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“Bella will be safe,” Eli added, squeezing my hand.
After a solemn moment, Nic spoke back up. “Do you know what they were trying to do there?”
“Not entirely,” I admitted, staring back down at my cup. “But I think the man in charge was Dr. Brenner. He was in charge of the experiments, anyway. He wanted to build ‘a better soldier,’ one who would listen to everything. And he wanted to do it before any other country did.” I scowled at the memory. “He wasn’t particularly forthcoming. Almost none of the guards spoke to me, but there was one…”
The memory of that man made me stiffen, just the thought of him leaving a foul taste in my mouth. “At least some of the guards were wolves. One of them told me he was working for Dr. Brenner because he thought ‘shifters shouldn’t have to live in the shadows anymore.’ I’m not entirely sure what that meant, but…nothing good. Then he started going on about how I could be his queen.” I scowled and motioned at my neck. “He didn’t want to take no for an answer.”
I could feel Eli bristle beside me. I felt like I should be more irritated by the memory than I was, but my limbs were already starting to feel heavy again. My eyes were starting to feel heavy, too.
“Thank you for talking with us,” Remus said. “We won’t keep you up any longer.”
“Sounds good,” I mumbled, slipping off after that.
It wasthe middle of the day when I woke back up, but I did feel a little better. After some discussion, I convinced Eli to help me get to the shower. Luna had left clean clothing for me, and even though it was just a plain tee and some shorts, it felt like being dressed in silk or cashmere. It was amazing.
The shower felt just as good, even if Eli kept a hand on my arm at all times. I wasn’t even sure if it bothered me. It just felt good to be near him. I couldn’t even be embarrassed that I needed his help to wash my hair or my feet, unable to move quickly or bend over too much.
That was all it took to make me exhausted again, but it was worth it. As Eli helped me back into the bed, I gave his hand a soft squeeze. “You don’t have to help me, you know.”
Eli shrugged, his expression unreadable. “I don’t,” he agreed after a moment. “But I want to.”
I didn’t know what answer I was expecting, but it hadn’t been that — and for some reason, his words brought a smile to my face. I squeezed his hand again. “I thought I was going to die.”
I hadn’t let myself think about it while trapped in the facility…but it was true. It wasn’t just that I was captured, and as far as I was aware, no one had escaped that place; I knew something was wrong with my heart. I might not have been able to verbalize exactly what, but I knew that something wasn’t right. I knew I couldn’t live without my blood thinners forever. If Dr. Brenner’s callous experiments didn’t kill me first, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to go on for long like that.
I just hadn’t expected it to affect me like this. A tear rolled down my cheek as I stared at my hands. “I didn’t want to die alone,” I whispered, so softly, I could barely hear my own voice.
Eli made a low noise and leaned forward, dropping a gentle kiss to the top of my head. “You aren’t going to die,” he whispered back, lips still pressed against my hair. “And you certainly aren’t alone. I won’t let that happen.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I didn’t say anything at all. I let myself drift off, comforted by the familiar scent of birch and leather surrounding me.
14
ELI
Remus’ Ranch House
Travis County, Texas
Idrifted in and out of sleep, but eventually, I had to get up. My back was complaining loudly after staying in that chair all night, and with Iris totally out of it, it seemed as good a time as any to have a little stretch. As I wandered down the hall into the main living area of Remus’ ranch, I realized the rest of the family was sitting in the living room — Luna, Remus, Fiona, and my father.
I drifted over to them, finding an armchair to settle into as I glanced around.
“How’s Iris doing?” Luna asked softly, a cup of tea cradled between her hands.
“She’s asleep,” I replied, tipping my head. “She was very grateful for the clothes you lent her.”
Luna offered a small smile. “It’s the least I could do,” she said, shaking her head. “Do you need anything, Eli? Tea? Something to eat?”
“No, thank you.” I shook my head, watching as Remus reached over to squeeze his mate’s knee. A look passed between them and she smiled, dipping her head as he kissed her temple. I cleared my throat, suddenly feeling like I was interrupting something. “How’s Bella doing?”
“She’s asleep again,” Luna replied, looking back up. “The poor thing must have woken up at least a dozen times in tears last night. She still won’t say anything. She doesn’t even make noise when she cries.” The woman sighed, mouth pressed into a straight line. “I can’t even imagine what happened that scarred her so badly.”
I grimaced. Luna hadn’t gone into the nitty gritty details, but it had clearly shaken her, too — and she had decades of life experience on poor Bella. I couldn’t imagine what being in a place like that could do to a child. “Do we know exactly how old she is? Or how long she was there?”
Remus shook his head. “I would guess three or four, based on her size and behavior,” he said, “but she won’t say anything. The only reason we even know her name is because Iris knew it.”
“We have to protect her,” I said, frowning. “We could be all she has in the world.”
