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“What does his brain have to do with it?” Oberon asks, appearing perplexed.
Justin clears his throat. “If a mutant has a wolf’s brain, we can’t in good conscious revert their DNA back to human. It would only leave them worse off.” Justin looks at Harold with a more critical eye. “Since this subject seems to be able to understand what’s said to him, I have hope that his brain is more human than animal. The wolf behavior can be untaught, but you can’t teach an animal to be human.”
“I see.” Oberon nods. “I suppose that makes sense.”
“How long will your tests take?” I ask, knowing time is working against us.
“It shouldn’t take us more than an hour or two,” Justin assures me. “Then we can prep him for the machine. Does he understand that the outcome isn’t certain? Did you explain the risks?”
“I did, and he accepts them.” I touch Harold’s arm again. “Harold, Oberon and I need to go somewhere, but we’ll come back here as soon as we can. Like I said, you’re completely safe here. Everyone in this room wants to help you. Do you understand?”
Harold nods once in understanding.
“Excellent.” Justin’s eyes shine brightly with excitement. “We’ll get to work right away. By the time the ball is over, we may finally have an answer about the machine’s functionality.”
“We’ll come back as soon as the vote is over,” I promise not only Justin but also Harold. I hate leaving him in a strange place, but there’s nothing else I can do.
“Come on,” Oberon says, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder, “we have more work to do so we can help others like Harold.”
With the reminder of what we’re fighting for, I turn and follow Oberon out the door.
Once we’re in the elevator, Oberon takes my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze.
“Justin seems like a smart fellow,” he comments as the elevator starts its descent.
“He’s a brilliant scientist but sometimes his social skills are lacking. He’s far too blunt, which is how he fell out of favor with my father. Justin has only been interested in the science of it all, whether it was transforming humans into monsters for my father or reversing what he did.”
Oberon looks at me in surprise. “Are you telling me he’s responsible for Harold’s condition?”
“More than likely. Justin worked very closely with my father for a long time, but when they fell out with each other, I recruited Justin to undo all the wrongs he did. Over the years, I’ve watched him realize his part in my father’s genocide of humanity. I think that’s the main reason he wears the glasses. He doesn’t want to lose his conscience again. They remind him what he’s fighting for, so he doesn’t fall into the hole of pure science.”
As we walk out of the institute, Oberon doesn’t let go of my hand. I didn’t take him for someone who would show affection so easily when I first met him, but the more I get to know the man underneath the title of king, the more I like him.
“Before Harold interrupted,” he says as we walk down the street toward the castle, “it seemed like you were about to say something important to me. What was it?”
“I don’t remember.”
Oberon immediately stops walking, forcing me to stop too since we’re still holding hands. He peers at me with a look of irritation. When he turns his gaze back down the street, his eyes search for something. He seems to find what he was looking for as he begins to walk faster than before with me trailing behind him.
Oberon takes us straight into an alleyway between two buildings. It’s only then that he lets go of my hand. He widens the distance between us by two strides before turning around. His face is a mask of controlled anger. Before he even speaks, I already know what his next question will be.
“Why are you lying to me, Emily? I thought we were starting to form a connection to one another, but I can’t trust someone who blatantly lies to me.”
“I did lie to you.” I place a hand on my forehead and close my eyes as guilt and shame tarnish my soul. When I open my eyes again, Oberon is standing directly in front of me. His blue eyes search mine for the real answer to his first question.
“I’m going to ask you again,” he says in a gentle voice. “What were you going to say to me before Harold crashed through your door and interrupted us?”
My lips part and I take in a breath to answer his question, but in the end, words fail me. Why is it so hard for me to tell him how he makes me feel? I hate myself for being so weak. The only thing I can do is be truthful.
“I’m having a hard time saying what I want to say to you,” I confess. “I don’t know why exactly. If I did, I would tell you.”
“Words aren’t the only way you can express the way you feel,” he murmurs, closing the distance between us but leaving the choice of touch to me.
A storm of emotions erupts inside me like a whirlwind pulling me back and forth between my past and the future. Mentally, emotionally, and finally physically, I let go of what once was and embrace what can be.
With both hands, I grab the lapels of Oberon’s leather tunic and pull him against me, lifting my face to his and pressing our lips together, giving myself to him in a way I’ve never given myself to anyone, not even Mark. Oberon practically growls as he wraps his arms around my waist, easily lifting me as my arms naturally slide over his shoulders. As my fingers entangle themselves in his silky long hair, he carries me to the side of one of the buildings until my back is against the rough stone.
Without parting our lips, his hands grab my arms by the wrists and pin them over my head. I feel his knee push between my legs before he lifts his head to look me directly in the eyes.
