“That's right. My—”
Zayne ripped the doctor close by his collar and slammed him back against the wall hard enough to rattle the books on his shelves. He coughed and gasped with pain.
Leaning in, Zayne whispered. “You drug me. You toy with me. You mock me.”
The doctor shook his head. “No, I treat—”
“Shut up.” More pressure against his sternum, enough to make him cough again. “I'm your mission. The Phaedra gave me to you. So be it.” His eyes narrowed to slits, and his voice dropped even lower. “The woman is my mission. The Phaedra gave her tome. You do nothing to her without coming to me.”
“I have my own orders.”
“I'd love to snap your collarbone.” Zayne tapped a spot, feeling the frail skin over his protruding bone. “You can survive that. Give me an excuse to do it.”
True fear widened the doctor's eyes. “You're acting like a maniac.”
With a chuckle that sounded more menacing than any of his words so far, Zayne released him and ambled back. Dr. Cooper slumped forward, grabbing his chest.
“You didn't teach me to be a horse, doc. You wanted a killer.”
“I'm telling the Phaedra about this.”
“Excellent. Call him now. Let him know that I've reached a compromise and am willing to work under these conditions.” He waved his hand at Dr. Cooper without looking at him, stalking for the door. “Fuck yourself while you're at it, you demented shit.”
“Zayne—”
He slammed the door shut, splintering the frame. And he didn't care, not even that the sound echoed down the hall, nor that once he reached the lobby, he saw by the contorted expression on Kira's face that she heard too.
“Conference room,” he said, his stare locked dead ahead. “Dr. Cooper wants to meet with us.”
The three of them sat in silence while Zayne stared at Dr. Cooper, who avoided looking at him.
When Luke walked in, he paused in the doorway. “Have I missed something?”
“Nothing relevant.”
“Yes, nothing relevant.” Dr. Cooper cleared his throat and rubbed his chest where Zayne had pinned him against the wall. “Please, Captain. Sit.”
Luke took the chair opposite Zayne.
“We've completed our first phase of testing, and I have a better understanding of where we must go from here,” Dr. Cooper said. “From this point on, I won't require any assistance with Ms. Stiles. Captain, Sergeant, you'll return to the base.”
Like hell.
“No.” Zayne and Luke both spoke at the same time and then looked at one another, surprised.
“This is my prisoner,” Zayne said. “I'm not leaving her three hours away. I trust no one's security but my own.”
“I'm meant to oversee everything that happens here,” Luke said.
“This comes directly from the Phaedra,” Dr. Cooper said.
Beside him, Kira shrank down in her chair, fearful eyes on the doctor. Maybe she didn't trust Zayne, but she didn't seem comfortable with him leaving her alone.
“Are you grounding me for pushing you?” Zayne asked.
“You what?” Luke clasped the edge of the table.
“This has nothing to do with your temper.” Dr. Cooper sighed. “The Phaedra wants to see you, Zayne. It's been a long time. And Luke needs to prepare for an important meeting on developments in Caspador. You're needed back home. Not here.”
