As suspected, entering wasn’t a problem. The security guy at the front desk knew her and was aware of her kidnapping, and he was so relieved that she’d “escaped, thanks to the Good Samaritan hunter” accompanying her, that he let them inside without question.
“You should have let me eat him,” Riker muttered, as they hurried to the area where she was certain Neriya would be held.
“Right,” she drawled, “because a severely anemic, unconscious security guard wouldn’t have attracted attention at all.” Then again, if the guard was doing his job, he’d be calling his supervisor right now to report her unannounced and irregular arrival. Maybe she should have let Riker eat him.
She picked up her pace, checking each door as they passed to orient herself. All Daedalus labs were of the same design, but the contents of each room varied according to what the main purpose of the lab was.
“I think it’s the door ahead on the right. The big red one.”
“I’ll take point.” The commanding tone in Riker’s voice both annoyed her and sent a shiver of feminine appreciation through her. “You—”
A soft puff of air whispered across Nicole’s cheek, followed by Riker’s grunt. She spun as he yanked a dart out of his neck and stumbled into the wall.
“Riker!” She started toward him but froze as half a dozen men popped out from doorways and hallways, weapons trained on them both.
“Hello, sis.” Chuck stepped out from behind a big security guy. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
There was a sting in her arm and then . . . nothing.
----------------------
“Nicole. hey, sleepyhead, wake up.”
Nicole woke to Chuck’s voice, bright lights, and a headache the size of Europe. An awful snarl rattled every cell in her body, but where it was coming from, she had no idea. A thick strap across her forehead kept her from looking anywhere but at the ceiling.
Chuck’s face appeared in front of her as he crouched down, and she realized she was lying on the floor inside one of the cells meant to hold vampires.
“What . . .” She swallowed, wincing at the dry roughness in her throat. After months spent in a hospital recovering from Boris’s attack, she knew the feeling all too well; she’d been intubated and extubated.
“What’s going on? What are you doing?”
“I’m protecting Daedalus, just like I’ve done for the last twenty years.”
“What are you talking about?” She tried again to move, but shackles pinned her arms and legs to the floor. “Where’s Riker?”
“Subject fifteen-seventy-two, you mean?” That horrid snarl sounded again, and sickly, she realized it was coming from subject fifteen-seventy-two. “I’ll let you see him after you answer a question.” A lock of hair fell over his eyes as he cocked his head, and he shoved it away with a vicious swipe of his hand. “Did he force you to come here, or are you working with them?”
Nicole’s head spun. This was all so bizarre. Chaining her to the floor? To what end? Was this some sort of game? A prank? If so, it wasn’t fun or funny.
She hedged, seeking his angle. “You know how much I’ve always hated vampires. Why would I work with them?”
“Because they’re masters of seduction, Nikki. Liars with pretty words.” He straightened, looming im— periously over her. “Look how they tricked you when you were a kid. They made you love them. Made you believe they cared about you. They don’t. All they want is to eat us. They’ll even murder their own kind.”#p#分页标题#e#
He started to pace, the clack of his shoes on the floor so annoyingly loud. “There’s a simple truth we try to keep from the simple human population: that vampires are the top of the food chain. If we ever let their numbers get out of control, humans could face extinction.
What we do here at Daedalus ensures that the human race keeps the vampires in check.”
“Why are you telling me all of this?” He was spouting propaganda that she knew well. “I’ve heard it all before, same as you.”
“Yes, but I’ve never tried to protect the vampire who kidnapped me. The vampire who murdered his own mate.” Chuck’s cheeks were mottled with anger.
“Did you know that? Did you know this vampire behind me is the one who killed your nanny? Who butchered Terese?”
Taken aback by his sudden rage, she stared. Why did he care so much about Terese’s death? What was the point of this? And how on God’s green earth could this be the brother she’d followed around like a puppy and worshipped as a child? Granted, she hadn’t seen much of him over the last twenty years, but they’d communicated frequently via teleconferencing, and he’d flown to Paris once a year to see her. Nothing he’d said or done during any of those times had made her think he’d gone off the rails.