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He nods before gesturing at my food, which is actually very good. Apparently, they have been picking vegetables for me to eat as well as scouring the city. The fact that they have gone out of their way for me makes me want to cry, but I don’t because Akuji would kill someone for making me cry.
“Eat, mate, and then we have to meet your human.”
“Not my human.” I laugh. “My friend.”
“It’s the same.” He sighs. “Eat.”
“Yes, sir,” I tease, digging into the food. Once I’m done, we stop at the bathrooms so I can use the facilities and take a quick shower. I dress in the same leather warrior top because it’s growing on me, but I manage to salvage some jeans this time and finish it with my cloak and weapons. When I’m ready, I take Akuji’s hand and let him lead me out of their lair and into the city.
I’m surprised when we head towards the lab. I spot my tiger in the buildings and wave, leaving him to hunt as we enter the glass building to the lab where it all started.
The door to the secret lab is open, with one of Cato’s men guarding it. He nods at us as we pass. Akuji leads the way down, gripping my hand tightly. At the bottom, I can’t help but grin when I spot Talia working in the lab. She looks more at home and in charge than I’ve ever seen her, ordering around Cato’s men with narrowed eyes and clapping her hands to get them to hurry. At her side, working seamlessly with her, is Cato. I stop and stare, watching the way his eyes soften when he watches her and how he checks in with her.
She seems oblivious to the natural way they move together, and I wonder if Akuji and I do the same.
Stepping farther into the lab, I catch her attention. She freezes and blinks as if she’s coming out of a trance before a wide smile curls up her lips. Rushing to me, she wraps her arms around me. I’ve never been the type to have friends, but I realise with warmth in my heart that Talia is one of my only friends. I might even go so far as to consider her family.
How things have changed.
Pulling away, she turns to Akuji and nods. “Hey.” She looks back at me. “You’ll never guess what we found.”
“What?” I ask as she drags me into the lab. Akuji chuckles behind me as he greets Cato, but I’m pushed into a microscope before I can say anything else. I stare in confusion at what I’m seeing before lifting my head. She’s practically bouncing on her feet as she watches me. “Erm, babe? English? I don’t do science. I do guns and knives.”
She blushes hard. “Right, right, sorry! I was analysing Cato’s blood, you know, for fun—”
“Of course, what else do you do for fun?” I drawl with a grin.
“Exactly.” She grins with a twinkle in her eye, making me laugh. “Anyway, their blood is naturally mutating. How cool is that?”
“Very.” I nod, listening to her ramble on. At her side, Cato watches her with something close to worship in his gaze, hanging onto her every word. He looks so proud and lovestruck, I try not to laugh. Eventually, she takes a breath and seems to sag. “We found something else. I-I swear I didn’t know, Aria. You have to believe me.” She takes my hands. “I swear.”
“Hey, it’s okay. I believe you, whatever it is,” I promise, squeezing her hands. “Tell me.” I’ve never been the type to shy away from bad stuff in life, and whatever she is going to tell me will be bad. I can tell by her worry and hesitation.
She gazes at Cato, who tucks her under his arm, and then she leans into him for strength. He shares a look with Akuji, who instantly whistles and does a gesture that clears the entire lab of everyone but us. With her voice hushed and her eyes focused on the floor in sadness, Talia begins to explain the research she has put together from what she found between Cato’s place and here.
“They created the monsters, Aria, by splicing genes and manipulating DNA. There were other failed experiments before…before them. They were just creating them in an attempt to perfect soldiers, but…they were trying to bond it with human DNA.”
“What are you saying?” I ask with a frown.
“I think, from the research I can see, that they were trying to make humans and monsters compatible to create a new race, a superior race, that they could control. They were trying to extend our lives and make us stronger, faster.” She raises her eyes and meets mine. “I have a terrible feeling about why they sent me here. I think they want to continue what they started. They could not only make more monsters, Aria, but more races. They could end this world with this research.”
Sucking in a breath, I share a look with Akuji. It should shock me, but the truth is, it doesn’t. Humans are greedy, fragile beings who are always searching for ways to extend our lifespans. What they don’t understand is that the short length of our decaying, fragile lives is what makes our existence so beautiful. Without the fear of death, we would be stagnant. They are trying to play god.
We can’t let them.
“We can’t ever let them get this research,” I say out loud, and we all nod in agreement—human and monster alike.
TWENTY-NINE
AKUJI
Talia and Aria talk in low whispers. I listen in for a moment. Aria is comforting her and promising to help her stop this from happening. I share a look with Cato to see his face soft as he looks at the other human, and I wonder if that’s how I watch my Aria.
Probably, and I’m not bothered by that.
I nod my head, and he follows me to the corner of the lab, where I turn away so I can talk to him privately in low, growling tones, giving the humans their space and privacy for a moment. “I never knew that. Did you?”
“No. For a long time, I have be trying to make sense of their research, hoping for an understanding of our race—”
