“For you maybe. I’m invincible,” I smolder out, and he smirks at my witty little retort.
“They were different than the Rising,” I think out loud.
“They were farther away than the Rising were when their blood was tasted. It gave it longer to burn out their brain cells. Those tats on their bodies show they’ve traveled hundreds of miles. They’re from the Culligan Region on the other fucking side of the unaligned. We can hang out here while they finish up,” he mutters while continuing to hold me to his body. “Our job now is to watch for runaways eluding the eyes above.”
I just rest in his arms, and I watch the sad movie unfolding in front of us.
“Why do this?” I whisper.
“To infect the humans. This was strategically planned. You can infect so many this way, and it wouldn’t take long for a full blown epidemic to wipe the earth clean of its humans. It doesn’t make sense for a full blood to be behind this, and it sure as hell doesn’t point to a human either.”
“You think this is a hybrid’s plan? The new hybrid?” I rattle free.
“I don’t know. It could be either. This could be something completely separate from the new hybrid phenomenon,” he grumbles in exhausted frustration. “I need to ask you something. Are you sure it was only full bloods who took you underground?”
I shiver slightly, and his arms immediately tighten around me in response.
“That’s all I saw. I can’t imagine any of our kind would have done it. What would have been the purpose? They could draw out their own savage blood. Why does it matter now?” I ask while turning back around to face his secretive eyes.
“Araya, I need to tell you something, but I want you to inject yourself first,” he murmurs while pulling out a vial of olophine.
My eyes slant suspiciously, but I trust him enough to know he wouldn’t be asking me to do this if he wasn’t worried I’d go savage. Why is he worried?
“Okay,” I mutter while taking the vial, and then I hear calls for us from above.
“That’s all of them. Araya? Hale?” Clay yells.
My eyes stay on Hale’s, and I can see the desire he has to spill those haunting secrets. What else could there be? He’s already told me about Alex and the fact he never loved me or even could love me. What else could be worse than that?
“Araya!” Brazen panics when I don’t answer right away.
“We’re down here,” Hale reluctantly releases, and then he takes my hand in his as the gates open.
“Get these full bloods picked up and cared for. They’ll need to stay sedated for several days before the blood is completely digested and out of the humans’ systems,” Nicholas orders, and I quickly inject myself with the vial Hale gave me - though now it’s for a new reason.
Nicholas’s eyes fall to mine, and I see the pain, guilt, and years of burden ringing out loudly. I can see his lips wanting to move, wanting to tell me why he abandoned me so long ago. His tortured soul begs for penance - penance I’ll never give him.
“You’re not ready for this,” Hale smoothly says into my ear, and his hand tightens on my side.
“I don’t think I ever will be, but I’ve got a job to do right now,” I tremble out, and he holds me even tighter while handing me a second vial.
“You might need this,” he murmurs, and his lips brush my ear to send more chills up and down me.
“No. I’m not going to get deep. This will be a professional conversation. I think he’s had more than plenty enough time to explain why he dumped me and kept his other offspring,” I growl.
“Araya,” he cautions, and he jerks my face to his to check my pupils. “Take the damn medicine, or I’ll give it to you myself.”
I break the top of the bottle, and the warmth rushing through my veins brings me down from my accidental high.
“I’ve got to be more careful.”
“I’ll be here when you need me,” he smolders, and his eyes do their best seductive work.
“We need to find someone linked to this shit so my girl can interrogate the fuck out of them,” Brazen mumbles while walking up, and I instantly leave Hale’s side to join my full blood at his.
Brazen’s lips stroke my forehead as he inspects me, and then he pulls me tighter into his arms when Nicholas approaches.
“I was hoping I could have a moment alone to speak to you,” Nicholas strains out.
