The next morning, the threat of the Ashen Claws had passed. Marcus had dealt with them. I
didn't ask how. I didn't want to know what currency of threats, favors, or blood had been used to
persuade a pack of legendary predators to walk away from their most coveted prize. All I knew
was that the immediate, external threat was gone, leaving me alone with the more intimate, quiet
danger of my keeper.
He found me in the main living area. I was sitting on one of the white leather sofas, staring out at
the city, my mind a whirlwind of half-formed plans and desperate calculations.
"To protect you, I need to understand you," he began, forgoing any preamble. His tone was not
that of a captor, but of a lead scientist broaching a new, fascinating thesis. "I need to know the
nature of the power you possess. The scent that drove two Alphas into a frenzy and brought the
Ashen Claws to my doorstep."
He gestured towards a door I hadn't noticed before, a seamless panel in the wall that now stood
slightly ajar, revealing a clean, white space beyond. A fully equipped, state-of-the-art medical
laboratory.
"I need a sample of your blood," he said, his voice a calm, reasonable request that felt like the
most profound violation I had ever faced. "Voluntarily."
The word hung in the air between us. He wanted the very essence of me, the secret my parents
had died to protect. But he was right. My very existence was a beacon, a danger to myself and
anyone who came near me. Vincent had scented my power. The Claws had scented it. Marcus
himself had felt it. I was a mystery, and in this world, mysteries were things to be vivisected.
To survive, I needed to understand what I was. And he, for all his monstrous control, was the
only person with the resources to give me answers.
"Fine," I said, my voice hard. I stood and walked towards the lab, my head held high, my fear a
cold, hard knot in my stomach. I would not let him see it. "But I have a condition."
He raised an eyebrow, a flicker of intrigued amusement in his eyes. He enjoyed my defiance. He
saw it as a sign of a quality investment.
"You want my blood?" I said, turning to face him at the lab door, my gaze a direct challenge.
"You get it. But I watch you analyze it. Every test. Every scan. You will not hide your findings
from me. You will answer every single one of my questions. I will not be a blind specimen on
your slide, Marcus."
I took a breath and laid down my final, non-negotiable term.
"I will be your research partner."