Chapter 46
The young man’s body bucked and twisted as if possessed, and in some ways, I guessed he was. He had shadow demon venom coursing through him and not from a bite. This had been injected directly into a vein.
I watched in horror as his back arched, and then he went completely still. His mouth went slack, his eyes open. That black, tar-like substance still leaked from both.
My stomach roiled, but I refused to look away. I wouldn’t turn from this atrocity. I’d burn it into my brain so that when I got free, I’d remember what we were fighting for.
One of the technicians pressed two fingers to the young man’s neck and shook his head. Another pulled a sheet over him.
Gone. Just like that. I guessed it was better than turning into a monster, but what a waste of a life.
“I thought you said you’d stabilized the compound.”
Patrick’s voice was deceptively calm. But I could feel the fury beneath it. Maybe it was because I was used to reading changing moods with Maryanne. Or maybe I just knew to be on alert with this monster.
Lucia paled. “We’ve been working around the clock, Your Majesty.”
“Well, obviously, that isn’t enough,” he snarled.
She swallowed hard, taking an instinctive step back. “Each failed attempt gives us more information. We get closer and closer.”
Patrick picked up a beaker on the lab table and hurled it at the wall. It smashed into a million pieces, making everyone jump. “We’re running out of time.”
“We have the test soldiers,” Lucia reminded him.
A muscle along Patrick’s jaw twitched. “I need soldiers whose brains remain, not just indiscriminate killing machines.”
My stomach pitched and twisted at his words. What had they created?
The doctor or scientist, whatever she was, nodded quickly. “We’re gaining more information with each attempt. We know now that this latest iteration moved in the wrong direction.”
“We need to take one of the shadow demons alive,” Patrick ordered. “We need to see how they metabolize the venom.”
The technicians all shared a wary look. I didn’t blame them. I wouldn’t want to experiment on one of those tar-fanged monsters. I couldn’t imagine how it would be possible.
A beep sounded, and a door at the back opened. It took a beat for me to recognize the figure making his way toward us. My body remembered first, a cold sweat sweeping over my skin as I remembered the fiery pain of his bites.
Damien.
A smile spread across his unnaturally pale face. “You brought me my prize.”
I nearly emptied the meager contents of my stomach right there on the floor.
Damien moved as if he were coming right for me.
I frantically searched for what might be within reach to defend myself. But his path was interrupted.
Patrick stepped in his way and shoved his chest hard. “You haven’t earned a damn thing.”
Damien barely caught himself before tumbling backward. His fangs descended as his lip curled.
“Watch yourself, boy,” Patrick snapped, his eyes flashing silver. “Remember who has kept you safe these past weeks. Remember who has given you everything you need.”
My heart hammered against my ribs. It hadn’t been Damien’s own father protecting him all this time. It had been Patrick. But I didn’t understand why.
Damien struggled to bring his rage under control. His eyes still pulsed with red, but his fangs retreated. “You haven’t given me everything.”
His gaze locked on me, and I felt the sudden urge to shower.
Patrick chuckled. “I have to have something to motivate you.”
Damien’s focus snapped to the dragon king. “I’ve done everything you’ve asked. Tore apart the Crescents. Taken Leighton. Got the shadow demons to give you some of their venom.”
“But it’s not working,” Patrick growled.
“It is,” he argued. “Look at Chloe.”
Patrick huffed. “That girl is the farthest thing from stable I’ve ever seen. Hell, she almost killed your prize.”
Damien’s eyes went completely red now. “And we’ve had words about that. She understands the error of her ways.”
Patrick stared at Damien as if he were a moron. “She could’ve exposed my plan before it was ready.”
It all was coming together. It shouldn’t have shocked me that Chloe would’ve volunteered to be injected with shadow demon venom. She’d do anything for power. But where was she now? Just running around murdering anyone who looked at her twice?
“I know that,” Damien gritted out.
“Talk to the shadow demons,” Patrick ordered. “They must have some information on how to utilize their venom.”
Damien just blinked at him. “Do you know what it took to get us just a little bit of their venom? It’s not like we’re besties braiding each other’s hair.”
“Well, book a fucking sleepover and get to that point,” Patrick snapped.
“What happened to your crack team of scientists who can figure out anything?” Damien challenged.
Smoke curled out of Patrick’s nose. “Don’t disrespect me in my territory, boy.”
One of the prisoners began pounding on the glass again, making us all jump.
Patrick let out a growl. “Go,” he commanded Damien.
“I want some of her blood first,” he said petulantly.
I froze. My blood?
Patrick’s eyes narrowed on Damien. “You haven’t earned it.” He turned to Niall. “Take her back to her cell.”
“No!” Damien shouted. “She’s mine!”
Silver fire erupted from Patrick’s hand, blocking Damien from my path.
Niall grabbed my arm, hurrying me along. “We need to move. Now.”
Shock coursed through me as he guided me out of the lab and down the hall. I tried to focus, to look for any method of escape, but there was nothing.
Niall gently pushed me into my barred home, and the bars shut with a loud clank. The sound echoed in my ears as though it would go on forever.
There was no way out. And even if there was, Patrick had a demon army ready to unleash on us all.