Page 88 of Logan’s Acadian Wolves

“Why are you telling me this? How do you know so much about him? They were going to kill you out there on the lake. Why didn’t you just jump when I told you to?” Wynter’s voice strained. She eyed the door. So weak, but if she could make it outside maybe she could find something to remove the silver.

“I think it’s time,” Fiona said. She pushed out of the chair, placing her hands on her hips. Uninjured and altogether healthy, she gave Wynter an evil smile before clapping her hands. “Come.”

The door flew open and a tall, good-looking vampire entered the room. She knew him…Yes, the man from the boat. Her mind swam with possibilities. No, she’d met him before…at the club…with Léopold. Shocked, Wynter tried to run but Fiona easily stepped in front of her and shoved her to the ground.

“You…you…how could you? And Fiona…Logan’s going to kill you.” Wynter heaved in a deep breath. On all fours, she looked up to the vampire.

“She really is naïve, isn’t she?” Fiona merely laughed.

“You and Phillip shouldn’t have hurt her. Just look at what you’ve done, Mistress. You cannot treat her this way if she’s going to work for me.” The vampire shot Fiona a nasty look, clearly not pleased.

“Work for you? Are you kidding me? Why would ViroSun be involved with something like this? Who are you?” Wynter laughed and cried at the same time. She rolled onto her bottom, unable to stand.

“Dear scientifique, one question at a time. May I?” He retrieved a crisp handkerchief from his suit pocket and attempted to give it to Wynter. She brushed him away.

“Very well then,” he sniffed. “Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? My name’s Étienne. Étienne St. Claire, son of Kade Issacson sired by Léopold Devereoux. And as my Mistress has introduced, I am the Directeur.”

He paced, letting his hands speak flamboyantly into the air.

“However, there is one small discrepancy you should know…you see, we are not ViroSun nor have we ever been. True, though they exist, we forged the necessary documentation to make you believe you were working for them.”

“No, I went to the interview. The building, the stationery…I interviewed with them. I met with people. This isn’t possible.” Wynter shook her head in confusion.

“Ah well, all fake I’m afraid. A necessary expense to make you believe you were going to work for them. You were so eager to find a cure for your friend.”

“But how did you know?”

“I travel to New York quite often. And lucky for me, I’d attended one of your speaking engagements. I found it quite captivating…the notion that someone, a supernatural, could be infected with a feline virus. She’s a lovely speaker,” he told Fiona, who rolled her eyes and pretended to look at her nails. “It didn’t take long to find your ‘Jane Doe’. Emma’s medical records and her blood were easy enough to get at the hospital. I can be very convincing.”

“But I’d been working…the lab. There were others with me,” Wynter countered.

“Were there? We kept you isolated. Do you recall ever meeting anyone after you insisted on leaving?”

Speechless, Wynter closed her eyes. Like a great illusion, the curtain was revealed and she, the fool, was left the victim of a great hoax. How could this happen? She’d researched the company. The high pressure interview had been held in one of the most conspicuous midtown skyscrapers. They’d done intensive background checks, interviewed her friends, Jax.

“My scientifique, are you listening?”

“Stop calling me that!” Wynter cried.

“But you are so special,” he insisted, trailing a long finger over her hair. “Really, darling, did you think you’d stay away from me so long? The Mistress, she’s powerful, but I admit, I’ve crushed on you like a school boy.”

“True,” Fiona spat out in disgust. Her forehead furrowed. “He’s quite obsessed. Too much so.”

“But I digress. You see, Fiona and I, we knew each other from New Orleans. She’s quite the devious little witch, but not so strong. Power doesn’t come easily in the wolf pack…brawn over brains and such. And for me, let’s say it’s tedious being at Kade’s beck and call. But this virus, if it could be used on wolves, well, one can easily extrapolate…vampires could be next.”

Wynter shook uncontrollably and rubbed at her eyes. She felt her limbs grow cold. Was he insane? There was no way an animal virus could be transferred to vampires.

“I know what you’re thinking. Little Emma’s illness is a random mutation…it couldn’t possible affect vampires. But the mutation is just a spark we need to turn our discovery into a blazing success. We need to think big…research new ways of modifying the genetic structure of those who are invincible. And as we’ve proven, even a human can be changed.”

“What did you do…my cells? I have to know,” Wynter pleaded, her voice barely audible. She stared into his cold black orbs. “You’re sick, you know that?”

“Now, now. No need to be nasty. You should be grateful for what I’ve done to you. I’ve given you a gift.” He smiled proudly.

“Grateful, are you fucking kidding?” Wynter coughed, nervously pulling at her own hair. She felt as if she was the one going insane. How could this be happening?

“I told you, darling. I’m a scientist. I’ve been playing with genetic material for many years. It’s not exactly new technology. The humans have been tampering with their food supply for a while now, developing genetically modified crops and such. They’re resistant to weeds, insects and so forth. They’ve even successfully developed animal organs for potential transplants. What I did to you was slightly more complicated, but in the same vein. The micro-injection of the recombinant DNA was quite easy once my vampires had you subdued. Really, no pain involved. Of course, unlike humans, ethics don’t impede my experiments. No, my dear, this…your genetic transformation was my creation and mine alone…although I must thank Fiona for her genetic contribution. She’s quite the sport. In the end, you’ve turned into a fabulously strong transgenic being, don’t you agree?”

Unable to keep the bile down, Wynter turned her head to the side. The contents of her stomach spewed onto the floor and she coughed, wiping her mouth. Hearing the horrific details of what he’d done confirmed her suspicions. Forever altered, her genetic structure had been modified to wolf. She’d been an experiment, nothing more, nothing less.