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“I thought you said you don’t know what happens later.”
“It doesn’t take a genius to figure out a swan isn’t the outcome anybody wants at any stage in the process.”
“That’s fair.”
We passed through the gate, and he opened the passenger door to a black luxury sedan.
“I don’t have to ride in the back like a taxi?”
He paused at the driver’s side door. “Only if you want to. I thought you’d rather sit next to me.”
“I would.” I settled against the plush leather and turned on the seat warmer. Might as well enjoy it while I could.
He started the car. “Are you nervous?”
“Not really. I participated in medical testing when I was younger.”
He arched an eyebrow. “As an assistant?”
“As a subject. I was desperate, and it paid well.” I’d chosen those experiments carefully, of course. I never allowed anything that might reveal my powers or trigger me into using them.
“Not much has changed then,” he remarked good-naturedly.
I was embarrassed to realize he was right.
The car passed through the gates of the compound, past the entrance to his office where I’d had my assessment and stopped outside an unmarked entrance.
“This is as far as I go.”
I unchecked my seatbelt. “You’re not coming in?”
“Told you. My involvement stops here.”
I opened the door. “Thanks for the ride. Will you drive me home when I’m finished?”
“Maybe. It depends.”
“On what?”
“On whether you can fly yourself home.” He cringed. “Sorry, bad swan joke. Yes, I’ll be here. It’s like getting your eyes dilated. You need someone to drive you home afterward. Good luck, Lorelei.”
“Thanks.” I exited the car, sad to leave the warmth and comfort of the leather seat.
The door opened automatically as I approached the entrance. It was a different style from the others, more clinical and less classy.
A short, stout woman in a blue headscarf and white lab coat met me in the doorway. “Lorelei Clay, yes?”
“Yes.”
“I’m Imani. This way, please. Dr. Edmonds is ready for you.”
I followed her through the waiting area to an adjacent room that resembled a surgical suite. If a surface wasn’t white, it was a reflective metal.
Imani handed me a folded gown. “Put this on and wait there.” She pointed to the metal table in the center of the room.
“Is it the kind that ties in the front or the back? I’ve made that mistake before and, let me tell you, it’s plenty embarrassing.”
She gazed at me without a flicker of amusement. “It ties in the back.”
