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Outside, a black car waited at the curb for them. The back doors opened, and they climbed in. Sloane and Dex were familiar with the drill by now. They sat in the backseat, and Sloane laced his fingers with Dex’s. They looked straight ahead as a black hood was placed over each of their heads, swallowing them in complete darkness.
Wherever the TIN facility was, it was located at least an hour’s drive from their home. Knowing TIN, it was likely they drove around a bit to throw Sloane off. The road changed from pavement to dirt, then back a few times. There was no telling where the hell they were going. The car was soundproof, making it impossible to hear whether the sounds outside were of the city or elsewhere. Once they reached their destination, the black hoods were removed, and the car door opened. They stepped out into what looked like an empty underground parking garage. There were no discernable marks, no numbers, windows, cars, nothing but one white door at the far end.
They followed a pair of t
win cheetah Therian operatives through the white door and down a long white corridor. There was no telling if this was the same location or a different one, and if it was the same, if they were being taken to the same room they’d met Shultzon in previously. Sloane had to admit, TIN took nothing for granted. Whatever they appeared not to know was simply a tactic. TIN hoarded information, sharing only droplets here and there to keep nonoperatives like him and Dex from knowing or figuring out too much.
As they walked down the corridor, Dex gazed up at the ceiling.
“What is it?” Sloane asked so only Dex could hear. “You were doing that last time we were here.”
“I don’t know. There’s something on the ceiling every few feet. The light is different in those spots. Almost like tiny translucent squares.”
Sparks waited by the door of the room Sloane assumed Shultzon was in. She didn’t look pleased. Then again, she rarely did.
“Somehow, Shultzon has been getting information. My operatives are currently trying to identify the source. Shultzon says he knows you found the file—which we’ll be discussing later—and that there’s something important you need to know. Ready?”
Dex nodded, and Sparks opened the door for them. They were about to go in when Dex paused, murmuring to Sparks.
“There’s something funky going on with your ceiling.” With that, he headed inside.
Sparks looked at Sloane, who just shrugged. He didn’t know what Dex was talking about either.
When Sloane saw Shultzon, he knew something was wrong. The guy was thin, with sunken cheeks and dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. His skin was so pale that his veins were visible in several areas. Sloane leaned into Sparks.
“What the hell happened to him?”
“We don’t know. Our medical team is working on it, but in the last twenty-four hours, his body started deteriorating. He was perfectly healthy this morning, and now he’s dying. Whatever it is, it’s working fast.” She turned her attention to Dex. “This is your last chance to get what information you can. He won’t be here much longer.”
Dex walked over to Shultzon and took a seat in the chair across from him. “Okay, you wanted to talk to me. Here I am.”
“How are you feeling, Dex?”
Sloane took position by the wall not far from Dex, in case he needed to step in. Dex’s patience was in short supply these days where Shultzon was concerned.
“Fine.”
Shultzon smiled warmly. “I don’t have long, so we’ll get right down to it. Everything you’ve found, everything you’ve suspected, is true, and it’s leading you on the path you need to be on. You’re so close to discovering the truth. Everything you’ve done has been leading you to this moment. Those Therians on the list? Their mates? You’re their savior. Those killing them off, they’re scared of you. They have no idea what you’re capable of, but they’ll see. Soon they’ll see.”
“What are you talking about? I thought you said you had information about my condition?”
Shultzon grinned. “Tell me if you’ve heard this one. May 24, 1985, Human wife goes into a hospital after being marked by her lion Therian husband.”
“Yeah, heard that one. Didn’t like the punch line.”
“Clever boy. The wife had been marked on her back, saw to the wounds, and three weeks later, she and her husband were killed in a traffic accident.”
“Only it wasn’t an accident, was it?” Dex narrowed his eyes. “Someone’s been killing off all those couples. Humans who went in seeking treatment after being marked by their Therian significant others.”
“Exactly. The list you found on Themis corresponds to the list your mother made. Except your list has far more names. My superiors—”
“Commander Shrapnel?”
Shultzon laughed. “Yes, him. Oh, but he’s not a commander anymore.”
“Who is he?” Dex asked, leaning forward.
“We’ll get there. As I was saying, May 24, 1985, my superiors made a startling discovery. There were more Therians with anomalies in their blood. Not just the First Gen children. If these Therians with unstable versions of the Therian mutation could cause these symptoms in Humans, who knew what a First Gen Therian with these blood anomalies might be capable of? This problem had to be rectified immediately.”
