I’d secured the samples, sending the results to both my father for safe keeping and my personal email, which no one had access to. I wasn’t taking any chances.
Thor took long strides toward me. In his hand was a weapon, which struck me oddly. They were far more powerful and dangerous as lions.
Yet they knew the risks at facing men with guns.
“You will not leave this space. Do you understand?” When I didn’t answer right away, he cupped my face. rubbing his thumb back and forth gently even though his hold was possessive.
“I won’t. We’ll be fine. I still have my weapon and I won’t hesitate to use it.”
I felt Carrie’s sharp gaze. She had no idea what I was capable of.
Something had occurred, allowing me to read snippets of their minds. I had no understanding of how that had happened, but I did sense our connection grew stronger every time we mated.
“I won’t leave the lioness. Not like this.” I gripped his wrist.
Another slight boom drew his attention and a growl. “Fine. Do not disobey me. We’ll be right back.”
“Okay. Be safe.” I watched as he pulled away, almost instantly feeling a loss of the three of them.
Alexander offered a nod as if finally able to respect me. But before he walked out, he gave a longing look toward Carrie.
The moment was almost sweet if not completely out of place.
When they were gone, I did as I’d told them, locking the door and backing away. The quiet was shattered by sounds of the storm ripping away at trees, limbs flying against the building.
“Shit. This is bad,” Peter said as he moved beside me.
“We’ll be fine. The building is concrete.” Which was true, but I didn’t feel safe in the least.
Exhaling, I returned to the pane of glass separating me from the lioness. If only the lifeforms had heeded my wishes and claimed her as a host.
Shit.
The lifeforms. What if the loss of power meant they wouldn’t survive? Maybe I was crazy, but I really wanted them to. If there was a slight chance they could fix the horrible disaster that hadoccurred before, then maybe I could ignore the fears I’d had earlier.
“Listen to me. I’ll be right back,” I told the others.
“Where are you going?” Carrie quickly moved in front of me.
I had to think about how to phrase my answer. “I need to check on the lifeforms. I know what I’m doing.”
“Are you crazy? There are madmen out there and you want to check to see if lifeforms from another universe are okay? Do I need to remind you the horrors they caused?”
A part of me was surprised at her vehemence. “They didn’t cause the atrocities, Carrie. Humans did that. They were used. They don’t deserve to die. Maybe they can return to wherever they came from.”
Peter sighed. “You’re not going to stop her, Carrie. Just take your weapon with you. We have no clue if Dr. Douglas is for them or against them. I’ll block the fucking door if I have to.”
“I know. I’ll take a flashlight too. Just stay here and I’ll knock when I return. Okay?” I moved to my duffle bag, grabbing both the gun and the flashlight. Since I had no doubt my mates would figure out what I was doing, I was quick in my steps.
When the door clicked behind me, another group of eerie sensations prickled my skin. I flicked on the flashlight, grateful for the wide beam. Moving quickly, I headed toward the where the lifeforms were being kept. With the lock broken, I had hopes Kyle hadn’t thought to replace it.
Thankfully, he hadn’t.
While the door was closed, I turned the handle easily and walked in. The darkness in the room was oppressive, the sounds of a pumping device I’d heard before silenced.
But I felt them.
They were still alive.