Chapter 24

I followed him to his SUV. When we neared the vehicle, a growl rumbled through it laced with terror and pain. My heart sank. “Colleen?” I said quietly, putting a hand on one of the back windows.

The growl turned into a shriek, then a sob. “I can’t control it. I’m going to kill everyone,” Colleen’s pain-wracked voice cried.

“It’s going to be alright.” I moved to open the door, but her sob ripped back into a growl.

Jaze put a hand on the door to keep me from opening it. “We need to sedate her,” he said quietly, his eyes holding mine. “She’s a danger to herself and everyone around her if she can’t control her phasing. She doesn’t know where she is and what’s going on. We need to get her to a rehab center.”

“How?” I asked.

He lifted what looked like a pistol. “Mouse found some of Dr. Tannin’s tranquilizers. It’s the only thing powerful enough to control her until we get her somewhere safe.”

My heart slowed, but I knew he was right. I reached for the gun and his eyes widened. “I’m her brother and I take care of her. I need to be the one to do it.”

He nodded and let go of the gun. “Be careful,” he said.

I took a steeling breath and slipped into the SUV.

Dark purple eyes peered at me from the back corner seat. Colleen’s fur was long and colored cream and black; her eyes showed no recognition and reflected only fear. She bared her teeth and I lifted the gun.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. The dart hit her in the shoulder.

She yelped and dove at me. I raised my arms to protect my face and her teeth ground down on my arm, her muzzle inches from my nose.

“It’s okay,” I said quietly. “I’ll take care of you, I promise. You’re going to be alright.” Her grip on my arm loosened, then her eyes rolled back and she slumped to the side. I gathered her carefully in my arms and set her back on the seat. I made sure she was breathing steadily, then opened the door and stepped outside. “She’s asleep,” I said in as calm a voice as I could muster.

Jaze nodded, his eyes apologetic. Brock appeared at his shoulder and held out a rag for my arm. I wrapped it, then watched the brigade of werewolves file into the waiting vehicles. The brawny, brown-haired werewolf who had helped me hold the gate lifted a hand in farewell, then disappeared inside.

“Will we hear back from them?” I asked Jaze.

He sighed. “Hopefully not. No news means they’ve reached their packs safely.” He gestured toward the gate where several Hunters carried cages. Growls issued from them and the Hunter closest to us yelled, then dropped his side of a cage. He clutched his hand and glared at the golden eyes within the shadows. “We’ll have our work cut out with those.”

He went over to help them and I climbed back into the SUV where Colleen slept. I leaned my head against the back of the seat and closed my eyes, but a tap on the window startled me from rest.

Jet stared in at me, his dark blue eyes serious. “You need to come see this,” he said.

I sighed and opened the door again. He led me across the clearing and back into the complex. My soul shuddered at returning, but I followed him down several long hallways, past the control center that was now empty of lab employees, and to a low-ceilinged, wide room filled with tables.

The scent almost floored me when Jet opened the door. Rot and decay along with old blood and antiseptic washed over us in a wave. I stepped into the room and my heart slowed.

“What is this?” I whispered, even though I knew deep down what I was looking at.

“Clones,” Jet said quietly. “Clones that couldn’t survive.” He met my eyes. “That’s why they needed you back.”

Row after row of cold metal beds held clones of Colleen and I, but every clone I saw was dead. Shriveled IV bags containing blood and fluids hung beside the beds, and blank monitor screens stared like uncaring voids at the bodies below them. The corpses were in various stages of decomposition and I wondered why Dr. Tannin had just left them there. It was impossible to miss the looks of agony on the faces closest to us, faces identical to Colleen and I. My throat tightened.

“Can we blow this place up?” I forced out. “I don’t want Colleen to know about it.”

Jet nodded and we left the room without another word. I followed him back to the vehicle feeling heavier with each step. “They suffered,” I finally said in a voice just above a whisper.

He glanced at me. “It’s not your fault.”

I shook my head. “If I hadn’t been drinking and gotten us in that accident in the first place, none of this would have happened.”

Jet’s eyebrows rose. “Then we wouldn’t know about this facility and who knows how many other werewolves and humans would have suffered from Tannin’s experiments.”

I knew he was right, but I couldn’t push away the throb of guilt in my chest.

“You have an obligation to Grace and Colleen. You have to be strong for them.”

I looked up at his tone. “I killed people. They deserve better.”

A wry smile touched the corners of his lips. “I’ve killed more humans and werewolves than I’ll ever be able to reconcile with; my whole life before I met Jaze was killing.”

I studied the ground as the memory of my knife sliding through flesh and the scent of fresh blood rushed through me. “How do you keep going knowing you ended someone’s life?”

He shrugged. “It’s not like we have much of a choice, is it?” At my look, the smile touched his lips again. “You live the best you can in their memory. If they died so you can keep Grace safe and help Colleen cope with being a werewolf, then that’s what had to happen. Honor their deaths by living your life.”

His words rang with the heaviness of personal experience. I took a steadying breath. “I didn’t take you to be a philosopher.”

His eyes tightened slightly at the corners, but whether from humor or bitterness, I wasn't sure. “Don’t get used to it.”

We reached the SUV where Jaze, Mouse, and Brock waited. A group of Hunters and werewolves stood around Jaze as he gave orders. “Gather the hard drives and files. We need to find out who was funding Tannin’s experiments and if there are any other facilities. Sweep the control center, the hospital, and every lab room. I need to know if he ever succeeded in making other clones.” The Hunters jogged toward the labs and Jaze turned back to me. “Roger’s ready to take Colleen to one of the rehab centers. We’re sending all the harder cases there for special attention.”

A fist tightened around my heart, but I went back to Colleen and carried her to Meg and Roger’s SUV. Roger patted me on the back. “You did good here,” he said, a fatherly shine in his eyes. “You’ve saved a lot of people.”

“I hurt a lot, too,” I replied quietly.

He looked at me, his eyes calculating. “You’re a good kid, Kaynan. Don’t let the guilt of the past ruin your future. You’ve been given a fresh start, something most people can only dream of.” He ruffled my hair in a gesture that reminded me of my father and brought a smile to my face. He pulled his hand back and glanced at the blood on it. “You should get that looked at.”

I touched the spot gingerly. “It’s alright. Feels like it’s already healing.”

He nodded. “Good to hear. We’ll leave soon. Why don’t you rest a bit; you look terrible.”

“Thank you,” I said with a tired laugh. I climbed into the SUV where I promptly fell asleep in the front seat. I jerked awake when a loud explosion followed by several rumbles shook the vehicle. I opened my eyes to see the windows burst from the Development Center and flames engulf the interior.

Jaze, Jet, Mouse, and Brock watched the detonation a few feet away. Another explosion sounded and Jet and Mouse exchanged pleased glances. I fought back a smile and closed my eyes again. The hum of tires on the road chased away the nightmares. I eventually fell into a dreamless sleep brought on by sheer exhaustion.

“We’re here,” Roger said quietly.

I awoke to see an unassuming gray brick building with small windows perched on the outskirts of a small town. Seven other vehicles from the Development Center sat outside and I could hear the snarl of wild werewolves from the blanket-wrapped cages that were carried inside. I climbed gingerly out of the SUV and gathered Colleen gently back in my arms. The quiet sound of her breathing reassured me as I followed Meg down a long tiled hallway lined with rooms.

A dull scent of depression tainted the walls beneath the smell of new paint and furniture. “What was this place before you took it over?” I asked.

“A psychiatric center,” Roger answered from behind me. I glanced at him and he gave a wry grin. “I know, but the set up works well and we can keep the occupants in their rooms if necessary.” He gestured to a door on the left hand side. Meg opened it and I carried Colleen in.

The room had been transformed into a normal bedroom. The concrete walls and floor had been covered in wallpaper and soft carpet that sunk under my feet. A four-poster bed sat in one corner with thick yellow blankets on top and a multitude of colored pillows crowding the headboard. A reading desk, complete with a lamp and a collection of books, stood across from the bed and a small television on a wooden stand occupied a third corner. The air smelled of lavender and lemon, clean and crisp without the underlying scents of the hallway.

“This isn’t bad,” I admitted. Meg smiled at Roger as I settled Colleen gently on the bed. She looked out of place in the cozy façade, a cream and black wolf sleeping on a bed that looked restful enough for a dozen tired girls.

“We’ll leave you to say goodbye,” Roger said. The emotions his words stirred must have shown on my face because he gave an understanding smile. “Goodbye just for a short while. You need to rest, and we’ll take good care of her here. You can come back whenever you’d like.”

Meg nodded. “We chose the closest rehabilitation center to Jaze’s house with that in mind.”

“I appreciate it,” I replied quietly, touched.

They continued down the hall, leaving the door open a slight crack so I could go when I was ready. I studied the room and tried to tell myself it wasn’t good enough for my sister, but after everything we had been through, I would live in a box with her on the streets if it meant she was alive and safe.

My heart slowed and I rested my head next to hers, watching her breathe and trying to convince myself that the wolf beside me was my sister, that she was truly alive. I put a hand on her soft fur and said a quiet prayer of gratitude that we had been given a second chance. She was safe, we were together again, and things could start over the way they should be. “I’ll watch over you now. No one will hurt you, I promise.” I swallowed the lump in my throat and put my forehead against hers. “You’re safe, Cole. Sleep. Everything will be alright.”