Page 12 of Rivers and Roads

I shook my head, then rolled my shoulders back and gave him a nod. “It doesn’t matter what happens. We don’t have another choice, and I’m not wasting another two weeks trying to find a work-around. The longer he’s gone…”

I didn’t need to finish my sentence, and I saw the pang of grief on Danyal’s face. “Okay. Then I have some forms for you to sign and a gown for you to change into. After that, I’m going to take a few vials of blood, and then we can begin.”

I shuddered, but I rose when he did, and moved toward the sterile little bed and waited for it all to be over.

It didn’t take long to get the initial tests out of the way, and none of it was particularly unfamiliar to me. Danyal was clinical and quick, but my anxiety started to increase the moment he wheeled in a tray, and I saw the unobtrusive little vial sitting in the corner next to a syringe.

He must have heard my heart start to thud in my chest, because he quickly laid his hand on my arm and met my gaze. “You can still say no.”

I could, and I was thinking about it, but saying no meant trusting this to someone else. Saying no meant leaving Zane out there until the gods only knew when. Saying no was signing his death warrant, and the very thought of that made me feel like I was ripping out my own guts.

“I can’t promise I won’t be petrified, but I don’t want you to stop,” I told him.

He held my gaze another few moments, then he backed up a few steps and put on a pair of gloves. I closed my eyes, breathing heavy through my nose as I heard him unwrap the needle. There was the sharp tang of antiseptic after that, and then a cold swipe over my thigh as his other hand held up the gown.

“It needs to go in the muscle,” he said, stroking his thumb firmly over my skin. “It’ll be easy enough for you to do yourself once you’re on the road, but you need to make sure you set an alarm, because you cannot miss a dose.”

It just added another layer of risk to getting caught, but it was one I was willing to take. “How long until we know if it worked?”

“Minutes,” he said.

I finally opened my eyes and met his, which looked worried, though his hands were steady as he held the needle over my leg. “And then what?”

“And then you’re going to feel weak, and your skin is going to burn like you have a fever.”

I couldn’t help a hoarse laugh. “I’ve never had a fever.”

His mouth softened into a grin, and he shook his head. “Perks of being a Beta. It’ll feel like you’re cooking from the inside out, and your stomach is going to cramp. It should last about fifteen minutes.”

“Every time?” I couldn’t help but ask. If I had to do that in the middle of a mission, I couldn’t afford to be taken out.

“I don’t think so. The other Betas experienced shorter recovery times with each dose, but again, we never got past three. I like to think your body will adjust as time goes on to the point you won’t feel it at all, but I can’t be sure.” He licked his lips, then opened his mouth like he was going to say something more, but decided against it. With a breath, he pinched my thigh gently between his fingers, and I braced myself.

The initial stick didn’t hurt, and neither did the serum going in. He pressed a small cotton pad down to stop any bleeding, and I held my breath. A minute passed and then two. Then three.

At the five-minute mark, I pushed up on my elbows and stared at Danyal. “I don’t think…” Pain gripped me by the throat, and all I could manage was a weak cry. My arms collapsed, and my head hit the thin pillow beneath me. I wanted to thrash, to fight it, but my limbs refused to cooperate.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, where rational thought existed, I was laughing. Danyal said it felt like I was burning alive—but it was so much worse than that. I was convinced it was going to end me. I wasn’t going to survive. This was hell, and I was going to burn for eternity.

And then, almost like a switch flipped, it was over.

My breathing was hitched in my chest, and my eyes were hot, but the pain was gone like it had never been. Only the tremors in my fingers showed that I had just been through the worst agony of my life.

“What the fuck?” I gasped.

Danyal winced. “The second treatment is going to be easier.”

I attempted to sit, but my arms were still weak and refused to support my weight. “How much easier? I’m not going to be able to do jack shit if it takes me down like this every time.”

Danyal wasn’t looking at me, instead marking something down on my little chart. “All of the previous Betas noticed a significant reduction in pain and length of time before they were back on their feet. I don’t know what will happen after three doses, but I have enough evidence to pose the theory that after several rounds of the serum, you won’t notice much.”

I hoped to the gods he was right, otherwise we were all screwed.

Lifting my hand, I managed to drag it down my face, and I flexed my fingers. It felt like someone had drained every ounce of strength out of me. “Am I going to feel like this the entire time?”

“You should regain your strength shortly,” Danyal said, setting the chart aside. He rested one hand on my cheek, then used his thumb to pull my lower eyelid down. He hummed softly, then checked the other one. “You won’t be at your full Beta power, but you’ll be naturally stronger than an average Omega. And you’ll retain all of your training.”

Which was why it had to be a Beta. I dragged my tongue over my bottom lip, then pushed him back and forced myself to sit up. I was feeling somewhat better, though a stiff breeze could have knocked me over, but it was something.

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