“So you’re saying you’re a slave to your inner animal and controlled by your most basic instincts?” Lizzy rocked back and forth on her heels and smiled her sweetest smile. “That must be a really sad way to live. I bet a shock collar would help. As soon as you get the urge to chase something like a rabid dog, we could just zap your chompy ass.”
He walked through the door, apparently confident she was going to behave, despite the fact that she neither confirmed nor denied a plan to flee. She realized it didn’t matter to him if she did run. He’d probably enjoy hunting her down.
“The idea actually has merit, especially for my new vampires.” His voice was thoughtful as he walked down the corridor.
Lizzy followed him, and she saw Alice walking beside her out of the corner of her eye. The woman was writing on her notepad again. What could she possibly be taking notes on? That Lizzy wasn’t a salivating bloodsucker with no self-control? She mentally shrugged. Perhaps that was something worth noting.
When they reached the door to her cell, Cain pushed it open, and she stepped inside without preamble. There was no reason to fight it. Where the hell would she go, anyway? She stopped in her tracks when she saw how her room had changed.
“How the…”
“Supernatural speed and strength. My vampires could open their own moving company.”
The room before her was no longer empty. The space was filled with furnishings, complete with a rug and a full-size bed that looked absolutely luxurious. It even sported throw pillows. There was a plush chair resting in the corner. To her surprise, a tall reading lamp sat beside it. Her eyes landed on a set of curtains hanging on the wall. Her brow drew tight, and she walked over to them. There hadn’t been a window in her cell before. She pushed the curtains aside and saw that a decal, which looked like a window and showed a lush meadow beyond it, had been affixed to the wall. Lizzy turned to look at Cain. “Seriously?”
He shrugged. “I couldn’t very well give you a real window.”
“Fair enough.” Lizzy walked over to the bed. She ran her hand across the deep green comforter and gently pushed down. The mattress was plush. “You even upgraded the mattress. How thoughtful.”
Cain cleared his throat. “It is not my wish that you are uncomfortable, Ms. Fairchild. I need your cooperation. If you give it to me, both of our lives will be much easier. If offering a few paltry creature comforts secures that cooperation, well, why should I refuse? After all, I’m a reasonable man.”
“No, you’re not,” Alice mumbled next to him.
Lizzy glanced between the two. She knew Cain clearly heard the comment, but he conspicuously chose to ignore it. Lizzy even thought she might have seen him smirk for a fraction of a second. There was definitely something brewing there, but she didn’t have the energy to poke either of them about it. Maybe after a nap, or ten.
“I will send you some food,” Cain seemed to consider his comment before adding, “Is there anything in particular that you want?”
Lizzy thought about it. “A hamburger with everything on it, extra mayo, fries, and a milkshake.” Then she quickly added, “Make it a large.”
Alice glanced down at her notes and then back to Lizzy. “Do you always eat that much?”
“Have you ever lived on the streets and gone hungry for days?”
The scientist’s face blanched.
“Didn’t think so.” Lizzy climbed up onto the bed and sighed. “Be gone, servants of the dark,” she said dramatically. “I need my hybrid beauty rest.”
Alice looked at Cain. “Was she this eccentric when you found her, or is this part of her transformation?”
“I paid no attention to her personality before. But that is certainly a strange hypothesis, Dear Alice. Though I’m not sure how it would relate to vampirism.”
“Well, you’re an eccentric ass, so, maybe the hypothesis isn’t that strange.” Lizzy closed her eyes and sighed. “Close the door on your way out, please.”
Several moments of silence ticked by. She half expected to hear a whoosh of air and then feel Cain’s teeth on her neck, but neither he nor Alice appeared to have moved. If her prodding had pissed Cain off enough to cause a reaction, then so be it. She was done being nice to her captors. Not that she’d ever actually been polite, but who’s keeping track? For now, she kept her eyes squeezed tightly shut and pretended to sleep. She refused to give either of those bastards the satisfaction of seeing her check their whereabouts. She had dismissed them. Now she held the power. At least that’s what she told herself, anyway.
Finally, Lizzy heard the click of the latch and then another click that was no doubt the lock. She pushed aside the disturbing fact that she was once again a prisoner within a government facility that was creating new supernatural creatures. Instead, Lizzy focused on the bond. Again, she could clearly feel the bond, and she detected Finn’s presence, but she couldn’t see him. What she could see in her mind’s eye were shimmering opaque walls. This is new. Lizzy wondered if she’d erected them herself, perhaps when she’d been in terrible pain. Had this been an instinctual act to protect Finn?
If so, it was up to her to tear them back down again. Lizzy imagined the walls falling and shattering like glass. At first, nothing happened. Then she felt a rumble within her mind. The sensation was so strong she almost thought there was an earthquake happening. She opened her eyes and looked around. The sensation vanished. Nothing around her shook. Lizzy closed her eyes again. The shaking returned. Now she began to see cracks forming in the walls. With a thunderous crash, they each came falling down around her. Lizzy mentally covered her ears with her hands.
Lizzy’s breath whooshed from her lungs when she looked up and saw the cord that connected her to Finn. It was a mixture of shimmering green and gold, and Lizzy thought it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. She almost burst into tears as a swell of emotions threatened to overtake her. Suddenly, the greenish gold chord lit up as brightly as a strand of Christmas lights. Then, like an ocean wave, a pulse of light came barreling toward her. Lizzy braced herself, expecting the worst. But instead of the pain or shock she anticipated, the woman felt warmth and peace spread through her body like a warm cup of cocoa after coming in from the cold. Her emotions felt like they had been unraveling, and now they started to smooth out and knit back together.
The charred parts of her soul that had been taken over by Cain’s blood were once again lit up, opposing the shadows. She felt her heart start to race, and her palms sweat. She swallowed past a dry throat and spoke, her voice husky. “Finn?” She said his name out loud into the empty room, but she also thought it, reaching to him through the bond, pushing the thought toward him.
Lizzy waited, her heart now pounding in her throat. The rush of blood pulsing in her ears made it impossible to hear anything around her. Everything about Lizzy focused on him. Was he okay? Had Cain done anything to him? Had Finn done something stupid when she passed out? Her hands fisted the comforter beneath her as her body grew tense. The anxiousness caused by his silence was threatening to drive away the peace and warmth that had invaded her body. “Finn.” She pushed the thought even harder. “Dammit, wolf, you better answer me, or so help me I’ll—”
“Bite me?” His deep voice rolled through her mind and made her tremble.
Stupid, sexy voice, she thought to herself. “It doesn’t bother you that I might bite you?”
