“The cats have it,” Carly told Nehema. “They just don’t know what they have.”
“The cats confiscated all sorts of things from the mountain lab,” Zophiel clarified. “If they haven’t destroyed it all, it’s possible that they’ll eventually figure it out.”
“Unlikely.” Carly shook her head. “Even if they find the compound, they’ll have no way of knowing what it does.”
“They have your laptop.” Zophiel moved around to the side so she could see both Carly’s and Nehema’s faces. “Didn’t you detail your progress in some way?”
“Yes, but unless they have access to a geneticist, my notes won’t mean much to them.”
“You’d be surprised what Therians have access to.” Zophiel spotted a spark of guilt in Carly’s eyes half a second before the human’s features iced over. Rather than belabor the topic, Zophiel moved on. “Now tell my sister about the breeding program.”
Carly stared straight ahead, hands clenching as she pressed her lips into a thin line.
“Talk.” Zophiel transformed her index finger into a small, thin blade. Then she rotated her hand, reflecting light into the human’s eyes.
“The gen two serum makes Therian females responsive to males,” Carly began without relaxing her pose.
“Let me translate that for you,” Zophiel moved closer to her sister. “The serum makes both parties so desperate for sex they’ll do anything to get it. It also spikes hormones and increases the release of eggs and the production of sperm. Basically it makes it almost certain that the female will conceive.”
“What percentage of females, under the influence of this serum, conceive?” Nehema’s voice remained even, almost emotionless, but already Zophiel saw fury smoldering in her sister’s eyes. Nehema had dedicated her life to protecting the innocent. And worse, she’d believed Osric and Milliner’s lies, making her appear foolish and naive.
“I only had access to statistics for the mountain lab and many of the females were transferred immediately after…being given access to the male.”
“What was the percentage for the mountain lab?” Nehema persisted.
“Eighty-seven percent conceived.”
“That’s where the fun begins,” Zophiel suppressed a smile. She was tired of being alone in the darkness. Nehema could be unbelievably ruthless when she felt that a cause justified her actions. So Zophiel would simply reestablish Nehema’s cause. “Humans take too long to produce offspring, so Carly found a way to shorten the wait.”
“I was following established protocols,” Carly insisted, fear finally registering on her face. “I didn’t develop the breeding program.”
“What were the established protocols? How was the wait shortened?”
Carly licked her lips, clearly uncomfortable with the topic. “By locking the female in her animal form, gestation times were cut in half.”
Each word Carly spoke drew Nehema’s savage nature closer to the surface. Zophiel could sense the raw energy pulsing from her sister.
“And it doesn’t end when the children are born.” Zophiel knew she was adding fuel to the fire and anticipation was making her giddy. She moved back behind Carly, drawing her sister’s focus to the worthless human. “They keep the helpless children trapped in animal form too. Animals mature much faster than humans and the backers can’t wait around for decades while their slaves grow up.”
Golden light shimmered in the depths of Nehema’s eyes, the change subtle yet telling. “How many?” Her voice was strained now, harsh, and her nose began to twitch.
“I don’t know.” Carly shrugged, obviously mistaking Nehema’s calm for acceptance. “As I said before, I’ve never been to the other labs.”
Nehema looked at Zophiel, her expression cold and composed. “Are you finished with this creature?”
“Absolutely.”
Nehema struck so fast her body blurred. One minute she stood several steps away and the next her hand was embedded in Carly’s chest. The human didn’t even have time to scream. With one vicious squeeze, Nehema ended Carly’s life then slowly withdrew her hand.
“Obviously I’ve been complacent.” Blood dripped from her fingers, but her features remained smooth, almost lifeless. “Thank you for strengthening my resolve.”
“Anytime.” Zophiel had hoped for a little more emotion, but this was a damn good start.
Chapter Ten
“Are you sure you’re not just spooked?” Ian ran a careless hand through his hair as he absorbed his wings. The excess energy rushed through his body, making him feel jittery for a moment. “I circled the property twice. There’s no one out there.”