Page 76 of Mated to the Vikings

Samuel’s eyes flashed when he noticed her.

“Go back inside!” I snapped at her.

“That’s right, Rowena. Protect yourself and the human race. You have the means of doing so,” Samuel snickered, his eyes darting back in my direction. “Don’t come any closer, sweetheart, or I’ll blow his head off.” He pointed the barrel at Brexin’s head.

“Why? I thought you hated the experiments, loathing the hypocrisy of what you called ‘Big Brother.’” I shot a quick look at Rowena and the blank stare on her face. “Go, Rowena. Protect Erik.”

She finally stepped out of the line of fire, disappearing into the lab.

“Oh, quite the contrary. I was in on this from the very beginning. And Kevin lived out his usefulness. He believed that his way was better suited for Earth Two. It was kind of your aliens to lock him in the cell for me. Made things so much easier for me to be able to end his life. I assure you, he suffered in much the manner as the beasts he created. An eye for an eye.” His grin widened. “Granted, things do need to change. The Galerians are formidable but not without weaknesses. Dr. Forrester is, or should I say he was a good friend. Seems like the man wanted to betray me. Fuck him. I recruited all his vile and disgusting volunteers. I made certain he had everything he needed. Worthless fucking criminals. Why do you think they turned so violent? The true beast within a man will always surface, no matter how their rehabilitation is handled.”

The audacity of the man was incredible. “They’re violent because of what you did to them.” I could tell that Brexin was regaining his strength, calculating his next move. He was much larger than Samuel, his strength unparalleled. When Brexin’s eyes flashed, what had to be a sign he was prepared to act, I locked my arms, attempting to read Brexin’s mind. Please let me save him. Please.

“Well, that no longer matters. You and I are going to have some fun with this debacle.” Samuel glanced down the length of me, furrowing his brow. “You’re going to do exactly as I say.”

“What do you want?” I asked in an exasperated fashion.

Save him…

I could hear Erik’s plea in my mind, knew that our connection was as strong as ever. He wasn’t only a beast hell-bent on destroying everything around him.

He was my mate.

“What do I want? Everything that’s owed to me. First, say goodbye to the fuck head. Then you and I are going to ceremoniously eradicate the Galerian clans. I have the knowledge and you have the connections. Imagine our wealth as the select humans arrive, which will be soon, my sweet Cassia. Very soon.”

The savage roar in the corridor echoed off the walls.

“No!” Everything happened in slow motion. Brexin jerked away, tossing him against the wall with ease, and even as Samuel recovered, ready to take a shot, I didn’t hesitate to react.

Boom!

CHAPTER 13

Cassia

Save him…

There was no doubt Erik had spoken to me, eliminating my fears, at least for a few minutes.

The shot had pierced Samuel’s temple, killing him instantly. I knew I should feel some level of guilt, but I was elated, my body tingling. I’d also saved Brexin’s life in the process. I was sick at the thought of almost having lost him.

There were signs at least some of the scientists and workers had survived, escaping the melee, but we were unable to find any evidence of where they’d gone. The realization they could attack at any time was never far from our minds.

Brexin had his body wrapped around mine but was unable to stop my body from shaking. One of the soldiers had located the all-terrain vehicle and we decided to set off sometime before midnight. Erik’s head was cradled in my lap and there had been no reportable change, zero reactions at all. I wasn’t certain if he’d fallen into a coma, but I knew that even with his size, the sedative should have already worn off. The prognosis was grim.

Every report, the working computer and as much of the drugs and enhancers as possible had been boxed. We were a long ways away from making any real progress and everything boiled down to whether or not Erik survived.

“Samuel. Who is he?” Brexin finally asked.

“A scientist who worked for my caretaker, the infamous Dr. Forrester. I met him on the shuttle and thought he was a naysayer.” My words had zero emotion. I was completely drained, incapable of feeling anything but sadness.

“Dr. Samuel Winter went to school with Steve Forrester. They were best friends all through college and medical school. Samuel’s father helped finance the project. There were several investors. I never learned the names of the others.” Rowena seemed reluctant to admit the information.

“How do you know this?” I prompted.

“Samuel visited the lab on a few occasions, always talking with Steve behind closed doors and there was always a massive disagreement. I didn’t realize who he was at first, but it’s funny how your memory can trick you, details coming back when you really need them,” Rowena said, laughing softly. “I’m so sorry I got involved with this. I had no idea what was really going on. I was promised a fresh start, a new chance. In truth, I had no choice. Dr. Forrester knew everything about my past, every ugly secret. He hand-selected the scientists from ones he knew he could manipulate, including Kevin. I don’t think Samuel appreciated being coerced, but that’s all I know. But I wanted a new life, devoid of what Earth had become. I didn’t know I was walking into a lion’s den by coming here.”

“We were all promised a new life,” I muttered, squeezing Brexin’s hand. “Including me. Dr. Forrester was very controlling in all aspects.”