Gage shakes his head. “General Lopez, she’s not?—”
“You think that scares me, General?” I close the distance between us, looking at him with every ounce of disdain I feel. “Torture and death? That’s your A-game?” I smile, my sudden anger giving me a fatalistic courage. “Do you haveanyidea whatGregor did to me while I was held captive? Do you have the slightest clue about what I’ve seen, what I’ve endured, what I’ve done to survive?” My smile turns into a grin, into a ‘fuck you’ written on my lips. “If you think you can break me, you’re more than welcome to try. Do your fucking worst,General.” I swear I hear Valen’s feral growl in the back of my skull, his delight like a rain of sparks along my skin.
Lopez’s eyes widen with surprise before he clamps down on it, his face back into its angry, controlled mask.
“Shiiitttttt,” Wyatt says under his breath.
The general considers for a moment, then says, “Place a guard on Dr. Clark at all times. Her base access is restricted. She may come to the lab, her sleeping quarters, and the mess hall. If she refuses to work, place her in the cells. If she doesn’t produce the poison in a week’s time, place her in the cells. If she steps out of lineat all, place her in the cells. Dr. Clark, you will do what your country asks of you, or you will pay the price. It’s up to you.” The general’s glare only deepens, and then he turns and storms out, Gage following at his heels.
Once they’re gone, I sink down on the nearest stool, my hands shaking, my heart pounding loudly in my ears. My body may be weak, but my mind is nothing but a sea of pent-up rage and disappointment.
“Jesus, Georgia. You—holy shit, you just stood up to the scariest human I think I’ve ever met.”
“Stood up?” Evie’s voice quavers. “I think you mean bowed up. Fucking hell, Georgia, I thought he was going to hit you, or maybe you were going to hit him, and then we were all going to throw down. I’m not much of a fighter, but I would’ve done my best.”
Wyatt scrubs his hand down his face. “Place her in the cells,” he mimics. “Fascist prick. They can’t execute you. That’s, that’s not a thing. Right?”
“Badass.” Evie hugs me from behind and rests her chin on my shoulder. “But um, can you not do anything like that ever again? I think I may have peed a little.”
“I can’t make any promises.” I lean against her, thankful for her in a million different ways.
“Fair enough, I guess.” She sighs. “God, how are we already in a mess? You just got here, and we’re already up to our eyebrows in trouble.”
Wyatt chuckles ruefully. “That’s how we know we’re on the right track—if we’re in trouble. Hey, you know we won’t let them take you, right?”
“I know, but it won’t come to that. Don’t worry about what the general said.”
“Umm, I think wehaveto worry. He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to just say shit.”
“No, but his threats are just threats. I’m not worried about them, so you shouldn’t be either.”
“Why?” he asks. “Why aren’t you worried?”
Because Valen would turn this place into a bloodbath and pull General Lopez’s spleen out through his nose if he tried it. Instead of that, I opt for, “I’ll play along well enough that he doesn’t do anything he said, all right?”
He doesn’t look convinced as he leans against the table. “But seriously though, did you mean all that about the poison?”
“The part about not wiping out an entire species?”
“Yeah.”
“Yes. You don’t agree?” I brace myself for their answer.
“It’s complicated,” Evie says softly. “What they did to Gretchen, to Aang, to you—it makes me hate all of them. But then there’s Valen, which is evenmorecomplicated. He’s done horrible things, so many horrible things, but he’s also done good things. The general said it himself—he’s been helping us. He’ssaved people. He saved everyone in this room.” She groans. “Like I said, it’s a mess.”
Wyatt flips a pen into the air and catches it. “I will say that they have a million ways to kill us, weapons galore. Like, we’re sort of easy to kill. It wouldn’t be so terrible if we were more equal on that front. But your point about genocide stands. It’s not black and white.”
“Exactly.” I nod. “They’re like us. Shades of gray. I’m not saying there shouldn’t be a reckoning. We’re at war. I’m not naïve, not anymore. I know this is going to end with bloodshed. Gregor has to die. Plenty of those loyal to him are a threat, too. But wiping them all out isn’t the answer, and until I’m certain General Lopez agrees with me, I can’t give him what he wants. Iwon’t.”
“Okay, so now what?” Wyatt asks.
“We focus on the vaccine and—” I take a deep breath and drop my voice to a whisper, “—we create the poison, but only enough for me to smuggle out.”
14
Aguard appeared at our door not five minutes after the general stormed out. Gage never returned, but maybe that’s for the best. Anyone who refers to me as “Valen’s human whore” isn’t particularly welcome in our lab.
“We got your blood worked up, looking good. White blood cells are in that bizarro symbiotic relationship with the vampire cells. Supercharged with fibrin. Ready to rock.” Wyatt stares at the computer next to the HCL. “We’ll start trialing it.”
