Seth pointed to the floor. “Who are you holding down there?”
He was expecting abject denial, but Mr. Perkins only said, “I think you meanwhatare we holding down there?”
Seth scowled at him. “No. I meanwho. Just because they’re creatures doesn’t mean they aren’t people.” He was really guessing at the creature part—for all Seth knew, they really did have regular whales down there—but the lawyer’s next words confirmed it.
“I think you’ll find that’s exactly what it means.”
Was that a clue? Was all this because of some anti-creature prejudice? Some drawn-out punishment for their existence? Seth still had so many questions.
He supposed he might as well ask them.
He cocked his head, placing his hands in his lap. “You know, Iconsider myself very pro-science, but aren’t there supposed to be ethics committees you answer to? Some sort of oversight? None of this feels very ethical to me.”
“Perhaps if we were funded by the NIH or NSF, that might hold true.”
Seth narrowed his eyes. “Whoareyou funded by? The government?” Was this some sort of top secret Department of Defense thing?
Mr. Perkins’s lips curved into a small smirk, like he knew very well Seth was pumping him for information but wasn’t threatened by it in the least. Possibly because he knew Seth was never getting out of here, so he’d never have the chance to reveal any of what he’d learned. “God, no. Think of the red tape. The thing is, Mr. Carter, that there are many wealthy parties extremely interested in the long lifespan of the supernatural. The anti-aging aspect alone would entice almost anyone, don’t you think?”
Seth stared at him blankly, the words taking longer to process than they should have. “You’re telling me you’re working for youth-hungry millionaires?”
He couldn’t help the disgust that leeched into his voice. He was trying to keep Mr. Perkins talking, which meant not offending him right out of the gate, but really? Kidnapping and threats and spy cams to watch Seth pee all in exchange for what—anti-wrinkle serums?
“Oh, exponentially more wealthy than that,” Mr. Perkins told him mildly. “You scoff, but eternal life, eternal youth—the search for these things has been driving fanatics through the ages. Not all of us have an easy ticket like some.”
Easy ticket? Was he talking about the mate bond? Clearly Mr. Perkins had never been wooed by a half-feral recluse with obsessive stalker tendencies. There was nothing easy about it.
Except for the fact that Seth had fallen for it within weeks.
Maybe ithadbeen easy.
“Too bad your particular ticket couldn’t protect you better, Mr. Carter.” Mr. Perkins shook his head in false pity. “I’m afraid he doesn’t have the strength to deserve these gifts he’s been given.”
Seth stared at him, aghast. “Gifts?” he echoed incredulously. “Gifts? He was turned against his will. As achild. He’s been through enough without you poking and prodding him.”
Seth stood slowly, his hands clenched at his sides as heat flushed through his body. He was surprised he wasn’t melting the floor where he stood. He approached the glass with slow, careful steps. He felt the need to rattle this man, to wipe that unconcerned little smirk off his lawyer face.
Seth placed his hands on the see-through wall and lowered his voice to a low croon. “You think Riley is the only supernatural I know? You’re wrong. Dead wrong. I have connections you couldn’t even dream of. I’m the fucking Godfather of supernatural beings. And when they find out you’ve taken me, they’re going to bring down a wave of destruction on this place the likes of which you’ve never seen. So stay. The fuck. Away from him.”
Seth had never spoken like this in his life. He had no idea where it was coming from, other than remnants of old TV shows he’d watched once upon a time. But it had the effect of finally putting a little wariness behind Mr. Perkins’s dead eyes, so Seth was grateful for the inspiration.
It didn’t last long though. Mr. Perkins’s expression quickly shuttered, and he tutted at Seth, meeting him threat for threat. “Are you aware how rare a vampire turned in childhood is, Mr. Carter? The fact that Riley aged to adulthood? Fascinating. There’s so much to be learned. We’ll be running tests on your Riley for decades upon decades. He won’t be seeing the light of day in this lifetime or the next.”
The heat of Seth’s momentary triumph was replaced by cold chills and a sour taste in his mouth. He could see it too clearly:Riley, captured and contained, trapped in this place longer than most humans lived.
Seth swallowed past the bile. “How do you sleep at night?”
He hated that he asked, but he couldn’t help it. He genuinely wanted to know.
Mr. Perkins didn’t even flinch. “He’s a beast. An animal. They all are. I don’t turn a blind eye to what we do here—I enjoy it.” He followed that disgusting confession up with a nod to Seth. “You, on the other hand, are human. We will try to make you as comfortable as possible for your stay. And if one day it’s necessary to complete the mate bond for further study, we’ll attempt the most humane conditions possible.”
“He was human once too.”
“A human who, within hours of turning, tried to drain his own mother? Some might say he was a monster all along.”
And with that, Mr. Perkins broke the intercom connection and walked away.
And all Seth could do was watch, even as his muscles tensed and twitched, his futile rage burning higher and higher, hotter than his body could contain. For the first time, Seth wished he wasn’t human after all. He wished he had claws and teeth and fucking dragon fire, if that was a thing.
