Chapter 17
seVenteeN
I FELT LIKE A pincushion. They poked, prodded, and manipulated my body five ways to Sunday. They'd taken what seemed like a pint of blood. Not all at once, mind you, but in a dozen tubes, the needle jerking in my arm every time they switched them out.
After the sixth tube, I asked if they had a butterfly needle they could use instead. They said it would be too slow for the amount of blood they needed. Because of course it would.
But even the constant pokes and directions (turn this way, lift that leg, can you feel this, do a headstand) couldn't distract from the one thought on repeat like a skipping record. Quin. Quin. Quin.
Would he hate me now? The stupid part was that I didn't just want him to tell me he didn't. I wanted him to look at me the way he had before. Like I was worth choosing.
Logically, I could piece together what the men said while injecting me with... something. Done, the one had said. Someone sent them to give me that shot. It didn't kill me, so what had it done? So far, it seemed like no one had any idea.
I didn't feel different. Actually, I felt fine.
My arm wasn't even sore. I'd done a thorough check of my pieces and parts, run through my memories, and I couldn't find anything out of place.
I'm pretty sure saline wouldn't make me pass out, so what had they given me?
And why? And why inject me instead of simply grabbing me?
The method mattered. It meant whatever was in that syringe was the goal.
It had to be connected to Quin and the bond. All of it surely was connected—whoever broke in and chased me into the woods, the creepy neighbor, the cops who weren't, Quin and the bond, the house fire and the forced injection.
It would be too weird, too coincidental, for them to be unrelated. But how?
A man in an expensive suit interrupted my musings. He gave off an aura of danger, like a coiled viper ready to strike at the slightest provocation. I shrank into the plastic hospital bed. Kendal bounced out of the bedside chair and gave him a quick hug.
"Thanks for coming."
His voice was a low rumble. "Of course. I'm working to get her released. We have experts who will meet you at Quin's house. Hopefully, we can get to the bottom of what's happening here."
Kendal nodded and waved a hand at me.
"Zeus, I'd like you to meet Haven Ward. Haven, this is Zeus... uh, Reinar Hilbertson. He owns Superhuman Security, and he's a friend of... ours."
Was I meeting an actual god? I mean, if werewolves and dragons were real, then it stood to reason everything else could be too. He must have read the suspicion on my face, because he chuckled.
"It's just a nickname." He held out his hand and I shook it. "Nice to meet you, Haven. We'll get you out of here in no time."
I nodded, my eyes ping-ponging back and forth between him and Kendal. "With answers?"
He rubbed the back of his neck. "Not yet, but we're working on it. I assure you, we will get answers for you."
His confidence was undeniable and reassuring.
I wanted answers. I couldn't stand not knowing.
I'd spent most of my childhood not knowing what was next.
Where I'd be sent, what kind of person the next foster would be; my adolescence was completely out of my control.
As a result, my adult life had been as controlled as I could make it.
I studied hard in school and found a stable career path with few surprises. I had enough savings to ensure I was never hungry or homeless again.
I'd found the light in the darkness and clung to it like a baby monkey.
But with what seemed like an innocent move, my life was upended. I questioned everything. Someone was manipulating me. They'd changed the rules of my life without permission—and that, more than monsters, terrified me. I intended to find out who. And why.
I nodded at not-god Zeus and only paid half attention to his and Kendal's conversation.
I may not be educated about the supernatural, but I am smart and analytical. It was high time I stopped taking punches and threw one. I wasn't stupid. I wouldn't put myself at unnecessary risk, but I couldn't sit back and be a side character in my own life.
I approached the problem logically. My first step would be gathering more information.
On the supernatural side, I needed to know more about the background of the wyrfangs, about BioSynth, and about the mate bond.
I also needed to investigate Novagen. They'd scheduled me to start work in two days.
I decided I would start on time and, for all appearances, everything would be normal.
My first step was laying the groundwork to cast aside suspicion.
"Zeus..." Kendal and Zeus both stopped talking and turned their focus to me.
"I'd like to have any mention that I remember what happened disappear.
Is that possible?" The man swept in like a force of nature and was having my discharge fast-tracked.
"Impossible" didn't seem to be in his vocabulary. Who knew what else he could accomplish?
"I think we can make that happen. Can I ask why?"
My gaze was steady as I answered. "Because when I start work in two days, I want them to think I don't remember what happened."
He nodded. "What's your story for ending up in the hospital?"
"A friend came to visit me," I waved at Kendal, "and found me passed out. She brought me in, but after a thorough workup, they didn't find anything and sent me home."
He smiled, but it was just short of evil. "That might work."
Zeus tapped on his cell phone and started barking orders as he left the room. Kendal tilted her head at me.
"What are you thinking?"
"That it's high time I stop being their test subject and start being the scientist."