“Fuck!” Alex hissed.
“But you weren't successful, were you?” Jason asked.
“We were testing it on humans first,” Bishop gave up on trying to withhold the information. He probably realized he was only drawing things out. “Mygoal was to gain supernatural abilities and a longer lifespan. Natalonus promised that I would have my pick of powers once I figured out how to administer them safely. We were monitoring all of our customers, but no one has survived longer than six months. Edward Leshing was the last, but he was killed and the idiot who shot him didn't think to bring me his body.” He cleared his throat when he saw all of us glaring at him, then focused on me. “I was hoping that your magic would be the key to making it work.”
“Don't you fucking look at my wife,” Cyprian snarled and stepped between us. “You aren't fit to lick her boots.”
“Cyprian Alexander,” Bishop sneered. “I never once suspected you were a supe. And you say you're married to her, eh? Then why did she call the Bleiten darling?”
“She calls everyone darling,” Cyprian snapped. “Just focus on answering the questions, Bishop, and I won't have to claw your eyes out for looking at her.”
“I've yet to hear another question,” Bishop looked Cyprian up and down. “What are you?”
“What areyou?” Cyprian shot back. “You don't have an ounce of humanity in you. You must be a lower life form. Perhaps your ancestors were worms.”
Bishop's expression shifted into rage.
“What race is Cinneod Natalonus?” Jason asked, regaining control of the interrogation.
“He's a Fury.” Bishop's rage faded as he glanced at Talon.
“Liar!” Talon roared.
“Sorry, man, but he can't lie when he answers me,” Jason said.
“My people would not do this,” Talon snarled as he pointed at Bishop.
“There are good and bad people in every race,” I said gently. “I doubt the Furies are any different.”
Talon just continued to glare at Bishop, his whole body trembling.
“Was he the only supe you dealt with?” Jason asked Bishop.
“Yes.”
“But you believe other Furies were involved?”
“Yes.”
Talon shot forward. His hands fisted in Bishop's shirt and his wings spread wide, blocking us. The Fury embodied his name as his deadly shriek hit Bishop and rattled the entire room. The men lurched forward to grab Talon, but it was over in seconds. Supes could survive a Fury's shriek, but not humans. Talon's wings drooped, and he stared down at the dead man in his hands as if he didn't know how he'd gotten there.
“Fuck!” Alex shouted and shoved Talon in the chest. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Talon dropped Bishop. “I... I'm sorry. He was impugning the honor of my race. I couldn't... rage overtook me. I'm so sorry.”
“It's okay, man.” Jason patted Talon's shoulder, reaching up to do so. “We were gonna kill him anyway, and I think I got everything we needed out of him.”
“We werenotgoing to kill him anyway!” Alex shouted. Then he looked around the room at our guilty faces. “You... you were going to disobey a direct order?”
“We are contracted agents, Alex,” I said grimly. “We're not soldiers who have to obey you.”
“And the fact that you would have let that man walk out of here makes me disinclined to ever work with you again,” Malik snarled in Alex's face.
Alex went still, staring from us to the corpse.
“Sir?” an agent tried to open the door, but it smacked into Rain, who slammed it shut again. “Open this door!”
“We're fine in here!” Alex shouted. “Stand down!”
