“You were too busy thinking about me.”
“Yeah, but that's no excuse. Don't worry, I'll get you out of this.”
I clung to his words as the vehicle made a wide right turn and came to an abrupt halt.
Travis Jackson's expression was grim when he took hold of my arm and hauled me out of the back of the van. Night had fallen, though the moon had not yet risen. Gazing into the darkness, I couldn't see much of anything except for a huge two-story building surrounded by a high block wall topped with barbed wire.
Once I was out of the van, four men built like pro line-backers climbed into the vehicle. I tried to hang back so I could see what they were doing to Rafe, but Travis dragged me down a narrow walkway that ran along the side of the building. Up close, I could see that the structure was built of stone and weathered wood. When Travis unlocked the door, two rows of recessed, overhead lights came on. He gave me a little push, and I stumbled inside. Before I could turn around, he was gone.
I glanced at my surroundings. I was in a large, sterile-looking room that was outfitted with two metal examining tables, complete with tie-down straps. The walls were puke green, the floor was gray and black tile. Several glass-fronted cupboards lined the walls; the shelves were filled with test tubes and beakers in varying sizes, along with several nasty-looking instruments that reminded me of the Spanish Inquisition. Two windows, set high in one wall, were covered by iron bars
Turning my back to the door, I turned the knob, but it was locked, of course. No surprises there. I was looking for another way out when the door opened and Travis stepped into the lab.
“Where's Rafe?” I demanded.
“In his cage, like a good little guinea pig.”
A cage! “What are you going to do with him?”
“Whatever the hell I want.”
Taking me by the arm, Travis led me out of the lab, then guided me, none too gently, down a narrow corridor. He turned right into another corridor and opened the last door at the end of the hall. When he switched on the light, I saw a small, square room. The white walls and the tile floor were bare. The only furnishings were a narrow cot topped with a dark gray blanket, and a three-legged table. A pedestal sink and a toilet occupied one corner.
“Make yourself at home,” Travis said, and pushed me into the room.
It was getting to be a habit with him. One I didn't like. I spun around to face him. “I want to see Rafe.”
Travis snorted. “I don't give a rat's ass what you want.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“It's us or them, missy. Haven't you figured that out yet?” He snorted softly. “Too bad you're on the wrong side.” Moving behind me, he removed the handcuffs.
I rubbed my wrists. “How long are you going to keep me here?”
“Until the tests are over.” He winked at me. “You're a guinea pig, too.”
My insides turned cold. “What do you mean?”
“My grandmother and Edna think they've found a way to cure the Weres and the Vamps and restore their humanity, but before we add their formula to the world's water supply, we need to test it and make sure it's harmless to the general population.”
“Vampires don't drink water.”
“But they drink human blood. They'll ingest the formula that way.”
“You can't do this! What if it doesn't work? What if…what if it kills the Werewolves and destroys the Vampires?” Surely Pearl and Edna realized their so-called cure wouldn't work on the Undead. Vampires didn't have a disease. Did Pearl and Edna really think they could restore life to the Undead? And what about the shape-shifters? They weren't made or brought across, they were born that way.
“If they die, they die,” Jackson said with a shrug. “Either way, there will be a sudden decrease in the Supernatural population. Either way, we win.”
“I'm not a Supernatural creature.”
“True, but that's why you're here. We need to test the effects on a few regular people, too.” He ran his hand across my cheek. “I'm sorry you had to be one of them.”
I jerked away, repelled by his touch and the merciless look in his eyes. “What happens when the tests are over?”
A muscle worked in his jaw.
It was all the answer I needed. Whether the cure worked or not, they couldn't leave any witnesses behind. Feeling suddenly numb, I sat down on the edge of the cot. What they were doing was not only against the law, it was inhuman, immoral.
“Try and get some sleep.” Travis looked at me a moment, the way a man might look at a pet dog that was about to be destroyed. “I'm sorry you got involved in this,” he murmured, and left the room.
The rasp of the key turning in the lock sounded ominous.
And final.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Rafe took several slow, deep breaths in an effort to breathe through the pain. The silver binding his wrists and ankles burned his skin like the very fires of hell, stripping him of his strength, making it hard to think of anything else. All he wanted to do was sleep and escape the pain sizzling through him, but rest eluded him.
Lying there in the dark, he quietly cursed himself for being caught like a rat in a trap. If he had been paying attention to his surroundings, Jackson and his cronies would never have taken him unawares, but he had been thinking about Kathy and how good she had felt in his arms the night before, and how much he missed her when they were apart. In spite of the obstacles between them, he couldn't imagine his future without her. He had been trying to decide whether or not he should propose to her again when Travis Jackson had stepped out of the shadows and thrown holy water in his face.
Rafe had yelped in pain. Before his vision cleared, Jackson and five of his buddies had wrestled him to the ground and cuffed his hands behind his back. He had tried to dissolve into mist, but the silver manacles had quickly drained his strength, leaving him weak and powerless.
Bound like a hog for the slaughter, they had shoved him into a cage and dumped him in the back of a van. Hours later, he had been carried out of the van, cage and all, to wherever the hell he was now. He tried to shake off the hood that covered his head, but it was tied in place, leaving him in darkness. He reached out with his feet, measuring his prison. The cage was barely large enough to hold him. He swore under his breath. Trapped in the dark and bound with silver, he was virtually helpless.
Where was Kathy?
He closed his eyes, focusing on her image. She was near, he was sure of it, but he couldn't find her, couldn't concentrate.
Dammit, where was Mara when he needed her? And then he remembered; she had gone to Rome to confer with the Italian Vampires. She had taken Roshan and Brenna with her; his parents were still in South America. And Rane, who the hell knew where he was?
Rafe swore softly. For the first time in his life, he was truly alone. He swore again, wondering if Kathy, like the woman in his dreams, would be the means of his destruction.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The hours dragged by. Eventually, exhaustion took over, and I collapsed onto the cot. Pulling the blanket over me, I closed my eyes and slept. My dreams were fragmented, filled with images of Cagin caught between the transition from man to beast, his face and body hideously distorted. I turned away from him, running for my life. Seeking shelter, I clawed my way up an icy mountain to Susie's house, realizing too late that there would be no help for me there. She was one of them now, no longer human, no longer my friend. Travis Jackson rose up out of a dark mist, the blade of a knife shining like molten silver in his hand. Edna and Pearl loomed behind him, their faces wreathed in insincere smiles. There was only one person I dared trust, one man I could turn to, and I ran on and on through the endless night, chased by the fear of what I might become if I couldn't find him….
I woke to my own screams echoing off the walls and ringing in my ears.
The sliver of light streaming under my door told me the night was over. I worried about Rafe, wondering if they had provided a dark place for him to spend the day.
Rising, I relieved myself, then paced the floor, my thoughts chasing themselves like a cat chasing its tail. Where was this place? Where was Rafe? Tests, Travis had said. Tests to see if the formula concocted by his grandmother and Edna could cure the Werewolves and the Vampires. Tests to see how the shape-shifters, and ordinary people like me, would react to their so-called cure. I broke out in a cold sweat. What if it had no effect on the Supernatural community? What if it turned me into some kind of ravenous monster? Suddenly, being a run-of-the-mill Vampire didn't seem so bad.
The hours passed with agonizing slowness. A man wearing a mask and a white lab coat brought me a breakfast tray. The smell of scrambled eggs and sausage made me sick to my stomach. I drank the coffee, ate a slice of toast, and left the rest.
Agitated, worried for my future and Rafe's, I paced the floor again.
Lunch arrived a little after noon. Even though I wasn't hungry, I forced myself to eat a little of the turkey sandwich, felt a rush of unwanted gratitude for whoever had included a chocolate malt.
Sitting on the edge of the cot, I stared at the opposite wall. Time hadn't passed this slowly since I was a little girl waiting for Christmas morning.
Rising, I paced until my legs ached, then stretched out on the cot and closed my eyes. What were Edna and Pearl doing now? Where was Rafe? Had anyone noticed that I hadn't opened the store today? If I never returned to Oak Hollow, would anyone even miss me? I wished that I had told my mother that I loved her the last time we talked, just in case it really was the last time.
As the hours passed, I grew increasingly more fearful. “Rafe.” I whispered his name, wondering if I would ever see him again, wishing that we had made love when we had the chance. “Rafe, where are you?”
Kathy?
His voice whispered in my mind, calming my fears. “Rafe!”
I'm here.
“Are you all right? I'm so afraid.”
I know. Strange, I tried to contact you before and couldn't.
“That is odd,” I agreed. He was the one with the Supernatural powers. I had always seen things, heard things, through him. I was about to ask him if he knew where we were when the door to my room opened and two men wearing white lab coats stepped inside.