He grabbed her knees and forced her legs apart, or as far apart as her narrow skirt allowed. “Is that really what you want?” He grabbed the back of her hair and tilted her head until their gazes locked. His dark brown eyes were filled with lust and just a hint of cruelty. “I’ve been gentle with you so far. Humans tend to be fragile. Perhaps that was a mistake. Shall we see if you can take—”
The lab door banged open and General Milliner stormed into the lab. Carly had no idea which army employed him or if general was an honorary title. It didn’t really matter. His authority was unquestionable and most people simply called him “sir”. One third of the mysterious backers, General Milliner had appeared numerous times on video screens, but this was the first time Carly had been in the same room with him. He was dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved pullover shirt, but casual clothes couldn’t hide the autocratic tilt of his head or the unrelenting strength in his posture. With buzzed gray hair and cold blue eyes, he appeared to be in his late fifties.
Osric stepped back and let her slide off the stool. She quickly straightened her skirt, but the general’s upraised brow assured her that he’d noticed the intimate position.
“General,” Osric greeted in a calm, cool tone.
Ignoring him entirely, General Milliner looked at her. “Have you made the appropriate adjustments to the formula?”
“Of course, sir.” She took a step away from Osric before adding, “But I was hoping for a new test subject. The results will be more accurate if the test subject hasn’t been exposed to any of the earlier combinations.”
Milliner’s expression didn’t change. He stared at her with steely expectation. “I am nothing if not efficient. Delivering three new test subjects is what brought me here today. Two are younger than I prefer, but the Therians are taking every precaution, which makes test subjects harder and harder to acquire.” Before her brain could fully register the repugnance of his casual statement, he moved on. “Osric lost one of the twins, so the compound is now our top priority.”
“What are you talking about?” Osric put himself back in Milliner’s line of vision.
“According to my contact, a total of six males from various shifter clans gathered at the cat sanctuary two nights ago.” He turned toward Osric, his gaze expressing the displeasure his casual tone concealed. “Rebel activities can be orchestrated using video conferencing and email. There’s only one reason they all needed to be there in person.”
Osric shook his head, clearly in denial. “They would never attempt the ritual this soon. There’s no way Carissa would allow it. She grew up believing she was human.”
Carly didn’t know what ritual Osric meant, but he sounded traumatized by the development.
“If what you’ve told us is true, she didn’t need to be a willing participant.” Milliner sounded almost bored. “Didn’t you force this awakening on her mother?”
“We did and our attempt failed.” Osric shook his head. “Why would they have acted so quickly?”
Milliner laughed, the sound harsh and caustic. “To protect her from you. From us. Even if the ritual failed, her animal nature is doubtlessly established. Carissa is no use to us now.”
“But Ava is still a possibility.” Osric straightened his shoulders and glared at Milliner. “Ava is my daughter. I’m not giving up. I know we can create a true Therian.”
Waving away Osric’s conviction, Milliner said, “I don’t honestly care if we have one person who can shift into ten animals, or ten who can each shift into one. I’m interested in the transformation itself and the abilities each shifter develops once their animal nature is mature.”
“But you’ve never seen a true Therian. You have no idea—”
“We’ve decided to focus on known abilities, rather than dreaming about some mythic super-shifter who might or might not exist.” The proverbial “we” meant the three backers, and the pronouncement took the wind out of Osric’s sails. He fidgeted, rebellion still burning in his dark eyes, but he could find no adequate argument.
Barns, the head of security, tapped on the open door, drawing their attention. “Sorry to interrupt.”
“What’s the matter?” Osric asked even though Milliner was actually in charge.
“Something tripped one of the perimeter sensors. We don’t have cameras out that far, so I dispatched a team to check it out. I doubt it’s anything serious, but I thought I’d make you aware.”
“Could the sensor have malfunctioned?” Milliner asked.