Scorned by Venom (Argentium Vampire Hunters Trilogy #2)

8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Luka

Screams coming through the walls alerted me they were back, poking and prodding, taking what they needed from us without a care. We were nothing more than lab rats, and they were using every piece of us they could to the highest extent to fulfill their needs.

This had been the same routine since I got here months ago: every three days they’d come in to do their research, feed us, and leave.

The blood they offered didn’t excite me. After I bonded to Sage, all other blood had become unappealing. The shit tasted like mop water smells after sitting in a bucket for a week. After being forced to drink blood that didn’t come from my mate, I had much more respect for Vivi. She had been dealing with drinking it for a year.

Blood bonds suck.

But sacrifice means the destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else, so I’d never regret my decisions.

I traded a life for a life, a soul for a soul, and I would do it again.

The vile taste was a bittersweet reminder of what I had sacrificed to keep Sage safe, so I appreciated the nasty shit. If my bond with her broke, other people’s blood would taste good again. The only thing connecting me to her and the outside world, the bond reassured me of her survival. I wouldn’t trade it for the best blood in the world.

Regardless, the hunger hurt. It gnawed away at my insides, burning through my veins, leaving pain and delusions in its path.

They only gave us a small fraction of the amount of blood we needed—enough to keep us alive. It’s how they kept us weak. Even if I had enough blood to strengthen me, I couldn’t do much in my situation.

The exam table they had me splayed out on had small silver spikes which were buried into my backside, each sharp point stinging. The cuffs on my wrists and ankles that had me spread eagle also contained spikes.

The screams coming from the female vampire in the room down the hall finally stopped. The sounds of her moans now filling the cold air as she devoured her feeding. Which meant one thing: the blonde-haired ‘scientist’ bitch would be here soon.

As I lay buck naked awaiting my turn, my mind brought up visions of Sage’s beautiful face. Her high cheekbones, luscious lips, and perfect hazel eyes—drop dead gorgeous. Sometimes, when I pictured her, it was blurry, and I was unsure whether the lack of blood or the extreme exhaustion caused it.

My biggest fear was her dying. My second, forgetting what she looked like. Especially since I wouldn’t likely see her again.

Click. Click. Click. Click. The sound of high heels resonating through the hallway like a death knell brought me from my thoughts.

Here she comes. Fuck.

Six beeps sounded when she entered her code, then the door unlocked and she sashayed in like she had the best job in the world.

“Morning, Luka.” Her cheerful voice had a sweet and optimistic tone to it. Like a song of illusion. A symphony of lies.

Dr. Amy Ishman.

A forty-seven-year-old unmarried woman with no kids, by choice, who earned a Master in Philosophy, a PhD, a Doctorate, among other prestigious awards, and she spent her time torturing vampires for the United States government.

I liked to call her Dr. Cuntface.

And I abso-fucking-lutely hated her.

“As always, Doc, fuck off.”

She strolled up to the table and leaned into my view, her blonde hair falling forward, blocking the bright lights and casting a shadow across her face. “As always, this is going to hurt.” She grinned before turning away. “You should be more grateful. Few people get to be involved in ground-breaking research.”

I snickered, my eyes following her every movement as she grabbed her torture cart, or at least that’s what I liked to call it, pulling it over to a metal supply cabinet.

“I mean it, Luka. Because of the virus you carry, we’re able to do wonderful things. American soldiers are already faster, stronger.”

“How long do you think you can keep this up?” I asked, watching her load the cart with her favorite instruments.

“As long as the funds are there we will stay in business. And with some of the biggest billionaires backing us, I’m certain we’ll be around for a long time.”

“I mean, how long do you guys think you’ll be able to maintain this before someone shuts down the entire operation?”

She dropped supplies on the tray before turning toward me with a scowl. “By who?”

“You’re eventually going to piss off the wrong people.”

She shook her head, a cackling laugh leaving her. “This research has been going on for over two hundred years. We have had enemies and will continue to have them. Because only a small number of elite members know the locations of the research facilities, we have managed to remain secret. It’s impossible for someone to get in here.”

Facilities?

I couldn’t help but wonder how many they had, then a thought hit me.

“Wait, I thought the government paid for everything.”

“They give us paychecks, but only fund the research required for their needs. The rest is thanks to our supporters. They cover the cost of all the other items we make.” She closed the cabinet, and the wheels of the cart squeaked as she headed toward me.

With all that research money, they should’ve gotten new carts.

I was always an asshole on purpose, consistently meeting her answers with more questions. “So, these backers, they don’t care to know where the lab is?”

After snapping on a pair of gloves, she picked up a syringe and filled it with a serum. “Of course not. They only care about the products we make.”

Remembering the name of the wound sealant Sage had, I mentioned it to prolong our discussion. “Like the Bondcoat?”

“I mean, we sell plenty of that, but it’s not even a big item. Face creams and skin tightening serums that keep women looking younger are some of the most popular. Next are the sexual enhancing and stamina pills for the old men who still want to feel like a young stud on the golf course.” She rolled her eyes before she continued filling syringes.

“Do they know you’re torturing people for these products to be made?”

She tied a tourniquet around my arm and tapped my skin with her fingers. “Not people. Vampires. And no, but they wouldn’t care as long as they could get their products.”

“That’s kind of fucked up, don’t you think, Doc?”

“When you have as much money as they have, you don’t care about anything other than what you want.” She sighed, wiping the bend of my arm with an alcohol swab before finding a vein. “Little poke.”

“Then why not turn them?”

“Oh, no. There’s no money there, Luka. Once turned into vampires, they wouldn’t need us anymore, and we need them to fund us.” She filled five vials with my blood before releasing the tourniquet.

After wiping my upper arm with another alcohol swab, she injected me with the first of five shots I got every three days. I had no clue what was in them, and honestly, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

“But if everyone paid to be turned, you wouldn’t need more money.”

“We would because the research doesn’t ever stop. One day, we hope to cure specific diseases like cancer. The backers fund that too.”

Our conversation had my mind reeling about the billionaire backers and the general population as she gave me two more injections. “And if you ever find a cure for cancer, will it be readily available to the public?”

“Someday, Luka. But not anytime soon. Obviously, our backers will be the ones to get first dibs. Plus, we can’t cure everyone of everything.”

My forehead creased because I assumed that was the whole reason behind the research. “Why not?”

She snickered, injecting me for the fourth time. “It would really piss off big pharma.”

After setting the last syringe down, she pulled a surgical light closer to me. “Only four shots today?” I asked, a blinding pain radiating behind my eyes.

“Yep. You’re now in a different phase. We didn’t find anything during D942.” She picked up a scalpel from the tray before turning toward me. “Are you ready?”

I attempted to stall her as much as possible, and I’d noticed her assistant wasn’t with her today. “Where’s Bill?”

“You won’t see him much for a few weeks because I got him on another project that needs to be finished before the next recognition ceremony. If you ask me, Bill and I both have earned a trophy and a raise for the hard work we’ve done this year. So hopefully, we get them.”

She glared at me, as if she was waiting for me to tell her congratulations.

We had conversations like this frequently, and her willingness to share all of her greatest accomplishments had me wondering if she had a praise kink. Maybe she needed a daddy to tell her how much of a good girl she was. Sadly for her, I wouldn’t be the one praising her horrendous research, but I was curious as to why she was so open.

“Why are you willing to give up secrets? Aren’t you afraid I’ll share them with someone if I ever get out?”

A radiant smile spread across Amy’s face, her eyes fluttering like I was an innocent child. “No one has ever gotten out of here, Luka.”

My thoughts immediately went to Victor and his brother Finneas. They reminded us at least every other Save meeting about how they escaped after being tortured for years by the Vampire Research Center.

“Maybe not in your time,” I muttered, not believing her.

She jutted her chin out as if she was a sophisticated queen, and I was nothing more than a mere bloodsucking peasant who was lucky to even be in her world. “Not even before me.”

What the fuck?

Deep down, I knew Fin was a rat. What I hadn’t guessed was the possibility of Victor being one, since he had been the head of the council of Supernaturals Against Venom Elitists for centuries, even before I turned.

Leaning down, she dug the scalpel into my thigh, and I gritted my teeth. “Today, I’m going to be taking samples of your tissue from last week’s injections.”

I ignored her, my mind still on the outside world.

If what she said was true, no one had ever escaped from a research lab. Not like I had much hope of escaping or being rescued, but my friends were out there with the enemy and I had no way of warning them.

She shaved and sliced for a good two minutes before holding up a pair of hemostats with a chunk of me hanging from it.

“That’s a good one!” She placed it into a container with solution in it before screwing on the lid.

An hour later, she had violated me until she finally got everything she needed. Then left me with the putrid taste of someone else’s blood lingering in the back of my throat.

“I’ll see you in a few days. Let’s hope this is the one that will finally let me retire to Venezuela.” She crossed her fingers and held them up next to her big, smiling face. A face I wanted to rip off. “Bye, Luka.”

Six beeps and the door unlocked. Dr. Cuntface’s high heels clicked against the white marble floor again as she made her way down the hall. When I heard the door which I assumed left this area click shut, I called out to the vampire down the hall.

“You good, Carmen?” I asked in Spanish, and I’d never been more grateful for Winnie teaching me. She could speak English, but we had no clue if anyone listened in or if they had microphones. And after many conversations, I knew Amy wasn’t bilingual.

Carmen whimpered, and my heart ached from the sound. “This is miserable. I don’t know how you do it, Luka. I’ve only been here for a week.”

I smacked my lips, wishing I had a sip of water. “Be grateful you’re not blood bonded.”

“I can only imagine.” She sniffed, and I could tell she had been crying. “I don’t think I can do this. I’m not strong enough.”

“You are more than strong enough. Don’t give up. We’ll get through this together and get the fuck out of here. I promise.”

She became quiet for a few seconds before she responded, “I believe you.”

Being a man of my word, honor meant everything to me, but deep down, I had no idea how to honor the promise I made to my new friend.