In the three days while we waited for the second guinea pig to show signs of mutation, I was asked to heal three more soldiers and one who had to be a civilian—a female who looked too nervous to have signed up for this without coercion. She didn’t stab herself but was injected with a lethal dose of something.
And I hadn’t been able to heal her, like, at all. I didn’t know what it was, and it had been terrible. She’d started foaming at the mouth, convulsing, and I tried, but there had been nothing I could do. I couldn’t see the injury in my head, and it just didn’t work.
The woman had died right there, under Kat’s horrified gaze.
Nancy hadn’t been happy when they carted off the woman’s motionless body. Her mood was compounded on the fourth day, when Prometheus, otherwise known as LH-11, was given to the second soldier I had healed. Later that day, he ended up face-planting a wall. I didn’t know what it was with them and running into walls, but that was number two.
On the fifth day, the third subject was given LH-11. He lasted an additional twenty-four hours before bleeding out through every orifice, including the belly button. Or that was what I was told.
The deaths, well, they did stack up, one after another. Kind of hard not to take them personally. Did I blame myself? Hell to the no. Did it piss me off and make me want to douse the entire compound in gasoline and start throwing matches? Hell yes.
They kept me away from Kat most of the days, only allowing us to be in the same room when I did the healing thing, and we had a few minutes here and there in our bathroom of secrets. It wasn’t enough. Kat looked as exhausted as I felt, which I’d thought would’ve given my hormones a rest, but oh no. Every time I heard the shower click on, I had to call upon every ounce of self-control. The bathrooms didn’t have cameras, and I could be quiet, which was perfect for a little freaky deaky, but there was no way in hell I was risking the chance of baby Daemons in this hellhole.
Was I totally against the idea of having kids with Kat one day? Other than breaking out in hives at the thought of that, the idea wasn’t too horrible. Of course, I wanted the white picket fence bullshit…if it occurred a good ten years from now, and the kids didn’t have weird bowl haircuts and couldn’t Jedi mind-screw people.
I didn’t think that was asking too much.
On the sixth day, when the third soldier was given LH-11, he made it through the rest of the day and well into the seventh day. He immediately began showing signs of a successful mutation. He passed the stress test with flying colors.
Nancy was so thrilled, I thought she was going to kiss me—and I thought I was actually going to have to hit a chick.
“You deserve a reward,” she said, and I thought I deserved to put my foot up her ass. “You may spend the night with Kat. No one will stop you from doing so.”
I said nothing. While I wasn’t going to turn that down, it was rather creepy hearing Nancy tell me I could spend the night with Kat while they watched us on video. I thought of those kids on the lower floors. Yeah, not going to happen.
Kat had been up to something, inching closer to the tray. She had stopped when Nancy made her announcement. Her nose wrinkled, and I was a bit insulted, although she was probably thinking the same thing I was.
They brought in another subject, this one another soldier, but I was distracted by whatever Kat was doing. She was way too close to the trays, practically standing in front of them.
A stabbing motion later, and I had blood on my hands and a very happy Nancy bouncing around the room.
Dr. Roth had placed the spent needle next to the unused ones. I saw Kat make grabby fingers, but something occurred to me.
“Does this mean I’m joined to them?” I asked, wiping my hands on a towel that had been all but thrown at me. “The ones who don’t face-plant a wall? If I die, they die?”
Nancy laughed.
My brows rose. “I don’t see how that’s a funny question.”
“It’s a very good, self-serving question.” She clasped her hands together, dark eyes glimmering. “No. The Prometheus serum that is given to the mutated subject breaks the bond.”
That was a relief. I didn’t like the idea of several Achilles’ heels running around. “How is that possible?”
A guard opened the door as Nancy crossed the room. “We’ve had many years to narrow down the interworking of the mutation and the consequences, Daemon. Just as we know that there needs to be a true want behind the mutation.” She turned to me, head tilted to the side. “Yes. We’ve known that. It’s not a magical or spiritual thing, but a mixture of ability, strength, and determination.”
Well, shit…
“Your brother was almost there.” Nancy’s voice lowered, and my body tensed. “It wasn’t lack of determination or ability. And trust me, he was motivated. We made sure of that. But he simply was not strong enough.”
I locked my jaw down. Anger slithered through my veins like venom.
“We don’t need him. Bethany, on the other hand, well, that’s yet to be seen. But you?” She placed a hand on my chest. “You’re a keeper, Daemon.”
Chapter 18
Katy
You’re a keeper, Daemon.
Oh my God, I almost stabbed the needle through Nancy’s eye. Good thing I didn’t, because that would defeat the whole purpose of what I’d done.
Crossing my arms, I folded my hands around the syringe and kept it hidden under my arm. I dutifully followed Daemon and Archer out, half expecting someone to tackle me from behind.
No one did.