Page 81 of Feral Mates
It suddenly dawned on me that my notion was correct. I was a specimen, the only woman who’d mated with creatures from another species.
“Argh!” I yelled out and almost instantly, the pulsing colors from before went wild. I snapped my head toward them and toward the same captured lifeforms I’d been so intrigued with before. They were still there, safe from the fire.
“What’s happening?” I purposely asked the question out loud to see how the forms would respond. They flashed and shifted shapes. I sensed they were feeding off my anxiety. Well, I had plenty of that to go around.
“Where the fuck are you?” I yelled. “Show your damn face, you fucking coward.”
The shapes went wild, growing exponentially.
I wasn’t alone. I could feel others in the room. Were they enjoying the show? Watching a naked woman becoming unraveled. A laugh bubbled to the surface. Why the hell had I been stripped of my clothes anyway? If the bastards thought I wouldn’t run if I had the chance just because I’d be embarrassed, they were nuts.
With my head lolled to the side, I studied the forms as I’d done so many times before. If only I had the same excitement. Now there was nothing but dread. There were only evil intentions in mind.
“If only you could help me.” My words were said in frustration more than anything. Until they took a host, they were nothing but prisoners just like I’d become.
Were my wolves here? I could feel them, but vaguely. At least I knew they were still alive.
I’d finalized my theory based on what I’d learned. The window was electrified in a sense, keeping the group of lifeforms I was staring at from escaping. If they did, they would be free to select a host. The being who’d chosen my wolves had gleaned knowledge from the scientist working with it.
I was lucky the lifeform that had selected my wolves as its host was moral and had learned enough to express itself. There was no way of gauging decency or good versus evil with the life forces. We weren’t equipped for that. And if something evil came through…
I shuddered from the ugly thought. Somehow, I needed to get out of here. Even though all I was doing was mentally willing the lifeforms to help me, they seemed to respond. They were even more agitated.
Frustration brought exhaustion and my wrists were chafed from trying to free myself. It was useless. Panting, I shook my head as if doing so would force away the tears that had formed, once again pushing a haze in front of my eyes.
Suddenly, there were heavy footsteps. Slow and easy, the person taking their time. I strained my neck, trying to see who was approaching, but other than the bright light shining down on me and the pulsing lifeforms, the area around me was completely dark.
Whoever was coming toward me stopped walking, remaining in the shadows like some goddamn vulture. “I know you’re there. Why don’t you show your face?”
There was no movement. No other sound.
“What are you, a coward? You think kidnapping a scientist after experimenting on animals makes you a big, tough boy?” Of course, I knew I was pushing the limits, but at this point, I just didn’t care. More than half the scientists in the facility had been lied to.
And Carl was dead. Oh, God.
A sob broke free and I hated myself because of it. I wasn’t so weak that I would allow fear to overwhelm me. That wasn’t in my makeup as a person. As a human being. My father had taught me to be strong. He’d even equipped me with the knowledge of how to escape monsters and bad men. I had my father’s strength and right now, I needed it more than ever.
“Come on, you asshole. What did you do with the wolves? You’re working with Serenity Refuge. Aren’t you? They’re providing you with fresh meat to do your horrible, repugnant experiments on. Are you happy innocent people lost their lives because you couldn’t control the beasts you created?”
Still nothing. Now the silence and the cold were penetrating, keeping my fear active. I could taste it on my own tongue. I called out to my wolves once again. The horrible silence was debilitating.
“Very well done, Dr. Morgan. I applaud both your tenacity and creativity as well as your scientific mind.”
Another shiver coursed down my spine. Dr. Blackwell. He took his time slipping from the shadows in front of me. From where he stood under the lighting, he appeared paler than usual. In fact, his skin was pasty white.
Like a vampire.
I almost laughed, smirking instead. “You killed Carl. Didn’t you? How many more people are you going to kill so you can hide what you’ve been doing? There is nothing wrong with the portal, is there? You could close it any time you want, but you don’t want to. Do you? You’re not finished with playing God.”
He wasn’t thrilled with my reaction, his eyes darkening as he stared at me.
“I know I’m right,” I continued. “I thought there was an issue, the laser system malfunctioning, but all along you were using the varied experiments of your scientists to expand the project all while keeping them in the dark. For money? Is this all about greed or is this about power?”
“I’d be very careful if I were you, Dr. Morgan. You seem to be in a predicament that only I can help you out of.”
He had a point. “What did you do with my wolves?” I winced as he walked closer. His scent was unusual, different than I remembered. The fragrance was intoxicating, but not in a good way. I’d been in close quarters with him before. I’d almost commented on his choice of aftershave just to make light conversation.
This was something else, almost like the scent of lilies and roses.
