Chapter 27

Chapter

Twenty-Seven

WRAITH

H arsh white light sears my eyes.

Blinding.

Sterile.

Cold.

Metal bites into flesh.

Restraints dig deep.

No escape.

Voices buzz around me.

Clinical.

Detached.

Cruel.

"Secure its limbs."

"Check vitals."

"Prep for initial scans."

My muscles tense involuntarily.

Every instinct screams to fight.

To tear free.

But I can't.

Won't.

For her.

Only for her.

A face looms over me.

Male. Older. Salt-and-pepper hair.

Dead fish eyes behind thick glasses.

This one is from Reinmich.

Accent gives it away.

"Remove the muzzle. I want to examine the oral cavity."

Panic flares hot in my chest.

No. Not that.

Please, no.

Anything but that.

Cool metal slides against my skin as the muzzle is removed.

Air hits my ravaged face.

Vulnerable.

Exposed.

The nurse steps back quickly. Her face goes pale.

"Oh god," she whispers.

She turns, hand covering her mouth.

The scientist tuts. "Pull yourself together," he snaps. "This is a rare opportunity. We must document everything."

He leans in close.

Too close.

His breath washes over me.

Stale coffee.

Mint.

I want to gag.

"Open wide," he orders.

I don't move.

"I said, open your mouth."

Still, I don't comply.

A frustrated sigh.

Then pain explodes as fingers dig into the hinge of my jaw.

Into the exposed sinew.

Force it open.

I growl low in my throat. A warning.

The scientist ignores it.

Shoves a metal wedge between my sharp teeth to keep them apart.

I want to bite.

To rip.

To destroy.

But I don't move.

Can't risk it.

Have to endure.

But so hard to resist sinking teeth into flesh.

"Remarkable," he mutters. "The extent of the facial disfigurement is extraordinary. Damage extends deep into the oral cavity. Yet the teeth... pristine. Unusually sharp."

"S-sir," the nurse stammers. She is terrified. I feel guilty. "The sedative... it doesn't seem to be working as expected. The heart rate of this… this thing…"

The scientist waves her off. "Impossible. We used enough to take down an elephant."

If only he knew.

The tranquilizers barely touched me.

My body burns through them too fast.

But they can't know that.

Have to play along.

Have to survive.

For her.

If I fight, if I struggle, they might put me down.

Probably won't.

They want to use me.

But they might .

More scientists crowd around.

Poking.

Prodding .

Taking blood and skin samples.

They speak about me like I'm not even here.

Like I'm a thing.

Not a person.

Which is true.

I'm not.

Familiar words flood my head.

Monster.

Demon.

Abomination.

Familiar sensations, too.

Cold metal tables.

Harsh lights.

The bite of scalpels.

The endless tests.

The pain.

So much pain.

My heart pounds faster.

Sweat beads on my skin.

No .

Push it down.

Lock it away.

Can't let them see.

Can't let them know.

Keep my eyes screwed shut.

Bad enough to hear the disgust in their voices.

Don't need to see it.

"What about cognitive function?" another scientist asks. "Is there any higher brain activity?"

The lead scientist shrugs. "Difficult to say. It follows basic commands, but beyond that... who knows? It's more beast than man."

"Very well. Proceed with the scans. I want to see what's going on inside that skull."

They wheel me into a large machine.

It hums to life around me.

Click.

Whir.

Beep.

The sounds trigger more memories.

Dark rooms.

Needles.

Wires.

Electric shocks.

Pain. Always pain.

At least it was a new room back then. Something more than my cell.

But now I've tasted what's beyond the walls.

Tasted freedom.

Tasted light.

Ivy's light.

Ivy …

My breath comes faster.

Chest tight.

No.

Stay calm.

Stay still.

But it's getting harder.

This is so much harder now.

Where is my mate?

What are they doing to her?

Can't think about that.

Can't let my mind go there.

Mind will break.

Fall apart.

Crumble.

The panic claws at my throat.

Threatens to choke me.

I close my eyes. Try to steady my breathing.

Think of Ivy.

Her scent.

Her smile.

Focus on that.

Only that.

Pretend it's her hands on my face, not theirs.

Her hands on my skin .

Time blurs.

Minutes?

Hours?

I don't know.

More tests.

More pain.

They take blood.

Tissue samples.

Even bone marrow.

Grit my teeth.

Bite back the roars that want to tear free.

The screams.

They think I'm sedated.

Finally, a lull.

The scientists step back.

Confer in low voices.

I strain to hear.

"He's awake," one mutters. "Fully conscious."

"The brain scans are showing full activity."

"Fuck. It's not sedated?"

"Why is it letting us do all this?"

"Must have a death wish."

"It's useless, then."

Growl low in my throat.

Not useless.

I will do what you want.

Kill who you want.

Anything but useless .

Useless gets discarded.

Same fate as being too dangerous.

Can't speak, of course.

Arms strapped down. Can't sign.

Can't communicate that.

The scientists are quiet.

Watching.

I feel their eyes on me.

So many eyes.

Too many eyes.

Hate being looked at.

"We'll run more tests," one says.

"Find something that makes it react."

"Something must."