“Itissexy,” Slater admitted.
Dimitri rolled his eyes and brushed his fingers over mine. “Do it.”
I licked my bottom lip, dosing myself as I dosed Dimitri with a venom that increased body heat.
Sweat beaded at his temples as we walked past the sensor.
It didn’t alert.
“Good,” Slater said smugly. “See? Tactical hand-holding.”
“We only brushed fingers,” I muttered, but my cheeks were warm from more than just my venom. The small effects only lasted ten seconds for me.
My venom wore off Dimitri just one minute later, when we reached the administrative checkpoint.
A keycard panel set beside a heavy door.
“Your badge should open it. If not, Slater can override it,” Katie told us.
“Aren’t I so helpful, venom baby?” Slater gloated.
“Very, Havoc baby,” I mused.
Dimitri swiped his badge.
The panel blinked green, and the door clicked open.
Beyond it, the air changed.
It was less sterile, and that underlying odor of blood was the primary scent now.
A stairwell descended deeper into the fucked up facility.
My instincts coiled tight.
“Cell block’s below,” Katie informed us, voice tight. “Multiple captives. Thirty-one on record…but Slater’s seeing heat signatures that suggest more.”
Slater’s tone turned cold. “There are thirteen extra bodies not logged.”
Dimitri’s jaw clenched. “Let’s go.”
The deeper we walked, the more the facility smelled like blood. My stomach twisted at the familiar scent.
We reached the bottom and stepped into the cell corridor.
It was narrower with concrete walls and metal doors with small windows, where I knew supernaturals were being kept. The lights flickered ahead where a line of pipes ran along the ceiling, hissing faintly.
“You found them,” Slater murmured. “I’m hacking door controls, but they’re biometric. Human thumbprint and retinal scan on the master release, if you wish to speed things up.”
Dimitri’s gaze swept the corridor. “Then, we take a human.”
“Non-lethal if possible,” Eleanor reminded in a polite warning through the comms.
Zuko laughed softly. “Non-lethal is such an ugly phrase. Besides, Jarvins gave us permission to eliminate.”
“We’ll do our best,” I placated her through clenched teeth.
A door at the far end opened, and a human scientist stepped out, clipboard in hand, muttering to himself. He didn’t even notice us.
