Page 70 of Soul Bound

Winslow bobs her head sadly, her eyes wide. “What about the baby? What happened to her?” She doesn’t let him know she’s asking aboutherself, that she wants to know what happened to her after she was born.

“The baby was taken to an auction, based on the date, I would say she was at the first auction Sterling ever had.” Adam looks between the screen and Winslow. “Why the interest in this woman and baby?”

“Does it matter?” Winslow snaps at him.

Adam clears his throat. “I guess not.”

“What was the baby?” I ask.

If Winslow is a product of the breeding program, there’s a good chance she’s not simply a witch.

Adam leans closer to the screen so he can read the small print of the document scanned to the database, “She was a human, witch and…” He trails off, peering even closer to the laptop so he can see better, he even wipes at the screen with his sleeve, like that will help him see whatever he’s reading. “I can’t believe it...the rumors are true.”

“What?”

“This says she was part necromancer.” His voice is full of awe.

He’s oblivious to the roller coaster of emotions Winslow is going through right now. I see each emotion cross her face as she listens to his words. Before, she was doing such a good job at keeping her face blank—emotionless. But now, she can’t hide what she’s feeling.

“There was a rumor Sterling had somehow gotten his hands on the last necromancer and that Sterling was trying to use him to breed more, but the rumors were never confirmed…until now. Although it says Amara’s baby tested ninety percent human, I doubt the baby has any necromancer gifts, but there could be other babies out there that do. For all we know, Sterling could have revived a whole species.”

“Stop talking about theseinfantslike they’re zoo animals and like Sterling is somehow a fuckingsavior,” Winslow snaps at him.

“I don’t think you’re understanding how remarkable it would be if he brought back necromancers,” Adam tells her. “This is the kind of science that brought so many of us to work for Sterling. This is the kind of results we’re aiming for, this proves what we’re doing isworthit.”

I’m vibrating with anger now.

“Honestly, if you don’t shut the fuck up about your delusional ideals,I’mgoing to kill you,” Winslow warns him. “You have no idea the kind of damage you’ve caused.”

Adam scoffs. “We’re aware of the damage, we just think the endgame is more important. We’re going to create the most powerful beings that have ever lived. We’re breeding out the weak traits of each species, only leaving the desirable characteristics. Take vampires, for example, we’ve found a way to breed out their weakness to sunlight and their inability to age. We have a vampire-fae hybrid, she has the speed and strength of a vampire, but because of the fae genetics running through her blood, she ages like a human and can go in the sun. She even has other fae powers. She’s the ideal specimen and a favorite of Sterling’s.”

“That’sneat,” Winslow says dryly. “It would be even cooler if it didn’t happen by holding women captive and experimenting on them. Don’t you think?”

“We’re never going to see eye to eye on this.”

“Clearly,” I snarl. I look at Winslow and silently ask her if she’s done, if we have all the information we need. She gives me a stiff nod of her head and turns to walk away.

“Thank you for the information, Adam,” she says over her shoulder. “I’m sure I’ll see you around—maybe even in the afterlife.”

I wait for her to leave the room. I know she knows what I’m going to do, but she’s seen enough bloodshed this week.

Winslow leaves the door open to the office. I hear her soft footsteps walk down the hallway. When I know she’s far enough away, I spin the rolling desk chair around, so Adam is now facing me. I release his neck and lean down so I’m right in his face. “I want to make you suffer. I want you to be able to feel every ounce of pain you inflicted on those women. I want you to know what it was like for Thalia to die, choking on her blood. I want you to feel as alone as she did while she laid there waiting to die. But that girl—” I point to the door behind him that Winslow had just walked through. “That girl promised you we wouldn’t make you suffer. She’s better than me like that because my wolf really would like to rip you apart. And I don’t want to upset her any more than she already is.” I feel my eyes flash wolf and my fangs start to descend. “Her happiness means more to me than my desire to watch you bleed.”

“She means a lot to you, doesn’t she?” Adam’s throat bobs. “I never had that.”

What is it about dying people that makes them want to air their dirty laundry?

“And you never will.” With that, I reach forward with lightning speed and grip the sides of his head. With a quick turn, I hear the satisfying sound of his neck snapping. A sense of justice washes over me as I watch his body slump over in his chair.

I’ve been dreaming of killing the people who killed Thalia, and now that I have, I know the feeling is better in reality. I know we haven’t accomplished the full promise of finding the baby, but I will rest better tonight knowing Adam is dead. That one of Thalia’s killers can never do anything to harm another woman again.

I retract my claws and back away from the desk. Movement in the mirror on the wall catches my eyes. Turning, I find Thalia standing in the mirror and for the first time, I see a smile on her face. Her smile is the seal of approval I didn’t know I needed.

“We’re going to find her,” I promise Thalia once more.

I leave the house in search of Winslow with my head held high, feeling completely at peace with my actions.

21

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