2
Six months later…
Sweet Caroline . . . Good times never seemed so good, Sweet Caroline . . . I believe they never could . . .
Caroline Cotter foughther way through the grog and pried open her eyes. Neil Diamond’sSweet Carolinewas playing on auto-repeat somewhere in the room. Every time she woke, it was to his voice, but there was nothing sweet about her situation.
“She’s awake, General.”
Voices floated in and out of her consciousness, strange figures in white lab coats and thick glasses. Caroline tried to move her arms, but they’d been strapped to the narrow, hospital-style bed, not that she had enough strength to actually move.
She could barely lift her head.
Holding her eyes open took all her energy.
A familiar figure appeared next to her, his uniform blurry before it zoomed into sharp contrast. She tried to speak, but her tongue felt heavy and dry, too thick to move. All she managed was a low moan. General Rainier, her spurned ex-fiancé.
Oh, God.
He smoothed a rough hand down her head and cheek, the abrasive contact sending a shock of near pain through her sensitive skin. No one had touched her since she’d been here. The agony of the forced contact was more than she could process. He shouldn’t be touching her. Why was he even here?
Why amIhere?
Finally, he drew his hand back to his side, letting it rest next to his snugly fitting uniform. “She seems really out of it.”
Another voice, this one soft and feminine, said, “We’re keeping her heavily sedated. Her body can regenerate the blood and nutrients she needs better that way.”
The woman’s voice was familiar, though Caroline couldn’t put a name to it.
“Ah, not what I expected—” Rainier stroked his smooth chin and she could practically feel his gaze boring into her, “—but effective nonetheless. I’ve been informed you’ve hit a snag in the experiment.”
There was a slight pause and then the female spoke again, from somewhere behind Rainier. “Not a snag, sir. The subject can only give so much blood at one time without incurring death. We test each batch as quickly and efficiently as possible, but so far all tests have failed. There is something we’re missing.”
“Something inside her.” Rainier gestured to Caroline.
She had no idea what they were talking about, but a growing sense of dread enveloped her entire body.
“Yes, sir,” the female answered.
“How much blood have you taken?”
“More than we should.”
“Take more,” Rainier snapped out. “I’m on the clock. I need results.”
“Sir—”
Shuffling broke out in the room before Rainier spoke again. “If you don’t get me the results I need, then I’ll find someone who will. Do you understand?”
The woman made a choking sound. Caroline focused all her energy on turning her head. Rainier had his hand around the doctor’s throat, and his gaze burned with deadly intent. Caroline tried to call out for help, but again, only a moan left her lips.
“Yes, sir,” the doctor croaked out.
Rainier released her instantly and smoothed out his uniform before turning back to Caroline. “This little beauty holds the key to my future. I don’t care if you have to put her on death’s door as long as you can bring her back. I need results. Now.”
He leaned down, and his face, which she’d once considered kind and almost fatherly, was contorted with malevolence. Her insides shrunk, instinctively straining away from the obvious predator. He wanted to cause her pain.
And she was powerless to escape.
