Chapter 15

LAINEY I walk the halls to the eating area of the rooming house. I don’t why I come here. I guess I just can’t stand staring at four walls considering the last year of my life.

I pull at my iron laced collar and narrow my eyes as I walk the halls. The collar doesn’t stop me from eating, but I can’t run or have the strength to break out of here if I want to.

I’m not allowed to eat with others because it freaks them out. I see their point. They’re all shifters. Seeing someone drink someone else’s blood can be disturbing, so I don’t rock the boat.

I’m just glad to be able to move around. Sometimes, I’m allowed to sit in the yard and enjoy the night. I prefer the night. It’s less lonely for me. Makes me feel normal, but walking in the sun certainly has its advantages.

As I sit at a table, I have a notebook and a pen Ricky gave me for writing down my memories when I remember something.

I remember all of it, I just don’t want them to know what I do. I still don’t trust them to not turn me in.

So for now, the book is filled with confessions. Apologies to the people I’ve hurt in my life.

A list of people, that if it was possible to see them again, I would beg forgiveness from.

When I became a vampire, I wasn’t as controlled as I am now. A lot of people have died by my fangs over the years. I’m going to hell, but if anyone reads this, they’ll know I at least tried to make amends.

As I search through my memories, I had the unfortunate pleasure to be joined by a small shifter. A girl.

“What are you doing?” She says as she sits down. She flips her fire red hair over her shoulder. She has this look of sassiness about her. Her blue eyes flip between my book and my eyes.

She smiles. “I’m Charlotte.” She holds out her hand.

I narrow my eyes even more. “Go away.”

She giggles in a way I don’t like.

She crosses her leg and starts to bounce it. “Not very friendly are you. It’s OK. I get it. It may be nice here. Filled with all kinds of yummy puppy dogs, but it’s no fun if you can’t play with them. Am I right?” She grins a weird grin and pulls at her collar. I really think somethings off with her. Why do I attract all the crazies?

“What do you want?” I grind.

She shrugs. “Just to talk. Not a lot of women in here. It’s nice to have friends on the inside. Maybe you can come with me when I bust out of here.”

“Bust out.” I say with an arched brow.

She adjusts herself in her seat and smiles. “Oh yeah. My brother Sage is coming for me any day now.” She leans forward. “We’re taking the city back. Want to join?”

Just then a head lowered to the side of mine. “Sage has been dead for years. She just doesn’t believe it.”

I turn my head to a white haired small male. His almost white eyes look at Charlotte. “You’re stuck here Char. The Alliance is never letting you go.”

She crosses her arms and scowls. “That’s not true. Sage is working a plan.”

He sighs and shakes his head. He stands and pulls up a chair. He sits backwards on it. “Elliott.” He extends his hand.

“Lainey.” I say low, not touching him. I look him over and I can see his heartbeat in his neck.

“You’re a vamp, right?” He folds his hands across the back of his chair. His flip flop tapping on the floor.

I nod as I sit forward. I look to my notebook and close it. Obviously, I’m not going to be left alone.

“Interesting they’d let you stay here. All the other vamps disappear.” He smirks.

“Others?” I side eye him.

“Yep. You’re not the only vamp to come through here. Others were here, but they kept biting people, so the powers that be, whisk them away into the night, never to be heard from again.” He says.

“Another prison?” My brows raise slightly.

He shrugs. “Or…a stake once they get outside. Who knows. They just never come back.”

He looks to my book. “What’cha writing?” He grabs for it.

I grab his hand and slit my eyes. “Nothing.” I growl in warning.

He takes his hand back and holds it up. “Ok. Just curious.”

“So…Who’d you kill to get in here?” He asks.

“No one.” I sit straight.

“Ok. What did you do?” He motions to me.

I turn my head slowly to him. “Trusted the wrong person.” I say.

He nods. “I get it. Me too.” He places his hand in his chest. “I mean, yeah, I was part of the pack that tried to take over the world, but that doesn’t mean I’m at fault. I can’t help that I was born with them. Yet, here I am.” He sits up and holds his hands out.

Charlotte scoffs. “You’re here because you killed 30 unit soldiers.

He points to her. “27. 3 died later. They were alive when I left them.” He scowls.

I furrow my brow. “I don’t think that’s the same.”

He nods. “Hey, you do what you need to, to survive right? It was them or me. They killed a lot more of us, but I don’t see any of them on war crime charges.” He scowls and leans his chin on his arms.

Charlotte huffs a laugh. “Right? Who made them the superior pack? Just because I kidnapped one of their puppies, I’m rotting in here on capital charges. The Killer Cowboy would have killed me. Do they get that? No. They think they know it all.”

“So, you both don’t bare any responsibility at all.” I state as I look between them.

Elliott shakes his head no on his arms. “Nope. As far as I’m concerned, Torrent made me do it.”

Charlotte shrugs. “Once Sage gets done with them, they’ll regret putting me in here.” She holds her head up.

“He said he's dead.” I say in a monotone voice.

“He’s a liar! He’s a Dragon. He can’t be trusted.” She snaps.

“What? The reds are so righteous? Please.” Elliott sits back and waves a hand to her.

“We would wipe you out if you attacked us. Torrent had zero balls to do it.” She grits.

“He had more balls than Sage did. He couldn’t piss without getting power from a puddle of water. Torrent had all strength and will.” Elliot narrows his eyes.

She scratches her hair. “Ok. You got a point, but we still outnumbered you.”

I shake my head, grab my book and stand up.

“Where are you going?” Elliot asks.

“Away.” I growl at him.

I step into the aisle way and look ahead. I wish I hadn’t.

He’s standing in the entrance with his hands in his pockets. He’s cleaned up and obviously free of my hold on him.

I turn as soon as I see him.

“Lainey, wait.”

I stop and hold my head up. I slowly turn around.

Hunter walks up to me. “Can we talk? Somewhere…quiet?” He has a distance between us, but that still doesn’t stop me from feeling his steady heartbeat.

I nod and turn around. He follows behind me as I walk to a hallway. I turn down it and face him.

He looks at the guards. “Hey…um…you guys, just give us a minute, ok?”

The guards eye him then me.

“It’s OK. She’s not going to do anything.” He says.

The guards step out of the hallway and around the corner.

I lean in the wall with my notebook in front of me on my thighs. I look at the floor.

He leans his shoulder on the wall. “I…uh…I just want to apologize…for…you know…the whole…thing.”

“Nothing to apologize for.” I mumble.

He slides down the wall a little closer. “Yes, there is. Lainey, regardless of how I got sick, I should have controlled myself after your lock faded. I just…couldn’t. You didn’t deserve that. I saw you as a target and…I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, well. It’s over now. You got help and you can get on with your life and I can get on with mine.” I don’t look at him even though his scent is twisting around my head.

“Lainey…” He whispers.

“I’ve got to go.” I lean past him. “You can come out now.”

The guards appear and walk past Hunter. I turn around and head back to my informal prison. Leaving him in the hallway.

I’m glad he’s OK now, but I don’t want his apology. I don’t want anything from him because if he asks, I know I’ll give it to him. That’s how deep my guilt goes. If I don’t let him get to me, I won’t have to suffer anymore than I already do.

If he shows up again, I’ll have to end this alliance. I can’t have him near me. We can’t go down this road. I won’t survive it.

****

Over the days, tests have becoming my daily routine.

Ricky has almost narrowed down what’s wrong with me.

She places the papers on the med chair beside me and leans on it as she reads them.

She has a smile on her face. “I don’t believe it.”

“What?” I turn to her, leaning to see the papers.

She rolls her head up to me. “The bastards did it. They actually did it.”

“Did what?” I lift my brow.

“The reason you can walk in the sun, Lainey, is that there’s a Lycan in you.” She smiles.

I lean more to her. “Excuse me?”

“It’s probably why Hunter had such a big attraction to you. His wolf tapped into the Lycan in you and the lock tipped him over.”

“So he’s attracted to my Lycan. Not to me.” I state.

She sits up. “Well, I mean, it’s all you. Just a part of you. You are genetically modified. It’s in your DNA. We can’t see it because your vampire genes are stronger.”

“So, I can walk in the sun because I’m part Lycan?” I ask.

She nods. “We’ve been finding these experiments in various places, but they’ve all been Lycans that have serious defects. They also burn up and explode in the sun. I just can’t figure out why you’re so different.”

I lower my head. “I was the first.” I mumble.

“Wait…what?” She leans forward and looks at me.

I raise my eyes to her. “The first experiment. Taken early in my vampire birth. They've experimented on me countless times and my blood is what conducts the experiments now.”

“What experiments?” She asks quietly.

“This pink…” I start before we’re interrupted.

“Hey, Rick?...”

I look up to handsome blue eyes that look so different now. He stops and his eyes find mine. His face drops.

“Uh…sorry. I’ll come back.” He says and turns.

“No. Hunter. It’s OK.” Ricky says.

He walks in slowly, holding a file. “I have the security parameters plugged in for the Lycan that you wanted.”

Ricky takes the file.

Hunters eyes meet mine again and I look away.

“So, we can track the Lycans movements?” She asks as she reads the file.

Hunter nods. “Yep. When he strikes again, the security system will be alerted and all the cameras in the city will switch on. They’ll collect his identification and follow him to where he goes and we just pick him up.”

She nods. “Good job.” She smiles and hands it back.

“Ok…um…I’ll see you around.” He mumbles and walks out.

I don’t know if he was talking to me or Ricky. Frankly, right now, I don’t care. I’d rather see him miserable than what he was before. As far as I’m concerned, I did my part.

“Ok. So, Miss Lycan hybrid.” Ricky smiles. “I’ll run these results through the Falcon Ridge database and we’ll see what they used to create…you.” She picks up the papers again and walks to the desk.

This makes me nervous. “Do you have to?”

She looks at me and chuckles. “Lainey. You’re a walking mystery. From what we know, you’re the only success these labs have had. We need to know why.”

“I mean…why can’t we just leave well enough alone? I know I’m a hybrid. Why do I need to know more?” I follow her around the lab.

“Because. There’s so much we can learn. We can also find out what they used and where they got it from.” She turns to me and crosses her arms. “Don’t you want to get back at the bastards that did this?”

I twist my lips and shrug. “I guess…I don’t want to kick the hornets nest.”

She places her hands on my shoulders. “I understand you’re scared, Ok, but it’s not just you. Lainey, they’ll keep doing this to people. Is that what you want?”

I press my lips together and shake my head.

“Right. So we band together. Just us girls and nail these sons of bitches to the wall. How’s that?” She puts an arm around me.

“Sure.” I say.

“Ok.” She motions to the guard. “I’ll get the results and talk to you tomorrow.” She taps my arm.

I nod and we leave.

As we get to the stairs, I see Hunter by the railing talking with another Alpha.

Our eyes lock in a stare until I break it. I feel that thing inside. That warmth in the cold confines of my body. I almost feel the ghost of a heartbeat. The one I used to have a long time a ago. As if a memory surfaced.

I don’t know what I’m feeling, but I won’t allow it to happen. Hunter deserves to move on from me. Besides, I have bigger issues now. I’m a hybrid. I need to know what that means. If I have extra powers, I need to know what they are.

There’s a power brewing out there. One I haven’t mentioned. If it’s not taken care of, what the Alphas are fearful of, will happen.

I fear Gia, but I’m terrified of Kincade. The messenger of Death.