Page 49 of Sergi
When I walked into the main lab that first time to find it painted red with shifter blood, flesh, and bone, I didn’t thinkanything could be worse. I said it again when I witnessed the experiment firsthand, watched as drugs were injected into them that resulted in their implosion, and then forced to clean it up. I still had no idea what they could have given them to make that happen.
But today was worse.
A shifter had been forced into a partial change and locked there. Incapable of speech, and unable to give his wolf any rest. It was a painful position to be in. Not just physically but mentally. We might be able to retain our thoughts and awareness during a shift, but it was co-mingled with the wolf.
Hard to explain to someone who’d never gone through it, but what they’d forced on that shifter was worse than death. I’d been grateful when he received the second shot of who knew what. To see the fear and pain in his eyes dulled as his body relaxed. He was no longer aware, and, in this situation, it was the best outcome any shifter could hope for.
Was there an antidote?
I snorted into the darkness.
Why would they want to save a shifter? They wouldn’t want to waste the time and resources to create an antidote. A shifter wasn’t worth it.
I dropped my gaze to my hand and opened my fist. The vial labeled BP-X lay in my hand. Would Sergi drink it? There were still fourteen vials of human blood under my mattress.
I closed my fist and strode to the corner where I kept my spare shift and underwear.
We were running out of time.
But I had a plan. It was a horrible plan.
Yet, this was the best time. The staff were ecstatic with the results of the last experiment. They would be distracted. They wouldn’t see it coming.
I began ripping my shift into long strips.
Tomorrow would be my salvation or my death.
Tomorrow the wolf comes out.
Sergi wokefrom a strange and difficult dream. If he’d thought reliving his mother’s and sisters’ deaths had been gut-wrenching, this one had reopened a gash in his heart he didn’t think could ever be repaired.
He hadn’t thought of Ines in decades. He’d been close to death on many occasions and had never experienced such realistic dreams. Even though they’d begun soon after his torture had started, they’d become more palpable after the first dose of Magic Poppy.
The beast was growing stronger, and maybe it had forced the memories he thought he’d locked away, far from his reach. Whatever the reason, the sight of Ines, standing in the light of the rising sun, was as clear as if he were standing in the room next to her.
She arranged the colorful silks around her shoulders. Her hair, black as onyx, hung in soft curls, the tips skimming along the small of her back. A soft breeze blew in from the desert, rustling the tips of the silk scarf she pulled over her head.
When she turned toward him, his heart thumped loudly at the thought of running his hands over her skin, soft as satin and warm as the desert sand. He felt the touch of her fingers as they played across his shoulders then reached below his tunic to stir his manhood. He remembered the previous evening when they’d tumbled into bed, her legs wrapped around his hips. She’d urged him on with words of love and screams of pleasure as she trembled from her release.
They were to leave in two days before House El Farah’s army reached the city battlements. He would take her back to House Trelane where she would be safe. After their lovemaking the night before, she’d spoken of a spring wedding, and they’d laughed as they discussed names for their children.
His heart had been full.
“You should stay here where it’s safe.” He didn’t feel comfortable letting her go alone when battle drew near. “Can’t Carmen go to the market for you?”
She slipped on her sandals then brushed her fingers under his chin as she strolled by. “Carmen has other duties this morning. Besides, there’s a new vendor with exotic oils from the Far East.” She stepped up to him and ran her hands over his shoulders, tracing a finger over his tattoos as one hand slipped down his leg.
He caught it and brought it to his lips. “If you give me a few minutes, I can go with you.”
“No.” Her tone was harsh, and then she smiled. “I want to buy you a surprise. It won’t be a surprise if you’re with me.”
“Then let me send one of the men with you. El Farah’s men could have reached the city by now.”
She laughed, her voice melodic, and it sent a shiver over him. “You worry too much. It will take another few days before they even think of coming here.” She stepped back and tied a pouch around her waist before pulling a sheer caftan over her shoulders. “I’ll only be an hour, maybe a bit more.”
She strolled to him, wrapping her arms around his waist as she tilted her head back. Her half-lidded eyes were sultry, and she slowly licked her bottom lip. He crushed her tighter, his lips brushing hers as he ran a tongue over that same lip before pushing past it to taste the sweetness within. She purred as she tugged him closer, her hand running through his hair.
The kiss didn’t last long enough.
