Ireallyhoped those things were bulletproof.
Theo
Once the initial urgency of setting my plan into motion was over, my thoughts were consumed by Vivian. My heart was halfway across the fucking continent. My chest empty and cold without her.
I slept like shit that last night in Virylan, jolting awake hours before starrise. Something felt wrong. My pulse raced, adrenaline pumping through my veins and telling me tomove.I calmed myself. It was just nerves about getting back to Vivian now that winter had finally come to an end.
I’d considered saying “fuck it” and returning early so many times, but there were countless reasons that wasn’t a good idea. Selling my property, handing off the business, saying goodbye. The vicious Cyciciah snow would've blocked me out, anyway. There was a right way to do this, and it involved waiting for the first day of summer. Strategy had always served me well. Best to stick to it.
It was the middle of the night, but I’d spent all my patience. Surely the three hours of warm summer that had passed melted the worst of the ice on the roads. I could drive in slush just fine.
I needed her.
I pulled on some clothes and grabbed the bag containing everything I’d be taking into this next phase of my life.
I’m coming, Viv. And this time I’m not leaving.
When I turned the corner into the living room, a pair of horns immediately caught my eye. Their silhouette against the streetlights glowing through the front window was conspicuous, menacing. They twisted in distinct curves that—although vaguely familiar—weren’t immediately recognizable.
My senses came alive. I felt more eyes on me from my left. How many people were in the house? How long had they been there? Waiting.
“Theo, please, have a seat.” An arm reached to the lamp on the side table, clicking the light on dramatically.
A rage I hadn’t known in over a decade had my body swelling feral. Sharp teeth tried to fit together like jagged puzzle pieces as my jaw shifted. If anybodydeservedto die…
“Calm yourself. That’s hardly a polite greeting for a guest,” Dr. Gable chided.
The Thornian had been alive for well over eighty years, yet he didn’t look a day over thirty. His unique, twisting horns remained strong and tall, their integrity untouched by age. His thick, tan, plated scales were glossy. Silky curtains of lavender hair fell to his shoulders, making him the prettiestmonsterknown to our world.
All that youth and vitality came with a hefty price tag, and he wasn’t the one who paid it.
I launched myself across the living room to rip that pristine head right off his well-dressed shoulders. Reclaim all that stolen beauty. Leave him the most mangled corpse to grace my slaughter list. Killing him would be the best thing I could dofor this world. Every innocent life lost could be avenged. Vivian would sleep far safer at night without him leading the E.A.R.T.H. movement.
I would’ve been successful, had it not been for the travel bag strapped to my back. His security team burst from the shadows and grabbed the handles, yanking me back when I was only inches from the devil’s smug grin. They slammed my face into the floorboards, claws ripping into my arms as I was held down. His personal guards were Hybrids, and Hybrids were always feral. Beings armed with all the violent tools nature had gifted them. Only the strongest for a man of his position and stature.
I was tugged to my feet and forced into the chair across from Dr. Gable. All four wrists were already cuffed. I felt the cold tip of a gun press against my temple as they shackled my ankles. Ihatedthose weapons. We didn’t even use them at G.P.O. unless it was absolutely necessary. For one, they were nearly impossible to get. More importantly, they were loud, clumsy, and cowardly. They could’ve just as easily held a knife to my throat without the theatrics of a firearm. But Dr. Gable preferred his team flashy. Advanced. Overpowering.
“How dramatic,” he tsked, rolling up the cuffs of his shirt. “And here they told me you weren’t interested in killing anymore.”
“This kill would save countless lives,” I snapped, my voice beastly, my fangs clicking together.
He snorted in amusement and spoke with all the grandiosity of a performing politician. “I’ve never harmed a soul. Every drop of blood shed is because your old boss sent operatives our way to hurt us. It’s been self-defense.”The rehearsed charisma and light-hearted dismissal were nauseating.
“And what do you call the fucking pods, asshole?!”
“A win-win. These females get to sleep and dream about the home planet they were forcibly taken from; we get to solve a big problem for Trebianna.”
I scoffed.
“Do you know how much energy hospitals need to run, Theo? We donate to them so they can keep people healthy. The pods save lives. Don’t you know that?” He laughed, looking to one of his guards for support as he said, “Or was your head so far up Arne’s ass that you missed the message of my campaign? It’salwaysbeen about helping people. For every ten females napping, I can power a town. That means heat in the winter, streetlamps to reduce crime at night, and appliances for small businesses like yours.”
“Last time I checked, you charge a premium." Pretending to be for the people was an obvious lie, if you checked the facts. Excluding a handful of examples of demonstrative charity, Dr. Gable mostly sold his expensive energy to the rich to get them past the standard usage regulations.
“Well, you know how startups are,” he shrugged. “But once we have more clients, we can reduce the pricing by half. We just need to up production.”
“Do you fucking hear yourself?!” I roared. “You’re talking about females! Real, living people! Spare me the media training! You won’t convince me you haven’t sold your fucking soul!”
He snapped his fingers and a thick piece of leather was shoved into my mouth and pulled taut. “I’m happy to hear yoursuggestions, but you’re going to wake the neighbors with all of that yelling.” His voice remained infuriatingly calm. “I’ll talk now. You listen.”
