Chapter 2 #4
She knew what came next. They would list her questionable actions and insist that she was just as guilty as the geneticists responsible for the transformations.
“I know there was much more I could have done, but I was powerless too. The entire complex was under surveillance, and communications were monitored. I couldn’t leave the complex without permission and shuttles back to Earth were strictly controlled.
” She stopped herself from saying that she was just as much a prisoner as they had been.
The exaggeration served no purpose but to anger them.
After a long, silent pause, Gabriel drew his gaze back to her. “What were you told about your position when you were hired?”
Her throat grew tense and her mouth dried out, making it hard to swallow.
She’d been suspicious of Nuevo’s excuses from the start, just not suspicious enough to take action.
“I was told that a group of convicts had volunteered to test a variety of biological treatments and undergo experimental procedures.”
“Why would anyone agree to that?” Patrick sneered, crossing his arms over his chest.
She glanced at him then lowered her gaze as she repeated the familiar lie.
“I was told that you’d agreed to the experiments in exchange for years off your sentences.
I was warned that the—” she hesitated to use the term ‘test subjects,’ so she chose another word, “—prisoners were violent, often murderers, so it was best not to speak to them. I had never heard of the Griffin Project and had no idea of its true nature.”
“How long did it take you to figure out what was really going on?” Challenge hardened Gabriel’s voice and he scooted to the edge of his seat.
They were guiding her toward the portion of her life that she regretted the most. “It was apparent within a few months that something was seriously wrong, but it took the better part of two years to unravel the mystery.”
“All you had to do was ask,” Patrick snapped as he moved even closer. “I would have told you anything you wanted to know.”
“I couldn’t,” she protested. “I was watched twenty-four/seven. Every word I uttered was recorded and reviewed. I didn’t dare step out of line.”
Gabriel made an impatient sound, drawing her attention back to him.
“I’ll give you the benefit of a doubt. For the first two years you believed we were criminals who had volunteered for the Griffin Project.
What about the second two years? How could you continue to work for Nuevo when you knew they were holding us against our will and conducting illegal experiments? ”
Their transformation had been complete long before she arrived.
There was nothing she could do to restore what Nuevo had taken from them.
She started to defend herself, to explain that her sister had been in danger and jobs on Earth were incredibly hard to secure.
Yes, she had stayed longer than she should have, but she never intentionally harmed any of the hybrids.
Her words turned to ashes in her mouth. They weren’t interested in her justifications.
They wanted to lash out at the people who had hurt them, and she was a convenient target.
Instead of a detailed explanation, she simply said, “I’m sorry. I should have done something sooner. I should have done more.”
Gabriel just stared at her, letting the tension build. “It was my understanding that anyone who had direct contact with a hybrid was precluded from the alliance. Why did the cats allow you to participate?”
“They didn’t. I was in a primitive building outside the village walls when the wolves captured me,” she told them.
“And my brother stole you from the wolves.”
It wasn’t a question, but Heather nodded.
Patrick moved in front of her, eyes narrowed and gleaming. “Were the cats allowed to court you?”
“There were two groups of females who were not eligible for the alliance,” Heather explained. “The first were directly involved in the transformations, so they were not allowed in the village for any reason. At least that’s the way it started.”
“What does that mean?” Patrick asked impatiently.
“Some of the women chose to open a brothel rather than participating in the alliance.” Seeing their disbelieving expressions, she rushed on, “It’s not a choice I would have made, but some women find submission intolerable.
They preferred to retain control over who has access to their bodies.
At least that’s what they said. Anyway, the ones who were ineligible for the alliance asked if they could join the brothel.
The alternative was being at the mercy of the elements and living on dehydrated food.
Zion agreed, so another handful of women were allowed inside the village walls. ”
“As pleasure givers?” Patrick and Gabriel exchanged communicative looks. “And the females suggested this?”
“The alternative was likely death. We realize we can’t survive here without assistance.
” Heather swallowed past the sudden tightening in her throat.
Had she just defined her own punishment?
Would he make her body available to anyone who wanted to use it?
Females had only two uses on Rydaria, pleasure and procreation.
She shook her head as her heart thudded and her lungs struggled to pull in air.
Patrick stared at her silently, then one corner of his mouth tipped upward, confirming her deepest fear.
“You were in the second group,” Gabriel mused, drawing her attention back to him. “So the brothel was not your only option.”
She nodded and quickly took a breath. “I was part of the recovery team. My role came at the end of missions or after adjustments were made to—”
“Adjustments?” Patrick sneered. “We weren’t skimmers. Our thrusters required no calibration.”
“I stitched up lacerations and set broken bones,” she insisted. She was willing to accept responsibility for the wrong she’d done, but his attitude was getting old. “My purpose was to ease pain, not cause it. I never created wounds or intentionally harmed anyone.”
“You harmed me,” Patrick insisted angrily. “You might not be as guilty as some, but you are certainly not innocent.”
“I never claimed to be,” she replied, frustration sharpening her tone.
“The second group,” Gabriel digressed. “How did the cats deal with you?”
She took a breath and refocused her mind.
Patrick wanted to use her as a whipping girl for the entire Griffin Project.
His resentment was understandable, but she refused to surrender without a fight.
Gabriel was assessing the situation. She wasn’t naive enough to consider him an ally, but he was the only one who had any interest in her side of the story.
“Despite what we’d done at Nuevo Biotech, some of the cats still wanted to court us. Zion would not change the stipulations in the alliance, but he wanted as many of his males as possible to claim a human mate.”
“How did they court you if you were not allowed inside the village?” Gabriel wanted to know.
“Courting took place outside the village. We were only allowed inside after we’d been claimed.”
“Were you courted by a feline coalition?” Patrick’s nostrils flared and myriad emotions gleamed within his eyes. The raptors and the lions were allies, yet Patrick was clearly bothered by the idea.
“I met with two coalition leaders, but didn’t feel a connection with either one.” Truth be told, they made her intensely uncomfortable, and she was thrilled when neither chose to call on her again.
“So, you remained in the primitive shelter outside the village walls?” Gabriel asked.
“I had no choice. Well, none I found tolerable.”
“Yet that is why the wolves were able to capture you,” Gabriel concluded.
She nodded. There was no point in denying it. If she had been more welcoming to the coalition leaders, she would have been protected the night the wolves attacked.
She thought Gabriel had run out of questions and then he asked, “Were you mistreated by the wolves?”
“If Elias had remained in power, I have no doubt we would have been.” Memories of those long, tense days scrolled through her mind and Heather shivered. She’d been terrified her life was over the entire time she’d been at the mercy of the wolves. “But Alex is… I’m not sure what to make of Alex.”
Gabriel and Patrick exchanged knowing looks. “Now that I understand the situation, I’ll offer you a deal similar to the one developed by the cats.”
Her gaze locked with his as her fingers tangled in the blanket. “I don’t want to join the brothel. I know I’m not… worthy to be a mate, but I can’t do that. Please, there must be some other way.”
“Your debt to Patrick is considerable,” Gabriel said firmly. “For two years you knowingly supported the team of scientists responsible for his transformation. Is that true?”
She wanted to be honest, to take responsibility for the things she’d done. But her involvement had been limited, and he didn’t seem to be taking that into consideration.
“I require a verbal response,” Gabriel pressed. “Was my description accurate?”
“To a point. For two years I treated Patrick and the other members of his team. I knew they had been transformed against their will, and I knew they were prisoners of Nuevo Biotech. However, I was not responsible for their situation, and I could do nothing—”
“There were many things you could have done,” Gabriel cut in. “You chose to ignore their suffering and prolong their captivity.”
“That’s not true,” she insisted. “I resigned my position and contacted the authorities. I’m one of the whistleblowers mentioned in the newsfeeds. My testimony was instrumental in shutting the whole thing down. That’s why Zion made the exception. That’s why—”
“Too little. Too late,” Patrick growled out, resentment gleaming in his green eyes. “Why did it take two years for you to walk away and blow that fucking whistle?”
“I was protecting my sisters,” Heather stressed, struggling to remain calm. “Without the credits I provided, Rachel wouldn’t have been able to take care of Becca.”
“How noble,” Patrick sneered. “You turned a blind eye to our suffering because you needed money for your sisters.”
Conflicting emotions eroded Heather’s composure: anger, regret, and shame. He made her sound petty and self-absorbed. Maybe she had been. She’d focused on the ones she loved to the detriment of others. Wasn’t that a form of selfishness? “I’m sorry. How many times do you want me to say it?”
Gabriel’s eyes narrowed and his expression hardened.
“We’re well beyond apologies. It’s time for retribution.
For the next two years you shall be indentured to Patrick as a pleasure giver.
He can release you earlier if your service is exceptional, but he cannot keep you beyond the second year.
Your body is his to use in whatever way he chooses, and he can share you with anyone he wants. ”
She gasped. “That isn’t how it works with anyone else. They’re only required to pleasure their mates.”
“You’re not a mate. You’re a pleasure giver,” Patrick emphasized. “But I will offer you a glimmer of hope. Fucking an unwilling woman does not appeal to me. Every time you pleasure me willingly, I will deduct a week from your sentence. And the only person I will share you with is Gabriel.”
Heather stared back at Patrick in stunned silence. Two years? She knew that her punishment would involve sex. That much had been obvious from the start. But she’d expected Patrick to fuck her a few times and then let her go. Why would he want to keep her around for two endless years?
She licked her lips and scooted to the edge of her chair. “Won’t it be easier to move on without a constant reminder of your captivity?”
“It was easier,” Patrick agreed. “And then I opened a bedroom door and saw you cowering in the corner.”
“Send me back to the cats,” she suggested, emotion making her voice quiver. “I’ll make sure you never see me again.”
“It’s too late.” He grasped her upper arms and pulled her to her feet. “I know you’re here and I won’t rest until you’ve repaid your debt to me.”