That reminded me.
"Yes, because you invaded my mind and fed off my fear, asshole!" I yelled.
He winced. "I'm sorry about that as well. I prefer not to create a mental bond that way, but I needed a way to control you if you realized what was happening and tried to run away."
Without thinking, I scooped up my glass of soda and threw it at the circle. It bounced off and sent liquid flying everywhere. Dammit.
"Considering how much you've fucked this up, why should I help you now?" I asked him.
Before he answered, Marcus' voice filled my mind.
I'll be there soon.
He'd used our bond to reach out to me. Any other time, it would have pissed me off, but at this moment, I was glad to know that he was on his way.
"Well?" I prompted him.
"Because they won't just take me and mine, they'll come for Marcus and Callum. And Ava and Macgrath. Harrison. Rhys. Savannah." His gaze fixed on Arien. "And you. You'll be worse than prisoners. You'll be test subjects. They'll tear us apart to see how we can put ourselves back together. They'll use our blood to create atrocities and unspeakable human hybrids in the name of protection of the country. And no one will save us because no one knows we exist or that we've even been discovered."
I could see exactly what he was talking about, oh so clearly. Marcus strapped down to a table as a doctor performed a live autopsy on him, recording how his body healed injuries and trauma. The vials and vials of blood they would draw to use in experiments on animals and people. Their smug agreement that it was in the best interests of national security if they made their soldiers stronger, better. Invincible.
"You know I'm right," he said to me, his dark eyes glowing with power. "You know what they'll do to us. We won't be considered human, even if we started out that way. Any pain or suffering we experience will be in the name of a safer future for humans, even as it puts them in grave danger from the very people sworn to protect them."
I remembered Ava's words about my slight empathic ability. The instincts that I'd been following since I met Marcus were related to that talent. I knew it somehow.
Right now, all those instincts said that he was finally being honest with me.
"Let him go," I said to Arien, my voice faint.
"What?" she asked, gaping at me.
"Release him from the circle. He's telling the truth."
"I know he's telling the truth," she agreed. "But I can't release him. He could still grab you and trace away."
I stared at Dumont. I could see both the determination and desperation on his face.
"No, he won't. Let him out."
Arien hesitated for a long moment before she spoke a few words and swept her hands outward, about waist high.
The dull circle of pale blue light vanished.
"If you try anything, vampire, I will crush you like a fly beneath my boot," Arien said.
Dumont nodded and I could see the small beads of sweat around his hairline. "May I have a glass of water?"
Arien didn't move so I went to the fridge and got him a chilled bottle of water. I carried it to the table and sat it on the opposite end of where Arien and I had been playing cards.
"Here. Let's all sit down and you can tell me everything you know from the beginning," I said.
Dumont moved slowly to the end of the table, keeping his hands up. I kept the table between us and sat in my seat. I knew he could move quickly enough to grab me at this distance, but I didn't think he intended to do that. Especially with the way Arien watched him.
Before, she seemed feline to me, but now her stare was distant and cold, like that of a raptor searching for prey.
He sat down with a slow, careful motion, as though he was exhausted or his entire body was sore. Dumont picked up the water bottle, cracked it open, and drank nearly half the bottle.
When he lowered it, his eyes met mine. "From the beginning, then?"
