of me. Blake moved to put his hand on my shoulder, but I knocked his arm away. “Don’t touch me.”
He stared at me a moment, and then his eyes narrowed. “Like I told you before, if you want to be mad at anyone, get mad at Daemon. He did this to you. Not me.”
That did it.
All the pent-up anger and frustration whipped through me like a category-five hurricane. My brain clicked off, and I swung without thinking. My fist just grazed his jaw, but the Source had reared its head at the same time. A bolt of light shot from my hand and spun him around.
He caught himself on the wall, letting out a surprised laugh. “Damn, Katy. That hurt.”
Energy crackled down my spine, fusing with my bones. “How dare you blame him for this? This isn’t his fault!”
Blake turned around and leaned against the wall. Blood trickled from his lip, and he wiped at it with the back of his hand. A strange gleam entered his eyes, and then he pushed off the wall. “This is completely his fault.”
I flung my arm out and another bolt of energy shot forward, but he dodged it, laughing as he spun around, his arms out at his sides. “Is that the best you got?” he goaded me. “Come on. I promise I’ll go easy on you, Kitten.”
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