Authors: Keri Arthur
He gave one last thrust, then withdrew and stepped back. The room behind him was narrow and long, the wall opposite all glass. Comfy chairs followed the curve of the glass, and behind these, several sofas. It reminded me of the private boxes often seen in sporting venues. The only thing that differed was the long control panel and desk to my left.
My gaze finally met Talon's. Amusement shone in his golden eyes and his expression was all arrogance. My fingers clenched, but with my hands chained above my head there was little leeway to swing a punch.
"I guess this means you've decided it's still okay to fuck a half-breed, huh?" I said dryly.
He sauntered over to the sofa and sat on the back of it, one leg swinging idly. "Fuck, yes. Have a child with, no. I am the pinnacle of the werewolf race. I can breed with nothing less than similar perfection."
I raised an eyebrow at that. He
was
perfection, but only in body. The heart and soul left a lot to be desired. "Then you're going to die childless."
A smile played about his lips. "Perhaps."
I didn't trust that smile or the glint in his eyes. They bode me no good. I shifted slightly, testing the chains around my legs. They were as tight as those on my hands, but the brush of leather against my thigh said I still had my boots on. Though the knives were a fat lot of good if I couldn't get to them. Still, there
was
one good thing. The chains weren't silver.
"So why bring me here at all?"
"Because you are a dhampire, and one with few problems, which is extremely rare. Examining your genes will greatly enhance my research."
"I thought you were breeding clones?"
"I am. But I'm also exploring the DNA of different races in the hope it'll explain why my clones are dying."
"Here's a news flash. You want to create dhampires, all you have to do is wait by the grave of an undead. Grab him when he rises and milk away. His seed is viable for up to twenty-four hours."
"The newly risen are extremely violent, and I have not the resources to waste just yet."
"Yet you can keep throwing them at Quinn." And me.
He shrugged. "He was getting dangerous."
"Because he was getting close?"
"Yes."
"And where is he now?"
His eyes glinted at me. "Do you care?"
I rolled my eyes. "He's a vampire, for God's sake."
Talon snorted. "At least you have some taste left. He's downstairs, in a cell. He'll prove a good test for my latest batch."
"He's not a guardian." It was a guess, but a fairly certain one.
His smile flashed. "No. He is something better--an extremely old vampire."
Part of me ached to ask about Kelly, but I didn't. Mostly because I needed to be strong at that moment, and if I knew for sure she was dead, strong was the one thing I
wouldn't
be. "And is that what you plan for me as well?"
"Oh no, little wolf. You will spend your days in my labs here in Genoveve and your nights in my bed."
His voice was a low and familiar caress I felt deep inside. Given the fast-approaching full moon, desire was almost automatic, but it was accompanied by a churning in my gut. I really didn't want him to touch me, but if push came to shove, there might be little choice.
"Tell me, did you send those sickos in the van after me?"
Anger flickered in his eyes. "No."
"Then who did?"
"Someone who is of no consequence to you now."
Meaning he expected me to stay here like some good little puppy? The man was an idiot. An insane idiot. "Then why were they bringing me here first?"
"Because those guards were mine, and obey my orders first."
I raised an eyebrow. Dissension in the ranks had to be good for us. "And your orders were?"
"To bring you here so I could claim what I wanted first." He paused. "It was before I realized you had tainted blood, remember."
Tainted blood? That was almost as bad as Quinn asking me if I needed "relief." "So was the man giving orders Misha?"
Talon snorted. "Misha is a fool who plays a dangerous game."
"Then who is in charge?"
His golden eyes twinkled with amusement. "Someone you know, little wolf. Someone you've had dealings with for some time now."
Well, gee, that narrowed down the field. It could be a past lover, or a friend, or the guy I bought coffee off most lunchtimes. "I don't suppose you can be a little more specific?"
"I don't suppose I can."
My fists clenched, but it was pretty much a useless gesture of irritation. "Do you really think the Directorate is going to let you grab one of their people and not do anything about it?"
"You're a secretary, not a guardian. I hardly think they'll miss you."
"Rhoan will."
His smile reminded me of a shark. A conceited one at that. "Neither Rhoan nor the Directorate knows anything about Genoveve or this facility. They concentrate their efforts on Moneisha and I'm quite happy for them to continue to do so."
His arrogance would be his downfall--and I hoped like hell I would be there at the end to witness it.
He rose and sauntered over to the window, staring out. I closed my eyes, imagining that dark plain and the door I'd created.
Talon's voice made me start.
"My father started this research a long time ago, and I have every intention of finishing it."
"So your father was as mad as you?" My comment was absent, my concentration on opening that door. Sweat trickled down my forehead.
"My father was a genius. He saw the potential in the werewolf race, a potential that was not being realized simply because breeding was not being selective enough."
The dark plain rolled before me, the red wall shimmering brightly. I grasped the door handle and thrust my weight against the door. It still felt like I was trying to move a mountain, and I wondered if it would get better with time--and usage--or whether this sort of mental stiffness was natural.
Talon droned on. "He spent his life studying the DNA sequences of the genes within an adult werewolf, how the proteins are made, and how they are used to construct the adult body. I am the result of his research."
My eyes flew open. "You're a
clone
?"
He glanced over his shoulder. "I prefer to call myself a natural creation of the lab. I am everything my father and the werewolf race is not."
I stared at him, dumbfounded. And yet it explained his size. And the overwhelming power of his aura. It
wasn't
natural. "But . . . why then do all your clones reek of death if your father perfected the research?"
"Because much of the research was lost in a fire that took my father's life. And because I use an accelerant so I have fully functioning adults to test. Vampire genes are more elusive than werewolf."
"So why are you working on vampire clones if your father saw the potential of werewolves?"
"Because the vampire is faster than the wolf and has the gift of shadowing. Pinpoint the sequences that give birth to this difference, add them to the werewolf, and you have a creature of unstoppable power."
"And yet you're rejecting me because I'm not full were. That really doesn't make sense, even for a madman."
His smile was condescending. "My creations will be all wolf--they will just have a few extra sequences that will give them greater skills."
"Then they are not wolf."
He snorted. "Like I am not a wolf, just because my DNA has been enhanced? No, my creations will be weres, and they will be all-powerful."
And he planned to be the force behind that power. God only knew what he intended to do with it. "Is Misha working with you in this? His company is certainly working to pinpoint the vampire genes."
Mirth played about his mouth. "Misha refuses to see the benefits in cloning."
So Misha had been telling the truth in that respect, but could I trust the truth of everything else he'd said? Somehow, I suspected not. "So he's your partner?"
"Not in Genoveve."
So, again, Misha had been telling the truth. Question was, why, when he was obviously involved not only with Talon in other ventures, but also with the man who controlled them both?
A light flashed on the panel to my left. Talon sauntered over and picked up the phone. The voice on the other end of the phone was guttural and edged with some sort of accent, making it difficult to pick up any words from where I stood.
Talon hung up, then walked over to me and grabbed my face with one hand, his fingers digging into my cheeks. This close his aura was smothering, all heat and longing and need. "Business to attend to," he said, then kissed me hard.
God help me, the fever rose, and it was all I could do not to arch into his body. But when he stepped back, I spat in his face. He laughed and wiped the spittle away with an arm. "We shall see how feisty you are once that fever has had time to burn."
He walked out. I closed my eyes and conjured the psi door again, pushing with all my might. This time it opened, and I didn't fall on my face.
Are you all right?
Quinn's mind voice was flat and soft, yet his anger and concern seemed to resound through every fiber, providing both warmth and strength.
Yes. You?
Nothing worse than bruised ribs. I'm currently locked in a cell, but I have all the hidden weapons.
As have I. I'm chained in what looks like a control room over what I'm presuming is an arena.
Is Talon with you?
Just left.
And the fever?
Burns.
Right then the force of fear made me able to ignore it, but I had a suspicion Talon only needed to walk into the room and that would be the end of any pretense of control.
Can you escape?
I tugged experimentally on the chains. Concrete dust sprinkled downward, making me sneeze.
Probably take me a while, but yes.
Then start trying. This cell has laser bars, and I can't get out until they're down.
So you're not holding out hope that Rhoan and Jack are going to come rushing to the rescue any minute now?
It's five in the afternoon. If they're rushing, they've got a strange way of showing it.
Something has gone wrong.
Obviously.
He hesitated, then added.
They'll be here, of that I have no doubt. I just don't think we can afford to sit around and wait for them.
Not when Talon plans to use you as a punching bag for his latest batch of clones.
Shifting my right foot, I began turning and twisting and tugging at the chain, until the skin around my ankle was raw and pain burned up my leg. The ring in the wall began to move, the small puffs of dust providing hope.
It came away suddenly, the chain lashing out across the carpet, then snapping back like a pissed-off snake.
I started on the ring holding my other leg captive and was slick with sweat and trembling by the time it came loose. I edged the chains behind my legs just in case Talon came back in, then started work on the chains pinning my arms together.
Maybe it was the fact that the ring was higher and I was able to hang more weight off it, but that one came out quicker. Even so, my wrists were red and raw.
I'm free.
Still wearing chains, but free. I rattled past the long control panel and began going through the drawers of the desk.
Great. Now comes the more difficult part--finding me.
Unfortunately, Talon has not been considerate enough to leave floor plans lying about.
Quinn's amusement shimmered through my mind, momentarily dulling the ache in my wrists and ankles.
I'll have a word with him when I meet him.
The third drawer down was locked. I forced it open, and found several keys. The fourth key opened the locks around my wrists, the seventh the ones around my ankles. I had no idea what the rest opened, but I wasn't about to leave them behind.
I puddled the chains under the desk and walked back to the control panel.
Any idea where you are?
No. There are no signs and no movement whatsoever.
I scanned the many screens and eventually found what looked like pictures from security cams. I pressed a button, and the picture jumped to a different setting. I kept pressing. The first person I found was Talon. He was in a lab, peering into a microscope, and just the way he stood suggested he was far from happy. And that made
me
extremely happy.
I moved on, eventually finding what looked to be a series of crisscrossed red lights.
Those lasers bars . . . are they red and on all four sides?
Yes.
Then I think I've found where you are.
I glanced at the top of the screen. Sublevel three.
All I have to do now is find how to get there.