36. Thirty-six

thirty-six

Thoughts of Kendal kept me from spiraling into a well of self-pity. That and Isabelle's sporadic visits were the only things breaking the monotony of life inside the laboratory.

She told me during one visit that my presence had provided enough of a distraction that her search for damning evidence sped up considerably.

At least there was one good thing about my capture.

They had yet to open my cell for any reason, which meant I wasn't able to help her at all. I knew Kendal was safe with my brothers beyond the reach of these scientists, but Isabelle was undercover in the thick of them. I worried for her. If something happened to her, Roul would go mad.

Thurl was already so shy and reserved that he was almost feral. I couldn't lose another brother to brooding withdrawal.

Roul was heartbroken when she disappeared after our escape. My brothers and I stopped asking if he wanted to look for her when his disposition kept getting worse. I knew the hurt he felt was overwhelming. Especially since none of us knew why she refused to come with us.

Now I knew. She never really left us. She was trying to protect us the only way she knew how—by going back into BioSynth undercover. Literally risking her life.

Whether or not we had proof, when I got out of here she was going with me. I wouldn't risk my brother's happiness.

She had to be his mate. He behaved with her the same way I did with Kendal.

Kendal.

Her face was etched in my memory, the smell of her seemed to fill my nostrils and the taste of her flooded my mouth with saliva.

I heard the outer door slide open, but didn't raise my head. A sour, burnt smell pushed Kendal's sweet scent from my nose and made me irrationally angry. I looked up, surprised to see a single man.

They usually came in pairs or packs.

I guessed he was late middle-aged, judging by the gray in his hair and mustache. Thin-framed glasses sat low on his nose, making me wonder if they were needed or just an attempt to appear smarter.

Though not overly heavy, he seemed doughy. Soft everywhere. The sleeves of his dress shirt were rolled up to his elbows, revealing overly hairy forearms. His lips pressed into a thin line.

"You have cost me a lot of time and money with the foolish attempt at running away."

I stood to my full height and got close enough to the barrier between us that my breath fogged the glass.

"Do you expect me to apologize?"

He didn't shrink back or flinch. This was a man who held actual power. Who went through the world believing himself to be invincible because of the influence and money he held.

He snorted. "No. I didn't breed you to be weak. I do, however, expect you to tell me where the rest are. Their swift retrieval will spare you and them considerable pain."

It was then that it dawned on me that his shirt was blue, his slacks and shoes neat and polished. This was Mr. Blue.

"Do you know they call you Mr. Blue?"

That widened his eyes. He quickly recovered. "Who?"

"All of Society that knows about you." I curled my hands into fists, letting my claws sink into my palms so I didn't strike out. We'd learned long ago that it was useless. The walls that contained us were several thicknesses of bulletproof glass. We'd all broken a claw trying to get through it.

"So you found Society." He sighed and clucked his tongue. "I wish you hadn't done that, but it speaks to the intelligence and strategy we bred into you. It does make our operation more complicated, but nothing our partners can't handle."

"You mean the fae council member who is working with you?"

That stiffened his muscles. I could almost see the gears of his mind working behind his eyes. Trying to figure out how much we knew and how we'd gained the information so fast.

I hoped spilling that little of what we knew would get him to make a mistake. The need to deny was usually strong among powerful humans when they'd been caught.

When he simply smirked and left I upgraded the amount of threat I thought he posed. This man was no stranger to shady deals and navigating deeper waters. To so easily dismiss what we had uncovered, he must be powerful indeed.

Only a few minutes after he left, Isabelle appeared. My ears popped as she came toward me. She was grinning.

"I don't know what you said to him, but boy, is he pissed! He's in his office right now yelling at someone so loud that the entire floor can hear him."

"I'm glad he's more rattled than he appeared."

"Oh yeah, you definitely shook him. Everybody is trying to scatter before they become an easy target for his anger. I'm going to use his focus on whatever went wrong to search his office."

"What? You can't do that. You'll be caught."

"No, I won't. Nobody dares to go in there when he hasn't invited them. I heard him call for his helicopter, so as soon as he's left the building I'll slip in and out. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy."

"Easy … what?"

She shook her head and brought her clipboard up as my ears popped again. She made a couple of check marks on the paper, winked at me, and left.

My skin itched and I flexed my hands as I paced. I didn't like her idea. There were too many unknowns, too many risks. My ears swiveled as I searched for any sign of alarm. Time passed slower than before with nothing to do but worry.

I slid down the back wall, rested on my haunches, and focused on the bond lights. They were still strong, still danced happily in the air between me and the door that locked me away from my mate.

I counted my breaths, cracks in the floor tiles, the number of times the cameras whirled to life—anything to distract me from what might be happening on the other side of the door.

All sound ceased with a snap, and I plunged into darkness.

Isabelle's distorted voice said, "Get ready to move."

I crept toward the door to my cell, staying low. The last time she'd cast such a powerful spell, all the cell doors had opened and we'd been freed. This time was no different. The door slid open and sound rushed in.

I heard the clicking with just enough time to move to the side. The outer door blew inward, so close I felt the breeze it caused as it flew past.

A man with dark, swept back hair and an unhinged grin stepped in. I recognized him as Wasp—one of Zeus"s people.

"Hello! This is your rescue." He bowed low and swept an arm from me to the outside. "If you'll please step this way. Hurry now, they're bound to have heard that." He chuckled.

I shook my head and followed him down a long corridor. Red lights flashed overhead and people ran panicked from one room to another, trailing papers like slug trails.

The man stuck his hand out at me. "I'm Wasp, explosives ordinance for Superhuman Security. Zeus says ‘hi'!"

"I remember." I looked at his hand, and then my own fingers tipped with claws. I waved.

He grinned. "Right, probably a better idea."

"Isabelle?"

"She sent up the bat signal when she found proof linking the director of BioSynth to the fae councilman. I'd been standing by, waiting for the chance to blow something up."

"Is she safe?"

He glanced over at me. "I can't say. Her last communique was that the job wasn't done, and she'd resurface when she knew more."

"Fuck." Roul was going to go mad.

Wasp shrugged. "Witches are unpredictable, but solid. I'm sure she'll be fine."

I smelled grass and water before we turned the corner and stepped through a hole that was blasted in the wall. The back door of an SUV with blacked-out windows opened and Kendal's head popped out.

"Get in!"