I tore my gaze away from Athos to focus on her. “Ready.”
I watched attentively as she pushed in a series of numbers. A glass panes slid effortlessly out of the way.
“Give me each sample when you’re done. I’ll take care of it from there.”
I nodded, walking inside.
“Hi, Athos,” I said, trying to keep my voice from shaking. So much wanted to spill forth, and biting my tongue was the hardest thing I’d ever done. But Dr. Grant was watching.
“Hello.” He studied my face, soaking it up like I was his sun.
“I have to take some blood from you. I’ll try my best to be gentle.” Our eyes met once more. My breath caught, and I had to remind myself that we weren’t alone in the room. Another meaningful silence passed.
“If that’s what you have to do, I’ll let you,” he finally agreed.
I cleared my throat, feeling self-conscious, and patted the bag over my shoulder. It held everything that Dr. Grant said I needed. I slid it off my arm, pulling open the zipper, and began to rummage through it. In my head, I tried to recall the steps as I’d practiced.
I didn’t know what the different vials were for, just that I had to fill each one. I took them out, one at a time, and carefully did my task, then handed them through the open door to Dr. Grant. She inserted each one into a test tube rack and waited patiently for me to finish.
As I worked, I tried to convey the emotion that I couldn’t speak through subtle, gentle touches. I liked to imagine that he could sense it, because he didn’t balk at my handling. I hated treating him as though he were nothing more than livestock, but I believed we both understood the necessity of the moment.
Finally, my mission was complete. I wiped off my equipment, putting it back into the bag, and held the last closed tube in my hand. I patted the puncture wound on his arm with gauze, and carefully applied a bandage. My hand lingered, smoothing it over his skin longer than necessary.
In the doorway, I turned to face him and hesitated. I didn’t want to say goodbye, as it sounded too permanent. We stared at each other for a long while.
“Thank you,” I finally managed to get out.
He nodded, silently acknowledging my message. I had to turn away then, feeling the threat of hot tears pricking my eyes.
I quickly exited, blinking the tears away as fast as I could while Dr. Grant tapped on the keypad. The door whooshed shut. She turned, holding her hand out for the last test tube.
I handed it over and followed her out of the lab. In the hall, safely out of Athos’s sight, she spun around. In one hand, she held the test tube rack carefully, and with her free hand, she grabbed my arm.
“What happened between the two of you?” she demanded. “Tell me the truth, Claire.”
“Nothing happened.” I fought to keep my voice even. She’d taken me by surprise, and I had to concentrate on my response. At least my shock was genuine, though not for the reasons she assumed. “When Finn left me behind, I was hurt. He took care of me. He took me to his hut and helped me. We’re friends.”
She increased the pressure on my arm, squeezing it tightly. Narrowing her eyes at me in confrontation, she studied my face. “You can’t be friends with a monster. I’m going to keep an eye on you. There’s something you’re not telling me. Until I figure out what it is, I’m watching you. You should come clean while you have the chance, or I’ll make sure that it costs you your job. You have twenty-four hours to decide.”
She squeezed tighter still, making me grimace. Satisfied that she’d made her point when she saw the look on my face, she dropped her hand. She snatched the bag from my shoulder. Then, whirling around, she stalked down the hall, away from me.
I watched her leave, realizing that I had been dismissed. For a moment, my brain spun, surprised by her ambush. I started to walk away, having no choice but to head home.
At a familiar crossroads in the winding hallways, I stopped in front of a stairwell. I could have kept going, making my way to the parking lot. But instead, I glanced around quickly to make sure no one was watching. Then I pushed the door open, making my way to the basement.
I’d spent plenty of time down here. It was where the hunters’ weapons and equipment were stored. I breathed a sigh of relief at the bottom, realizing my access code to the weapons room still worked. No one had changed my settings, even though I was on leave.
As long as I could get in here, I’d soon have everything I needed. I took off, searching for a backpack.
Chapter Fifteen
Athos
I had no idea what time it was. It felt like hours since Claire had left, though it might’ve been ten minutes. Since the lights in this cursed place never turned off, it was impossible to tell.
It was a subtle form of torture, I knew, meant to deprive me of sleep and annoy my senses. These humans had no idea that I’d been through worse, tortured and imprisoned when the king had declared me a traitor. The humans would never hurt me the way that my own kind had, with their betrayal. I never trusted the humans or expected their loyalty.
I laid down, thinking it was probably time to rest. I knew that it was in my best interest to save my strength, and I was weary. Claire had gotten whatever she’d needed, which meant that the humans would likely leave me alone for a while.