The only regret Nox had about killing Paul was he couldn’t do it a thousand times over.
“I left him in pieces. There’s no way.”
For a moment, Dekker looked like he might argue. Then he nodded. “I know, I saw.”
“Then why would you even say—” Dr. Dante’s voice cracked.
“Because curs made in Paul’s image would do what he wanted, and he wanted you after he caught your scent.”
“I think I need to sit down.” Dr. Dante turned a half-circle, scanning the surrounding furniture confused.
Luca went to Dr. Dante and took his hand.
Seung carried over an ottoman, and Dr. Dante practically collapsed.
“But that’s impossible because he’s dead like Nash said.” Johnathan shook his head. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have suggested it.”
“Yeah, you should have kept your damn mouth shut.” Dr. Dante curled his shaking hands into fists.
Luca shushed him.
Dekker leaned against the wall.
“If these things are controlled by an implant, do you think someone else in the Senate could have done it?” Nox said.
“The last thing they want is Dr. Dante dead,” Phillips said. “The Senate has had their eyes on him ever since they discovered the Anubis project and you. They were concerned enough about his safety, they wanted to take him into holding. The only reason they didn’t is because I swore to preside over him.”
“Isholdinga nice way of saying imprisoned?” Nox barely held back the growl.
“The accommodations would have been better, but not by much.”
Dr. Dante laughed. “It couldn’t have been any worse than that tiny office you had me stuffed in.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” Phillips’ scent hinted of shame, but it was gone so quickly Nox couldn’t be sure.
Dr. Dante wrapped his arms around his ribs. “Well, if no one from the Senate sent the cur, then who else would?”
“The better question is, how did they even make these things?” Dekker said.
“What do you mean?” Nox said.
“The VrK can’t work on humans. They don’t have the right DNA. And if they inject it into a Mah, they’d manifest a Sarvari not turn into a cur.”
“He’s right,” Seung said. “Humans lack the catalyst to activate the serum. Even if they found a way to get the VrK to bind to human DNA, there’s nothing to push them into Phase.”
“But the bite will? Why?” Nox said.
“I can give you a dozen mythical answers, but no facts. The technology to study how Mah make curs wasn’t even an idea when the Anubis existed.”
“You can now.” Modern science had made a lot of things possible. Even Nox.
“We have no idea which one of us could do it to compare. Even if we knew it doesn’t mean the bite will change someone and not kill them. Only the Anubis had a hundred percent success.”
“Why would the Anubis want to make curs?” Luca still held Dr. Dante’s hand.
Phillips answered, “To build an army to protect its Cana.”
“It’s why our ancestors pledged their allegiance to the Anubis.” Dekker didn’t sound happy about it either. “As outcasts stripped of their wolves and family members guilty by association, they had nothing to lose and everything to gain.”