Chapter 22

They helped Dr. Tannin into the car and I slid in after him. It turned out to be a short limo with the seats facing each other. “Colleen will be glad to see you,” Tannin said with a sickly sweet smile.

He was telling the truth; it was obvious by the glee in his eyes. I fought back the urge to bare my teeth. “Why Colleen? Why did you have to choose her?”

His eyebrows rose. “I thought you would be happy to see your sister. You two did part on such,” he paused with a small smile, “unfortunate circumstances. Surely you want to make up for what happened.”

His words twisted my stomach and I wondered how much he really knew about that night. I watched Mouse drive away and traced the faint burn marks on the back of my left hand.

“Also, there’s the exasperating fact that your DNA, and consequently your sister’s, happens to be the only DNA capable of handling coupling with a werewolf's. We haven’t figured out just why that is, so in the meantime, we had to get creative.”

The hair on the back of my neck rose at his tone. I met his gaze levelly. “Give me your promise that you won’t involve any more of my family members in your sick experiments.”

His pale eyebrows lifted again. “What will you do if I don’t agree?”

My voice came out at just above a growl. “I’ll rip off this door and throw you under the next car before you or your buddies can do more than lift a finger.”

His eyes widened slightly and I knew he knew I was capable of doing just that. He let out a nervous laugh and nodded. “Of course. Why would I have any reason to involve other members of your family? I have what I need with you.”

“Give me your word,” I growled.

His lips pressed into a tight smile. “You have my word that I won’t involve anyone else in your family in my experiments as long as I have you.”

I turned and glared out the window in an effort to not tear him apart, but reasoned that I needed to reach the lab before I did anything rash.

“But could you imagine an entire family of genetically created werewolves?” he said softly, his tone wistful. I turned the full force of my glare on him and he held up his hands. “Kidding, only kidding.” He put his hands in his lap and regarded me steadily. “Those eyes. I don’t know what it is that makes the eyes change color, but they are magnificent. I’d bet they’d stop a bull in his tracks. Of course, they say red makes bulls angry, so perhaps we shouldn't try it.” I looked away from him, but he continued, “Colleen’s eyes are purple. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful or haunting.”

I kept my gaze firmly on the dark landscape outside the window, but he knew I was a captive audience.

He sighed. “We have just one tiny problem with her.” I clenched my teeth to keep from giving any reaction. “She can’t maintain her human form.” He paused a minute to give me a second to speak. When I didn’t, he pretended as if he hadn’t waited. “She keeps phasing from her human to wolf form and even the other werewolves can’t seem to help her learn how to control it.”

I turned back to him. “You have other werewolves?” It made me sick to think of them going through what Grace had.

He nodded. “Of course. Thanks to your endeavors, we were forced to leave the old Development Center to escape prying eyes.” He frowned and pursed his lips. “Your friend Jaze seems to have some very powerful contacts with the Hunters.” He realized he was off subject and ran both hands through his thin, pale hair. “But it gave us the opportunity to make some necessary changes, which included more holding facilities and more space for development and experimentation. Thank you.”

My muscles shook with the effort to keep from phasing and tearing out his throat to end the grating, gleeful tone that scratched my eardrums. I glanced at the man sitting beside me and the gun he kept trained on my head. A growl ripped from my throat. I turned and punched the window next to me with all the pent-up frustration in my chest. The window shattered outward. The sound stilled my soul as a flash of fire, the scent of gasoline, and Colleen calling my name flashed through my mind. The glass had cut across my knuckles and they bled freely. I focused on the blood and made no effort to staunch the flow.

Dr. Tannin fell silent, his gaze disapproving like a father whose child had stepped in mud. I turned my face to the window and took a deep breath of the fresh air that rushed past. I wanted more than anything to jump out after it, to be going anywhere but the Development Center no doubt filled with werewolves in various stages of torture and pain; but I couldn’t help the images of Colleen that stayed in my mind. If there was a way, any possible way, that Dr. Tannin had brought her back, I had to get her out of that place.

I glanced surreptitiously behind us, but didn’t see any headlights. After the third check, Dr. Tannin caught me. “Looking for your friends?” I didn’t answer and he smiled. “My vehicles come fully equipped with jammers. Whatever chip you may be carrying on your person is blocked. My driver lost your pack a ways back and I doubt they’ll ever find us again.” He paused. “You do get props, though, for actually getting a pack in your short time away from the Center. I’ll have to admit that I didn’t see you as the social type.”

I looked away from his triumphant grin before I succumbed to the impulse to shatter his skull the way I had the window. I stuck my bleeding hand out to feel the rush of the air, and fought back a small smile as the droplets of blood fell away. Jet was the best tracker in the group. If they couldn’t follow the chip, they could follow my blood.